Match report

Match report

On the first truly cold Saturday of the 2025 AHJFA U12 season, Nairne Knights hosted Woodside Warriors under gloomy skies and the threat of rain. Actually, the threat immediately turned to reality, as the clouds began releasing their load with the ref’s opening whistle and stopped only on the stroke of full time. But, as a result of the persistent dry weather leading into the day, the pitch was firm underfoot, with the biggest difficulty to play being the slippery ball, which skimmed off the boot and skidded off the turf. 

From the outset, there was a contrast between the two teams. Woodside were setting their defensive line high and flat, and looking to play for offside, while the Knights were sitting much deeper, and without a clear line, leaving very little room between the last feet and their keeper. These contrasting styles of play would ultimately decide the outcome. 

Woodside looked far from their best in the first half, with the cold seeming to infiltrate their legs. But despite their lack of intensity, Woodside dominated the contest for extended periods. Nairne were bombing the ball long out of defense and hoping for their highly talented striker to get on the end of it, but the Woodside back three were equal to the task, winning the ball and cooly playing it up the ground to a friend in Red and Blue. But as they transitioned forward, Woodside were met by a thick cumulus of Knights players, who were flocking to the ball and taking time away from their opponents. This caused many a Woodside pass to go astray and limited the number of clean shots on goal. Despite this, Woodside still managed to create four shots on target in the first term, only to have all four saved by a very handy Nairne goal keeper. Then, with only a couple of minutes until the break, a long bomb from Nairne did get behind Woodside’s line. Playing a high backline is undoubtedly the way high-level football has been played for the last couple of decades, but it can leave you exposed, especially on a skiddy deck, when the ball can zip through the line and catch you off guard. And that’s exactly what happened. A long ball from Nairne shot through off the greasy deck, sending their striker away on goal. The Woodside backs pursued him like a pack of ravenous terriers, but Nairne’s striker is lightning fast and as accurate as Hawkeye with his right boot. He won the race to the ball, controlled it with class and fired it into the back of the net. And so, despite creating four shots to one, Woodside found themselves a goal down at half time. 

Woodside rallied in the second half, their intensity was up as they fought for the ball and looked to snatch the win, or at least salvage a draw. But as the clock ticked on, each sigh of anguish from the visiting fans, which accompanied each missed chance, rang out as the echo of a death nell. Yes, Woodside were dominating possession and territory, but try as they might, they couldn’t create a really good shot. They did send another seven shots goalward in the second half (to their opponent’s one), but all were stopped before the line, some in spectacular fashion, as the Nairne backs and keeper kept their side in the lead. For Woodside it was the case of too many Knights players around the ball and in the box. There was just too much traffic to create a close-range shot. Woodside’s cause was also hampered by an unwillingness to shoot from distance, with several potential shots sacrificed in favour of a cross or a short pass. It was a learning lesson for Woodside – when the box is full of bodies, half a look at goal is as good a target as you’re gonna get. As they say, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take, and Woodside didn’t take a bunch!

Full credit to Nairne on this one. They were beaten on the stats sheet, but not on the scorecard. They fought and scrapped for every ball, they cleared the area relentlessly and they never dropped their level.