Lads Club Juniors U12 Fall To Phoenix U12 Rovers At Widemarsh Common

Lads Club Juniors U12 hosted Phoenix U12 Rovers at Widemarsh Common on 18 January 2026, with kick-off at 10:30am in a 9-a-side cup encounter. The match lasted 60 minutes and ended in a 2-0 defeat for the home side in front of 41 spectators.

Lads Club Juniors lined up in a 3-4-1 formation, deploying three defenders at the back: Louis Howells on the right, Archie Rigby centrally, and Charlie Arnold on the left. The midfield quartet consisted of Thomi Scoular on the right flank, Zayn Prosser and Flynn Gething occupying the central midfield roles, and Finn Jones on the left wing. Oscar Jones was positioned as the lone striker, tasked with leading the attack. Lucas Price guarded the goal. The substitutes available were Chase Bracegirdle, Charlie Clueit, and Flyn Watkins. Joseph Lee watched on due to being cup tied.

From the outset, the Juniors sought to impose their shape, expecting the defenders to provide solidity and the midfielders to link play effectively, with Oscar Jones spearheading offensive efforts. Early on, Flynn Gething demonstrated defensive commitment with a strong tackle in the third minute, attempting to disrupt Phoenix’s rhythm.

However, just a minute later, the visitors took an unexpected lead through an own goal, as a close-range deflection found its way into the Lads Club net. Despite this setback, goalkeeper Lucas Price was alert to clear danger in the eighth minute, helping to keep the deficit at one.

Controversy arose in the ninth minute when Oscar Jones was wrongly flagged offside, halting a promising attack. Shortly after, Archie Rigby was penalised for a foul that momentarily stalled the Juniors’ momentum.

The home side responded with attacking intent as Thomi Scoular produced a slide rule pass in the eleventh minute that created a clear chance, which Oscar Jones promptly tried to convert but was denied by the opposition goalkeeper. Two minutes later, Finn Jones replicated the creative effort with another slide rule pass, maintaining pressure on Phoenix’s defence.

The match’s physicality increased when Flynn Gething have away a foul for a trip in the sixteenth minute. Lucas Price then made a crucial point-blank reaction save a minute later to keep the Juniors in the contest. Unfortunately, Phoenix doubled their lead in the eighteenth minute with a clear through run was finished neatly with the right foot.

Archie Rigby had a chance to respond immediately but his headed attempt agonisingly sailed high over the bar. Flynn Gething flicked a key pass in the twenty-first minute, showing his vision in midfield, but the Juniors were soon dealt another blow when Louis Howells was penalised for handball in the twenty-second minute.

Defensive resilience was evident as Flynn Gething and Thomi Scoular executed successive tackles in the twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth minutes respectively. Thomi then tried to test the goalkeeper but his shot was wide in the twenty-sixth minute.

The first substitution came in the twenty-seventh minute with Chase Bracegirdle replacing Finn Jones, followed by Charlie Clueit coming on for Charlie Arnold. Louis Howells had a shot saved at the half-hour mark, but the Juniors struggled to find a breakthrough before the interval.

At half-time, the score remained 2-0 to Phoenix. Immediately after the break, Chase Bracegirdle was replaced by Flyn Watkins. Thomi Scoular’s effort was saved in the thirty-second minute, and Oscar Jones delivered a long pass that nearly sparked an attack at thirty-three minutes. His subsequent attempt was also well saved three minutes later.

Flynn Gething continued to show defensive grit with a tackle in the thirty-eighth minute before being substituted off for Finn Jones in the thirty-ninth minute. Thomi Scoular was replaced by Chase Bracegirdle at the forty-fifth minute, and Charlie Arnold returned to the pitch for Charlie Clueit three minutes into the second half.

Lucas Price remained alert with another point-blank reaction save at the fiftieth minute which pushed the ball passed his near post, while Archie Rigby blocked a clear chance moments later, demonstrating the defenders’ commitment to keeping the visitors at bay.

Flyn Watkins was substituted off for Flynn Gething in the fifty-third minute. The match saw a late foul from Charlie Arnold for a late tackle in the fifty-sixth minute, adding to the physical nature of the contest.

Despite their best efforts and several promising moments, Lads Club Juniors U12 were unable to overturn the two-goal deficit, with Phoenix U12 Rovers holding firm to secure a 2-0 victory in this competitive cup tie, putting them through to an Edgar street final.

Flynn Gething and Zayn Prosser worked thier socks off in the middle of the park today, intercepting Pheonix attacks and supporting Lads Club own attacking flurries earning them both the players of the match accolade ??.