Sports forced to settle for Runners-up

U14's Saturday Division 2A 

Rolls Royce 3 Hucknall Sports 0

15/12/12   

The last game of the season in Division 2a saw Hucknall Sports away to Rolls Royce in a Championship decider after both teams had already secured promotion. Once again poor weather in the preceding days mean that this game was in the balance but a blustery, sunny, morning allowed the game to go ahead.

A stiff wind in the face of Sports attackers is normally a good sign as the ball holds up well and allows them to play their creative passing game. However, the conditions got the better of Hucknall’s defence early on and they couldn’t have made a worse start when the blinding low sun made it almost impossible to deal with a couple of hoofed balls over the top and after 10mins they were two goals down. A great move on the left side presented a chance for Owen Everton to get his team back into the game but his first time volley just drifted over the bar. Tom Eastwood provided much of the spark and was unlucky with his run and shot. Good play from Rolls saw a screamer of a shot cannon back off of the cross-bar and a third goal before half time left Sports with a mountain to climb.

Half time: Rolls Royce 3 Hucknall Sports 0

Predictably, Sports came out of the blocks the faster at the start of the second half looking for an early goal that would surely change the game and won a series of free-kicks around the Rolls penalty area. But efforts from Dante Diriso, Mitch Davies, Charlie Blatherwick and Ryan Towle all failed to test the keeper. Diriso looked the more lively of Hucknall’s strikers and his shot from the edge of the penalty area appeared bound for the back of the net only to be denied by a fine save by Eddie Ridley. Eastwood was re-introduced on the left side and could have won a penalty but chose to stay on his feet rather than go down after a heavy challenge. Possession stats in the second half would have shown 80% in favour of Hucknall but despite all Sports efforts they could not breach the impressive Rolls back line.

Full time:  Rolls Royce 3 Hucknall Sports 0

Sometimes you have to accept that it is simply not your day. No one can say that Sports didn’t put the effort in although some boys did look a little wary even before the start of the game.

All credit to Rolls for dealing with the conditions much better than Sports and on the day hat-trick hero Kieran Beales was the difference between the two teams.

Sports Man of the Match was Dante Diriso for a gutsy performance both in attack and midfield – well done Dante.

Bill Shankley once said that footballer is ‘more important than life and death’, given the events in Connecticut this week we all know that is not the case.

Sports players will be rightly disappointed with the result of this game but a record of 1 loss in 14 games is fantastic so hold your heads up and be proud.

Congratulation on Promotion and see you all in the New Year for Division 1 football.