Baldoyle Home ( League)
May 15th 2010
Our last ever game on the small sided pitch was today against the league winners Baldoyle and after a great performance from us the week before against them and our win on Monday we were looking forward to this one. Sean was Captain and all the girls were missing today. 1 st half we never played, Conceded 4 goals and just could not put passes together to cause them any problems. All tried hard but it was just a matter of getting though it till we could talk to them at half time.
Game of 2 halfs? you bet. Luke was now out with Riley in goal and we were soon on the front foot. Pressure was high up the pitch and we we just super. Sean F got us back in the game with a nice close finish after about 4 of our players had shots in a mad scamble in the box. ( Have a look at the photo's to see great celebrations).David got the second with a rooket of a shot from the edge of the box that almost busted the net. After that it was all us with Jordan and Sean F so close to scoring,Sean when straight though and jordan at the far post after a great run and pass from luke.We finaly got the 3rd when Jordan found Luke out wide and he advanced to the edge of the box to curl his shot into the far corner. The game finished 4-3 to the visitors.
Coaches notes;Don't know why we started so slow today ( rumors of a late night party at Sean F) but we just were not at the races in the 1st half. At half time we change luke and Riley,and aked the children to forget about the 1st half and to just try win the second one. We also wanted to see most pass quicker while we asked Ciaran to run with the ball more as we felt he was kicking it away a little to much. Ciaran had a great 2nd half and was a main reason for the come back. David played better now that luke was in midfield while Coner and Mark all had a super 2nd half.It was great to watch and how we didn't win it was amazing. To hear the league winners shouting at their children and the children shouting at each other to 'smash it anywere' was music to my ears. We gave them a great scare over the 2 games and was a great way to finish the tough season we had.
Ivan
be up on the link on Sunday Night.
May 15th 2010
Our last ever game on the small sided pitch was today against the league winners Baldoyle and after a great performance from us the week before against them and our win on Monday we were looking forward to this one. Sean was Captain and all the girls were missing today. 1 st half we never played, Conceded 4 goals and just could not put passes together to cause them any problems. All tried hard but it was just a matter of getting though it till we could talk to them at half time.
Game of 2 halfs? you bet. Luke was now out with Riley in goal and we were soon on the front foot. Pressure was high up the pitch and we we just super. Sean F got us back in the game with a nice close finish after about 4 of our players had shots in a mad scamble in the box. ( Have a look at the photo's to see great celebrations).David got the second with a rooket of a shot from the edge of the box that almost busted the net. After that it was all us with Jordan and Sean F so close to scoring,Sean when straight though and jordan at the far post after a great run and pass from luke.We finaly got the 3rd when Jordan found Luke out wide and he advanced to the edge of the box to curl his shot into the far corner. The game finished 4-3 to the visitors.
Coaches notes;Don't know why we started so slow today ( rumors of a late night party at Sean F) but we just were not at the races in the 1st half. At half time we change luke and Riley,and aked the children to forget about the 1st half and to just try win the second one. We also wanted to see most pass quicker while we asked Ciaran to run with the ball more as we felt he was kicking it away a little to much. Ciaran had a great 2nd half and was a main reason for the come back. David played better now that luke was in midfield while Coner and Mark all had a super 2nd half.It was great to watch and how we didn't win it was amazing. To hear the league winners shouting at their children and the children shouting at each other to 'smash it anywere' was music to my ears. We gave them a great scare over the 2 games and was a great way to finish the tough season we had.
Ivan
Malahide Away ( league)
May 10th 2010
Captain for today was Cian.Missing was Sean N and Zara. This game was played in the lovely Gannon park on the Main SSG pitch and so we decided to bring a great team performance to this great pitch. Formation was very same as Saturdays game with Luke in goal and Katie in the holding position and from the very start we were on top. Jordan ,Ciaran and Sean hooked up well to get us a number of chances and corners which should have seen us taking the lead in the first half. Luke made a great save ,to his left which conner then cleared,when the malahide player broke though while Captain Cian lead by example with great tackles and even greater passing. David could have scored a header from a jordan freekick while Riley came on and had some great runs down the right wing. Sean F was as busy as ever and lauern and mark worked really well with Cian. Katie set up good attacks while always holding our position in midfield. Half time 0-0
2nd haft saw us get the goals our 1st half performance deserved. As Malahide attacked down the their left wing Cian won the ball and ran forward into their half and just as it looked like he was about to let rip with a shot , he played beautiful (pass of the match) ball though to katie whos shot was saved and in the fight to get the ball ,David ( what seemed like forever) simply pushed it into the back of the net. With the lead we gain confidence and soon after Sean F raced though on the left after good work by Lauren and Riley to finish though the keepers legs. We defended really well with Luke making 2 wonderfull saves, and he was helped by some great blocking from Conner. Ciaran rounded off a great game for us with our 3rd when he coolly finished after a good run. The final whistle went and we had won again.
Coaches notes; After the great performance on Saturday, we were just hoping to get another good performance tonight. It was great for the children to get a win which is as a result of all their hard work in training over the last few weeks. We gave man of the match to Cian but we could have picked any of the players today as all did something positive in the game. It is not often we keep a clean sheet and it was nice to get one before the season ended. Last game is Saturday against Baldoyle and let's see if we can finish our season with another good performance.
Baldoyle Away (league)
May 8th 2010
Captain for today was Jordan . Missing were Zara,Chris,Riley,Sean N. Lovely day for a game today and and trip to the league winners so see how we would get on. Baldoyle decided to change us around at the tip off and play with the wind and with in seconds had a thunderous shot tipped over by Luke. Luke was super in goal all game making great saves and always finding one of our players with his kick outs.In front of him Cian lead the other defenders,Chris,Mark and Conner through out the game and all were amazing. Katie played the defensive midfield position today and her passing,shielding and covering were 1st class. David, along side Katie was excellent as always,Driving the team forward when he got the chance. We created a few chances in the first half when Jordan and Sean F combined well while Ciaran and Lauren caused them problems with their hard work.I think it's the 1st time we have come in at half time 0-0 which tells you how hard the team worked defending and of course with Luke amazing in goal.
After the drinks and oranges were taking on board we started the second half on top and after a nice passing movement from Sean F ,Katie and Jordan ,David was taking down on the edge of the box and the ref pointed to the spot. David and Sean F both asked me to take the penalty but Jordan just went and got the ball and put it on the spot. He scored well to the keepers right,low in the corner. Baldoyle came at us more in the second half but we looked ok at the back and luke was really only dealing with long range efforts until they broke through and he had to dive bravely at the feet of the attacker. After some treatment he was fine to go on but soon had to take the ball out of his net when baldoyle caught us on the break and squared the ball back from the byline to score a nice goal. End to end football now with Sean F and Ciaran having chances but baldoyle got another one with 3 left and althought Luke came out of goal and had a great run and shot with his weaker foot ,we just couldn't get the leveler. Game finished 2-1 to Baldoyle
Coaches notes: 1st up, Luke was great in goal and did a great job for the team as he wanted to play out and show his skills against the winners of our league. I think it was the best keeper performance i have seen this year and on a par with his one out in Maynooth last year. And although we lost his outfield play i felt before the game we would be ok if Katie and the returning Jordan could have good games.And so they did. I expect David and Cian to win all with out any fuss and although they might look at me during the games as if I'm mad,they do what is asked brilliantly.They are 2 rocks for our team. I like Katie in this Defensive midfield position as she can see all in front of her and it was her best performance for us this year and again did it for the team as i know she wanted to get further forward.Jordan played longer than i had planed because he just looked to be loving it and i had not got the heart to take him off after him missing so much football lately. Last mention although all were great,Conner,Chris,Sean F, Ciaran and Lauren goes to Mark. Last week he got caught once or twice with the howth player getting behind him. We spoke about it before the match as we had no training this week to work on it. He was super today and i can't remember him missing a tackle or letting some one in behind him ,so well done Mark. Hope all on the sidelines enjoyed it. Till Monday.
Ivan.
Howth Celtic Away (League)
May 1st 2010
Captain for today was Mark who joined up with us from Ciara's team. Missing today was Riley,Zara, Katie,Chris,Ciaran and Jordan. Howth are at the top of our league so we were expecting a tough game today . We started the game well with Sean F in goal and as we had no subs today it was a full game for all. David and Luke held the midfield while Mark , Conner and Sean N were great in attack. How we didn't score in the 1st half i don't really know but it was'nt because of lack of chances. Luke set Sean N up with 3 first half attempts but their keeper was very good and and managed to keep them out. Mark and David combined well to keep pressure on howth and set up Conner for 2 good chances . Luke and David both had chances from long range but again their keeper saved well. At the other end are super keeper was playing a blinder with his punches of the ball and distribution . Chris ,Lauren and Cian were at the back and played very well , again winning some important tackles and setting us up on attack. So how were we 4 down at half time. Well we conceded 3 in a couple of mins of each other while another took a bad deflection none of which were Sean F fault,nothing he could do.
