Team Photo

The club photographer came to the game on Saturday and took our team photo which will go on the wall at the clubhouse. Unfortunately Will, Connor R and Jake were not available.
I managed to get a snap on my phone before me and Steve joined the ranks for the finished photo.

What a handsome bunch!!

Click on the photo to see it full size.

Wickham Market 22nd November 2008

This week proved the benefits of having a larger squad than last year. For only the second time this season all 21 players were available for selection. This is too many to fit into a decent game so two players were chosen to be rested. This week it was Freddie and Jake who would take their turn. By the time I got to Dellwood we would be down to 17 with illness affecting Will Connor R and Ollie S. Ollie managed to recover enough to play which gave us the bare 18 players!!

A Game

The line up was- Ollie S in goal(and looking a bit worse for wear) Connor S in defence, Jack, Charlie B and Freddie across midfield, Dash and Matty upfront with Sam and Keiran on the bench.
From the start we pushed forward into their half and immediately put them under pressure. Charlie and Jack linked well on a couple of occasions ending with Jack puting some dangerous crosses into the box. Matty was unlucky not to get on the end of them. Wickhams main line of defence was the big hoof up pitch. Basic but effective defending. We had to be on our guard for any counter attacks. Connor dealt well with everything they were throwing at him, playing simple passes to Freddie and Jack, getting our attacks started.
We got our deserved breakthrough when Jack linked well with Charlie and got another ball across to Matty who finished well to make it 1-0.
The game continue with us pushing forward when after along clearance the Wickham Market sent their striker through on goal. Ollie who was not 100% and had very little to do pulled off a great diving save to keep ahead in the game.

A couple of minutes later we scored our best goal of the season so far. Not because it was a spectacular effort but because of the speed and teamwork in the build up. Wickham were in attack again. Freddie won the ball on the edge of our penalty area and played a long curling pass to Matty wide on the right at the half-way line. Matty passed quickly to Dash and ran towards their box. Dash swept the ball out wide to the left where Jack had sprinted on an ovelapping run. He crossed it to Matty who met it on the edge of their box and fired it just inside the post past their diving keeper. The whole move from the edge of our box to theirs took a matter of seconds. The bulk of Wickhams team were still in our half when the ball went in. A great team effort.

We continued to pile the pressure on and got a third goal just before half time. Again after some great linking play between Charlie and Freddie, Matty turned provider and sent a great ball across the goal leaving Dash with only the goalkeeper to beat. 3-0 The half-time score.

Freddie and Connor made way for Sam and Keiran.
Wickham looked a bit more dangerous at the start of the half, Sam who had just come on had a busy start but once he found his feet and got the pace of the game settled in and kept it tight at the back. Keiran was quickly involved in the game and was winning tackles on the right getting our attacks moving. We killed the game off when he linked well with Matty who again got the ball to Dash, who finished well to make it 4-0.
To their credit Wickham didn't stop playing and despite the scoreline it remained a fast and exciting game. Captain for this game, Charlie was directly up against the Wickham captain who was their best player on the day. They had a great little battle in the middle. In my biased opinion Charlie shaded it! Later in the game Keiran took Charlies place in the middle and carried on the good work.
Jack and Charlie made way for Freddie and Connor to return to the fray and we continued to dominate for the rest of the game.
The 5th goal came courtesy of an own goal when Dash slid the ball across the box. the defender manged to stop Matty ppoking it in by knocking it in himself. 5-0 was the final score.

Another great team performance. Once again we have delivered when it matters. We drew 1-1 in a friendly recently but today there were points at stake.
I've given Man of the Match to Matty Harrold. again it was very tough to choose one player but having scored 2, set up 2 and only been pipped to a hat-trick by a greedy Defender! I think he deserves it. Both strikers played very well today and worked hard from the front.

B Game

The line up was Harley in goal, Kyle in defence,Dan, Cameron and Ollie M across midfield, Curtis and Nat up front, with Alex and Charlie W on the bench.

This was another great team performance and a very enjoyable game to watch. We started brightly and pushed forward. Cammy playing in the central role continued where he left off last week and began tackling well, winning the ball and playing the simplest of passes. Dan now settling into the left midfield position started like a man inspired, playing some lovely passes through to Curtis up front. It wasn't that long ago when both these players first instinct was to get rid of the ball as soon as possible by hoofing it off the pitch. Now they are starting attacks! Curtis showed great strength and speed for the whole game even though he is not 100% from his injury sustained in the last game he played. The friendly against Wickham a few weeks ago. He was unlucky not to score from a couple of long range efforts catching the keeper off the line. Nat also came close on a couple of occassions but it was clear that their keeper was having a good day. When Wickham pushed forward they found it hard to get past kyle who had started the game brightly and Ollie Mac who tackled well on the right.
We had a bizarre moment when Dan picked up the ball in his own half and just ran towards goal, only being stopped by some last ditch tackles and their goalkeeper almost on the goal line. This was reminiscent of the goal he score when we were under 8's. Picking up the ball on our own goal line and blasting home from a full 4 inches out!!!

