Sunday 6th December The Hurricanes took on Walton
It was great to be back with the lads playing football. Neither team really had a chance to get back into the swing of things after the month long lockdown.
Finch had a full team turn out so had plenty of fresh legs to go at Walton. And Finch were quick out of the blocks, putting the pressure on high up the pitch. Luke beat his defender and whipped in the ball a couple of times early on, but FInch couldn’t get on the end of it. The early pressing gradually dropped off, giving Walton more time to get into the game.
Walton won a corner and caught the Hurricanes of guard still organising, their short corner was crossed to the back post and bundled in. And Walton scored again a few minutes later with another corner played into the near post for a perfect flick….best goal from a corner I’ve seen in the season so far.
But Finch weren’t beaten and to their credit kept battling for the next goal to get back into the game. There was a possible penalty for handball in Walton’s box that wasn’t given. But Finch couldn’t create a clear opportunity in spite of their hard work. And they weren’t as sharp on their possession play as we have seen before the lockdown, making it difficult for themselves at times.
Walton scored again when Finch didn’t clear the ball after it had pin-balled around the box from another corner. Walton were first to react to the lose ball to go 3-0 up.
Second half saw a much improved press from the Hurricanes with more pace, determination and anticipation, hassling Walton into mistakes. Walton with numbers behind the ball made it difficult for Finch to break through on goal. Cam delivered a perfect free kick to the back post, Walton managing to deflect away to avert a certain FInch goal.
In spite of the Finch pressure, Walton managed to break away from the edge of their box, a solo run gave them a chance to extend their lead with a clinical finish.
Most teams would have just given up at this point, but not the Hurricanes. They kept going at Walton’s defence. Joe pushed Harrington up top to apply even more pressure….Harrington’s first shot was blocked. Cam put in another pin-point free kick which was scrambled away by Walton. Harrington and Nathan both had their shots blocked. And Jake pulled out a great 1-on-1 save when Walton managed to break again.
Finch were still chasing a goal right up to the final whistle. Lewis C whipping the ball in to Jacob who couldn’t direct the ball on target. Quick feet from Cam and Jacob wasn’t enough to weave through the crowded box. Final score 4-0.
