Outstanding performance with a first win of the season! Players managed to get back into the game after a tight first half which finished 1-1. Players started the second half with loads of energy and positivity, working together to change the score through team effort and solidarity. My favourite moments were when the players found a way to press together every time the ball was played in the opposition’s half. This strategy allowed us to score most of our goals. Player of the match was Nabil who offered to come help for the game as we were short in numbers. He displayed a great performance scoring 2 goals, helping the team out at all times as well as showing respect to the opposition.
In training we worked on areas of teamwork, ball control and an emphasis on being positive despite the result. It’s an important value for the Bloomsbury Foundation. Each individual understood the meaning of this value and showed great perseverance throughout the game. Some areas to improve or develop would be using the space effectively and knowing the right time to drop back together to defend. In addition we need to help each other in possession so players have options to pass to their teammates.
A fantastic game to watch where we attempted to incorporate what we practiced into the match day! It was a day for scoring with Ezekial bagging a hattrick and Roka adding to the score sheet as well. My favourite moment was when Rocco Becci played it out from the back to James Gallier who then passed it out to Oliver. Oliver took a positive touch forward to square it to Ezekial, who had the simple task of tapping in to score!
My player of the match was James Gallier. His impact on and off the field really helped the teams energy. He noticed where we were struggling and attempting to fix it by being vocal and organising others! At training we looked at defending through the thirds and one main area we looked at was in the front and middle third. This is where we one the majority of possession in this game. Next week, we will be looking at counter attacking focusing on how ruthless we can be when the other team are disorganised and when we have an overload.
A difficult game for the black team with the opposition being mostly in possession. The first 5 minutes looked positive with Ryan and Nabil having good opportunities to score. However, quick fire goals from Pro touch allowed them to sit off and relax. My favourite moment was when Ryan was able to peel off a defender to receive the ball and produce a good effort on goal which the keeper deflected wide. Henry and Tomasso also had chances to break the deadlock, but good saves from the keeper denied us again. My player of the match is Henry Jang-Lazarou as his willingness to defend and to try and stop players from having shots on goal is fantastic and when he then goes up front, his ability to hold off players and create chances changed the game.
The boys looked into some of the defensive principles and how this affects the different thirds on the pitch. This helped slightly as we won the ball a lot from our attacking third. We can be better next week by understanding how to counter attack when we have an overload against their players.
Bloomsbury started the match strong, even with one player less than the opposing team. However, after about 10 minutes, St John’s Wood put themselves a goal ahead. Around 5 minutes later they scored another. After going 2 – 0 up, St John’s Wood took a player off to match Bloomsbury on number of players. This changed the match, with Aniera and Maisie both having numerous shots in the final moments of the first half. At half-time we told the girls to carry on as they left off. The second half was a much more even contest and the whole team were working well together. But St. Johns Wood scored a goal about half way through the second half. This didn’t stop Bloomsbury, who continued pressing from the front. A shot from Maisie went just over the bar before the final whistle was blown. My favourite moment was the numerous shots at the end of both halves. With the girls trying their hardest to get into a good position to score.
Player of the match was Amalia, her defensive work and tackles kept Bloomsbury in the game. I was really impressed with her defensive showing this week. During the week, we focused on counter attacking play, there were numerous times in the match where Bloomsbury stole the ball off of St. John’s Wood and carried the ball forward quickly. This resulted in a lot of our shots. Next week we can better our performance by getting more of our shots on target and troubling the keeper. Along with this, concentrating on positional awareness during training sessions.
After a slow start the game was poised at 0-0 in the first 5 minutes. However, after our pressing strategy was corrected, the game opened up. The pressing machine that is the u10 gold team won numerous balls up top and scored most of the goals from this. A couple of set pieces and that was that. A dominant display. We move on to the next. Kingsley bagged 4 goals, Teo and Rob both notched braces, with Laurence and Pax chipping in a with a goal a piece as well. My highlight of the match was a great corner drilled in low by Jake straight onto Pax’s favoured right foot where he slotted it in the bottom corner.
Teo was our player of the match this wee. He made a real difference coming on from the bench with his tenacious pressing, scored two well taken goals and also created a number of opportunities for himself and others. This week in training we had 1v1 focus within game scenarios. Some great 1v1s from attacking players this week created chance upon chance. Consistency is key for us to take it to the next level. Playing our game from the very start till the very end.
