Admiral Win It Late To Give Us The Post Lockdown Blues

After the long lay off due to the latest period of lockdown grassroots football is officially back and both teams contributed towards an Easter cracker on Clubmoor. We came into the game in good spirits after a hard weeks work on the training pitch and the intent and purpose of our start was very impressive. We pressed high and began firmly on the front foot taking an early lead when Kaleb Sweeney battled hard in the right channel to find Zico who cut the ball back across the face of the goal finding Alex McDonald who’s first time finish gave us a fully deserved lead for his 7th league goal of the season. We had total control of the game and defensively we looked solid particularly Samson who was nullifying their pace down the left. We were dealt a huge blow 20 mins in when Sam O’Neill had to come off with a back injury. James Boner replaced him and we contained Admiral however they were beginning to settle into the game. Joe Wilo had to be at his best first making a good low save then clawing a well struck free kick that was destined for the top corner.

The slender one goal lead was never going to be enough and Admiral came out stronger giving us a real game. A further injury to our skipper Paddy who’d been struggling with a calf problem coming into the game was another blow but it meant we could try and tighten the midfield up with George Walker offering extra protection alongside Anthony Cooke. The Admiral equaliser came just before the hour mark however it was a controversial one as the referee failed to spot a clear offside and their number 12 tapped in a rebound after Joe’s initial good save. The chances were still very much there for us to win it but luck wasn’t on our side Kaleb Sweeney’s stunning effort hit the underside of the bar before Admiral scored a second with 8 minutes remaining. Anthony Cooke went on a magnificent run jinking his way into the box only for his right footed effort again rattling the crossbar. Substitutes Ethan Danku & Dan Galvin also had late chances which were squandered and time eventually ran out. It was a tough result to take particularly when we had dominated in most parts but Admiral showed terrific character to stay in the game and won the physical battle in the second half to claim all 3 points. With 12 league games remaining we are desperate to pick points up or we could be in danger of falling away from the teams above us. That will be our aim in our next encounter vs Bootle Youth in a weeks time.