Under 14's
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Training is now at Walton High School, every Tuesday 6:30pm - 8pm. Training starts on the field by the car park and moves to Powerleague Pitch 12 from 7pm-8pm.
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Southside v Deanshanger 11-09-11 Match Report
Deanshanger started the game very brightly and their striker started to cause us problems with his pace. We held firm though and were a little unlucky when the ball broke loose from a throw in and landed in the path of their striker and he gave Ed no chance in goal and they went 1-0 up.
It was pleasing to see that our heads didn’t go down as they have done at times in the past and we dug ourselves back into the game. Gradually our superior passing and ball control began to create opportunities. Miles had a shot saved and Zi was unlucky with three attempts.
Kim showed good touch and composure in the penalty area to draw the game level.
Deanshanger threw everything at us at the beginning of the second half but we showed that when we are willing to tackle and get stuck in we can be very hard to beat. Their striker got through on a number of occasions but we were putting him under pressure and Ed took up some terrific positions to keep him out. As with the first half we gradually clawed our way back into the game with some great tackles and interceptions and Ben G was creating opportunities with his range of passing causing Deanshanger problems. The fact that they switched goalkeepers at half time is testament to the chances we were creating.
Alfie went on one of his mazy runs after some great work in midfield from Ben, he took an early shot that caught the keeper out and went through his legs. Deanshanger reverted to kicking the ball long but our tackling was good and our accurate passing meant that had our own opportunities to go further ahead.
All in all it was a very pleasing display of determination, hard work and accurate passing. We will be a match for any team if we continue to work as hard as that in the future.
Ben Cox won a fully deserved man of the match for his tireless running and fantastic tackling. Goals on their 14th birthday for each of the Allen twins was the icing on the cake!
Well done Southside!
Southside v Tattenhoe Magics 18-09-11
We always knew that this was going to be a difficult match. Tattenhoe have been playing together for many years and are a well organised side.
We aimed to keep it tight for at least 10 minutes and were holding our own until they scored in the 10th minute. That could have seen the floodgates open but we held on for another 8 minutes when they scored again. It wasn’t all one way traffic though as Alfie pulled one back with some good passing and movement around their penalty area and a fine finish into the bottom corner.
Miles thought he had scored but was ruled offside, this was unlucky as had he not touched the ball it would have counted. That would have levelled the match. As it was we then conceded our third and felt a little unlucky to be 3-1 down at half time. Ed had pulled out a string of good saves and important blocks and catches that had kept us in it.
We warned about not tackling in the second half but Tattenhoe were quickly pressing us across midfield and defence, this caused us problems in retaining any spell of possession and we conceded after 11 minutes. This knocked our confidence and we were starting to look a bit tired. Tackles stopped being made and we were being pegged back by constant pressure in possession. Never the less we did create a few opportunities of our own.
We conceded a couple of sloppy goals where simple tackles or blocks could have prevented them. Again we just didn’t react quick enough to the ball as it was breaking in midfield and they were piling the pressure on our defence.
We were starting to find a bit of space going forwards as Tattenhoe were pushing forwards and we created a couple of opportunities before Zi planted a great header from a corner with some great movement to lose his marker.
Ryan had a long free kick saved at the end of the game and we walked off with a 6-2 loss.
We could and should have put more effort in competing for the ball and putting their players under more pressure when they had possession. None the less, this is a far cry from the 13 – 0 hammering the team received against Emberton a couple of years ago.
We have seen what we need to do and they level that we need to aspire to, with hard work in training and with the right attitude we can catch teams like Tattenhoe. Their individual skill was not much different to ours. It was their organisation, work rate and speed of thought that won them the day to day.
Man of the match was difficult as many of the players tried quite hard but in the end Alfie suggested that Ed had performed really well throughout the game and we agreed that he deserved the trophy the most, well done Ed!
