Report

COMFORTABLE WIN EARNS PLACE IN SEMI-FINAL

We always knew that this was a talented group of boys but they displayed a new dimension on Saturday night ! I don’t think I’ve seen a group of people enjoying themselves as much as they did and judging by the bill they ate tons and drank umpteen gallons of Coke !!!!!!!! They are a great bunch to work with and it was testament to the bond they share that nearly all off them agreed , at short notice , to  change plans and come along to celebrate the League title ( or maybe it was the offer of free Coke !!!). Unfortunately the invite came too late for Mikey who had already burnt himself out at a Communion during the afternoon !

Before last nights Cup game Cherrie showed good sportsmanship by forming a guard of honour and applauded Eastwood onto the pitch …. a nice gesture although I suspect the boys were a bit embarrassed about the fuss ! It had been emphasised to the boys that these are the games that can be difficult after the highs of winning but we need not have worried. Eastwood showed just why they are champions by going 3 up after 10 minutes and the game was effectively over at that point.

Mikey opened the scoring on 2 minutes when he headed a corner home at the far post. Our lead was increased a couple of minutes later when Zen swung in a corner from our right which ended up in the far corner. Archie tried to claim it but the dubious goals panel (me !) decided there was no touch. Grant put us 3 up after 10 minutes with a fine strike. Andy won a good tackle wide right and rolled the ball into Grants path and he struck a right foot drive that flew past the helpless keeper. The game petered out after that as we made multiple changes to try out different things. However we went 4 up after 24 minutes and again Grant was the scorer. He let a pass from Zen on the left run across onto his right foot and again drilled it past the keeper from 18 yards. The lead was increased again on the 39 minute mark and started in defence. Jonny controlled the ball well on his chest and his pass was quickly turned on by Gary into the path of Mikey. He showed good control as he raced in on the keeper and coolly it chipped it home.

Half Time 5-0

The second half was a bit of a slog with no real chances being created and Eastwood struggled to find any rhythm. Our scoring was completed after 75 minutes when Grant won a penalty on the bye line and completed his hat-trick from the spot. Cherrie got a consolation in the last minute from a penalty conceded , unluckily , by Blair

Full Time 6-1

Memorable Moments

Grants hat-trick and Zen’s goal direct from a corner.

Coaches Top Performers

We were steady tonight rather than the exciting performance on Saturday and everyone played well enough but we were not pressed. However Mikey never missed a header and had a good game but we have to credit Grant for another great performance and hat-trick (shame about the yellow card !)

Conclusion

A couple of things became evident tonight. The Cherrie coaches commented that they thought Grant was the best player in the League. The other thing that was proven last night is that Archie is not a striker and he has now reluctantly accepted the truth !!

That’s us now in 2 semi finals so the good season continues !