SVR Under 10s 9-a-side Match Reports

Match Report by Ed Jones...

It was a cold, blustery morning down at Hutton Moor 3G, where we took on Worle Reds in our first ever 9v9 game, the start of the build-up preparations for next season, when all of our games move to that format.

It was a fun, light-hearted, friendly occasion, with several Christmas jumpers and hats on display, sweets and chocolates for the kids and even Santa turned up to ref!

However, the actual game was taken very seriously with both sides fully committed and keen to grab a last victory for the year.

We started with a 2-3-1-2 formation with Finlay in goal, Finley and Tom as centre backs, Riley, Kit and Herbie in defensive midfield, Henry in attacking midfield and Bobby and captain, Toby up front. We also had a strong bench with Seb, Remy and Cillian primed to come on and do their thing.

The SVR boys took control early on with Riley, Kit and Herbie providing a solid defensive midfield platform, allowing Henry, Bobby and Toby to express themselves in the attacking third. Less than 5 mins had been played when Henry’s through-ball put Toby into space, with the expected result, 1-0! A well-worked move involving a number of players then gave Bobby the opportunity to fire in our second and soon, Toby’s second followed to make it 3-0. Worle were struggling to play through our tough defence and playing into the wind, they rarely troubled Finlay in goal. With all of our subs on, we switched formation slightly to try something different, going to 2-2-3-1, with Seb and Remy taking up defensive midfield roles, and Bobby and Toby moving into attacking midfield with Henry, leaving Cillian up front as lone centre-forward. It paid off with Toby and Bobby looking dangerous on each wing, Henry pulling the strings in the middle and Cillian his dynamic self up front, and led to probably the goal of the game, with a rapid, interchange of one-touch passes between Seb, Bobby, Henry and Toby, playing Cillian in to slot home the 4th, a goal everybody who was watching appreciated. 4-0 at half time.

So, into the second half we had to adjust to playing into the strong wind, and as expected, Worle came out with renewed vigour and, with the wind behind them, started causing us more problems. It didn’t take them long to get onto the score sheet with a neat finish after a long-ball clearance was mis-judged by our defence. A second then followed for Worle as we had pushed too many players forward seeking a fifth, and we knew we needed to up our game again and regain our shape. A slight switch-around of players to solidify our defence again and soon we had wrestled back control. We forced a number of corners and throw-ins deep in the Worle half, and from one of the corners Henry connected well to make it 5-2. Kit was then played into space and he raced into the box to slot home the sixth.

Although Worle grabbed a well-taken third 7 mins before the end, we still weren’t finished and after a superb through-ball by Toby, Cillian rounded off the scoring with a great finish for his 2nd and the team’s 7th.

So, a 7-3 win in our first ever 9v9 game, with every single player playing a blinder… Finlay was really solid and dependable in goal, coping well with the difficult conditions, particularly in the 2nd half; Finley and Tom were tremendous at the back, with some great tackles, interceptions and clearances, only allowing Worle to live off scraps; Riley was so strong in defensive midfield and also did a stint in defence, his tackling was superb, as were his clearances; Herbie tackled ferociously and never game the Worle players any time on the ball; Kit got stuck in and pushed us forward from the back, and took his goal really well; Remy came on from the bench and put himself about making some key tackles and interceptions, and he also went in goal for the last 5 mins; Seb was outstanding, driving us forward, linking up with our attackers to create chances, but also solid in the tackle, winning so many 50-50s in midfield, his performance earned him the POTM gold chocolate coin; Henry pulled the strings in midfield, so many good through-balls to set up chances, creative and unselfish on the ball, and got on the scoresheet too; Bobby showed all his flair, skill and determination, causing Worle all kinds of defensive problems but also getting back to help out defensively with some tough-tackling, he took his goal really well; Toby led the side brilliantly, was always a threat going forward and, as always, showed his composure in front of goal to finish his two goals in style; Cillian came off the bench and was really at his swashbuckling best as Centre-forward, a real handful for the Worle defenders and he scored two for his efforts!

Match report by Paul Savill...

A battling morning of football in Backwell this morning as the SVR Dev Team competed in their first 9 v 9 game. 

The boys started brightly and competitively despite early pressure from the home side. Dylan A and Tommy made some brilliant defensive tackles with support from Jack F, but unfortunately it was wasn't enough to hold back the Backwell attack and in the 8th minute they managed to get the better of our defence and slot past Dylan H to take the lead. 

Swiss continued to press with Tao, making his SVR debut, always looking to get on the ball and make something happen supported by Hunter, Jack D and Xav. 

Despite getting in to some great positions we couldn't get our shots away and rest the Backwell keeper. 

