Match report

Match report

 

Playing at Stirling Districts’ home turf, Woodside’s U15 Reds opened the game with an early attempt at goal. Stirling Districts quickly replied with a few attempts of their own, putting Woodside keeper James, who seemed to have sticky gloves that day, under intense and sustained pressure. Midfielder Flynn headed off one such attempt at goal before James booted the ball past the halfway mark and temporarily out of danger. The pressure was kept up with several speedy attacks down the wings, the ball switching rapidly back and forth between the two teams, until Stirling Districts finally got one through Woodside’s defence and into the net. Stirling Districts didn’t pause to celebrate, but continued to pepper Woodside’s keeper with shots, who, in heavy congestion and with rebounds ping-ponging recklessly around the box, shut down the play with a dive over the ball, keeping the score to 1-0 until half time.  

 

The intensity in the second half mirrored that of the first. A long kick through and chase down the pitch from Stirling Districts was deflected by Woodside’s defence just short of the goals, followed immediately by a barrage of shots which flew over the crossbar, hit the post, went wide and hit the post again - the pressure on Woodside’s defence was intense! Woodside second-half keeper, Banjo, did well to withstand these attacks, helped by centre defence Cooper, who twice got between the ball and a certain goal for Stirling Districts. Twenty minutes into the half an accidental hand-ball led to a penalty shot for Stirling Districts – who slotted an unsavable bottom left corner, bringing the score to 2-0. Five minutes later Stirling Districts scored again with a beautiful shot into the bottom right corner, bringing the score to 3-0. Woodside counter attacked with a sweeping long left cross from left wing Harry, finished off by James with a sensational sliding touch, getting Woodside on the scoreboard for the first time in the match. This was no doubt the play of the day. In the closing 15 minutes of the match Woodside kept the Stirling Districts defence working hard, narrowly missing a long right cross into goals and two more nerve-wracking attempts, the last of which ended with bodies from both teams strewn across the ground! 

 

Not for the lack of trying by both teams, the score remained unchanged to the end of the game, finishing at a hard fought 3-1 victory to Stirling Districts.