SVR Blues    Match Reports

Match Report by Simon Webster...

The Blues went down to a strong yatton side in their first match in the woodspring league. Although the score was 10 nil to Yatton all the boys can be proud of the way they battled and never gave up. Thomas in goal made some excellent saves, Alex and Tom were strong at the back and never gave up continuing to tackle and make blocks right up to the end of the match. When Henry came on he injected energy into the game and made some nice runs out of defence. The midfield worked tirelessly all match with Finley making some old school winger runs down the line and  Remy linking up with Kit on a number of opportunities using their pace to  put the yatton defence under pressure. On another day we'll see some goals.  Herbie who was awarded player of the match battled hard, made an unbelievable block on the goal line to prevent a certain goal and worked tirelessly in centre midfield all match. 

Although a hard scoreline to be on the end of the coaches were very proud of the boys ability to reset and keep going.

Match Report by Paul Savill...

Despite a battling performance SVR Blues lost 4-5 to Uphill. 

The visitors started on the front foot and found themselves three goals to the good within nine minutes. To make matters worse we lost Finley early on. Initially coming off after taking a ball to the face, before being closelined within moments of coming back on to the pitch. The Blues didn't let the scoreline or the physicality of their opponents get the better of them and used their frustrations to get themselves back into the game.

With Finley sidelined we were forced into changes and short of subs this week, we had Toby and Henry MJ on the bench. Despite them having just featured for the Whites, both were called into action. Toby replaced Finely and Henry MJ stepped up to take over goalkeeper duties, from skipper Remy.

Just before half time, our midfield persistence paid off, with the ball reaching Kache who crossed to Remy who smartly beat the Uphill keeper ⚽

Uphill were once again the quicker out of the blocks at the start of the second half and got a fourth, but the Blues were in no mood for giving up. Henry HM played a fantastic ball through to Kache who charged into the Uphill area and got our second of the morning with a brilliant finish ⚽. The momentum was now with the home side and a great passage of play, encompassing everything we've been working on in training got us another goal. This time Kit was there to get our third, losing a boot in the process ⚽

Uphill, refreshed by a constant flow of subsistutions took advantage of the fresh legs and extended their lead again with a fifth. As pressure grew Henry MJ made some fantastic saves to keep the away side from extending their lead, along with some outstanding defending from Henry HM, Tom and Kit. 

Tom, who was absolutely fantastic today, played a brilliant ball to Toby who pulled it back to 4-5 ⚽

The boys were desperate to get the equaliser and had some great opportunities that we couldn't quite finish as the clock ticked down and full-time came.

We really want to highlight just how proud we are of all the players today for their commitment to the team and taking everything we've been working on in training into the game today, particularly their passing and movement.

Massive shout out to Tom and Henry HM who were excellent at the back.  One of the moments of the match was Tom storming forward with the ball at his feet, leaving Uphill players in his wake before laying the ball off to the forwards. Herbie put in another battling performance, covering every area of the pitch, breaking up play, supporting defence and attack. Toby and Henry MJ didn't just make up the numbers, they were both absolutely brilliant on the pitch and showed the importance of the unity between our squads. Remy gave a captain's performance, making some good stops despite the three early goals he conceded and then showing why we're reluctant to lose his pace and tenacity outfield on a regular basis. 

There was much deliberation on player of the match and its been really hard to call. In the end we whittled it down to two and just can't separate the Special K's - Kache and Kit.

Kache had everything today. From the moment he arrived his attitude and focus were an example to his team mates on and off the pitch. He started up front where he used his movement and strength brilliantly before dropping into midfield. He thoroughly deserved his goal and on another day would have had a hat-full. Kit shares the accolade for another performance that saw him play multiple positions with commitment and dedication. 

It's been a difficult start to the season in terms of results, but to see everything we've been working on starting to appear on the pitch is incredible. We also saw a real commitment by the boys to work together, with, and for each other, on the pitch today and at this stage that's far more important than the results.

Match Report by Paul Savill...

The Blues were on the wrong end of an 8-1 score line in a game of two halves. 

We were unfortunate to see Milton score first but Swiss looked dangerous on the counter with Tom playing some nice balls into the channels for Kit and Cillian to run onto. The introduction of Kache for Kit, who had taken a ball to the face, saw a lovely passage of play where Kache beat a player, went marauding down the wing and crossed a brilliant ball into the box for Remy who supberbly scored to put us deservedly level. However, Milton then scored from distance to take a 2-1 lead into the break.

Nomads extended their lead early in the second half and grew in confidence and continued to add to their goal tally. From speaking to their coaches before the game this wasn't in keeping with their results so far this season. 

The boys should be proud of themselves, it hasn't been an easy start to playing in the Woodspring League but there have been many positives to take from all of the games, including today, and that's what we need to focus on. 

⭐⚽ Player of the Match goes to Tom West for his excellent blocks, tackles and clearances, as well as those brilliant balls into the channels. 

Well done Blues for all of your hard work and determination, the results will come! 

Match report by Paul Savill...

Another tough morning for the Blues and another defeat, but we scored four goals against a very strong Portishead Town side and that's incredibly positive. So instead of a full match report, it's the positives I'm going to focus on. 

Firstly the goals...

Our first came after a great free-kick from Kit found its was to Herbie who got it over the line for his first goal of the season. 

The second was similar to our goal last weekend, Kache came powering down the wing, but this week he had a thundering shot that the keeper could only parry away and Remy was there to score from the rebound. 

Our third came from a Cillian free-kick that saw a scramble for the ball in the Portishead goalmouth. Herbie looking to double his tally saw his shot blocked before Kit finished after winning the second ball. 

The fourth was from another free-kick. This time Kache scored directly with his shot bypassing everyone including the driving keeper. 

