Immense Character

Wells JPL were narrowly edged out in an entertaining game against Yate, with a horror start proving decisive. The hosts began the match shooting from anywhere and everywhere, and before the boys knew it they found themselves several goals behind with the match barely five minutes' old.

However, Wells showed immense character to put that awful start behind them and ended up winning the second and third periods to restore their pride and once again prove they belong on this stage. Had the match been a few minutes' longer the boys almost certainly would have completed a recovery that seemed unlikely in the opening period.

Noah started the comeback when he latched onto a smart through-ball from Rory to slot home. Yate added a couple more goals of their own, but after that it was one-way traffic. Noah won the ball in the Yate penalty area and finished low into the corner, before Kosmo started a superb passing move that was finished off by Noah.

Two more strikes by Noah were followed by an own-goal to put Wells back in touching distance, though Yate ended the second period by notching another to give them a four-goal cushion.

Wells dominated the third and final period, winning it 3-0 thanks to a long-range pearler by Alfie, another stunning team goal finished off by Edwin, and finally a cool strike by Noah to complete his fifth hat-trick of the season. Daniel made several superb saves to keep Yate out, with the defence well marshalled by Caleb and Kosmo.

The Wells boys can once again be proud of their efforts in giving a strong team full of attacking verve a real scare. The JPL learning curve has been steep, but the boys have made significant progress and are matching the region's best teams week in week out.

Goals: Noah (6), Alfie, Edwin, OG
Man of the match: Noah - the step up in quality hasn't dented his scoring instincts, and good link-up play today helped the team push forward.