ESFA NATIONAL CUP YEAR 8 ROUND 4- SIRIUS 3 TOLL BAR 1 (GRIMSBY)
Ecstatic,emotional,joyous -players,spectators and staff alike-it does not get much better than this!
Sirius Academy Year 8 Football Team 3 Toll Bar 1 in the 3rd Round of the ESFA National Cup- more than a football match!
A fabulous advert for schools football in which both teams played a major part in offering a ‘spectacle’ to those who played and watched!
One nil down after 30 seconds-cut to shreds by a centre-forward, tall,lean and fast-the worst was feared!
The Sirius team for once were silenced- something Martin and I found difficult to do! Having not listened yet again-they paid the price. Maybe as a team we were not mature enough to deal with the situation?
However, with persistence, determination and ‘sticking’ to our beliefs we started to take shape and moments like this are unforgettable in sport ( and teaching) – the team starts to ‘grow-up’ and does what is asked of them -all over the field- in every position!
Gradually we clawed our way back and equalised through the persistence of Jack Scottow’s running which eventually created a chance for Owen Chaffer to be in the right place to prod the ball home!
One each -half-time!!! The confidence had started to grow and the battle had now commenced!
The half- time talk concentrated on believing that we could now win the game and at last we were starting to gel together as a team- could they maintain their efforts?
You bet they could -and it was obvious to everyone that Toll Bar were starting to look weary and become anxious-even though we rode our luck at times with Kieren Bartlett our goalie making crucial saves.
Marshalled by Dylan Hepworth (Captain) , Tyler Hackett, Callum Riley and Josh Richards -the defence stuck firm and the number 9 and ‘whippet’ of the Toll Bar side could no longer get past! Whilst the engines of Luke Moss,Reece Gooch,Joe Sedman, Owen Chaffer (Ali Bostani) maintained a continued drive and supply to our forwards of Jack Scottow and Samiur Tarafdar to make the most of our opportunities-and that is just what they did!
Tensions running high and end to end stuff – Jack Scottow broke the deadlock with a stunning drive into the top corner. All ‘hell’broke loose! Only ten minutes to go! Could we hold on?
Those ten minutes- as anyone knows who is involved in sport- seemed an eternity! We defended for ‘our lives’ and counter-attacked when we could. Everyone’s efforts paid off when Samiur Trafadar broke loose and scored an opportunist goal -prodding the ball into the net to ensure we had won the game with only two minutes remaining!
Time to breathe!! Hold on for a well deserved victory!What a turn around!
What was fantastic about the game was to see a group of boys ‘grow’ and achieve what Martin and I thought might take some time to achieve! Moments like this and the experience gained from such joyous scenes are rare and to be treasured. Teaching and being involved in sport do not get much better! Most satisfying!
Well done to all involved -a great team effort- including the ‘subs’ in Charlie Brooks,Josh Hultum,Bongani Matema,
and Mason Lyell. The rest of the team have been mentioned and know who they are!
A delighted Cosi Basile and Martin Smith.
