Please upgrade your browser. Certain features in this website are not compatible with your current version.

Close this message

Academy Match Reports

Goals Galore!

2nd Mar 2023

Featured Fixture
Bloomsbury boys U18 6-4 Harvesters

Bloomsbury took an early lead through Tristan, after a well-balanced first 16 minutes. His finish was slotted into the keeper’s far right corner, following Bloomsbury’s second corner of the game. It only took Harvesters 5 minutes to equalise, when poor marking resulted in a free header from a corner of their own, but Freddie rounded the keeper just two minutes after the restart to re-take the lead! This crazy period continued two minutes later again, with Freddie getting his second with a first-time finish after Kamran’s energetic drive into the box. That was all the action for the first half, which ended 3-1, but Harvesters then went on to score three goals in the first 15 minutes of the second half to make it 3-4! Bloomsbury were only behind for four minutes, clearly awoken by the unexpected comeback and relentless energy from our opposition, as Freddie grabbed his hat-trick after being put through on goal. However, he wasn’t settling for just three and scored his fourth in added time of this cup fixture, his half-volley at the back post sparking wild celebrations from all members of the team! Bloomsbury wrapped up the 6-4 win with a goalmouth scramble ending on the head of Reese, who ensured that the ball hit the back of the net and we continued our positive start to the WFL Spring Cup! The best moment was the resilience shown by the Bloomsbury boys to win the game in the last 5 minutes, having given away several goals in the second half. We continued to play in the way that we had in the first half, the performance that had put us 4-1 up, and this was re-paid with two late goals. Today’s player of the match was Josh O-S, who dominated the midfield, driving forward at every opportunity as well as securing possession through his intensity and work rate. He has been a fantastic addition to this team and continues to add quality in the final third in every attack. We worked on first time finishing in training and that finishing paid off with six goals today, including a couple of excellent first-time finishes. It’s always nice to see the training pay off! Next week we will be working on more game-based scenarios to improve both our 7 and 11-a-side performances further.

 

 

Bloomsbury boys U9 Gold vs Camden Town & East Finchley

Focus before the game started and at halftime led us to earlier goals at the start of both halves! A great header from Robert from a set corner was definitely a key moment! Robert is showing to be such a skilful player! Player of the match goes to Mathias for his great leadership skills. The boys were a little bit unfocused during the week after the half term break, but we kept on working on playing through the wide areas. Next week we will focus on defending the space so we can work as a unit which will lead us to start having clean sheets.

 

 

Bloomsbury boys U9 Black vs Camden Town Youth

Without a goalkeeper the boys are asked who wants to step up in goal, as normally we rotate as we go. Ori stepped up and said that he could stay in goal for the whole the 1st half. Until the last second Bloomsbury never stopped fighting to try and score. It was great to see the effort! Player of the match, Louay, had great attitude and came off the bench to play very well! Low focus and attention led us to a poor performance at the weekend. The boys know now what they need to work on to improve. Being focused and willing to learn within the training sessions will help to achieve more knowledge and improvement.

 

 

Bloomsbury boys U9 Black vs Gladstone Rangers

Robert’s knowledge of the game helped the team to stay calm and more compact. The players were much more aware of what they need to change and how to work on improving. Vlad stepped up to play on goal which was great to see. Louay again achieved player of the match for his unmatched fight at the back preventing many goals from happening! The teams focus was low after half term which led us to a poor result. The boys will be working on their focus and ability to switch on when difficulties approach us as well as working on how to defend a space as a unit which will lead us to perform better as individuals as well as a group!

 

 

Bloomsbury boys U10 Gold vs LFS Red

The key moment of this game was George’s amazing headed goal which came directly from a corner! The positivity after conceding the first goal helped the team stay focused. Rex made a key save from an opposition free kick in the 2nd half. Deniro’s goal was scored after some brilliant passing specifically between our forward players. Player of the match, Christian played in numerous positions across the pitch and in each position played with real quality on and off the ball. The focus in training was how we build the attack from the back. We did try this during the game with varying success but the players’ continued to try this during the game which was the most pleasing aspect! We will continue to play with the same intensity and display the same positivity levels whilst trying to score more from the numerous chances we created in the game.

