Elation in its entire essence was exercised by Bloomsbury’s U12s courtesy of Jack Orbell’s last kick of the game winner as they snatched the three points from PFA United at the death.
Throughout the entire game, the boys were brilliant at looking for ways to combine in the final third against very tough opposition, on a small pitch.
Ethan, Victor and Luca especially were great at trying to apply the three patterns worked on at training, being brave and taking risks. The first goal from Taaj-Deen typified the team’s combination play: an intelligent pass from the eventual match-winner to Ethan, who subsequently played a deliciously teasing ball for Taaj who met and placed it into the top corner with confidence. The second goal came from a methodically structured press as Jackson used his speed to intercept the keeper and tuck the ball into the net. The third was a similar situation, but just that *tad* bit more special being the last kick of the game; emphatic of the team’s desire and willingness to fight, as Victor pressed the keeper into a mistake allowing Jack to collect the loose ball and send Bloomsbury into ecstasy.
The boys are starting to prove their ability from back to front, always trying to apply each of the learnings from the different weeks to their game, from recycling possession, securing the first pass in tight spaces on a small pitch, to running with the ball in a counterattack.
All in all, an extremely difficult opposition who played great football at times, but were cancelled out by a passionate and very mature performance from Bloomsbury’s U12s.
The U7s in their game against Bloomsbury’s U8 Girls in the Camden Youth League (CYL), particularly Guy Morgan, put on a thorough and concrete display of their learnings from this week’s theme and topic, as they beat their elder opponents.
Guy’s frightening 1v1 ability took centre stage during this fixture and posed an ever-lasting threat to the opposition and he combined this with his confidence and positivity when receiving to score four well-taken goals on the day, all of a different nature with a combination of both feet.
Similarly impressive offensively, were the U7s defensively, against super opposition a year older, the only goal conceded: a well worked counter. Overall, a very good display from a group of talented individuals in the first of their two games during the weekend. Special mention to Maxi for a promising debut, Ayman who was another constant threat, producing some lightning quick feet throughout with his signature Cruyff turn being used on numerous occasions to get himself out of trouble when needed and Ollie, another one of those superbly demonstrating the week’s theme and topic, ‘finishing in the final third’, as proven by his well-struck goal.
The U7s concluded the weekend by going unbeaten as they triumphed in their battle against Highbury Wolves in the CYL.
It capped an impressive morning from the group, one that successfully ticked off the three buzzwords: confidence, positivity and bravery, and one that illustrated their quality depth; with the players who came in for this fixture impressing just as much as those who featured in both. Cole made a number of vital saves towards the end of the game to keep Bloomsbury in pole position to take the victory, Rahul, who came in for this game, capped off a superb team move to make it 1-1 with a well taken goal, once again applying the week’s theme and topic learnings. Roka, who was strong in each and every of the number of important tackles he made to deny the opponents a chance at goal, combining this with a flurry of confident dribbles which made for a classy Saturday morning, and Sean who put in dominant displays in both games offensively and defensively: with his collection of tackles spiced by his quick realising of the ball to create opportunities. Special mention to debutant Rocco who was very unlucky not to get himself on the score sheet, and also to Ayman who most certainly did get on the scoresheet, bragging a brace. The first came after winning the ball high up the pitch before taking a player on and finishing from an acute angle, his second came as a result of his intelligent starting position which allowed him to pounce on a misplaced opposition pass before shooting from range.
The eighteen goals from Bloomsbury’s U8s Gold not only inducted them into the weekend’s unbeaten club, joining their younger age group the U7s, but also emphasised how strong they are at this week’s theme and topic : ‘finishing in the final third’ , ‘combination and build up play to finish’.
During their two victories on Saturday against EFA South and TG FC, every member of the team managed to register a goal. It just shows how adept each member of the squad is and how comfortable they are creating, striking, scoring and making decisions in and around the box. Especially Misha, who not only scored six across the two games, but he demonstrated a range of finishing techniques from varying angles, distances and on either foot. This coupled with his fantastic creation of chances, particularly in the first game, as was the story for the whole team, outlined perfectly his understanding and further application of this week’s theme and topic.
It was also great to see and hear the maturity of the players across this weekend as they agreed that easier fixtures are the ideal opportunity to work on areas in preparation for future fixtures, a very positive, grown, accountable and holistic comment as the players acknowledge the necessity to improve as players and as a team, despite not losing a game as of yet, outlining wholly their ambition as a team.
An eventual and gut-wrenching Sport London e Benfica winner late in the depths of the game stole from the U8s clutches what would have been a well-earned and deserved point in the CYL.
The next time you hear the title ‘Mr Versatile’ dished out to someone, we want you to remember Ivan’s performance. One of the many on the day who was outstanding, predominantly in goal but also outfield. He made a number of crucial saves, bravely diving at the feet of the opposition forwards countless times, and also fatefully stopping the shots destined for the bottom conners. Not only did he illuminate his elasticity inside of the net but through his showcasing of the week’s learnings of ‘finishing in the final third’, he showcased his ability to ripple the net from outside of it, as he came outfield: received the ball on the edge of the box, wriggled between the defenders and struck low to the keeper’s right to equalise for Bloomsbury twelve minutes from time.
