Oakwell Juniors top group
Written by Editor on Tuesday 3rd February 2009

Mexborough Rangers 2
Oakwell Juniors 7

Oakwell Juniors completed the final match of the league stages of the Millennium League U15 cup competition with a victory over Mexborough Rangers to maintain their 100 percent record in all games this season. Although the score line sounds decisive, Mexborough were well in the game until the last 20 minutes and in fact led 2-1 for a brief period during the first half. Oakwell suffered from the late withdrawal of their keeper Ben Child with illness and that meant three outfield players taking stints in goal. The opening 10 minutes of the game were well contested with Mexborough looking threatening until Oakwell's James Cryne opened the scoring by chesting down a long throw into the area before taking a touch and firing into the corner of the net. Mexborough's response was their best period of the game during which they had plenty of possession and moved the ball well to convert two well worked chances, prompting a change in the Oakwell keeper. Joe Askam, who had been in goal, proved his greater effectiveness as an outfield player by promptly equalising the score with a strong run into the box and a powerful shot beyond the diving Mexborough keeper. Shortly before half time, Oakwell Juniors restored the lead after the Mexborough keeper bravely came from his line to block a shot from Matthew Wiley only for the ball to deflect to James Cryne who cleverly lobbed the ball into the open net from 20 yards out.

In the second half, the opening ten minutes saw Mexborough giving it a good go, pinning Oakwell Juniors into some desperate defending and two goal line clearances. After riding out the storm, Oakwell started to gain some composure and Will Hunter got the back four organised and gradually Mexborough's resistance fell away allowing Matthew Wiley to score a varied hat-trick with a right foot drive, a header and an overhead kick. The final goal came from a cool finish by Alex Johnson after a period of sustained Oakwell Junior pressure that had seen Hassan Amarov and Jordan Painter repeatedly breaking from midfield to shoot from distance.

Oakwell Juniors topped Group B of the Millennium cup competition and will now meet the runners-up from Group A in the semi-final.