Blog

Wrexham Foresters U14: 5

Bellevue FC U14: 4

A historic day for both clubs as we became the first teams to ever play a match on the brand new 4G pitch at Ysgol Bryn Alyn in Wrexham.  Thanks to Freedom Leisure for the opportunity to play the game on this fantastic new facility for the area.

With Bellevue having played in the Flintshire league last season and Foresters in the Wrexham and District league, it was the first ever meeting between the two sides in this age group.  On a sunny and warm day, the game was played in full compliance with FAW warm weather guidelines – with regular water breaks and reduced minutes all factored in.

With both sides lining up with a mix of their regular players and some trialists, it was a very entertaining game from start to finish for those watching.  Following some very good passages of play from both sides, it was a very even contest before Bellevue took their chances very well to take a 2-0 lead with two goals in quick succession.  Foresters having plenty of possession, creating lots of good chances, but not finding the back of the net and paying the penalty for that.  Some lessons learned!  Credit also to the Bellevue goalkeeper who made a string of excellent saves throughout the match.

Good work down the left of the pitch saw the ball crossed into the box a couple of minutes later – and last season’s top goalscorer Alex Jones was on hand to place his shot accurately into the top corner to make it 2-1.  Soon the scores were level.  Left winger Wil Edwards being alive to a loose ball and hitting a very clean strike from distance to level up at 2-2 with an excellent finish.

With a well-earned water and match break following, it was a chance to make a few changes and freshen up a few tiring legs from the summer warmth and humid conditions.

All credit to Bellevue – they continued to press forwards and had another well taken goal soon after the break.  Unfortunately, a defensive mistake led to another goal conceded almost immediately after – and the Foresters were now disappointingly 4-2 down.  Some very good football being played by the Foresters, creating a lot of chances, but again, just not taking them cleanly enough and being punished for small errors. A couple of close offside calls, some more missed chances – but encouraging to be creating opportunities against a good team who are in the league above Foresters for the forthcoming season.

Some good play outside of the box led to a chance for midfielder Alfie Ansloos who had put in a strong performance.  Our Goal of the Season winner just fired wide a few moments earlier, but he made no mistake to bring the score back to 4-3 with a strong finish inside the box.  Not long after, Alex Jones was in the box at the right time to get on the end of a pass after a quick counter-attack.  His quick placed shot wrongfooted the keeper off balance and the ball crossed the line to level the scores at 4-4.  What a game!

A brilliant through ball from one of our trialists had Alex in 1 on 1 with the keeper – but sadly the ref gave it as offside.  A very close call, but a brilliant piece of play from the two players linking up really well.  The Foresters strong fitness levels were paying off, and the lads pushed on with the clock ticking down in the 3rd quarter of the game.  A burst of pace into the penalty area, and a lunging slide tackle brought down a Foresters player in the box.  The ref gave the penalty, and Alex stepped up to slam it home into the top corner, rounding off his well taken hat-trick and making a full turnaround as the score became 5-4.

Both coaches then decided that 60 minutes of football was enough at that point in warm weather and decided not to play the final 15 minutes.  A very well fought contest with two very good teams playing some great football at times.  An ideal pre-season friendly with both sides very evenly matched during the game for long periods.

Players of the Match:  Rylan, for a great job in defence marking one of the tallest players in the age group locally and consistently winning tackles and distributing the ball really well when under pressure.  Alfie, for a tenacious midfield performance – breaking up the play, winning tackles, and some very good distribution to help create chances out wide.  Special mention to Alex Jones for the very well taken hat-trick and continuing his fine form in front of goal.  Finally, well done to both sets of players for putting on a very good game of football despite the very warm conditions. Credit to every player!

We look forward to playing Bellevue again just prior to our seasons commencing for a re-match.

Wrexham Foresters FC U14 are supported by:  Read Construction, Seacon UK, Moneypenny and TenderWrite.