Claydon U9 A vs. Wickham Market U9 A – 8 November 2014 South Suffolk Youth League. Under 9’s Cup. 2nd Round Claydon welcomed Wickham Market to the Blue Circle ground for an early kick off in the second round of the SSYL Under 9’s cup. With a place in the quarter finals at stake Claydon started with Alfie in goal, the defensive partnership of Sam and Josh, Harry, Makai and Oliver in midfield with Fabian in attack. On the bench were Omarion and Owen. The game started off at a frantic pace. Both teams were battling well and competition for possession of the ball was fierce. Passing play was attempted by both teams but defensive intervention came out on top at both ends of the field. Alfie was called into action a couple of times and did not disappoint. The defensive qualities of the players in front of him however meant that his involvement was limited. One hotly contested episode of play resulted in a Claydon corner with 12 minutes gone. Harry stepped up to take the kick which found its way through to Fabian on the edge of the area. Fabian opened the scoring and added to his impressive goal tally to break the deadlock. Half time Claydon 1 – Wickham Market 0. The second half started the way the first had finished with action in all areas of the pitch. The crowd were hoping that playing with the slope to Claydon’s advantage would encourage passing play and time on the ball. To Wickham Markets credit this was not the case. The second half matched the first half for excitement and nerves were fraying. The Wickham Market manager showing increased signs of exasperation felt a need to aim his frustration at the referee. The players were clearly distracted as he became more animated. Disappointing to say the least. A second goal in Claydon’s favour would surely have made certain of the result and eased the nerves of the home crowd. The closest we came was when Sam took a free kick mid way into the Wickham Market half. The first attempt was poor and was cleared straight back to him. The second attempt was hit with venom. The crowd were on their feet and holding their breath as the ball hit the crossbar. Fulltime score Claydon 1 – Wickham Market 0. Should this report seem brief it by no means detracts from the excitement of the game or the efforts put in by all players. On the contrary, the action was so thick and fast that it would be impossible to document every passage of play and speak of every positive attribute demonstrated. The next round is the quarter final where we get to confront Felixstowe & Walton. Today’s game was by no means easy and there will be no more easy games on the way to the final!! Reporters opinion: A credit to all players to progress through to the quarter finals. It was interesting today to note how our attacking and passing play faltered against a team which looked to be set out with a more defensive attitude. Man of the match: Fabian Referee: Dave Maddams Match Reporter: Simon Wood Match Photographer: Jo Wood
Posted on: Sun, 09 Nov 2014 14:35:25 +0000