Due to a slow start and Bloomsbury being low on players we found ourselves down at the break. However, in the second half, with the addition of two borrowed Camden Elite players, and some added fight from the girls, we were playing much better overall. The team understood the importance of going for every ball and not giving much time to the Camden Elite players. Bloomsbury managed to concede less in the second half and one of our borrowed players scored our only goal of the match. My favourite moment was the reaction from the team in the second half. The girls listened to the advice at half time and came out in the second half with much more fight and determination to win every ball.
Piper was the player of the match as she did not stop the whole game. She was constantly clearing balls, tackling the opposition and not letting the score affect her performance. It was hard for this weeks training to impact the game due to the performance of the opponents. Having a better attendance to training and matches would significantly improve the team, allowing all of the girls to spend more time playing with each other.
Dominant from start to finish. We kept up our consistency in trying to move the ball instead of dribbling all the time. Speaking of consistency, there were three hattricks scored in this game! Kinglsey, Marco and Teo all notched triples with Jake chipping in with one as well. Kingsley’s solo run from a corner was the highlight of the match. He took three players on then rounded the keeper to score the best goal of the game.
Tough to pick with three hat tricks being scored, but Ayan was our player of the match. Numerous assists, so incredibly unselfish and effective. Really adapted well to the central midfield role. This week we worked on playing backwards to go forward. The boys will surely trust the process now after such a resounding victory was built on this simple principle. Our build up play was effective and allowed us to be ruthless in putting our chances away. Our decision making could still be improved, We need to learn to understand when to dribble and when to pass.
With only one sub we struggled to get a grip of the game with many players playing in new positions. Despite this, Nathan managed to score two goals. A standout moment was when Jake, after being tackled quite badly all game, flicked the ball over two players and slotted in Nathan for a great assist.
The scorer of our two goals, Nathan, was our player of the match. Nathan was consistent, proactive and never gave up. WE could see some semblance of what we worked on in training, playing backwards to go forwards, in this game. Perhaps not as effective as we want it to be yet, but there were moments where it did work. Being more confident playing out from the back and composed in front of goal will take us to the next level.
In a season of many firsts, this team experienced another one; playing a 9-a-side league game on grass. Even with a bobbly pitch the boys were able to start the game strong – again scoring an early opening goal this time from Deniro. The players then got into a rhythm of passing the ball around, but also having real strength and character out of possession. More goals followed with Marlei bagging a brace of excellent left footed strikes. The players were then in a spell where keeping possession was paramount and they did this with some excellent interchanges. To maintain balance, Alex and Jacob kept things steady at the back. Deniro bagged his hat trick and both Christian and Bastian scored just before half time to go into the break with a commanding 7-0 lead.
The key message for the second half was to not concede a goal and to maintain our defensive structure. These were both completed! Four goals were scored with Deniro scoring a brace and Yasser & Flavio scoring goals with finishes in the six yard box . The pick of the goals was the free kick from Deniro. After a couple of excellent saves from Rex, the boys were victorious in another win at 9 a side. My favourite moment was the defensive structure of the team throughout the game. The team defended from the front pressing effectively but also had the structure and shape to be able to defend the long ball that the opposition played. Deniro Elleston was our player of the match. As well as scoring 5 goals, he ran the game with his driving runs from midfield and the ability to get shots on goal. A brilliant performance!
This week at training we have been working on our counter attacking. In attacking situations we counter attacked brilliantly, working at speed and choosing the correct pass. Defensively we again pushed the opposition high so we were exposed at points when defending counter attacks. One area we need to improve is to make the right decision with the final pass rather then taking the shot for ourselves.
A tale of two halves, again. Starting matches with a early goal deficits has unsurprisingly taken its toll on the Bloomsbury boys. We started slowly, ad in the big and bad Watford Friendly League that is, unfortunately, unforgivable. However, second half we came out all guns blazing. Oli DB was once again impressive. His ball mastery combined with expert understanding of timing and rhythm on the dribble is truly a joy to watch, running through their centre. Supported by Elijah—who delivered his best delivery to date with devilish diagonal runs in behind—and Maxi, who was also impressive. Each of them scored to make it 5-3 as an unlikely comeback loomed. Alas, two counter-attacking goals quelled that possibility. The final score line was 7-3, which doesn’t at all paint the entire picture.
