6^th September 2009    Henbury (AWAY)   Avon Youth Division 1

The start of a new season and if I had to pick a game to start I would say this would be very close to the bottom of my list . Henbury last years county cup winners and league runners-up on their patch not an ideal start.

We started playing down the slope and with the wind, we played some nice football but Henbury’s 2 attackers and their central midfield player were running it for them. With the wind and the slope we had problems judging the final pass. We did have a nice passage of play and possession and created a couple of ½ chances, Russell made space on the end of the box and curled and shot which clipped the crossbar. We did look dangerous from corners with good delivery and good movement. Henbury went ahead with a well worked goal midway through the 1^st half.

Half Time 1-0

½ time was more of the same, forwards and midfield players need to give us plenty of movement and cover the dangerous players up front.

Our approach play was a lot better and in defence we were tighter, Henbury had the same problem as we did playing down the slope and with the wind. We got a free-kick on the right hand side of the penalty area when Russell had his shirt pulled when through on goal.  Alex Hill stepped up and curled the ball over the wall and it was heading towards the top corner but for a brilliant save by the keeper.  Following another corner kick routine, Harv equalized with a header. We were now on top and Henbury discipline went slightly giving us a number of free kicks. Then with 20 minutes to Alex Hill went around the fullback to the byline and put a great ball in for Russell to score. 2-1.

We fought and battled well for the reminder of the game , trying to keep things fresh and I made a number of rolling substitutions  , giving players a short break and getting them back on again. This was a great team effort, but the MOM went to Harv this week for a tireless display.

13^th September 2009    Ashton Boys  (Home)   Avon Youth Division 1

What a difference from last week, we never got going. Got of to a bad start when Ashton broke down the right , crossed the ball in, which should have been dealt with , it somehow found it’s way into the net, Avery scrappy affair. We created a few chances but nothing could be converted. Ashton scored again through an own goal. Another cross not dealt with and our central defender turned the ball into the net. We then had a passage of play where we actually looked a good side , expect for the final pass. We got a goal back 5 minutes from ½ time following a corner the ball was turned over the line by Pikey from close range

Half Time 2-1 down

We now had the wind and the slight slope , we felt we were still in this game, but we still didn’t settle on the ball and move it around , this gave the forwards no service and they were feeding off scraps . We were now dominating possession and territory, but still could not create anything of note. Then Ashton broke away and a cross to the far post found their player unmarked 3-1. We continued to press but for a couple of speculative shots not a lot to get excited about. To be fair we didn’t get the rub of the green on a couple of occasions in front of goal, but in this game you make your own luck and we didn’t.

MOM this week was Ash.

20^th September 2009    Stoke Lane (Home)   Avon Youth Division 1

We impressed on the squad how we needed to get off to a good start; recently we have been slow to get going. I made a slight tactical change in our formation in the hope we could dominate midfield. What happens 1^st 10mins Stoke were all over us, we missed tackles gave them space and time and they scored following a good run and cross the ball was allowed to go through to their player stood unmarked to slot it home.  We then stepped up the pace, and started to control the game and close down better. We played some nice football with Russell causing a lot of problems for the Stoke defence; our pace out wide was also creating chances for us. We had 2 good chances where we should have scored until we had a blow when Russell suffered a blow to the ribs and had trouble breathing. Alex O came on and showed what never giving up a lost cause can do, he pressured the Stoke left back in to a pass which Pikey could jump on, and he rounded the keeper and leveled it. We were now on top winning all the midfield and creating chances. We went 2-1 up when Pikey collected the ball on the edge of the area, took a look up and planted a shot into the top corner, Great Goal.

Half Time 2-1 , more of the same boys

We again controlled most parts of the pitch, with Russell back on creating problems along with Harv, with Ash dominate in his penalty area, Chase having his best game this season. We went 3-1 up and Pikey claimed his hat-trick. This should have been game over but Stoke threw caution to the wind and came back in to it. They had a great chance to score when a defensive mix up and a poor clearance which fell to a Stoke player who shot wide. Then following a great free kick from Dan, Harv got a touch with his head to make it 4-1.

Overall this was an excellent performance against a good Stoke team who are finding life a little tough at the moment in the A division.

Man of match chosen by Sara was Chase..

