After a late night for many of us at the school Halloween party, there were a lot of tired boys on the field this morning - including one who apparently was still in bed only half an hour before kick off! And to add to our woes, Dylan was away on holiday & William had been poorly all week but was determined to play. He bravely volunteered to go in goal for the second match - more of which later.........
Match 1
Although it was chilly with dew on the ground, it seemed a perfect day for football & both teams started off well. It certainly showed that the passing we'd been practicing at training was paying off, because there were some great passing moves on show which gave us plenty of opportunities on goal.
Our great play was rewarded by first-half goals from Taylor & Joel (who was still sporting his spooky Halloween hair!) There were plenty of other chances on goal, but a combination of good defending & some spectacular saves from Joshua in the Bridlington goal prevented us from scoring again.
Undeterred, Brid put in a fighting display & in the second half were rewarded with a good goal. It was terrific to see the celebrations from their players, supporters & coaches - it was their first goal for several matches & it was great to see their excitement.
This led to a nervous last few minutes for us. It took some great defending from Kieran, JoshL & Harry plus some super saves from Benson meant we held on for a 2-1 win.
Match 2
Spurred on by a win in the first match, we played even better in the second match. It looked to me that all the tired legs were forgotten & our all round play improved further.
Once we'd made a breakthrough with a great goal from JoshC we upped our game & more goals followed. There was a second goal for Joel, one for Ben (to keep him as our top scorer for the season) & it was terrific to see Ewan score his first goal for the team.
Even though we were well on top, Bridlington were still fighting & it took some great saves & a super all round performance from William in goal to ensure we kept a clean sheet. 4-0 was perhaps a bit harsh on our opponents but was just reward for a great effort from our boys.
The penalty competition was tightly fought with very few goals being scored - largely due to some great saves from William & Joshua (the Brid goalie). We just sneaked it due to William scoring against his opposite number.
And in recognition of his all round efforts in goal & in open play - whilst being under the weather - William was a well deserved winner of the Man of the Match trophy.
And onto next week - when we play our own B team!
The team
Our first outing as a team
Sunday, 31 October 2010
Tuesday, 19 October 2010
Sunday 18th October vs South Cave
We woke to a gloriously sunny & bright day - the best weather of all the matches we had played so far. We had a few issues getting access to the goals & nets but after the usual assistance from Mum's & Dad's we were ready to go. The South Cave team arrived in good time so we even decided to kick off early.
Match 1
From the start, it seemed again that we had two well matched teams. South Cave seemed to be a good passing team & caused us a few problems but with some great defending by the two Josh's, Kieran Harry & William (plus some good saves from Benson) we were able to keep them at bay.
We created plenty of chances but yet again we were thwarted by a goalkeeper who was on top form. Eventually the pressure from South Cave paid off & they went 1-0 ahead.
Cottingham came right back & pushed for an equaliser. After some great passing & team play Ben managed to break through & score. Despite good chances for both sides, there were no more goals & the match finished 1-1.
Match 2
This match was just as evenly fought as the first one with both teams having plenty of attacks & great defending. Dylan played in goal for this match & did the team proud with a confident performance. He was well supported by strong performances by all players, including Ewan, Joel & Taylor.
In the end, the only difference between the teams was when one of the South Cave players dribbled through down the right & scored a good goal. Despite lots of pressure, we weren't quite able to equalise & South Cave ran out winners 1-0.
We finished off with a penalty competition & it's evident to see our penalty taking - & goalkeeping - is improving every week.
We'd decided in the week to award a "Man of the Match" trophy for all future matches - & what a difficult decision it proved to be. After much chin-scratching, John & I decided the "Man of the Match" was Taylor for a great all round performance.
Next Sunday we have a week off - so it will either be a lie-in - or a chance to cheer on the B team!!
Match 1
From the start, it seemed again that we had two well matched teams. South Cave seemed to be a good passing team & caused us a few problems but with some great defending by the two Josh's, Kieran Harry & William (plus some good saves from Benson) we were able to keep them at bay.
We created plenty of chances but yet again we were thwarted by a goalkeeper who was on top form. Eventually the pressure from South Cave paid off & they went 1-0 ahead.
Cottingham came right back & pushed for an equaliser. After some great passing & team play Ben managed to break through & score. Despite good chances for both sides, there were no more goals & the match finished 1-1.
