This week saw the U9 A & B teams back in action on the football pitch adfter a series of cancellations and hockey fixtures. On Wednesday both teams headed over to Barlborough Hall in Sheffield and played two matches and took part in a penalty shootout. The A team did well on a boggy pitch, scoring six excellent goals and only conceded two. The passing was much improved and it was pleasing to hear that they tried to exploit the whole pitch. The Bs were involved in an entertaining game against a good Barlborough side. Although the home side won 4-0 the score flattered them a little. The main difference between the sides was concentration and the boys must remember to stay focused on the action at all times.

U9A v Barlborough Hall  6-2            Man of the match – Henry W

U9B v Barlborough Hall 0-4  Man of the match – Karem K

On Friday the U9s were in action again against a strong Birkdale U9s. The As did well but could not cope with the incisive passing of the visitors and went down 4-1. This was the team’s first defeat of the season but they worked hard throughout and should be proud of how competitive they were against a school of that size. The Bs struggled against a very strong opposition. Their ability at striking a football was superior. They should not be disheartened as they were up against Year 4s and Mr Bagley was pleased with their work rate and never say die attitude.

U9A v Birkdale   1-4  Man of the match – Harry T

U9B v Birkdale  0-12  Man of the match – Charles B

It was great to see our U9s back out on the football pitches and there are many positives to take from this week into our final fixtures of the term against Terra Nova next Wednesday.

Wednesday 6th February

The Under 9 As made another lengthy trip east to Wellow House for their third fixture of the season. The squad were in good spirits following their opening two victories of the season and today the focus was to develop our passing as well as maintaining our strong defensive shape.

          On early goal from Edward M settled the team down and this was followed by further goals from James C, Henry W and a second from Edward M. It seemed that the floodgates were going to open but to be fair to Wellow they found their feet and began playing some good football. Good defensive work from Jack B, John B and Louis G kept them at bay and at half time the score was 4-0.

          The second half was an even affair with both sides scoring a goal each. Hector M tackled well in midfield and Toby G cancelled out several threats in attack. Harry T ran well with the ball all afternoon and I was impressed with how the whole team passed the ball.

          This was another good win for the team and what was most pleasing was how they improve with each game.

Final score – 5-1 to S.Anselm’s

Jed P was a terrier in defence and Russell F made some very good saves, with one save in the second half a brilliant one handed diving save form a powerful volley. Matthew W worked hard in the midfield to pass the ball up to Adam S in attack, who had one great run at the end of the first half shooting just wide into the side netting of the goal, and Thomas G, Thomas H, Isaac B and Tey K all kept their positions well and pressured the opposition and did their best to pass to each other.

3 – 0 down at half time, the boys kept going till the very end despite getting very cold (all the boys need to have thermal tops at this time of year) and should not be too disheartened by the scoreline. We need to improve our ability to kick a moving ball, work hard on passing over a greater distance, and make sure that in defence we pass the ball out wide and away from danger.

Well done to each and every player. Man of the match was Jed P for great work in defence.

RLT

This was always going to be a tough fixture, our boys knew they were facing a tall order. To coin a now infamous football phrase, we were going there to park the bus in front of our goal.

It wasn’t long before we found ourselves two goals down and almost chasing shadows around the pitch. The bounce of ball seemed to be evading our swinging legs. The possession stats at this stage were not looking too pretty.

We made a few changes to positions and we soon realised that actually, if we muscled up, played a style of football similar to the type you may see at The Britannia Stadium we could certainly give a good account of ourselves. Fred, George M, Bertie and Jacob started applying pressure to the man on the ball. Jonah commanded his area very effectively.

On a couple of occasions we were able to get our big guns into the opposition box to pose problems from long throw ins and Ali C saw a half volley drift narrowly wide of the top right stanchion. We went in at half time with the score line a very respectable 3-0 in favour of the home team.

The game plan in the second half was to keep the physical pressure on and see if we could get the ball in behind their defence. However, the playing conditions changed dramatically and a strong wind came from nowhere and helped the opposition pin us back in our own half.

Bertie had volunteered to take a turn in goal to stop Jonah getting frost bite and it was long before he was called into action. The opposition were fantastic and it is hard to imagine we’ll face a team of their skill level again this season. We ended up on the wrong end of a 9-0 scoreline, but on the plus side, we all got to see one or two great goals.

I was immensely proud of our boys. It takes great courage, pride and determination to keep giving 100% when you are losing so heavily, but all 13 of the boys that played, didn’t stop running, tackling and working for their team and their team mates.

Special praise has to go to Alberto S who was outstanding at right back in the second half; George M who was Roy Keane esq. in the middle of the park; Fred B-B who was a man mountain in defence; Monty H who just seemed to be within a few metres of the ball for the whole of the second half. In truth, I could list all of our players, so many good signs, not just for the football season but clear signs that our senior boys will make great young men.