Our toughest game of the season, yet a brilliant performance maintains the unbeaten start to the season. The start of the game was a realisation that this is a team that can compete and can make life difficult. A game which went back and forth then led to Bloomsbury dominance with Santiago and Chris going close. Bloomsbury then found the breakthrough through Edgar and Santiago. At 2-0 it was half time and it was made clear to the team that we had to keep the standard high as getting the next goal was crucial. We scored it through outstanding team play with Santi finishing it off. With the opposition only having 9 players they soon tired which allowed us to score six more goals, with Bastia, Yasser, Deniro and Joao getting in on the act. A brilliant second half in particular with the run continuing further. My moment of the match was the team celebrating another missed penalty together even though the score was 8-0.
Alex Dearing was our player of the match. Brilliant in terms of communicating on the pitch with the other defenders. He kept a solid line and didn’t give away many chances at all. Does a lot of work behind the scenes which can sometimes be unnoticed. His ability on the ball has increased dramatically in recent weeks. At training we had a focus on recycling the ball. During the game there were multiple times where we went backwards to then go forward. Keeping the ball rather than needlessly giving it away. We need to make sure that when the opposition have a free kick or corner we are keeping a solid line. Being goal side is something we should be able to correct next week.
What started off as a frustrating day with kick off being pushed back by two hours – the U11 Black team continued their unbeaten start to the season. The start of the game was slow, with Bloomsbury unable to get control of the ball and Benfica pushing high up the pitch to win the ball back. After conceding a couple of chances, the team found their feet and started to play their football. This led to chances being created with Santiago and Marlei bagging two goals, both from brilliant pressing high up the pitch. After leading at half time it was important to continue the hard work and use our passing and the available space to stretch the defence. More shots and movement after passing led to more goals being scored and deservedly so. Santiago’s third goal being the pick of the bunch.
With numbers piling forward we conceded a goal on the counter attack. However, a brilliant performance overall. Lots of goals scored and brilliant play. My favourite moment from the game was how the team integrated the two U10 players, Marco and Ayan. The boys made them feel a part of the team throughout the warm up and during the game. Santiago Caicedo was our player of the match. As we were without our main goalkeeper for the team Santi was one of the four players to step up to go in goal for a quarter of the game. Santi then demonstrated his skills by playing brilliantly in all forward areas – scoring an excellent hat-trick in the process.
This week in training we have worked on recycling the ball. We were able to show this by rebuilding the attack if we got too crowded in an area, which can happen a lot on a small pitch like Coram’s. We can be better in making sure we are disciplined and staying focused throughout the game. This will result in us keeping clean sheets. Also, it is important that we start the game strong rather then being asleep for the start of the game.
Generally an even game with LSS getting more of the ball. Our high press allowed us to win the ball in dangerous areas, but also meant we were caught out on counterattacks. A bit of an off day with players struggling with first touches and simple passes. However there were a few standout performances from Miya, Ilva and Mila My moment of the match was Miya scoring from a very tight angle
Ilva was our player of the match for her ability to take on and get past players. Her decision making of when to play the through ball created chances for us. Working on high pressing and finishing in the final third at training meant that the players felt comfortable when they had the ball high up the pitch. Moving forward we need to learn how to get bodies behind the ball, through recovery runs or positioning, to help prevent counterattacks.
A disappointing affair in what had been dubbed the ‘Milo Derby’ by locals, with Coach Milo coming up against a familiar enemy in United Dragons. In spite of a rousing speech addressing the quintessential differences in ethos’s of the two sides, it was a sluggish start that saw Bloomsbury trail midway through the first half. Ezekiel was electric throughout the first half, causing serious issues on the counter and was unlucky not to score, hitting the bar with a fierce effort. His quality was evident, leaving spectators thinking ‘what would happen if he actually turned him up to training?’ Ezekiel’s pace under the consistent tutelage (Tuesdays from 6-7 at Parliament Hill & Thursdays 5:30-7 at Fleet school) of Coach Milo would surely be an unstoppable combination.
In the second half, we never really got going. Two frustrating headed goals were conceded which saw an undeserved 3-0 lead for the Dragons. The takeaway message was simple: losing sucks and the only way to undo the pain of defeat would be hard work on the training ground. My favourite moment was Hiwaad turning up on a match day. I almost shed a tear. Welcome back, brother.
