Tonbridge Invicta Under 16's v TD Sports

BY THE SKIN OF OUR TEETH

TD SPORTS 3 TONBRIDGE INVICTA 4

23.02.03

A great second half rally saw us finally impose our quality on this double header encounter. However, before that we looked like we had handed TS Sports the points with more than a little help from the referee!

Unbelievably, seemingly learning nothing from the first game, we once again conceded an early goal. A lack of concentration allowed a player to be unmarked as a ball was played hopefully over the top of our defence and he ran on to the ball and scored. In honesty the goal had been coming. TD had certainly come out for this game well fired up and they soon had us under pressure.

Luckily their lead was not to last long. Sloppy defending allowed Daniel Powell to get in one on one with the goalkeeper and he made no mistake to equalise.

Minutes later disaster struck. TD Sports were awarded a penalty when it was clearly a foul on our player. This was most frustrating for our side who felt they had earned the right to be on level terms. The penalty was converted and things went from bad to worse when we let in a third from a corner a few minutes later. We must continue to work on defending corners. This was another sloppy goal to concede. That's how it remained until half time. 3-1 to them.

We had an uphill task in front of us for the second period. Cue the re-emergence of our class! Not a moment too late we started to pass the ball around with far more incision and purpose. Suddenly we began to create openings and with 10 minutes of the half gone Daniel Powell got on the end of a good move to finish well and make it 3-2.

In no time at all it was 3-3. Another fine goal from Daniel Powell, completing his hat-trick, got us right back in the game. Now we began to buzz! We applied still more pressure. A free kick on the right hand side was floated to the back post by Daniel Howse. Andrew Jarrett met the ball with a superbly timed header that went back across the goalkeeper and into the top right hand corner of the TD net to give us the lead for the first time.

TD fought bravely to get back into the game but we stood firm at last and could have added to our tally late on. We had given ourselves a mountain to climb, but climb it we did.

Four valuable points in total in this double header, even if it was a close run thing. Well played lads but stop giving the spectators heart failure!