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U11s not undeterred by egg catching semi-final as training moved to an earlier slot (Coach Paul)Great training session today which for some reason we ran at the early time of 8-8.50. Although a quick session we packed in some pass and move drills and quick press then a match. Some cheeky football was on show but my player of the day goes to Sylvester for some great positional play and last man defensive tackling. Then we all legged it.........
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The Cobras return to winning ways in emphatic styleThe Cobras went hunting for their first win after a series of frustrating defeats against weaker opponents. Would a much-welcomed change in the weather spark a change in fortunes?
A glorious morning and a very damp pitch greeted the travelling Loxwood Cobras as they arrived in Dorking's Meadow Bank Park, fortress of the Dorking Reds. As they approached the pitch for their familiar warm up routine, the Cobras began with an early psychological victory, being mistaken, as they were by the on onlooking Reds' players, for the 'Fulham Academy'.... Loxwood lined up with Chris in goal; Angus, Marco and Kelsey in defence; Luc, Willem and Ben in midfield, and Oscar and Harry Smith up front. A flurry of early Loxwood chances came shortly after the whistle commenced the game; Willem striking slightly wide after a fast run onto Ben's through-ball, and a great save from the Reds' keeper after a powerful shot from Ben. More and more chances came but the first goal frustrated them. Harry hammered the corner of post and bar, shortly followed by another shot from Oscar hitting the right upright. Meanwhile, the stalwart defence of Angus, Kelsey and Marco kept Dorking pinned in their own half. Finally, sustained pressure brought a remarkable goal from an impossible angle, just outside the goal area from left wing, Luc Trench, what a strike! The crowd found their voice and stepped forward, eager to see more Loxwood goals, unfortunately the poor linesman couldn't see down the line! Manager Andy Leete brought goalscorer Luc off for dan and Marco off for Finn. Once again the poor woodwork took a pounding as Harry hit just wide. The Reds efficiently executed the offside trap, and were awarded a free kick. Unfortunately for them, it was poorly struck, gifting Oscar a golden chance, and slotted his shot straight past the keeper. Harry then hit the post shortly after (again!), and Ben rattled bar with a great shot from distance (again!!!) - onlookers where worried how much more the old frame could take... Then Harry broke free, and with Willem in support he chose to shoot........... and scored! The first half ended, with the Cobras sitting comfortably 3-0 up. In the second half, Harry came off for Marco to return. Chris moved up front with Oscar, Dan came on and Willem found himself between the sticks. The half time team talk resulted in a spell of dorking pressure as the teams restarted. However home support was suppressed as big Ben carved his way through several defenders to smash the ball into the back of the net. Dan then pressed forward shortly after and his shot went just wide. A rapid Dorking counter attack brought an excellent save from Willem as he closed the space down. The ball bounced fortunately for the supporting Reds player, and they were on the score sheet. However, the Cobras work rate never dropped, and a great lofted pass from Angus found Chris up front who expertly steered his shot past the keeper. The Loxwood defence regained their composure and dealt with further Reds attacks professionally. Luc came back on for Angus, and Dan returned. Oscar had the opportunity to shoot within the box but was denied by a great save. Harry then scored another from a great Marco pass, shortly after a Reds player tried to remove Kelsey's shirt... Harry then rounded off the scoring after he broke free to take on the keeper after another great pass from Angus. Final score Loxwood Cobras 8 -1 Dorking Reds. Special mentions to Luc for an outstanding performance and goal, Finn for a great turn as left-back making some committed tackles. Oscar for some great skills and good supporting runs, and Willem and Chris for two good stints in goal. Ben was awarded parents player for his incredible work rate and a stonking goal, and Harry took home the coaches award for his constant dominance amongst the dorking defenders. A great performance from all players, an impressive win and a confidence boost going into their next game. Best performance of the season so far with a good Dorkonian recovery..... Weather crisp and sunny, pitch slightly greasy but actually remarkably well drained given the rain over past week, boys in good humour, coach positive, home crowd in fine form (although a little bleary in the south stand)....the match day was nicely set-up. Vipers had a good warm up, Marco walked a dozen miles white lining everything in sight and Steve and Craig even had time for a tug o’ war as they unpicked the knots in the respect rope. Ist Half Good opening pressure from Vipers – first 10 mins played mostly in Dorks half. Vipers keeping their shape and making strong tackles too meant that the Dorks were on the back foot. Jody had a snap early shot which whistled past the post – Viper strikers began to gain confidence. Vipers defence were talking to each other well and playing the offside trap too...it looked and felt like a cohesive and well drilled team in action. Charlie in particular was getting back, helping in defence then making surging runs down the flank. Cam was also calmly making his presence felt with powerful interceptions and clearances and Sam with vision and flair making great runs down the wings and tracking back too. At 12 mins the pressure told – Jody had a clean break on goal, Dorks GK got stranded on edge of penalty area, Jody dropped a shoulder & cleverly surged round him and planted it into the goal with a crisp low drive...get in! 1.0 Vipers. Crowd surged joyfully onto the respect rope but luckily the stewards got to it & held them all back... The Vipers purple patch