Match 2
This match was just as evenly fought as the first one with both teams having plenty of attacks & great defending. Dylan played in goal for this match & did the team proud with a confident performance. He was well supported by strong performances by all players, including Ewan, Joel & Taylor.
In the end, the only difference between the teams was when one of the South Cave players dribbled through down the right & scored a good goal. Despite lots of pressure, we weren't quite able to equalise & South Cave ran out winners 1-0.
We finished off with a penalty competition & it's evident to see our penalty taking - & goalkeeping - is improving every week.
We'd decided in the week to award a "Man of the Match" trophy for all future matches - & what a difficult decision it proved to be. After much chin-scratching, John & I decided the "Man of the Match" was Taylor for a great all round performance.
Next Sunday we have a week off - so it will either be a lie-in - or a chance to cheer on the B team!!
Tuesday, 12 October 2010
Some VIP's at training!
We had some special guests who visited us at training tonight. We'd contacted Hull City & asked if they would send a player or two to meet the boys - & they were very willing to help us.
So tonight the boys got to meet a couple of rising stars - Daniel Ayala & Mark Cullen. Daniel is currently on loan at Hull from Liverpool & Mark is making his name in the first team.
After getting 22 excited boys together, the players answered the boys questions before signing autographs (& shirts) & having photographs taken.
Big thanks to both the players & Dan Pratt from Hull City who organised the visit. And fingers crossed, we might get a mention in one of the future Hull City programmes!!
So tonight the boys got to meet a couple of rising stars - Daniel Ayala & Mark Cullen. Daniel is currently on loan at Hull from Liverpool & Mark is making his name in the first team.
After getting 22 excited boys together, the players answered the boys questions before signing autographs (& shirts) & having photographs taken.
Big thanks to both the players & Dan Pratt from Hull City who organised the visit. And fingers crossed, we might get a mention in one of the future Hull City programmes!!
Sunday, 10 October 2010
Sunday 10th October 2010 vs Hall Road Rangers
At last! We woke up to blue skies & sunshine! What a great morning for a game of football. This was an away match for us & it turned out the journey was eventful for most of us. We were playing at a school on Wawne Road & the directions seemed straightforward - but it's a good job we left in plenty of time because we ended up in Sutton. After a quick U-turn we arrived to find a great little pitch at the back of the school.
At least I wasn't the only one who had a problem finding it - I had to rely on a local supporter to give directions over the phone to the "convoy" of cars from Cottingham who were struggling to find it!
And with the weather holding it was an opportunity for the parents to show off their designer sunglasses - rather than their umbrellas & wellies!
On the pitch today was the first time Dylan was going to play in goal for one of the two matches to give Benson to play in the outfield. And after Benson had injured his finger in the final minutes of the warm-up, Dylan agreed to go it goal for the first match.
Match 1
From the start it seemed that we were two very evenly matched teams & that proved to be correct throughout both matches.
Both teams had lots of possession and both defences were playing extremely well which meant there were few clear shots on goal. Benson settled well into the team & is just as good in the outfield as he is in goal.
After a goalless first-half, we used our 4 substitutes in the second half so that everyone had a go. Again it seemed that luck wasn't on our side as Hall Road managed to score a goal after a goalmouth scramble. However later in the match, Dylan made an absolutely fantastic point-blank save to keep the final score at 1-0.
Match 2
Despite the result in the first match we were sure we were playing well & felt we had every chance to win the second match.
Right throughout the team we were playing well; Joel & Ben had some mazy runs, Josh L & Kieran put in some great tackles in defence & Taylor & Josh C ran tirelessly in midfield. And a special mention must go to Ewan who had a great game, despite struggling with his asthma & Benson who made some great saves, despite his finger injury.
Although we went 1-0 in the first-half, we carried on playing just as well as before & we were rewarded when Harry scored after great support from the rest of the team.
And with time running out, we managed to get in front after a great goal from William, who fully deserved to score his first goal of the season.
With minutes left, Hall Road came back at us but we defended like demons & held on for our first win of the season - the final score 2-1. Great stuff!!
It didn't matter that we just lost out in the penalty competition, because the boys were so excited at winning our first match of the season. We took the opportunity to get some team photographs in the autumn sunshine. ..........................and then all we had to do was find our way home!!
Thanks to Hall Road for their warm hospitality & we wish them well for the rest of the season. And well done to our B team who continued their great start to the season with a 3-1 win & then a 1-0 loss.