Southside v Brook End Colts Jaguars 25-09-11
A match of 2 halves is a good description of today’s game. We started brightly creating opportunities with good passing and movement. At 3-0 up there only looked to be one team in the match.
However, Alfie was on the receiving end of some rough treatment and we conceded a sloppy goal. We then got another and gave yet another sloppy one away.
At half time we knew we were going to need to pick our game up but I think we all believed that we were going to win easily.
Credit to Brook End, they weren’t planning on rolling over and letting us have things our own way. They showed spirit and determination and they scored an early goal in the second half.
It was pretty much one way traffic after that. The wind picked up and we were finding it difficult to clear our lines. Brook End were being very physical but the referee didn’t pull any of them up and was letting them get away with late tackles, pushes and Alfie’s dead leg from the first half meant that he only played 5 minutes in the second.
At 5-4 we still looked in a good position to win but by now we were on the back foot.
We never got to grips with their midfield in the second half and they showed more desire and hunger to win. They scored in the 50th minute and that seemed to drain our confidence. Again we were struggling to keep possession and kicking into the wind meant that we were struggling to get the ball to our strikers. Brook End scored their winner in the 60th minute and while we created a couple of half chances towards the end, we never really looked like we could recover.
We are going to have to learn to deal with teams that are as physical as the one today but a lack of subs, Alfie getting injured, playing against the wind and not matching their desire or commitment in the second half meant that we could have little argument with the end result.
We could and should have done better, and we will need to improve our attitude and approach for next week’s game against MK Wanderers.
Goals: Zee 5 & 20 mins, Alfie 22 mins, Miles 28 & 42 mins.
Man of the Match: Zee for his tireless running and creative play – particularly in the first half.
Southside United FC U14 [5] v [4] MK Wanderers FC U14 Match Report
We always knew today was going to be a tough day. The hot conditions added to the challenge. MK Wanderers started brightly and put us under some early pressure. After weathering the early storm we gradually got our passing game going. We opted for a 4-4-2 formation rather than our normal 4-2-3-1 and this was starting to pay dividends.
With some quick passing and movement Alfie found an opening and finished it superbly to open the scoring. Boosted by the goal we pushed forward and from another searching cross Zee was on hand to tuck the ball away.
We were asking all the questions now and playing some really good football. However, we let MK Wanderers back into the game from a far post corner where no-one picked up the player at the back post who finished an easy header.
The game was opening up but we were still playing the better football and some good interaction around their penalty area opened up another opportunity for Zee who again finished coolly.
As before we didn’t learn from the previous corner and we sloppily conceded a second goal, almost identical to their first right on the edge of halftime.
We went out in the second half 3-2 up knowing that we needed to score more to go on and win the game. We created a couple of early chances with Zee hitting the post, their keeper saving the rebound shot from Alfie.
However, they started the second half more brightly than us and they scored in the 39th minute to level the game.
Our midfield started to show gaps and they were picking up loose balls in midfield and they started to put us under pressure. We gradually started to win the ball back in midfield with Alfie in particular working really hard breaking their game up and then working the ball forwards. We started to find a second wind and Zee finished superbly again after more good work from Alfie and our midfield players.
By now we were starting to gain control of the game with everyone working really hard in the blistering heat determined to win the game. Miles clearly won a penalty when he was caught by their keeper. However, after initially awarding the penalty the ref changed his mind after some sustained barracking from the away manager and linesman and decided to award a corner instead.
This seemed to boost MK Wanderers who were starting to ask some questions again. Our back four were playing well and getting some crucial interceptions and tackles. However, the ref then awarded a penalty against us even though their player was clearly offside before he even tangled with Ed and Liam (who both did really well clearing the danger). They scored from the penalty and we all started to think that this might not be our day. However, this just galvanised us into action and we began to push on looking for the winner.
We were pressurising them over the pitch and some great work by Kim, Alfie, Ben, and Zee created an opportunity for Miles who scored with an incredible lob from the edge of the area. During a tense final few minutes our defence put in some terrific tackles and interceptions and we held on for a memorable victory against a good team.