Just like the A game, our passing and movement was too much for their defence and we continued to make chance after chance, finally beating their keeper when Nat finished superbly to give us a well deserved 1-0 lead.
Dan was unlucky not to increase the lead when his shot beat the keeper only to be cleared off the line by a defender.
Wickham pushed forward towards the end of the half and a good save by Harley and the outside of the post kept us in the lead at half-time.
Ollie and Nat made way for Alex and Charlie. This time Alex went up front and Charlie went into the right midfield position.
The game was quite tight with a lot of battling going on in the middle. The ball bounced high on the left and Dan volleyed it forward, it spun of his boot and somehow landed at Charlies feet on the far right. He smacked it first time straight for the top corner,the keeper managed to pull off a superb save and turned it round for a corner. Charlie took the corner and found Cammy in the middle, who powered his header into the net 2-0. A well deserved cushion.
A little while later Charlie took another superb corner, where Ollie headed it goalwards. This time a defender on the goal line headed it clear.
There was a touch of controversy with our third goal. After some great battling by Alex on the right, Dan found himself with the ball at his feet a yard out in the middle of the goal. All he had to do was get it past the three defenders and goalkeeper who were blocking his way. Somehow after a bit of muscling he got it across the line. The keeper grabbed it too late but puuled it forward and held it on the line claiming a save. As all goalkeepers do! luckily the ref saw him blatantly pull it forward and gave the goal. There was a brief discussion on the sidelines and the Wickham manager accepted the decision. 3-0.
We seemed to go to sleep for a coule of minutes and Wickham pulled one back and almost got another. We settled down and played out the rest of the game comfortably. the final score was 3-1.
Once again the manner play was just as satisfying as the scoreline. In both games we played proper football and deserved both wins.
Man of the Match was slightly more straightforward in this game. An inspired Dan French played his usual tackling game(now recovered from his knee injury) but coupled that with some great passing play and even got on the scoresheet. He was unlucky not to score more. Special mentions go to Captain Cam. another great performance and a superb goal into the bargain. Well done also to Curtis who had his best game since joining the club. He's suffered illness and injury in his short time with us but even though still not fully fit showed us a glimpse of what he can do.

I think it should also be mentioned that Wickham are a much improved team since they were losing with high scorelines a couple of seasons ago. I'm sure they'll cause a few upsets (hopefully not to us) later in the season.

Another satisfying day where every player played his part for the team. We can't ask any more than that.

Cup news!!!

The B's have been drawn away to AFC Kesgrave on the 7th February 2009. This is the quarter final and I'm expecting a very tough game. They won their last cup game 9-0!

The cup squad is -

Harley, Kyle, Dan, Keiran, Cameron, Curtis, Nat, Jake, Alex, Charlie W

The Glory run continues!!!!!

Kirton and Copdock 15th November 2008

This season we have filled as many empty weeks as possible with friendlies. It was inevitable that one of these would clash with the B teams glorious cup run!!

We had arranged our first 11 a side game against Copdock FC at the start of the season. The B's were drawn at home to Kirton but had to play the fixture at Martlesham!! Luckily we managed to scrape enough players together to play both fixtures.

I'll start with the Copdock game as I only saw the first 15 minutes before I had to rush across town to sort out the cup game.

Copdock are an under 12 team and were playing their 11th game of the season. Our little under 11's were playing their 1st. At this age group we play on a three quarter size pitch if available. The pitch today was not only a full size pitch but a big one at that!! Not forgetting the slope!
A definite baptism of fire.

For the brief part of the game that I saw, I was very pleased with the way the boys started. Steve H had mocked up a tactics board using the grass and a load of cones to give a the boys an idea of the extra positions involved. We opted with a 3-5-2 formation but will try others in other games. Nothing too complicated!!
We stuck to our positions and spent most of the first 10 minutes in their half. Copdock finally managed to get their first attack under way and scored! 0-1.
We kicked off and pushed forward again. A lovely through ball set Matty through on the keeper, he managed to slide it past him into the net, only for the goal to be chopped off by the ref who deemed it offside! I was level with the players as was the linesman(who didn't flag) and he was clearly onside. This is something we will all have to get used to next season. It's very frustrating and you mustn't shout at the ref!! Like I did!!
I had to leave but by all accounts the boys played very well. With only one sub they all had to run their socks off. We eventually lost 4-0. But we had another goal disallowed (I can't comment on this one) and scored an own goal. The Copdock manager told Steve that this was the hardest game they had had all season.

