Under 9s:
Foxhall Juniors B 5-0 Kirkham Juniors: Foxhall's more committed and physical approach paid off when they scored in the 4th minute. Kirkham picked up the pace and began to match Foxhall's commitment until the 8th minute when they allowed one Foxhall player to dribble through 3 defenders in the area and toe punt their second goal. Kirkham continued to come off second best with all of the team appearing to be having a quiet game. Kirkham began to play as if they believed they could score. Elliot had some good bursts from midfield and Declan began to dominate the left flank with some good tackling and fast running. Brandon also began to get more involved in the game and for a short period Kirkham were passing and tackling well. Unfortunately, from a Foxhall corner a looping header passed over Edward's head and in to the net for their 3rd goal.
Joe and Bradley now came on and Kirkham began to threaten mainly through strong attacks down the left wing by Declan. Again, poor defending by Kirkham allowed a great Foxhall run and lay-off to their centre forward who slotted home their fourth, then their fifth goals. Man of the Match: Declan, for good work down the left wing and some good passing and running moves. Foxhall Juniors A 0-6 Kirkham Juniors: On the coldest ground so far, the game started at a frantic pace with an early chance falling to Josh. A determined effort from both midfields eventually saw Russell break free and score. Then a poor Foxhall goal kick straight to Russell saw him race forward and net his second. Pressure down the left from Foxhall was countered by a quick Kirkham attack which ended with Russell getting his hat-trick, 3-0 to Kirkham. From James's thumping goal kick, Russell's broke through the Foxhall defence and confidently scored his fourth just before half-time. At the start of the second half, Russell dribbled through the static Foxhall defence and banged in his fifth. To Foxhall's credit they continued to attack when they could but Kirkham were tackling and passing well and any shots on goal were dealt with comfortably by James. Kirkham pressure up the left saw Russell release Matt on goal who calmly scored his first goal of the season. Kirkham complacency and poor defending saw Foxhall come back in to the game with several corners and attempts on the Kirkham goal. Thankfully for the freezing onlookers the final whistle sounded ending this team's best performance since the first game of the season. Man of the Match: Russell, 5 goals - need we say more! Under 14s: Lancashire FA Youth Cup
Kirkham Juniors 3-4 AFC Hindley Kirkham bowed out with pride today in the last 16 of the Lancs FA Cup. Fuller gave Kirkham the lead from a Cartwright corner, AFC came back with the equalizer and then Cookson grabbed the second in a goal mouth scramble. Kirkham took control of this half, but failed to capitalize despite numerous chances forcing the Hindley keeper to stay on his toes. At the half time whistle Kirkham were on top and went in 2-1 up. Hindley came back strong and scored an early goal in the early stages of the second half, two more followed putting them in front. Kirkham came back with a goal from Balch. Unfortunately time ran out on Kirkham who fought very hard and were very unlucky not to go through to the next stage. Hard luck to the lads and good luck to AFC Hindley. Under 15s:
Kirkham Juniors 2-1 Thornton Cleveleys: This game could have been a rehearsal for the upcoming Cup match between the two sides. Thornton were clearly a much different proposition to the side that went down 4-0 a few short weeks ago. The visitors seemed to win all of the 50/50 balls and Kirkham collectively seemed a yard or so 'off the pace'. Although Thornton were enjoying the lion's share of the possession, the Kirkham back four of Schofield, Ryde, Wensley and Baines were solid, and Wyke in the Kirkham goal was rarely threatened. It wasn't until 5 minutes before half time that Kirkham at last came to life and began to launch some attacks of their own. Firstly a corner from the left wasn't dealt with, but Everett couldn't keep his shot down as he was closed out by a defender. Then Mayor made the pass of the match so far as he received the ball in midfield, turned in the same movement and clipped a great ball over the top of the defence into the path of Hanlon. Unfortunately, the keeper had spotted the danger and rushed from his line to clear the ball into touch. Half Time: Kirkham 0 Thornton 0 Kirkham were having some success from the running of Hanlon and Mayor, and on 45 minutes Wensley intercepted a Thornton attack and played another great ball over the opposition defence. This time Hanlon was forced wide by a covering defender. A minute later, Wyke was relieved to see a shot from the same player straight at him. Kirkham got the all important breakthrough on 60 minutes, and what a beauty it was. McCulloch played the ball forward up to the lively Mayor on the edge of the penalty area. There were two defenders between him and the goal but he turned them brilliantly, drew the keeper and waltzed around him to slot the ball into an empty net - a superb piece of finishing. Unfortunately, Kirkham couldn't hold on to the lead and the visitors were level just 5 minutes later. As the striker drove into the box, he appeared to be clipped from behind and the referee pointed to the spot. The same player got up to take the penalty. Wyke couldn't quite get enough on it to keep the shot out.
On 70 minutes Kirkham scored their second, and what proved to be the winner. They broke forward down the left and the ball was played into the box by Everett for Mayor. It appeared that he had been forced too wide but managed to hit a great shot that although the keeper got his hands to, couldn't hold, and the ball nestled in the back of the net. - another great finish. Kirkham had a nervy 10 minutes or so to hang on to their lead. They nearly paid the consequences on 73 minutes when slack marking allowed a free header from a corner. They did, however, have chances of their own to make the game safe as Hanlon, Everett and Mayor were all unlucky with late efforts. Full Time: Kirkham 2 Thornton 1 It's fair to say that this wasn't one of Kirkham's finest performances. However after the form shown recently the resilience of the squad showed through and the three points were well earned. Well done lads! Man of the match: Mayor, not just for his two excellent goals, but his all-round performance. Under 16s:
Kirkham Juniors 9-1 Walton-le-Dale: Kirkham were outstanding in the first half, racing to a five goal lead with strikes from Wes (2), Neil (2) and Shaun. The second half saw Walton-le-Dale rally and they got the goal their efforts deserved. But then Kirkham resumed control with a further 4 goals, Shaun got 2 to complete his hat trick, Neil got another to complete his hat trick and Dean added one from the penalty spot. Well played to the opposition who never gave up, and to the referee Mr Anderson who had a good game in charge. Men of the match this week, name any player you like!! For me it was the two strikers Neil and Shaun who both worked hard up front, deserved their goals and could have had more. Under 17s: Thornton Cleveleys 0-4 Kirkham Juniors: Kirkham continued their quest for the title with a comprehensive victory in Thornton. They had an early scare when a Thornton through ball split their defence, but the shot was hit wide of the post. Kirkham punished their hosts for this miss by taking the lead on three minutes, when the home 'keeper dropped Clarke's crossed-in free kick and Brown had the simple task of rolling the ball into the net. Clarke was controlling the game, both as playmaker in midfield, and after fifteen minutes Rochford turned the defence inside out before unleashing a powerful shot into the net from twenty yards. The third goal came on fifty minutes, when good play by Doughty set up Brown for a shot that deceived the 'keeper as it swerved into the net, and he was close to a hat trick five minutes later as another long-range effort only just cleared the bar.
Thornton had posed little threat up front as the Kirkham defence dealt comfortably with their attack, but they brought on a substitute up front late on and he began to cause the first problems of the afternoon. On sixty-six minutes, he broke through on goal, and although Wilson raced out and got a foot to the ball, he also caught the man and a penalty was awarded. The 'keeper, though, redeemed himself by diving to his right to make a comfortable save from the spot kick. With three minutes to go, Wilson again foiled the Thornton penalty taker, this time saving a close-range effort with his legs, and as Kirkham broke and counter-attacked, Doughty leapt to head the fourth goal beyond the despairing reach of the home 'keeper to seal the result. | 
