In a gripping cup encounter at Archbishop Temple High on 2nd March 2025, Euxton Villa U15 Black faced BAC/EE Preston JFC U15 Blue, ultimately succumbing to a 4-2 defeat after the match ended with a penalty shootout. The match kicked off at 12:30pm, setting the stage for an intense battle between the two sides.
Euxton Villa adopted a 4-1-4-1 formation, which saw Adam Tucker in goal, shielded by a back four comprising Alex Howarth on the right, Finlay Mann on the left, with Louis Grant and Colin Plewa as central defenders. Harley Ashton operated as the lone central midfielder, while Junior Cummins and Luke Whelan flanked Ethan Bingham and Jayden Moffatt in the attacking midfield roles. Lucas Harvey led the line as the striker, tasked with converting chances into goals. The substitutes available were Zak Whalley, Freddie Beanland, Oliver Gardner, Ollie Warner, and Roman Taylor.
The match began with both teams probing for weaknesses, but it was Euxton Villa who faced an early setback when Luke Whelan was forced off due to injury in the 21st minute, making way for Zak Whalley. Just three minutes later, Jayden Moffatt also succumbed to injury, leading to Freddie Beanland's introduction. Despite these disruptions, Lucas Harvey attempted to break the deadlock in the 26th minute, but his effort was saved by the opposing goalkeeper.
As the first half progressed, Junior Cummins had a chance to score in the 36th minute, yet his shot was also thwarted, leaving the scoreline unchanged as the teams headed into the half-time break at 0-0.
The second half saw tactical changes from Euxton Villa, with Oliver Gardner replacing Junior Cummins in the 50th minute, followed by Ollie Warner coming on for Alex Howarth shortly after. Roman Taylor was introduced for Louis Grant in the 53rd minute, as Euxton Villa sought to regain control of the match.
Both teams were evenly matched which resulted in the match ending goalless after normal time and having to go to a penalty shoot out. Adam Tucker was the first player to walk up to the spot but unfortunately missed his penalty, shooting wide and missing a golden opportunity to put his side in front and take some pressure off. BAC/EE Preston JFC converted their penalty with a left-footed strike, taking the lead at 1-0.
Ethan Bingham stood forward next equalised for Euxton Villa with a good strong penalty, striking with his right foot to level the score at 1-1. Unfortunately for Euxton Villa, the opponents were quick to regain their advantage and scored their next penalty in the 86th minute, this time with a right-footed effort, making it 2-1.
The drama continued as Harley Ashton was the next Euxton Villa player to step up to take a penalty in the 87th minute, but his attempt was saved, denying Euxton Villa a chance to draw level once more. Just moments later, BAC/EE Preston JFC struck again, converting yet another penalty in the 88th minute, extending their lead to 3-1.
Colin Plewa managed to pull one back for Euxton Villa with a great penalty finding the top left corner of the net and narrowing the deficit to 3-2. However, the final blow came in the 89th minute when BAC/EE Preston JFC scored yet another penalty, although Adam Tucker got a hand to it, the penalty was powerful and sealed the match at 4-2 for BAC/EE Preston JFC.
Despite a valiant effort from Euxton Villa, including standout performances from players like Colin Plewa, the day belonged to BAC/EE Preston JFC, who advanced in the cup with a hard-fought victory.
