BURLEY TROJANS JUNIORS U7S ‘A’ 1 BINGLEY JUNIORS U7 ‘A’ 8 

Trojans received an early taste of the harsh realities of competitive football when they met Bingley in their opening Keybury League fixture. The match was switched to Burley at late notice with Bingley’s ground unplayable but home advantage plus a partisan crowd did little to help Trojans as their visitors raced into a five goal lead within the first ten minutes. Bingley, who Trojans had encountered in a summer six-a-side tournament, showed the benefits of having played a full season at Under 6 level whereas the home side looked decidedly rusty having seen their pre-season preparations disrupted by the weather. Trojans keeper Finlay Tunney did well but had little chance with any of the first half goals as Bingley put together some slick passing moves which left Trojans chasing shadows at times. It was a credit to Trojans that they managed to steady the ship after such a disastrous start and, with the impressive Alex Bentley holding things together at the back, they began to compete. Fellow defenders Archie Wilkinson and Freddie Smart also began to put more pressure on the Bingley forwards and with Matthew Revis and Daniel Twigg beginning to establish a foothold in midfield a few half chances fell to the home side with Callum Worts, Cameron Hawden and Smart all having efforts on goal. The second half started in similar fashion to the first for Trojans as another neat passing move from the visitors caught them cold seconds after the restart to extend the lead further. Trojans battled well and Noah Boardman showed a real willingness to run at the Bingley defence however he often found himself outnumbered. Meanwhile at the other end Worts, who replaced Tunney in goal at half time, was called into action on a number of occasions to prevent further damage. Midway through the half Bingley scored again before Trojans restored some pride when Hawden showed great composure to steer a cool finish past the Bingley keeper. An eighth goal right on the final whistle gave the final scoreline some added gloss for the visitors but Trojans can look forward to better days and also take consolation from the fact that they will not come up against Bingley for at least another couple of months by which time they will hope to have found their feet.Bentley deservedly picked up the man of the match award for his composed defending which helped to limit the number of goalscoring opportunities which came Bingley’s way, particularly in the second half.   On Sunday Trojans ‘A’ are at home to Shipley Lions. 

                                                    BURLEY TROJANS U7S ‘B’ 0 BINGLEY JUNIORS U7S ‘B’ 12

Trojans ‘B’ team took the field for their first ever match hand found themselves up against a vastly more experienced Bingley side who showed the benefits of having played together on a regular basis. Keeper James Barker found himself facing wave after wav of Bingley attacks and did remarkably well pulling off some fine saves to keep the scoreline down. Captain Ella Shouler-Harris and Ryan Stockley, showing some of their experience in defence gained last season helped to keep the score down, alongside Tom Williams and Alfie White who battled well throughout. Trojans struggled to make any headway in attack although the lively Thomas Schofield threatened to break on a couple of occasions being halted only by some desperate last ditch defending. In the second half Bradley Hardesty took over in goal and performed heroically, saving on a number occasions when Bingley poured forward in search of more goals. It was not all one way traffic however and Benjamin Kelly proved a handful for the Bingley defence as he burst through on a number of occasions but was crowded out and then the pacy Benjamin White broke clear but saw his goalbound shot saved by the Bingley keeper.Hardesty collected the man of the match award for his impressive debut in goal.   On Sunday Trojans are at home to Shipley Tigers.