An eventful match on and off the pitch. There were concerns the game may be off due to ground conditions, but having inspected the pitch at 8:30am Sim sent out the call that the game was on.
The boys arrived at 9:30, temperatures checked and kitted up. The crowd gathered - struggling to keep warm and unable to huddle due to social distancing rules.
The match kicked off at 10:06, Mellor in their gleaming white and red kit, Cheadle in green. Mellor’s white kit wouldn’t gleam for long - particularly Daniel’s - as he spent most of the first quarter slipping and sliding around the pitch.
Within the first two minutes, Cheadle had a player take a time out, and Mellor were ahead with a goal from Noah.
Moments later, Sausage made a fantastic steal and scored from close range. Almost immediately Leo followed with another cracking goal, before Cheadle managed to score.
Oliver G made his home debut after coming on as a sub after eight minutes - and took his man marking duties very seriously & diligently - just before Seb scored for Mellor in his first game of the season. Cheadle scored a second before Ed Kennedy, keeping goal for Mellor, was forced to make a super save from a Cheadle player who had run the length of the pitch, and another fantastic save just seconds later. Daniel’s struggles with his footwear came to a head when he slipped and spectacularly wiped himself out, almost on the halfway line at the far side of the pitch, just before the end of the quarter.
He dragged himself to his feet as Dad dashed home for another pair of boots.

Score after the first quarter: Mellor 4 - Cheadle 2.

With Daniel rebooted, the second quarter got off to a shaky start as Cheadle scored quickly. Ed Freeman struck back sharply with a good but unsuccessful attempt on the Cheadle goal. Mellor continued with a period of intense pressure on Cheadle in midfield, losing but recovering the ball on a number of occasions. Seb tried again on goal, this time denied and Ed Freeman had another saved attempt, before Cheadle broke and scored at the opposite end. Dylan scored the first of five goals just before Sim called a Time Out - a chance for Mellor to regroup.

On the restart Noah was quick to score his second. Leo took a big hit but soldiered on, as Edward K in goal pushed a Cheadle shot onto the bar for another fine save.
At the opposite end, Dylan fired a shot over the bar, received the ball again took aim and this time found the back of the net.

Score at half-time: Mellor 7 - Cheadle 4.

Half-time brought a change of Mellor’s goalkeeper with Ed Freeman replacing Ed Kennedy.
Noah demonstrated excellent skills running the length of the pitch, passing to Leo who saw his shot on goal saved.
Again Noah ran rings around the Cheadle players as he ran the length of the pitch towards the oppositions goal. This time the shot from Dylan found the net, and he doubled his tally moments later!
Daniel, much steadier on his feet now, was denied a goal as his excellent play saw his shot just wide. Sausage had a shot saved, before Dylan struck again - his hat-trick for the quarter. Cheadle were unlucky to have a goal disallowed just before the end of the quarter, as their scorer had entered the crease.

Score after the third quarter: Mellor 10 - Cheadle
Into the final quarter, Noel struck with a powerful shot on the Cheadle goal - well saved by the keeper.
At the other end of the field, a goal from Cheadle was missed as the player slipped and shot into the side netting. Cheadle continued the pressure on the Mellor goal and another attack was successful – Cheadle’s fifth.
Their third attack in quick succession saw an excellent save from Ed Freeman.
Mellor counter-attacked and this time Ethan saw a great effort saved, before Leo slotted home his second of the match.
By now, Cheadle looked to be spent and had little to resist the pressure from Mellor. Noah scored a third, for his hat-trick of the match, with another long run and excellent shot.
Dylan provided another excellent pass to Sausage to shoot, only to see his chance thwarted with another save. Cheadle managed a final attempt on the Mellor goal, easily dealt with by Ed Freeman. The clock was counting down as Leo saw a powerful shot go just wide. And with less than a minute left, a final push from Mellor saw the ball with Joseph for an attempt on goal - the last of the game saved by a relieved Cheadle goalie.
Well done Mellor - a great team performance in very cold conditions!
I’ll bring my dog next time (Will Kennedy!).