So, our second positive is the fact we used set-pieces to our advantage, which leads into the third positive.. 

We're competing and winning free-kicks. The fact those goals came when we were 0-1,  2-8 & 3-8 down, respectively, show that we were causing the opposition problems causing them to give free kicks away throughout the game.

⭐⚽ POTM for the second week in a row was Tom West. Thoroughly deserved once again.

Well done to all the boys for another solid effort today.

Match Report by Paul Savill...

Swiss Valley Blues - What a performance this morning! The scoreline doesn't reflect the game at all.

We changed our set up for today's game against St George and the boys adapted to it brilliantly and every one of them was fantastic.

After a cagey opening five minutes, that saw both sides creat chances, the home team managed to grab an opener against the run of play. 

But Swiss dug in to take control of the game despite going behind. An excellent passage of play, orchestraed by Cillian, saw him play a through ball to Kit in the penalty area. Kit got two great shots off, which were both saved by the keeper, and it fell to Remy to get onto the loose ball and finish smartly to level the scoreline on 13 minutes. 

St George rallied and got themselves a two goal cushion before Kache scored a 20 yard Thunder Bolt that sailed into the top corner. Very much in the mould of a Tony Yeboah strike for those who like a '90s football reference.

With only a few minutes of the half remaining Swiss pushed for an equaliser, but it was St George who scored again just before the break to restore their two goal lead.

Swiss started brightly again when the second half got underway and six minutes after the restart Remy got away, after some excellent work by Herbie. Racing towards goal Rem's shot beat the goalie, but as the ball crept towards the line in slow motion on a heavy pitch it needed Cillian to nip in and slot home.

At 4-3 the game was in the balance and for the main part Swiss were the better team. Defensively we were in control and we were creating the better opportunities in front of goal. 

Then came a moment that I am going to politely call questionable... 

Finley broke away with the ball on the right hand side, dribbling superbly past 3 players before putting an accurate cross into the St George penalty area. The ball fell perfectly for Cillian who then had his legs taken from under him. The ref couldn't have been closer to the incident but waved play on! A clear penalty in my opinion.

Buoyed by the injustice Swiss continued to push for the equaliser, but by now were growing tired and St George scored two counter attacking goals to make it 6-3 at full-time.

Overall it was a really even game and as coaches we  were so impressed with the boys ability to stick together and put into practice the things they've been learning in training.

Huge credit to all of the players today, but massive shout out to Tom and Herbie who both sat in a holding midfielder role today and we're pivotal in executing the game plan. They tackled fantastically and played some great passes. 

⭐⚽ Alex was player of the match. He played superbly at the back with Finley, making monsterous interceptions and getting the ball forward at every opportunity.

Match report by Simon Webster...

Tough morning for the blues as they went down 9-2 against Nailsea. The first 10 minutes was quite even with both sides having chances but it was Nailsea who scored first. The half then got away from the blues with them finding themselves 6 down at half time. 

Second half the blues kept trying and limited Nailsea to 3 goals whilst also scoring 2 goals themselves through Kache. 

The boys should be proud of themselves for not giving up at half time as it could quite easily have turned into a cricket score. Kache was great this morning first half in goal he made some good saves and distributed the ball really well from the back and second half he was a hand full for Nailsea and was rewarded with 2 good goals. Thomas pressed really well this morning in his first game this season out of goal, Tom captain for the day lead from the front and was full of encouragement for his team mates and made some great interceptions in his holding midfield role, Herbie who was player of the match, played in a number of different positions and gave his all continually tracking back to help stop Nailsea attacks. Alex's distrubtion out of defence was really good before being forced off with an ankle injury at half time. Remy, Kit and Cillian battled hard all morning as strikers and it was good to see glimpses of the movement and communication that we have been working on in training emerge at points throughout the match. Finally, save of the day was made by Finley in the second half where he debuted in goal and made some great saves with the pick being a save that Bruce Grobbelaar (that's todays 90s football reference for those waiting) would have been proud of  after he  rushed out of his goal to shut down a Nailsea attacker who went through one on one with him. 

Well done boys for not giving in and for continuing to play for each other.

Match report by Paul Savill...

I'm not really sure where to start with today's match report, so I'm going to keep it short. Well done to all the boys today for not giving up at any point. It certainly wasn't easy but, again, we showed in moments that we can play. Remy and Cillian, sharing goalkeeper duties both made some great saves to keep the scoreline down (to be honest I don't even know what the final score was) and so also share player of the match today. 

The most positive thing was the fact that they all  came off the pitch at full-time and left the match on it pitch, no frustration, no complaints.

Match report by Paul Savill...

The Blues fell to a narrow defeat to Sporting Weston.

The game began with Sporting putting pressure us immediately and it took us five minutes to find the home sides pace and adapt to the heavy pitch but as soon as we did it resulted in a superb charge from midfield from Kache whose shot had too much power for the keeper and gave us a deserved leave.

Ten minutes later, Sporting equalised and almost snuck another just before half time but were denied by a fine save by Thomas who made a number of good saves in the first half.

We started the second half brightly, with Kache and Remy having good chances. Then fifteen minutes in Kit won the ball in midfield and played in Hunter, who was making his first appearance for the blues, who produced a wonderful chipped shot to put us back ahead. It was remanisant of Ray Houghton in Italia '90. 

Sporting began to press for an equaliser but were denied by some good saves by Theodore, who had taken over in nets, and some resolute defending. However, the resistance was broken and Sporting managed  to find two goals in the final ten minutes to win 3-2 winners.

The boys should be so proud of themselves, it was our most competative game of the season and we were so unlucky not to find that first win.

