Broadstone Braves Vs Poole Town Wessex Rovers

Broadstone Braves 2 - Poole Town Rovers 1

Our first away match against Poole Town Wessex Rovers was held despited dreadful weather conditions over the weekend that meant the Braves training was cancelled the Saturday before the match.

Despite the down pour over the weekend the pitch held up surprisingly well...probably 'cause it all flowed into the lake at one end of Ashdowns pitch...you know...the one were we keep losing our balls. I lost count of how many match balls Poole TWR's got through during the game!

Despite the fact that Tristan and Aston were unable to play our defence performed extremely well. Ben Blades put in an excellent debut as left back, putting in some well timed tackles and knocking the ball forward in order that we could dominate the play. Well done Ben...excellent!

Mark Donachy did well in controlling the defensive line, Marks' pace and consistency in defence has stopped many an opposing attacker in his tracks...keep it up Mark!!!

Chris Birrell scored our two goals, fantastic pace together with the ability to monopolise upon the game play generated by Joe Jordan who has just returned after a number of weeks away due to injury, meant we were 2 nil up by the end of the second half....brilliant!

All in all a great effort by the Braves who once again demonstrated that with only eleven players they can take it to 'em and come out on top!

...Just imagine what we can achieve with Tristan, Jack and Aston back!

Man of the Match was Ben Blade...well done Ben.

Broadstone Braves Vs Bearwood United

Broadstone 2 - Bearwood United 2

Those that know me will know that I don't believe in making excuses and that I'm a firm believer in the thinking that 'you make your own luck'...The problem is that in order to make your luck you need to have the odds stacked for you. The Braves have got two team members off with a broken wrist and another with the lurgy...all three boys are strong players in their own ways which is making it harder for the rest of the team to 'keep the pressure on'.....despite all this they are doing exactly that!!!

With no substitutes and and two or three of the lads playing outside their normal positions we put the Bearwood United boys under pressure from the off. Bearwood are third in the league at this time and performing well...with the odds 'stacked up for us' we'll be making our own luck when we play them away and I'm confident that the Braves will deliver some winning goals.

Ben Stocker made his debut in goal this match and produced some outstanding saves...I can see why he plays in goal for the School Team, albeit he had kept that quiet up until recently...;-) well done Ben!!!

Chris Birrell scored both our goals demonstrating once again that pace counts for everything...not to mention control under pressure. Those opportunities that were maximised by Chris would not have come about had the wingers and midfield not produced some great game play...The fact that Paul, Andy and I keep telling the boys to get their heads up and look for the pass seems to be sinking in............gradually.

Luke Woodhouse was unfortunate to have missed a number of opportunities at goal...I still think that if that blummin' slope didn't exist on pitch 1 we would have had a different result today. It's hard work running up hill and even harder when you've got to do it in the second half! Never mind Luke..plenty more opportunities coming your way I'm sure. Matt Lonnen deserves a special mention today, Matt played mid-field and put in some great cross balls and clearances...well done Matt!

Whilst a little bit woolly at times I thought our defenders put in a valient effort; Sam Klein, Aston Wright, Alex Sharp and Mark Donachy had to work really hard in the second half as Bearwood dominated our half coming down hill with the wind behind 'em...well done fellas, some strong tackles being made!

Man of the Match: Chris Birrell.

Captains Comment: Ben Stocker; " Bring it on Poole Town Wessex Rovers....'aint nothin gonna get past me!"

Braves are joint 5th in the league with the fourth highest goal difference....New Milton are still top and we all know how we did against them eh! Onward and upward!!!!

All in all another good result....

Broadstone Braves U13's Vs New Milton Robins Broadstone Braves Away to New Milton

RobinsBraves 5 - New Milton 5.

My Ticker can't take much more of this!!!!Before I go on let's just get somethin' into perspective. New Milton are 2nd in the table Division 4 at the moment, they're a strong team with reall potential to do well...

Now, onto the bit I've been waiting to talk about! At half time we had played our socks off and were 4 - 1 up!!! Bloomin' fantastico!!! New Milton clearly didn't know what had hit 'em, with Chris Birrell monopolising on a number of great clearances from Aston in goal and our mid-fielders punching (not literally) the ball forward and beyond their defence . Chris demonstrated some superb pace and control under pressure to drive three into the back of their net. Some good positioning by Ollie Cornelius-Jones afforded him the chance to score and the fact that we dominated the field meant that our defence didn't have to work too hard. That said when they were called upon they worked hard, especially on the wings.