We will be playing them again at the end of the month, we will need to play as well as we did today if we want to win that game too.
Man of the match: Alfie, tireless running, great tackling and terrific vision and passing. All round terrific performance.
Goals: Zee 3, Miles 1, Alfie -1
Southside United FC U14 [4] v [2]
We were put on the back foot from the start when we discovered that Ed has strained his hamstring and wouldn’t be available to play. Luke volunteered to play in goal having never played a competitive game in that position.
We set ourselves up to protect Luke as much as possible but a couple of early mistakes saw
The saw our confidence increase and we started to play the ball more. We were playing the game in
We picked ourselves up and pushed on again. One of our better moves of the game saw Beggie win the ball on the edge of the area, play it back to Alfie who spread the play to Miles who struck a sweet shot into the top left corner.
We then dominated the rest of the first half without actually playing our best football. Every time that
The second half began in a similar way to the first with
We realised that we were going to have to find another gear and this galvanised us into action. In spite of our passing being off we managed to impose ourselves better in midfield and some quick inter play found Zee in the penalty area. His first shot was blocked but he calmly placed the rebound with his left foot into the net.
This seemed to knock
We had won back control of the game and never looked like conceding another goal. Everyone worked really hard to knock them back and we saw the game out.
We learned to win playing ugly football today. At times we showed our passing but it was everyone’s willingness to dig in and tackle that won it for us today.
Man of the match: Ryan, almost faultless display of defending with some terrific passes out of defence too! Fantastic tackling including three first class sliding tackles and massive headers! Well done and well deserved Ryan.
Goals: Zee 2, Miles 1, Adam 1
It is difficult to describe just how proud I am of the team today. We had 3 players drop out yesterday leaving us with only 10 players available and no recognised goalkeeper. We were expecting to get a pasting from a team that should be playing in Division 1.
We have always said that we want to be playing at that level and that the players are capable of challenging teams like that. There was a big crowd watching with some old faces making a welcome appearance showing us some moral support.
There was a determined mood among the lads today. We got stuck in from the kick off and didn’t allow
It wasn’t all one way traffic and we managed to carve out a couple of opportunities of our own.
Getting to half time at 0-0 was simply fantastic. Olly pulled off a terrific save diving at the feet of their forward who was clean through. He pulled off a couple of other saves and generally looked comfortable throughout the first half.
We started the second half on the front foot and actually pushed
We still managed to hold our heads and dig deep. We were starting to struggle with their pace going forwards and they eventually broke away to score the second. Again we stood strong and again we were resilient. The team could have fallen apart but we didn’t. Their third goal was taken very well and their was little we Olly or anyone could do.
We still showed ambition though and we had a couple of half opportunities before Alfie went on a run and finished fantastically to give us the goal that we deserved. The game finished shortly afterwards and while we ended up with a loss we left the pitch with our heads held high – it only leaves us with the thought about what might have been had we had 11 or more players….
Man of the match: Olly – stepped up to play in goal – even the away parents couldn’t believe that was his first competitive match in goal.
Goals: Alfie 1
MK Wanderers FC U 14 [3] v [3] Southside United FC U14 Match report
We knew that MK Wanderers would be fired up for today’s game as we put them out of the league cup a few weeks ago. Before the game we warned the boys about complacency and tried to get them to reach the same levels of work and energy that we showed against
We stuck with the same team that played last week and drafted Sam into the middle of the pitch. We couldn’t get our passing game going and the whole team looked tired. Playing into the wind meant that we were struggling to play the ball into space and our forwards we having difficulty with any decent possession.
It was no surprise when Wanderers scored, they had been edging possession and putting us on the back foot for most of the early exchanges. A cross/lob into a crowded area put Olly under pressure and the ball squirmed out of his grasp for the opener.
