Basford United 3 v Mansfield Town 1 - National League U19 - Division G

Wednesday 9th January 2019
National League U19 Alliance Division G
at Greenwich Avenue
Basford United (1) 3
Tarrell Peck 45+2, 88
Blake Cooke
Mansfield Town (0) 1
Findlay Bishop 86

A fair result all told, where following a fairly even and tightly contested opening twenty minutes or so, Basford began to create a few chances towards the break and looked odds on to take a deserved lead inside the last five minutes of the first half, when Tarrell Peck glanced a close range header narrowly wide of the right hand upright. But any aspiring striker should never be afraid of missing chances, especially if he's making all of the right sort of runs to get in amongst the thick of the action, and into the areas from where they can punish opposition

defences... subsequently, it was no real surprise when it was Peck who finally broke the deadlock in first half stoppage time, to give the hosts an interval lead.

Leicester based Cole Wildin looked very composed and was a tower of strength in defence for the Stags, he's already picked up U20 international honours with Antigua and Barbuda and certainly fits the bill as a player who is on the radar of several other clubs, while his progress is being nurtured by the Stags, whose youth policy is beginning to reap dividends, now that they have a first

team manager that is tuned into the same wavelength as the successful development wing of the club, unlike the odious cretin who was in charge before David Flitcroft.

Blake Cooke beat Charlie Doherty in the visitors goal, with a crisply struck shot from just outside the area, to double United's lead, which caused a bit of a quandary for the Mansfield youngsters, who were now going to have to commit numbers forward, in a bid to salvage something from the game, while leaving themselves vulnerable to being caught out at the back again, from the omnipresent threat of getting 'pecked' at by the lively Basford number nine yet again.

Scanning the visitors team sheet, to see who they might employ to overcome their two goal deficit, I muttered to myself: "Jeezus wept! Who the funking hell calls their kid Lovie!?" 

But I was diverted from making a call to the NSPCC, when it was pointed out to me, that the Stags number seven is actually called Louie Jarvis and the misunderstanding had been created by the time honoured and dreaded curse, suffered by match-day secretaries and league registrars the world over...  y'know, the one where managers and coaches have very sharp minds, but as a trade off for being blessed with an extra portion of tactical nous, they are inflicted with a condition that renders their hand-writing barely legible to the human eye. 

Jamie McGuire and Mark Kavanagh (at least I think that is what it says on the aforementioned team details), encouraged their team to get back into the game, and with just three minutes remaining, following a bit of a kerfuffle in front of the Basford goal, Findlay Bishop forced the ball over the line, meaning that in spite of having had the lions share of the ball, Liam Hearn's side were now in serious danger of seeing three points slip from their grasp and become just a solitary one... well, for a few moments at least, because almost from the restart, Kyeron Daws got forward on the right and delivered a cross that sat up invitingly in front of Peck, who lashed the ball into the back of Doherty's net... you don't stop those!

And that was that, game over.

In all fairness you'd have to say that 3-1 was a just outcome, that just about reflected the balance of play on the day.

FT: Basford United 3 v Mansfield Town 1

Football... it get's you out of the house, eh!?
It was good to catch up with some familiar faces and to spend a sunny, if rather chilly afternoon, in such esteemed company.
I'll hopefully see you all again soon guys, retirement looks like great fun, I can't wait until I'm as ancient as you old codgers!