Hornsea Sporting U13s are back to winning ways after a season of consolidation in the Hull and district Drypool League (Division 2).
As a difficult rain-soaked season comes to a close, the summer tournament season begins, and the Seasiders have taken the chance to put some silverware back in the cabinet at the first time of asking.
After a season where all teams at this age group see the challenges of moving to 11-a-side pitches, large goals as well as the physical disparity between some players, playing a seven-a-side tournament came as a welcome relief and allowed the team to stretch their legs and show why back to back promotions came easily to the boys.
The group stage of the tournament, on both sides of the draw, were tight matches with no team winning by more than a goal but Hornsea guided their way through the group without loss, collecting a few wins, without conceding a goal and reminding the team and the supporters of why these boys have been a joy to watch for many seasons even if it was pouring with rain.
Hessle Falcons were duly dispatched by a late match-winning strike by defender Charlie Tosh, which opened the door to a quarter-final game against a well drilled Kingswood team who, for the first time in the day, managed to force an error and between goalkeeper and captain leading to an own goal.
But this team, as it has done many times before, came back and dominated the remainder of the game, with a captain’s winner coming from Noah Zawodny in the dying moments of the game to push for penalties and it the favour of Sporting, and in the gloves of their talismanic keeper, who’s hi-jinks and saves drove the team into the finals.
Old foes Beverley Town provided a stalemate of a final game with few lacklustre shots from both sides and driving the match onto another penalty shootout and back into the favour of Hornsea and their penalty shoot-out specialist Bradley Wilkie. The game was duly won with three out of four penalties saved driving a very muddy Wilkie to be mobbed by his teammates.
The tournament was marked by some excellent football with a real hunger to win. This team and coaches continue to be a credit to the club, our town and our community.
