The game started with Benson spending most of the first 5 minutes in the Wickham half. However, a break down the right saw the ball come back to Aiden. He got a cross into the back post where Max hit a volley just wide of the post. Benson continued their attacks and in the 8th minute, after some head tennis in the centre circle, Benson’s quick no.4 broke through and as James came out he chipped it over the top of him for 1-0. Wickham attacked when they could and in the 12th minute Aiden’s throw was hit to Max at the back post. He laid the ball off to Ben who unfortunately shot over. Wickham had their first corner in the 16th minute which saw Ben’s shot cleared off the line for another corner. This second one saw Max volley the ball against the bar with the ball ending up in the keeper’s hands. A quick clearance saw no Wickham player go for the header thus the forward broke through again and again chipped James for 2-0. Two minutes later exactly the same happened except this time the lob hit the crossbar and just crossed the line. After 20 minutes Benson went down the left cut inside but fortunately Jack got across to put the ball out for the corner. However, this was taken short, Wickham failed to move out and when the ball was chipped into the near post James had two forwards on top of him, onside, and they were able to force the ball home. Wickham did get a couple of attacks in before half time and just before the whistle, Ollie gathered in a throw went past two people in the box and forced the ball home.
The half time talk could have been very ugly but Ian initially concentrated on the errors which lead to the goals and then how things could be improved in the second half……... and what a change. The first 10 minutes of the half saw Wickham encamped in the Benson half, but without really creating a clear cut chance. Finally in the 15th minute Wickham got the goal their play deserved. A Benson throw in was won by Ollie who clipped a diagonal ball into Max’s path. He outstripped the defender and hit a drive inside the left hand post for 4-2. With 10 minutes left Steve replaced Jordie but Wickham were still attacking. With 8 minutes to go some nice interplay in the midfield eventually saw the ball come out to Alex on the right. Having gone past the full back he raced towards the goal before firing a shot inside the near post for 4-3. The lads (and parents) now believed they could get something out of the game, but a minute later as Benson put together their second real attack of the half, the whole defence moved across to the right hand side leaving a player unmarked at the back post for a simple tap in. Wickham still pressed and were always dangerous at corners but they could never quite find the finishing touches as both Ollie and Luke had chances which went just wide of the mark. Even at 5-3 down you felt that Wickham could still get back into the game but with three minutes to go this belief was probably killed off. A ball over the top seemed to have been brought under control by Jack and he then received a push in the back and from fully 35 yards out the forward managed to wrap his foot around the ball and lob it up in the air over James and just under the bar. Still Wickham dominated as with 2 minutes left another corner from Ollie came out to Max but his drive just cleared the bar. When Benson did finally clear their lines Luke sent the ball out wide to Alex who, again got past the full back. He cut in towards the goal and as the keeper cam out, slipped it under him to 6-4. There was just time for Benson to kick off before the final whistle went; on what was a great battling second half performance from the lads, where they put right most of what went wrong in the first.
The Player of the Day was very close between the two wingers but by one vote it went to Alex for two cracking goals from the edge of the area and the work he did on the right wing.
Aiden Weeks, Jack Wild, Jordan Shaw, Tom Farmer
Alex Olford, Jordie Rowlands, Ollie Norman, Luke Evans Max Nicholls
Ben Cipolla.
Subs:- Stephen Enever.
