4th Jan 2020 Mens 2nd v Scarborough(Away) 1 - 5 loss

With the cup tie being the first game back after a shortened but well deserved break, injuries were still worrying a few of the players, especially Matt Powell and Harry Appleby who have been key players in the success of the 2nd team. The game began and immediately Scarborough�s willingness to get to every ball was a shock for the Rhydding players, leading to an early goal coming from a slip from Matt Powell which allowed the midfielder to play a simple through ball to the centre forward who slots it home passed Will Benedikz. Shortly after the lead was doubled by one-twos leaving both CB�s Mark Horsman and Liam Terry stranded, and then finished into the side netting. The game was not as one sided as it sounds, with opportunities being created by build-up play down both the wings and crossing the ball into forwards who are trying to catch up Tommy �Ten Goals� Hagan in the top goal scorers. Another goal went in for Scarborough before Matt Powell�s injury forced him off the pitch. Before the half time whistle went a sharp counterattack lead to Scarborough�s forth and sealed the victory.

It was a first half to forget for the Rhydding team, but they remained hopeful to claw their way back into the game all thanks to an inspiring talk from Kit Fantastic at half time. Unfortunately this was not to be the case as Mark Horsman, who had not stopped a ball all game, mistrapped another and lead to a short corner. Benedikz made a good first save, but it fell at the feet of the attacker again and put away the opportunity. Feelings in the team ran high but with the score line at 5-0 Rhydding had nothing to lose and were pushing forward to try and get something from the game. A shocking tackle from the Scarborough defender left Rob Elsworth looking to drag flick into the bottom left corner. By accident he placed it into the top left corner leaving the keeper stranded. Although the score line suggests that the defending was shocking, one of the standout performers was Liam Terry, who was overwhelmed when he heard his name in the starting eleven. He showed his worth and made some tremendous tackles. Overall the trip to the coast proved to be a useful warmup game for the first league game of 2020 away in York.