We looked quite solid without looking great and were generally dealing with most that they threw at us. We just couldn’t get our passing game going and were struggling with the long ball bouncing on the ground and they scored the second when we didn’t deal with one of these, the ball breaking nicely for their striker who gave Olly no chance with the finish.
Apart from a couple of half chances we really didn’t create many opportunities in the first half.
We set about going for it in the second but again Wanderers started better than us, often first the loose ball in midfield. We were dealing with the attacks much better as they started to struggle against the wind. We saw a few passages of passing play and had a couple of long shots. We were still battling any ourselves and finding it difficult to get a string of passes going.
Never the less Miles won a corner with some excellent chasing down of the ball making them play the ball out for a corner. Miles played a magnificent corner right into the danger area and Zee found some space to head home.
This lifted us a bit but we were still not playing our best. The team was starting to work a bit harder and the midfielders were covering our defence well leaving Olly with nothing much to do.
There was a passage of play that was quite scrappy with both sets of players getting a little frustrated. We were gradually pushing them back getting nearer to their penalty area with Ben G stretching the play on the left and Alfie and Miles covering the right. Another well taken corner saw the ball ricochet onto one of the Wanderer’s players who handled the ball, the ref awarding the penalty.
Zee stepped up and confidently struck the ball well, inspite of their keeper guessing the right way and getting a hand to it we scored.
It was one way traffic after that. The equaliser gave us the lift that we needed and we started to play with more freedom. Zee found himself in possession in the penalty area again and calmly slotted home his third to complete the turnaround.
Time was ebbing away and we looked like we were going to nick all three points when the ref inexplicably awarded a penalty for handball when the ball clearly hit Alfie’s hip – nowhere near his arm. With the last kick of the game their player found the back of the net, Olly guessing the right way and getting a hand to it.
It was disappointing in the end but probably a fair result. At 2-0 down and even for a while at 2-1 we didn’t look like we would get anything out of the game. It speaks volumes for the spirit of the team that we managed to get to a winning position when we were not playing well and were unlucky that the penalty decision against us in the end cost of what would have been a hard earned win.
We need to make sure that we are starting games with much more passion and enthusiasm and we need to make our passing and movement much quicker than it was today.
Man of the match: Not only scored a hattrick – he ran his legs off up and down the pitch.
Goals: Zee 3
Brook End Colts FC U14 Jaguars [1] v [6] Southside United FC U14 Match report
We started this game quite brightly. The first 10 minutes were quite even but we were working the ball into space stretching their defence and creating spaces in the middle. Beggy and Alfie worked the ball to Zee who showed strength and composure to open the scoring. The next 20 minutes we played some good football and didn’t let Brook End have any opportunities.
Brook End were playing a long ball to a quick striker but our defence were taking up some good positions and dealing with the threat comfortably.
Building from the back we looked dangerous and Zee completed his hattrick within20 minutes showing some great composure in front of goal. A sweeping passage of play and some good battling in the penalty area by Beggy saw Ben G get on the scoresheet with a rare near post header.
Olly didn’t have too much to do in the first half – just a few half chances that he dealt with easily.
We changed it up a bit in the second half with some fresh legs and were expecting Brook End to apply more pressure – which they did.
We backed off them more, not closing them in possession and often watched and waited for them to control the loose ball before getting stuck in making life more difficult for us than it needed to be. Brook End were looking to play the ball over the top at every opportunity and Liam and Ryan (in particular) looked strong and alert. Our passing game went missing a bit and we reverted to hitting longer balls out of defence which didn’t really give our strikers much to work with. None the less, Brook End couldn’t break us down and we stood resilient.
We gradually worked our way into the second half and Zee took the pressure off with another great finish – our fifth and his fourth of the day. But we then sat back again and didn’t react quickly enough to another ball over the top which their striker put away despite Olly getting a touch on the ball.
This seemed to galvanise us into action and Alfie tried a speculative shot from range that dipped viciously in front of their keeper for our sixth. This seemed to knock the stuffing out of Brook End and we finished the game the stronger side.
