After going 2-0 down within 5 minutes, the 3rd goal would be crucial, and we thoroughly deserved it after not panicking and sticking to our game plan. With that goal, the boys started to believe they could beat one of, if not the best team in the league and with that their confidence grew which could be seen in the football played. Morley has had a very impressive season transitioning to 9-a-side to which he has been extremely consistent in his performances from game 1, so it was very fitting and deserving for him to creep in at the back post to squeeze the ball in for us to take the lead for the 1st time in the match (3-2) and score his 1st of the season. Adam – Wow. Adam was on fire today. In possession, no one could get the ball off of him as he intelligently uses his body to protect the ball. His decision-making was also fantastic! He drove into space with his quick turn of pace and close ball control or selected his pass to a teammate very well when required to. Out of possession, Adam worked tirelessly to win the ball back, bulldozing through players (fairly) when required and ensuring he was 1st, 2nd, and/or 3rd to every ball within his vicinity. We worked on positioning ourselves higher on opposing goal kicks to cause them to either go long where we would win the 1st ball as we have been doing in the impressive last few weeks or engage in a high press if they opted to play short, and it worked very effectively today. We will simply carry on our fantastic momentum! We do need to start a bit sharper to save having to claw back results, and that involves being composed in possession in the early stages of games!
A fantastic team performance, with all on the pitch giving it 100% the whole time. The team did very well at pressing and preventing the opposition from having a lot of time on the ball, stopping them from creating any dangerous attacks. The best moment came from a goal kick, with Nico playing the ball short to Imraan, who then spotted Beau in space out wide and found him with a well-weighted pass, which Beau received on the back foot and accelerated into space. This allowed us to create a dangerous attack and was exactly what we had been working on in training. Zack receives player of the match for scoring his first goal, and then following it up with another two to complete the hattrick! We have been working on building out from the back, and this was done many times in the match, with Bloomsbury retaining possession very well, and then building up the pitch to create chances. We need to continue working on our passing out from the back, to ensure that we do not get caught out from goal kicks. A bit more work on finishing is needed too as we hit the post far too many times, much to the spectator’s amusement!
At 1-1, it wouldn’t surprise if confidence and subsequently performance levels had dropped. However, the team stuck to their high-quality football and reaped the rewards emphatically. Rahul did fantastically to sweep the ball out wide, before we completed a 1-2 wall pass back out wide, crossed to the back post, then set back for a finish. The boys have been working on defending the thirds with a checklist mentality. Building from the back, check. Playing through the thirds, check. Counter attacking, check. Finishing, check. Louis was most impressive, and it was great to see how unselfish he was. Time after time he made the correct decision to shift the ball to his teammate even if there was an abundance of space in front of him. His choice and selection of pass was very impressive! He was the key to unlocking a lot of goals for Bloomsbury today. Our defence tended to drift too high up the pitch so that if the opposition opted to play more direct, we were caught having to recover. The boys will be working on positioning which will allow them to be involved in play if required, and also be in a position to win the ball 1st!
The U8’s started much of this game under pressure and the opposition dominated the first half, going into the break 1-0 down. However, some fantastic work from Louis, pressing the defender in a wide area, wins the ball and squares it across to Oliver who rifles it into the back of the net. Despite a tough first half, the team grew in confidence and belief as they dominated the second half. Oliver’s goal was the catalyst to help the team push on, Ayman followed shortly after. Conceding in the final few minutes was a tough blow but the all-round performance was strong. Rocco’s goalkeeping was fantastic, and it was even more impressive to see the quality of his distribution. He kept the team in the game with some fantastic saves and definitely deserves player of the match!
We demonstrated the key Bloomsbury themes to great effect against a challenging opposition, with all 7 players working hard for each other. We brought each other into play at the correct moments, as well as driving at the opposition when in 1v1 scenarios. Last but not least, we put our bodies on the line to defend resolutely against a quick, counter attacking team. Henry’s incredible goal scored directly from a corner was definitely a key moment!
