meeting of the season. Undetured by the weather we had a very strong
turnout (17 at the last count!) and the boys prepared for what was going to
be a couple of competitive matches.
Burton had eight players so we ran one match, and the other Scorchers
practiced with Mark on the training pitch.
Our starting line up for the Reds was; Ethan in goal, Lewis 'The Rock'
Dobson & Joseph 'The General' Navier in defence. Jack and James Haveron in
midfield, with Super Cam and Lewis Francis leading the line.
The game started well with some great play from both sides. Scotton took
the lead with a well worked goal finished with ease by Cameron. Despite
the weather the boys kept their shape really well, with everyone working
for the team. Jack showed some silky skills (which we practiced at the
last training session) and managed to volley home a thunder bolt! Lewis
Francis then completed a nice passing move which extended our lead to 3.
In the second half the boys continued to dominate possession, resulting in
a couple of swerving, back post corners from Beckham...I mean Jack. The
latter corner hit one of Burton Leonards players hands and the referee gave
a penalty! After much debate the responsibility fell to Ethan who duly
converted from the spot, scoring his first Scotton goal and putting the
boys 4 nil up. In the final stages of the game another good passing move
saw The General (Joseph) slot home the fifth and putting the game well and
truly to bed.
Both teams enjoyed the match, and the hand shakes and three cheers at the
end rang out loud at the end. The weather might not have been with us but
it didn't dampen the boys spirit! Well Done!
Player of The Game was awarded to Jack Sherwin for his silky skills,
swerving high corners and a volleyed goal, and Ethan for scoring his first
ever Scotton goal, producing some fine saves...and he saved a penalty in
the practice game at the end!!
In the second game it was time for the Blacks to face the same Burton
Leonard side. The line up was James Tweed, 'Little' James, Jacob,
Jonathan, Gus, Ben, Harrison (Debut performance!) Joshua and James England.
Using a rolling sub format, to keep the boys warm, the match began. The
team worked collectively very hard, with some noticeable performances from
Jonathan (overall play, good skills and tackling), Little James (some great
defensive tackles) and James Tweed (fantastic shot stopping!). To their
credit the boys kept working hard against an older Burton side and were
unlucky to concede two in the first half. In the second half the boys kept
playing hard and Gus and Harry were instrumental in a sweeping move which
was just hit wide by the debutante Harrison. Joshua tried to add to his
goal tally from the game at Ripley but unfortunately it just wasn't his
day. The experience of the Burton side showed through in the end and the
boys leaked 3 more goals in the second half. The match ended 5-0 to
Burton. A special mention has to go to Mark Bedford who was thrown in at
the deep end, but did a fantastic job in keeping the Blacks involved,
interested and moving, on a particularly wet and cold day!
Player of The Game was awarded to James Tweed for his fantastic saves in
goal for the Blacks.
Overall it was a fantastic effort from all the boys and I was really
pleased to see such a good turn out. This shows that there is a good team
spirit and that the boys are clearly enjoying themselves. The really
pleasing thing is to here the 'Scotton' chants as the games draw to a close
from the players who are involved in the match!
Well done to everyone who attended, parents included, and we hope to see
you all next week at the Cricket Club for some more training. (09.30am
start)
Kind Regards
The Coaches...Jim, Mark and Darren...dry and warm somewhere in Glasgow
