Second game of the season saw us up against a technically good Old Wulfs and with no subs it was a game that was looking to be a very difficult on paper.

Within 5 minutes of the game starting our task looked suddenly harder as a scrappy start saw Mike Roberts asked to take a couple of minutes rest for not retreating 5. As a team we went solid to see this period through with no real threat and before we knew it we were back up to 11 players and we started to build into the game. Mike, Gaz and Neil stayed solid throughout the game with great organisation and limited the opposition to very few chances.

Matt and Barney playing out wide both went about helping driving us forward in different ways with Barney offering non stop running, tackling and working backwards well as well as being an option to distribute the ball outwards to. Matt was showing dispossessing players and driving forward and very rarely offering the opposition anything.

A midfield three of the Stephenson duo, one providing cover at the base and not allowing opposition playing through us and looking to move the ball forward as soon as he had taken custody of it. The younger providing front to back energy, ball carrying and cover in virtually every position when required, a seriously impressive display. Finally Archie was an option every time we had the ball and looked to move it on quickly and this also extended to free hits, getting the ball quickly and pressing it into many dangerous areas with speed and guile.

In the middle of the first half one of these passes found myself on the edge of the D and a quick Peatfield taught pre-scan had allowed me to see a great run from my forward partner Jack who had snook in behind his defender. I guided the ball around my marker first time and with great composure Jack hit a superb first time hit into the bottom corner giving the keeper no chance.

We kept building pressure and had a few more half chances before a break down the right by Old Wulfs and a pass inside the D found an opposition player who slotted home.

The game continued with more of the same and we created chances and half chances with the superb Jack having two more very good hits well saved alongside chances and half chances for a variety of our team but we just couldn’t find a further goal. Meanwhile our defence were in a very mean mood and didn’t let Old Wulfs have too many sniffs at goal at all.

With ten minutes to go and us starting to tire slightly I dropped back to sure up so we didn’t get sucker punched but Dougie, Barney and Jack still managed to creat threats albeit we couldn’t quite sneak the win.

POTM went joint to Barney - who put on a performance showing energy, effort and skill and Jack - who in his first competitive game looked like a threatening forward who had played many more games!

Great work from all 11 today and we roll to next week with confidence building!