U12 Blacks 25/26 - All Skills Elite
UFCA Battle Hard in High-Scoring Thriller
In a cup game that truly lived up to the "game of two halves" cliché, we showed incredible resilience and tactical flashes of brilliance before a late surge from All Skills settled the contest. Despite the scoreline, we proved we could go toe-to-toe with a team sitting pretty at the top of their league for the majority of the match.
The game caught fire immediately. All Skills struck within the first 60 seconds, but we responded like a team possessed. Inside three minutes, Joshua found Kaiden just outside the he box, who unleashed one of his rockets to finish clinically and level it at 1-1.
All Skills’ left winger proved a difficult physical mismatch, netting goals in the 8th and 13th minutes to put the opposition 3-1 up.
But after long periods of UFCA pressure we were rewarded just before the half time when Max Poole unlocked the defence with a clever through ball to Joshua, who tucked it away to make it 3-2 at the break.
Half time subs
Joshua off for Rocco
Kaiden off for Freddie
Munib off for Max Ramsden
Max Poole off for Archie Speight
Sadly our momentum in the second half was hampered by a nasty ankle injury to Harry Richardson who had been playing superbly, and his departure was a significant loss to the team's shape.
Despite this early set back, a moment of pure vision followed from Ruben who broke the lines with a brilliant through ball from his own half, finding Rocco who fought off two defenders and finished with composure to make it 3-3.
Unfortunately All Skills quickly reclaimed the lead, but we showed our resilience to fight back. In the 24th minute of the half, Ruben’s looping long-range free kick proved too hot to handle for the keeper, fumbling over the line to make it 4-4.
With the game poised at 4-4, we looked capable of snatching a win. However, the physical demands of the match took their toll. All Skills showed their clinical edge, scoring four goals in a devastating seven-minute window (26’, 27’, 32’, and 33’) to pull away and kill off the comeback.
Players player of the match: Joshua Jennings
Coach’s Perspective
"All Skills are a top side with dangerous individuals, but for 50 minutes, we matched them and, at times, outplayed them. To come back from 3-1 down to level it twice shows the character in this squad. We take the positives—our transition play was excellent and the passing from Max Poole, Ruben and Joshua was top tier, as were the finishes from Rocco, Joshua and Kaiden. We wish Harry a speedy recovery; he was a massive part of our early rhythm."
