For the first time in many years the Lions were involved in a top of the table clash and the pressure was on. Things weren't looking good when less than two hours before kick off the centre of our team were still drunk in Newcastle.
After a mad dash back to York the team assembled at oaklands sports centre which, thanks to the leagues policy of only assigning one of two opponents for Lions cup games, is fast becoming a second home for the Lions.
Missing a number of key players due to injuries and drinking, trev named his strongest possible starting 11, within a couple of minutes of the kick off the Lions made the start they were looking for as Adam wash chased down a ball which looked to be going out for a goal kick, whipped a cross across the face of the goal which Haxby's leading marksman, Peter Dransfield, smashed into the Marcia net; Dransfield quickly bagged a second and Adam Wash followed up with a third to put the Lions 3-0 up after 15 minutes.
This quick flurry of goals led to the lions becoming somewhat over confident, an overconfidence which Marcia Gray happily took advantage to pull a goal back. This proved to be just the kick up the backside which the Lions needed as Dransfield completed his hat trick, but was over shadowed by a rare goal from Lions midfield maestro Stuart Baker and an even rarer goal from Jamie Pulleyn.
Leading 7-1 at the half way mark is not a situation Trev often finds himself in, so he stuck with his normal team talk and yelled at his players. With Haxby feeling confident, they surged forward with 2 further goals from Dransfield and one from skipper Dale Waddington. Young Lion Richard Wishart was introduced from the bench and his wondrous run saw him upended in the Marcia penalty area; was it to be a second hat trick for a Lions player? Nope, Wishart took the ball out of two goal man, Adam Wash’s hand and expertly took the penalty himself, it was a penalty which Stephen Hawkins himself would have been proud of, but it was expertly saved by the Marcia keeper to deny Wishart his first senior Lions goal. Marcia pulled another goal back, but the lions capped off the game with their best goal, as once again Mark Godfrey struck a stunning 30 yard shot into the roof of the Marcia net.
The game ended in an 11-2 victory for Haxby, but there is still a long, hard season ahead for Haxby.
Lions Goals : Dransfield 5, A Wash 2, Baker, Godfrey, Pulleyn, Waddington - M.O.M : A Wash