Christchurch v Kingswood

Match Result: 1 - 1

Goal Scorer: Stuart D

Having won one and lost one against Kingswood last season we knew we’d got a game on our hands. The game started strongly, with both teams playing hard for the ball, with equal possession. Only six minutes in though, Stu converted a cross from Sam with a volley on his weaker foot (right), as he hammered us into the lead. For the first 15 mins or so, the ball was played up the left wing with Johnny, Marley, Stu and Sam linking up well. About midway thru the first half, Kingswood equalized with a soft goal, as they broke through our defense and struck a timid shot to the right post. Unfortunately, Finn thought it was going wide and didn’t cover the post, as it went in to his surprise. We then seemed to be pinned down over on the back right for a few minutes, as Jack J and Paul battled hard to get the ball back upfield. Miles and Brad had their work cut out too, as Kingwood had a couple of strong opponents to compete with in their zone. A ball in from Miles from the right nearly saw Stu score a second, as he struck a ball from the right of the box over the keeper, but was denied by the far post. Callum was quick to swoop on the rebound, but struck it straight at the keeper.

The second half was more of the same, with both teams getting stuck in. Kingswood had a couple of strong, fast players. One of which broke through our back line on a few occasions, bearing down on the keeper. Marley’s pace meant that he caught up with the attacker, just into the box. Thankfully, the attacker was reluctant to shoot under pressure and opted to wait for assistance, but was robbed in the meantime by Marley and the rest of the defence. We seemed to have more luck down the right wing in the second half, winning a couple of free kicks about 25 yards out, but couldn’t convert the crosses. Callum and Jack C battled well upfront, with Callum posing a constant threat with his pace & strength, but unfortunately we couldn’t find the winner. A tough match, but Christchurch looked to have the edge. Another good
all-round performance.

Man of the match: Sam