Winstanley Warriors City F vs Atherton Town Thunder
4 - 1
15 September 2018 · Bolton, Bury and District Football League<br>Under 16 (Section B)
Home league match played on 15 September 2018.
Kicked off at 10:00 AM
4-1
vs Atherton Town Thunder
Home league match
After a tough defeat midweek against Winstanley Blues, the boys had to try and bounce back against a good Atherton side who finished mid table in the B Division last season.
The management team decided on a 4-1-4-1 formation which we are familiar with from last season. We started the game well with some big tackles, and we made the game compact which had been discussed in the pre-match team talk. After 18 minutes, we won a throw in near the corner flag on the right hand side. The long throw was flicked on by Matty Makin and bravely headed in by Jack Lappin.
We continued the match in the same manner, pressing the ball well and giving Atherton no time on the ball. 21 minutes in after some good battling in the midfield, Dylan Mcmanus played it into Jamie Dennis who struck one from 25 yards over the goalkeeper 2-0.
It was an even game after the second goal up to half time with chances for both sides. A major incident was a great long range effort from Jack Cunliffe which managed to end up 2 yards behind him.
Half time 2-0.
After a positive team talk at half time, we were looking for more of the same. However, Atherton came out strong and playing a more direct game with a lot more long ball involved. We were under pressure for about ten minutes before they scored from a long ball in the 53rd minute 2-1.
After a rough spell, we grew back into the game despite it still being fairly even. A commanding catch by Michael Glynn led to a kick straight to Jamie Dennis’s feet. He then beat three men with close control and drove it into the top right corner from 22 yards 3-1.
With some big tackles flying in from both sides , we won a free kick on the left hand side. A curling, flighted ball from Patrick Harrison was met by a thumping header into the net by Jack Cunliffe 4-1.
And that was how it ended. A great performance from the lads which brought us up to third in the table. It was a close call for man of the match with Nathan Williams in defence and Mark running the line, but it was a unanimous decision with man of the match being Jamie with two brilliant goals and hard work throughout.
On to the cup next week against the same opposition and hopefully the same results.
By Connor