Strikers End with a Flourish !

The Strikers were bouncing after the great 6-2 victory in the top of the table clash with Cherry Hinton Lions last week. The trouble was this week we had to visit Fulbourn. Our home match in the winter was an unmitigated disaster. Billed as the Clash of the Titans NST didn’t really turn up - frozen out by the freezing fog and tough opponents, we crashed out 8-2.

Since then Fulbourn have continued their awesome form - undefeated for the whole season, only a single point dropped and surely looking to defend that record right through to the last match. This was a bit of a problem for us as we needed a win to make sure of second place ahead of the Lions in the league (un-officially and non-competitively, of course!)

Faced with the reality of the task, no one really held out much optimism for this match, except Pete who had turned up without the lucky chair - “no need” - and (no so very) confidently forecasting a 4-4 draw.

Ah well, maybe like Liverpool we just needed to believe. That was certainly the message Duncan was preaching - “go and play football, enjoy yourselves, show your skills”

Well it’s a glorious day and a flat pitch - definitely the best pitch we’ve ever played on and the blow-up goals looked sturdy enough. So come on ref - let’s get on with it.

 Fulbourn have the kick-off and boot it straight into touch. Is this some cunning plan? Apparently not. We’re soon on the attack, but their defence seems well organised and repels our efforts. Back down our end their giant No 6 takes a throw in that lands on the penalty spot. Blimey! They must have been working on that - Joe heads away to safety and we break with Jake and Matty S combining well - but within seconds the move breaks down and the ball is back up our end. Phew, these guys look dangerous....

There’s another gigantic throw in from Fulbourn. This time Ollie punches clear (He’s the goalie, so that’s ok!) and Matty S is onto it quick as a flash. He slides it forward to Jake who moves it out wide to Alex surging down the wing. He drives it across goal to Ed who spanners it up for Matty S to head. It clonks off Matty S and a defender tries to clear, but the ball limps out to Ed again who cunningly tonks it off a defender for Matty S to BURY IN THE BACK OF THE FULBOURN NET from two yards out !!!!! You little beauty!

Strikers 1 Fulbourn Nil. Oh yeah baby!

(Note for Bridget: Spanner, clonk and tonk are special footballing terms. Use them in your next match report and you’ll sound dead professional like me.)

The NST supporters are all very pleased, with big cheesy grins, but looking at each other with knowing glances which say - “Great, but I’m not sure we can hold onto a 1-0 lead for the whole match...” The boys don’t seem aware of our trepidation and are buzzing around like maniacs. We win a corner and Ed’s header is only inches over the bar, oooohhh!

Back down the other end there’s another massive, threatening throw-in, but no damage is done and we’re soon back on the attack. The boys are on fire today. Matty S goes close with a shot across goal after a mazy, penetrating run from Alex. The opposition are not all about long throw-ins either. In one fine move they go from goalie to centre forward in a couple of passes and are unlucky to have Ollie make a fine save. Back down the other end Alex sends a shot fizzing just past the post after some great approach work by Ed and Jake.

Start of Q2 and Oliver, Matty P and George are unleashed. Ollie comes out of goal handing the yellow jersey to Alex. Oliver brimming with confidence and shows off his fancy footwork for us to admire. Soon we’re back defending another long throw. This time it isn’t really cleared and bounces around the box until finding the Fulbourn No 6. He slots it coolly to make the score one all. Ah well, it was nice while it lasted. Here comes the retribution....

Oh Ye of little faith ! We attack back and the Fulbourn goalie gathers. He rolls it out to his full back. No danger, except Oliver is playing out of his skin today. He relieves the full back of possession, does him for pace and crosses early for Ollie to slot left footed before the keeper can react. What a goal. It’s a thing of beauty.

The fans are stunned. Strikers 2 Fulbourn 1. Now we believe !

After the re-start Fulbourn are back pressing. After some snappy passing by Fulbourn we are relieved to see a rather tame shot gratefully clutched to Alex’s chest. He wastes no time launching a counter attack and Oliver smashes a fierce shot into the goalie. Ollie is unlucky to not finish off the rebound.

Then a real break through. George has been withdrawn for medical attention and Ed is covering. He picks up the ball in right midfield and drives at the heart of the Fulbourn defence before sliding the ball out wide to Oliver. Oliver pings a first time pass for Ollie to latch onto and his nonchalant finish is in the back of the net before you can say “Shelford and Stapleford Strikers”. Wow ! 3-1 to NST. There is some fantastic football being played here. Come on you Strikers!

