Ripley Rockets - G2 2 vs 1 Hampsthwaite & Birstwith J

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The final game proved to be one of the most exciting 30 minutes of the season. For those who were lucky enough to be there, it contained excitement, controversy and disappointment, all packaged into two 15 minute halves. The game kicked off at a terrific pace and early opportunities presented themselves to both teams. With his first ever stint in goal, Josiah made a couple of brave saves to deny The Bullets early on. He was, however, powerless to stop their first goal. The Bullets secret weapon, a mini Rory Delap, launched a long throw which caught out the HBJFC defence. Running onto the 50 yard throw, a Ripley striker found himself 1 on 1 with Josiah. A cool finish saw Ripley go 1 nil up. HBJFC reacted well and were immediately on the attack. Great work from Danny put the Ripley defence under pressure. A goalmouth scramble nearly provided the breakthrough for Will who was denied by a last gasp deflection. The ensuing corner from Callum was met by Danny who guided the ball agonisingly wide of the post. As half time approached, our old friend Rory popped up with a carbon copy throw in, leaving HBJFC trailing 2 &ndash; 0 at the whistle. Following a half time talk on how to nullify the &lsquo;Rory Delap&rsquo; threat, HBJFC started the second half strongly. Kian pulled the green goalie top on and was quick to repel a couple of Ripley attacks. At the other end, with tremendous determination, Danny forced his way past 2 or 3 Ripley players. A quick 1-2 with Callum resulted in a strong shot from Danny which went just wide. Ed was causing problems with his quick feet and Josiah, Callum and Will were making life difficult in midfield for Ripley. Alex, Josh and Henry rotated in defence and proved a difficult barrier for Ripley to get past. As HBJFC mounted attack after attack, Ripley struggled to get the ball over the half way line. Ed produced a great shot which was deflected wide for a corner. Callum produced another excellent delivery and as the ball was cleared to the edge of the area, it was met with a fierce shot from Ed. With the goalie beaten, Ed was denied by a Ripley player saving the ball with his hands on the line. A penalty was duly awarded. Danny stepped up and coolly slotted the ball home only to be told he had taken it too quickly. As the referee positioned the ball for the retake, Callum despatched it with power and accuracy. With the score 2 &ndash; 1 and HBJFC continuing to dominate possession, they pushed forward and another strong shot required a great save &ndash; a save from another outfield player. Penalty number 2 was lined up. With focus and determination, Danny stepped up and powerfully drove the ball towards the top left hand corner. 9 times out of 10, the ball would have hit the back of the net. This time however, the Ripley goalie pulled off one of the saves of the season. Despite a one sided second half, HBJFC just couldn&rsquo;t find that elusive equaliser but what excitement!