Ross Juniors U9s travelled to Bartestree on Saturday, November 10th and, despite the wintry conditions, put in another excellent performance.

After both teams had observed a minutes silence Ross got off to a flying start with Riley and Alex both going close before Tyron went on a great run down the left only to be denied with a last ditch tackle. The opening goal soon came as Alex laid back a pass to Riley on the edge of the area and Riley thumped the ball past the Bartestree keeper. Alex soon doubled the Ross lead, intercepting a pass in the Bartestree defence and firing into the bottom corner. Tyron then struck the Bartestree post twice, either side of Alex’s headed goal from Riley’s corner. The pressure from the visitors was unrelenting and Timmy scored from close range and then we witnessed a bit of a comical moment. Tyron hit a direct free kick which may have been going straight in but Leighton attempted to flick the ball in with his head. The ball went straight up into the air but Timmy was on hand to head the ball in.

The first half was such a dominant display from the visitors that poor Euan, in goal for Ross, hardly saw the ball in the whole 25 minutes. In defence, Zak made a couple of interceptions when Bartestree threatened as did Morgan, and Morgan linked up well with the Ross midfield.

The home side staged a bit of a comeback in the second half. Ross still had the better possession and created more chances but Bartestree were awarded a penalty to grab a goal back and managed a second goal late on. Riley had been in goal for the second half and, like Euan, was getting cold so Morgan filled in for the last few minutes where he pulled off a good save from a free kick. That was about the extent of Bartestree’s chances thanks to good defending from Alex and Jasper.

The coach said the first half was probably the team’s best ever display of attacking football and teamwork against a good opponent. All the boys made good contributions throughout the game but the Nick Thomas Landscapes player of the match was Alex for his energy, teamwork and well-taken goals.