Match Report- 12/04/2011 v Lightcliffe (Away)

Now at the business end of the season, Wyke were desperate
to pick up wins in order for them to be crowned league champions. They faced a
Lightcliffe side who hammered Ossett on Sunday, and who were looking a much
stronger side than at the start of the season when Wyke got a 12-6 victory.





Unfortunately, Wyke slumped to a 3-1 defeat, leaving their title
hopes on shakey ground.





Wyke started the game much the better team, and Lightcliffe
barely saw the Wanderers half, and anything that did was dealt with by the
defence easily.





Jake and Scott both hit shots straight to the keeper, and
Nathan shot over the bar, but considering Wyke had so much of the attacking
possession, they didn’t seem to be able to find a way through. Connor Rhodes
had a couple of shots, but he couldn’t find the back of the net, and was
clearly isolated as a lone striker, with Mikey Brooksbank playing in more of a
midfield role.





The Lightcliffe defence remained strong, with Wyke just
unable to break them down, and they had a couple of chances to counter-attack
the Wanderers, nearly pegging them back. Luckily Calvin made a good save, and
the post denied another effort.





Half Time- 0-0





Wyke reverted back to 442, which was probably a mistake, as
Wyke stopped controlling play in the middle.
Nathan and Mudiwa struggled to deal with the Lightcliffe players
breaking through the middle, and very early into the second half, their number
8 broke through and fired into the near corner, after running through the
defence.





After the goal, Wyke’s positive attitude changed, and
suddenly Wyke’s clever midfield play was becoming much more sloppy, giving the
ball away and Lightcliffe continued to hit them on the counter attack.





The second half continued in the same way, with Lightcliffe delivering
another two blows to the Wanderers, meaning they were now trailing 3-0 with
confidence totally shot at.








Wyke’s attack looked very demoralised, with Mikey Brooksbank
and Connor Rhodes having very little luck, and their frustration was greatly
affecting their performance.





Wyke did find the back of the net with 5 minutes to go,
Connor Rhodes scored from close range after a corner wasn’t dealt with. However
it was far too late for the Wanderers, who were inevitably defeated.


Full Time- Wyke 1-3 Lightcliffe





Goals





Connor Rhodes (65)





Man of the Match





Jake Gilderdale: Jake was playing the unfamiliar
position of right wing/right forward, and he did a really good job, he made
some good crosses, and linked up well with Connor Rhodes particularly in the
first half.





Manager Comments


It was a very frustrating game for us today, because for the
most of the game, we were the better side. We played much better football, and
we had plenty of chances. What we have to do is try and stay positive, because
otherwise we beat ourselves, because we give up!! The title race isn’t over,
but it does now mean we need to win the next two games! Let’s stay positive and
work hard and Im sure we will be good enough to win!!