On the 1st May we played Middleton Lads. We expected a hard, close game and that was precisely what we got. It was a really good game between two equal teams.

Daniel put a good ball over the top. James came from nowhere to chase the ball on but it sped away across the dead ball line.

Liam did a great job shielding the ball. He stopped the attacker getting to it, putting his body in between and using his strength.  He was patrolling the attackers well, watching the ball well and anticipating the play. Mitch rose well to put in a header.

Brad passed the ball to Julius. It was a good ball and Julius made a good shot which was saved.  From a corner Jordan put in a header. It looked like it was going in but was saved. From the resultant kick, Daniel collected the ball and put in a rocket shot from outside the area. It rattled into the bottom corner.

Soon after the ball came to him again. He smashed with his left foot and his shot was saved.

At the back Jordan and Liam were doing very well. Jordan was putting in some very good headers and tackles, Liam likewise.  Both were working hard to keep with the attackers and cut out the ball. At the other end Julius was putting pressure on them, making them play the ball out.

We were unlucky to concede an equaliser. They ran through from an offside position. Liam tracked back but was unable to retrieve the situation. Eliot, too, almost had him.

Liam made a good header. Mitch made a clearance. Jack took the ball off a player. We were also playing a good offside line, despite the blip. Liam was playing a commanding role in the defence, making his presence felt in the air and on the floor. There was some great defending from Jordan, Ndaba, Liam, Mikey and Eliot.

A good ball was put through to Julius on goal. He seemed to slip as he went to pull the trigger and he shot over.  Daniel passed to Mikey who put a superb ball over. He floated it over from the wing. Was it a shot? Anyway the keeper collected and fumbled. The ball came to Stephen on the far post – again – and he knocked the ball in.

Jack was marshalling his player well. Brad was helping out, putting in a good shift tackling. The man of the match was all over the pitch. Jordan made an excellent tackle and Eliot was coming out well, patrolling his area.  Liam made a good tackle and passed it across to Ndaba. He kept the ball in brilliantly meggsing a player using skill to bring it back on his left foot. He then passed to Julius infield who passed to Mikey. This was super counter attack play.

Despite this they equalised again with a wonder goal. There was nothing Eliot could do about that one.

That spurred us into action once more. James sprinted onto the ball and lobbed the keeper but went wide.  Julius was putting immense pressure on the defenders and James’ speed was ripping them apart. Liam was awesome at the back. He was first to everything. He was using his whole body to get in the way of the ball.

Eliot came out well to tackle and get the ball away. He was quick off the mark.  Brad made a great tackle and put in a strong shoulder barge. Then they gained a penalty after Eliot had caught the man. This was particularly heartbreaking after he was offside anyway.

Ndaba passed to James. Good play.  Stephen threw the ball to Brad who passed back to Stephen. Great play. James went on a great run, ran wide and put a good ball in. Stephen made a header down and passed out to Daniel. His shot was saved. James shot over.  Daniel passed to Julius who passed to James. He made a good shot which was saved. Julius went on a run through the middle. He passed to Mikey. He crossed it in but the ball whizzed over Julius’ head.

 Liam brilliantly forced a player wide and forced him into making a shot into the side netting.  Eliot came out well to block and save.  Jack made a great tackle to take the ball off a player.  Ndaba made a great clearance. Jordan made a superb tackle. Liam was mopping up well.

Brad, James, Daniel and Sam were all involved in a lovely passage of play. Good football and nice passing and moving.  Julius made a super run showing determination to keep going. He was tackled and won the ball back and kept going. He managed to get a pass across but it was behind the player. Mikey passed to Brad who shot wide. Daniel went on a great run through the middle. He took the ball into the area and passed a great through ball to James. He rounded the keeper but the ball spun out of control.

That was the last chance. Played well. Deserved more but didn’t get the luck today.

On the 29th April we took on Reddish Vulcans in the worst weather ever known to man. It was that bad that Andrew was worried about the players getting hypothermia, the warm up and half time team talks took place in Mark’s garage, Ndaba refused to come back out after half time and Jack was crying because he couldn’t feel his feet and hands. (However it has to be said he played better that way. After he had asked to come off he played some of the best football I have seen him play. He was brilliant at cutting out the attack and ferocious in the tackle.)

The wind was force ten and bitterly cold and on top of that was driving rain. Not good football weather and at first we proved that. We struggled to play in the conditions and were soon 4-0 down. Enter Sam. Sam had played magnificently the week before and today he was instrumental also. He ran the middle and started to organise things and it wasn’t long before we scored. James used his speed to cut through the middle and slot home. A couple of minutes later man of the match Daniel collected the ball on the right hand side before powering across the pitch using his strength to round would be tacklers. He cut across and rounded several players before powering through the middle and rifling a shot from the edge of the area. A great individual goal.

For number three Sam passed to James who shot through the defence before putting a lovely ball across goal for Daniel to tap in.

Now everyone was getting excited and suddenly stopped feeling the cold. The players were vibrant and so too were the spectators. Could a shock be on the cards?

James sped through the middle and shot. The keeper spilled it and who should be there but poacher extraordinaire, Stephen. There he was on the post to tap it in. We were level.  Our tails were up and again we motored forward. We could win this.

 Attacking wise, Sam, James, Daniel and Brad were superb. They were involved in everything that was good about this performance. Stephen too played very well on the wing and ran with purpose and passed well. Jordan too was all action as he joined the attack regularly. And we continued to attack but time was now running out.

At the other end, Jack was sensational tackling his winger hard. Sean, Danny and Jordan also tackled well throughout to keep a very good team at bay. They were well organised and proficient.

Time did run out and we ended up with a draw. But who would have expected that before the match or at 4-0 down. We showed belief and commitment and skill to come back. What a performance! I don’t know about the lads but the parents are certainly having a good time supporting this team this season.

On the 22nd April we played Higher Blackley – and lost. Why? Who can say. We absolutely battered them. We dazzled and excited the spectators with some wonderful football – particularly in the first half – but lost. Why? How? It was true that we were lacking a force up front – not for the first time this season – and that despite all the wonderful passing and grit in the middle the final third let us down. Unfortunately we didn’t capitalise on the chances and superiority we had and they took their chances however sparse they were.

Sam and Stephen started off like a house on fire. The first half belonged to these two. Both had outstanding games. They were sensational. They played good football; Sam making some lovely passes and Stephen some nice passing to Brad. Brad was also putting some nice balls the other way. All three were linking exceptionally well. They were producing good combinations and positive play. Sam was also making good headers and showing immense strength and commitment. He was tackling and distributing well: a dynamo in midfield. He also made an excellent clearance from a corner. Then he made a good block. He was all over the pitch. He was having a blinder.

