This match was a true display of retention of learning from a week of sessions, and a display of why coaches do what they do – to inspire creativity on the ball and see results from a week of training! The U12s came into this game with a fire in their belly to redeem themselves after their CIYFL fixture last Friday – in which they lost 2-0, conceding early from a corner and as a result of a chance created by a failed counterattack… and they did just that – redeemed themselves!
This week, the focus of the sessions was on set-pieces, particularly corners, as well as how to move into space effectively using new fuses: overlaps and underlaps. At this Sunday’s GSL fixture, the girls were able to not only apply their learning effectively but scored twice from a corner! The girls set out strong, keeping possession and moving the ball around effortlessly. Communication on the pitch was abundant – a challenge that was set for the girls, as in the words of our skipper Kitty, “communication equals goals”, and supported the girls in their efforts to bring the ball up the pitch. Although they conceded early due to an error in the back, the girls kept their heads up and quickly rebounded, effectively executing a perfect set-piece: corner kick from Jet into the box, which met Emily’s rocket of a right foot into the top right corner… the girls equalised.
From then on, confidence grew as the girls realised that their weakness has become a strength and that what they had learned in training the past week was working. The girls remained confident, playing the ball wide, recycling the ball to maintain possession, and winning most of their challenges. Aliki played brilliantly in the middle, linking the play between the back and the front, supported by the left-winger-left-back skipper, Kitty. The second goal came towards the end of the first half, when in the 21st minute, Emily took the ball from the half-way line, went 1v1 against 2 defenders, before crossing the ball across, where Laura, heading towards the back post, and on her first touch volleyed the ball into the top of the net with her right foot, 2-1.
After half-time, the girls kept playing their game, controlling the tempo. Key standouts, and joint player of the match winners, Nea and O’Miya dominated the game from the centre-half: winning each tackle, tracking back, clearing the ball, and driving forward, finding decisive passes. Despite not having our goalkeeper, the girls didn’t concede in the second half, and after their efforts, they managed to find the back of the net one more time. A true testament to their hard work. Our resident corner taker Laura launched the ball into the box, where Jet with her back to the goal tapped it to Marwa on the penalty spot who shot it to the back of the net. 3 goals, 2 from a corner… absolutely amazing! The girls played excellently until the end of the game, and this was the most consistent game of football they have played to date! An unbelievable effort, and if they continue to play in this way, they will be a real force to be reckoned with in tournaments this summer.
Bloomsbury played so much better when it came to supporting and working through the thirds. Paloma was constantly scanning when getting the ball in defence for potential people to pass to which led her to picking out an amazing through ball to Mila who went on and scored. Also, Diane in goal was constantly talking and telling her defence to push up when necessary and pulling off some great saves. All the girls pulled their weight during this cup game and kept each other in the positive spirit even when fouls were given. They took advantage of those free kicks with Princess Aiva scoring one of them and another where Mila took a fake shot from a free kick, passing it to Princess who nearly scored.
It was so impressive to see from the very start how they kept up the intensity all through the game, hardly letting the opponents get close to the ball! One thing to work on is the defence not panicking and kicking the ball backwards or across the goal but apart from that the tackles were strong, no one backed down from a challenge and it showed their resilience that even when they lost the ball, they won it back every time!
Louie was today’s man of the match as he pressed fearlessly to win the ball back and play his teammate Cole in with a fantastic through ball that was met with a clinical finish. A very hard-fought performance in an extremely tough game. All players gave it their all and should not worry about the result. Some excellent football played today and some real promising attacks with plenty of positives to take forward! There was some great maturity and positivity shown from the players after a very tough defeat, showing great character and support for each other even after such a difficult defeat!
Bloomsbury took a 1-0 lead through Roka, who drilled a free kick in to the bottom left corner from the edge of the box. This fantastic finish was not the last of Bloomsbury’s attacking play, with Louie going close on multiple occasions and Ismail looking a threat throughout. European FA grabbed an equaliser with 15 minutes on the clock, when they broke away and finished 1v1 past the goalkeeper. After an excellent first half in which both teams were competing strongly, European FA scored another into the bottom corner. However, Bloomsbury didn’t let their heads drop and created more chances, winning 3 corners and another free kick on the edge of the box. Louie was again denied 1v1 whilst Cole was doing a great job of preventing European FA counter attacks! Bloomsbury pulled another goal back through Ismail and everyone thought the comeback may be on, but European FA had other ideas and scored their fourth before the end. Louie Demetriou’s determination to win the ball stood out as he never gave up and always looked to find the best pass. Ismail had a great first game for Bloomsbury, whilst Elias was outstanding in all areas throughout. He created many chances and deserved more! Nabil also played in various positions and executed his roles effectively, taking on instructions well. The boys determination was great to see as they never gave up in the face of adversity!
