This weeks action
06.06.2008 Corsham Tournament Bath City Youth FC Under 10's.'Cor blimey guv'nor.... woohoooooooooooooooooooooooooo !'
Well woooohhhoooooooooo, and a hooo again, blimey. Today we went out to Corsham on a mission and we showed not only the opposition, our parents - but also ourselves and any other onlookers just how to play the beautiful game.
Despite both teams being knocked out ahead of the Quarter finals, making it through the group stages was a real achievement, its easy to feel down having worked so hard all morning - losing on penalties is tough, far more appropriate is to focus on just what got us into that position : Real quality, passion and commitment all over the park, just amazing to watch, everyone adapted to the tempo really quickly. The word 'team' - illustrated by everyone, the passing, support play, closing down and decision making was bang on. Poor old 'obes' could have stayed in bed given the protection from the middle and back of pitch, as always was there when we needed him.
Collectively the supporting play was great - but even better the 'glue', today we really showed we care about oneanother, it made me really really proud, so thanks for a fantastic morning guys and gals, mums and dads, sisters and brothers - you shone and you should be proud of yourselves.
We saw some great goals - grabbing games by the scruff of the neck and forcing our way through there were also great moments of individual expression - ooooh mrs... we can look back on that as a great morning's work. Anyone can win or lose a game on a kick of the ball just not our day for pens - next time, bring it on...
Bath City Youth FC U13's - at the Corsham Tournie
Having watched some superb football yesterday in the sunshine it was great to have the chance to spend the entire weekend at Corsham. 2 Burgers down, 8 cups of tea later and a bacon roll for £1.50 (made by men - which meant loads more bacon in the roll and one of the organisers having to do a runner and go and buy some more mid morning...). The size of lads in the u13's is totally dis-proportionate, ranging from diddy men right through to six foot plus lanky types. There was a little buzz about the place as Jake Sinclair was playing with some of his southampton mates and his brother Scott was there to watch... 3 years ago I got Scott to sign one of our shirts just in case he made it, so this Sunday chose to leave him in peace with his family as they were already were causing some distraction.
Bath City Youth got off to a slow start, not really coming to terms with the pace required and conceded in the first half - at half time soon realised what was required of them - get the ball as quick as poss, then bang it in - which is exactly what they did. Coming back to draw 1-1 in the second game was a real achievement as the hosting opposition was very strong. Drawing confidence from the draw we watched the team progress and score some absolutely stunning goals ensuring qualification in the group stages. There were some quality passages of play, the ball brought under control swiftly then used effectively.
Now into the last 16, stalemate. Though making slightly better chances during normal time the game remained goaless after the 'golden goal' and yes, pens again. JW steps up and bangs away the first one with authority, MM between the sticks was at a disadvantage as he balanced the crossbar on his head. The opposition made the first error with a blaster richochetting off the crossbar to the strikers dispair - here's our chance to put it safe - but no, bang, a well struck shot hits the outside of the post and its evens again. More tension as the squad do well under pressure, maintaining composure and all hitting the target, so the ball gets moved back a yard, the opposition are first up and blast home - then our luck is out, our last contribution is a powerful drive missing the target. In summary, a good all round performance, shame the day is cut short on the kick of the ball.
11.05.2008 Hungerford Tournament Away.... Bath City Youth FC Under 10's.
Some days you may think - 'why didn't I just stay in bed...?' - Never underestimate the power of 'Murphy's Law.'
Excuses - this is all part of the (my) game - I blame BMW for my car failing us and arriving a bit too late and this was the difference. As soon as we got onto the M4 something fell off... I thought we'd had a puncture so pulled over, but no the wheels were fine. This was then followed by constant banging - I looked in the passenger wing-mirror and saw something else fly off... was it a cat, dog ? or perhaps my postman... I'm not sure, but off it flew behind us - the boys had to jump into Rupert's car as by now I was thinking - if I put the pedal to the metal we'll blow up.
Driving at a constant 50mph we got to know the M4 intimately and eventually arrived behind schedule. Not a very good warm up due to the lack of time.
Then I lose my car keys, which was distracting knowing I needed them to get home... This was rapidly turning into 'one of those days'.... so enthusiastic was the family RS household at 6.30am for the first tournie of the season.
