Thursday 30th June 2016 @ Yardley and District Rugby Club

Bromford Lions Under 12s 0 – 13 Erdington and Saltley Under 11s

Team: Pharelle, Sam, Tion, Ilani, Kane, Samim, Rio, Cameron, Troy, Taylor, Harvey and Oakley

Goals: Troy x 3, Kane x 3, Samim x 3, Cameron x 2 and OG

Man of the Match: Rio – right wing, centre mid and centre back. A man for all seasons. Excellent in all three positions, even if he loved hitting the woodwork!

With the national finals looming and the end of the season fast approaching, the boys were given the chance to dust off the cobwebs in preparation for one last push for glory.

With several weeks passing since their last outing and against opposition at least a year older, the boys could have been forgiven for taken time to find their feet. However they made a mockery of these factors from the kick off when they carved through the Bromford team with a number of quick, short passes, only to shoot narrowly wide. This was the pattern of play during the first half and it wasn’t long before the boys capitalised on their dominance, with goals flowing at regular intervals during the first thirty.

At half time they led 8-0 but more importantly the team played sensational. The Bromford boys, who are a very good team, gave it their best shot and should be commended for not allowing their heads to drop. However the work rate of The Ton boys and their teamwork meant they were in control of the game. It’s safe to say that they have rarely played so well – which is quite the claim considering the season that they’ve had! Every time they lost the ball, all of the lads worked back to pressurise the Bromford lads and win the ball back.

The two man defence of Sam and Tion were commanding, and continued to be whenever changes were made and Taylor or Rio were brought in. The midfield played as a unit that looked unbreakable. Ilani was composed at the base of a three man centre, whilst Samim and Kane provided the attacking surges forward. Out wide a combination of Cameron, Oakley, Harvey and Rio caused all sorts of problems and provided chances a plenty for Troy, who bagged a hat trick as well as a number of assists. Finally Pharelle in goal was brilliant, particularly at plying sweeper-keeper; he started a number of attacks from back passes and was always available to receive the ball.

We simply couldn’t have asked for more!

The second half saw more of the same, with the lads adding a further five goals and it could have been more if it weren’t for a number of offside passes.

The quality of the goals and passing was excellent. The manner in which the lads worked their socks off and backed each other up was breathtaking. It sets us up nicely for the final indeed!

Thank you to the Bromford lads who gave it their all after a successful season. We wish them all the best as they look ahead to the 2016/17 season.

Well done lads!

Up The Ton!