With no league fixture on Saturday, Ross Juniors U11s hosted Monmouth Town U11s for a friendly in gusty conditions.

The home side started really well and Eddie went close to putting them ahead in the first 5 minutes and, not long after, Eddie sent in a great cross that Niall almost scored from. Ross didn’t have to wait long to take the lead, though, as Niall found the bottom corner with a smart finish and Eddie soon doubled their lead. Niall couldn’t take advantage of a nice lay off by Luca on the edge of the penalty area but Ross soon added a 3rd goal when JT played a superb through ball that Harvey raced on to and finished off. Ross continued to create chances and were unlucky not to add another goal when Jake hit the inside of the Monmouth post. Whenever Monmouth did threaten the home side’s defence of David, Theo and Bill (and after the first substitution Josh) they dealt with everything superbly which left Roo in the Ross goal with just some routine saves and one clearance in the first half. Another JT through ball set up Harvey again but unfortunately he didn’t quite have the finish this time, and then Bill played a great ball over the Monmouth defence for Harvey but his shot was well saved. A great combination of Jake and Harvey saw Jake through on goal but his shot went agonisingly wide. Just before the half time break Sol worked himself into space and fired a shot that the keeper did well to keep out. Monmouth were probably fortunate to only trail by 3 goals at half time.

The home side continued to dominate the 2nd half but were a little shocked to concede 2 quick goals early on. This didn’t deter them, though, as Ollie almost scored from Harvey’s cross. Ollie soon got his name on the score sheet when JT set him up and he added another when JT and Eddie combined to set him up. As Monmouth pushed forward in search of goals, Ethan and Blu made some vital clearances at the back for Ross, and Roo was called on to make a brave clearance to ensure a 5 – 2 victory.

The Juniors really impressed with some great passing and movement, linking up well all over the pitch. On Saturday they host Ledbury Swifts in the league.