Many thanks to the boys from year 6 who played for the boys’ football team in today’s friendly match vs Rice Lane. After a league match vs Rice Lane a few weeks ago, the schools agreed to a friendly rematch with totally new teams to give some players a chance to show what they could do; the match didn’t disappoint!

In spite of the game being a friendly, the boys came out determined to get a result and their early efforts were rewarded with a breakthrough chance for striker Harrison Hunter. His effort slid past the keeper and in off the post for 1-0! The boys were delighted but knew that there was a long way to go against this very capable team, with keeper Daniel Adeboye making an excellent save from a free kick shortly after.

After possession quickly changing hands a few times, the ball fell to winger Dominik Balcerzak who struck the post… before Harrison claimed the rebound for his second goal! Celebrations were short-lived though as Rice Line pounced on a mix-up in the box to make it 2-1 on the stroke of half-time.

Conditions were tough as the second half began. Rain was thundering down and the pitch was extremely slippy. Referee Mr. Garth was, as usual, struggling to see the ball clearly enough to make correct decisions (the game was also momentarily interrupted when a pitch invader decided that the quickest way to retrieve his rain-sodden portable telephone from the opposite touchline was to run in an ungainly manner directly across the pitch). However, the boys fought through the fatigue and difficulty of the game to get their heads up to play their best football in the second half. Defenders Ben, Aeen and Antony changed their gameplan after half-time and communicated excellently. This led to a defensive clearance leaving Harrison clean through to slide in a 3rd goal for OLI and a hat-trick for Harrison! Again Rice Lane bounced back immediately with a brilliant goal from a counter attack, leading to a tense last 5 minutes!

Skipper Scott Tynan was leading his midfielders, with Joel, Merci and Georgie refusing to give in to how tired they were feeling. As the game drew to a close, more space was available and chances were coming thick and fast. Eventually, space was given in the OLI penalty box and a striker tucked in an equaliser for Rice Lane on the cusp of full-time. The match ended 3-3, with both teams playing an excellent game with excellent sportsmanship. A big thank-you to Rice Lane for helping arrange a game that gave more players a chance to play!

MOTM: Harrison Hunter, brilliant work rate all match and 3 fantastic goals. Another Everton fan scoring a hat-trick. Surprising!