Warrington 12&U travelled to Austin Rawlinson Leisure Centre, Liverpool on Thursday evening to take on Bridgefield in a B&D match.
The team consisted of James B, Tom, Lily, Christopher, & Fintan therefore as we couldn’t field a full side we conceded the match but went ahead and played with support by way of a Bridgefield player in goal for us and two further Bridgefield players for subs. This ensured the Warrington players continued to get match practice.
Q1
A good first quarter from Warrington. The opening attempt on goal from Chris saved by the Bridgefield keeper. Good defensive work from Warrington but a shot on target by Bridgefield opened the scoring. A quick break saw Warrington level the score with a great shot by James. Sustained pressure from Bridgefield saw 4 goals in quick succession.
5-1 to Bridgefield as we went into Q2.
Q2
Q2 saw Bridgefield start with a flurry of goals. Warrington stood their ground and Fintan and Chris played some great defensive work. A quick break from Warrington and a great shot by Lily went in the back of the net! Warrington continued to pressure Bridgefield with a missed shot from Tom just as the quarter ended.
10-2 to Bridgefield as we went into Q3.
Q3
A solid quarter from Warrington. Really fantastic level of attacking and defensive work saw James score for Warrington. Pressure followed from Bridgefield but Chris, James, Tom, Lily & Fintan held firm for Warrington. Great attempts on goal from James & Tom and another missed shot from Warrington just as the quarter closed.
12-3 to Bridgefield as we went into Q4.
Q4
Warrington came out positive and, not deterred by a couple of quick goals by Bridgefield, pressed on. A couple of quick breaks saw James and Tom add to the Warrington goal tally. Warrington continued to press right until the end with the last shot of the match from Tom just out of time.
Final score 16-5 to Bridgefield.
Quarters 3 & 4 saw Warrington really come together, play solidly, and keep the pressure on Bridgefield. They played well against a strong side.
Speaking after the match Craig Stowell, Team Coach said “We did really well with low numbers against a very strong team and league cup favourites. With matches coming up against Tyldesley, Liverpool and Chester, as well as the Cheshire tournament, I am feeling positive, but the biggest challenge we face at present is player availability at matches – low numbers puts pressure on a small team and this impacts performance and leads to frustrations – if we can field a team at upcoming matches with just a couple of subs we will be stronger for it”.