POSTED: January 30 2023 18:49:44 By Keith Long
- Junior Section Match Details 28/1/2023
Thanks to an improvement in the weather except the U/17's Storm all other games involving Beechfield United Junior teams were played on Saturday 28th January 2023.
**After a nine week lay off in the Bolton Bury and District League Beechy Under 15's HURRICANES were finally back in action with a Section D home game against FC Bridgewater. In the first half of the game Beechy were lethargic and lacking aggression around the pitch found themselves 3-1 down at half time. The Hurricanes only goal in the first half came via Man of the Match Oghenekaro Ibodje (Karo) and after conceding a fourth goal early in the second half the Beechy Boys decided it was time to play. Kane Wood reduced the arrears with a beautiful free kick when the ball went into the net off the underside of the crossbar. Karo bulldozed his way past past a few Bridgewater players before adding a brilliant finish into the bottom corner of the net for 4-3.
The Hurricanes equalised when Karo latched onto a poor back pass, rounded the keeper and slotted the ball into the empty net. Beechy were now in the ascendancy and with FC Bridgewater looking a beaten team another sweeping move resulted in the Hurricanes match winning goal. Starting from a goal kick the ball was switched quickly from Tanatswa Chirwa to Noah O'Connor to Rian Haines and Ethan Mangwiro added the finish to seal a famous 5-4 victory. In this truly amazing game it was difficult to choose a stand out player because Tanatswa stood tall at the back, Noah shone at right back while Mason Gowenlock did the simple things very well at left back but it was Karo who won the award.
**Since Christmas 2022 Beechy Under 7's THUNDER have had a tough run of fixtures but Team Coaches Chris Kelly and Darren Owen have always told the players to believe they are doing the right things on the pitch. Away to Parkwyddn Predators everything came together for the Beechy Boys who from start to finish produced some great interchangeable football and passing. The Parkwyddn goalkeeper created an outstanding display making ten or more really good saves and somehow Thunder were a goal down at half time and it looked like it was going to be one of those days. But that wasn't the case in the second half when Harrison Spencer guaranteed Beechy victory with three identical goals and a superb hat trick. Special mentions go to Grayson Owen and Antonio Embalo who commfortably defended the lead at the end while sharing the Man of the Match award. Harry Wright is becoming a rolls royce of a defender with both his tackling and passing ability and during the game Jude Bond covered every blade of grass and was the main trigger for the teams passing. The way the team celebrated after the match made it a great day.
**At Beech Farm the Under 8's THUNDER were involved in an entertaining six goal encounter with Moorside Rangers Green. As they quickly asserted themselves on the game Beechy produced some neat passing amongst the front line trio of Harley Cosgrove-Newby, Brayden Taylor and Sonny Phillips. It was Brayden who gave Thunder the lead when he hammered the ball from just inside the oppositions half and into the bottom corner of the net. Then Brayden turned provider delivering a cross that was met by Noah Aspen who added a fine finish following an initial corner. But Thunder relaxed their grip on the game and Rangers replied with two goals to get back level at the break. During a close second half it looked if Beechy were on their way to victory when Brayden Taylor netted his second goal after neat play between Sonny Phillips and Man of the Match Harley Cosgrove-Newby only for Rangers to spoil the party with an equalising goal. The result was not a true reflection of Beechy's dominance in the game but a learning curve non the less.
*Beechy Under 8's STORM played Old Trafford Juniors at home and this proved to be another tough game judged by previous encounters between the teams. The Beechy Boys who are in good form made a bright start and won an early free kick which Harry Heathcote-Caire dispatched into the top of the net. Not long after Harry linked-up with Oscar Pugh who was on target when he netted Storm's second goal. Old Trafford worked hard and creating chances got a goal back midway through the first half following a corner. Seth Barber restored Beechy's two goal lead before the visitors reduced the arrears again after they were awarded a penalty. The second half was hard fought by two very good teams and after adding two more goals Storm celebrated a well deserved victory. This was a very good overall performance from Beechy who's Man of the Match award went to Jacob Foster for a good game in defence. Harry Heathcote-Caire helped himself to another goal while Alfie Heighway was twice on target in Storm's impressive display.
**Crewe Reeves scored the games only goal as the Under 9's TORNADOES secured a narrow victory following their Salford and Districts Junior Football League away fixture with Parkwyddn Junior Eagles. Anika Wojciak who assisted in the goal was named Play of the Match for her dominant centre midfield performance.
**The Under 9's STORM lost to Moorside Rangers Reds following what was a really high quality game of mini-soccer. Rangers won the match after a few uncharacteristic mistakes while the Moorside keeper saved at least four certain goals plus the woodwork denied Storm on two occasaions. Moorside have been playing in the top league while Beechy have moved up from the bottom division to the second of four but anyone watching the game wouldn't have noticed much difference between the teams. The Beechy Boys displayed their typical spirit and work ethic but more than anything quality and some of the passing from both teams was top-notch from this age group. In a tense first half Beechy made a slow start and after going a goal behind it took Storm ten minutes to get a foothold in the game.
But once Beechy got going they dominated the first half thanks to some slick passing and silky skills and great efforts from Sebastian Jones, Max Schofield, Jack Sinclair and Kobe Glass almost found the back of the net. In the second half Storm started slowly again but some great defending by Harry Wharton, Scott Ellis-Smith and Sebastion Jones plus superb goalkeeping from Joshua Lowery kept Beechy in the contest. Putting pressure on Rangers after finding a better rhythm Storm equalised when great work by Barkley Pope down the right wing the ball was moved onto Harvey King nd he fired it into the roof of the net. Stepping up a gear Beechy were denied a second goal after the ball broke to Max Schofield just over the halfway line and his thunderous drive bounced off the crossbar.
