Boys' Under-12: Northbank 2 Kingstown United 8

Kingstown United continued their climb up the table with a convincing 8-2 win away to Northbank at Harraby Sports Centre.

Whilst the majority of Longhorn matches were cancelled due to severe frosts, the Sports Centre’s 3G pitches were unaffected enabling matches to go ahead as normal.

The in-form Kingstown team hit the ground running and the Northbank players were rocked back on their heels by the speed and accuracy of the visitor’s deadly attacks which produced three goals in the opening five minutes.

Northbank’s attempts to attack where quickly snubbed out by a well organised Kingstown defence who immediately turned defence into attack.

The Northbank penalty area was a busy place as their rearguard struggled valiantly to stem the constant tide.

Goalkeeper Jack Newsome made a string of fine saves whilst Kingstown gained one corner after another each one causing more problems for the home defence.

Kingstown scored twice more in the opening half to lead 5-0 at the interval.

Northbank strove hard in the early stages of the second half but they were soon to lose another goal. Mel Heslop’s corner was cleared by the visiting defence to lone striker Christie Moore who gained control of the ball before turning his man and running two thirds the length of the pitch, outstripping the chasing pack, before rounding the advancing Newsome and slipping the ball into the empty net for a six-goal advantage.

The Northbank team fought very hard all through the second half and eventually Nathan Mills converted one of their chances.

The visitors continued to threaten but Newsome, who made a series of plucky saves, and his inspired fellow defenders suffered a further setback, despite their heroic efforts, when Luke Leonard scored from an impossible angle.

Despite trailing by seven goals to one, when in possession the Northbank players tried to work the ball through their opponents well organised defence and from one such move, started by a Charlie Crone and also involving Heslop and Jack Bush a succession of short passes created a chance for Charlie Latta to blast the ball into the net and make the score 7-2 in favour of Kingstown United.

The final five minutes were dominated by the visitors who won more corner kicks and created more scoring chances but Newsome and his defensive colleagues dug deep to thwart their goal hungry opponents but, unfortunately, there was nothing anyone could do to prevent Leonard cashing in on a loose ball to lash it into the net from inside the six-yard box to complete his hat-trick and make the final score Northbank 2 Kingstown United 8.

The game had no sooner started than Kingstown scored their first goal through Hayden Harper who took his chance after Callum Patterson’s well struck shot was parried by Newsome. The visitors then won the ball back from Northbank’s kick-off to work the ball down their left flank where it was passed inside to the tall figure of Leonard who nonchalantly side-footed it across Newsome into the far bottom corner of the net.

Northbank’s Jack Bush found Latta on the right flank inside the visiting half but he was eventually crowded out by Patterson and Niall Johnson whose accurate forward pass once more put his team on the attack.

Kingstown attacked in numbers never giving their opponents a moment of peace and good play, involving Leonard, Alex Williamson and Harper, provided the chance for Ewan Murray to score his team’s third goal in the fifth minute.

Mel Heslop tried to open up the opposition defence with some neat control and tricky footwork but Kingstown’s Jack Turley stuck with him to finally win the ball and take it forward into the opposition half to link up with Moore and Alex Williamson.

Kingstown won a series of corners on their left some of which were played short by Harper for Murray or Williamson to deliver the ball into the danger area but Northbank packed their defence and there were timely clearances from Finn Bell, Ryan Reay, Charlie Crone and Nathan Miles to temporarily relieve the danger.

Kingstown introduced Ashley Kingston off the bench and he took up a forward position wide on the right where his direct running caused more problems for the Northbank defence.

Kingston had acres of space to run into when he latched onto a great ball from Patterson and he finished it off with an excellent low cross into the path of the incoming Harper who guided it into the net for his second and his side’s fourth goal.

The visitors scored a fifth goal shortly before half-time with an almost identical move only this time it was Jake Squires who came in unmarked at the far post to guide the ball in from Kingston’s low cross.

There were no further first half goals and Northbank made a good start to the second half only to be again rocked back on their heels when Kingstown striker Moore broke away to score a great individual goal.

Northbank’s Heslop took a corner on their left which was cleared by the visiting defence. Moore was facing his own goal when he reached the ball but he managed to turn his man and sprint from his own half to the other end where he rounded Newsome and slipped the ball into an unguarded net.

Despite trailing by six goals Northbank were managing to string some passes together and they were rewarded when Miles eventually pulled a goal back. The move began with a throw-in on their left taken by Crone.

Jack Bush cut infield after receiving the ball and his threaded pass found Miles who, despite being surrounded by defenders, managed to shoot beyond the reach of Charlie Anderson.

Northbank had other shooting opportunities but Kingstown were still the more dominant team and a right wing move, started by Patterson’s pass to Williamson, ended with a goal from Leonard whose terrific low right-foot shot from the byline astonishingly ended in the Northbank net.

Leonard completed his hat-trick when he lashed home his side’s eighth goal from close range just before the end but before that Latta finished off a good Northbank passing move with an unstoppable shot to double his team’s goals tally.

On this form Kingstown United will pick up many more points and surprise a few teams along the way whilst the Northbank players will also pick up points once they learn to concentrate from the start of a game right through to the finish.


NORTHBANK: Jack Newsome, Finn Bell, Ryan Reay, Charlie Crone, Nathan Miles, Jack Bush, Luke Marsden, Charlie Latta and Mel Heslop. Subs: Ben Haughan and Jake Green

KINGSTOWN UNITED: Charlie Anderson, Jack Turley, Callum Patterson, Niall Johnson, Alex Williamson, Christie Moore, Luke Leonard, Hayden Harper and Ewan Murray. Subs: Ashley Kingston and Jake Squires

REFEREE: Kenny Brown

MAN OF THE MATCH: Ashley Kingston, midfield, Kingstown United: Ashley did not start the game but his introduction to the field in the first half was explosive. His lightening fast runs on the right touchline culminated in low crosses into the danger area-two of which provided goals four and five. Ashley was subject to a positional change in the second half moving to a central midfield position from where he supplied his forward players with a stream of accurate passes.