Big shout out to Black team players Eduardo, with just the one ankle, Armand on debut, Boris and Yacine for stepping up. Yacine in particular delivered a imposing performance, mixing his terrier-like aggression with his customary composure on the ball & perfect timing of release. Spirited second half performance but overall frustrating day. The equation very much remains the same: missing a couple units in midfield to manage the WFL physicality, with reinforcements imminent.
The second goal, finished off by Maxi, who expertly rounded the keeper, was the highlight of the match. But the pass…Yillinho, you rock my world. Weaker foot; perfectly weighted; between-the-lines; delightful. Oli was our player of the match. He wrestled us back into the match with sheer determination and quality. Ever-so-slightly lost his head, but I never want him to lose that sheer passion and emotion for the game. This week we worked on playing between-the-lines, using our movement to separate from our markers to progress through the thirds. Going forward we need to be better in the duels, defending compactly in a block and growing another three inches each.
A slow start to a game that had multiple chances for a win. It was a very unfortunate result with a score line that does not reflect the way the game went. Unfortunately, the slow start cost us early on coming into half time 3-0 down. Straight from kick off in the second half we looked like a different team with Maxi and Yaroslav both scoring good goals. We continued to push forward with multiple chances, ultimately unable to finish our chances with Ed rattling the cross bar late in the game. Overall the boys once again showed great heart and determination to try win just like they do week in and week out. The team build up for Yaroslav’s goal with a perfect cut back pass that Yarsolav dispatched into the bottom right corner was the highlight of the match.
Our players of the match were Kristiano for never giving up and battling every chance he got and Zain who had a 100% tackle success rate and rarely put a foot wrong the entire game. This weeks training once again helped with our triangle and diamond shapes when in possession and going forward. Our defensive body positioning out of possession helped stop the opposing team breaking through multiple times throughout the game. Next week we can be better by starting the game playing the way we know we can and not starting slow, on the back foot. By implementing what we worked on this week in training we can start to give ourselves a good chance to win from kick off.
A tough night at Market Road for Bloomsbury against a strong Regents Park side. We struggled to stop a few good runs from their attackers early on in the game but we had a much better second half. Once again shout out to those that went in goal for us. Annabel played very well in goal, not conceding. When playing outfield she adapted well to play on the wing. For this she received coaches player of the match. This week Emily and Ela received players player of the match from their teammates. Emily for excellent tracking back and last ditch tackles as well as starting attacks. Ela for dictating play in the centre of midfield, especially in the second half.
We have been working on shifting defensively and in the second half this worked well. We just need to be more switched on so it can happen from the start of the game. We also need more efforts on goal.
At the beginning of the game there was a tiki-taka moment from Tara that led to a ball across the goal that was very narrowly put over by Janet. The Bloomsbury girls were then playing some good football and pressing extremely well after they would loose the ball, this attitude resulted in Bloomsbury’s goa. Muziques shot was saved by their keeper and Janet pounced on the rebound to score. Throughout the game Bloomsbury displayed some brilliant defending with some good tackles and clearances. One of these clearances led to a ball being played to Omiya who turned a player and played an amazing through ball to Janet who had her shot saved from the keeper. 26 minutes in and the opposition get a free kick outside the box which Muzique brilliantly heads out for a corner which is then defended brilliantly by Bloomsbury. A few moments later in the game jet had an amazing chip shot saved brilliantly by the opposition keeper, the girls then kept their pressure up and gained a free kick outside the box 35 minutes in that was narrowly put over by Tara. Despite Bloomsbury’s brilliant attitude throughout the game, the opposition grabbed an equaliser in the last 5 mins. O’miyas amazing half turn with the ball to set up an attack was the highlight of the match.
The player of the match was the whole team for their effort and never giving up attitude. The players player of the match was both Muzique and Ela. This week we worked on passing patterns and understanding our positions which was well shown throughout the game. Next week we can be better by communicating better.