The U8’s Gold were back in their full devastating flow this week, overcoming our U8 Foundation team here at Bloomsbury in the semi-final of the Camden Youth League cup competition over at Coram’s. Looking comfortable throughout, multiple strikes from Franco, Tommy, and Pax added to Marcelo’s solitary strike in what was a fantastic demonstration of finishing from the academy boys, with numerous different strikes being used to great success. Ivan and Mathias repelled any opposition attacks with great affect. Laurence also put in a man of the match performance. All eyes are on the TBC final in which all at Bloomsbury have no doubt will result in triumph if the boys are able to put in a performance of this calibre that has been regularly seen this season.
A fantastic showing from the U8 Black team saw them triumph in the 1st Round of the Camden Youth League Development Cup competition over at Coram’s Fields. Most impressive in the performance was the way in which the whole team numerously demonstrated this week’s theme and topic of ‘Building the Attack – How to effectively build from a goal-kick’ in order to create chance after chance and demonstrate some patient and effective build-up play. Man of the match Robert achieved a close to perfection ball retention from his deeper position, however every single member contributed to the goal scoring actions in one way or another. Ori and Marco were pulling the strings during the half in which they played outfield after playing pivotal roles while playing in goal to build their attacks. Nico grabbed a deserved goal after putting in a tireless performance, which was added to by a double from Noah who was a constant menace from wide areas. Robert scored a goal which his outstanding performance deserved, with Ivan, fresh from his goalkeeping heroics for the U8 Gold, keeping up his goalscoring exploits. A very pleasing performance to see from the U8 Black which for sure can be a great foundation for the latter weeks of the season.
Throughout the game, it was highlighted that the girls should play the ball across the goal so the player at the back post can score. Once this was communicated, players started to address it and the girls scored 2 goals! Frankie in various scenarios was able to win the ball deep in her half and play out from the back to her wingers. Bloomsbury remain unbeaten and won the round robin tournament. It was really impressive to see poppy who made her debut on the wing scoring a goal and gaining an assist. She really enjoyed her first game, and all players were happy with the results.
In what proved to be a feisty affair, the U10 Black team continued their fantastic form since the turn of the year, putting in a very impressive performance on the first Saturday of March. The theme and topic was altered this week for the U10’s in order to introduce the concept of ‘Counter-Pressing’, and it was evident in abundance throughout this week’s game. Although possession was retained very well by the team throughout, whenever required, it was regained within seconds via some high intensity counter-pressing as a unit. With 7 of the 10 players within the match day squad getting on the scoresheet, selfishness was non-existent as the boys worked hard for each other throughout. Although not on the scoresheet, Adam, Jacob, and Yacine worked tirelessly throughout the game, shifting the ball with great success and biting into tackles when needed. A performance full of well-worked goals. The U10 Black team have really turned a corner since just before Christmas, working hard for a solid 3 months, that in turn, has produced some fantastic results and even more impressive performance. Well done boys!
Oli was today’s man of the match as he had an absolutely fantastic game, dictating from the midfield, proving near impossible to dispossess and playing brilliant passes to all teammates, an unbelievable game from him! Archie was extremely solid defensively and positioned himself very well when playing in striker, very deserving of the goals (although the second was very dubious we will let him have it!). Jon had a brilliant game, grabbing the opener with a clinical strike after pressing high to win the ball back, he was also very strong defensively, timing his challenges well and preventing numerous opposition attacks. Vanya defended well and created a host of opportunities for his teammates with quick-thinking and good decision-making, linking up fantastically with other players to drive forward and place the opposition under pressure. Zak’s brilliant passing and understanding of the role of wingers/wingbacks was showcased again today, constantly utilising the space to create opportunities and attacks for both himself and others, and, when required, putting in some fantastic challenges too! Jorge did not have too much to do in this game, and there was very little he could do about the goal conceded as it deflected off an outfield player and wrong-footed him. Despite having little to do, Jorge stayed focused and was always on his toes whenever he was called into action, making a couple of good saves and some excellent passes. Malik was fantastic, his ball carrying, and technical skills were on display, and he used them in the appropriate situations to evade the opposition defenders, he also tracked back well and won the ball back high up the pitch. Sammy was as calm as ever in the midfield, slowing the play down when required and speeding things up to create fast attacks, one of which he finished beautifully, a very deserved goal in an excellent performance. Yili has found a new position in the deep-lying centre-back role. Extremely impressive defensive performance, brilliant timing of challenges and his defensive awareness was fantastic, well done!
A very impressive game from the Golds, dominating the fixture from the start with high intensity and calculated pressing to win the ball back immediately, building off this week’s focus of counter-pressing very well. Extremely happy to see the more physical side of some players coming out, alongside adventuring new positions and roles in the team. Very well done to all involved today!