 

 

Bloomsbury girls U10 vs PSA

We had some nice patterns of play towards the end of the game and continued to put pressure on the opposition. We were quite solid defensively considering the side we played had some very good players, and all six girls put in some great tackles 1-1. It was great to see that four of the girls volunteered to go in goal as this was a friendly fixture. The girls stepped outside their comfort zone and wanted to give something new a go which was amazing! For a lot of them, they embraced trying out a new position too which was great to see! The best moment was the sportsmanship demonstrated throughout by the girls. If a player was injured, whether that be our own player or an opposition player, they would always make sure they were ok. This is more important than football itself. The girls should all be proud of themselves for this. Player of the match for this game would go to Alex as her understanding of the game was phenomenal and she is a role model for the other players who play in defence. She understands positioning very well and knows when to tackle and when to clear the ball. She got a few hard challenges but got back up and carried on! This week, we did some work on passing, especially focusing on our techniques. The passing was great in our third of the pitch, with some great switches of play from Anne, and the girls looking to play wide, but this still needs fine tuning to ensure we don’t give away possession from a loose pass in our half of the pitch. We will use this week’s training sessions to focus on positioning, and movement to receive as well as passing, so that when we get into a game, we look more organised, and the girls understand their responsibilities in the game.

 

 

Bloomsbury girls U10 vs LFS

We had some nice passages of play to lead to the goal scored by the player who joined our team from LFS. Mila had some great runs and dribbles throughout the game, and Noa made some great passes. Ettie fully committed to her tackles and didn’t shy away from anything which is great considering this is only her second full game for Bloomsbury! Deminy did some great covering, as well as showing off her skills, including a header to keep the ball in play when she was in goal, alongside a calm pass despite being shut down by the opposition. Amalia battled hard against some good attacking players and made some nice tackles. Lyla worked hard to find space to receive the ball, as well as shutting down the opposition well. It was great when we got a well-deserved goal. The game was a tough one, but it was great to see the sportsmanship of the Bloomsbury players congratulating the LFS player on scoring against her own team! Mila is the player of the match as she worked tirelessly to make recovery runs, as well as helping the team get up the pitch too. She had some great challenges, and her 100% commitment to the team will never be doubted! This week in training, we have done some work on passing as well as trying to build the attack. We’ve shown signs of improvement in this during the game, but the team will be going over it again to fine tune the passing in our half of the pitch to ensure we get to the opposition’s half as quickly as possible! We will be better next week by improving our passing and movement off the ball to receive as we still get a little too close to each other when one of our players has the ball so we will work on positioning, passing and movement to receive.

 

 

Bloomsbury boys U11 Gold 3-1 APB Rams

This week in training we had worked on a specific passing pattern to which we built from the goalkeeper. Full backs then played into central players before being shifted out to our wide players and delivered into the box to finish. This pattern was on show on numerous occasions today which allowed us to open up the opposition. We also were winning all of our duels, whether they were 1st, 2nd, or beyond balls. Jon’s individual brilliance on the right side of attack led to him squaring for Adam to round the keeper and slot home to seal the win. Jon has showed a huge amount of energy over the last few months, and today the opposition just could not handle him and his nutmegs, pirouettes and bounce and go’s. To make his performance even more impressive was his willingness and desire to help out his defensive teammates too. Hugely deserved player of the match! We will look to continue our momentum and hunger to perform well by doing the right things at the right time consistently.

 

 

Bloomsbury boys U11 Black 1-2 AFC

Right at the death, a well-worked, and extremely clever, free kick on the edge of the box from Yacine was inches way from being converted and earning a more than deserved draw. Yacine’s long-range lobbed free kick, that no one at Coram’s expected, dropped over the keeper to equalise. Player of the match goes to Archie-Blu who was extremely confident on the ball, twisting and turning out of tight situations before making the correct passing decision. He also was first to every aerial ball and 50-50 opportunity that broke down any opposition attempt to transition from defence to attack quickly and directly. We had worked on a particular passing pattern that built attacks from the back, and this was evident a few times during the game to which we were denied the finishing touches by resolute defending. Players that are shifted into less familiar positions/favoured positions will remain focused and understand the task/s at hand specific to that position.

