Sunday 15th November 2009 - Purton Youth 'B' (H)

Down to the bare bones today, with Ben, Harry and Bailey all unavailable for selection – this was always going to be a tough match against a strong Purton side, but yet again our lads were full of energy from the off. After a couple of early scares, we looked very dangerous going forward, with Coffey, Cox and Staten working some lovely moves that promised much for the rest of the match. It was a Purton foot that opened the scoring, however, when a strong attack wasn't cleared and a powerful shot was launched past Isaac's despairing hands. 0 – 1

We were not put out of our stride by this early set-back and our defenders certainly didn't let it get to them. Matthew was outstanding in his 'never say die' attitude, intercepting and clearing well. James made repeated strong clearances and Scott, growing in confidence by the match, began to really take control.

Coxy's equaliser could well end up as 'goal of the season', a delightful lob over the goalie from the outside of his boot after the ball was looped to him from the wing by Dec Coffey: 1 – 1

This seemed to spur us on and the Bassett team now looked the stronger side – always looking to release someone for the final push to goal. Isaac made some lovely stops and our defenders always seemed to put their foot in just at the right moment. Our second goal was another beauty. A pin-point corner from George was floated over for Coxy to power in a strong header through a gaggle of defenders: 2 – 1

Purton started to wobble and attack after attack seemed destined to increase our lead, Coxy even narrowly missing his hat-trick with a cheeky back-heel and a Coffey shot skimming just wide. But it was an unforced error that gifted a Purton equaliser with the first shot being cleared only to end up with a pinball bounce-about that they were able to just squeeze home: 2 – 2

Half-Time 2 – 2

The second half was a pretty even affair with chances at both ends. All the lads played their part, but Purton began to look the more likely having the luxury of 4 subs. who were switched to good effect throughout. Our magnificent 7 had to stay put and began to visibly tire. A last minute winner from either side would have been cruel, however, and a hard-fought draw was the final result.

Man of the match: Declan Cox – two lovely goals and certainly unlucky not to notch a hat-trick. Coxy fought hard today and showed some deft touches as well. The defenders found him a handful throughout the match.

Last modified on Monday 22nd June 2015 at 23:39