The ‘A’s
So, after a long, hot summer [who’s that laughing at the back?] we return to the welcome routine of seeing the apples of our eyes running up and down a muddy field and kicking a leather[ette] bag of air about. Yes – it’s . . .
ASC STRIKERS u10s SEASON 2011/12!
The summer tournaments seem so far away [we won one of ‘em, by the way] as we sat huddled from the cold in Worthing, only to return a week later to come down with sunstroke. We’ve said goodbye to a few; Finn, Nathan, Max B. – all of whom decided that playing for professional football clubs was better than dodging the dog dirt in Buck Park [fools] – as well as Tom and Alfie who’ve gone to show the younger Strikers how it’s done.
We also welcomed some new players – Charlie, Finn, Max, Ross, Henry and Samuel – to further compliment a healthy looking squad
As the outskirts of Hurricane Katia gave us a hint of things to come, the boys arrived at Hove Park Colts with a spring in their step. Matt has had them working on their fitness with some much beloved runs round our new and mahoosive pitch at home and that, coupled with a brand spanking new kit saw both teams looking the part and no mistake.
Joe W [GK], Ryan, Rhys, Caldé, Ross, Finn and Joe G. lined up for the first time as a competitive outfit and things look very promising already. Early pressure from the boys gave HPC an idea of the ASC intent, but our local rivals had clearly done some work on their defence as they soaked up wave after wave of ASC attacks.
Ryan and Caldé saw good attempts go wide and Finn looks like he’s going to be a real problem for opponents this year with the first of a number of mazy runs; the ball sticking to his feet. Lionel Messi anyone?
The first half was ASC all the way but HPC’s defence held strong and they grew in confidence as they looked to attack on the break. Joe made a great save with his feet and Ross was a tower of strength as the nippy HPC strikers began to get a foothold.
A thumping free-kick from Samuel saw the HPC keeper only able to parry the ball into the path of Caldé who poked it just wide. As the first half wound down to a close, Joe G. received a pinpoint drop ball from Joe W. and forced the HPC keeper into a fantastic save. It seemed our opponents confidence was on the up.
Half time: HPC 0 ASC 0
Ryan came out with clear intent and made sure the keeper had some work to do with a stinging shot immediately at the start of the second half. Ross made a ‘Bobby Moore-esque’ saving tackle after a beautiful through ball from the HPC midfield. Finn continued with his head-down runs, scything through the HPC defence like a big, yellow, scythy thing. Once again, the HPC defence had their work cut out and, fair play to them, they kept ASC out.
A corner at the other end saw ‘Braveheart’ Rhys head a blistering shot off the line, only for it to return from whence it came and get slotted into the bottom right hand corner. HPC 1 ASC 0
This was their last meaningful attack as their excellent defence remained stoical against the tide of ASC pressure. Joe G hit the bar, not once but twice; both from his left foot! His link up play with Finn was of the highest order and it’s clear that once they get more match-time together our attack is looking very healthy indeed.
As the HPC goal resisted yet another attacking surge [Joe W even came up for a late corner] the final whistle blew on a frustrating, but high potential, game of Association Football. Onwards and upwards!
Final score: Hove Park Colts 1 ASC Strikers 0
__________________________________________________________________________________
The ‘B’s
It was up to a COMPLETELY CHANGED ‘B’ TEAM – that’s a COMPLETELY CHANGED ‘B’ TEAM [just in case anyone from HPC is reading :-)] to bring things even. Charlie [GK], Fraser, NLB [wounded that morning in a freak tea-making incident; no shirking from this boy], Henry, Max, Sharpy, Joe W and Sunny have not really played together before and as a number of familiar faces turned out against them, the task was going to be a difficult one.
Unfazed, they took to their task with aplomb. HPC soon found themselves 2-0 up after some strong pressure on the ASC goal. Charlie and Sunny both played their part in keeping things respectable in the early stages as the nippy HPC no.15 laid siege to the ASC goal.
Joe W looked to change things with a great through ball into the path of Max, only to see the way through blocked by more stalwart defending. HPC added to their tally not long after following a slight mix up in the newly formed defence. HPC 3 ASC 0
Charlie showed real bravery diving at the feet of the oncoming attackers and closed things down in and around the six yard box. However, a deft chip from the edge of the penalty area saw the boys end the half four goals down. Undeterred, a much better second half would see them leave with pride.
Half time: HPC 4 ASC 0
Joe and NLB came out with all guns blazing and passed the ball through the middle; what’s known in the trade as a ‘speculative lob’ followed from Joe, but things were picking up. Sharpy’s coolness in defence was a joy to behold; even a severe lip injury couldn’t hold him back and HPCs previous dominance was kept in check throughout the second half.
Max and Joe formed a dangerous partnership on the left and look to be a pairing to watch. As HPC struggled to find a way through, NLB and Joe found themselves with space in attack; NLB’s pass from the right to Joe needed a good response from the keeper who produced the goods from Joe’s shot. A lovely passage of play from ASC.
Fraser got in the action and forced yet another great save from the keeper. A switch with Sharpy saw him then take on defensive duties with ease, as ‘the boy with the swollen lip’ moved forward and was unlucky in converting a great through ball from Max.
Max looked to emulate Finn’s Messi-esque run and fell just short of getting the killer ball through to Joe W. Very exciting to watch though; his tenacious play is bound to cause opponents problems this season.
Of course, as ASC applied pressure things opened up slightly at the back. An HPC corner saw an unstoppable header hit the back of the net for their fifth of the afternoon.
With only minutes to go, Charlie pulled off a magnificent double save and Henry’s clearance ensured the second half performance was one to be proud of.
So, a big score belied a great second half performance from the boys. This is a new team who are bound to ‘bed-in’ and things look very promising for the season ahead.
Final score: Hove Park Colts 5 ASC Strikers 0
No comments:
Post a Comment