Going into this game off the back of two losses, the boys needed a big performance to change the trajectory of their season. And that’s exactly what they provided. The game started in quite hectic fashion with both teams being very aggressive in and out of possession. This led to the game being quite back and forth for the first 10 minutes. Both teams created opportunities but failed to be decisive in the final third, until we won a corner. The smart, quick thinking of Rupert and Freddie to take a short corner and combine led to Rupert bursting into the box. He crossed it and the ball fell to Zeid to volley into the bottom corner, putting the boys 1-0 up. With a 1 nil lead at the break, I told the boys not to drop their intensity, but instead raise it. 5 minutes into the second half a long throw from Mickey found the head of Tristan, who flicked it to the back post. Rupert, after making a great run, tapped the ball in to double the lead. Harvesters played well and got themselves back in the game shortly after. It was a cagey 15 minutes after that until the clinical thinking of Freddie, who was through one on one, but decided to play a ball to the back post where Rupert was once again arriving, to finish the game off. The boys worked hard defensively for the last 15 minutes. Unfortunately, we had a momentary lapse and conceded one with 2 minutes left but held out for a 3-2 win in a very competitive game.
The composure and quality from Freddie Littner at such a pivotal moment and time in the game to make a great decision to assist the third goal was my highlight of the match. Rupert Robinson was our player of the match. He was a constant threat throughout the game. Great on and off the ball and there wasn’t a moment in the game he wasn’t dangerous. An all round top quality performance.
We counter attacked very quickly at times in the game, our movement wasn’t great but saw glimpses of what we worked on in training this week. We can improve by reflecting and speaking about specific moments and then working on them at training ground.
Great match from our team, top quality football. In the first half we had complete control of the match and the opposition could not keep up. We managed to score first, with our scorer being Lorenzo, and we quickly found another one, this time with Elliot finding the back of the net. In the second half we picked up where we left off with Kente scoring a magnificent free kick just outside the box. We kept pressing and Eben scored our fourth goal. After our last goal we let our guards down and the opposition scored a counter-attacking goal. But it was not enough to change the course of the match. My favourite moment would be Kente’s free kick. It was just outside the box with a lot of defenders covering the goal and wall in front of him. It was a difficult angle to score, however his shot went over the wall in the top corner, making it impossible for the opposition’s goalkeeper to react in time and save it.
All players did exceptionally well, but one player that stood out was Lorenzo. It was his first match of the season and he was playing in an unfamiliar role. Yet he managed to create chances assist and even score a goal! Furthermore, he supported his team both when attacking and defending. He was always communicating with his teammates and he definitely gave 110%.
This week’s training helped us get more creative with our passes and limit our mistakes as a team. Also, it had a positive impact in our possessional game, as we were able to keep the ball more without making a mistake. When a mistake was made, the players managed to press and either steal the ball or force the opposition to make a mistake. There is always room for improvement. We could improve our communication skills during the match between players, have more control in the midfield and play the match at our own pace.
What a game to watch. Bloomsbury were on fire from start to finish. Captain Laura started off the scoring in the first minute as we pressed their defence early to force a mistake. From then on, we were ruthless. Winning the ball high and passing well. Kayla scored two quickly shortly after, one a brilliant strike from outside the box to make it 3-0 after 10 minutes! The opponents were stunned. It was a physical game but we passed well and found space out wide when the time was right for the wingers to drive. Massive shout out to Muzique who put in a great shift at centre back before coming in to play centre mid. Also, Ella played out of position at right back, which was a great experience for her and she did really well to keep our defensive line. Many U13s also stepped up and were massive for us. For example, Jet and Emily received coaches player of the match for our favourite moment – excellent communication in an over lapping move on the right that was almost turned in by Marwa. Jet also scored our fourth goal and Marwa got a goal late on; a sweet strike from the right hand side into the top left corner. Shola in goal with a clean sheet too! U14s Unbeaten!
The defensive shuffle we have been working on was seen throughout this U14s game as well as improvements in our 1v1 defending. Something we need need to get used to is the bigger pitch in 9v9. Although it is harder, we still need to be getting back and defending when we lose the ball.