Oliver receives a throw in and skins the first defender but is crunched by the second. Free kick in a dangerous position on the edge of the box. As Oliver lines up the shot Ed is lurking unmarked but there is no doubt what is going to happen here. We hold our breath.... BAM ! Straight into the side netting. Unlucky son.

The match is a throbbing affair. One minute the Strikers are driving forward, the next Fulbourn are pressing us back with their smart, passing game. Goal mouth incidents abound. Sean goes close in one melee and then is back down the other end throwing out a leg to intercept the ball. All the boys are on top form. Matty P pings a shot wide and then exchanges passes with Matty S to win a throw-in. Alex lobs it into the box and Jake rises gracefully to nod it in past the goalie. Where was the defence? But to quote a famous commentator, “frankly, who cares?” The score is 4-1 to NST. We’re in dreamland ! Somebody pinch me.

There’s still time for more action. Fulbourn come forward again, but the giant No 6 is dispossessed by the diminutive, terrier-like George. It’s just that sort of game. We can do no wrong. The ball breaks to Oliver who blasts a shot goalwards but just over the bar.

But the key to this match is our defence. Joe has been immense all match. Disciplined, organised, strong and alert, quick into the tackle. Hansen would be purring if he could see this display. He’s partnered with Mark at the moment and the pair of them are like a couple  of guardian rotweilers. Even when the rear line is breached, Matty S is in superb form making an acrobatic save from a particularly threatening cross-shot. The final minutes are played out and as Oliver blasts another shot just into the side netting the ref blows his whistle and it’s over.

What a fantastic game played with terrific spirit. Congratulations to Fulbourn on winning the  league and many thanks to their team manager for the positive way he managed his team and for his kind words about our boys after the match. A true sportsman.

And a big thank you to Duncan, Paul and who Dave have managed and trained the boys so excellently and with such dedication this season. We’ve had a lot of fun along the way and look forward to the next season and maybe winning a few tournaments over the summer?

Squad: Matty P, Matty S, Alex, Jake, Sean, Mark, Oliver, Ollie, Ed, Joe, George

Scorers: Ollie (2). Jake, Matty S

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MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

Lions Tamed by Strikers Power Play

This was not going to be easy. The Lions done us over 3-2 at their manor and we wuz feeling well aggrieved. But the tables don’t lie (un-offically and non-competitively, of course) and without our game in hand the Lions could leapfrog us into second place. At least it was a glorious day. The sun was shining and all was well with the world until the Lions started shooting practice. Crikey, they look deadly. No wonder they had already notched up 67 goals this season. Then I remembered we’ve scored 106 and felt much better !

The team lines up with Ed in goal, Joe and Mark at the back, Alex and Matty P in midfield and Jake spearheading the attack. Our early pressure win a corner but the ball is cleared. Then Jake, on a mazy dribble, leaves two lions on the floor and beats a third but his cross is cleared away. 

Good pressure from NST leads to a free kick on the edge of the box. Jake lines it up and feigns a shot but crosses and the pass is converted by Alex. 1-0 to NST. Oh yeah, Baby !

Then hardly has the game re-started when a piece of solo magic is worked by Alex as he brings the ball under control on the edge of the box beats his man and slots the ball coolly to make it 2-0 to NST. Now we’re cooking with gas. A quick check over at Duncan - but there are no Rafa-esque gestures of contempt. So the game ain’t over yet. 

The boys are steaming ahead though. More pressure out on the right with good work from Jake and Alex. We win a throw in. Jake takes, Mark plays it back out wide where Alex pumps it into the box. It’s headed on towards the back post where Matty P is lurking un-marked and he has the simplest of tasks to volley left footed into the empty net. The Strikers lead 3-0 but still no hand gestures from the gaffer....

Some more fantastic footwork by Jake out on the right wing. He drives in a cross deflected off a defender and saved at the near post by the goalie. Nothing comes from the corner, but the Lions launch an attack. Mark clears the ball well but Cherry Hinton stung by the ease with which NST are bossing the game, fight back regaining possession in midfield. A red-shirted striker unleashes a stinging left foot strike from distance which brings a brilliant acrobatic save from Ed - that must have broken a few Lionhearts ! 

