Football Anyone?

U15's Saturday Division One Notts Youth League

Dunkirk Colts 3 Hucknall Sports 1

30/3/14

Hucknall Sports travelled to Lenton Lane for their first meeting of the season with high flying Dunkirk Colts. Earlier in the week Dunkirk had progressed to the final of the Cup with a comfortable 3-0 over table-toppers Greenwood Meadow so Sports were expecting a tough game.

Dunkirk kicked-off in a style more reminiscent of a rugby match than a football game and booted the ball sky high and 40 yards up to the far corner.  Sports resisted the temptation to copy the opposition and decided to play a more cultured style of football. Their midfield quartet of Tom Eastwood, Mitch Davies, Dante Diriso and Ryan Towle grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck from the first whistle and made sure that their team took control midfield.  Ellis Evans continued his terrific season and cleverly found space in the ‘hole’ to bring Sports wide players and strikers into the play. James Hallam started as the lone-striker but such was his determination and drive Dunkirk assigned four defenders to mark him. Even with such close attention he still managed to find a way through on goal and refused to give up on any through balls from his team mates. The combination of Evans and Hallam opened up the Colts defence to wonderful effect after only 10mins when Evans threaded a delightful ball in between Dunkirks defensive line for Hallam to sprint clear and clip the ball cleverly into the far corner. Dunkirk were stunned and the coaching volume was cranked up to the max in a desperate attempt to get their boys back into the game. Still Sports created the gaps and Dante Diriso sprinted clear of his marker to put in a brilliant cross with his ‘wrong’ foot only for it to evade the onrushing Hallam. Twenty minutes in Sports introduced five changes including the return of the mercurial Charlie Blatherwick. Danny Darlow continued his strong partnership with Matt Leivers and opened up the Dunkirk left back position with more clever Sports play. Tom Eastwood confidently took the ball from a short-corner and jinked his way into the box and was just about to ‘pull the trigger’ when a defender nicked the ball away. Another attack saw Sports smash the woodwork and a good opportunity for a shot on goal was blasted into the wall. Sports Keeper Orton produced a couple of terrific saves and Colts normally deadly strike force were wasteful at times and even contrived to miss an open goal.

Half-Time: Dunkirk 0 Hucknall Sports 1

With games coming quick and fast over the next few weeks Sports shuffled the deck once more at half-time and partnered Darlow with Ellis up front. Dunkirk re-entered the pitch with their managers instructions ‘ringing’ in their ears after an abject first half performance that belied there recent form. His instructions were clear to all and the long punt up field was used repeatedly. Sports backline of Jarrod Davies and James Stenson looked strong but were powerless to do anything about the equaliser after 20mins when a neat swivel and shot in the box found the back of the net. Dunkirk adopted a more physical approach and Sports players soon started dropping like flies after some brutal challenges. In the last 20mins of the game Hucknall lost three players to injury and unfortunately conceded two further goals, albeit one after a blatant push on Dylan Smith and the other with a shot that took a cruel deflection off Kieran Green into the net. Still time for Ryan Towle to hit the cross-bar from a terrific inswinging corner but in the end it was Dunkirk who walked away with all three points.

Full-Time: Dunkirk Colts 3 Hucknall Sports 1

With only 20mins left to play it looked like Sports would grab a famous victory but unfortunately the combative style of football from Dunkirk finally won out. However, much credit has to go to all 15 Hucknall boys for giving Colts one hell of a scare. Our football was terrific, particularly in the first half.

Kal Orton MOM

Sports Man of the Match today was Kal ‘the cat’ Orton for an unbelievable display of goalkeeping. The opposition players and management had their heads in their hands and looked on in sheer disbelief at some of the saves that he made. I doubt there was a better performance all weekend from any goalkeeper in the country. Well done Kal – simply outstanding.

I can’t finish this report without commenting on the contrast in styles of play. On the one hand Dunkirk punted the ball diagonally long to the corners to try and create their openings on goal. Whereas Sports on the other hand weaved a series of intricate passes to create their own openings. The result suggests that long balls are the most effective, but please shoot me if we EVER start to play like that - Brian Clough would be turning in his grave!

Honours Even between Sports and Colts

U15's Saturday Division One Notts Youth League

Hucknall Sports 2 Lowdham Colts 2

23/3/14

After yet another two week  break Hucknall Sports welcomed Lowdham Colts to Goosedale for this Division One fixture looking for a win to move them back up to third-place in the league and set-up a grandstand finish to the season.

Five minutes into the match it was clear that some of the Lowdham boys had arrived with an agenda to ‘rough-up’ Sports in an attempt to distract them from the game. Sports are no angels and can certainly hold their own, but it was disappointing to see opposition players high-fiving each other after one particularly bad foul but massive credit to Colts Manager for taking the offending player off shortly afterwards. The game settled down and Sports sought to get their traditional passing game going but time and again they were frustrated by the Cottage pitch surface as the ball bumped and bobbled all over the place. A ‘soft’ free kick for alleged pushing at a throw-in enable Colts to take the lead when an unmarked player scored with a neat header at the near post. Hucknall struck back within a minute when great combination play from Tom Eastwood and Ellis Evans presented a chance for Danny Darlow to finesse a shot beyond the keeper and into the far corner. Sports were on top now and Darlow nearly scored again soon after when a replica shot was pushed onto the post after a great save from the Colts keeper. Dante Diriso looked all set to smash in a shot only for a communication mix-up to see his own player take the ball away from him. The same player watched in amazement as his terrific corner to the ‘back stick’ went begging with no Sport player able to get their head on it.

