A fantastic performance by the U12s to beat Deddington 2-1 in a New Year nailbiter. Inspired by the sight of Steve Earl hitting the gym, the boys (down to a bareboned 11 after an injury to goalie, Henry) dug deep and managed to thwart the fired up Deddington.
Back from the winter break and we were without Leo, Doddie and Joe so our squad was down to twelve. Twelve boys who had feasted heartily on turkey, pudding and Quality Street during the Christmas holidays. Would the extra pounds hinder them? Would the big Westminster pitch exhaust them? No! Both sets of players produced a magnificent first 30 minutes of football as the ball zipped end to end. It was exhilarating to watch, the passes were clever, the running incredible and the chances coming thick and fast. Cumnor got their reward with two really well taken goals thanks to far post poacher Harry and a snapshot by Jack. All was looking good as we approached half-time with a 2-0 lead.
Hang on, this is Deddington... the team that never know when they are beaten. And there was a complication: Henry had to go off with a groin strain meaning reorganisation and no subs for the second-half. Josh took the grey keeper jersey and Will stepped back to partner Rory in central defence. Whereas the first-half was all about quick incisive breaks, Adam tearing down the flank, Will threading Gerard-esque passes to Fyn, Toby and Rory snuffing out attacks... the second half was a dogfight which called on spirit, grit and guts. Despite Rory and Will being under siege, Josh making excellent saves and Jack tackling everything... all that was good about Cumnor was summed up in one word: Ben. He had an incredible half, powered by baked beans, winning the ball and driving straight at the heart of the Deddington defence to relieve the relentless pressure, making attack the best form of defence. Still Deddington came, James and Fyn tried to work openings, Harry and Lucas looked for space but time and again, Will, Rory, Toby and Adam were forced to make last ditch challenges. Finally, Deddington scored after we failed to clear a free kick. Would it be 2-2 again? We felt certain it would but in the end, we held out. Just. 2-1 Cumnor. What a match. What a team.
Player of the Week: special plaudits to Ben, sickly Will, Adam and Rory but pow, Josh for 'volunteering' to go in. Tremendous courage, terrific hands
Monday, 7 January 2013
Monday, 17 December 2012
Jaffas Well And Truly Squeezed
I've been asked to supply a detailed description of each goal in yesterday's 22-0, yes, 22-0 win. I can't, it's impossible, the goals were flying in faster than I could write and the match became a blur of shots, celebrations, re-starts, substitutions and tactical switches. What I can provide is the order the goals were scored and it went like this: Harry, Adam, Harry, Jack, James, Josh, Will, James, Will, Will (that's the first half taken care of). Then it was Doddie, Joe, Fyn, James, Doddie, Harry, Jack, Fyn, Henry, Jack, Toby and last but certainly not least, Lucas. There were hat ricks for Harry, Will, Jack, James, couple each for Doddie and Fyn plus first goals this season for Joe, Toby, Henry and Lucas. All in all, a pretty good afternoon.
The boys played particularly well and were largely disciplined enough to keep playing football. Especially pleasing was the way they finished because we saw the full range of goals: individual efforts, tap ins, long shots, dinks, clips and piledrivers. It's difficult to pick out one goal being better than the others but Lucas' was especially pleasing because of Joe's interception and run, Toby's pass and Lucas' cool shot past the advancing (and I have to say, quite good) keeper. At that point, Lucas was the only player not to score - a remarkable statistic - and his teammates were keen for him to get on the sheet which showed terrific camaraderie.
We changed the line up around because we wanted to give players like Josh, who is such a defensive rock, a run up front and take a look at Jack (who never lets us down) at the back. There were notable performances from Harry, Lucas and Doddie as well as Will (wherever we played him), Toby and James. It's just a shame Ben, Rory and Leo weren't 'at the party'.
In all seriousness, we'll probably never experience a game quite like that and it's important the boys view it for what it was: an exercise in finishing, so they can all take confidence from putting the ball in the back of the net. I'd also like to pay tribute to Brackley's players and coaches, they never gave in, they never lost heart and actually cheered us at the end. There's a lesson here for us, if something doesn't go our way in a game, don't get despondent, don't let your head drop, don't give in... Brackley didn't.
Player of the Week: a superb display at right back and in central defence and a goal too from our stand in skipper and POW, Joe.
The boys played particularly well and were largely disciplined enough to keep playing football. Especially pleasing was the way they finished because we saw the full range of goals: individual efforts, tap ins, long shots, dinks, clips and piledrivers. It's difficult to pick out one goal being better than the others but Lucas' was especially pleasing because of Joe's interception and run, Toby's pass and Lucas' cool shot past the advancing (and I have to say, quite good) keeper. At that point, Lucas was the only player not to score - a remarkable statistic - and his teammates were keen for him to get on the sheet which showed terrific camaraderie.