Mr Bonner

Today saw two teams battle it out in a very close encounter on top field. The Under 12 team played Wellow House on the immaculate (considering the weather) first team pitch. Wellow lost the toss and S. Anselm’s took the kick off.

The first half had plenty of chances, many of which fell to the S. Anselm’s strikers but we were unable to convert them into goals until clinical striker Henry T found himself in the right place at the right time on Wellow’s goal line to send the home team into the lead with a superb finish into the back of the net. This came from a superb cross came in from the right beating both defenders and the outstretched arm of the Wellow goalkeeper.

I have to mention both goalkeepers at this stage for their efforts between the sticks. Both Henry L and the Wellow goalkeeper showed bravery and courage and managed to break down some promising attacks.

At half time it was 1-0 to S. Anselm’s and a deserved lead. Peter T in particular kept the Wellow attacks at bay with his terrier defence and Cameron H played well as the rock at the back. Sam W also had a superb game in defence where his pace really gave him the edge over his opponents. The S. Anselm’s defence rarely took any risks and played the ball out wide where we knew we had pace and space with James L, Oscar K who was wonderfully confident and calm on the ball and George W, who we will come to later.

Straight after half time and some substitutions were made and with the ball in Wellow’s possession we went to sleep allowing the Wellow striker to comfortably place the ball past Henry’s sprawled body.

This woke the boys up and straight away we attacked in numbers. This surprised the Wellow defence and captain Mwela M was the quickest to react smashing the ball into the right hand corner before the defender could clear it. Alex S had a tremendous game on the right wing which really rallied the supporters who were cheering on his every stride. Often Alex passed defenders with ease and his light touch and nimble feet gave him time and space to set up chances.

Wellow began to create some more opportunities through their centre midfield who had talent in abundance but possibly tried to take on too much himself, which becomes an impossible task against such a solid defence consisting of Louis S, Oscar K, Peter T and Cameron H. However Wellow did get a goal. Tom B was advancing into the Wellow half, after a nice pass from George T, but a strong challenge left him without the ball and to their credit Wellow managed to weave in and out and finally beat the goalkeeper with a shot inside the 6 year box.

Captain Mwela M knew he had to use the space and in the last five minutes having previously tackled two of his own players, found Alex S hugging the touch line who played a superb one-two giving Mwela just two more defenders to beat. One touch left, a roll over right and a clinical finish at the keepers near post to send his team 3-2 up. From there we defended with nine men behind the ball. Henry T and Toby C came back to help and managed to hold off the speculative Wellow shots. George W managed to get one last opportunity where he gathered the ball in his own half, place a lovely weighted ball through the defenders for himself to run onto but when he should have backed his left foot he took the shot on from a tough angle with his right sending the ball just wide before the final whistle and a very happy Under 12 team.

A superb team effort by the whole team. Well done.

Man of the Match – Alex S

Mr Wood

Saturday 2nd February

On a sunny winter’s day the Under 9 squad travelled in convoy to Ranby to take on Witham Hall in their second fixture of the season. Although the sun was out it was a bitterly cold day and after a quick warm up the boys took to the field.

          The A side started brightly and adapted quickly to the large Ranby pitch. The defence was strong and in attack, James C and Henry W looked a real threat. It wasn’t long before S.A’s registered their first goal; a neat finish under the keeper from James C. Witham did start to get more into the match and it took some good defensive work from Jack B and John B to keep them at bay. Harry T was everywhere on the park, as was Edward M in midfield.  An excellent finish from Henry W saw S.A’s take a two goal lead into half time. In the second half Hector M and Louis G tackled and ran well, Toby G made some superb saves and although Witham scored early in the second half, two more goals from Henry W made the final score 4-1.

          The B side were up against a strong Witham team and it was clear from the opening exchanges it was going to be a tough afternoon. The cold weather meant the side started slowly and conceded an early goal. This did not deter the boys, in fact it galvanised them. Throughout the match the defence was outstanding, with Rufus T, Thomas H, Gavin G and Karem K putting in some excellent tackles. Henry P and Henry H made some strong runs and Sam CC showed some good dribbling skills. Although another goal was conceded Mr Bagley was impressed with the work rate from the team and particularly the efforts of Charles B and Teddy R.

          This week sees two more fixtures for the Under 9 squad and with work on their passing and appreciation of space hopefully we will see then continue to improve. Well done.

We had a squad of nine boys for the A team, so for the two boys who weren’t on the pitch, it was a cold and uncomfortable wait. We operated a rolling substitution policy throughout.

It was clear from the outset that the opposition were a skilful outfit who looked very dangerous and Toby Green had to make 2-3 brilliant one on one saves in the first half alone. Toby really gave us a solid foundation from which we could build.

