Buntingford Cougars Under8s were keen to put on a show in the Royston Crow League Mini Soccer Festival on Sunday and indeed did not disappoint. As the early morning sun shone and temperatures crept up the Cougars played their first match against Baldock. Leading by example Remy Knowles and Sam Daly were tireless in winning lots of tackles for the Buntingford side and in defence George Hegarty and Brogan Fahk were as solid as ever as they consistently kept the impressive Baldock players from advancing towards the Cougars goal. After a lot of hard work from both sides the final whistle undoubtedly came with a sigh of relief for the teams as the sun kept beating down.
Later in the morning the Cougars again did themselves proud as they played an even match with Stotfold Juniors. Archie Vass-Smart and Max Young were workmanlike in the middle whilst Josh Ridings, Robin Harpin and Evan Howard did a good job in keeping the Juniors at bay. Putting in their shift in the heat Luke Goodchild and Oliver Page covered a lot of ground to give the crowd something to cheer about between their ice creams.
As the mercury continued to rise towards 30dgerees the Buntingford team prepared for matches against two Stevenage Boro teams as firstly the Boro Harriers were the opponents before Boro’s development squad finished the day off. In both matches Cougars again did fantastically well and had all of the spectators on the edge of their seats and their picnic blankets as they played out an end to end spectacle in both matches. Hayden Walley and George Godfrey for Cougars as always looked dangerous and caused the Stevenage teams much trouble with their competitive spirit and adventurous runs and created alot of cheers from the sidelines.
The mini soccer festival does not record scores or results and everyone who participated received a medal to round off an enjoyable day of football fun in the sun. At the end of the festival Cougars Under 8s Coach Richard Daly said “The guys and girls and their mums and dads should be really proud of how they did today. They never stopped trying and despite the Mediterranean like conditions their work rate was fantastic. Today bought an end to a great season for Cougars Under8s, one where the squad and the coaching staff have doubled and the players have progressed tremendously both on and off the pitch. At this age it is all about having fun, participation and development. We work hard at achieving that for both the children and parents and with Buntingford Cougars we are lucky to have the backing and support of one of the best youth football clubs in the County.” Cougars Under 8s will continue training and welcome all new players so if you are interested please call Richard on 07944 237400.
