Cheshire FA Minor Cup, Quarter Final (17th January 2010)
Waverton scorers (season's total in brackets)
Matt Simpson - 2 (4)
Matt Sheen - 1 (26)
Sam Jones - 1 (14)
Alex Wilkinson - 1 (6)
MoM Awards
Coach's - Matt Simpson
Supporters - Jordan Coxall
Report
"They don't know when they're beaten" is a phrase that could have been written for the Waverton team this season. Having looked down and out in this cup tie at one point, the Wasps fought their way back, yet again, to win this Cheshire FA Minor Cup game in extra time and march on to the Semi Finals. It was a very good game, between two impressive teams who had both previously remained unbeaten all year.
For once Waverton started the game the brighter team, and took a deserved lead after ten minutes, with Matt Sheen slotting the ball over the keeper (for his 26th goal of the season) from a good through ball from Alex Wilkinson. After a couple of half chances to extend their lead however the Wasps started to sit back too much, and a strong Inter Union team began to overwhelm them with some good passing football, particularly in the midfield. It was no real surprise therefore when Inter Union equalised from a (slightly dubious) penalty five minutes before half time. The visitors then had a couple of chances to go in front before the break, before Waverton broke away in the final seconds of the half and should probably have gone into half time back in the lead, but Robbie Foster somehow hit the bar from about ten yards.
One all at the break was a fair scoreline, with everything to play for in the second period. It was though the visitors who continued to dominate the game during the early part of the second half, with Waverton seemingly starting to tire in the sticky conditions and after a long lay off from football. As a result Inter Union built up a two goal lead, which was probably deserved on the balance of play, and with ten minutes to go, and 3-1 down, it looked like the Wasps' FA Cup adventures were finished for the season. Having witnessed so many come backs this season though the supporters (and the coach!) never gave up hope completely. More importantly the team didn't give up either, and encouraged by their previous record of chasing down lost causes they began to dominate the closing minutes as the Inter Union team started to look increasingly nervous.
As a result of this pressure Waverton themselves were awarded a penalty, with eight minutes to go, after a foul on Sam Jones which was almost a replica of the one Inter Union had got earlier. Sam got up to take the penalty, showing his usual composure to slot the ball home, keeping up his 100% dead ball success rate for the season. As the minutes ticked away it was all out attack from Waverton, in search of an equaliser. This led to numerous Inter Union break aways against a much depleted Wasps defence, all of which were repelled by some fantastic last ditch tackling and one goal line clearance from Jordan Coxall. With a minute to go it looked like Waverton's great efforts would remain in vain, but then in a final goalmouth melee Alex Wilkinson managed to get a foot in just before the advancing keeper and the ball rolled slowly into the Inter Union net for a last gasp equaliser.
Having been so close to the winning post in normal time Inter Union never really recovered in extra time. Having previously used his pace to great effect in defence, a tactical switch saw Matt Simpson move back up front, where he continued to have a big impact on the game. He scored one from a tight angle in the first period of extra time, and then another from one of his trademark breakaways in the second. With their resistance finally broken down, Inter Union never really challenged in the remaining ten minutes, with Waverton eventually coasting to a victory which had earlier seemed beyond them. Over the full game there was really little to choose between two very strong U13s teams, but in the end it was, once again, the character of the Waverton team which won the day.
So, the Wasps have reached the final four of this Cheshire wide competition and are now looking forward to the Semi Finals, with the ever increasing likelihood of meeting Boughton at some point in the competition. It doesn't seem they should be worried who they play though, or indeed who they're two goals down to with just minutes remaining!!
No comments:
Post a Comment