Overall a great performance. We have more 11 aside games organised after Christmas so more to look forward to.

B Game

The B's had made it through to the second round of the cup and were drawn once again against first division opposition. Our local rivals Kirton Kestrels. Their A team were drawn away to Martlesham so we had to play there. Martlesham won 3-1.

Our squad was Harley in goal, Kyle in defence, Dan, Keiran and Cameron across midfield, Nat and Jake up front with Alex and Charlie on the bench.

The game kicked off and we went straight into attack. Within 30 seconds a great ball from Keiran found Nat who banged it in to make it 1-0.

Kirton kicked off and ran up the pitch, Kyle hesitated before lungeing into a clumsy challenge to give away a clear penalty. Harley had no chance with the well taken kick and it was 1-1 with barely 2 minutes played.
We kicked off and attacked. This time Keirans pass found Jake who finished it well to regain the lead 2-1. With only 3 minutes on the clock. What a start to the game. We had to wait a staggering 20 minutes for the next goal!!!

We totally dominated the rest of the half. Kyle had settled down after his dodgy start and was solid at the back. Dan who had started brightly in midfield was puting in some nice passes and resisting the temptation to drop back to his favoured defensive role. Keiran was having another great game, breaking down their attacks and making good runs. The only thing lacking today was his final pass. Cammy was also having a good game. Winning the ball and playing simple passes. Just how we work it in training. Both front runners, Nat and Jake with a goal each under their belt looked dangerous every time we got the ball forward.
Kirton manged to push forward a few times and almost equalised with a well struck shot through a crowded box into the bottom corner. Harley somehow managed to throw himself the entire length of the goal and turn it round the post for a terrific save. who knows what the outcome would have been had that gone in.

Eventually after 23 minutes another great ball from Keiran again found Jake who belted in his second of the game. 3-1. You might have noticed that I have mentioned Keirans final pass and yet he has set up all three of our goals!! It's an indication of how much of the ball Keiran was winning for the team. Either that or I'm just miserable and hard to please!!
As ususal in this game the goals came in batches. A minute later a nice ball from Alex found Nat on the edge of the box with his back to goal. He managed to turn his defender and slot in a precision shot to the back post. 4-1 was the halftime score.

Dan had to be replaced by Alex towards the end of the half with an injured knee. I tested him in the second half but he was honest enough to admit he couldn't run on it and took no further part in the game. Jake made way for Charlie.

Once again we dominated from the kick off. We played Kirton in a friendly and we lost 6-3 recently. We lost 4 quick goals that day by switching off for a few minutes. This time we held our concentration and were rewarded when Keiran(who as we know can't pass a ball!) got the ball across to Charlie who let loose a thunderbolt to make it 5-1.

The rest of the game went by in a blur. Kirton managed to get one back to make it 5-2. harley made a good save from a corner, Kyle managed to keep their efforts away from goal and the midfielders continued to work hard helping in defence and getting forward when needed. The only downside was the strikers were not getting the ball as much as they could have. We often had 2 against 1 up front but the final pass was going to the 1 defender!! luckily for us we were 3 goals up but on another day we might have been chasing the goals.

The final score was 5-2. Another good performance and another step towards potential cup glory!! We are now in the quarter finals.

Man of the Match was Cammy. He battled tirelessly for the whole game and deserves recognition for barely puting a foot wrong. A special mention goes to Keiran, another superb performance and again set up most of the goals. Also a mention for Kyle who redeemed his penalty howler with a solid game at the back.

The final word goes to the Kirton manager (My mate Big Steve) Who once he got over his shellshock thought we were superb and fully deserved the game. I've known this guy for almost 20years and he's not easily impressed!!! At least he wasn't with me when we played together!!

Whitton Utd 8th November 2008

It was back to league action after a few weeks off, with a tricky away game at Whitton Utd. The last time we were at this ground we were winning their summer 5 a side tournament. The glory days!!

