Allexton and New Parks Junior U9s vs Rugby Town U9’s

November 13th 2022
Kick-off 10:30am

Squad: Roisin, Alexis, Sienna W., Emilia, Sienna M., Phoebe, Emy-May, Izzy, Esme

This was Rugby Towns U9’s 7th match of the season and an away fixture faced us at Allexton and New Parks. The coaching team of Sara and Steve had a full squad of players to rotate on Remembrance Sunday as the match kicked off in North Leicester. The match was played on lush flat green grass and looked like a well-kept pitch with a thin layer of water from the night before which made the playing surface fast and slick for both teams to play on.  

Allexton started quickly, were well organised and pressed hard during the first period, which kept the Rugby Town team held back within its own half during this first period with limited opportunities to break the Allexton momentum. It is important to highlight at this early point that the goalkeeping trio of Phoebe, Esme and Alexis all played brilliantly in goal. Izzy, Roisin and Esme worked hard to keep the ball moving forward but faced a strong Allexton defence, who managed to get players frequently in numbers behind the ball and the home goalkeeper was also providing a strong performance. 

Into the second period there was a team rotation to rest players and bring on fresh legs in an attempt to try and unlock the puzzle of the game. Sienna W and Emy-Mae had an excellent game working hard with high skill levels in the middle of the park and moving the ball wide to find a way through Allexton defence and strong challenges including strong forward runs by Sienna M. 

The third quarter started well with Alexis working hard in defence and Emilia and Phoebe up front, this resulted in a quick counter attack by Emilia. Allexton then immediately bounced back with another wave of pressure being quicker to the 50/50 ball during this phase. As we entered the final period, it was clear that Allexton were playing a stronger game causing Rugby to work extra hard. 

Nobody watching would have been able to predict what was about to unfold in the last 10 minutes of the final period. The Rugby Town girls suddenly were determined to re-write the rule book on how football should be played. For the third time this season, whilst playing away from home against a solid opposition, the girls decided enough was enough and produced a period of non-stop attacking football, with incredible pace and work rate that resulted in an unstoppable team effort. The parents described this as a phenomenal game!

In summary: This was a very tough away match and the team are growing as individuals and as a unit week by week, proving that they have great depth and strength in character with an inner belief never to let heads drop and keep going until the final whistle. At the end of the game as a mark of respect both teams lined up and took part in a 2 minute silence. 

Managers Players: Esme: Strong display as a forward player followed by some excellent goalkeeping during the match.   

Parents Player: Sienna M. for her resilience on the pitch, steady pace, and demonstrating the ability to take instruction and follow through.   

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