For the second half Chris went in goal for us and did really well and was very safe with his hands and kick outs. Lauren went up front with Sean N and again both had chances to score. Luke and David could have scored while Cian was great again. Mark and Conner at the back were up against a very good girl and boy who caused us trouble and as we pushed on they got 2 goalsThe lads did great to stop them,winning most of there tackles a pass after that. At 6 down we started are very exciting fight back with saw David make a great run and square the ball for Sean N to slide home at the far post. Sean F then got on the score sheet with a great block and drive forward which ended with his shot taking a deflection passed their keeper. We were flying forward now and a 3rd was on the cards but we got caught on the break twice more to finish the game 8-2.
Coaches notes: Again great effort today. Skill levels were brilliant, best in a while , from Luke doing all his tricks ( step overs,double and triple, inside and outside snaps and the zidane), Conner step overs were texted book , David use of the inside and outside of this boot to dribble past their defence for our goal ,Lauren shielding the ball , Sean N holding the ball up against 4 or 5 players at times and then still finding a pass,Cians long throws and to the lads at the back who make great tackles. We asked the players to try their tricks in these games as we have nothing to lose. We have lost all( bar one) league games so we might as well enjoy getting on the ball and not be afraid to try and play. Again i left today thinking what might the score have been if we had got a 3rd or taking the lead we deserverd early on. Yes the score lines are very tough on us but its part of the game we except when we are learning and are up against better teams than us.( thats to say that other teams have more players of a higher standard of play than we have,not that our best players are'nt as good as their ones). Too watch Lauren( her 1st year playing), Sean N ( from are under 9 team) , Ciaren, Conner, Chris and yesterday Mark ( all from 10g team) play in the B league and show great effort and skill and enjoy their football,while taken a heavy defeat can only mean good things for us next year as we get more time to work with all them. 3 games left for us, starting with a trip to the league winners(Baldoyle) and then Malahide before Baldoyle
Ivan.
Clonnee Away (League)
April 24th 2010
Captain for today was Luke.We were without Chris,Zara and Lauren. Sun was out for us today and we also had our good friend John Kelly as ref. Good game today started with us passing the ball nicely and winning tackles. Clonnee put us under some pressure early on but we defended well winning headers at their 1st 2 corners,Kate and David with the clearance. Cian's throws were getting us into good positions and we looked very dangerous from these. Clonnee went ahead with a good finish but we responded well and scored an different type of goal this week. Cian won his tackle and played a big looping ball down the field which Sean N chased and he got between the defender and Goalkeeper to finish .Riley pulled of some good saves and kick outs were good.Cian won another tackle and was very cool in waiting till the right moment to release Sean F on the left that won us a corner. Luke and katie linked up well to set up Sean F, who's shot went over the bar and Sean made another chance for himself by winning 3 50/50 tackles and then having a good shot at goal.David also won a great tackle in his own half and raced forward and looked like he was going to blast a shot at goal but played a nice little pass through that was just a little to hard for luke to get on too.We concede a disappointing 2nd goal but from the tip off luke beat all their players but just could not get the ball passed their keeper for the equalizer.Half time 2-1.
The 2nd half was more of the same. Great blooking from Chris G,Conor and Ciaran with Katie and David up and down the pitch and the 2 sean's and Luke in attack.We conceded 2 more in the second half but replied with a nice goal of our own.Good pressure had got us a throw in high up the pitch but a nice quick throw from Sean F too Sean N,saw him make a lovely turn and pass to David who smacked his shot home with those lovely blue boots he got for scoring 2 weeks ago.Chris G made a great interception to set up an attack while Conor and ciaran did well in more attacking positions late on.Clonnee scored again late on for a final score 5-2.
Coaches notes:
Another good team effort today. I worked with the children on Heading all week. This was super today. From Kate's 1st header at that 1st corner we never looked back as all the players won headers today that we in other games seem to miss. We worked on throw ins and got a great goal right from the training ground today.Mike worked on passing and movement and we seen plenty of that and it's great to see the children's hard work in training come good in matches.That's not to say we are finished with heading or movement but we have had a good start too both. We concede 2 poor goals today but in 50mins of football at 10 years of age our concentration is very good. We still get the wrong side of players at throw ins and corners ,not all the time , just 2 or 3 times a game and get punished but as i say we will improve that as we go on.Well done to Luke who played on today after having his tooth knocked out in the 1st half and still have a great game until he got injured in the 2nd half trying to score from one of his long runs.We could have scored more today , Luke could have got 3 while both Sean's had chances and so did David. If our final ball and final shot can be improved,more goals will come. Now there's an idea for Monday and Wednesday.Last but not least a big thank you to John kelly who spoke very highly of our players before,at half time and after the game. John has been a friend to this team since the Castleknock cup a few years back and was brilliant with the children and was a good help to Riley in the game as John was a great keeper before becoming a ref.We hope to see him again some at one of our matches.
Ivan
Laytown Away (League)
April 17th 2010
Captain for today was David. We had no Zara, Jordan or Chris for todays game. Sun was shining in Laytown but the pitch was hard to find and we had to make a few changes before the game with Luke going into goal as cover for Riley. Game started really well, very fast with David, Ciaran and Katie getting on the ball and trying to set up our attacks while Chris G and Conor started very well in defence. Laytown put us under pressure early on and Luke did great in making saves to keep the score 0-0 and his best save was from a thunderous strike that he somehow got his hand to and tipped onto the bar. Laytown got two goals in the first half, both struck brilliantly, Luke didn't have a chance with the first one but the second one he made a great attempt and got a hand to the ball only to see it go into the top corner. Very unluckly. During the first half, Cian was outstanding. He won every tackle be it on the left of the pitch, the right of the pitch, in the box or midfield, he just seemed to be everywhere. We also realised that he has a fantastic long throw (Rory Delap style). We used this to good use in the half moving up the pitch and set up a few of our attacks from this. At one such attack, we had a great scramble in their box and how no-one put it in the net and who missed the chance I don't know as there was so many bodies in the way. Sean F had arrived now and attacked down the right hand wing with Cian and in one such move played the ball one side of the defender whilst running around him on the opposite side (Pele like) which was a great bit of skill and put a smile on everyones face on the sideline. Ciaran and Sean N also seen plenty of the ball but we just couldn't get past the last defender to get a goal. Half time was 2-0.
Second half saw much of the same although Luke didn't have as many shots at goal with Conor,Chris G and Cian helped by David and Ciaran so that most shots were from long range. Conor made two great blocks on the edge of the box and as the half went on he started to win the ball and step forward with it more releasing a good final pass and setting up David and Katie for their attacks. Riley arrived and we changed goalkeeper and got Luke out and went for goals. We got caught with two more goals at the back during this period, both deflected shots but this was our best attacking period. Sean F and Luke combined beautifully with a 1-2 movement to set Sean N away on his left side and their keeper made a great save down low to his right. Ciaran make some great breaks down the left and had a great shot saved by the keeper. We had three or four corners that were delivered brilliantly and during the scrambles Lauren was so unluckly not to score when both the keeper and defender blocked her shot. Sean N almost got his head to another corner and in the scramble the ball just wouldn't go into the net for us. The game finished 4-0 to a good Laytown team.
Coaches Notes:
Delighted with the play today even though it was another defeat. Before the game, we spoke to the children about just playing our game and not worrying about what the opposition said or did during the game. Everyone of them did this. Our passing and movement was good.. Our blocking and defending was good also while Luke had a great game in goal but we missed his attacking play a little. Great energy and work rate from Ciaran, Conor and Katie while Chris G at the back just seems to get better with every game. Great to see Sean F enjoying his game today and he was great to watch. We didn't get as much ball as we would like to Sean N or Lauren up front but that's something we can work on. David had his usual great game in the middle of everything but the stand out performance today was Cian. I don't think he missed one tackle in the whole game and his tackling was so strong, no one was getting past him today. The great thing is that he also wanted the ball from our keeper. Every ball he played up the line went to one of our players and none went out of play. His throw ins were excellent when you consider Laytown had about 12 foul throws in the whole game. A quick note on the ref. The ref did excellent talking to the kids and pulling up kids if they spoke out of hand and we had no problems with language to our children this week. I still might have liked a few more free kicks but that just me so well done to the ref.
Ivan
Laytown Home (League)
April 10th 2010
Captain for today was Conor. The sun was out again for the football today. Missing today was Zara and Jordan but back were Katie,Sean F and Riley. The game started at a great pace and never let up.The main battle was midfield while both Keepers did not have a lot to do ,but when they had to they did well.Our defence was tight and only got caught out once or twice in the 1st half and then Cian,Chris G, Ciaran and Chris were always on hand to make the tackles. In front of them luke and David were great,winning tackles and setting up our attacks while Sean F,Conor and Katie linked up lovely with Sean N. Laytown got the only goal of the 1st half from a corner and scamble in the box .
