Match of the week: St Annes U-14 0 Thornton Cleveleys U-14 1
Goals flow for hosts one day but run dry next...
the rain forced almost all the clubs in the Domino’s Pizza Blackpool and District Youth League to take a weeking off but St Annes Under-14s managed to play twice ... though they probably now wish they hadn’t.
Having won a cup on Saturday, with a thumping victory in the final of the county-wide Lions Cup, they bowed out of another in agonising fashion 24 hours later.
It was a goal three minutes from the end of extra-time which dashed St Annes’ Hogan Cup hopes in the first round, but take nothing away from visitors Thornton Cleveleys, who showed great determination and resilience to record an against-the-odds 1-0 victory.
Second-placed title challengers St Annes started as favourites against their Pizza division rivals. They had the majority of the possession and the lion’s share of the chances, but the ball refused to cross the goal-line for a side who had scored eight the previous day
And if any further proof was needed that their luck was out, it came with that late, late winning goal. Thornton won a free-kick just inside the St Annes half. The ball was propelled goalwards by defender Scott Rogerson and skimmed off a home defender’s head before flying into the goal.
St Annes piled on the pressure in the closing moments but the visitors were doggedly determined not to surrender their hard-earned advantage. Keeper Victor Porter excelled in goal for Thornton but the woodwork also came to his rescue on several occasions.
Among the unlucky St Annes players was striker Jason Blackwell, who rifled a shot against the bar from 30 yards.
He was among several home players to impress, including midfielder Ryan Rogers and Kieran Norris on the right.
Thornton manager Neil Walmsley was delighted with his entire side, and particularly with the defending, but he admitted: “I was gearing myself up for penalties when the winner went in.”
St Annes boss Robert Hawes admitted fatigue became a factor after his side’s exertions the previous day but was not seeking excuses, and he certainly didn’t use the heavy conditions as one.
“The pitch held up perfectly,” he said. “It just wasn’t our day.”
Walmsley added: “We made the journey from Thornton expecting the game to be off, so full credit to St Annes for getting it played.”
But while victory is most welcome, it’s not what matters most to the Thornton manager.
He explained: “The aim is for the lads to play good football, not just hoof the ball upfield, and to enjoy it – everyone comes off the bench and gets a game.
“We have a lot of new players but we don’t take them from other clubs. The idea is to bring lads into the game and get them playing the right way.
“We have had some tough times but the players have knuckled down and we are doing well.”
It may be a cliche to say that St Annes can now concentrate on the league but in their case it is well worth concentrating on.
Victory in their two games against leaders Poulton will cut the gap to just a single point and so, as manager Hawes says: “We still have everything to play for.”
THE MANAGERS’ MATCH VERDICT
ROB HAWES (St Annes)
WE dominated the game, and had a lot more of the possession and the chances. We went gung-ho for the equaliser at the end but it just wasn’t our day. We just didn’t get the vital touch in the goalmouth scrambles and whenever the ball hit the woodwork it came out.
NEIL WALMSLEY (Thornton)
The whole game was a nailbiter. It was a very close end-to-end game, with no let-up from start to finish, and St Annes are a very tough side. There were chances at both ends but there was always going to be only one goal in it.
THE MEN OF THE MATCH
STUART MOFFAT (St Annes)
AN exception display on only his second outing as a centre-half. Normally a central midfielder, Stuart was dominant throughout.
NO SELECTION (Thornton)
Defender Scott Rogerson did well and scored the goal, and keeper Victor Porter caught the eye but manager Neil Walmsley could not single anybody out in an excellent team display.
St Annes celebrate the Lion’s share of the glory
ST Annes Under-14s won their first ever cup final with a thumping 8-0 victory over Bury opposition in a countywide competition.
The Fylde club were in outstanding form to lift the Lions Club Lancashire Cup against Seedfield Sports Club.
Any FA-affiliated under-14 team is welcome to represent its local Lions Club in regional competitions held across England, and St Annes won through to the Lancashire showpiece.
And St Annes made the most of home advantage last Saturday, when Blackpool Road North was one of the few pitches playable for miles around.
St Annes refused to be intimidated by the size of their opponents and their determination was clear from the start.
They took the lead after 10 minutes, when Kieran Norris crossed perfectly from the right for Jack Partridge to control the ball and fire home from a narrow angle.
Norris made it 2-0 five minutes later and dominant defending by Dan Elliott, Connor Rogers, Stuart Moffat and Joe Ghee protected the lead until half-time.
Seedfield needed to press forward to give themselves a lifeline and left gaps at the back, which Kurtis Willder exploited with a great finish.
With his side now in control, Willder scored his second with a cracking header.
Two more Norris goals completed his hat-trick and crowned a man-of-the-match display full of mazy runs and tricks.
Ashley Telford won a penalty which keeper Dan Maycock stepped forward to convert.
And Telford himself completed the scoring to round off a great performance in which the substitutes played a part.
Foxhall on fire to make club history
FOXHALL Under-14s have become the first team in the club’s 38-year history to reach a Lancashire FA Cup final.
