10 Boys Football v NSETC II

On Tuesday 28 February a depleted year 10 boys football squad travelled down to NSETC in WSM for a rematch of a fixture that had taken place almost at the start of the school year. At the start of the day there were 16 names on the team sheet & a healthy looking squad but by the end of the school day the boys were down to 11 as a result of illness and looking far from healthy! In search of another player the boys collared year 9 captain Eli Smith from his training session and asked him to come along to bolster the team.

The boys arrived really relishing the chance to play on the fantastic new 4G surface at NSETC; however the downside was the exposed location and the punishing wind that was rifling from one end of the pitch to the other! Captain Kieran Phillips told his team that they would be playing with the wind in the first half and it is no exaggeration to say that the boys needed at least a 3 goal lead at half time in order to compensate for the conditions.

The boys almost had the dream start when the ball was played from the centre kick to the feet of captain and talisman Phillips. Kieran beat two advancing members of the opposition with ease and hit a perfectly weighted through ball for striker Sam Sanders. Sam chased the pass down brilliantly and found himself 1 on 1 with the NSETC goalkeeper only to fire the ball at the base of the upright and watch it rebound out for a goal kick. After making such a dominant start the boys got a little ahead of themselves and started to play a little too directly. The central three in the midfield were on the ball a lot but just looked to push the ball forwards too early in search of an early first goal. NSETC coped well with the direct nature of play as their keeper swept calmly and their defenders looked to play the ball out.

After settling into the game the midfield trio quickly worked out that they had the beating of their counterparts and started to build their attacking moves in a more patient fashion. Kieran and Mickey showed earlier this year that they have a really good understanding in the middle together and were starting to link up impressively again in this game. You could easily have forgiven Eli for being intimidated playing on his own in the age group above, however this was far from the case and he looked to be loving every minute of playing alongside Mickey and Kieran. The boys had a lot of the ball and plenty of options ahead of them with Rickards and Harris holding good wide positions. It took just 10 minutes for Sam to find himself staring down another goal scoring opportunity after he had watched on of his team mates go 1 on 1 with the keeper. This time the ball had been parried down and as all good strikers do, Sam was on hand to get a toe on the loose ball and turn it into the net.

From that point onwards the team really settled into their stride and it was just 2 minutes later when Kieran went on a really strong run, driving the ball through the midfield and going at the NSETC centre back. Kieran easily beat the defender for pace and finished impressively after going through on goal. Both early goals had been from well inside the penalty area but as a result of the wind there was some real scope for some long range efforts. The boys quickly realised that the long shot was not on but was also going to be really tricky for the goalkeeper to deal with. The wind was directionally strong but also gusting which made it really unpredictable. Mickey, Kieran and Eli were all keen to let fly and it wasn’t long before they started troubling the goal. There was one strike in particular that didn’t trouble the goal at all or, in fact the net behind the goal in place to stop the ball flying over the fence – the owner of said shot shall remain nameless! Seconds later Kieran looked to better his first effort when he unleashed a thunderous strike from range which struck the underside of the crossbar and rifled down at the goal line. It was ‘Frank Lampard-esque’ for those of you who can remember the England goal that never was against Germany in the 2010 World Cup! Kieran didn’t care what the score sheet said he was claiming the effort – unfortunately we don’t have the benefit of video replays so we will never truly know!

It seems as though long shots were the order of the day as the boys started to try their luck from all over the pitch. Paul had watched his first right footed attempt go just wide of the goal before being presented with his second opportunity. The ball was played perfectly across his body but onto his left foot rather than his preferred right. Paul couldn’t refuse the invitation and struck the ball sweetly with his left such that it nestled beautifully into the top left corner of the net giving his team the 3 goal lead they were targeting. Conscious that 3 might not be enough we changed formation and introduced Brendan Bennett to the game as a striking partner for Sam dropping one of the boys out of the defensive line (3-5-2). Brendan wasted no time in getting his first touch as he showed his feet to collect a pass from the midfield laying the ball back again to continue the move. This extra attacking potency gave Sam a little more space and time which he really made the most of. Sam scored two goals in as many minutes in what was a real forwards hatrick. His first we already know was the first reaction to a loose ball, his second was the follow up to a long range shot and his third a clinical finish into the bottom corner. Sam looked delighted with his hatrick but it was difficult to tell because he is always smiling regardless! Sam had really got into his school football this year and it is lovely to watch him enjoying playing and scoring goals!

