Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

Sunday 13 January 2008

Game 1

Woodkirk Under 8s (A) 8 - 0 Bramley Phoenix Under 8s (A)

It had been a long lay off for the Valley, but any cobwebs had been blown away by a strong wind in the warm up and they were on the front foot from the very first kick.

McCarthy looked like he had never been away and new signing Benstead added impetus as he raided forward from midfield. Woodkirk made light of the conditions and dominated despite playing up the slope and they were unlucky not to break the deadlock sooner. The opener came with a slice of good fortune as Hughes' shot was deflected past the hapless keeper, and in doing so settled things down. The game then turned into the Elliott Edwards show as he turned in a stunning performance, dispatching inch-perfect crosses from Hughes and Shaw to make it 3-0 at the break.

Edwards was equally rampant in the second half, coolly rounding the keeper for his hat-trick, slotting home a fourth, then turning provider for the lively Penny-Larter to get on the score sheet. Phoenix never stopped battling but Benstead got a debut goal as the flood gates opened then Hughes finished off the scoring when he bravely poked past the on-rushing keeper for the eighth goal.

The emphatic score line really did reflect the way Woodkirk controlled the match, so much so that the keeper, Williams, was a spectator during in the match but there was no hiding his smile through chattering teeth at the end.

Game 2

Woodkirk Under 8s (B) 1 - 0 Bramley Phoenix Under 8s (B)

The second game was a much closer affair, again played in driving wind and on a surface that had muddied to such an extent that it looked more like a battlefield than a football pitch.

The tone was set early on when Williams tipped a shot round the post and the whole team dug in to stop the visitors scoring. Macaulay was like a brick wall at the back and his defensive partner Winter, turned in an equally impressive performance. It was against the run of play that the hosts scored the only goal whilst playing up the slope in the first half.ΜύBattensby chased down what appeared to be a lost cause before squaring a perfect ball to the on rushing Cockerham to stab home from close range. The whole team deserved credit for the way they battled for everything - Stead ran his heart out and Crowther was excellent in a tenacious performance as the game ebbed and flowed.

Bramley were proving much tougher opposition now as the Valley goal led a charmed life in the closing stages, and they hit the woodwork on three occasions. The hosts teamwork was tremendous throughout though, and each player was a credit to their colleagues and fans alike.