U11 v Ardvreck

The first match of the season is always interesting as it is the first real opportunity to see what kind of a team we are likely to have for the year. With this in mind, my heart sank early on in the first half. It wasn’t because Ardvrek scored any early goals, indeed they only goal of the half came in the last minute when they managed to get one past Ollie, rather it was because of how vulnerable we looked for the entire twenty minutes.

Being out of position was our biggest weakness. Time and time again, Ardvreck surged through the middle and past ALL of our halves. This frequently left them with a 5 on 2 situation. They were then given lots of room to move by a very timid pair at the back. It was a miracle that they didn’t score a number of goals. Some good goalkeeping, poor shooting and some frantic last moment tackles saved us.

Kit had a decent half on the wing and so did Geordie although neither really tried to win ball for themselves. Will and Hewie worked hard and were, apart from Ollie, the best of our players. All the halves tried hard but showed that they still have a lot to learn. Tom did well as captain and was strong when he had the ball; unfortunately he tended to hang a little too far up the pitch. Angus and William were still getting to grips with their roles, as was Jamie.

So, the late goal left us one down in but it looked as though Ardvreck were poised to run away with the match. How would we fare in the second half?

A few changes were made to the team and a few words of advice given during the break. I was interested to see how the boys would respond.

What a difference!  The two backs, William and Angus looked like new players. They surged forward whenever Ardvreck attacked and made a number of vital tackles and interceptions. The wee flying Frenchman Constantin didn’t stop running on the wing and was useful in both attack and defence. He’ll be even better when he learns which side of the stick to use. Geordie (with a flea in his ear) did some good work as a half, starting a number of attacking movements. Kit got hold of some decent ball on the wing. Charlie had a great half. He worked his socks off both in attack and defence and was brave in the tackle. As for Hewie and Will, I can barely fault them. They came back to collect ball, nicked balls from the opposition's hits and surged forward in attack. Hewie scored a super goal early on in the half to level the scores but Ardvreck got one back within two minutes to retake the lead.

With eight minutes left, Will found himself in the D with a little bit of time and made no mistake, hammering the ball past their ‘keeper. We came close a few more times in the half, but so did they. The match ended with the scores tied – a result with which I was very pleased. Ardvreck was a good team and I suspect that they will think that they should have won this one. They hadn’t reckoned with a bit of Belhaven spirit.

I mentioned earlier that the first game showed what kind of a team I would have to deal with for the season; well, based on the way that these boys came back and fought so hard after being outclassed in the first half, I would say that they should be alright.

Maybe even better than alright.

Belhaven Hill     2    -    2    Ardvreck

M.O.T.M.  It has to be shared between the men up front, Will and Hewie; not for their goals, but for their hard work and fighting spirit. It’s always pleasing to see players desperate to get hold of the ball.