From the 1st minute to the 80th minute, Bloomsbury dominated the game in every manner. Up to half-time, the game was extremely competitive, at 2-1. However, in the 3rd quarter, the team found their shooting boots and simply took the game away from the opponents. Despite some unnecessary roughness from the opposition after the game got away from them, our boys held their heads high and continued to showcase some expressive, entertaining and exciting football throughout the game.
The team were able to play a variety of formations and tactical strategies throughout the game too. Noah Conway and Alex Bendon-Coomes share the man of the match for complete performances in different positions. Noah Conway was unplayable as he dropped deep from attack to combine with his teammates and showcased a variety of passing that the opposition couldn’t handle. Alex was unplayable as a right centre back, rarely being beat in a 1v1, and performed a great deal of fuses with his winger, and progressed the ball at every moment, another strong performance to what an incredibly strong and consistent year for him has been.
The U8’s Black team put in a spirited performance, but it wasn’t to be in their fixture against Gladstone Park Rangers. Plentiful desire and hard work was on show against a team who had previously dispatched them 7-2, improving on that previous result with the 2nd half performance especially being a very impressive one. Robert and Noah worked great as a defensive pair in order to thwart the opposition attacks, with Laurence, Marco, and Laurie readily available for counterattacks that were conducted with purpose. Ori had a fantastic game in goal, making some crucial saves to give the team an increased chance of clawing back the 3-goal deficit, however a cutting edge was lacking with Marco scoring the 8’s Black solitary goal with a long-range effort through a crowd of bodies.
A slightly slow start to the game allowed the opposition to gain the upper hand, but the boys showed excellent resolve to bounce back and keep fighting till the end, a very deserved equalizer. The players recognised that at half time, the performance had not been good enough, showing great maturity to admit to this, they then went back out and showed a lot more than they had in the first half. Great character! Today’s man of the match Laurie stepped up at the crucial moment, in the dying embers of the game and rifled a first-timed long shot into the bottom corner, bringing the score level just before the whistle! Topped off a fantastic overall performance from himself. Well done to all the boys for not giving up and battling till the final whistle!
The U8’s bounced back from a disappointing last couple of weeks to overcome a stern test against Elite London Academy over at Coram’s Fields. After going 2-0 down, it was feared amongst all that another loss would be registered, however a very spirited 2nd half performance full of determination and desire, coupled with some high intensity technical brilliance ensured that the U8’s Gold were well-deserved winners come the full-time whistle. Ivan made some great stops to keep the team in the game in the 1st half, limiting the deficit to just 2 with Franco also providing some fantastic defensive support, blocking shots and making last ditch tackles and interceptions. Marcelo and Mathias demonstrated this weeks’ topic of defending in pairs in the 2nd half to shut-out the opposition for the majority of the 2nd half before using the dangerous trio of Tommy, Franco, and Pax to launch swift and effective counter attacks as the boys first reduced the deficit through a well taken finish from Pax. Then, up stepped Laurence who quickly grabbed 3 goals in succession, the hat-trick goal coming after a fantastic Kevin De Bruyne-esque ball through from Franco to tee him up. It was a fantastic feeling for everyone involved to finally turn their fortunes round with a win, however the most impressive thing was the determination and desire on show from all the players involved to help pull them out of their mini run of unfortunate results. Each and every player responded great to instructions and encouragement and hopefully this can prove to be a catalyst for the final push towards the end of what has been a positive season overall.
Andi was this games man of the match and had a fantastic game in a very tough fixture, defending extremely well to prevent many goal-scoring opportunities for the opposition. He also provided today’s highlight with a truly unbelievable save to prevent an almost certain goal as the opposition broke on the counter, extending his leg out to deny a bottom corner shot!
A tough fixture but the boys did really well play up an age group, and really rose to the challenge of the occasion. A harsh score-line which did not reflect the way that Bloomsbury played today, by no means a true reflection of the game as there was fantastic moments of play and a huge amount of effort and energy from the 9’s. Players recognised that they had all performed well today and should not be disheartened by the end result despite the score-line. Don’t think too much about this one boys, a tough challenge which you responded to really well, keep your heads up and be ready for the next game!
