I

An overcast day at the holme of football which is Penwortham.

Bob Paisley once said it's not about the short or long ball it's about the right ball!  Martin and I gave the boys some instructions to pass and move where possible, go to the ball when defending, talk to each other and enjoy the game as much as they could! We also asked them to shoot more on goal ( and more about that later! )

Euxton Blacks lined up with David in goal, Jake and Alex in Defence, Stuart, Tom ( captain ) and Daniel in midfield with Alistair up front. Will and Adam started as substitutes.

This was only the Pirates second game and as soon as the game started Euxton assumed control of the match and started to push them back into their own half. Pirates defended stoutly as Alistair, Tom, Stuart and Daniel began to tackle and probe very effectively.Tom, Alistair and Stuart all tried to shoot early which was great to see and showed the boys had listened to us. One shot from Stuart brought a good save from the Pirates keeper. In defence, Jake and Alex held their positions and concentration well, which is diifficult to do when the team is constantly attacking.

Alistair was very unlucky with two long range efforts ( one as a result of a fantastic goal kick by David ) and Euxton continued to pour forward. Finally from an excellent Stuart corner, the ball bounced about in the box before Tom calmly collected possession to fire home well. 1.0 to Euxton.
This really seemed to give Euxton lots of confidence and they began to play very well, tackling and creating space and even talking amongst themselves at times. After further Euxton pressure, Alistair in true striker fashion, pounced from close in to score. 2.0 to Euxton.

Pirates showed reall willingness to battle but after a rather fortuitous penalty decision by the referee, Tom stepped up to blast home an unstoppable shot, in off the post. 3.0 to Euxton.

Pirates tried to get out of their own half and whenever the ball broke forward both Alex and Sweeper man at the back Jake stood firm and tackled really decisively. David continued to concentrate really well and his kicking is getting better and better. Just before half time, Tom produced another great throw, high and powerful ( almost delap-like ) which caused mass confusion in the pirates defence and Alistair managed to grab his second. 4.0 to Euxton. Half time came and Euxton had played really well. In midfield, Daniel, Tom and Stuart had showed great energy and drive and created several good scoring opportunities for themselves and their teammates.

For the second half, Will replaced Daniel in midfield and Adam came on for Alex at the back.

The half continued in the same vein with Euxton driving forwards at every opportunity. Tom and Stuart combined excellently down the right and from another great throw by Tom, Alistair raced clear to finish really well. 5.0 to Euxton. Euxton were awarded a series of corners and all the boys tried to find space in the Pirates box, by running well and losing their markers. Jake and Adam kept the back door closed!

Tom and Alistair were replaced by Daniel and Alex and Euxton carried on pushing towards the Pirates goal. It was at this point that Will was pushed into attack and on three occasions through sheer effort and determination he was unlucky not to score. He has such energy and desire which is a real bonus for the team. I had asked the boys to shoot more which they duly did from nearly every opportunity, sometimes shooting a long way from goal, but their willingness to do this was fantastic. With more games and experience their decision making will get better.

Finally after yet another period of Euxton pressure and some fine passing involving Daniel, Stuart and Will, the ball fell for Alex to strike a brilliant shot past the Pirates Keeper. 6.0 to Euxton.

The game finished 6.0 to Euxton. A great result and a real team performance - all the boys played well and seemed to enjoy themselves which is the most important thing.

Man of the match : Alistair - a good hat-trick which some fine finishing - Well done!

See you all at training on Monday.