Painswick Youth (4) v (1) LRFC Cougars

Painswick Youth (4) v (1) LRFC Cougars
Cheltenham youth league match 25/04
King George V playing field, Bisley

The 24hrs leading up to this game is a story of our season really.
Tuesday evening 6:30 - 24hrs before kick off - we have 14 players
available and from that what would have been, possibly, our strongest
starting 11. An opportunity to have a real go and get a result.

24hrs later and a mixture of illness and injury had left us with 10
fit players ready to start the match. We warmed up and emphasised to
the lads that this was a game where the result was, probably, not in
doubt but they should just relax, play and see how they go. With no
options on the bench this was a relatively easy game to be the manager
as there were no options!

We started in a 4-4-1 formation against the 11 men on Painswick. The
back 4 was, right to left, Sam, Freddie, George, Willbo. In midfield,
Dan G, Tom, Luca and Louis. Up front was Callum. In the warm up we
focused on getting the ball to Callum and getting him to lay it off.
The thinking being that this was our outlet.

We kicked off and were immediately under pressure. George was
imperious as ever at the back, with Freddie alongside him they looked
solid. Bravely making blocks and decisiveness in moving the ball. Sam
and Dan G on the right were working well together with Sam full of
energy able to run the line and Dan G showing some neat footwork early
on in tight situations. A genuinely 2-footed player. Willbo returning
to the familiar left side was as assured as he has been all season.

Shots came in and with some last ditch blocks and deflections we kept
our lines clear. Will, in goal, made some excellent catches when under
pressure from on rushing attackers.

Up front we struggled to get the ball to Callum and weren't able to
utilise his strengths. We kept it that way for around 15minutes. A
change was then made with the aim of trying to turn Painswick around.
Luca moved out from centre midfield up front. Freddie took his place
in the middle with Callum coming to left back, Willbo moved centrally
alongside George.

With Tom and Louis starting to link well down the left that was
increasingly the outlet ball. Both lads had excellent matches, Tom in
proper flymo mode was everywhere. Making tackles all over the pitch
and having the strength to dribble with the ball. His link up with
Louis on the left touch line was a real threat. I'm sure that if we
investigated Tom's family tree there would be at least one Kenyan
marathon runner in there somewhere.

Louis had, possibly, his game of the season. Always the outlet ball
his speed of thought and technique meant he rarely gave the ball away
and was able to buy the defence and midfield time. These last few
matches against very good opposition his real quality has shone
through, technique is what's important. Louis was the man of the match
for his constant industry on the left and his quality when playing his
passes whether long down the line for the striker to chase or short to
then receive the second ball.

Goals were inevitable and with about 20 minutes gone the deadlock was
broken. There followed another soon after from an excellent corner.
Half time and Painswick were 2-0 up.

Second half we instructed the team to use the left channel more, to
use Louis and Tom to drive the ball into their half. With Luca up
front we hoped to be able to use his pace to cause Painswick some
problems. If we were attacking down the left then the lads on the
right had to come across to fill the gaps in the middle and not leave
us too exposed. Painswick have two very good centre backs and we never
got a look in through this route as there was always one of them
marking Luca and the other dropping off to then pick up the ball.

Painswick scored their third goal, dancing through the middle, where
we were succumbing to fatigue and scoring far to easily. Although the
shot was deflected which wrong-footed Will leaving him no chance. 3-0.

A change was then made, with no substitutes we had to rest players by
moving them around. Freddie had put in a solid shift in the middle. A
more natural central midfielder he was often overrun and outnumbered
as the other lads pushed forward to try and create a chance, but was
able to jink his way out of trouble. The intensity took a toll so we
shifted him to right back, moved Callum to right midfield, Sam into
centre midfield and Dan G to left back.

Freddie had worked incredibly hard in this match, played three
positions and at the final whistle was showing the scars of his
exertions. Freddie didn't so much as red-line it in this game as blow
the gasket off. What we needed and got from all the players.

We did get a goal back though. And what a goal it was. It was
certainly the goal of the game and came from the unlikely boot of Sam
who doubled his seasons tally. With our attacking play focussing down
the left there was space in the middle and right of midfield. The ball
was played inside to Sam who took a touch and with the ball just in
from of him and fully 60yds out (ok maybe 20-25yds) struck a perfect
right foot shot into the top corner leaving the keeper no chance. Just
reward for our efforts as a team and the lads celebrated as a team.

As George had commented in the car on the way to the game we may be
light on players for the match but the chemistry could not be better.
Wise words from a player that we don't associate with many words at
all ......

There was time for Painswick to score a 4th. That was how the game
would finish, 4-1. We actually agreed to draw proceedings to a close
slightly ahead of time playing the required % for the result to stand.
The lads were, by this point totally done, another 10 minutes and we
would be risking injury.

A valiant performance by 10 men again. In much the same way as we
played at Hucclecote we looked pretty good against a very good team
but with only 10 players.

As I walked the touch line towards the end of the game I overheard a
Painswick parent comment that it was nice to end the season on a high.
I couldn't agree more.








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