Young talent showcased

In the last action before Xmas, a friendly was played between the extended Men's 3rd team squad. 25 players, including 15 aged 18 or under, assembled at KLV.
The two sides were captained by 14-year olds - the whites by Dan Carter and the Blues by Ben Smith.

The Blues had the better of the early exchanges with Ethan Smart linking well with Jacob Tattersall and veteran Tom Sellers. The first goal came when George York broke down the right and his cross was hit first time into the bottom corner. The Blue continued to press forward and James Hogg showed some nice stick skills to tuck the ball away for the second goal.

The Whites gradually started to exert more pressure with Tony Heath pulling the strings and Harry Tanser and Peter Wenje looking dangerous in attack. After an incisive breakaway, Tanser released his strike partner Wenje who calmly slid the ball home past the oncoming keeper. This buoyed the Whites but stand-in goalie Tom Sheffield made some excellent stops to keep the score 2-1 at half-time.

In the second half, it was the Whites who initially were dominant. Tanser was a constant threat in combination with his dad, Mike. It was Tanser senior who levelled the scores when he neatly deflected a pass from Heath past the stranded goalkeeper. The Whites were flying now and it was not long before they took the lead, albeit in slightly fortuitous circumstances. A shot from Harry Tanser was going wide until Neil Manley inadvertently deflected it past the helpless Gareth Tasker, who had retaken the pads at half-time.

In yet another momentum shift, the Blues upped their game and George York continued his rich scoring form by levelling the scores once again. As the rain got worse, both sides went in search of the winner. Matthew Coe made an excellent save for the Whites while at the other end, the Blues had to be resilient to withstand a series of short corners.

Finally, it was the Blues who made the vital breakthrough. Good interplay at the top of the D led to Hogg finding space at the back post to squeeze the ball in. With time running out, George York turned provider again and this time it was Ben Smith whose first time effort was too strong for Coe.

Despite the weather, it was a great match with a high standard of play from both sides. The spectators, umpires and senior players were unanimous in their praise for the young players and it bodes well for the future of the club.