Won 3-2
Scorers: John Aikin (3)
MoM: Isaac Stroud
DoD: N/A
With thanks to team sponsor MFri
It was a grim day weather wise for the Friars this week as we faced off in the rain against Old Williamsonians 6 away.
The Friars scored first with a first time strike from John Aikin, the beneficiary of a well worked move by the youngsters down the right. Old Willies equalised shortly after and the half time score was 1-1. The half time Jaffas (courtesy of the VC) worked their magic and saw the Friars compete energetically with the opposition. A short corner was won and clinically despatched, but again old Willies equalised shortly thereafter. A draw appeared to be on the cards, but late in the game the youngsters won an upgrade in the D and a second short corner was efficiently executed, giving the Friars a 3-2 lead when the final whistle blew.
Trigger and his team displayed their trademark defensive excellence. Alex Ricketts and Mike Barton were solid, battling dodgy hamstrings and grumpy umpires respectively. Biggles put in a strong shift, joined by James Blackburn who had a great game in defence, injecting pace to the back line and making a number of critical interventions.
Special mention this week to the midfield comprised of Brian Hurlow and Will Hanys supporting Isaac Stroud who stepped up at centre half, distributing well and building the critical and long sought linkage between defence and attack. Good use was made of wingers Archie Barnes and Bert Andrews.
The Friars tactical and strategic mastery on the pitch was of course masterminded by our great leader – you all know who he is!
A first hat trick of the season for John Aikin marked a return to form, but the real highlight of the day was the league win and seeing the new batch of young Friars grow in confidence and efficacy as they learn the adult game.