Timidness out of possession has been the story for the U15s Gold recently but this week saw them turn the page. Their tirelessness on Saturday represented an immense response to the previous games and the coach’s direct instruction to win every first and second ball: Andrea’s unwavering sprint back as last man to perfectly slide through the ball and the opposition’s striker personified the team’s tenacity that deservingly earned them their courageous 6-4 victory at home to Hayes and Yeading. The clean win of possession from the Skipper unquestionably pulled on the heart strings of the gaffer, as the team have been working on transitions out of possession and aggressively winning the ball back. A terrific tetrad for Raphy that contained two penalties, a far post finish and rounding the goal keeper sandwiched between Dylan’s pinpoint top-corner freekick to open proceedings and Rico’s smash to finish, which after the game was harshly underplayed by himself… “that was my first goal in the JPL, I didn’t even score for my old team, so this has to be good!”
Addressing our off the ball work in this manner, managing the game with no subs and surviving the third quarter where we went down a man due to cramp, speaks to the resolve of this group of boys.
Corams Fields presented the Camden and Islington Youth Football League (CIYFL) where goal scorers Charlie French and Henry Jang Lazarou demonstrated playing through the thirds and utilising long passes.
The game flowed as Henry and Charlie French were a great pairing as the 1v1 dribbling they put on show was great to see. The boys came from behind twice to show a great deal of character and effort. It was thoroughly impressive. Henry with a goal to make it 1-1 followed by a well-deserved goal from Charlie French to end the game as a 2-2 draw.
Unfortunately for our girls it was losses in both of their Camden Youth League (CYL) matches, with both performances a similar story.
The week’s theme and topic was executed really well, in particular by Piper Adkins and goal-scorer Mila Foldvari, there was lots of movement to receive and lots of clever through balls which opened up many chances, especially in the second game against Adamant Lions.
Also impressive was how whenever the girls lost the ball and the opposition were on the counter, the players made sure they were in front of the ball and blocked the majority of shots and passes across the box.
What ultimately let them down on the weekend was their composure in the final third. Piper who was a constant threat had a lot of chances including a brilliant opportunity sensationally created by some amazing skill to pass the opponent which led her 1v1, but was so unlucky to be off balance as she didn’t strike the ball how she intended.
Because the girls found their passes being intercepted, an area for them to work on is their weight of pass, to not panic and keep their head up. To have these areas to improve alongside our great work with ‘movement to receive’, shapes the upcoming fixture as great chances to respond.
Bloomsbury took the win in the CIYFL at Corams Fields. With the first being an own goal, Henry Jang Lazarou then scored the winning goal.
The game was scrappy with minimal flow. However, Henry was the star player as he instinctively knew when to press from the opposition goal kicks which was a remarkable sight. Despite the game being stop and start with a number of fouls and free kicks, the boys were insistent on playing their game. The OG was created by an unrelenting press from Henry to make the game 1-1. Then followed by the winner from Henry, and a great celebration filled with passion to end the game 2-1.
The players had three things to focus on and execute: 1) Be positive 2) Be Brave 3) Play with a smile. And that was done in an abundance. As they are U7’s, these players are still very inexperienced and raw in this competitive environment, however the progress they have made in the short time they’ve been playing has be excellent. They have all developed well in their 1v1 game. Now it will be interesting to see how they assess the available space on the pitch to affect the game.
The CYL held at Corams Fields saw Bloomsbury pocket an enormous win. Marcelo, Misha, Mathias, Tommy, Ivan and Franco all managed to set the ball into the back of the net.
Seven goals in one game are usually enough to warrant the man of the match/coach’s highlight on its own, but the manner in which Franco not only took all 7 of his goals but also worked hard to regain possession to set up his teammates was fantastic to see! Franco’s technique is one of the best, if not the best in the group, and this was evident when executing this week’s topic of long passes, utilising them in the right areas in order to progress play accordingly and stage attacks. Ruthless from the young man.
