Willen Juniors 1
Southcott Owls U9 2

Southcott Owls showed true character on Saturday, coming from behind away from home to battle their way through to the semi-finals of the Milton Keynes and District Junior 7's football league shield.

In a physical match, Southcott spent much of their time battling in defence. The first half saw some strong defending from Karl Waydick and Miles Drabwell, with a series of excellent saves from Jamie Hunt keeping the Owls in the game.

Counter attacks from Jake Sanders and Craig Rattray posed threats to the Willen defence, until midway through the first half Willen scored a the opening goal.

So, with the smell of defeat loitering, Southcott started the second half one-nil down with their backs against the wall. But Owls began the second half more brightly, with Jake scoring a vital individual goal early on, running with the ball and planting it in the bottom right corner.

From here on, the match appeared more even, as Southcott created more chances and shrugged off Willen's strong challenges.

Good midfield work from Tommy Johnston, Remmington Laine and Alex Bailey kept the Owls moving forward and sheer persistence in the end saw Willen put the ball in their own net minutes before the final whistle.

Overall, this was not the Owls' prettiest victory this season, but it was one borne out of effort and determination. Well done Owls - bring on the semi-final.