DEPLETED SQUAD AT HADDINGTON

Haddington Ath Sky Blues 1 - 7 MYS Black Stripes (11Oct08)

The Youngstars squad was down to a bare minimum today, with only seven players turning up for the game. Although this resulted in some tired legs, it did allow all the kids to get one hour of match-time which will undoubtedly help their development. The first 15 minutes was very evenly contested with both teams playing some good football. Harvey and Lewis were each unlucky to score thanks to some great saves from the Haddington keeper. With both defences on top form, there were no goals scored in the opening spell.

In the second period, the Youngstars stepped up a gear and it wasn't long before they broke the deadlock. Harvey took a kick-in deep in his own half, playing the ball up the line to Jason who then played a superb through-ball, cutting the Haddington defence in half. Lewis latched on the pass and squeezed the ball past the keeper at his near post. A few minutes later, the Youngstars went two goals up after a weak kick-out went straight to Lewis. He blasted a shot towards goal, and the ball went right through the keeper's legs. Haddington then began to pile on the pressure, forcing some fantastic tackles from Mark to keep them at bay. A quick free kick from Haddington resulted in a swerving cross into the box, which Innes managed to safely collect in his hands as he again relished the opportunity to play in goals. Calum scored with the last kick of the second period, after Jason and a Haddington defender had been fighting hard for the ball. Calum charged in and won the ball, before turning and firing a shot into the bottom corner.

The Youngstars scored their fourth goal early in the third period, following a fantastic pass from Mark. Lewis collected the ball and fed it to Jason, who blasted it into the top corner past the keeper's out-stretched hand. A few minutes later, Lewis scored his hat-trick and the Youngstars were comfortably in the lead. Josh played excellently in defence during this period, and created the team's sixth goal. After a fantastic run, dribbling past two Haddington midfielders, he slotted the ball through to Harvey who (as cool as ever) passed the ball past the diving keeper into the net. Harvey then scored his second into the bottom corner, after a great pass from Lewis.

We shuffled the team around in the last quarter, with Innes playing up front and Lewis taking a turn in goals. Innes played well, laying off a few good passes to Josh, but the Haddington defence played really strongly and kept the Youngstars out. Lewis was forced to make a brilliant save near the end, but a Haddington striker was first to react to the deflection and managed to fire it into the net for a late consolation goal. Another great game for the team, and all the kids deserve credit for lasting the full 60 minutes.

Teamsheet: Innes, Mark, Josh, Harvey, Lewis, Jason, Calum

Goal scorers: Lewis (3), Calum, Jason, Harvey (2)