Development Team Result. Garforth Town 2 v 3 Malt Shovel

Garforth Town Team:
1. Charlie Fairbarin
2. Aiden Croft
3. Elliott Cuttle
4. Lee Coulthard - captain
5. Mat Devlin
6. Joe Colley
7. Aiden Kearsley - debut
8. Raul Fletcher
9. Wesley Gibrill - Keating
10. Finlay Bailey - Hague
11. Josh Prince
12. Tommy Reynolds
15. Sam Sharman
15. Dan Booth
Garforth Town Goal Scorers: Finlay Bailey - Hague (2)
Garforth Town Man of Match: Finlay Bailey - Hague - shown pictured
Another good , tight game with the young Garforth boys just losing out to a much older and more experienced Malt Shovel side. Garforth opened the scoring on 14 minutes. Raul Fletcher made a super long switched pass out wide to captain Lee Coulthard. He put a nice low cross into the 6 yard box and 16 year old Finlay Bailey - Hague scored with a subtle glancing header. The game was tight for the next 15 minutes or so but Garforth looked in control. 17 year old Aiden Croft then made a bit of a slip on his steep learning curve. He was presented with a 60 - 40 situation in his own third. At 1-0 up and his side in no particular danger up to press would he go labour or conservative? The conservative option would be to put his foot through it and take minimum risks in a potentially vulnerable situation thus protecting the lead in a conservative approach to the game. He choose to try and keep possession. The experienced Malt Shovel number 9, Brad Hall, read his intentions, stole the ball and equalised. Garforth had surrendered the initiative cheaply and would now have to labour hard to score again and get it back. On 37 minutes yet more inexperienced play from Garforth resulted in the visitors taking the lead. 18 year old Elliott Cuttle has been operating on the Garforth Town Development Team scene so long now it is easy to forget that he is still learning his trade. Elliott made a small error but just enough to ensure that the labour option now became a hard labour option. An attempted short pass to 16 year old Josh Prince in his own third was intercepted and that man Brad Hall scored again. Elliott had ignored his captain's call. Lee Coulthard had politely advised him to 'miss Josh out'. 2-1 at half time and not coming out on top in the physical quarter - a big effort would be needed in the second half. Young Finlay Bailey-Hague equalised very early on in the second half for the Garforth youngsters. Courageous Captain Coulthard received in a great position from a third man running effort, slipped the ball to Bailey - Hague who planted the ball into the back of the net. A brace for the toddler - well done to him. It almost became a hat trick ten minutes later. A ball pulled back across the 6 yard box left Bailey - Hague with a great chance to tap in at the near post. The Malt Shovel keeper Ryan Bedford did exceptionally well to scramble across and keep it out - just - great save. Not to be undone 17 year old Garforth keeper Dan Booth, who has been in fine form lately, grabbed his own headlines with a superb reaction save from a very well struck' pile driver'. The visitors grabbed the winner about 10 minutes from the end of this tight contest. The Malt Shovel winger was given too much time to pick out his cross and ball was scuffed into the net from a few yards out. Agony for the youngsters. A good game though - well done to both teams.