Match Review – 11 May 2014
U12s - Round 3
Nth Caulfield Maccabi FC V East Kew JFC
(1-4)
WIN
Happy Mother’s Day to all the Mums of the under 11 boys! Thanks to all the mums for supporting the boys on your
special day!!! I trust all the boys have been spoilt you as they should!
What a great turn out for this round 3 clash against North Caulfield Maccabi. This week was in complete contrast to
the previous week, with a beautiful Autumn day. The sun was shining and the East Kew Under 11’s were on fire.
3 first half goals set the tone for the match. Lucas Papacosta delivered two and Jamison Falzon delivered the
other. Meanwhile Amaan Khan was stopping everything at the other end.
The second half continued in the same way, as the boys were in total control and causing the opposition goal keeper
havoc. Jamison scored his second for the match and a number of cracking strikes were very unlucky not to go in.
The final score was 4 goals to 1 and the boys would consider themselves unlucky not to have scored a few more.
All in all a well-deserved victory, and we look forward to Round 4 with some anticipation.
Go mighty Under 11’s!!!
U12s - Round 3
Ringwood City FC Blue V East Kew JFC
(1-3)
WIN
Our U12s travelled to Ringwood this week for a 9:00am encounter with the top team in the competition. The build up to this week
was exciting! With Ryan out this week and Sebastian nurturing a muscle strain, the coach’s concerns were amplified. First, we
registered our new goalkeeper Giacomo and with some last minute intense training he was selected to play his first game, without
prior club experience. Jack Mansfield was invited from the U11s to assist in our midfield for his first U12s game. An unexpected
phone call on Thursday, resulted to the last minute signing of Jack Shirley, who recently arrived from Malaysia with his family.
We arrived early for a warm up at an immaculate “senior size” synthetic ground, eyeing the larger size opponents at the far end of
the pitch, looking sharp in their own military style warm up exercises. Knowing how hard our boys have trained all week, we
decided to stretch the game play, utilising the open spaces, with the aim of testing the league leaders through our own fitness
test… “I wondered if the over-sized league leaders could keep up with our boys until the end of the game…”
Both teams were sizing each other during the first 5 minutes, when at the (7’) a Ringwood forward struck a thunderbolt from outside
the area, heading to our top right hand corner. Giacomo extended himself and raised both hands to stop the whistling ball “dead” in
motion, like he had done it many times before! The boys gained confidence, our back “four” defenders (Dylan, Adam, Michael) led
by their sweeper Nikitas, were like a wall, blocking through balls, clearing the ball clinically, using their bodies to block their
menacing runs. Our midfielders Tim, Jack M, Sebastian and Jack S began dominating the middle, whilst our wingers Isaac, Antony
and Eamon stretched them along the side lines, tackling feverishly and distributing balls to our forwards.
At (8’) Daniel snapped a shot just past the left post and soon after Michael from full back, emulated his brother’s attempt with a long
low drive, narrowly missing the post. At (10’) Tim dribbled his way for a clear shot with the keeper, but narrowly missed the target.
Another long shot from Tim on target at (22’) unfortunately found the keeper. The Ringwood defence remained impenetrable.
At half time the score remained 0-0 and both teams acknowledged they were centre stage, in a close encounter!
One minute into the 2nd half, using shear grit, Max breaks through the home team’s defence and slams our first goal – 1-0. For the
next 9 minutes, Dylan and Adam blocked all attacks and the battle moved into the midfield. Our running, decisive tackling, accurate
passing by Jack M, Isaac, Jack S, Antony, Sebastian and Eamon, enabled us to increase the pressure intensely. At (33’) Daniel
breaks through into the area, but their keeper dived at his feet saving a sure goal. A minute later, the Ringwood right winger heads
for goal at full speed, but Michael dispossesses him decisively.
