7 Boys Football v Clevedon

On Wednesday 8 March SK hosted Clevedon School for a friendly football fixture. The year 7 boys were 16 strong with one or two still unavailable for this match. There is a huge amount of talent in year 7 but really limited footballing experience which makes this a fascinating group to work with! Having just a handful of boys that play regular club football is a real rarity but what the boys might lack in experience they certainly make up for in strength of character!

Clevedon started the game very strongly and kept SK penned deep inside their own half for a large part of the first half. The boys simply couldn’t get out of their half and had their backs to the wall defending for their lives. It might have been a bit last ditch but you couldn’t fault the boys’ enthusiasm as they showed absolute determination to keep their opponents out. Captain Nana GS led the resistance and set a fantastic example to others. His ball winning tenacity paid off on countless occasions and his counterpart Ben Lumoso also did his fair share of tackling. Full backs Liam Osborne and Enzo Perold were also digging deep to keep out the dangerous threat of the Clevedon wingers. All credit to the home side as they went into the quarter break still in the game at 0-0 – much to Toby’s delight!

During the break the boys decided that although they were in the game, they hadn’t caused Clevedon too many problems in attack. We agreed on a change to the formation with the hope of some players in red shirts foraging forwards. The change seemed to have an almost instant effect as the boys started to play some football in the Clevedon half. The introduction of Maxamuud, Paice and Stock made a real difference to the boys’ attacking potency; Hamza in particular impressing with some cute footwork in the middle of the pitch despite the conditions underfoot. Nana was delighted with the change in fortunes and actually made a point of coming up to me in the game to whisper that ‘his plan was working’. Nana may not have intended to tempt fate but that was exactly what happened as just minutes later the boys were dealt a double helping of cruel luck!

The first blow came after a well struck ball was parried but squirmed its way over the line at a snails pace while the closest red players could only look on helplessly. The second came almost immediately when an attempted SK clearance had the opposite effect and nestled into the roof of the home goal net. I couldn’t believe it – I had refereed two games in as many days and had witness 3 St Kath’s own goals! At half time the boys were desperately disappointed but picked themselves up ready to go out and try to get back into the second half of the game.

It is only fair to acknowledge the depth of quality that Clevedon had in their side. The spine of the team was particularly strong with their captain keeping things under control at the back while their central midfielder was dominant; physically and technically. SK were really up against it as Clevedon started to play some immaculate football. The midfield worked really hard in the third quarter with Yilmaz, Adebo and West really gritting their teeth. Leo in particular showed a persistence like no other on the pitch as he went in search of the spark that could get his team back into the game.

Clevedon went on to score 3 more goals unanswered in the second half of the game to the disappointment of the year 7 boys. They battled hard for long periods but just found it really difficult to get a foot hold in the game. They lacked a little positional sense which can only come from experience and in all fairness; Clevedon really exploited this as the game wore on. When your team are really up against it you learn a huge amount about the characters in your team and I have to say that there are a number of boys who really stood up to the test.

Man of the match was a non-contest and was universally acknowledged by players from both teams and both teachers! Toby Rice epitomised everything that is great about the year 7 football team as he went about his work with a huge determination and resilience. Toby made save after save in the second half to the absolute dismay of the Clevedon attackers. His performance in goal was one of utter competence, leadership & competitiveness – he was without any doubt the best player on the pitch.

It was fantastic to see so many boys represent the school and I have complete confidence that this group will continue to get better the more they play the game. I would encourage each and every one of them to get to their local football club if they aren’t already playing!

Plenty of football to come boys – best of luck for your next game against Broadoak.

Mr Cook