Loughborough football men’s 4ths suffered an embarrassing defeat at the hands of Nottingham Trent 2nds on Wednesday as they lost 5-0. Dan Archer watched for Label Sport.
Trent were in control from start to finish and Loughborough will have to accept that they were beaten by the better team.
Trent started brightly, pressing high up the pitch forcing Loughborough into making mistakes. Nottingham’s first chance came after just one minute, with a powerful run from their central midfielder through the heart of Loughborough’s defence. However, his shot lacked power and was no trouble for Loughborough’s keeper.
More chances followed in the early stages, with Trent holding the upper hand and looking dangerous.
Loughborough couldn’t hold out for long and Trent’s pressure paid off when they took a deserved lead in the 17th minute. Good build up play allowed the striker time on the edge of the area, and he made no mistake by firing into the top corner, giving the goalkeeper no chance.
It took 23 minutes for Loughborough’s first shot. It came from a strike 20 yards out, forcing the goalkeeper into a sharp save down to his left.
As the game started to become more even, Trent pushed on and took control again with a second goal. A sloppy pass by the Loughborough centre back when under pressure allowed the Trent striker through on goal.
His shot was spilled by the goalkeeper, which allowed another Trent striker to cheekily back-heel the ball into an empty net, just five minutes before half-time. This knocked the stuffing out of Loughborough and they went into the break with a bit of a mountain to climb.
The next goal was going to be the game changer, and it fell to Trent on 49 minutes. A cross came in from the right-hand side to the front post, where the waiting striker cleverly diverted the ball with his midriff into the net giving Trent a 3-0 lead. This ended the game as a contest and it was a case of damage limitation for Loughborough from then on.
Loughborough’s first real chance of note came in the 55th minute. A cross from the right found the striker in space, eight yards out, but his free header was tame and saved easily.
Three became four in the 61st minute as great skill by the Trent centre forward allowed him to cut in past the centre back and head towards goal. The Loughborough defence stood off him and he coolly slotted the ball past the goalkeeper at his near post.
Loughborough’s miserable afternoon was completed on 70 minutes as Trent made it five. Good link-up play from the two Trent strikers got them in behind the Loughborough defence; and the easiest of tap-ins completed the scoring, and with it, a bad day at the office for the Loughborough 4ths.
Dan Archer