Half-Time: Hucknall Sports 1 Lowdam Colts 1

Ryan Towle entered the fray in the second half and put Sports into the lead with a neatly taken free-kick from 25 yards. Hucknall looked odds on to extend their lead as Hallam burst through only for the referee to miss a blatant hand-ball and moments later Kieran Green burst clear on the left side and delivered a magnificent cross that Evans looked certain to tap into the open net only for a wicked bobble to take the ball away from him. Colts best chances came from a series of long range free-kicks from the half-way line but Hucknall’s central defensive unit of James Stenson and Joe Newton stood firm. Colts did eventually score an equaliser when Newton’s defensive header looped up and over Sports Keeper Kal Orton. This setup a frenetic last 10 minutes that saw both teams looking to snatch victory but in the end the referees whistle blew and the result was a draw.

Full-Time: Hucknall Sports 2 Lowdham Colts 2

It is a mark of how high Sports are setting their sights this season that this result feels like 3 points lost rather than 1 point gained. Sports need to remain calm in matches like these and stick to their game plan. All too often we were too quick to pass the ball from 20 yards away instead of driving forward and making the opposition commit before playing a simple 5 yard pass instead. However, there were some moments of real quality and once again the partnership of Matt Leivers, Danny Darlow and Ellis Evans worked well. Also the central midfield pairing of Mitch Davies and Tom Eastwood looked strong and very creative and certainly provide a different option in that position.

James Stenson MOM

Man of the Match today was James Stenson. His promising start to the season as team Captain had been cruelly cut short with a nasty injury that saw him unable to play for 8 weeks so it was great to have him back and playing at his magnificent best. His partnership with Joe Newton looked great and they were rarely trouble by a combative Colts forward line. Both boys set a terrific example of commitment to the team and go about their business quietly and efficiently. But James’s support from the touchline during his recuperation in the wettest winter on record shows how much he cares for the team and is a quality that others should aspire to.

Opposition Keeper foils Sports

U15's Saturday Division One Notts Youth League

Greenwood Meadows 2 Hucknall Sports 0

8/3/14

Two weeks after moving to third in the division with a great victory over Hyson Green Sports made the trip to top of the league Greenwood Meadows in confident mood.

Hucknall won the toss and elected to play into the wind on a dreadful pitch that would do nothing to encourage good football. Greenwood started the brightest and managed to get around the back of Sports defence on a number of occasions early on but no real threat on goal was generated thanks to some sound defending. Gradually, Hucknall found their passing game and the combination of Matt Leivers, Danny Darlow and Ellis Evans started to create openings to release Sports strikers. One such move saw Evans release James Hallam from his markers only to be denied by a tremendous saved from the opposition goalie. Meadows took the lead in dubious circumstances when Sports goalie and both centre half’s were bundled into the back of the net along with the ball from a wind-assisted corner, but unfortunately this was completely missed by the referee and the goal stood.

Sports introduced Ethan Barnes and Ryan Towle before half-time and Barnes looked all set to score only to be crudely tugged back as he was about to shoot. His resultant shot beat the keeper but came back off the post. The incident was unspotted by both the opposition linesman and referee.

Half-Time: Greenwood Meadows 1 Hucknall Sports 0

Sports adopted a different setup in the second half with Dante Diriso playing wide on the right hand-side and Towle moved to the left. The oppositions game plan was clearly waste as much time as they could possibly as they continually stood in front of the ball or kicked it away but alas the referee did nothing to punish this tactic. Midfield dynamo Mitch Davies had to leave the field after a kick to the head and James Stenson deputised whilst he recovered. Sports worked their socks off and the opposition goalie made a couple of terrific saves. Another appeal for a Sports penalty was waved away after Tom Eastwood was felled in a goalmouth scramble. A free-kick from Towle was plucked off of the head of Hallam and another kick from Davies was skilfully saved. With 5 minutes to go Sports pushed men forward in search of the equaliser. Jarrod Davies, who had bolstered Sports defence to be one of the best in the league when he returned to the club midway through the season, was inches from getting in on goal as he surged forward. A rapid break-away saw Sports outnumbered at the back and Greenwood’s man-mountain of a centre-forward found the back of the net to close the game out.

Full-Time: Greenwood Meadows 2 Hucknall Sports 0

Games like these leave a sour taste in the mouth and it’s very easy to find yourself getting annoyed with the antics of the opposition and poor officiating from the referee.

But let’s concentrate on the positives instead. Sports demonstrated that they are able to compete with the top teams in this division and the oppositions player of the match was clearly their keeper. There are more than enough points left to win to suggest that this league is far from finished yet.

MOM Kieran 'Greeny' Green

Man of the Match today was Kieran ‘Greeny’ Green who in truth is a contender every week for this award such is his level of performance. But this week, when playing against tough opposition, he stood out from the crowd with an assured lesson in defending and also prompting his team forward – awesome Greeny, keep it going.