At (32’) Jack M finds Max on the right, who low crosses the ball to Daniel, but the ball just goes over the bar. Six minutes later,
following a rebound from our corner, Michael strikes a thunderous left volley from outside the box, (normally a definite goal), but the
keeper was lucky the ball found him! At (39’) Ringwood attack with a dangerous through ball, however last defender Nikitas using
his shoulder, nullified a certain strike at goal. At (40’) our new signing Jack S, receives a pass outside the box, and from 25 yards
strikes a low shot across his body, inches past the diving keeper’s hands, clipping the far post and posting his first goal of the
season – 0-2. What an entrance to the side…!
By this stage Max was on fire. At (41’), he dribbles 4 players, shoots into the keeper, and shoots the rebound just over the bar. A
minute later, Jack S beats a player on the wing, finds Max with a clever through ball, who with poise, neatly places the ball in the
bottom left corner to make it 0-3. At (43’) Max strikes a low cross across goals, just missing Daniel and Isaac with an open goal.
With 2 minutes to go, following a Ringwood corner and a scramble in our area, a Ringwood midfielder “chipped” the ball towards
our goal, and the ball snuck high up into our top corner, giving Giacomo no chance. This lucky strike reduced the score to 1-3.
What an incredible achievement! A huge debut by Giacomo, Jack M and Jack S, compounded with a tremendous effort by all the
boys to beat the top team in the league. Ringwood are a worthy opponent and will continue to challenge us, as we play them again
two more times. Our fitness, our ball skills and our passion was clearly evident on Sunday morning, whilst parents and coaches
were glowing with pride. This team is premiership material… PS. Jack Shirley has 2 younger brothers… stay tuned…!
Ball possession
Corners
Free Kicks
Shots off Target (wide or over)
Shots on Target (but saved)
Total shots on goal
Goal Scorers
Goals
Ringwood City FC Blue
40%
1
4
0
1
2
(48’)
1
East Kew JFC
60%
3
3
4
4
11
Max (26’), Jack S (40’), Max (41’)
3
Team: Giacomo, Dylan, Michael, Adam, Nikitas, Sebastian, Eamon, Jack M, Jack S, Isaac, Antony, Tim, Max, Daniel.
Out: Ryan
U13s - Round 3
East Kew JFC V Croydon City Arrows SC
(15-1)
WIN
It was a beautiful morning for a game of soccer and we were determined to get off to a better start than the previous week. We ran
onto the pitch and began the game with a bang scoring a goal in the opening minutes. But Croydon City returned with a goal of its
own. For a moment, we were disheartened with the levelling of the score, but didn't give in and sent the ball thundering at the net,
forcing good saves from the opposing goalkeeper. Eventually we got the breakthrough we were looking for and from then on we
were placing the ball in the back of the net with ease. The second half was about using the skills learnt and practiced in the
previous weeks. From the word go, we put extreme pressure on the opposing side, while scoring from their mistakes and also
generating our own opportunities to score. Down at Hislop Reserve it was raining goals and we pulled off an outstanding win! It
finished 15-1 in the end, thanks to an amazing effort by the team.
Ben Davis - Captain
Our undefeated U13s hosted Croydon City this week on a perfect autumn day. The new red jackets were glowing in the sunshine,
during the warm up exercises, generating a very imposing image for the opposition team. With our voluntary U12s substitutes Max,
Daniel and Nikitas, the two teams took the field for kick-off. Some of the Croydon boys were rather imposing in size themselves.
However, it was noticed by our players that their goalkeeper was smaller in stature in comparison... an opportunity perhaps!
In the (1’) Matt receives a magic through ball from Arjun, but the small goalkeeper was quick to close his shot down. A minute later,
Taigh steals the ball in our attacking area, and narrowly shoots wide past the upright. Winning the ball in midfield, Che enjoys a
terrific run down the wing, crossing the ball across goal, just outside the reach of our forwards. At (3’) Che pounces on a goalkeeper
mis-kick and cleverly chips the goalkeeper to open the score – 1-0. Uncharacteristically, at (5’) Croydon’s right winger is left
unchecked to make a terrific run into our area, and thunder a shot past Ben S, who was unprotected.
