Match Report: Synners vs 21st Allstars Colts
1st half:
GK: Ezra LD: James RD: Finley LF: Archie RF: Ollie
Myself & Dan, prior to this game, chatted about how well the team has been playing & that we were well overdue a win, so we were hopeful today would be the day! We had a good chat with the team about supporting the player ahead / behind them, as well as closing the opposition down really quickly & moving the ball quickly up the pitch utilising the space. Bit of a strange start not being allowed to go on the pitch until 10am ?? but with the sun shining, it was set up nicely for a great morning of football ??
The opposition kicked us off & as instructed, we immediately closed them down with Archie & Ollie both moving up the pitch with pace ?? We had a couple of early shots with both Archie & Ollie having a pop from distance but just missing. Ollie made a blinding run down the right of the pitch & with a quick glance up, he swerved the ball perfectly to Archie, who made a great run into the box. Attempting a strike first touch, Archie just missed the ball for it to go out, close! ?? We early on, dominated the possession with the opposition barely making it into our half, with the constant pressure we mounted on them, we managed to break through the midfield with Fin getting it beyond the halfway line where Archie picked it up, making a short run straight to the centre of the box before burying it into the bottom corner. 1-0! ?? The opposition did manage to make a break with a couple of nice passes, getting it close to our box, taking a shot but Ezra confidently scooped it up with relative ease, before making a good long throw back out to the right where ollie was raring to go! ?? James & Ollie worked well on the right together, with James protecting Ezra really well, barely letting anything past him. On one occasion James got the ball & with an opposing player closing him down, he managed to get the ball out of his feet quickly, finding Ollie who after having 2-3 attempts from range on the right but just going wide, he made a darting run, cutting to the edge of the box & striking the ball cleanly & with power sunk it into the net, keeper had no chance! 2-0! The defence were absolutely solid this whole half, Fin & James covered their areas with precision, reading the game well. Fin making some good tackles & moving the ball up the pitch with his usual head down & drive runs whilst then finding that key pass to our forwards… Their work kept Ezra so well protected he could have sat & sunbathed for the last 10 minutes… ??Well done lads. We found ourselves again on the right wing high up the pitch, with a quick throw in from Ollie the ball bounced well, with Archie turning his body to get behind the ball with the goal ahead he fired a volley from distance & it went in, gobsmacked! ?? What a goal! 3-0! ?? Shortly after this, we made a sub with Arthur coming on for Archie!” The team kept the pressure on the opposition the whole half with Archie & Ollie both hitting the post at points, our defence was magnificent & right at the end of the half, we had a corner. Up stepped Ollie who must have watched James Ward Prowse a week ago as he hit a great corner that swung right towards their keeper who couldn't get his hands to it well enough & it went in, another extraordinary but fantastic goal!! ??4-0 ??
2nd half:
GK: Henry LD: Seth RD: Jenson LF: Arthur RF: Charlie
We kicked off the second half & started well with the team holding their shape well as we tried to get up the pitch early. The team worked well together, with Seth naturally floating more into a central midfield position to add some more weight to the attacks up the pitch. We had numerous breaks with some great footwork from both Seth & Charlie, both showing some good composure on the ball & looking to get it moving forward where they could ?? Both of them were unlucky with a few attempts on goal but just missing the right connection with the shots hitting the keeper or going wide, good efforts nonetheless!!!
The opposition did manage to get the ball into our area on occasion with Henry making a fabulous save with the shot being struck well with power, Henry did a great job staying strong & keeping the ball out ?? We persisted with our attacks, with Seth & Charlie working well, causing them lots of problems, with Arthur at one point holding a great position in the middle giving Seth & Charlie space to move in & around their box on the attack, Arthur made a key interception finding the pass to Charlie who almost got his shot away but just being blocked ?? With a three-pronged attack, Jenson was often on his own at the back, making possibly the best defensive display of the season. Sweeping across the defensive half he made tackle after tackle, reading the game so well, he positioned himself brilliantly ensuring when the ball or opposition was near he was ready, making the right decision time after time, often clearing the ball into touch or up the pitch to one of us… Like Gandalf against the Balrog Jenson let NO ONE PASS… ???????
After being agonsingly close on multiple occasions, the breakthrough was finally made, Charlie got his goal!!! The ball made its way into the box & with the opposition not clearing it in time & a bit of a pinball moment, Charlie's instincts kicked in & he struck it really well, hitting the net with some umph!!! 5-0! ?? I don’t know if you could tell how happy I or Anth was jumping up & down… a fantastic moment!!! ?? If that wasn’t good enough, we kept the pressure on, positioning himself well in the box. A good cross came in from Seth & Charlie made a good touch & struck it in for his second! A strikers goal!!! 6-0! ??
We made another sub with Archie coming back on for Arthur. We dominated right until the end with every player working their socks off. Archie, Charlie & Seth all worked well together, having numerous efforts on goal & it finally came to fruition right at the death with Archie moving from the left & banging it in! Hattrick hero… ??????
FT: 7-0! ??
Clean sheet… What a performance!!!
Dev Game (7 a side)
The dev game mirrored the league game in terms of how well we defended with our keepers barely having to do much at all. We had another brace from Ollie was some great strikes coming up from defence. ????Henry, playing upfront, battled well & had a couple of missed opportunities before finally getting his goal with a beautiful strike that had some welly behind it, well done Henry!! ?? Fin had the opportunity to take the penalty & with how Archie describes it.. “A Finley rocket” Fin smashed the ball right into the corner, the keeper had absolutely no chance, excellent penalty, Fin! ?? Archie got another right at the end with another great cut in & strike to sink them to a 5-0 loss. ??
It was another display of how well this team can play with 7!
FT 5-0.
Players of the match (across both games):
Jenson: A defensive display that was genuinely phenomenal. Jenson made numerous tackles, interceptions & defensive clearances it was a pleasure to watch. Vidic, eat your heart out… ??????
Archie: Back to his best, Archie moved well with the ball, banged in another hattrick with a contender for goal of the season with a beautiful volley from range! ??????
This was the best we have seen this team play this season, & that is saying something. They worked so so well as a team, put pressure on the opposition, gave them no time to think, & worked the ball up the pitch fantastically. Well done to the whole team… You were immense!!! ??
Thank you to the parents as well. The support doesn't go unnoticed, you’re a great bunch!!!
I'm so happy Charlie finally got his goal!!!
UTS ????????
