Classy Sports too good for Long Eaton

U16's Saturday Division One Notts Youth League

Hucknall Sports 4 Long Eaton 1

5/10/14

Sports second home game of the season saw them up against Long Eaton United. Hucknall had made a steady start in their first 4 games but United were still searching for their first points. Injuries to Skipper Keiran Green and keeper Kal Orton meant that Sports had to make changes to the starting line-up again and brought in Keaton Sharpe for his debut in goal.

Playing on the super-flat surface that is the Cottage Pitch at Goosedale really suits Sports expansive game and from the off they looked in good form. Had it not been for a sterling performance in goal from the Long Eaton keeper Hucknall would have been out of sight in the first half but saves from James Hallam, Adey Lang and Ryan Towle kept the scores level. Sports needed a moment of magic and predictably it arrived in the form of Ellis Evans. He controlled the ball neatly in midfield and dinked a beautifully waited lob into the path of Lang who skilfully nicked the ball over the on-rushing keeper for a terrific opening goal. The chances kept coming for Sports with Jarrod Davies narrowly missing with a header from an inswinging Tom Eastwood corner. Eastwood himself was unlucky not to get on the score sheet when he volleyed just wide at the far post from a trademark Towle cross. Long Eaton’s best chances came from long punts over the Sports defence and the odd corner. But keeper Sharpe was alive to any danger and took full command of his penalty area. He also helped continue Sports football philosophy by quickly setting the attack going with some great distribution. Hucknall defenders were finding more time on the ball and it was great to see them having the confidence to ‘play from the back’ and move their team forward. This was a good half for Sports but more goals were needed to close the game out.

Half-Time: Hucknall Sports 1 Long Eaton United 0

Sports were even more dominant in the second half as once again the combination of Mitch Davies and Jarrod Davies took a strangle hold of midfield. Time and again they broke up play and set Sports off on wave after wave of attacks. When the pass forward was not available they had the good sense to recycle and be patient. Everyone was playing well by now. Matt Leivers brought his training ground game to match-day and showed what a talented footballer he is. He continually made himself available to take possession from Sports keeper and then played simple, but effective, passes to the midfielders. Hucknall moved further into the lead when Jarrod Davies was upended in the penalty area and Lang grabbed his second of the game by dispatching the spot-kick to the bottom corner. Davies then got himself on the score sheet with another contender for ‘Goal of the Season’ after he drifted in from the left-side to curl a sublime effort beyond the reach of Long Eaton’s keeper and into the top right corner – not bad for a centre-half! Danny Darlow and Dante Diriso entered the game to keep the pressure up for more goals and Darlow almost scored with an outrageous effort that narrowly missed to the right of the goal. Hallam and Lang were terrorising their markers now and once more Long Eaton had their keeper to thank for keeping the score down. The last goal of the game deservedly went to Hallam after Lang broke free on the right side and squared the ball from the goal line for him to smash into the net. In the final moments Long Eaton grabbed themselves a consolation goal but this game well over before then.

Full-Time: Hucknall Sports 4 Long Eaton United 1

The performance of Sports today was reminiscent to the opening game of the season against Keyworth. The whole team contributed massively to a great display of ‘proper football’. We have to keep our concentration and not be distracted by what is going on off the field of play. Patience was definitely the order of the day and eventually good football was the winner.

Matt Leivers MOM

Choosing a Man of the Match is incredibly difficult when everyone has done so well, but today’s winner was Matt Leivers. Anyone playing at wing-back nowadays has to have great control and creativity and thankfully in Matt we have exactly that – well done and keep it going.