Won 4 – 2
Scorers: S. Hurlow (2), O. Neal (2)
MoM: Reef Upton
DoD: The beanie-wearing hard-liner!
With thanks to team sponsor MMil http://www.batchelorcoop.co.uk
Leading by example, Skipper Sharratt was almost yellow-carded in a pre-match incident involving his beanie hat; fortunately, he relented his hard-line ways and the match was able to commence!
In spite of this, the Batchelor-Coop Millers shook off the negative vibe and started well, enjoying the better of the early exchanges. Unfortunately, ten minutes in, and following some good footwork (from both sides), the visitors took a shock lead after a hurried goal-mouth scramble. Undeterred, the Millers continued to press forward, thanks to notable performances from Reef Upton, Thomas Newell and Arthur Aikin, and were suitably rewarded when Hurlow junior nutmegged the keeper to draw the sides level.
Ben Beatty was in fine form, denying the visitors from their ‘quick-break’ attacks, but chances for the home side were still the more plentiful. It was from one of these opportunities that Ollie Neal was able to give them a slender advantage, going into half time, with a well struck shot from open-play at the top of the D.
The second half saw the visitors’ continued frustration as the Millers midfield dominated proceedings. Hurlow junior pounced again, early on, with another shot through the keepers’ legs, to give the home side some breathing room. However, Deal had not given up hope and when a seemingly inconspicuous cross evaded the Millers defence, the visitors deflected the ball high into the net to give themselves hope of a comeback.
The Millers continued to play positively, and with the confidence born of having a forward of the calibre of Ollie Neal (renowned crusher of hope and killer of dreams), it wasn’t long before they scored the crucial fourth to seal the points. A man of the match performance from Reef Upton, in the middle of the park, sealed an impressive overall performance for the Upton family this week, as their share in the Millers line-up hit a heady 23%!
Another great team effort and thanks to both Phil and Lee for officiating.