Benfield Tardini U10 Draw 1-1 At Newcastle City Juniors U10 Juve

Newcastle Benfield Tardini U10 Sunday travelled to face Newcastle City Juniors U10 Juve. This league away fixture, played as a 7-a-side contest over 50 minutes, ended in a 1-1 draw. Both sides shared the spoils in a tightly contested match that saw early drama and tactical changes throughout.

Benfield Tardini lined up in a 2-3-1 formation, deploying two central defenders, three midfielders across the right, centre and left, and a lone striker upfront. Ollie Lattimer took his place in goal, protected by central defenders James Rutherford and Oliver Moore. The midfield trio consisted of Tom Slater on the right, Parker Buglass centrally, and Elias Rowland on the left, with Freddie Brydon leading the attack as the striker. This setup was designed to provide defensive solidity through the two at the back, midfield control with three players supporting both defence and attack, and a focal point in attack to capitalise on chances. On the bench, Benfield had Alfie Simons, Jaxson Medland and Lewis Coates ready to come on if needed.

The match burst into life immediately as Tom Slater opened the scoring in the first minute with a fine curling effort. Receiving a long pass from James Rutherford, Slater unleashed a right-footed strike from outside the penalty area that flew into the net, giving Benfield an early advantage after 7 seconds.This goal set the tone for a high-tempo encounter, with Newcastle City Juniors responding quickly.

At the 19th minute mark, Benfield made a double substitution to adjust their tactics. Alfie Simons replaced striker Freddie Brydon, while Jaxson Medland came on for left midfielder Elias Rowland. These changes suggested a shift in approach, perhaps to inject fresh legs and maintain midfield balance. However, just three minutes later, Newcastle City Juniors were awarded a penalty, which they converted with a right-footed finish to level the score at 1-1. This goal came at a crucial moment, cancelling out Benfield’s early lead and setting up a tense remainder of the half.

Benfield made a further tactical substitution at the 25th minute, with Lewis Coates coming on in place off Parker Buglass. This change aimed to reinforce the midfield as the teams battled for control. The first half concluded shortly after this, with the score locked at 1-1.

Throughout the match, James Rutherford stood out with his composed defensive displays and crucial long pass that led to the opening goal, earning him the player of the match accolade. Ollie Lattimer’s goalkeeping also provided a solid foundation at the back with an important save in the last 5 minutes while the midfield trio worked hard to link defence and attack.

A late triple substitution saw Freddie Brydon, Elias Rowland and Parker Buglass replace Alfie Simons, Jaxson Medland and goal machine for the weekend Tom Slater.

Despite Benfield's best efforts and constant dominance of the second half, they were unable to put the game to bed.

The match ended in a draw, which seen the boys gutted to not take the win. However the full time team talk was full of praise for their effort and attitude along with a brilliant performance against the league leaders.

Benfield Tardini sit 2nd in the league with one game left to go.