Hough End Griffins V Ladybridge

On a miserable wet evening in Chorlton the lads turned out on a very difficult, sticky surface to take on Hough End Griffins.  Tom, Matty and James Y were on the bench.  Right from kick off it was clear that Hough End were very much up for it this evening and a combination of weak defence and very pacy attack would put Ladybridge under immense pressure throughout the first quarter of the game when we found ourselves down by two goals before the lads could get a foothold in the game.  Both goals were very similar in build up when quick balls forward split our defence wide open to see the Hough End pacy front men burst through and convert on both occasions.  2-0 Hough End.

Our first opportunity to get one back was after some good work from Cole down the flank and his pass found James who in turn skipped past a couple of defenders only to see his shot go agonisingly wide.  Dion also had an effort when our first corner was cleared out to him on the edge of the box but his shot went high over the bar.  The Hough End No 9 was making a real nuisance of himself and he could and maybe should have had a couple of goals before half time but each of these efforts just missed the mark.  Caleb almost pulled a goal back on the stroke of half time when a long range effort from him was dealt with very well by the Hough End keeper.

HT 2-0 Hough End

The 2nd half would be far more even and Ladybridge certainly showed a lot more spirit and drive than they did in the first half.  Unfortunately we would concede another two goals before we could finally get on the scoresheet ourselves.  The first goal came from a free kick 25 yards out that the Hough End No 10 lifted high above Conor to dip under his bar. 3-0 Hough End.

Their fourth goal came from a corner when the Ladybridge defence failed to clear the ball and the Hough End No 14 reacted quickest to fire home. 4-0 Hough End.

Ladybridge finally got the goal that their effort in the 2nd half deserved when Ben battled well for the ball in the Hough End area and he squared the ball to James who smashed home to make it 4-1 Hough End.

Towards the end of the game we had two good opportunities to make it a tense finish but alas it wasn't to be when the Hough End keeper saved a piledriver from James Y, who then made a lung bursting run down the right and his cross from found James free in the box but the keeper again denied us with a cracking stop.

Full Time Hough End Griffins 4-1

Hough End deserved the three points this evening and eye-catching performances by their No 9 up front and the No 16 at the back and good solid commitment by their whole squad, saw them beat us fair and square. Well done to all at Hough End Griffins.

Well we were outplayed in the first half but I, along with all our support and coaches, will have witnessed the real Ladybridge turn up in the 2nd.  Their keeper and defensive unit had a lot of work to keep us out in that half and I thought the effort and the never say die attitude was there for us all to see, which bodes well for the Cup Final on Sunday.  Defeat is always tough to take but so long as we all stick together as a squad and learn lessons from it I'm sure we can turn a negative into a positive come Sunday and more importantly for the rest of a season that could produce a lot more silverware

Gordon

Ladybridge V Moston

On a pleasant bright sunny evening we welcomed Moston to Ladybridge Lane for our second game against them in three days. Our visitors made a quick start and forced an early corner that Ladybridge cleared well.  Taylor made a darting run forward and was unfortunate just to shoot wide after about 5mins.  Cole would open the scoring with a superb individual effort after James’ pass found him in space on the left.  Cole advanced on goal at pace and dispatched an unstoppable drive past the keeper to make it 1-0 Ladybridge.

Moston almost scored from the restart when their tricky No 11 burst through but Sam made an excellent last ditch challenge to deny the striker a goal scoring opportunity. Moston enjoyed some good possession in the final ten minutes of the half and only solid defensive work by Sam, Caleb, Cal and particularly Matty were they able to repel the Moston offensive line.  Dion was working extremely hard down the right flank and after one of his trademark runs, his cross was just nodded over the bar by Taylor.

Half Time Ladybridge 1-0 Moston

Moston's No 11 was their main threat and after a couple of minutes he came close to setting up his strike partner when he cleverly found him but Conor reacted well to save his shot low and to the right of him.  Ladybridge withstood the early Moston pressure and we were able to double the advantage when James Y's smart ball to the right found Dion in space and he surged forward like a gazelle and he unleashed a superb effort that beat the keeper all ends up to make it Ladybridge 2-0. 

Moston were being restricted to long-range efforts in the middle section of the half as the Ladybridge defence frustrated our opposition with some determined tackling.  Caleb produced a quality cross that found James in the box but his effort went a whisker wide.  Our third goal came from a smart pass out to the left that dropped to Ollie and his sneaky chipped cross/shot looped over the Moston keeper to make it 3-0 Ladybridge. 

