Charlie Wood, Jack Lemming, Kian Gadsby and Aaron Jaffe
Trent ended UoN Futsal’s run of four consecutive Varsity victories with a resounding 5-1 victory at David Ross Sports Village.
Braces from Seb Pugh and Ollie King meant there was no miraculous comeback this year for a UoN side that had returned from 5-0 and 3-0 deficits in recent instalments.
NTU were dominant from the first whistle. It took only two minutes for Pugh to open the scoring with a thunderous strike from a kick in.
After five years without a win, NTU had come out strong for Varsity revenge. They suffocated their opponents and thoroughly deserved the early lead.
Within three minutes the away side had doubled their advantage. King’s effort was denied by the post, only for Pugh to nestle his second of the tie into an empty net.
As nerves were shaken off, UoN grew into the half. Trent keeper Lee Misfud was called into action to prevent close range efforts from Olly Guntrip and captain Jojo Mills.
The frantic early pace was then met with compact shape off the ball, which limited attacking opportunities for both sides. It took Sam Bunce to reignite the fixture, and last year’s game winner halved the deficit as he excellently guided the ball into the back of the net.
The home team looked to be heading to half-time with the fixture finely poised, until King’s header trickled inches over line. Despite animated protests from goalkeeper Noah Hay, the eagle-eyed referee awarded the goal, handing Trent a 3-1 lead at the interval.
NTU started the second half with much of the same intensity that greeted the first. Sol Dobrin and Kian Gabbett went close, before quick interchanges in the midfield afforded Luke Fitch the opportunity to make it 4-1.
As UoN pushed for a foothold in the tie, Misfud’s goal saw most of the action. Mills hit the post and had another clear-cut chance saved, before Bunce forged space for himself but his shot whistled past the post.
Without standard figures like Finlay Mills and Ruben Wapnick, UoN failed to mount sustained periods of territorial dominance. The comeback that history threatened never materialised, as Trent were able to see out any onslaught the Green and Gold unloaded.
The defeat was compounded when King rounded out the scoring with only a couple of minutes left to play. It was a goal that made a turnaround beyond the realms of possibility, sending the traveling NTU fans into scenes of unbridled joy at their sides first taste of silverware in half a decade.
After this NTU victory, the Varsity score stands at 5-3 to UoN with six events remaining. UoN will look to increase the advantage in Women’s and Men’s Football at Meadow Lane.
Charlie Wood, Jack Lemming, Kian Gadsby and Aaron Jaffe