continued. Raff wing play was mesmerising – cool and collected and tireless in defence too, he is really earning his nickname ‘Raff Van Dyke’ . William was cleverly busy and everywhere as usual – helping out in defence, midfield and then rifling in brilliant corners too. Great little interplay of Cody...Jody...then Cody again with a snap shot ...again a very near miss...eat your hearts out Barca! Pressure mounting on Dorks with Harry majestically controlling the left wing with Raff nutmegging Dorks midfield...ball was then slipped inside to Charlie who went Kane-like round the Dorks GK and side footed it brilliantly and it bulged the net.. yeeeess 2.0! Lordy Lord. In the crowd smoke flares were let off and banners unfurled...the ground was shaking...well, maybe not quite...but it all felt like that. Our new GK, George, was imperious in goal – owning everything in the box, taking all Dorks shots calmly and then clearing brilliantly quickly and accurately out to our forward line. Sylvester, now on for Harry, was having a blinder too and making great clearances. Sebby made telling tackles and headers as well...Dorks despondent but however not down – they began to flicker to life with surging runs up the wings..we needed to be careful...game not won by any means. The half ended with Colin (our caffeine sated linesman) taking some time with his derriere in the air looking for the ball in the ferns...not a pretty sight. Whilst London is beset with two huge political campaigns of Brexit and Extinction Rebellion, a campaign broke out at Great Common - the "Bring Back Vinny" campaign!!!!  2nd Half Vipers now playing uphill had a reasonable start. Jody ran through the midfield Messi-like, jinking as he raced into the goal area shoulder to shoulder with two defenders...he shot on the run...crowd held their breathe...their GK helpless...but the ball slammed into the goal post...it could have been 3.0!!! 1 min later, ball at the other end, Dorks somehow get the ball into our net... 2-1...that’s football for you...the agony and the ecstasy. Vipers try & regroup, the possession now equal between the two teams. Dorks finding more confidence going forward, slipping the ball to each other more easily, the Vipers perhaps now a tad slower and not now getting the second ball after the tackle as they did in the 1st H. Individually we were still good, Harry J. made a brilliant sweeping tackle as their striker powered towards the goal, Charlie fired just wide and another great William corner nearly had a resulting tap-in at the post ...however...however...a powerful in-swinging corner from the Dorks and rats!...it’s now 2-2!! Keenly contested, the match swung back and forth from there and Vipers now with a 2nd wind (or was that Steve... ) were pushing hard again but the whistle blew and a honourable draw was the outcome. However truly the best display by Vipers to date and real development over the past few weeks. Roll on the Vipers! Player of the match: George – our new brilliant signing as our goal keeper – well done George! And NOW...... for those all important post match interviews. I do have some sympathy with the issues around controlling the crowd. Where is "Vinny the Enforcer" when required....
Author Coach Andy Another valiant effort from the Cobras who just need a bit of luck!
 The Cobras had made a wise decision to kick up the slope first half but were on the back foot from the off with the Rams looking to press home the 'hill' advantage. The Cobras back line of Fin, Kelsey & Marco all producing some excellent last ditch tackles to keep the scores even. Angus, Archie and Ben all working extremely hard to clear the danger and give the hungry forwards something to feed off. It was however only a matter of time before the Ewhurst pressure finally came to fruition, with the Cobras failing to clear their lines with any conviction, Ewhurst took a well deserved lead. This goal also saw the arrival of the Smith boys half way through the first half. The introduction of the Smiths gave the game a very different meaning, from the off the industry and determination took Ewhurst by surprise and the Corbas started to get a foot in the Game. Ben was in imperious form, pulling the strings and frequently releasing Angus or Harry and Oscar down the left hand side. Willem now in his more familiar role in the midfield was leading the Ewhurst right back a merry dance, surely it was only a matter of time before the equaliser came? A lightning move down the left hand side saw one of the Smiths boys (sorry can't remember which one) make a fine run to the byline and a a quick cross was met at the near post by Ben who with the outside of his right boot audaciously flicked the ball past the keeper at the near post. The remainder of the half saw the Cobras take the ascendancy and were the more likely team to score. The half time whistle came with honours even at 1-1.  A quick change in personnel saw Chris take the field with Willem switching to between the posts. Archie and Luke were also re-introduced. The Cobras continued where they left off and used the slope to their advantage with wave after wave of pressure from the Cobras, Ben , Luc Chris, Harry and Oscar all going close. Kelsey also providing some excellent set piece delivery, ensuring several goal mouth scrambles that just couldn't be finished off. Chris also proving a menace down the right hand side. As the clock ticked by were the Cobras going to rue their missed chances? Unfortunately this was to be the case with the Cobras being caught out twice on the counter attack and conceding both times, including a cruel deflection of a blameless Archie which ensured Ewhurst took an undeserved lead, The third goal quickly followed with tired legs and failure to clear their lines meaning the Cobras now had a mountain to climb. With a 'never say die attitude' Ben surged forward yet again breaking the offside trap and cooly slotting his shot past the oncoming keeper with consummate ease. Was there time for a deserved equaliser? alas not with the ref signalling the end to an enthralling game shortly after, which for the third time meant defeat by the narrowest of margins. Well done to Ben G and Harry for their awards today, everyone gave it their all, a more positive result is surely just around the corner.  