The games. No excuses, we didn't quite get warmed up properly. Its very important in fast games to accustomise to the conditions, on the day being
- Really hot weather - this is not part of the Lansdown setup and ideology.
- Long grass - the combine harvesters could've done there bit, lumpy football doesn't suit us - but a pitch is a pitch and whatever the circumstances and the same for both teams.
Really positive - how good were the refs? Great to see - though they can't score goals should be applauded for their involvement: no ref = no game.
Well done to the teams that beat us - they were ready, fired up and showed they could move the ball up and down really quickly. I have every confidence that our squad are equal in ability to the teams we played, so we shouldn't think we're losers - not at all, there are always big positives to draw from defeat :
- We have a strong and experienced team - though shouldn't expect to win everything, fresh opposition is a great wake up call.
- We lost the first game 2-1, lost the second game 2-0, won our third game 3-0, in each game we did improve, this says a lot about our character - never say die - even in the face of defeat. Individually we are extremely strong - a team needs glue - stick together and we know from previous experience we're solid, results will come as we adapt. - Well done for listening well and applying full effort to the last games.
- Great goals - Maxi - super drive ala Flamini top corner, Pat - drawing strength and determination forces a goal swiftly followed up with another. Rupert - never fazed, put off or disheartened by anything, nearly breaks the goalposts... ooohh what a drive, brilliant. Dix - resolute and focused as ever, Ben hard running. Gav put himself about with some determined tackling. Decs lurking looking for scraps. Obi - always strong mentally - always composed after conceding and lovely attitude - no blaming our players. Its up to our outfield to protect him.
There was more to come, oh yes. Whilst I was waiting for the AA - I made another mistake, leaning my arm out of the window... only then to be tatooed 'in brown' by one of those annoying overweight noisey wood pigeons botty ink - you know the ones... coo coo cooooh... then pause, then same again (they've only got one song!). This was a big plop... the birdy would've been proud of his artwork. I'm going to keep an eye out for him...
Well done y'all - it'll come together I promise - I'll torch my car as part of the barbecue and rehab...
Should I have stayed in bed?... Naaaah, wouldn't miss it for the world win or lose - watching you lot play is ace !
30.03.2008 Flying High : The Double = Job done.
Bath City Youth FC Under 10's 7 : 4 Team Bath Arsenal
This weekend being the last official fixture from the Midsomer Norton Youth Football League was unusually graced with amazing sunshine and blue skies. Having beaten TBA on the away fixture, this was going to be an interesting encounter.
Our first team had no substitutes available this weekend, but this was a good thing for the opposition... our first attack within a minute was rewarded instantly. The team had the bit between their teeth and came onto the pitch with presence and a great sense of purpose. Some very very slick one touch passing and wide play tore TBA apart and they could only chase the ball for the first twenty minutes which saw us go 6 - 0 up. As our legs began to tire we opened the door and gave the ball away a little cheaply - fully understandably given the initial charge at the TBA goalmouth. We struggled to close them down and TBA eventually found some passes. We go into the break 6 : 3 up.
In the second half we continued to press the TBA goal after withstanding some early pressure which we broke down very effectively. TBA found the net again - but this put a bit of steel into our backbone, determined not to lose the advantage after being so far ahead. More chances came our way but we just couldn't find the back of the net - blazing high and wide repeatedly. The final nail in TBA's coffin was drilled in - they couldn't find a way to goal, their own frustration began to take its toll as their belief faded.
In summary : super supporting play, pacey passing and moving, plus desire which battered the opposition - Job Done be proud of yourselves.
Bath City Youth FC under 10's (team 2) 3 : 3 Team Bath Arsenal
Candidate for most obscure goal of the season - just how did he do that ? After a mesmarising first game who would have thought this was to come... oh, and yes, my favourite opposition old chestnut 'only 5 of our B team players have turned up'... oh deary me, I offer to loan 2 of our players to make the numbers up, but no, TBA decline and you know what is coming - yes, they play not only their A team players but two of their strongest ! Imagine our surprise - we didn't see that coming did we ?
Despite this. Our boys stuck to task with a gritty and resolute performance, some nice solo play as well as very effective defending and we find the back of the net. The game was fast and its difficult to put all of the pieces back together as we all have no answer to ' Just how did he do that ? ! ?' - players and parents alike from both sides witnessed something you don't see ever ! A couple of neat passes on the half way line - we see a speculative long ball pumped into the box, guess who's in there, always looking... our very own TonkaBoy, but unusually he has his back to goal and woosh in a blink of an eye, under pressure in the box he pulls off a backward reverse header - playing the ball off the back of his head to find glory and a little bit of fame in goalscoring obscurity history... intentional ? accidental ? - who cares... amazing finish !