2nd half saw more of the same battle and Laytown got the second goal after attacking down our left and crossing for their forward to tap in. Another goal for Laytown might have seen us suffer a big defeat but we hung on in the game and after good preesure we won a free kick on the right and David shot went in at the near post (I told you last week his goal was coming)to the great excitement of the children and sideline. We pushed on but could not find the equiliser we thought our play deserved. Final score 2-1 to Laytown
Coaches notes: Great game today.Loved it. Game was close now we had most of our players back. Laytown have plenty of good players but I thought we matched them really well.We had to battle with the physical side of football, on and off the ball and stood up well and never reacted to it. ( Think we are the most fouled team in our league). Also the children got a lot of verbal stuff at them and again did not react to it,something we can be proud off. The things that was said to the players often happens in older age football ,I think good coaches can stamp that out at training and how we as parents are on the sidelines. The football again was lovely to watch and although we lost, the kids seemed to enjoy the match which is the main thing.
Great to see Jordan down supporting the team and we wish him well in his recovery from his arm injury Well done David for getting your goal.
Ivan.
Castleknock away (league)
March27th 2010
Captain for today was Chris. We started today without Jordan,Sean F,Riley and Katie who were all unavailable. We also were without others but we thought they were coming which meet we only had 8 players today and no subs.We had a great game 2 weeks ago with Castleknock with our full team but it was always going to be a long day for us without so many.We concede after only 2 min when Luke made 3 saves only for the ball to be poked past him into the net. We battled after this set back and played some nice football with David going close from a free kick and Sean N and Ciaran combining well down the wings.Sean N did great to collect luke's long kick and he lifted the ball over the keeper only to see it just drop passed the cross bar.(I thought it went in and turned away delighted only to see a goal kick). The Defenders did well to keep Castleknock out for as long as possible and we were happy with the 2 nil score line at half time. Second half was a different story with castleknock cueing up to score at will. We never gave up but we were very tired and just could not keep up with them. When we got the ball we had a go and its a pity we didn't get at least one goal for our hard work.David was very unlucky not to get his 1st goal for us(it's coming,believe me) when he twisted and turned but saw his shot well saved again. Chris G and Ciaran again gave their all while David ,lauren and Cian worked their socks off . Luke must have saved another 10 goals but was always up against it in the second half. Can't fault the children for effort today and I was surprised how many still wanted the ball even at the end . Final score 10-0.
Coaches notes: I think this league is hard enough without missing so many good players. Thats not to say the players we had out today were not good enough but it is a team game and i think with one player less, and 2 players steping up a few leagues from ciara team and some of our team not playing that often this was just too big a step for us today against a Castleknock team that came second in our league last year.(we finished 5th)We thought we were going to have 2 extra players today ,1 from ciara and 1 from ours but we heard nothing from them and just left for our match without them(15 min late).Thanks to those who did reply. I love watching our children play football (dont like watching them lose so much) and they tried though the whole game and I was surprised and delighed by this . Too watch Cian , Chris G and Lauren look to get on the ball from ourkeeper and keep calling for it when their 8 and 9 down was very encouraging for us. Parents as well desevre credit for their surport as i think all could see their child gave everything.Every good coach finds someone else to blame and i'm no different(only joking) but the ref had a shocker. Lost count how many fouls were on David ,never mind Sean N near the end of the game and it might do the refs well to read the rules of small sided games before they cross the white line. Dont worry i will have them printed out for them next time.Any way i think the Easter break has come at good time for all and with all back after Easter i hope we will see some closer games.
Ivan.
Ratoath Harps Away(League)
May 10th 2010
Captain for today was Cian.Missing was Sean N and Zara. This game was played in the lovely Gannon park on the Main SSG pitch and so we decided to bring a great team performance to this great pitch. Formation was very same as Saturdays game with Luke in goal and Katie in the holding position and from the very start we were on top. Jordan ,Ciaran and Sean hooked up well to get us a number of chances and corners which should have seen us taking the lead in the first half. Luke made a great save ,to his left which conner then cleared,when the malahide player broke though while Captain Cian lead by example with great tackles and even greater passing. David could have scored a header from a jordan freekick while Riley came on and had some great runs down the right wing. Sean F was as busy as ever and lauern and mark worked really well with Cian. Katie set up good attacks while always holding our position in midfield. Half time 0-0
2nd haft saw us get the goals our 1st half performance deserved. As Malahide attacked down the their left wing Cian won the ball and ran forward into their half and just as it looked like he was about to let rip with a shot , he played beautiful (pass of the match) ball though to katie whos shot was saved and in the fight to get the ball ,David ( what seemed like forever) simply pushed it into the back of the net. With the lead we gain confidence and soon after Sean F raced though on the left after good work by Lauren and Riley to finish though the keepers legs. We defended really well with Luke making 2 wonderfull saves, and he was helped by some great blocking from Conner. Ciaran rounded off a great game for us with our 3rd when he coolly finished after a good run. The final whistle went and we had won again.
Coaches notes; After the great performance on Saturday, we were just hoping to get another good performance tonight. It was great for the children to get a win which is as a result of all their hard work in training over the last few weeks. We gave man of the match to Cian but we could have picked any of the players today as all did something positive in the game. It is not often we keep a clean sheet and it was nice to get one before the season ended. Last game is Saturday against Baldoyle and let's see if we can finish our season with another good performance.
Baldoyle Away (league)
May 8th 2010
Captain for today was Jordan . Missing were Zara,Chris,Riley,Sean N. Lovely day for a game today and and trip to the league winners so see how we would get on. Baldoyle decided to change us around at the tip off and play with the wind and with in seconds had a thunderous shot tipped over by Luke. Luke was super in goal all game making great saves and always finding one of our players with his kick outs.In front of him Cian lead the other defenders,Chris,Mark and Conner through out the game and all were amazing. Katie played the defensive midfield position today and her passing,shielding and covering were 1st class. David, along side Katie was excellent as always,Driving the team forward when he got the chance. We created a few chances in the first half when Jordan and Sean F combined well while Ciaran and Lauren caused them problems with their hard work.I think it's the 1st time we have come in at half time 0-0 which tells you how hard the team worked defending and of course with Luke amazing in goal.
After the drinks and oranges were taking on board we started the second half on top and after a nice passing movement from Sean F ,Katie and Jordan ,David was taking down on the edge of the box and the ref pointed to the spot. David and Sean F both asked me to take the penalty but Jordan just went and got the ball and put it on the spot. He scored well to the keepers right,low in the corner. Baldoyle came at us more in the second half but we looked ok at the back and luke was really only dealing with long range efforts until they broke through and he had to dive bravely at the feet of the attacker. After some treatment he was fine to go on but soon had to take the ball out of his net when baldoyle caught us on the break and squared the ball back from the byline to score a nice goal. End to end football now with Sean F and Ciaran having chances but baldoyle got another one with 3 left and althought Luke came out of goal and had a great run and shot with his weaker foot ,we just couldn't get the leveler. Game finished 2-1 to Baldoyle
Coaches notes: 1st up, Luke was great in goal and did a great job for the team as he wanted to play out and show his skills against the winners of our league. I think it was the best keeper performance i have seen this year and on a par with his one out in Maynooth last year. And although we lost his outfield play i felt before the game we would be ok if Katie and the returning Jordan could have good games.And so they did. I expect David and Cian to win all with out any fuss and although they might look at me during the games as if I'm mad,they do what is asked brilliantly.They are 2 rocks for our team. I like Katie in this Defensive midfield position as she can see all in front of her and it was her best performance for us this year and again did it for the team as i know she wanted to get further forward.Jordan played longer than i had planed because he just looked to be loving it and i had not got the heart to take him off after him missing so much football lately. Last mention although all were great,Conner,Chris,Sean F, Ciaran and Lauren goes to Mark. Last week he got caught once or twice with the howth player getting behind him. We spoke about it before the match as we had no training this week to work on it. He was super today and i can't remember him missing a tackle or letting some one in behind him ,so well done Mark. Hope all on the sidelines enjoyed it. Till Monday.
Ivan.
