Match Report - ESHER YOUTH WIZARDS BLUES U15 - 30 Oct 2022

After our trilogy of close matches last season the CTYFC U15 Rebels locked horns again with our friends and rivals - Esher Wizards Blues for another SYL Premier Elite - league fixture.

Blustery conditions and an overly rubberised 3G pitch made for slightly awkward conditions but it was clear early on that both teams were up for the battle. We made the perfect start and took the lead on the 8 minute mark. Hayden won the ball in our defensive third and the ball fell to Erim whose first time forward ball found Mikey. He took on his man on and found a cut back in the box to Ben - he controlled, turned and set Josh E on the edge of the box and his first time shot nestled into the bottom corner.

Dom was being kept on his toes and was forced into an excellent save on 13 minutes to preserve our lead as Esher looked to respond quickly.

The remainder of the half was well contested - with both teams looking to attack at every opportunity. Erim, Kris and Josh were controlling the midfield well with Mikey and Hayden disciplined in their roles too. Ben and Oli were linking play well, and both had half chances but couldn't convert. At the other end Freddie, JJ and Isaac had been disciplined in defence. JJ had to be replaced due to a head injury 10 minutes before the break - Zahir coming on in a slight re-shuffle.

HT 0-1

James came on at half time and was looking sharp - forcing a good save from the Esher keeper soon after the break.

In the 55th minute with Esher pushing for an equaliser we gave away possession in our defensive third. Esher thought they'd levelled the scores only to see the goal correctly ruled out for offside. This served as a wake up call and we re-grouped to re-take control of the game.

We found the quality we had been looking for and doubled our lead in the 66th minute. A clearing header from Isaac found Ben who held the ball up well. H slipped the ball to Kris who drove forward into space. Zahir had made an excellent forward run and Kris found him with a perfectly weighted pass which Zahir was able to stroke first time back across goal into the far corner. Luke came on to re-energise the front line and provided fresh legs to maintain pressure on the Esher defence. We saw out the remainder of the game to secure an excellent 3 points,

FT 0-2

This has proved to always be a tough and competitive fixture and this was no different. The boys though were excellent and produced a disciplined and resilient display - with the whole squad working for each other to get the win.

MoM

This week the award goes to Josh Ewing. Having started in central midfield and then being moved to wide right as a result of JJ's injury - Josh demonstrated excellent strength and was always positive when in possession - and was rewarded with his first goal of the season.