Remy and Kit came on for Hunter and Xav and almost immediately Rem took a ball to the face and had to come back off as blood streamed from his nose. Shortly after Tao also came off having been on the end of a fair but crunching challenge. 

As treatment took place for our injured subs Backwell swept forward to give themselves a two goal lead to take into halftime. 

We mixed things up for the second half switching to a 2-2-3-1 formation. Backwell kicked off and immediately Jack F and Elvis, shielding the back two,  closed down the attack and moved the ball out to the right to Tao on the half way line. With half the pitch Infront of him, as well as half the Backwell team, Tao went on a mazzy run to the edge of the opposition box before firing in a shot that the keeper had no chance of stopping. What a way to mark your debut and get your team back into the game. 

With Swiss holding their shape brilliantly the Leopards struggled to find a way through. Elvis covered every blade of grass and Jack F was a one man brick wall as our attackers pressed forwards for an equaliser. Elvis had several brilliant chances, with one shot going just wide and another curling shot saved brilliantly by the keeper. 

However with a much stronger bench the home team made a raft of changes that gave them fresh legs and impetus. Exploiting a gap out on the right they pushed forward and regained their two goal lead. 

Kit then attempted to lob the Backwell keeper after spotting them off their line. As they backtracked they managed to get fingertips to the ball as it dipped - for a moment it looked as if they had only managed to tip it into their own goal but in reality it was a great recovery as they pushed the ball over the crossbar. 

But it wasn't long before Kit did find the net. Remy won the ball in midfield, used his pace to get into space before cutting the ball across the box for Kit to run onto and smash home. 3-2 and it was game on with fifteen minutes to go. 

Again Backwell played their trump card and made four substitutions in one go and again it paid off as they scored a fourth. 

Swiss continued to battle and apply pressure but unfortunately ran out of time as the final whistle blew. 

Despite the scoreline it was a really impressive performance by the Dev's - especially in the second half where every player committed to their position. 

There were some really great performances - Tao, Tommy and Elvis were the spine of the team. Dylan A worked really hard Dylan H made some great saves and distributed the ball really well. Jack D was energetic, picking up several positions. Hunter battled up front and at the back. Remy and Kit used their pace brilliantly. Xav worked really hard up top and was unlucky not to get a goal but player of the match was Jack F who was absolutely brilliant from the first whistle to the last - closing down, winning the ball and making some brilliant passes. An absolute standout performance.

Match report by...Ed Jones

Ashcott were an unknown entity going into this game, as SVR has never played them before. However, we started well and moved the ball around trying to find space and create openings.

We soon discovered that Ashcott were not only a useful footballing team, but also very physical, and were happy to put the shoulder into challenges and generally out-muscle smaller opponents. This led to Ashcott starting to dominate the game and pin us back into our own half. We defended bravely though, with lots of tackles and blocks, together with some really good saves from Charlie in goal. Ashcott did eventually find a way through, but we kept it to 0-1 at half time.

Unfortunately, Ashcott also had a number of substitutes whom they brought on for the second half, fresh and raring to go. 

We were unfortunate to concede a second goal when the ball fell to an Ashcott striker who was clearly offside, and he tucked it away, without the offside being given. From then on it was really one-way traffic as our boys tired on the big 9v9 pitch and couldn't find a way back. We had a few break aways, but were restricted to long-range efforts which the opposition goalie dealt with comfortably.

The eventual scoreline of 0-5 wasn't a true reflection of our efforts, as we had battled hard throughout, with Walter and Seb in particular really getting stuck in. It was an experience which the boys will learn from, and we have to remember that our team for this and the Wedmore match was a mix of Blues, Whites and Development players, who haven't really played together as a team before, particularly at 9-a-side.

Match report by ...Ed Jones

The second game of the day was against our hosts, Wedmore.

We completely dominated the first half in terms of possession and territory, with Eli, Henry, Walter and Seb all testing the Wedmore goalie in the first 10 minutes. We were in complete control when Wedmore broke away and scored with their first attack of the game, and although we piled on the pressure, we couldn't quite get the equaliser, with the offside rule coming into play to deny us two goals in the first half.

Wedmore then played their ace card at the interval, bringing on a completely different team for the second half, and we quickly realised that the first half team must have been their Dev team, as the 2nd half team were really very good and clearly a league team, as they knocked the ball around with confidence and started to open us up.

A string of goals followed, and although we had a few chances on the break, we didn't take them and found ourselves 0-5 down before we finally broke our duck. A break-away move allowed Henry to thread a through ball to Eli, who's initial shot was saved, he got to the rebound first but his second goal-bound shot was handled on the line by a defender, giving us a clear penalty. Henry stepped up and slotted it confidently.

With renewed enthusiasm, we pushed forward looking for a second before the final whistle, but unfortunately we were then caught on the break and Wedmore grabbed a sixth with the last kick of the match. 