27^th September 2009    South Bristol Avon Youth League Cup Rd 2

We impressed on the squad how we needed to get off to a good start; recently we have been slow to get going.  This statement is a direct copy of my last report, and more than likely will feature a lot more times yet.  After 5 mins we were a goal down again, their big danger-man up front must have thought it was Xmas , he collected the ball beat our defence down the flank and crossed for an easy goal.   We then woke up and got in the game, our midfield play when we passed it around was good and caused SB a lot of problems, but it wasn’t happening often enough , we kept getting caught and were unable to command the middle of the field, this meant our dangerous wingers weren’t in the game as much as we would like. Their danger-man was causing us all sorts of problems, mainly due to the fact we gave him to much space. We did equalize following a great corner from Dan which Joe met perfectly to give the keeper no chance. Shortly after we conceded another soft goal, to go in 2-1 down.

Half-Time.. We were now playing down the slope and I thought if we played well enough we could win this.

We created chances but were unable to score, in fact we missed 2 open goals. Their danger-man then scored a great solo effort 3-1. A change of formation was required now down to the fact I lost my centre–half to injury and we needed a goal or 4. Alex H played centre defence keeping their striker quiet, for the rest of the game ,we now played 4 up front. We  totally commanded the game and Russell scored a great header following good build up play from Pikey. 3-2, we were in it .  SB was then awarded a free-kick on the edge of the penalty area which they scored directly from 4-2.  We got another back following a goal-moth scramble and Russell finished. In the last minutes Alex O ran past their defender sent a great ball in which we all though had gone over the keepers head , but it just went over the crossbar 

Final score 4-3..  We have to start better and believe we are as good as virtually all the teams in this league. We can’t give the better players time and space otherwise we will pay dearly.

MoM chosen by Wendy was Alex Hill

4th October 2009 Brislington (Away) Avon Youth League

We finally got started from the 1st whistle, missing Dan this week mean a reshuffle in midfield, orders were to close down and work in pairs if one missed a tackle we should have someone else lined up. The kids acquired them selves very well. We created chances mainly due to Conor and Pikey working well down the right side and Little Man kept their dangerous winger in his pocket the whole game. We could have gone ahead when the ball flashed across the goal and Harv just failed to get on the end of it . Mitch was working well linking the defence with attack , when Alex and Russell got the ball their were trying to make things happen. Brisling ton’s main tactic was a long ball which Zak, Chase and Joe dealt with easily. Then against the run of play we gave there striker a yard of room and he slotted in past Ash. To our credit we kept going and equalized when a corner wasn’t cleared and Joe scored from close range Half Time 1-1 More the same lads , a couple of positional changes were made, the front 3 were told what we wanted and to make it work themselves. The 2nd was all Bromley, we limited Brislington to a couple of long range efforts one of which did hit the post, they other main weapon is a very long throw in , but Harv and Ash were outstanding . Ash dominated his penalty area and is getting better with every game. Brislington then had a lot of the ball and our defence was at full stretch to keep them out and then with Harv now up front he used his power to go past a couple of tackles to make it 2-1. Brislington now threw everything they could to get an equalizer; following a long throw the ball was cleared to their player on the edge of the box and his speculative effort crept in the near post. This turned out to be the last kick of the match Final score 2-2, an entertaining game played in the right sprit with a good vocal crowd and an excellent referee. MOM chosen by Mel was Little Man

11^thOctober 2009    Imperial (Away) Avon Youth League

At the best of times this is going to be a tough game but for various reasons we were down to the bare 11 today. To be honest I thought unless the boys worked for each other against the best team in this league we could come unstuck in a big way

The 1^st half started with a wind seemed to blowing across the pitch, it made control of the ball difficult , the boys worked hard closing down their danger men, this limited Imperial to few clear cut chances , when they did Ash was safe as always. Our problem was when we worked the ball up front the final pass was letting us down , it wasn’t being hit hard enough and the Imperial defence marshaled by their impressive centre half cleared the ball. We continued to battle and work very hard and then in the 35^th minute unfortunately a lucky ‘knee’ shot went past Ash to put us 1-0 down.

2^nd Half

We were confident we could get something, but again our final pass wasn’t good enough. Russell and Harv didn’t give the imperial defence time to settle this half and with a little more skill and luck we could have scored. We then conceded a penalty which from my view looked harsh to say the least. 2-0. Our heads didn’t go down and we kept playing right to the end. A special mention to Mitch and Russell who played there best games since joining us this season.