Ylli, today’s man of the match, rounded off an excellent first-half performance with an articulate free-kick, driven low into the corner. An unstoppable strike that topped off his brilliant overall performance, proving extremely difficult to dispossess and interlinking very well with others creating plenty of chances. Jon’s excellent work rate and pressing constantly kept the opposition on their toes, greatly limiting the time they had on the ball and forcing lots of errors. Mo played extremely well, his defensive solidity and awareness prevented many opposition attacks, and when attacking himself, often made the correct decisions and drove forward with purpose. Zak defended well, limiting the effectiveness of the opposition in the wide areas, his attacking positioning was fantastic, very unlucky not to have scored, forcing the keeper to make multiple uncomfortable saves. It was great to see Morley back in action today and he did not disappoint, a brilliant first half in goal, great distribution and ball collection, then a solid second-half outpitch, dominating the midfield and creating plenty of chances for himself and his teammates. Kieran performed well despite feeling unwell, battling very hard in the midfield, using his physicality to muscle off the opposition and create space for his team. Adam used his body phenomenally, leaning into the opposition and slipping away from any incoming tackles, a very deserved goal in a great performance, unlucky to not have scored more. Bert gave it his all on the pitch, challenging the opposition at all times and preventing them any proper thinking time on the ball by closing them down with great speed. Jacob played extremely well, out skilling the opposition on a regular basis and creating a variety of chances with excellent passing.
A very strong team performance against a good opposition. A superb first half performance put Bloomsbury comfortably ahead, with a few extra skills added into the team that second half comeback by the opposition will become significantly easier to prevent. Keep your heads up and stay positive!
This weekend’s four-way round-robin match day was a great success for the U10 girls, with a draw and two clear wins! With 3 matches back-to-back, and a light squad of 5 players, the morning was going to be tough, but would mean plenty of game time for the girls, as they faced a new side: MLS U10s, and rivals Lymore Gardens U10s, and VPR U10s. The first match started out very slow, with the girls conceding early. They were not on their usual top form due to errors in the defence, and an inability to close down a player cost them heavily. However, with quick substitutions of the goalkeeper every 5 minutes, the girls remained fresh and pressed hard – winning challenge after challenge and putting a goal to the back of the net. The girl’s perseverance throughout this game was remarkable, and they equalised in the last minute of the game with an Ilva screamer! The following two matches against Lymore and VPR proved to be comfortable wins for the U10s, but the success came mostly from being successful in reaching the goals of the week and had some notable passages of play. The topic this week was “defending as a unit”, playing 5-a-side of a larger pitch necessitates that. Key standout players in achieving this were Frankie and Layla Rose, who as versatile defensive players, worked fantastically as a pair, Frankie going into delay the play – engaging with the ball carrier, and Lyla covering the space, as a unit shutting off goal scoring opportunities. Frankie’s player of the day performance didn’t stop there, she assisted 2 goals by making decisive passes from the first third, finding Kaya and Niyah respectively, who’s shots could not be saved. The attacking trio of Ilva Kaya and Niyah were lethal, particularly when attacking in a pair or as a three. Their combination play, and ability to execute fuses (1-2s, and overlaps in particular) led them to success. Altogether, today was a very successful one in terms of wins, but also of teamwork. The matches were a true demonstration of working as a unit – defensively and offensively – and the goals set were met. Well done girls!
James Tracey opened the scoring after just 2 minutes when he finished from a tight angle, pouncing on a loose ball and shooting across goal into the bottom left corner. James also scored the second goal on 16 minutes. The ball bounced around in the box with various attempts on goal, with Eastside failing to clear, and James was on hand to hit the back of the net from a couple of yards out. Sandwiched between James’ brace was a superb strike from the edge of the box which rocketed into the top left corner. With the score at 2-1 with 10 minutes to go, it was looking like Bloomsbury were going to see out the game and perhaps even score more. The football was free flowing at times, building their attacks and maintaining defensive structure. However, with 15 minutes to go, Eastside equalised and with 10 remaining, they took the lead through another excellent finish. Morgan had been superb throughout, with both shot stopping and distribution, but there was nothing he could do about this strike that crept into the far post. When Bloomsbury were pushing for an equaliser, they were caught out by a long ball over the top, and the Eastside striker was able to finish the game by making it 4-2.