Howth Celtic Away (League)
May 1st 2010
Captain for today was Mark who joined up with us from Ciara's team. Missing today was Riley,Zara, Katie,Chris,Ciaran and Jordan. Howth are at the top of our league so we were expecting a tough game today . We started the game well with Sean F in goal and as we had no subs today it was a full game for all. David and Luke held the midfield while Mark , Conner and Sean N were great in attack. How we didn't score in the 1st half i don't really know but it was'nt because of lack of chances. Luke set Sean N up with 3 first half attempts but their keeper was very good and and managed to keep them out. Mark and David combined well to keep pressure on howth and set up Conner for 2 good chances . Luke and David both had chances from long range but again their keeper saved well. At the other end are super keeper was playing a blinder with his punches of the ball and distribution . Chris ,Lauren and Cian were at the back and played very well , again winning some important tackles and setting us up on attack. So how were we 4 down at half time. Well we conceded 3 in a couple of mins of each other while another took a bad deflection none of which were Sean F fault,nothing he could do.
For the second half Chris went in goal for us and did really well and was very safe with his hands and kick outs. Lauren went up front with Sean N and again both had chances to score. Luke and David could have scored while Cian was great again. Mark and Conner at the back were up against a very good girl and boy who caused us trouble and as we pushed on they got 2 goalsThe lads did great to stop them,winning most of there tackles a pass after that. At 6 down we started are very exciting fight back with saw David make a great run and square the ball for Sean N to slide home at the far post. Sean F then got on the score sheet with a great block and drive forward which ended with his shot taking a deflection passed their keeper. We were flying forward now and a 3rd was on the cards but we got caught on the break twice more to finish the game 8-2.
Coaches notes: Again great effort today. Skill levels were brilliant, best in a while , from Luke doing all his tricks ( step overs,double and triple, inside and outside snaps and the zidane), Conner step overs were texted book , David use of the inside and outside of this boot to dribble past their defence for our goal ,Lauren shielding the ball , Sean N holding the ball up against 4 or 5 players at times and then still finding a pass,Cians long throws and to the lads at the back who make great tackles. We asked the players to try their tricks in these games as we have nothing to lose. We have lost all( bar one) league games so we might as well enjoy getting on the ball and not be afraid to try and play. Again i left today thinking what might the score have been if we had got a 3rd or taking the lead we deserverd early on. Yes the score lines are very tough on us but its part of the game we except when we are learning and are up against better teams than us.( thats to say that other teams have more players of a higher standard of play than we have,not that our best players are'nt as good as their ones). Too watch Lauren( her 1st year playing), Sean N ( from are under 9 team) , Ciaren, Conner, Chris and yesterday Mark ( all from 10g team) play in the B league and show great effort and skill and enjoy their football,while taken a heavy defeat can only mean good things for us next year as we get more time to work with all them. 3 games left for us, starting with a trip to the league winners(Baldoyle) and then Malahide before Baldoyle
Ivan.
Clonnee Away (League)
April 24th 2010
Captain for today was Luke.We were without Chris,Zara and Lauren. Sun was out for us today and we also had our good friend John Kelly as ref. Good game today started with us passing the ball nicely and winning tackles. Clonnee put us under some pressure early on but we defended well winning headers at their 1st 2 corners,Kate and David with the clearance. Cian's throws were getting us into good positions and we looked very dangerous from these. Clonnee went ahead with a good finish but we responded well and scored an different type of goal this week. Cian won his tackle and played a big looping ball down the field which Sean N chased and he got between the defender and Goalkeeper to finish .Riley pulled of some good saves and kick outs were good.Cian won another tackle and was very cool in waiting till the right moment to release Sean F on the left that won us a corner. Luke and katie linked up well to set up Sean F, who's shot went over the bar and Sean made another chance for himself by winning 3 50/50 tackles and then having a good shot at goal.David also won a great tackle in his own half and raced forward and looked like he was going to blast a shot at goal but played a nice little pass through that was just a little to hard for luke to get on too.We concede a disappointing 2nd goal but from the tip off luke beat all their players but just could not get the ball passed their keeper for the equalizer.Half time 2-1.
The 2nd half was more of the same. Great blooking from Chris G,Conor and Ciaran with Katie and David up and down the pitch and the 2 sean's and Luke in attack.We conceded 2 more in the second half but replied with a nice goal of our own.Good pressure had got us a throw in high up the pitch but a nice quick throw from Sean F too Sean N,saw him make a lovely turn and pass to David who smacked his shot home with those lovely blue boots he got for scoring 2 weeks ago.Chris G made a great interception to set up an attack while Conor and ciaran did well in more attacking positions late on.Clonnee scored again late on for a final score 5-2.
Coaches notes:
Another good team effort today. I worked with the children on Heading all week. This was super today. From Kate's 1st header at that 1st corner we never looked back as all the players won headers today that we in other games seem to miss. We worked on throw ins and got a great goal right from the training ground today.Mike worked on passing and movement and we seen plenty of that and it's great to see the children's hard work in training come good in matches.That's not to say we are finished with heading or movement but we have had a good start too both. We concede 2 poor goals today but in 50mins of football at 10 years of age our concentration is very good. We still get the wrong side of players at throw ins and corners ,not all the time , just 2 or 3 times a game and get punished but as i say we will improve that as we go on.Well done to Luke who played on today after having his tooth knocked out in the 1st half and still have a great game until he got injured in the 2nd half trying to score from one of his long runs.We could have scored more today , Luke could have got 3 while both Sean's had chances and so did David. If our final ball and final shot can be improved,more goals will come. Now there's an idea for Monday and Wednesday.Last but not least a big thank you to John kelly who spoke very highly of our players before,at half time and after the game. John has been a friend to this team since the Castleknock cup a few years back and was brilliant with the children and was a good help to Riley in the game as John was a great keeper before becoming a ref.We hope to see him again some at one of our matches.
Ivan
Laytown Away (League)
April 17th 2010
Captain for today was David. We had no Zara, Jordan or Chris for todays game. Sun was shining in Laytown but the pitch was hard to find and we had to make a few changes before the game with Luke going into goal as cover for Riley. Game started really well, very fast with David, Ciaran and Katie getting on the ball and trying to set up our attacks while Chris G and Conor started very well in defence. Laytown put us under pressure early on and Luke did great in making saves to keep the score 0-0 and his best save was from a thunderous strike that he somehow got his hand to and tipped onto the bar. Laytown got two goals in the first half, both struck brilliantly, Luke didn't have a chance with the first one but the second one he made a great attempt and got a hand to the ball only to see it go into the top corner. Very unluckly. During the first half, Cian was outstanding. He won every tackle be it on the left of the pitch, the right of the pitch, in the box or midfield, he just seemed to be everywhere. We also realised that he has a fantastic long throw (Rory Delap style). We used this to good use in the half moving up the pitch and set up a few of our attacks from this. At one such attack, we had a great scramble in their box and how no-one put it in the net and who missed the chance I don't know as there was so many bodies in the way. Sean F had arrived now and attacked down the right hand wing with Cian and in one such move played the ball one side of the defender whilst running around him on the opposite side (Pele like) which was a great bit of skill and put a smile on everyones face on the sideline. Ciaran and Sean N also seen plenty of the ball but we just couldn't get past the last defender to get a goal. Half time was 2-0.
Second half saw much of the same although Luke didn't have as many shots at goal with Conor,Chris G and Cian helped by David and Ciaran so that most shots were from long range. Conor made two great blocks on the edge of the box and as the half went on he started to win the ball and step forward with it more releasing a good final pass and setting up David and Katie for their attacks. Riley arrived and we changed goalkeeper and got Luke out and went for goals. We got caught with two more goals at the back during this period, both deflected shots but this was our best attacking period. Sean F and Luke combined beautifully with a 1-2 movement to set Sean N away on his left side and their keeper made a great save down low to his right. Ciaran make some great breaks down the left and had a great shot saved by the keeper. We had three or four corners that were delivered brilliantly and during the scrambles Lauren was so unluckly not to score when both the keeper and defender blocked her shot. Sean N almost got his head to another corner and in the scramble the ball just wouldn't go into the net for us. The game finished 4-0 to a good Laytown team.
Coaches Notes:
Delighted with the play today even though it was another defeat. Before the game, we spoke to the children about just playing our game and not worrying about what the opposition said or did during the game. Everyone of them did this. Our passing and movement was good.. Our blocking and defending was good also while Luke had a great game in goal but we missed his attacking play a little. Great energy and work rate from Ciaran, Conor and Katie while Chris G at the back just seems to get better with every game. Great to see Sean F enjoying his game today and he was great to watch. We didn't get as much ball as we would like to Sean N or Lauren up front but that's something we can work on. David had his usual great game in the middle of everything but the stand out performance today was Cian. I don't think he missed one tackle in the whole game and his tackling was so strong, no one was getting past him today. The great thing is that he also wanted the ball from our keeper. Every ball he played up the line went to one of our players and none went out of play. His throw ins were excellent when you consider Laytown had about 12 foul throws in the whole game. A quick note on the ref. The ref did excellent talking to the kids and pulling up kids if they spoke out of hand and we had no problems with language to our children this week. I still might have liked a few more free kicks but that just me so well done to the ref.