Ezekiel was our player of the match. He made those dragons looked like pussy cats. This week we worked on getting pressure on the ball and protecting the centre of the pitch in a compact block, which worked well in this game. Defending our box better will save us from tasting defeats like this again.
Back to winning ways! A game to remember for all the right reasons this week. A very dominant win against a well organised APB Wingate team. Through out the game we showed that we are a technically gifted side who proved that on our day we have the passion and ability to beat anyone, with the APB Wingate manager labelling us “The best and well set up team we have played” which is not only a compliment to the boys in the team its a compliment to Bloomsbury as a whole. Zak D, Ed, Ayman and Elijah were our goal scorers this week.
A lot of highlights this week. Elijah using his lightning speed to breeze fast defenders all game after a few good chances finally getting his goal. Ayman using his skills and quick feet to beat defenders all game before a perfectly timed chop sending defenders flying and smashing the ball into the back of the net with his weak foot. Ed with a brilliant run beating every outfield player and calmly slotting the ball into the bottom right corner of the goal. And finally Zak D who pushed forward playing in a higher role later in the game, getting his goal with a great run down the right side of the pitch beating multiple players and scoring. Aymans perfectly timed chop to send two players the wrong way and power it past the keeper with a brilliant weak foot finish was my moment of the match.
Yaroslav was our player of the match. He played well all game and helped the team succeed providing two assists. This week we have used our training to understand movements of defenders and predicting the movements we should make under good and bad pressure. Once again we used our diamonds and triangles to build up play. Next week we can be better by using this weeks learning in training and transfer that learning to get another win.
First game for U12 foundation team resulted in a resounding victory. It was a dominant performance where we created a lot of chances. Defensively we were very solid, limiting the opposition to a handful of chances. Lester notched a hat trick, including a free kick which was the moment of the match, with Jamie and Jamal pitching in a with a goal each as well.
The players understood how to press as a team following our training session. When we got the ball we were able to get it to wide areas for 1v1 situations. Going forward we need more communication and considering the thirds that we should be playing in.
We started slow and were on the back foot from the beginning of the game. The opposition capitalised on this pressure and went 1-0 up early on. The boys bounced back very well and scored two goals before the half on the counter attack, taking advantage of the space the opposition left from trying to grab a second goal. In the second half we were very clinical and dominated in the final third which led to another 4 goals. Defensively we did a fantastic job to deny them scoring another goal in the second half. Adam Butragueno scored a hat trick with
Tristan Turner, Rupert Robinson and Freddie Littner scored a goal each as well. My favourite moment was watching Rupert, who wasn’t happy about playing striker. He persevered and resembled Jamie Vardy with his constant movement when playing there.
Two players of the match this week. Adam Butragueno who scored a hat trick on his return from injury and was so clinical in the final third. Noah Conway who was very smart in possession and controlled the game from the moment he stepped on the pitch. We worked on attacking at speed when we have an overload and that’s where quite a few of our goals came from. Moving forward we need to continue to persevere and improve in training, adding what we learned to our game on the weekend.
It was back and forth encounter with both teams having chances throughout the game. The team did well to build and create Eben’s goal early on in the game. Throughout the game the boys aimed to progress up the pitch in possession and combine together in attack. Our wingers were electric throughout, constantly trying to attack the opposition defenders at speed. The work rate off the ball was immense, with every player working hard for the team.
The boys deserved more from the game and on another day they would have got the 3 points. My favourite moment was Mickey running the length of the pitch after picking the ball up from the keeper, skipping past numerous players and ultimately producing a shot that was unlucky not to go past the keeper.
Alfie Rudd was our player of the match. Some fantastic and important saves, very aggressive and proactive coming to collect balls and starting attacks very well. We worked on attacking with an overload and there were situations in the game they looked to support the winger in possession as soon as possible to create an overload and gained success in certain areas. To improve we need to continue to notice situations where we can create overloads and improve our ability to defend every time we are faced with it.
The U14s are unbeaten at Market Road and have added to this with another big win! Kayla scored a 10 minute hat trick, and the first goal came in the first 2 minutes. Muzique used her great throw-ins to put the ball into a dangerous areas causing two own goals. Marwa and O’Miya both scored braces. Muzique and Tara also got on the score sheet. Shola kept the opposition to only one goal against us with some fine saves. Coaches player of the match was Gabby for some excellent defensive interventions and always stepping forward with the attack., as well as Kayla for strong attacking play and a mature performance in defence. Players player of the match was O’Miya today for excellent runs and intelligent decisions to pass or play. Captain Laura lead the team on the wing and had some excellent chances but didn’t let them get to her and kept playing with her head up.
