TELFORD TOWN U14s v LAWLEY

FINN FIRES SIX AS TELFORD CONTINUE THEIR WINNING RUN

Telford Town U14s made it back-to-back league victories with an excellent 6-0 win over Lawley, a result that moves the lads up to third place in the league table.

It was a hugely impressive team performance at both ends of the pitch. Telford kept a clean sheet, adapted well to the threat posed by Lawley and created chances throughout - while at the other end Finn Thompson enjoyed an afternoon to remember, scoring all six goals.

Telford lined up with Luke Chesters in goal, with Rory Maloney, Alfie Thomas, Riley Williams, Mason Owen and Ryan Jones providing the defensive foundation.

Charlie Rogers, Finn Thompson, Walter Mullen and Toby Maher operated through midfield, with Archie Lindsay leading the attack.

Reece Evans, Louis Clayton and Isam Ali provided the options from the bench.

FIRST HALF

Lawley's intentions were clear from the opening exchanges, looking to get the ball forward quickly and test the Telford defence with balls over the top.

Telford recognised the danger early.

Manager Ray Lindsay asked Luke to take up a higher starting position towards the edge of his penalty area, allowing him to operate almost as a sweeper behind the defence.

It worked extremely well.

Luke repeatedly read the danger early and came out to collect or clear before Lawley could turn those long balls into clear opportunities.

When Lawley did try to play through Telford, they found Alfie, Riley and Mason in excellent form through the middle, while Rory and Ryan provided further protection from the full-back positions.

With the defence looking secure, Telford began causing problems at the other end.

Ten minutes in, the breakthrough arrived.

Ryan played an excellent ball down the wing and Finn latched onto it before keeping his composure and slotting his finish beyond the goalkeeper.

10' - TELFORD TOWN 1-0 LAWLEY - FINN THOMPSON

Telford continued to push forward and were rewarded again in the 24th minute.

This time Toby did brilliantly on the right, working hard to win possession before driving a precise ball across the penalty area.

Finn was waiting and made no mistake from close range.

24' - TELFORD TOWN 2-0 LAWLEY - FINN THOMPSON

Just three minutes later, Finn had his hat-trick.

Luke's proactive positioning again played its part as he came out to deal with another long ball and sent his clearance into midfield.

Archie took control before threading a clever pass around the back of the Lawley defence, releasing Finn one-on-one with the goalkeeper.

The finish was clinical.

27' - TELFORD TOWN 3-0 LAWLEY - FINN THOMPSON

And Finn wasn't finished.

In the 35th minute Alfie found him from a quickly taken throw-in and Finn turned the opportunity into another goal, firing powerfully beyond the goalkeeper for his fourth of the afternoon.

35' - TELFORD TOWN 4-0 LAWLEY - FINN THOMPSON

Four goals for Finn, a clean sheet at the other end and a commanding first-half performance from Telford.

HALF TIME - TELFORD TOWN 4-0 LAWLEY

SECOND HALF

Telford carried the momentum straight into the second half.

Despite having a comfortable advantage, the lads continued to work hard and look for opportunities rather than simply sitting on their lead.

Ten minutes after the restart, Archie produced an excellent piece of play to create number five.

He nicked the ball away from a Lawley midfielder, drove inside and then produced a perfectly weighted through-ball to send Finn clear again.

By this point Finn had already scored four, but the outcome was becoming fairly predictable.

Another calm finish.

Another Telford goal.

And number five for Finn.

TELFORD TOWN 5-0 LAWLEY - FINN THOMPSON

Six minutes later came the final goal of the afternoon.

Finn intercepted a Lawley free-kick and immediately drove forward into the space ahead of him.

With nobody able to catch him, he found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper once again and completed another composed finish.

TELFORD TOWN 6-0 LAWLEY - FINN THOMPSON

Six goals.

One player.

Quite an afternoon.

FULL TIME - TELFORD TOWN U14s 6-0 LAWLEY

The six goals will understandably grab the headlines, but there was plenty more to like about this Telford performance.

The lads adapted intelligently to the way Lawley were trying to play, with Luke's positioning behind the defence helping to take away the threat of the long ball.

In front of him, the defensive unit remained organised and disciplined throughout, giving Lawley very little encouragement and earning Telford a thoroughly deserved clean sheet.

Further forward there was some excellent football too, with Ryan, Toby and Archie all directly involved in creating goals and the whole side working hard both with and without the ball.

And then, of course, there was Finn.

MAN OF THE MATCH - FINN THOMPSON

There wasn't much debate about this one.

Six goals in a single game is a remarkable achievement at any level.

Finn combined excellent movement with confident, composed finishing and took his opportunities superbly to produce an afternoon he'll remember for a long time.

PARENTS' PLAYER OF THE MATCH - LUKE CHESTERS

While Finn was doing the damage at one end, Luke played an important part in making sure nothing got through at the other.

Asked to adjust his positioning and play higher behind the defence, he read the game extremely well, repeatedly coming out to deal with Lawley's attempts to play over the top.

A clean sheet and a deserved Parents' Player of the Match award.

Back-to-back league victories now move Telford Town U14s into third place in the table, with confidence building and another important league fixture to come against Albrighton next week.

Six goals, a clean sheet and three more points - an excellent afternoon for the whole team.