After a great start, the boys found themselves 2-0 up after being first to react from two corners. Troy Selene finished first, followed by Alfie Demetriou. However, Bloomsbury were unable to seize the initiative and took their foot off the gas and allowed the opponents to get back into the game. After 3 effective counters, Bloomsbury were 3-2 down in quick succession in the second quarter. Coming out in the 3rd quarter, the boys dominated early on, however, they were unable to score, resulting in the opposition leading 4-2. Tristan Turner with a great run and finish, gave the players a chance of a comeback. Despite their efforts, the result was confirmed as 3 minutes before the final whistle, the opposition scored the fifth and secured all 3-points. A tough result to take as the entire team knew that they are much better than the result shows. Alfie and Noah kept the battle going throughout the game despite the frustrations, well done. Onwards and upwards!
It was a very difficult week for the U12 Boys, where they were challenged to play with a small squad and struggled to apply the theme and topic. They started the game strong, but were unable to stay consistent throughout, and the opposition were sure to take advantage of mistakes that were happening. Even though it was difficult for the squad, having to rotate, it was really impressive to see their effort and their reaction to failure. They showed high levels of motivation towards each other and worked together for the duration. It was a valiant effort from players, who continued to work hard, regardless of the outcomes within the game. Shout out to Troy from the U11 who came in and played. Great Effort!
Bloomsbury were off the pace in the first quarter giving Total Futbol too much time and space to play through the thirds. The boys started to lift the intensity in the second quarter hoping to steal a goal back but were still struggling to find their rhythm. Bloomsbury made some tactical changes at half time moving Fransceco into midfield, Jake to right back and Khalid in at centre back. They started to look like themselves again in the third quarter putting Total Futbol under pressure. They broke through midfield and sent the ball out wide. Joél then cut the ball back to Jake who made an excellent run into the box from halfway to put the ball at the back of the net with a superb finish to make it 2-1. Bloomsbury desperately tried to equalise but were unable to score. The players begin to tire allowing Total Futbol to take control of the game. They scored late in the final quarter to secure the win, but Bloomsbury will come back fighting.
Ava did amazingly at being brave on the ball and advancing up the pitch. Her decision making of when to dribble and when to release the ball has improved massively and this showed playing in this game. Carla was understood positionally where to be in a back 3 especially in relation to Tanya’s positioning. These two worked really well at understanding how to cover players if they go forward to prevent a counterattack. Malaika was very positive in her movement in the game aiming to create overloads on the left-hand side by advancing as a centre half. This, combined with her efforts to recover and desire to want to defend, was outstanding!
It was impressive to see the team’s ability to utilise space on the biggest pitch they have played on so far. Being able to create width to exploit centrally led to many goalscoring chances. Dealing with the high press was partially successful as they were able to build up from their own third but understanding that playing forward early is not always the best route is key.
Theresa was amazing in this game in being able to hold up the ball and bring others into play. She effectively played on the half turn and exploited space in behind when playing to feet wasn’t on, which led to her finishing in the bottom left corner. Aliki was great at being able to recover the ball from the opposition and play forward. This meant that she assisted Theresa’s goal with a brilliant through ball. Georgia Beavon’s body shape when receiving allowed the team to advance up the pitch when needed which made the in-possession movement a lot more fluid. Laura did really well and rotated away from the ball when in crossing areas to get shooting opportunities. She created 2 chances for herself by rotating away from the player and not killing the space.
It was pleasing to see the girls ability to move the ball quickly amongst each other. The players just needed to find ways to support on occasions as the ball could be lost very easily. This game was the second of the day and everyone looked slightly fatigued as they played an age group up, but everyone did very well!
Andrea and Flint were outstanding at defending. With a mixture of composure and bullish defending, Jasper’s job was a little easier for him. Oscars relentless determination to win every ball box to box is inspiring to watch from start to finish. It was really impressive to see great passing, moving and defending. However, the boys could improve on attacking and finishing in general. Rico said that “everyone was trying to score individually so we didn’t score.”
Bloomsbury had a weak start in the first half as the boys allowed the opposition to dictate the pace of the game. GFA Enfield scored two goals in the first half but after half time, the team was able to keep possession, press the opposition high and create scoring opportunities. However, the boys weren’t able to convert them into goals as they struggled to be calm and collective in the final third.
The overall performance varied between the first and the second half, but the players were able to put the best team in the Watford Friendly League under pressure in the second half. More consistency is needed but the boys should be proud. Their fight was relentless, and they never gave up once. Captain Didier Levenfiche said “we keep going and there is still a cup to win.”
All players worked the ball well and were patient to find the goals. The boys were calm and collective. The 3 points gave Bloomsbury the Division C title. They had a mission to win the league and they accomplished that in an extremely convincing way.
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