U14s v Canterbury Youth

The U14s came out of today's match with yet another draw! Last season we didn't draw any league matches whereas this season we have drawn about a third. Again we were low on numbers, with one late withdrawal resulting in an SOS call to Freddie Oliver which he answered; as Hamish Dickson had to go off injured about halfway through the first half it was extremely helpful Freddie was able to come along. Our GK was unable to play so a big thank you to Kobey Love and Ben Burgess for stepping in.
Overall Whitstable's effort and work rate were match better than last week. We dominated the loose ball but unfortunately were off the boil in possession and tended to give away the ball too often. Kobey didn't really have a shot of note to save in the first half. We created a few chances but didn't test the Canterbury keeper until the final minute of the first half when Jacob Couzens notched from outside the box. The shot was a looping effort which had plenty of backspin and created the image of the ball being in slow motion. Fortunately for us the ball somehow squeezed into the very top corner.
In the second half play was quite even. Whitstable put the ball in the box from a few crosses and long throws but, despite Freddie winning the flick-on, nobody was anticipating the chances that were created. As the game wore on Canterbury began to get into Whitstable's area. One golden opportunity was blasted over the bar from eight yards and then, with six minutes remaining, a loose pass gave Canterbury a chance from the edge of the box. Ben made a great effort to save it but his fingertips weren't quite enough to stop the ball hitting the net.
The game ended 1-1 with Canterbury the happier of the two sides. Just one league match remains for the U14s - let's hope we can finish on a positive note.