The Year 8 Football team finished their remarkable season with a trip to Wimborne FC for the final of the PEDSSA cup against Poole Grammar.
Magna started well and were arguably the better team for the first fifteen minutes, passing the ball crisply and staying in shape well. The boys were unlucky to go 1-0 down soon after with a fantastic strike from distance from Poole Grammar’s central midfielder. A defensive lapse immediately after this led to Poole Grammar being 2-0 up against the run of play, but Magna stayed resolute and focused on the task at hand. Alfie M scored a fabulous free kick to half the deficit just before the break and Magna’s tails were up going into half time.
The second half proved tough for Magna, kicking against the wind and dealing with the fatigue of the extra running that this caused. The score stayed locked at 2-1 for the majority of the half in a tense affair. Top goal scorer Alfie M came very close to scoring his 11th of the competition when his curling left footed strike hit the post with just 10 minutes to play. It was at this point that the game just got away from Magna, with Poole Grammar scoring three goals within the final ten minutes to leave the score line at 5-1, a score line that most agreed did not reflect the game at all.
Congratulations to Poole Grammar for a well deserved victory. However, I have to say a massive well done to the Magna Y8 Football team, who kept on battling right up until the final whistle. This team has had an unforgettable season and they have made history by becoming the first (hopefully of many!) Magna Academy Football team to reach a cup final. I could not be prouder of the journey this team has been on this year and the massive improvements they have made in such a short period of time. Keep your heads up high boys, the whole school is so proud of you!
Mr Ginger