The second half New Milton, perhaps a little embarrased, came back very hard with some good attacking play placing our defence under considerable pressure and as a consequence we conceded 4 goals...a good example of grit and determination on their part (if we were to believe the Braves spectators some dodgy decisions by their Ref)! So what did the Braves do when they were 5 - 4 down? They showed even more courage and dug deep to find that staminar, driving forward down the left wing and across to the mid-field Ben Stocker fought to maintain possesion and put in a lovely cross enabling Jack Williams to get his head to it and score the final goal of the match...excellent!Yet again the Braves put in a truly outstanding performance...and when we consider that Sam Klein and Luke Woodhouse weren't fully fit having had (and still got) the lurgy and Alex Sharp and Joe Jordan couldn't play today; it goes to show what a formidable team we really are when we're fully fit and fielding all our players and substitutes.I've said it once and I'll say it again...we're going to go from strength to strength, pushing our way further up the table.

Man of the Match went to Chris Birrel who demonstrated some great pace, good ball control, communication skills and positioning ....and there was the 3 goals which helped of course!

Well done team!!!

Broadstone U13 Braves...Vs Dorchester Dynamoes

Broadstone Braves U13's

Braves 10 - Dynamoes 1

Fantastic Result for the braves which will enable us to gather momentum as we move up the league table http://www.dorsetyouthfootball.co.uk/fixtures.php?season=2009&league=13&division=4 !!!!

Making it all happen were the defenders; Tristan Jalie, Sam Klein, Matt Lonnen, Mark Donachy and Alex Sharp..keepin' the defensive line tight ensured we caught Dynamoes of side on more than one occasion. Some great clearances by Tristan and Mark up the wings made for some classy game making with Sam, Matt and Alex going in hard and giving no quarter to the oppositions attackers....getting stronger by the match guys, well done!

Despite a few opportunities Dynamoes just couldn't get it past Aston Wright playing as Braves goalee - good communication with the defence by Aston ensured our defence was rock solid being unlucky to concede a goal as a consequence of being caught off guard by the Dynamoes they having been awarded a free kick not far out of the 18 yard box...nonetheless a good goal by the Dynamoes.

Luke Woodhouse's debut saw him score 3 great goals working well with right winger Ollie Cornellius-Jones who also put 2 in the back of the net!!! Excellent use of the right wing fellas with some great anticipatory play...well done!
Chris Birrell and the second newcomer to the team, Ben Blade, covered the mid-field well. We learnt from previous mistakes and ensured the opposition couldn't play into a vacant space in the mid-field...excellent pace demonstrated by both ensured the strikers and defence were well assisted throughout the match...superb! Chris even managed to squeeze in a couple of goals to assist in ensuring the dynamoes fate.
Ben Stocker and Luke were formidable as our strikers, their height and pace had the Dynamoes defence working hard...especially during the second half. Ben Stocker scored a goal..eventually...having missed a number of opportunites....I reckon he did it on purpose just to keep the crowd in suspence!!! Great stuff Ben!
Josh Powley dominated the left wing scoring a couple of long range goals the best of which was as a consequence of a free kick about 40 yards from goal...I still think if it wasn't for Astons mum challenging him to go for goal he might have missed!! Great effort Josh!

Captains comment (Josh Powley);

"Despite being a bit slow to start we progressed in our play as the game went on...eventually we 'owned' em! Lets' keep bangin' 'em in Braves!"

Well Done Team!!!

Broadstone U13 Braves...

Broadstone U13 Braves Vs Weymouth Wyke Victoria (Dorset Cup Match) 04/10/09

6 - 1 to the Braves!!!!

What a fantastic start to the Cup with the Braves hammering home a 6 goal win against Weymouth Wyke Victoria at our home ground.

Joe Jordan continued his good form scoring another hatric, with Chris Birrell, Ben Stocker and Ollie Cornellius Jones planting some superb goals in the back of the net!

The Braves continue to go from strength to strength and with two new additions to the team who will be registered imminently (as of 18/10/09), Ben Blade and Luke Woodhouse, we'll be a formidable team as we progress though the league.

