Saturday 19th November saw the next fixture for the Under 8 squad – an away trip to Hampsthwaite and Birstwith.
From the kick off the opponents put us under pressure immediately with some good runs from their midfielders and some powerful shots. Jacob C made a couple of smart saves in the first few minutes but despite his heroics, Hampsthwaite quickly took a 3-0 lead as a result of some smart finishing (and over enthusiastic defending from us!). To their credit, the lads kept battling and were rewarded when some smooth passing involving Ennis Mac and Jonny H led to Sam H running clear from the half way line. His powerful shot from the edge of the box flew into the net via the far post – a stunning finish to an excellent move! All the lads got stuck in and solid defending from Ennis, Freddie D and Tom J – who battled on despite getting a knock on his knee. Jonny H looked dangerous whenever he had the ball and with a bit more luck, the scoreline at half time could have easily been 3-3 instead of 3-1.
The second half saw Scotton make a few changes with Jack H and Callum H coming on to bolster the defence whilst Antony S was asked to try to dominate the midfield. The lads continued to battle and kept on thwarting the opposition with some determined blocking and tackling and in particular there were big improvements in the boys ability to mark the opposition which led to a couple of routines that would have looked at home on Strictly Come Dancing!
The strength of the opposition started to show however and their tactic of playing one man well upfront was reward when they scored three goals near the end of the match. Final score 6-1.
The opposition fielded a different team in the second match. A tactical switch led to Freddie D going into goal and he was kept busy throughout the match. A couple of great saves kept the score at 0-0. Some great defending from Jack, Callum and Antony resulted in a series of goal line scrambles which somehow Scotton managed to win and clear the ball. However, the pressure finally told when a shot from Hampsthwaite somehow squirmed between Freddie’s legs. Further defensive scrambles followed and a goal line clearance from Ben R kept the score at 1-0 and each time the opponents looked like scoring they were thwarted by a last ditch tackle or sliding block.
Hampsthwaite increased their lead when a well struck shot went into the corner of the net and at this point it seemed like the flood gates might open. However, yet again the lads dug deep and started to win the midfield battle. Jack was winning the 50-50 balls and Callum was having an impact on the wing and as a result of a strong tackle from Jack and a pass from Callum, Jonny H finished well to pull one back for Scotton. Further Scotton pressure should have resulted in more goals as the boys flowed forward with Sam, Jonny, Callum and Ennis all going close. However the score stayed at 2-1 until Hampsthwaite scored a third with a low shot. Final score: 3-1
Credit to all of the boys (and parents!) for their determination and stamina. Antony S had his best game for the club, Sam scored the goal of the season and Freddie resembled Gordon Banks at his best! It must have been hard to choose Man of the Day but, after much discussion, it was awarded to Ennis Mac for his great defending and attacking runs throughout.
Well done to all the boys.