Bloomsbury were determined to get the win against AFC Hertfordshire following some unlucky results in recent weeks. The boys immediately put the pressure on looking for an early goal, and it wasn’t long before they made it 1-0. The boys were hungry for more goals and continued to put the pressure on which created many opportunities. Gonzalo made some fantastic overlapping runs in the final third which caused trouble for the Hertfordshire defence. The boys later gained a free kick just outside the area which Jake comfortably slotted in to make it 2-0. Aaron went on to make it 3-0 with a well-placed penalty into the bottom corner. A late tap in by Ebe in the final quarter made the score 4-0. Overall a great team performance!
Even though Bloomsbury didn’t have a full squad, the girls kept pushing through putting in some really good tackles with a few chances to score. They struggled at times with the game being a bit too long just because of the circumstances of not having the usual players. However, all the players showed great attitude and even when they were tired, they kept going until the final whistle.
Three key buzzwords for the day – scanning, unpredictable and relax. All of these words were evident in what the players showcased within the game and were a key part in the scoring of Bloomsbury’s goals. Another fantastic display from this talented group of individuals who are improving week after week. Taking past weeks learning and combining them with this week’s learning is a recipe for success. A culmination of hard work from all involved as well as the obvious meatball talent resulted in a range of very good finishes and build up play to match.
The U8s Gold team were at their clinical best, putting in a very professional performance against MGA over at Coram’s. Racing into a 2-goal lead within 2 minutes of play via 2 well-taken finishes from Franco and Misha. The tone for the rest of the game had been set early on by the boys and they maintained this throughout the remainder of the 1st half with Franco completing his hat-trick, the hat-trick goal via an expertly executed long-range dipping Ronaldo-esque free-kick. An unusual standout point was the manner in which the boys carried themselves during the half-time interval, discussing ways in which they could challenge themselves in order to best get the most out what was appearing to be an easy fixture. Key challenges that were taken into the 2nd period were the increased use of their weaker foot in attacking actions, as well as looking to score as many of their future goals via a pass combination of 7 or more. 4 more goals were added in the 2nd half via 3 very cultured finishes from Majid who had an excellent game as well as a finish from Marcelo to round off the scoring. Although the latter challenge was not quite met as frequently as intended, the team did look to move the ball around as much as possible with Mathias and Tommy particularly impressing in doing so. The standout point of the second half being a fantastic assist from Pax who bent a fantastic cross from just past the half-way line for Maijid to nonchalantly tap in for his hat-trick. An impressive performance from the U8 Gold who go into the Easter break rejuvenated after a difficult March.
A highlight of the U8s Black season to date! The team put in a fantastic display against a tough Benfica team. A back-and-forth match for much of the game, the boys really had to battle in order to come out on top against a very physical team. Laurence was shifted to defence for the majority of the game in which he showed great game understanding in order to halt Benfica attacks time and time again. When moved further forward, he also showed his calm finishing ability notching his 2 goals. Behind him, Ori in the 1st half, and Laurie in the 2nd half kept the boys in the game with some great shot stopping, working tirelessly when playing outfield too in order to disrupt opposition attacks. Talking of tireless display, Nico worked his socks off, chasing every ball as he looked to get Bloomsbury back on the ball as much as possible. Coming off the back of a superb goalkeeping performance, Noah grabbed a goal from a quick counterattack that was very much the tale of the game, and finally Leonardo grabbed the 2 goals from his fantastic debut performances for the ball and crown deserved. Everyone was proud to see the never-say-die attitude on display from the U8 Black team and their drive and desire to go and get the win. It is evident they can go on and put in further fantastic performances and reap the rewards in terms of results. A very well done!
Due to a request from the opposition, the U8s Black team lined up for an unfamiliar 6 v 6 friendly game against The Vale in what was a fantastic game over at Coram’s Field. The extra 2 players did, as expected, cause space to be few and far between, but there was plenty of impressive individual moments on display from the 7 in the match day squad with the individuality maybe at times being the undoing as the team could have won if the ball was shifted quicker. Noah volunteered to play the whole game in goal, and what a display he put in, thwarting the opposition when required, displaying fantastic reflexes when shot stopping. Ahead of him, Laurie marshalled the defence sternly, putting in some fantastic tackles before displaying his usual long pass ability to bring teammates into the game. Ori and Nico had fantastic games in wide areas, working tirelessly to help out defensively, the former playing some fantastic raking passes to play his teammates through on goal. Marco and debutant Leonardo showed the fantastic ball carrying abilities, bamboozling the opposition on numerous occasions and finally, the cool-headed Laurence showed this week’s theme and topic to aplomb, contributing largely to the team being able to build attacks via the retaining of possession. The goal game from a customary long-range strike from Marco to which the result was a fair reflection on the balance of play. A stern test for the boys, but one that was met head on in which was a very strong performance prior to their 2nd game of the day.
