U12s Stockport vs Sheffield Steelers

Sheffield v Stockport U12s 30/11

Over the hills

A bright but chilly morning presented itself, as we made the much-anticipated trip across the Pennines to Yorkshire and 'Steel City'.  Despite the early start, a good crowd of Stockport supporters assembled on the 4G pitch to cheer on the boys.

Stockport had a strong squad of 14 and watching them and the opposition warm-up, the two teams appeared to be physically similar in stature. Our regular keeper Josh was unwell so Dan played Q1/Q2 and Freddie put on the goalie kit for Q3/Q4.

Q1

At the beginning of the season, there were periods during games when the crowd and coaches could sense a bit of lethargy in the boys however, over the last few games this has disappeared and Stockport came out of the blocks quickly. The boys showed great physicality within the first few minutes with Ethan leading the charge. Henry won his face-off and Stockport immediately took the lead 0-1. The boys dominated the game with Ethan scored three swift goals 0-4. All of the boys were playing their part and the Stockport defence repelled any Sheffield response. Tom finished the quarter with a good individual goal 0-5.

Great tenacity and energy made this a very dominant quarter. There was only one place with steel in it and that was Stockport!

Q2

This quarter, saw another solid start from Stockport but Sheffield put together a good attack and got their first goal on the board 1-5. Euan fired a shot over the bar and Ethan scored again soon after 1-6. Impressive play between Louie to Tom resulted in a goal to make it 1-7. This was followed by an impressive solo goal from the face-off by Freddie 1-8. Credit was given to keeper Dan in this quarter, who despite periods of inactivity and standing in the cold saved any Sheffield shots. A great interception by Stockport led to Jacob getting his first goal of the game 1-9. Felix, who always loves to try and get a goal, was unlucky this time but Ethan was there again to pick up the pieces to finish the quarter 1-10.

Q3

This quarter started with some solid saves from the Sheffield keeper. Two goals from Ethan extended the lead to 1-12. Solid defence at this point particularly from Archie did not let Sheffield into the game. Thurston took one for the team with a stinging block using his midriff that left the crowd wincing. The quarter finished with Sheffield getting a second goal 2-12.

Q4

More good saves from Sheffield could not stop Ethan bagging a couple more goals at the beginning of this quarter 2-14. All credit to Sheffield as they now started playing better and giving us more of a game. Three quick Sheffield goals made it 5-14 and we could sense some anxiety in the crowd. This did not dissipate into the Stockport players though and they responded well. A rare own goal and then a fierce Henry goal pushed out the lead to 6-16.  Felix finally got on the score sheet and Stockport got one last goal to conclude the fixture 6-18. Despite this being a stronger quarter for Sheffield, it was too little too late.

Today’s result simply demonstrated how much the Stockport team have settled into the game.  Our players are consistently demonstrating that they know and understand their positions, and as a result, they worked as a single, solid unit straight from the whistle…the boys were all singing (…or should that be playing) from the same hymn sheet. Across the course of the season, the coach’s role has shifted and they can now look at performance and fine-tuning skill rather than basic team structure.

Today was a real crowd pleasing performance! The boys simply gelled and played with consistently good: skill, energy, passion, physicality and a respect for each other. 

The cold was now irrelevant as we trekked back to the mecca of Stockport with smiles all round.  Stockport U12’s are turning into a force to be reckoned with! 

Great job!