In a hotly contested game, BFA U15 Boys put in a competitive and highly spirited performance against a strong EFA side. Taking the lead early on via a composed finished from Mark after a debut assist from Rayane, the boys quickly realised that there would be chances in 1v1 situations in the final third. However, an over reliance on looking to play long and direct at every opportunity would lead to our downfall as we conceded possession too easily. This combined with our midfield line easily getting broken through led to two avoidable goals being conceded. However, we battled hard throughout the game to get back on level terms and on another day could’ve taken at least a point. Goncalo, our player of the match, once again remained composed at the back. Handling the multiple attacking threats presented to him throughout the game.
Over the past week, we worked on counter attacking and getting as high up the pitch as soon as possible. This was evident in this fixture as we looked to transfer the ball from back to front quickly and support with further attacking options. Preparation let us down again, with only 6 players ready to step onto the pitch with 5 minutes to go. Arrival times are set for a reason and it is important that we meet those to ensure that we enable ourselves sufficient preparation time.
In another hotly contested match, BFA U15 Boys battled back from a 2-0 deficit to pick up their first WFL points against an extremely aggressive AC Finchley South team. Mark continued his hot streak in front of goal, taking his tally to 7 for the season in 7 games played, with both of these coming in a spirited second half display. We showed that when we play the football we want to play and work hard for one another, we’re not only hard to break down, but are capable of scoring goals too. This came after a slow start to the game which resulted in going down 2-0 20 minutes. The second half of the first period offered glimpses of what was to come. If not for late tension in the game that led to play being halted early, I firmly believe we would have gone on to snatch victory. Huge shout out to Alpha, Kaleb and Jahmai who made their WFL debuts in a hotly contested match and for the boys in sticking together in very testing circumstances. Mark was our player of the match. His guile and determination got us back onto level terms, threatening for all 3 points with some cultured finishing and link-up play.
A couple of members of the team let themselves and their teammates down with some poor temperament. It’s vital we are able to control our emotions when faced with poorly-mannered opposition so that we are always adhering to the Bloomsbury values that all players and coaches at BFA pride themselves on.
A relatively comfortable performance for our U16s on Friday. We were intense with the ball and composed off of it. We looked to move the ball quickly and found our forward players often. I think we supported the forward players especially well, as we moved the ball into wide areas quickly and got bodies centrally, resulting in a number of cut-back goals. We adapted well to the challenges they posed us in defence, and prevented attacks before they became a problem. A very professional performance. An own goal, followed by strikes from Elijah, Zak and Jaydon won us the game. My favourite moment had to be Zak’s celebration for his goal. After every goal is scored, we write down the goal-scorer and the player who assisted them in our coach’s notebook. There has been a little controversy recently with whether these notes have been completely accurate. So Zak took it upon himself to sprint over to the side-line, take the notebook and pen off me, and MAKE SURE that his name was written in there as goal-scorer, sending the bench into hysterics. A brilliant celebration that sums up his character and personality!
Charlie Guppy is our player of the match this week. He stood out for his aggression and his reading of the game. He defended toward the ball very effectively, often getting ahead of his attacker and intercepting. He read danger very well and cut out several dangerous through balls. He was composed, strong, and powerful all game. Great defensive performance.
After a wild weekend last week, and carrying a few injuries, our training this week was very relaxed. We worked on our shooting technique, at speed and under pressure, and this showed in our performance. We looked calm in front of goal and the lads worked well off each other. Moving forward, we are going to be looking in more detail at our paired and small-group (3-4) relationships. We’re looking to develop these partnerships in more detail, bringing out more techniques to unbalance defences and create more fluidity in our positioning and in our attacking play.
The game started at a frantic pace, we missed an early chance to put us 1-0 up. The game started to become very tight with both teams battling to be the dominant side. Fusion began to dominate and we struggled to deal with their slick combination play at times. They were starting to get chances and Tom came to our rescue, making save after save. We started to press them a lot higher up the pitch which they found uncomfortable as started to give the ball away. We started to warm into the game, Toms kicks were beating their high press but we failed to capitalise as the balls were going out of play. All square at half time we made a few tweaks to our system, beginning the second half brightly and creating a couple of half chances. Great combination between Dylan, Nason and Lamin who finished into the top corner. As the half continues Fusion started putting lots of pressure on us, but we were solid at the back. A great run by Lamin finding Nason who finished into bottom corner proved to be the winner. With 10 mins to go and our backs against the wall, fusion won a late penalty which they dispatched to half the deficit. We hung on to claim a close 2-1 victory. It was great to see the boys digging deep after sustaining a lot of pressure.
