Ruislip completed a stunning hat trick of summer 6 a side tournament wins with this exceptional triumph in a very strong field where just getting to the semi final would’ve probably been considered a success. Ruislip’s almost perfect record on the day was played 8, won 7 and drew 1. They scored 13 goals and conceded a miserly 3 which given the quality of the opposition was an outstanding effort.
GROUP STAGE
v LANGLEY HORNETS BLACK won 2-0
v HOLMER GREEN A won 1-0
v EWELL ELITE won 1-0
v PENN & TYLER GREEN & WHITE drew 1-1
v WIDMER END UNITED won 1-0
Ruislip qualified for the knockout stage as group winners, easing their way through taking 13 points out of a possible 15. Drillon Krasniqi finished this phase with 2 goals (both last minute winners) with Charlie Coshall, Luke Massingham (an absolute rocket!), Caleb Watts and an own goal (assisted by Finn Edwards) contributing to their tally. Harry Sandiford deserves a mention here too as he made several quality saves at vital times.
QUARTER FINAL v EWELL ALL STARS won 4-1
Having played and beaten one strong Ewell side in the group stage, Ruislip sent out a strong message that they were serious contenders by absolutely destroying another impressive Ewell outfit. Watts’ fantastic hat-trick was the obvious highlight, Coshall chipped in with the other, but the cohesive and mobile team performance completely suffocated fine opponents.
SF v EWELL ELITE won 1-0
And then it was back to the first Ewell side and the result mirrored the result in the first game. In what was a very tight encounter it was Krasniqi who struck the vital blow but Massingham, Mark Webb and Sandiford stood firm to safeguard their passage through to the final.
FINAL v WEST DRAYTON YOUTH FC won 2-1
At half time it looked like Ruislip’s race had been run. One nil down to a shambles of a goal, the team had produced a meek first half performance against a team who wouldn’t have looked out of place in the NBA. However the coach got to work during the break and left the boys in no doubt as to what was expected of them in the second period. They returned to the field with their tails between their legs but more importantly some fire in their bellies. West Drayton were still bigger, faster and stronger but Ruislip now competed and this allowed their greater footballing ability to shine through. With the neutrals firmly behind the boys in burgundy, Krasniqi cleverly levelled matters just after the restart direct from a free kick. Webb, playing with a dead leg, Massingham, playing a captain’s role and Sandiford stayed strong against the relentless aerial barrage and with 90 seconds left before a penalty shoot out, Ruislip’s big chance came. Another Drayton attack was repelled and the ball was cleared up to Krasniqi on halfway with just the one man mountain and a keeper in his way. Massingham made a tremendous break to join him and drew some of the defenders attention. Krasniqi seized the moment and drove into the right hand channel before unleashing a fierce drive that simply fizzed into the corner of the net. A goal good enough to win any game. However this game wasn’t yet won and Ruislip knew what was coming next. They weren’t to be disappointed but the long throws and corners were all repelled and the final blast of the referee’s whistle signalled a fantastic comeback victory.
PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT: everyone as they all played their part to the full
PLAYERS OF THE SUMMER: over these 3 tournament victories Ruislip have shown that they are an outstanding 6 a side team which has obvious and varied qualities going forward – the class and skill of Krasniqi and Watts; the drive and work rate of Coshall, Edwards and Remi Ogunbayo. However, there is one outstanding stat which goes a long way to explain Ruislip’s success over the last couple of months and that is in 24 games in the 3 tournaments, they have amazingly only conceded 4 goals so the award goes to the often unsung trio of Luke Massingham, Mark Webb and Harry Sandiford. Take a bow boys!
You must be logged in to post a comment.