Newmachar United have moved into second place in the U19s ADJFA League B after beating Middlefield Wasps at Aulton. The two teams started the day being separated by only one point but two goals in the first three minutes propelled Newmachar towards a win.
Newmachar kicked off the first half at a blistering pace as they scored their first goal with only 19 seconds on the clock. Leon Williams latched onto a pass on the left wing and skilfully dribbled past two defenders. He then played a simple pass to set up Jordan Baillie who placed the ball past the keeper and into the right hand corner of the net.
Only minutes later, the home side doubled their advantage with another goal. A deflected pass was controlled in the box by Newmachar forward Connor Duncan. Staying composed, he kept his shot hard and low towards the far post where Middlefield keeper Lewis Mitchell could not reach.
The continued pressure from Newmachar meant the Middlefield defence had to stay on their toes. Elliot Cheyne forced a good save from Mitchell when his sliding effort at the back post was met with fantastic reflexes from the keeper in order to clear the danger.
As the half continued, Middlefield began to find their feet and create chances of their own. Fantastic control from Brian Mair in the opposition box allowed him to set up Alex Cheyne. The Middlefield forward took a powerful shot but it was too close to keeper Caleb Wilson who matched it with a comfortable save.
However, directly after Middlefield’s chance, Newmachar launched a counter of their own. A massive kick from Wilson saw Williams played through on goal. The ball seemed to bobble on the turf slightly which resulted in his shot going high and wide of the goal.
Middlefield had another opportunity, this time for Michal Wosinski. Played through on goal by Rafal Barbosa, Wosinski’s shot was powerful and from a difficult angle, forcing the keeper to dive to his near post in order to push the ball out for a corner.
Newmachar had looked dangerous from set pieces during the first half and had a glorious opportunity to extend their lead. A free kick crossed in from the left by Baillie was met by the head of Duncan who placed his attempt narrowly over at the back post.
Making the most of their opportunities, Newmachar moved even further into the lead as Duncan grabbed his second of the game. A ball over the top of the defence by Jardyn Beedie bounced before Duncan, who hit it on the half volley, smashing it past the helpless goalkeeper.
As the two teams went off for half time, Newmachar seemed worthy of their lead. Their fast attacking football took Middlefield by surprise in the early minutes. However, as the half continued, Middlefield began to come into their game and created enough chances to imply that it would be an entertaining second half.