After the last few weeks results had not favoured the Might Weekenders the upcoming match against Castlecliff United was do or die. Still a few players were absent, leaving the depth a little shallow, in fact there were no reserves until Liam Wilsher turned up at half time, after refereeing a game of rugby. Castlecliff heaped on the pressure for most of the first half, creating numerous chances. The Mighty Weekenders fought valiantly, perhaps the best example of this was a desparate header off the line by a committed Tim Waite. Aaron Lower, who is staring to feel comfortable in goal, then played a one-two with the the crossbar, just to keep everyone on their toes. Both teams were locked at nil all at half time. The need to hang on to the ball as a team was emphasised at half time. As in the previous week, the Weekenders were giving the ball away too cheaply once the had battled to get it back.
Castlecliff scored the first goal of the game 5 minutes after the resumption of play. After a bit of defensive confusion the ball fell to a Castlecliff player who tucked it passed a diving Lower. Gerry O'Donnell also injured himself in this move, causing a major reshuffle, with Captain Thomas slotting in to the back. United then scored a second, after Waite could only head the ball in to his own net. In his defence he was only following his captains lead from the previous game. This left Weekenders in deep trouble, and to be fair they hadnt looked like scoring. But write this team off at your peril, as we have seen for many seasons the Mighty Weekenders have amazing team spirit and resilience. Weekenders threw everything at Castlecliff, only to be kept at bay by last ditch defence. With around 15 minutes to go they got the goal their efforts deserved, Pete Ellicott picking up a ricochet to bang it home, creating a most exciting finish. Geoff Smith almost added to the score, when his towering header slipped agonisingly wide from a corner. Then ,abruptly, the game was over. The Reds spectators couldnt believe it as there was still 8 or so minutes to play. And with the Weekenders now on top, more goals were definitely on the cards. The protests fell on deaf ears, and once again the Mighty Weekenders fell foul of the officals.
Unfortunately the result puts Castlecliff United 4 points out in front with only one game remaining. The Mighty Weekenders can be proud of their efforts this year. Again, while our better players from last year have moved on to first team action, new players have integrated themselves well in to the culture of Weekender. It says a lot when the feeling at the end of the season is of disappointment, rather than the usual relief!
MOM
3- Kane Thomas
2- Liam Wilsher, Geoff Smith
1- Fraser Kinnerley, Aaron Lower
Captains Choice
Aaron Lower