We saw more chances come and go for both sides, our left winger putting us 3 - 2 up with 5 minutes to play out with a great shot to the bottom left hand corner - lovely goal. 20 second left to play TBA were determined not to give up and managed to fashion the equaliser at the death.
In summary : This team has come a long way - there is belief and teamwork, its great to watch - Brilliant and can't wait to see more....
This weeks action
08.03.2008No Bath City Youth U10's game but 8 of our first team players represent school and win Millfield Tournament - ' are you Bath City Youth in disguise ? '
Pretty stinky weather this Saturday - Chelsea going out of the cup may have made a few people crack a smile - our under tens put in a cracking all round performance representing Weston All Saints Primary School and come away as tournament winners... from the back Connor - clean sheet (other than the penalty shoot out), didn't concede one goal for the entire competition, stout defensive work from Rupert and Beck, maruading the midfield our engine Maxi controlled the tempo expertly. Out left big Ben with Gav up front as striker, Zil and Caleb sharing right wing duties - and wow ! What a great tournament.
Six games, six wins - Gav finding the net 9 times comes out as tournament top scorer, even slotting in two with his head - Max bashes in a great drive from the centre of the park - Ben gets two - Jack also finding glory.
This was Bath City Youth dominating everything, we had two close 1 - 0 wins our experience saw us through to the final... which was breathtaking and with no score after the golden goal extra time we find ourselves in a penalty shoot out situation. Some folk couldn't look - myself totally mesmarised chose to stay quiet for a change as we watch brave Gav step up and slot the first kick home - then came Fairlands... bang, first one balloons over the bar (some cheers from the touchline and relief), our second kick, nicely struck on target - keeper saves ! Oh no ! Fairlands kick two - is hammered home tarnishing Connors clean sheet... Our third pen - bang Rupert keeps his composure and whallop, blasts one like Ballack, huge relief - as Connor pulls a save out of the bag as Fairlands crack under the pressure and send their penalty down the middle straight into Connor - who stylishly sits on the ball with a whacking great big grin on his face - deservedly so.
'Oi you yellows... Are you Bath City in disguise ? YES !
02.03.2008
Holcombe 2 : 4 Bath City Youth FC under 10's
Beautiful morning out in the sticks... this week we met a determined side who played some good football. Forced by injury to make a number of changes, we have Obi playing outfield and Pat in goal, Holcombe created a couple of chances and whaddyaknow.... find the back of the net. The first one a lapse in concentration which was a shame. No Maxi in midfield (went to watch Arsenal Villa - massive mistake, I keep telling him but he won't listen). No big Ben out on the left - Gavi put in a workman like performance, covered every blade of grass - we had a newcomer sit in as sweeper and under the circumstances (ie not knowing anyone ) coped well with situation. We played some good attacking football, Charlie making breathtaking runs down the left wing always managed to beat his marker with speed. Our equaliser eventually came, a scruffy goal - but you could put money on Deks somehow finding the ball amidst a melay of bodies mud and boots.
Second half, some pressure from Holcombe - Obi does ten mins in goal to pull off an outstanding save, parrying the ball over the bar to safety, it was quite clear Pat needed to stop running so resumed position in goal. More chances - 4 one on ones with the keeper, but no each time wide or saved by a competant keeper who was probably their man of the match. Despite losing there are many positives to draw from this game : in order to score you have to create chances and we did that.
Holcombe 6 : 1 Bath City Youth FC
ouch - we got a hiding ! The opposition were organised, passed well and converted chances to goals very very quickly. Here was a lesson in teamplay executed brilliantly by Holcombe - when they lost the ball they were eager to win it back quickly. Our players were punished in the first half we played as individuals and for ourselves going into the break 5 : 0 down.
It wasn't that the opposition were superior players - it was how they played which we struggled with. A few home truths at half time and we witnessed a completely different second half it was like a totally different game - we passed the ball, not just that - we passed the ball early which paid massive dividends as we put the home side under continual pressure and the ball only going into our half three times in this period.
