THEO’S LATE BRACE NOT QUITE ENOUGH AS ACES FALL JUST SHORT IN NINE-GOAL THRILLER

Arborfield Aces U14s 4–5 Woodley Wanderers

By the Arborfield Aces Sports Desk

Arborfield Aces U14s were involved in a nine-goal thriller this afternoon as they battled back from 3–0 and 4–2 down against Woodley Wanderers, only to narrowly miss out on a remarkable comeback.

The Aces dominated possession for large spells and created the majority of the early chances, but it was Woodley who made the most of theirs. Despite the Aces controlling much of the opening quarter, Wanderers found themselves 2–0 up at the first break.

The second quarter brought more frustration for the Aces. Woodley scored with their first shot on target to extend their advantage to 3–0, while the Aces continued to push for the goal their pressure deserved. Somehow, they went into the next break three goals behind.

But there was absolutely no sign of the Aces’ heads dropping.

THE COMEBACK BEGINS

The third quarter saw Arborfield turn up the pressure once again, and eventually they got their reward.

JUDE LOUTH was brought down while making his way into the box, leaving the referee with no choice but to point to the spot. WING TSANG stepped up and calmly smashed the penalty past the keeper.

3–1. The comeback was on.

And it didn’t take long for the Aces to strike again.

THEO RICHARDS threaded a perfectly timed ball into the path of the lightning-fast ZAC DAVEY, who raced through before calmly burying his finish into the bottom corner.

3–2. Game on!

Unfortunately, just as the Aces were building momentum, a mix-up at the back allowed Woodley to restore their two-goal advantage.

4–2.

A FOURTH-QUARTER THRILLER

The final quarter was almost entirely one-way traffic.

The Aces came flying out of the blocks, throwing everything at Woodley, who were increasingly forced to defend deep and look for opportunities on the counter.

A quick throw-in from new signing LOUIS COLLEDGE near the corner flag found THEO RICHARDS who allowed the ball to bounce before producing a moment of real quality — lifting the ball beautifully over the advancing goalkeeper.

4–3!

Woodley were now camped in their own half as the Aces continued to turn the screw.

Then came another controversial moment.

A huge clearance was flicked on towards the Woodley striker, who appeared to be marginally offside. With no VAR available to come to the rescue, the flag stayed down and the striker went on to slot the ball home.

5–3.

For most teams, that might have been the moment the heads dropped.

Not these Aces.

They kept pushing right until the final whistle, and once again THEO RICHARDS was at the heart of the action.

Captain JACKSON COWELL played the ball out to Theo, who produced another sublime finish, lifting the ball over the goalkeeper and into the back of the net.

5–4.

Suddenly, the Aces believed again.

But despite throwing everything forward in the dying moments, the equaliser wouldn’t come.

FULL TIME: WOODLEY WANDERERS 5–4 ARBORFIELD ACES

A frustrating result, but a performance full of character, determination and attacking football.

To come back from 3–0 down, then 4–2 down, and still be pushing for an equaliser right up until the final whistle says plenty about the mentality of this group.

Theo’s two goals, Man of the match Wing’s cool penalty and Zac’s clinical finish weren’t quite enough to secure victory — but there were plenty of positives for the Aces to take into the new season.

A brilliant, entertaining pre-season friendly between two teams who certainly know how to put on a show.

Well done, Aces. Never give up. Never stop fighting. ?⚫