Ilkley Youth 2

Bronte 4

As every football player can testify, this was one of those games when the Guyson sponsored Ilkley Youth team could have played until next week and still not scored a goal. After the game, the referee identified 14 clear goal-scoring chances for Ilkley and one for Bronte in the second-half, and the opposing manager confessed he thought two penalties should have been awarded to the Youth team. Kindly words after the game but easy to give and of very little consolation after a 4-2 defeat.

To add insult to injury, the Youth team performance was of high quality and better than previous games that were won at a canter. However, it was Bronte who took the lead after 10 minutes when a swirling and speculative cross to the far post was misjudged by Taylor, the ball rebounding off the post and unfortunate goalkeeper into the path of a grateful Bronte forward for a simple tap-in goal. Within two minutes Ilkley Youth levelled the score when Rishworth sent Horne racing through and his low cross was sidefooted into

goal by Bedford. A swift and devastatingly simple response that set the pattern for the next 20 minutes.

Despite facing a stiff breeze, Ilkley Youth tore the Bronte defence to shreds with Horne, Stewart and Bedford (twice) all having one-on-one confrontations with the Bronte goalkeeper.

A combination of bravery, luck, mishits and big feet thwarted the attempts to score. Bronte's chief response was the long ball to relieve pressure but in the tricky wind this always posed difficulties for the Youth defenders. From one such break five minutes before half-time, Bronte were awarded a free-kick 25 yards from goal and the resulting shot was fumbled by Taylor and bounced down from the crossbar to a waiting forward to gift Bronte another goal. A bitter pill to swallow for the much-improved Ilkley goalkeeper but a lesson to learn inconcentration and footwork.

Having been in the ascendancy for so long and then falling behind for a second-time to another gifted goal, Ilkley players lost concentration, and a booming kick from the Bronte goalkeeper turned the Ilkley defence allowing a breakaway forward to run onto the ball and shoot past the exposed Taylor for a third Bronte goal as half-time approached.

A 3-1 deficit was difficult to reconcile, especially when the goals were self-inflicted but it was a measure of the resolve of the Youth players that the first-half pressure on Bronte became a bombardment in the second-half.

Captain Paul Rishworth and debutant Tim McTigue dominated midfield and Andy Wheeler was a constant torment on the left wing. With Beaumont, Dixon, Joe McTigue and Houlston marking tightly and with wind advantage, Ilkley pressed forward.

Stewart and Bedford shot wide when well placed before Houlston's through pass found Bedford and he wriggled free in the penalty-area to clip in Ilkley's second goal from a narrow angle.

Surely the floodgates would open but try as they might, Ilkley seemed fated not to score. Penalty claims were turned down by an otherwise excellent referee, posts were hit, saves were made, chances were missed, goalline clearances produced and even the introduction of Keith and Martin failed to produce a goal. As time passed, the inevitable seemed bound to happen, Ilkley would never score and Bronte would break and add to their tally.

Sure enough it happened, with only their second attack of the

second-half and with four minutes remaining, Bronte broke after yet another Ilkley corner was cleared and a speedy forward eluded the square defence to confidently strike the ball past Taylor. A sucker punch in boxing terms and the end of the Youth team's unbeaten home record in the league.

Paul Rishworth gained the man-of-the-match award for a combative and inspiring midfield display. Newcomer Tim McTigue grew in confidence as the game progressed and it was pleasing to welcome back John Keith after a long absence through injury. The quality of team performance was pleasing and shouldn't be lost in disappointment over the result.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.