So, a 1-6 defeat and a real game of two halves but a lot to learn from for all of the boys involved. Everybody gave 100% effort throughout. POTM overall for the day went to Seb for his defensive efforts in both matches.

Match report by... Chris Smith

A fitting way to end our League season with a thrilling 4-4 draw at home to Hutton.

As we played 9v9, it meant a bigger pitch,  bigger goals, offsides, 30min halves and no retreating to half way on goal kicks.

We kicked off fully aware of what we needed to do and determined to make a quick impression. Sadly, Hutton struck first inside 2mins with a shot inside the box. Less than 2mins later, they struck again to make it 0-2. Whites looked a little downbeat by this and it took us some time to adjust to the larger pitch and more players to worry about. Inside 10mins it was 0-3, the boys needed to start playing quickly before it got out of hand. Thankfully, they did, we got the ball forward more through our midfield. Bono and Seb playing important roles in getting the ball to Henry, Bobby and Riley to push forward. Hutton still threatened our goal but Finley was there to make saves or they shot wide.

In the 23rd min, after some solid play in winning the ball from Hutton, Jacob A laid off a pass to Henry who played it through to Toby who kept onside to curl it into the bottom left corner from outside the box to make it 1-3.

We continued to press and forced many corners but couldn't convert. Alex A came on to play on the right side and did a great job winning the ball back and worked his socks off up and down the wing.

Just before HT, Hutton had a chance and made it 1-4 and they took it. 

HT came and we needed a pep talk. We said to the players, just get the next goal and anything can happen, keep your heads up and give it your all for a final 30mins.

After filling them with sweets and high fived them onto the pitch, they went out the most determined I've seen from them all season.

Every player upped their game and it was clear to see. 

2mins into the 2nd half, Toby had a run down the left wing and crossed it into the box, both Seb and Bobby were there to tuck it away, Bobby making contact forcing the ball home. 2-4, the comeback was on.

Finley was brave in goal making brilliant saves to keep us in the game. 1 bravely at the strikers feet and took a glancing knee to his head but bravely didn't cause him any issues and he battled on after we made sure he was fine. Seconds later he saved a quick shot with his feet which we thought was heading in.

Masa and Jacob with the help of Bono defended courageously. Timely tackles, strong positioning and always looking to make a forward pass. 

The game continued to be end to end, both teams battling hard to try and take control. Captain Riley was so strong with winning the ball back for Whites and had a fantastic run down the right wing. He weaved in and out of the defenders like Ryan Giggs to force a corner. It was a great solo effort from a confident young man.

We had a 10 min spell where Hutton pressed and I slipped over on the touch line (yes i heard the sarcastic cheers from everyone but professionally ignored them 🤭haha) After getting a few more chances on goal from Toby who just shot wide, It took until the 54th minute for another break down the wing. Toby, this time on the right, His first cross was blocked but with his weaker right foot, crossed in a beauty to Henry who was in the perfect position to control the ball in the middle and then poke home into the bottom left corner for 3-4. The players knew a Man Utd style come back was on the cards, Henry even ran into the goal to get the ball to get it back to the center circle for KO. 

Bono, Seb, Henry, Toby, Alex, Bobby and Riley continued to press in the hope we could get the equaliser. And in the 59th min, Seb and Henry worked a ball through to Toby in the middle of the area to slot home in the bottom right corner to make it 4-4! It was a joyous moment for Whites and all including the parents and coaches. The boys picked themselves up to rally and get back level which showed tremendous determination from them all.

The game ended 4-4 along with the league season and we couldn't be more proud of them all.

It's been a season of great development for all the players, playing in the Woodspring against very good teams.

We ended the season with 3 league wins and 2 draws plus another few wins in friendlies against some league teams.

It's been a season I'll never forget for all good reasons. 👏 👍

Match report by Chris Smith...

What a fantastic performance today by every single player on our Whites Team. Us coaches couldn't fault the players efforts as they earned a brilliant 5-0 victory.

To summarise today's game, it was a dominant performance as St George only had a few chances on goal. When they did, Captain Finley caught the ball lovely and made the necessary saves. He was barking  his orders and had the joy of watching his teammates take control early.

Defensively, Masa and Jacob A worked so hard keeping the strikers out wide and not threatening our goal. Bono was clearing up everything in and around the box and loved getting stuck in. All 3 were fantastic in their efforts, both positionally and their strength on the ball. 

Our midfield of Riley, Seb, Alex, Henry and Bobby took their work level to the next level. They all looked confident, strong and their positional play was exceptional. They pressed the ball, worked the line to move up the field and were all on the same wavelength. 