When even Accrington Stanley don’t want a game? We train.... Great session today and welcome to George a new addition to the squad. Today we worked more on our decision to shoot when in a suitable position and how to hold our off side line. Every player worked hard, I think Vinnie’s threat of using a tazer may have encouraged a little. Hopefully Dorkinians don’t go running scared and we get to test ourselves against an opposition next week. Coach Paul    The last word goes to Rafferty who kindly found some time from his busy post-match schedule to speak to Loxwood Youth TV.... Great spirit and improvement shown in 2-4 defeat   A damp morning but warm and comfortable met the Loxwood U11 Vipers as they arrived at the “Onslow bowl” with its banked far side stadia. Vinny was installed as “chief poo-picker” to go alongside his linesman role and after a quick warm-up the boys were ready to go. The 1st half started at a fast pace with Loxwood having good pressure, the first corner met by Harry J. A strong headed clearance by Onslow led to a quick and useful break but in a great show of end to end football Harry J was on standby to manage it out from the back. Kelsey, was assured in defence, showing the good positional defending continued from our first game but some did have their hearts in their mouths as he attempted a little bit of “Arsenal ticky tack” playing across the defence line. Sebby was called into action in what was the first close attempt of the game as he tipped an Onslow shot onto the post. A sign of things to come as a rough 10 minutes ensued for the Vipers. A rocket from their #4 from outside of the area gave Sebby no chance as the defence turned their backs and confidence was temporarily lost. Before the 2nd goal Onslow had a notable overhead chance but a swarm of defending by Finn and Silvester smuggled the ball away. Then the second game came. A victim again of a quick break as Onslow hit a decent shot, that was deflected, and made its way inside the post. At this point the pressing game was missing and not enough vocal noise on the pitch – there was certainly enough off of it from the parents though J Charlie was fouled outside of the area and although it could have been inside no-one was rowing with Mike Dean who had turned up to ref this one. As he won the free-kick he decided to take it, unfortunately he didn’t get it back down quick enough and it sailed over the bar. Some fortune for Onslow; a speculative shot bobbled through the defence and a little confused past the keeper as well – Onslow led 0-3. William as always was industrious in midfield with many attempted mazy runs and good link up play bringing it out of defence and through the midfield. Harry J ended the half with what can only be described as a Cryuff-esque turn but no clear-cut chances were created and the lads went in 0-3 down. Harry J went in goal at the start of the 2nd half and Loxwood started very strongly. The first Loxwood goal game from a Charlie shot deflected by Jodie. The goal adjudication board are still determining now who to award it to. At 1-3 was the come back on? Yes It was! For 90 seconds. The goal spurred Onslow on and with Loxwood not putting a foot in the ball was easily crossed past our keeper for a simple tap-in for Onslow. This was concerning, still some time to go and this might be a rout should heads go down. But they didn’t!!! Cody demonstrated nice touches and flicks all through the game and even decided to try a few keepy-ups during this period. You do that at 4-1 up!!! Not 1-4 down!!! Archie pressured in midfield with Silvester and decent Loxwood pressure bought another free-kick from Mr.Dean (who was looking to ensure we noticed him a LOT!) which Finn took but sailed past the fast post and all Loxwood players. We need a free kick taker was the cry! Where would he come from? The game had settled into a pattern. The highlights being a floating cross that Onslow didn’t manage to convert, Raff playing like Beckanbaeur at times, Cody and Jody both playing nice through balls that neither Charlie or Jody could quite get on the end of and the ref deciding that he hadn’t stopped the game enough. Raff played a beautiful cross from left to right but again the front line where waiting for that perfect clear shot as Onslow had numbers back and they should probably be releasing a shot a bit quicker. Then the highlight of the morning. Loxwood received a free-kick on the edge of the area. The Onslow line-up was well positioned. Jody took a Ronaldo-esque stance behind the ball. Surely a deft little cross onto a Loxwood head. Surely he’s not going to try and curl it over the wall. Surely not…..
GOOOOAAAAALLLLLLL!!!!! The game had a scrappy finish. William hit a couple of beautiful corners (Christian Erikson could do with a lesson from William) but Onslow were well organized at the back. Harry J was unconcerned in goal and Sam had a great effort that their keeper denied. Vinny had an offside denied with the Onslow – but even that man mountain wasn’t arguing with Mike Dean! The ball came out of play and landed on the cricket net and Jon demonstrated the worst go of Pinata that any of us had seen for sometime. The last chance (and kick of the game) was an Onslow one and they hit the bar. In summary, it was respectable with Onslow taking their chances mainly in quick-fire in the 1st half. More communication, keeping up with the pressing and taking shots earlier was certainly the crowds instruction of the day. What couldn’t be faulted was the spirit and effort. All the boys showed great and determination and never let their heads go down. There could only be one man of the match from the Loxwood side – congratulations Jody Smith! Post-match interview provided by the chief poo picker of the day! |
AuthorsGarth O'Mara is the admin for U12s and one of the authors of this page. Contact me at [email protected] with any suggestions/comments. Archives
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