There is no disgrace in this performance, with only 11 players every single one gave everything and today proved we can mix it with the best teams in this league 

MOM chosen by Martin was Jake

25^thOctober 2009    Bristol Central (Home) Avon Youth League

There aren’t many easier games this year, Central are always a strong, fast team. This game was going to be a test.

The 1^st half started with the wind swirling around, we did have it to our backs for the most part. This didn’t help as the ball was running away from us. Alex had a great effort tipped over the bar within 1^st 10mins. It was an even game well fought on both sides. Central then got a penalty which they converted to make it 1-0 . It stayed that way until half time

2^nd Half

We were confident we could get something now playing against the wind, we equalized within 1minutes of the restart when good work from Alex and Russ left Harv 1-1 with the keeper and he slotted it under his body. We now were on top but just couldn’t make the last ball count and were a little unlucky with the run of the ball in the penalty area. Central went ahead against the run of play we failed to get a tackle in and let the attacker crossed when he no right to have the opportunity and a nice header finished it off. We kept going and still were unable to find a way through a no- nonsense defence. We lost our shape a little failed to get tackles in and Central scored 2 more in the last 5mins to finish the game off

I think 4-1 is a little harsh but we have to be stronger in midfield and take chances when they are presented

1st November 2009    Imperial (Home) Avon Youth League

Imperial suffered their 1st defeat last week in 2 ½ seasons , knowing Nigel as I do ,he would have fired up for this one. We knew we would have to compete as a team this week.

The wind was swirling around again this week, but we played some good controlled football , with our front 3 causing problems. Our defence looked strong and limited Imperial to a couple of long range shots. We nearly went ahead when a good move in midfield ended with Alex slotting a great ball into Russell who under pressure from 2 defenders managed to get a shot in with hit the crossbar. The 1st half was defiantly ours, we pressured Imperial all over the pitch not allowing them to settle

2nd Half
Imperial came out in the 2nd half a lot stronger team , they were now causing a few problems with good running from midfield and they now had there strong attacker on the pitch. We were coping and looked to have weathered it , when disaster a slip in the penalty area and the Imperial forward finished well. This was a body blow and we lost of shape and stopped playing football. We were caught out on the right side a few minutes later and Imperial made it 2-0. We did get our act together which was good as this could have been a lot worse. A change in formation brought a few problems again to the Imperial defence and we started to compete again. Pikey created a couple of ½ chances which other couldn’t finish.

The 1st half was a great all round performance, but if we concede we must keep our shape and continue to play football and believe in ourselves. We have proved we can compete over the last 2 games with the best teams in this division.  We have another massive game next week away to Hanham

MOM was Ash , another confident game in goal , he is becoming one of the best keepers in this league

8th November 2009    Hanham  Avon Youth Laegue Division A

We have had a tough run of matches, the last 3 games against teams that are going to be up at the top come the end of the season , this was the 4th against a big, strong, physical and unbeaten team.
I put a plan in place to combat their danger-man, only problem I had was I wasn’t sure where he would playJ. To be fair we sorted it out very quickly once the game was underway.

We were playing up the slope with Joe now playing in midfield and Mitch man for man against Tom Lloyd we looked good. Pikey , Russell and Harv were creating problems with great one touch passing and movement off the ball. We had to be aware of the Hanham tactic of long balls up front for their front men to run on to. We rode our luck at times, but today Ash was brilliant. The team work all over the pitch was excellent. Alex O had a great effort tipped over the bar by the Hanham keeper. It became heated when a Hanham spectator ‘disagreed’ with an offside decision and after some time he was sent away by the referee. Half Time 0-0

 We knew if we kept this up it would get to Hanham and their discipline would suffer. It was important everyone stuck to their roles and we played for the next 40 minutes.
The tackles were flying but it was a fair competitive game, then unfortunately an incident happened which lead to both sides having a player sent off , my view a booking each would have been fair. Then half way through the 2nd half we got a break through, Pikey broke down the left, past a defender and passed across the penalty area for Conor to slot in 1-0. Hanham then threw everything at it, we continued to work well as a unit frustrating them at every turn. Final score 1-0 win .

This was the best 80 minutes as a team this season, Hanham are unbeaten tin the league and will be up there when it counts. We proved we can compete with these teams and must take this same team spirit going forward.