Chances came and went, maybe a year ago we would have crumbled. I was proud of everyone keeping going and playing together - eventually being rewarded with a great goal from Wilf. An accurate scoreline would have been 6 : 4 again a good keeper and our finishing in front of goal proved to be our undoing.
In summary, hearty determined honest performances. We can fix the goal drought easy - what is great is finding solutions under pressure and creating lots and lots of chances. This bodes well for the tournaments in May and June.
01.03.2008
Team Bath Arsenal Colts 7 : 4 Bath City Youth Red team under 8's
When striker Joe Prescott drove the ball into the bottom left corner of the Bath Arsenal goal in the 30th minute it seemed Bath City were poised for victory in this hard fought local derby.
Joe’s hat-trick brought the score to 4-5 and redemption almost within Bath City’s grasp. But with minutes to go, awkward bounces, a stiff wind and a series of frantic goal mouth scrambles put paid to their hopes and Arsenal pulled ahead to end the game 7-4.
Bath City had started strongly with a goal within the first two minutes booted home by Lewis. But Arsenal soon equalized and the stage was set for a tussle between these tenacious local teams. When an arcing strike from the left wing managed to drift out of the reach of City’s first half goalkeeper August, Arsenal served notice that they were not to be trifled with.
City answered them with a Beckham-like free kick from 20 yards out, struck by Joe Prescott, bringing Bath City within reach of Arsenal at 2-3.
City’s defenders George H, George D, Jack France, August and Tom fought back valiantly against Arsenal’s forward’s relentless bombardment. Striker Lewis was felled in his own area, August tipped a powerful shot round the bar and Tom blocked shot after shot in the second half.
Despite their stalwart defence and flashes of brilliance from Joe, Lewis, Edward and Ben, City could not avoid a succession of bad luck in their own goal mouth.
The final score may have been 7 : 4, but football, as always, was the victor.
By August and Andy Pemberton
Team Bath Arsenal Colts 0 : 5 Bath City Youth - Blue team under 8's
A lovely sunny day and a very positive start from Bath City Youth; immediately from kick off Miles, Fred and Joe Proudman put pressure on Team Bath’s defence. Charlie (a whirling dervish throughout the match) made a quick run, passed to Fred who with great skill passed to Joe Proudman and Joe scores!
Henry and Ethan then come on - Henry playing on the left and Ethan taking a position up front and, with midfield working hard, it wasn’t long before Charlie again took the ball up through the centre and blasted one past the keeper, 2:0
Team Bath came back strongly but, with solid defence from Joe Adams and Vinny, and with some excellent goal kicks from Kirsten the ball was kept out.
Everyone now wanted a piece of the action and the penalty area was getting a little crowded. Henry, Fred and Miles all had chances to score but it was ‘party boy’ Ethan who took advantage of a mistake by the goalie and at half-time the score was 3-0.
The second half was just as exciting; Team Bath tried to push forward but with Joe Adam’s resolute defending and Kirsten, Vinny and Joe P’s well executed tackles they failed to get through. Team Bath had one good shot at goal but Miles made an excellent save. Henry then took the ball on the break – another goal was imminent. With some well-drilled corner kicks from Fred and lovely passing from all the midfields it was again Joe Proudman who scored; 4:0. Finally, 3 minutes before the end Charlie scored again.
Great passing, positioning and a real team effort gave Bath City Youth the 5-0 win they deserved; their sixth win on the trot. Well done everyone!
Reporter: Carol & Henry (with a little help from the other spectators!)
16.02.2008
Liverpool FC 1 - 2 Barnsley
Barnsley Football Club made a trip to local side Liverpool Football Club at a place called Anfield. The visitors dumped the home side out of the FA Cup to secure another failure for overspending, arrogance, tactical inability as well as lacking in ability of sticking the biscuit in the tin...
G.P. 'pleased to report an 8 - 3 Home Win against Paulton Rovers yesterday
Well done to all 13 who were there, it was a great game to watch and for me to referee. It was played in good spirit and it was really pleasing that for the few fouls that were committed, no one on either side reacted badly.
