A TALE OF PENALITIES

 Euro Soccer Nottinghamshire Senior League: Development Division

PEGASUS DEVELOPMENT FC 4 DUNKIRK DEVELOPMENT FC 1

With shawn helping his elder brother decorate this weekend, this gave me time to pull in my first Development game in the Nottinghamshire Senior League,, the match should have been a 10.30am kick off at Pastures Road in Stapleford but with the recent bad weather, common sense prevailed and it was switched to a 11am kick off at Kirk Hallam School on the 4g pitch.

After breakfast in Ilkeston we quickly found the ground but all the disabled car spaces were taken up by non blue badge holders, so hazel parked straight across the back of 2 cars and put our badge up and went for a stroll round the local lake.

I  soon got the teamsheets and Pegasus must be sponsored by the National Lottery as the numbers on the shirts went up to number 99, whatever happened to the old days of 1 to 11, I must be getting old.

The game kicked off at a high tempo and a good battle down the right wing between Dunkirks winger and the home left back was taking place, each earning 50 per cent of the ball each attack. Pegasus possibly had the better chances in the first half but it was 0-0 at half time.

The Second Half began well for the boatmen as in the 51st minute, a through ball found MORGAN PITTER who lifted the bal over the advancing keepers head in to the net to give the visitors the lead.

Within 2 minutes, the homesters were back level when ARCHIE EDWARDS fired home a shot from 25 yards out. After 58 minutes, Pegasus had turned it round as they took a 2-1 lead when MCKENZIE BULT converted a penalty.

Both sides pressed forward with both goalkeepers being called in to action and in the 71st minute, the visitors got a penalty but the home keeper Billy Beale dived low to his left side to push the ball away, they say games have turning points and this possibly was it, as Pegasus picked up the pace and on 81 minutes, ARCHIE EDWARDS curled home a shot from the right hand side of the edge of the area in to the far corner of the net to make it 3-1.

In the 84th minute, a moment of madness as a Dunkirk throw in was left by 2 defenders and their keeper and in went MCKENZIE BULT who walked in to the empty area to slot the ball home to make it 4-1.

In the final seconds of the game, Dunkirk were awarded their second penalty of the match, this time it was aimed low to Billy Beales right hand corner, but again like before, he palmed the ball away.

A very good match watched by a crowd of 27 on a windy but dry morning and I think both sides have good players for the future.

To see the 144 photos from the match, please clink this LINK