Match report

Match report

For the second round of the season, Woodside U12 Gold hosted Torrens Valley Soccer Club. After a wet week, fans filing into the Fortress thanked their lucky stars as they were greeted by a partly cloudy sky and broken shafts of golden sunshine. And although the pitch was heavy, players and fans rightly expected to keep their shirts dry for the duration. 

From the outset, Torrens Valley looked to have a slight edge, and with half the team playing their second year on the big pitch, they had every right to enter the match with an air of confidence. But if they thought the youngsters from Woodside were gunna let them have their own way, they were in for a shock! The first half was a see-sawing encounter – although TVSC strove hard at the goals, they were repelled time and again by the fighting spirit of the Woodside chargers. And although they had to fight for every forward entry, the locals were clearly determined to stake their claim in the match. Eventually, it was TVSC who found the back of the net, capitalising on sustained pressure to take the lead at 1 – 0 mid-way through the first stanza.  And although both teams strived for another goal, we went to the break at 1 – 0.

When the teams returned for the second term, it was Woodside with a spark in their feet. Now, defence was being turned into attack as they strove forwards through the middle of the ground to create several dangerous raids on the opposition goal. Eventually, one of these paid dividends with the Woodside striker taking the game on through the middle and finishing with a perfectly placed shot past the keeper. At 1 – 1 and with Woodside creating numerous chances, the game appeared to be anyone’s for the taking. But as the game wore on and the young Warriors tired, TVSC gained the ascendancy. Now Woodside looked a step short of their opponents and instead of clearing the ball wide in defence, they were sending it straight up the middle. The result was that the more experienced TVSC were able to create prolonged periods of pressure on the Woodside goal. And in football, prolonged pressure equals repeat scoring shots. In the end, this gave Torrens Valley enough chances to find the net three more times to finish the game deserved winners.