Hasland CFC U18s - Spire Rangers

Under 15 - League Trophy Semi Final

So today our u15s had the biggest game of their season and probably their grassroots football lives as they took on Spire Rangers in the league trophy semi final at Highfield Park in Newbold.  Having never even been close to a semi final before this was a huge opportunity to progress to the first cup final ever for these young lads. 

We wanted a quick start and press hard and high up the field and then be patient when in possession.  It's fair to say that the heavy side wind didn't help however we didn't start too well and lacked any quality in the final third.  Chances were few and far between and Spire grew in confidence as the half went on.  

Then in the 22nd minute, Spire broke down the left and with some poor attempts at clearing our lines, Hasland found themselves 1-0 down after a decent finish from around 12 yards out. 

This seemed to shock Hasland into gear, who went looking for the equaliser which came in the 31st minute.  After working the ball into the Spire box our strikers were too strong for the defence and Cole finished nicely from around 6 yards out⚽️

Half time wasn't pretty as we had been poor in the first half and we knew we had more quality to bring to the game. 

Second half was much more like what we have come to expect from these lads, as we had more possession and was starting to cause Spire some problems.  Then came the two minutes that changed everything.  In the 53rd minute Alfie playing in the 10 position found possession on the edge of the box and hit a perfectly placed shot into the bottom corner to put Hasland ahead.  Then straight from kick off with a real sense of urgency Hasland pressed the defence, forced a mistake and Jenson was able to make it 1-3 again from around 6 yards out. 

Despite more attacking football from Hasland and a quality save from Hasland Keeper Ben in the final minute the score remained 1-3 to the final whistle.  So there we have it, Hasland U15s have booked their place in their first ever cup final to be played at the home of Alfreton Town in April. 

Man of the match went to Max T for a very energetic performance and was one of the few areas of the pitch were we showed some quality on the ball.  Well done mate. 

Well done to all the lads today, once again we say how proud we are of you all and now we can look forward to a day out to make some memories! Top bunch of lads!