Under 12s JPL team beat Hereford United in difficult conditions
30 October 2012 at 15:33
Junior Premier League
Cirencester Town U12s 5 - 1 Hereford United U12s
On a cold, bright and windswept morning, Cirencester Town welcomed Hereford United to the Corinium for a JPL U12s fixture.
Whilst the weather was bitterly cold and the elements most unwelcoming, both sides turned on the heat immediately in a fast and fiercely fought first quarter. During this quarter Cirencester played against and into the teeth of a gale-force north wind. This had the illusionary effect of the away side having an extra man. As Cirencester fought hard to defend their goal, and get out of their own half. This they did magnificently as every boy redoubled his efforts in an attempt to make every inch of ground hard-fought. The quarter finished 0-0.
At the start of the second quarter, with Cirencester now having the advantage of the elements, they pushed forward, kept the ball on the floor and put several quality passing moves together, which resulted in an ever-increasing pressure on the Hereford goal. This finally bore fruit with a neatly taken finish from Xavi Diaz-Butcher after another neat passing movement where the ball never left the ground. As half-time approached, Hereford remained a constant threat as they attempted to fight their way back into the game.
At the start of the third quarter, with Cirencester again playing into and against the elements, they surprised the visitors with their tenacity in the tackle and their ability to keep the ball on the ground and ‘pass-and-move’. This brought rewards in the shape of three excellent third-quarter goals from Joe Slack, Xavi and William Rawlinson.
In the final quarter, Hereford fought back and scored with a long-range effort to make the score 4-1. Not to be outdone and to ensure Cirencester finished on a high-note, they continued to press forward, knitting together intricate passing movements prompted by Harvey Jupp in the middle of the park and taken on to great effect by Xavi, William and Joe. Eventually the fifth goal came when a defensive error resulted in a long-range effort from William hitting the back of the net.
Special mention must go to Tom Smart who stood in at short notice and put in a commanding performance at centre-half. The whole team played and pressed as a unit, which gave them the platform to then play some football. An excellent performance from the team in general but notable mentions must go to William, Xavi and Tom. Hereford deserve credit for never giving up and playing with a great spirit, right to the very end. Congratulations to both teams on a terrific game of football played in hostile weather conditions.
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