MoM chosen by Andy  was Mitch Stally , my special mention goes to Joe brilliant in midfield and Ash got to be the best keeper in the league

22nd November Ashton Boys (Away) Avon Youth Division 1

Much to everyone surprise the game was on today, we turned up at the pitch armed with flippers and water wings to find a pitch in good condition , slippery on top , the down side the grass was very long. We were done to a bare 12 today, I hope to tie up an excellent signing this week with hopefully one more to follow.

Pre match we knew the danger men, and we put our plans into place to keep them as quiet as possible, this worked ok , Ashton changed their formation which meant one didn’t start and the other was in midfield rather than up front. We adjusted well to this and played some great football in very windy conditions. Chase had a great game at left back keeping the ball on the ground and using the midfield players who found lots of space to work in. The rest of the defence did their jobs and Ash was not really called on to make a save. We have the majority of the ball which I expected playing with the wind but couldn’t find the back of the net.

Half Time 0-0 , more of the same boys

We again controlled most parts of the pitch, with Pikey creating problems all along their backline with his direct running. Dan, Conor, Harv , Alex O and Mitch all had great games in midfield. We then took the lead with a Dan cross headed out to Harv who headed it back in from the edge of the penalty area to put us 1-0 up. The weather then deteriorated badly with driving wind, rain and hail. We were having a purple patch and Dan broke clear and from the edge of the penalty area put us 2-0 up. Ashton got a free kick and hit a good ball right into the crowded penalty area which Ash was unlucky to see it dribble over the line. We continued to play good passing football in horrible conditions.  We went 3-1 up when following a good passing movement left Pikey 1-1 on the touchline he skipped past the defender and laid in back for Mitch to bury in the bottom corner. Ashton were not out of this they now had most of the game, we switched off and their scored again. 3-2. You felt as their all got tired more goals were to follow, 4-2 was just around the corner again finding lots of space Dan crossed for Harv to put the ball over the line with help of a Ashton defender. With 2 minutes to go Ashton scored again 4-3. We need to keep our heads and the ball which we did to see the game out

Overall this was an excellent performance against a good Ashton team in wet and windy conditions.

Man of match chosen by Mark was Pikey.  Special Manager mention to Dan who worked very hard to support Pikey and the defence. Good midfield performance

6th December Bristol City  (Away) Avon Youth Division 1

Much to everyone surprise the game was on today, Again for the 2nd game running we were down to the bare bones

Pre match instructions were to close them down, don’t allow to play because they will. We were against a very strong wind, it was wet and cold and with the exception of about 4 we didn’t turn up . We failed to win the ball in midfield, track runners, failed to clear our defence, failed to challenge and for the majority of the game were played of the park. When we did attack , Russ , Pikey looked dangerous ,Pikey won a penalty when we were 2 -0 down , but despite it being a good strike it brought an equally good save from the keeper.

Half time 4-0 down.

We scored through Alex in the 1st 2mins of the start, right we could yet get something out of this . We were now playing a bit , helped by the strong wind we created chances and Pikey had 2 ‘goals’ disallowed . The 1st should have stood as he as well onside and headed the ball in after the goalkeeper had parried a shot from Russell out. We won another penalty which Russ converted. About 10 minutes from the end Dan took a heavy tackle which although not malicious was slightly late and a little high. He was taken to hospital and x-rayed and he has severe bruising and fortunately no broken bones.  City went on to score 2 more and run out winners 6-2

Overall this was not a good day for us

13th December Henbury Colts (Home) Avon Youth Division 1

We knew this was going to tough after taking 3 points of them at the start of the season Henbury would come out fighting. Also having 2 of our better players missing it would need a great team effort . Pre match we knew the danger man, and we put our plans into place to keep him as quiet as possible, this didn’t really work, I will take the blame for this we were left short on the right side of midfield 

Within 15 seconds we were a goal down, we again didn’t seem up for this , this needs to stop as we can’t keep given teams this much time and space. Our game is about pressure the ball once we win it, keep it and work it on the ground up to our front men. We didn’t really do any of this to the level we can. We went 2-0 down. We did start to get into the game a little but not enough to cause Henbury any real problems. Pikey and JJ up front were full of running but weren’t getting the right sort of ball to cause problems. We then 3-0 down, backs to wall now we needed something special before half time and we got it . JJ gathered the ball on the right wing, beat one player and hit a unstoppable shot in to the top left hand corner..  