At least I wasn't the only one who had a problem finding it - I had to rely on a local supporter to give directions over the phone to the "convoy" of cars from Cottingham who were struggling to find it!
And with the weather holding it was an opportunity for the parents to show off their designer sunglasses - rather than their umbrellas & wellies!
On the pitch today was the first time Dylan was going to play in goal for one of the two matches to give Benson to play in the outfield. And after Benson had injured his finger in the final minutes of the warm-up, Dylan agreed to go it goal for the first match.
Match 1
From the start it seemed that we were two very evenly matched teams & that proved to be correct throughout both matches.
Both teams had lots of possession and both defences were playing extremely well which meant there were few clear shots on goal. Benson settled well into the team & is just as good in the outfield as he is in goal.
After a goalless first-half, we used our 4 substitutes in the second half so that everyone had a go. Again it seemed that luck wasn't on our side as Hall Road managed to score a goal after a goalmouth scramble. However later in the match, Dylan made an absolutely fantastic point-blank save to keep the final score at 1-0.
Match 2
Despite the result in the first match we were sure we were playing well & felt we had every chance to win the second match.
Right throughout the team we were playing well; Joel & Ben had some mazy runs, Josh L & Kieran put in some great tackles in defence & Taylor & Josh C ran tirelessly in midfield. And a special mention must go to Ewan who had a great game, despite struggling with his asthma & Benson who made some great saves, despite his finger injury.
Although we went 1-0 in the first-half, we carried on playing just as well as before & we were rewarded when Harry scored after great support from the rest of the team.
And with time running out, we managed to get in front after a great goal from William, who fully deserved to score his first goal of the season.
With minutes left, Hall Road came back at us but we defended like demons & held on for our first win of the season - the final score 2-1. Great stuff!!
It didn't matter that we just lost out in the penalty competition, because the boys were so excited at winning our first match of the season. We took the opportunity to get some team photographs in the autumn sunshine. ..........................and then all we had to do was find our way home!!
Thanks to Hall Road for their warm hospitality & we wish them well for the rest of the season. And well done to our B team who continued their great start to the season with a 3-1 win & then a 1-0 loss.
Monday, 4 October 2010
Sunday 2nd October 2010 vs Beverley Whitestar
We woke to yet another wet morning - that's three weekends we've played, & it's rained every time! This was by far the wettest - apart from causing serious delays with the Ryder Cup that's currently being played in Wales, it was apparent that some local teams had called their matches off due to flooded pitches.
John & I arrived to set the goals up & were pleased to see that our pitch seemed OK. The goal areas were a bit muddy & likely to get worse, but overall the pitch seemed to have drained well despite the dreadful weather.
Clearly it's only the coaches, parents & supporters that are concerned by the weather - as usual the boys arrived full of smiles & ready for the challenge ahead. After a warm-up, we were ready to get going.......
Match 1
I'm not sure what our boys had eaten for breakfast, but they started like an express train, with lots of possession & plenty of shots on goal. Unfortunately like last week, we were up against a goalkeeper who excelled himself & was covered in mud from head to foot within a few minutes. It seemed like every one of our boys had a chance to score (including Ben, Dylan, Joel & William)& it seemed inevitable that we would take the lead before long.
However, completely against the run of play, Beverley picked the ball up in our half & after a great run from one of their players, they managed to score.
One of the many attributes of our team is that they are undaunted when the other side score & we continued to attack through the remainder of the first half & the second half. However, despite raining shots on their goal, we didn't manage to get the goal we deserved & the score remained 1-0 to Beverley
Match 2
After a brief spell when the rain had stopped, the umbrellas went up again as the second match got underway. By now there were lots of muddy faces (and knees & hands etc) on both sides & it was difficult to tell what colour shirt each goalkeeper was wearing - by now, they were distinctly brown!
The second match seemed to follow the format of the first one, with Cottingham having lots of possession & chances, but no goals as reward. However, Beverley took the few chances that came their way & by the end of the first half we found ourselves 2-0 down.
In the second half we threw caution to the wind & decided to push more players into attack. We were finally rewarded when the referee gave us a penalty for a hand-ball in the area. (It seemed a bit harsh to me, but it was awarded by Beverley's referee rather than ours.) Harry took responsibility for taking the penalty & crashed it into the net. (I really laughed later in the match when the Beverley coach was shouting instructions to one of his defenders to mark Harry. He shouted "watch their number 6....... the one with a beard!!" Whilst I admit he's big for his age, he's not using my razors just yet!)
