Year 9 Football

“It has been a difficult start to the season for the Year 9 football team” writes Mr Scott. “ We played favourites Ashton-on-Mersey and Urmston Grammar in our first two fixtures. The first game against Ashton was a close affair up until half-time. Despite being without a first team keeper and 2 crucial players due to last minute injuries, captain Rory Jones did well in goal and if it wasn’t for some errant finishing, it could have been much closer than 2-0 down at half time. In the second half, Wellington came out firing and dominated the game for the first 10 minutes with Benji Lawson agonisingly hitting the post and missing by inches. The next goal was always going to be crucial and unfortunately it didn’t go Wellington’s way. Understandably heads went down after being so close to getting back into the game and they finished on the wrong end of a 6-0 defeat.

The second fixture away at Urmston Grammar was a strange game. Despite conceding an early (very contentious & almost certainly) offside goal, Wellington dominated the ball for long periods but were unable to make it count in the final 3rd. They were punished for some lacklustre defending from a set piece to go 2-0 but continued to dominate the ball. Benji Lawson somehow had a certain goal cleared off the line from inches out and Derel Clarke blazed over from close range. There was nothing between the two teams at half time and Wellington came out firing in the 2nd half. The first 15 minutes were spent camped in the Urmston half but Wellington lacked a final ball and cutting edge in the last 3rd. The quality of the opposition this season really showed as Urmston’s first foray into the Wellington box resulted in their 3rd goal. This marked a 5-minute capitulation where they conceded a further 2 goals. Despite a consolation from Benji Lawson in the last 5 minutes, Wellington’s pressure didn’t count for anything else. It certainly was a learning curve for the lads and showed that if you don’t take your chances you get punished. It really was a strange game and the opposition manager made it clear that Wellington dominated for the majority of the match and that the 5-1 score line was not reflective of the game. Despite the result, you couldn’t fault the determination of the lads to battle through to the end, with notable performances from Matty Cann, Max Nikou and man of the match Josh Grundy.”