Notable mentions and moments:

Finley and Alex worked superbly together at the back. It was great to see them communicating on and off the ball, as well as Alex making some brilliant 

deliveries to the forwards and Finley making more of those mazy runs down the wing. 

Herbie and Tom were all over the midfield and both playwd some lovely passes and linked up well with the attack. 

Remy gave Sporting problems when he came on and put a great performance in. Theodore used his pace really well to pull defenders out of position. Hunter made some excellent passes when he came on and took his goal well. 

Kache was brillant in a number of positions and deserved his goal.

Finally POTM was Kit who worked tirelessly all morning and continued to encourage his team mates as captain.

Although it was disappointing to come away without at least a draw the performance was a further sign of the teams progression and development and we really do want them to take the positives from this game and take them into our next match.

Match report by Paul Savill...

Another morning of positive football from the Blues but sadly another defeat where once again the boys deserved so much more for their efforts. 

A very even first half saw the Blues have the majority of possession but unfortunately we had very limited opportunities in front of goal and it was Burnham who took their chance, against the run of play, to get the opening goal five minutes before halftime. 

There was no drop in pressure from the home side who knew they were very much in the game and everyone battled hard. 

We spoke before the match about the importance of retaining our shape, working in our units, communicating and playing for eachother and we thought that was really evident in our approach today, particularly after going behind. The boys determination to get back on the pitch during the break was brilliant to see.

However, Burnham extended their lead shortly after the restart as we pressed forwards looking for an early equaliser. 

Again Swiss kept going and finally found a well deserved goal through Kit as we headed towards full-time. The positivity was pumping through the team but time was against us and Burnham held on for the win.

The boys should be really proud of themselves. Their performances over the last two weeks have been brillant after a very tough introduction to the league, and they contunue to develop their football skills and believe they can compete at this level. Its only a matter of time before they get a win on the board, it's getting closer each week. 

They all came off the pitch with their heads held high and I hope they keep them up and reflect positively on today and bring that to training on Tuesday where we'll continue to work on the areas where we need to improve.

Some of the standout moments of the match:

A brillant set piece from an indirect free kick by Kit in the first half was flashed into the box, Kache met it with a brilliant header which went just wide. 

Thomas and Remy both made some great saves in goal and always made sure they made the ball safe. Thomas is also getting some brilliant distance on his goal kicks. We'll done Thomas! 

Alex and Finley were strong at the back and continued to mop up loose balls, and getting the ball down field to get Swiss on the front foot. It's brilliant watching their partnership develop.

Theodore brought real energy when he came on and made he made some lovely Chris Waddle style dribbles down the right channel. 

Kit, Remy, Kache and Cillian all had shooting  opportunities and got themselves into brillant positions with their work rate and persistence. If we keep working on our positioning and passing the  goals will come. 

Tom and Herbie worked extremely hard in midifled, yet again going box to box, and they both made some fantastic forward passes. 

POTM today was Finley ⭐⚽

We're incredibly proud of the way he has overcome the tough start to the season he endured, where some really tough challenges knocked his confidence. He was brillant at the back today, communicated well with Alex and just like last week he was the catalyst for driving the team forwards.

Match Postponed

Match report by Paul Savill...

The Blues started really brightly this morning and for the first thirteen minutes they played so well, working as a team, defending brilliantly against an attack focused Yatton. Remy made some great saves, one of which was straight out of the John Lukic kit bag.

Unfortunately it was an error from Rem that allowed the home side to get the opening goal. Mistiming a goalkick, the ball fell kindly to a quick thinking Yatton forward who slotted home. 

Despite being encouraged to keep their heads up it felt like it was a blow to the boys and Yatton took advantage to get further ahead as they continued to press from the front. 

By half-time we were 5-0 down and it didn't feel deserved. 

We told the boys to leave the first half behind them and we were so impressed with how hard they battled as they took the game to Yatton and refused to give up. 

As always we look forward the positives -

Finley and Tom worked tirelessly all game against some very good Yatton attackers. Making great tackles and looking to play the ball forward to get us on the attack.

Kit was everywhere today. He got up the pitch to try and support the attackers and kept tracking back to help out the defence. 

Kache was a handful for Yatton, especially in the second half where he made a number of runs out of midfield. 

Although they didn't have alot of opportunites in front of goal, both Ciliian and Theodore showed some brilliant movement. Theodore also made an amazing sliding tackle late in the second half, showing great commitment and supporting the defence.

A massive thanks to Henry who helped out today by going in goal in the second half. We were short in numbers this morning and his introduction allowed us to get Remy out on the pitch. Henry pulled off some great saves to keep the scoreline down and his distribution was excellent.

MOTM - Herbie didn't stop running and made some crucial interceptions while always looking to get us moving forward. 

Although a hard scoreline to be on the end of the boys have come a long way since the beginning of the season and showed real grit to come out in the second half and continue to compete whilst also keeping the score down.

Match report by Paul Savill...

A very difficult morning for the Blues, playing their first game since December 14th, against a really good Milton side. 

Goals came in rapid succession in both halves but as always, our lads kept going until the end and put their hearts into it.

We had our moments of pressure, and if the boys take anything away from this morning it should be the belief that they can do that against any team. 

Match report by Paul Savill...

Another tough scoreline for the boys to be on the end of against a Portishead team with some fantastic players. 

However, the whole team should be proud of the way they played this week with everyone making a real contribution. 

As coaches we were particularly proud of the work ethic, the passing, the positional play and how they stuck to playing as a team. 

Player Highlights -

Kache: Absolutely brillant in midfield, a real dynamo. Disrupting play and bursting forward. He played some great passes and scored a fantastic goal that his performance deserved. ⚽

Tao: Am outstanding game, his first game for the blues, and so unlucky to not get a goal, especially with an effort that hit the post. Gave the opposition all sorts of problems and battled hard.

