The RN U23 team played Army U23 on Tuesday 02 March 2010. They were in a strong position going into this game needing only a draw to ensure the Inter-Service title went to the Senior Service for the first time after the previous victory against the RAF. Conditions were perfect at Burnaby Road with the sun shining and the pitch was in magnificent shape thanks to the efforts of the grounds staff.
A number of player withdrawals after the RAF game due to operational commitments resulted in debuts for Mne Polson (42 CDO) and AB Russell (Drake) and starting places for AET Isaksen (Sultan) and ET Kenealy (Nelson) after their recent inclusion in the RN Senior team training camp in Germany.
The game saw the RN team line up in their favoured 4-4-2 formation with the ARMY opting for 5 in midfield and 3 at the back. The NAVY midfield soon got to grips with the extra man against them in the middle of the park and began to win possession and get the ball out to the feet of the wide players in the channels. As the RN players continued to apply pressure, AET Isaksen drove forward down the right and fired a fierce shot which the ARMY keeper could only parry and AB McLoughlin (Vanguard) was on hand to power home the loose ball and give the RN a 1-0 lead after 22 minutes. The ARMY side attempted to strike back and a commanding performance by ET Kenealy in goal ensured the pressure was absorbed whilst the RN forwards of AET Musemeci (Heron) and LMEA Hodgson (Vanguard) worked tirelessly chasing down the ball in the attacking third.
The Second half saw no changes for the Senior Service and from the outset the RN continued to play a disciplined game with near faultless performances from the back four, with AET Bucker standing out by cancelling out the threat posed by the ARMY centre forward. As the opposition became increasingly frustrated, gaps started to appear in their defensive third and LMEA Hodgson was on hand to strike at goal from distance with a deflection leaving the ARMY keeper stranded and the RN 2-0 up after 63 minutes. The third goal came from a piece of individual genius by the NAVY centre half AB Russell who carried the ball a full 30 yards, cutting through the ARMY midfield before slotting an inch perfect ball through the advancing defence with the outside of his right boot for LMEA Hodsgson to finish with a quality drive across the keeper into the top corner on 70 minutes, ensuring the 3-0 victory was complete.
Huge celebrations greeted the final whistle as the RN team were crowned as the Inter-Service Champions for 2009/2010 for the first time having finally broken the grip of the ARMY on the trophy.
Squad: Kenealy, Kerr, Devlin, Polson, Russell, Bucker, Isaksen, McEvoy(Capt), Hodgson, Musumeci, McLoughlin Subs: Farnsworth, Fleming, Mitchell, Philp, Pannell, Short, Davidson
Manager: Lt Cdr John Gordon, Coaches: WO Neal Frame, PO Martin Pollard, PO Javon Hockley