UNDER 9s YMCA A 13 SPIRIT OF YOUTH A 0YMCA B 0 SPIRIT OF YOUTH B 0YMCA proved far too strong for plucky opponents Spirit at a sunny Seafield Rd last Saturday and they dominated both encounters. It was virtually one-way traffic throughout the A game with goals coming at regular intervals, Own F leading the way with four goals with Kit G and Jordan M both notching hat tricks. A double strike by Adam T and a James H goal completed the rout. In the B game YMCA were in front within a minute and they remained well on top for the remainder of the game. Josh C bagged four goals and Isaac F a hat trick. Goals from Kai L and Rhys M completed the scoring. UNDER 10s:SPIRIT OF YOUTH A 2 YMCA A 4SPIRIT OF YOUTH B 2 YMCA B 4YMCA started the A game brightly playing some fluent football and took the lead when Bradley G’s great vision found Conah B who fired home. However, Spirit then capitalised on a defensive error to level by half time. In the second half YMCA continued to play some excellent football and they regained the lead when a Carl K shot was parried by the keeper and Jack C was on hand to stroke the ball home. Bradley then scored two well-taken goals before Spirit netted from a penalty kick. James R and Oscar T were solid for YMCA. It was a rather dull first half in the B game with only a handful of chances at either end before an excellent through ball by the tricky Shane D found Johnny A who gave YMCA the lead. Just before half time though they conceded another penalty in from which Spirit levelled the scoring. YMCA began to dominate after the restart though and took a two-goal lead, both from Jordan W with superbly taken goals. Shane, Johnny and Matt S then all came close before Spirit pulled a goal back. YMCA’s 2-goal cushion was restored though when Robert M scored from a wind assisted free kick from the half way line to complete a hard-earned victory. UNDER 11s:SOUTH SHORE 0 YMCA 12YMCA were dominant from the start of this encounter at Common Edge Rd last Sunday but it took them 10 minutes to open their account. In the following 20 minutes their superb brand of flowing football produced a further six goals and they led 7-0 at the break. After the restart YMCA couldn’t quite maintain their high standard of the 1st half but still managed to add a further five goals before the end. Keiran S bagged a hat trick with Dan L, Tyler D and the outstanding Linus W all netting pairs. Strikes by Calvin R and the impressive Jamie M completed YMCA’s scoring. UNDER 12s:YMCA 3 HINDLEY BOYS 2 (Lancs FA Cup 2nd Round)YMCA displayed great fighting spirit to clinch victory with two late goals after trailing 2-1 at half time. They got off to a great start by taking the lead though Harrison K after some clever play by Ryan A but it wasn’t long before the visitors levelled and just before half time Hindley scored again to lead at half time. With the stiff breeze behind them in the 2nd period YMCA took the game to their opponents but some good goalkeeping and desperate defending by the visitors kept them at bay. However, with 8 minutes left Jack W bagged an equaliser for YMCA and 3 minutes later Fraser Mc was on hand to force home a close-range winner following a corner. Liam R and Jack B both shone in a fine YMCA team display. UNDER 13s:SOUTH SHORE 4 YMCA 2YMCA staged a great fightback at Common Edge Rd last Sunday before finally conceding the points. It looked like Shore were to run away with the game after they had gone 2-0 ahead in the first half. With the strong breeze behind them they would have gone much further ahead but for some outstanding saves by YMCA ‘keeper Tom N. A spirited YMCA then reduced the score from a Jack H spot kick to make it 2-1 at half time and soon after the restart they were back on level terms with a strike by Matthew C. However, Shore responded by quickly regaining the lead then sealed the issue with a fourth goal before the end and a late rally from the visitors failed to save the game. Daniel F impressed in a gutsy YMCA team performance. UNDER 14s:CLIFTON RANGERS 2 YMCA 2YMCA produced a gritty and battling performance against one of the title favourites Rangers at Mereside last Sunday. Thomas M gave YMCA a surprise lead with a shot into the top corner but it wasn’t long before Rangers levelled and then scored again to take the lead. YMCA though continued to display good spirit which was rewarded with an equaliser by Oscar R from a Harry H free kick to make it 2-2 at the break. After the restart Rangers put YMCA under considerable pressure but YMCA’s rearguard of Sam S, Joe K, Adam L and Josh V stood firm and resolute to the end to enable the visitors to come away with a very commendable point. UNDER 15s:YMCA 2 SPIRIT OF YOUTH 3YMCA were left disappointed by this defeat at Seafield Rd last Sunday. Despite a disjointed team display throughout it was game they still should have won comfortably, a combination of defensive lackings and poor finishing resulting in their downfall. They had the edge in the 1st half but failed to capitalise on a number of chances created and it remained goalless at the break but within 2 minutes of the restart they finally went ahead. James G latched on to a through ball and raced away to score but 10 minutes later they found themselves behind. Poor marking allowed former YMCA striker Paul G to fire home an equaliser before setting up colleague to notch a 2nd goal. Taz M put YMCA back level when he drilled the ball home from 15yds after a great pull back from the bye-line by Harry F but another lack of concentration led to the visitors regaining the lead which they held on to until the end after more YMA chances were squandered. UNDER 16s:YMCA 3 EUXTON VILLA ORANGE 2 (Lancs FA Cup 2nd Round)YMCA started this Lancashire Cup 2nd round match in fine form at a sunny but windy Seafield Road. After hitting the crossbar twice in a matter of seconds YMCA finally took the lead after 22 minutes with a neat finish from Adam W. YMCA continued to control the game and after Alex B again hit the woodwork, Sam T was put through by Jordan D and rounded the keeper to make it 2-0 on the stroke of half time. Twelve minutes into the second half, Dan H, on his return to YMCA after leaving the Blackpool FC’s Centre of Excellence, was brought down for a penalty which was coolly slotted home by Matty R. However, with 10 minutes remaining Euxton pulled a goal back, and then scored again to give YMCA an anxious last few minutes. Dalton S gave an assured performance in defence and Dan M was excellent in midfield. UNDER 17s:YMCA SENIORS 0 SOUTH SHORE SENIORS 2YMCA suffered a blow before kick off when main striker Luke A had to withdraw due to illness and his physical presence was badly missed throughout. Shore always had the edge and scored twice before the break to take a 2-0 lead into the interval and although YMCA put plenty of effort into their play in the 2nd half they never really looked like penetrating a solid Shore rearguard. This was a fair result to a game played in excellent spirit. UNDER 12 GIRLS: BARNOLDSWICK BARON 1 YMCA 6 (NVL Cup 1st round) YMCA progressed into the second round of the cup with this convincing victory at Barnoldswick last Sunday. Rebecca G opened the scoring with a well taken effort after a scramble in the Barnoldswick penalty area. Jenny H then added a second shooting high into the net after a fine through ball. Just before half time Barnoldswick pulled a goal back following some sloppy defending by YMCA to make it 2-1 at the break but after the restart YMCA took charge and further goals were added from Millie G, Evie M (2) and girl of the match Olivia T. -------The views expressed on this page are those of the contributor and the opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the BBC. | 