Stephen brilliantly confused a defender by cutting back on his right foot. Megs! Wonderful!

Daniel was excellent at hassling defensively. No one was getting past him. Eliot came out well to block.

In attack, Sean put an excellent ball over to Ndaba from a free kick. Ndaba chased it on and put a good cross in.  Jack , Stephen and Sam combined well in a lovely piece of football. Sam put a great ball through to Brad. Eliot made a great kick straight into the box. James and Brad were chasing this down but both got blocked. Sean showed wonderful control chesting the ball down on to his foot before dispatching it up to the front men. Eliot made another brilliant kick. Sam put a lovely ball to Stephen who passed to Brad who passed to James who passed to Stephen who crossed it in. Super football.

At the back, Sean made a good tackle and clearance. Jack, Daniel and Liam were also defending well. Liam was a towering presence at the back, leaping up for every ball played over and defending hard. Jack went in hard to beat his man. But if we thought that was hard what came next was…well…hard. Sam made a magnificent challenge in the middle of the field. A real crunching tackle. Hard.

Sam passed to Daniel who put a great ball up to James. He produced a neat ball and knocked it past the keeper. It rolled towards the net but was cleared on the line.

Sam put a header down to Daniel. He  sprayed the ball wide to Stephen who passed back to Jack. He then put a great ball to James. Excellent play.

Mikey put a great ball in, it went wide to Brad. He got it back in to James.

James made a great looping shot, the keeper got his fingertips to it.

Mikey passed to Daniel who passed to Brad who passed back to Daniel. He stormed through the defence before offloading to James.

Sean was producing some brilliant defending, heading and tackling and tracking back to knock the ball out. Jordan was calm and cool, heading the ball away. Sean made a good tackle and Danny was there to help and clear up. Eliot, the ninja, was brilliant when they were awarded a penalty. No problem. He really is the penalty king.

Jordan and Mikey put some good passing together. Eliot put a good ball up to Jordan and he put a great ball up to James. He passed across to Brad who sliced it wide. Great play.

Liam and Daniel were helping out at the back well. Defending well. Danny was also tackling well. He refused to be beaten and kept niggling away at the attacker. Liam was first to everything. Goal kicks coming in – he just mopped them up with his head or foot. He made a good tackle in the middle of the field. He won the ball, passed it to Jordan who passed it to Mikey who passed it to James. Unfortunately the ball just went away from him. Liam passed to Mikey. He had a good shot.

Sean and Liam made good headers in the box. Sean made a tremendous tackle. Jordan an equally good one. Danny, a superb one on the edge of the box. Eliot made a brilliant save at the post. Sean won a header. Sam and Liam were strong in the middle. They prevented the attack moving forward. At times both on the same poor man. Sam won the ball after one altercation and passed it up to James.

Mikey put a great ball up to Daniel. Ndaba made a wonderful run through the middle. He put a sweet ball through to Daniel. This time he beat the defender and the keeper and knocked it into the bottom corner.

Jordan made a run up the wing, passed on to Mikey who put a good ball inside to Daniel but he wasn’t to get his second.

Sam was undoubtably the manager’s man of the match. It is not often he receives praise from the manager so it was well due. And there were many glowing accolades. He was outstanding. Not far behind him though for me today was Stephen. Another young man that doesn’t win a lot of accolades. He, too, deserved it today. Both played extremely well.

The man of the match was Eliot. Again another solid performance in net – and another penalty save. Others who showed up well were Sean, Liam and Daniel and Brad in the first half.

But ultimately disappointing to play like we did in the first half and then lose. Don’t tell me that Sam is such an important player that when he comes off everything collapses…

On the 19th April we played Bolton Lads. And still on a high from Tuesday’s epic win. And we played bloomin well. In fact if the manager hadn’t had to take key players off with injuries I reckon we would have beaten them tonight. Such was the atmosphere.

Jordan cut through the middle. He put a great ball through to Daniel. He tried to put a ball over the top for Brad but it was headed away. Jack threw the ball to Sean. He put a super ball over the top to Jordan in the box.

At the other end, Liam and Daniel made some cracking tackles. Danny was also tracking across well.

Daniel passed to Brad who passed to James. The keeper saved his shot.  James again put good pressure on the keeper, his shot was blocked.  Liam passed to Daniel who passed to James who passed to Brad who passed to Daniel. He shot with his left. He slightly mishit it and it went wide. (Should have shot with his right).

We were 1-0 down but didn’t deserve it. We were playing some bright, progressive football. Jordan passed to James who took it round a defender and cut in and hit the ball with power into the right corner. A good goal made from speed, commitment and power. 1-1. And we deserved it.

And so we continued. Liam passed to Brad in acres of space. Good foresight. Daniel used his strength in the middle to bulldoze through. And nothing was coming the other way either. Sean was also on a mission. He shoulder charged one attacker into next week then pulled off a massive tackle racing across field and sliding in with perfect timing. Massive!

And others were following his lead: Sam made two brilliant clearances one after the other; Eliot got his foot to the ball to prevent a goal; Sam made some excellent blocks and challenges; Jordan made a great tackle; Jack and Danny both made super tackles in the box and Eliot another great save.

But it wasn’t to be and they scored another two goals. But still we didn’t give up. Sam passed well; Jack put a good ball to Ndaba; Jordan passed to James who went on another good run towards the net before having his shot saved.

A highly commendable performance from all concerned. Brad was given the man of the match because he was outstanding. He never stopped probing and weaving and moving forward. However others also played extremely well: Daniel; Eliot; Jordan; Sean; Liam; Sam and James in the first half all made their mark in a thrilling, well executed encounter.

On the 15th April we played Avro at home. We had good early pressure and a good ball up to Brad unleashed him on goal. Good work by Ndaba and Daniel resulted in a good header down to James who shot wide – but excellent pressure. Sean was shouting well and encouraging his players. All looked good.

Liam put pressure on the defence then passed the ball to Julius who passed to James who put a super ball across field to Brad. Great football. Mitch and Ndaba were also dominating on the wing, playing fast, expansive football up the channel and inside.

Jack and Danny were using their speed well to mop up any punts upfield. James was also battling defensively to win the ball. Defensively we looked good. The defensive line was good; all were working well together. Mitch was strong in the tackle. He put a fantastic tackle in on Leon. Ndaba blocked a cross and Daniel, Brad and James were helping out. All looked good.