As the score line clearly indicates, the U8s were ruthless during this game. It was extremely impressive to see the professionalism and respect the boys showed in ensuring that they remained on task during the duration of the game against poor opposition. Playing 5 v 7 in itself is a challenge for the boys and something they had to rise above very early on in the fixture, but their attitude in applying further challenges that was set for them such as executing two long passes before shooting and retrieving the ball within a seven second time frame was great to see!
Although much of the focus was on the score line and how emphatic it was, this game brought about a team spirit yet to be seen this season. Players were applauding their teammates after each executed long pass and looking to set one another up to ensure they all got on the scoresheet. The fact every single player even offered to play in goal in order to allow Ivan to play outfield was fantastic and this camaraderie certainly showed in the following fixture against tougher opposition too.
Coram’s Fields saw the Bloomsbury boys win a well-deserved game in the CYL. Overjoyed with the days results as well as the performances, all the boys are very excited for next weekend’s fixtures in which they expect nothing less than further wins.
Okpe, the star boy, returned for a fixture the team were desperate to win as they beat us in the last minute a fortnight ago. Okpe is part of a professional set-up for numerous reasons that were all on show in this fixture. Willingness to put his body on the line to both prevent conceding goals as well as retain possession, clinical nature in front of goal, decision-making of when to spray a long pass to open play up or go on one of his mazy dribbles, to name just a few of the qualities on show by this young man. Above all though, this set the tone for his teammates to reach those levels too in which they did to get a cracking result against an opposition that this week could simply not handle us. Playing through the thirds and utilising long passes, was highlighted in the game.
As with the other game, team morale was high from the demolition of TGFC, and this carried into this fixture. There was an added flair back that has gone missing for a couple of weeks and the excitement this gives us all as a team going forward was felt by everyone after what was a fantastic win. The goals scored by the opposition very much flattered them as the boys were dominant. Tougher fixtures will present themselves this season, but we have every faith that this team can meet the challenge head on and not add any more losses to the solitary one they have this season. The sky is the limit this season for this team.
Robert Hopkins scored with a larger-than-life Mo Salah celebration at Coram’s Fields for the CYL.
The theme was ‘playing through the thirds’ and ‘utilising the long pass’. Odysseas grew into the game and when he played as the base of the diamond, it gave him license to dribble forward. He did so with confidence which grew with each successful dribble. Robert played a majority of the game as the striker and netted twice. He started the game dropping too deep and ball following but grasped the concept of stretching play as part of this role and that allowed him to be closer to the opposition’s goal. Marco’s ball manipulation in 1v1’s helped us to carry the attack forward.
This game was a good example of two sets of young boys enjoying playing football and evenly matched. The players tried new things and played with a smile, what more do we want to see in the gold and black of Bloomsbury on a Saturday?
CIYFL held Bloomsbury U9s Gold whopping win of 14-1 at Market Road. The first half began with an own goal in the first minute. Then came Christian Gyabaah’s two goals in the second and third minute. Riku Takami stole two more shortly after as well as Joao Richard De Souza Suchocki also scoring two. Bastian Davis then scored in the 16th minute with George Thompson gaining one more before half time.
Riku Takami scored shortly after the second half began with Christian Gyabaah pocketing his hat-trick shortly after. Kurt McDermott also scored as well as George Thompson. Joao Richard De Souzxa Suchocki also got a hat-trick just before full time in the 39th minute.
This week’s focus was ‘playing through the thirds’ and ‘utilising long passes’. The players have developed very well in terms of playing short intricate passes, but it is vital that we have the ability to play more direct to add variety to our football. The first goal was a perfect example of utilising the long pass. Riku Takami playing in defence takes a touch to set himself, plays a great pass from the defensive third to the final third, Joao Suchocki receives, takes a shot, and the keeper saves with a few more rebounds before an own goal. This goal emphasises how effective long passing can be and how it can be useful when playing direct which is brilliant to see from minute one.
