ASC Strikers u10s vs Patcham Utd u10s: Sunday 30th October 2011

The 'A's

Cor blimey and blinkin' flip. What a great show of football in Buck Park we had today. A big welcome back for Matt W. from 'Ahh-Frica' and a debut for Regan [Reggie] - and what a debut!

Joe W. [GK], Ross, Ryan, Calde, Sam, Reggie, Fin and Matt W. took to the field against an unknown quantity; our neighbours from North Brighton.

From the outset it looked like it was going to be a good day as Reggie made his mark with an early strike against a keeper who managed to keep things dignified for Patcham. ASC 1 Patcham 0

Reggie, Ross and Calde were linking up beautifully at the front of midfield and Patcham were defending well, forcing corners and giving early signs it wasn't going to be a pushover; their aforementioned Keeper was always brave and not afraid to put himself in the firing line.

Calde came close with a strike against the bar, the first of two close range efforts that went over. Reggie is a fantastic addition to the squad with close control Lionel Messi would be proud of. As he and Ross scythed through the Patcham defence again and again, it was only a matter of time before the dam would burst.

Ross was soon on another run and his immaculate through ball to Reggie made for an easy conversion. ASC 2 Patcham 0

Within minutes of the kick off a fine save from the Patcham Keeper found it's way to the edge of the box where Sam was waiting. His deft left foot chip/lob was only going to end up in one place. ASC 3 Patcham 0

Back of the net

The midfield continued to tear things up with Fin screaming down the right wing and Ross, Reggie & Calde only being held back by the bravery and power of the Patcham keeper.

Half time: ASC Strikers 3 Patcham Utd 0

Patcham made a brave fist of things early in the second period and it looked like ASC may have taken their foot off the gas. Calde and Ross helped things power up again with a fine run down the wing from the latter and Sam getting on to a precision through ball from the former; just wide. Ryan joined in with the shenanigans with a back heel flick which, had it found it's target would have looked something like this [sort of] . . . 

The Three 'R's [Ryan, Ross & Reggie] then set about testing the Patcham keeper further with fine saves from a series of stinging shots. The Patcham defence were now tiring and stood off Reggie as he claimed a well deserved hat-trick on his debut with a fine low drive into the bottom left hand corner. ASC 4 Patcham 0

Ross and Sam took the opportunity now; seeing their opponents heads drop. Both gave masterclasses in close control with Sam converting his chance with clinical precision. ASC 5 Patcham 0

Patcham were now playing without pressure and looked for a consolation. Joe has been working on his bravery in goal and he was like Mel Gibson as he confronted the Patcham attack. Awesome; literally.

Gibson - clearly a Brighton fan

Awesome

Order was soon restored as Reggie slotted in his fourth of the afternoon following a fine interception from Fin which allowed him to run the virtual entire length of the pitch [a distance of 9.6 nautical miles]. ASC 6 Patcham 0

Ross then used the Ronaldo toe-punt method to score the 7th and Sam took advantage of the tired Patcham legs with a well placed pass/shot into the left corner.

A very exciting match to watch with audible gasps from the crowd at some of the football on show.

Final score: ASC Strikers u10s 8 Patcham United 0

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 'B's

Matt W. [GK], Henry, Bill, Sunny, Fraser, Joe W., Joe G. and Matt S. faced what was pretty much the Patcham A Squad for the second match of the morning. Taking a leaf from the 'A's book, they settled into a passing game which Patcham were able to break down on a number of occasions.

Henry was as strong as ever and he played a lovely couple of balls into the channel for Bill and Fraser to latch on to. Fraser had a blinder of a game from the outset with great runs and cool defending; none of this panicky donkey hoofing from the back. Sharpy continues to impress with a similar approach. That said, it's always good to see one of Sunny's Exocets when you need them!

