Today was a huge match for us. The Samurais were unbeaten in the league this season and were one place above us in the table in third. They were also one of the
two teams that had beaten us last season. On top of that both our regular defenders were unavailable to play leaving us with no subs but giving Charlie his first
opportunity to play the full 40 minutes.
It was bitterly cold at North Park and a strong cross wind was going to make conditions tricky. The Samurais won the toss and opted for kick off so Dylan chose to
play the first half up hill.
As they kicked off Dylan pounced on the ball and ripped through the Samurais’ midfield and defence into the area. His powerful shot was blocked well by the
keeper but as usual Jacob had followed up and hit the loose ball into the back of the net: 0-1 after less than a minute.
The Samurais were soon putting pressure on our defence but with Nathan as a great last man, ably supported by Sam and Ollie in defensive midfield roles, they
couldn’t get through to threaten the Wolves’ goal. Charlie was positioned in central midfield and got two good passes into the Samurais’ penalty area which led to a
Wolves corner. The defence found it difficult to mark Jacob and Charlie’s movement in the box and when Dylan fired in a hard, low ball Jacob was at the back post
to wallop in his second with his left foot: 0-2 after just 3 minutes of play.
The rest of the half was played at a furious pace. The Samurais rarely broke through our defensive line of Sam, Nathan and Ollie and when they did Cole made a
couple of good saves.
Half Time: 0-2
Playing downhill in the second half saw the Wolves dominate possession. Dylan and Jacob had a couple of chances go wide following some good passing from
Charlie and Ollie. When the Samurais did get the ball they couldn’t get past Ollie and Sam and for long periods Cole and Nathan had very little to do. The Wolves
won a couple of free kicks as the Samurais became frustrated but with the wind blowing hard across the pitch Dylan’s efforts couldn’t trouble the Samurai’s GK.
Midway through the half the Samurais did get clear a couple of times. The first time, with Cole beaten and an open goal at their mercy, the shot went wide but the
second time Cole came out quickly and hoofed the ball clear. As the Samurais tried to get forward again Nathan won an important tackle and picked Dylan out on the
wing with a super, pin point pass. With space in front of him, Dylan charged into the area and placed his shot calmly past the floundering Samurais GK for a well
deserved goal: 0-3
Five minutes later the Wolves won another free kick just inside the Samurais half. Instead of blasting his shot, Dylan played a great ball into Jacob who turned and
shot. The ‘keeper just kept it out and after a scuffle for the ball Charlie pushed it over the line for his second of the season: 0-4
With no substitutes the Wolves began to tire in the last 10 minutes of the game and the Samurais gained the upper hand with possession. Cole made several great
saves and the whole team worked magnificently in protecting their clean sheet with some great defending. At last the whistle went and the boys could have a well
earned breather after such a determined and battling performance.
Final score: 0-4
This was a superb win against a very good side. The defence was unforgiving and distributed the ball well. The decision making and passing up front was everything
we could ask for – well done to all the boys, a great team effort!!