My favourite moment was the way we celebrated as a team with some fun celebrations. Great to see the team spirit! We have been working on building up the attack. We really put this into practice in the second half after our team talk and excellently passed the ball across the pitch into the attacking third. I could not fault our performance this week. We continue to make strides!
It was a difficult week for the U14s, playing against a strong London Colney Colts & Cougars side. However, the game was more competitive than the score line would suggest. Bloomsbury played some great football, building our attacks with a short, accurate passing game. Keeping possession well. We conceded two goals in the first 15 minutes, however, we grew into the first half and created some decent goal-scoring opportunities of our own which we failed to convert. We played 25 minutes of the second half with only 10 players and as fatigue settled in, it became more difficult to contain the speedy opposition forward line. The boys gave everything to keep the game competitive and to score a goal in the second half, but it wasn’t to be. Onto the next one!
Seb Darnell had been feeling unwell recently but has still been attending training and matches regularly. During the game, he had to take a break during to recover and build up his energy. He spent the first part of the second half on the sidelines, struggling with headaches and low energy. However, he announced that he was ready to come back on and entered the pitch. 30 seconds later he is in the middle of the action, winning slide tackles, intercepting passes in midfield, dribbling past opposition players, and combining well with his teammates. Football can be a difficult game sometimes and every training session or match is a test of players’ resilience and character. Seb is a fantastic example for the other players to follow, always giving his all to help the team, even when he is not at full fitness.
Jake Davies, our player of the match, showed fantastic character in the game and a never give up attitude. His immense defensive work rate helped reduce the number of opposition attacks down the right flank and his quality on the ball allowed us to progress the ball effectively in wide areas.
In training last week, we focused on recycling the ball and maintaining possession under pressure. Although there was a lot to improve on defensively, there were lots of positives to take from our possession game. We moved the ball much faster from defence into midfield, taking fewer touches and playing with a higher tempo. This made it difficult for the opposition forwards to press our backline and win the ball high up the pitch, which had been a problem in recent weeks. Next week in training we will be working on how to create more dangerous goal scoring opportunities and finishing in the final third. We will be looking at different ways to provide support to the player in possession and how to increase the number and quality of our shots.
Due to a lack of players, this game was played 7v7. The first half was a well contested battle. The U16’s took the lead early on but this didn’t deter the U15’s, who contested every ball, ran down their opponents and managed to create a couple of good chances – one of which led to the equaliser. Emily’s shot 14 minutes in from just inside the box on the left nestled sweetly into the bottom right corner. The U16’s took the lead again not long after, and could’ve scored a couple more had Zoe not pulled off some excellent saves. The second half we started brightly, and came out with the same intention as the first half, however it became clear to see that the combination of our lack of fitness, the heat, and less players on the pitch meaning more distance to cover, was becoming our limiting factor. We stopped pressing effectively, and the wide and midfield players often neglected their duty to track back to help defend, which lead to us being routinely overexposed on the counter.
The game ended in an 9 -1 defeat, but our performance for the most part was not reflected in the score line. We had no subs and were missing a few key players who really would’ve made a difference,. Nonetheless I’m still very proud of our girls. My favourite moments were Hannah’s personal battle with Karina throughout the game. She continually made life hard for Karina, who was by far their standout player, and won most of her duels with her too. As such she was awarded player of the match. She took on the hardest task of stopping Karina and did so brilliantly. There were plenty of times we were getting countered 3v2 or 4v2 and she expertly snuffed out the danger. She was also communicating well with her teammates, organising our shape from the back, and continually putting in effort throughout the game regardless of the score
Commitment to training is something we need to improve on, as it allows us to better understand the players we’re working with, and which positions work best for them. This was evident in the match, as first of all we didn’t have enough numbers for 9v9, and second we had to keep moving players around and out of their desired positions for several reasons.
Another thing I mentioned to the girls is effort; what we put in is what we get out. It will be my job to increase the intensity we train at, so that come the next match day we’re even sharper. Training at a higher level is critical for us going forward. Sometimes I catch people going through the motions too much, rather than pushing themselves to improve every training session. We must train to be better players when it comes to matches. We will also try to incorporate more position-specific training, so that players understand what’s required of them in their positions.