Remy: Not easy to keep picking the ball out of the net, but the scoreline could have been even higher without some outstanding saves. He never gave up. 

Kit: A box to box performance today, could have bagged a couple of goals on another day, and his his movement off the ball and awareness were excellent. 

Herbie: Played the holding midfield role wonderfully and supported his defence really well. In the second half he pushed forward trying to get us back in the game, made some lovely passes and had some good shots. 

Alex:  Played some lovely passes out of defence which was exactly what we practiced in training and we missed him in the second half due to a knee injury which hopefully won't keep him out for long.

Tom: Came on in defence and made some great tackles and stopped a number of attacks. Had a wonderful moment where he sent an attacker to the shops starting off one of our best passages of play. 

Theodore: Wow! Really took the game by the scruff of the neck when he came on in midfield showing the commitment and tenacity we love to see from him. Particular highlight was his tackle on Portisheads biggest player.

Cillian:  A handful up front and made the Portishead defenders work all game to stock with him which allowed Kache and Tao to take advantage of the space. Fired off some great first-time shots and was so unlucky not to sneak in a close range effort. 

Finley:  Absolutely lead by example today, his scanning and awareness  in defence was great. He cotinued to encourage his team mates until the final whistle. Played some lovely passes out of defence, always looked to play positive passes and made a number of incredible blocks, throwing himself in front of everything - Totally deserving of POTM ⭐

It's to the teams credit that even with the game well beyond us, the P'head coach gave their defenders a talking to because of the opportunities we were creating and the pressure we were putting on them. 

We really are so proud of all of them for how they continue to battle this season and today should remind them that, despite the final score, they can play, compete and cause anyone problems. 

They've also all given us one hell of a selection headache for the next game with their individual performances.

Match report by Paul Savill...

A beautiful morning for football was coupled with some beautiful football from the boys in blue and white - but unfortunately that first win of the season remains elusive. 

We all love it when a plan comes together, but sadly our plan to keep it tight for the first five minutes only lasted two minutes. A defensive slip allowed the St George striker to shoot unopposed to take an early lead. 

Swiss didn't drop their heads, gathered themselves and stuck to the task at hand. They opened up St George when Kit made a run from deep in his own half, holding off two opposing midfielders, but he couldn't find the final pass to Cillian who was in a great position. 

There were other notable segments of play that saw Swiss pull St George around with their passing and gaining a number of openings - but they were unable to find the killer pass in the final thord. Particular first half highlights were Cillian finding space in the St George penalty area and firing a shot onto the post from a tight angle, and Finley flying like Steve McManaman down the right flank where he skinned two St George players twice his size for pace but unfortunately he also couldn't find that final pass. 

It remained one nil to the visitors at half time and we poured praise on the boys for their performance and sent them out to make their domination of the ball count. 

However... 

Unfortunately the second half started in similar fashion to the first with Swiss conceding within two minutes after conceding a penalty for hand ball. 

This came as a body blow to the home side and St George found  a third goal two minutes after the restart after an old fashioned goal mouth scramble.

Despite the scoreline Swiss regrouped and started to play some of their best football of the season. In the thirty-seventh minute Finley intercept a ball at the back, played a smart pass into Kit who found Kache who then played a lovely pass to Cillian to run onto and smash it pass the St George keeper!  It was fantastic to see the entire team celebrate the goal as it was very much a team effort and showcased exactly what they are capable of.

Given they hadn't played for a month it was great to see the Blues working so impressively as a team, communicating and encouraging eachother on the pitch. Also worth noting that St George had a significant advantage in terms of numbers and continuously rotated players to retain fresh legs as our group of nine ran themselves into the ground.

Despite the lads best efforts time was against them. I have to admit I checked my watch when the final whistle came as the last fifteen minutes just disappeared with the scoreline remaining 1-3 with the game flowing back and forth furousiously with Remy making some sensational saves and Swiss continuing to create chances where either the final pass or shot just couldn't be found.

Stand out moments:

💙 Kache: Absolutely brilliant from the moment he was introduced and St George couldn't deal with his midfield play. His pass to Cillian for our goal was fantastic as were his long throw ins deep into the St George area. 

💙 Theodore: His control on the ball, vision and passing is improving every week and the coaches are really proud of the way he has developed this season. He was box to box today and always looking to make something positive happen when he was on the ball and bustling to win it back when we were out of possession.

💙 Tom: Absolutely tackled his heart out today, ran his socks off and cleared his lines out of defence with total confidence. A stellar performance.

💙 Cillian: More than a handful for St George this morning. He bamboozled their defence a number of times in the game and took his goal with brilliant composer. He was really unlucky to only get the one goal and should take so much confidence from his performance.

💙 Kit: Once again ran his blood to water going box to box and using his versatility to play a number of positions. Also delivered a corner that Declan Rice would have been proud of with Kache just unable to get his head on it.

💙 Eli: Made his debut for the Blues fresh from playing in the Development Cup and he fitted in seamlessly. Made some really fierce tackles and playing some excellent balls out of defence. He was composed on the ball and looked at home playing in this team.

💙 Herbie: Despite not playing in his favoured position he played the central defensive midfield role really well today and cut out a number of St George attacks. When he did get the opportunity to get further forward he found some really good attacking positions and on another day a different bounce of the ball in the St George box would have allowed him to slot home

💙 Finley: As always hew was his usual unflustered self in defence. Pushing us on positively from the back and looking to organise his team mates at every opportunity. His stint in the second half in defensive midfield saw some lovely passes and he covered every blade of grass between the two penalty boxes.

💙 Remy: Made a number of brillant saves in both halves to keep the scoreline down including two brilliant saves low down on the goal line. Really used his hands well to make the ball safe and his distribution continues to improve.

