A “tale of two halves” saw our Reserves fall to a defeat against Angle Vale in State League 2 action.
We exploded out of the blocks with our finest football of the season, using a relentless high press to pin Vale deep in their own half. The early pressure paid off when Felix Stokoe in the 14th minute found space in the penalty box to smash home a well-deserved opening goal.
Shortly after, the visitors were reduced to 10 men following a straight red card. Despite the numerical disadvantage, Vale rallied immediately against the run of play in the 23rd minute, executing a flawless free kick into the top corner that gave Cain Searle no chance.
Our boys responded just two minutes later. Felix Stokoe struck again in spectacular fashion, cutting inside to curl a brilliant left-footed shot into the top corner for a 2-1 lead.
For the rest of the half, our midfield drove forward relentlessly as Jacob Wickman, Athan Triandafyllidis and Felix Stokoe created chance after chance, though we couldn’t quite find that killer third goal before the break.
The second half took an unexpected turn right from the whistle. Angle Vale caught our defence napping straight from the kick off to equalise. Vale then controlled possession and beat us to second balls, eventually taking a 3-2 lead in the 73rd minute after an individual run through the box.
We threw everything forward in a desperate bid to equalise. Felix Stokoe unluckily rattled the crossbar and Athan Triandafyllidis sent a powerful effort narrowly wide.
A late red card to Jacob evened the playing field to 10 men each, forcing a frantic final minute. With everyone up for a corner, Vale cleared the ball to a lone striker who then chipped it into the net from distance to seal a cruel 4-2 result.
Manager’s Verdict: “The squad played clinical, high-intensity football in the first half and truly should have walked into the break 5-1 up. Missed opportunities and the cruel bounce of the ball allowed a resilient Vale side to take the 3 points.”
We dust ourselves off, learn from it, and go again next week!