The high intensity from the beginning led to the team being up 5-0 within the first ten minutes, which was well deserved. As the opponents were unable to put up a fight, it was up to the team to now challenge themselves. Quickly moving from 2-1-2-1 to a 1-3-2, with Fernando Ferreira, our GK also pushing up higher to be a part of the backline. One part of our game that has improved very well is our creativity from set-pieces. Often, we cross the ball when our team is not yet at a strong level to head the ball. So now the focus was on being more creative from corners. It was brilliant to see the team playing the one-two from corners and driving towards an unorganized defence or cutting the ball back outside the box. Two goals were scored from creative set pieces, and it’s great to see the team adding variety to their game. Despite poor opposition, the quality of our goals was high in terms of technical ability and difficulty, and it was an impressive watch for all to see.
Kurt McDermott was selected as man of the match for his high energy performance. Playing across all positions and playing like a young man running on batteries, his tireless effort was appreciated by his teammates. On top of his goal, he also stated he assisted 7 other goals. Kurt would never lie about his contribution, or would he? Well-deserved for what has been a big improvement from him in terms of attitude and application, very impressive!
Tough result to stomach as the Blacks lost narrowly despite a great performance that birthed for the boys a new formation that in this game, should have earnt them a draw at the very, very least.
Score-line frustrates, but the boys’ understanding of the newly trialled formation was super and now lays the foundations going forwards for hopefully a successful spell of performances using this wing-back system.
Armed with a new formation, and recognise absolutely the need to be more clinical, ensuring to shift the ball quicker in the opposition half to create space and therefore opportunities, shapes the next fixture as a neat challenge for the Blacks, and one we await intently. U10 player Bert commenting that he “loved how the team worked together and never gave up” is why the team’s maximum application, coupled with their new-found discovery, will undoubtedly warrant them success in the future.
We hope also that next week Mohammed can replicate his monstrous performance, usually deployed in wide areas, on Saturday Mo made centre-back his own. Physical when required, composed in possession. By him, attacks were built, and opposition efforts were thwarted. We’ve found a new formation and for Mo another position to add to list this talented, versatile young man can perform in.
The team were organised from the warmup at Coram’s Fields, and Morley quickly volunteered to fill the goalkeeper gloves which he did superbly, demonstrating the correct technique when collecting the ball. The team focused on week nine’s theme which was ‘playing through the thirds’ and ‘utilising the long pass’. He embraced the challenge of trying to complete long passes from the first third to the final third, completing this challenge five times in the first half. Samuel Ogrodnik was pivotal as the central midfielder, blocking forward passes but also using fuses with team mates to advance the attack. A highlight of Sammy’s play in recent weeks in his communication, giving precise instructions and coaching his teammates throughout the games. Zac Levan-Harris was comfortable building the attack and received the ball with the intention of playing forward, more often breaking the opposition’s front line by dribbling then playing wide. He anticipated the opposition’s attacks by pre-empting the pass in behind and used his body well to protect the ball as it ran out of play.
The whole team embraced the challenge set prior to the game, leading from the week’s training theme and topic. Although we were successful in building the attack and retain to create, we lacked the ability to be clinical in the final third; as play develops, the final third becomes more and more congested and we continued to take three, four, five touches which would lead to opportunities being missed. Being more clinical could have led to less nervy finish to this game!
Zac Levan Harris showed fantastic composure at Coram’s Fields for the CYL when playing out and playing into the second and final third. He was able to demonstrate the theme playing through the thirds and movement to receive. As well as being a constant threat when in possession of the ball, he also offered a persistent outlet when off the ball. An accomplished display for an individual playing his first game for the U11s against a team two years above himself. Fantastic display that captivated all that watched.
Moments of individual brilliance combined with exquisite team passages allowed Bloomsbury to grab a firm grip on this game. Rupert possessed a permanent threat with numerous driving runs beyond the Global backline and was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet himself. Eitan was fantastic in goal utilizing his high starting position to create effect to mop up any potential threat from the opponents. Bloomsbury were however caught out by a long ball which we allowed to bounce giving there forward a chance to slip in and slot the ball into an empty net. Another driving run followed by a delivery into the box caused confusion amongst the Global defence allowing Oli Brito to tap in instinctively from close range. From that moment on Bloomsbury looked a constant threat with chances coming at a regular rate, the only criticism is that we didn’t take them.
