In an scrappy league home match held at Hereford Lads Club on 5th October 2024, Lads Club Juniors U11 somehow emerged victorious against Bartestree Colts U11 with a final score of 4-2. The match kicked off at 10:30 am and wasn't the usual display of youth football we've seen this season.
Lads Club Juniors adopted thier usual 2-5-1 formation, which allowed them to dominate the midfield while maintaining a solid defensive line. Tommy Taylor was stationed in goal, supported by central defenders Archie Rigby and Louis Howells. The midfield was packed with five players: Musa Touray on the left, Charlie Arnold on the right, and a trio of central midfielders comprising Flyn Watkins, Lucas Price, and Thomi Scoular. Oscar Jones led the attack as the lone striker, tasked with converting any chances into goals.
The substitutes for Lads Club Juniors included Chase Bracegirdle, Finn Jones, and Romeo Roberts, who would later play crucial roles in the match.
The first significant event occurred in the 12th minute when Lads Club Juniors made two substitutions simultaneously. Chase Bracegirdle replaced Musa Touray, while Finn Jones came on for Flyn Watkins. This tactical shift aimed to inject fresh energy into the team early in the match.
Just moments later, in the 15th minute Oscar got onto the end of a cross but volleyed it over. Lads Club continued to pressure the left side of Bartestree's defence and in the 17th minute, Chase Bracegirdle made an impact by scoring a stunning long-range strike with his right foot, putting Lads Club Juniors ahead. However, Bartestree Colts responded quickly, equalising in the 25th minute through a goalmouth scramble, showcasing their resilience.
In the 26th minute, Oscar Jones fought to get onto the end of a through ball but fired wide. Charlie Arnold attempted a long range strike in the 28th minute, but the keeper was on form and rushed forward to catch confidently. The first half concluded with the score level at 1-1 after 30 minutes of play. Chris and Jamie gave the Lads Club team a good talking to at half time, tactics were shared and an essence of energy was reignited into the team.
The second half continued very much the same as the first half, Lads Club weren't using the wiings and the scrappy approach from Bartestree was rubbing off onto the Lads Club team. Lucas saw his right footed strike fly past the post just before Archie Rigby's free kick was saved by the Bartestree keeper in the 35th minute. Bartestree Colts then took the lead with thier striker breaking through the defence with his pace and shlotted the ball past Tommy Taylor in the 37th minute leaving the Lads Club Juniors trailing. Oscar hit the post from a left footed strike. The heads dropped of the Lads Club Juniors team and In response Lads Club Juniors made several substitutions to regain control of the match. Louis Howells replaced Chase Bracegirdle, Thomi Scoular came on for Charlie Arnold, and Finn Jones returned to the pitch, taking the place of Oscar Jones.
The turning point then came with Thomi Scoular scoring two goals. The first, a well-executed team move, came in the 45th minute, followed by another right-footed strike just two minutes later, after a strong run from the left side of the pitch putting Lads Club Juniors ahead 3-2. The spirit of the team lifted and the fans went wild.
As the match progressed, Lads Club Juniors continued to apply pressure, and in the 58th minute, Louis Howells sealed the victory with a close-range goal, assisted by Musa Touray from a corner. This final goal capped off a performance that wasn't pretty but the lads dug in, securing a 4-2 win for Lads Club Juniors U11 against Bartestree Colts U11.
Player of the match went to Thomi Scoular today, he continued to cause the Bartestree defence problems with his winding runs on the ball.?????????