Brad was also running strongly going forward. Ndaba was first to a corner ball and put a neat pass back to Daniel to cross again. He was alert and quick off the mark. Daniel. Liam, Jordan, Jack and Julius were passing extremely well. Good football from one end of the field to the other. James made an excellent challenge.  The free ball went to Julius. He cut in and made a good shot which went wide. James was integral to the performance. He was running swiftly to put pressure on men. On one occasion he ran into the corner to put pressure on and force a mistake because he had to rush the goalkick. James was playing very well.

We had good volume and were playing like a well drilled unit. We looked like we wanted it today. We were first to every ball and hunting the mistake.

Sean put a super ball up to Julius who passed to James.

Jack passed to Julius who passed across to Brad. He juggled with the ball and looped the keeper. It was a great goal and possibly the goal of the season. He started with his back to goal, collected the ball on his knee, down to his instep, passed to his other instep, then turned. Wonderful control. Once he had turned he rounded one player before switching direction on his other foot, knocking the ball past another player and from quite close looped the keeper. Absolutely sensational.

It wasn’t long before they were level though and we had to go again.

Danny and Julius passed well to work the ball from the back up the wing. Julius, Brad, Ndaba and Jordan passed well, with Brad being involved more than once in the move. Jordan’s final cross/shot went wide.

At the back, Jack and Daniel put in good challenges and Liam a good header. Daniel was controlling the middle. He was very strong and was controlling the passing. He was chasing everything too. Liam was assisting with the tackling. Both were a force in the middle – a brick wall.

Danny was chasing back well. Sean put in a block. Jack made a header.  Mitch was tackling fiercely, as was Sean: a good partnership. Sean, Danny passed well along the back. The ball was passed up to Julius. He put a great ball up field to James. Quick counter attack. Julius was also tackling well and helping out. He put in a great shift at the back. On one occasion he tackled, won the ball, passed to Liam, who passed to Daniel, who put a through ball to James. He shot at the keeper. This is a good keeper. Any shots need to be good to beat him.

Daniel went on a great run through the middle. Brad put pressure on the goalkicker and the ball went to James. Jordan put a great ball over. Brad rose to head and missed. He ended up in the net – don’t think that counts.

Brad passed to Julius who passed to James. The ball came back to Daniel who went with his left foot. His shot was blocked. It came bouncing back. He hit with his right foot into the bottom corner. 2-2.

Now we were looking for the winner. Mitch shot wide. Brad, Mikey and James both hit it at the keeper. Brad put a great ball to Julius. His shot went wide. A good shot though.

Danny was defending well. He made a good sweeping move round to collect the ball. Daniel made a great shoulder barge to knock the man off the ball and get the ball to Brad. Jack produced excellent play to keep the ball in, round the man and put in a cross.  Good play involved Daniel, Julius, James and Brad. He then went on a good run and put in an excellent shot which was saved.

But all that happened was that the score went to the other team. We were behind again.

Danny put an excellent ball up to James. He did well to collect the ball and put in a super cross. Julius headed over. Good play.

Danny put a ball over. Brad, James and Julius were all running in. They made the challenge, the keeper couldn’t cope with the pack on him. He didn’t collect. The ball bounced behind him, Brad pounced to finish. 3-3 now. Still searching for the winner.

Brad ran storming in onto a cross and hit the post. Daniel, James and Stephen all shot over. James passed to Mikey who shot wide.

At the back,Danny and Mikey made great tackles and Eliot made a fantastic save with the last kick of the game to preserve a draw.

We absolutely battered them and should have won but at times left ourselves open at the back. We let soft goals in but equally we should have scored more. We played some excellent football, passing well at times, lovely neat passes and balls through, swift and fast build up, stretching the defence with nifty passing and footwork.

The man of the match was Jordan – excellent attacking and defensive play again. He never looks for attention but quietly does his business – very well.

Others who stood out were Brad, Danny and Daniel with James and Julius also working hard.

On the 8th April we played Middleton Lads and after waxing lyrical all season about our magnificent back four it is now time to say
something went wrong today. Very wrong. Middleton are not any better than us but what they do have is a super fast and clinical striker so why was he allowed so much room to simply glide through the middle of the back four after sitting on their shoulders and put the game out of our reach really by half time?

The sad thing is that we weren’t playing badly. In fact we played some good football and in the second half beat them 3-2 and hardly let them touch the ball but still lost because of those errors at marking one man.

Early on Jack made a good clearance and an equally good header from the resultant corner. 

Darius put a super ball to Jack who ran strongly up the wing. Darius too was running strongly on the wing. His pace, composure, skill and delivery was spot on.

Sean made a good run up the wing and passed a good ball to Ndaba. Jordan put a superb ball in to Ndaba who passed across to Stephen who passed to Daniel outside the box. He put a screamer of a shot over the bar.

Jordan threw the ball to Liam who headed down to Brad. He chipped the keeper to level at 1-1. Shortly after though we were behind again after that weak defending mentioned earlier. The first goal was when he ran between Sean and Danny and the second goal was poor defending in
the box. The ball went round two players before ending up in the net. But there is another question. Why when the opposition do that do they score yet when Daniel put a corner ball in in the second half which split the defence and bobbled in front of the keeper do we not have someone pouncing to convert what would be an easy tap in?

Despite what seems to be a negative appraisal of the defence, Sean and Jordan were actually working well together. They combined well to defend and shepherd. Danny also controlled a ball well, chesting down before clearing. Throughout the match all four of them defended well. Both Danny and Sean making crunching tackles, Jordan and Jack marshalling before taking the ball cleanly. It was just lapses of concentration
or awareness which let us down. Again they lost the striker but this time Eliot was aware and alert to come out to block. Daniel made an excellent sliding tackle in the box. Sean made a good header away from a free kick. Danny tracked back well to stop that attacker. Liam made an excellent shoulder barge to stop the attacker. Again Sean and Mitch combined well to halt another attack. Great combination, team defending.  Eliot made a great block and Jack was on hand to clear. Sean made a good header away from the corner. 

A contentious goal put us back into the game at 2-3 but who scored it? Darius put a great ball up the wing. Mikey took the ball down into the corner with a superb turn of pace and skill. He put an excellent ball in. It was defended as far as Jordan. He drove the ball in with a
strong run round the defence to a tight angle on the post. He shot the ball in past the keeper. Brad was on the end with a header. However was it already over the line? Both are claiming a goal. The statisticians will give it to Brad as he touched it over the line last but should it have been
Jordan’s?

 Liam put a good ball over for Brad. He put good pressure on them and looked like he was being pulled back. Jordan passed the ball to Ndaba who passed to Brad. He put a brilliant ball back to Daniel who smashed it in from outside the area (with his right foot. Apparently he is right footed now). Good goal.

