Moulton U18s 7–2 Whitworths U18s

Moulton turn on the style in the second half to claim all three points

A game of two halves saw Moulton U18s eventually run out convincing 7–2 winners against Whitworths, although the scoreline certainly doesn’t tell the whole story.

Moulton couldn’t have asked for a better start, racing into a 2–0 lead inside the opening five minutes.

The first goal came courtesy of a fantastic 60-yard pass from Matti Wojnic, picking out Liam Boddington, who made no mistake with the finish. Boddington was soon on the scoresheet again to double Moulton’s advantage.

However, what followed was a disappointing spell from the home side. Complacency crept into Moulton’s play, and they completely lost the rhythm, tempo and quality that had been so evident in the opening minutes.

Whitworths took full advantage, pulling a goal back before drawing level with an excellent free kick to make it 2–2.

To make matters worse, Moulton suffered a couple of injuries during the first half, neither of which looked particularly encouraging. Hopefully, both prove to be less serious than first feared.

A reshuffle after around 30 minutes helped Moulton regain some control, but despite the blistering start, the sides went into the break level at 2–2.

Half-time: Moulton 2–2 Whitworths

A few choice words at half-time certainly seemed to have the desired effect, as Moulton emerged for the second half looking a completely different side.

The tempo was higher, the passing sharper, and Moulton began to take complete control of proceedings.

Kye Bascombe restored Moulton’s lead with a smart finish to make it 3–2, before Jeyson Faraira added a fourth with another well-taken goal.

Moulton were now firmly in the driving seat, playing with the confidence and quality that had been missing for much of the first half.

Liam Boddington then completed his hat-trick with Moulton’s fifth goal, capping an excellent individual performance in front of goal.

Further goals from Toby Sainsbury and Charlie Seaman rounded off the scoring as Moulton eventually ran out comfortable 7–2 winners.

Full-time: Moulton U18s 7–2 Whitworths U18s

While the final scoreline was convincing, there are certainly lessons to be learned from the first-half performance.

At 2–0 up inside five minutes, we should have been looking to take complete control of the game. Instead, we allowed complacency to creep in, stopped doing the things that had given us such a good start and allowed Whitworths back into the contest.

Credit to Whitworths, who took advantage of our poor spell and deserved to be level at half-time.

The response after the break was much more like what we expect from this group. We played with far greater intensity, moved the ball quicker and controlled the game from start to finish.

Once again, the substitutions made a massive difference. Toby Sainsbury and Jaxon Bedford both had a huge influence when introduced, helping us regain control and raise the tempo of our play.

Jeyson Faraira also deserves enormous credit, contributing two assists and a goal in another excellent attacking display.

Man of the Match

It’s difficult to look beyond Liam Boddington, whose three goals were a major contribution to the victory.

However, special mentions must go to Toby Sainsbury, Jaxon Bedford and Jeyson Faraira, who all played significant roles in turning the game firmly in Moulton’s favour.

Another three points on the board, seven goals scored and plenty of positives to take from the second half. But equally, a reminder that at this level, you cannot afford to switch off, regardless of how well you start a game.