With teams looking to get some much needed match play in – especially having been starved of action due to Lockdown – the U9 Tigers were invited to play a friendly against East End UTD SC. Mile End Leisure Centre kindly acted as the hosting venue.

East End UTD SC, based in Mile End (London, England), are a club set up to work with the local community and engage kids with the fun of football.

Both teams came to enjoy the game but to have fun. East End set themselves out with players of differing age groups so, on paper, this looked to be an interesting and potentially difficult match-up. It soon become apparent that East End were a relatively new team and while 2 or 3 players did stand out for them, it quickly became a one-sided game. The match ended with East End having three extra players. The Tigers were challenged more and more as they found their chances to score restricted, until they fashioned a set of clinical passes to create space and shooting opportunities.

It was great to see how East End did not let their heads go down despite the score and only managing one shot at goal. This game was an exercise in winning with humility for the Tigers – especially considering the great spirit of the opposition.

The Tigers played with a lot of confidence and every player played their part in representing Ridgeway – even the opposition parents were complimentary with the way the Tigers played and conducted themselves which really made us all proud.