Hucknall Sports U16's 1 Pegasus 1

Saturday 10th April 2004

Sports secured a place in the slightly more prestigious President's Cup with a fine result at home to one of Division Two's heavyweights.

At the beginning of the game, I am sure if anyone had offered caretaker managers Steve Anderson and Reno Del Rosso a one all draw, they would have snapped it up. When the final whistle actually blew however, Sports left the field feeling they had done more than enough to merit a victory, which would have given them top spot in the group.

Things looked ominous for Sports at the outset, as Pegasus passed the ball almost carefree around the park, and before a home player had so much as touched the spherical air bag, Pegasus had tested 'keeper Craig Raynor.

When the Pegasus skipper spewed forth a stream of expletives, in protest at an off-side decision, he was given his marching orders.

Sports responded magnificently, and made the extra man tell, with right back Patrick Ryan finding acres of space down the flank. It was from a long Raynor goal kick however that Sports took the lead. White flicked on and Cheeseman capitalised, heading home from close range.

In the second half Sports lost their way somewhat though, but thanks to some brave battling from the likes of Anderson, Collins and Hallam they maintained a frail web of control over the game. Sadly, this bare thread was not sufficient to hold out Pegasus, and a free-kick was back-headed over an advancing Raynor to level affairs.

Spurred on by heartfelt encouragement from Reno, Sports pressed for the winner their performance richly deserved, but sadly the only mark of note they made was on Steve Anderson's car, courtesy of a Cheeseman volley.

In the dressing room after, the optimism and pleasure that should have been there after such a fine result had been chased away by dissatisfaction and disconsolation, as every man of the 11 pondered on what might, and perhaps should, have been.