Man of the match Rocco Becci had a string of saves that kept Bloomsbury in this game. Saves ranging from 1v1 to simply unbelievable stops to deny the opposition on a number of occasions. The team stuck together and battled in what turned out to be an extremely physical fixture, after falling behind midway through the first half the boys showed great character and levelled through a well taken Ayman Mechik goal. A change of shape from the original diamond led to the boys playing a square and matching the opposition man for man. This led to Sean doing a splendid job man marking the opponents danger man on a number of occasions. Quick-fire goals from Oliver Docherty and Rahul Chakkalakal led to the boys being put in a commanding 3-1 lead, which was cut short after a well worked Isledon goal leaving for a nervy few minutes until Louis Vara struck with the last kick to secure a win for this extremely talented group.
Mila carried the team in the attacking half as she took shots left, right and centre not giving up and also using her body which was good to see showing everyone who’s boss. She really tried to win today, and it showed. The team as a whole put 100% effort in today which was good to see. Defensively they did very well, and the team need to focus on attacking and executing shots at the right time and not slowing down in front of goal. Overall, very impressed with the girls with their attitude and never giving up. All were really happy about winning a medal and all said they enjoyed the match.
Pax, todays man of the match, showed a constant hard-working performance in a number of positions. A fantastic defensive display partnered with demonstration of this week’s learning and 2 goals left everyone in agreement that he deserved this! The buzzword for the U8s going into this game was hard work, this was epitomised after a slow start which left the boys narrowly leading at half time, but a lightning quick spell put the boys in control. Goals from Pax and Marcelo left the boys strolling before the opposition created some success. Tommy Woods capped a fantastic display and finished superbly to leave the boys as winners.
The 9’s entered the fixture coming off a great weeks training on a sunny Saturday morning. They set up in a 2-2-2 with the top 2 players holding their width and playing a formation without a 9. This is following the successful use of this in weeks prior and the boys were keen to use it! The key message was to be calm in possession and build confidently. In the first half they didn’t do that particularly well, though they were trying. The main issue was that the boys were making decisions once the ball arrived at their feet, as opposed to making decisions on the travel of the ball. After displaying this to the team at half time, they started the second half much better, one particular highlight was a forward pass, set into Christians feet who switched the play with a beautiful split pass into DeNiro’s feet, one of the best phases from the group this season. Bloomsbury went on to score some great goals and have an overall very mature performance. Proud of the team! DeNiro’s press was particularly good, not only the tenacity of it but also the technique, curving his run when pressing the player ensuring the passing lane was cut off.
Very proud of how the girls reacted despite the tough tournament with higher age groups playing. Layla really enjoyed the tournament and playing in a new position and had great feedback from her parents.
Poppy’s first touches were amazing! She was able to take positive first touches to evade pressure and create quick attacks. She worked very hard when defending and was resilient if she got beaten 1v1. Kaya scored from a variety of angles and often shot high and away from the goalkeeper. This was accompanied by a shift before her shot to prevent a block from occurring. Niya developed her understanding of how to create space so she can utilise using her left foot. It was a delight to see the girls finish in the final third and attacking quickly. A lot of goals came from a transition and players being able to attack quickly. The players could improve defensively and how they defend the middle of the pitch first. By doing this, players will successfully be able to prevent threatening attacks and increase transitions. Players also need to understand the importance of working back and getting behind the ball as soon as they lose it.
The U10 Black team were presented with an away game experience in preparation for next season’s footballing forays in which games away from home will be a regular occurrence. Haringey Borough FC was the venue where a demolishing performance was on show. Fixtures such as these, where the opposition don’t pose much of a threat or present challenges can cause bad habits to creep in, however the boys were extremely professional in the way they played and carried themselves, representing the ball and crown fantastically well. Various patterns of play were honed and processes the players have worked on throughout the season were on display to great effect in a massive victory that has very much warmed the shooting boots ready for tournament season and presented coach Josh Clark with further selection headaches.
Following what the players learnt in training this week, the team put out a masterclass in counterattacking, filled with speed, intensity, and precision. The ability to perform a number of effective fuses to maintain possession and break the press had the opposition chasing Bloomsbury’s shadows into their own half. Deserved a few more goals but big credit to the opposition goalkeeper, with some great saves and reflexes. The team thoroughly deserved their first away win of 2022 with a dominant performance in all aspects. All round, each player performed to a high level, the performance deserved everything but extremely unfortunate to miss out on the clean sheet.
Log in to your portal to book on to this event.
Not a member of Bloomsbury Football yet?
WELCOME TO BLOOMSBURY FOOTBALL.
You can now book onto sessions or camps.
The Bloomsbury team look forward to meeting you!