Aside from his brace, James Tracey was creative on the right throughout the game. He received well, always taking a positive first touch where possible, and dribbled at defenders. Ardi played a similar role on the opposite side, cutting infield and taking numerous shots on goal, which had been encouraged. Everett led the team, specifically the back line, expertly, and every player understood their defensive responsibilities in what was always going to be a challenging game. The players felt that they ran out of energy in the last 10 minutes and couldn’t quite find that equaliser when they had the chance. However, they were all happier with this week’s performance and the team continues to improve! Despite losing the game, the performance was much improved, and the team are heading for their first 9 a side win, playing against U12 opposition most weeks currently!
This week’s theme and topic landed itself to teamwork and defending as a unit. The girls did just that and had a lot of success throughout the game. Coming into this match, the standards were set high, as the girls had previously lost heavily to the opposition. However, from the first whistle to the last whistle, the effort and energy was high, matching and surpassing the opposition’s at times! The girls conceded in the 6th minute – a defensive mistake caused by a collective attempt to delay the ball to defend as a unit, coupled with a failure to deny a player dribbling through 4 of our defenders and taking an easy shot on goal cost them the opener. However, the unfortunate start to the game was met with an increase in effort, where the girls created countless goal scoring opportunities! Excellent passages of play saw Aliki in the middle have lots of success, beating players and distributing the ball to the wings, where Kitty, Emily, Laura, and Janet would drive the ball up down the line and crossing the ball across the goal. The missing piece was someone to be at the back-post. Coach Emma crumbled to the ground after this mistake was made time and time again, and the girls on the bench began to realise this mistake too … which would be the major coaching point at half time. After a quick break, the girls went back out more determined than ever, with one thing in mind – GET TO THE BACK POST!! After 11 intense minutes of neck-on-neck football, the girls won a corner, our favourite! As Jet took the corner, and the ball launched into the box, Kitty the skipper was approaching the back-post, and her left foot met the ball with enough power to go straight into the goal … THE PERFECT GOAL! A back-post corner! Unfortunately, the girls were not able to stay in the game past the 18th minute, conceding in the 18th and final minute of the match – two excellent strikes, difficult to defend. That’s not to say that the effort lowered – the girls fought until the end, still creating opportunities for themselves! The player of the match today was goalkeeper Phoebe, who kept the girls in the majority of that game, and without, would have resulted in a heavy loss. A special mention also goes out to O’Miya, Aliki and Emily. Some excellent football was on show! Well done girls!
It was a good start by Bloomsbury who scored early in the first half to make it 1-0. They managed to move the ball around well despite the poor playing conditions however, they did struggle to finish their chances to close the game off. The Eight FC came out pressing in the second half, but the boys remained calm on the ball and played through the press. They weren’t creating any clear chances. Unfortunately, Bloomsbury made two unforced errors and let them into the game. The score became 2-1 with Bloomsbury on the back foot. The lads played some great football and deserved the win but, in the end, they do need to capitalise on their chances and find the back of the net.
Emma scored a wonderful stab resulting from a corner taken on the left-hand side. Emma was also very good in her 1v1 defending as well as stepping out of the defence with the ball and being positive. Carla showed moments of individual brilliance especially shooting from long range and one moment when she changed her pace to shift the ball past the defender. Ava scored an amazing goal with her left foot from outside the box into the bottom right. Theresa worked hard in the attacking third to press the ball despite having a 3v1 disadvantage against her. It was impressive to see the teams shape to prevent play going centrally through us. The girls struggled pressing the ball and understanding that the best way to win the ball is through interceptions rather than tackling so being patient is first priority.
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