Rutherford AFC Match Report

A frustrating one to finish 5-5, but plenty to be pleased about from today.

We took an early lead through Donald, who once again looked completely at home in his position and took his goal really well. Sunderland levelled with a well-struck free kick, before Hoi played a brilliant through ball for Jake to put us back in front.

Sunderland equalised again with a long ball over the top, and then took the lead from a direct kick out from their goalkeeper which travelled all the way through. We responded well, with Joe-Harvey calmly converting a penalty to make it 3-3. Sunderland went into half-time 4-3 ahead after another ball over the top.

The second half saw us continue to play the football we wanted. A superb Max B corner was met by Max J to make it 4-4, before another excellent delivery from Max B was finished by Michael to put us 5-4 ahead. Sunderland eventually levelled again following a long ball and a defensive mix-up.

The scoreline is disappointing because I genuinely felt we were the better footballing team. We looked to play, moved the ball well and showed plenty of flexibility in midfield and attack. Most importantly, when things weren’t going our way, we didn’t stop fighting. The togetherness, effort and desire to work for each other was excellent.

There were some really strong individual performances too. Hoi was outstanding and takes Man of the Match. He worked incredibly hard, was calm and composed on the ball and created Jake’s goal with an excellent pass. He’s continued the form he showed at the recent tournament and looks a really exciting addition.

The two Max’s also deserve a special mention. Both worked tirelessly throughout, putting in sprints, tackles and headers and showing exactly the enthusiasm and desire we want to see. Max J got himself on the scoresheet, while Max B delivered two excellent assists from corners.

There is work to do defensively, particularly in recognising when to push up and get out together. That’s something that will improve with consistency and understanding, and it’s important we keep working on it.

Overall, we're pretty pleased. It feels like two points dropped, but there were a lot of positives to take. If we can build on today’s performance and keep improving tactically, there’s plenty to be excited about this season