It was a lovely passing movement out of defence that led to goal no.1 as Bill moved the ball through to Sunny, who found Fraser, who was able to flick it through to Joe G. Pinball Wizardry. A real TEAM goal. ASC 1 Patcham 0

Confidence was now up and Joe G. added to his tally after another magnificent passing display. ASC 2 Patcham 0

Fraser almost made it three with a shot across goal on the stroke of half time.

Half time: ASC 2 Patcham 0

A foolish pledge as Joe W. ran out on to the pitch saw a certain Blogger light of a Lady by the end of the match; never mind, it paid for a two thirds of a miniscule packet of popcorn at the pictures later.

Fraser continued where he left off as he and Sharpy kept things tight at the back. Bill was having a great game as well and his run to the line allowed him to cross a ball into Joe W. who, using the pace from the ball, executed a precision chip/lob that gently bounced off the inside of the far post and into the net. A fine effort. ASC 3 Patcham 0

Sunny was up next with a well won corner; the resulting set piece saw Joe G. agonizingly strike the post; so near to the hat-trick.

It had been quiet for Matt W. who had been thinking of herds of wildebeest sweeping majestically across the Swazi Plains. A dead cert goal from Patcham was averted as the blasted ball struck his hand, hit the bar, bounced on the line and hit his head to go out for a corner. Unorthodox, but effective. It wasn't Patcham's day.

The final action of the day saw Joe W. with a deft touch and through ball to Sunny who struck just wide.

A great result for Strikers who were effectively playing the Patcham A Team. The future's bright. The future's yellow.

PS - I fell asleep at the flicks; it's me age.

Final Score: ASC Strikers u10s 3 Patcham Utd 0

Forest Youth u10s vs ASC Strikers u10s Sunday 16th October 2011

The As

Lost 3-2 with Ross running through the defence for our first and second with Caldé coming in on the rebound.

The Bs

Lost 5-0. Their B Team is very good but they ultimately failed because they put managed to put seven past us last year. Meh.

NB: Joe G. had to be resuscitated after the game . . . he had his afternoon job after all.

Anyway - on to the main event. The Grudge Match. The Needle Fixture. It could get nasty. It’s . . .

DADS vs LADS: Sunday 23rd October 2011

With no game over the weekend, it was suggested that the boys were shown how to play the game properly; to toughen ‘em up; to show them just where their inherent skills originated. It’s in the DNA.

Once word got out, the vets sprang into action.

Ryan was seen running up the steps of Brighton Town Hall with a tree trunk on his shoulders, pursued by a vast group of youths crying ‘GO, ROCKY, GO!’.

Pete was spotted doing pull-ups on various bus shelters throughout the city.

Nigel and Gary took to bare-chested Greek Wrestling each other in Buck Park at dawn [any excuse].

Mark ran all the way to Newcastle to buy himself a football kit.

Jon G. toughened up with an intensive ballroom dancing course at Shoreham Community Centre and John W. ate five extra Double Deckers.

And a bloke in a Southampton Kit turned up.

Team tactics were discussed, Mark was first of the rolling subs and the following formation was decided upon:

Pete [GK]

John W.                                                                Jon G.

Nigel                                                        Ryan

Gary                        Glenn

Immediately after the kick-off the formation changed somewhat:

Pete [GK]



John W.



Nigel                            Ryan                            Jon G.                            Gary                            Glenn

And I only hung back because I started wheezing as I jogged towards the halfway line. We were soon showing the boys what it was all about. Matt had wanted them to be tested so we didn’t hold back. It was like watching Brazil.

One for the teenagers

The old boys were soon 1-0 up as Gary, coming face to face with his boy in goal, decided to be lenient and slammed the ball into the top of the net. School of hard knocks, son.

Reggie was then leading the line on the attack for the boys but the athletic back two were too much for him.

However, it wasn't long before the boys were back on equal terms.

Anyway - the boys won in the end despite our best efforts. Can't remember the score, or who scored but I think our point was proved. You never lose it, lads. That's all.