It was almost like our U13s took offense to this, as they cranked into gear and like a “machine” bombarded the opposition. At (7’)
Arjun gloriously dribbles 2 defenders and places the ball past their goalkeeper to make it 2-1. A minute later, Taigh breaks through
and his shot finds the keeper from close range. Soon after, Taigh beats the defenders down the right wing, crosses the ball to Matt,
who shoots first time just over the cross bar. At (11’) Jeremy’s pin-pointed cross to Taigh, enabled him to score again – 3-1.
A minute later, Jeremy wins the ball on the left wing, and crashes a low drive into the far corner of the visitors’ goal – 4-1. Daniel
and Max are substituted on, and both manage to score almost immediately from close range, receiving through balls from Tim and
Arjun to make it 6-1. Minutes later, Arjun creates an opportunity on his own, and shoots just wide. Ben D’s corners were perfect all
day. At (23’) Che scores a cheeky goal following a corner and a goal mouth scramble, to extend our half time lead to 7-1.
Some positional changes were made to try players in non-regular positions. Nikitas and Dylan were very comfortable in the defence
martialled by Ben D., while Zac and Vilhelm experienced a spell in midfield, dominating the play and working with our wingers
Jeremy and Che to create more opportunities for our (now) hungry strikers. Tim and Arjun continued to win the middle as always.
Soon after the restart, at (27’) Taigh scores a nice left foot shot from a crossed pass. A minute later, Matt scores two more goals
from close range, following a cleverly executed cut back from Che. It is now 10-1. Unfinished, Taigh takes advantage of another
loose ball and slams number eleven and his “hat-trick”…11-1. At (34’) Che opens fire with another shot which hits the post, and
Matt slots it in from close range to achieve his “hat-trick” and a “A Baker’s Dozen” for the team – 12-1.
At (35’) Jeremy’s rocket from the right is saved by the goalkeeper, but 3 minutes later Connor and Arjun combine in a well-drilled 12 combination, to put Taigh through for another goal – 13-1. At (42’) Che makes another great run down the right wing, but his
cross-shot is saved. A minute later, Tim graciously chips the goalkeeper from the edge of the area, into the opposing top corner to
make it 14-1. Few minutes before the end, Tim’s targeted shot is blocked by the goalkeeper, but Taigh pounces to tap it in and
make it 15-1 for the team, and to score his 5th goal for the day.
Whilst the opposition were simply out-classed, our U13s demonstrated the reason they remain undefeated an on top of the league
ladder. With only a couple of teams that will challenge us, a premiership is certainly a goal within this team’s reach.
Ball possession
Corners
Free Kicks
Shots off Target (wide or over)
Shots on Target (but saved)
Total shots on goal
Goal Scorers
Goals
East Kew JFC
80%
6
2
5
5
25
Che (3’), Arjun (7’), Taigh (11’), Jeremy (12’),
Daniel (15’), Max (16’), Che (23’), Taigh (27’),
Matthias (28’), (29’), Taigh (30’), Matthias (34’),
Taigh (38’), Tim (43’), Taigh (47’)
15
Croydon City Arrows SC
20%
0
3
0
0
1
(5’)
1
Team: Ben S. Connor, Dylan, Zac, Ben D, Che, Jeremy, Tim, Arjun, Matthias, Taigh, Vilhelm, Daniel, Max, Nikitas.
Out: Jamie
U14s - Round 3
East Kew JFC V Manningham United FC
(2-2) Draw
Coming off two very easy victories and on top of the ladder, our U14s warmed up in a clear autumn day at Hislop Reserve, hosting
an under-rated Manningham United. With Matt S out due to injury this week, we had the depth to cover for him during this fixture.
However, the boys were warned to be on their toes and at their best, as they had not been really tested in the first 2 rounds, and
the fixtures will only be more challenging during the rest of the season. Manningham had other ideas about the day…
Right from the outset East Kew was eager to score early and take over the game. Within 5 minutes, Jack St’s clever through ball
found Jorge, who narrowly shot wide. At the (7’) Jorge exchanged passes with Stefan to find himself 1-1 against the goalkeeper,
however his hard shot rebounded off the keeper’s knees. This set the scene for the day…
A minute later, Manningham’s first attack generated poor clearances from our defence, and a clever opponent lobbed a “hopeful”
high ball that caught Steve by surprise, to open the score for the visitors – 0-1. Our boys in disbelief were uncharacteristic in their
approach, turning the ball over to the opposition, miskicking into the back of their players and our defence struggling to clear the
ball from our area. On several occasions, our sweeper Nik had to use his speed to chase down streaming forwards and dispossess
them. At the (12’) another shot from inside the area from an unmarked Manningham forward, was saved by Steve to keep us in the
game a little longer. We seem to be allowing the opposition to take the game to us, rather than taking ownership.
