22/02/2026
Manager Mez’s Post Match Thoughts…..
Saturday 21st February
Friendly Match
Rossett Vets FC v Hoole Wanderers FC
County Offices, Mannings Lane, Upton, CH2 4EU
“Firstly we hope Neil’s Mrs is on the mend & Dave G’s knee injury is not too bad? Jimmy Y, also realising some major treatment may be needed for his hip problem or some course of physio maybe!
We might not have had our strongest squad yesterday & coming up against a younger quicker Hoole Wanderers team it was a tough challenge.
We unfortunately found ourselves struggling to cope with the pace of say 5 very rapid players. And player manager Nodz spraying accurate passes short & long we found ourselves conceding goals early doors 3-0 down at half time! Once again maybe we didn’t get tight enough on their players, possibly too stretched, & without being too critical maybe giving the ball away too cheaply. No criticism of anyone , it just didn’t seem to work for us collectively first half! Although one definite positive was Andrew at right back going on to earn Man of the Match from all of us lads playing the full 90 minutes, well played Andrew & fully deserved! 👏👏
Sometimes we can’t explain why something works & sometimes it doesn’t but Captain Smithy switching Dave B & Jon F & Rob H on as second half sub we just seemed to get more control & Hoole started to struggle to contain us, definitely a game of two halves. Also Andy in goal second half, I think we could all see his all round solid goalkeeping game.
Make no mistake we believed we could do this, this was our biggest test! I’m not sure if they were all six yard box goals but Hoppo scoring gave us hope, the momentum had switched. His positional change to wide right, they couldn’t handle him! Alwyn to wide left, always remember you are all given license to play freely to do what is needed.
Jimmy Y coming on at wide left for a cameo role, providing quality forward passing & build up contributed to one of the goals. Alwyn scoring lifting us even higher, inspiring us further & Hoole we’re rocking as the pressure mounted. Rob’s probing runs & his passing & support led to him stabbing home from close range!
Unbelievable comeback with dominant forward play, but also a steady more compact defence as we turned the tide, relieving the constant pressure of the first half with a solid defensive display second half. Basically less pressure!
Well played everyone, absolutely brilliant & great camaraderie/atmosphere. A few of the lads deserve special mention, Andrew, Man of the Match, Dave B growing into the game show his quality, Rob H instantly gaining control, grabbing hold of the game, Andy in goal enjoying a clean sheet on his debut. And all of you for playing your part. Every game is a challenge & you certainly rose to the challenge today! Rob & Dave both older players maybe, but reminding us it’s not how fast you do it, it’s how well you do it!
👏👏
Big thanks to Jimmy Y for his management support!
Enjoy your weekend & thanks for continuing our unbeaten run & great comeback!”
Cheers
Manager Mez
