Falcons hit double figures against weak opposition

The second team showed their strength with a host of goals

Will Caiger-Smith The Falcons surge forward in a move that would lead to one of their ten goals

The De Montfort team walked on to the pitch on an optimistic high. Having suffered a poor start to the season their captain Luke Higgins seemed hopeful that the New Year form that had seen this De Montfort 4th team beat their own Seconds would follow them to see off Cambridge.  Little did they know that their nervous optimism would be submitted to the full brunt of an uninjured Falcon’s squad, unhindered by the blistering cold, who would teach them a lesson in sublime football.

Credit where it’s due, the opening forays did not depict a De Montfort team void of hope but one that had some glimpses of promise, with their left winger in particular making some headway. However, for every trickle that came through, the Cambridge left replied with a merciless torrent of pressure as Max Wolke fed in a steady supply of crosses while Eddie Burrows’ efforts in the centre left no shortage of opportunities. The outcome was inevitable. The scoring started with a lovely low goal at a tight angle coming from what was to be a series of precision corners. De Montfort at this point retained some pluck and replied with a near miss off the crossbar, only to concede again after a fantastic effort, this time from Tom Banner. The goal provoked two under exaggerations from the sideline: “Wow, that was a really nice move,” and “You could have driven a bus through that gap.” This was the form the first half was to take: Cambridge grew only stronger while De Montfort withered into the background.  The Falcons started piling on the pressure with an increased boyish arrogance and fine audacity. Aki Laakso was denied a goal only by the bar and managed to make two consecutive runs from one goal to the other without hindrance from the opposition. Amos tried some cheeky back healers into the net while the partnership on the Cambridge left continued to harass the back four. Nevertheless a goal took a whole 13 minutes to materialize; powering down the middle Eddie Burrows delivered a ferocious goal from range, only to find himself in an identical position just seconds after play had resumed. Only the unsuspecting face of a De Montfort defender impeded the full force of a second attempt, it was however a sacrifice made in vain. With seven minutes to go the visitors could only hope for the salvation of the whistle to save them from embarrassment. This could not come soon enough for just as the dazed defender once again found his feet he was easily swept aside to give Laakso a goal long deserved.  The Falcons kept on pushing down the left-hand side leaving Max Wolke the perfect opportunity to sweep the ball to the centre and claim goal number five. With all energy lost the De Montfort side had to endure a further beautiful strike from Amos to give Cambridge four goals in just eight minutes.

Will Caiger-Smith Burrows takes a shot amongst a crowd of players

The second half saw the visitors regain some vitality, determined not to walk away without a single goal they began to press Cambridge hard and were soon rewarded with a succession of near misses and a good save by the captain.  Meanwhile the home team caught sight of those elusive double figures and never fell into complacency. Amos led the attack with two goals in the 52nd and 58th minutes and the attack gained more and more confidence, producing some exhilarating football. Nevertheless De Montfort refused to be subdued in the second half and continued to work the Cambridge defence.  Eventually the power of their number 15 with some skilful passing sent a ball past the Cambridge captain. For Amos however, spurred on by his hat trick, it seemed as though it was no longer good enough to score if both feet were on the ground. An aerial display that culminated in Amos’ stunning bicycle kick, gave him his fourth goal of the match. Now the visitors were utterly beaten, the home team continued to dominate in all areas, probing for those double figures that continued to slip through their fingers despite constant pressure.  It was only in the 89th minute, when it seemed as though Cambridge might walk away with only nine, that another penetration from the left with a perfect delivery gave the Falcons their highest score of the season.  Without a doubt De Montfort were thoroughly outclassed, not only due to the inadequacies of their defence but ultimately by what was nothing short of top quality football by the Cambridge boys.