We were clinical infront of goal today and passed the ball well at times – particularly in the first half. However, we also lost our shape at times during the game, stood off too much, didn’t challenge quickly enough when the ball was breaking and reverted to the long ball in the second half. We need to be more organised when we don’t have the ball and have more movement when we are in possession.
However, our defence was strong again today with some great interceptions and tackling. Ryan was commanding at the back. Liam, Kim and Sam all played well too, particularly in the first half. Olly had more to do in the second half but he did really well and is really starting to develop as a keeper.
Ben Cox was again imperious in midfield, nothing much gets passed him and Alfie showed all the grit and determination that we have come to expect from him.
So very pleased with the result today – to win when you are not playing your best is a sign of a good team.
With a couple of new players coming on board competition for places will be hotting up. Players will need to raise their game both in training and on the pitch to keep in the starting line up.
Man of the match: Ryan Day – top performance from a top, top central defender – who is getting better and better, well done Ryan.
Goals: Zee 4, Ben Goldsmith 1, Alfie 1
Southside United FC U14 [1] v [4] Willen Panthers FC U14 Match report
Today will go down as a bad day at the office. We said before the start of the game that we couldn’t give them too much respect and it was important to tackle early. We were doing ok until the ref awarded a mystifying penalty. He later said that it was for a two handed push by Beggy – but this was simply not true. Beggy was tracking the player but certainly didn’t push him.
This seemed to knock our confidence and they raised their game but we were digging deep.
Our normal 4-2-3-1 formation wasn’t working very well with Alfie becoming isolated at times with no-one to play off. Some credit has to go to Willen who were working hard and not allowing us anytime in possession and forcing us to make mistakes.
We showed the determined side of our game and at times moved the ball well. When we did pass we were creating opportunities but their defenders were big and strong and were just not letting us into space.
Their next goal came towards the end of the first half and was from a pass from midfield over the top. Their striker was quick and composed in front of goal. We needed to match their tackling and at times we stood off allowing them to play, which allowed him to strike.
We needed to regroup for the second half and we did play some better football at times but still our passing was not consistently good enough and our movement off the ball when in possession wasn’t good enough.
In the run up to their third goal Ben G was clearly fouled as was Alfie – but the previously picky ref allowed play to go on – we should have played to the whistle and again conceded by simply not putting their striker under enough pressure.
We had switched to a 4-4-2 and Kim was playing in the Central defensive midfield position. This gave us a better cohesion and we started to get better periods of possession. Some good passing found Alfie who rode a couple of tackles before bearing down on goal and find the back of the net with a cracking drive from the outside of the penalty area.
Their fourth goal was again from a break down in play where one of their players played the ball over the top and again we just didn’t tackle or put enough pressure on him.
We switched Ed into central defence and Beggy moved to the left wing. This seemed to give us a bit more solidity with Ed winning quite a few important tackles. We were starting to match them and again played some reasonable passes at times. But the chances we created were pretty much half chances. Miles came close with a far post lob and the ball fizzed across their defence at times.
The game was drifting away when Ed went for a loose ball with both feet. The ref sent him off in spite of the fact that their player wasn’t in possession and Ed clearly won the ball.
Even with 10 men we were able to keep them out and were left to reflect on the fact that we allowed Willen too much time in Midfield and didn’t close their striker out quickly enough. In the end that was the difference between the two teams. We did play some good football at times but we need to be more determined, better organised and more physical if we want to achieve our goal in the league.
Man of the match: Kim Allen – got stuck in from the off, made some great tackles throughout and looked up when passing the ball – didn’t stop working from start to finish – well deserved man of the macth.
Goals: Alfie 1
Southside United FC U14 [5] v [3] Deanhanger Colts FC U14 Match report
It was a cold day on a poor pitch with a biting wind and an aggressive team. We started the game quite slowly and were giving Deanshanger too much time on the ball. They were winning all the second balls in midfield at first and it wasn’t long before a cross got caught in the wind and caught Olly of guard floating under the crossbar.