Rangers were always dangerous via the counter-attack and on one occasion a Moorside player scrambled the ball into the Beechy net but Storm didn't allow their heads to drop and as they looked for an equaliser shots by Jack Sinclair and Max Schofield forced brilliant saves from the Rangers keeper. As Beechy continued to push forward Moorside built another breakaway attack and scored a third goal via a lucky deflection and a mixture of great defending and goalkeeping from Rangers kept Storm at bay up to the final whistle. Beechy's Man of the Match could have been at least one of four players but the award went to goalkeeper Joshua Lowery who is improving all the time due to his confidence, handling and shot stopping. This was a top-class performance from the Beechy Boys who didn't get the result they deserved.
**For their first game after a long break the Under 10's HURRICANES travelled to play opponents Salford Storm Lightning. After winning the toss Beechy made a great start quickly putting the pressure on the home team who struggled to see any of the ball. The vital breakthrough arrived when following a run down the right wing Raheem Raji opened the scoring with his first goal of the season. Salford Storm did produce a couple of attacks but thanks to some strong goalkeeping and a great last ditch tackle the Hurricanes held their lead. Continuing to create more chances Beechy forced more defending and brave saves from the hosts busy goalkeeper while in the second half the Hurricanes reamined on top as they searched for more goals as they piled on the pressure. Mason McHugh-Davies netted Beechy's second goal and soon after Mason was on target again and Salford Storm were forced to work hard in an attempt to stem the tide following continued Hurricanes attacks. But after more pressure Myles Harris addded two more goals for Beechy and in the closing minutes Mason McHugh-Davies completed his hat trick and the scoring guaranteeing the Hurricanes victory plus a first clean sheet of the season.
*Congratulations to the Under 10's TORNADOES who kept another clean sheet following their away game against Salford United Devils. In a great all-round display Beechy rarely wasted possession and were very effective at both ends of the pitch. Tornadoes goalkeeper Harvey Pugh capped a fine performance when he produced a fantastic save late in the game from a free kick. Kai Barker and Luke Bennett fired in the goals that secured a Beechy victory and after two weeks away Oliver Vernon returned to the team and was named Man of the Match.
**Playing away at Deans Sports the Under 11's THUNDER (9v9) were rewarded with a 1-0 victory. According to Beechy Manager Luke Sixsmith this was one of the most even games he had seen for a long time as both teams battled and played some very good football. Both defences were excellent and both goalkeepers had fantastic games especially Thunder's keeper Leon Heathcote-Clare who kept a clean sheet. Nataniel Wojciak scored Beechy's match winning goal and every player produced a superb display while special mentions go to Leon, Samuel Sulmataj, Ollie Sixsmith and Jermaine Rose who were outstanding in defence. Theo McNulty and Mohammed Edris were commanding in the midfield while Joshua Kellett never gave in, his tenacity was a joy to watch.
**Getting back to winning ways were Beechy Under 13's TORNADOES who's solid all-round performance guaranteed a 4-0 home win over Barr Hill Aces. Goalscorers for Beechy in this SDJFL Division 2 contest were Jayden Hoye, Enzo Da Silva, Oscar Mather (penalty) and Reece Smith. Following a magnificent display at centre back Paulo Costa was voted Man of the Match.
**Returning to Salford and Districts League Division 1 action were the Under 14's HURRICANES who met Kingsway Athletic. Straight from the kick off play switched from end to end and despite chances for both teams the scoreline remained 0-0 after an entertaining first half. The Hurricanes grabbed the lead when Oliver Nangle's corner was headed clear by the tall Kingsway defender but Owen Hogben from the edge of the area drilled the ball into the bottom corner of the net. Joshua Whitehead won back possession in the centre circle and sent a brilliant forward pass onto Finlay Unsworth who out-muscled the last defender and hammered the ball at the target but the Kingsway keeper pulled off a fantastic save to deny Beechy a two goal lead.
Almost immediately Kingsway counter-attacked and a great effort from just outside the area forced an equally fantastic save from Hurricanes keeper Oliver Dalton-Bunker. Kingsway equalised in injury time via a brilliant free kick then with almost the last kick of the game Beechy were denied victory after Josua Whitehead's superbly executed free kick looked to have beaten the Kinsway keeper who produced another top-class save in the dying seconds. Oliver Dalton-bunker was named Hurricanes Man of the Match.
**There was a great derby day victory for the Under 16's TYPHOON who completed a Section D winning league double over top of the table team Moorside Rangers Blue. At home Beechy played some of their best football seen this season during the first half and led 1-0 at the break courtesy of a goal by Reece James. Early in the second half Typhoon doubled their lead when Ronan Mullen tapped the ball into the net after a pinpoint pass from Sonny O'Brien. Rangers responded and after the putting pressure onto Beechy reduced the arrears following a corner and the match became a tasty affair. The visitors had the bigger and more physical players but the likes of Jamie Withington stood up to be counted in midfield. Beechy keeper Peter Ellis made a few good saves when he dealt with shots mainly from distance as Typhoon's makeshift defence stood firm. A fine save save from the Rangers keeper late in the game deined Beechy another goal but it didn't matter as the final whistle went allowing the Beechy Boys the chance to celebrate their 2-1 victory. Named Typhoon's Man of the Match was Liam Peers who produced an outstanding performance when he played in both right and left back positions.