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Photos: Jack Western
Goodricke battered Halifax 5-0 on 22 Acres this morning. Though complaints were made about the poor conditions of the pitch, Goodricke managed to put on an astonishing display of attacking football.
The game kicked off to a promising start on both team’s parts, with Halifax playing on the offensive. Much credit has to be given to the Halifax ‘keeper, Johnny Sim, whose fearlessness and talent intimidated the opposition and kept Goodricke out for long periods. It wasn’t long before Goodricke took hold of the situation, however, as Joe Mann scored an astounding goal within the first 20 minutes. The team’s luck didn’t end there, with Goodricke playing confident football- and Mann secured a further goal for his team.
Though beginning with the upper hand, Halifax soon began to fall into a state of lethargy, characterised by laziness and mostly unnecessary aggression. One such event saw a Goodricke player being given a free kick after a nasty slide tackle from a Halifax player. Other injuries also occurred after half time: one Halifax player, Dan Jones, was pardoned from the match after twisting his knee in the thick mud.
The cut-up pitch didn’t seem to hinder the pattern of play though as team captain, Jonathan Gillbanks secured yet another goal for the Goodricke side. Though Halifax did well in defence, their attempts to score were either ricocheted perfectly away by ‘keeper Tom Neill or sent to land in one of the many ditches siding the pitch. With utmost ease, Goodricke scored a further 2 goals: one player headed a corner into the net before another was booted in straight down the middle of the goal (though both teams were at loggerheads about the credibility of this goal).
It was embarrassing for Halifax who, despite being entered into the College Varsity finals, were absolutely thrashed. Soon after, the final whistle blew, leaving Goodricke captain Jonathan Gillbanks full of praise for his team’s efforts, telling Vision ‘We played excellent football in spite of difficult conditions, and got the result our play merited.’