UNDER 8s:
YMCA TANGERINES 2 STAINING 2
YMCA BLACKS 8 STAINING 0
YMCA Tangerines fought out an entertaining contest against Staining last Saturday with goals by Rohan B and Ben H giving them a well-earned draw. In the match that followed YMCA Blacks proved too strong for their opponents and with Jack B leading the way with four goals they ran out easy winners. Also on target were Oscar O, Harry F, Ross H and Charles S.
UNDER 9s:
STAINING A 1 YMCA A 3
STAINING B 0 YMCA B 7
The A game at Staining last Saturday was evenly contested but YMCA reached half time 1-0 ahead. After the restart YMCA took the initiative and added two further goals with the home side notching a consolation. Ryan H bagged two of YMCA’s goals with a Ryan W strike completing the scoring. In the B game YMCA were much the superior side from the start and reached the interval with a 3-0 lead. They continued to have the upper hand after the restart and added a further four goals to complete a convincing victory. Danny H netted four of YMCA’s goals with Freddie S weighing in with a pair. Declan H was also on target.
UNDER 11s:
YMCA 4 POULTON YOUTH 2
Two good footballing sides fought it out till the death in this excellent game at Seafield Rd last Sunday. Poulton made YMCA work hard for their victory and they took the lead in the opening minutes when an error led to a goal from the edge of the box. The home side showed their excellent footballing talent when a 15-pass move led to an excellent finish by the outstanding Jack R who threatened throughout. Jack R grabbed his second soon after when he held off two defenders before finding the back of the net to make it 2-1 half time. The second half started with YMCA looking the stronger team and playing some attractive football. They were rewarded when Bradley G unleashed an unstoppable drive from the edge of the box in to the bottom corner. Poulton showed good spirit and pulled a goal back before the excellent Shane D, who shone after coming on as substitute, sealed a victory with a great finish from a through ball by Chester D. James R was again outstanding in defence and ‘keeper Ryan M also impressed throughout.
UNDER 12s:
SPIRIT OF YOUTH 2 YMCA 9
YMCA found themselves behind after just 2 minutes at Common Edge Rd last Sunday but were level again within 60 seconds. YMCA then took the initiative and three further goals gave them a 4-1 lead at the break. YMCA’s superiority continued after the interval and with some excellent and attractive football they added a further five goals with the home side notching a 2nd consolation. The outstanding Tyler D netted three of YMCA goals with Jamie M and Linus W weighing-in with a two apiece. Also on target were Sean K, playing against his former club, and skipper Daniel L who was playing his last game for the YMCA before signing for the Wigan Athletic Academy. Calvin R impressed throughout.
UNDER 13s:
THORNTON 1 YMCA 2
YMCA edged a hard fought victory in this highly competitive game at Thornton last Sunday. The home side started strongly and YMCA ‘keeper Alex C had to pull off a fine early save. It was YMCA though who broke the deadlock when the tireless Ryan A set up Sam M to strike home to make it 1-0 at the break. Early in the second half Robbie H and were both unlucky not to extend the YMCA lead and Thornton forced their way back into the game and levelled from a disputed penalty before Ryan sealed the points with a superb 20yd strike. Man of the match Alex C pulled off another excellent save to keep YMCA’s unbeaten record intact.
UNDER 14s - Lancs FA Cup 1st Round:
BARROWFORD CEL 5 YMCA 6 (AET)
YMCA produced a stunning performance at Barrowford last Sunday to pull off a thrilling victory against all the odds, having lost all 4 leagues played this season with only one goal scored. Due to a motorway puncture on the way to the game YMCA played the first 20 minutes with just 10 players and were soon behind. Celtic took full advantage of the extra man and reached the interval 3-0 ahead. YMCA had a full compliment of players for the 2nd half and soon pulled a goal back through Dave M. A superb 25yd drive by Jamie A further reduced the deficit but Celtic immediately scored again to make it 4-2. A strike by Alan G reduced the score again only for Celtic to make it 5-3. A 2nd strike by Jamie A pulled the score back to 5-4 and just before the end a Mattie K goal levelled the scores at 5-5 to send the tie into extra time. Both teams looked tired in the extra period but YMCA managed to snatch a dramatic and memorable victory with a 2nd strike by Alan G. Kieran K, Dan F and James R were all outstanding in a superb and gutsy team display.
UNDER 15s:
WARTON TYPHOONS 0 YMCA 5
YMCA squandered some early chances at Warton last Sunday but Sam S finally broke the deadlock with a low long-range shot after some excellent hold up play by Jason W. Daniel J slotted home his first of the season building on good work by Jon H and YMCA went in at the break in control. YMCA continued to apply pressure in the second half and always looked dangerous, but some erratic finishing let them down. Tom M bagged the first of his two goals in the 52nd minute with a crisp volley and rounded off a good performance in the 64th minute with a delightful shot over the advancing keeper from the edge of the box. Jonathan H opened his account for the season when he squeezed the ball past the Warton keeper in the 66th minute. Ben W impressed displaying style and composure throughout.
UNDER 18s:
YMCA 5 TARLETON 0
The home side dominated this game from start to finish against physical opponents but despite carving out a number of early chances, they had to wait until the 29th minute to open the scoring. Nathan R battled for the ball on the edge of the area, and after a Scott H shot was blocked, Matty R was on hand to drive in from 20 yards. Just before half time Max R made it 2-0 with a close range finish after a goalmouth scramble. After the break Jordan D hit the post before Matty R grabbed his second from the penalty spot after Sam T had been fouled. Sam T then put Nathan R through for a fourth, and Sam turned goal scorer with a tremendous solo run and finish. The match ended on a sour note when a Tarleton defender was dismissed for a bad challenge on YMCA's man of the match Anthony S. Another good performance keeps YMCA top of the table.
GIRLS U10s:
PENDLE FOREST 5 YMCA 0
Right from the kick off YMCA were under pressure and Pendle Forest scored within the first minute. Despite YMCA’s efforts, the stronger and more experienced Pendle continued to have the upper hand and scored twice more before the break to take a 3-0 half time lead. YMCA’s keeper was injured again for the second week running but unfortunately, due to no available substitutes she had to play on. YMCA started the second half with their heads high but Pendle managed to score again immediately after the restart and added another 5 mins later. Inspired though by determination of Laurel N, YMCA battled to the very end and prevented the home side from adding to their tally.
GIRLS U13s:
WOODBANK WARRIORS 0 YMCA 3
YMCA came out on top in a particularly physical game at Bury last Sunday YMCA were under considerable pressure in the early stages but some excellent defensive play kept the scores level. In the 19th minute strong running from Evie M sent her clear of the Woodbank defence and she opened her account with a low shot to the keepers left. Just before half time Evie M added her second goal to give YMCA's a 2-0 interval lead. In the second half YMCA controlled the game and it was surprising it took until the 50th minute for a Siobhan F strike to seal a hard-earned victory.
----
The views expressed on this page are those of the contributor and the opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the BBC.
