Sunday 30th November, 2008
Sherwood FC U10 Blue 1 v 5 Hucknall Poachers U10
A difficult game for us today in the YEL Cup against the leaders of Division One, Hucknall Harriers. We showed great resilience for long periods in the first half, particularly our defenders who were exposed to more threat than usual. This was partly due to the fact that Hucknall were a better team than us, and partly because we seemed to be playing with four strikers for long periods!
We held out for about 18 minutes of the first half and then let in three in quick succession. I thought they were all preventable goals, but sometimes that's the way it goes. If we don't make mistakes we don't learn. It was a different starting line up today and some boys played in unfamiliar positions. I know this didn't meet with universal approval but amidst the disappointment of losing, and the nagging doubt that we might have beaten them if things had been done differently, we should take consolation in having given the whole squad a meaningful run out.
I can't be certain, but I don't believe any of our players turn up in the earnest hope of being allowed to stand on the touchline for an hour and watch. They tend not to be satisfied with 10 minutes here and there either. Nor should they. (Here endeth the sermon).
We changed things round in the second half and fared better. Buck pulled one back with a well-taken goal early on and Tom had a magficent free-kick saved by their (excellent) keeper. If that one had gone in, who knows the doubters may have been silenced. But it wasn't to be and Hucknall added a couple more, largely on account of our inability to clear our lines having suddenly become over-crowded at the back.
I don't think the 5-1 scoreline fully did our efforts justice but there's no doubt we were beaten by the better team. Their next game in this competition will be against the team second in Division One and it should be quite a match.
Hucknall are a well run side. It was really good to see that for long spells their managers gave no instruction at all and when they did have something to pass on it was said, not shouted. At two key points, one in each half, they altered their formation and it yielded five goals. They are a class act.
Our Man of the Match was Harry Wakefield who, alongside George who also acquitted himself very well, was our class act.