Well done Team! Excellent result!!!!

Broadstone Braves Vs Weymouth Cougars 11/10/09 - Away

Braves 4 - Cougars 5...

Talk about tense!!! The Braves started off well, dominating the possession but conceded an early goal to the Cougars. Undeterred, we came back hard and pulled a goal back shortly afterwards.

Some excellent 'skilling' of the opposing right wing and defence enabled Josh Powley to put in a number of cross balls early on but unluckily we couldn't find the back of the net...OOO's and AAA's abundent from the onlooking parents! Suddenly, we dug deep and despite being 3 - 1 down at one stage Ben Stocker and Josh worked well to draw the ball into the Cougars 18 yard box where ollie Cornellius Jones and Chris Birrell monopolised on their excellent positioning.

The Braves defence worked hard to hold the line and some good positioning saw Cougars caught off-side on more than one occasion. Despite our best efforts we were realy unlucky to concede a final goal in the last minutes of play...again, an outstanding performance by the Braves with some superb goal keeping by Sam Klein.

As we progress through the season we're getting stronger and stronger, our defensive play is becoming more consistent and with some set moves developing from kick off we're applying pressure throughout the match. With some development at both mid-field and defense we stand a very good chance of progressing up the league table.

Well done fellas! Paul.

BFC Under 13 Braves

BFC Braves U13's Vs Ringwood Town

Braves 3 - Ringwood 5

Wow! What a game! The second game of the season for 'The Braves' and yet again some real spirit being demonstrated on the pitch by the lads.



Ringwood Town started off well with some strong attacking identifying early on that if they lobbed it over the central defence they'd catch us wanting and as a consequence we conceded a couple of early goals. But you know what? It didn't matter to the Braves because they came steaming on back at 'em, showing the characteristic "fire in their belly" they've demonstrated before when the chips have been down.



We made 'em work extremely hard for their win, the 5 -3 score demonstrating that we kept on giving it our all to the final whistle. Testament to the boys performance was perhaps that Ringwoods manager made a point of sying to me how impressed he was with the strength of the Braves as a team saying, "blimey, you lot are alot stronger this season than you were last season!"



'Man of the Match' this time was Tristan Jalie who was all over the attacking strikers like a bad rash!



Well done fellas, second match and going from strength to strength!!!

U12s - Match Report 6th September 2009

New Milton Town Robins 0 Broadstone FC 5

The Broadstone team were full of anticipation for the first game of the season and started well with a comprehensive 5 nil victory. The first 20 minutes were quite tense and despite strong wing play from Joe Holden Broadstone were foiled by the woodwork (twice) and a series of offsides (once they learn that offside rule things will be far easier). At the other end the defence was on top with Lewis King performing well on his debut, David Massieu-King and Will Hammond keeping the New Milton attack at bay.

Tom Wilson opened the scoring on 20 minutes with a powerful shot into the top corner. Nick Clarke then put Broadstone 2 nil up with a great run through the centre of the New Milton defence and a good finish from close range.

Broadstone started the second half where they had left off in the first and Tom Wilson scored the third goal with a clever lob. New Milton then came back and it took 2 fine saves from David Saunders to stop them reducing the deficit.

The fourth goal was a team goal with Tyler Gregory, Tom Wilson and Daniel (Ted) Chandler combining to create the chance for James Hegarty who belted it into the back of the net.

The final goal was a great solo effort from Ted whose powerful shot was too good for the New Milton goalkeeper. The game finished with Broadstone on top and the New Milton goal keeper had to make good saves from Jake Burke and Josh Hansford amongst others.

The game ended 5 nil and Lewis King was named man of the match for his strong defensive performance.

This was a great start to the season lads with a good performance, lots of goals and a clean sheet – let’s keep it going against Poppies on Tuesday night.

