Men's 3rd XI vs K-Sports Cobdown 3 Development

Off the back of 4 wins on the trot, Ville were timidly confident of a win against mid-table outfit K Sports Cobdown. As the 16-strong side headed onto the sand pitch, we began our pre-match preparations against a noticeably smaller Cobdown side. Just before pushback, Aron pulled us in for a quick team talk, calling for more of the same continuity that had flowed freely in our previous fixtures.

As we lined up against our opposition, we were straight out of the blocks, with plenty of neat runs both up the wings and through the middle, pressuring Cobdown from the get-go. A mere 15 minutes in, after some exceptional saves from their keeper, Ollie broke the deadlock, and we were 1-0 up. After more fabulous link-up play, and with some fresh legs on the pitch, Macer managed to square another away after a great pass from Kit just after the 20-minute mark, and Ville were cruising, now 2 goals to nil. Defensively, the invulnerable trio of Andy, Ed and Jude remained stern as ever and led to some great play up the wings and through to the midfield. Despite Cobdown’s lacklustre attack, Martin remained solid when the odd shot managed to weave through. Up the wings, Noah and Kit relentlessly carried the ball into their final quarter, with Elliot in the midfield regularly getting involved, his flair evident.

At the break, we gathered in the goal, and discussed our great performance – keep up the good work and remain focussed were the key messages to take away. Aron was relentless at the goal, pinging in plenty of shots, but ultimately it was Asa who got the third goal, managing to decisively slot one home at the 40th minute. With the win all but secured, Ville continued to keep the tempo high, with the vast majority of our more experienced players on the sideline. It was not long until our 4th goal was slotted home, courtesy of Archie and some fabulous link-up play from Aron.

In the later stages of the game, Cobdown managed to up the ante a little, securing a penalty short after some intense action in the D. Despite the defence’s effective work to clear the ball, the umpire signalled for a second short, which was duly cleared again. Ville managed to subsequently secure a short for ourselves, however it proved unfruitful. Soon after, the final whistle was blown, and the match ended 4-0, with yet another clean sheet secured! On to next week’s local derby up at Herne Bay!