Axminster Town Under 11's semi-final Plate cup match v Exeter Central.

This was a proud day for the players, coaches and parents involved with the Tigers' Under 11's.

The draw tookthe to the semi final against Central who play in two divisions above Axminster, but the boys were fired up after beating Division two Crediton.

Before the kick-off the coaches had individual chats to each player, focusing on one-to-one battles, pressing quickly and putting what they had practiced in training into the game.

The first 15 minutes were frustrating to watch, the Axminster players taking some time to get switched to find some momentum against a very good Division One team.

Two goals in 10 minutes from Central put the Tigers on the back foot, however they started to come back and battled hard to create opportunities.

Good pressing, passing and movement with some grit determination in midfield saw some attempts go wide and a couple of good saves by the Central keeper.

Another two goals by Central saw Axe go in at half time 4-0 down. A pep talk by the coaches, praising and encouraging the boys, saw a massive change and responsive second half performance. The team really took the game to Central, a little too late perhaps.

Some excellent defending by Sidney, Fed M, Jenson and Vinnie with some calculated timed tackling and decision making, whilst there was a constant physical battle from our midfield players in the form of Oscar, William, Arthur and Marco, taking their chances and applying pressure throughout the 30 minutes, fighting and winning the midfield battle, our lone strikers in the form of Fred L and Alfie Pitts causing the central defence all sorts of issues.

Again misses and a good solid Central defence denied the Tigers some goal opportunities and the score ended at 5-0 to central.

To summarise, the boys have showed a marked improvement physically and mentally. The past few matches have proved that the team can play up to a very good standard. Individually all the boys are improving and are playing as a team better. Well done to all.

Man-of-the-match went to William. He battled the entire game in midfield, having a great physical present and a superb amount of energy.