_______________________________________________________________

Here are some more images from the game with hilarious captions:

Jon G. tries some Dad Dancing to put Cal off his stride

Fin pays the price of an earlier nutmeg

Charlie loses his Sunday lunch with a fine save from his Dad, who was a tad upset

Silky skills from Ryan

The boys had to resort to a super-sub to seal the victory. And it wasn't the one on the right.

Final Score: ASC u10s Won - - Old F*rts Didn't

Seagulls u10s vs ASC Strikers u10s: 25th September 2011

The ‘A’s

As John Lennon once sang

‘We're playing those mind games together,
‘Pushing barriers, planting seeds,
‘Playing the mind guerilla,
‘Chanting the Mantra peace on earth’

Wise words, mate . . . 

So as the boys waited almost FIVE minutes for kick off while Seagulls had their ‘bonding talk’, their attempt to psyche out this ASC team would prove to be somewhat . . . . futile?

Joe W.[GK], Joe G., Samuel, Ross [with a Man o’ The Match performance], Ryan, Finlay, Sunny and Caldé looked well up for the challenge as a team that is known for its ‘strength in the tackle’ attempted to make their mark on the game. The thing is, children grow and some of the big lads who were able to knock the little’uns off the ball with ease a year ago found it a completely different proposition today.

Former Seagulls player, Samuel, led the charge; his vocal style and desire for the ball always gave ASC options. Linking up with Ryan and Fin, it was a matter of time before the boys took the lead. Joe W. took on the role of sweeper a couple of times as adherence to the back-pass rule meant he had to remain cool in the face of pressurised opposition.

Fin’s nifty runs through the defence were causing a whole heap of problems and as Seagulls made another clearance they weren’t ready for Ross. Picking the ball up on the halfway line, a burgeoning run through their midfield saw him unleash an absolute BARNSTORMER of a shot and the ball ended up in the top of the Seagulls net. It was one of them goals that makes you yelp, wail and shout ‘GOOOOOOOOAL!’ like an Italian commentator; all at the same time. Breath-taking. Seagulls 0 ASC 1

The ball was regained from the kick off and Fin pinged a lovely ball through to Sam who went just wide with his attempt. Seagulls now started to return the compliment with Sunny [playing in the ‘A’s in place of Rhys] remaining solid in defence. Ross was forced into a couple of match-saving tackles and a header off the line. Seagulls were looking good; but the ASC defenders were looking better.

Our hosts were soon caught on the break and their heavy defending style [ie pole-axing your opponent] proved to be a disadvantage. A free kick picked up by Joe G. saw his shot parried into the path of a lurking Caldé. Poacher. Seagulls 0 ASC 2

Half time: Seagulls u10s 0 ASC Strikers 2

Just re-read this, and think I might be being a bit unfair to our opponents? Nah . . . .

With tails up, there was only going to be one winner today. We all got excited as Ross stepped up to take a free-kick just outside the box. Shards of plastic tubing exploded off the crossbar as the ball skimmed over. Phew. Samuel showed DeLap-like throw-in prowess which forced a corner. Fin’s angled scissor kick heaped even more pressure on the worried Seagulls defence.

You can never write-off the boys in the stripes though and Joe W. was forced to narrow the angle on more than one occasion – there was no way through for them today. Sunny and Ross kept things tight as well and a clearance from the back forced a corner; the result of which saw a 6 yard melée with Sam prodding in the third with his left peg. Washing-line. Seagulls 0 ASC 3

Not long after the re-start, Fin found himself setting up for a free kick just outside the box. He’d clearly been spending too much time watching the egg-chasers in New Zealand as the ball went over with a kick Jonny Wilkinson would’ve been proud of. No problem for our wing-wizard though as he linked up with Ross and Ryan in a spectacular move that saw the latter’s volley go just wide. Special.

