Pembury Tournament
18 May 2008
Mustangs hit 6 in the final!
Sunday 18 May 2008A rather dull and overcast Sunday morning greeted the Mustangs, despite being Joe Brisley birthday!. This was our 3rd Tournament of the season and having gained 3rd spot at Camber and runners up at Ifield, the Mustangs knew the effort required if they wanted to win.
3 groups of 5 teams played 6 minutes each way and then into quarters and semis before the final – no extra time and 3 penalties each would decide the latter stages.
Our first match was a nervous affair against Tonbridge Juniors and despite peppering the opposition’s goal Mustangs failed to find an opening. Second match saw us play event organisers, Pembury. Although conceding a rare goal Mustangs worked hard and a 2-1 win to Foresters seemed to flatter the opposition. Third match was against Tonbridge Invicta and 4 great goals managed to seal a well earned win. Our final group match was billed as a “do or die” affair against a tidy Langton Green side. The Mustangs played their hearts out and sunk 3 passed the Langton goalkeeper without reply.
This set up a quarter finals slot against Ridgewaye. Although a tough battle ensued Mustangs again came out worthy winners with a 2-0 win. On to the semi’s and a very tough encounter against a well organised Tulse Hill side who had sunk 4 passed Langton in their quarter final match. Despite their slick passing and movement, Mustangs held on strong and the match ended a credible 0-0. Penalties ensued and things did not look good as Mustangs missed their first 2! However Mustangs ever reliable Goalkeeper, Kieran, saved the last two from Tulse Hill. Sudden death and with Mustangs coolly slotting their goal in Tulse Hill needed to score to stay in the game. Alas it wasn’t to be as yet again Kieran saved the day with another superb penalty save.
The final gave Pembury another opportunity to put the Mustangs down but they were all simply far too strong. The Mustangs were fired up and ready and this was apparent as they bagged 5 goals in the first half without reply. The second half saw an equally committed Mustangs effort and they scored 1 more. 6-0 in the final was nothing short of what they deserved and as always they finish these tournaments far stronger than their opposition do.
This was a superb result not only for the team but for the Club too. The manager would like to thank all parents for their commitment and effort in getting the boys to the events and the boys for their continued effort and desire to win.
Team; Kieran Hounsell, Miller Grice, Joe Brisley, Liam Edwards, Josh Smith, Luke Eldridge, Sollie Cook and William Currie.