Lowdham Colts 1 Hucknall Sports Whites 5

7/11/09
Saturday U11's
Trophy

Lowdham Colts 1 Hucknall Sports Whites 5

Lacklustre Whites Win Trophy Match
Hucknall Sports Whites travelled the short distance to Caythorpe to take on Lowdham Colts in the second round of the Saturday Trophy competition on the back of an unbeaten start to the season with confidence running high.

But it was Lowdham who started the better of the two sides and Whites defence could only watch as a Colts breakaway saw the opposition crash a clear shot on goal against the woodwork. This should have provided the warning for Whites to move up a gear but a succession of poor control in midfield and neat passing from Lowdham meant that the Sports defence was working overtime to keep the score sheet clean. Thankfully, a wonderful pass from Jarrod Davies put James Hallam through on goal and he calmly slotted the ball into the net to put Whites into the lead.
All credit to Colts though as they refused to crumble and they got the goal that their play deserved with when a fantastic run from defence to attack saw Santos level the scores. Hucknall were clearly rattled at not having things their own way and Colts threatened once more but Whites Keeper Kal Orton showed great composure to side-step the attacker and make a simple pass to his defenders. Late in the Hucknall were awarded a penalty when Josh Hart was tripped in the box and but Colts keeper made a great save from Hallam to take the match into half-time with the scores level.

Half time: Lowdham Colts 1 Hucknall Sports Whites 1


Whites rang the changes at half-time with all four substitutes being introduced in an attempt to get back to the football of recent weeks. Half-time tactics where executed from the start by Hucknall and great wing play from both Dante Diriso and Jacob Barlow started to create gaps in the Colts back line. Good footwork from Oliver Bowley saw the ball crossed into the 'danger' area and Jarrod Davies flicked the ball home with the outside of his foot. Finally, the Colts resistance was broken and as fitness started to play a major part in the game Hucknall exerted their authority and closed out the game with further goals from Mitch Davies, Jacob Barlow and Ryan Towle.

Final score: Lowdham Colts 1 Hucknall Sports Whites 5

This game will hopefully serve as a lesson to Sports that you must respect your opposition at all times. It is not good enough simply to turn-up at a game expecting to have shooting practice. Players have to continue to work hard to create chances for their team mates and stick to the tactics that have seen them make a great start to the season.


Amongst many good second half performances there are four in particular that are worthy of note: Jarrod Davies and Mitch Davies won the midfield battle and Kieran Wilson and Dylan Smith stood strong in defence.
However, the winner of the Man of the Match Award was Harry Saxton. His calm play from centre-back saw him bringing the ball forward and making wonderful passes that were reminiscent of Franz Beckenbauer at his best. The entire crowd watched in awe as his 25-yard strike smashed the cross-bar to deny him his first goal for the club.
Well done Harry - it was a pleasure to watch such a mature performance.