Jordan threw the ball to Ndaba. He passed to Brad. He passed to Mikey. The keeper saved his shot. Jack made a good challenge and set
off on a run upfield. He passed a good ball in front of Darius. He collected well and crossed a good ball in. Another good ball through saw Liam chasing on strongly into the box. Jordan passed to Ndaba who passed to Brad who passed to Mikey who again saw his shot saved.  Jack put a great ball over to Mikey who just got beat to it by the keeper. Danny made a superb run right through the middle but got caught in
possession on the edge of the area. Liam passed to Daniel who passed to Darius who passed to James.

We were really coming back at them hard and fast now. Darius passed to Brad who looped the ball cleverly over to Mikey who scored. It was a nice finish. 

Liam made a super tackle;Eliot a good save. Darius put a good ball to James who passed to Brad. The keeper saved his shot.  Daniel sent Darius on a good run up the wing. He cut inside and unleashed a fantastic shot which whizzed wide. Literally seconds later he scored though. Daniel and James produced some excellent play. Daniel then put a header down to Mikey. He shot and was blocked. The ball came to Darius who looped the keeper from a similar position to his first massively unlucky attempt.

Jordan then produced a moment of brilliance. He took the ball as an attacker was about to cross. He scooted round him and up the wing. He then passed to Stephen. He passed to James who put a good ball to Mikey who shot inches wide. Superb play. 

The attack in the second half was fast and furious (so much so that I have missed a lot here – I couldn’t keep up). Wave after wave. Good football was played particularly by Mikey, Daniel, James, Brad, Liam, Jordan and Darius. All these were running strongly and positively. But it was too much to claw back. Our downfall was not defending tightly enough.  Next time hold his shirt lads!

The manager’s man of the match was Darius.  He ‘did a job’ and a good job at that on the wing. He made a nuisance of himself and played creatively. He ran strongly ,fed well and was defensively solid.

The man of the match was Liam. He was all over the pitch, attacking and defending with equal gusto. He slotted into the defence again to help out. Again, as every week, he wore his heart on his sleeve and gave his all for the team, whatever he was asked to do or what he felt he needed to do without being asked.

On the 13th November we played Avro.  We started off playing well. Sean put a good kick to James who passed to Daniel who passed to Julius. He was taken out in the area and should have gone down. Honest, he didn’t but continued forwards and the keeper collected the ball. Daniel put a quality ball to James who kept on his feet despite the attentions of the keeper, rounded him as the keeper collided with the defender. He continued round to coolly score in the empty net. He then looped another shot which everyone thought was going in but the keeper brilliantly got his fingertips to it.

Jack threw to Daniel who passed back to Brad. He passed across to Julius who shot wide. But a good move.
 
Sean fired the ball over to James who controlled well and shot from outside the area. 2-0.

Then came some excellent build up play from the back. Sean to Jack to Daniel to Darius to James to Brad. Brilliant.

Julius passed to Jordan who went on a great run, cut in and passed to James who shot wide.

Jordan put a great ball over to Julius who passed to James but the ball spun away too quickly to the keeper. 
 
Darius passed to James who tried to hit it on the volley and made an easy save for this good keeper.


Daniel put a great ball over for James. He was unleashed on half way and left the defence for dead. He lobbed the keeper
coolly for 3-0.

Julius then had a surefire goal. He latched on to the ball and stormed through only to see his shot saved. 
 
James put a good ball through to Mikey who pounced on it and knocked it into the bottom corner to finish the scoring.

Stephen put a great ball to Julius who stormed through the defence before handing over to James but the ball was too far behind him to collect efficiently. Stephen then put a good ball to Mikey who put a great ball to James. Sam made a good header and then cleared from a free
kick to Mikey who passed to Stephen who saw his shot saved.
 
Jack produced a good free kick which went to Sam. He shot a good shot but it was saved.

Liam put a great ball to Julius; Julius put a great ball to Mikey. Stephen, Danny, Sam, Julius and Ndaba produced a flowing move.

The man of the match was James who showed strength, speed and skill and rounded off a 7 goal weekend rather well. The manager’s man of the match was Brad. He covered every blade of grass and was impressive, particularly in defence where he tracked back to defend well. He was also involved in the attack very well.

On the 1st April we played at Bolton Lads. We didn’t help ourselves in a first half where we paid them too much respect and hardly put an attack together. However we did defend admirably and showed again why we have one of the best back lines in the league. It was 0-0 for much of the first half and that was purely down to the brilliance of Sean, Danny, Jordan and Jack and of course Eliot in net.

From the kick off though we did the unexpected and could have scored. Daniel flicked the ball on to Liam who passed to Brad who passed to Daniel who passed to James who passed to Brad who passed to Jordan who put a cross in but there was no one on the end. It was a wonderful sweeping move. Shortly after Mikey had a great shot but the keeper made a good save. And that was it for a while…

Jack made a good challenge. Liam put in some great defending. Sean made a clearance and Liam was there to get rid. Sean made a tremendous clearance off the line, then a good header from the corner. Stephen made a clearance. Mikey was brilliant at tracking back and defending. Jordan tackled well. Eliot made a great save from point blank range. Mikey made a great header, putting pressure on players. Daniel made some strong challenges and his runs put pressure on the opposition. Eliot made a great save and Liam cleared the ball. Jack tracked his player well and released the ball from him. Mikey made a good header and tried to get balls through to encourage an attack. Sean made a good challenge. Danny made a good tackle.

Then we put something concrete together and guess what? Scored. 

Jordan sent a ball up the wing to Stephen. He collected the ball and put it inside to Brad. James made the run and Brad put a nice ball through to him. It was a well timed run and pass. James rounded the keeper and passed the ball into the net. 

We had defended for most of the first half and although Daniel, Mikey and Brad had tried hard had not really produced much substance in attack until that moment. That showed what we can do when we put a number of passes together.

In the second half we were much more positive. James made a good run down the wing and passed the ball in to Brad. The ball was defended. Jordan went across for the throw and Liam intelligently covered his position. 

Daniel made a good run through the middle, passed to Stephen who passed to Mikey. He made a lovely header back to Stephen. It was now good play being produced. 