We changed the line up around because we wanted to give players like Josh, who is such a defensive rock, a run up front and take a look at Jack (who never lets us down) at the back. There were notable performances from Harry, Lucas and Doddie as well as Will (wherever we played him), Toby and James. It's just a shame Ben, Rory and Leo weren't 'at the party'.
In all seriousness, we'll probably never experience a game quite like that and it's important the boys view it for what it was: an exercise in finishing, so they can all take confidence from putting the ball in the back of the net. I'd also like to pay tribute to Brackley's players and coaches, they never gave in, they never lost heart and actually cheered us at the end. There's a lesson here for us, if something doesn't go our way in a game, don't get despondent, don't let your head drop, don't give in... Brackley didn't.
Player of the Week: a superb display at right back and in central defence and a goal too from our stand in skipper and POW, Joe.
Monday, 10 December 2012
Tower Scaled Back
The view on this match will probably depend on team loyalties. Tower will point to missed chances and say '2 points dropped'. Cumnor will look at the discipline and industry and say a 'a point well earned'. Either way, it was a compelling encounter played in cruelly cold conditions.
Twice Tower went ahead thanks to the ever dangerous Piers but twice we came back thanks to Ben finding the net from the edge of the box. Tower did create more chances and brilliant clearances by Joe and Rory - and some very fine decision making by Leo - kept us in the match. What was most pleasing however, was the discipline all the boys displayed. We had a game plan to nullify Piers by putting Rory tight to him, leaving Josh covering and Ben and Will holding posession in midfield. Despite being blessed with talent throughout the team, there was a sense that Tower would resort to the early through ball to Piers as their frustration grew. He scored two and almost bagged a few more but Rory (who was suffering from a bad chest infection) was just brilliant in a difficult role.
All the boys put a performance in, Doddie looked exceptionally insightful when we tucked him in for a 10 minute midfield cameo. Jack and Fyn were tireless and inventive, Harry a revelation when he had the confidence to bomb on and attack the ball. James, Lucas, Toby and Joe all made significant contributions and stuck to their tasks magnificently.
In the second half, playing against the slope and the wind, we knew Tower would come at us quick and fast so that's why we pushed Will and Adam back to help Josh because three ball players at the back meant we could break up attacks and use the ball wisely. This also left Rory free to do his man-marking job. However, one player yesterday really stood out as the best player on the pitch and that was Ben. His midfield partnership with Will helped nullify the clever Tower midfield and in the second-half, he was breaking up attacks and driving forward with real skill and purpose. His brace of goals were an apt reward for an epic game.
The game was played in terrific spirit too and as ever, Tower Hill proved a worthy challenge for our small but determined squad.
Player of the Week: a choice between the herculean Rory, the decisive Leo but in the end, it had to be Ben.
Twice Tower went ahead thanks to the ever dangerous Piers but twice we came back thanks to Ben finding the net from the edge of the box. Tower did create more chances and brilliant clearances by Joe and Rory - and some very fine decision making by Leo - kept us in the match. What was most pleasing however, was the discipline all the boys displayed. We had a game plan to nullify Piers by putting Rory tight to him, leaving Josh covering and Ben and Will holding posession in midfield. Despite being blessed with talent throughout the team, there was a sense that Tower would resort to the early through ball to Piers as their frustration grew. He scored two and almost bagged a few more but Rory (who was suffering from a bad chest infection) was just brilliant in a difficult role.
All the boys put a performance in, Doddie looked exceptionally insightful when we tucked him in for a 10 minute midfield cameo. Jack and Fyn were tireless and inventive, Harry a revelation when he had the confidence to bomb on and attack the ball. James, Lucas, Toby and Joe all made significant contributions and stuck to their tasks magnificently.
In the second half, playing against the slope and the wind, we knew Tower would come at us quick and fast so that's why we pushed Will and Adam back to help Josh because three ball players at the back meant we could break up attacks and use the ball wisely. This also left Rory free to do his man-marking job. However, one player yesterday really stood out as the best player on the pitch and that was Ben. His midfield partnership with Will helped nullify the clever Tower midfield and in the second-half, he was breaking up attacks and driving forward with real skill and purpose. His brace of goals were an apt reward for an epic game.
The game was played in terrific spirit too and as ever, Tower Hill proved a worthy challenge for our small but determined squad.
Player of the Week: a choice between the herculean Rory, the decisive Leo but in the end, it had to be Ben.
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