Sports Victory at last

U12's Saturday Division One
2/ 4 /11
Clifton AW 2 Hucknall Sports 3


Sports got back to League action looking to put last weeks semi-final exit behind them in a bottom of the table match with Clifton All Whites.

The welcome site of a well organised senior referee set the tone for an excellent game of football. Clifton started well and playing with a strong wind at their backs laid siege to the Sports goal with a wave of attack after attack. Hucknall's back line looked stretched at times and had to work very hard to keep the ball out of the net. Kal Orton made a string of great saves and Dylan Smith, Tom Eastwood, Joe Newton and Ryan Towle all defended extremely well. However, good work in midfield by All Whites created a well taken goal. But Sports have found confidence in recent performances and were not about to give in. Ellis Evans played a great ball into Buckly Gibson-Brown (Captain) and his cultured shot with the outside of his boot narrowly missed the target. Time and again the off-side flag was raised to frustrate Hucknall's strikers but eventually Gibson-Brown found a way through and slotted home to draw the teams level just before half-time.

Half time: Clifton AW 1 Hucknall Sports 1

Oliver Bowley gave Sport the perfect start to the second half when he coolly slotted the ball home from just inside the penalty area after unselfish work from Jacob Barlow. But Sports were forced into more changes when Bowley was replaced by William Brown after receiving a heavy blow to the head. Hucknall created chance after chance to close out the game with James Hallam, Gibson-Brown and Charlie Blatherwick all going close. Hallam smashed another chance against the post and Barlow saw a shot go narrowly wide of the far post. Then with only 10 mins left All Whites were awarded a penalty when Ryan Towle was unluckily adjudged to have handled the ball. Sport Keeper Orton only narrowly avoided stopping the ball hitting the back of the net. This was cruel luck for Sports but showing real character a driving run from Sports Tom Eastwood forced a throw-in just inside Clifton's half that found Barlow in space on the left side. He cut into the edge of the box and with the goalkeeper advancing of his line he brilliantly lofted the ball over him and into the back of the net - what a goal, what a winner.
Sports played sensibly for the final minutes and celebrated wildly their first win of the season at the final whistle.

Final score: Clifton All Whites 2 Hucknall Sports 3

If Sports had not got victory out of this game then they would have had every right to be really disappointed but thankfully their determination to win saw them get to result they deserved and we all know that that has not happened very often this season.

In a game of high standards there were stand-out performances from a number of boys with Bowley, Hallam, Blatherwick, Barlow and Gibson-Brown all doing well. Midfielder Mitch Davies continues to play fantastically well, but today's winner was Ryan Towle who eventually worked out how to play the difficult conditions and showed great discipline by doing the right things at the right time in the heart of defence.
We will need a number of performances like this before the end of the season, but it is clear that this team has the ability and with that they now have the confidence - Come on boys let's show Division One what we can do!

Phew, what a game!!!