HBU’s under 11s team travelled to Kings Lynn on Saturday 8 October for their first Eastern Counties Division 1 matches.

The team has had a month training but has had no match experience as a unit. This showed when they got off to a very shaky start by quickly going 2 goals down against Grimsby. This shocked the players into life and they brought the score back to 2-2 by half time with some determined individual play. The team was also finding its feet in defence which provided a platform for 3 more goals in the second half without reply giving HBU a 5-2 win at full time.

In the second match against Cambridge, it was HBU’s turn to score 2 quick goals with good teamwork and a final pass across goal from Noah Latham allowing first Luke Huckstepp and then Sian Emslie to slot the ball in the net. Whenever Cambridge were in possession, captain George Daly was able to press the player with the ball and this produced numerous counter-attacks and scoring chances. HBU ran up 8 goals before Cambridge scored 1 in reply late in the 2nd half.

Archie Isaacs got on to the scoresheet with the final 2 goals and Max Bassom was unlucky to have a goal not given as the match ended. Final score 9 – 1 to HBU

The final match of the day was against home club Kings Lynn. While Kings Lynn had had a close match with Cambridge earlier in the day, they had less power to attack than Cambridge which meant they were less out of position in defence. HBU had to build its attacks. Goals came more slowly and Jamie Leonard in goal had some saves to make to keep a clean sheet. HBU were 3-0 up by half-time and 5-0 at the end.

A very promising start by this new team with 19 goals scored and 3 conceded.

HBU scorers:

v Grimsby – Emslie 2, Daly 3

v Cambridge – Huckstepp, Emslie, Daly 5, Isaacs 2

v Kings Lynn – Emslie 2, Huckstepp 2, Daly

HBU Team: Jamie Leonard (goal), Luke Huckstepp, Archie Isaacs, Max Bassom, Sian Emslie, George Daly, Noah Latham.