The Rams took on a fierce challenge today, heading to Duffield Rhinos for what promised to be a thrilling away fixture! The Rhinos have been the team to beat for the last few years, dominating the league and lifting the title time and time again. But our Rams arrived unbeaten, full of confidence, and fired up to take the game straight to them!

From the start, we set up with one goal in mind: be solid, stay tough, and hit hard in attack. But, as football often does, the best-laid plans were thrown into disarray when Duffield struck early. After just 90 seconds, they played a perfect ball out wide, and their winger floated an inch-perfect delivery into the box, which was clinically finished by their striker. 1-0 down so early, and we were on the back foot.

The next 10 minutes felt like a storm. The Rhinos smelled blood and came at us hard. Harry was on fire in goal, making some excellent saves to keep us in it, while Charlie at right back and Max at left back were working non-stop to deal with two tricky wingers. It was intense, but both full-backs stuck to the task and fought for every inch.

Once the storm passed, we started to find our rhythm. Oli and Finn both sent great balls forward, and Theo got in on goal with a good effort, but the keeper was equal to it. A couple of changes were made to freshen things up—Kian replaced Max at left back, adding speed, and Hugo came in for Toby to add some extra bite in midfield. Kian was all over his winger, and Hugo was solid in the middle, both on and off the ball.

But just when we thought we might have turned a corner, Duffield struck again. A well-placed corner in the 28th minute was met by an unmarked head and suddenly, it was 2-0. At halftime, the message was clear: We’re still in this! Just like against Derby Tigers, we were determined to show our strength in the second half.

And show it we did! The boys came out firing! Hugo, Tom, Oli, and Toby all stepped up in midfield, driving us forward, while George, Ronnie, and Finn worked tirelessly to take control of the game. At the back, Harry, Jayden, Lewis, and Max stood strong, refusing to concede. We pushed hard, throwing Jake up front alongside Theo and Finn, making it a real attacking force. With Charlie and Ronnie out wide, we were going for it—everything was on the line.

In the 68th minute, we got a breakthrough! Tom picked up the ball just outside the box, danced past a defender, and got fouled. Up stepped Finn, who lined up the free kick, hitting it sweetly on target. The keeper got a hand to it, but spilled the ball, and it was Charlie who reacted quickest, back-heeling it into the net! The crowd erupted, and suddenly we were right back in it!

Duffield were rocked. We piled on the pressure, and Jake won a series of headers in the box, giving Charlie another chance—but sadly, his shot wasn’t quite the one we needed. The final whistle blew, and although we were just short, the boys showed incredible heart and determination. We were proud of the fight we put up and know we’ll get them next time!

Now, it’s a couple of weeks’ break over half term before we head into the next round of the cup. We’ve got this—up the Rams! ?

Starting Lineup:

GK: H Molyneux

RB: C Bradley

CB: L Weavers

CB: J Cooling

LB: M Weavers

CM: T Malone

CM: O Bayley

CM: T Shaw

CF: G Mitchell

CF: T Baines

CF: F Enion

Subs:

J Badwal

K Butler

R Attridge

H Fern