🏆⚽ POTM: Remy

This was a really close call as a number of players could have taken the accolade today but Rem's determination to keep the ball out of the back of the net, coupled with the saves he pulled off along with the marshalling of his defence make him a worthy recipient. 

It was a really lovely moment when Simon and I were discussing the POTM award the players were discussing themselves and in both cases Rem was the unanimous choice. Another example of the unity in the side.

The boys should be proud of their performance today, if they keep playing like this the victories will come. We told them all to takeaway and focus on the positives from their individual and collective performance today so please ensure they do.

Match report by Paul Savill...

Football - a game of two halves and every other cliché... 

The scoreline flattered Nalisea as the Blues played what was undoubtedly their best football of the season in the first half, with the hosts getting a goal against the run of play. The second half ran away from us in terms of goals but the boys for a second which was really pleasing to see. 

The first half was brilliant to watch as the team held their postions perfectly and passed the ball with precision and accuracy. We were unlucky not to get the opener when Kash's shot smashed back off the bar and the loose ball evaded those coming in for the rebound. 

It was another morning where we just couldn't get that opening goal, but it's certainly not for the want of trying. 

I'm sure nobody wants a breakdown of the Nailsea goals, and to be honest there are more collective and individual positives to take from the match... 

It was fantastic having Rhys and Elvis join the Blues squad in the Woodspring League and they both did really well stepping up from the Development Series. Both showed lots of energy down the left and right respectivley, made some great challeneges and tackles and always looked to make something positive happen. They certainly weren't phased and relished the challenge. We're all really looking forward to having them involved again in the future. 

Herbie made some brillant passes today and got himself into great positions with his movement, making himself available for his team mates to pass to. Well done Herb!

As always Kit covered every blade of grass and committed himself tirelessly to the teams cause, and was totally unselfish when he squared the ball to Cillian, recognising he was in a brilliant position to get a shot away. 

Kache is really growing into his new midfield role and once again held the ball up brilliantly, won his tackles, made some fantastic runs, was unlucky not to get a goal and his link up play with Cillian is brilliant.

Cillian was a real handful for Nailsea to cope with. His movement was wonderful today, pulling defenders out of shape, and sticking to his lone striker role with dedication, even when it meant he had periods of the game where he didn't see much of the ball. Just like Kache, he was unlucky not to score, with his shit from Kits cut back going narrowly wide and the opposition keeper making several decent saves. 

One week soon Kache and Cillian will both see the goals they deserve start flying in. 

Tom playing in defence and midfield today made some great challenges and his clearances were brillant - all despite suffering from toothache.

Theodore coming off the bench bought energy to the left and once the coaches are impressed with his ability to try and find space for his team mates to pass the ball into him. 

Finleys composure on the ball at the back was good to see and with the game gone he was given some time further up the pitch where he battled hard and made some nice passes. 

Remy was superb in goal again. As much as our forwards are deserving of goals, Rem is deserving of a clean sheet. Once again he made some really good saves and the length of his goal kicks is improving week on week. Well done Remy! 

Big shout out to coach Katie who was on the opposite sideline for her first game and was just as vocal as always. It's great to have her on the sidelines with us and her encouragement and support of the boys is fantastic. 

A massive thank you to Simon for once again providing the pivotal match information that makes up these reports, as well as his encouragement for the players. 

It's such a strange season with results never seeming to match our performances, but it's the teamwork and ethic that's making all of our players absolute winners. They are a team, a squad and a crew and they play for each other every week with heart and determination. With that in mind - As a coaching team, we've decided that the POTM award should be shared amongst all of the boys today.

Match report by Paul Savill...

Blues put in their best performance of the season and had a good Winscombe side worried so much so that the Winscombe coaches silent support went out of the window as the blues went toe to toe for 40 mins. 

The first half was end to end with both teams having chances. The right hand side for the Blues caused Winscombe all sorts of problems and it was a lovely passage of play started by a fine pass from Finley who found Kache who played a lovely through ball to Cillian who fired a shot that beat the keeper but went inches the wrong side of the goal post. 

Kit then made a storming run from deep in own half and then fired a shot from.distance which the keeper dropped but recovered before a fast approaching Tao could reach it.

Chances were occurring at both ends and it saw both Finley and Tom make some brilliant blocks along with Remy making some keys saves to ensure it remained nil nil at half time.

Second half  started and again the blues battled hard and had some good chances however after 40 mins Winscombe on a break got a few extra players forward and they fired in an opener. The blues kept their heads up and looked for an equaliser and there was some great play by the midfield of Kit, Herbie and Tao and Eli who  came on and played  on the right and they linked up with both Cillian and Kache with some fine passes and movements to create some shooting opportunities for the blues but it was unfortunately not their day. Winscombe then grabbed 3 goals in the last 5 mins including the last kick of the game which in all honesty was hard pill to swallow for the boys as it wasn't a 4 nil type of game. 

POM was Kache..For 40 mins he was unplayable in midfield! His decision making and passing and movement were brillant. There were a couple of moments during the game where Kache found himself with the ball at his feet with a defender all over him. Earlier in the season. he would have tried to have turned the player but today he looked up and played a pass to a supporting Finley who was then able to play a ball into the right channel. It was lovely to see the development of his game managementWell done Kache! 

Remy's goalkeeping and his use of his hands is improving week on week and he made some brilliant saves and his distribution was spot on again.

Tom playing on the left of defence has been growing into the role and was brilliant at 'sheep dogging'* the winscombe defence 

Kit was a close POM. He has grown into the central midfield role. He supported the attack and got back and supported the defence making some great tackles and some great passes to herbie, kache and cillian. His run from the heart of midfield in the fist half was patrick vieria esk. Well done Kit!