Half Time 3-1 down We needed better attitude if we did we were still in it

Playing down the slight slope now we started to pressure the ball, not giving Henbury the chance to play. Henbury are a very good side full of running, skill and the physical side you need. We rode our luck on a couple of occasions and Henbury managed to get another 4-1. I don’t know what happened but the midfield of Mitch, Harv, Joe and Jake now were winning things, following good build up the ball fell to Mitch on the edge of the penalty area and ‘Drogba like’ curled it into the top corner. 4-2. It was now all Bromley, a free kick by Mitch was partly cleared, the ball was chipped back in and  JJ beat the offside and slotted in 4-3. Our tails were now up , Henbury started to lose their shape and following another free kick which was only partly cleared Pikey clipped a shot into the top corner 4-4.

Overall this was an ok performance , we showed if we play football and battle we can give most teams a run for their money .

Man of match chosen by Andy R was Pikey and JJ.  Brilliant off the ball running, coupled with the 3 goals between them. As this the 1st time of playing together the understanding can only get better.

24th January AEK BOCO (Home) Avon Youth Division 1



After a prolonged break it was nice to get out plan a game. Boco have been our bogey side for the last couple of seasons . We needed to consolidate our
good 1st Half of the season and attempt to get maximum points from this game


The 1st half was an even affair on a very sticky pitch , our plan was to give our front 3 early ball out wide and let them create chances. We did do
this for the majority of the half but our final ball wasn't god enough , JJ, Pikey and Russ were having to work hard from scraps rather than getting good
ball they could work with.  Boco went into the lead ½ through the 1st half following a corner which we failed to clear , it fell to their forward whose
shot was deflected past Ash. The boys were finding passing hard on the difficult pitch but we kept pressing until half time

Half Time 0-1 down We needed to  improve our final ball

Playing down the slight slope now we started to pressure the ball, not giving Boco the chance to settle. Pikey brought through but instead of driving a low ball into the near post he lofted it over the bar. Within a 5 minutes he had an identical chance but this time finished well. 1-1 . We
then got a massive stroke of luck , Pikey was now causing a lot of problems with his direct running, he was fouled about a foot outside the penalty area , but the referee gave a penalty . Russ stepped up and smashed the ball home 2-1 . Boco has a few chances to equalize but overall we were on top. Using all our substitutes I tried to keep the boys as fresh as possible, this seemed to work as the last 15minutes we played some good stuff , JJ finished
off a great move to make it a final score of 3-1

Overall this was an good  performance  on an energy sapping pitch.

Man of match chosen by Andy R was Chase .  Always putting a foot or head to
win the ball back

7th January Hanham (Home) Avon Youth Division 1

During training we discussed how we needed to play, and tactics on how to
cope with their danger man up front.  Before the game started Russ pulled
with a knee problem and our right back was late, not a good start

We started well in very difficult conditions, the centre of the pitch was
cut up making control very difficult. After 20 minutes of even play Hanham
took control and we struggled to get back in it. Hanham took the lead with a
scrappy goal , we failed after a number of attempts to clear the ball from
our penalty area , the ball fell to a Hanham forward who converted. 1-0
down. We still struggled to get the ball out wide and play to our strengths
, after a good attack we were caught on the counter and a Hanham forward
broke through to slid the ball under Ash in goal 2-0 down .  

Half Time , frank discussions took place and a change in formation happened
and what a difference

Playing down the slight slope it was all Bromley , wining the midfield
battle, strong in defense and attack wise full of invention. Conor won the
ball in midfield played a great pass into Pikey and he finished with a low
shot into the corner. Finally we were playing great passing football out
wide and the attacking from wide areas. JJ and Pikey were causing a lot of
problem , supported by Harv, Dan and Conor. We had chances but were unable
to convert them . Hanham's defence was solid, their centre half was very
impressive. We were unable to get the breakthrough our play deserved and
finally lost 2-1

Overall this was an good performance , the 2nd half was one of our best
displays of the season , fluid movement and good crisp passing

Man of match chosen by Andy R was Dan and Mitch , Mitch stuck this task of
marking their danger man brilliantly to such a degree he was taken off for
20mins in the 1st half. Dan was inspirational today , covering the right
side of midfield , supporting the defence and attack

7th March  Yate Utd  (Double Fixture) Avon Youth Division 1

We finally got a game in today , having to play Yate twice we opted for a ‘double fixture ‘ on their pitch . The pitch was very sticky and uneven.

