U10A v Smallwood Manor Lost 3-1

A chill damp afternoon of dreary drizzle saw the U-10 team play their first match of the term and they could scarcely have made a better start. Within a few minutes of kick-off Harvey W made a penetrating run into the heart of opposition territory and unleashed an unstoppable shot from outside the penalty area that flew past the keeper into the net.
Smallwood, however, were undaunted and gradually settled to playing some neat and attractive football. By half-time they had equalised and in the second half scored twice more for a deserved victory.
It is fair to reflect that they were the better team but there are lessons to learn. Perhaps the most obvious is the need to think and move with decisive swiftness. Good players can have their skills nullified with an “in their face” approach but today we tended to stand off too often and let them play. Anyway, there was some good effort in unpleasant conditions, it wasn’t a big defeat and there is a base on which to build. Will B-B, a star at the back, was our “man-of-the-match”.
MJS