Dom

U13 Boys (08-09) - Lads & Dads - France 09

12 lads and 5 dads enjoyed a superb long weekend with Acorn Adventure

http://groups.acornadventure.co.uk/centres/Normandy.shtml

at Hauteville-Sur-Mer on the West coast of Normandy. Many thanks to Mark and Jo Wood for organising the trip!
Hopefully I can surpass previous attempts and post up a couple of video extracts as well as the usual photographs.
Links to videos on YouTube are as follows:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XbKJz02NCY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CawIYPraOZY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uz97mv-TZvs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxsquMwmGXw

U13 Boys (08-09) - Tesco Cup Regional Finals - Bristol - 3 May 2009

Broadstone Youth flew the flag for Dorset with pride in the Regional Finals, acquitting themselves well and coming oh so close to qualifying for the National Finals at The Walker Stadium in Leicester.
In a winner-takes-all league format, with 3 points for a win, 2 for a score draw and 1 for a no-score draw Dorset played six matches of 10 minutes each-way, opening with a tentative scoreless draw against Gloucestershire.
In their second game the lads were caught cold in the first minute, with what proved to be the only goal of the game, against Somerset. Despite a spirited second-half display, the Somerset ‘keeper managed to keep Dorset at bay and prevented them from taking anything out of the match.
Most matches were proving tight affairs with precious few goals being scored. Two games in and with only one point on the board Dorset knew that they needed to start finding the net.
Two wins by the only goal, albeit with a host of opportunities spurned to add to their tally, saw 6 points plundered from Cornwall and Wiltshire, and Dorset had put themselves right in contention.
With Devon up next a stern test awaited, since they had not been beaten and had managed to score a few goals in the process. In a keenly fought match Dorset took the lead in the first half and eventually ran out winners by a resounding 3 goals to nil.
Due to the programme Dorset then had to face Herefordshire immediately in their 6th and final match, whereas Hereford were only playing their fourth match with the added benefit of a break after their previous game.
A tight game was decided in Herefordshire’s favour with a single strike, Dorset unable, despite a valiant effort by all the players, to gain parity.
Little did we know at the time, but had an equaliser been found then Dorset would have pipped Herefordshire on goal difference and won through to the National Finals!
As it was, in their final game Herefordshire drew 0-0 with Devon, the side soundly beaten by our lads, resulting in Herefordshire finishing top, with Devon claiming the runners-up spot ahead of Dorset in third.
The final league table showed just how well Dorset had performed, with the best goal difference (+3) and least goals conceded (2). Tesco also selected best players in the four positions of goalkeeper, defender, midfielder and forward and, whilst the Dorset players were overlooked in each category, it is worth mentioning that the best goalkeeper award was given to the Devon custodian, who had let in 4 goals in total, 3 of them against Dorset!
All in all the day was a marvellous experience for the boys of Broadstone Youth U13, representing their county of Dorset and they can all be justifiably proud of themselves.
Dorset U13 Boys 2009
Broadstone Youth
Adam Eyres
Elliott Pike-Ben Wilson- Jamie Taylor-Mark Newey
Edd Hammond-Aidan Cuddy-Matt Swindlehurst-Liam Kelly-Charlie Groves
Henry Wathen-Jacob Wood-Bradley Hillier-Callum Ross
Jordan Sheppard-Charlie Parnell
Manager – Ian Kelly Coach – Nick Cuddy

U16 Girls. Rhea's a clea winna

There is no doubt that the game we played against Wareham in the cup rates as the best we’ve ever played. Not for the result but for the way we played as it was a demonstration of everything a team needs in terms of dedication and passion and skill.

It came a shock therefore that when we played them in the away fixture during the league that those essential ingredients (and just about everything else) had gone and we got mullered!

So with all this in mind it was hard to guess which way this match, the last in our league, would go. Like the cup or like the last league match?

The team arrived and quickly got into their warm up which included rattling off a lot of shots at goal. I noticed how well they were being hit and from a good way out (shove off Ronaldo) and felt a good spirit running.

The team order was set, tactics discussed and it was time for kick off. From the whistle the team wasted no time and got busy trying to win possession but Wareham as usual were strong and after 3 mins and 14 seconds walloped a shot past Lydi. ‘Oh dear’ I thought (or words to that effect) ‘if the team gets dispirited it’s going to be another league monster’.

But quite the opposite happened!J

After a demonstration of some excellent passing and moving Hannah (who I shall call Inky from now on) found herself streaking towards goal and made light work of the finish with a well timed, clinical finish. We were 1-1 after only 6 mins and 7 secs. It was clear everyone had their heads up and was going for it.

The game continued at a fantastic pace with both teams battling hard. Everyone in our squad put in a huge effort and despite a lack of communication at times which resulted in a few mistakes we looked really together.