Brad juggled the ball to control. Sam put a good pass through to James who shot just wide.  Daniel made a strong run down the wing and put a good ball in to Mikey who just couldn’t connect.  Mikey put in some excellent challenges for the ball.  Mikey put a nice feed through for Jordan on the wing. James made a nice lay off for Daniel but he hit it over the bar. Jordan passed to Sam who passed to Daniel. He had a great shot.  Danny passed to Mikey who put an awesome ball through to James but he was pulled back for offside. (the referee apparently had to give that as he had given some the other way). James produced some great running to take the ball into the corner. From the resulting corner the ball just whisked over the bar. Daniel showed great determination to win the ball. He made a good pass back to Jack who put a good ball up the wing to Ndaba.  Brad put a nice ball to

James. He passed it through to Daniel who saw his shot saved.  He then had another great shot go wide.

Danny took the ball sweetly off a foot to disarm. Calm and cool.  He then made another great challenge. Eliot made an awesome save, diving to his left. The cat is back! Sean made a superb stop on the line and both he and Danny were unlucky with further block attempts. 

Eliot was the man of the match. Also mentioned were Daniel, Mikey, Brad and all the back four. Sean, Danny, Jordan and Jack were awesome today as they have been all season.  It was a brilliant defensive display. 

The manager was frustrated that we all know what we can do and what we are capable of, then we look at the league table and show too much respect.  The score was 3-0 in the second half and we had the chances to win the half – but we didn’t perform to our best in the first. 

On the 25th March we played Avro at home. We started off brightly in a nip and tuck game. James put a good ball through but Stephen couldn’t collect. Darius put a great ball over for Daniel who put an equally good ball to Stephen who fought for possession well. Then Darius and Stephen were both involved again in unleashing Jordan on the wing. Stephen had started off very well and was chasing everything down and competing strongly. Another player who started off well was Brad. He was creating the room with strong running and neat footwork to break away from his man.

At the other end Sean made an excellent challenge, taking the ball off an attacker. He then made a good header down to Daniel who passed the ball on to Brad. Very good football. Brad and Daniel were playing some very positive football. Determined running with the ball was resulting in some penetrative play.

James floated a corner ball over to Mikey who headed wide. Another James corner saw Sean rise up but he missed the ball. Daniel put a great ball through to James. Sean made a clearance to Jordan who passed to Liam who then put a sweet ball up to James. He glided through and was one on one with the keeper but shot wide.

A Jordan throw went to Mikey who made an excellent run and then put in an equally good cross.

Sean produced some awesome defending. Eliot came out and made a brilliant save. The ball rebounded to their player and it looked a certain goal but quick as a flash Sean went behind Eliot to cover the line and make the clearance.

A Danny free kick got us on equal terms. He hit it hard and low from the edge of the box.

Eliot made some great saves and Danny some good tackles. Jack made an excellent tackle to bring down an attacker. Danny made another great tackle and Eliot’s decision making was spot on.  Mikey made some fantastic headers. He made one which went to Jordan. He put in a good cross. Daniel challenged well but the keeper managed to get the ball out. Danny passed to Jordan who put the ball through for Ndaba. He chased it well, collected and got a cross off.

Liam put some great balls through. He, Daniel, Brad, Sean and Mikey tried very hard. But in the end we were too much off the mark and poor decision making meant we fell short of what is expected.

Score: 1-1

Man of the match – Sean

Manager’s man of the match – Mikey.

On the 30th October we played Higher Blackley Rebels. Early play saw Sam release James who hit the keeper with his shot. Then good work by Ndaba and Jack was on show when the wingman used his left back well, passing back to him to start play again. A good combination. Jordan put in a good tackle and managed to get the ball to Danny to release him through the middle on a good run. Liam was strong in the middle and was moving well on the ball. Sam was also strong and was putting in some good headers. Jack was running strongly and following one recce into the opposition half was taken down in the box for a penalty. Liam converted to put us in the lead.

At the back, Eliot was coming out well to make clearances and Danny was excellent at chasing back. We were also playing good attacking football from the back. Jordan passed to Stephen who returned it to Jordan who passed to Mikey. A good move.

The back four were well in control of everything coming through. They were playing very well as a unit. Jordan was also linking with the attack extremely well. James went on a great run and Jordan went with him.James dragged the man out to the wing and Mitch ran into the middle ready to receive the pass. Good thinking and this is a regular occurance  now in Jordan’s play – to follow the play either up the wing or in the middle looking for the pass.

For goal number two Julius passed to Ndaba to knock in the net. Then Julius had a good shot of his own which the keeper managed to hit over the bar. Mikey also shot over the bar before he scored with his next attempt. Daniel made a good run which drew the keeper out, he passed back to Mikey who was in front of goal to shoot home.

For goal number four Danny was unleashed in the middle, he took the ball wide and slotted across goal. The ball went under the keeper and the defender knocked it in.

Sean made a good tackle, Danny made a good block, Liam put in a great tackle, Sam made a good header and Sean put in a few good headers. He was very strong in the aerial challenges.

Jack made a good run and put in a good cross. Ndaba chased back to clear the ball across field to Jordan who then went on a run up field. Liam and Sean put in more good tackles. Jack then put in a good clearance. He was tackling well and cutting out passes as well. He also kept with his man well. He impressed today.

Julius had a good shot which hit the side netting. Liam went on a good run through the middle. Then Daniel produced some excellent play to cut through the middle and put a great ball to Mikey who shot over. Eliot put a great kick to Danny who went on a good run and crossed in well.

For the last goal Danny made a super free kick across to Jordan who passed in to Daniel in front of goal to score. Good movement.

The man of the match was Julius and the manager’s man of the match was Daniel. Both for similar reasons : they were both monsters in midfield and extremely difficult or the opposition to tame.

On the 16th October we played Reddish Vulcans in what we knew would be a tough match as they are top of the league. We started off brightly and for the first half matched anything they did. So why did we capitulate so badly in the second half? I don’t know the answer to that. Man of the match and manager’s man of the match Daniel didn’t. Sean didn’t. James didn’t. Mikey didn’t. If only the rest could say the same!

The man of the match could be described in one word – awesome. He was full of energy, strong, resilient and determination personified. He was head and shoulders above anyone else today. He put in a brilliant performance and gave a lesson in how not to give in. Pity notice wasn’t taken.

Early on, we cleared a corner. Jack shot up the wing and passed inside to James who controlled the ball, turned and passed to the ever supporting Jordan. He returned the pass to James who sliced through the defence in the middle and ran like a steam train leaving them in his wake. He drew the keeper and slotted past him. We were in the lead. So again I ask the question, what happened? We had done it once. We didn’t do it again.

This was a really well worked goal. Well done all three: jack for breaking from the back, Jordan for following up the wing and James for the skill on show.

Julius went down the wing, he passed to Brad who put in a nice flick to Ndaba. James put a nice pass to Jordan and he shot wide. Daniel was strong in the tackle and he came up with the ball. The middle opened up for him but he sliced his shot.

