Boys Football - U15s ESFA Elite Cup

Royal Russell U15A 2-0 Aldenham

The U15As progressed into the Quarterfinals of the ESFA Elite Cup after a very impressive 2-0 win against a strong Aldenham side.

Both teams met last year at the same stage which Aldenham won 5-0. Aldenham were unbeaten previous to this game in all competitions which showed how strong of a team Royal Russell were up against.

Russell limited Aldenham to minimal chances with a strong display from the back 3 of Tom Gibbs, Harry Dawes and in particular Bobby Haskell who was excellent. On the flip side we created some very good chances in the first half with the threat of Evan Newman in behind upfront. Unfortunately, the striker on 3 occasions found an in form Aldenham GK to prevent him scoring from 3 one on one's.

Royal Russell went into half time knowing they had not conceded in what was the harder half with strong winds. They took a deserved lead when clever play on the edge of the box saw Dylan De Gale combine with Evan Newman who found Zac Brennan. Zac had the composure to sit the defender down before squaring across to Evan who thumped home, 1-0. Russell then showed fight to deal with everything Aldenham threw at them. The fresh legs and introductions of Arthur Leake, Anita Rodney and Zachariah Osu made a big difference and showed the strength of the squad. We then put the game to bed in the last minute. Zac Brennan who was tremendous all game won the ball high, found Dylan De Gale on the edge of the box and the midfielder thumped his effort off the inside of the post, 2-0.

A tremendous team performance and both teams meet again next week in the QF of the ISFA Cup for what will be another mouthwatering tie.

POTM: Zac Brennan

Assists: Zac Brennan (2)