Jake F helped the under 9s return to winning ways today with a thoroughly deserved man of the match award! There were hardly any signs of rustiness from the players despite no games for the last 6 weeks and it was a pleasure to watch probably their best ever team performance! A number of individual players could have picked up the man of the match trophy today for putting in probably their own best efforts so far and everyone deserves a mention today in a game that they were determined to win.
Starting at the back:-
Jako was strong and confident in goal with some great movement and vision off the ball, giving tips and pointers to his defence and some excellent saves and long clearances which helped the teams overall momentum.
Alex was a true Captain Fantastic, stronger than ever with his tackling and his eye on the ball throughout the game and continually talking to his team mates as he made great clearances.
Kyle proved once again he can be relied upon to form a strong defensive alliance with Alex. He was solid throughout the game, covering across the field when needed and stepping up to deliver some excellent corners before quickly dropping back into position to stop the opposition progressing.
Hollie the pocket rocket, although not quite as super-charged as usual made up for a little less pace with her sheer determination in making sure she did her best to get the ball up the pitch, tackling like a little demon and proving the opposition wrong that she's not JUST a girl as one of them was heard to say! Needless to say, we think he regretted that comment!
Jacob kept the pressure on with some superb long throws and good tackles resulting in a number of magical 'messi' moments, dribbling the ball successfully up the pitch and leading to his first goal of the season that left the coaches wondering where he'd picked those skills up from!
Thomas had a good game in a new position today when he was asked to play in midfield. He was very consistent and showed some great first touches, flicking the ball away from the oppostion and getting it up the field to his strikers. He ran back and covered when asked to do and tackled really well, turning the ball back towards Appleton's goal and launching it forward.
Katie came very close to the man of the match award again today with a really strong and solid performance that earned her two beautifully taken goals. Her link-up play with Jake F and a number of perfectly timed passes helpd to split the defence wide-open and the ball almost looked like it was stuck to her feet at times as she danced and turned her way around defenders. She should have been awarded a hat-trick when her final effort just before full time actually cleared the goal line by more than a foot but unfortunately the ref hadn't gone to spec savers before the match started!
Jake F gave his best 'team' perfromance by a mile today as he worked really hard for the whole game, providing two very unselfish assists to Katie with pin-perfect passes and also bagged himself a goal with a first class solo finish! He could have had a second goal in the first half but he chose to pass it across the box to a team mate who couldn't quite tip it into the back of the net. A very well deserved man of the match!
The most improved player on the pitch today was little Jyoti who tackled like a bulldog and chased everything he got close to. The opposition found it very difficult to get the ball from him and he was relentless in trying to get the ball towards goal, blatantly refusing to give up. Unbelievably strong and determined and a great performance!
Appleton scraped a goal back at one point after a bit of a scramble just outside the goal mouth, but they played well and were a very fair team to play against with a good bunch of parents and great coaches. The ref had a good fair game and played advantage very well on a number of occasions were others would have blown the whistle. Final Score 4 -1 to Sutton
Thanks again to everyone who came to support the team and for getting their kids there on time, it's great to have you all with us.
