01/03/2026
U14s County Cup Semi-Final: Stonesfield vs. Combe
My Stonesfield team travelled the short distance to play Combe for our County Cup Semi-Final. Upon arrival, we found the bottom corner of the pitch had standing water and was extremely boggy. Fortunately, we managed to move the match to the neighboring village of Long Hanborough, where the pitch was in excellent condition and truly worthy of a semi-final.
It was a fantastic match from start to finish. We opened the scoring with two wonder goals from outside the box, taking a 2-0 lead which we held until half-time.
In the second half, the wind picked up against us. We knew Combe would come out strong with nothing to lose. Unfortunately, we gave away too many free kicks in wide positions when we should have stayed on our feet to hold them up. Combe managed to score from three of those set pieces; in fairness, they delivered dangerous balls into the box that their players attacked well.
In the final minutes, we earned a corner and threw everyone forward in search of an equalizer, but it just wasn't meant to be. Combe was then awarded a penalty in the dying moments, but our keeper pulled off a spectacular save to keep the scoreline close.
Injuries caught up with us in the end. Having only two substitutes—and one player pushing through an injury—may have been the deciding factor in our tired legs.
Overall, Combe were worthy winners, and we wish them the best of luck in the final against Thame. It was a great game of football played by both teams.
