RESERVES OUT OF HUNTS LOWER JUNIOR CUP

Cardea Reserves played host to Stilton Reserves in the hunts lower cup on what can only be described as a miserable day at Queen’s Park, Yaxley.

The first half was tight affair with neither side making many clear-cut chances. The only real chance of note fell to away side with the winger doing some good work to cut the back and after a deflection fell to their striker, John C Reilly, who smashed the ball into the back of the net from just outside the area. The away team goal scorer having flown back from Hollywood the previous day after starring in films such as Step Brothers, Anchorman 2 & Guardians of the Galaxy.

Other than the opening goal for Stilton, the biggest highlight was when Kev Webster brought back the coffees for the subs during the first half, there would have been a second coffee run at half time if Tom Jacombs hadn’t complained about the lack of chocolate sprinkles.

The first half finished 1-0 to Stilton and in truth did look the better side in the opening 45 minutes.

The second half began with the weather conditions getting worse, and along with the sun not making an appearance, lady luck decided she was also going to clear off to warmer climates for the rest of the day, as Cardea lost multiple players due to onjury in the second half. Centre back Jake ball suffered a head injury, with Aaron Guntrip coming off with a hamstring injury too. This meant Dave Hardingham who started up front moved from centre forward, to centre midfield and back to centre back, he himself was wanting to be subbed off, but Cardea had no subs left to make. Josh Sieley also had to be removed as he took a knock to his knee, rendering the remainder of the Cardea team and management, totally helpless for the remainder of the game. With all of these injuries more than evident in the teams performance, Stilton continued to turn the screw, adding 4 more goals to the one they got in the first half, giving them an unassailable lead.

Long story short, this day could only have been worse if it was played at the other ground of Middletons Road. A cold, windy, wet, depressing afternoon complied in a 5-0 home loss, and being knocked out of the cup… tragic.

We wish Stilton the best luck in the next round of the cup of the hunts cup, however the disappointment of being knocked out of a competition Cardea have done so well in in the past, was evident in the dressing room after the game. The Reserves will have to refocus next week, which is another tough test against Holbeach in the minor cup, who are applying their trade in Division 4.