Hurricanes and Tornadoes in the Eye of the Storm
AFC Henley Hurricanes U11s welcomed Hearts of Tedlothian Tornadoes for a competitive match at Jubilee Park. The Hurricanes produced a fine all-round performance against a side who defended well and provided a constant counter-attacking threat.
After last week’s visit to Twickenham, AFC Henley Hurricanes U11s hosted another team from Middlesex. It was the turn of the Hearts of Tedlothian Tornadoes to have the early start and long motorway journey.
Despite this, it was the Tornadoes who provided the early impetus and tested goalkeeper Harrison with a shot on target. The Hurricanes soon found their rhythm too, and their solidity in midfield was a feature of the game. Luca, Josh, Jack C, Nicolas and Shiva all contributed at different points in the game.
The Hurricanes opened the scoring. Will L was in a good position on the edge of the box and put the ball past the keeper. Oscar was also on the scoresheet with a memorable solo goal. He latched onto Jack C’s pass on the right, then single-handedly took the ball past several defenders to score.
It wasn’t all about goals for the Hurricanes, though. The three defenders, Will G, Jack T and Dom, all needed to track back and make important tackles against the Tornadoes’ pacy forwards. Goalkeeper Harrison made several important saves.
The Tornadoes shared in the scoring too. On more than one occasion their forwards were alert in the box, creating a goalscoring opportunity from a loose pass.
This was an impressive performance from the Hurricanes, built on the passing of the midfield and forwards, but with an important role for the defence too. For their next game they are back on the road, this time at Wokingham.