At half time we had a much-changed side with 3 more U10s making appearances. Jon Dedinca slotted in superbly at central defence and was solid when stopping Global attacks and showed confidence to drive froward thus creating an overload in Midfield. Zac Calvert Bull put in a solid display on the left of a back three stopping numerous attacks. Ardi and James played very well at the base of midfield and posed a constant threat going forward with some clever fuses. Vanya gave us some much-needed energy midway through the second half and put in a very complete performance at central midfield. Eitan pulled of a number of fantastic saves to keep us in the game and capped off a very mature performance. All in all, a fantastic display from the group who are going from strength to strength each week.
Noah Conway set an early lead for Bloomsbury at the Hive for the Junior Premier League. Freddie set two in the back of the net and Tristan gained a hat trick bringing the score to an immense 6-1.
Tristan Turner, in the 12th minute after following this week’s topic, moving to receive, moved into a central pocket of space to receive the ball, shifted the ball well onto his right foot before striking from 25 yards into the top right corner.
It was really impressive to see the team’s ability to combine and create fuses in and around the box. There were periods where we made over 20 passes before delivering a cross or taking a shot at goal. Rabah Sayid said “we played well as a team today.” The U11 Golds represented the academy values and philosophies well both on and off the field. Special mention to Dinero who played up from the U9 Golds and didn’t look out of place. His skilfulness and direct running were a constant threat.
St James’ Catholic High School hosted the Junior Premier League and Victor Dabo’s goal in the 24th minute.
It was very impressive to see Taaj and Sebastian look comfortable in possession of the ball, being very relaxed and always trying to make something happen.
The boys were very good at applying their learning of the theme and topic this week, which was playing through the thirds with movement to receive, especially in the final third of the pitch as this allowed us opportunity to shoot. With also working on set pieces to make sure we didn’t concede or have a poor understanding, it was clear they knew the set up and their roles. Another difficult result to take, as rotation was an issue, careless passes and un-organisation become more consistent allowing the opposition to creep away and put the game to bed. We move to next week with our heads held high.
The U12s put on a brave performance in their nine-a-side match at St. James’. Despite a 7-0 defeat, the boys never gave up and continued to create chances throughout, forcing the U13s to stay strong defensively, with Victor doing his best to spoil Orhan’s clean sheet!
The U13s were great opposition, showing flexibility and no remorse, playing an age group down with swagger and control. The U13s broke the deadlock after just 3 minutes, with Jake Cameron firing them in to the lead. He finished with two but could have had a hat-trick with a wonderful swerving effort with the outside of his right foot in the second half. At half-time, the U13s were given the freedom to select their own formation and positions, with Dante taking his place as a striker. It took him just five minutes of the second half to score his first goal of the season, much to his delight! Francesco added to the tally with an excellent finish, after two close range finishes from Simon on his Bloomsbury debut, who caused the U12s no end of issues on the right wing. Joel added a well-deserved goal, capping an excellent midfield performance from him and Archie.
A great fixture to spectate with questions being asked from both sides throughout. Though they were gifted a few times due to errors, the older age group showed fantastic variety with their attacks, from out to in, transitions and counters attacking effectively, to playing through the thirds replicating the theme and topic.
In fact, this game was a perfect example of the ability of Bloomsbury to absorb the information at trainings and apply it in game. Where this week we worked on ‘playing through the thirds’ and specifically ‘movement to receive’: the U13s were expressive, confident and looked for a killer pass from their first third. The press from the U12s was very strong, emphasising just how excellent the first pass was from the U13s. They had Dante’s pace and power to contend with in their first third, yet played through successfully a number of times.
The U12s were patient and content, and looked to create shapes with cute passes, enjoying the ball and showing their quality against a very intimidating older squad. With no hesitation from either side, both displayed impressive elements of risk taking, using passing priorities effectively, resorting from clearances to avoid danger. Jack Orbell looked comfortable receiving Eitan’s expertly weighted passes, and it was good to see the U12s receiving on the half-turn in midfield and looking to play forward, even if this was quickly stopped on most occasions.
