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

Ladybridge Pumas v Manchester Lads

It was back to league business for the lads this afternoon on a bright and unseasonably warm afternoon at Tempest Road.  Tom, Bayley, Nathan and Liam started the game on the bench.  Ladybridge started well and nearly took the lead in the first couple of minutes when Taylor latched on to a long clearance from Conor and was unlucky to see his chipped shot just go over the bar.  Manchester had a good opportunity on 5mins when their attacker was released forward well and his shot from 20 yards out sailed wide of the left hand post.  Ollie broke forward on the left hand side and found Taylor on the edge of the box and his cross was met well by Josh who just miss-hit his effort to go wide of the right hand post after 10mins.  Manchester were presented with a good chance to open the scoring when a weak goal kick by Conor could only find a Manchester forward 30 yards out from goal and after a short run forward he unleashed a shot that just went wide.  Ladybridge would open the scoring when a long clearance from Conor was back headed on by Jack into Taylor’s path and he ran through into the box before passing the ball past the keeper to make it 1-0 to Ladybridge.

Dion made an excellent run down the right after 15mins and found Taylor in space and he in turn passed on to Jack who uncharacteristically shot wide with the goal at his mercy.  Ladybridge scored their 2nd goal on 25mins when a good ball out of defence by Caleb found Josh in center field and he passed on to Jack who had a pop from 30 yards out and his shot was deflected in past the keeper by Taylor to make it 2-0 to Ladybridge.

Manchester nearly pulled a goal back from their 3rd corner of the game when a headed effort just went over the bar with 10mins left in the half.  Taylor would score two more goals before the break and the first of these was set up by a defence-splitting ball from Jack that Taylor again ran on to and showed good strength to beat the defender and push his shot wide of the keeper to make it 3-0.

A minute later Ben provided the pass that Taylor again was to take well in his stride before slotting home to take Ladybridge into the break 4-0 up.

Half Time Ladybridge 4-0 Manchester Lads.

Manchester started the 2nd half really well and managed to get a quick goal back when after some good pressure the ball found its way out to the right flank and the Manchester forward moved past a couple of our defenders before placing a good shot wide of Conor to make it 4-1.

Five minutes later Manchester scored again when a chipped ball forward from midfield into the box was seized upon by a Manchester player who fired home low and left to make it 4-2.  Ladybridge were certainly on the back foot throughout the 2nd period and it was no surprise to see Manchester score a third goal with ten minutes to go when a defence-splitting pass from midfield found a Manchester player on the edge of the box and he evaded a couple of challenges well before finding the net to make it 4-3.

The last ten minutes of the game had a real ebb and flow about it as Manchester searched for the equalizer and Ladybridge for a goal to put the game safe.  Fortunately for the home team our defence was able to see off the constant Manchester pressure in the final minutes to secure a morale-boosting win 4-3.

Full Time Ladybridge 4-3 Manchester Lads

It really was a game of two halves and Manchester came back superbly in the 2nd period and nearly turned the game around after a first half which saw them concede four goals.  Manchester showed real character and pushed us hard until the final whistle and contributed greatly to a very entertaining game.

Ladybridge, after suffering back to back defeats managed to secure a nail biting victory after nearly squandering a four goal cushion built up well with some excellent play in the first half.  Hopefully we'll not dwell too long on our 2nd half performance, which left a little bit to be desired from a defensive point of view.  It’s been a tough couple of weeks for the lads but hopefully today’s victory can see them go on a decent run in the next few weeks to rebuild their belief and confidence going forward, especially as we meet Manchester Lads again next week in the Tameside Challenge Cup

Gordon

Bamber Bridge Blues v Ladybridge Pumas (3rd Round Lancs Youth Cup)

This afternoon we travelled away to the impressive 3G pitch and facilities at Brownedge School to take on Bamber Bridge Blues in the 3rd round of the Lancs Youth Cup. We had a full squad available for the game and Josh, Bayley, Caleb and Dion started on the bench for Ladybridge.  The first ten minutes of the game would be Ladybridge's best period of the whole game when we would dominate possession and territory.  However this was to be as good as it got for the away team as Bamber Bridge would dominate the remaining hour of the game and ultimately dispatch us out of the Cup that we had previously enjoyed an unbeaten run stretching back over two seasons.  James A, our former player, made a fantastic run past a couple of challenges on 15mins only for Conor to save well from his shot on goal.  The first goal of the game came mid way through the half when Conor conceded a penalty after bringing down a Bamber Bridge player in the box and up stepped the No 8 who powerfully converted to make it 1-0 to Bamber Bridge.  

We would come close to an equaliser 5mins later when Taylor headed wide from a Jack corner.  It was to be a corner that undid us again with a couple minutes of the half remaining when the Bamber Bridge No 15 steered a lovely header into the bottom right hand corner to make it 2-0 just before the half time whistle.

HT Bamber Bridge 2-0 Ladybridge

Bamber Bridge came out of the blocks quickly after the break when a defensive error gave the ball to their No 15 who picked up James Y (another former player) on the left but he just lifted his shot over the bar.  It looked like Bamber Bridge were quite content to sit on the lead for long periods during the 2nd half and to try and break quickly down the flanks.  Ladybridge were unable to break with any real purpose throughout the 2nd half and were to be frustrated by some very competent possession play by Bamber Bridge to protect their lead.  In fact I cannot remember us troubling their goalkeeper too much throughout the half.  The last ten minutes of the game saw Bamber Bridge play some very attractive passing football with some nice touches.  The last goal of the game came after a sequence of fine passes found James Y in space on the left with 5mins of the game remaining and he finished clinically to end the scoring in the game to make it 3-0 to Bamber Bridge.