Tao playing his second game for the blues did really well on the left of midfield working hard to get the ball forward in the second half. His first touch and awareness was great and he looked dangerous everytime he got the ball.

Herbie gave his all and battled hard all game on the left and got himself in some lovely positions and saw a couple of shots blocked by desperate winscombe defenders. 

Theodore came off the bench and bought energy and skill. He had some lovely touches and linked up with cillian really well. His confidence to play a pass and also look to take players on in the right part of the pitch was great to see. 

Eli also playing his second game for the blues came off the bench in the first half and played defence after finley had taken a knock. In the second half he came on and played on the right and made some lovely runs down the right and linked up with Kache really well.

Cillian was a handful for the winscombe defenders and was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet. His movement on and off the ball was great and it was great to see him trust his team to get him the ball by staying high up the pitch meaning winscombe defenders had to stay back and try and mark him.

Finally,Finley had a solid game which saw some lovely distribution out of defence where winscombe struggled to deal with his balls out of defence down the right channel which got the blues on the front foot. He also made some lovely blocks. One in the first half was particular impressive as he deflected a shot heading for the bottom corner out for a corner instead. 

Overall the boys should be really proud of themselves. The coaches were really pleased with their work ethic and how they are developing their football skills and game management. The coaches lost count of the times they put numerous passes together as they unlocked the winscombe midfield and defence. 

Match report by Paul Savill...

It's easy to look at a scoreline and make an assumption about a match, but it's not always reflective of what took place on the pitch. That was certainly the case this morning where we saw not just a classic game of two halves, but also a perfect example of commitment, determination and passion.

At halftime the immediate message to the players was to forget the first half. It was gone, lost and done with. Personally I had no idea what the scoreline was and I'm not going to dwell on it here, the visitors scored some cracking individual goals and were deserving of their lead but the lads in blue and white certainly hadn't rolled over. So let's leave that there... 

Because the second half was a brillant example by our lads of how to reset focus and a testament to their ability and camaraderie. 

It was a team performance to be proud of with a number of individual highlights. As a coaching team we couldn't be prouder. Not only did every player do the basics they also played what I think was their best football of the season that should remind them all of the ability they have. They went toe to toe with Sporting and made sure that despite the scoreline they went home knowing they'd been in a game.

Rhys and Cillian both created some very good opportunities as they interchanges upfront. Cillian's movement was great and he turned the sporting defenders around a number of times with some good running. Rhys playing his second game of the day kept stretching the sporting defence at every opportunity.

Tom was brilliant in defence. He's second half performance where he persistently pressed and didn't give sporting attackers any time on the ball was great to see especially when one of their players was clearly hesitant to run anywhere near him.

Finley was solid in defence despite taking a blow to the chest early in the first half and played some lovely balls out of defence always staying strong in the tackles and blocks.

Kit had another great game in midfield and played some lovely through balls into Rhys and Cillian to set up chances in both the first and second half. Made several good chances for himself and putting in some great corners.

Herbie had a fine game, breaking up the sporting attacks and making some lovely passes to his midfield partners, looking to get the ball forward when possible.

Eli off the bench gave the blues much needed cover in defence making some great blocks and  he also bought energy and pace in the second half where he slotted into midfield seamlessly. 

Remy in goal had a brilliant game making some outstanding saves, including a wonderful save from a free kick that looked destined for the top corn. His distribution was great. One highlight was when his goal kick cleared the sporting defence and set cillian up to attack the sporting defence.

POTM 🏆 Theodore

He was brillant on the left and created some great opportunities linking up with Kit and Herbie in midfield. He played some lovely passes and continued to press sporting all game. Amazing determination and persistence.

Match report by Paul Savill...

Saturday mornings... Exciting, Exhausting, Extraordinary! 

There were so tricky conditions for the boys to contend with this morning, beyond the oddity of the pitch markings and the game wasn't without controversy but we'll try and avoid that and focus on the players who were once again sensational! 

⭐🔵🙌🏼 Remy: 

Yet again made some absolutely outstanding saves. With two in particular needing a mention. With the Burnham forward baring down on goal Remy held his position and waited. The shot was ferocious and seemed destined to burst the net, but Remy pounced, throwing himself to his left and plucking the thunderball out of the air. Then in the second half he was The Goalie himself (David 'Safe Hands' Seaman) pushed a ball that was heading into the goal off the line and around the post. I also thought he made a great save for the Ghost Goal 

⭐💙⚽ Finley: 

Had a tricky start to the game but once again showed his commitment, determination and durability with a fantastic performance, throwing himself in front of everything. 

⭐💙⚽ Tom: 

Started slowly but really grew into the game. When he puts the burns on a sets his sights on an attacking player it's an absolute joy to watch and epitomises everything you want to see from a centre half. Also displayed his fantastic throw-ins.

⭐🔵⚽ Eli:

Had a shift partnering both Finley and Tom at the back and once again put in a really solid display and really commited to holding his position and protecting the goal. 

All three of our defenders equipped themselves brilliantly in the face of an opposition that, at times, played beyond the line of fair play both physically and verbally. 

⭐🔵⚽ Kit: 

Put in a real captain's performance this morning. Questioning the questionable referring decisions, backing his team mates constantly and leading by example with his commitment and play. He also had to handle the physicality of the opposition, and has the marks to prove it. A standout moment was his incredible run from deep within his own half all the way into the Burnham box. He had every right to try and beat the keeper but unselfishly squared the ball to Cillian who was unfortunate to see his shot blocked. 

⭐🔵⚽ Herbie: 

As you would expect from Herb he didn't shy away from the physical aspect of the game and didn't give an inch of ground. Ran himself into the ground, battled for the ball and used it really intelligently when he had the opportunity. 

