Wickham Market Tournament

WE WON!!!!

After coming very close on other occassions we have finally won a tournament! Felixstowe council have vetoed our plans for an open top bus parade of the town due to potential traffic chaos!!!
I think this picture almost says it all. The only thing you can't tell from it is that a few minutes earlier we were getting sunburnt and de-hydrated from a rare day of blistering sunshine, only to get drenched in the last few minutes of the tournament. As you can see from the picture, you don't feel the wet if you've won!!


Both A & b teams performed superbly. I'll give a general overview of both campaigns but as usual my recollection is a bit hazy after an exhausting day. And I was only watching!

B Team

The squad today was- Harley, Will, Freddie, Ryan, Brandon & Aidan

Our first game was against Martlesham 747. We have been unlucky against these all season and today was no exception. We had Harley in goals, Will in defence, Freddie and Aidan in midfield and Ryan up front. Brandon came on in the second half. Every player took his turn on the subs bench throughout the day The game was pretty much end to end, but it was us who were making the decent chances. Unfortunately we just couldn't convert them. When you miss 4 one on one's with the keeper you know it's not going to be your day.
Martlesham played well and won a corner in the second half. It appeared to hit a player on the back of the head and we were one nil down. Which was the final score. A dissapointing start only because we played so well and deserved something out of the game.

Next up was Witnesham Wasps who played very well all day. We had to battle hard to stay in the game. A great defensive display from Will and Harley at the back, with the midfielders covering a lot of ground to help out at the back and up front. This time we had Aidan up front with Brandon, Ryan and Freddie sharing the midfield. Just when it looked like we were going to get a draw we lost another unfortunate goal. (I can't remember the exact details I just remember it was a poor goal to lose) On balance Witnesham deserved the win. so far we had two defeats but had only conceded two goals.

After lunch it was the local derby. F&W B's V F&W A's. The a's had two fantastic wins under their belts by this time (More on those later) and were on a role. Inflicting the B's only heavy defeat of the day. Both teams were up for it and there was some terrific battles going on all over the field. Harley was now on the pitch and Brandon took his place in goals. Aidan moved into defence with Will, Freddie and Ryan in Midfield.
Jake opened the scoring early on, with Connor making it 2-0 soon after. The B's had a chance to pull one back before half time when Will seemed to get round Ollie only only for him to somehow manage to snatch the ball from his feet. A great piece of goalkeeping. Jake and Connor both scored again in the second half making it 4-0. Brandon played well in goal and did well to deny them further goals. Aidan put in a terrific performance in defence. In the last seconds Aidan managed to stop Jake getting a shot in as he blocked him away from the goal. A great piece of defending as both players attempted to jostle each other from the ball. Unfortunately the referee saw it differently and decided to give a penalty. Jack stepped up and gave Brandon no chance as he slotted it home. The game ended 5-0. The A's were on an unstoppable roll and were a whisker away from booking their place in the final. The B's had played well but had yet to find the net.

Next was Wickham Market A's. This was possibly the best game in the whole tournament. We kept the same formation and positions from the last game. Harley stayed up front where he continued to hold the ball up well and was one of the few players who passed well all day. (Including the A's!! Look out for lots of teamwork and passing games in training) It was in this game that Freddie's throw ins seemed to click. Launching the ball forward over defenders heads and setting our players off on runs.
The game was end to end stuff, again we had the best of the chances and again they were the ones who scored. We continued to push and finally got the goal we had deserved all day with a great finish from Aidan. We had several chances but their keeper managed to block them with any part of his body whether he was looking or not!! Near the end they broke free on a counter attack and almost cracked the goalpost with a thumping effort. The game ended 1-1. I was physically drained.