In the early stages, we wanted to attack with all 6 players but as the first half progressed, we developed a solid defence who controlled everything the opposition threw at them.

We looked dangerous going forward, with James Carr finding a lot of joy down the right hand side in particular and Henry Walmisley forging one or two solo runs reminiscent of a right footed Lionel Messi.

The game ebbed and flowed, with both sides battling for the lead, coming into the last five minutes, Smallwood had it, they were 4-3 up. However, such has been the spirit of this group of boys all year, they fought back to win 5-4.

Much is made in football of those who score the goals, our goal heroes on the day were James Carr (2), Harry Twelves (2) and Henry Walmisley. Some of our goals really were excellent and those boys deserve a great deal of praise but so do the rest of our team. Jack Bedford, Edward Mayson and John Bonsall were tigerish in their defensive duties.

Man of the match: Toby Green – a string of amazing saves, but the real highlight is how he came out and punched away the corner kicks, I think David DeGea could learn a thing or two.

Mr Bonner

S.Anselm’s sent a squad of six Colts footballers to play in the Witham Hall 5 a side football tournament on Wednesday 30th Jan. The long drive over gave the boys a chance to establish tactics and it was clear that captain Marcus C wanted his squad to work hard for each other and try their best in every game.

          After a brief warm up S.Anselm’s took on St Marys in the first of seven ten minute games. Excellent attacking play by Tom H, Isaac B and Marcus C meant S.Anselm’s where on top from the start and it wasn’t long before the skipper got the opening goal of the tournament. St Marys came back and it was only excellent defensive work from Edward H that prevented them from drawing level. The final whistle blew and it was a well-deserved three points for the boys from Bakewell.

The second game saw S.As take on the host school, Witham Hall. The game was well balanced, with some strong work in defence from Tey K and good saves from Thomas W keeping the score at 0-0. With just a few minutes to go skipper Marcus C pounced on another loose ball, raced clear and slotted the ball past the home goalkeeper to maintain the winning start for S.As.

With six points from two games talk of lifting the trophy was starting emanate from the squad but Tom H put their feet back on the ground by reminding them that there was a long way to go. The next game against Copthill saw the side get put under pressure for the first time and a mix up at the back led to the decisive goal and the first loss of the tournament. This was followed up with a 2-1 loss to Laxton, which was frustrating as Marcus C had put S.As in front.

Refreshments were taken at the half way point of the tournament and it was a chance for the team to reflect on what they had done well and where they needed to improve. The next two games against Grantham Prep and Ranby both ended up 0-0 as both sides struggled with the strengthening wind. The final game against St Hughs was probably one too far as the squad were tired and went down 2-0. Overall, the work rate from every member of the team was fantastic and they all seemed to really enjoy the experience.

Results –

v St Marys 1-0 W  

v Witham Hall 1-0 W  

v Copthill 0-1 L

v Laxton 1-2 L  

v Grantham Prep 0-0 D 

v Ranby 0-0 D

v St Hughs 0-2 L

The unbeaten run continues… Well done lads, terrific work once again.

What had promised to be a promising afternoon of football was compromised just before the game by a nasty weather front that threatened to rain all afternoon. Fortuitously the weather rallied and was soon as delightful as the football.

As with the Barlborough festival the Anselm’s U9’s faced a string of 10 minute matches in quick succession. The venue of Abbeydale Sports Club provided play on a water based astroturf, which was an exciting new challenge for the team and meant the ball moved very quickly. The team were fully fired up and were extremely keen to protect their unbeaten record.

Hill House

The first match got off to flying start with possession working very much in Anselm’s favour from the initial drop ball start. Captain Jack lead the team in a series of striking moves and it wasn’t long before a superb cross from Shea J struck from practically the corner spot, sped past both the players and keeper to become a goal. This was nigh on impossible angle and would have defied even the best premiership striker.

As the game developed the opposition struck back and defence became an issue. Lacklustre marking and indecision in challenges lead to several shooting opportunities. Toby heroicly charged down a clean shot on his goal. Anselm’s fought back bravely, but were closed down quite quickly. Eventually the opposition were given too much space and made an easy cross, which was slipped past Toby to equalise, just moments before the final whistle.

Result: Drew 1:1
Man of the match: Shea J

Wellow

Next up were the familiar opposition of Wellow. Having been defeated twice in the rugby season by this side and despite our previous soccer victory we will still wary of this side. Anselm’s quickly dispelled any doubts however when a clean goal from Harry T put them ahead 1-0. We remained dominant throughout the game until however a brief lapse in defence placed Toby in an impossible situation as guardian of the net leaving it neck and neck. The closing minutes were a flurry of activity and despite some good work from the midfield it was not possible to put in another goal in time.

