Ruislip Rangers U13 (Wycombe) Â 1 – 0 Â Sandgate
Middlesex Cup County Cup Final, 26 April 2015
Another Sunday and another huge game for the Ruislip boys. After plotting an almost perfect route through 2 months of constant high pressure games they faced one of the biggest occasions of their young footballing lives.
Ruislip went into this game unbeaten in their last 19 and were buoyed by their dramatic League Cup triumph the previous week but they also went into it without their 20 goal top scorer, Jack Neill.
A tight game was expected and that is what we got, but this Ruislip outfit has a bloody mindedness about it and it seems to thrive in tight situations. They started the game solidly. Defensively, they were sound, the midfield led by the excellent Harrison Deas competed well and the strikers were running the channels selflessly. However the game’s 2 key moments came within half a dozen 1st half minutes. In the 14th minute, Deas and Charlie Coshall combined well down the left to send Finn Edwards clear in the box and when he was upended, the referee, who was excellent all game, had no option other than to point to the spot. Edwards picked himself up and waited patiently as the Sandgate goalkeeper walked up to him to hand him the ball. ‘Go left’ suggested the helpful keeper. So he did and unerringly found the corner and, being the well brought up boy he is, he went and thanked his stricken opponent for the advice. It’s always important to get the game’s 1st goal and in 19 of their 23 games this season, that is exactly what Ruislip have done and on each occasion they have gone on to win. But 6 minutes later, they nearly squandered this advantage as a needless challenge by Luke Massingham presented Sandgate with a golden chance to equalise with a penalty of their own. Harry Sandiford, fresh from his penalty saving heroics the previous week was having none of it though and he sprung to his right to make an excellent save before completing the job by diving on the ball before the rebound could be converted. Sandgate pushed forward in search of a leveller before half time but Ruislip stayed compact and looked comfortable although they were indebted to a fantastic goal line clearance at the back post by Lewis Crowley 2 minutes before the break.
The 2nd half followed a similar pattern as the game became ever more attritional. Ryan Morgan, after a thrilling counter attack, could’ve given the score line a more comfortable look on 46 minutes but his searing drive just cleared the bar but Ruislip knew that their one real job of the half was to maintain the shut out. As time ticked by, Ruislip continued to stay solid and they continued to play smart, no frills football and not one of the 13 players used on the day took a backward step. But a 1 goal lead is always a slender one and 11 minutes before the end, Sandiford was again the hero as he beat away a snapshot from the edge of the box. The final few minutes saw Ruislip defend their 18 yard box effectively and the game was seen through without any further scares.
So part 2 of the possible treble is in the bag and once more Ruislip found a way to win a game without being at their best. Sometimes all you need is character, desire and a sheer bloody will to win and those are qualities that this admirable team has in abundance. Time now to concentrate on the last 5 games in the league.
Squad:
- Harry Sandiford
- Lewis Crowley
- Luke Massingham
- Ben Higgins
- Harrison Deas
- Omari Reynolds
- Mark Webb
- Remi Ogunbayo
- Ryan Morgan
- Charlie Coshall
- Finn Edwards
- Lennox Kedman
- Eli Soque
Non playing squad members:
- Jack Neill
- Aidan Robertson
MoM: This is not to say that Ruislip were indebted to their goalkeeper for the win, as for much of the game their excellent defensive shape meant that he had little to do, but for the 2nd week running Harry Sandiford was central to the game’s key moments.
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