It’s five out of five for Carillon 1st XI
BURTON 4XI 1 LOUGHBOROUGH CARILLON
MENS 1XI 3
CARILLON made it five wins from five in the league after a battle in Burton.
With several players ruling themselves out, a small squad, including a debut for youngster Ollie Wardle, travelled to a wet and blustery Staffordshire.
From previous results, Burton appeared to be stronger at home and the side that was sent out to play looked physical and experienced.
The early signs were bright for Carillon who took the lead in the first few minutes through Ollie Jepchott, who got ahead of his marker at the back post to tap in. Jepchott was again instrumental in the second Carillon goal, breaking away from the last man before being taken out by the goalkeeper. Tom Wood did the honours from the spot, flicking to the keeper’s right to double the lead.
Carillon took their foot off the pedal at this time and allowed Burton back into the game. Sloppy play throughout the team, both in possession and without the ball, gave the opportunity for the home team attacking chances.
The often underemployed Johnny Hie was called into serious action with a number of smart saves to keep the now rampant Burton attackers out. Carillon managed to wrestle back control and fine work by Alex Carter on the baseline allowed Jepchott to get his second with another close range finish.
Despite the 3-0 scoreline, the team recognised they had been second best for large parts of the game. In truth, the second half did yield a better performance from the side but was still littered with avoidable errors. One of those errors gave Burton a deserved consolation with a close range, two on one, finish.
Although Burton continued to attack, Carillon comfortably saw out the game to take the three points back to Leicestershire.
While not a vintage performance, it was still a useful experience for the young side who will have no doubt learned a lot from a close game like this. Grinding out a result against a stubborn side while not playing at their best will stand the squad in good stead as they move through the season.