Blaze Deny Badgers in Dying Embers!

WCFC U15s The Badgers were denied a deserved away victory when Derry Hill Blaze scored two late goals in sunshine and showers at Beaverbrook last Sunday in a pulsating game. The Badgers kicked off 4-4-2 with Lewis replacing Toby in centre midfield and Joe returning at right back. The Badgers showed their intent straight away with Nathan dinking a lovely cross in from the right which Jack headed just over, but it was the Blaze who took the lead after 7 mins. A long ball over the top put the dangerous and quick Blaze number 18 through. William in the Badgers goal came out to clear, but his mistimed tackle led to a free kick and a yellow card. From the resulting free kick, the Blaze scored. The lead only lasted 2 minutes. after a flowing move down their left, Teddy cut in from left midfield and from just outside the box hit a low hard shot across the goal into the far corner to make it 1-1, his well-deserved first goal of the season. Both teams were now making good use of the unusually wide pitch in what now became an end-to-end open game with only the final ball or finish missing for either side. Lewis and Sonny were now running the game from midfield, driving the Badgers forward and Solly showing great energy and lovely touches on the right. A lovely interchange between Sonny and Nathan put in Jack whose sighter flashed just wide. Sonny then came close with two headers, the first from a Bailey corner hitting the cross bar and the second from a free kick being well saved by the Blaze keeper on 22 minutes. The Badgers were defending well, with Theo and Joe winning lots of first ball and Jack P marshaling the back line commandingly, stepping forward at every opportunity. Recent work on the training ground was paying off well with the defence effectively playing a high line, compressing the space and regularly catching the Blaze offside. But it was the Blaze who went into the break 2-1 up when on 31 minutes an innocuous cross from the right took a deflection looping over William who pushed it onto the post, only for the Blaze striker to score from the rebound. The referee erroneously brought an even half to an end early after only 35 minutes, a mistake which was to have ramifications later on.

The Badgers made a tactical change at half time with Louis introduced to bring a greater physical threat up front and Eddie returning on right midfield after injury, as Solly switched inside to replace Sonny, nursing a slight knock. The changes worked immediately as they roared into what was to prove an astonishing second half, scoring 2 goals in the first 4 minutes, both from goal machine Jack. Louis showed quick feet and great close control on the right-hand side of the box to feed Jack who slide the ball coolly into the net. From the restart it was 3-2, when Jack P won the ball and played a long ball which set his namesake free to beat the keeper with aplomb. The Badgers were now kicking with the wind, but the game was now very stretched and it was the turn of the Blaze to come back, again scoring 2 goals quickly to go 4-3 up. Injury then deprived The Badgers of their keeper as William was forced off to be replaced between the sticks by Eddie. Then it was the turn of Bailey to come to the party with two goals, his first of the season, both typically clean strikes from long range free kicks which is so characteristic of his play. In between Jack fired in a thunderous long range pile driver from outside the box in off the bar and the Badgers were now amazingly 6-4 up. Jack's 2nd hat-trick of the season and maintaining his record of scoring in every game. The Badgers were now trying to manage the game out and Kacper was introduced to bring extra energy up front but unfortunately, they couldn't quite do it. With their last attack of normal time under a beautiful double rainbow, the Blaze pulled one back when a free kick wasn't cleared and then deep, deep into 'Fergie time' which came from nowhere at the end of the missing 5 minutes of the first half, with the Blaze throwing everyone forward, the ball broke in the box and their striker knocked the ball into the corner of the net with the last kick of the game just alluding Eddie's desperate full stretch dive.

And so it ended 6-6, the highest draw in Badger history with the Blaze depriving them of their first away win of the season. The character and skill showed by both teams in a game that had it all was superb, and it was a fantastic advert for all that is wonderful in youth football. Losing two goals so late naturally deflated the Badgers at the end but, on reflection, a draw away to the team second in the table coming from behind 3 times and scoring 6 goals leaves many, many more positives than negatives in a game that will live long in the memory to all lucky enough to witness it.