Heighington U12’s 3 v North East Skills U12’s 2
Heighington U12s hosted a very strong North East Skills side in a thrilling Cup encounter where both sides dug deep and give everything until the final whistle. Heighington made the more spirited start to the match with Jack making it one nil courtesy of yet another world class finish from the left wing. Some fantastic passing, off the ball movement and awareness, saw Heighington slice through the opposition a few minutes later with Bruno cleverly positioning himself on goal to calmly make it two nil. Jack brilliantly added our third after yet another great piece of link up play and passing. An incredible 20 minutes of football from our boys.
However, the resilient North East Skills side started to show their character and pinched one back before half time. The second half saw the game sway back and forth with chances being created at both ends, backed up by two strong defences. The opposition struck once again with 10 minutes to go to make it 3-2 and a nervey finish for the home team and spectators. Heighington were doing well against a determined opposition until the unthinkable happened in the last minute and NES were awarded a penalty.
It’s moments like this, where the park falls silent and you can just feel something special is going to happen and, it did – Dom Hullah wrote himself into Heighington folklore with a miraculous last minute save to put his team mates safely into the hat for the next round. Remarkable, you absolutely couldn’t write it.
A fantastic effort by both sides and the result could really have gone either way but, I can’t praise my boys enough, the sheer will and determination which went into this result can only be applauded against great opposition.
MOTM: Dom Hulla, made many saves during this game, some spectacular, some not pretty but he was an iron curtain when we needed him most. Capped a phenomenal display with a crucial last minute penalty save. Could clearly be heard and commanded his defence very well. Always a reassuring presence for our back line.
Thanks to both sets of kids, coaches, parents, Adam Brown, the Ref and, of course, our fantastic sponsors, Chris Harper and the guys at SASH Hardware.
Heighington U14 3 v Farringdon U14 0
Heighington progressed to Round 4 of the League Cup with a hard fought win against an in-form Farringdon side. Straight from the whistle, Heighington came out of the traps playing some excellent football with the pace and power of Ted Brain, Ollie Taylor and Josh Drought proving a handful for the Farringdon defence. It was great combination play from these three that led to the opening goal. Great work from Ollie who released Josh who squared for Ted to finish. A second soon followed when Ollie crossed for Ted to head home a second. Credit to Farringdon who didn’t let their heads drop and their wide players continued to prove a handful for the Heighington rearguard.
Half Time: Heighington 2 Farringdon 0.
Throughout the second half there was little between the two sides with Heighington, perhaps, offering more in the way of an attacking threat in the final third of the pitch. From one of these attacks, Heighington gained a corner and the set piece specialist, Olly Wallace whipped in a corner that completely deceived the Farringdon keeper. The remainder of the game followed a similar pattern with Heighington dealing successfully with the pace of the Farringdon forwards and launching several attacks of their own. A late sin binning for a Farringdon midfielder was not reflective of a game played in the correct spirit. The final whistle was greeted with much delight from the watching parents who, no doubt, hope for another successful cup run this season.
MOTM: This was a very close decision between Ted Brain and Kaden Smith. Ted was a real handful for the Farringdon defence throughout the game and probably edges it for his 2 goal contribution but both coaches were also delighted with Kaden’s contribution today. He was asked to play in a number of roles and was excellent throughout.
Goalscorers: Ted Brain x 2; Olly Wallace x 1.
Many thanks to all parents for their positive support of the team. A special mention to Neil Humphrey who was at the ground from 7 am to ensure the pitch was of the highest possible standard.
Thanks also to our sponsors, whose support is critical for the team, including: Fracks Transport Ltd, Wired Up Electrics, J Mitchell Roofing & Guttering Services and Riley Accountancy.