A cold and blustery Ainsdale Club played host to S & A Under 13’s this afternoon as they welcomed Southport Trinity White, with both teams looking for a win to lift themselves out of a tightly congested bottom half of the Craven Under 13's Premier table.
S & A were kicking into a strong wind in the opening half but started on the front foot and their high press pushed Trinity back in the early stages. And following a fantastic pass from Flynn, it was Ollie who ran clear to put S & A ahead inside the first 5mins.
The boys continued to show what they’ve been working on in training with some lovely build up play from the back - Patrick was picking out the right options and the backline’s quick interplay kept finding the standout player in the first half in George, who was constantly trying to release Noah, Max & Ollie - S & A were unlucky not to add to their lead with numerous chances.
So it was somewhat against the run of play when Trinity produced a lovely passage of play to find an equaliser on 22mins. However, S & A continued their impressive first half performance and eventually found another breakthrough - a tactical change meant Ollie had switched flanks and George found his teammate with an exquisite first time ball and Ollie made no mistake with the finish as he tucked away his chance between the onrushing keeper’s legs.
Ht: 2-1
Kicking with the wind in the second half, S & A continued to dominate and looked dangerous with every attack - a little more composure in the final third and this game could have been out of Trinity’s reach. But after a couple of injuries to key players, S & A were starting to look susceptible to Trinity’s counter attack and needed to regain their shape.
Credit to the boys in midfield though as Liam & James started to control the flow of the game again and with 5mins to go S & A looked like they’d score with every attack - but Trinity’s defence stood firm and kept their team in it.
And then came the sucker punch for S & A - in the dying seconds, a long clearance was chased down by the Trinity winger who produced a piece of individual brilliance to beat two defenders and finish from a tight angle.
So well played to both teams - S & A produced a much improved performance after recent results and could’ve won this game comfortably - but credit to Aaron and his Trinity squad as they never gave up and snatched a point right at the end.
Ft: 2-2
S & A Player of the match : There were a few contenders this week - full backs Flynn & Gabriel were both excellent, Ollie showed he’s close to top form again and Henry had another stellar performance in goal with his distribution impeccable - but the boss awarded George (pictured) the trophy. This player has recently reverted to an inside left position - his calmness, close control and vision on the ball are excellent and POTM was a reward for just that - well played mate!

A big thank you to our team sponsors George Roberts Scaffolding
Chris (Manager) & Rob (Coach)