Dukinfield Youth V Ladybridge

On a bright, clear sunny morning we travelled to Dukinfield Youth's ground for our first league fixture in a fortnight.  We had a full squad of 13 available and Dion and Caleb were on the bench for Ladybridge.  The pitch was in tremendous condition considering the recent weather and was a surface that encouraged good passing football throughout the game.  Dukinfield came out of the traps quickly and their No 11 looked very lively and dangerous in possession.  Ladybridge opened the scoring after 5mins when Jack whipped in a beautiful cross into the centre of the box that Josh met perfectly with his head to guide home past their keeper 1-0 to Ladybridge.

Jack almost doubled our lead a minute later when he hit the crossbar from 25 yards out.  Dukinfield's No 11 was to punish some slack defending when he placed a lovely shot from the left wing 20 yards out high and to the left of Conor to make it 1-1 after 8mins.

The opening 10mins was a real end to end battle and Ladybridge would re-take the lead when, after some good work down the flank, Nathan lifted a great cross into the box that Josh fired home to make it 2-1 to Ladybridge.

Our next goal came a couple of minutes later when Callum found Nathan who passed on to Jack in a central position mid-way into the Dukinfield's half and he threaded a lovely ball on to Ollie who slotted his left footed drive past the keeper to make it 3-1 to Ladybridge.

Dukinfield got the next goal when their impressive No 11 went past a couple of Ladybridge defenders before setting up the No 15 who shot past Conor to make it 3-2 on 20mins.

A corner from Jack on 25mins set up Ladybridge's fourth goal when his excellent delivery found Ben, whose header was parried out well by the Dukinfield keeper, but the ball fell to Bayley who shot low and hard to make it 4-2 to Ladybridge.

Nathan made another trademark run down the right into the area a minute before half time and he cut the ball back well to pick out Jack in space and from 10 yards he rarely misses and he stroked the ball home to make it 5-2 at half time.

The Dukinfield No 11 was unlucky not to open the scoring in the 2nd period when he again made a surging run forward past a couple of our defenders only to see his effort go marginally wide of the right hand post.  This however was to be the last real attempt on goal for Dukinfield as Ladybridge would go on to score seven unanswered goals in the next 30mins to run out as convincing winners on the day.  The first of these was a brilliant individual special from Jack who lifted a high looping effort over the keeper from 35 yards out to make it 6-2. 

Jack scored again minutes later from 30 yards out when Nathan picked him out well from the right and he smashed the ball home from 25 yards to make it 7-2.

A nice move down the left flank was started by Dion who squared the ball to Jack who found Liam free on the left hand side of the penalty area and he went past his marker before finding the back of the net with a well taken effort to make it 8-2 with 20mins to go.

Nathan and Jack combined well together exchanging passes before Jack fired home from 15 yards out to make it 9-2.

Liam sent a terrific cross into the box that Josh fired goal-wards only to find a defender pushing the ball out with his hand, which resulted in a penalty for Ladybridge.  Josh stepped up and placed the ball wide and low into the bottom right hand corner of the net 10-2 to Ladybridge.

Ollie started the move for our 11th goal after he found Dion flying down the left flank with a lovely pass and Dion picked out Josh in the box and he drove home well to make it 11-2.

Nathan deservedly got on the goal sheet with a minute to go when Jack found him in space and with just the keeper to beat he managed to slide the ball home well to make it 12-2 to Ladybridge.

Dukinfield played a lot better than the score-line suggests and they certainly matched us for long periods of the first half when their No 11 was at the centre of all their good work during that period.  Unfortunately in the 2nd period they came up against a determined and rampant Ladybridge who threatened to score every time they went forward.

After an enforced two week lay off, Ladybridge have bounced back well in this game after suffering two defeats in our last two league outings.  The lads played some wonderful passing football this morning and were clinical in finishing efforts particularly in the 2nd half as they romped to our biggest win of the season so far.  Well done lads on a tremendous victory.

The festive break is now upon us and our next scheduled fixture is away against Heyside Barca on the 6th Jan.

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Gordon

Goodbye to Neil & Simon

Neil informed us earlier last week that he would be stepping down from his role as coach for personal reasons and Simon, who assisted Neil throughout his tenure, has also decided to leave. Neil was pitchside this morning to support Taylor at his new team and to say a few goodbyes. Neil's and Simon's efforts, particulary last season when we won 3 cups and the league, are something that will live long in everyone's memory and will probably never be repeated and is a fitting legacy to Neil and Simon's dedication to the Ladybridge Pumas - Thanks guys for some fantastic memories and the best of luck to you both in the future. 