Both teams are learning to play out from the goalkeeper more successfully, particularly the 13s on an 11-a-side pitch, so this game was a great opportunity to work in this part of the pitch.
Not only did this match highlight the intelligence of our teams at Bloomsbury to be able to translate their trainings, but it also flaunted the immense individual quality we’re lucky to nurture at this club. Francesco Berber was untouchable in the spine for the U13s. He showed incredible maturity and consistency, always relaxed and consistent with a simple, but beautifully effective pass whenever in possession, always choosing and searching for the best option regardless of the score or position he played in, breaking up play and covering the right spaces out of possession to create errors. Jake Cameron’s creativity complemented this game massively, always enjoyed possession of the ball showcasing serious footwork and also had some exceptional efforts on goal with one that could have been a goal of the season contender. Dante Tuitt was imperious also, driving out from the back confidently and rarely letting anything go past him, always strong, always thriving wherever he played.
For the U12s, Victor was trouble throughout the entire game, pressing off triggers and was unlucky not to score. Taaj was always looking to find space to shoot and forced the best of keeper Orhan in the U13’s net and Luca was expressive and confident in his 1v1s. A huge threat, drawing fouls and causing danger. Eitan Roukin kept the scores respectable with an excellent performance, making many key saves throughout the match, particularly as his team mates ran out of energy in the second half. Seb Darnell continued to break up play from first minute to last, braving big challenges from his opponents, and producing a range of forward passes to put his team in attacking positions on multiple occasions and Eli Greenbaum received well on his back foot from goal kicks, taking the ball under pressure and making good decisions, often managing to play forward in to central areas.
A brilliant game for the club, one that endorses the brilliant job our coaches across the organisation are doing to adapt the games of individuals.
The Girls Super League held at St James’ Catholic High School showed Yas’s stunning goal 3 minutes in from a tight angle.
Millie Brady stepped up an age group to let almost nothing get past her. Her decision making of when to play short vs long was a key strength in the game.
Although the game was tough, the girls worked together well but we needed to select the right pass for the situation to be able to create more chances. Therefore, we can work on week two’s theme of ‘playing through the thirds’ with ‘movement to receive’.
After starting 2-0 down, Bloomsbury manged to climb up to 3-2 at half time in the Junior Premier League at St James’ Catholic High School. The first half goal scorers included Che Chinakwe-Early and Ebenezer Vita who netted 2. Jake Cameron, Che Chinakwe-Early, and Khalid Tahir’s penalty brought the final score to 6-2. Jake Cameron was “happy to score my first JPL goal!”
After a shaky first quarter and disorganised defence, the team were sharper from the restart and managed to catch the opposition in behind on a few occasions for a goal back through to Che. Ebe received a great pass with his back to the goal from Joel Goodgame before turning his defender and finishing under the keeper. A third goal in the same quarter sealed the comeback with Ebe again in the right place at the right time, capitalising on an awkward moment for the opposition goalkeeper. The key portion of the game that stamped home the win was in the final quarters, seeing our other goals scorers on the sheet as the opposition fell victim to counter attacks trying to chase the game.
Extremely impressed with our ability to bounce back from 2 goals down early on. Once we found our feet, movement off the ball started to improve and allowed us to play more fluidly which highlighted the theme of week nine: ‘playing through the thirds and movement to receive’. Well done to the boys!
The Girls Super League saw Bloomsbury win 4-1 at St James’ Catholic High School.
Theresa scored near the end of the first half with Yas securing a goal very early in the second half. Ava scored the final goal around 15 minutes before the end of the match.
Week two’s theme was playing through the thirds with the topic of movement to receive. Theresa Hofmann scored a really good goal from just outside the box on her second touch. She was also key to the way we built up by working hard with her movement to create angles of support.
The ability of our team was impressive to use fuses in the first and middle third. We were also able to effectively defend against the long ball and create counter attacks from this.
Bloomsbury move into next week’s Junior Premier League game with heads held high after a tough battle at Hayes and Yeading United FC.
