Warmsworth met Hallcross on a frosty morning knowing this was a real test of our title ambitions. Warmsworth were hit with a double blow before the game when 2 defenders went down ill and had a big reshuffle with 2 midfielders having to play out of position leaving our attacking options a bit bare. Warmsworth started the game well and were unlucky not to take the lead in the early minutes whenLyndon Thompson got clear on the right and beat the on rushing keeper but saw hit effort cleared off the line. That unfortunatley was about as close as the Lions came in the 1st half. Warmsworth were very rusty having only played 1 game in 8 weeks and struggled to train in the recent icy conditions. Hallcross are renouned for their fortress of a defense and it was always going to be tough to create oportunities. Hallcross got to grips with the game and soon started winning all the 50/50 balls and had alot of possession but lacked a cutting edge up front..neither keeper actually had a save to make in the 1st half and both defences were massively on top and a 0-0 scoreline at halftime was the correct scoreline.
H-T 0-0
The 2nd half was going to be another tight affair and it was going to be a question of who wanted it more... right from the off that team was Hallcross!!! The Lions struggled to keep possession and constantly gave the ball away. Hallcross midfield were finding far too much space and picking passes at will and only great defending from the Lions stopped and really opportunities being created. This was turning into one of them days where you just pray you can keep it tight and grap a point. Hallcross must have been cursing the fact they couldnt take advantage of the possession they had and with only 15 minutes to go it looked like the Lions might get something out of the game. Then came the turning point in a somewhat contencious way.. the ball went out of play and the linesman awarded the throw to the Lions onlky for the referee to over-rule him.. hallcross took a quick throw while the Lions players were still arguing over whos throw it was, the ball hit the referee and landed kindly to the Hallcross players run and he got their just before the keeper to stab home. It was nothing more than Hallcross deserved but the way it went in was a bit sickening after what had been a gritty display from the Lions back 4. With time running out the Lions decided to go for it going to 3 at the back and playing 3 up front.. It was a risky move but you may aswell lose 2 or 3 nil going for it than just try to nick a goal. Hallcross were happy to see out the remainder of the time left and had faith in their defenders and keeper to keep Warmsworth out. Hallcross were only 3 minutes away from taking all 3 points when the Lions had 2 bites of the cherry to get the ball in the box and this time Fergus Lynch rose infront of the keeper to flick the ball past him into the net. While Warmsworth were thrilled to have got back into the game Hallcross were totally deflated and knew that 1 error had cost them massively. The Lions were well below par but we are determined,, gritty and never give up!!! these are traits that certainly every team needs as you cant always play well and this poinjt could prove vital at the end of the season.
F-T 1-1
Man of the Match...Reece Ibbotson.... 2nd game in a row hes had to cover at centrehalf and again was totally dominant.. never gave the Hallcross striker a sniff...
Special Mention to Jack Walton-Gales.. another player playing out of position and looked in total control.. Matty Leese... facing a very skillfull and speedy winger dealt with him thru-out the game and always had him going where he wanted him to go
In Conclusion.... This was 1 of them days when it could have gone seriously wrong!! luckily for the Lions Hallcross have trouble scoring goals and althought they dont concede many , teams always have a chance when playing against a team that only averages 1 goal a game... thats what happened today.. Hallcross should have won and got all 3 points but we got out of jail and left the ground thinking it was xmas all over again while hallcross left the ground wondering how they let the game slip!! Hopefully thats our 1 bad performance out of the way and we got away with it...