This afternoon we were well beaten by a better team on the day.  They looked a yard sharper than us all over the pitch and apart from the first ten minutes of the game there only looked to be one team that would prevail and progress to the next round. Bamber Bridge look well schooled on the 3G pitch and I'm sure they'll progress well into the latter stages of the Lancs Cup and good luck to them and their supporters for the rest of the season.

Two defeats in two games isn't something I've had to report on for quite a while and although losing to a last minute goal last week could be put down to a bit of bad luck the same couldn't be said today.  Outplayed and outpassed for the majority of the game is tough to watch and I'm sure even tougher to play in.  However I hope that nobody gets too down on themselves, as losing and learning as a team will make us a stronger unit going forward. Our lads will need our support more than ever next week when we hope to bounce back positively in the league when we meet Manchester Lads.

A final word on the ref, who controlled and managed the game on and off the pitch very fairly and effectively throughout the 70mins, in a game that required a strong official I thought the young man put in an exemplary performance - well done!

Gordon

Hough End Griffins v Ladybridge

On a clear, bright and sunny afternoon we travelled to Hough End playing fields to take on an unbeaten Griffins side in our third league fixture of the season.  Caleb was missing through injury and Bayley missed out due to a Family commitment.  Dion and Josh started on the bench.  The opening minutes of the game saw both teams probe forward without testing either keeper.  Ladybridge’s first chance of the game came after Callum passed forward to Jack on the edge of the Griffins box and he turned the defender well and drove the ball towards the goal which the Griffins keeper did well to hold on to. Both teams were finding it hard to maintain possession in the early stages of the half as both defences were managing their respective offensive units very effectively.  The Griffins No 9 looked very threatening with pace to burn up front and he would be a constant thorn in the Ladybridge’s side throughout the game.  On 20mins Ladybridge were unlucky not to open the scoring when Liam battled well down the left flank and managed to find Jack well with a pinpoint pass and Jack’s thunderbolt of a shot from the left 20 yards out ricochet wildly off the left hand post and out for a goal kick.  Ladybridge sustained some good pressure in the next 10mins of play forcing 3 corners over a short period of time which were all dealt with well by the Griffins defence.  Both teams were trying their best to get that all important first goal before half time but neither side were able to find the back of the net and at halftime it remained goal-less.

Half Time 0-0

Both teams had early chances after the break with the Griffins No 18 coming close with a shot/cross effort that found the side netting after a minute of the restart.  Ladybridge were then to go close themselves shortly after when a lovely 1-2 between Nathan and Josh saw Nathans shot saved well by the Griffins keeper.  Ladybridge forced the first corner of the half on 5mins and Jack's chipped in ball found Ben whose header just went over the bar. Griffins then had a good opportunity when their No 9 was released with a long ball forward and only a last ditch challenge by Sam denied him the shot on the edge of the box.  The No 9 should have opened the scoring 5mins later when he latched on to a nice through ball and after a good 30yard run dragged his shot wide of Conor's right hand post. Griffins would rue this miss when mid way through the half Josh battled well to find Jack on the edge of the box and his shot was parried well by the keeper but the loose ball was blasted into the heart of the goal by Josh to make it 1-0 to Ladybridge.

Unfortunately for Ladybridge they would only enjoy the lead for a short period of time when the Griffins hoisted another dangerous ball forward that found the No 9 in space and his pace this time beat the Ladybridge defence all ends up and he placed the ball wide and right of Conor's despairing dive to make it 1-1.

Ladybridge had a couple of attempts to take the lead in the crucial last 5mins of the game and were denied the first by a goal-line headed clearance from a Liam effort from 15 yards out.  The last opportunity fell to Jack 25 yards out and his screamer of a shot was saved brilliantly by the Griffins No 1. Ladybridge however would rue both these missed opportunities when the Griffins No 9 was again set free down the left and with only Conor to beat his shot was deflected wide and out for what would turn out to be the last crucial corner of the game.  The corner was chipped into the middle of Ladybridge's penalty area and the No 19 was first to the ball and he headed home with seconds to go to make it 2-1 to Hough End Griffins.

Full Time Hough End Griffins 2-1 Ladybridge

Ladybridge knew that that today’s game would be a tough test and so it proved.  Hough End ended our unbeaten start to the season with a last gasp effort that denied us a point I feel we probably deserved.  The No 9 for Griffins was a constant threat and better finishing by him could have given him a hatrick on another day.  Their keeper was also instrumental in keeping us out with some smart stops throughout the game.  Well done Griffins, your clinical finishing with the last header of the game gave you a hard fought victory this afternoon and the all important 3 points.

This was a tough defeat to swallow after all the hard work that the lads put in for 69 minutes this afternoon.  I felt the draw would have been a fair result but we've been undone at the death with the last move of the game to go down 2-1 to a good Griffins team.

Next Sunday we have a massive task and opportunity to bounce back positively from this defeat when we lock horns in the Lancashire Youth Cup 3rd round with some old friends of ours from our Central Lancs League days in the shape of Bamber Bridge Blues, I'm sure it'll be a cracker!!!

Gordon