 

 

Bloomsbury boys U11 2-2 EFA Gold

We immediately equalised on 2 occasions after going a goal down against the run of play. It would’ve been easier for the boys to panic and let standards/performance slip, but they persisted and deservedly scored the goals their performance deserved at the very least. Each and every player was willing each other on during the game whether on or off the pitch as they realised that this was a game we deserved to win on the balance of play. Samuel achieved player of the match. We struggled with shifting the ball quick. With the opposition playing a low block at times, it was important that we able to shift play quickly to disrupt their order and Samuel’s introduction allowed this to happen. We will convert our chances from distance better as well as react more instinctively to blocked efforts.

 

 

Bloomsbury boys U12 Gold 5-0 Edgware and Kingsbury Youth

The pregame warm up was positive. All the players arrived on time which allowed us to start with high intensity and a strong focus. Varying our warmup from week to week has allowed the players to have high engagement from the beginning. The fifth goal was the highlight of the game as players were calm in possession and committed decision making. Archie played a fantastic through ball to split the fullbacks and into Tristan’s path. He then used his speed and dribbling to get passed the oncoming defender, squared the ball into Noah who unselfishly squared the ball again into Zeid who strikes with power and hit the back of the net. A lot of work this weekend on receiving and combining and a goal which strongly mirrored the quality shown this week! Player of the match Tristan gained a hattrick of assists and was a dominant attacking player. He led the team well and created a number of goalscoring opportunities! The main focus this week was building our attack in the defensive 3rd. The boys need to understand 3 important phases of possession: before receiving the ball, in possession, and after releasing. Each player must work on how to better themselves, their teammates and their team in possession of the ball. We had a great week of training, and it shows in the performance! We will look to dominate the ball in the midfield 3rd, with the aim of maintaining possession with calm decision making.

 

 

Bloomsbury boys U12 7-2 LSS

From the first minute, the intensity, focus and effort was clear. Coming out of the half term break, the boys looked like they had been training throughout with a dominant performance. Troy’s goal has got to be the key moment of the game! Luke in the unfamiliar position upfront, hassled and pressured the defender relentlessly and was rewarded for his efforts. He won the ball and squared it to Troy who finished in the bottom corner. Player of the match goes to Rupert for his well-deserved hattrick. In future we will look to keep our foot on the gas and push on!

 

 

Bloomsbury boys U12 9-1 LFS

Being 6-0 and conceding, anything could’ve happened. But the team stayed resolute and pushed on, dominating the game from start to end. Alex’s first goal was great to see. He pressed high up the pitch and our front 3 combined fantastically to score. Adam pressured the opposition won the ball and created the trigger to counterattack. He played it centrally to Jacob, who slotted it to incoming Alex who executed a fantastic curling finish into the top right corner! Alex received player of the match for his two goals and more importantly his application. He worked tirelessly up and down the pitch and was fantastic in retaining possession and brilliant in 1v1’s! Well deserved! Continue to push on and keep the momentum going!

 

 

Bloomsbury girls U12A 13-0 Benfica FC

A very dominant performance that really showed off what we had been working on in training, building the attack and getting shots on target! Great pattern of play from a goal kick into Janet, who had an incredible game, sent wide to Tara then to Jet and back to Tara again for the goal! Coaches player of the match goes to Frankie for an excellent defensive performance and even going on the other team to make the game 7v7 not 6v7 for 10 mins. Kaya and Jet receive players player of the match for their great goals! A few times we needed to just take a look up and find the pass to feet which we will be working on in training!

