Sports get the double over Colts

U14's Saturday Division 2A 

Cotgrave Colts 0 Hucknall Sports 5

17/11/12   

After a resounding victory the previous weekend Sports made the long trip to Cotgrave looking to extend their unbeaten run to 7 league games.

On a truly dreadful pitch Hucknall’s normal smooth passing game was always going to struggle and for the first 20 minutes despite having numerous corners it was very difficult to create clear-cut chances. The ball got caught up in the long grass time and again but finally Dante Diriso got the opening goal when he showed a turn of speed and neat skill to finish low into the bottom right corner. Hucknall tinkered with their formation and moved Kieran Green forward to midfield leaving a back three of Smith, Newton and Stenson and it was Green who got the next goal with a fine run and shot from just outside the box that curled delightfully into the net. Still time for one more goal when Tom Eastwood drove the ball home to notch up his 11^th of the season to put Sports into a commanding lead by half time.

Half time: Cotgrave Colts 0 Hucknall Sports 3

For the third week running Sports made three changes at half-time. Most of Hucknall’s play came down the left-hand side as the grass on the right wing rendered it almost unplayable. Ellis Evans and Diriso both took a turn in the left wing position and threatened to get around the back. But it was a rare right wing move that provided the next goal when Evans picked out Ollie Bowley who beat his man and cross well for James Hallam to smash the ball into the net. Many more changes followed with Sports rearranging the entire midfield and adopting a 3-4-3 formation to see the game out seeking more goals. In the final moments Jacob Barlow got a richly deserved goal for himself when skipper Joe Newton found him with a raking pass just on the edge of the penalty area. He jinked left and right and then left again to curl a wonderful shot home.

Full time:  Cotgrave Colts 0 Hucknall Sports 5

Through no fault of the players, good football was hard to find today. The pitch didn’t help either team to play in the style that they would have liked but Hucknall’s victory was well deserved and rarely in doubt.

Today’s Man of the Match went to Jacob Barlow for a terrific performance and a fine goal but mostly for listening to his instructions and carrying them out to the letter – well done Jacob

The season starts now boys and we fear nobody!