Mellor were comprehensively beaten in this cup game although the final score didn’t really tell the story of the match. A collapse in the last quarter and a very shaky defence was really the reason for Mellor’s defeat. Overall Mellor simply didn’t have enough aggression and killer touch up front, which has been a problem all season, and this meant that the goal tally was low yet again. The team was punished for winning only 1 or 2 face-offs in the match and not doing enough up front when we were in possession. But the real disappointment was the defence which was constantly left ball-watching. Timperley had two very good players who drove the midfield and the Mellor defence seemed to be mesmerised by their running. Too often Mellor were pulled out of shape, leaving Timperley with just the goalkeeper to beat. Will had a good game in goal but having a busy goalie probably means you’re not attacking enough. There seemed to a lack of energy, purpose and aggression throughout the whole side and it was probably the most disappointing defeat of the season since the league game at Wilmslow. A flurry of goals in the third quarter seemed to offer some hope as we pulled it back to 9-7 but Mellor never really clawed their way back into the game after going 5-1 down early in the first quarter.

It’s not easy at U14 level, the better teams have a few big, fast athletes out there but Mellor seemed to be missing the crucial element of passion today and as a result were dominated by their better players. Only Drew Bickerton played to potential and seemed to want to make a fight of it and he was also Mellor’s top scorer with 4 goals. There is alot of ability in the other boys, and we had beaten this same team by 5 goals early in the season, but in some games technical ability isn't enough and today was one of them unfortunately.

So, the story of a frustrating season continues. Hopefully the boys will learn from these defeats, improve their game and become better players for it.

GOALS :

Drew 4 Tom 1 Sam 2

ASSISTS :

Ben 2 Tom 1 Sam 2 Eddie 1

SAVES : 6

Man Of The Match – Drew Bickerton