Ilva helped dominate the game in midfield and worked particularly well with Jet and scored 2 goals! Frankie had an excellent attitude all game and played in defence, in goal and on the wing! In the second half, Bloomsbury were 3-1 up as an opposition player managed to escape the defenders on a counterattack and looked certain to score but then Salima came sprinting back and made an excellent tackle! A pivotal last-ditch challenge. Very proud of everyone, especially playing in the cold rain! The team have been working on building the attack from defence and it was impressive to see this demonstrated within the match. The girls’ decision making to either take on a defender or make a pass was excellent. Sometimes it just needed one extra look up to see where a teammate was to make it either a through ball or a ball to feet. To improve further, the girls will be working on their communication, so we don’t have two people aiming to win the same ball. We also need to exploit the space the opposing team is giving us as they left space for us to easily switch the ball.
Coordinated presses by the entire squad in the attacking half showed great awareness and willingness to win the ball. Ayman was a great attacking threat, and his decision-making was brilliant throughout. In training, the team worked on trying to win the ball as high as we could, to try and prepare for building the attack, which was applied during the match. This will be continued in to this week, as well as beginning to touch on playing through each third of the pitch.
Despite a tough battle, the boys steadied the game and controlled the game much better. We never let our heads drop and kept playing throughout the game, which is align with the Bloomsbury values of positivity and excellence. We were aggressive without the ball, and positive with it. It was extremely impressive to see our application and we were unfortunate to concede a few goals at the end.
The team played fantastically. This was an extremely even game with both teams putting in every inch of effort they had. Both teams were countering each other which made it a tight game. Player of the match was Andi who was assured in defence and applied himself extremely well wherever he was on the pitch, holding the team together. Additionally, player of the match was also Bastian who always tried his hardest and worked hard for the team in many different positions. He even gained an assist! Both teams applied a high press which made the game extremely tense and enjoyable to watch. Decision making is an area which the boys will be focusing on improving. Recognising that we have little time on the ball and must be ready to evade pressure throughout the game is crucial. Therefore, the team will be focusing on making decisions before receiving the ball.
Piper, Alex and Bakita were fantastic with their tackles and emergency defending, as well as picking out passes to get up the pitch. All the attackers worked tirelessly, winning the ball back putting pressure on the opposition and scoring some great goals! Mila was the player of the match as she made some outstanding saves in the first half that had the opposition manager clapping! She got a well-deserved goal in the second half and was a real team player the whole game, ensuring she would support the attack, but also track back to defend. The girls will be working on making the ball do the work. By having better passing options and passing the ball more, this can allow the ball to do the work and the team can play smarter as a result.
During the end of game de-brief, every single player discussed how happy they were with the performance regardless of the result. Positivity was off the charts towards one another which is great to hear as its been missing in recent weeks. Player of the match was Gabi who led by example from central midfield, linking up with teammates fantastically as well as showing fantastic decision-making to beat his man when required. Gabi also battled hard defensively, showing great upper body strength and timing in the tackle. Performance was capped off with our first goal which was a great strike from outside the box.
Our build up from the back was rushed at times which meant that the correct pass wasn’t always chosen. This came from across the back three as well as the goalkeeper. However, the boys pressed very well as a team, hunting in packs to regain possession.
Player of the match, Troy was solid at the back and played with aggression and intelligence. He always seemed to be in the right place to clear the danger and led the backline brilliantly and had a fantastic match. The combination play Noah provided was brilliant and his ability to drop in and play some exquisite passes into his attackers was fantastic. There were moments where the boys chose to recycle the ball and keep possession. With the focus on keeping calm, the players tried to keep the ball as much as possible. The team will be looking to continue to improve on their chance creation. Creating opportunities that are easier to finish will contribute to scoring more.
Luca had incredible mentality in the conditions and displayed a brilliant performance in a new role at left back where he was faultless. His positioning was great as was his distribution of the ball. He created good passing angles to build from the back and was strong in tackling whilst also creating a huge number of opportunities which relieves pressure. A highlight of the game included a seven pass build up that resulted in John hitting the post. This showed great teamwork, and the team will look to bounce back next week.