At the back, Sean was superb, tackling and pressuring players, Danny was cutting out the pass, Jack was speedy at coming back and putting in some good tackles. Eliot made a really good save. The back four were working so hard. Danny, Sean and Julius (helping out) were tackling well. Ndaba made a clearance, Julius did the same. Sean pushed his player wide and then Jordan came in to finish him off. Great work. And it was even better because Jordan got the ball to Julius to set off up the wing. Danny was excellent at pushing his player wide and then took the ball off him at the by line. Jack made a good tackle.  Liam was great at chasing back to tackle. Eliot collected well. Daniel put great pressure on a player, took the ball off him and kept going towards the goal.  Then there was the speed coming from the back on the counter. Danny to Jordan to Julius to James.  Liam to Daniel to James.  Running strong from the back were Liam and Daniel and James’ speed just killed them.  Time and again Liam would make a tackle and then set up a counter. He made a good tackle, won the ball and passed to Daniel for him to break down the middle.

Daniel showed great strength in the middle to collect the ball and shrug tackles away as he ran through. The defence couldn’t hold him. It was little wonder he was the man of the match. On one occasion he barged through, passed to Darius who took the ball in and shot wide.

Brad collected the goal kick went one on one with the keeper but he saved. Julius shot down the wing but had his shot saved and there was no one there for the rebound. Daniel cut through the middle, took the ball in and released a fantastic bullet shot which the keeper saved with his finger tips. That would have been a goal! Mikey took a good strike and was inches wide. Mikey put some nice balls to Stephen. Good football. Mikey upped the tempo when he came on. He played well.

There was nice play from Daniel to Mikey to James and he produced a good shot. Sean had a diving header attempt on goal. The ball came to Stephen who shot over. Sean went storming through the middle from the back in another attack. Danny did the same through the middle. He passed to James who put in a cross for Daniel who headed inches over.

Right near the end Sean stopped a certain goal when he headed away off the line. Nice work. Seven would have been a complete embarrassment.

He was definitely one of the best today and kept going till the end.

Pity can’t say the same for the rest.

On the 2nd October we played Unsworth Vulcans in the Challenge Cup. Good early play saw Daniel running through the middle. He put a great ball to James but the keeper came out to collect. The play went from end to end and Danny made a great clearance at the other end when Eliot had been beaten. Darius, James and Brad played some nice football, however there were early signs of us struggling on a poor pitch. The grass was miles too long and we were struggling to control the ball as it got stuck and didn’t travel as far as it should. Daniel and Julius produced some great play. Julius passed to Jordan who made a nice run and put in a lovely cross. Darius and Jack played well up the wing with some nice interlocking play. Stephen and Brad also played some good football. We were breaking fast and moving swiftly from the back on the counter. Jordan was tackling well, as was Sean. Eliot was beaten again ( I know – very strange!)but Danny was again on hand to clear the line. Super fast thinking and reflex actions. Brad produced an excellent corner; Sean, a good throw and Jordan the same.Jack played a great ball to James. He took it wide. The keeper made a good save from the shot. Jack then put a good ball over in the next play. On fire! Danny made a good kick over. Brad chased it down, eyed up the keeper and made a good finish. A very good goal.
At the other end Eliot made a good save and Danny was chasing back well. Daniel put a good ball to Brad who again made the keeper save. Daniel and Brad were involved shortly after when Daniel passed to Brad who passed to Julius who passed to James. Great movement. Again Daniel involved. This time he passed to James who passed to Julius before making the run to collect the ball back. Super football. And a lot was coming from Daniel. Hardly surprising he was chosen as the manager’s man of the match. He was a great playmaker today. Sean put a great ball through for James. He produced excellent work and kept going despite the challenges. He managed to get a shot off, the keeper parried but only as far as Brad. He slammed it into the top corner for his second of the day. Jordan put in a great throw. It fell to Brad but he hit it over the bar. Daniel passed to Julius to launch him like a missile down the wing. He crossed it in but it hit the side of the net. At the back, man of the match, Eliot made another good save, Liam and Jack communicated well in defence and Liam made a fantastic tackle. Sean was shouting well, both instructions and encouragement. Corner king Brad produced another quality corner, this time straight to the head of Daniel. He smashed it in the net. A great connection. For goal number 4, it was our other special set move. The Mitch Throw. Jordan made a superb throw into the heart of the box. It was cleared – but only as far as Danny. He was running onto the ball and hit it first time on the volley. A truly spectacular goal hit from the half way line. It rocketed into the net. Sensational. That is two contenders he has for goal of the season now, following his superb strike at Higher Blackley. Sam and Stephen produced some nice play. Sam to Stephen and back and then Sam put a nice ball over the top. Sam also linked with Ndaba. Ndaba passed to Sam who passed to Jordan who passed to James who passed to Stephen. Lovely move. Sam was producing some nice first touch passes. He collected and passed out with great speed and always to feet. Sam passed to Mikey who passed to James but the move broke down when James lost the ball in the grass. It was hard work to collect and control. Danny made a great run up the wing. Superb. And he also put in a great cross. Mikey was there but the keeper collected. Mikey then made a good run up the middle and put a super ball to James who buried it in the bottom corner. James was working well around the box again for our sixth goal following superb work by Ndaba on the wing to work the ball up field and inside. James was taken down for a penalty. Liam stepped up to coolly convert. Mikey put a great ball over for Brad. Brad put in another great corner kick which produced a ping pong match between Mikey, Jordan and Daniel. None converted. James worked really hard to keep going through tackles, then revved up his left foot and bang – bottom corner. Our eighth goal was from another Brad corner (our new secret weapon?). This was officially an own goal but Brad can claim his hat trick as he touched it last. Daniel made a good tackle, Liam a superb tackle tracking back after a player was not called offside to catch him. Then he made another equally good one in the box. Eliot made a fantastic double save. Danny put in some superb work up the wing. He passed to Julius who took the ball in and shot from the edge of the area. Not Torres anymore. It went in! Danny made a good tackle and Eliot collected in his area well. Eliot was brilliant today. Others who impressed were Brad, Daniel and Liam. Brad was picked out by Andrew for special praise and Stephen was Simon’s choice of who impressed. Eliot was brilliant in net. He made good decisions and some excellent saves. There were also some good reflexes shown today. Daniel, too, was superb, both in the middle and at the back. He has good strength and determination to win the ball. He also heads the ball well and tackles well. He uses his height to head anything that comes over the top and he came up with some excellent passing. In addition his partnership with Liam is growing – both in the middle and when both were put in the centre of defence. They work together extremely well. They communicate well and have a good understanding. Liam also showed a good understanding with Ndaba. They are playing well together. Liam controls the play and is communicating well with the wingers, particularly Ndaba.