A Game

The line up was Ollie S in goal, Jack, Charlie B and Will across midfield, Dash and Freddie up front. Sam and Matty on the bench.
Whitton attacked from the very start and caused us immediate problems. In less than 2 minutes we found ourselves a goal down. Our lack of tackling proved to be a problem for most of the game. We failed to get in the way of their attackers and left Ollie exposed in goal. 0-1

Freddie and Dash battled well up front and combined well when Dash got the equaliser 5 minutes later 1-1.

We started to get more into the game and put together some nice passing moves, too often though the final ball went astray or was hit straight to a defender. When Whitton had the ball they looked dangerous. They took the lead again just before half-time when we were caught napping as they took their corner. Their player ran into the box and his marker didn't. Again leaving Ollie with little chance. 1-2. We were having one of those days!!

At half time Matty and Sam replaced Jack and Charlie. Matty went up front and Freddie dropped to Midfield. Within a few minutes we were level again when during an attack in their box Matty managed to get a toe on the ball and poked it between the keepers legs to make it 2-2. Soon after this Matty had to leave the field due to the cold weather affecting his Asthma and was unable to take part in the rest of the game.

We pushed forward and won a corner. We were all looking forward to a Charlie Bance special! We have scored a few from his corners this season, could he find a strikers head today? The answer was no! The only thing he found was the net as the ball soared over the keepers head and straight in! 3-2.

At this point I thought perhaps thing would turn our way but for some reason we seemed to back off again and allow Whitton to get back into the game. Freddie and Dash had to resort to coming back and doing the tackling themselves just to get a sniff of the ball. The heavy pitch, wind and having only one available substitute was taking it's toll.

We let it slip when despite having several chances to get the ball clear we ended up giving away a soft corner. We looked vulnerable but this time the ball glanced off Will's shoulder and into the goal. 3-3.There was nothing Will or Ollie could do about it.

We pushed forward and almost got another when Freddie carried the ball into the box and passed it to the back post where Dash slid in and only narrowly missed the ball. Whitton came straight back up the pitch and scored their 4th. 3-4.

I didn't think we would have enough time to respond but we came back fighting and managed to raise our game enough to set Dash loose in the box where he fired home a rocket from a narrow angle. 4-4. Both sets of managers were willing the ref to blow his whistle as not only was a draw the fairest result but our nerves were shredded. This was a proper roller-coaster of a game.

Every player is entitled to an off day. This was one of those days where several players performed below their usual standard. Despite this we did well to come away with a point and remain undefeated in the league so far. The boys were exhausted after the game and by far the muddiest I've seen them in a while. Will O Maley in particular looked like he had just climbed out of a trench!! If only I had remembered my camera!!

Man of the match was Freddie McDade. He never stopped running or tackling and battled for every minute of the game. Playing against his school mates seemed to bring out the best in him!! A special mention to Dash who worked hard up front and took his goals well, and Connor Savage who battled well in defence.


B Game

The line up was Harley in goal, Kyle in defence, Dan, Keiran and Cam in midfield. Nat and Charlie W up front. With Alex, Jake and Connor R on the bench.

The game kicked off with Whitton going straight into attack. We weathered the storm well and settled into the game. Whitton continued to attack without really troubling Harleys goal. We defended well and tackled strongly with Keiran (playing against his school mates and ex team mates) flying into everything.

The half continued in this way until we finally broke free for our first decent attack of the game. A great ball from Cammy found Nat at the back post who promptly banged it in. 1-0 against the run of play!!

At half time Alex Jake and Connor joined the game. The second half continued in much the same way as the first with Whitton having the upper hand but unable to break down our midfield and defence. Harley was called on to make a couple of saves and dealt with the attacks well.

It was only a matter of time until they got a deserved equaliser. 1-1. Much to the releif of their manager.

With a couple of minutes left on the clock I put Keiran back on the pitch with a free role to get stuck in. Within a minute he had won the ball, took it past several players and set Nat up for his second goal of the game. 2-1.

We only had to hold on for a short nailbiting time to gain a great win. Once again Keiran carried the ball past several players and got the ball into the box where Alex finished the game off with a well taken goal.

The game ended 3-1 to us despite being under pressure for most of the game. It was great to see the lads grind out a result and refuse to buckle. We didn't create many chances but we finished the few we made well.

Man of the Match was Keiran. He was involved in everything and turned the game when he was re-introduced near the end.

Friendly v Wickham Market 1st November 2008

We turned up at Wickham with a very much depleted squad. With several players missing due to half term holidays we were down to the bare minimum. Add in a couple of call offs due to illness were down to 13 players. Ollie Spink was clearly suffering from illness but gamely refused to call off. The rule is simple. Ollie doesn't miss matches!! By the end of the day we would be down even more!! Wickham on the other hand had a healthy squad but no pitch!! Due to a mix up the pitch was being created around us as we warmed up. It was still ready in time for kick off.

