Moors Academy Team were involved in an incredible game at Consett on Wednesday afternoon as they came back from 4-0 down to snatch a point against UFCA in dramatic circumstances.
Having thrashed Macclesfield Whites 10-1 to claim their first win of the season and then built on that with a brilliant victory at Leeds United last week, the youngsters approached this week’s fixture with building confidence.
Gavin Cogdon was able to name an unchanged side for the contest against the Leeds-based Academy, with four players returning to the 16-man squad.
Moors began the game on the front foot and began playing some good football despite the windy conditions, but they were unable to carve open the visiting side’s defence.
As a result, UFCA settled into the encounter and took the lead against the run of play on 15 minutes when some swift interplay created a chance for them to fire home from close range.
It was 2-0 not long afterwards as Moors failed to recover from the setback and were left exposed at the back as the visitors doubled their lead.
The youngsters were now right on the back foot, and they conceded again just seconds after the restart after more poor defending, before UFCA added a fourth goal on 17 minutes to give Moors a mountain to climb.
Moors finally began to recover some composure and had their first clear sight of goal on 20 minutes, but Travis Dixon flashed his shot just wide of the far post.
Leighton Hope was then sent through one on one with the UFCA goalkeeper but couldn’t find a finish, while Ben Cook rattled the cross bar with a brilliant 25-yard free-kick as Moors continue to rally.
The pressure told just before the break when Jaydin Fulton pulled a goal back for Moors with a thunderbolt of a strike which crashed in off the underside of the bar.
The goal gave Moors some hope, and they built on that just two minutes into the second half when Morgan Campbell released a 30-yard drive which nestled into the top of the net to make it 4-2.
Dixon came close to reducing the arrears further on 72 minutes when he hit the post from just outside the area, before sending another great strike from distance just wide of the target.
Moors set up a dramatic finale when they pulled another goal back on 89 minutes as Morgan converted a clinical finish from the penalty spot for 4-3.
And Cogdon’s battling youngsters completed an unlikely comeback with the final kick of the contest when Moors had thrown everyone forward for a corner which was delivered to the front post and flicked in by Alex Beattie.
“That is the proudest moment with this team since starting on this with Lewis Dickman and Lee Walker,” Cogdon admitted afterwards.
“The five-minute spell in the first half was probably the worst from a football side but all 16 lads were relentless during the second half, stuck behind each other and gained a massive learning experience.
“From only a few of the lads knowing each other at the start of the season, you can see some of the leadership skills and team bond starting to develop.
“The first year of the Programme was always one we thought would perhaps bring more challenges than successes, but we’re so encouraged by what we’ve seen in the first five games.
“I would like to thank Lee Walker who has been able to arrange a special team building event for the lads with Aston Martin last week as part of the social calendar we have created.”
Full Time: Moors 4 UFCA 4
Moors: Brown, Stapleton (Yates 22), Blair, Beattie, Neely (Dale 60), Dixon, Robertson (Oliver 55), Cook (Tate 55), Campbell, Fulton, Hope (Lynch 60).