Result: Drew 1:1
Man of the match: Harry T

Barlborough

The team finally began to get up to pace in this game. A change in formation put Henry W back in defence, where he excelled and gave the team the foundation to build from. Harry T put in an early goal and this was quickly followed by a second from Captain Jack W. There was some excellent play and this was very much the defining match of the afternoon where the team found it real form. There were lots of good efforts on goal, including a really cheeky back heal, that so nearly made it and would’ve been the goal of the tournament.

Result: Won 2-0
Man of the match: Henry W

Orchard

The U9’s were by now completely zoning and Orchard never really had a chance. The midfield was dominated by the solid partnership between James B and Shea which left the two forwards in our new formation to concentrate on putting the ball away. George and Henry were magnificent in defence and kept the ball out of our own half for practically the whole match. Harry T was once again first to score and this was followed by the Captain, Jack W with another two. The whistle blew early on this match and curtailed any further additions.

Result: Won 3-0
Man of the match: Jack W

Westbourne

Tension was at a high as the final game opened and the unbeaten record still held. Defensively the partnership of Henry W and Arthur L meant that the Toby was given an easy game and only once did it ever look threatening. The midfield combo continued to work hard with Max H making a several good efforts from the middle. It fell to the left back, Arthur L, to hit the winner which was struck from the centre of the field and eluded both defenders and goalkeeper alike.

Result: Won 1:0
Man of the match: Arthur L

The festival closed with Anselm’s once again the unrecognised victors of the afternoon and although the number of goals conceded this season had risen during its course, Toby dB can be massively proud that only 4 or 5 have made it past him in 16 matches! Despite protestations that it was not his position, Henry was remarkable in defence and this gave him the accolade of being player of the tournament for his incisive reading of the game and stalwart challenges.

The U9A are now the only undefeated team in school so far this year which is an incredible feat given the large volume of matches played. We still have the daunting task of defeating Birkdale before the seasons end and that will be no mean feat. So there will need to be some serious training – the win bonus of a McDonalds outing gives them all to play for!

Result: 3 Wins, 2 Draws, 0 defeats
Scorers: Jack W (3), Harry T (3), Arthur L
Goal of the Tournament: Shea J
Player of the tournament: Henry W

Play quickly moved the other way and the forwards got several opportunities. Captain Jack W was able to put a splendid shot past the keeper from just outside the box, leaving us in the lead. We had several good opportunities in the remainder of the first half with an outstanding header attempt from Shea J.

With the start of the second half luck swung badly against us and Birkdale were able to get two successive easy corners into the box for a finish leaving us in unfamiliar territory trailing on score. At this point the crucial balance of play was disturbed and the team seemed to flag. The usual cracking work rate of the U9s subsided. Anselm’s sadly never seemed to get back into the game and their heads went down. This resulted in another 2 goals closing the game for us.

Well done fellas you have been a superb side manage and it has been great working with you!

Finally can I extend a big thank you to all the parents who have stalwartly supported the side this season.

Result: Lost 4-1

Man of the match: Jack W

Captain Cameron H rallied the troops and with a quick warm-up were ready to kick off. In the first half we were playing on a generous downhill slope and the possession was fairly even. Birkdale had a good winger on the left who put in a dangerous cross which was converted past Tom B to send the home team one up.

This was a real wake up call to the S. Anselm's boys and they started to pass the ball around with more composure, exposing the Birkdale defence with the pace of James L, Sam W and Peter T. George T played some good passes but if there is one criticism of the team it was the lack of movement off the ball. Sam W was one exception to this as he ran tirelessly in the midfield supporting the defensive clearences. More and more chances came and Henry T had a good few chances but was isolated, until James L lit up the stage with a fantastic supporting run into the box and with clean struck strike hit the back of the net. 1-1.

Half time came and the boys had confidence but for the second half we were playing uphill. This led to 3 being played at the back bringing Barnaby de la B to right back where he had free range up the right flank. Thomas W came onto the left wing and made a vital tackle mid way through the second half. Marcus C had another wonderful game in defence, his tenacious tackling kept the Birkdale attack at bay.

Overall an impressive performance and S. Anselm's were unlucky to concede a further three. Passing and moving is crucial to working the ball forward with support. A hearty performance and one which the boys should be proud of.

Goal of the match - James L
Man of the match - Cameron H and Peter T

U9A v Smallwood A

This was a gentle contest in stark contrast to the weather, which fulfilled on its promise of an afternoons freezing rain. Despite the dank conditions the U9As came out firing on all cylinders and having won the kick off immediately dominated the play. There were many attempts on goal, many were either struck wide or were driven off by the wind. The Smallwood keeper was kept very busy and plucked many softer efforts from the air. Most of the Anselm’s side had a go on goal, but were disappointed. We tended to try and hit shots from too far away, when the ball could have been dribbled in a lot closer to the target. Sadly we did manage to concede a goal and this was largely caused by an ill-judged pass back. The two goals we scored were however the results of exceptional skill by Arthur and then Jack.

