Sunday the 18th of December saw a highly anticapted match up take place between the two stand out teams in the Hexham District Sunday Premier league under glorious weather conditions at a packed Selman Park. Both teams knew going into this game that the result was going to place a major part in who would be getting their hands on the league trophy come the end of the season.
The game started in some what of a disorganised, hectic manner, with both sides struggling to string any number of passes together and taking more interested in simply trying to flatten their opposite number! However, It only took the first throw inside Heddons half to break the deadlock. Haltys' centre half launched a long ball into Heddons box.. what was to follow was what Heddon before the game had spoke in detail about trying to stop, The big number 9 flicked the ball on at the near post, and it was bumbled in at the back post by an unmarked runner! 1-0 Jubilee. (5 minutes played).
The goal did seem to settle the game down tho, which suited Heddon more, Heddon began to put their passes together, working the ball on one side, then turning out and releasing either full back on the other into acres of space. With both full backs getting well into Jubilees half before coming under and pressure, Heddon were given countless opportunitys to put in a number of quality delivieries into Haltwhistles danger area, unfortunatley, for Heddon, non of these opportunitys fell just quite right, until, some good passing on the edge of Haltwhistles box seen a scuffed clearance from the left back fall straight to Dan Walkers feet who happily obliged to fire the ball into the far corner making it 1-1! (30mins played).
The half closed out in much the same fashion with Heddon playing the more attractive football but with no rewards and Halwhistle continuing to cause problems with their long ball tactics and clever use of a rather sizeable human being standing up front! All be it, Joe Slade for Heddon did a good job of not always letting the number 9 have his own way.
The second half began and Heddon started the brighter although not really creating any clear cut chances, however, yet again it was Haltwhistle that broke the deadlock, with any dead ball play, a corner from the left saw a deep ball to the back post be nodded, by the big lad, into basically an empty net after the Heddon goalkeeper 'Waddsy' was found doing the Hokey-Cokey in his six yard box. (65mins played).
Heddon didnt let this knock the wind out of their sales tho, and continued to try and play good football acros the park, unfortuantley for Heddon tho, what was so effective in the first half suddenly seemed to fail in the second as Heddons right back, 'Mayo', who kept recieveing the ball with time and space ahead of him, decided rather than putting good, quality service into the box, that it would be more effective to just keep firing the ball into the surrounding, farmers fields!
The sucker punch.. despite Heddons pressure, and high work rate, especially in the middle the park, Haltwhistle stucked to their highly effective style of play and once again had themselves a throw in within 40 yards of Heddons box, yet again, the centre half launched the ball into the box, although this time Ross Bailey decided to try and outfox Jubilee by taking up the duties of their number 9, and flicked the ball on himself, falling to a midfielded perched on the edge of the box, who went on to pull out shin roll of the year and which wrong footed waddsy dribbled it into the bottom corner of Waddsy net leaving him no chance, all be it David Wadds went down that slowly some say he is still waiting to hit the floor. (75mins played). That said Waddsy played really well in his first game back from injury, coming out for a number of long balls and crosses and making some cracking saves!
Following the third goal, Haltwhistle changed up their tactics and pulled their number 9 back into a centre half roll, and with Heddons players being as wise and as cunning as they are, they decided to just continue to fire the ball at his head, resulting in absolute nothing other than him heading it straight back. That was pretty much the way the closing stages of the game were played out, With Haltwhistle Jubilee taking home the 3-1 away win.