As the game drew to a close, Fin went on what’s known as an ‘end-to-end run’, forcing a good save from the Seagulls keeper. The ball was returned and Ross, who is a fantastic footballer and a real asset for the team, intercepted a shot on to the post which bounced into the waiting hands of Joe W.; the final action of a comprehensive victory.

A pleasure to watch today with genuinely exciting passages of play. Absolutely marvellous stuff.

Final score: Seagulls u10s 0 ASC Strikers u10s 3

__________________________________________________________________________________________

The ‘B’s

Charlie [GK], Fraser, Henry, Max, Bill, Sharpy, Joe W., & Joe G. faced up to an actual proper ‘B’ team; a rare thing from our opponents this season [see West Hove Dynamos game next week]! This was another game where all the hard work and practice was showing dividends.

Initial exchanges were once again cagey, but Bill and Henry soon linked up to get a corner for the boys and this attack allowed them to open things up. The ball broke free and Max was called in for some death-defying defensive duties [alliteration; a magnificently, majestic, marvellous thing].

Sharpy continues in his attempts to be the Ice Man of ASC and he stopped the attack dead in their tracks with a great ball out to Max who, in turn, sent Fraser on a screaming run. Looking g-o-o-o-d.

Seagulls hadn’t just come for the fun of it though, and strong defence allowed them to put pressure on the ASC midfield. Joe G. broke away to see a shot intercepted just wide. A Seagulls attack then saw the ball collected by Charlie, who sent a beautifully paced ball out to Fraser on the wing. His deft turn and through ball into the path of a lurking Joe G. saw the diminutive Dolly P. Song Sound-alike screech off on a run and pass the ball into the opponent's onion bag. Seagulls 0 ASC 1.

Joe G. returned the compliment for Fraser just after the re-start as he threaded a ball through which the latter skimmed just wide. Seagulls were quick with the goal-kick but ASC covered back well forcing a corner. A marvellous headed clearance from Joe W. sent Fraser on another record breaking sprint who, in turn won a corner for the boys in ol’ yeller. Real end-to-end stuff.

Joe W. still thought he was in a goal as he handled a shot the Harlem Globetrotters would’ve been proud of. Joe G. then jinked through the defence again, reminiscent of a certain Mr LuaLua. Terribly, terribly exciting.

Seagulls gained another corner and the resulting pinball-like chaos saw a great save from Charlie; unfortunately, it fell to the feet of the waiting Seagulls striker. 

Half time: Seagulls 1 ASC 1

Seagulls came out the livelier in the second half, perhaps emboldened by their late first half goal. ASC remained patient and Bill played a great part in winning a free-kick just outside the right corner of the Seagulls box. A left-footer’s dream.

As Matt, parents, Hurstpierpoint College Janitors, pets, trees and half the population of West Sussex screamed ‘LET MAX TAKE IT!’, Joe W. stepped up and delivered the gentlest of chips into the hands of the keeper. This devious ploy clearly confused the poor lad because no sooner had it hit his gloves, it dropped into the goal. A veritable screamer, and a great idea not letting Max take it *ahem* . . . Seagulls 1 ASC 2

Now the pressure really began to tell as it was all ASC. A bobbly surface – perhaps it was all the D of E Award tents on it when we arrived? – claimed its next victim as a shot from Max out on the left slipped out of reach of the keeper and into the net for the inevitable winner Seagulls 1 ASC 3

Or was it inevitable? Had it not been for absolutely stalwart defending by Henry and Sharpy, and Bridcuttesque breakdown play by Joe W., it could have been so different.

What’s so great about watching the boys play is their calmness under pressure and their ability to play FOOTball. An esteemed chum of mine went to watch the ‘A’s 2-2 and ‘B’s 2-4 [grrrrr . . . don’t get me started] against West Hove Dynamos a week later; his exact words were, ‘Gosh – your lot don’t half play some decent football’. A fine tribute indeed.

Final score: Seagulls u10s 1 ASC Strikers u10s 3