Cardinal Heenan make the U12 Danone Nations Final
Thursday 25 April 2013By ESFA Office
Last Updated:
10/02/2021 11:49:23
Cardinal Heenan Winning Squad
On a bright and breezy day at Kepier Academy in Houghton-le-Spring, Kepier entertained Cardinal Heenan School of Liverpool for a place in the final of the ESFA Danone National Cup. The match was refereed by former professional referee George Courtney, and both schools were extremely grateful to George for giving up his time.
Right from then outset Kepier were on the back foot, with Cardinal Heenan using their strength and pace in midfield to control the game. With 10 minutes played, Ronan McCall latched onto a through ball and calmy slotted the ball into the Kepier goal.
Kepier did their utmost to get a foothold in the match, but struggled with the physical presence of the Cardinal Heenan centre forward, Bobby Duncan, who each time he got the ball looked to attack the Kepier defence. The second goal was not long in coming, Duncan picking the ball up outside the Kepier box and smashing an unstoppable shot into the net.
In the second half, Kepier began to use the ball better, but were still struggling to make any impression on the Cardinal Heenan defence. With 3 minutes played, Bobby Duncan again used his strength to fend off two Kepier defenders and place the ball into the bottom corner of the Kepier goal.
Although Kepier were having more possession than in the first half, they only sporadically looked a threat, with most of their attacks comfortably dealt with. Some sloppy work by Kepier in midfield allowed Cardinal Heenan to pick the ball up, and with Duncan running into space the pass found him for his hat trick and Cardinal Heenan's fourth.
Bobby Duncan scoring Cardinal Heenan's fifth goal
To their credit, Kepier continued to try and get a foothold in the game, but the Cardinal Heenan defence remained calm and dealt with any threat comfortably. With a few minutes remaining, man of the match Bobby Duncan burst through once again and blasted his fourth and Cardinal Heenan's fifth into the Kepier net, giving a final score of Kepier 0 v 5 Cardinal Heenan.
Kepier's manager Martin Scott said "we have had a great run to the semi final, and Kepier's players can be proud of themselves for what they have achieved, but today we were well beaten by an excellent team, who thoroughly deserved their victory. Myself and everyone at Kepier wishes them all the best for the final."
View all of the results from this season's competition by clicking here.
