Match report

Match report

Under threatening skies, Warriors U8 Blue fronted up in round two to host Mt Barker U8 Red. The boys had warmed up well and took to the field with a glint in their eyes. Only seconds after the starting whistle, the Blue Warriors streamed forward and Patrick deftly lobbed a right-foot strike past the Barker keeper and into the back of the net.

Far from intimidated, the Barker Reds surged into attack but their foray was soon intercepted by Josiah in defence who turned the ball around and drove it forward again for the Blues. Running in numbers, passing frequently and confidently the Warriors, blue scored prolifically for the rest of the first half. Sharing the spoils, there was a total of four goal-scorers before the break with Odin, Eddie and Leon joining Patrick on the ledger. Leon and Odin worked well together in defence and calling and talking was a feature of the Warriors' game today.

The action continued immediately after the break with Billie helping himself to a quick-fire goal off a deft pass from Freddie in the midfield. Having spent a quiet first half minding the home goal, Billy was a ball-magnet in the second period finishing with a stunning hat-trick. Barker continued to fight back with several pushes into our half but Josiah in particular showed dogged defiance, running back hard and using the boundary-lines well to return the Warriors goalward. Fred, Eddie and Ethan were also pivotal in the midfield setting up multiple offensive plays. Hungry to join the scorers, they lurked menacingly at the top of the square late in the game. Barker's keeper worked hard in the second half, turning back more strikes than passed him while Patrick sternly defended the home goal until the final whistle.

After last week's drizzly start and low-numbers scratch-match, the Warriors are already coming together as a tight unit, showing a promising level of teamwork.. Coach Troy was pleased with the standard set by the boys and made specific comment about throw-in drills paying off well on game-day. Special thanks to first-time whistle-blower Andy!