⭐🔵⚽ Theodore: 

Like his midfield partner he left everything on the pitch this morning. Tussled relentlessly, didn't stop running and used the ball smartly. We've been so impressed with his commitment and work rate. As we told him this morning, he'll have the opportunity to really make his mark when we move to 9-a-side next season. 

⭐🔵⚽💪🏼Kache:

WOW! Another brilliant performance today in every way possible. First and foremost he did his talking with his performance, rampaging midfield with his pace, power and control. Breaking up attacks and looking to make something positive happen. This all led to him being targeted by the dark arts of football by some of his opponents (not to mention the behaviour of some of the home support) and he should have been rewarded with multiple free kicks. Then when the ref then gave a free kick against him he handled the situation with a level of maturity and self awareness well beyond his years. An absolute credit to himself and the club and I haven't even mentioned his sensational assist for our first goal! 

⭐🔵⚽⚽ Cillian: 

Bagged a brace that his performance deserved. Two brilliant goals, the first was a finish that Robbie Keane would have been proud of. Lovely outside of the left  foot finish from the right hand side, from an almost impossible angle, that gave the keeper no chance. 

🏆 POTM: Another tricky decision for the coaching team, we could have given this to a number of players today but opted for Kit for his endeavour, positivity and leadership. 

🏆 Players POTM: Thoroughly deserved by Kache. It was great to see his teammates nominate him this week.

Match report by Paul Savill...

A really great match this morning. Having had the opportunity to give the starting IX some playing time together at training on Tuesday and it helped them begin to understand their positions and the teams formation. 

Took until the first drinks break for Blues to get into the flow of the game as they conceded early as they were just off the pace slightly as they adapted to the bigger pitch.

In the second half Blues were the better team until the last 8 mins where they tired and struggled to get the ball out of their own half which was partly due to playing into the wind and not adapting to the fact that Worle had sussed out the goal kick routine. 

The final goal had a touch of good fortune as a speculative shot came off the underside of the bar and bounced over the line before spinning back into Remy's hands

But the aim of this morning was to start to understand the formation, the positions and to work together as a team - not just with the ball but also by being supportive and encouraging of eachother. That team ethos and spirit is going to be so important to us and something we want to foster and encourage. 

So once again it was brilliant to hear the boys discussing the match, giving their team mates their flowers and being respectful of each other whilst understanding that we're now preparing for next season and that this was a really positive start.

Our Defence held it's line really well, with all the players making some great tackles.

⭐Remy was unbelievable in the nets - especially given the size of the goals. Some of his saves were top class again.

⭐Elvis really locked in to the position and worked hard for the team, and always being positive. 

⭐Theodore , interchanging with Elvis, also played the left side really well and played some great balls out to the midfield.

⭐Tom aka Mr calm at the back was unfazed by the worle attack and made some great reads to intercept the ball and made some great blocks.

⭐Hunter worked really hard in defence making some key challenges. 

⭐Herbie despite playing on the left was dangerous everytime he got the ball and his passing and movement have really come on over the last couple of months.

⭐Jack D ran his socks off and made some lovely passes. Had the armband passed on to him and skippered the team so well, always being positive and motivating his teammates. 

⭐Jack F was composed when he came on and made some lovely touches and passes.

⭐Kit was everywhere and he must be so tired after being the link between defence and attack. Made a great solo run from midfield and once on one with the keeper saw his shot go just wide of the post.

⭐Kache took his goal really well. Great upper body strength and then had the composure to slot the shot home.

⭐Cillian's game intelligence improved as the match went on and it was great to see him adapt to the offside rule. Had a couple of decent chances to. 

🏆⭐ POTM Eli was always busy and linked up with the defence and attack really well. He also held his right wing position brilliantly. 

Football is often a game of inches and it definitely was today! 

Match report by Katie West...

Tough one for the blues this morning in hot and windy conditions against a good Yatton side. 

Playing into the wind in the first half saw the blues struggle to get the ball out of their own half with Yatton recovering the ball in the midfield battle. The defence worked really hard to keep the Yatton midfield and attackers at bay for long periods and on occasion the midfield were able to break the Yatton midfield down and link up with Kit  who battled hard to try and make things happen upfront. However, it was Yatton who went in 5 goals ahead. 

Second half the blues found themselves playing with the wind behind them and for 20 mins they went toe to toe with Yatton and got a deserved goal after some good play from Finley who cut out a yatton attack and then found Eli who put Cillian away who powered through and scored a lovely left foot finish into the bottom left of the net.

For the final 10 Yatton put on a couple of their stronger players who wrestled the momentum back from the Blues and scored 3 goals to make it end 8-1.

Well done Super Blues today. They’re probably all gutted about the score and yes there were quite a few goals from Yatton that got past them. BUT there was one incredible goal scored by our brilliant blue team, with Cillian’s killer foot on the end of the shot, AND so so so many would’ve-been goals from Yatton that couldn’t make it past the impenetrable wall of our defenders or the lightening fast reflexes of our keeper. 

Midfield were there ready to pick up from our defenders and when they got the chance they made great movement, looking fierce with our forwards on the attack. 

Yatton is a very tough team to play and that second half in particular the Blues were giving them a really hard time of it. So much so that Yatton had to bring on 3 players from their stronger team to keep our Blues at bay! That speaks volumes to the threat level rise we’re seeing week by week from our Blues. 

It’s really important to say how well the boys are doing in this second 9v9 match in their new formation. They’re growing into it, learning their roles and how they link together. This can’t all be learned in a couple of weeks but what they’re doing so far is really impressive. Lots of the boys on the pitch today were supporting each other to be in the right place as well as playing the game. 