And they did it in style, with a thumping 6-1 victory over Wigan Junior Latics at Fishers Field, which included a first-half hat-trick for striker Ben Duffield.
It was a superb scalp for Foxhall, whose opponents operate as a feeder club for Premier League club Wigan Athletic.
Despite dominating the opening 10 minutes, Foxhall found themselves a goal down from a corner.
However, this only served to stiffen their resolve and they hit back with three goals in the space of eight minutes and they extended their lead to 5-1 at half-time. Their other scorers were centre-half Isaac Guy and central-midfielder Mark Shaw.
And after Joe Higgins had added the final goal shortly after the restart, manager Tony Higginbottom brought on his substitutes for a taste of Foxhall’s glory. The final will be in March.
It was the proudest day of Higginbottom’s two years in charge and he said: “The players got the bit between their teeth and gave a quality performance. We totally outpassed them.”
The season is going from strength to strength for title favourites Foxhall, who are the unbeaten leaders of the domino division after 10 games.
Higginbottom added: “We won the Hogan Cup last season and finished second in the league after throwing it away at the end of the season. We are working hard as a team to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”
-Elsewhere, the weekend Youth League programme was virtually wiped out by the rain.
Only four matches survived, including two Hogan Cup first-round ties ties.
Thornton Cleveleys Under-14s were 1-0 winners at St Annes (see centre pages), while YMCA Under-12s went through with a convincing 4-0 win over Wyre Juniors.
YMCA were played some impressive passing football on a wet surface and Linus Welsh opened the scoring after good work down the left by Jordan Bishop.
Jamie Manley soon made it 2-0 and Welsh’s second from a goalmouth scramble made it 3-0 at half-time.
YMCA remained on top and the Wyre keeper made a string of fine saves before Andy Cowburn headed home a Bishop corner. Calvin Ross and Tyler Douthwaite were outstanding.
The only league games played were both in the Under-13 domino division.
YMCA went six points clear at the top with a hard-earned 5-3 win over well-organised Poulton.
They took an early lead when Sam McCloy pounced after Zenda Stemp had an effort blocked.
A penalty save by Alex Cameron preserved this lead until half-time but Poulton deserved their equaliser.
Ryan Riley met Sam Montgomery’s cross with an expert finish to put YMCA back in front and Stemp increased the lead.
Two goals in five minutes brought Poulton level again before two strikes by Ryan Allan, the first a shot from the edge of the area, sealed the victory.
Fielding, Stowell and Harrison were the Poulton scorers.
Wyre Juniors picked up their second point of the season as Neve and Pilling earned them a share of the spoils in the 2-2 draw at Bispham JFF. No BJ details available.
YMCA (Under-18) 9 Lostock St Gerards 2
YMCA made the most of the playing surface to crush opponents from a higher division in the third round of the LEP Youth Cup.
The excellent Sam Turnock skipped clear after only two minutes and his cross was headed home by Dan Hartley from a tight angle.
Turnock scored the second himself with a sweet strike into the top corner and skipper Matty Roach drilled in the third from 20 yards.
Nathan Ruddle pounced on a poor clearance by the keeper to make it 4-0 at half-time.
Turnock seized on a long clearance by keeper Rick Horrocks for the next goal and Horrocks then moved into the striker’s role to score the sixth.
No sooner had Lostock pulled a goal back than winger Max Rothwell crossed for Horrocks to score before completing his hat-trick.
Lostock’s second was a last-minute penalty but YMCA were comfortably through to the quarter-finals.
GIRLS’ FOOTBALL
YMCA Girls (Under-10) 2 Great Harwood Rovers 1
YMCA were in a commanding mood from the start, with player of the match Olivia Hooper and Georgia Rose both seeing early efforts fly narrowly wide.
However, Great Harwood broke away to take the lead against the run of play after 15 minutes.
YMCA continued to press but still trailed at half-time.
Laurel North equalised soon after the restart and YMCA’s pressed for a winner. Amy Sudworth went close before Hooper’s superb goal clinched victory.
However, they still had to survive a scare when a Rovers free-kick from the edge of the area struck a post. Alex Cheston was impressive down the right.
INKMASTER POULTON PRIMARY LEAGUE
ONLY two games survived the waterlogging in the under-10 league and both were in division B.
Wyre Villa’s Lewis Cox and Sam Bowling scored hat-tricks in a six-point haul against Poulton Town that lifted Villa into third place.
Cox was joined on the scoresheet in the 6-0 A team win by James McManus (2) and Oscar Lingard, while Alex Comerford and Sean Jones helped Bowling complete a 5-1 win in the B match. Connah Warmisham netted for Poulton.
Fourth-placed Blackpool Rangers Blues ran up 7-0 and 11-0 wins over lowly St Annes. Christy Donnelly, Samuel Fletcher and Frank Sharratt got two apiece and Samuel Hinds-Martin scored the other for the A team, while Ethan Cooper (4), James Barkhuizen (3), Matthew Willis (2), Kieran Burke and Joseph Davies were the B scorers.
There was just one game in the under-nine section - division B leaders Foxhall shared the points, with Squires Gate winning the A game 1-0 and losing the B game 3-1.
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