U11 Youth - Walton & Hersham Utd U10 Scorpions
The Youth kicked off their first competitive league match against a Walton & Hersham Utd team that we’ve never beaten. We’ve always had a close match and today was probably the pick of them all.
Q1, we started brightly making our passes and causing their defence problems all the time. However, it felt like they had placed all their best players in defence as they were able to block our attacks each time with some very strong tackles. Phoenix was still managing to cause them problems down the wing and combined with Jos to rattle the upright. Gabe was very comfortable running the show in the centre of the pitch spreading the play wide and braking down their counterattacks in their own half. When W&H did manage to brake through our lines we had Finley and Eddie who both dominated their attackers, each having one of their best performances at the back. The one time W&H cut through us with a fantastic period of play Isaac was on call to make a great save from a shot which was arrowing into the top corner. Quarter ended 0-0.
Q2, saw both sides make some personnel changes. More so for W&H who had brought a rugby size squad with them and had more subs than parents watching! They started to cause us problems and suddenly we weren’t making all the passes we had in Q1. The pitch was pretty awful so controlling and passing the ball was taking us far too long and W&H started to sense our hesitation. In all fairness they made some really good passing combinations and finally cut through our defence when their winger showed real composure to take it round Isaac and hit a low shot into the net. Half ended 1-0.
Q3, started with a new energy. We knew we were in this match. Matias slotted into CDM and Ryan at CB with instructions to keep it tight and snuff out their attacks. They took to their task excellently and you could see the confidence rise through the team. Gabe was everywhere again. Receiving the out-ball beating the opposition and switching the play. Harrison started to find the pockets of space on the wing and Phoenix was beating his opponent every time. Gabe’s long throws were causing W&H no end of issues and a cleared ball found Phoenix on the wing who broke away and slid a perfect pass into Jos to score the equaliser! Quarter ended 1-1.
Q4, well this quarter had everything. We could see W&H were struggling with fatigue as half the team were bent over double, which was bonkers when they had so many subs. Nate was causing the right back constant issues as he had the beating of him each time. The second time he beat him and broke into the box and the defender hacked him down from behind. Penalty! Thankfully the ref gave it as he had form in the last fixture to not give any penalties for us. I shouted for Gabe to take it and he stepped up and hit his shot like a tracer bullet straight down the middle of the goal and somehow the keeper got a strong hand and tipped it onto the cross bar. From a former goalkeeper it was a fantastic save but very lucky that the ball fell kindly for him and we just couldn’t prod the loose ball in the net. Gabe was brilliant after that. He didn’t let his head go down and battled to stop W&H attack. But their tails were up and the team had to dig in against constant pressure. Isaac was now being called into action with a number of saves and the resulting series of corners were thankfully dealt with. We counterattacked again from a turnover near our box and Nate was played in down the left wing to pull the ball back across the goal for Harrison to steer his shot past the keeper. 1-2! The game started to get stretched now. End to end stuff. Gabe continued to drop bombs into the box from throwins, but W&H kept coming and from a half clearance the ball fell kindly for their midfielder to put the equaliser into the net past an outstretched Isaac. 2-2. The game was almost over now and all players on the pitch were visibly exhausted. The last kick of the match came again from a pass that was sure to set Nate off for one last run, but the W&H player cut it out and then tonked a hopeful shot back at our goal which landed on the top of our crossbar and bounced away for a goal kick. Game ended 2-2. Gabe got POM for his performance in the centre of the pitch, long throws and showing real character by not letting his head drop after the penalty.
We still haven’t beaten this W&H side but I’m confident we will have the better of them back at Brookwood Farm. The Youth remain unbeaten in 2024 and mid table in the new league format. Next week we take on the league leaders. C’mon! “Cougars are massive everywhere we go!” 💪👊⚽️🤩