We started to show our passing skills and at times worked the ball into some dangerous areas but another uncontested pass in midfield saw them get the ball to their striker in the penalty area and he gave Olly no chance with a crisp finish for their second.
We gradually got back into the game and again our passing game was good. Miles and Kim switched places and started to work well with Charlie in the middle and we started to win more of the loose balls in midfield.
We were already playing the better football and we created quite a few chances. Their keeper was the busier of the two. Their third came shortly before half time. Another cross to the far post got caught by the wind and ended up sneaking in the back post. It was against the run of play though and flattered them.
Second half we had the wind behind us and were playing downhill. We started more determined from the kick off. Playing good football across the pitch and switching play from side to side we created chance after chance. Olly had very little to do as we were pressurising them all over the pitch making them give up possession.
Miles picked up the loose ball in the penalty area and squeezed the ball home through a packed crowd for our first. This gave us a boost and it wasn’t too long before Zee added a second with a header from a corner. We were in complete control of the game by now playing some of the best football we have played all season. The main difference in the second half was the work rate across the pitch. We gave them no time on the ball and passed quickly in possession.
Frustration crept into their game and they started giving away freekicks. We had wave after wave of attacks and ended up winning a freekick on the edge of the area. Beggy stepped up and curled a corker into the far corner to level the game.
By now we had Deanshanger on the back foot and quickly won a corner virtually from their kick off. Miles planted a deep corner and Ed made sure that they didn’t clear, from the knock down Zi took us into the lead with a magnificent overhead kick.
Deanshanger broke a couple of times but we showed no signs of weakness and were still playing the better football winning the loose ball in midfield.
Every player was playing so well that I found it impossible to find a place for our substitutes who spent the entire game in the cold at the side of the pitch. This was a crucial game for us and we needed the win to get our season back on track. There were many man of the match candidates, Ben G had caused them all sorts of problems all game providing us with a terrific outlet. He was unlucky not to be on the scoresheet. However, Beggy (Captain in the absence of Alfie) had a fantastic game at left back supporting Ben. He clinched it with a cross/shot that found the far corner to complete a superb come back that shows real character and team spirit – not to mention skill and determination.
I would like to thank all the parents and players who came along today. If we can recreate this spirit in future matches we will undoubtedly be very successful.
The manager and coaches are all very proud today. Let’s push on and see what we can achieve!
Man of the match: Adam “Beggy” Leak – stepped into Alfie’s very big shoes, drove the team from the back, won countless tackles, showed skill in possession, distributed well and scored two great goals!!! Well done Beggy, to win MoM when so many players played well is a fantastic achievement.
Goals: Beggy 2, Zi 2, Miles 1.
Southside United FC U14 [0] v [4]
We always knew that today would be a test and could have done with a fully fit squad. Never the less we matched Newport for the opening exchanges without really creating many opportunities neither side looked particularly threatening and we were dealing with all their attacks relatively easily.
We consolidated then and gradually produced some passing play. But injuries to Ben Goldsmith then towards the end of the half saw us having to shuffle the pack yet again playing players in unfamiliar positions.
We were keen to test their fitness in the second half and we went onto the pitch with some enthusiasm but again
However, we were finding it difficult to gain any real possession of the ball and spent more and more time defending. The second goal came at the midway point of the second half but we weren’t completely out of the game at that point.
We were expecting
We were coping with most of what Newport were trying to create and they didn’t really have too many clear cut chances and it seemed that the game was going to drift away but an uncharacteristic slip by Liam let them in to pinch a third. Our heads dropped and we just looked like we wanted to end the game. We were still coming to terms with the third goal when their right winger (who had caused us problems from the start) smashed one from the edge of the area.
By now we were clinging on and were grateful to hear the final whistle. On our day we know that we can produce performances that would be good enough to challenge most teams. Today wasn’t our day. Too many injuries and illnesses and too many sweets over Christmas meant that our energy levels and determination just weren’t enough. We need to regroup, gather our fitness and come back with a performance to get our season back on track.
