Date	Sunday 18th February 2011
Match	Hormead Hares v Royston Town Youth Eagles
Competition	Royston Crow Youth Football League U12 Division 2
Result	Lost 6-3
Royston Scorers	Lewis A, Jamie P, Tom
Man of Match	Mick (Tricky, Fast, Creative & Dangerous)

The lads will feel this was a match they could and should have won. The reason they didn’t is easy to see, and we hope to learn from it.

We started like a freight train. Up and at ‘em!

 

We were speeding down the wings, Lewis A and Tom crossing the ball in and causing panic in the Hormead defence. After 2 minutes it was 1 – 0 from a Lewis A goal and 5 minutes later it was 2 – 0 after some great work by Jamie P fed Tom for a deflected goal.

 

The work rate from all the lads was immense. Charlie M and Billy chased everything down. Jamie P was a rock in midfield, doing all the right stuff – Tackling hard, pushing forward with the ball, feeding the wings for crosses in.

Hormead rallied and were using their fast forwards to good effect and snatched one back from an excellent shot on the right.

 

However, we hadn’t given up, and Jamie P capped a great first half with a goal to make it 3-1.

 

Despite Stephen and Jamie C’s hard work in the centre of defence, and Frankie and Lewis W constant tackling, Hormead grabbed a second just before half time. 3 – 2

 

We talked about keeping the work rate going, hassling for the ball and keeping the Hormead players under pressure and started the second half.

 

The second half was not as good for us. The heat seemed to have taken it out of our team, and Hormead got stronger. We were losing the midfield battles, and our legs seemed to have given up. Before we knew it we were pegged back to 3 – 3 and then quickly after 3 – 4 and 3 – 5.

 

We still had some fight left in us and Billy earned a penalty, which could have changed the game again. Unfortunately even Rooney misses penalties, and Billy slipped it wide to leave us trailing. Hormead made it 3 – 6 before Callum did a mazey run down the left, beating 3 players and shot on target. The keeper was up to the task though and despite a late rally, we went down 3 – 6.

 

The reason for defeat, I feel, is two fold. Number one, we ran out of puff. We put in masses of effort in the first half and couldn’t lift ourselves for the second half. Number two is that Hormead came out for the second half ready to have a go at us, and once they pegged us back our heads went down a little.

 

However, we can work on that, and that gives me good reason to be excited by the bunch of players we have and the ability they show in matches. We can hold our own in this league and surprise a few people.

 

 

Team  – Jamie C (captain) Stephen, Lewis W, Frankie, Charlie C, Charlie M, Lewis A, Billy, Jamie P, Tom, Jordan, Bailey, Callum.

 

Spectator’s Man of Match – Jamie P – Worked hard, tackled fiercely, took his goal well.