U12 Rosso Match vs Ripon City Panthers

The team produced a brilliant performance to beat Ripon City Panthers 6-0.

We started the game slowly, with the start probably being our worst period of the game. However, 9 minutes in, Lennie - who had a fantastic game, constantly breaking up Ripon's attacks in the middle of the field - won the ball back in the centre of the pitch, before going on a mazy run and sliding in Hugo for his first goal of the game. The goal sparked us into life, and we began to dominate; six minutes after the first goal, Miles nicked the ball and slid in Hugo, who added to his tally by rounding the goalkeeper and finishing from a tight angle. End of the first quarter: 2-0.

We started the second quarter much quicker, with Hugo almost completing his hattrick seconds after the restart. Still, we did not have to wait long, with Miles getting himself on the scoresheet with a great finish from the edge of the area after 2 minutes, following a cutback by Marcus. The team goal of the game followed not much later, and it was particularly satisfying as an example of what we have been working on at training. Rufas, who despite the lopsided scoreline should be commended for making several excellent saves throughout the match (as well as some fantastic communication), played a goal kick to Dan, who while he does not get the assist, should be credited for some absolutely wonderful play: he received the ball, drew a defender, eliminated the defender by driving past him, then fixed another defender allowing him to play a pass to Marcus, who was now free. In space, Marcus coolly collected his second assist of the game, sliding in Hugo to complete a well deserved hattrick with a composed finish. Half time: 4-0.

The second half was perhaps slightly less dominant, especially in the third quarter, as we began to be a bit happy-go-lucky with our attacking, requiring Dan and Rufas to perform some excellent last ditch defending to maintain the clean sheet. This is not to say that we were not good on the ball, however, as the boys did create several chances. Despite this, the only goal of the quarter came out of nothing, with Miles brilliantly controlling a clearance just in front of the halfway line before taking a few touches and hitting a knuckleball from over twenty yards that left the goalkeeper bamboozled: a brilliant individual goal. End of the third quarter: 5-0.

The fourth quarter, was much more controlled, with James and Rufas marshalling the team like experienced stallwarts. It did not take long for us to score a sixth: this time it was Marcus' turn to score from distance, with a fantastic goal four minutes in, to take his personal tally for the game to two assists and a goal. Lennie bravely took a nasty blow to the head halfway through, and the team kept going right until the end, playing some lovely football. Full time: 6-0.

Obviously, it is easy to focus on Hugo, Miles, and Marcus in a game where we scored six (with Hugo bagging his second hattrick in as many games), but every player should be proud of their performances. Rufas, like last week, was commanding and communicative, and made some vital saves. Archie, playing against a lot of players he knew, was very solid defensively, while he also made some swashbuckling runs to support the team in attack. I have waxed lyrical about Dan's role in the fourth goal above, so I think it's enough to add the comments of his teammates to sum up his performance today: "Dan is COOKING!". Lennie was a destroyer off the ball, sitting in front of the defence and winning the ball back countless times, while in possession he was as cool as a cucumber, shown by his assist for the first goal. Miles managed to bag two goals and an assist, including an early contender for goal of the season, but his game had so much more than just that. Ali showed off his dazzling feet, and was unlucky to not score or assist today. Will was super impressive: not just his tireless work rate, but his ability to draw defenders in before beating them, drawing a foul, or creating time and space for those around him. Further, he followed his instructions to a tee, allowing the whole team to thrive. The same can be said for Freddie and Marcus: enough has been said about Marcus, but one should not forget the threat posed by Freddie's beguiling feet.

The team was superb today, and it was very gratifying to see the work on the training ground already paying off, with several fantastic examples of playing out from the back on display throughout the game, though the players' individual quality should not be discounted, either. Onto the next game.

Goals:

Hugo x3

Miles x2

Marcus

Assists:

Marcus x2

Lennie

Miles