1st Game
We never really got going , Yate were 1st to the ball and when we did get it we couldn’t put two pass together . The 1st half we defended well against constant pressure , we did create one of 2 half chances but nothing really to worry the Yate defence. Half time 0-0 The 2nd half wasn’t a lot better still 2nd to the ball but we looked better going forward then with 2minutes left a great bal to Pikey who fed in his strike partner JJ who finished with a great hot from the edge of the area  1-0 with les than 2 minutes left. Yate kicked off we watched them work the ball out to the left , we failed to clear it they crossed it in and they scored 1-1. With no time to kick off game one ended 1-1

MOM Ash who made some excellent saves to keep us in it

2nd Game
A change in personal and formation we looked better , still not getting enough of the ball in midfield to play our strikers in .  but at least we now were competing for the ball.  Both sides created chances but the ball didn’t run for either team,  we were getting frustrated  by some inconstant refereeing . We failed to clear the ball and then didn’t get a tackle in and Yate scored from close range. Half 1-0 down. The 2nd half was our best 20minutes creating chances but the final ball just would not run for us . Yate didn’t really create any real clear cut chances but we couldn’t finish off our approach play Final Score 1-0  

MOM Sypho , great defensive display

14th March  Bristol City (Home) Avon Youth Division 1

After the very poor performance last week we impressed on the boys that they needed to compete today. City would be up for the game as they had a heavy defeat last week. The pitch was hard and uneven which was going to make it tough to pass the ball around

We started well competing in all areas of the pitch , City used the ball well but didn’t really create any clear chances , we defended ,well supported by our midfield who also supported the attackers well. We worked a good chance but JJ was unable to put the chance away.   City looked dangerous going forward and also defended well. We then had an unfortunate injury to our central defender who had to come off , while we were re-organizing  we got caught out and the City striker went through to score . To add to this I was right on ½ time.  The boys were a little deflated at this point

Half Time , simple message we were still in it , just keeping working hard ,close down and take the chances that would come along 

City started better than us , but we worked our way back in it , Russ looked dangerous on the left flank , Harv was playing the best I have seen for a while, with Joe. Mitch and Dan  fighting for every ball we looked good .Sypho was winning tackles , reading the game well at the back. We then had a golden opportunity we worked a 1-1 for Harv but he unfortunately  could finish it

This performance was 100% better than last week , we were back to our old self , full of commitment and skill , we can match every team in this league

Man of match chosen by Mark  was Sypho, Since signing a month ago he has settled in well and is becoming a valuable asset to our team

21st h March  Stoke Lane (Away) Avon Youth Division 1

After a the good performance last week , it was critical we carried on the good work. Stoke Lane although are towards the wrong end of the league were unbeaten this month. The team talk was we would need to start well as Stokes confidence will be high.

The 1st 20 minutes we were outplayed by Stoke , we failed to challenge when required , gave them to much room and they took full advantage of this and went 2-0 up.  Unless we picked it up this was going to b e a long afternoon. We then got a lucky break , when JJ managed to tap in from close range following a move down the left. We then got a 2nd to level it , it happened in bizarre circumstances Stoke cleared the ball to our half , the ball was misjudged , but it fell to Mitch who sent a long clearance back over the Stoke Lane defence for JJ to run on to and finished with a great shot into the top corner. We were now playing football , winning the midfield and tight in defence.  Another good move gave JJ his chance to complete a 1st half hat-trick

Half Time ,  3-2 up  We need to keep going and finish this game off

The 2nd half we dominated the game not allowing Stoke to get back in ,  goals from Chase a great header from a Dan corner, Russ who worked hard throughout the game managed to get on the score sheet , Alex O scored from close range after rounding his marker. The 2nd half allowed me to give all the squad a good run out , the downside of this we got sloppy and Stoke had chances to score but couldn’t put one away.  Good luck to Stoke in their quest to stay in this division for next season.
Final score 6-2 win.

After the 1st 20 minutes we played well , challenged for balls all over the park , passed the ball well and looking dangerous up front.  The defence with Sypho again playing well  and JJ always a willing outlet created a good all round team performance

Man of match chosen by Sara’s Dad  was Ross ( Little Man)

25th April  Brislington (Home) Avon Youth Division 1

After a long break , it was interesting to see how we would start. A change of formation to a 4-3-3 was also in place.  Pre-match was all about the hard pitch and the need to not let Brislington settle.

