Sports thwart high flying Cavaliers’

U13's Saturday Division 2

Hyson Green Cavaliers 0 Hucknall Sports 0

24/3/12  

Sports made the short journey to Basford to play high flying Hyson Green Cavaliers. Cav’s are champions elect and have breezed past every team in the league but earlier in the season Sports played fantastically well to inflict Cav’s only defeat.

Prior to the game starting Hucknall suffered a body-blow when news filtered through that midfield maestro Charlie Blatherwick had pulled a hamstring earlier in the day and would not be available to play. Sports elected to play a 4-3-3 formation in an attempt to take the game to the opposition knowing that the midfielders would have to work tirelessly. Captain Mitch Davies, restored to the centre, alongside Ryan Towle and Owen Everton were in wonderful form and more than matched Cav’s work rate. Unfortunately, Sports suffer further injuries mid-way through the first half when Ellis Evans and Harry Saxton both limped off in a matter of minutes. Tom Eastwood and Dylan Smith provided able replacements but now Hucknall were down to only one substitute on a day when the sun was strong and the pitch was massive. Every time Sports play Cav’s it feels like ‘David versus Galliath’ both on and off the pitch. Cav’s caught Sports defenders napping earlier on and were unlucky to see a breakaway shot narrowly miss the target. But this proved to be the warning that signalled a magnificent defensive performance from Sports and no more clear openings were created in the first half other than a series of corners that were well defended. Hucknall’s attackers worked hard to find an opening and the best chance of the first half fell to Ollie Bowley who squeezed around the back of Hyson Green’s defenders but his shot was comfortably saved.

Half time: Hyson Green 0  Hucknall Sports 0

If the first half had been ‘shaded’ by Hyson Green it was Sports who looked the more likely to score in the second. The forward line of Jacob Barlow, James Hallam and Bowley ran themselves into the ground in an attempt to make the breakthrough. Sports midfield were on top and managed to find their team mates in dangerous positions time and again. Hallam pressured the Hyson Green backline with a wonderful display of ‘leading the line’. He appeared to have setup the winning goal when his cross found Barlow unmarked at the far post but as the ball found the back of the net so the linesman’s flag was raised. If it was offside it was mighty close. A lovely move saw Towle play a slide rule passed to Bowley who’s first time pass found Barlow once more but his rocket shot just missed the far post. Cavaliers did create some pressure but defenders James Stenson, Joe Newton, Smith and Eastwood were solid as a rock and looking back Keeper Kal Orton did not have a save to make.

But time ran out for Sports before they could find the winner and the referee blew with the score locked at 0-0.

Full time:  Hyson Green Cavaliers 0 Hucknall Sports 0

After suffering back to back losses you would have been forgiven for thinking that Sports might have been in for a ‘good hiding’ at high flying Hyson Green Cavaliers. But nothing could have been further from the truth. Sports management challenged each boy to raise their game and to a man they did just that.

Finding a candidate for Man of the Match was easy today and probably the entire team could have staked a claim. In defence Newton and Stenson were brilliant. Midfielders Towle and Everton were wonderful. Up front, Barlow , Bowley and Hallam always looked dangerous.

But today’s winner was ‘Captain Fantastic’ Mitch Davies. Mitch’s energy and determination to win everything in midfield provided the inspiration for the rest of the team – just as you would expect from a real leader.