Boys’ Friendly Match: OLI 1-4 Rice Lane

Tonight our boys’ team played Rice Lane in a friendly match in which children in year 6 who don’t play for our league team, as well as some younger children, got their chance to shine! The boys were very excited at the prospect of playing as the game kicked off…

Early passing and tackling was good, with midfielders Kieran and Luca linking up well with our more attacking players. Disaster struck early on for OLI as a trip in the area saw the referee (a very disloyal Mr. Fairclough) award a penalty kick to Rice Lane. The spot kick was converted and Rice Lane took an early 1-0 lead.

The boys showed excellent resilience and bounced straight back, creating chances of their own. A corner kick from Lucas was met with the arm of a Rice Lane defender and the boys had a penalty of their own! Year 4 Oliver was brave enough to step forward… and he slotted the ball to the keeper’s right corner and in! A debut goal for a young and promising player! The half ended 1-1.

The second half began with substitutes Austin and Rayyane linking up brilliantly and altering the way the game was played. Captain Kane Garvey kept things solid at the back, with Jamie and Jaden supporting him as wing backs. Rice Lane took a lead with a long range looping effort that was unstoppable. The boys could have really let their heads drop but they maintained focus, with debut goalkeeper Luke making some excellent saves, including bravely diving in to a one-on-one chance and stopping what would have been a certain goal.

With minutes left, OLI had to push players up in an attempt to equalise, which unfortunately meant they were vulnerable at the back. This resulted in two late, counter-attacking goals for Rice Lane that saw them run out deserved winners at 4-1. The boys’ sense of sportsmanship was excellent, which handshakes and congratulations given out in good taste. We’ll be returning during the Summer term and will attempt to get a win! Many thanks to the big crowd for their support and to Mr. Cooney and Rice Lane for their commitment to getting games played throughout the year.