Our player of the match was Tom, who mad save after save after save! Training helped us with our combination play in the match. Moving forward we need to communicate more to ensure cohesion in both the attaching and defensive ends of the pitch.
The big Bloomsbury derby didn’t disappoint. Bloomsbury U17 started to dictate the pace of the game early on. We were first to every ball and seemed to catch the U18’s by surprise. We started in a 4-2-3-1 formation and controlled possession. Dylan sprayed passes from left to right, catching out their fullbacks and setting up our wingbacks in 1v1s against their centre backs. We created a few half chances but we failed to really test the keeper. 10 minutes before half time Andrea played a perfect ball over their defence, setting up Oscar to a half volley which nestled in bottom corner. We go in to the break 1-0 up. Arguably, the margin should have been higher. Bloomsbury U18’s come out strong in the second half. They pressed us higher up the pitch and seemed like a different team to the one we faced in the first half. They had a couple of half chances but didn’t really test the keeper. We started to warm back into the game with our wingers spinning in behind their defence and looking really threatening. The U18s #7 played a through ball into their striker, who drove into the box and was brought down by Andrea. The ref points to the spot and a penalty was awarded. The #7 steps up and buries the ball into bottom left, sending our goal keeper Tom the other way. The game then swings back and forth for the last 10 mins with both teams going for the winner, ending 1-1.
It was amazing seeing a lot of the build up play that was practised come to fruition in the game. Our player of the match, Dylan, was excellent in midfield showing a wide range of passing which caused the opponents a lot of problems. This allowed us to combine really well. To improve we need to learn to communicate more effectively, not just with our words but our actions as well.
We headed into this match in a good moment, looking to maintain our unbeaten start to the season and did not disappoint. We raced out of the blocks and opened the scoring after a fine piece of play. A long ball upfield by Jayden Irish was skilfully flicked on by Luke into the path of Jaden Andersen for his first goal of the season. Irish then proved once again what a lethal weapon his long throws can be, setting up Luca, our shortest player, to score a header. We looked to put the game to bed in the second half. The cherry on the cake was a well worked corner routine resulting in a wonderful goal. Jaden Andersens second goal of the game and a second goal in as many games for Jayden Irish wrapped up a fine performance. Despite missing our goalkeeper, Tristan and Cosmas filled in, during the first and second half respectively, and both put on good showings. Cosmas in particular making a couple of important saves.
Our first goal was a clear highlight! Three absolutely superb pieces of skill. From the precision of the long ball from Jayden Irish, to the flick on from Luke and to the finish from Jaden Andersen. Player of the match was Jayden Irish. incisive with his feet and his hands. Two assists and a goal speaks volumes. It could have been more. We worked on picking our moments when building up through the thirds as well as more examples of combination play. Many players are still developing their relationships and understanding of each others games better. Our tempo could have been better at times so something to work on.
We went into this match against our Bloomsbury brothers missing a number of key players through illness but still gave a good showing of ourselves despite this. We showed moments of good possession in the first half, yet failed to create a substantial amount of good goal scoring opportunities. With the under-17s playing at a higher tempo than some of our players were capable of on the day, the pressure finally told and we went into the half time break a goal down, after a well deserved goal from the 17s. We regrouped at the break and the second half saw us put in a much better performance, as has been the case in a few too many matches this season, finally getting forward with intensity. We eventually won a penalty after Luke was brought down in the box. He was unable to take the kick as he had to receive treatment off the field for a cut, so Seyi stepped up to slot the ball home past the goalkeeper. Both sides had a couple of good chances to win it late in the match but at the end of the day, a draw and a share of the spoils seemed a fair result on the day. My highlight of the match was when the head of our academy, Josh Arnold took on the role of linesmen in the second half to allow me to be with my team.
Elliot Hyseni was our player of the match. Another player who was Ill but rather than calling in sick, despite vomiting a couple of times before the game, still put in a real shift for the team! The game was not impacted by our training as much as our Illnesses and injuries. We need to work on retaining possession better and being more clinical in the final third. I think having a Friday night rest this week will benefit this team massively.
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