 

 

Bloomsbury girls U12 9-0 HGH

Jet was absolutely on fire today! There were incredible runs from midfield to score but also finding the right passes too. A key moment has to be when O’Miya did a great little nutmeg! Remai made some excellent clearances and El made some excellent forward passes to set off attacks. Player of the match goes to Kitty for potentially the best game she has played this season with intelligent runs and great tracking back. O’Miya received players player of the match because she always got back to defend and made some crucial last-ditch tackles.

 

 

Bloomsbury girls U12 3-0 LFS

With this win we have won the league!! It was a very tight game first half, but we kicked into gear in the second half. A key moment was Kaya’s strike with 15 mins to go! She then assisted Tara! Both and O’Miya got players player of the match! Muzique received coaches player of the match as she scored a lovely goal in the final few minutes! Our defence did very well in stepping up with the team which is what we’ve been working on. We are still sometimes going to the same ball, so we just need to communicate better!

 

 

Bloomsbury boys U13 2-0 North London Stars

An early goal and Jake’s first for Bloomsbury since his arrival set the tone. Jack had a strike that finished the game off. The whole game was enjoyable from start to finish as it was such a disciplined performance. The best moment came in the second half where we didn’t score but showed grit and determination to keep the clean sheet. Player of the match goes to Vinnie who worked incredibly hard all game to close down space, shut off passing lanes and his press was phenomenal and exactly how we planned prior to the game. He has taken on instructions very well. Our organisation off the ball and dictating the play came through in the game as the game plan was carried out perfectly and we dictated where we wanted to opposition to play, and we closed down the space and players as we trained. We will work on improving our finishing of chances we create as the score line could have been significantly higher. However, we will maintain the organisation off the ball and not compromise on that for extra goals.

 

 

Bloomsbury boys U13 0-3 Enfield Rangers

We dominated large parts of the game in possession but when Enfield scored against the run of play twice that effected our final third entries and confidence in and out of possession. We built from the back incredibly well and through the thirds where we beat the oppositions press time after time but failed to make use of our chances. Jack had one of his best game for Bloomsbury which is why he deserves player of the match. He played in a back three and was effective in building the play. He knew when to play through, around and beyond. We also seen another side of his game tackling and tracking runners. Playing through the thirds as we looked to utilise our wingbacks and was very effective moving the ball through, around and beyond the press. We will be working on taking the emotion out of the game and playing with more of a logical objective mind. Setting individual challenges within the game to focus on a different version of success other than the result.

 

 

Bloomsbury girls U14 1-2 HMH

Bloomsbury piled the pressure on in the first half. We were positive with the ball, our wide players were direct and energetic, and we looked to play forward accurately and quickly. Some of our best moments came when we regained the ball deep and looked to find the feet of our attacking players. We scored late in the half but unfortunately lost our way in the second half and conceded 2 goals. The last 10 minutes were all Bloomsbury, with great individual dribbling skills to create chances and some great passes into the box. Unfortunately we couldn’t quite find that equaliser! As Nina was being subbed into the game she said: “I’m not a striker, I’ll never score!”. Fast forward 5 minutes and she’s off celebrating her goal! Great effort and a great goal from Nina to prove herself wrong! Player of the match goes to Emma. She led the team really well and set the tone for her teammates. She was brave in winning the ball, tackled and intercepted well and was very positive with her progressive play. It was impressive to see how often she looked to find the feet of our forward players and carried the ball forward well, too! As this was my first week with the group, we focussed on building our in-possession fundamentals. We looked at how we can be effective when moving through space and how we can receive to progress play. We also began to discuss verticality and how we can play through defenders and through teams. It was great to see the team be brave on the ball and play forward often and with good success. We will look to be more aware of our spacing and our directions when defending 1v1. We’ll think about how we approach closing down attackers and try and show them toward our defenders, rather than into space for them to attack. We will also think about how we can be good teammates and cover our teammates when they are defending 1v1.