2 goals each from Zac and Goncalo, as well as goals from Rayane, Dalvin, Simon and an own goal completed a resounding victory for a threadbare BFA U15 Boys on Friday night.
Playing the first 20 minutes with 6 players created a lot of frustration for the boys. However, persistence in looking to play through the lines and being patient in possession, accompanied by hard-work off the ball meant that we went into the half-time break 2 goals to the good.
The second half was to be a completely different story with BFA dominating from kick-off and scoring some fantastic goals in the process. Our ability to penetrate in numbers and switch play quickly tore apart the Crown & Manor defence. Leading to some very-well crafted goals. Primarily by man of the match Zac Silverstone. Some lapses in concentration led to the conceding of 2 very cheap goals, however, our overriding dominance could’ve led to even more goals being scored. It was great to see some principles of play that we have been working on in Block 1 be applied to great effect.
My highlight of the match was our consistency, Goals 4,5, & 6 were extremely similar in terms of play transition from back to front, and left to right before unselfish play led to simple but clinical finishes. This consistency in all areas will see this team make a mark this season.
Two goals from the returning Aaron, added to by both Mark and Dalvin were not enough in a game that was very much a tale of two halves. In what is becoming a trademark trait for this team, Bloomsbury struggled to get into second gear in the first half, making poor decisions, executing simple actions poorly and operating with low intensity. Whetstone were able to create chance after chance to add to their 3-0 lead coming into the break. After an inspiring half-time team talk however, the second half was to be a different story with 4 unanswered goals putting Bloomsbury 4-3 ahead. The boys looked comfortable in possession, were creating angles across the pitch and were patient in their line-breaking passes. Particularly via wide areas through Aaron and Dalvin. A middle three of Leo, Ebenzer and Elyon/Lamek were working hard both in and out of possession to win the midfield battle. Goncalo and Joe provided further stability in the heart of defence if the midfield line was broken.
Unfortunately, a late goal conceded with seconds to play resulted in a heart-breaking moment for the boys. I am confident that if the same levels as the second half are reached throughout the whole of the game, then the wins will soon come for this team. As we pulled back more goals in the second half, you could see the increasing belief that we could win a match against the team top of the league. The team rallied around each other and pushed each other right to the end.
Aaron Connor was our player of the match. After some time away from the team, it was great to welcome Aaron back into the fold in which he produced a stellar performance with his direct attacking play & tireless work off of the ball. He scored 2 deserved goals and was unlucky not to have scored more.
This week we revisited “Building from the Back”. We were finding that we weren’t constructing attacks via keeping possession in our own half and shifting the ball into less congested areas. Rather, we were playing longer and directly to our forward players. It was pleasing to see players become more comfortable on the ball in deeper areas and breaking lines effectively and efficiently as the game wore on. We start games extremely slow which is due to a low intensity warm-up to which players drop in and out frequently. Our preparation in terms of arriving to venues has improved over the last few weeks, however, we need to prepare ourselves better for games physically and psychologically.
A disappointing draw for us at the end of the day, just showing the high standards we expect from ourselves as a team. After going a goal down, the team responded in fine fashion. A superb front post header from a well taken corner by Luke was turned in by Elliot for his third goal of the season. He quickly made it a brace, punching on a loose ball to round the goalkeeper and slot home. Our third was beautifully worked. A long ball from our centre back, Cosmas, found Jack open wide on the right, who struck a first time volley and sent the ball soaring into the top corner over the keeper. A lapse in concentration allowed AC Finchley to nick a goal back shortly after, heading into interval 3-2 ahead.
Another sloppy mistake at the back gifted the opposition an equaliser early in the second half and despite sending the next 45 mins camped in the oppositions half, we could not find a way through. A frantic end to the match saw both sides hit the woodwork in the final minute in which the match could have gone either way. My moment of the match was an unbelievable one on one save by Daniel in the first half to keep us in front! Used his body immensely to foil their striker.
Elliot was our player of the match. A brace from him capped off an all round good display of high energy pressing and determination to win! We did’nt train this week. Energy levels were better after a week of illness but sluggishness was evident. We need to work on defensive shape and retaining the ball better when playing through the lines. Ultimately creating good goal scoring opportunities as quickly as possible
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