The Courier

Great movement in the middle of the pitch, and in getting the ball in to the attacking circle but the team struggled to make any count. Fabulous defence from Zara and valiant effort from Ava in goal. 

 

Great play by all, getting fully involved, solid defence from Annalise and Great distribution of the ball by Grace M. 

 

Three goals from Roisin Banks - who was rewarded for battling hard and never giving up. Great team performance with real improvement seen during the match. A great start to the season.

 

A fabulous team performance with every team member working incredibly hard. They soon learnt that moving the ball in to space opened up opportunities to score and took full advantage. Highlights were Nora’s confident defence and tackling, Maya moving the ball into space and Roisin’s four goals. It was a real pleasure to watch them grow as a team.

 

Excellent development throughout the game with some fantastic passes and drives forward from Evelyn, Amber and Ellie. All of the girls got really stuck in for their first opportunity in Year 3 to represent their school, and what a great job they did. 

 

 

Crescent got their season underway against a very strong Crackley side, and despite the final result, played some truly amazing football. The home side took a very early lead due to a defensive mix-up, but Crescent rallied immediately, super link up play from Finlay and Grace setting Sam through on goal who finished coolly. From that point on the game was real end-to-end stuff, Crackley making it 2-1 before Sam again levelled from the penalty spot after some smart play from Bryson. A freak refereeing decision allowed Crackley to grab a third just before halftime, much to the travelling crowd’s anguish!

 

Crescent battled on after the break, Charlie pulling off some super saves in goal, and after hitting the woodwork a couple of times, Sam completed his hat-trick with a smart finish to level things up. Crackley however, benefitting from fresh legs once more pulled away, leaving the final score at 5-3.

 

Player of the Match justifiably went to Grace for her superb passing and attacking play, but could just as easily have gone to Charlie in goal, Yash and Harry for their solid defence, Lara for her ferocious tackling, or of course Sam for his excellent captaincy and accomplished finishing.

 

 

Crescent were very unlucky to finish runners up in a very close game to start their season. Sam O and Ollie both proved to be giants in defense, with strong, determined tackling cutting out the majority of Crackley’s attacks. The home side did however manage to grab what would prove be a decisive lead just for the half, despite an excellent initial save from James in goal. Crescent didn’t let their heads drop however, Edward F, Remi and Harry linking really well to create a number of chances on goal. Despite their unquestionable grit and tenacity, they just couldn’t find the breakthrough, the game finishing 1-0.  

Player of the match went to Sam O for his fantastic energy and resolve.

 

A Crescent goal from Timi within the first minute prompted Crackley defence to jump into action and kick-started what turned out to be a very close game. Over the next twenty minutes, our boys made several attempts at goal, but Crackley’s goalie was on great form. A half-time chat saw the boys back on with the motivation to make the most of their opportunities to score. Timi was first to net the ball in the second half, followed by Alex G and Timi again. Several great saves were made by our goalies of the second half, Ed and Shiv, and the game ended with Crescent celebrating their 4-3 win. 

Player of the match was Timi.

 

The Under 9s first game of the season ended in a well deserved draw between two very evenly matched sides. Crackley took the lead through a dipping long range strike, before sustained pressure saw Henry M volley in from a corner to level things. In the second half Crescent were able to take the lead for the first time through Zac’s swerving shot from the edge of the box. Akaal twice went close to putting the game to bed, but a defensive mix-up allowed Crackley to equalise with only seconds to go. 

Joint players of the match were Zac and Henry, looking very strong in both attack and defense.

 

Although unable to come away with a win, the U9 Bs made a great start to their season, playing with fantastic enthusiasm, perseverance and teamwork. The midfield combined superbly throughout to put constant pressure on the Crackley goal, but despite having endless shots on target, could not find the breakthrough, in no small part due to the small goals they were playing with. The game finished 0-0, but with Crescent very much on top throughout. 

Player of the match went to Max T.

 

The Crackley boys worked hard to defend against a strong Crescent offensive line, but excellent teamwork across the pitch saw Kian and Tomisin sinking 5 goals by the final whistle of the first game. Despite their enthusiasm and best efforts, Crackley weren’t able to break through Crescent defence to score a goal. In the second game, a reshuffle saw some of our defenders moving up front and Tomisin, Kian and Alfie scored 8 goals between them, bringing the final score of the second game to 8 – 0. 

Player of the match Alfie.