The link up play leading up to Bloomsbury’s goal showed the defensive goal-line scramble where the players were putting their bodies on the line for the team. Simon had a brilliant work rate getting up and down the pitch. He listened and followed all instructions given to him perfectly. The players will be encouraged to focus on never giving up, and supporting each other throughout the game, as well as increasing training attendance to ensure that we can move forward as a group. We keep going!
Although the game was called off early, Emma earned player of the match. She was enthusiastic from the start and was open to playing in centre back which was new to her. In training, Emma was very eager, constantly putting herself out of her comfort zone. During the game at the end of training, she had a great chance to score but narrowly missed. After telling her that she was going to score in the match she was definitely trying to prove that. If the full game had been played, there is no doubt she would’ve got that goal! Keep it up Emma and keep trying new things in training so they can be worked on before matches, your goal is coming!
In training this week, the girls focused on passing, shooting and defending. Their concentration is great, and the players applied their training skills within the match. From the minute the girls arrived at St James’ we looked like a team and supported each other through the successes as well as the opportunities for learning and development. It was great to see!
The girls are still struggling with what to do under pressure from another player. It is a hard skill to execute confidently and can definitely be worked on in training. Once this is perfected, the girls will do much better in games and results will be earned greatly!
This was a comfortable win for Bloomsbury, taking a 5-0 lead in to half-time, and continuing their strong relentless performance for the second half. Player of the match Nima showed a consistent positive performance during the match which was great to see. He was successful in distributing the ball and breaking lines through passing and dribbling. All players were impressive and adapted to challenging weather and pitch conditions to collect another 3 points in the Watford Friendly League.
Bloomsbury started the first ten minutes of the match on the front foot and managed to create four clear chances in which we scored two of. The team set the tempo from the start and the opposition couldn’t handle them. Johnny had a really good performance overall despite the difficult weather conditions. He managed to have a really good positioning according to the ball. Additionally, he won all of his individual battles and spread the ball to Bloomsbury’s side.
The players were competing, running and battling for 90+ minutes despite the very bad weather conditions. That’s credit to them with the hard work they did in training. The team will be training hard to do the simple things extraordinary well as well as building confidence and momentum throughout the season.
Player of the match, Oscar, led the team to win the game with his quality and passion. Oscar’s fourth goal was a great solo attempt accompanied by a superb finish. By building a momentum each week and training hard every session, this team can achieve success.
Bloomsbury’s best player on the day was debutant Jayden, who didn’t put a foot wrong from the centre of defence. His attitude on the pitch epitomised the Bloomsbury values, throwing everything in front of the ball to prevent a goal, making strong challenges, and driving forward to start attacks. His effort cannot be faulted and was applauded by his team mates on several occasions.
The best moment of the game was Bloomsbury’s consolation goal, scored by Kamran. The boys were 3-0 down, soaking wet, but never gave up and deserved the goal that came our way. It was a nice finish into the keeper’s bottom right corner. The best moment would have been Seyi’s free kick from 35 yards, but the keeper expertly tipped it over the crossbar when everyone else thought it was a certain goal!
The boys had to adapt in this week’s game, with the weather conditions dramatically influencing the quality of the game. This match was about work rate, never giving up, and playing for the team. These are life skills that we are constantly reiterating to our players on and off the pitch. The biggest lesson from this week should be that Bloomsbury play as a team from start to finish, and we can always improve on our teamwork.
Arteen saved many opposition shots, keeping Bloomsbury in the game, and bounced back from a first-half setback in style! The best moments of the game came from Bloomsbury’s superb defending where, despite having no substitutes available and players were tiring, they refused to give in. Arteen made a few outstanding saves, even a couple with his feet, that denied St. John’s Wood at point-blank range. This week in training, the team worked on shooting and took one of the only opportunities that was presented. The team were missing some attacking players, and this showed a lack of threat in the final third at times. The return of those players will add more depth to the squad and will result in more chances created. In the upcoming training sessions, the team will be working on playing through the thirds, ensuring that we find a way to break down stubborn defensive lines.
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