Match Report NMJFC U Sandra Crowe Cup KO cup Semi-Final: New Mills Scorpions U11 v Futtymania U11 - 30/11/25

Earliest possible start for the cup semi final this morning….. matched with temperatures of minus 2 degrees in New Mills ….. a lot of cars needed to be defrosted.

This was a big game against an opponent we’re becoming very familiar with…. They’re a great team and we always have a chat with their coach before and after games.

A delayed kick off due to the frost meant slightly shorter halves. As coaches we asked for…. No, demanded, some fire from the Scorpions today🔥 and every single player did not disappoint.

All 11 were ‘in the zone’ …. The magic of the cup you could say.

Frankie - point blank saves are his specialty… always encouraging the team from the back. He was bang on form today, strong, tall and solid.

William - another great performance today, great defending and some excellent tackles… growing in stature every week.

Callum - solid defensive covering, not much got past him today, always keen to play the ball out from the back, always calm 👍🏻

Finley - another absolute powerhouse performance today. Small in stature but an absolute massive presence on the pitch. A last gasp tackle right at the end in his own box saved a sure fire goal.

Rocco K - whether it was the bobble hat or not, this was one of Rocco’s best performances. He was constantly in the mix and became a solid wall for our defence… lost count of the times we shouted ‘brilliant’ when Roc stopped another attack.

Frankie H - the best players are the ones who do the job with no fuss.  Frankie knew the task and was super strong in midfield 👊🏻

Oliver B - tenacious, never shy of getting stuck in and some lovely passes out to the wingers today, always a solid 8+ out of 10.  Great goal today … steaming into the box ⚽️

Dylan / Leo - our ever reliable and fantastic forms of attack. They switch wings easily to create another dynamic and are always on hand to provide assists or some quick feet to get the ball forward and either score themselves or set up a goal for a teammate. Both were outstanding today and unlucky not to score.

Alfie -  our silent assassin, he’s here he’s there he’s everywhere. Played some killer passes today, unlucky not to score, whether on the wing or playing just behind the striker, he always dangerous. Great encouragement to his team when he wasn’t playing 👊🏻

Rocco T - such a quiet lad, but when he crosses the white line… he’s focussed and will keep going. He won’t be bullied off the ball and will fight for everything…. He is like the Terminator, he will never stop.  Today, a great cross from Leo saw Rocco smash the ball home ⚽️

PoTM today was Rocco K …. He was amazing, he showed the fire we needed and stopped attack after attack.

⚽️🖤💛⚽️

#upthemillers