Ivan wasn’t alone in displaying stellar performances either, every player was confident taking on their opponents in 1v1s, with Majid and Odysseas looking seriously strong going forward. The boys combined well in every area of the pitch, starting with Ivan’s distribution in goal, but Ori, Robert, Christian and Nico were all excellent on the ball, dribbling confidently and looking for a pass at the appropriate time, with three second half attacks hitting the woodwork.
The result wasn’t what we wanted nor deserved, but the effort the U8s showed, considering it was their second fixture of the day against physical opposition, is exactly the level of hard-work and dedication we encourage and most importantly champion here at Bloomsbury and is one quality we want our teams to be characterised by.
Odysseas’ consolation in our CYL defeat against East End Lions was another great example of this week’s theme and topic as it rewarded his numerous good decisions during the game as he tried to create opportunities for himself and his teammates to shoot, as did Majid as he constantly tried to combine with teammates to get in better positions to shoot, once again also showing his understanding of the learning.
A challenging fixture and of course a disappointing loss but credit to the boys for nobly accepting, and enjoying the challenge, all agreeing after the game that they enjoyed the competitiveness. They never shirked and constantly tried to play with intent, enjoying some good moments and asked lots of questions of the opposition.
A marginal victory in a high scoring game for European FA consigned Bloomsbury U10s a disappointing and frustrating loss in the CYL.
The team demonstrated a range of finishes and created many more opportunities to put this game to bed, however a lack of potency on the day ultimately cost them the game and was compounded by a few lapses in decision making in possession in the defensive third which presented the opposition opportunities they were able to take, that naivety on the ball made all the more bitter considering last week our topic and theme was ‘retaining and recycling the ball’.
The team of course were upset to lose, but it’s encouraging they were so easily able to identify their areas for improvement to ensure these situations in the future can be rectified; deciding when to play out from the back, recycling and getting the ball into wide areas to then cross for a teammate to finish, and being clinical when it truly matters.
Special mention goes to Yili, who demonstrated his versatility to great effect, defending magnificently when called upon, and was always looking to create when playing in more attacking positions through mazy dribbling runs and perfectly times passes to bring team-mates into play.
Whilst the low score draw may suggest otherwise, this game was a fantastic fixture to watch, the flocking of neutrals to the pitch to watch the game emphasising just that.
It was by some mile the best defensive performance this season from Bloomsbury’s U10s, as Nikolas’ performance typified just that. He had a superb game against very strong opposition and led by example at the back, ensuring we kept the tight defensive line, as well as marauding forward at every opportunity to great success. This fixture presented the team with their hardest test this season, and Nikolas personified the whole team’s fight and desire to not lose the game and willingness to take what would have been a great scalp.
It was also terrific that the players acknowledged the need to apply last week’s topic of ‘retaining to create’ into practice. When we could apply this, we looked dangerous, but unfortunately not enough of it occurred which in turn meant there were reduced opportunities to demonstrate the finishing prowess that had been on show during training this week.
Goals from Ebenezer, Joel, Khalid and Zac secured a brilliant 4-2 victory away from home and earnt Bloomsbury’s U13s a well-earned and fought three points in the Junior Premier League (JPL).
Although this week’s theme was ‘finishing in the final third’, that aspect was missing from this performance even though four goals scored may say otherwise. Countless times we broke the lines and entered the opposition’s box and final third but too often we lacked the killer instinct, at times electing to take one touch too many, missing the opportunity to have the ball hit the back of the net.
We could have had an even better score-line, but for the second week running, the team enjoyed a ton of success implementing the high press, stopping the opponent playing out of their third. The press was intense, quick and aggressive and left the opponents with limited time to play forward. However, JGS did find some success when they elected to play over our pressing, we needed to ensure we secured the first ball and maintained possession and we could have done this though positioning ourselves better and being proactive on the travel of the ball that broke our press.
Overall; a great game, for along with the victory, it presents many areas for improvement, the best possible scenario to be faced with.
There were a number of fantastic performances in this game; Francesco held his position as the right centre back in a back-three superbly and intercepted a majority of forward passes from the opposition, reacting positively on transition and playing forward quickly, combining on the right-hand side. Eitan playing up a year in his first 11-a-side match, not daunted by the stature and challenge of the larger goal, saving a penalty to stop the game becoming 3-3 and keeping the momentum in Bloomsbury’s favour to cap a sensational game. Jake playing the role of the false nine, dropped deep and combined well to play forward, and Joel Goodgame outstandingly living up to his surname, giving width as the right-wing-back and combining well to advance the attack, a superb understanding of when and where to be in possession always giving us an outlet to play forward on the right hand side.
Although it was a hefty loss for the U14s in the JPL against AFC Nasaa, it’s a game that shouldn’t be forgotten about immediately for it perfectly personifies the aspects we want to take with us in an offensive sense, and the aspects we need to improve on in a defensive sense.
