Sunday 20th February 2011 vs Bridlington

It was touch & go whether our first league match of the year would go ahead, after lots of rain in previous days. However, Bridlington had done a great job keeping the pitch in good condition. So, we travelled to the sea-side to play the team we'd also played earlier in the season.
Bridlington have a great location for their matches & their cosy clubhouse (serving hot drinks & bacon butties) was very welcome by all supporters on what proved to be a chilly morning.
Match 1
It proved to be a very evenly fought first half in sticky conditions. Although we had plenty of possession, Bridlington were very unlucky not to score on several occasions. We were grateful for some solid defending from Kieran, Josh L & Harry & in particular some outstanding saves from Benson. By half-time we'd managed to sneak a 1-0 lead after a shot from Dylan had been deflected by a defender past the Brid keeper.
The second half proved to be a bit more straightforward for us, as the boys started putting together some great passing moves & laid siege to the opposition goal for long periods. We went 2-0 up after Dylan's shot was unluckily handled by a defender & Dylan expertly converted the spot-kick. As the pressure continued, the next goal came when Joel scored after one of his trademark mazy runs. The final goal came after some more great play ending with JoshC thumping the ball into the net. Despite the goals, Bridlington had plenty of opportunities to break away, but any chances were snuffed out by some superb defending from Taylor. So, we were very pleased to run out 4-0 winners.
Match 2
The second match proved to be a much tighter affair, as the sticky pitch started to take it's toll & both sides started to tire. After some great defensive displays in the first match, Taylor & Harry formed a formidable striking partnership in the first half. Taylor was first to score with a lovely strike & Harry made it 2-0 before half-time. Despite the goals there was still a need for good defending & both Ewan & JoshC kept the opposition at bay.
The second half proved to be a close contest, with both teams going close. William put in another very accomplished performance in goal. There were no more goals so the final score was 2-0.
We finished with a penalty competition which showed that both teams have plenty of hot-shots in their team. Afterwards we appreciated the Bridlington hospitality & the warmth of the clubhouse (& their bacon sandwiches) was very welcome.

Sunday 6th February - Winter friendlies

Ahead of the start of the second half of the season, we arranged some friendly matches for both our teams. We invited North Ferriby United & Costello Wildcats down to play. As there had been quite a bit of rain in the days ahead, the pitches needed a bit of work beforehand. There was some frantic sweeping of the waterlogged parts, which although left the ground very sticky, meant we were able to play.

It was arranged that we'd all play each other, meaning that all teams played three games. All the three teams we played were ranked to play in leagues above us for the second part of the season, so we knew it would be a tough test. Undaunted, all our eleven players were on parade & by the end of the morning had played out of their skins.

We were delighted to record three wins, but more importantly, there were great performances by all players. All the boys put into practice the passing skills they have been practicing during the off season. By the end of the day, there were some very tired legs, but everyone was pleased with their performances. It was almost impossible to pick out one player, but after some sterling performances in all areas of the pitch, Josh L was chosen as man-of-the-match