On Monday 11th October, a Yr. 5/6 Gisburn football team travelled to Clitheroe to take part in their first league fixtures of the 2021-22 season. It was a cool evening with a light breeze which made for excellent playing conditions.
Having previous played little football as a team it was time to begin their journey together. After only a few minutes into the first game it looked as if the children had become comfortable with each other's playing styles. KS was as sturdy as a rock in the Gisburn goal whilst BW and DL set solid foundations in defence. SL, LM and BW offered a great engine room to FW who played a lone striker.
As their first game develop against versus Waddington, Gisburn had applied all the pressure; however, a breakaway goal left Gisburn trailing in the last minute of the game. Digging deep, the team managed to finally get their goal they deserved finishing the game 1-1.
In the next game, Gisburn seemed to find their rhythm against Barrow. A flurry of goals made for a thrilling game for the travelling fans who supported the team respectfully, as are the wishes of the competition organisers.
Unfortunately, Gisburn could not maintain their same vein of form. Even though they were the dominant force in their next two matches, they lost out in both games by a single goal.
In their final fixture of the night, Gisburn faced Balderstone. Hitting two early goals meant that Gisburn were able to take their foot off the gas. Sadly, this came at the cost of goal for Balderstone which made for a tense end to the game.
Gisburn left their first league game with a record of two wins, two losses and a draw. Definitely a team that can aim for a high finish in this year's Ribble Valley League.