U14s first visit to Wye Juniors FC

On a cold, dry and bright afternoon Whitstable U14s travelled to Wye for the return league match against a team two places above us in the league. The first game between the two sides was a 1-1 draw back in October. The second game turned out to be just as close.
Unfortunately our habit of conceding an early goal was in evidence again when some generous marking left a Wye player unchallenged at the edge of the penalty box. He unleashed an unstoppable shot into the top left corner of Theo's goal. Unlike many of the other teams we face Wye play some good passing football. After a short time chasing the ball without much success Whitstable started to gain more possession and began to impose their own passing game on the match. The rest of the half went by without much goalmouth action although Whitstable had a few decent chances from corners and long throws where our height was a definite advantage.
On 43 minutes Stan fired home the equalizer and Whitstable looked to have the momentum but nine minutes later Wye went in front again. Undaunted, the Reds continued to battle hard and win the ball all round the pitch; Tom, in particular, was outstanding. A fantastic save from Theo was backed up by an incredible sliding block tackle from Wilson before the goalkeeper pulled off a superb double save to keep our hopes alive. Then with about seven minutes of the match remaining, more pressure from Whitstable resulted in another chance for Stan which he gratefully took.
Wye were disappointed not to win, given the number of good chances they created, but the draw felt about the right result on the balance of play. The match was played in a good spirit and there were many examples of quality passing on an excellent surface.
Another test for the boys next Sunday as we face runaway leaders Woodnesboro' Colts for the second time in the month!