| Date | Home team | Score | Away team | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Mar 2011 | U12s Lions | 0-2 | Dunmow Rhodes Lions | League Cup |
LIONS CUP JOURNEY ENDS
Focus Ferrers Lions u11s 0
Dunmow Rhodes u11s 2
With the group stages over the Lions met old adversaries Dunmow in a winner takes all quarter final. With home advantage and a full squad, the boys made a bright start with all of the early possession.Ben Prentice forced an early save from the Dunmow keeper and some fine blocks went in from further efforts from Andrew Hill and Lucas Doherty. The boys were moving the ball well with Callum Osmond releasing Ben Boxall on the right and Jack Fuller finding Lucas for some similar runs down the left. Further chances came from a Ben Boxall fierce shot then a dipping half volley from Jack but the efforts could not beat the firm Dunmow back line. The best chance of the opening period came from Andrew who fired in a rasping shot that was just tipped round. Slowly Dunmow grew into the game and James Caples and Nathan Warren were forced back into some desperate defending. While the match became more even it looked like the Lions who would break the deadlock but it was Dunmow who grabbed the lead. A messy melee in the Lions area saw a mishit shot spin wickedly past Jamie Penkman and roll agonisingly over the line. The boys came back with Ben Prentice making some breaks but generally the boys were defending too deep and Dunmow had upped their game. Tom Butcher had a half chance that went wide and Callum Osmond also narrowly missed but it was 1-0 at the break. The second half witnessed greater Dunmow possession and the Lions seemed to forget the simple pass. As with the second half last week too many individual runs were made when better passing options were on. The boys pushed forward but on 39 minutes it was 2-0 when a Dunmow break saw Jamie caught out of position and a low shot was fired home. There was still time and Kane Pavely found some useful ball from his wingback role but the luck was just not with the boys. Tom and Andrew were pushed up together and Lucas made some fine runs but the boys final pass was lacking any quality. James Caples was playing on through the pain barrier and made some immense challenges as the boys were short at the back. Callum also battled hard but Dunmow were the classic yard quicker all round and defended with fantastic determination. Some half chances came and went but it was Dunmow who took the honours with a deserved victory. A valuable lesson for the Lions in team play and spirit. Lets have a strong finish to the season in the league boys with all still to play for.
TEAM:JAMIE PENKMAN,CALLUM OSMOND,KANE PAVELY,JACK FULLER,JAMES CAPLES,ANDREW HILL,BEN BOXALL,NATHAN WARREN,TOM BUTCHER,BEN PRENTICE,LUCAS DOHERTY
PARENTS PLAYER OF THE MATCH: JAMES CAPLES- Fantastic performance from James at the back , did not let a thing past him and showed great fight.