Following last week’s loss, the U14’s entered the week motivated to change their form. A strong week of training followed consisting of the theme that was playing through the thirds and movement to receive, and the team felt prepared for match day. Unfortunately, this did not translate into the first quarter of the match, where we struggled to find our feet, complete basic actions and achieve a high performance. The talk immediately following this quarter was one clear message, play with pride.
A reaction is what was needed, and a reaction was given. The U14’s team re-entered that pitch with the correct mentality, though this should have been the case from the start, the team accepted their fault walking back onto the pitch 4-0 down. Every 1v1 was suddenly being won, midfield pockets were beginning to be filled and creative rotations being used. The pictures created in training were becoming successful phases in which we created many attacking solutions. However, we didn’t finish once. Losing the following two quarters 1-0, we were 6-0 down with one quarter left. Now no longer dispirited, the team gave it everything they had, drawing the last quarter 0-0.
Though it is easy to look at the score line and assume the team had no success, that is quite the opposite. The team showed a huge amount of character to keep pushing for a goal and maintain the score line as opposed to conceding plethora more and for that I am proud. From here the team was urged to remember this day, where when completely focused and motivated they competed against a top team. We move into next week, in high spirits.
It was very impressive to see Noah Bendon-Coombes playing RWB and RCB. He gave it his absolute all and walked off the pitch with nothing left. He won an immense amount of 1v1’s and contributed going forward through the thirds. Along with this, Victor De Morais in the deep lying pivot role, though starting sluggish like the rest of the team, grew in confidence quickly and became the anchor of the midfield of which the team is so reliant upon.
Bloomsbury won 2-1 at Market Road Pitches in the CIYFL. Freddie scored early in the first half and Didier gained the winning goal late in the first half.
The highlight would be that all the players were determined throughout the whole match. They were brave and aggressive against a bigger, older team. Also, seeing that the players are willing to take the ball on under pressure was great to see.
As a team we understood that it was going to be a physical match, we stuck to the plan by playing our style of football. Keeping the ball down, a lot of movement off the ball and passes to break the oppositions defensive line. We are not shy of a physical game with Freddie up top and Alexey on the left always showing fight and making some important challenges to take the pressure off us. Our captain and MOTM Didier played superb taking everything implemented from week nine’s theme of ‘playing through the thirds’ and ‘creating movement to receive into the game’. By finding the pockets, getting on the ball in tight situations with confidence twisting and turning leaving the opposition behind, not to mention he’s tracking back and covering throughout the whole game.
Laurent our right winger had a good game, in addition to also understanding his role to track back and defend when needed making a last-ditch tackle at the end of the game. Our defence was solid with Carter and Cam at the back showing confidence on the ball and allowing us to play out from the back. A special mention to Artee who had a great game and made crucial saves to keep us in the game. Patrick came on for Laurent and made a difference getting stuck in trying to create an attack in the final third and creating weighted passes to put Alexey through. To enhance our performance, we need to play the pass quicker and not hesitate and trust each other more; we can split teams quicker and more frequently by doing this.
The feedback from players was that it was the hardest and most physical game they’ve had this season, but we were confident that we would win. The players spoke amongst themselves at half time and knew what they wanted to improve on to see the game out.
Bloomsbury won a whopping 5-1 at Market Road Pitches in the Watford Friendly League. The goal scorers included Freddie, and both Alexey and Luke Von Herkomer gaining two.
Didier Levenfiche demonstrated outstanding leadership guiding his team to the win. Didier showed and told what a leader should behave like by motivating his teammates, keeping everyone on track and controlling the midfield by tackling and causing turnover, as well as constantly asking for the ball while moving to spaces. He was able to demonstrate week nine’s theme of ‘playing through the thirds’ and ‘creating movement to receive’.
The team played like never before. I haven’t seen these young men so switched on in a match. This is thanks to the team leaders who passed the energy to their teammates. Didier Levenfiche stated: “boys, I am so proud of all of us. We played our hearts out and left it all on the pitch. Thanks to the injured players who gave everything for the team today. I’m so proud to be a part of this group of players and I know we can win it all”.
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