THE LINEUP:
Gk- Cameron
Rb - Adam
Cb - Ethan
Cb - Harry
Lb - Ben
Rm - Owen
Cm - Alex
Lm - Sam
St - Alfie
(Yes we only had 9 players against 11)
THE OPPOSITION:
Sheffield Spartans are a side I knew a great deal about after facing them a number of times in the league when I used to play for Manton Athletic. They are a big physical side with good ariel ability but not as great with the ball at there feet. Despite them being 3 divisions below us we knew that we were gonna struggle with only nine players.
THE MATCH:
On the sound of the whistle we were straight in Sheffield Spartans faces and within a minute we were one nil up. A loose ball on the left corner of the 18 yard box allowed Alfie to strike a clean half volley across the goalkeeper into the top right corner of the goal. Despite the early setback, Spartans came forward on a number of occasions, only troubling myself once or twice with the occasional shot at goal. But in the end the pressure was too much for EMU's and on the fifteenth mark a low curling shot found its way into the corner leaving me rooted to the spot. But just like Spartans earlier on, we also replied strongly and got back into the lead on the 23rd minute with Owen making the most of a goal mouth scramble after a corner, by poking the ball in from close range. After this, the game stretched and both sides had chances, with both keepers being called into action. But five minutes before half time, Alfie made sure that EMU's would be leading going into the break, after missing two or three clear cut chances, he finally tucked away his second of the game.
HALFTIME SCORE: EMU's 3-1 Spartans
The second half began in a similar way to the end of the first half, fast and hard fought, with both sides tiring. A few nervy moments at the back for EMU's aloud Spartans to have a few decent attempts at goal but none really testing me. Fifteen minutes after halftime EMU's bagged a fourth and Alfie was in the right place to finish, and complete his hat trick. After the longest thirty minutes of the EMU's players lives, Spartans were awarded a controversial penalty after a scramble on the penalty spot led to Adam bring down the Spartans striker. But justice prevailed and I managed to save the penalty but only pushing it into the path of the on rushing attackers, but the defence stood strong and cleared the ball for a corner. This was the last kick of the game which both sides tried there hardest to win, yet it was a great game if you're a fan of goalkeepers.
FULLTIME SCORE: EMU's 4-1 Spartans
Player Ratings:
Cameron - had a very solid game in goal and saving a penalty to top it off, barely put a foot wrong. 9/10
Adam - also had a good game, struggled at the start with a tricky winger but in the second half, he showed his quality. 7/10
Ethan - similar to Adam, had a slow start but made five or six key interceptions including a goal line clearance. 8/10
Harry - started off as a defensive midfielder and looked very organised, when he moved into centre back he stayed solid and got stuck in. 8/10
Ben - was one of the stars on the pitch today as he dominated the left hand side, and had the opposition winger in his back pocket throughout. 9/10
Owen - occasionally seemed lost in the game but did a lot of the running in midfield and got himself a goal. 7/10
Alex - on occasions showed how good he was, but got tired very quickly in the second half and just took the easy option. 7/10
Sam - did well when on the ball but didn't seem to get heavily involved in the game and could've had a goal or two, but work very hard. 6/10
Alfie - was the star of the show and rightly so got man of the match, grabbing a hat trick and defending from the front, the perfect striker, shame he missed a few chances. 9/10
On a Personal Note:
We showed a great spirit today and we had everything, passion and hard work which the opposition couldn't deal with, we had too much quality in the end and showed why we are there divisions above them. I felt like I had my best game this season, keeping the team in the match at times, but it was a great team effort and we are very pleased to have won and be in the draw for the next round of the cup.
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