Wareham seemed to have a bit too much time in our half of the pitch for my liking but that got changed dramatically after a clearance from Crizza delivered the ball out to Inky’s ever-ready boot and off she went to goal and once again smashed a shot past their keeper. We were 2-1 up and only 19.24 mins into the game. It was really shaping up to be a brilliant match, especially as we were ahead! Unfortunately this didn’t last long when Wareham got possession and put on a good display of heading and passing to beat our defence. The score was now 2-2 with 26.59 on the clock.

But don’t despair dear reader as, during the whole of the first half, Rhea (who had been running through a hamstring twang) battled on to show us how a right wing run should be made on a number of occasions. She dropped in some of the crispest and most accurate crosses and it was one of these that set up Em (who was fresh back from her horrendous ankle injury) who took no time whacking out a devastating shot that their goalie probably didn’t even see coming. 3-2 and 28.21 mins into the game, fantastic stuff.

The remainder of the first half continued at the same pace and both sides played their skins off. Then not too far before the end a penalty was awarded against us ‘oh no’ I thought (or words to that effect).

Wareham stepped up to take it but hadn’t figured on Lydi being as safe handed and she put to good use her keeping skills by saving it!! Phew! So, its was 3-2 to us at the whistle.

At half time we discussed the need for improvements here and there and with one goal difference in our favour we took to the pitch.

Wareham came out strong and took only 4 mins 55 secs of the half to slot home a lucky goal which rebounded off one of their players after a corner L

Then something interesting happened as Wareham either started to tire or their structure failed but they seems to start degenerating into punt and hope style of play. What was even more interesting was we didn’t and in fact showed some real flair all over the pitch: great defensive runs, tough midfield battling, more ‘one-two’ passing than I’ve ever seen, gritty determination and….communication!!!

It was all of these factors combined that once again enabled us to get the ball out to Inky who took on 2 or 3 defenders before racing to goal and delivered yet another well thought out shot that gave their goalie no hope. We were 4-3 up and 54.34 mins into the match.

The clock was ticking and the game was still very, very intense. It flowed from one end to the other but on balance we had far more possession and definitely looked the better team.

The dream of winning our final match became a reality and the thought of the extra points crept into my mind. Sadly it got slapped down when Wareham, in one final bid, burst though and finished with a goal. It was 4-4 with only 5 BLOOMING SECONDS REMAINING – ARRRRGGGGGHHH!

‘Oh dear’ I thought (or words to that effect) as the final whistle blew and it was all over. Whilst the point was a nice thing to get the biggest reward by far was to see the team working so well and so hard. It was an absolute pleasure to watch and a great way to finish our league.

It was really, really difficult to select MVP as everyone had done many things to deserve it but to me Rhea displayed strength, passion, determination and skill in not only delivering those crosses but working so hard all the time. Congratulations Rhea!!

So that’s it. No more blogs, no more leagues matches to write about, no MVP awards to celebrate. But don’t worry dear reader we’ll be back in September in the U17 league fitter and more cohesive than ever.

Thanks for reading.

U16 Girls Liverrr lifts it again

Our last but one match in this season’s league was played in great spirit by both teams.

Realistically the result could have gone either way but Parkstone seized on a couple of opportunities that they managed to convert. But, despite the result I think the way the game was played was a great demonstration of skill, commitment and determination and was a pleasure to watch.

As usual there were many highlights to remember: some great and well thought out attacks, strong midfield action and fast, decisive defensive work. The whole team contributed well, communicated well and kept going right to the final whistle.

This week’s MVP went to Liverrr who really turned on the style and quite simply played the best game I have ever seen her play. With a great demonstration of her footskills and fitness she took on anyone who came near her and once she’d won the ball managed to turn it and deliver a whole load of accurate clearances to the midfield. It’s this kind of form that really makes a difference and I hope this is a sign of things to come for the new season and all the tournaments we are competing in!

Our last match is at home to Wareham Rangers and if we can play them in the same style as we did in the cup match it’ll be a fantastic game to see!

U16 Girls Dayze duz it again

The story of our Weymouth woes.

It’s hard to pick out the positive highlights of a game like the one we endured against Weymouth but, looking back, there were some.

