Eagles 2 Ascot Royals 3
Tough game to lose, this one. Ascot scored in the last few minutes to win the game after we had come back from 2-0 down and nearly snatched it ourselves.
We started the game badly as a free kick was conceded and the shot that came in just slipped through Danny’s hands. He makes very few errors but showed great mental strength to get over his misfortune even when soon afterwards Ascot doubled their advantage with a very good goal that he could have done nothing about. For the rest of the game Danny was great and could only be beaten by a speculative cross/shot that sent the away team home with all 3 points.
For a while we were chasing shadows as Ascot played the much better football. We just did not take responsibility on the ball and our passing and decision making was very poor. Gradually with the determination and spirit that we have we forced our way back into the game and it was no surprise when Luke wrapped his foot around the ball and struck a beauty into the far corner. For the rest of the half it was a real battle. As usual Adam and Liam played with a fire and spirit that we have become used to. Hugo began to exert some influence but it just was not happening today in the danger areas for us.
As we chased the game in the second half Tom, Jack, Ellis, Elliot and Lee all tried to get us back in the game but the rugged resistance of the AU defence held firm. As mentioned earlier our composure on the ball was not good enough today and Ascot certainly made better passing moves than us. They were always dangerous on the break especially with their flying left winger who was very impressive. If it had not been for the heroics of Luke, Adam and Liam in defence and the agility of the Cat who made the save of the season so far at one point we could have been well out of this game.
With 10 to go up came Adam from the back and he scored the equaliser. The final minutes were end to end. Luke hitting the inside of the post with a great header from a Hugo cross. The AU goalie somehow kept it out.
A lot to work on then if we are to play better than this next time. I cannot fault the spirit shown by the boys but the quality of our passing was not good enough to win a game like this and even though the AU winner was a bit jammy overall I think that they created more chances than us today with their passing moves.
We were a bit lucky two weeks ago and today luck deserted us although sometimes in football even though you try as hard as you can if you do not play to your usual standards when on the ball you end up with nothing.
I know that the boys will bounce back. They all have real character. How you respond after a defeat like this says a lot.
Next week Sandhurst away---followed by on Sunday the semi final against………..Ascot United in the 11 a side cup.
We will not have long to wait to see the bouncebackabilty of these young lads!!!