Badgers Vs Solihull Blossomfield

Yardley Badgers  0 v 1 Solihull Blossomfield

The Yardley Badger’s again had several players unavailable this week, but again like last week the team had 12 players. 

This game was more one sided with Yardley defending for long periods against a Solihull Blossomfield team full of tall teenagers. Our squad was more of a mixture of much younger players and older players. The home team did defend for these long periods competently and all attacks were cleared cleanly. The home team’s keeper was only called into play four times in the first half. The Yardley team worked as a team, passing well and linking up with each other.

The home players were given very little space or time on the ball by a high pressure pressing visiting team. As the first half wore on the Yardley team were limited to sporadic break away attacks. Cem got the best chance in the half when in front of the advancing keeper he tactically hit the ball into the pitch so it then lobed over the keeper. It looked to be going over the keeper into the goal, but the outstretched keepers stick got a touch saving it.    

We had another new player come along this week. Ibby is a friend of Islam and he played a very impressive first game in a high intensity game. He helped settle the middle of the park and he passed well to the wide players.

The second half started in a similar vein as the first. To the home team’s credit, the midfield players started getting more tackles on the visitors and protected the back three defenders. They also made better passing and interlinking play in this half. The home team’s best move of the game was a positive free passing affair. From deep in their own half the team strung together six clever passes right up to the opponents’ “D” with the final pass on the back post finding Ibby who swung his shot at an open goal and it went just wide of the post (the keeper having no chance to re-adjust)

The game headed into the final ten minutes still 0-0 but the pressure began to build again and Anthony in goal was called upon on numerous occasions to make controlled diving saves. The visitors started winning penalty corners every few minutes. The home team were all working so hard throughout the game, started to get tired and struggled under the constant bombardment.

The visitors winning goal came from a goal mouth scramble with two attempted clearances each falling to an attacking player and with the final tackle on the goal line a forward powered through and scored the scrappy goal. Yardley had good attacking play after this goal with long runs from defence for powerful crosses into the “D” and the waiting forwards were only inches away from getting touches. This was a tough game against a strong visiting team but the Yardley Badgers put in a dogged performance and were unfortunate not to sneak a cheeky draw.

Next week we have no Badgers League Game but I would like all Badgers to attend a home “inter club” game for Badgers. At small heath 2.45 pm till 4pm.