Amazingly all eight goals were scored by different players and the order went something like: Camen, Matt Cadywould, Tom Ross, Matt Gillett, Sam, Conor, James and Tyler. Although I can't be absolutely certain of the order, I can say that they were all the result of some great team play and some excellent finishing. Some of the practices we do are clearly starting to transfer to our game play which is encouraging to see. Sam made some great attacking runs and crosses from the left and both Camen and Matt played some great football in the midfield. Tyler, James and Matt Gillett worked really hard to cover the ground and played some good passes forward in to space. Tom is developing in to a really tenacious player and was focused on winning the ball back whenever he could make a tackle.
Christian turned in his usual battling performance and made some really great timely tackles and moved the ball forward well. His anticipation of the play and where the ball is going to be is really good to see. Jack Brett had a great game in goal, making some timely saves and rushing from his line to collect the ball from the attackers feet. He also swapped position with Camen going in goal (Thanks Camen!) and had 20 minutes of the second half in attack and was unlucky not to score. Jack Herincx really battled in midfield and upfront, making some great right sided runs. He had some chances to get on the score sheet too but just couldn't quite get a firm enough strike. Better luck next week Jack!! Ollie and Tom France both tried to score too, but it wasn't to be this week. Both of them worked hard for the team and made really good intercepting tackles many times during the game. It's really good to see them (and others) fighting so hard to break up the opponents attacks and get us back on the offensive.
In terms of effort and timely tackles Conor deserve a special mention (not just for his first goal for us I think) but for him running back and making a great tackle when the Paulton Centre Forward looked sure to score. Conor must have run 40 yards down and across the pitch to get there and having made the first tackle he got straight up and blocked the second attempt - Well done Conor!
At half time the score was 6 - 1 and the boys were really pleased with the first half. I think they were also aware of how Paulton would be feeling given how we felt at last weeks defeat to Camley & Temple. In the second half it was effectively a 2 - 2 draw and it was great to hear the support for Paulton from our spectators when they scored. The Paulton boys seemed to appreciate the support and enjoy the game - which is what it's all about, so thanks to all those there supporting both sides.<
Our humble apologies to all those who made the trip to Paulton, only for us to discover it was a Home fixture! Thanks especially to Ray for helping out back in Bath when we realised our mistake and to the Paulton Management who didn't make a fuss about our mistake.
Our next game is at Home against Chilcompton Sports on Sunday 2nd March. We then have two more games both away, one at Frome (9/3) and the final game at Camley & Temple (23/3).
See you all at Training on Wednesday 6.00pm!
Eric, Tom & Geoff
10.02.2008
Westfield 3 : 3 Bath City Youth - Under 11's
Good weather - Great away perforance
Without our usual central defensive partnerships of Ollie (otherwise engaged) and James R (on loan to B's for rest of season). Jamie and James N stepped into those roles. We made a positive start early on with a great through ball from theo putting George clear. He expertly rounded the keeper only to slot the ball just the wrong side of the post.
Soon our efforts paid off. A tricky run on the right by Taity led to a cross which beat the keeper and Kaylum was there to bundle the ball in. Westfield equalised from a move which featured one of our major weaknesses.... clearing our lines. With 9 men defending our area a third attempt at a clearance fell straight to a Westfield player just outside the box, jis shot/cross found his attacking partner just on- side to stroke the ball home.
In the second half the game was very even. We were in a promising position by the corner flag on our left wing. When dis-possessed, 2 or 3 quick long Westfield passes found their striker chasing in on goal. He had the presence of mind to lob our oncoming keeper from 25 yards into the unguarded net. We fought back well, from a corner we scored our first direct header of the season as Kaylum dived in to meet the ball at the near post. The lead became ours when George was put through and clearly fouled by their keeper as he tried to take the ball. Taity slotted home the penalty with 10 minutes to go. In fairness, Westfield battled hard throughout the game and their comeback goal was no real surprise. A lay-off and a quick shot was deflected beyond the outstretched arms of our keeper.
In summary, Jonathan had an excellent game at left-back. Kaylum was everywhere putting pressure on the opposition and making things happen for us. Westfield were used to playing on their big pitch and we did not make proper use of the space available to us. Maybe we were guilty of holding onto the ball too long in midfield. A thoroughly enjoyable game that ended 3 : 3
03.02.2008
BAFC Corsham 0 : 3 Bath City Youth
This could be the team of the season... the editor...
On a freezing cold morning the red team gave a thrilling performance ending in a very respectable 3-0 win. Every member of the team played well, and played as a real team – the passing was superb (England team take note), everyone held their positions and we kept the ball rather than giving it away to the opposition.