We started well with the narrow 3 in midfield winning the battle and using the wide front men. The defence was also solid, defending well against the long throw weapon Brislington have  . Following a good corner the ball fell to Harv who slid a great pas to Mitch who side footed into the top corner. We continued to play well closing down at every opportunity. Brislington central defender was the main reason we didn’t go into half time

Half Time ,  1-0 up  We need to keep going and finish this game off , this was one of the best halves we had played this season but the game was far from over

A different team appeared in the 2nd half , we seem to lose our composure in the middle of the park and the front 3 had very little service. Then disaster , Ash miss kicked a clearance it fell to their centre forward who passed the ball into an empty net.  You could see heads drop , we needed some inspiration we nearly got it when Harv turned a defender but the post with his shot . Russ and Mitch had good efforts saved .  Brislington then got the winner following a throw , for the 1st time we failed to either win the header or attack the 2nd ball and the ball trickled into the far corner. Following that tried to push forward , playing 3 at the back but to no avail

Final score 2-1 defeat .

Man of match chosen by Big Pikey   was Mitch . Outstanding in the 1st half , winning every header from the long throw attacks , lots of energy in midfield , coupled with the goal. 2nd  half kept trying to drive the team on.

28th April  AEK Boco (Away) Avon Youth Division 1

Least said about the 1st half the better , we turned up to find AEK had brought their players in from Bath Arsenal , why who knows as they are bottom of the league with nothing to play for   We found ourselves 2-0 down , within 1st 20mins. They also missed a penalty but to be fair we made them look a lot better than they actually were.

Half Time ,  2-0 down  Team talk was we need to start playing now  , playing with the slope we weren’t out of it

Like last week disaster , within 30 seconds Ash miss kicked a back pass , he was unable to recover and the centre forward passed the ball into an empty net.   3-0, Unlike last week, this galvanized everyone. I brought on Harv , Chase and Zak and the team transformed. Dan got a goal from the edge of the area. Russ, JJ and Pikey were now on fire causing a lot of problems to the AEK defence  , Pikey then chipped in with 2 , to make it 3-3. It was all Bromley now , the boys were now putting a massive amount of effort in and AEK had no answers. Russ and Harv went close but we just could not find a way through .

Final score 3-3 .

Man of match chosen by Neil Martin was Syphio   Playing in the centre of the defence he covered everything the odd time he made a mistake he was good enough to recover  He has become a very good defender

9th May 2010  Bristol Central (Away) Avon Youth Division 1

This was our last game of the season , although it was an away game it was played on our pitch. There was nothing on this game so I decided to give the ‘squad’ players a game and mix it about it in the 2nd half.  Pre-match was enjoy it but let’s make it competitive.

Central were a lot quicker and stronger than us for the 1st 20 minutes , our defence were not clearing the ball , when we did the midfield and attackers looked dangerous. Central were using the slope and wind to lift long balls over our defence and cause problems . They went 2 -0 up, then we seemed to start playing much like most other games this season.  We then got a goal back a great ball from JJ found Mitch free in the area who powered the ball in.

Half Time ,  2-1 down  We decided to make our changes. Dan and ‘Little Man’ came on , Dan in usual midfield with Little Man also in an attacking role with Harv dropping into defence.

We now had the slope and wind, it started very equal with chances being created at both ends , JJ could have had 4 but for good defending. I then put Dan in goal and brought Ash out. Central now to their credit also  brought their keeper on to their pitch, attackers playing in defence and there was a good atmosphere about the game. We then got a goal back , a cross came in and with a bouncing ball Ross jumped up and a faint touch took the ball over the keeper into the net 3-2.  We then got a equalizer through the most unlikely way.  Dan in goal collected the ball and kicked it the entire length of the pitch one bounce in the penalty area and over the keepers head into the net . 3-3.  The formation of both teams was all over the place at one point we had 6 up front , Chase with the last kick could/should have scored but it was a nice way to finish our season.

Final score 3-3 .

Man of match chosen by Karl Jones  was Ash    He made a couple of brilliant saves especially in the 2nd half a point blank save where he pushed it over the bar