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Academy Match Reports

WEEK 32 | BATTLING THROUGH THE ROUNDS

1st Jun 2022

FEATURED FIXTURE

 Bloomsbury U11 Gold – APB Tournament

The boys came out the blocks dominating the game, as they secured a 1-0 win against APB U11 A team. Exactly the start that was needed. This followed on with two fought hard draws where the result could’ve easily swung towards either team. Top of the group was to be decided via penalty shoot-out where the boys won a 5-4 victory and emerged victorious. Into the quarters up against APB, tournament hosts, showed without a doubt the best 10 minutes of football seen from the U11’s. Taking the lead with Freddie Littner rounding the keeper and a last-minute goal through Zeid Mehareb, securing a 2-0 win. A performance as close to perfect, with every player performing to a high level on and off the ball. They were simply fantastic. After going behind early in the semi-final, a change in formation was needed as the players were unable to match up against Leon Barnet. In the final minute, an own goal allowed Bloomsbury the opportunity to go to penalties. However, the team were unable to achieve a similar result as all 3 penalties were missed. Winning the 3rd place playoff 2-1 secured their position as the 3rd best team in the APB 6-a-side tournament as the boys continue their journey to silverware. The boys performed admirably. There is no doubt that silverware is within our grasp as the team continues to fight on!


Bloomsbury U7 – APB Youth Tournament 

A very successful day at APB ended up with the boys finishing 5th of the 16 teams that entered, a remarkable achievement and one that they should be proud of. After starting the group stage off with 2 wins, the boys suffered their first defeat at the hands of Club SFC. The boys progressed as second in the group after defeating Bedwell Rangers and London Lions Leopards to end on 6 points from a possible 9. The quarter finals ended in defeat against a very good APB Raiders side but had some promising signs as to how the group have progressed from the start of the season. The knockout stages continued with a 3-0 win over London Colney to see Bloomsbury progress into the 5th/6th place final. The game started with the boys on top and resulted in the boys taking a 1-0 lead, but this was quickly removed after a wonderful finish from the Jolof Sports striker to leave the game heading to penalties. A very tight penalty shootout victory from the boys who all showed fantastic character when stepping up to take a penalty! A 5-4 win left the group 5th overall, a result that was very well deserved. 7 games played 5 wins 2 Loses! The squad represented Bloomsbury in a fantastic light both on and off the pitch and special mention to each and every player.


Bloomsbury U7 Black – Coram’s Tournament

Noah never stopped running the entire day, constantly pressing the opposition, forcing many errors and often winning the ball. Using his excellent footwork to beat many players on the dribble, creating lots of opportunities for both himself and his team. Vincent battled hard, always pressing, and never shying away from a physical challenge, proving himself very difficult to get past. Cole carried the ball up the pitch very well, getting himself and others into good attacking positions. Nabil put in some great tackles, winning the ball back in important areas and preventing many opposition attacks. Henry (todays captain) had a great tournament, battling hard when defending and utilising his good passing and movement to combine well with his teammates and create attacks. Roka played very well, some excellent passing and dribbling, using the space very effectively to generate opportunities. A bit of a slow start against some strong oppositions had the boys on the back foot from early on, but they did not let this phase them and they continued to give their all in each match. Very impressed with the effort from all the players, unlucky not to have progressed to the final. Fantastic support from the parents, really motivated the boys to keep playing! All players should be very proud of how they played and the character they showed to keep battling! Vincent made a wonderfully insightful comment, “we need to press more and give them less space”. The boys then went into the next game with a higher level of intensity and gave the opposition far less time on the ball.


Bloomsbury U10 vs VPR U10 (GSL)

Layla was brilliant in the game, working hard and being able to secure the ball really well. She was able to link up with her teammates to create goal scoring opportunities for herself and for others. Niya’s ball striking was top level today with her being able to score 4 amazing goals. She shifted away from pressure the majority of the time and got her shots on target. Poppy was excellent and was able to support the attack going forward in the second half. When she played on the left-hand side, she successfully got in the right areas to create goal scoring opportunities. It was a delight to see the teams ball striking with almost every shot being on target. The team lost the game but ultimately won the league and it was a credit to their attitude. To reach the next level the team need to understand positional awareness depending on where on the pitch they are.


Bloomsbury U11 Black 2-2 EFA U12

A very impressive performance from the beginning. The team had a high level of focus from the warmup and then from kick-off. After going 1-0 down, the boys took it in their stride and didn’t allow the deficit to affect them and continued to push. After winning a free kick, Oli Brito Dos took the shot, with Everett Nerland reacting quickly and successfully finishing. They didn’t deserve to be losing, but definitely deserved the goal!

The team was comfortable building their attack from the goalkeeper and recognised when to play direct when the space behind opened up. Coming out after the half time break, the boys found themselves 2-1 down after defensive miscommunication however, once again, the team refused to allow this to affect them in a negative manner. After Leonardo Rescende Maciel, received the ball on the halfway line, it attracted a number of opposition players which allowed more space in central areas. After skilfully taking two players out, a left footed pass into Troy Ismailji’s path, with a quality finish in the top right corner matched the quality of the pass.

The boys then pushed their focus on to the winning goal. A great ball from a goal kick from Morgan Summerhayes had Ardi Gerbeshi in a 1v1, aiming for the top right but the keeper pulled off a fine save. It was pleasing to see the group replicating their efforts and quality from training, on to the pitch. The application was of a high level and impressed with every single player! Troy Ismailji even highlighted that it “was our best performance of the season”!


Bloomsbury U14 – MK Melting Pot Tournament

The 14’s made the long trip to Milton Keynes for their first 11 aside tournament. To begin, they were average, struggling to build effectively, keeping possession poorly and being ineffective. Drawing the first match 0-0, they also conceded early in the second match, due to a lapse at the back losing the ball. Ale Salford and Victor made a massive impact, truly pulling the team through the match, with both of them combining for an equaliser. Victor with great work and Ale with a superb finish across goal! Entering the last match the boys played the hosts and needed to win to go through. Captain Charlie Guppy scored from a great free kick from James deep in their half, giving Bloomsbury the advantage! They maintained the pressure, Jorge with a superb performance on the left wing being their outlet. Though the team did end up winning the match, they lost two players for disciplinary reasons, learning to take one for the team to ensure it doesn’t happen again! Though the players gave it their all, they ended up being knocked out in the semis. Overall a challenging day full of learning for the 14’s. One they will take into their next competition.