Roger Wood 19

MATCH REPORT: BLACK HORSE (REDDITCH) 1-6 OJM

The Scoreline Does Not Reflect The True Story Of This Contest.

A William Leslie hat-trick ensured OJM lifted the Roger Wood Memorial Cup after a 6-1 victory at the Walter Goodman Stadium.

Junior English and Michael Taylor also scored, but the scoreline does not reflect the true story of this contest as Black Horse (Redditch) started strongly.

An early free kick from Daniel O’Sullivan was spurned over the bar, before Dan Carter gave Black Horse the lead. The number 10 latched onto a through ball and converted by firing his effort low into the bottom right-hand corner.

Andre Tulloch had a great opportunity to double the lead shortly afterwards, yet he could not convert an inviting cross from the right side.

OJM were back in the contest after a long-range strike from Leslie. His initial free kick was blocked by the wall then, after controlling the rebound, he drilled a low shot which cannoned off the post and into the net.

This sparked a clinical period for Adam Younis and Ansar Mahmood’s side, who found themselves 3-1 up midway through the opening 45 minutes. After being awarded a penalty, Leslie’s Jorginho-esque penalty found the bottom corner before English raced through on goal and rounded the goalkeeper to add a third.

Black Horse missed a guilt-edge chance at the start of the second half, after Ricardo Richards headed over from inside the six-yard box. He met an inviting free kick, but was always stretching resulting in him not being able to direct his header down.

A poor back pass saw OJM’s Taylor through on goal. He calmly poked it past the onrushing goalkeeper before sliding it into the empty net.

Out of nowhere, a 35-yard strike cannoned off the bar for OJM, before an audacious overhead kick travelled over the bar.

At this point you could tell it was not their day, especially when Taylor added a fifth, and his second, for OJM after an audacious lob from outside the box.

Leslie then secured his hat-trick by scoring one of the best goals in our County Cup season. After receiving the ball outside the box, he flicked the ball with the outside of his boot around the on rushing opponent, before collecting it on the other side and finishing into the net.