Thanks to all the teams efforts in midfield and defence, Toby our lone striker was in clinical form. A hatrick of goals, from out side the box, a stinging shot the keeper had no chance with, a side foot in the middle of the box and his trademark bottom right finish from the left. A great display of finishing but couldn't be done without the rest of his team mates support and vision to get him the ball.

Seb worked very hard to get his chance to cross the ball in and the defender couldnt deal with it to knock it in his own net. He tackled hard, pressed the ball and got kicked a few times which showed he was working his socks off and deserved POTM for his efforts.

Bobby was marvellous up and down the right wing, so unlucky not to score. His shot was saved by the keeper but Riley was in the perfect place to slot the ball home. He linked up well with Masa on the right side, it's a great partnership to have.

Henry was back playing his best football with great through balls, passes, strong tackles and got up and down the field really well to help in all areas.

Alex as settled into our team seamlessly and plays the right side with confidence and great determination. Made a great chance to score in the second half as well but it just went wide.

Riley deserved his goal after all his efforts in the center of the pitch getting stuck in. He's really shown great development over these recent games.

As I said earlier, Masa, Jacob and Bono were awesome and gave us the push to move the ball forward and be a threat.

We are very proud of their performance today, all the hard work in training is paying off. We looked fitter and very confident after a great start.

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 Ed Jones...

Tough one today for the Whites but we clearly now understand why Yatton were unbeaten in the Woodspring league this season - they are one of the best teams at this age in our league. Lots to learn from how they played but I am proud of the way our boys battled right through to the end in the face of adversity. We were really competitive in the first half but it’s always hard to hold out a very strong team when you are already behind. We will get stronger as we learn more. Finlay was PoTM today for a string of great saves but well done to all of the boys for their efforts 👍⚽️

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 Ed Jones...

Hard luck to the Stripes team this morning. The boys battled really hard all game and competed with Priory throughout. A few mistakes cost us and Priory took their chances, but there certainly wasn’t a 0-7 difference between the teams and the scoreline doesn’t really tell the whole story. We played some nice football for periods of the game and had some chances but couldn’t quite turn pressure into goals. Another learning experience in preparation for next season. Well done to them all for the effort they showed today.

Today’s POTM was Zach for his battling play throughout, both in defence and midfield. A great performance!

Match report by ...Chris Smith

A strong effort from Whites this morning but sadly couldn't get ahead on the scoreboard and went down 3-4 to a good Weston Priory team.

Whites dominated possession in the game and played the much better football overall. Priorys tactic was to hit the ball long and chase the ball, to be fair it worked for some of the game but we soon got on top of it stopping them from getting in round the back.

Whites offered up great moments in attack, solid passing moves to get down the wing and forced multiple corners throughout the game.

Defensively, we worked very hard in winning the ball back and blocking shots to protect our goal. 

Priory went 2-0 up inside the first 15mins, but Whites kept plugging away and were rewarded right on HT with a great high shot from Toby from the right of the box.

Priory managed to get ahead again in the 39' min to go up by 2. 6mins later Toby scored again from inside the box to make it 2-3. This gave us the confidence to keep pushing hard to get on level terms. 

Priory managed to get one again to go 4-2 up but 3mins later Riley scored a lovely goal on the bounce in the middle of the box. He side footed in with great control and power.

Swiss had other chances to score, hitting the bar form outside the box and Priorys keeper made at least 5 or 6 solid saves.

The game ended 3-4 to Priory but we are very proud of our players efforts. They didn't give up or let their heads drop, it was a real solid performance by every single player.

GK Finlay made some fantastic saves to keep us in the game. He played his box really well timing when to get the ball. He robbed the Priory striker for a certain 5th goal diving across his box to make the save pushing it away from goal. A beauty.

Masa was his usual strong, determined self battling with fast moving strikers but never gave up.

Jacob A was the same, had to work hard but was strong on the ball, broke up plays and made some lovely forward passes.

POTM Bono was rewarded for his tackling, determination and mazy runs forward offering up an attacking threat. He kept the balance of the team with his smart positional play.

Walter came on and was full of energy and strength. Always wanting the ball and keen to move it forward. Unlucky not to score near the end.

Seb was working hard at both ends of the pitch, tackling, blocking shots and creating attacking phases of play.

Henry was key in getting the ball forward and out to the wings. Lovely crosses and corners and helped in the goals we scored.

Alex played some brilliant through balls up front, worked very hard up and down the wing. 

Riley was again working hard getting up and down the pitch. Scored a brilliant goal that was all down to his positional play and great ball control.

Captain Toby had a great game, led by example both tackling, getting back defending, passing up front and scored 2 great goals.

It wasn't enough for a win this time but we competed and showed great determination to keep going. All the players should be happy, not sad after a very strong display.

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.