Wayne Hall-Paterson, our former manager, has taken over for the forseeable future and we all wish Wayne well for the rest of the season.

Gordon

Manchester Lads v Ladybridge

On a clear, crisp, freezing cold morning we travelled to Manchester Lads 3G home pitch at Our Lady's RC School for what would turn out to be a very tough league fixture.  Our squad has depleted by two players leaving us since our last match.  Tom due to his family relocating to South Africa and Taylor has joined Manchester Lads for personal reasons and lined up against us this morning.  Josh was missing through illness and an injured Ollie started on the bench for Ladybridge.  

The opening period of the game was quite scrappy with both teams struggling on a very slippery surface that made controlling the ball difficult.  Manchester opened the scoring after 5mins when a speculative shot by their No 9 from 30 yards out beat Conor's dive to the right to nestle in the net to make it 1-0 to Manchester.

Dion had a great opportunity to level the game up shortly after when Jack found him in a central position but he just skewed his shot wide of the target.  The next goal was scored from Manchester's second corner of the game when the No 8 in space and unchallenged was able to head the ball home to make it 2-0 Manchester on 15mins.

Callum was very unlucky not to double his goal tally for the season when he unleashed a great effort out wide on the left from 35 yards out that was saved really well by the Manchester keeper.  The next goal was a cruel one to take for Ladybridge when the Manchester No 17 hit a hopeful high punt from 40 yards out that dipped over Conor and into the back of the net.  Manchester 3-0.

Ladybridge did manage to get a goal back just before half time when the referee awarded a penalty after Jack had been fouled in the area.  Jack stepped up to take the kick and he lifted his shot high and wide into the left hand corner of the net to make it 3-1 at half time.

HT Manchester Lads 3-1 Ladybridge

Ladybridge started the 2nd half very well and were able to create a couple of good chances that Dion and Ollie were just unable to convert within minutes of the restart.  The Manchester No 9 also had a good effort just go wide of the left post after 40mins.  The Manchester keeper made a fantastic save from a bullet shot from Jack after the ball fell to him on the edge of the box.  It would be our former player Taylor that would open his account for Manchester mid way through the 2nd period when, after a slick passing move found him lurking 5 yards out, he made no mistake to slot past Conor to make it 4-1 to the home team.  Bayley was fouled 35 yards out on the right after 20mins and Jack stepped up to fire a shot goal-bound that their keeper did well to keep hold of.  Taylor doubled his tally with ten minutes remaining when their No 17 found him with a lovely ball into his feet and he again made no mistake from close range to make it 5-1 to Manchester.

Ladybridge did manage to pull a goal back with 5mins remaining when Bayley found Dion well down the right and he crossed the ball into Jack who fired an unstoppable drive past the keeper to bring an end to the scoring in the game to make the full time score 5-2 to Manchester Lads.

Manchester Lads will have enjoyed this comprehensive win this morning after losing two tight games earlier this season by the odd goal.  A yard sharper to the ball particularly in the first half, their performance throughout the 70mins meant they deserved to take the points.  Well done to the Manchester Lads on a good solid performance.

A difficult morning for Ladybridge, in a game that marks a new start for the team both on and off the pitch. Manchester started the game much better than we did and were a yard quicker to the ball certainly in the first half.  I felt we played much better in the 2nd period but we left ourselves with far too much to do to get anything out of the game. 

Hopefully the lads can re-group and focus on bouncing back with a win away next Sunday morning in a league fixture at Curzon Ashton.

Gordon

Ladybridge v De La Salle

On a bright sunny but cold afternoon we welcomed De La Salle to Tempest Road for our 6th league fixture of the season.  Tom, Ollie, Josh and Bayley started on the bench with Ladybridge back up to full strength this week.  Both teams were pretty tentative in the first 5 minutes with neither settling in a scrappy opening.  Jack livened proceedings up with a couple of decent efforts on 10mins but each of them just went wide.  The first goal of the game came after 15mins when some good pressure in the DLS penalty area by Ladybridge resulted in a weak clearance that fell to Jack 15 yards out and he was able to hit a ferocious drive low and left of the keeper to open the scoring 1-0 Ladybridge.

10mins later Ladybridge were to score again when a vicious drive by Jack from 35 yards out was parried away well by the DLS keeper but the loose ball fell to Taylor who guided the ball home to make it 2-0 to Ladybridge.  

