The season opener started with a few nerves showing in the face of the U9 Cedar Green team as they faced a confident and determined looking Leonora Delville. Five minutes in to the first half and Cedar started to show some individual skill through the Messi-esque form of Blake Kirk. He bedazzled their defence with some deft footwork and ball skills but was brought down just outside the box. No card given, but the free kick was awarded and Danny Henderson was elected to take it. Nodding back with an “I know what to do” expression on his face, he fired the ball over the wall which then curled off in to the bottom left corner.
The rest of the first half saw Cedar Green defend their territory well with notable performances from Josh “The Rock” Tobin and Robert “Solid” McKenzie, bravely committing themselves to every tackle and playing the ball back in to the opponents half of the pitch.
The Leonora Delville team came on strong in the second half peppering the Cedar defence with some fast runs towards the net. Again the defensive unit stood firm and only on one occasion was Zoe “Safe Hands” Richards forced to produce a save. An impressive clean sheet for the net minder.
Late in to the second half, Danny “Ronaldo” Henderson had a taste for a second. From a good 20 yards, he took aim and launched a shot that fizzed its way in to the back of the net.
Tom Brisdon, Alex Morley, Christian Esser and Neven Josipovic all contributed to an impressive performance by Cedar. We’re looking forward to more great performances and hard work from this team as the season progresses.
U9 coach Rusty Henderson commented ‘Overall, I’m delighted with the performance of the team. They all showed real grit and determination against a side that were physically bigger, stronger and faster. You can really see the benefit of some training there with some passing and awareness of their position and roles on the field. It was also very impressive that they played as a team without any real time together as a unit. I think they will learn very quickly how to play as a team as the season goes on.’