Result: Won 2-1

Scorers: Jack W, Arthur L

Man of the match: Shea J

Under 9B v Smallwood B

The Under 9 B Team started by playing the Smallwood B team. From the off the S. Anselm’s boys dominated possession and were enjoying long periods on the ball. Harry T had a marvellous game at striker, scoring his hat-trick with a collection of well-placed long shots giving the keeper very little chance. Josh G and Russell F had solid games in defence preventing any Smallwood attack with some good marking and clearances. Despite the weather the boys played with tenacity and really pushed forward. Tom H had a good game on the wing and Wilson W was tireless in midfield putting in some wonderful tackles and making a nuisance of himself in midfield and Matthew W came on to score a peach of a goal from his own half. Credit to the Smallwood boys who marked well inside their half and tried to pass the ball out to the wide channels. A confident performance from all.

Result: Won 4-0

Scorers: Harry T (3), Matthew W

Man of the match: – Harry T

Under 9B v Smallwood A

Taking their confidence from their win against the Smallwood B side was going to be crucial if the S. Anselm’s boys were going to beat the team that lost only be a single goal to S. Anselm’s A team. Unfortunately it took a while for the S. Anselm’s boys to get into the match and use the space out wide to get the ball forward. After conceding a couple of goals and after a couple of wonderful saves by Edward M the S. Anselm’s boys began to really believe in themselves. James C had earned himself a starting place and posed a threat a number of times. His tireless running and skill on the ball were peerless and the Smallwood defence struggled to gain back possession. He had a wonderful shot from distance, which should have been a goal but for an unlucky bounce off the underside of the crossbar but in the second half he got a much deserved goal after working his way past three defenders. Adam S was influential in one of the goals after a good run down the left and put in some good tackles in field and Wilson W again made it difficult for the Smallwood attack to get momentum. If the B Team could really start to make the ball do the work they could become a fantastic team. Had they started as they played in the second half it could have been a different scoreline but Smallwood played well and probably deserved their win in the end.

Result: Lost 2-5

Scorers: James C and Harry T

Man of the match: James C

Under 9C v Smallwood A

After a hard-fought win against the Smallwood B Team the players were in buoyant mood and were looking forward to getting back on the pitch. The whistle blew and straight away Jack B broke down the left but with little support and the Smallwood defence managed to scramble the ball away to safety. S. Anselm’s have certainly come on leaps and bound this term and this is evident in our strength in depth right through to the C Team. In this match however Smallwood A possessed a little more control and finesse which saw some well-placed shots give keeper Jed P not much of a chance. Toby G put in some solid tackles at the back and Isaac and Charles B never stopped running in midfield, making it difficult at times for the Smallwood players to find a way through on goal. Tey K and John B had some good touches out wide and the boys should be commended for their effort. They didn’t let their heads go down and even at the final whistle a good ball was played through for Jack B on the wing but for a fine save by the Smallwood goalkeeper it would have been Jack’s second of the day. Well done boys, a valiant effort!

Result: Lost 0-7

Man of the match: Jack B

All of the Anselm’s players excelled themselves in both performance and commitment. Despite the freezing, driving deluge spirits remained high throughout the afternoon. Well done chaps.

Thanks to all our supporters who braved the elements.

U9C v Smallwood B

This Wednesday saw an epic victory for the S. Anselm’s C team, who dealt with both a very competitive Smallwood B team as well as some biblical weather conditions. The C’s quickly came under the cosh from the already warm Smallwood side. A lot of sustained pressure from the Smallwood attack was only stopped by the tenacious defence of Isaac B and Jack B. Captain Jed P Leading from the back put in a solid performance in goal, keeping it to Nil – Nil at half time.

After the break S. Anselm’s came back, fired up after an inspirational half time chat from Coach Mr. Froggatt. With a rolling sub policy the S. Anselm’s players stayed fresh with great play from Toby G and Teyfik in the midfield. The pressure began to tip in S. Anselm’s favour with a man of the match performance from Charles B keeping the C’s on the attack. It looked like a draw was on the cards but in the dying minutes of the game an absolute scorcher from Jack B made it 1 – Nil to S. Anselm’s. With the rain pouring down the whistle finally went and the crowd went wild as the victorious C team shook hands with the Smallwood Boys. Well Played to all the team for a great performance.

Result: Won 1-0

Scorer: Jack B

Man of the match: Charles B

U9A v Smallwood B

A very strong S. Anselm’s team came into the match on a high after a good win in the previous game, facing a Smallwood side still hurting from a close loss to the C team. This was a telling factor as S. Anselm’s with their tails up took an early 3 – Nil lead with Toby dB scoring a hat-trick. Unfortunately for the Smallwood team this only gave S. Anselm’s more confidence and lead to a land slide for the home team. Further goals were added By Jack W, Max H James B and Henry W. There would have been even more goals if it wasn’t for a great performance from the Smallwood goalkeeper. Well played to all players for a great game and Man of the match Toby DB.

