In their first match of 2012, Scotton Scorchers Under 8's played the local derby against Ripley Rockets at Scotton Cricket Club on a cold but sunny morning.
The first match kicked off and it seemed as though the boys were still asleep as they quickly conceded three goals without really touching the ball! Once they had woken up, the boys started to battle for possession and breeched the flow of goals. Ben R made a couple of brave blocks to deny Ripley a fourth goal and the defence of Harry D and Ennis M were kept busy dealing with the mobile Ripley forwards. Jacob K, playing as a lone striker, made a couple of surging runs but, each time he was denied a clear shot on goal. Two more goals were scored by Ripley as a result of their fast flowing football and clinical finishing to make the score at half time 5-0.
The second half brought a few changes, one being Freddie D replacing Ben R in goal and he was immediately called into action to block at the strikers feet to deny Ripley a 6th goal. The second half was evenly balanced and Sam H was able to start bossing the midfield and pressure was increased on the Ripley defence. Harry D was playing sensibly and frequently combined with Jacob K down the left side but a first goal proved elusive. Antony S was working hard in midfield in order to win the ball back and his storming runs brought a succession of corners which were unable to be converted.
At the other end of the pitch, Freddie D was having a storming game in goal, producing one of the saves of the season to dive full length to push a deflected shot around the post. Ennis M was the often playing as the lone defender and on several occasions he was called into action, doing well to hold up the Ripley players until his team mates got back to help out.
Despite numerous attempts for both sides, there were no more goals and credit to the boys for fighting back so well after a slow start. Final score: 5-0.
The boys made a much better start to the second match and it was clear that they had learnt their lesson. All the boys got stuck in and battled to keep Ripley at bay. Sam H kept control of the midfield and his determined running almost led to a goal as he shot just wide. Tom J seemed to enjoy playing in front of the defence and used the ball sensibly when the opportunity arose. Antony continued his tireless running and was unlucky not to score the opening goal when his shot was blocked. Ripley scored the first goal after their goal keeper's long clearance caused confusion our defence to allow their forward to finish neatly despite Freddie's best attempts. From the restart, Jacob K shot narrowly wide as we tried to find an equaliser. Half time 1-0.
The second half saw Sam H move into goal and he was immediately called into action, blocking a shot from near the corner flag. However, Ripley's powerful forwards them managed to score a couple of quick goals. Callum H was having a great half and one of his powerful runs down the wing led to a goal mouth scramble which ended when Ben R poked his shot just wide. From the resulting goal kick, a clever volleyed pass from Freddie D led to Jacob hitting a snap shot from the edge of the box that flew just over the bar. A fourth goal for Ripley resulted in a final score of 4-0 which we felt was not a fair representation of the match. The lads all battled hard and showed great spirit, team work and determination and there were plenty of candidates for player of the day. This was awarded to Freddie D for his outstanding display in goal.