Fired on, the boys played some great football & shortly afterwards drew level after a well worked goal scored by Josh C. The goal was well deserved & it was good to see Josh's good all round play properly rewarded.
We continued to push hard for the win but despite lots of great efforts, we just couldn't score again before the whistle went. It was terrific to see the boys fight back from 2-0 to draw 2-2 & it was an all round team effort from all eleven players. Special mention must go to those boys (including Kieran, Josh L, Taylor & Ewan) who worked tirelessly to provide great defence & also to support our attacks.
We then decided to have a penalty competition, despite the goalmouth looking like a mud-bath & the penalty spot being water-logged. And just like last week, through a combination of great saves from Benson & some tremendous shots from all our players, we comfortably won the penalty shoot-out.
So, all the players left happy & looking forward to the matches still to come. And as always, the usual thanks from me & John for the terrific vocal encouragement from our supporters & for their help in setting up & dismantling the goals.
And it was great to hear that the "B" team continued their unbeaten run with 3-0 & 1-0 wins away at Swanland.
John & I arrived to set the goals up & were pleased to see that our pitch seemed OK. The goal areas were a bit muddy & likely to get worse, but overall the pitch seemed to have drained well despite the dreadful weather.
Clearly it's only the coaches, parents & supporters that are concerned by the weather - as usual the boys arrived full of smiles & ready for the challenge ahead. After a warm-up, we were ready to get going.......
Match 1
I'm not sure what our boys had eaten for breakfast, but they started like an express train, with lots of possession & plenty of shots on goal. Unfortunately like last week, we were up against a goalkeeper who excelled himself & was covered in mud from head to foot within a few minutes. It seemed like every one of our boys had a chance to score (including Ben, Dylan, Joel & William)& it seemed inevitable that we would take the lead before long.
However, completely against the run of play, Beverley picked the ball up in our half & after a great run from one of their players, they managed to score.
One of the many attributes of our team is that they are undaunted when the other side score & we continued to attack through the remainder of the first half & the second half. However, despite raining shots on their goal, we didn't manage to get the goal we deserved & the score remained 1-0 to Beverley
Match 2
After a brief spell when the rain had stopped, the umbrellas went up again as the second match got underway. By now there were lots of muddy faces (and knees & hands etc) on both sides & it was difficult to tell what colour shirt each goalkeeper was wearing - by now, they were distinctly brown!
The second match seemed to follow the format of the first one, with Cottingham having lots of possession & chances, but no goals as reward. However, Beverley took the few chances that came their way & by the end of the first half we found ourselves 2-0 down.
In the second half we threw caution to the wind & decided to push more players into attack. We were finally rewarded when the referee gave us a penalty for a hand-ball in the area. (It seemed a bit harsh to me, but it was awarded by Beverley's referee rather than ours.) Harry took responsibility for taking the penalty & crashed it into the net. (I really laughed later in the match when the Beverley coach was shouting instructions to one of his defenders to mark Harry. He shouted "watch their number 6....... the one with a beard!!" Whilst I admit he's big for his age, he's not using my razors just yet!)
Fired on, the boys played some great football & shortly afterwards drew level after a well worked goal scored by Josh C. The goal was well deserved & it was good to see Josh's good all round play properly rewarded.
We continued to push hard for the win but despite lots of great efforts, we just couldn't score again before the whistle went. It was terrific to see the boys fight back from 2-0 to draw 2-2 & it was an all round team effort from all eleven players. Special mention must go to those boys (including Kieran, Josh L, Taylor & Ewan) who worked tirelessly to provide great defence & also to support our attacks.
We then decided to have a penalty competition, despite the goalmouth looking like a mud-bath & the penalty spot being water-logged. And just like last week, through a combination of great saves from Benson & some tremendous shots from all our players, we comfortably won the penalty shoot-out.
So, all the players left happy & looking forward to the matches still to come. And as always, the usual thanks from me & John for the terrific vocal encouragement from our supporters & for their help in setting up & dismantling the goals.
And it was great to hear that the "B" team continued their unbeaten run with 3-0 & 1-0 wins away at Swanland.
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