We played well as a team and as individuals today. As well as Eliot, Daniel, Liam and Ndaba, Mikey played well and put in some good passes, James battled really well, Brad was outstanding in his all round play and he scored a hat trick AND he had two assists AND his corners are hot! But what is also  impressive about this team is that we can interchange. Darius and Mikey were super in the middle, Danny was great on the wing, Daniel and Liam at the back, and Sean at left back. This team can morph and we don’t lose momentum. It was a good team performance on a shocking pitch and despite some questionable decisions leading to at least three of their goals.

On the 18th September we played Platt Lane City and were expecting a tough match. The match was tough but for most of the first half we competed and seemed on top for parts of it – so much that their first goal was completely against the run of play. We had been tackling really well. Again the back four looked supreme. But not only the back four – all were tackling well. Jordan, Liam, Danny and Julius all put in some great tackles – Julius a fantastic tackle to take the ball off a foot in the area. Jordan was playing well, squaring up to prevent people going past. Eliot, too stood out with some good saves and excellent reflexes.Going forward, man of the match Julius showed great strength to go through men and he also passed some good balls through. James, too, showed good strength to push his way forward.
In a good, hard game both teams were going toe to toe in combat to go forward. We showed some good movement through Julius, James, Brad and Liam and the defence was awesome. Particularly Danny who worked extremely hard, tackling, sweeping, disarming. He made a wonderful tackle, taking the ball and then made a super pass to Jordan to start one move. His speed is an asset, he tackles and catches everyone who tries to pass. Darius put a great ball up the wing to Julius. He cut in and was taken out. Darius also put in some good shoulder barges to win the ball. Ndaba made a great turn and a nice pass inside.  James produced some nice play. Daniel and Jack also made good movement and passing. Danny put a good ball to Brad and he shot millimetres wide. If that had gone in it would have changed the match but nothing was falling for us today and we were generally off the pace now. Things were falling apart. Whatever we tried the ball went to them, passes, flicks, headers, the ball fell to them. And we weren’t competing. Ndaba made a great run and put a super ball to Julius who crossed into the box – no one there. Ndaba again made a run and put in another cross – no one there. There was no pressure on the keeper at all. Brad put a great ball across field to Ndaba but he lost his footing. Liam put a great ball up field. James put a nice ball to Mikey who shot wide. Daniel and Stephen put some nice touches together to work the ball upfield. At the back Sean put in a great tackle, Eliot made a wonderful save. Jordan made a good tackle and then Sean again pulled off a wonder tackle. Than Julius, Liam and Jordan all made wonderful tackles one after the other. Jordan made a great run down the wing (was that his first today?) and was taken out – and should have had a penalty! Ndaba produced good play, took the ball around men and passed to Mikey who just couldn’t latch on to the ball. But Ndaba was lively. He was the best player since coming on and deserved the Manager’s man of the match. He tried hard to create chances but had no support. Julius passed to Mikey who ran on with the ball and produced a great ball across field to Stephen who was called offside when he wasn’t.  For the goal, James made a good turn and produced a great shot. Then Sam put a nice ball through for Daniel who passed to Stephen. Great play and it was nice to see Stephen being a Pit and refusing to give up the ball in the corner, challenging to win possession. Great stuff. But generally a poor performance today. This team was nothing special. We have beaten better. We did not play today. Fact. Could we have won? Yes. Should we have won? Yes. A disappointed manager picked out Ndaba for special praise for changing the tempo of the game and showing some spirit and fight. Danny was also mentioned and came close to the man of the match for another awesome defensive display. He also picked out Eliot who only made one mistake all match and is looking better and better every week and Liam who again put in a good stint and filled in at the back when Sean went off.

By Deb Coleman

On the 12th September we played Higher Blackley Rebels. We started off brightly as we were in determined mood. Sean set the
standard with a good early defensive header. Then Daniel went on a storming run through midfield. He passed to Brad who passed out wide to Mikey. Good early play. Daniel then showed grit to keep the ball and when he lost it he ensured he won it back, he was strong in challenges and when being challenged.  James also excelled in this area. He was strong in midfield, simply shrugging off tackles. Mitch took the ball away from a corner and made a storming run down the wing. He was taken out and Danny went close with the resultant free kick. 

Danny and Sean were shouting well at the back, taking responsibility for the clearances. Jack made a nice tackle and a turn on the
ball to attack. Mikey made a good tackle to break up the play and Liam put in a good header.

Then Danny made a great run into the middle and popped a great ball forward to Brad who shot wide. James had a great shot saved, then
it bobbled and Ndaba pounced and pulled it back but Daniel couldn’t connect.  Jordan put a lovely floating ball over for Daniel but he couldn’t head on target.  Daniel then put a good ball wide to Mikey. He had a good shot which went inches wide, hitting the side netting near the post. Brad stormed through the midfield, lost his man, then shot wide. We were certainly creating chances and should have been 6 up by now.

Liam put a good ball across to Brad who was tackled and won a corner. Mikey took the corner. The ball was beaten away by the keeper but only as far as James who coolly knocked the ball in. Finally we were on the scoresheet. Liam was playing well. He was always aware where the players where, always looking for the pass – intelligent play. Jordan, too, stood out. He also showed intelligent play, passing and running forward to look for the pass back. Great wing back play. Danny, too, played in a similar way – passing and continuing his run up the middle to look for the pass back.

We were generally passing well. Jack, Liam, Brad, Ndaba, James, Mikey and Daniel were playing brilliantly passing between each other in quick movements. Exhibition stuff at times. We were completely in control.

Daniel shot down the wing and shot wide. Then Danny passed to Mikey who passed to Brad before receiving the ball back and winning a
corner.  At the other end, Danny put in a great tackle. Daniel also tackled well after tracking his player. He also made some good headers. He was then involved in a great move. He passed to Julius who put a lovely ball across field to Ndaba at the far post. His shot was saved.

James was running strongly from midfield. Julius put in a great header. Jordan was producing great throws. James whipped in a corner ball and Jordan was inches away from connecting with his head. We were buoyant.

Liam ran straight through a player. He was not taking any prisoners today and was determined to make his presence felt. He gave away a
free kick but from that far out we do not need to worry. No one is scoring from there as the offside trap is well drilled perfection now.
Secure!

At the back, Jordan made a superb header away, Danny was great covering across and Eliot was quick off the mark to clear. Further forward,
Daniel and Julius played some excellent 1-2 football.

