Jayden

Today Iguanas lost their match 1 -6 at home to SWF Whites, despite them putting in one of their most mature and cohesive performances of the season so far . It was one of those matches where the score line just didn’t reflect the closeness of the game or the dominance and possession enjoyed by the home team.

The game started well, with some lovely movement from Madison and an early chance for Zach that went over the bar. Iguanas were finding lots of space, and Cole was strong in defence and pushing forward with real determination. Rafe, Madison Zach and Cole all had chances. Oliver in goal was having a quiet start to the match, and it felt like a goal was imminent for Iguanas. It was great to see some of the elements practiced in training the day before playing out on the pitch, particularly from Madison.

With Ethan, Jake, Lewis and Jayden on the pitch, fresh legs continued to push for a goal. Jake and Madison were passing beautifully between each other, and Jake and Lewis had a couple of great chances. Iguanas were full of purpose and working hard for every ball, creating lots of chances.

In among Iguanas’ long spells of possession SWF grabbed a goal against the run of play to go one nil up.

Ethan was having a brilliant game at the back, calmly and expertly dealing with the SWF Whites advances, and finding time to control the ball and make the right pass under pressure. Thanks to his hard work Oliver only had a couple of shots to deal contend with as the half progressed, with the most powerful of them going wide.

Fearne Dolly came on and almost immediately had a great run on goal and was unlucky not to score. A minute later and Iguanas were on the attack again, and several shots were scrambled and saved on the line, leading to a brief pause while the SWF keeper was treated for a ball to the face. Once he was back on his feet there was only a minute to play and the first half was over.

Special mention of some fantastic sportsmanship shown by Jake at half time, who quietly and unprompted sought out the SWF keeper to check he was ok and to shake his hand. Brilliant to see that kind of compassion and manners, well done Jake!

The second half began brightly with a chance falling to Cole straight from kick off. A series of red throw ons were well defended, and it looked like Iguanas were going level up the score soon enough. Fearne Dolly was making some lovely runs and passing the ball well. Zach had another great chance but Iguanas just couldn’t find the back of the net.

Zach made some important clearances at the back as one particular SWF player, brought on at half time, started to show some dominance on the pitch. Tall, fast and skilful, his presence on the pitch changed the game for SWF and amid some fantastic football from Iguanas he was making all the difference for the visiting side. Zach and Cole were working hard in defence though and some brave goal keeping from Ollie kept the score at 0-1.

Rafe and Madison were pushing for a way through, with Rafe making some good runs and Madison showing real creativity on the ball. The passing from Iguanas was excellent.

It was SWF’s star substitution that opened the goal tally in the second half, with a well worked goal brilliant taken that Ollie had no chance of getting to. SWF went 0-2 ahead. A minute later they were on the attack again and Oliver made an absolutely fantastic save. Cole was making some really confident tackles at the back, getting the ball every time and passing it forward.

SWF broke again and despite Ethan chasing them down they went 3 and then 4 nil up. Iguanas didn’t give up, and Jake was working hard to counter attack. At last a break came Iguanas way as a well taken corner lead to a great goal from Jayden, finally giving Iguanas a very well deserved goal.

With only 7 minutes left on the clock Iguanas needed luck on their side to convert chances in front of goal. There were more chances for Jake, Lewis and Jayden, but Iguanas just could not score again. Ethan and Ollie were facing regular counter attacks and Ethan was having a brilliant second stint despite being faced with one of the strongest attacking players we had met this season. Ollie was coming out to feet making some really brave saves to stem SWF’s tally.

Late chances for Iguanas included a great free kick from Jake (just over the bar) and opportunities in front of goal for Lewis and Fearne Dolly that SWF somehow kept out on the goal line. SWF snatched two late goals in the closing minutes to make the final score Iguanas 1 - 6 SWF Whites.

Despite the score line, this was a fantastic performance by Iguanas, one of the best matches we’ve played for accuracy of passing and brilliant defending. Iguanas showed a real maturity in the match and were trusting each other to pass the ball around, take time on the ball and work the skills they had been practicing in training into their game. It’s always tricky when a team has a stand out player who can turn the game on it’s head like SWF did today, but Iguanas should feel thoroughly proud of their performance.

Iguana of the match - Ethan. A brilliant defensive performance showing composure on the ball and real bravery in his approach. Well done Ethan and well done Iguanas ?!

SPORTING 77 FOOTBALL CLUB

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