EAST ANGLIAN COUNTIES LEAGUE – U16 CAMBS 2 V 1 SUFFOLK
CAMBRIDGE CITY FC - Sunday 15th March 2009
TITLE WINNING VICTORY FOR CAMBS
The Suffolk team went to Cambridge City for this match, knowing that a victory would keep alive their championship hopes. Anything less would mean the title would go to Cambs for the third season in a row.
The early exchanges were tight, but slowly the home team gained the upper hand. However, as they pressed forward their defence held a high line and was nearly caught out by a long clearance from a Suffolk defender. The home team keeper, Winstone, had to deal with this, as Suffolk forwards chased the clearance, and he charged out of his area to bravely head clear. Sessions then drove forward at the heart of the visitors defence, but his fine individual run ended when he showed too much of the ball to a defender and the chance was gone. In an isolated Suffolk attack, a free-kick by Peters found MacKenzie in space, but his header failed to trouble the keeper. Sessions then missed another opportunity for Cambs, when a cushioned headed pass forward by Dance split the Suffolk defence, and as Sessions ran on to it he took too many touches and Greygoose in the Suffolk goal was able to save confidently. A Cambs break down the right by Tolliday produced a dangerous low cross. Johnson stuck out a foot and diverted the ball straight into his keeper’s hands. By now the Suffolk team were growing in confidence, and on the half-hour, they nearly went ahead. Wade accepted an excellent 30 yard cross-field pass from Smith, took a touch to wrong-foot his marker and shot on goal. However, Winstone pulled off a fine save and the scoreboard stayed blank. Then, a quality cross from Ingram picked out Marsden whose fine header was blocked by the keeper. The ball broke to MacKenzie, but his shot struck Marsden and was cleared. In the final action of the first half, Curry did well to track a dangerous surge into the visitors box by Milne and to block his effort on goal.
Cambs upped the tempo at the start of the second half, and took the game to Suffolk. Only a desperate defensive block stopped the persistent Sessions finding the net from 12 yards. Ingrey evaded a challenge from McCallum in the box, pulled the ball back, only to see Johnson intercepting and clearing. Ingrey turned Cripps in the box, but shot wide. In the 57th minute the pressure paid off as Higgs opened the scoring. A late run into the box and he met a low cross which had somehow evaded everyone else. He shot low across the keeper into the opposite corner to give his team a deserved lead. 4 minutes later the lead was doubled as the visitors defence failed to deal with a low cross, and Sessions found a gap to prod the ball home and make it 2-0. Suffolk, however, pulled that goal back 3 minutes later, as a free-kick from Peters was intended for MacKenzie, but a defender intercepted and he turned the cross past his own keeper. Suffolk keeper, Greygoose, saved well from a fine header from Parkinson, but in the later stages of the game, the visitors were looking more confident and Dugdale and Smith were trying hard to provide support to the strikers. The Cambs defence held firm and Hawkins had a venomous shot well blocked before Ingrey met a corner from the left and his fine header from close range was brilliantly saved by Greygoose in the Suffolk goal. Cambs held out to take the title with a deserved victory.
EAST ANGLIAN COUNTIES LEAGUE – U16 BEDFORDSHIRE 1 V 5 SUFFOLK
AFC KEMPSTON ROVERS FC - Sunday 29th March 2009
COMFORTABLE WIN FOR SUFFOLK AVOIDS WOODEN SPOON
The Suffolk team went to Kempston Rovers determined to avoid defeat in this their final fixture of the season. Defeat would mean a 3-way tie on points at the foot of the table between Suffolk, Beds & Cambs.
The match started badly for Suffolk, as Beds went ahead in the 7th minute. A splendid piece of individual skill from Langlais as he took a ball played over the Suffolk defence with his back to goal. As the ball dropped, he somehow turned and despatched a volley all in one movement over the top of the stranded Greygoose. Suffolk equalised 7 minutes later against the run of play through Smith. He pressured a defender into a mistake, then latched onto the loose ball before composing himself to beat keeper Darby at the near post from 15 yards. With the game only 15 minutes old now, the home side began to look like a beaten team as the confidence drained from them. Smith took the ball down the left to the corner flag, slipped a neat pass into Peters, but his cut back was intercepted and cleared. Now the visitors began to believe in themselves, and Smith pushed a through ball onto MacKenzie, who lobbed the keeper, only to see the ball land on top of the net. Suffolk took the lead in the 31st minute, when Peters floated a free-kick to the far post, where a glancing header from Ingram diverted it into the net. 3 minutes later, Ingram drilled a free-kick straight through the embarrassed keeper Darby to extend the lead to 3-1.
Suffolk denied the home team any comeback, by scoring 2 more goals in the first 10 minutes of the second half. Peters tried his luck from 20 yards as he attempted to lob the keeper – and his luck was in. The visitors conceded a penalty as a challenge on MacKenzie by the keeper was judged illegal, and Ingram converted the spot kick for his hat-trick. It looked like MacKenzie had fallen as he tried to make contact with the ball as it bobbled on an uneven surface. After this, the strikers luck ran out as for the next 10 minutes, he could and perhaps should have scored 4 times. First he tried down the left, taking a nicely weighted forward pass from McCallum in his stride but pulling his 20 yard shot wide of the far post. Then he tried down the right, but again pulled his shot wide of the far post – although a much closed effort this time. Then, he carried the ball into the heart of the Beds defence, doing well to fend off the final challenge before firing over the bar. Finally, he returned to the left wing road to goal, with another solo run, and another pulled shot – this time wide of the near post. After that the demoralised Beds team used their final substitute – sub keeper Ambler coming on for the injured midfield player, Collins – and they played the final 10 minutes with only 10 players after the injured Garrett limped off. Suffolk continued to press, although with little urgency, and McCallum finished a fine build up with a low cross into the side netting. With only minutes to go it was inevitable MacKenzie who had the final chance as he took advantage of a defensive slip only to again shoot wide of the far post.
A comfortable win for Suffolk to secure their third place finish, leaving Bedfordshire to collect the wooden spoon. After the match, Ingram was presented with the player of the season trophy for the Suffolk squad.