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Academy Match Reports

From The Training Ground To Game Day

18th Jan 2023

Featured Fixture 
Bloomsbury boys U16 12-0 Borehamwood Youth Knights

Bloomsbury controlled the whole tempo of the match from start to finish. We didn’t let the opposition have a single shot or chance for the whole match. All players were very concentrated and well prepared for the game. We created lots of chances and were successful numerous times! We worked on keeping possession of the ball throughout the week which helped a lot as the opposition kept a low press. Nason was this week’s player of the match as he scored a hattrick in less than 35 minutes! He was in the right areas at the right moments to score goals and he even managed to win a penalty which converted to a goal! One of the greatest moments was in the 59th minute, where Jack’s superb corner kick placed the ball to Nason who scored a superb volley!

 

 

Bloomsbury boys U7 vs Camden Borough AFC

The team pressed intensity throughout the game. This week, the boys focused on pressing to win the ball back within the first 5 seconds. Next week we will be working on finishing our chances.

 

 

Bloomsbury boys U9 Gold vs FC Marylebone

At half time, when the boys were asked how they were feeling losing 1-3, they said frustrated, sad, and lacking confidence. They were told to use this energy to focus on what we want to change and how we want to feel at the end of the game. They switched on and reversed the scoreboard! Misha succeeded in plenty of 1v1’s and created lots of space for his teammates to get into the box. We’ve been working on building the attack and focusing on using the wingers to create danger. Next week, we will be focusing on avoiding negative feelings and focusing on the game!

 

 

Bloomsbury boys U9 Gold vs The Vale

Player of the match goes to Laurence who was very focused, setting an example of following instructions and not complaining. He took the task of working from the back and organising and making the team play very well! The team will be focusing on trusting their teammates and working on communication.

 

 

Bloomsbury boys U9 Black vs Gladstone Rangers 

The team was very calm and made good decisions, passing in to space. Laurence was particularly strong in this area, earning him player of the match. The team need to understand to be patient and keep the ball so we can have space to create more dangerous situations!

 

 

Bloomsbury boys U10 Gold vs European FA

Our goalkeeper, Rex, deserved player of the match as he made several 1v1 saves which were at a very important point in the game. The team play leading up to all the goals was great to see! There was lots of passing and encouragement from every player during the game. We were able to play through the thirds and keep possession up the pitch whilst looking for many switches of play.

 

 

Bloomsbury girls U10 vs Marylebone Lady Warriors

Player of the match Deminy volunteered to go in goal, and although she said she didn’t really want to, she said she would do it to help the team. Deminy put in some fantastic tackles when she played outfield and was excellent at covering, working very well with Alex, Piper and Amalia to defend. Her attitude was fantastic throughout the game, her timing of tackles was brilliant, and she always put in maximum effort! One of the highlights of the game was the last 10 minutes where we completely dominated the game, pressed high and looked to win the ball quickly and then attack quickly. There was an excellent cohesion to the way the girls played in this period, and they came very close to getting an equaliser.

In training we worked on playing through the thirds, incorporating scanning and our favourite phrase: pass appreciation! The girls definitely passed the ball more this game and were looking to move into space to receive the ball too, as well as supporting the attack through making forward runs. I’m definitely happy with how the girls showed what we’d practiced in training in the match. The next time we play seven-a-side we will improve further by making the pitch big when we have possession of the ball and continuing to pass into space.

 

 

Bloomsbury girls U10 vs Hendon Girls

This week we did some work on playing through the thirds, incorporating scanning and movement to receive. We passed a lot more than last week, and players were looking up a lot more on the ball. Defenders were scanning batter too which was great to see. They were checking their shoulders and made sure they knew where the opposition were. Mila, this week’s player of the match, volunteered to go in goal for the first half and did some excellent saves. She worked extremely hard for the team when she played outfield too! She covered excellently and spotted the danger of an opposition counterattack very well, so she would recover into a defensive position to help the team out, as well as making some fantastic recovery runs! She came very close to scoring, and was also involved in the second half goals, through her movement to support the attacks and looking for a pass. When Poppy scored the third goal to win the game, after being down 2-0, the look on the girls faces was brilliant and they all celebrated as a team. Their hard work and determination paid off! We will continue working on our passing to help us build the attack and get the ball up the pitch quicker. As well as this, we will be working on our movement to receive the ball, and knowing when to dribble and take a player on, and when to release the ball to a teammate.

 

 

Bloomsbury boys U11 Black 0-4 Sport London e Benfica

Yasser’s huge smile on arrival was great to see! He had been rewarded for his fantastic work with the U10 team with a call up to the U11 Black team. Adam slotted straight into the team and demonstrated tireless running, ball retention and quality in possession. The team worked hard overall and, despite the result, showed an excellence attitude throughout.

 

 

Bloomsbury boys U12 Gold 4-1 APB Rams U12

Luke and Rupert share the award of player of the match. Luke was solid in defence and comfortable in progressing the ball. He led the defence as a great captain would. He had a great battle with the opposition striker in which he was victorious. Rupert was always a threat on the ball and running beyond managed to get himself a goal with a great strike from outside the box. Noah’s goal was fantastic! Switching the play from the right side, into the midfielder and then to the left as Tristan played a chipped ball to Noah who lobbed the keeper with a great finish! The high quality of technical football on show was brilliant to see.

Although it took a while, our combination play improved especially in the second half. The composure on the ball to find excellent inch-perfect passes, combined with excellent movement is something we continue to work on. To be a team always on the front foot, willing to play positive, expansive, and entertaining football. To improve, we can recognise early that we can keep possession and keep composure on the ball across the pitch. Additionally, we can look to combine as much as possible and have the opposition chase the ball as well as improving our clinical nature in front of the goal.

