Huntly 14's v Stonehaven YFC

Yesterday we hosted the current league leaders Stonehaven YFC on league business at McRobert Park, Aberchirder. Given our disappointing performance in the previous week we aimed to do much better and retain some of our past good form, The match got off to a good start with the lads showing much more urgency in their play and were beginning to look much more like their old selves again. Having tinkered with the team tactics slightly to accommodate a 4,1,4,1 formation which meant James Brooks having to work hard on his own in the forward line, holding up the ball, and boy did he do it well, eventually finding himself in on goal after a great through pass from Billy Blanchard only to be brought crashing to the ground by the advancing goalkeeper to win us a penalty kick.With the goalkeeper being booked for his challenge and James forced to leave the field with injury up stepped the cool head of defender Jack Duncan who's brilliant execution made it 1-0. Three minutes later Stonehaven was back level again after a cross come shot was sent over from the left and eluded everyone as it sailed over the helpless Jordan Ogg's head and into the net. Half time 1-1.
Second half began in similar fashion with play raging from end to end and two very committed teams having a real go at each other making for a good match for the spectators on a very heavy pitch it's got to be said. The lads were putting Stonehaven under real pressure and restricting them only to long shots at goal, however Stonehaven were awarded a free kick and from some 25 yards sent in a shot which left Jordan wrong footed despite getting a hand to it as it whizzed past him and into the net. 1-2. This knocked the lads for six and were found napping when Stonehaven's no.9 ran in from the left unchallenged and slotted home past Jordan to make it 1-3. The lads refusing to give up though were within minutes back in the match when Aiden Bowie cleverly picked out Liam Ferguson in the box who made no mistake as he turned and slotted the ball home 2-3. Despite our best efforts to salvage something from a match we deserved to take something from ,as we pushed forward for the eqauliser however we were dealt a further blow just at the end when a well executed shot from distance flew straight into the top corner leaving Jordan with no chance. Full time 2-4.
In the end our lads should have been elated by our performance but were left deflated as the scoreline in no way reflected the match, the draw would have been a much fairer result.
Overall another three points lost but we are proud of the lads for their performance and commitment , using every ounce of energy they had ,and we hope that they can carry this forward into the matches ahead. Good performances all over the pitch today with top performances coming from Ritchie Gibb, Jack Duncan, Liam Ferguson and Billy Blanchard and an encouraging first start from Liam Robertson and with the man of the match a near impossible task it was left to lenny who chose Lee Inglis for a brilliantly committed defensive performance.
Todays team 1/ Jordan Ogg 2/Ritchie Gibb 3/Muir Gregor 4/Jack Duncan 5/ Lee Inglis 6/ Liam Ferguson 7/ Andrew Munro 8/ Billy Blanchard 9/ James Brooks 10/ Matthew Anderson 11/Liam Robertson 12/ Aiden Bowie 14/ Aiden Bowie 15/ Liam Henderson.