Pendle 0-0 Cartmel
Pendle College As came up against arch rivals Cartmel Colleges last Wednesday in a highly intense match.
The mood between the two teams was sour with memories of an inter-college cup final defeat and summer cup semi-final defeat still fresh in Pendle minds.
The game got off to a swift start as Cartmel began the attacking play only to be closed down abruptly on each occasion by the Pendle defence. Pendle captain James Sandford crucially intercepted an attack in the seventh minute to keep the game level.
Pendle came into attacking possession in the next few minutes of the game, applying pressure to the Cartmel defence. However, both teamstruggled to keep the ball on the ground in the first half. Many high bouncing long passes, clearances and headers flew about the pitch, frustrating both teams.
A Pendle corner in the 18th minute caused serious danger for the Cartmel defence and came agonisingly close to being knocked in, before the ball was caught at the last second by the opposing keeper.
Cartmel responded quickly as several wing passes and long balls by right back Greg Rudkins were showing promising signs of igniting an attack down the right flank. Down the other end of the pitch, Pendle centre-forward Niall Peaker continuously inspired forward runs into the Cartmel defensive line. Despite this, the Cartmel defence held strong and managed to diffuse Peaker’s attacks at vital stages.
Half an hour into the game and both teams were still aiming to try to keep the ball down and retain possession to develop a passing game. Attempts still came constantly through Pendle’Peaker with several crosses and a shot struck just wide of the post from a throw-in in the 35th minute.
A free-kick was awarded to Pendle in the 36th minute. Driven in low by left back Aaron Giorgino, the shot was blocked by the wall and led into a Cartmel attack which was crossed shy of the goal line as nobody could get a head on it.
The first half came to a close with the score at 0-0 and both teams seeming evenly matched.
A highly controversial second half kicked off with another Pendle free-kick being driven into the wall, rebounded back out, and swung back in from Pendle’s Jordan Hughes to be headed over the bar.
Pendle kept on the pressure heavily for the next fifteen minutes of the game with Jordan Hughes continuously stabbing into the Cartmel defence to create for Niall Peaker who again was blocked at a critical moment in the 65th minute in front of goal.
Pendle attacks paid off in the 70th minute when the ball hit the back of the net through Peaker, but was ruled offside immediately by the referee. Attacks continued from both sides until the fading stages of the game as the tempo began to slow.
A massive altercation occurred between two players from the opposing sides in the 83rd minute with Sean Mooney of Pendle being shown a straight red once the players had cleared. Fortunately, no bad blood was left between players at the end of the game as all shook hands and went their separate ways despite the heightened rivalry.
Pendle captain James Sandford had this to say about the match; ‘it was a very scrappy game with few chances, in which both teams [gained] a hard-earned point. We dominated the second half, which included a controversial disallowed goal, until a coming together led to a red card for our centre-back, but we held out for a good draw.”