A Game

Squad- Ollie S in goal, Connor S in defence, Jack, Keiran and Ollie M in midfield, Dash and Freddie up front. No subs. (all of the B team on standby)

The game kicked off and we were immediately in control. Winning the ball, passing and retaining possesssion. Most of the half was played in their half of the pitch with Wickham attacks being kept to a minimum. We struggled however to convert the possession into goal chances. The ball just wasn't getting through to the strikers. This was mainly downt to the quality of the final ball. Something in recent games we've done very well in. The closest we got was a shot from Freddie just outside the box which beat the keeper but smacked the post. We looked dangerous from corners but just couldn't get that final touch.
Wickham had one decent attack in the half and scored 0-1!
Keiran who was playing well in the centre took a kick to the knee and was unable to play on. Curtis was drafted in to the central role. 0-1 was the half time score.

In the second half we started to look more dangerous up front and started creating chances. Wickham also came out fighting and played much better than in the first half and started causing us problems at the back. Connor and Ollie dealt with these well as Jack and Ollie worked extremely hard up and down the wings.
We thought we'd equalised when Jack and Dash combined to get the ball to Curtis who fired in from a tight angle. The ball hit the back post and went in. The ref deemed that the ball had gone through a hole in the net and disallowed it.
Dash and Freddie were getting a bit more of the ball and were getting closer with the chances. Eventually Dash took the ball down the left and passed across to Freddie who powered a shot towards goal. The keeper managed to get his hand on it but the power carried it over the line. 1-1
From then on it was end to end stuff and I thought Wickham looked the more dangerous in the closing stages. Me and the Wickham manager had just agreed that a draw seemed a fair result and it would be a shame for one team to lose when the Wickham striker shot and almost broke the crossbar!!
We lost yet another player when Curtis collapsed holding his thigh and had to go off. Very worrying as there was no one near him so he may have pulled or tore something. Cammy was dafted into the ill-fated central position. (He managed to last the game and played in the B game)

The final score was 1-1. In my opinion a fair result and an eye opener as we play them for real in the league in a few weeks time.
Man of the match gets harder to pick every week as the team continue to play well as a unit. Which is a good thing. This week it goes to Ollie Spink. He was dying before the game but ended up playing very well and against the odds survived to the end!!

B Game

The line up was Harley in goal, Kyle in defence, Alex, Cammy and Ollie M in midfield, Freddie and Nat up front.

With only five players available including Cammy who had stepped into the A game, we had to draft in players to make up the numbers. This is allowed as it's only a friendly. Freddie and Ollie who had just put in a hard 50 minutes in the first game found themselves straight back in the action.

Straight from the kick off we were in attack. We were rewarded within the first minute as Cammy won the ball and laid it off to Freddie who sent Alex down the left. Freddie followed and provided an option just as we have been training for the last year. Alex passed it back and Freddie shot from the edge of the box and scored. I don't think the keeper saw it until very late as the box was full of bodies. 1-0.

Wickham kicked off, we won the ball, Freddie sent Alex down the left, Alex passed back to Freddie who scored from the edge of the box!! 2-0. This was almost a carbon copy of the first goal. At this point I thought we could possibly score past this keeper with every shot. We had so far!! The second goal was hit with more power and the keeper needed treatment as it had bent his hand back. He then went on to have a superb game and made a number of excellent saves.

**Vagueness Alert***
Wickham score to make it 2-1.

Dash was brought on and combined well with Ollie Mac to set up a chance for Nat who finished it well. 3-1
Wickham kicked off Dash won the ball, ran through and scored. 4-1.
This time from the kick off Wickham ran forward and pulled one back. 4-2
We kicked off this time and Jack carried the ball down the left, crossed and Dash scored his second of the game 5-2.
In a bizarre few minutes 4 goals were scored.

Kyle was having a solid game at the back but as we swarmed forward it left gaps which occassionaly Wickham took advantage of. Harley was also having a good game and made several great saves to keep us ahead.

The game settled down a bit with both midfields battling well in the middle. Cammy controlled the centre very well and was not only winning the ball but passing intelligently as well. Dash managed to break down the left and crossed to Nat, who scored his second of the game. 6-2.

Wickham pulled one more back to make it 6-3 the final score. The Wickham keeper played very well in the second half, pulling off great saves to deny Dash and Freddie further goals.

This is another game where man of the match is very difficult to call. This week it goes to Kyle for his strong defending and great commitment.