One of my most painful moments in youth football happened just over a year ago when the Albury Sharks crashed out of the Cup on penalties in a semi-final that they fully deserved to win. In this seasons semi-final, the Sharks made sure this pain was not repeated.

A gloriously bright morning up on the stunning grass pitches at the Surrey Sports Park was ruined only by a particularly strong wind. Opting to play with the wind in the first half, it was clear that Onslow's tactic was to get an early lead and then defend for their lives in the second half. Having played this team numerous times over the last few seasons, we knew what a physical and organised team they could be. Onslow certainly started as the stronger team. Monty Byrne and Harvey Rush were both called into action early in the full-back positions, while Gabe Fitzgerald and Ali Jennis both had to make last ditch tackles and crucial blocks. Playing into this wind was difficult, and for the first ten minutes, the Sharks struggled to get control of the ball and move it forward effectively.

Onslow were favouring the ball over the top, and had pacy players running onto it, and it was only the excellent defensive management of goalkeeper Dexter Williams that prevented Onslow from scoring early. Great communication between Dexter and Gabe allowed Dexter to gather on numerous occasions, reading the incredibly difficult bounce of the ball extremely well. When given opportunities from corners, Dexter commanded his box well and gathered the cross in on every occasion, despite the intensity of the wind making reading the flight of the ball difficult. This was an extremely impressive performance from our outstanding goalkeeper, who gave the whole team such a confidence, even in such tricky conditions.

Going forward, Albury began to grow into the game. A quick throw from Dexter released the silky Zac Embley, who in turn put the ball into Daniel Egbe's feet. Daniel has the impressive ability to control the ball on the turn and run with power into defenders, and created a few nice chances for himself. One went agonizingly wide of the post and another was saved well by the goalkeeper. The Albury tempo was increased even further at the introduction of Noah Davies who started running at the Onslow defence and pressing them well, ensuring Albury won the ball back further up the pitch. I am really loving this explosive version of Noah, bringing such momentum to the Albury side over the last few matches.

The introduction of Josh Franklin allowed Harvey Rush to push further up the right hand side, bringing some power to the right flank. Harvey is excellent at muscling past defenders and caused them a real headache. A few crosses were gathered by the goalkeeper and another just evaded the in running attackers. Another excellent dribble from Daniel Egbe saw him unleash a pile-driver of a shot that just whistled over the bar, as did a beautifully dinked free kick from Daniel Stovald.

Despite the tricky conditions, Albury had grown into the game, and went into the break confidently.

Half time:
Onslow 0-0 Sharks

Playing with the wind, we stressed that we didn't want to play so directly that the ball kept being gathered by the goalkeeper, but that they should make the most of the press. The Sharks did this brilliantly, and started the second half on the front foot. Ben Gregory, Daniel McGraw and Daniel Stovald ran the game in the middle of the pitch, moving the ball brilliantly out wide for Harvey Rush and Noah Davies to attack.

The first goal came in fortunate circumstances however, as a long pass captain Ben Gregory was caught by the wind and bounced over the goalkeepers head. With the deadlock broken, the Sharks increased the intensity a notch, moving the ball quickly and effectively. The boys were intelligent on possession. Ali Jennis and Harry Connelly notably played clever passes out of the defence, under pressure from Onslow attackers, showing their calm, confident quality on the ball. Ben Gregory was his usual, engine-like self, riling the frustrations of one of the Onslow players. I was very proud of Ben for remaining so calm and unprovocative when he was being fouled so regularly, a clear indication of his superior mentality. Clever play from Noah Davies created a great chance for Daniel Egbe who fired just over the bar, but Daniel would get his goal shortly after with a beautiful curling finish into the bottom corner with his left foot. A clever ball from Daniel Stovald would release Daniel Egbe again to confidently round the goalkeeper and put the game to bed, two well deserved goals from a lad who had an exceptional game.

On one occasion Onslow broke through but superb defending from Gabe outmuscled and outpaced their striker for a clearance, and Ali Jennis again put his body on the line to prevent a dangerous looking ball from sneaking through. Harry Connelly had a very impressive outing to look so untroubled by their tricky wingers while Josh Franklin and Monty Byrne between them kept their winger extremely quiet.

Tricky footwork from Luciano Gouveia resulted in him being cynically flattened by an Onslow player who completely lost his head. I was so impressed today with the maturity of the Albury players in this scenario. With the game won, Albury continued to create chances. Ambitious shots from Noah, Stov and Luciano all came close, and a fantastic press from Josh Franklin almost created a chance. Nevertheless, the final whistle blew bringing the Sharks one step closer to a league and cup double.

Final score
Onslow 0-3 Sharks

Goals:
Ben Gregory
Daniel Egbe x2

Paul's POTM: Dexter Williams
Harry's POTM: Gabe Fitzgerald

Coaches reflections:
1. This was a really impressive performance. The boys adapted to the conditions superbly and won with such a calmness against an opposition that have always been a bit of a bogey team for us.

2. Dexter once again proved his quality in the first half. He read the game so well and brought such a confidence to the rest of the team. Nobody needs to panic, Dexter will deal with it.

3. Any of our defenders could have Man of the Match today, they all looked so superior. It is such a nice selection headache to have because they are all so reliable.

4. The players were more intelligent with their service to Daniel Egbe today. Rather than putting balls in behind, they got the ball into his feet knowing his outstanding quality on the ball. This gave him numerous opportunities to cause havoc in the Onslow defence.

5. Josh Franklin had a few minutes as a striker today and was a real threat. I want to see his athleticism and strength put to use further up the pitch and I am excited to see what he will achieve there.

Cup final coming soon!