Ivan
Laytown Home (League)
April 10th 2010
Captain for today was Conor. The sun was out again for the football today. Missing today was Zara and Jordan but back were Katie,Sean F and Riley. The game started at a great pace and never let up.The main battle was midfield while both Keepers did not have a lot to do ,but when they had to they did well.Our defence was tight and only got caught out once or twice in the 1st half and then Cian,Chris G, Ciaran and Chris were always on hand to make the tackles. In front of them luke and David were great,winning tackles and setting up our attacks while Sean F,Conor and Katie linked up lovely with Sean N. Laytown got the only goal of the 1st half from a corner and scamble in the box .
2nd half saw more of the same battle and Laytown got the second goal after attacking down our left and crossing for their forward to tap in. Another goal for Laytown might have seen us suffer a big defeat but we hung on in the game and after good preesure we won a free kick on the right and David shot went in at the near post (I told you last week his goal was coming)to the great excitement of the children and sideline. We pushed on but could not find the equiliser we thought our play deserved. Final score 2-1 to Laytown
Coaches notes: Great game today.Loved it. Game was close now we had most of our players back. Laytown have plenty of good players but I thought we matched them really well.We had to battle with the physical side of football, on and off the ball and stood up well and never reacted to it. ( Think we are the most fouled team in our league). Also the children got a lot of verbal stuff at them and again did not react to it,something we can be proud off. The things that was said to the players often happens in older age football ,I think good coaches can stamp that out at training and how we as parents are on the sidelines. The football again was lovely to watch and although we lost, the kids seemed to enjoy the match which is the main thing.
Great to see Jordan down supporting the team and we wish him well in his recovery from his arm injury Well done David for getting your goal.
Ivan.
Castleknock away (league)
March27th 2010
Captain for today was Chris. We started today without Jordan,Sean F,Riley and Katie who were all unavailable. We also were without others but we thought they were coming which meet we only had 8 players today and no subs.We had a great game 2 weeks ago with Castleknock with our full team but it was always going to be a long day for us without so many.We concede after only 2 min when Luke made 3 saves only for the ball to be poked past him into the net. We battled after this set back and played some nice football with David going close from a free kick and Sean N and Ciaran combining well down the wings.Sean N did great to collect luke's long kick and he lifted the ball over the keeper only to see it just drop passed the cross bar.(I thought it went in and turned away delighted only to see a goal kick). The Defenders did well to keep Castleknock out for as long as possible and we were happy with the 2 nil score line at half time. Second half was a different story with castleknock cueing up to score at will. We never gave up but we were very tired and just could not keep up with them. When we got the ball we had a go and its a pity we didn't get at least one goal for our hard work.David was very unlucky not to get his 1st goal for us(it's coming,believe me) when he twisted and turned but saw his shot well saved again. Chris G and Ciaran again gave their all while David ,lauren and Cian worked their socks off . Luke must have saved another 10 goals but was always up against it in the second half. Can't fault the children for effort today and I was surprised how many still wanted the ball even at the end . Final score 10-0.
Coaches notes: I think this league is hard enough without missing so many good players. Thats not to say the players we had out today were not good enough but it is a team game and i think with one player less, and 2 players steping up a few leagues from ciara team and some of our team not playing that often this was just too big a step for us today against a Castleknock team that came second in our league last year.(we finished 5th)We thought we were going to have 2 extra players today ,1 from ciara and 1 from ours but we heard nothing from them and just left for our match without them(15 min late).Thanks to those who did reply. I love watching our children play football (dont like watching them lose so much) and they tried though the whole game and I was surprised and delighed by this . Too watch Cian , Chris G and Lauren look to get on the ball from ourkeeper and keep calling for it when their 8 and 9 down was very encouraging for us. Parents as well desevre credit for their surport as i think all could see their child gave everything.Every good coach finds someone else to blame and i'm no different(only joking) but the ref had a shocker. Lost count how many fouls were on David ,never mind Sean N near the end of the game and it might do the refs well to read the rules of small sided games before they cross the white line. Dont worry i will have them printed out for them next time.Any way i think the Easter break has come at good time for all and with all back after Easter i hope we will see some closer games.
Ivan.
Ratoath Harps Away(League)
March 20th 2010
Captain for today was Chris G. We set out today for our away game without four of our players: Chris, Zara, Jordan and Sean F but were lucky enough to have Ciara's players Chris G and Ciaran so that we had a full team of 9. We got there nice and early. Mike and Karl did good warm ups and we were ready to go. The first half performance was our best so far this season. The passing and movement from all was a joy to watch. Riley in goal made two or three excellent saves while the defence of Cian, Lauren and Chris G not only won their tackles but then always made sure that there was a good pass after it. David and Luke were ahead of the defence and made sure they won all their tackles but when they got on the ball, they had more space to run with it and caused problem after problem for Ratoath. But it was Ratoath who took the lead after they won a corner and for the second time in two weeks, we conceded directly from a corner which was the only dissapointment in today's game. We conceded many more corners but David and Riley made sure the ball would not go straight in to our goal so we believe we've learned from these. Plenty of blocking was required of shots around our box and the three defenders all worked really hard for this. So having gone behind, we had a small fear the results would have gone the same as previous weeks but not so this week. Katie, Ciaran and Sean N attacked Ratoath every time they got the ball. Small triangles of play would see Sean N or Katie holding on to the ball for what seemed like forever while the defenders just couldn't get the ball from them. Our three goals today came from balls being won at the back, played on the ground and passed into the net. The first one came after Luke received a great quick throw in from Cian (who had won his tackle to get us the throw in)on the right and he attacked down the wing and after beating some players had a shot which the keeper managed to get a hand to but Sean N was there to tap in a deserved equaliser. Our second goal came from a Ratoath corner which David cleared at the near post and as the ball bounced in midfield, Luke won his 50-50 tackle and was away. He attacked the goal beating the last defenders and although he had two options either side Sean N and Katie, he just slid the ball past the keeper. This gave us great confidence and it was Lauren who won her tackle and played a nice ball to David. David found Luke who passed to Sean N who shielded the ball and teased the defenders into the tackle and then played the ball back to Luke who ran at the defenders this time taking a shot from outside the box. The keeper could only push it onto the post and Katie was on hand to follow it up to slide it into the empty muddy net. For the rest of the half, Ciaran, Luke and David just seemed to win all the ball and set up our two attackers at will. When half time came, the kids deserved their rest and their oranges.
Riley got injured making one of his great saves in the first half and needed to be replaced in the second by Luke. Riley worked really hard outfield for the game and as the second half went on, his passing was so much better as it is very hard to come out of goal and play in a fast tempo game like yesterday's. Again for the second half, we saw brilliant hold up play by Sean N as the ball seemed to be stuck to him at times while he skpped past their defenders while Katie passing and movement was again fantastic and she even took a bow after shielding the ball for what seemed about 20 seconds without actually moving the ball and got a great around of appaulse from our side line and took her bow (which is a very long time on the ptich when you're watching it). Again the three defenders had to work so hard considering we had no subs today. Lauren easily had her best game ever for us and actually seemed to be making strong tackles and then added good passing to her game this week. Ciaran's work rate was fantastic, up and down the pitch helping the attack but also helping David on the defenders. Luke was excellent in goal using his hands brilliantly. His shouting for the ball (i.e. Keepers Ball) was fantastic while his kick outs always seemed to reach our midfielders or whoever he planned to reach. On one such occasion a beautiful passed ball found David out wide who ran the whole length of the pitch beating anyone who came near him and finally has his shot saved at the near post. Chris G led like a real captain and was a big reason why we kept them down to one goal in the second half. Their goal came from a drop ball where we got slightly caught out position wise and after a scramble in the box, the ball was poked by Luke with two minutes to go. A nervy last two minutes saw us just try to hold onto the ball which we did to see our first win of the league.
Coaches Notes: We were worried going out this morning without the missing four and you must remember we lost 0-5 to Ratoath four weeks ago (Match report below). I thought the 5 nil scoreline that day was unfair on us and that our passing and movement wasn't great that day after our long break. The difference today between our team and their team is that we take chances from the back and even at 1-0 down today our goalkeeper passed the ball out to our players and we asked them to play from there whereas the opposition just seemed to hoof the ball up the field to get it as far away from their goal as possible. It's very interesting to watch how other teams in our league play.
