Men's 4th XI Vs North Stafford 5

Telford and Wrekin fourths played North Stafford fifths away on a pleasant overcast afternoon. Both teams started tentatively but Telford were the more dominant. Some peculiar umpiring made times difficult for Telford but despite this the team kept calm and played through. Several probing attacks tested the North Staffs defence and the first breakthrough came in the fourteenth minute. Chris Cousins had advanced down the right and sent the ball across the twenty-three-metre line. Richard Thompson – joining the fourths after several months out – let the ball through him to his son Will Thompson who collected the ball and drove into the top D where he unleashed a shot into the bottom right-hand corner. North Stafford responded with a counter-attack of their own in the eighteenth minute when the ball slipped into the D and the attacker managed to squeeze the ball through Thomas Cornwell who was making his Fourth team debut.

Telford took the lead again in the twenty-third minute. A decisive break down the right resulted in Will Thompson finding Josh Sykes in the right D. Josh took the ball through two defenders to find the centre D to shoot bottom right corner. Three minutes later and Josh Sykes would score again. George Pittson provided the assist as he drove down the left wing and found Josh sykes on his inside. Josh took the ball into the top of the D and found the left of the goal unmarked for his second of the game.

After the break Telford became far more assertive with their gameplan and kept North Staffs at bay. Constant pressure on the North Staffs defence enabled another breakthrough in the fourty-eighth minute. The ball was sent around the outside of the D where Matt Cousins, Scott Marshall and Richard Thompson helped find Will Thompson on the baseline ten metres right of goal. Will threw the ball across the face of goal for the unmarked Roger Marsh to slap in behind the keeper. Fiftieth minute and Joshua Sykes broke into the D and slipped the ball to Conor Ashbridge to fire bottom right. George Pittson stole the ball on the far left of the twenty-three-metre line in the fifty-second minute and finding himself behind his marker drove into the D where he slipped past a defender to fire the ball into the bottom left.

The goals kept coming. Fifty-fourth minute and another constant attack was swiftly finished when Conor found Will just above the P spot and he thumped the ball right of centre backboard. Fifty-sixth minute and Josh Sykes on the right of D passed to Richard Thompson on the Top of the D who pushed in and powered the ball into the bottom right. Fifty-eighth minute and a prolonged attack in and around the D ended with Conor Ashbridge making a decisive pass to Josh Sykes who hit the ball bottom left to complete his hattrick. The sixtieth minute saw the last goal of the game. A short corner shot from Roger was parried back to him and he drove forwards, finding Conor three metres out from the right post. Conor smashed the ball low and hard bottom left on his reverse.

Man of the Match was awarded to will Thompson. Will continues to improve and made great attacking runs, always looks around to find the best option and knows how to score some great goals.

Goals; Josh Sykes – 3 (23 FG, 26 FG, 58 FG)

            Will Thompson – 2 (14 FG, 54 FG)

            Conor Ashbridge – 2 (50 FG, 60 PC)

            Roger Marsh - 1 (48 FG)

            George Pittson – 1 (52 FG)

            Richard Thompson – 1 (56 FG)

Man of the Match – Will Thompson

Umpires – North Staffs