HARD-FOUGHT GAME BRINGS VICTORY FOR YEAR 11 FOOTBALLERS

Our Year 11 football team are celebrating after beating St John Fisher on penalties in the County Cup. This marked a repeat of a fiery fixture that took place last year and this match was very much the same with both teams playing at a very intense level with challenges flying in from every corner of the pitch!

Richmond took a first-half lead when some brilliant build-up play from Jamie Bennett and Jake Priestley set up Theo Webster to slot home the first goal from the left-hand side of the box into the bottom right hand corner.

Richmond then battled it out for most of the game, some small chances fell to the Richmond forwards who failed to capitalise and increase the score. This proved costly later in the game, when the St John Fisher forwards took it past a couple of defenders to slot home a well-worked finish.

The last few moments were very tense and nervous for both sides with the game finishing 1-1 which took the game straight to penalties.

St John Fisher stepped up first and coolly slotted home, next Richmond who missed the first penalty playing the ball straight down the middle. After this both St John Fisher and Richmond took convincing penalties taking the penalty score to 4-3. St John Fisher had the advantage but wasted the chance to win the game by blazing the penalty over the bar and out of the Dave Clark Arena. Jamie Bennett then levelled the penalties at 4-4 meaning it was all to play for. Another round of good penalties saw the game go to 5-5.

Ethan Stewart in the Richmond net made an absolutely brilliant save giving us the advantage. Max Dale stepped up to take what turned out to be the winning penalty, slotting the ball neatly into the bottom left-hand corner past the outstretched arms of the St John Fisher goalkeeper.

A brilliant, hard-fought win moving the Year 11 football team into the next round of the county cup.