To some people a "derby match" might be described as Liverpool against Everton, Rangers against Celtic or even Real Madrid against Barcelona - but they are nothing compared to Cottingham Rangers Under 8's "A" team against the "B" team!
It turned out to be a bright but cold Sunday morning & despite some heavy rain over the previous few days, the pitch looked to be in remarkably good condition. Not surprisingly both teams were at full strength & raring to go.
From our side, we'd decided to appoint a captain for each half of both matches. As the boys grow in confidence, we want to encourage them to communicate on the pitch & make more decisions for themselves & hope that the captain will help to develop that.
Match 1
As the boys still train together, there were no surprises regarding the players on each side & it started out as the competitive match we had expected. Despite waking up feeling a little under the weather, JoshL was captain for the first half & did a superb job marshalling his team, whilst playing a great role at the heart of the defence.
Both sides were playing well & there was some great passing on show. There weren't many clear cut chances but the "B"team managed to convert on of theirs to go 1-0 ahead.
We continued with our policy of giving everyone an equal amount of playing time & the opportunity to play in different positions. For the second half, the team was expertly captained by Ewan, who made sure everyone knew what their position was. Despite some great team play from our side (including Kieran, JoshC, William, Dylan & Joel) we weren't able to equalise, so the first match went to the B team 1-0.
Match 2
For the first half of match two, Harry was chosen as captain & organised his team well from the heart of the defence. William, who'd played well in goal last week, took over the goalies jersey from Benson for this match.
Just as with the first match, it was a tightly contested affair with lots of good play from both sides. Again, it was the B team who made the most of their opportunities & opened the scoring in the first half. They could have scored more goals if it hadn't been for some great defending by Taylor, Harry, Ewan & Benson.)
Determined to equalise in the second half, we pushed on & were suitably rewarded when Ben fired home from close range to equalise. Ben was captain in the second half & playing in defence - so it just shows that defenders can get up front & score.
At that point, I made a mistake & asked all the boys to push up to see if we could score another in the final minutes. Unfortunately this left space at the back which allowed the B team to score a breakaway goal, which ended up being the winner - the final score 2-1 to the B team. (Next time I'll keep quiet & let the boys make the playing decisions for themselves!)
It was an enjoyable morning, despite the results & we ended with the usual penalty competition, which was another evenly matched contest.
When it came to the Man of the Match award, John & I found it impossible to pick a winner - so we asked Paul (who'd refereed both matches & was well placed to decide) to choose for us. For his all round play & for communication with his team, Harry was deservedly awarded "Man of the Match" for this week.
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