Matt almost topped off a superb performance with a goal when Dion's corner came out to him on the edge of the box but his shot just went narrowly wide.  Our final goal of the game came from a quick throw in from Taylor that found James A unmarked in the box and although the keeper saved well from his initial shot the rebound only found James who made no mistake and slotted home to make it Ladybridge 4-0.

Full Time Ladybridge 4-0 Moston

Moston started well this evening and were very determined to try and get something out of this game.  Unfortunately for them they found a defensive four and goalkeeper that were determined to keep them out.  Moston are a decent side who certainly gave us plenty of problems over the two games.

Ladybridge were tested this evening and once again they managed to secure an excellent 3 points against a tough and determined opposition.  This league has real strength and depth to it and I'm sure we'll have to be on our toes again on Thursday evening when we meet Hough End Griffins.

Gordon

Ladybridge v Moston (Semi-Final League Cup)

Due to a waterlogged pitch at our home pitch this fixture was played at our old pitch at Ladybridge Lane on an overcast and cloudy afternoon.  Our subs were Josh, Tom and James Y.  Ladybridge were unfortunate not to take an immediate lead against our opponents when a direct shot high and wide of the keeper from Cole 25 yards out from the left hand touchline was disallowed for offside.  Ladybridge certainly started the game well and built momentum well and Dion was unfortunate to shoot just wide after being found by a clever flicked pass by James.  Moston's first foray forward saw an excellent cross into the box by their No 5 but Caleb managed to get in front of the Moston attacker and cleared the ball well.  The first goal was to be Ladybridge's when a throw-in into the box was flicked on by Ben and the ball appeared to be passed into the net by a Moston defender.  Ladybridge 1-0.

Moston almost equalized from the restart when their No 11 broke through the heart of the Ladybridge defence but with just the keeper to beat his angled shot was collected well by Conor to his left.  Dion created Ladybridge's next effort when he ran well down the right and found Ben in an advanced position but the keeper did well to block his attempt.  The game was flowing from end to end and Moston again came close when their No 9 unleashed a good shot from 30 yards out that just went wide of Conor's right hand post.  The final goal of the half came from a corner delivered well into the box by Dion and Ben placed his header well to score and make it Ladybridge 2-0.

Half Time 2-0 Ladybridge.

Ladybridge again started brightly and a Cole free kick into the area in the first couple of minutes of the half found Dion whose first time effort just went wide of the right hand post.  The next 15 minutes of the game however, saw Moston revert to a more direct style of play and they pumped a succession of long balls forward and this gave our defensive quartet plenty of work to clear these balls away from danger.  The Moston No 7 had a good chance just go wide from a free kick from 25 yards but their pressure eventually bore fruit when their No 9 made the most of a bouncing ball in the area to pull one back for his team and make it 2-1 Ladybridge.

This goal however seemed to have a galvanising effect on Ladybridge because the next ten minutes of play were to be dominated by the home team and efforts from Cole and Taylor were dealt with very effectively by the Moston keeper.  The next goal would be crucial for whichever team got it and the home team would benefit when a long clearance from the Ladybridge defence found Cole free on the left and after some good interplay with Taylor, Cole received the ball back in the box and he beat the keeper well to make it Ladybridge 3-1.

Full Time Ladybridge 3-1 Moston.

Moston fought hard today and for short periods in both halves their direct play kept our defence busy. I'm sure they'll be keen to try and reverse this result on Tuesday night when we face them again in the league.

Moston provided a tough test today and gave us an idea of what to expect on Tuesday evening.  A very solid performance was put in by the usual defensive quartet but the midfield also had to front up well against a determined opposition.  Well done on a great Semi-Final win - you deserved it!

Ladybridge have now reached the final in each of the three cups we've entered this season, which is a fabulous achievement.  With the Lancashire Youth Cup already secured we now have a great chance to add more silverware in the Challenge Cup Final at Ashton FC on Sunday morning against Walshaw Sports. Good Luck lads!

Gordon

Ladybridge v Heyside

Unfortunately the match reporter was unable to attend the match this evening due to other commitments. However its fair to say from reports received from parents that did attend that this was a close match. Ladybridge took a 1-0 lead into half time before completing a 3-0 victory at full time.