Also great credit to Mike who has come up with some great drills in training on passing and movement and we have worked on these for the last two weeks in training and it all just seemed to come together for us yesterday. Once we got the lead yesterday, confidence soared and it looked like we could score everytime we got the ball. While although it was nervous watching the game, looking back on it we handled our opposition very well yesterday. Position wise, all players with the exception of Luke and Riley who swapped played in the same spot for the whole game which is a first for us. This made it very easy for the children to know exactly what they had to do and very easy to manage as well from the sideline. David was asked to do a big job in the second half for us today. He was asked to mark the best player and to stop him running at our defenders while also having to attack when he had the ball and then get back to help out the defence - a very tough job. He did it brilliantly. It was a massive reason that we got a positive result. I told the children at half time that I could go home already because I had seen the best football from us all season and even if we had lost today, we would have felt that we had improved on previous games, the fact that we hung on was a great bonus for us. We look forward to the other matches now having got our win and when the other players join us, there is no reason why we can't give all the teams in our league a game.
Castlknock Home (League)
March 13th 2010
Captain for today was Cian. Mike was ref for the 1st half Chris G and Conor joined us today from Ciara's 10G team to help us out and both did very well as they can pass the ball very well which suits the way we like to play. The game was very even with Kate and Luke helping David and Cian to keep the defence tight while Chris, Jordan, Sean N and Zara were in attack. Castleknock got the lead after a good finish while Sean N saw his shot saved after a good passing move. He got a 2nd chance when Cian won a tackle and played a good pass to Jordan. He ran for 15 yards and played a lovely defence spiltting pass though to a perfect run by Sean N ( his movement was great all game) who finished into the bottom left hand corner. Lauren had a great run that won us a corner and Zara, Chris and Coner passed and put plenty of pressure on them to keep us level at half time.
2nd half saw Sean F attack on the wing and Chris and Jordan helped set Sean F up for a chance that was saved. Our visitors went ahead after the a throw in on our left saw their forward find some space and finish well. Back we came and Sean F got another chance which he finished well after a great run and crosss by Luke. At 2 all the next Goal was going to be the winnner and it came after David made a wonderful tackle that gave them a corner. Unfortunately it went straight into our goal and although Luke cleared it the ref rightly gave the Goal. We kept going till the end but we concede 2 in the last 3 min , one a great finish into the top corner after a teriffic save from Riley and the final score was 2-5.
Coaches Note:
We worked very hard at training this week at passing and movement and talked about holding our position. We were delighted with the play today and only lost our position 3 or 4 times which was a great improvement. Katie did great today in a different position but very important one.We scored 2 lovely goals and probably should have scored more but we will take that for now. Heads never went down and well done to Chris G and Conor who did not look out of place at all in our team. Only thing missing is the win that would finish off a good day and we are sure that it will come if we keep passing the ball well. Well done Mike on refing the game.See you all at Training Monday.
Ivan.
Clonnee Away (Cup Semi-final)
March 6th 2010
Semi-final day had arrived and we had the hard task of playing Clonnee from the A league.Jordan was Captain. The game started well with Katie and Sean F getting on the ball out wide for us and linking up with David and Luke.Riley also started well in goal with Cian and Chris stopping Clonnees early attacks. After 7 min clonnee got the goal that they were looking for when their impressive numder 7 smashed his shot home. 3 more goals followed in the 1st half ,one after a super save from Riley saw the ball fall at the feet of their forward. Inbetween we had a few attacks and corners with Lauren racing in on goal only to be stopped on another occasion.
The 2nd half saw more of the same with clonnee on the front foot and us defending and they rattled in another 6 against us but not because we stopped playing. We never gave up today and made some really great tackles and still tried to play football with some nice triangles of play. Sean F and Jordan hooked up well on the left while Zara chased after all to make her tackles. Katie moved to defence and was very brave and had the blood on her face(from a high boot) to prove it and then still went back on while Luke and David got on the ball when they could and won some important tackles.Cian as always worked so hard for us with his tackles but he also played some lovely long passes today to help us get forward while Chris did well both in defence and then futher forward late on.We asked the children to try and get us a goal in the second half and that came in the last min after nice play on the left from Sean F and Jordan saw our captain for the day get a goal for us when his shot took a nice deflection for us and found the far corner of the net.It was no more than we deservered for our fighting performace. Last but not least Riley ,our Keeper. Riley make an amazing save in the 2nd half which showed our fighting spirit also. The clonnee players had got though and Riley made his save but as the ball rose in the air the clonnee forward headed it over him and what looked like into an empty net.But not today as Riley somehow got back and clawed it from the goal line,while then recovering to save the looseball before getting a great cheer form all of us. The final score was 10-1.
Coaches note.
First of all I have to say well done to all for reaching the semi-final.Also well done to all for not giving up yesterday. I can say that Mike,karl and myself were very proud of the effort that our children gave in this game and believe we might have won our last match( yes the 8-2 loss) if we had kept going like today.On the game itself, we played Jordan at the back with Chris and Cian but changed it after a couple of goals with David going back and Jordan pushing on. Riley did all that was asked from him,coming off his line and using his hands as much as possible.We again lost our shape for long periods in the game but are working on that in training and hope to this improve as we go on. Last weeks training we worked on 1v1 defending and saw a great improvement in that yesterday.Yes we still conceded 10 but i think their number 7, got 6 or 7 of them while two he got were outstanding(the chip and then his goal after the chest control). We rightly or wrongly stuck to what we believe and an example of this was the 2 keepers . We allowed Riley to play the full game yesterday,like taking all our kick outs while clonnee would get their biggist guy to just pump it as far forward as possable. Their keeper did nothing yesterday at all. Not even giving a run out at 8-0. The number 7 also stayed on for most of the game to score as many as possable which is something that is not meet to happen at under age games. But that is them and the fact that they (Their coaches) were reluctent to shake hands at the end of the game says more about them than us.
Just a final note on the Ref yesterday and my reaction to him during the game. We wanted to play our semi-final yesterday win,lose or draw. We expected to have a tough day on the pitch. I felt the ref was having a poor game,ie gave a throw in for us when the ball had not crossed the line and the flag had not gone up from myself.( the ball was 2 foot still in play and no were near the sideline) and in the 1st half only playing 20 min instead of 25( this has happened us before in clonnee in what was final 5 min of a game and us 2-1 down). So i told him at half time that i wanted the time added on in the second half regardless of the score. What really upset my was some of the tackles. ( I sound like Wenger now)I felt we never had a chance to get away from clonnee as we kept getting fouled and some tackles were too dangerious and the one on Jordan was too much for me so i let him know my feelings.The ref has a hard job but as i told him at the end, if he blew up early at the end we would not have got our goal and that he has to talk to the players and their coaches if it continues through the whole game. He apologised for the mistake about the ball being out.
Thanks to all for not getting involved with the ref and for all the possitive surport that you all gave the players. We can all hold our head high as a team.
Ivan
Clonnee Home (League)
Feb 27th 2010
Clonnee came to play us on saturday and we started the game with only 8 players. We started poor again today which saw us 2 down very early on and another up hill battle on. Once we settled and started passing the ball we looked so much better with the defenders looking good on the ball and all our best attacks starting from Chris in goal and Sean F and Cian. Luke made a great run on the wing and his shot hit the post and on another run we saw him get to the goal and square the ball for Sean N to slot home for a deserverd goal . Jordan then had a couple of long range shots while Riley had a shot blocked that was heading for the corner of the net. 1-2 at half time.
2nd half was our worst of the season. We conceded 6 but it could have been 12. Chris did great in goal came off his line as i asked him and used his hands. David and Cian and Sean were overrun at the back while the only positive play saw Sean N skip to the down the wing and his cross was finished by Riley . The final score was 2-8 (I think, lost count after 5)
Coaches note's
Sack the Coach . I changed the team around today as we had conceded so many goals lately that we felt we had to look at other options. I brought Chris into goal and asked him to come off his line and use his hands as much as possible which I felt he did and I was very happy with how he played today. Sean F was moved to play in defence as he had a great game there against Ratoath. We tried to protect the two defenders with David and Sean N but this just didn't work out as I had planned. We felt at half time that we could win the game and changed things accordingly but as soon as the third goal went in, the heads dropped and there was no way back for them. Trying to explain to the children that we can just keep playing even though we are losing is the hardest part of coaching. They are still so young and know the scores of the games better than I do and they just don't want to lose even in training. The score is everything to them while a bit of skill and four or five passes might be everything for me. On the plus side, David's chasing back and last ditch tackle that saved a certain goal was a major plus for me as he never gave up while we must have been 6 or 7-2 down at this stage. Some others did the same but this was the one that stood out for me as it was a certain goal. Congratulations to Sean N and Riley for ending our goal drought and it's back to the drawing board at training.If Rafa can keep his job I think i can keep mine , until next week at least,
Ivan
Ratoath Harps Home (league)
Feb 13th 2010
Our 1st match back since the middle of October was a good close match up untill the last 15 min. We started the game ok but didn't really get much shots at their keeper and soon found ourselves behind. Chris and Cian had a great start for us today and we needed it as the game moved from end to end . David in mid field was outstanding and is becoming a major player for us this season and it was David who won the ball and linked up with luke and Jordan to set up a chance for Lauren with the ratoath defender just stopping her in time. Sean N and Sean F both had chances set up by Katie but we just could not get back on level terms before halftime.
