**Match Report: Albury Eagles U9 vs Cranleigh Eagles**

Albury Eagles faced their local namesakes, Cranleigh Eagles, this weekend but were without the injured Cian, last week’s Eagle of the Week. The team were pleased to welcome Max back into midfield as they prepared for what turned out to be an excellent contest.

Albury started brightly in what was a tight first period. The defence looked solid throughout, with Jenson commanding the centre, Digby making his usual penetrating runs down the wing, and Sullivan winning countless duels at left back to keep Cranleigh at bay.

In the second period a tactical change saw Marcell move up front, and the switch paid immediate dividends. His endless running and relentless closing down put the Cranleigh defence under pressure, and he was rewarded when he opened the scoring to give Albury a 1–0 lead at half time.

The third period saw the visitors fight back and level the scores before Leo restored Albury’s lead with a superbly placed free kick from just outside the area. In goal, Tommy commanded his area confidently, making important interventions to thwart any Cranleigh attacks and ensure Albury took a slender advantage into the final quarter.

With the scores finely balanced, the match could have gone either way. Crucially, Leo struck again for his second of the match, skipping past two defenders before calmly slotting the ball beyond the advancing keeper to make it three for Albury. Soon after, Rui added a fourth from close range – well deserved reward for his tireless running and pressing. Marcell then capped an excellent performance by scoring his second goal of the match to seal the victory.

Max also impressed on his return to the side, making several of his trademark bursting runs from midfield and unlucky not to add his name to the scoresheet.

Altogether, the boys played superbly, fighting hard for one another and fully deserving the result after a fantastic team performance.

**Eagle of the Week:** Marcell, for his endless running and constant hustling of the Cranleigh defence.