It might have been three a couple of minutes later when Taylor crossed from the right hand side and Josh's header just went high and wide.  DLS nearly pulled a goal back with 5mins of the half remaining when their No 10 made a powerful run and unleashed a cracking drive that Conor did well to push past his post and out for a corner.  DLS were awarded a free kick on the edge of the box with a couple of minutes remaining in the half but their player scooped the ball over the crossbar.

Half Time Ladybridge 2-0 De La Salle.

I'm not sure what the DLS coach said to his players at half time but it was a completely different DLS team that turned up in the second period.  It was pressure from the off from the away side and they eventually got the goal that their pressure deserved 5mins into the half when their No 17 found the back of the net after the Ladybridge defence were not able to clear the ball properly from their penalty area 2-1 to Ladybridge.  

The No 8 for DLS was to put his team level with about ten minutes of the game remaining when a weak goal kick from Conor was collected well by him 30 yards out and he ran forward to guide the ball home from 15 yards to make it 2-2.

There would be chances for both teams to score their vital 3rd goal but unfortunately for the home team they were to be undone by a superb individual effort by their No 10 with 10mins of the game remaining.  He collected the ball on the right hand side of the pitch just inside his half and he made an unopposed run to the edge of the Ladybridge area and unleashed a shot come cross that climbed over Conor's head to find the top right hand corner of the net to make it 3-2 to De La Salle.

Taylor had a chance with a minute left on the clock when clean through on goal but the DLS keeper made a tremendous stop to deny him.

Full Time: Ladybridge 2-3 De La Salle.

The expression "a game of two halves" summed this game up perfectly today.  De La Salle went into the break a couple of goals down that could quite easily have been 3 or 4.  However in the 2nd half they out fought the home team and battled back to turn the match on its head to claim a deserved victory with 3 unanswered 2nd half goals.  Well done DLS on a good win and the best of luck to you and your support for the rest of the season.

Today we experienced a tough defeat that will test the collective resolve of the players, coaches and support going forward.  We have bounced back well after defeats earlier in the season and it will be interesting to see how the lads react in our next game away in the 3rd round of the Challenge Cup against Boundary Park next Sunday. 

Prestwich Town v Ladybridge

After an enforced week off due to inclement weather it was good to get the lads back to league business for an away fixture at high flying Prestwich Town. A crisp, bright chilly morning greeted both teams as they lined up on the pitch for a minutes silence at the start of the game to mark Remembrance Sunday. Taylor and Josh were missing for Ladybridge. Bayley and Tom started on the bench. Prestwich started the game quickly and the pacy and tricky No 9 was having success down the left early and after 5 mins he made a strong powerful and direct 30 yard run into the left hand side of the area before angling a cross into the path of their No 11 who slotted home from 5 yards to make it 1-0 to Prestwich. 

Ladybridge struck back after this early setback within two minutes when an accurate pass forward by Ben in central midfield found Jack on the right hand side of the area. He managed to get the ball back on his preferred left foot before smashing a low shot wide and to the right of the goalkeeper to make it 

1-1. 

Jack would trouble Prestwich throughout this game and he came close to scoring twice with an effort just over the bar from the edge of the box and a well saved effort by the keeper from 20 yards in the next 10 mins of the game. On 25 minutes Ladybridge would go ahead for the first time when a good passage of passing football involving all our midfielders found Nathan on the edge of the box and his first time strike flew past the keeper to hit the back of the net to make it 2-1 to Ladybridge. 

The No 9 for Prestwich won his team a free kick in a dangerous position 30 yards out but the No 8's shot on goal was saved well by Conor with around 5 mins of the half remaining. A late corner from Jack in the last minute caused panic in the Prestwich defence before they managed to clear the danger.

Half Time: Prestwich Town 1 - 2 Ladybridge.

Prestwich switched their 1st half goalkeeper to play as a second striker at half time in an interesting tactical move but the 2nd half was to be all about Ladybridge as we put in our most impressive 2nd half performance of the season so far by scoring 5 unanswered goals in the next 35 minutes of play. The first goal came courtesy of some real battling work by Tom in the box to win the ball and setup Jack from 5 yards out and he finished well to make it 3-1 to Ladybridge. Tom would make it 4 to Ladybridge on 50 mins when Liam floated a great cross into the area from the left hand side that flicked off a Prestwich defender into the path of Tom who drove the ball high into the net to make it 4-1 Ladybridge. 

A couple of minutes later Matt from well inside his own half played a 40 yard pass up field to Jack who promptly moved past a couple of defenders before slamming home his hatrick goal to make his Dad 5 quid poorer and put Ladybridge 5-1 up. 

A lovely passing move involving all our midfielders saw Bayley deliver a chipped in cross to find Jack in space in the box and he made no mistake to hammer home for his fourth and Ladybridge's sixth. 