The defence of Zach Theodore, Tom, Hunter and Finley worked really well today and is improving week by week. Their positioning and attempts to keep a straight line was good to see. 

Theodore blew us away last week in defence so this week started the match as he left off and treated us to a fantastic display of fierce tackles, brave interceptions, good team awareness and development on position. 

Zack was asked to watch Theodore for the first part of the game and then replicate the role on the far side - quite the challenge given it’s his first go in this particular defence role (not defence generally Zack - I can hear you correcting me 😆 but the fallback defence role specifically). He did a great job given his position was so far from the coaching line and he also did a great job of communicating with his teammates to help keep the defence line together (which would’ve worked better if I’d told your defending teammates that I’d asked you to do that - noted for next time!)

Hunter was desperate to play further into midfield so thank you Hunter for persevering in defence. Let’s talk in training about your position but as I said today, you are brilliant in that role! So many great clearances today.

Tom was super today as well! Stepped into the fray, chased the opposition down, saw them off the pitch and made some great clearances. Great throw ins as always too!

Finley was a super star defending tirelessly, supporting midfield and hopping into all the defence roles to allow everyone game time today. 

Midifled of Jack D, Jack F, Kache, Rhys, Eli and Kit ran their socks off on a big pitch. It was really positive to see the players get on the ball and get their head up and look to make a pass. Kache was a handful when he came on, Kit made some great runs down the left, Eli and Jack D on the right showed lots of good skills and determination to try and win the ball back. Jack F was composed in midfield when he came on and Rhys made some great tackles and made some great passes to Kit and Cillian in attempting to set up attacks. Extra kudos to Rhys and Jack D who do such a great job of modelling teamwork and team spirit. Rhys was a very worthy captain for his team, showed on the pitch today, on the bench and in training on Tuesday, always quick to praise his teammates. 

Cillian gave us a banger of a goal today and some great runs. You could tell he had been working on his understanding of onside/offside so was really pleasing to see him get a goal for his efforts. Great passing between Cillian and Kache too, working their way through Yatton’s defence. Excellent to see this team play increasing boys - this is what it’s all about!

Remy was selected as PoTM for again making some superb saves and for commanding his box. Not an easy job when 8 balls have flown by but he never lost his composure or dropped his head. Fierce and ready til the last whistle. 

Well done you Blues!!!! 

Match report by Katie West...

Remy super nets. I’ve never seen another grassroots football player like him. Lightening fast reflexes, he just stops the unstoppable so many times. Remy made some brilliant saves and his distribution from his hands got the blues on the front foot on many occasions. It's a hard postion to play and it was a real testament to his character that his head never went down.

Tom, a bit under the weather today, battled hard especially in the second half to keep the ball in the other half and away from our goal. Some great throw ins and good clearances, always anchored to his position. 

Hunter grew into the game and with encouragement to face off against the opposition more and step into them, he became a real threat to Worles attack. But desperate as ever to play further up the field, Hunter had a session in midfield and found the net as well! Now according the linesman, the referee and the FA rules, it was offside. But putting those spoil sports aside for a moment, what a cracker of a goal Hunter scored! Right place, right time (sort of) and it was joyful to watch after he’s towed the line in his defensive role the last few games (because Hunter, you play that defensive role so damn well!). 

Theodore has grown into his wingback role so well and so quickly. Allowed more freedom to push up the wing today, you could see his loyalty to the defensive line that was admirable. But with a bit of  encouragement, off he went up the pitch and created some great opportunities and took back possession further up, keeping the attack on the go. Really lovely teaming up with Herbie too - communicating and repositioning together. 👌

Zach was told to run himself to death in exchange for frequent rests. He kept his promise and I didn’t really keep mine! But he ran his socks off anyway and then did really well in a spell in central defence too, made some great challenges on Worle's number 7. Some great clearances from Zach and endless enthusiasm and determination. 

Elvis was also made the same deal as Zach. Elvis assured me he wouldn’t get tired though and I can’t imagine how many miles he must have run this morning. On and on and one he ran, at speed, into the opposition to block, intercept and tackle. Great passes, mindful positioning. Thank you Elvis for giving it everything this morning! Very close contender for MOTM. 

Kit was off colour today, feeling a bit peaky and struggling for it. But you can’t keep Kit down for long. Back on he went and he fought with such ferocity to win tackles and make a break. Made some of his lovely runs into the heart of the Worle defence and was unlucky not to score. 

Herbie was promised a spell as striker today but with lineup changes and a team of tired midfield players, he was kept back. Stuff this, I’ll score anyway, said Herbie! From 20yards, he looked and bang. So chuffed for him. So classic Herbie too! 

Jack Flood has a great natural reflex to hold the midfield when the rest push forward. Fought for the ball and made some lovely passes. 

Eli bought energy when he came on and like Jack made worle fight for every ball. Thank you to Eli for making the match with less than an hours notice! The boys were tired on the pitch today so they would have struggled without you and your speeeedy legs. 

Cillian with not one but two slammers today,  the second he slotted home from a nearly impossible angle. He also worked to be in right place today, to look for space and shift it when he needed to. Absolutely deserved MOTM. Well done Cillian!

Lastly our Captain, Finley who so wanted to end his time with the Blues with a goal of his own. It wasn’t to be today but what he did do was what we have seen time and again from Finley. Deadly charges down the wing that appear from nowhere leaving the opposition in his wake, wondering what’s going on. Head up, full of heart and a cracking boot to finish. On behalf of all the team Finley, we’ll miss you!

Well done boys. You have had such amazing heart all season. You have lost every game and you always come back fighting. That determination and resilience will eventually pay off. 3 goals (and an unofficial fourth) today is another step in the right direction. The coaches past and present are all super proud of you all.