Hutton Juniors Tigers v Razor FC U13 (away)
Talk about snatching defeat from the jaws of victory! I feel Hutton were extremely lucky to take us to a penalty shootout today, let alone overturn a two-goal deficit in the shootout to break our hearts!
I asked the boys to go out and play to their strengths, work hard for each other and retain focus throughout. Our formation was designed to give us a high, aggressive press and stop Hutton from playing out. The boys in the forward positions – Elijah, Arlo, TJ and T’maine – did it to perfection, forcing Hutton into several errors. The first-half performance has to be up there with our best this season. The boys made a mockery of the two-division gap between the teams, and any neutral observer would have thought Razor were the higher-division team.
We deservedly took the lead by winning the ball high and Elijah playing T’maine in for a finish into the bottom corner. 1–0 and complete domination. Hutton drew level when they were awarded a penalty after a rare attack, which they despatched. The boys didn’t let their heads drop. They knew they were the stronger team and carried on hassling Hutton, not letting them play, and put together some outstanding passing moves over and over again. The one-touch passing moves were easy on the eye and showed the boys were playing with confidence. We took a deserved 2–1 lead through a direct free kick from Teddy, which was misjudged by the Hutton keeper and found its way into the bottom corner.
At the start of the second half, Hutton got another penalty and scored once again. Ordinarily, I’d be having a few words about discipline in the box. However, the conditions made it very slippery for the boys, so they can be forgiven for mistiming a tackle here and there. 2–2, and at this point I felt Hutton should think themselves lucky. They then grew into the game as our boys started to lose their cool a bit and went in front from a corner. 3–2 and four of the goals from set plays!
The boys regained their composure and won themselves a penalty, which Teddy hammered home. 3–3 and the initiative had swung back our way. It began to get a bit feisty on the pitch, with Hutton players visibly frustrated, but our boys kept their heads and looked like the only team who would win it. As it was, it came down to the dreaded penalties…
All I’m going to say here is that it takes guts to walk up in front of your teammates, the opposition and the crowd, so fair play to all the boys who volunteered. It doesn’t matter that we lost today. We deserved much more, and the boys showed where they truly belonged! Onwards and upwards for the rest of the season. If they play that way each week, they’ll have no problem achieving promotion.
Incredibly proud of my boys today!
Last note from me – my man of the match was TJ. He dominated the midfield, linked play well and was a constant driving force forward, with Hutton struggling to contain him. Please vote for your own man of the match too!