At (15’) Stefan was pushed at the edge of the area, and Jimmy’s solid direct free kick narrowly missed the target. A few minutes
later, James won the ball on the right, crossed the ball across the area seeking our forwards, but the keeper came out to prevent
the ball from reaching our boys. At the (22’) another menacing free kick from Jimmy outside the area, created uncertainty, and
Jorge pounced on the loose ball, to delightfully place his strike in the bottom right corner of the goals, equalising the game – 1-1.
Taking advantage of our lack of cohesion on the day, Manningham pressed even more, and a menacing cross from the right was
met with a first time shot, that whistled just wide of our goals (23’). Second to the ball all day, we gave a free kick away outside our
area. Casually we set up a wall (too far back), making it very easy for the Manningham striker to shoot a splendid free kick in
Steve’s top corner (24’), offering our goalkeeper no protection. The visitors regained the lead 1-2 before half time.
The half time address was direct and to the point, requesting that each player take ownership of their contribution, and reminding
them of their ability. Within a minute from the restart, a defensive error in our back line, allowed their left winger to sprint towards
goal. Fortunately Steve was quick to bravely dive at his feet and save the day once again. At (35’) Manningham were allowed to
drive another high lob shot from outside the area, but this time Steve positioned himself to ensure a comfortable save. Still
dominating the attacks, Manningham fired another shot a minute later, just wide past our post. During the next 10 minutes, whilst
we worked hard in the midfield, our through balls were not getting through to our forwards, or were over-hit and our unforced error
count remained high. The oversized Manningham defence remained resilient and blocked all paths through the middle.
With about 14 minutes remaining and the result looking dim, our boys lifted up a gear. Jack Sa, Matt L, Jack St, Ben and Dermot
intensified their presence in the midfield, and we increased our running. At (46’) a clever 1-2 between Stefan and Jorge resulted to
a shot just wide by the later. A minute later, Stefan’s shot-cross from a wide angle misses the target. At (49’) Ben’s wonderful run
down the right wing, begged for an early cross, however the shot-cross also missed the target. A corner by Jorge (51’) went across
an open goal, with no Panther in sight following up, another chance missed as the countdown continued.
With 3 minutes before the end, an opportunity arose in the shape of a free kick outside our attacking area. From 25 yards out, with
great poise, Stefan struck a thunderbolt over the wall and in the Manningham top corner to equalise the game 2-2. Fired up again,
the boys pressed on to redeem themselves, and possible steal the game from the visitors. With 2 minutes left, Stefan’s through ball
to Jorge presents a 1-1 chance with the goalkeeper, however the goalkeeper’s knees foiled Jorge for the last time.
It was a “sweet-n-sour” result for our U14s. Did we steal a point or did we forfeit 2 points? As a positive, it was evident that the boys
did not give in, even while down, our running, our much better ball skills and spirit enabled us to execute a massive come back.
Whilst unlucky in front of goals, we look forward to meeting Manningham again and rewriting history, achieving a much better
result. Still undefeated, we hold on to the opportunity to win this league…
Ball possession
Corners
Free Kicks
Shots off Target (wide or over)
Shots on Target (but saved)
Total shots on goal
Goal Scorers
Goals
East Kew JFC
55%
2
3
6
2
10
Jorge (22’), Stefan (57’)
2
Manningham United FC
45%
2
3
2
3
7
(8’), (24’)
2
Team: Steve, Luke, Aleksandrs, Nik, Jimmy, Jack St., Matt L., Dermot, Jack Sa., James, Stefan, Jorge, Ben
Out: Matt S.