Unfortunately Lydi’s Mum’s tractor broke down on the way to the match so Dayze stepped into the goalkeeper’s role for the first half and played out of her skin! From the first whistle Weymouth set up camp in our half and despite some determined efforts to stem the tide it was just a question of time until they scored.

It was in fact just over 7 mins until the first one went in but even in that time the team had squashed a number of other dangerous attacks and Dayze had worked so hard to save a number of well aimed shots. Still at least we had 7 minutes at nil-nil!

After that the rest of the first half was just like replaying a bad video. We got the ball, we gave it away, Weymouth attacked, shot and on another 5 occasions scored. Depressing to watch.

However, another couple of positives were observed in that Cookie started putting in some of the most forceful challenges ever resulting in her robbing the Weymouth girls on a number of occasions. Great stuff.

The final positive came about 37 mins into the first half where we won the ball and slotted it through to ‘golden boots’ Hannah who did what she does best and took ‘route 1’ to goal and blasted it past the keeper! Great work! The whistle blew, it was 6-1.

I’d never seen a goalkeeper break a sweat during a match before. I’m not sure if it was the warm sunny evening (until the fog rolled in) or the effort of saving numerous shots, or the physical demands of pulling the ball out of the net but Dayze was glowing nicely!!

My half time rant may have helped a little in that we had a well constructed attack in the early stage of the second half but after that our game deteriorated into a sad display of ‘punt and hope’ football. Everything we’d done in training went out the window and nearly every time we got the ball we gave it away just as quickly.

During the whole of the match I lost count of the number of times our players ducked the ball, made pretend headers , made some appaling passes or just got out the way and let the ball roll off to Weymouth. No heart, no soul, no courage and no determination. Underpinned by a lack of communication and teamwork it was a recipe for disaster and sure enough disaster struck.

As the cold fog rolled in and the game became even more fragmented the final nail in the coffin came in the form of an own goal.

Still, there were a couple more positives to come out of the second half. The first being it was only 40 minutes long (or at least it should have been but for some reason the ref squeezed a couple more minutes of pain into it) and the second was that we only lost 14-1, it could have been a lot worse.

Its fair to say Weymouth are a County class side and it was unlikely that we were going to beat them BUT I think we could have put on a better display that this.

MVP, not surprisingly was Dayze but a mention has to be made also to Cookie for her determined work – keep it up.

Next match (and the third to last) is away to the Queen Bees………..

U16 girls - Terraball, terraball, game and ref

We knew right from the moment we arrived it was going to be a ‘rubbish’ game just like the amount of ‘rubbish’ that was found all over the pitch including dog poo!.

Anyway, we were getting organised and ready to ‘start dead on time’ (as requested by the ref) and soon we began to get the ball moving. Unfortunately nothing seemed to go right and added to that we were low on numbers - sometimes down to as low as 8 on the pitch! The Terras were playing well but our competitive spirit meant we were not going down without a fight.

Soon the first goal against us was scored but it was under very strange circumstances as the ref decided to give the Terras a free kick because he thought Lydi has picked the ball up whilst it was still outside her box (which she wasn’t). Disappointingly and in complete contravention of the rules the ref then proceeded to coach the Terras on how best to take the kick, where to stand etc etc. At this point we realised they had 12 players on the pitch including the ref!

Half time appeared and it was 2-0 to the Weymouth side , the team talk was short and everyone was thinking of ways to get us scoring, our sprits were still high and was lifted by a text read by Emily’s from Tony who sadly couldn’t be at the game. We came back onto the pitch feeling very positive and looking to score some goals.

When it got to 3-0 nothing was looking good. Needless to say no one on our team liked the score and to make matters worse the Ref didn’t’ control the behaviour of the Terras even when Rachael seemed to become the ball and got pushed, shoved and kicked all over the place.

Meanwhile Rhea was limping around the pitch with a nasty knock she took to her leg from a Weymouth girl (which once again was not dealt with by the ref).

Weymouth scored their 4th and this inspired Kat to make one of her ‘ Krazy Kat runs’ beating almost the whole of the left hand side of Weymouth’s defence but couldn‘t quite get the finish we wanted. During this time we had to swap the referees due to the first one limping off the pitch for some reason (it’s a pity this didn’t happen earlier!)

But by now we’d had enough and people were beginning to get upset, tired due to the lack of players and just angry at Weymouth for the foul play.