All goals in this fixture came in the first half, with Oli opening the scoring with a fantastic solo goal. Moments later, PFA equalized with a headed goal from a corner. Just before the half, Oli broke away from the defence and played Max through, who converted the chance wonderfully to win the game.
Oli, today’s man of the match had a brilliant game, demonstrating excellent decision-making in deciding when to pass and when to dribble, allowing the team to maintain possession of the ball for extended periods of time. A wonderful goal and a clever assist to top of the performance. Vanya was very solid in all areas of the pitch, never shying away from a challenge and using his physicality where possible. His passing and dribbling were also very impressive. Jorge played extremely well, making multiple great saves and closing down approaching attackers with great speed, extremely unlucky to not have scored as he made a brilliant save in the final seconds and immediately launched the ball towards the oppositions goal, but the whistle was blown before the ball crossed the line (it counts in our eyes Jorge!). Zac and Archie defended well, closing down attackers and preventing many goalscoring opportunities, interlinking play well when further up the pitch too. Max stepped up today after a last-minute cancellation and gave it his all on the pitch, very deserving of the goal. Morley dominated the midfield with tricky footwork and intelligent passing, some fantastic combinations created as a result of this. Ylli played in every position on the pitch bar GK and showed his class and versatility, controlling play in every position, excellent performance from him! Jon pressed very well, and often forced the opposition into making mistakes, some great passing seen from him too.
A positive result for the Golds after a few tough matches, showing their class once again in a very solid overall performance. Impressed with the way the boys have responded to recent defeats. They went out and battled hard, very deserving of the win. Players acknowledged errors and issues within the team at half-time then proceeded to correct those issues in the second half.
Mo was this games man of the match as he had an excellent game, completely dominating the midfield, constantly pressuring the opposition and forcing plenty of errors, often leading to Bloomsbury winning possession, and attacking with intent, very unlucky not to have scored rattling the post with a powerful low-driven strike. Adam finished off a brilliant attack with a clinical outside the foot shot at the near post, a great goal to top off a very solid overall performance. Jacob utilised his skills in many scenarios, beating players with ease and creating lots of chances for himself and others. Zak had a very good game, scoring the winner with the final play of the game, coming very close to scoring several other goals, his passing was also fantastic and even earned the compliments of the opposition coach! Yacine battled hard, not letting his size be a hindrance and never shying away from a tackle, driving extremely well down the wings and causing lots of issues for the opposition. Kieran was extremely solid at the back, preventing multiple goal scoring opportunities and shutting down many attacks. Morley had a rather quiet game in goal but was always alert and looked very sharp in the few instances he was called to action. Max showcased brilliant ball carrying abilities and was always supporting his teammates, whether that was in attack or defence, and provided a fantastic assist for the winning goal. Otto played very well, creating lots of chances for both himself and others with well-timed and creative runs, striking the ball with great technique when shooting, he was very unlucky not to have scored today.
A strong team performance in a rather disorganised fixture, showing many positives and battling on despite the rough play of the opposition. Very impressed with the team in general! Players acknowledged that at times they had been a bit too slow at releasing the ball and needed to improve, after this they then proceeded to implement the improvements that was suggested.
Georgia Beavon’s use of her left foot to build attacks was great to see, especially when angling her pass down the line. Also, she had really good distribution to exploit space in behind a press. Theresa’s recognition of where the pressure was and the ability to drive with the ball was incredible. She was able to shift the ball forward to create more goal scoring chances. Tore was able to break the first line of pressure with her first touch very well by positioning herself outside the line of the ball.
The team struggled to secure the ball when playing and understanding where to take an extra touch to open up more passing angles. They did really well in 1v1 attacking duals and some 1v1 defensive duals in not getting beaten. This was seen frequently in wide areas and came from good body shape.
The boys started what was to be a very competitive game with a clear message of staying compact and starting with energy, something they have struggled with over recent fixtures. They did just that, dominating possession whilst being patient and carving out chances that they failed to put away. This continued for both sides, with CSR growing into the game, gaining possession in wide areas and exploring that space, resulting in chances which Elvin in goal dealt with well. The second half began, and the boys changed system to a high press, maintaining the same formation. Though they were in control of the game, they conceded first, Josh O scored on his debut a few minutes later to equalise. The opposition replied quickly again scoring once more, and the players found themselves 2-1 down with 10 minutes to go. Bloomsbury changed formation to a 4-1-2-1-2, believing their two strikers could cause more damage. That was exactly what they did with Josh O once again slotting one past the keeper to equalise again. The game finished 2-2 after a late push from both sides. It was really impressive to see Elijahs pressing which is a massive testament to his progression and fitness this season. Josh O had a great debut too scoring both goals!
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