Result: Won 7-0

Scorers: Toby dB (3), Jack W (2), James B, Henry W, Max H

Man of the match: Toby dB

Finally after all the hard work, a thumping victory for the 2nd XI. From the first whistle to the last we dominated this game. We were stronger in defence and faster to the ball in all areas of the pitch. 2 – 0 up within ten minutes the boys soon had to put up with me trying to weaken our side to avoid an embarrassing scoreline; defenders were put into attack and subs were rotated on and off, but all to no avail. The boys were simply too good.

It was not a game for the purists, and Arsene Wenger will not be looking at the video to discover how to pass a ball, but the conditions made attractive football hard to deliver. A howling gale and a claggy pitch made passing difficult and slowed the ball up. There were some nice passages of play, however, particularly with Will and Fred BB passing the ball out of defence down the left flank, and Johno D, Charlie S and Ali C linking up nicely in attack.

Goals were scored by Johno D, Henry T (x2), George M, Will BB (x2) and Ali C, with Will’s second a real net buster!

Well done to each and every player. Man of the match was shared by Nick T and Toby P for standing in goal in the rain and wind with nothing to do all afternoon!

It was great to finally play this competition and being driven into the Sports Hall by the snow made it a highly charged, fast and furious affair. There were some terrific skills on display all afternoon. The camaraderie from all the teams was delightful to witness.

It was a very close contest between the sides, but with Wellies and Churchills clearly possessing the finest array of players to choose from it soon became a two horse race. Both teams were fairly level in the results table with Churchills just slightly ahead when they met in the 4th round. With an early goal to Wellies the table very quickly turned as the churchills side began to capitulate, eventually losing 4-1.

Some mention must be made of the great sportsmanship displayed during the course of the afternoon. The top scoring slot was occupied by three boys, all of whom managed a tally of 3 goals: Angus E, George W & Ludo L.

Well done lads a great afternoon of football.

Overall Results:
1st Wellies
2nd Churchills
3rd Nelsons
4th Pitts

Throughout the first half there were good passages of play from both teams and not until ten minutes into the game did The Elms manage to break the deadlock with a well struck finish. The Elms had a bigger and more powerful team but S. Anselm’s were showing good skill and support going forward. An unfortunate clearance from the keeper left an open goal which was calmly slotted home by their centre forward. The was unfortunate for Marcus K who had put in some marvellous saves and was really starting to understand when to close down the attack and when to protect his goal line.

At half time the boys were 3-0 down but reluctant to let their heads drop. Peter T was again tireless in Midfield and Marcus C was a terrier in the tackle. A positive team-talk was had at half time and Henry T was to become the lone striker bringing George T, the captain, out to the wing where he could maximise his left foot. Peter T dropped back into defence alongside Thomas W, who was having a fantastic game despite playing against a winger twice his size and Barnaby d’B who was flanking the right side with pace and skill. Twice Barnaby played good balls through to Henry T, who had two well executed shots, albeit just wide of the near post both times. S. Anselm’s had some very good chances to score and had it been their day could have seen a much closer scoreline. A much better second half!

The hard work and the determination not to give up was a true credit to S. Anselm’s and all of the boys deserve congratulations on the way they played. A really enjoyable game to watch and much improvement since their previous match, many congratulations to George T who led by example.

Well Done!

Man of the Match – Marcus C for his peerless tackling and Henry T for his brilliant runs forward, he deserved a goal!

After a good warm up and some passing drills we set our positioning up. In the first half the players showed real determination. In particular the centre-backs (Cameron H and Tom B) kept their positions superbly, keeping the Ranby strikers at bay. Unfortunately a lofted ball into the area was valiantly met by Cameron’s head but took a nasty deflection past the reach of Marcus K. Although at half time the boys were 2-0 down there was much positive to take into the second half. At one stage the team managed to keep Ranby in their own half for a good 5 minutes having worked the ball well down the flanks through James L and Peter T.

