Thursday 31st March 2022 Bucksburn S1 vs Hazlehead S1 Match Report

Report on Bucksburn Academy First Year v Hazlehead Academy First Year, CNR International League - Thursday 31st March 2022, by Walter Craig

Bucksburn First Half Whirlwind Sees Off Hazlehead To Win Play Off Spot

Bucksburn Academy First Year
Toby Catto, Jack Fordyce, Logan Taylor, Tyler Cosgrove, Noah Sahar, Lewis Mair, Clark Whyte, Dahen Vixamar, Fraser Bruce, Alex McMurray and Ethan Reid. Subs: Milan George and Ashley Monjamu.

Hazlehead Academy First Year
Harry Brudenell, Lewis Pirie, Eiden Pinkerton, Callum Burnett, Owen Campbell, Rueben MacAllister, Ethan Mackie, Aiden Forrest, Liam Cochrane, Liam Young and Josh Napier. Subs: Mac Czlapski, John MacLeod, Owen Thomson and Lewis Cowie.

Referee T. Senior

Bucksburn had the opportunity to finish joint top of the Under 13 league A with a win against Hazlehead. Westhill’s win at St Machar on Saturday guaranteed them a place at the top and Bucksburn took to the field knowing exactly what the situation was. Once again snow had threatened to put the game in doubt but it kicked off in glorious sunshine.

Bucksburn began the game on the front foot and found themselves two goals ahead within four minutes.

Alex McMurray scored the first goal in three minutes. A pass from the midfield reached him on the right of the penalty box. He ran across before turning and dispatching a low left foot shot beyond the arms of Harry Brudenell and into the corner of the net.

Sixty seconds later after a fine run down the right, Lewis Mair, sent a cross which was met at the back post by Ethan Reid who smartly shot home from six yards.

Mair was almost through again in five minutes but this time Hazlehead managed to keep him out.

Bucksburn were well on top at this stage as they looked to kill off the game.

It was Clark Whyte’s turn to be crowded out twice in ten minutes.

A third goal was merely delayed by a minute, however. Bucksburn gained a free kick on the right which Logan Taylor took sending the ball to the back post. It was headed back across goal to the waiting Lewis Mair who sent his low attempt hurtling into the net.

Hazlehead tried hard to get back into the game through Liam Young, but Toby Catto came out from his goal to block the shot.

The resultant corner on the left was taken by Josh Napier who was unlucky to see his inswinging cross strike the junction of post and bar and go behind.

Lewis Mair then connected with a cross from the left but hit the crossbar as the midway point was reached.

It was four nil in twenty minutes. A long ball from Mair on the right on halfway found Reid who moved in on goal and beat Brudenell.

Three minutes from the break, Whyte nipped in in front of the Hazlehead defence and poked the ball into the net to see the homesters go nap.

What a half for Bucksburn! They totally ran the visitors ragged and it was hard to see just what Hazlehead would be able to do to get back into the game.

Half Time: Bucksburn Academy First Year 5 - 0 Hazlehead Academy First Year

Bucksburn attacked straight from the whistle and Brudenell had to be alert to bring off a great stop from Dahen Vixamar. The subsequent corner came to nothing.

He wasn’t required to deal with a thirty yard drive from Whyte moments later as it drifted narrowly wide.

Hazlehead were beginning to come into things a bit more and won a free kick wide on the right with eight minutes played. No one could get near the delivery, though, and the ball landed up in Catto’s arms.

In their next attack down the left Napier was disappointed to see his parting shot fly narrowly wide. Ten minutes from the end a Bucksburn free kick, taken by Taylor on the halfway line, was well headed back to his keeper by Eiden Pinkerton.

Moments later, a Napier drive from the left found Catto well positioned to bring off another fine stop.

At that point a torrential hail shower turned the pitch white, but could not dampen the spirits of the players who carried on as previously.

Reuben McAllister and Napier both tested Catto in the closing stages with shots which went wide of the far post, before the keeper had to rush out of his goal to thwart Owen Thomson who had been sent clean through.

The final whistle went soon afterwards and Bucksburn had completed the task of joining Westhill at the top of the table.

They deserved the win particularly considering their dominant performance in the first half.

Credit must go to Hazlehead for keeping the second period goalless and indeed, with a little luck, might have got on the scoresheet themselves on more than one occasion.

Final Score: Bucksburn Academy First Year 5 - 0 Hazlehead Academy First Year