 

 

Bloomsbury boys U12 Black 1-2 Camden Elite

One of the standout moments of the game was Everett’s rifled shot towards the top corner where the goal keepers fingertips just stopped what could’ve been an excellent goal. Sami earned player of the match as he was positive and combative in midfield. He always looked to win the ball and then start attacks. He deserved a goal after hitting the crossbar from quite a distance from a great freekick attempt. We struggled to combine well, and lack of movement and quick decision-making stopped us from progressing the ball, until the second half, we managed to conjure up more chances as the players took more risks on the ball. Next week, we will be looking to start quickly from the first whistle and look to be more composed on the ball and in front of the goal. We will work hard to press and win the ball higher up the pitch.

 

 

Bloomsbury girls U12A 4-0 PSA

Despite the cold, everyone arrived with amazing energy, and it carried into our warmup and game. We dominated and dug deep for each other when PSA put pressure on. O’Miya has impressed all week and it was great to see the hard work pay off with two great goals from the right wing. She was the chosen players player of the match as she achieved two amazing goals and an all-round great attitude. Additionally, player of the match goes to Remai who showed excellent defence work by not letting any player round her!

The girls have been working on building up the play and this was executed very well. We can improve on taking our time with the ball and not rushing when we have possession. Controlling the game is our next step to excellence.

 

 

Bloomsbury girls U12 4-0 Camden (Youth) 

Players player of the match, Jet and Kaya, did some excellent attacking play and Kaya even gained a hattrick! Player of the match goes to O’Miya for her persistence in winning the ball back once it had been lost and she did some super dribbling in wide positions. Every single player put in 100% effort, and it was amazing to see. A key moment that stood out was when we built up the play from defence, which is something we have been working on in training. Elanor won the ball well and played the ball into Abi in midfield, Abi then played an amazing first-time pass to Emily’s feet on the wing, who skilfully got round two defenders and crossed the ball in! Unfortunately Tara’s shot just went wide. However, Tara did score an excellent goal from the left wing in the dying moments of the game to make it 4-0.

We have been working on our physicality in training. Making sure we are being strong in our 50-50 battles helped the girls within the match. The opposition put in some strong challenges, but we were able to withstand them and keep going.

 

 

Bloomsbury boys U13 0-4 AC Finchley South

The team played amazing in the first half, and we had some brilliant build up play from the goalkeeper and through the thirds. Player of the match, Seb, had a great performance. His positioning off the ball ensured the midfield was difficult to play through and encouraged the opposition the play wide. He supported the defensive unit when needed and on the ball he knew his first passing option and got his head up and delivered at exceptional speed. Decision making vastly improved over this week and kept going despite the score line. A positive role model for all to follow.

In training, we worked on our pattern of inside to outside and outside to inside when on the ball. This was incredibly effective in the first half and the first 10 minutes of the second half. We were hard to play against, hard to break down but also deadly in spells on the counterattack. Next week, the team will be focusing on refining their pattern of play. This means we will carry our first half performance through the whole game which will be important in getting more positive results. We work within units to improve our decision making on and off the ball, so players understand their role and responsibilities more.

 

 

Bloomsbury girls U14 0-16 Camden Youth FC U15

Gabi was the first at the match on Friday and was the most eager to play. She was open minded about the plan to play a friendly when we weren’t sure we’d have enough players, and she was very understanding during our talk about attendance and punctuality. During the match, Gabi continuously went for the ball, tracking back and pushing up when necessary. She has shown great development and it is exciting to see what else she can bring to her game!

It was lovely to see the girls reactions to each player that arrived as it showed their passion for the game and their willingness and eagerness to play the match. This week, we focused on basic passing which was shown during the game. Both long and short passes were used as well as passes during counterattacks and recoveries after intercepting the ball from the opposition. We can still work on passing under pressure and not panicking when the opposition are approaching but instead, using those chances as opportunities to draw out a player from the other team to create a pocket of space for us to use and attack through.

 

 

Bloomsbury girls U14B 0-2 Lymore Gardens

This week, we looked at both basic passing and playing through the thirds. The two can be used at the same time, because when the passing is more precise, it’ll be easier to progress through the midfield to the strikers. We started off the game without a midfield, but when we introduced two midfielders for the second half, the girls did a great job at ensuring they were using the right players to progress up the pitch. We were very unlucky to concede the two goals, and the score line definitely doesn’t represent the game as it should. The girls should be proud of their improvements and should be looking into what they could be doing better as individuals and as a team.

The reason Nina is player of the match is due to her dedication to the team. During our match on Friday, Nina cut her knee relatively badly, but still made sure she turned up to today’s match as she didn’t want to let the team down. She is always open to playing in new positions and trying new things. Today was her first game as captain, and it is something she has well and truly earned. She should be very proud of what she has achieved individually and as a team, and she should look to what more she could be doing, as she has so much potential. Well done Nina, keep it up!

One of the greatest moments of the game was near the end after the ball hit one of the players. Whilst the incident was not nice, it was lovely to see the girls run straight over to Nina to make sure she was okay. It is important that the players bond as a team, not just as individuals, and it is showing that the bonds are growing stronger each match.

We need to work more on our passes, specifically under pressure, but also our positioning and decision making of each position. It is important to know the roles and responsibilities of all the positions on the team, as it might happen that someone will need to cover another player who is out of position, and they need to know what is expected from them in these positions. We will work on this in training, and the coaches will try to create a document with some key roles and responsibilities to look over to gage an understanding of the basics of each position.