Towards the final minutes Hannah was trying hard to win the ball but a player went down and another brought her elbow to Hannah’s chest! The parents complained to the ref who, instead of dealing with the incident, decided to give a warning to a couple of the parents (Cookies and Daisy’s mums) but at least they were getting into the game!
The whistle blew and it was 4-0 defeat. MVP goes to Kat for her amazing runs and good teamwork. Well done to everyone who played and hopefully we can work on the lessons learned from this match.
By Hannah

U16G If Only......

You get more drama with the U16 Girls than watching a whole week's episodes of Eastenders, Coronation Street and Casualty all at once. No only were the team forced to start with 9 players due to injury and prior engagements, our usual manager could not make the match for personal reasons. A new manager was headhunted from the myriads of capable candidates and Em's dad accepted the temporary post and even declined the golden handshake, performance bonus and retainer usually snapped up by new coaching staff. This was a Wednesday evening kick-off as we now had to catch up on the matches lost to bad weather earlier in the season (something we seem to do every year!).

The pre-match huddle was used to remind the team that they are all good players and with a bit of luck could hold a draw or even win. Poole Town Youth were just above us in the table and so we were not expecting an anihilation. A safe 3-3-2 formation was chosen to give a strong defence and as the shadows grew longer on the grass, we kicked off at 6pm.

The defensive formation was well chosen and the team controlled well in their half, but lacked the numbers to carry the ball through from the halfway line to score. It continuted for 17 minutes of valiant effort until a corner against us left a couple of our players (who shall remain nameless) in space, together, on the goal line, with the ball at their feet. Panic set in, they stared at each other, one kicked it at the other, whom it bounced off and flopped into our net. Mental note: must get the players to communicate.

The first half finished 3-0 down, most probably due to our depleted number. But it was ONLY 3 goals! And everyone came off knowing they had done their best, running their socks off.

Lucy's fresh pair of legs put us up to 10 players for the second half and PTY struggled to score only 2 more goals against us, again probably due to unforced errors. These were in minutes 5 and 7 so for 33 minutes, 10 exhausted players held PTY at bay. The tired legs also started to hinder finishing off any of our attacks with accurate shots at the goal.

I was extremely proud of the effort the team put in both halves, and the "Running the Socks Off Award of the Week" is shared by Rhea, Rachael, Kathryn, Liv and Clarissa. These midfield players covered more ground than the rest of PTY did all match, sometimes covering defence and attack at the same time. However, Most Valuable Player goes to the defender who stifled PTY attacks many times, (one by blocking a pass with her cheek - ouch) and once by allowing herself to be brought down to gain a free kick. Clarissa was always there as the last defender and is always invaluable to the team in reducing the number of balls getting to Lydia.

The match sequence and final result has been seen too many times before. If only they had enough subs to rest the tired legs. If only they could transfer the excellent football into goals. They can play like the top team in the league for 10 minutes each match. If only they could keep hold of that magic that will let them play like that for the whole match.

After the final whistle, several of the managers of PTY were kind enough to compliment the U16s on how well they played and say how all of the girls had superior technical abilities. My only hope is that they come to realise how good they are and channel that self belief into winning games for the rest of the season and in the summer tournaments.

Lawrence

U16 Girls - Lucy's legs 'n' lungs land her MVP

Well, we knew from the start that it was going to be a tough match. We were down to the bare minimum in terms of numbers against one of the top clubs in the league.

I had high hopes that the change in the team dynamic and the good work that everyone had put in at training would have been enough for us to play to the standard we achieved against Blandford at the start of the season but unfortunately it all came apart at the seams and the final result of 11-0 was a difficult one to swallow.

However, when I reflect on it the match I have to say there were some very good individual performances and more importantly the whole team kept working hard all through the match and encouraging each other on. That to me was the high point of the game as it’s easy to be smug and comfortable when things are going well but it’s really, really difficult to stay positive and determined when they’re not.

At times we played some good quality pass and move football but unfortunately we just couldn’t get ball far enough forward (with accuracy) often enough for any of the forwards or midfielders to do any demolition work.

Despite the rather disappointing result (yes it’s true I am a master of the understatement) everyone worked hard and at the end there were a two candidates for the MVP award. Rachael was nominated for her outstanding defensive runs (without her brilliant pace and commitment in tackles things could have been even worse) but she was just pipped by Lucy who had worked tirelessly from the first to last whistle not only with her feet but also by actively encouraging the team, making some good decisions and showing gritty determination. Well done Lucy!

