2:50pm Wednesday 7th January 2009
BADSEY RANGERS u13s 7, PERSHORE u13s 2.
AFTER a few weeks of cancelled games, Badsey Rangers u13s resumed their league programme with a re-scheduled game against local rivals Pershore and came away with all three points.
On a very frosty morning and a hard pitch, both teams showed great commitment in a game played in good spirits throughout. It was Pershore who seemed to master the conditions early on and were troubling the home sides defence.
However, Badsey have tremendous pace up front and it was Ryan Brain who struck first after three minutes.
He was fed by Jordan Izod and ran past two defenders before unleashing an unstoppable shot. Pershore continued to push forward but Badsey used the counter attack to good effect. The midfield quartet of Izod, Jack Odell, Scott Southern and captain Matty Andrew continually prompted the forward line of Brain and James Mudie and a sweet pass from Andrew found Brain who once again left the defence in his wake and found the back of the net.
In the 20th minute it was 3-0 to Badsey when fellow striker Mudie collected an Izod cross and calmly slotted the ball away.
Pershore were arguably the more positive side for much of the early period but were being punished by the speed of the counter attacks but finally their persistence paid off and Joe Gisbourne was beaten by a well-worked cross into the box.
However, clever work from Wilf Watson and Andrew down the left saw Brain collect his hat-trick in the 34th minute and a minute later it was five and four for Brain.
The second period started as the first with Pershore dominating for periods but Badsey using their pace to good effect. The back four of Watson, Will Gillette, Tom Drew and Joe Haines were having to work hard to maintain the scoreline but it was that man Brain once again who netted for the home side. Slick passing between Haines and Dale Simpson saw the ball fired into the middle for Brain to score his fifth of the morning.
Pershore to their credit kept coming forward and they were rewarded in the 37th minute with their second.
Badsey brought on Ryan Leitch to bolster the defence and Danny Orton to add bite in the middle of the park and in the 46th minute a well-deserved second for Mudie concluded the Badsey scoring.
There was still time for Pershore to be awarded a penalty but the on-fire keeper Gisbourne was equal to the effort and saved the spot kick.
Man-of-the-match for his excellent all round contribution was James Mudie.
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