We attacked in numbers well, overloading the attacking third to put pressure on their goal. If it wasn’t for the goalkeeper, the score line would’ve been higher. Player of the match goes to Elias who was solid at the back when required and picking out excellent passes, all while playing up an age group! He took on board coaching points really well and solidified the team to allow us to both transition from attack to defence and defence to attack effectively!
Although chasing the game, we never gave up in the search to at least draw the game with some penetrating runs in particular from Charlie whose never-say-die attitude spurred the team on during a very challenging game due to a poor refereeing performance and aggressive opposition. Charlie’s 2nd goal in this game was exquisite, flicking a cross into the box into the far corner in between his legs. Jack Grealish would be proud! Cole takes player of the match as he defended resolutely and stuck to the job at hand in very testing circumstances. At times he was dealt with 2v1 and 3v1 overloads, however he made the correct decision in delaying until teammates recovered to help before denying with some crucial tackles. We need to ensure that we show respect and adhere to the Bloomsbury values!
It was extremely impressive to see the high-quality possession football on display. The team recognised when to protect possession and recycle and had a cutting edge and brilliant decision making in the final 3rd as every goal scored was of high quality. The best moment of the game was George’s goal. Marlei played a fantastic ball down the wide area to Alex, who shielded off the defender, played a whipped ball into the box, and George rifled the ball into the top left, leaving the ball lodged in the upper sanction! Man of the match Alex was on top of his fantastic defensive display, his ability to progress the ball into the midfield 3rd was fantastic, starting a number of our attacks with composed decision making. Continued with fine work as he moved into attacking areas and finished off with a great assist for George. The boys worked on playing through the thirds. The main focus was on how to combine and move up pitch while looking after possession. The team showcased how well training went this week with an incredible performance. Each player was fantastic, putting their team, and teammates first, trying to create as many opportunities for each other. FANTASTIC! We will continue to maintain this consistent level of performance week in and week out, in training and in matches.
The hard work and effort the team put in at the end of the match to ensure that we won the game was great to see. Yasser scored a brilliant free kick to equalise for us at a crucial point in the 1st half. Player of the match, Edgar played numerous positions, and he was able to make numerous blocks and saves when going in goal as well! This week we focussed on playing through the 3rds which enabled us to look to play forward and get the ball to the players higher up the pitch as quick as possible. Next week we will try and start the game better as we were too slow, allowing the opposition to capitalise.
Extremely tough conditions as we had 10 players to start, causing the rest of the game to be played by a group of players that had no rest. However, the effort and determination was fantastic! Despite the tough situation, the boys never gave in and were fully committed for themselves and their teammates. Despite the opposition hitting the woodwork 3 times, they scored through an own goal. Player of the match, Sami was solid at the back and resolute and strong throughout the game. He was extremely strong in his 1v1’s and consistently excellent throughout a tough match. we had a good week of training, focus and intensity was high, but we were unfortunate to not be able to replicate it in the game, but the boys controlled as much as they could!
The fast start Bloomsbury had was great to see. Taking the lead after a couple of minutes showed the intent we had for the match! Conceding early into the second half was bound to cause some nerves, but the team remained focused and pushed on, seeking more goalscoring opportunities. We continued to pile on the pressure and never settle, it was a fantastic team and individual performance which allowed the team to gain more confidence as we look to push on. Rupert is today’s player of the match for his 5 goals and effort. Along with his killer touch in the final 3rd, he continued to lead the line and push his team forward!
A slow sloppy start caused us to fall 2-0 down. However the fight back in the second half was fantastic! Scoring 2 goals in the last 10 minutes and extremely unfortunate to not get the 3rd. Some great football started from our goal kick which was great to see. Building patiently before a great switch from Jacob into Rupert, who rifles the ball into the top left corner. Player of the match, Luke singlehandedly thwarted a number of counter attacks with some great slide tackles. Kept his head in the game despite the poor start and was fantastic throughout! The fast start is essential. Next week we will be ready to hit the ground running from the first whistle.
