Match report

Match report

Woodside Warriors U12 Gold hosted ladder leaders Stirling Districts White for the early match on Saturday Morning. The visitors had racked up 20 goals in their previous two encounters and the hosts knew they would have to play their best to stay in touch with their older opponents. But if they were daunted, they didn’t show it!

Right from the outset this was a tight contest. Stirling attacked for long periods, but were repelled time and again by the hard-working, well-disciplined defensive line – who maintained their structure under constant pressure. Eventually Districts did manage to find the net with a hard-fought goal through heavy traffic. But The young Warriors responded quickly – driving the ball forward into space and finishing with a neat-as-a-pin shot past the keeper. When the ref blew his whistle for half time, the scorecard read 1 – 1 and the match was anyone’s for the taking.

When the sides returned from the break, the game rolled on at a frenetic pace. And with no bench players for either side, the 42 little legs on the pitch seemed to become gradually heavier… and slower. For the Woodside players, this was the first time that any one of them had played a full 60 minutes. But not one of them allowed fatigue to be an excuse. They stood up and worked! Every time Stirling pushed forward for the goals, they were met by a wall of Red and Blue. And instead of rushing the ball, the Warriors defended with discipline and patience. They stalked their prey like a tiger, pounced when their prey made an error and cleared the ball to safety. But Stirling White are a tenacious bunch. They kept hacking forward, stealing their way into the six yard box on multiple occasions. On two of these entries, they managed to steer a ricocheting ball into the net to seal a well-earned 3 – 1 victory.

Both teams are to be commended on an outstanding match played in the true spirit of football.