Sports give Long Eaton a real fright

15/01/11
Saturday U12's Division One
Long Eaton 3 Hucknall Sports 1

Blustery conditions greeted Hucknall and Long Eaton as they arrived at West Park for their second game in a week. Predictions of a thrashing for Sports had emerged from some of the Long Eaton players after they had won 4-0 the previous week.

Playing into the wind Sports started the better of the two teams and central midfielders Mitch Davies and Harry (H-Bomb) Saxton worked hard to take possession of the ball. Hucknall created the first of the games chances from a good cross by Jacob Barlow that Long Eaton managed to scramble away from James Hallam as he was waiting to pounce. Frustrated Long Eaton showed a moment of composure to sidestep a challenge on the edge of the Sports penalty area and finished well to take the lead and then in first half injury time United went 2-0 up with a half-volley goal that just eluded Sports keeper Kal Orton.

Half Time: Long Eaton 2 Hucknall Sports 0

Sports now had the advantage of the wind with at their backs and Long Eaton struggled to get out of their own half as Hucknall pushed forward. Good pressure from James Hallam created a defensive mix-up in the United backline and he fired Sports back into the game when intercepting a poor back pass. United were rattled and when Hucknall were awarded a free-kick wide on the left Sports fans sensed a chance to draw level but Blatherwick's goal-bound header was defended well. Sports right winger, Buckly Gibson-Brown, found himself clear on goal but just as he was about to shoot a last ditched United challenge cleared the ball. Then cruelly, with Sports going all out for an equaliser United broke and scored what a proved to be a vital third goal as the wind abated just long enough to allow rare second half Long Eaton shot to drift over the Sports goalie and into the back of the net.

Full Time: Long Eaton 3 Hucknall Sports 1

What a difference a week makes - The entire Sports squad showed tremendous believe in their ability to match the challenge of Long Eaton and on another day could easily have got something out of the game.
Many great performances all around the pitch mean that this weeks choice was particularly hard work. But for his fantastic heading, tackling and passing in midfield the award went to Mitch Davies.
His after-match video comments stating that the team had battled hard and closed down everything applied as much to him as the entire team - well done Mitch.

Let's take great heart from this performance and kick-on now for the rest of the season boys.