St Albans City West vs Riverside
AFC
(14th Oct)
This was a tough fixture which turned on a controversial moment that led to three points for the West boys.
The first half saw very few chances for either side as both defences dominated, while the midfields largely neutralized each other. The best chance however, fell to Riverside when one of their strikers was played clean through and he struck a powerful shot from about 15 yards, but Alex Cobb dived well to get a hand to it and push it wide for a corner.
The first 30 minutes of the second half was largely a repeat of the first
half, and it looked like a rare goalless draw could be the outcome.
Seven minutes from time however, West were
awarded a controversial free kick almost 25 yards from goal. George Figg
stepped up and stuck a beautiful ball that the Riverside keeper had no
chance with, and West took a 1-0 lead. Riverside were not happy with the
free-kick decision though, and one of their players was booked for his
protests (something that is rare in this age group).
Despite Riverside pushing forward for an equalizer in the final few minutes, it could have been West who extended their lead, but they held on for the single goal victory.
The Riverside players continued to protest after the game, and so the return fixture could be interesting, but this was a tough game, with few scoring chances, and the boys worked hard for their win.
Final Score: St. Albans City West 1 - 0 Riverside AFC
Joint Man of the Match: Ryan Rickard and Charlie C