Match Report

LTD Comets 3 - 0 Dunton Dynamos

U11 League Match - 16th March 2008

Games against LTD Comets are always well contested affairs, and this game proved to be no different! This was somewhat of a landmark game as it was Liam's first game back for the Dynamos after a lengthy lay-off due to a broken foot. He's been told to take it easy for a few more weeks by his doctor, but Liam being Liam he was keen to pull on the Dunton shirt and show us what he can do! So, with his Mum and Dad in agreement, the decision was taken to bring Liam on for the second-half with the clear instruction that he was to "go easy" - some chance!

Anyhow, the game itself was played in atrocious conditions - it was freezing cold with driving rain and a strong wind blowing the length of the pitch. The pitch itself however was in remarkably good condition following several days of heavy rain.

LTD turned out in their familiar all-orange kit with Dunton in all-white. Jordan retained his position in goal with Jack at right-back, Cameron at left-back and James and George filling the two centre-back positions. In midfield, captain Calum and Ben occupied the central positions whilst Sonny was on the left-wing with Luke on the right. Dave and Billy were our strike duo up-front playing in a Gerrard / Torres type style. Liam was sub' in the first-half. Ethan was unfortunately unwell on this occasion and therefore couldn't play and Harry had a prior commitment so was also unavailable.

Unfortunately the referee scheduled to cover this game failed to turn-up meaning one of the LTD player's dads had the job of taking on the role at short-notice.

LTD won the toss and elected to kick-off playing into the wind. Straight from the start they made their intentions clear - they were going straight at the heart of the Dunton defence looking for an early goal. This Dunton side has really been impressive of late - it has a nice balance to it with everyone playing well in their preferred positions. It was therefore very difficult for the LTD side to make any significant impression on our goal early on due to the excellent defensive abilities we now have. George once again was superb in the centre-back role and mopped up anything that managed to get through. James was also battling hard in the middle of the back-four and was determined not to give away possession. In fact, the back-four as a unit are looking very impressive these days and are really starting to get to grips with the intricacies of the offside rule - they push up as a unit and support each other well when required.

Whilst LTD had much of the early possession, Dunton grew increasingly confident and launched a number of attacks on the LTD goal. Dave went close with a long range effort from the edge of the box whilst Billy impressed once again with his lightning pace and alertness. Calum delivered some excellent corners which really stretched the LTD defence whilst George made a nuisance of himself in the LTD box at set-pieces. To say the traveling supporters were impressed with their team's performance would be the understatement of the year!

Then the cruelest of blows - for some reason, the referee had added a remarkable amount of additional time on at the end of the first-half. It wasn't a stop-start game by any stretch but we were well into the thirty-seventh minute when an LTD forward sprung our offside trap by running through from his own half and smashed the ball home to open the scoring. This was harsh as the half-time whistle should have gone several minutes earlier - our players were clearly shattered! To their credit, Dunton continued to battle and had several more attempts at scoring. Billy came closest running through on goal, clipping the ball past the advancing keeping only for an LTD defender to clear the ball off the line! The referee eventually ended the half with forty-two minutes played.

After the break, Ben came off due to suffering an injured back. He was clearly in quite a bit of pain and couldn't continue, which was a shame as he'd battled well up to that point. Liam came on to replace him in the midfield position and got a rousing cheer from his team-mates for his first game back after several weeks off.

Dunton continued where they'd left off and the game remained an entertaining, exciting spectacle. Both side were pressing for a vital goal. Dave was playing particularly well in his attacking role and his movement and passing was clearly causing the LTD defenders all kinds of problems. Billy's pace is electrifying - there aren't too many defenders that can keep up with him when he's in full-flight! George also joined the attack on several occasions as we pressed for a goal.

In the end, it was LTD who scored the next goal midway through the half. It was a well worked move through the centre of the pitch which left an LTD forward one-on-one with our stand-in keeper. A well-struck shot found the corner of the net to make the score 2-0. Still our plucky Dunton superstars battled for a goal. Jordan (our keeper) even joined the attack at one stage - in-fact, for one particular corner, we had all eleven players in the LTD penalty box! From this attack, Dave smashed a shot goal-bound, only to see it strike an LTD defender and get cleared from danger.

In the last few minutes, LTD scored a cracking final goal. Following a corner, the ball was headed clear by the Dunton defence only for it to be volleyed into the back of the net by an LTD forward. There was absolutely nothing anyone could do about this - it was quite simply a stunning goal.

The referee ended the game soon after with LTD running-our 3-0 victors. It was a thoroughly entertaining game, enjoyed by all who watched, despite the weather!

Man of the match today was George who played superbly well at the heart of our defence. His work-rate is phenomenal, and he's clearly a natural in this role. Other strong performances came from James, Dave and Billy, but the whole team played well once again and can be justifiably proud of their performance. The final "icing on the cake" was seeing Liam in action once again and he finished the game unscathed, but shattered! Well done boys, this was another fabulous performance against strong opposition!

Our thanks go to the LTD side for an excellent game played in good spirits throughout. Our thanks also go to the referee who took on the job at short-notice and was very good throughout, keeping the game flowing in difficult conditions. We wish LTD well for the remainder of the season and look forward to our next encounter (whenever that is!).