Brantham U9A Vs Claydon FC U9A (Cup 1st Round) (04/10/2014) Claydon made the long journey to Brantham hoping that their unbeaten run in the league would be replicated in the cup. Over the last two weeks they have played on the beautifully manicured lawns of the Blue Circle ‘fortress’, astro turf at Kesgrave, and today they were greeted with a field at Brantham. Luckily for Claydon the field had white lines, so, after the removal of some well placed thistles and the sudden arrival of a set of goals, we were ready. There was bad news though. Owen had forgotten his lucky boots, most of the boys seemed to have left their water bottles at home, and there were rumours of Ipswich Academy players in the Brantham team. The first few minutes set out the foundations for what was to come. A (some might say) over eager referee seemed to have the whistle stuck to his lips and in the first few minutes was blowing more than the Fat Controller! Sam was making solid clearances and the boys were full of running. It was however Brantham who came out of the traps fastest, with lots of good interplay eventually forcing a fantastic save from Alfie. Claydon did have some chances, with more strong tackles from Fabian producing some good breaks from Harry and Owen. Five minutes into the game came the first big moment. A combination of another strong tackle from Fabian, a sniper in the trees, and a rabbit hole in the ground led to a Brantham penalty. Claydon were 1-0 down after it was well dispatched to Alfie’s Right. This injustice seemed to turn Claydon into the team we know they are. Owen started battling and came close after lots of sheer determination. Fabian and Omarion showed excellent strength, and began putting in some clinical passes. Harry and Ollie were hungry for goals – but Lady Luck didn’t seem to be on their side as their shots rattled the Brantham posts and cross bar. A few minutes later Owen and Omarion made way for Makai and Joshua. Makai made an immediate impact, holding the ball and spraying it out to Claydon players who lapped it up. Joshua now side by side with Sam looked at home, making the solid challenges and no nonsense clearances we have come to expect from him. Spurred on by a ‘more vocal than usual’ Max, Harry showed some sparks of real determination – a classic Joey Barton tackle when performing defensive duties leaving the Brantham striker nursing a bruised ankle. Sam was having a real captains performance, but it was Fabian who levelled the game – a thunderous shot from distance leaving the goalie, the net, and the goal with no chance. Half time, 1-1. Claydon started the second half as they finished the first, full of drive and shots aplenty. Omarian had a fantastic shot early on which the Brantham goalie took the sting out of and then had to quickly pounce on, as a charged up Ollie was sniffing around. The second half was fantastic and painful to watch. Ollie made a fantastic cross with Makia coming close, Omarion hit the post after a well worked short corner, and Sam covered every square inch of the field pitch. Ollie in particular was having fun on the right wing, at times taking on 3 or 4 Brantham players, hitting the post on at least 2 occasions. In fact it was only Owen coming close to being lost completely in an abnormally sized pot hole (which incidentally the ref made a fantastic job at filling) which gave the Brantham players a break from the relentless pressure. Full time 1-1. Now for extra time. 5 minutes each way, and more ooh’s and aah’s than a scene from When Harry Met Sally. Joshua’s energy levels seemed to kick in, having a fantastic 10 minutes of tackles and a couple of brave headers. Sam continued to play in all positions, dominating each and every one of them. Some might say that the teams for the next game had arrived, but I still believe news of the excitement of the current game being played had spread – the crowd growing to at least 3 deep in places. Perhaps one final push? It happened - a break from Ollie finding Fabian on the edge of the box, but the shot went inches wide. A heavy sigh from the now 1,000 strong crowd as the inevitable now loomed, penalties! The swings and roundabout end was chosen as the goal for these to be taken, and the famous five from each side were named. Brantham would go first, and made no mistakes from the spot. Ollie was next from Claydon, but his heavy legs didn’t deliver for him. Brantham then missed themselves and Harry made no mistakes from the spot. Four penalties in and the game was still level. Brantham’s third went in the top corner, Fabian responded with a shot through the keepers legs, Brantham scored again, then Sam coolly slotted in his. Each team had now scored 3 from their 4 pens, with one left each. The crowd was now at 2,000. Brantham missed. All eyes on Makai. All hearts in mouths. Cometh the hour, cometh Makai, cometh the obligatory bundle. Well done boys, thoroughly deserved! MoM : Oliver Match Report : David Maddams Photos : Jo Wood (See Jo For Match Photos Every Week)
Posted on: Sun, 05 Oct 2014 08:39:28 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015