 

 

Bloomsbury boys U15 5-1 Alexandra Park South

The first key moment was the first goal; even though it was a lucky free kick, it allowed us to be calmer during possession and play with a free mind. The second goal was also important since we came back from the break and could kill the game easily. Shout out to Beckett, but also to Zak who won the penalty after a great run! Player of the match goes to Beckett who scored the initial three goals and set a good lead to allow the team to play with calm. Moreover, he played unselfishly for the rest of the game providing great balls to his teammates, great distribution and vision. The team was good at getting into the game with the message we implemented during training, which was to play simply in the back and aggressively upfront with a fast transition. We will need to work on movements off the ball more, especially running behind and deep. Moreover, we will keep pushing the same message of fast possession with less touches as possible.

 

 

Bloomsbury girls U15/16 3-1 Camden Youth FC U15

Alexia scoring the opening goal in the match with a shot from just outside the penalty area with her left foot was a great moment. Constant attacks followed the opening goal with Bloomsbury hitting the post twice. Bloomsbury then continued to successfully win the ball up high with a high press that caused Camden a lot of problems creating quite a few chances. Theresa scored just before half time from the right-hand side of the goal into the top left-hand corner. Half time came at 2-0 and Theresa stole the lead with a strong strike from outside the area. Camden came strong in the second half hitting the post twice and scoring once. Bloomsbury held on to win 3-1 and secure the league title! Theresa was the best player showing great determination to win and drive the ball forward up high causing the opposition plenty of issues. The team focused on extra passes to add pressure and exploit weak areas. This was seen with passes in wide areas opening up vertical and horizontal passes allowing for more combinations. Understanding how we can receive in active areas and create conditions to exploit in behind will be focused on in training.

 

 

Bloomsbury boys U16 1-4 Enfield Town FC

Poor start of the game cost us by conceding two early goals. Players coming from the bench managed to have an impact in the game. Willem played really well especially in the second half. He won most of his individual battles and most of the headers. We do usually start bright and on the front foot but today we underestimated the opposition. We need to improve our team’s physicality as at the moment we cannot compete. Strength and conditioning sessions will be included in Wednesday’s training to help with that.

 

 

Bloomsbury boys U16 2-2 The Hill Blue FC

We controlled the whole game, and the opposition didn’t create much. We missed a penalty while the game was 2-2, if we scored this we could’ve won the game! When we conceded the first goal our players showed character and positivity to respond back with a goal straight away. Player of the math goes to Andrea for his unbeaten run on the floor and in the air! He managed to control the back line and kept the opposition away from our box for the majority of the game. A really positive performance overall! We worked a lot on how to break a low block and we managed to create lots of chances but unfortunately we couldn’t score. We need to concentrate and control the controllables, for example, players performance. We have one more game to win in order to secure the league title and we will do everything we can to achieve it!

 

 

Bloomsbury boys U18 2-5 Fusion

We were aware that this would be a tough fixture against a top team, top of the league in fact. With Bloomsbury sitting in second, a win was required, but unfortunately we didn’t achieve our desired outcome. It wasn’t through a lack of effort or commitment, but instead several moments of real quality from our opponent, moving the ball quickly and creating space as though they were on a basketball court. It was an impressive display, particularly in the first 10 minutes, in which Fusion scored three goals. Bloomsbury came back into the game to make it 3-1, but this was cancelled out soon after by another well worked move, finished at the back post. When Bloomsbury pulled another back to make it 4-2, they believed they could get back into the game, with 15 minutes remaining. However, creating chances was tough and Fusion remained compact, before catching us on the counterattack to score their fifth. The effort of our players was appreciated, committed until the end, and still managed two excellently taken goals. Arteen was outstanding in goal and the goals conceded were not preventable. He deserves credit from his teammates for keeping them in the game for as long as he did. A variety of saves with both hands and feet was enough to keep the game competitive until the very end. We prepared well in training, with a game-based practice focused on intensity, quick finishing and close ball control. All of these factors came into the game, as they always do, and hopefully can have an impact on our 11-a-side fixture on Sunday. We will continue to work on similar areas. However, sometimes you must accept that an opposition play well and that losing is something to learn from. We will learn from tonight!