In the second half Riley made a great save at the feet of the Ratoath forward and then we push on more with 2 great runs by luke setting up chances for Sean N and Zara while his 3rd run from his own half saw their keeper make the best save of the game. David hit the post with a shot and Jordan also went close but we conceded again on the break and that was game over. As we pushed forward we were caught again and again on the counter attack altought Chris and Cian worked really hard to stop them. The final score was 5-0.
Coahes note's
1st game back was hard for all and all were very tired after . Our 1st touch and passing was poor today which of course made it very hard for us to make chances. I don't think there was too much between the teams altough the scoreline says different. David had his best game for us but it was not a surprise to us as we have seen a great improvement in his game since September. Jordan and Luke were outstanding again but we now expect that from them every week and so we are not surpised when we see it. It was a little harder for the rest today as Ratoath were big and strong and we were caught a little waiting for the ball rather than going to it. A well done to Cian and Chris (with the help of Sean F in the second half ) as its hard to play the last 15min when your tired and you have wave after wave to defend. Plenty to work on in training for us.
Ivan
Malahide Home (League)
October 18th, 2009, posted by ivan
Our friends at Malahide were back to play us for the 3rd time this season. Mike got the children warmed up while the sun was out to warm up the fans. Chris and Joseph were missing today and Luke was Captain.
What seemed like seconds were gone when Malahide scored. A mix up at the back saw the Malahide forward poke the ball home from a yard out. It was to be 2-0 a few minutes later after a stunning shot saw the ball fly into the net and before we could catch are breath it was 3. We settled a little after this but there was only going to be one winner in this game as all the tricks and skill were coming from the black and reds. We found our selves 4 down before a free kick from Jordan was turned in at the near post by Zara for her 1st goal for us.
2nd half saw more pressure with David and Cian did well to stop while Luke was excellent in goal which all helped to keep the score down. Malahide still managed to get 2 goals, one which was stunning and although we tried to play our football we just could not make chances for our forwards. The game finished 6-1 to Malahide.
Coaches Notes:
1st let me say well done to Malahide . They played football that was fast with great passing and finishing and where a plessure to watch. Football that we usually play. We started so slow yesterday that the game , result wise , was over in a couple of minutes. As a coach i did nothing differently than other games. We just didnt have a great day today as a team and Malahide did . This happens at every level of football and we have to remember that we are still only at under 10. This is another reason why the coaches job yesterday was to give only positive encouragement to the team. No harsh words to the players. It’s easy when you win to praise the players but more important to praise them when things are very difficult for them. Anyone who has played football will have played in a game like that and when your outplayed the last thing you need is personal criticism. Would any parent or coach like to be on the pitch and be well beaten, If you played football you have.At 3-0 down yesterday I felt sorry for our children as I knew they were in for one tough day. Chasing a ball around a pitch in that heat is very hard but they did it. How many on the sideline saw positives yesterday? Loads of negatives , yes, which we as coaches must see and then when we get our chance at training, try and fix. Positives for me yesterday were the performances of David, Cian and Jordan. All 3 got better as the game went on even though we were well behind in the game. This is due to all playing in defense which is were the action was . Luke went in goal for us in the 2nd half and he too gave everthing to keep the score down when not many would go in goal which is understandable in a game like this.He offers the team so much when he is out field that its hard to put him in at times but we know he is really a very good keeper also. Zara got her 1st goal for us which im sure she will always remember. All our attacking players worked hard but didn’t see too much of the ball .
In adults fooball the result is eveything. In small sided games we think the result is important to us (we don’t want to lose) but not as important as a child who shows a new trick with the ball , or a child who scores their 1st goal. I was told a story about another club who played a St.ita’s team on Saturday were the so called coach told a player that he could have his subs back as the team needed to win and so that child was not put on the pitch for 1 minute of a game. This at a age level younger than our’s. UNBELIEVABLE.They didn’t even win the game anyway. Coaches develop players into better players. He is not a Coach. He is in football for himself and results only.
I will remain positive about our team and thank all the parents who did the same yesterday. I look forward to training this week and to next weeks match.Photos will not be up till Tuesday evening.
Ivan.
Howth Celtic home (league)
October 10th, 2009, posted by ivan
The League season started today with the visit of Howth Celtic to the hospital. Missing today was Mark and Joseph. Captain for the game was Sean N.
A slow start to the game saw very little chances in the early stages with the game mainly played around midfield. When we started to pass the ball around the chances started to come. Good work by Cian set Sean F away down the wing and his cross was meet by Katie who’s shot was blocked well. Sean N, jordan and luke made more pretty passing movememts which ended in a shot for Sean F at the edge of the box, with his finish just wide of the goal. Up front for the the 1st half was Zara who worked so hard for the team and she got on the end of two short corners which almost got us our 1st goal. We didn’t have to wait long though. Great closing down by Zara, Lauren and Katie saw the ball fall to Jordan who made no mistake from outside the box. 1-0. We poured forward after this and a 2nd was always on the cards and it was Sean F who scored it. Luke won the ball and found Jordan with a good pass, he set Katie free who rolled the ball to Sean F who placed the ball high into the roof of the net off the Cross bar. 2-0. Plenty of changes pass us by but as the halftime whistle went we were more than happy with the 1st Half.
The second half saw Howth really have a go at us with Riley making two really good saves in the first minute of the second half. Again in this half, we had great chances with Sean N going close and Sean with another shot that went wide. Howth got back into the game with their first goal which was well finished after we were caught too far up the pitch and they added a second one three minutes later to make the score 2-2. This rocked us back a bit but again we played lovely football, poured forward and during this spell we did everything but score. Good work by Christopher saw a mad scramble in the box with the ball finally falling to Lauren who’s shot cannoned off the crossbar and somehow Howth cleared it from Sean F and Christopher. Two minutes after this, we hit the bar again from a great pass from David set Jordan free whos right foot rocket almost broke the bar. Again panic in the Howth box was eventually cleared. While we pushed forward, there was always of danger of getting caught and Cian, David and Riley did extremely well to stop Howth pressure which finally saw Howth get a winner 2-3. We tried everything after this to get an equaliser but this did not materialise and we ended up losing our first game of the season.
Coaches Notes:
Football today was again superb to watch, passing, skill levels, and overall movement was everything that we had asked for before the game. How did we loose this so? It’s one of those ones where you play really well but so did the opposition in the second half. We give them full credit for having a go at us and putting us on the back foot and taking their chances when they came. If we had of taken our chances early on, the game would have been out of reach. In other games we played, we might have gotten a bit of luck but today we just ran out of it. Shape was really good in the first half with all of the team. Everyone did their jobs really well and special note to Zara who had her best game for us. She worked so hard up and down the pitch, her passing was good and she looked like she enjoyed herself which is the most important thing. All the children were disappointed at the end of game as were we as coaches but not with the way the children played but with the result. It was the only thing that we were lacking from the game. We had more positives than negatives today. Again most who watched the game thought we played really nice football and the children deserve the great credit for this.
The photos are now up for all to see. Thanks to my Daddy. See you all Monday Ballamastone 7-8.
Ivan
Malahide cup (home)
September 27th, 2009, posted by ivan
WOW. Sun was out, all were in good form and our home pitch was perfect for what was to be a cracker.Warm up completed and team named, we were ready to match up against Malahide for the 2nd time in 3 matches. David and Mark were unavailable for selection today which left us with 11 to pick from. Zara was our captain for this game.Sean N was to make his 1st start for us.
The game didn’t start too well for us as we conceded a very early goal after a great save from Riley fell into the path of the Malahide striker who finished well. Great wing play from Katie ,Lauren and Sean F almost seen Joesph score but it was Luke,Cian, Jordan and Riley who were under more pressure due to Malahide’s great attacking play. In this period they hit the crossbar and also doubled their lead.0-2 Up stepped our captain Zara and Chris who started to win tackles and pass the ball around much better to put Malahide on the back foot. With the wing wizards of Katie and Sean F back on pitch our fortune had to change soon and it did in magical fashion. After good attacking play from Lauren and Joseph, Malahide won the ball and were attacking at speed when Luke won the ball back for us and played a lovely pass to the feet of Sean N. His 1st touch stopped the ball and his second lifted the ball up over the keepers head who did brilliant to get his hands to it. The ball sailed high into the air and for a split second it was hard to know were it would end up. The answer was the back of the net and all the children celebrated with Sean N. We were back in this game at 2-1. End to end football seen Riley make at least 4 super saves while we were only ever one final good pass or shot from equalising but just before half time we were level. Luke played a ball into Katie who held it up and played it into the path of Jordan,who smashed it home 2-2 at half time. The oranges were needed.
