Year 9 Preston Cup Final Match Report
After beating Our Lady’s 5-2 in the semi-final, Broughton’s Year 9 Boys Football Team were full of optimism for their big final day against Longridge. Upon arrival at Deepdale, all pupils were extremely excited to see the changing rooms and the pitch at ground level as opposed to being in the stands for a change! After a brief pre-game chat with Mr Nayler, the team were out 20 minutes early to warm up as much as possible before their 1.10pm kick off – no need for any extra motivation as all pupils were so focused and ready for action from the off!
The game began at a frantic pace, with both teams trying to figure out opposing strengths and weaknesses. Broughton grew into the first half with more space being awarded once the team began playing short, sharp passes through the midfield and using the space on the large pitch. Jamie Baines had an early shot neatly saved, Pele Smith had a header from a corner go close after a good cross from Oskar Kacperski’s corner and Antonio-Raul Iglesias-Leeming had a number of good attempts trouble Longridge’s goalkeeper throughout the game. Around halfway through the first half though, one of those shots was successful and Antonio put Broughton 1-0 up heading into half time – a deserved lead at the break. Special mention must go to Dougie Harmer for an amazing goal line clearance and Felix Livesey for some unbelievable saves, resulting in the awarding of the man of the match!
During the second half, Longridge’s physicality and larger size began turning the tide of the game, resulting in a formation change and substitutions being made to counter this. Henry Woodall was one of these and had a powerful long-range effort go close after being brought on, with some further chances on the counter attack. However, Longridge began working their way back into the game, resulting in an equaliser being scored with 10/15 minutes to go. Broughton’s players dug deep and defended very well for the remainder of the game to see out a draw – probably a fair result considering the balance of play across the whole game. The cup will therefore be shared with both schools due to the lack of time available for a penalty shootout.
Felix Livesey Dougie Harmer Jed Anderson Henry Woodall Sam Judge Jamie Baines Pele Smith Luke Littlechild
Bobby Shorrock Oskar Kacperski Henry Woodall Ben Bradley
Jacob Barker Sam Jackson Harry Bond Antonio-Raul Iglesias-Leeming
I am immensely proud of all of the players who have played a part in the team’s success this year.
Mr Nayler