by Luke Reddy,
Liverpool EchoSep 20 2011
JO OSBORNE (Redgate Rovers Yellows manager): “I’m delighted. We’ve played five and won five so far and in miserable conditions today we played well and stuck to the task.”
NEIL GROGAN (Redgate Rovers Greens manager): “Considering they’ve only been playing together for four or five weeks, they’ve come on leaps and bounds. I’m proud of them.”
MONSOON-LIKE conditions and a defiant challenge from Redgate Rovers Greens were not enough to stop Redgate Rovers Yellows from making it five wins from five in the Craven Junior League’s under-13s division.
An inter-club derby became one almighty battle for the spoils as the elements took a grip of the Duke Street Park pitch – but it quickly became evident that neither set of players was going to shirk the big challenge.
Redgate Yellows – a little confusingly playing in green against their rivals – would be expected to come out on top given their encouraging start to the season and just 10 minutes had elapsed when a superb left-wing cross from wide man Max Conway was met flush by the head of Harry Williams.
Arriving late in the box, Williams failed to hit the target but his effort fired a warning shot to the Redgate Greens, who would be in for a tough half of defending.
Minutes later, the home side were at it again, this time through mobile front-man Morgan Palmeria.
The youngster pounced on a loose ball to drive into the area before cutting the ball back brilliantly for on-rushing attackers.
Goal written all over it, the end product was denied by a superb last-ditch clearance from Paul Nodwell. The right-back showed intelligence beyond his years to cover across and snuff out the danger.
Arising as a result of both Palmeria’s mobility and slippery under-foot conditions, last-ditch tackles would become a first-half theme and standout defender Dylan Scarsbrick obliged for Redgate Greens when he threw himself at a Palmeria shot late in the half.
Putting up further resistance was Greens’ impressive goalkeeper Luke Duale who clearly filled his teammates with confidence in the early stages as he went about his goalkeeping duties with panache in conditions which should have caused him more problems.
The goalkeeper was beaten though in first-half stoppage time when a right wing cross from Dominic Giblin was bundled over the line in a muddied goalmouth scramble not for the feint-hearted.
Kieran Brown eventually thumped home from all of one-yard out to change the wording of the half-time team-talks as Redgate Yellows took a crucial one goal lead into the break.
Certainly damp but definitely not disheartened by their disadvantage, the Greens set about responding and tireless work from frontman George Rose along with strong midfield play by Harry Grogan and Ben Aitchison provided a platform from which they could build.
After a host of corner kicks, the Greens carved an opportunity in open play but Dominic Greene was denied by a last minute intervention by goalscorer Brown.
Robert Harrison and Charlie Whiteside marshalled the Yellows from the back, while at the other end, the Yellows threatened to wrap things up on the break.
The clincher and the comfort of a two-goal lead was denied when man-of-the-match Scarsbrick produced a hooked goal-line clearance befitting of any pitch in world football but the rock solid defender was a mere spectator as the Yellows wrapped up victory at the death with a goal worthy of their top of the league status.
Fed in down the right, Giblin took one look up and fired a shot from 20 yards over Duale and into the far corner of the net. Giblin reeled away in celebration to be engulfed by teammates who knew they’d overcome a tough test to make it played five, won five.
DYLAN SCARSBRICK: The central defender, blocked, headed, kicked and chased everything that came near him and his incredible goal-line clearance late on (above) was worth braving the elements for on its own