A tough looking League Cup Semi-Final against Moston at home on Sunday afternoon is next on the agenda for the lads.

Avro v Ladybridge

On a cold, dank and cloudy evening we visited the Lancaster Club in Failsworth to take on the current league leaders Avro.  Cole, Cal and Dion started on the bench.  The first couple of minutes of the game gave us a taste of what was to come with both teams enjoying good passages of play and lively movement up front.  The first goal was scored by the home team, when from their first corner a scrappy clearance fell to the No 9 whose tame shot was parried into his own net by Conor to make it 1-0 Avro.

Ladybridge took this early set back in their stride and a good sharp move involving some good work by Ollie down the right released Taylor forward and his shot on goal was saved well by the Avro keeper.  The first 15 minutes of the game literally flew by and some sloppy defensive play from Ladybridge saw their No 9 angle his shot towards the right hand corner of the net but Conor made a diving save to push it out past his right hand post for a corner.  Ladybridge were awarded a free kick after James A was upended 35 yards out from the Avro goal.  James Y stepped up and his effort just drifted over the bar.  Ladybridge's equalizer came from their next free kick that was conceded after a foul on Taylor.  Ollie stepped up to take this from 30 yards out and his rasping effort found the top right hand corner of the net to make it 1-1.

Unfortunately for Ladybridge we wouldn't be on level terms for long after Avro forced a corner a couple minutes after our goal. The corner was swung well into our box but the clearance out only found the Avro No 9 in space and he had time to pick out the top left hand corner of Conor's net with a neat shot to make it 2-1 Avro.

The final goal action of the half came after some determined forward play out on the right wing by James Y whose speculative cross/shot beat the Avro keeper to make it 2-2.

Half Time 2-2.

Avro were quick out of the traps as the 2nd half began when a firm free kick taken in their half was not cleared by the Ladybridge defence and the loose ball found the Avro striker in space but he saw his effort only just go wide.  Ladybridge were to take the lead in this game for the first time when James Y's throw in was flicked into the box where the Avro keeper seemed to fumble the ball and Taylor was first on to the loose ball and he tapped home to make it 3-2 Ladybridge.

Avro always looked dangerous from set pieces and after another corner was not cleared well enough by the Ladybridge defence an Avro player chipped the ball back into the box and the forward was able to head home well to make it 3-3. 

The game really was end to end for the next ten minutes with both teams really battling well to try and get the advantage. Ladybridge would take the lead again when Conor's long clearance was headed on by a Ladybridge midfielder which found Cole in space and his quick pass out to Taylor saw a superb angled solid shot beat the Avro keeper to make it 4-3 Ladybridge.

Once again Ladybridge were unable to keep the lead for long when good pressure from Avro forced an uncharacteristic mistake from Sam when he fouled the Avro forward in the box to give away a penalty.  Conor has a good record of saving penalties just recently but the Avro player slammed his effort home well to make it 4-4.

Ladybridge in the last ten minutes started to get the ball into good forward positions and efforts from both Cole and Taylor almost resulted in goals before the Avro No 9 fouled Cole in the box - penalty Ladybridge.  Cole's trusty left peg did the damage as his shot nestled in the bottom left hand corner to make it 5-4 Ladybridge.   

Avro had the ball in the back of the net shortly after but the forward was adjudged offside.  The last goal of the game though came after a lovely run by Dion down the right who passed the ball on to Taylor and he crossed the ball out to the left were Cole crashed home to put the game to bed to make it 6-4 Ladybridge.

Full Time Avro 4-6 Ladybridge.

Avro must feel a bit disappointed after the game this evening as it swung in their favour and back to us on numerous occasions during the 70 minutes. Avro break very quickly and all their players have good ability on the ball and they caused us plenty of problems throughout the game.

All the squad had their parts to play this evening and as a collective they rarely know when they are beaten in a game.  They battled back to parity on half time and I felt we deserved to win the game overall when their 2nd half performance was far more clinical than our hosts, particularly in front of goal. With five minutes to go, Avro’s No 5 went down with what looked like a bad ankle injury and was carried off.  Ladybridge wish him a speedy recovery.

Well the games keep coming thick and fast and tomorrow evening, weather permitting, we face Heyside at home in another league fixture.

Gordon