Walsall Junior Youth League Division 1 – Sunday 10th October.
With last week’s game called off due to a water logged pitch, Dragons looked to try and recapture the momentum that they had gained during their last two games with only 11 players at their disposal as Holidays and injuries took their toll on the squad.
From the kick off it was AC Hayes who went straight on the attack shooting just wide of Ethan’s goal in the first minute. Dragons were left reeling and as AC Hayes put them under pressure Dragons confidence grew as they dealt with each and every attack and after 10 minutes were looking the more comfortable team as they started to control the game. Dragons passing game came to the fore as they cut through Hayes’s midfield time after time only for their keeper to making fine saves with Kieran S, Corey and Ewan all lining up to test him. It wasn’t all one way traffic and although Dragons were dealing comfortably with Hayes attacks they switched off with 5 minutes to go in the first half and they allowed AC Hayes to get in a 2 on 1 position with Ethan, as they made a quick counter attack to get in behind Dragons defence, to score first.
Half Time 0 – 1.
With Dragons not deserving to be a goal down at half time it was the wakeup call they all required and as the team dug in to try and claw the game back you could see a belief start to set into the players that this game was theirs for the taking. After dealing with an Hayes attack Dragons played the ball through to Kieran S in the centre of midfield who easily turned his marker and released Corey down the left wing who, after beating his man, fired the ball straight across the six yard box for Ed to side foot in for his first goal in 11 aside for the Dragons. That was the catalyst for the next five minutes of play as Dragons looked to put the game to bed early as a few minutes later it was Corey’s chance to turn from provider to poacher as the ball came in from the right hand side for him to slot past the keeper. More and more chances went by as firstly Ewan miss kicked a effort which tamely went to the keeper then Kieran S had a snap shot saved. Kieran finally got the luck he deserved cracking one from about 20 yards out which easily beat the keeper to his left. All credit to AC Hayes as they never gave up and scrambled a goal to pull one back with 15 minutes to go but virtually straight from the restart Dragons had regained their two goal advantage Corey scoring once again. Hayes came back again to score but once Ed scored his second of the game there was no way for them to come back into the game as Dragons defence dug deep with Cieran W having to play as a make shift Right Back, Liam, Carl and Frasier being helped out by Tom and Jordan, as the tiredness started to show after a physically draining game, more than held their own to see the game out.
Full Time 5 – 3.
Managers Man of the Match – Frasier.