The second half kicked off with a minor change in the midfield. Marcus C moved into central defence and Tom B moved onto the left wing. After a good clearance from Cameron H after a lovely lay-off from Tom W, Tom B set off down the wing with the ball at his feet. With Henry T in support they worked the ball nicely into the box before Tom B let fly with a superb finish into the bottom corner. Jubilation in the camp as a new set belief was instilled in the players. The following five minutes saw a number of good chances go wide by the Ranby forward who was having a storming game up front. Corner after corner were punishing the S. Anselm’s defence but between Barnaby d’B and Marcus K most were pused back out wide keeping the five yard box free. Unfortunately a lovely delivery caught Marcus K off guard and his clearance effort ended up in the net. The boys did not give up, James L had played superbly all day on the wing with George T tackling like a terrier in midfield. In the final minute, with S. Anselm’s 4-1 down Marcus K gave the ball a last ditch hoof up the middle, a lovely turn from Henry T gave him the advantage over the Ranby defender. Henry took one touch, then two he was surely going to score, the foot came back ready to unleash when a sudden tug came from the Ranby defender bringing Henry off the ball. Should it have been red? The referee blew his whistle and gave S. Anselm’s a free kick just outside the area in a dangerous position. Henry T stepped up, he deserved the goal….. A wonderful save pushed the ball just past the post. Just time for a corner, a lovely delivery saw the swinging boot of Peter T and the ball ended in the back of the net.

A wonderful game to watch and 4-2 reflected the end to end match with Ranby just edging it on the power up front. James L had a terrific game on the wing terrorising the left back. George T played with tenacity and the defence worked well as a unit. Tom W and Barnaby d’B ensured very few balls got past them and cleared the ball from danger numerous times. Cameron H, Marcus C and Tom B were solid at the back and Henry T had a good game up front.

Man of the Match – James L for his peerless determination to win the ball and his frequent dangerous runs in attack.
Goal Scorers – Peter T and Tom B

The pressure is now on to maintain our 100% record this season. The first few minutes of the match did little to help any nerves as some sloppy defending allowed Ranby to score 2 goals very early on. Thankfully we woke up and started to play as we know we can, once again passing the ball well and troubling their defence. As a result of our possession, George W. latched on to a loose ball, beat a couple of defenders and extremely calmly placed the ball into the corner of the goal beyond the on rushing goal keeper, a finish that belied his young age. We continued to pressure the Ranby defence and soon afterwards, forced them into an own goal as Max W. terrorised them in the area. Then came a moment of real quality. Angus E. was fed through on the right hand side, took the ball on with purpose and managed to slide the ball into the far corner from a very narrow angle and from some distance out. This gave us a 3-2 lead at half time.
The second half was all about defending as Ranby dominated possession and put us under great pressure. As we have found this season, this team are made of strong stuff and to their great credit held out for the whole 25 minute half to record a fantastic win. The 100% record continues! Special mention must go to Mwela M. and Tom C. in central defence for their sterling efforts.

Result: Won 3-2

M.O.M.: George W. and Angus E.

U9A @ Barlborough Football Festival

This was a fantastic football festival. Sadly as we were limited to only one team of 10 it meant some of the U9/8’s missed out. The chosen few rose admirably to the challenge putting in terrific effort and playing some highly skilled football.

Hymers
The afternoon commenced with an opening match against Hymers. It took several minutes to get into the swing of the game and in short matches of only 8 minutes this was too long. Despite some good late efforts on goal we couldn’t find the inertia to close. Hymers possessed a couple of handy forwards who really challenged the Anselm’s defence.
Result: Drew 0-0
Man of the match: Shea - for great attacking skills.

Barlborough
Next up were Barlborough. The team were now fired up and began to pepper the shots on the opposition goal. Sadly these were declined on all occasions. The defence had an easier ride in this game, but we were still lacking in confidence and tending to stand off.
Result: Drew 0-0
Man of the match: James B - for great commitment and tackles.

Westbourne Prep
At last we were starting to cook and the midfield began to piece things together. Some great combinations of play resulted in some terrific goals.
Result: Won 2-0
Scorers: Jack W, Shea J
Man of the match: Henry W – for great dribbling skills

St Peter and St Paul
This was another great match for the triumphant U9’s. The afternoon was now clearly going our way and we had become nearly unstoppable. The team were really starting to gel.
Result: Won 1-0
Scorers: Jack
Man of the match: Arthur L – Great defending

St Hughes Prep
This was our clash against Mr Callun’s new school and Anselm’s wasted no time in putting an early goal through. There were many missed efforts and also some dazzling defence.
. Sadly we conceded our only goal which really was due to some overgenerous refereeing to the opposition (by me). Toby performed a brilliant save on a ball bobbling around the goal line, only to fall across the line enough for the goal to be given.
Result: Won 2-1
Scorers: Jack, Shea
Man of the match: Toby – For keeping an almost clean sheet

Mylnhurst Prep
This was our strongest performance of the day and we sailed easily ahead putting together some excellent football.
Result: Won 2-0
Scorers: Jack, Harry T
Man of the match: Harry – for being the only Y3 to score.

Orchard Prep
Lots of tension in this our final match made things a little bit more reserved. Despite this extra pressure Anselm’s were far more confident and dealt with it well.
Result: Won 2-0
Scorers: George, Shea
Man of the match: George – Awesome goal!

