Under 13's. Friendly Game.
Away v Reddish North End Under 12's

  Result - R N E Under 13's 2  R N E Under 12's 1

Match Report: James Emmerson

I am sure Ian and Alan will write from their perspective on today’s encounter but I will get my view in here. This was an awkward fixture for my boys – a bit of a ‘no-win’ situation if you see what I mean and certainly going into a match as firm favourites is not something we are used to.

Being honest I felt we should have won by quite a margin, but in the end we were hanging on a bit and happy to hear the final whistle. We didn’t play well and despite having lots of shooting opportunities we were either wayward or not composed enough to find the net. All seemed fine after we went ahead within a minute, Jake stroking home after Callum’s early burst forward caused panic. Callum added a second shortly after and it seemed more would follow. But although we had plenty of play in their box, we didn’t really test the goalie. The U12’s showed plenty of spirit as they regrouped and they got one back after some really casual defending by us from a corner.

The second half was a strange one for me. We played a little bit better at times, more composure and some better passing, but with our collective shooting boots elsewhere we couldn’t shake off our younger opponents. They deserve great credit for battling and putting us under pressure at times. We were all indebted to some great defending by Daniel B, whose goal-line clearance saved us, and Callum had to make two smart saves – one right at the death – as the u12s sensed they could get something from the game. In the end I felt our defending had been better, and this was the difference between the two sides on the day.

None of my boys were too happy after the game; despite the win I think we all knew we hadn’t played anything like. But all clubs have games like these, and if we can win when not playing well, regardless of who the opposition is, that has to be encouraging. And with all the hard work having been done, it was nice to play in a relaxed atmosphere on a beautiful morning, and it was great that this little club can put on such a fixture.

I am still incredibly proud of my boys and our little 4 game mini-season after Easter is on track. We hope to have our final game of the season next week and make it four straight wins to round off a really good season.