AFC Rushden & Diamonds U18s / Malcolm Arnold Academy suffered just their second league defeat, as they were heavily beaten 6-0 by Histon this afternoon.
Following from Monday’s 3-1 David Joyce Cup win, manager Darren Purse was without six second year scholars all through injury.
Matters didn’t get any better as Sam de Boer suffered a back injury in the warm up, totally seven injuries. Therefore young Polish ‘keeper Kacper Watroba started his first league game.
Diamonds were on the back foot from the off and it looked to be a long afternoon for the depleted scholars.
It wasn’t long before Histon were infront. The right full back clipped the ball into the striker, who set the winger through on goal to slot past Watroba making it 1-0. It was a carbon copy of a chance that happened just five minutes previous and Purse warned his defence of the threat.
And then it was almost two as the exact same move caught the defence napping again.
It could have been three or four at half time but luckily for the MAA boys, a good first half performance from Kacper Watroba kept the scoreline down.
Half Time. AFC R&D U18s 0-1 Histon U19s.
Just two minutes into the second half, Diamonds fell further behind. Histon had come out of the changing rooms in a confident mood and piled on the misery by making it 2-0.
Histon made it three soon after. The left winger beat Paolo Dyrmishi in the right back area, and he whipped the ball across the box and the Histon striker was unmarked six yards out to tap in.
Things got even worse as players were dropping like flies with injuries and tiredness. The lads weren’t learning from their mistakes. As the warning had been there in the first half with the ball into the striker, who played in the winger to make it 4-0.
It was a game of few chances for Diamonds but it a rare moment, the scholars did almost score in bizarre circumstances. The ball was passed back to the Histon goalkeeper, and Matt Pinder didn’t stop working as he charged the ball down from the goalkeeper, however the ball didn’t have the legs to go over the line and was eventually cleared.
It was to no surprise that Histon’s fourth was a copy of one of the goals they had already scored. This time it was the same as the third. But this time the ball game from the right hand side. The Histon right winger pulled the ball back and yet again a Histon player was unmarked inside the six yard box to tap in and make it five.
The away side almost scored a spectacular sixth. Histon lined up a free kick on the edge of the box, and the ball clipped the bar before going out.
Things went from worse to awful as the MAA boys had to finish the last 15 minutes, 5-0 down, with ten men as Pinder became the latest casualty to the injury hit squad.
And finally the misery was compiled as Histon scored a late goal to make it 6-0.
Full Time. AFC R&D U18s 0-6 Histon U19s.
Here’s what manager Darren Purse had to say after the game:
“Today was just about getting through the game with the least amount of damage possible. Half-term has come at a good time for us now, we have a week off to hopefully get three or four of the seven injured players back in contention for the week after. It’s tough to ask the lads to play two games in three days, but it’s not going to get any easier because the next few weeks after half term we have got two games a week again.
We’ve now got Jacob Kearney, Ryan Baird, Harrison Desborough, Ashley Hewett, Luke Garner (who had to come on), Sam de Boer (injured in the warm up) and Joe Ackroyd (who I had to bring on too) all injured. I didn’t want to bring Joe on, because he’s playing four games a week at the moment with the U18s, involved in the First Team and the 21s. So I’m trying to manage players at my end.
You can never ever fault the first year lads for their attitude and effort. Their attitude is spot on. But they need to step up. Last year when we got beat we played well but we’re lacking it at the moment, when we lose, we perhaps deserve to lose because we haven’t been good enough.
I’d like to say, Kacper Watroba, the six goals weren’t a slight on him, he kept the score down. He pulled off three or four really good saves so fair play to him. Stepping in at the last minute and he did himself proud and a lot of good.”
Match report by Hayden Pott.
