U13 Cougars show fighting spirit - Cougars throw away another lead but comeback to snatch a point

20 November 2011

After throwing away a winning lead and folding tamely in the second half last week the Cougars had the opportunity to make amends as they were at home to the same Benchill team. After to a much improved and determined performance in training the Cougars took the field in confident mood and were determined to put on a better performance for the coaches and supporters.

Patrick as usual started in goal ahead of him were a back line of Jamie,Derek,Ilan and Jonathan, 5 in midfield this week with Callum in a new defensive midfield role ahead of him were Joe and Atikan central with James and Jake on the wings this left Will K alone up front, on the sidelines were Joey Will.N and Cameron , Jayden was under the weather and mourning the loss of his scooter.

1st Half

Kicking downhill the Cougars looked to take the game to Benchill and as in the previous game started the brighter and looked the most likely to score.  They did open the scoring after a massive Clarence from the back by Derek was lobbed over his own keeper by a Benchill defender put under pressure by Will.K. This early goal settled the Cougars who looked to get the ball wide, James and Jake were being well marked though and as a result the Cougars struggled to make any clear cut chances.

Atikan who with Callum was bossing the midfield found Will K with a free kick , Will played it into Joe who fired wide and Joe from another chance a few minutes later shot over. It looked as though the game was following the pattern of the previous week with the Cougars dominating but enable to score.

The Cougars then won a free kick 25 yards out on the right , only Joe will know if he intended a cross or a shot but the ball sailed over the keeper to double the Cougars advantage.

The Cougars then seemed to lose concentration and Benchill who were looking dangerous on the break pulled a goal back after a move down the left. Jamie who was flying into tackles then set Joe free again but his shot went agonisingly wide. Will K then had an attempt from the edge of the box that the Benchill keeper just managed to fingertip round the post.

Benchill then pulled another goal back following a break down the right and despite dominating the cougars found themselves level. Callum then went on a great solo run but the keeper was equal to his shot.

Just before half time the Cougars took the lead again Atikan took a free kick from mid way inside the Benchill half and found Will.K in space on the left of the area , he knocked the ball centrally into the path of Joe, Joe looked to have fluffed his shot but it managed to creep under the keeper to make the half time score 3-2 to the Cougars.

2nd Half

The boys took to the field for the second half with the coaches words ringing in their ears, they knew they should have been further ahead and as per the previous week playing with the conditions in their favour Benchill were likely to dominate the second half.

The second half saw the introduction of Cameron and Joey for James and Jake , again Cameron held the ball up well but unfortunately he had to come off after only 10 minutes with breathing difficulties. Will N then appeared with Callum moving to the left.

The expected onslaught arrived and Benchill drew level after a free kick wide on the left 40 yards from goal somehow managed to find the top of the net to level the scores. Pressing forward Benchill took the lead for the first time after a mix up at the back. , The Cougars now looked in disarray and they seemed to be defending far too deep. Patrick injured himself in moving across to cover a long range effort he collided with the post but bravely continued after being down for a few minutes.

Unlike last week though the Cougars heads did not drop and they continued to press forward trying to get the equalizer. Jonathans long throws were proving a threat and Ilan added his presence to the forward moves. The Cougars efforts were rewarded when following a throw on the right Will.K knocked the ball square for Joe to fire low into the far corner to complete his hat trick and level the scores.

The remaining 10 minutes were nervy with benchill hitting the post and The Cougars nearly getting the winner as the two Wills combined well on the right with Will.N firing over.

Both teams seemed relieved to hear the final whistle.

Summary

A much better performance from the Cougars who showed great spirit in fighting back against a much improved Benchill team who will surely take points off of a lot of the other teams in this division. The midfield had a much better shape today and tracked back well to cover the defence. Derek was awarded the bronze man of the match today for a strong performance at right back, Atikan won silver for again dominating the midfield but the Gold award was deservedly awarded to Callum who shone in a new central defensive midfield role.

The Cougars now face some difficult games against league leaders Lymm and 5th placed Urmston Colts but they demonstrated today a fighting spirit that will be needed in future games.

Managers Comments

A much improved and much needed performance compared to last week's showing.

Some very pleasing individual performances throughout the team and noticeably fitness levels are on the up.

One observation from this game and something we need to work on; we need to start passing quicker and smarter. Lets get stuck into some short accurate passing moves (a bit like Barcelona!! :o)) seriously though, we have some players who are good on the ball.  Lets work on a few short passes with a view to releasing a killer pass.  It can be done.

As Bill says above, a few big games coming up which will more or less determine where we are likely to finish in April.  The big question is Cougars, are you up for the challenge?

One final point; it was a definite shot Bill! ;o)

Source: bill kennedy

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