The tournament proved to be a tremendous success. The team successfully remained unbeaten throughout the afternoon and only conceded a single goal. We would clearly have been the tournament winners if this had been a more competitive scenario. Well done chaps it’s great to see you working so well.

Overall man of the tournament: Jack W – Top goal scorer and some cracking shots!
Total Goals Scored: 9
Total Goals Conceded: 1

This was another frustrating loss. We looked very good in the first quarter and had a few shots at goal. The combination of Alex W, Ed S and Elliot T worked well together and they received some sound passé from Lewis J and Matthew N. We played mostly in the opposition half and put some fabulous passages of play together. Some poor marking in the centre meant we conceded two goals before half time though Lewis J had taken a fine shot to score before half time to make it 2-1.

After half time we seemed to get pinned back in our half and our defence weakened as our focus diminished. Rather than sending long balls over the top for Elliot T and Alex W to chase we played for too long with the ball in our half and allowed Hill House opportunities they shouldn’t have had. The defence needed to be tighter and the mid-field needed to dominate the second quarter of the pitch. More movement off the ball was essential and we needed to talk more in defence. Quick ball pumped into the corners and long down the field would have given our strikers opportunities but this, sadly, did not happen in the second half.

Ed S captained well and we witnessed some real potential within the team but there is much to do.

Both of Ranby’s goals were flukes; the first a well taken penalty after a dubious penalty decision by the referee, the second, coming completely against the run of play, an aimless punt downfield which sailed over Toby’s head and agonisingly under the crossbar. Their teacher commented after the game that he was off to buy a ticket for the lottery!

It was disappointing to lose a game in which we had the majority of possession and almost all of the chances on goal, but if we continue to improve at this rate we will we winning soon enough. All of our players used in this game are to be complimented for their attitude and effort during the game, and of equal importance, for their manners and hospitality after the game.

Well done to each and every player. Man of the match was Henry T for his tireless and selfless work in his holding midfielder role.

RLT

RDM

As debut matches these were an awesome spectacle, with some truly terrific football. Wellow were able to produce 2 only sides so it was kind of them to allow us to triangulate and entertain our 3 squads. This allowed us to play a total of 6 games, with each of our sides facing to different levels of opposition.

U8/9 v Wellow U9B
This was a great match and the opening game for the U8/9 fusion side. With both teams able to put out 9 players it was decided to allow them all to compete at once. There were some really promising moments with some good dribbling work from Adam S and rugged challenges from Russell F. Tom H was very light on his feet and displayed some excellent energy, especially in the first half. Jed P was excellent and kept his goal well, but was overcome by a single tasty opposition effort. A retaliatory goal was excellently set up by Tom H’s throw that was cleanly hoofed by Russell F. Great work Fellas!
Goal scorers: Russell F
Result: Drew 1-1
Man of the match: Tom H & Russell F

U8/9 v Wellow U9A
This was a really tough challenge with the best Wellow had to offer in this team. The opposition clearly showed their class from the off, putting together a series of great passes that led them to the goal mouth. Jed P was superb in his keeping and plucked the ball to safety on a huge number of occasions. Sadly the goalkeeper was left far too exposed, frequently throughout the game and inevitably goals were conceded.
Good try chaps!
Result: Lost 0-8
Man of the match: Russell F & Jed P

U8 v Wellow U9A
This was a real test for the S. Anselm’s Under 8s who had shown composure and skill against the Wellow U9B but now faced the more powerful and competitive Wellow U9A team. The match started promisingly with Henry W driving forward with the ball at his feet only to be challenged on the edge of their box. The Wellow boys had much more power in the strike making it difficult for the S. Anselm’s youngsters to keep pressure up in the Wellow end of the pitch. On a number of occasions Wello scored from a defensive clearance which allowed their quick striker to get on the end of it and calmly put it past keeper Edward M. Having said that there were some encouraging passages of play and some good chances on goal. At our end, Edward M pulled out a wonderful shot-stopper to amass of cheers from the crowd. Good effort boys!
Result: Lost 0-6
Man of the match: Henry W

U9 v Wellow U9B
S. Anselm’s dominated the possession from kick off. The match was made slightly more challenging with all 9 players on the field from Wellow but this meant the boys were going to have to maximise the space out wide and take their chances. This they duly did and at half time S. Anselm’s were 4-0 up with a few wonderful strikes from Shea J, Arthur L and Max H. Josh G and George L also deserve a mention after finishing the day having conceded 0 goals proving that they are certainly a force to be reckoned with at the back. After the half time team talk the boys went out there looking to make the ball do the work, pass and move into space. As this started to come together, Arthur L completed his hat-trick with two second half goals and Max H slotted the ball home after a lovely through ball from Matthew W. All together a very impressive performance, well done!
Goal Scorers: Arthur L (3), Shea J (2), Max H (2)
Result: Won 7-0
Man of the match: Superb Team performance!