We now have 6 matches to cram into the next 5 weeks and it’s going to be a demanding schedule that’s not going to be assisted by ski trips, holiday, school stuff and the good old Duke of Edinburgh himself! But we’ll be there for every game and give it our very best shot!!

Next match is Poole Town Youth in out first Wednesday night fixture.

Photo above courtesy of Emily K.

U16 girls. 12 hannahnother,hannahnother,hannahnother, hannahnother makes 16

This week’s match was a mixture of pleasure and pain (quite literally for some) as we beat the Terras 8-1.

At the very start of the game despite the team being in great spirits it looked a little untidy with too many random punts up the field for my liking. However it was thanks to one of these punts that after 4.04 Rachael scored out first goal with a superb strike into the bottom corner, excellent work.

I think this bought the game back into focus and the quality of the passing and thinking improved no end. Everyone was playing their parts well and forced the play into the opposition’s half for most of the time. During this time Hannah had been working out how to meet the personal objective I set her at the start of the game and polished up her shooting boots. With the help of some great through balls (Daisy and Emily as I recall) as well as an exceptional cross from Kat she got her name on the score sheet at 15.25, 17.06 and 18.54 with some clean, well aimed and powerful shots!! Another hatrick for Hannah!

The match raced ahead and once again Kat showed us her increasingly brilliant striking skills by bursting through the defence and slotting home our 5th with the time at 20.15.

Unfortunately it was about now that Rhea picked up a thigh strain which (unfortunately) put her on the side line but (fortunately) put Cookie on the pitch as her replacement.

It was also sometime around now that Jaggi came so close to scoring from a set piece we practiced in training, it was totally brilliant to see and I’m sure that before the end of the season you’ll do it Jaggi (I can’t describe what she did here cos there might be spies reading it J)

Meanwhile Hannah had been polishing her boots again.

With the clock counting down to the half time whistle she intercepted a well delivered through ball (I can’t recall who sent this one on its way but THANKS) and parked it squarely in the net. My watch told me it was 31.48 and time was running out for us to add any more to the score-line, or so I thought.

Shortly after the Terras kicked off following Hannah’s goal we won a corner and Emily stepped up to take it. With her usual style she delivered an inch perfect corner right into the middle of the 6 yard box and close to the line. This time it wasn’t Hannah or Kat or Rach who got their shooting boots to the ball but…….Cookie who scored her first goal for the team 38.15 into the first half! Congratulations Cookie!

The whistle blew and everyone enjoyed a well deserved breather.

The second half started full of promise but really didn’t live up to the standard of the first half. This time the Terras bought the game to us and we spent too much time in our own half of the pitch. However, there were some good interceptions, determined tackles and defensive runs and once again everyone played their positions well.

On the pitch Daisy was enjoying the match and clearly liked the idea of shiny boots. After giving them a bit of a polish she decided to get them muddy again by connecting with the ball and slamming it into the back of the net scoring her first goal for the club too! Congratulations Daisy!

This one went in at 50.32 and from then on it was much more to and fro with the Terras keeping up a really good pace and testing our defence at regular intervals but Crizza, Ro, Liverrr, Jaggi and Lydi worked as cohesive unit to shut down their attacks.

But it was in the last few minutes of the game that the pain of the injuries we had sustained turned to agony for Emily who took a really unlucky tumble. Fortunately, after a lengthy wait at A & E it turns out that it’s a nasty sprain rather than a break but it will mean she’ll have to rest it for a few weeks to give it time to heal.

Thanks to everyone who helped us to get her off to hospital and also thanks to Rhea who volunteered to go back on despite her own injury.

After play resumed the Terras turned put together a good attack and were rewarded with a goal from a well hit, low shot that found its way into the net.

Shortly after that the final whistle blew and by a unanimous decision Hannah got MVP and now has 16 goals to her name.

We now have 15 points and a healthier goal difference which is going to be very important as our trip up the table gains more momentum. Well done team!

We now have a couple of weeks to rest, relax and heal all those injuries (Ro, Crizza, Rhea, Rach, Emily and anyone else I've missed) before our game against Parkstone Heights.