The second half saw more of the same. Joseph and Cian were fantastic in defence while Riley kept making really important saves but he could do nothing about the 3rd Malahide goal that flew past him. 2-3. Again we were behind and it would need something special to get us back level. This came from Katie who’s strike was technically perfect and found the roof of the net, off the crossbar.Her cart wheel celebration was also i might add technically perfect. Never mind the celebration on the pitch or sideline for this great goal because it was to get even better for us. We poured forward with Sean, Lauren and Chris and got our reward late in the game when good close control and passing in the box from Katie and Chris saw the ball poked though to Sean N who made his 1st time shot look easy.I can’t tell you what his celebration and that of the children was until i see some of the photos as i was too busy celebrating with all on our sideline. 4-3. That was not the end of it. Lead by Cian with help from Joseph , Jordan ,Sean , Chris and Lauren we had to withstand fierce Malahide pressure. The Final act of this game seen our captain Zara run over half the pitch with the ball and shield it from the 2 malahide players, and win us a throw-in high up in their half . The ref blew his whistle for the last time and we had booked our place in the cup semi-final for sure. WOW.
Coaches Notes:
Today’s tactics were the same as the previous two cup games but with the loss of Mark and David, it meant a change of position for some of the children from their normal positions. Although we won this game, this was a game we could have easily lost as we got our goals at the right time and it shows the fine line between loosing heavily and winning narrowly. Even though we were 0-2 down, we were extremely happy with the way the children played football from the back and were always trying to pass to each other. The fact that we won the game sometimes hides the fact that we had to defend extremely hard throughout this game with Cian, Jordan, Luke and Joseph all having to work really hard to keep us in this game. The defensive midfield position that Luke has been taking up has become of vital importance in the way we play. In this position, we need someone who after winning a tackle can then make a forward run or a good forward pass. When Luke got injured, we asked Jordan to do this and he did this brilliantly and we believe we have a number of players that can do this position for us. Early on we lost our midfield shape as were were too far up field which made it very hard for Luke, Cian and Jordan to defend against. In the second half, we made better use of our midfield players and felt that it was a more even game. Goalkeeping is a very important position and Riley had his best game ever. He made plenty of saves and again his distribution was first class. If anyone missed Sean F’s inside and outside snap on our sideline, I’m sure they heard him shout out to me what he had done and how proud he was to have done it. Well done to him. Finally a word on our new signing Sean N, from his first touch in the game, we as coaches knew that he was going to fit in perfectly to the way we want to play. His control and passing is very good and we just need to work on his other foot which we will be doing in the coming weeks. We were delighted that he got his two goals as were all the children. It was important that he enjoyed his game today and we think that he did. Eight of the thirteen children in our squad have scored this season already and we are going to try work on getting everyone a goal by the end of the season. Photos will be up hopefully on Sunday evening and if you get a chance have a look at this as some of them are really good especially the photos of Katie’s cartwheel.
Ivan
Swords Rovers away (cup match)
September 13th, 2009, posted by ivan
What a day. The sun was shining but it was raining goals as we made the small trip too Swords. Mike and Karl went through the warm up with the boys and girls and it was great to see that all were at the game today. Full house.
The game started off with our very own ref in charge (Mike). “At least we wont have any penalties given againts us today “said Karl. How wrong was he. The game started off very even with half chances at both ends, Cian and David keeping Swords out until Riley and Joseph managed to get the ball to Mark who made sure with a powerful finish, after that we never really looked back with goals from Kate, Mark , and Chris putting us 4 up. Marks second came after good play from Zara and lauren while Katie finished into the top corner for her goal. Chris scored another smashing goal againts swords just like last year. This time he chased back, won the ball with a clean tackle, beat 2 players before sending the ball flying into the net. Swords got back in the game with their 1st penalty after goal keeper Jordan and their forward crashed together and Jordan had no chance with the finish. Next to get in on the goals was Sean who ran down the wing and saw him finish with a shot across the keeper. Ht 5-1.
After the oranges were gone and Mike had a well deserved drink swords came out fighting to get back in the game. Swords came back with two quick goals as we were caught a little bit too far up field trying to get extra goals. Sean and Joseph scored another 2 for us, Sean followed in a shot from Joseph for his second while Joseph like Katie in the first half found the top corner with a left foot drive. Mike gave a second penalty of the morning which again just like Jordan, Chris had no chance with it. Everytime we scored, Swords seemed to score and with the score at 5-7 another goal for Swords would have made it quite difficult for us. Luckily for us, Luke’s cross which we thought had hit Mark went straight into the net. The final score was 6-8. This result put us top of our group for the moment and still on course for a semi final after christmas.
Coaches Notes:
We had the same formation as last week planned but our plans changed for two reasons. The first being that Riley had been stung in the hand and could not play in goal and also the fact that we were four nil up and decided to change the team. Jordan and Chris were very good for getting in goal for us today and as both have powerful kicks, our kickouts went longer rather than to the two defenders for most of the game. We were delighted with the amount of goals scored in the game today and there could have been more but this also meant that with the kids excited about scoring, their positional play wasn’t as necessary to win the game. This caused a problem for David and Cian who were exposed sometimes 4 against 2. We changed at 4 nil up as in these games there is no need to humiliate the opposition as we have had it done to us in the past and it is not a nice feeling so we played players in different positions which also made the game of it. We think that both teams would have went home very happy. A special note to Mike who did a great job as ref and gave two stick on penalties which we totally agreed with.
Photos will be up from the game soon.
Ivan.
Malahide away (cup Match)
September 5th, 2009, posted by ivan
We are Back. Yes the 1st game of the new season today seen us play our good friends at Malahide. Missing today was Chris and Zara which left us with 10 to pick from.Before we got started we had to change from wearing our hoops jersey to our new yellow kit which meant a first sighting for our Brush your teeth logo on the pitch. All the children looked great in their new kit.Karl got a good warm up done while I got the photo’s. Sean was captain for this game.
The team started with Lauren and Mark playing their first game for us and a great 1st game they had as well. We played our usual passing game from the 1st minute with Mark and Joseph almost giving us the lead early on while only last ditch tackles from David and Cian kept the score 0-0. Malahide went 1 up after good passing and a nice finish but we came back again with chances for Luke, Jordan, Lauren and only a great block stopping Katie’s powerful drive from finding the net. It wasn’t one way though, with Riley pulling off great save’s while the cross bar came to our rescue on another occasion. Sean set the tempo for the second half with a great run which ended in a throw-in at the corner flag and after good work Joseph scored with great finish from a very tight angle. In a tight game the next goal was going to be very important and Malahide got it after the ball looped over Riley, who sprinted back and made a super save but the Ref gave the goal saying that the ball had crossed the line. NEVER REF came the call from our sideline but the goal was given. We poured forward after this set back and only good defending keeping us from drawing level. A number of free kick’s followed for us resulting in a booking for a Malahide player and it was from one of these that Jordan scored with his shot fired in to the roof of the net with 4 min left. Cue magic celebration from the players and surporters.Luke and Sean almost managed to bundle in another free kick from Jordan in the final min but the ref’s whistle ended the game at 2-2.
Coaches Note’s:
With 9 a-side this year the big question for us was where to play the extra 2 players. Throw them on anywhere I hear you say, No, say I. Should we play with 2 wide players or maybe 3 at the back and up front. For our first game we started with the usual 2-2-2 formation with 1 extra (Defensive Midfielder) and another 1(attacking midfielder) to give us 2-1-2-1-2 and goalkeeper. Theses 2 positions were very important as this was were we wanted a strong spine to our play and we feel we got this most of the game.This worked better in the 2nd half as we feel the players started to understand a little better what we were asking from them and players started to find a little width on the wing’s(something malahide did very well with there formation).We will work more with the player at training in the coming weeks on these and other formations with the end goal being that the we hope they will be comfortable in any formation. The new rule for keepers this year ment that Riley would need to take kickout’s from the ground. His kicking and distribution was perfect for the way we want to play. For 3 years we have been encouraging our defenders to take the ball from the keeper and try to play out from defence. For this reason we kept the 2 defenders on for the whole game and David and Cian didn’t let us down starting many of our attacks. When the 2 defenders were marked the extra def midfielder was always available for the kick out.Risky as it was and still is we have seen that our young children are becoming real young footballers and today was a great day to see our children calling for the ball in very tight area’s of the pitch and still be able to exprees themselves and six or seven passes on the ground see us move from keeper to the malahide goal. At some stage we will get caught out with this but please remember that this will be when the children need to be encouraged even more to try it.It will be the coaches fault,not the player’s.
Again we were delighted with the drive of the player’s to get back in the game and this is a great thing to have. Children want to win so we don’t have to coach them that. It is already built in to them to win.
be up on the link on Sunday Night.
Ivan.