William Barcroft 3 v 2 Elliston Primary
The game started cagey from both sides but it was the visitors who found themselves ahead after they had hit a powerful shot from inside the box past Oliver in goal. Barcroft tried to get level with a few long distance shots from Ronnie, which were gathered by the goalkeeper. Theo, Ronnie and Frankie had pressed well and for a 5 minute spell, they had kept Elliston in their own half. Elliston countered a few times but Oliver made some good saves to keep us in the game. Just before half time, Theo broke through the Elliston defense and slotted the ball past the Elliston keeper. The first half ended 1-1.
Mr Dawes had given feedback to the players on how to defend effectively and press as a team to win the ball back.
The second half started just like the first where Elliston took the lead with a deflected, looping shot finding its way into the top corner. Barcroft picked themselves up and worked hard to find that equaliser. Kaleb worked extremely hard in midfield and defense, showing fantastic versatility across the pitch. The equaliser was found when Ronnie latched onto a loose ball and slotted the ball beyond the Elliston keeper. With 7 minutes remaining William Barcroft showed immense character with Oliver making an incredible triple save to keep us in the game with one of the most bravest goalkeeping performances seen in a William Barcroft shirt. With 3 minutes left William Barcroft took the lead thanks to Ronnie again who had hit a through ball towards Theo. Theo missed the ball, which had tricked the Elliston keeper and slipped under his legs. The ball trickled into the goal. The goal went to Ronnie, who had bagged his second.
This was a fantastic game from both schools and with both teams having not played together, this bodes well for next year’s tournaments. Man of the match went to Kaleb. The work Kaleb produced normally goes unnoticed because he hadn’t scored or assisted but he broke up Elliston attacks really well and started many attacks for William Barcroft. On top of this, he played almost every position going throughout the game. Versatility is hard to find in a player but Kaleb offers that in abundance. Thank you to parents who had supported both teams!
William Barcroft 0 v 4 Healing Primary
The game started quite evenly. With both teams trying to figure each other out. Reagan collected stray balls well to cut out their attack. Frankie also hit a shot narrowly over the bar. The half ended 1-0 to the visitors with nearly the last kick of the first half. The Healing attacker skipped past the Barcroft defender and slotted neatly into the bottom corner.
Half time had arrived and the team rested in preparation for the second half. Mr Dawes had told the team about the dangers of lunging in too early and about how to slow down the attack especially if they are the last defender. The team listened well and this was evidenced in their second half defending.
The second half began and within minutes the Healing midfielder tried a pot shot from distance which had slipped under Reagan’s hands as he faced the low sun in his eyes all second half. 2-0 to Healing. The spirit of Barcroft wasn’t gone and they pushed for a goal with Frankie hitting the post. With Barcroft tiring they had found themselves 3-0 down due to an own goal by Benaiah. He blocked the cross which had been deflected towards our own goal. By this time, a few heads had dropped but some players really impressed Mr Dawes with their determination and perseverance to keep going. Jack displayed some excellent defending in the second half and listened to advice from Mr Dawes which had stopped countless Healing attacks. With minutes left, Healing added a fourth and the game was over.
The result was not a true reflection on the game and Mr Dawes explained this to the team, who were rightly downhearted. However, they understood the feedback from Mr Dawes and as Mr Dawes quoted “Footballers learn more in defeat than in victory!” and that this will make them better footballers. Man of the match went to Frankie, who had shown the right attitude and tried his best to get on the scoresheet. He received his trophy from Mr Dawes. Thank you to all parents who supported both schools! It was a lovely event played in the right manner and showcased our DANCE values extremely well.
