Today we welcomed Walmley Lions to Hampton, for our first game since 17th November… and again we were without our number 1 Harrison who missed out through illness, so for the second game in a row Harry stepped between the sticks and did a job for his team mates.
Hampton came out of the blocks and should’ve taken the lead when Rushy popped the ball across the box and with the goal at his mercy, Fin got himself in a tangle and couldn’t force the ball home. Another chance came for Fin but his decent strike missed the target, however he would soon get on the scoresheet when some good work from Omar left Fin with an empty goal to smash into and he made no mistake this time, 1-0. Hampton were really on top for the first 20 minutes and Walmley were struggling to cope, but somehow we couldn’t kill the game off and Walmleys fight kept them in the game, although they were flying into tackles so Hampton just needed to be patient and more chances would come. That was the case when Rushy was brought down outside the box and Oscar decided to take the shot on, hitting it clean but unfortunately it bounced off the crossbar and over. Warning sign when Walmley had the ball in the net, but it was flagged offside so we came in at half time 1-0 up.
The second half started with a bit of wind which made it tricky when trying to get the ball forward, and Walmley had their best spell of the game but couldn’t make it count, mainly due to the excellent defensive efforts of JP Kielan and Bailee. Still the chances came for Hampton but that sharpness in front of goal wasn’t there, so it remained 1-0 until the impressive Rayyan drove into the box and got past a couple of players before being dragged down, penalty. Jack stepped up and didn’t connect too well, with the keeper saving with his feet, but the referee decided Walmley players had encroached so gave us an opportunity to retake… no mistake this time when Jack slotted home to take the game away from Walmley. Jack then struck a sweet shot which the Walmley keeper somehow tipped onto the bar, and between them Rushy & Omar couldn’t get the rebound in and blazed it over. Further chances would come but last-ditch defending from Walmley meant we wouldn’t get another goal. It didn’t feel like a 2-0 game in all honesty, but credit to Walmley for their fighting spirit, they certainly didn’t hand us 3 points today. Harry can be pleased with his contribution as well as his back-to-back clean sheets, remaining calm on the ball and playing it out from the back, again, much appreciated for stepping up, Harry!
Some excellent performances all over the pitch, where the defence were a solid foundation today allowing the attacking players to do what they do best. Jack was sensational at times with his trickery and pace, and Rayyan showed some lovely touches and cracking tackles. Stand-out performer today though was Josh M, who remained disciplined in the holding midfield role and kept things ticking over between defence and attack, well done Josh!
So that’s it for 2024, with plenty to look forward to in 2025 including our first ever quarter final appearance as well as battling for position in this very tight, competitive division!
Have a great Christmas and New Year all.
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