Match report

Season Date Round Venue
2022 U10 29th July 6:00pm League Round 12 MBUSC SSRP Modified
Match report

There are few places your intrepid correspondent will not go for the purposes of bringing in-depth, up-to-the minute coverage of your Woodside Warriors U10 Blue team. This is something of a necessity in the cutthroat world of hot takes, transfer scoops and touchline gossip that comprises the press coverage of the AHJFA U10 competition, and so it was that this football writer found himself covering Friday night’s match between Woodside Warriors U10 Blue and Mt Barker United U10 Blue from the unique perspective of referee. In some respects, covering the match as a reporter whilst also refereeing gives a closer perspective than any other – an opportunity to be right at the beating heart of the match. However, this also results in a different mindset when approaching the game, and so I’ll spare you every detail because the majority of the referee’s monologue is somewhat prosaic, along the lines of: “Peep. Throw in; Peep, take it again, feet on the ground this time; Was that a foul? … hmmm … they have the advantage, I’ll let them play on…”

We had high hopes for Woodside in this match. Only a single goal separated the teams at the conclusion of their previous meeting and as the first half kicked-off under the floodlights at the Summit, it seemed we were in for a similar outcome. The first twenty minutes or so of the match yielded few chances at goal and both defences had the upper hand, with Charlotte Cosgriff determinedly following her instructions to make life as difficult as possible for the Barker attackers. First half goalkeeper Evany Nunn put in a confident performance in her first time between the sticks for the Warriors and at the end of the first half Woodside trailed by a single goal, which was probably a fair reflection of the game up to that point.

The second half saw the game swing quickly in Barker’s favour, with Woodside caught out by some quick and persistent attacking movement from the Barker forwards. Second half keeper Jock Mills managed to shut out several shots and limit the damage, but Barker had the bit between their teeth and by the time Woodside pulled one back through Leo Tucker’s long-range shot the game was out of reach. The final score flattered Mount Barker a little, but the need to clear lines is a key skill that this young Woodside team need to work on.

Nevertheless, Woodside went home buoyed by the chances they created, the effort they put in and the sheer thrill of playing on a cold weekday evening with the floodlights catching the condensation on their breath. Back to Saturdays for the remainder of the season, but there are few who would say no to further Friday evening matches in the future.