Match report

Match report

Another glorious late autumn day (will it ever end??) treated the players and fans at Woodside for an eagerly awaited contest between both Woodside Under 11 teams.

Right from the outset you could tell it was going to be a high energy match, the pressure on the ball from both sides made clean play very difficult. Goals were going to be a hard earned commodity.

A feature from both teams in the first half was to have a well structured defence. Loose balls were immediately dealt with and when a promising play was progressing down the wing the defence pushed back and across to ensure that crosses were hard to reach the forwards.

After some earlier runs forward, the Blues hit the scoreboard thanks to some quick footwork from Max. Oliver and Hayden started the play working through the midfield before Gus fired a strong shot to the right side of goal. Despite a good stop from the Reds keeper, Max was in the right place at the right time and quickly drilled the ball into the net.

At half time Coach Bob reinforced to the team that time was critical and quick decisions would need to be made to effectively move the ball forward. With a full bench only for the second time this season several rotations were made to keep fresh legs on the pitch and boy they were needed!

For the second half, Levi donned the goalie gloves for the first time the season and was confident in front of net and positioned himself well to the approaching play. Benji played a fantastic full match as sweeper, he stopped several threatening plays and assessed the conditions ahead to make several accurate passes to launch a counterattack.

Kinglsey played with flair off the backline and made several strong runs forward using his skills to weave past the opposition. Boston and Emily continued to thrive in midfield and defensive roles and won many 1:1 contests and slowed down the play to allow others to support. Edward capped off a strong defensive first half and then drifted into the midfield to help create some scoring opportunities.

The Blues second goal of the match started with the clean passing down the left wing. Mya won the ball in the defensive half and punched a quick strong ball to Fletcher who then used his quick dribbling skills to run the ball forward. He then crossed the ball to Gus at the top of the box and with a controlled first touch was then able to deliver a quick low shot into the net.

After Edward won a free kick within range of goal, Bobby was entrusted to take the kick and nearly scored a remarkable late goal. His curling kick was headed for the top right corner of the net only to be denied by a great save from the Reds keeper.

As the full time whistle blew the crowd applauded after watching a great contest played in good club spirit. It really was a joy to watch, well done to both teams.