Kings Copse Vipers vs M&T Jaguars – 16 April ’23

Our good friends at Kings Copse hosted our visit today and we thank their efforts for getting the game on as the scheduled venue called the game off last week.

The squad depth was tested as Thomas, Ollie and Harry were away and William injured. Thankfully Glyn pushed through the pain as he chose to play whilst suffering from an ear infection.

We also lost a fully fit Harrison just before kick off as he suddenly felt sick

But we have a fantastic squad with quality cover in every position and we still had belief that we could get the result needed today.

Our first 20 minutes were really good and we played some excellent football. We competed for every ball and looked on top form.

AJ opened the scoring from a wicked corner by James.

We went 2.0 up with a wonderful team goal. A good passing move saw Riley cleverly release Lloyd down the left. He looked up and put in an inch perfect ball for his mate James who took one touch and finished.

We then conceded an unfortunate goal. An unlucky ricochet put the Vipers’ striker in and he finished past Rowan who could do nothing.

We then had a wobble. We stopped competing and gave the Vipers too much time. The Vipers took advantage of this and started to play some good football which we know they can.

In the end we were lucky to come in 2.1 up thanks to a good save from Rowan.

Half Time Vipers 1 – 2 Jaguars

Half time came at a perfect moment so we could regroup. After a 5 minute long Churchillian speech from the gaffer worthy of winning awards, Glyn said “pardon”.

The boys refocused and went out with more determination.

We played some great passing football and went 3.1 up when Rowan took assertive control of his area and came out with authority to meet the ball. His clearance set Lloyd off down the right wing. He once again found his mate James who, in his trade mark style, placed the ball into the bottom corner.

Another good team goal followed. Some good passing and the ball went up to Harrison. He competed well against a bigger stronger player and took the ball down with a classy touch. He laid it off to Riley who whipped in a lovely ball and Lloyd slotted home.

We saw the game through with a tight defensive effort from Eddie, Theo, Glyn and Mally.

Full Time Vipers 1 – 4 Jaguars

Rowan

A superb display from our number 1. A couple of top drawer saves but after a wobble coming out he recovered amazingly to show great confidence to boss his area and assist an assist.

Theo

Really solid. A no nonsense performance today and did exactly what I asked him to at the back. A perfect partner for Eddie and you could tell they have played together for years.

Eddie

One of his best performances of the season. Won so many first balls I lost count. Showed the way for his team mates to follow. His timing on his tackles was faultless. Throw in his usual impeccable distribution and he had a superb game.

Riley

Probably his best game for the Jaguars. He has clearly worked hard on his positioning and movement on transition. Won his tackles and was the catalyst we needed when we started to drop gears.
Also a great assist.

Aidan

Looked every part the captain today. He led by example on the pitch and his vocals were positive and encouraging to everyone. A touch of class when he hugged rowan for his assist of an assist.

James

His game has accelerated in the last month or so. He looks to have real faith in his own ability and looks calm on the ball. He is now contributing plenty more goals and his 2 today makes him 2nd top scorer.

Glyn

A outstanding performance from any player let alone one who has been suffering and not sleeping due to an ear infection. He was everywhere and played some of his most creative passes of the season.

Mally

A real engine in that midfield. Worked his socks off to earn the ball back and once he did he kept calm and composed with good distribution. Box to box and didn’t even look tired at the end.

Lloyd

Another who worked tirelessly. Seemed to be everywhere. I asked him to defend from the front and not allow any balls over our defence. He did this and more. Never gave them a second. When he had the ball he worked magic.

Harrison

Fell ill just before kick off so couldn’t play much. Still showed some class touches when he was on and fair play to him for giving it a go.

AJ

Got his goal (he always scores) and when he got in full flow looked a danger. Can’t wait to see him play consistently next season. He struggled with his breathing today so his run out was disrupted by breaks.

Players of the Day

So many great performances today it was hard to pick a player of the day. The votes were tight. Eddie and James both got 3 votes.

But all with 4 votes each and tied for player of the day were Rowan, Mally, Lloyd and Riley.

We also had an opposition manager player of the day for the first time. The Kings Copse manager awarded his accolade to Lloyd and said he was different class today.

Well done boys a great effort today and you all stepped up when needed.