| Match Report |
Oh dear, that wasn’t a good start. A cold and wet morning in Whittlesfield saw a full squad get off to a very poor start. Within 5 seconds of a Whittlesford kick off Frankie had buried a toe punt into the bottom left corner of his own goal from 15 yards! It didn’t get much better with one of the worst quarters we have played. There was no pressure on the ball and no intensity, meaning Whittlesford threatened a cricket score. Naivety was also shown in failing to hold positions, leaving the defence exposed, and whilst a few chances were created we couldn’t take advantage and deservedly were the end of a five-goal deficit. It is rare, but strong words were had at the break. It may be what was needed, as we were almost unrecognisable in the second quarter. Sam and Frankie (who had finally woken up) resumed their defensive pairing and in front of Rhys looked very solid. Everywhere over the pitch we were far more combative and, whilst we were less of an attacking threat, it was a great improvement. Onto the next quarter and again we showed that there wasn’t much between the teams. The cold was beginning to take its toll though and this is a good time to remind parents to make sure their kids are wearing appropriate clothing. I don’t care if they wear jumpers, coats or gloves. A warm undertop (green or black) should be a minimum. You wouldn’t go and stand in a field when it’s cold and raining with just a tee shirt on, so why would you insist that your child does? Anyway… Rhys was showing that he will be a valuable member of the team both on pitch as well as in goal and Vale has come on leaps and bounds in just one week. Mia also pulled off a couple of good saves, but she was twice beaten. So, onto the last quarter and Frankie played well again in defence, this time accompanied by Patrick who had grown into the match. Sam played well in the centre of defence, but a couple of further goals rounded off what the match. If we ignore the first quarter everyone played well - if only we could. Sam and Rhys deserve a mention for their performances, but the player of the match was given to Alex, who put in his usual steady showing. Onto next week, when we hope the weather is better and we are ready to go from the first whistle.
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