Match report v Chickerell, Thursday 9th February 2023
A rotated St Augustine’s side put up a gallant performance against a talented Chickerell team. Chickerell were quick out of the blocks, and it quickly became clear that they were a well organised team with dangerous attacking players. However, rather than shirking the challenge, St Augustine’s did the exact opposite. Each and every player battled, throwing themselves in front of every shot and working together to repel every attack. When an attacker did manage to get a shot through on goal, it found Riley in the way, resolute and reliable every time that he was called upon.
After withstanding a lot of pressure, a quick break from St Augustine’s led to a corner. Xavier delivered a fantastic ball that Arley watched all of the way and managed to get a touch on it, putting them 1-0 up. A similar pattern followed in the lead up to half time, but with a few minutes remaining, Arley again picked up on a ball through the middle. He took one touch and calmly slotted it into the bottom corner, giving St Augustine’s a 2-0 lead at half time.
Chickerell stepped up their attacks in the second half but St Augustine’s were equal to everything that was thrown at them. Arley led the pressure from the front and Seth, Sammi and Elwood did not stop running in midfield. Emilia and Isla threw themselves into every tackle and block to stop the ball making its way into the net, while Declan and Xavier remained calm and composed as they to put on an admirable performance. Finally, the player of the match, Riley, put in an outstanding performance in goal, with a standout save from a well-taken corner, one that will live long in the memory. All of these performances meant that St Augustine’s managed to hold on to win 2-0. They can, as ever, be incredibly proud of their performance and attitude. We thank Chickerell for a great match and we look forward to another game soon.
Team: Riley, Emilia, Declan, Isla, Xavier, Seth, Elwood, Sammi and Arley (2 goals)
Player of the match: Riley