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It’s a Perfect 10 for the Viper Reds….
Viper Reds turned in their best performance of the season so far in this highly entertaining game at Monkton Stadium. While heavy overnight rain and early morning mist left a distinctly chilly autumnal feel in the air, it took the Vipers no time at all to raise the temperature with this red hot display against FC Sparta.
Fine passing and running, plenty of good football and loads of goals. In every department the Reds worked their socks off and were rewarded for their efforts with what turned out to be a convincing victory. Credit too though for the perseverance of FC Sparta who kept playing until the final whistle and showed great determination with some fine individual performances.
The match started with goalkeeping maestro Alex between the sticks and the ever-reliable Jordan and the cool-headed Taylor in defence. In the midfield the non-stop Jack started on the left with Harry using his pace in the centre and tough tackling Adam Elstob on the left supporting the lively Lewis Keenan leading the attack.
Vipers’ captain Robert took to the pitch to toss the coin but then joined Adam Wardle and Lewis Ireland on the bench. It was a mark of just how much the team were battling for each other that the substitutes were cheering on their team mates from the sidelines. Fantastic!
The Vipers kicked off and showed their intentions with some quick attacking play and when Sparta forced the ball back into the Reds’ half it was Taylor who stepped up to produce a fine clearance and put the early pressure back on Sparta. A series of throw-ins down the right wing forced the Reds deep into Sparta territory.
A neat one-two between Jack and Harry enabled Jack to slide the ball on to Lewis who shot well but the keeper made a good save. Jack nearly found his range when a break down the left ended with a shot across goal that was just the wrong side of the right hand post. The early play was all with the Reds, indeed moments later Adam Elstob passed the ball to Jack again out on the left, and this time when Jack drifted inside and shot, the deadlock was broken to give the Reds an early lead, 1-0.
Adam Elstob was fantastic with some good running and passing and he nearly got on the scoresheet with a great double shot but instead was unlucky to see the keeper stand up well. Harry then got the ball on the left hand wing to ghost into the edge of the penalty area and clip the ball into the net with the outside of his boot, 2-0.
Lewis Keenan was then in the thick of the action as good defensive work saw the ball break forward. Alert to the opportunity, Lewis sprinted onto the ball but the keeper did just enough this time. Unlucky.
Great play by Jack who seemed to be all over the pitch, this time on the left, saw a dangerous ball into the area. Adam Elstob made a well timed run, latched onto the ball before completing a cool finish for an excellent goal. The coaches and crowd went wild, 3-0.
Lewis once again had an excellent effort on goal as the game was played almost entirely in the Sparta half. Taylor and Jordan were ever watchful and didn’t allow the opposition to get much beyond the half-way line. Their decisive tackles and clearances firmly closed the door on the Sparta attacks and set the Reds back on the attack.
A tremendous burst through the centre of the field by Adam Elstob as he carried the ball well before finding Lewis Keenan placed dangerously in the box. Lewis seized on the chance with a clinical finish to give him a well deserved goal, 4-0.
Further Reds pressure resulted in a corner that was swung into the box. The ball came to Lewis who, with his back to goal, still had plenty of work to so. A clever turn and shot from Lewis saw the ball once again in the back of the net, 5-0.
Sparta battled to get back into the match but as the first half drew to a close more great defending from Jordan and Taylor prevented any serious threat. A ball to Harry on the right of midfield allowed him to run to the edge of the area and shoot well. A quality goal and a bit of a robot dance, 6-0.
Encouraged by Jimmy, loudly heard from the sidelines to tell the lads during the half-time teamtalk, “well done, it’s just like watchin’ Brazil…” the Reds started the second half with the same attitude. Harry and Taylor were replaced by Captain Marvel and Lewis Ireland, and shortly afterwards Adam Wardle came on for Jordan.
Jack continued his excellent work down the left and when Robert cleverly took a quickly worked free kick to feed Jack out on the left wing, a great cross found Lewis Keenan whose shot whistled just wide of the post. A corner moments later was played out to the edge of the area and when the ball fell to Robert his rasping shot flew just inches over the bar. So close!
Lewis then had another attacking run that carried the ball forward before passing to Robert. Showing great skill, Robert jinked into the box with a clever twist to get the ball onto his left foot and the result was a very well taken goal from Robert. Great move. 7-0.
Yet again Lewis turned provider when a good break on the left saw a tremendous shot blocked by the Sparta defence who thought they had escaped only for Adam Elstob to pop up and calmly slot the ball away from his second of the match. Nice work Adam, 8-0.
Clever skill once again from Adam Elstob saw him jink into the box with great control of the ball and finish what was a magnificent hat-trick. Could it get any better than this? 9-0.
With time running out the Reds were determined to keep pressing home their advantage. It fell to Robert who had worked tirelessly throughout the second half to claim a second goal with a firmly struck shot from the edge of the penalty area to give the keeper no chance, 10-0.
So, 10 terrific players saw the Reds notch 10 great goals in a 10/10 team performance. It wasn’t just the goals, it wasn’t just the great tackling, it wasn’t just the great passing or running or the confident goal keeping, it was the way that the lads played for each other.
Well done the Viper Reds, keep up the good work!
Final Score: 10-0
Gary’s Man of the Match: Everybody but a special mention to Adam Elstob
John’s Man of the Match: Adam Elstob
