Wow what a game! Thoroughly entertaining from start to finish, with Hillmorton playing outstanding football from the very start! The boys just clicked and leapt upon every second ball pressing Weddington back into their own half. Archie and Toby ran rings round the defenders and Riley did exactly what was required of him by holding the ball up and bringing others into play. He then made some cleaver runs into the box and was unlucky not to score on at least 2 occasions in the first 10 mins. The boys had practiced their attacking corner routines and came close to scoring with Archie holding his run and making the keeper make yet another save to keep Weddington in the game. Remarkably Hillmorton were punished for not taking their chances with the Nuneaton teams first chance converted for a 1-0 lead, even their coaches looked surprised at how lucky they were. This rallied the claret and blues and Toby played a super pass which Archie raced onto, rounded the keeper and tucked the ball home for the equaliser! Pacey came on to offer some defensive cover and Jay came out to the right wing and immediately asserted his authority on the game, bullying the defenders with his skill and strength, he was fantastic and was clearly enjoying beating their players each time he had the ball! It was he that latched onto to one of Archie’s crosses to belt the ball home, only for the linesman to call a rather dubious off side decision. The claret and blues battled on though, only for Weddington to strike a headed goal from a corner just before half time to give them the edge in what was turning out to be a thrilling contest. The team regrouped for a team talk and it was at that point that we told them that Weddington are top of the league, providing them with belief that they were much better than the boys in yellow!
That said it was Weddington that started the better and they tested Olly with some shots and a one on one which the confident keeper was more than equal too! The Juniors began to dominate once again with the perfect pitch aiding their cause with some sharp passing and great tackles lifting the side. Hillmorton always look good when they use the width of the pitch, stretching the opposition and finding gaps to run into. It was a Josephs pass that found Archie, whose cross found Riley in the box, the striker composed himself and swung his right foot at the ball to find the top corner for 2-2! There was only one team that was going to win this now and Hillmorton pressed forward in search of a winner, leaving it late, Mason leapt on to an Archie throw in, wriggled free of the defender and somehow lobbed the keeper from an acute angle, prompting a huge roar from the away fans as it looped in for 2-3! I’m not sure whether he meant it but frankly who cares! The boys expertly managed the game out and apart from a corner in the dying seconds, Weddington ran out of ideas and it was Hillmorton who held their arms aloft to celebrate a fantastic victory!
What a team performance that was, each and everyone of the boys put in a real shift out there, they were simply tremendous all over the pitch! The defence were superb, the midfield strong and inventive and our attack was devastating at times. In all fairness we should have scored more but this result should inspire the boys as the opposition, up to today, were unbeaten all season, which just goes to show how good Hillmorton were today. Each and everyone of you were simply brilliant! Well done!
MAN OF THE MATCH Jay – What a game he had, brilliant in the heart of our defence (Gandalf ‘Thou shall not pass! was back!) It was on the right wing that he also proved outstanding with some great skills and so much effort! Amazing!
BEST EFFORT Archie – Involved in everything, he was a real thorn in the side for the Weddington defence, who struggled to cope, a goal and 2 assists, can’t really ask for more! Great effort!
