Match of the week: Squires Gate (U-11s) 3 Wyre Jnrs (U-11s) 4
Patterson outguns the top marksman
THE most prolific striker in under-11 football on the Fylde bagged two more but was outscored by a Wyre rival, whose side ended with a warm glow on a perishing cold day at Common Edge.
Corey Patterson netted three for Wyre, while Gate’s phenomenal Jacques Birch was denied a treble by Wyre keeper Billy Jenkinson, preventing the home side completing their comeback from 4-1 down.
It meant Wyre avenged an 8-3 defeat by Gate three weeks earlier to edge this seven-goal pizza division epic.
Birch’s brace took his tally for the season to 27. That’s the highest in either under-11 division and all the more impressive because Jacques missed the first three weeks of the season.
Matches between these sides are traditionally close and this time some fine Wyre finishing saw them emerge victorious.
But it was the home side who took the lead through their free-scoring frontman Birch, who pounced on an excellent ball from the back to fire home powerfully.
A good battle developed in midfield, with both sets of strikers posing problems for their rival defenders.
Midway through the first half, Matthew Brooke-Naylor equalised with a top-drawer strike which flew in off the post from 20 yards – and that was the signal for the visitors to seize the initiative.
Moments later, Patterson scored the first of his three, a shot steered just beyond the keeper’s reach.
Patterson quickly doubled his tally, drilling a shot with his favoured left foot into the bottom right corner to make it 3-1 at half-time.
Brooke-Naylor and Tom Minns linked up well down the right to set up Patterson for his hat-trick goal, beating two defenders and firing home his side’s fourth despite the keeper narrowing the angle.
Full credit to Gate for refusing to allow their heads to drop at this point, with the match apparently drifting away from them
They redoubled their efforts and grasped a lifeline when a penalty won by midfielder Leon Platt was converted with great confidence by Birch.
Gate maintained the momentum, soon adding their third when a fine shot by Joe Shaw found the top corner.
Wyre keeper Jenkinson, who was outstanding all afternoon, made some fine late saves to protect the slender need, including a double-stop to deny Birch
Three individuals were singled out for praise by Gate manager Wayne Capstick: two-goal Birch, hard-running midfielder Platt and left winger Luke Capstick.
Boss Capstick said: “We have lost a few games by the odd goal but the boys have adjusted quite well. We are playing better as one team of 11 than we did as two teams of seven last season. If we carry on like this, the only way will be up.”
Wyre manager Glyn Patterson said of the switch to 11-a-side: “The lads have taken to it very well and have got back on track. We showed on Sunday that when we click we can play pretty well.”
THE MANAGERS’ MATCH VERDICT
WAYNE CAPSTICK (Squires Gate)
thIS was a very close game in very cold conditions. The lads played very well to come back from 4-1 down but their keeper was magnificent and made some crucial saves. We had chances right until the end but the clock beat us. I think we would probably have got a draw had we played five minutes longer.
GLYN PATTERSON (Wyre)
THIS was a great game, with both sides passing the ball well. There were few stoppages for free-kicks which is a credit to both teams. Every Wyre player showed great attitude and willingness to work for every ball. Some great saves, build-up play and finishing proved to be the difference.
THE MEN OF THE MATCH
LUKE CAPSTICK (Squires Gate)
AMONG a trio of stand-out performances in the home ranks, the left winger got the vote of all three coaches because of his all-round contribution. He tackled bravely, ran all day long and played a part in two of his side’s goals.
KIERAN LAURENSON (Wyre)
Back from a bad eye injury, Kieran was at the heart of the Wyre team, showing great fitness, desire and technical skill. His range of passing posed all sorts of problems for the Gate defence.
QUICK OFF THE BLOCKS: Sam Morley tries to block Adam Matthews’ (left) effort for Squires Gate
SQUIRES GATE (from left): Back row, Joe Shaw, Jordan Harvey, Dailen Royal, Matt Garrod, Jacques Birch, Thomas Young, Warren Lowe; front, Nathan Webster, Jack Pemberton, Adam Curwen, Luke Capstick (captain), Leon Platt, Adam Matthews and Oliver Greenwood
WYRE (from left): Back row, Oliver Hedley, Sam Morley, Joel Claxton, Alex Ward, Matthew Brooke-Naylor, Jake Jones, Billy Jenkinson; front row, Tom Minns, Bradley Smith, James Blackburn, Connor Wilkinson (captain), Corey Patterson, Jamie Peace and Kieran Laurenson
PRIME PAIR: The free-scoring Jacques Birch (right) and Wyre star man Kieran Laurenson
FULL STRETCH: Oliver Greenwood (left) dispossesses Jamie Peace
HARVEY BALL BANGER: Jordan Harvey blasts in a shot for Gate
CLOSE CONTROL: Joe Shaw (right) on the attack, tracked by Wyre skipper Connor Wilkinson
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