Prestwich's most dangerous move of the half came when the No 17 made a good run down the left and found the No 8 whose shot from 25 yards was saved comfortably by Conor with a couple of minutes of the game remaining. The final goal started with Tom finding Nathan down the right wing and he beat his man well to square the ball into Jack stalking the penalty area who finished with aplomb to cap off a wonderful individual goalscoring performance to make the final score 7-1 to Ladybridge.

Prestwich were much better than this scoreline suggests but they met a determined Ladybridge squad of players that only allowed them the one goal this morning. Their No 9 was a constant thorn in the side of our defence for long periods today and all the Prestwich players played with a good attitude and commitment throughout the 70 mins.

Ladybridge secured a fine win against a team that had only been defeated once in the league this season. Jack put in a fantastic goal scoring effort today and was backed up superbly well by a smaller squad of 12 outfield players who all played their part in different ways this morning. Well done Lads.

Our next match is a home game against De La Salle next Sunday afternoon.

Manchester Lads v Ladybridge Pumas (Challenge Cup 2nd Round)

On an overcast, damp and drizzly morning we arrived at Manchester Lads ground at Our Lady's RC High School for the 2nd round of the Tameside Challenge Cup. Subs today were Liam, Bayley, Tom and Nathan. This game was always going to be a tight affair after a close game in the league last week when Ladybridge hung on to win by the odd goal to take the points.  Manchester started the game brightly and after a minute they forced a decent effort into the side netting after some good work down the left flank.  This early warning was not heeded by the Ladybridge defence as a throw in from the left in line with our penalty area was passed across to the right edge of the box and their No 16, in space, powered an excellent shot low and to the right past Conor to make it 1-0 to Manchester.  However, Ladybridge bounced back immediately from this setback in the best possible way two minutes later with an equalizer.  Dion on the left found Jack with a nicely weighted pass in the center of the pitch and from 25 yards out he unleashed a real piledriver towards goal that was parried away well by the keeper but Taylor snaffled up the loose ball and fired home from 5 yards out to make it 1-1.

Five minutes later the Manchester No 11 fired a decent shot in on target from 15 yards out and Conor dived well to his left to steer the ball wide of his right hand post to keep the score level.  The next twenty minutes would see both teams enjoy equal amounts of possession and territory but both keepers did well during this period keeping out efforts from both sides well.  The first corner of the half came on 25mins for Manchester and the No 2 was first to the chipped in cross but Conor met his header well to make a good save.  Ladybridge would go into the half a goal to the good though when Tom, after losing the ball, wrestled it back off the Manchester player in midfield before playing a 35 yard cross-field ball up to Taylor who took the ball in his stride before shooting across the diving keeper to find the back of the net to make it 2-1 to Ladybridge going into half time.

The first 15mins of the 2nd half saw both teams being frustrated by an inability to keep the ball for long periods before giving it up to the opposition.  The first significant chance of the half fell to Ladybridge when Jack and Taylor passed the ball well to each other before Jack took a shot that the keeper saved well on about 20mins.  The Manchester No 7 was to break free 5mins later and was tackled superbly by Sam just before he was about to pull the trigger 20 yards out.  Manchester were to go close to leveling things up on 30mins when they were awarded a free kick 25 yards out which their No 17 took and tested Conor who was able to push the ball out of the danger area before being cleared well by the Ladybridge defence.  Three corners in the last 5mins for Manchester saw the Ladybridge defence tested to the max but they were not to be breeched before the full time whistle to ensure a goalless half and a victory for the away team 2-1.

Manchester looked very comfortable in their home surroundings this morning and surprised us by taking a very early lead.  Manchester always looked dangerous from set pieces and in the last ten minutes of the game threw everything forward trying to find the equalizer.  Two games in quick succession and only defeated by the odd goal, Manchester have given us a couple of real tests at home and away.  Unfortunately Manchester's usual goalkeeper was missing from their team this morning nursing a broken thumb.  The stand in (a center forward by all accounts) did an excellent job throughout the game for his team and certainly didn't look out of place between the sticks - well done!

Ladybridge have managed a couple of really encouraging close wins against a good Manchester team after setbacks against Hough End and Bamber Bridge in the previous two games.  Conor handled really well this morning in tricky damp conditions and his defence, marshalled well by our Captain Sam, managed to hold on well after coming under constant pressure in the last ten minutes of the game. All the players got valuable game time in this morning as we look forward to a couple of tricky looking away league fixtures against Glossop and Prestwich in the early weeks of November.

Gordon