Today we visited 2nd in the league Diamonds academy, for the first of our back-to-backs against them… a familiar pattern this season.
Missing Fin due to his birthday celebrations, we setup the team to stifle and counter, with Josh M slotting into a back 5.
Diamonds started brightly, showing good skills and tight passing down the right hand side, but Hampton fighting to stop crosses and shots worked well. We could then counter, using Rushys pace down the left hand side and he would soon put us ahead when some great work from Callan and a good cross was smashed home, 0-1. Rushy was a constant threat down the left, but this was only because of the hard work the team was doing in closing down and winning the ball back. Diamonds tried to stop Rushy by adding a pacey fullback, but we swapped Rushy and Omar over and Omar then gave the fullback a torrid time with his strength, while Rushy was still dominating over on the right. Hampton were unlucky not to get a second goal, and would have some bad luck when a strike from distance was just too high for Harrison to get his hands behind, 1-1.
Going into halftime it was level but Hampton were having to really work hard to keep Diamonds out.
Jack came off at Half time due to not feeling well, so Harry went into the middle alongside Charlie. Rayyan had moved to full back in an attempt to stifle their winger, something that he did magnificently.
10 minutes into the 2nd half came the moment of the season so far for me, which absolutely summed up todays battling performance. Winning his first 50/50 challenge in the middle, drove him into another 50/50 challenge which he won, then another 50/50 challenge which he won again and now found himself inside the Diamonds box 1v1 with the keeper… and he dispatched to put us 2-1 up. What courage, what desire to keep battling through challenges and get that long-awaited reward. HARRY ROBERTS, take a bow son! Thoroughly deserved and absolutely buzzing for him as he’s been so close all season… hopefully he’ll kick on and get more in our last 6 fixtures! Diamonds were hurting, they’ll feel like they’re the better team across the pitch, but they had no answer for the 11 men in red who were a complete unit. Rushy would then give us some breathing space when Charlie, who was having his best performance for the reds so far, released him and Rushy notched his second of the game. Now Diamonds really were in trouble, and although they did hit the bar, they were being limited to shots from distance. Rushy would make it a hatrick when he lashed home the rebound from Josh Ps shot, when Diamonds were under constant pressure. 4-1 to the men in Red!! We weren’t done yet and we were still battling hard, a real graft out there, and some great work from Callan, who again was having his best game in a Hampton shirt, set Rushy off for his 2nd assist of the day when Rushy made no mistake to hit his 4th goal, wow. 5-1.
Unfortunately we lost Omar and Harrison for the remaining minutes through injury, so Harry went between the sticks. However, there was no coming back for Diamonds and today belonged to the Reds.
Final score, 5-1 and up to 3rd in the league at the time of writing this.
Some simply outstanding performances today, the back 5, the midfield, there’s 6/7 lads who’ve had their best game of the season and haven’t walked away with motm and they can consider themselves unlucky… Harry, Kielan, Charlie, Callan, Sanders… Rushy who scored 4 goals and didn’t get motm? He was bloody fantastic. But everyone, all 15 lads, what a monumental effort. You should be very proud of today’s performance, I’m proud of you all.
The comments above should give you an idea of how good this kid was today, he’s in the year below and he’s the smallest player on the pitch, but he’s an absolute monster on that football pitch.
RAYYAN, superb, well done!!
Well done Reds, same again next week please lads!!
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