In a week that focused on our possession play in the final third so that we can create opportunities for us to finish, this game was all about the U14s’ ability to dominate this area of the pitch. Particularly Mustafa Labidi, who showed his terrier-ness, covering an enormous amount of ground in the process, his drive to work as hard as possible was great to see and set the tone for the rest of the team.
A heavy loss that weighs even heavier because of the fact that 15 minutes before the final whistle, the game was still stalemate. Once the first had gone in, the U14s struggled to maintain their previous intensity, resulting in more mistakes and lapses in concentration which ultimately cost us.
The team did perform the mid-block excellently for the first 65 minutes as their distances and angles of pressure were superb, and maybe adds salt to the wounds but should remind the U14s of their ability going forward and the consequences of not staying concentrated and compact.
An especially tough defeat to stomach for the U15s in their Camden and Islington Youth Football League (CIYFL) fixture as they lost 4-2 away from home versus Camden Elite Red.
considering our start was blistering, we led 0-2 through Dylan Summerhayes and Alex Toledano, and even had two goals disallowed. However, the opponent managed to score just before half-time after a long ball over our defensive line where the attacker went through 1v1 against our goalkeeper, and in the second half they were able to build on this and punish us on our poor timings as we lacked concentration and organisation.
Special mention goes to Matteo Salford who was immense in the middle of the park winning all his individual battles with a plomb, and even assisted the second goal.
He also recognised that three of our goals conceded were exactly the same, and will require hard work if we’re able to achieve our goals and target of winning the league, of which he will be pivotal.
Conor’s brace, especially impressive since he’d been away from training for a fair amount of time, added to by a strike from Dylan meant spoils were shared in the JPL as Bloomsbury’s U15s drew 3-3 with The Eight Football Club.
Bloomsbury dominated three quarters of the game but it’s that inability to control right till the very end which ultimately cost us as our lapses of concentration, lack of assertion and physicality post 75 minutes saw us draw the game in the last five minutes of the tie. A bitter but important pill to swallow as the boys will understand just how much can be won and lost in the final stages of the game and thus why it’s so important to fit so that focus, sharpness and energy is able to remain at a high level throughout the entirety of the game.
The U16’s Saturday was special and one that saw them become founders of the weekend’s unbeaten club, a club which would go on to induct the U7s and U8s, as they triumphed against Alpha Football 6-1 in the CIYFL and Northwood 6-2 in the Watford Friendly League (WFL).
It was two solid performances, especially the second game as it was a massive contrast to our previous WFL fixture. We contained the opposition’s 3-5-2 as the boys increasingly upped the pressure on the opposition’s build up play which allowed us to regain possession quickly upon which our midfield was able to penetrate and apply the concepts worked during the week and find spaces for the ball to be played through to great success.
The twelve goals netted across the games including Luke Quarderer’s and Aman’s strike versus Alpha, Philo’s, Alexy’s and Elliot’s goals against Northwood, three goals across the two matches from Luke Van Herkomer and even braces in both games from Freddie as he continues his rampage to golden booth for both leagues, showcased the proficiency of this age group when combining and finishing in the final third.
Special mentions go to Alex, against Alpha, as he was able to make adjustments to his playing style to help his teammates, showcasing his great ability to intake coaching tips and apply them in the match, and Freddie against Northwood, for excellently portraying this week’s theme and topic, creating multiple opportunities for him and his teammate to finish in goal, but also defensively as he was able to apply the correct first line of pressure on the opposition.
Despite a brace form Maddie which included an excellent opener with Millie passing from the left corner to the middle, Maddie controlling that ball with a positive movement away from the defender, shooting with her second touch, a couple of unsaveable rockets, counter-attacks and a set-piece was all too much for Bloomsbury’s U12s to reclaim. Though the CIYFL fixture against Kickabout Griffins ended in comfortable defeat for Bloomsbury’s Girls U12s, it wasn’t without it’s positives, especially in relation to the week’s theme and topic.
Of our 18 shots attempted during the match, 12 were on target and showcases how the Girls were confident and able in their striking. Especially Maddie, who was very dangerous in the final third, individually accounting for half of the on-target attempts herself. Her communication throughout with teammate Millie was crucial in creating opportunities. Millie’s communication leadership carried the team forward throughout.
Special mention goes to Phoebe who had another incredible game in goal. Her devotion to self-development outside of team training shows in her composure and creativity on the ball and has earned her countless praise and acknowledgement from her teammates, it’s this pursuit of betterment that’s radiates throughout the core of the organisation.
Yas’ clear application of the week’s theme and topic evidenced through her sublime hat-trick was the shining light in the U13s’ 3-6 in the Girls Super League to Kick Action U14s.
The coach was pleased with many elements of the girl’s combinations in possession, which allowed for direct and positive play, however, fuses such as cut-backs in the final third were not transferred which meant there were a few situations that could have used a cut-back but was not utilised.
Despite this, special mention goes to Emma Montruccio, who worked hard in the middle to prevent the opposition from playing and when she got on the ball she was able to create fuses with one and two touch passing.
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