From their corner we launch a brilliant counter attack. Jake surges forward with ball, then plays it out wide for Joe on the left wing. Joe takes the ball to the corner flag and then pulls it back to Matty P who beats his man, brings the ball infield and is unlucky to see his shot drift just wide of the post. A few seconds later Matty watches another venomous strike veer just past the post. Surely there are more goals to come in this game?

Cherry Hinton continue to probe but Mark and Joe are in commanding form at the back and are largely untroubled having the measure of the Lions’ forwards.

Q2 - Alex goes into goal. Oliver, George and Matty S are brought on. The new team are soon into their stride. George breaks down a Lions’ attack and Joe feeds the ball out to Oliver in the centre circle. Despite the attentions of three opponents, Oliver passes brilliantly back to Joe who has made a dynamic run down the wing. Joe crosses into the box where Matty S and Oliver are queuing up to score. Matty S slots it home with his right foot to make it 4-0 to the Strikers. That was a quality move, probably the best in the match. Duncan is purring like a cat that’s got the cream!

The Strikers are cruising now and the opportunities are coming thick and fast. Joe playing on the right now is having possibly one of his best games and has a couple of great shots denied by the fantastic Lions’ goalie (This game would already be out of sight if it wasn’t for him.) Oliver is looking threatening as he hunts down that elusive first goal. Even as we look for our fifth goal the Lions are still seeking to inflict damage of their own.  A wicked snap shot comes off our bar, hits the post and is hooked away to safety by Matty S (gulp!). The gods are wearing white kit today.... Meanwhile down the other end, Joe and Oliver break at speed. Joe slips the ball through to Oliver. He must score! But somehow the goalie saves (again !) and the rebound is pummeled over the bar. The Lions keeper can’t work miracles though and a few moments later Oliver gets his reward at last, pinging the ball in off the post to make it 5-0 to the Strikers.

This is followed up by a fantastic dribble by Joe who picks up possession by his own corner flag and takes the ball the length of the pitch before selflessly teeing it up for Matty S in front of goal. Somehow the Lions keeper diverts this just past the post. We should sign him up for next season! Soon after Matty S gets another chance on the edge of the box after some more good work by Joe, but he pings the ball just past the post.

Q3/4 - Duncan mixes up the formation again and we’re off. But the Lions remain buoyant despite the deficit and and continue to press us. As they make yet another counter attack they finally get the ball beyond our goalie but Matty P having run back into defence (I know how improbable that sounds - but credit where it’s due!) clears off the line. Phew! NST are invincible today! Then as more pressure is piled on Alex breaks down the attack and plays the ball to Matty P. Matty spurts through midfield trying to find an angle to play in Jake. But the pass isn’t on and he unleashes a crashing drive to the top corner reminiscent of Xavi Alonso. But the keeper is amazing and tips it round the post. (Sign him Duncan !)

Then - finally - Cherry Hinton get some reward from their endeavour. They drive down our left and cross the ball into the box where their unmarked centre forward is at last able to slot the ball under Joe’s dive. And the scorer certainly knows how to celebrate! 5-1 to NST.

We are soon back down the other end and normal service is resumed as Oliver snaps up his second goal of the afternoon with a wicked shot into the roof of the net making it 6-1. There is still time for one last retort from the Lions when they clear the ball and their left winger sprints free to smash the ball unerringly past Joe. That was a cracking finish. A good job it was too late to count for much. So we end up with a 6-2 victory to the Strikers against some class opposition.

A terrific game played with great spirit and gusto by both sides, but in the end a deserved victory for the Strikers. 

Squad: Alex, Joe, Ed, Jake, Matty S, Mark, Matty P, Oliver

Scorers: Alex (2), Oliver (2), Matty S (1), Matty P (1)

Match Video Highlights

2008-07-31 Linton U9s Tournament 

Fantastic effort by the lads. A dream performance for the manager winning all their games and not conceding a single goal.

Champion form. Well done gang.

Showing off his skills.

A great day out with some really classy football against some excellent opponents. A tense final against Balsham Colts - who pipped us in the league last season - was crowned off by a last minute penalty in the final by Jake taking us to a penalty shoot out where the boys showed a lot of bottle, not missing a single one.

Cool as the proverbial cucumber

Never a doubt

Pressure? What pressure? This is how it's done. 

How sweet was that ?

Yep they're lovin' it !

Last Match: U8s 4 vs 7 Balsham Colts (Home)