The first half performance was the best we’ve started a game with all season! Our shape in and out of possession was great and the combination play was very good. Adey’s debut goal was a great moment as it was a reward for all our hard work. John really caused the opposition problems all game down the wing. He combined well with the midfield and attack to create some half chances and he took on the information well. We recycled the ball very well in the first half and broke lines to play through the thirds of the pitch. We also dictated play to set traps to press. We will work on position specific unit work to ensure there is further cohesion within their positional groups and to build chemistry.
From half-time onwards our performance improved dramatically, as we closed the opposition out and prevented further goals, but we just couldn’t break down their defence – However, we never gave up! A game of small moments for us but the togetherness of the team and never giving up and sticking together is credit to their mentality on the day. Player of the match goes to Rishon as the scoreline would have been very different if it wasn’t for his incredible shot stopping. Defensive structure we dictated play and forced them into areas where they didn’t have impact on the game. Which in the second half prevented them from causing any issues. We will be working on playing through the thirds more to create more clear opportunities to finish.
The first half was ultimately what lost us the game with a vast improvement after the break, but we were always chasing the 3 goals conceded in the first half. To show some resilience in the second half and not conceded whilst trying to impact the game further by scoring was great to see. A triple save from goalkeeper Rishon has got to be the highlight! He deserves player of the match as we would have conceded more if it wasn’t for his heroic efforts in both halves! In training, we worked on dictating play and the team did a much better job with that in the second half to ensure we didn’t concede. This week we will be working on breaking lines quicker and creating opportunities to score goals as we lacked real attacking threat.
We defended the result and gave everything. One of the key moments was Nima’s great goal. Besides the goal, he played brilliantly the whole game defending really well and deserving player of the match. Plus, with a man down, he was able to be dangerous in attack as well, carrying out transitions even by himself. We played simple and tried counterattacking as we did in training. We will be working on how to be faster in transition and improve our finishing skills.
Callum’s goal showed beautiful team play and effort with a great finish with a chip. He also came back in the second half with great attitude and strength. Alessandro has come back from injury, and he was key for the midfield and brought quality to the play, breaking the lines. It was great to see Bloomsbury getting the lead against the top-of-the-table team. Charlie and James showed again their defending ability and leadership with a lot of communication being used. There is still room for improvement. We will try to implement fast possession again with a few touches. Even though this message is received by our players, we can still improve and do it better. Moreover, we will work more on finishing drills.
We started the second half positively and created lots of chances to equalize but the opposition with one long ball over our defensive line manage to break us and score. The game truly could’ve been turned if we had not conceded at that point! Our players never stopped trying and believing that they could change the game. They fought till the last minute and that’s credit to them! Ben is todays player of the match as he was really positive and consistent throughout! He managed to score a really nice goal by curling the ball to the far post after a corner kick. During training, the boys were taught how to deal with long balls, especially the 4 at the back. We managed to deal with some of them, however, lots of work needs to be done! We will keep training with the same intensity and focus and results will come our way soon!
Unfortunately we started the game with 9 players against a full strength GFA team. The first 10-15 minutes of the game were a level playing field even though two goals were conceded in the 3rd and 5th minute. Bloomsbury moved the ball well and played through the GFA midfield with an intensity but unfortunately, due to the lack of squad depth, we lacked the numbers to convert the chances we were creating. During the first 5-10 minutes of the 2nd half, we were in control again creating chances. However, the lack of numbers let us down in converting these and unfortunately the game finished 9-0 which was not a reflection of the heart the boys showed throughout the game to keep going and working for the team and themselves! Ridon made a string of marvellous saves throughout the game with the final score line not reflecting the match performance. He deserves player of the match for not giving up and showing tremendous heart throughout the game and making spectacular diving saves and composure throughout! As a team, we need to instill the value commitment has in the team’s performance including respect for the team and themselves as players!
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