In the first of a series of tough friendlies whilst we take a short break from the league, this was always going to be a tough ask. We talked about not letting the strength and quickness of the U17's play on our mind. Sadly the first half performance was fairly uninspiring. We were far too slow to close the ball down as in their half and whilst we defended pretty well given the amount of time they spent in our half, the 5 goals we conceded came from a number of sloppy errors.
We allowed them far too much space to be able to get the ball into their front men normally within one or two passes from their own half. We were not quick enough and not strong enough. In these sorts of games half the battle is stopping your opponents have time on the ball and then taking the chances when they come your way.
However got a goal back just before half time and that gave us a much needed lift. We needed to channel the frustration of some players and wake up a few others. It was important we came out in the second half and played as a team and supported each other.
The result was a second half display that saw us keep a clean sheet and force two more goals ending with a very respectable 5-3 defeat. It was never going to be easy with just one sub (and Will had to leave at half time) against a team where you have to press to stop them passing. But we showed in the second half what is our core value "character and grit". We didn’t let our heads go down, and instead flew out of the blocks pushing the U17's back and making them make errors in their passing.
We on the other hand saw far more possession and started to see us winning the ball all over the field. We had talked at half time about 'win it - play it'. We were winning more balls and releasing the ball quicker - we opened the game up with free flowing runs, balls over the top and out wide. Everyone player their part in a much better second half.
Day's like today are not about the result, but are about discovery. I learnt lots about our new players, their favoured positions, how the jell with the rest of the team, how we cope under pressure. If we take the second half performance into the league I feel sure we now have far more strength in depth to take on and beat anyone in our league.
Still it will take a few more weeks for Dav, Alex, Nathan and George to get used to names and for everyone to work out each other’s style of play.
Another important friendly next week against Elms - who are again a very good team from the Bexley North League. Perhaps a fairer test in terms of age and I look forward excitement to see if we can again grow and get something from this game. Playing Elms (4th) and Dartford (3rd) respectively in their league will give us a very good indication of where we can expect to be for the remainder of the season.
