Gala Wilton 5 - U15s 1

Written by Alex Lumsden

Wickwar came up against some very strong opponents today as Gala looked dominant from the start. However, Wickwar managed to get a 1-0 lead 15 minutes in to the match which saw the resilience of Harry Lear who worked his way through the Gala defence - as to which the ball came out to Lewis Jackson on the edge of the box, who finished fantastically. Gala then got their grip on the game and created a lot of chances as James Watkins had to keep Wickwar out of trouble on many occasions with some fantastic goalkeeping. Despite Wickwar's strength to keep the ball out of the net, Gala managed to break through the weak midfield to make it 1-1 which was much deserved as they had been pressing throughout the match. Wickwar then struggled to get back into the game as Curtis Walker came on for an injured Rob Brett, injecting some much needed flare into the Wickwar attack. Gala's midfield were dominating the match - though Wickwar did have some opportunities to create chances. After the second half, Wickwar then started to keep the ball a lot better, create some possession opportunities, but Gala Wilton pressed Wickwar thoroughly until the ball was theirs. Wickwar struggled with the physical threat the Gala were imposing, and with that came Gala's second as Ben Cross found himself being intercepted, and the player sneaked the ball into James Watkins' near post. Wickwar started to look tired as they had been chasing the ball down throughout the match, but some fantastic defending and battling from Jacob Wall, Lewis Jackson and Phil Whittaker helped Wickwar to try and get something out of the match. But Gala were just too strong on the attack and added a third to their tally.

From then on it got even worse for Wickwar, as they were pinned back in their own half, and relied on James Watkins to make some brilliant saves that kept them in the game. Curtis Walker then had to be replaced by and already injured Rob Brett, and with that came Gala's fourth. Jacob Wall then limped off with a smashed shin pad and had to go to Hospital. Curtis then had to come back on to make up the numbers, and battled out the last 20 minutes to ensure that the deficit didn't increase. Gala then went full pelt at Wickwar as they had control over the game. Harry Lear tried to turn his way out of trouble with two defenders marking him, but as much as he gave them a run for his money, he didn't create any scoring opportunities. Ten minutes towards the end, Gala then broke down the left to finish if off with their fifth, which then saw Ben Cross have to come off for treatment as Wickwar temporarily went down 10 men. Shortly after, he came back on up front to make up the numbers and see out the last 8 minutes.

A bad day for Wickwar, but there are many more games to come, and the boys should be proud of their work ethic and commitment they put into the team, and the game today.

James Watkins and Harry Lear were Wickwar's Men of The Match