Match Report and photos: U13s v Stones Athletic (7th Feb 2010)

Tilbury 13s 1 - 7 Stones Athletic

Having not played a match for almost two months, our lads were well overdue a game. The Christmas break plus frozen pitches, flu bugs, etc meant the lads had an extended break. Their first game of the new year was against table-topping Stones Athletic in the Cup. Stones play two divisions above our lads and have yet to lose a game this season. We were therefore expecting a tough game.

The game was played on another bitterly cold afternoon at the Gateway Academy. It was dull and overcast with a breeze blowing the length of the pitch.

The first half was a very evenly contested affair - neither side was able to stamp their mark on the game. Tilbury were giving Stones a real game and were holding their own in all departments on the pitch. The 4-5-1 formation that was being played worked well, packing out the midfield and not enabling the Stones players to take the time on the ball they wanted.

On a couple of occasions, Tilbury went close to scoring. A well struch free-kick by Joe whistled over the bar, Paul had a couple of breakaway attacks thwarted by strong defending and James saw one of his trademark "pile-drivers" narrowly miss the target.

Stones too had their chances - Liam made a number of fine saves to keep them out, whilst Billy, Craig, Scott and Jake all worked hard in defence. The half-time score was 0-0 and was nicely poised for the second-half.

Stones started the second-half in spirited fashion and within minutes were rewarded for their attacking endeavour. This was followed by three further goals in a matter of minutes.Tilbury's heads dropped a bit at this stage as they didn't deserve to be four down.

Tilbury continued to battle and were eventually rewarded with a well-earned goal. Good work by Cameron down the right side led to the ball finding its way through to James who expertly curled a left-foot shot into the bottom corner.

Fitness took its toll in the end with Tilbury not able to match the superior fitness of the visiting team. Three more goals were scored by the team from Ingatestone before the referee ended the contest.

This was a thoroughly entertaining match, deservedly won by Stones Athletic. The scoreline would suggest this was something of a walkover but it was anything but.

Our lads should feel proud of their performance - they all played their part: Liam gave another strong performance in goal, Billy S showed several touches of class and plenty of determination throughout, Jake was solid and dependable at the back as was Scott who showed blistering pace when needed. Craig battled well on the left side whilst George worked hard in midfield to close down opponents quickly. Billy D gave a captain's performance leading by example with his gritty performance and Cameron gave a committed display with a number of crunching tackles. Up front Paul and Tyler worked tirelessly to help out in midfield and launch attacks whenever possible. Both were ably supported by Joe and Charlie who both showed excellent awareness and control. And last but by no means least James gave another impressive display showing he's comfortable on the ball and can shoot with either foot.

All in all, this was a good test for our lads. They're now out of the Cup Competition but they'll benefit greatly from playing teams with the ability of Stones. Lewis and Mark should take great heart from this performance. The scoreline flattered the visitors somewhat but nonetheless we were soundly beaten by a technically strong side with greater levels of fitness. Don't expect an easy time in training in the coming weeks lads!

Next week we'll be returning to League fixtures as we seek to take advantage of the several games in hand we now have.

For a slideshow of pictures from this fixture click here. Look out for the squad photos - they're a scary looking bunch!

Best regards

Hugh