The final game was against Wickham Market B's. Freddie moved into defence, Aidan took his place on the bench for the first half and replaced Harley up front for the second. Will and Ryan were on the flanks.
Before the game Steve H had somehow convinced Will that his dad would give him £10 for every goal he scored. We've discovered that money works!! Will got his first early on. the crowd didn't shout Goal!! They shouted "Will you've got a tenner! Try for Twenty!!" Will 's dad had gone quiet at this point!! He went even quieter when Will blasted into the top corner for his second. We dominated this game all over the park. Freddie was enjoying great success in the unfamiliar role in defence, Will and Ryan battled and worked very hard feeding through to Harley, who held it and either got in a pass or went on one of his unstoppable runs! He was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet. Ryan flicked one in at the back post to make it 3-0. Later on we won another throw in near the corner. Freddie came forward to take the throw in and launched it at the back post where Will calmly headed it in to earn himself £30. A minute later the exact same move ended with the keeper saving with his face! Will went on to get a fourth and bankrupt his dad! We waited all day for a goal then 5 come at once. 5-0. it was great to see the team improve with every game and finish on a high. it was smiles all round.

The A's

The Squad today was Ollie, Sam, Connor S, Jake, Jack & Matty.

The opening game was against Wickham Market A. We started of very brightly with Matty getting our first early on. A few moments later Matty got his second and we were looking good. Jake added a third and we were cruising. We dominated the whole park with Sam clearing up everything in defence leaving ollie as a virtual spectator. Matty, Connor and Jack worked hard in midfield with Jake holding it up front. Matty finished off the game by bagging his hat-trick making it 4-0. A flying start.

Wickham Market B's

Again we started very well with Jake getting an early goal. Ollie played well in goal with Jack providing protection. Connor blasted in his first of the day to make it 2-0. Sam moved into midfield and got himself on the score sheet. In the dying minutes leading 3-0 disaster struck. We conceded a goal!! final score 3-1.

A's v B's see above

Next up was Witnesham Wasps. They had impressed all day and this proved to be a hard fought match. Both teams pushed hard but there were very few chances being created. Any shots that were made were covered comfortably by both keepers. Witnesham had one memorable effort that required a full lenghth diving save from Ollie. The Witnesham coach was left amazed that his team hadn't scored. A stalemate at 0-0.

The match against Martlesham started with them flying at us from the start. We defended well but it still took two great saves from Ollie to keep us in the game. Thankfully connor opened the scoring and we settled into our normal game. Matty made it 2-0. Connor got his second of the game and we were 3-0 up at half time. In the second half it was all Felixstowe. Matty got on the score sheet again and Sam finished it off with our fifth . 5-0. A game of two halfs. It may have been a bit different had they scored their chances before us. We had to get something out of this game to qualify for the final. We had made it. A fantastic acheivement.

The final

Felixstowe & Walton Utd A's V Witnesham Wasps

The previous game had ended in a stalemate. The heat was begining to take it's toll. Illness meant Jack missed the last game, and the final which meant we had no subs. Minutes before the kick off Sam was almost throwing up at the side of the pitch. He was ok to play and recovered quite quickly. It was all getting a bit dramatic!!

The first half continued pretty much where the last left off. The only difference was we actually started getting our passes in and looked slightly the better team. Just before half time Jake had an effort saved by the keeper. The ball rebounded to just outside the box where Matty smacked it high enough to clear the crowded area but low enough to land just under the crossbar. 1-0!
In the second half tiredness was really playing a part but every player battled hard. Sam and Ollie were magnificent at the back. Witnesham couldn't break them down. Matty and Connor covered their sides of the pitch, front and back with a noticable improvement in the passing and movement we had worked on in training. Jake was constanly surrounded by 2 players and was having a tough time up front until he found himself with a 50/50 race with the keeper for the ball. The keeper made it first and tried to pick it up just inside his box. He hesitated slightly, just enough for Jake to slide in and make it 2-0. A minute later with the rain drenching us all the final whistle went and we had won the cup.
The spectators(and coaches) cowered under the nearest bushes whilst the boys were presented with the cup and their well earned medals. A fantastic day all round. It was great to see the boys and the remaining B players celebrating. It made my sunburn all worth while!!
The statistics for the day also made for some impressive reading.
We scored 19 goals with only 1 conceded. Bearing in mind the games were only 10 minutes long.
Every outfield player got on the scoresheet.
Matty was top scorer with 6, Jake and Connor got 5 each, Sam got 2 and Jack got 1 even though they both played mainly in defence and illness cut Jack's tournament slightly short.

What a day.

The final and most impressive statistic goes to Will o Malley. I've never earned a penny from football and he has already earned himself £40!! The question is, has he been paid?

Roll on next season