Match of the week: Wyre Jnrs (Under-16) 4 Fleetwood (Under-16) 0
Wyre’s big rethink pays off
ALL managers would agree that pre-season is vitally important ... but it can also be misleading.
At least that’s the experience of Wyre Juniors Under-16s, who recorded their first Dominos Pizza Blackpool and District Youth League victory of the season in emphatic style on Sunday.
Manager Phil Wing reckoned his side was in for a free-scoring season after rattling the goals in during the summer friendlies, though the net has proved a little more difficult to find since the season got under way.
That resulted in a major tactical rethink by the boss, who admitted his summer strategy went out of the window.
“We’d scored 16 in pre-season,” Wing told AllStars, “but then the goals dried up a little, so we had to go back to the drawing board. I figured that if we weren’t going to score so many, we’d have to keep it tighter at the back and that’s what we’ve been working on.”
But that doesn’t mean all the pre-season preparations were in vain. The vital fitness work is paying off for Wyre and was perhaps the difference between the sides in Sunday’s north Fylde derby against Fleetwood Town.
After a tight first half, in which the sides looked evenly matched and only one goal was scored, Wyre showed their stamina to add a further three in the second half and repeat the four-goal victory margin they had enjoyed over Town in pre-season.
The emphasis on tight defending also seems to be paying off as outstanding skipper Joe Fail marshalled a rock-solid rearguard which gave Fleetwood very little room for manoeuvre and largely restricted them to half-chances.
But Fleetwood gave as good as they got in the first half and it took a fine goal to break the deadlock midway through the first half.
It came from a fine passing move involving several players and was finished by Danny Warren after keeper Josh Beeston couldn’t hold on to the initial shot.
Beeston had an excellent afternoon, pulling off a series of first-class stops, though he was exposed at times in the second half and couldn’t stop Wyre building on their lead.
Having scored the opener, Warren crowned a fine display up front by laying on the second for James Stewart.
Mark France smashed the third into the roof of the net following a scramble in the goalmouth.
And Wyre were well in control by the time they won a penalty for a foul and Fail stepped up to dispatch it confidently.
Manager Paul Swain admitted his side’s heads dropped a little but he is backing them to battle back in a difficult division.
But he admits his side have to stop allowing their good first-half work to go to waste in the second.
Swain said: “We have tended to be very competitive in the first half but fade away after the break.”
But with this victory on the back of two hard-earned draws against highly-rated opponents, Wyre manager Wing hopes a corner has been turned.
“It has come together in the last few games and we’ve got a lot to build on,” he added.
THE MANAGERS’ MATCH VERDICT
PHIL WING (Wyre)
Fleetwood are a good side and the first half was quite tight, though we did edge it. I thought our fitness showed in the second half and we were never really in danger. We pressed forward and the goals came.
We always seem to get stronger in the second half, which is a tribute to the fitness of the players.
PAUL SWAIN (Fleetwood)
We were solid in the first half but I was disappointed with the second half and we did lose our shape.
I did think the referee let too many bad tackles go, which spoiled the game, but the match does rather sum up our season so far.
THE MEN OF THE MATCH
Joe Fail (Wyre)
The captain was rock-solid at the heart of a defence which kept Fleetwood’s chances to a premium. He got forward too, converting a penalty with a cool head.
Josh Beeston (Fleetwood)
The goalkeeper pulled off some outstanding saves, particularly in the first half, but could do nothing to prevent Wyre getting well on top after the break.
WYRE (from left): Back row, Phil Wing (manager), Sam Hellowell, James Schofield, James Stewart, Sam Hodgkinson, Adam Cowley, Andrew Murray, Mark Thomas, Alan Hodgkinson (assistant manager); front, from left, Daniel Rawlinson, Nik Johnstone, Nathan Whiteside, Joe Fail (captain), Danny Warren and Stuart Dagger.
FLEETWOOD (from left): Back row, Simon Sellers (joint manager), Philip Walters, Rob Clough, Kyle Bedford, Josh Beeston, Dean Millett, Danny Forbes, Mike Blyth, Paul Swain (joint manager); front row, Kev Morris, Mike Moon, Connor Pogson (captain), Will Brooks, Josh Dollin, Adam Cooper and Curtis Sandercock.
FLEET OF FOOT: Philip Walters on the ball for Fleetwood Town
TOUGH TUSSLE: Wyre’s James Stewart (left) competes for the ball with Mike Moon
WYRE ON THE UP: Joe Fail wins a header
James Schofield on the ball
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