At half time the boys had a 5 goal lead which they looked good for. I haven’t even mentioned any defenders or the goalkeeper yet because they simply had nothing to do in the first half. The second half however was a very different story! Although I said that the defenders and goalkeeper had nothing to do in the first half that was a slight exaggeration. In fact Mott was tested a number of times down the left hand side by the strong and quick NSETC winger but stood firm on each occasion and refused to yield despite the pressure he came under. The rest of the boys would need the same gritty determination if they were going to see out this second half challenge.

Almost immediately NSETC benefited from the change of ends as they enjoyed 3 minutes of play firmly in the SK half. When the ball was at the feet of an NSETC midfielder with space and time it was little surprise that the long shot came from range. Louis Stratton had taken the bullet for his team earlier in the day after finding out that goalkeeper Ed Powell had to go home unwell. Louis put his hand up metaphorically to take on the vacancy but unfortunately wasn’t able to get his hand or any other part of his body to the long shot that came his was at the start of the second half. Was this the start of the NSETC comeback? We certainly hoped not! Louis strength of character and ability really came through in the following minutes and it seemed that the support of his team mates galvanised the group. The boys all took responsibility for failing to close down the long shot and acknowledged that Louis could do absolutely nothing to stop the ball – so often not the case in junior football where the goalkeeper always gets the blame! Louis took heart from this support and made several vital interventions during the second half using his rugby handling skills to great effect. One particular catch from a corner was hugely impressive as he clung on to the high ball despite being surrounded by a number of challengers!

The boys were working really hard defensively in the second half to close down every potential opportunity for a long shot and to snuff out any hopes that the opposition might have had for a comeback. In a wind this strong it was vital that Zhang and Pearce were positionally sound in the centre of defence and they were absolutely on the money. Caolan’s natural athleticism and insatiable tenacity to win the ball really complemented Hao Hao’s composure and level-headedness and the pair worked in tandem to great effect for long periods of the second half. Jason and Drew were also doing an excellent job of providing cover for their defensive partners. On a number of occasions Jason found himself between ball and target and putting his body on the line for the cause. One occasion in particular stands out in my mind as Jason used his face to prevent a through ball reaching its intended target – his team mates were delighted although I’m fairly sure Jason wasn’t quite as pleased! Drew Hastings got to the ball first a number of times at right back and made one spirited last ditch tackle to prevent a shot on goal after an NSETC player had broken through.

The boys were resolute in their defensive effort and showed no signs of crumbling despite the pressure. When they did get a hold of the ball they looked to find Eli’s feet as he was really demonstrating his ability to hold the ball up and give a pass to keep possession. NSETC were dominant without question for the second half but SK did still manage to create some chances. Boys worked the ball to the by-line to cross several times only to watch the ball miss the all-important final touch by a matter of millimetres. Unable to score again the SK boys were increasingly frustrated as the game wore on. Their frustrations were only increased when they conceded with almost the last play of the match having held out for so long. They needn’t have been frustrated as the final result of 5-2 was very well deserved indeed.

I really enjoyed watching this performance as it really highlighted the strength of character and team ethic that this group of boys possess. They enjoyed the going when it was good in the first half making the most of the chances they were given and they also dug their heels in when the going was much tougher against the wind in the second half. Man of the match could have gone to several of the boys; Stratton for taking on the thankless task of keeping goal, Kieran for being the driving force behind the team or Paul for scoring a beauty! It was only fair to give man of the match to the hatrick hero Sam Sanders whose complete performance was mightily impressive to watch. Great to see a young man enjoying playing football with a huge smile on his face!

Many congratulations gentlemen – best of luck going into next week’s game against Clevedon.

Mr Cook