We ended up losing to a good team who have not lost all season and have only drawn once. Hopefully next week we will have a few players back to fitness and we will be able to compete much more effectively.
Man of the match: Apart from a slip to let
Goals: 0
Woodside Rovers FC U14 [1] v [6] Southside United FC U14 Match report
What a difference a week makes!! At the end of last week’s game we were all down in the dumps, arguing among ourselves and blaming each other for a generally poor performance. This week we came off the pitch smiling and congratulating each other on a terrific performance.
We know that when we get it right we are a handful for any team. The lads all turned up with better attitudes. We could see from the warm up that everyone seemed to be in the right frame of mind. Absences and injuries meant that we had to rethink the formation. We had been warned about their pace and strength in attack and decided to play Ed alongside Liam to give us a bit more strength with Ryan swapping defence for attack to pressurise their defenders in possession.
We then opted for a 4-3-3 with Zee and Alfie playing wide. Charlie in the centre with Beggy left and Kim right. Michael stepped in at right back and Luke at left back.
We started brightly from the first whistle. The lads looked like we had been playing that formation all season. Charlie, Kim and Beggy were winning the ball in midfield. When they tried to play the ball wide Alfie and Zee were dropping back to help.
Our passing and movement was starting to create opportunities going forward nothing troubled their keeper too much though. Our first goal came from pressure from Ryan tackling their defender in possession with the ball breaking to Beggy who played in Alfie. Alfie showed strength in possession to calmly slot the ball home for a deserved lead.
We continued as we had started from the kick off. We were picking up all the loose balls in midfield with Charlie, Kim and Beggy bossing the midfield and then using the ball well in possession. We continued to cause them problems going forward with shots raining in. Mostly from outside the area.
Our second goal came again from midfield picking up the loose ball, playing it wide and then working into the box. Zee found himself in possession in the penalty area and he calmly finished into the bottom corner.
Ryan was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet with a turn and shot that skimmed the post with both Alfie and Zee creating opportunities to extend the scoring. We ended the first half with Olly not having a save to make.
Half time
The lads agreed that the next goal could be crucial and it was important that we took the same attitude and work rate into the second half. Woodside started with more determination in the early exchanges but again they simply couldn’t break us down or find any space. Our passing and movement again started to cause them problems.
Alfie was showing his full range of skills including urging and cajoling the team to maintain the performance levels, he found some space from a run into the box and placed the ball superbly into the corner. Beggy’s knee was causing him some problems so Andy stepped into the left side of the three central midfielders.
We didn’t lose any momentum and it wasn’t long before Alfie was on the scoresheet again, this time following in from his own shot from outside the area he was quickest to the keeper’s parry and tapped home from the six yard line. We were in complete control of the game at this point. Woodside threatened from time to time without really carving out any genuine opportunities. Alfie capped a fine performance with another shot within the area which squirmed under the keeper’s body for his fourth goal.
Rees entered the play with Zee’s right leg stiffening and he set about finding space pulling their defenders into wider positions with Ryan moving to right midfield. We continued to dominate but Woodside had started to find more space with players from both sides tiring. None the less, Olly was still a virtual spectator in goal.
Alfie developed a stitch and came off for a well earned break with Zee slotting back in. We continued to dominate and push forwards. Zee showed some tremendous skill with a reverse back heel playing Andy into space in the area. Andy showed some composure, took a touch and then smashed the ball into the left corner – his first for Southside.
The game started to open and we were becoming a bit sloppy through tiredness. Woodside got their consolation goal in the last couple of minutes when we failed to clear the ball out of our penalty area. Olly had very little to do and while we wouldn’t begrudge them their goal, it was a shame that we didn’t keep the clean sheet that our defence deserved.
Goals: Alfie 4, Zee 1, Andy 1.