Summary of NTU 'S Inaugural All-Star Match

24th April saw the first ever All-Star Game take place between NTU's BUCS Varsity Squad and a LIGA Inter-Mural League All Star Team, made up of players selected from teams playing in all three of NTU's LIGA competitions.

The BUCS Varsity team went into the game as clear favorites, being comprised of players from the Tier 3 Champion 2nd Team and the BUCS Trophy winning 1st Team. Also, the LIGA All-Star team was comprised players drawn from eight different teams across three leagues, meaning many players had never played with or even against their new teammates. Additionally the All-Stars were weakened before kick-off due to the loss of midfielders Ben Cheatle and Aaron Bentley, along with forward Marlon Waites, to late injuries in the lead up to the game.

The first half of the game proved to be a competitive affair, with the LIGA All-Stars matching up well against a Varsity team comprised of a mix of 1st and 2nd team players who were looking to play themselves into the final Varsity squad. Though the BUCS Varsity goal was only troubled on occasion during this period, the the All-Star team also did a fine job of keeping possession of the ball and also keeping their own goal protected, both from open play and from set-pieces. At half-time the score stood at 2-0 in the Varsity Squad's favour, with the goals coming from a dubiously awarded penalty and a deflected long range shot, both of which goalkeeper Paul Allen got fingertips to.

The second period saw the Varsity Squad gradually introduce more and more 1st Team Players, with the view to looking at player combinations for their match against University of Nottingham in two weeks time. The high tempo and intensity of the training regime of the Varsity Squad, along with the increasing introduction of the 1st Team players, began to show as the LIGA All-Stars were rarely able to threaten the Varsity goal throughout the second half. Their best opportunity came when Brandon Boanti got with inches of meeting a through ball from Mitchell Townsend. Despite this the All-Stars again put in a hugely credible performance under intense pressure, with all of the players making committed tackles and blocks across the pitch and second half goalkeeper Peter Sacre making a string of impressive (and sometime extravagant!) saves. Ultimately though the Varsity Squad were able to add three further goals in this period, with the first two being of an exceptionally high quality.

Despite the score finishing 5-0 in the Varsity team's favour the LIGA All-Stars put together an impressive performance bearing in mind the unfamiliarity and relative lack of training of the squad when compared to the Varsity team. It is also worth noting that the the Men's 1st and 2nd team beat other Universities equivalent teams by 4 or more goals at points during the season. Put in this context the performance and commitment of all of the All-Star players in a huge compliment to both their own individual performances and the standard of football being played in the Inter-Mural league as a whole.

The All-Star Squad was made up of the following players: Paul Allen (Mathematic Bilbao), Dante Barile (BSOC Bulldogz), Aaron Bentley (Mathematic Bilbao - Injured)Brandon Boanti (ACS FC), Ben Cheatle (Quantity Surville - Injured) James Fisher (Bayer Lexerkusen), Luke Foster (BSOC Bulldogz), Ali Griffin, (Kings Of Leon Osman), Dan Hopkins (Table Tennis Society), Ayodeji 'A.K.' Ikusemori (ACS FC), Rhys Lennon (Quantity Surville), Baasit Meiyaki (ACS FC), Jack Minns (Table Tennis Society) George Rawlings (Kings Of Leon Osman), Peter Sacre (History Society Football Club), James Seymour (BSOC Bulldogz), Mitchell Townsend (Table Tennis Society) & Marlon Waites (Brack City - Injured).

Congratulation to all involved and good luck to the BUCS Varsity Squad in their match against University Of Nottingham on 8th May at Meadow Lane.