Development Team Result: Yorkshire Amateurs 5 - 0 Garforth Town

Garforth youngsters' quest to create new unbeaten run record thwarted by Amateurs!

Garforth Town Team:
1. Brad Williams
2. Eoin Schofield
3. Elliott Cuttle
4. Lee Coulthard - captain
5. Mat Devlin
6. Jaydon Armstrong
7. Harold Monkam
8. Raul Fletcher
9. Wesley Gibrill - Keating
10. Furuk Okuneage
11. Tommy Reynolds
12. Dan Booth
14. Aiden Croft - shown pictured
15. Josh Prince
16. Sam Sharman - debut
Garforth Town Man of Match: Aiden Croft
Well I didn't see this result coming for Garforth entered this match needing a win or a draw to create a new Development Team record of 4 games unbeaten although to be fair Yorkshire Amateurs is a difficult place to come and get a result - the boys knew that before the game. There looked to be no cause for alarm for the first 20 minutes or so for Garforth were playing well and if Gibrill - Keating had managed to get a touch on Cuttle's sizzling low drive across the box after 10 minutes the boys would surely have been 1 goal to the good at that stage. The opening goal, converted from the Amateur's first real chance, as is often the case, was a game changer. Garforth gave a cheap free kick away just inside their own half, the first of too many in my opinion - the boys never got into the mindset of the official's interpretation of actually what constitutes a foul (sometimes it seems the FA might be on a long term vision to make the game into a non contact sport). The ball was pumped into the Garforth box. The ball fell to the feet of Garforth player Okuneage a few yards from the Garforth goal but he didn't 'put his foot through it' in time and the Amateur player nipped in to steal a goal. Not quite sure what happened with the second goal, which virtually sealed the game for the home side, a few minutes later, when left back Cuttle was left defending one on one in the 6 yard box as too many Garforth players got dragged out wide to the ball. It would have been nice of his fellow defenders to have pre - advised Cuttle of their intended actions - hung a 'gone to lunch' sign from the crossbar perhaps? The speedy winger turned him one way , then the other, before slotting it past keeper Williams. That was the catalyst for the home side to take charge of the game up to half time. A pattern emerged. Garforth players' final pass, virtually to a man, usually broke down. Garforth were finding it difficult to piece together their normal pass and move game. The reason? Not sure to be honest - maybe they were rushing their passes conscious of the fact that they needed to pull 2 goals back or maybe they just struggling to deal with a difficult playing surface. Yorkshire Amateurs punished most of the loose passes with swift counter attacks. Garforth's chosen 4 3 3 shape often left the full backs exposed against rapid wingers - who were sometimes supported by speedy overlapping full backs - and Garforth must have been relieved when half time arrived. Surely the Garforth management would alter the shape to give the full backs some protection for if Garforth had conducted a charity auction of their shirts at half time the numbers 2 and 3 would probably not have even have reached their reserve price. Garforth re emerged for the second half 4 2 2. Would it work? Garforth wouldn't get chance to find out for the normally ultra reliable keeper Williams and the ultra reliable centre half Devlin both made disastrous passes out from the back within minutes of the restart to gift the home side a 4 -0 lead. Looks like the management team addressed the shape issue at half time but forgot to address the 'how to play at a quick tempo without making mistakes' issue. The introduction of 16 year Aiden Croft into midfield was the catalyst for Garforth to, at last, start playing their normal ' keep the ball' game. Well done to him - not easy to grab a man of a match accolade in a Garforth team bristling with talent. Garforth dominated the last 20 minutes and the home side netted their fifth against the run of play. Well done to Yorkshire Amateurs - no complaints about the result. They came back well from their last match - a 4 - 1 beating by Campian - no doubt Garforth will be aiming to mimic them and bounce back in their next match.