From a corner we doubled our lead. The ball bobbled about, Jack showed super reflexes and pounced and hit it back across the area along the
floor, the keeper spilled and Brad was there to pounce. 

Then Jack put another lovely ball into the box but there was no one there.  Julius put a weaving run in through the middle and shot just wide. 

Question! When was the shoulder barge outlawed?

The game was starting to boil over and the referee was in danger of completely losing control. He gave them a free kick for a Julius shoulder
barge. Just because Julius is the tank doesn’t mean it was a foul. He is just stronger so it looks worse as everyone he hits will bounce off the pitch into next week. It’s not his fault he is a human battering ram. It’s ok giving them free kicks if it works both ways but he allowed them to jump all over our backs and then came a cynical poleaxe on James. We did get a free kick but there were some bad challenges going in. Stephen was bowled over and Danny was lucky not to get his leg broken with a studs up challenge. 

Anyway Danny went close with his second free kick and when Julius was taken out expectation was high. Third time lucky? No one was prepared for its magnificence though. Danny launched a stupendous free kick right into the top corner. Absolute brilliance. Perfection.

And so it continued. Lovely play from Stephen unleashed James who shot over. Sean shot through the middle and made a shot which  was saved.  Julius was rampaging down the wing. They had no answer to him and couldn’t stop him.

What a match. I didn’t want it to end. I could have sat there all day. Heaven! We were very good going forward and secure at the back.
The best team we have accumulated. I thought last year’s team was good but this year we have the potential on the evidence of the first few outings to be even better.  The additions have made us stronger and the losses don’t seem to have weakened us at all.

In defence, Danny came across field to make a super tackle. Liam did the same, a brilliant across field run to challenge with a
strong tackle.  Julius and Jordan  both made good defensive headers. Eliot punched away well from a free kick. Sean
cleverly harassed a player until he kicked the ball out. Personification of calm.

Eliot put in a fantastic kick right up to Brad. Jordan produced a super throw, Liam collected, smashed the ball – just wide. Another
great free kick from Danny just bounced too high for Pit to collect. Another Danny free kick to Jack was worked quickly up the line to Brad. Good play. Jack passed to Julius. Again good play. Jack was working very hard in attack and defence. He and Liam again both put in great tackles.  Daniel, James and Danny also put in the work in defence with some good tackles. Eliot was aware and completely in control of his
area.

In attack Brad weaved his way into the box and was bowled over. Up stepped king of cool Liam to slot away another penalty right on the final
whistle.

The man of the match was Julius, unsurprisingly as they couldn’t control him and struggled to stop his rampaging runs all match. The manager’s man of the match was Liam. He did what was asked of him. He looked after Daniel and also sat back, holding the midfield. He defended well and controlled the attack, and allowed Daniel to move forward, completing the perfect partnership. 

He played very well today. The big man is back to his best– strong tackling and equally strong distribution. 

The manager also pulled out both Dannys. Danny was strong at the back and produced good free kicks and one humdinger. Daniel was strong and potent in midfield – the perfect companion for Liam. Stephen was also identified as impressing today.

It was a very good match in which everyone played their part and there were no weak links. All played well. It was different from last week in
that we not only played well but we had to contend with some highly dubious tactics. We kept going despite the challenges and threats, rising above it. We kept going unintimidated and for that every player needs a pat on the back.

We are not perfect by any means and can still improve by cutting out mistakes and ensuring we always play as a team going forward. At times we are not looking for the pass but are trying to be individual – or poor passes are not going where they should. But we are looking good. We are playing well and today ground out a result. When looking at the fixtures we could easily have had two losses but we have ground out two impressive wins – two excellent results – and played good football along the way. Chaddy looking good.

By Deb Coleman 

On 4th September we played Middleton Lads and with players missing. The expectation was for a very tough match. But how we stepped up to the mark!

Jordan started off very well. Again he showed good anticipation. He linked nicely with Ndaba, passing and then running ahead to receive the ball back. He made a nice pass to James before making his way into the box in anticipation of the pass. He also defended well and used his speed to clear any problems. Sean, too, stood out, making some super tackles and running strongly from defence. He also put in some nice defensive headers.

Liam was putting some nice balls through for James, who constantly left the defence for dead with a nice turn of speed. Mikey put some nice balls across goal and Julius was the master of the air. He was very powerful and made many good headers. One of these was an excellent knock down to James. And it was Julius who scored the first goal. And what a fantastic goal. Mikey passed to Jack who passed to Brad who showed good determination and strength to carry the ball forward. He passed across to James who passed to Julius. He then went round two defenders and strolled forward through more defence before slotting in the bottom corner. Fantastic! This showed both teamwork and individual brilliance.

Danny had a free kick which went narrowly wide. Brad created good pressure and got in good positions and almost connected a number of times. He was working very hard. Ndaba made good movement on the wing and put in some fine crosses. And Liam was awesome in midfield. He dominated the game, making strong tackles in the middle and his distribution was superb.

Danny made a run through the middle and passed a lovely ball to James. He passed on to Brad who took the ball wide before getting tackled. Lovely play. Julius stormed through the middle, took the ball wide before passing inside to Brad. Great play.

At the other end, Eliot made some good saves, Jack was tracking back well, Danny was tracking across field to tackle and Sean was making some hard tackles. Jack also made some probing runs from defence.

Further up, Liam was making crunching tackles, James made a nice flick on to Brad and Ndaba made a magnificent run up the wing before being taken out. Good play from a super initial ball from Liam. Ndaba and Jordan were playing well, making some nice combinations and touches. 

It was following one of these aspects that our second goal came. Ndaba made a sensational run down the wing to the by line. He then pulled the ball back brilliantly with inch perfect precision across the box to Brad for a simple knock in. A brilliant, well worked goal. Superb play from Ndaba and good positioning and shouting from Brad. 1st game, 1st goal.

The third goal was individual brilliance from man of the match Julius again. He stormed through the middle, took ball round defenders, jumped out of tackles and finally smashed the ball into the net. A great end from an outstanding player. The Tank. He was like a steam train. They had no answer as he battered through the defence.Awesome! 

Yet equally awesome today were Liam and Sean with Ndaba and Danny and Brad not far behind. Liam was picked out by the manager and it was between him and Julius who got his favour. He was very impressed with his midfield general today. Sean, Danny and Ndaba also had big games and Brad showed up extremely well on his debut – but really today was a team effort. We showed we have a solid and impressive back four as we won this match really with a fantastic defence. It was on this that we built the platform to go forward in the second half and show what we could do with the ball.

And we beat a very good team with effectively eleven men and a couple of key players missing!