Hucknall Sports U13's 2 Gotham Rangers 2
Saturday 19th March 2005
HUCKNALL SPORTS – CHAMPIONS OF DIVISION
3
Celebrations are well and
truly under way for the YEL League, Division 3 Champions Hucknall Sports, who
hotly contested and won the 47th point of their campaign, to achieve
this thoroughly deserved title.
Hucknall Sports are certainly the team that the rest of the Division want to challenge, especially teams like Gotham Rangers, who are desperately trying to secure a 3rd place promotional spot into Division 2. Since Gotham signed their top No 8 striker José Alfonso 4 games ago, they have not dropped a point, and today he took just 13 minutes to steam his way through the Hucknall defence, delivering a shot that must have made the Hucknall ‘keepers fingers tingle. The home 11 did well to hold off the enthusiastic visitors, and even better to deliver the crucial equaliser 5 minutes before half time, a splendid Ross Lamb cross found the twinkle toes of Danny Jones who laid it on to Vijay Digpal swooping in on the right flank to loft the ‘keeper and find the left corner of the net.
The second half was to mirror the first, in terms of action, tension and sheer exhilaration. Again, Rangers forged ahead to regain their advantage, this time the efforts of Alfonso were effectively kept out of the net, but were unfortunately spilled in to the path of the inbound No. 10 for Rangers. Hucknall again showed their determination to get back into the game, reacting immediately to the situation with some fine offensive and defensive play to regain their influence. Daniel Warner and Alex Featherstone working well together to make the most of the right flank releasing the impressive Danny Jones who was also in fine form.With just 7 minutes remaining, the service from the back through to Jones worked and paid off. An incredible piece of individual skill and agility from Jones took him snaking 20 yards or more through the Gotham defence, for him to emerge on goal with the composure to deliver a perfectly weighted shot that the ‘keeper stood little chance of reaching to square the match.
Hucknall did not realise their newly found status until they learned of the day’s other results, long after this game had finished, but it is safe to say that Man-of-the-Match Danny Jones contributed significantly, not only in gaining the title, but also in taking the team’s “unbeaten in the League” hopes a game further.