STOKE LANE AFC v BRISTOL ROVERS JSFC U12’s

Sunday 24^th Jan 2010

Little stoke playing fields

KO – 10.30

It was important to start 2010 with a win today. If we lose then we’ll find ourselves 7 points behind today’s opts (albeit with 3 games in hand). A win on the other hand then its just a point behind with the 3 games in hand which sounds a lot better J

Stoke lane beat us 3-0 in the reverse fixture so we knew it was going to be tough but even the most optimistic supporter wouldn’t have expected what we got from this game especially as 1, we haven’t played for 6 weeks and 2, every player arrived yawning!

Anyway, on to the report!

Rovers got us under way and really took the game by the scruff of the neck from this point, we played the ball around comfortably throughout the team while stoke chased and chased but couldn’t get near the ball.

With Rovers having the best of the first 10 minutes it wasn’t a surprise to see us take the lead, some fine play by Cam shorney setting up Dec to coolly slot the ball past the keeper from about 10 yards, 1-0 Rovers

Stoke lane tried to press for the equaliser from the restart but that just gave us the impetus to keep getting in behind them and within a couple of minutes Dec was tearing up their defence again but this time only managing to strike the post.

Stoke kept trying to breach our defences but our defence was in top form today and in no mood to surrender easy goals, we kept them at bay with great teamwork and we saw little panic and lots of concentrated determination, something that’s been missing at times but certainly not today.

Rovers battled on and just before the half finished a ball sent over the top saw their keeper and defender go for the same ball and while colliding with each taking Dec clean out to win us a penalty, Cam Shorney stepped up to take and “”convincingly”” pop home to make it 2-0.

Half 2 started a little different and it was obvious that stoke where to try and turn this around. For the first 5 minutes we just couldn’t get the ball as they came at us again and again but with a resolute defence protected by a dominant midfield it looked like they wasn’t going to get reward until a deflected shot dropped perfect for their striker to burst through and slot home into an almost empty net. Rovers 2-1.

Now in the past this may have seen us surrender though panic but not today, their goal only seemed to serve up a reminder to us that we were in a game, a game we needed to win and with Dec on fire then it was no surprise he was at the centre of us taking back our 2 goal lead. A lobbed ball in found dec who sent one over to tyler just beyond the far post, you’d have been forgived for thinking this may end up a goal kick but MR T as I call him turned on a sixpence and put it through the keeper from the tightest of angles to put us back in control. Rovers 3-1.

You could see our 3^rd goal deflated stoke a little bit but to their credit didn’t give up and if not for a fine block from Ash Siddall then they may have regained their impetus but as it was said the shot was blocked and with that stoke seem to realise that it was just not going to be their day.

For any stoke player still with fire in his belly then it was soon drowned out when dec again went through and slotted the ball for Cam shorney to score his 2^nd of the day to finish them off with around 5 minutes to go.

FINAL SCORE – Stoke lane 1 v Bristol Rovers 4.

Reporters comments (for what there worth)! :-p

Every player turned up today despite all their yawning, the key was that they turned up together rather than individually, each and every player played a part in this win and hopefully they can now realise the power of “team” over “I”