From the very beginning we were in control. Lewis played extremely well in midfield, tackling hard and moving the ball up the field. The Corsham keeper was very good but was soon under pressure from Joe Prescott, Joe Brown and Fred. With so many shots on target it really wasn’t going to be long until someone scored and first up was Joe P with a brilliant shot that shot past the keeper. Corsham did have a few shots on target but nothing that our keeper Tom couldn’t handle, and with his brilliant goal kicks the ball was soon back in the opposition’s half. Jack, Henry and George H defended excellently, always clearing the ball well away from the goal area. Minutes before half-time Joe B made a fabulous run up the left-hand side of the field taking on at least 3 players before landing the ball in the back of the net making it 2-0 at half-time.
In the second half Corsham came out fighting and put us under a bit more pressure for a while but Fred made a couple of fantastic saves to deny them a goal. Joe B, now in defence, ran from one end of the pitch to the other depending on which team had the ball but was always back in time to help out George H who again defended brilliantly. Lewis and Joe P again supported well in midfield, taking some knocks bravely and Jack delighted the crowd with his turning skills in the middle of the field. Henry was on fire down the right-hand side making some superb runs towards goal. He and Tom worked very well together up front and it was only a matter of time before we scored again, this time a neat little pass from Jack sent Tom running into the goal area resulting in a fabulous goal.
In the last few minutes of the game Lewis took a turn at goal allowing Fred to get back to keeping the opposition on their toes with determined runs for every ball. Just as the parents thought that their toes were about to drop off the final whistle went – 3-0! Well done Red team, very well played everybody.
By ace cub reporter: Jack F
03.02.2008
Holcombe 0 : 6 Bath City Youth FC
Bath City Youth Blues Too Strong for Holcombe...leaving Holcombe feeling blue...
A cold and blustery Sunday in Holcombe saw the Blues notch up a comprehensive 6 – 0 win over Holcombe, with two excellent hat tricks from Miles and Ethan. Miles completing his hat trick by half time and Ethan making it 4-0 at the interval before adding 2 more in the second half This was an impressive team display with the boys playing in a disciplined way, keeping their shape, combining together well and playing to each others strengths. Although the Blues spent most of the match in the Holcombe half, when Holcombe did attack, our defence performed well – Ed and Joe in the first half and Vinny and George in the second half.
Although the Blues always had the measure of the opposition, Holcombe kept playing to the end and gave our boys a good game. Their goalkeeper had an excellent long kick that set off their most dangerous attacks with brave goalkeeping by Ben in the second half ensuring a clean sheet.
August, making his debut for the team, had a cold first half in goal, but in the second half showed his attacking skills with his fierce shot only parried by the goal keeper for Ethan to knock in.
A great team display, now with 6 wins in a row. If the boys can play as well as this against stronger opposition they will be hard to beat!
Many thanks to Chris as acting Coach on the day.
By Michael W, screened and amended by Ben W
03.02.2008
Bath City Youth FC 0 : 2 Chew Valley - Under 10's
Gutsy... exciting... brave... but not quite enough to find the back of the net.
Where the blinkin' heck is Obi ?
Our first game in what seems ages and thats probably why we couldn't find the back of the net. A strong chew side put us under considerable pressure, the physical side of their game always has a bearing upon the outcome. Though this time, we can come away feeling this was just not our day... If I'd given a fiver for every missed opportunity I'd be at least 65 quid down at a conservative guess. The goals that went in... well, I can't even remember them so they can't have been that good - though one was a decent enough finish, slight suspicion of handball - though it would have been a tough call to say with absolute certainty that it was hand to ball and lets face it, the guy was through on goal.
Defensively throughout the game we battled and competed hard - so well done everyone. Our chances : we carved out some beauties, it was like the alamo in the second half.
In summary this week: Individually spectacular and strong... Collectively : more work to do, use the pitch and the ball - bang the ball in the back of the net, sounds easy !
No complaints... plenty to think about, talk about and put into practice - c'mon.
Bath City Youth FC 2 : 6 Chew Valley they go ahead, we bring it back, they go ahead, we bring it back, they go ahead and we're a bit out of steam and concede a few stinkers.
Second game of the day, tough, some really good opposition who came into their own later on in the second half. I saw magnificent defending, one touch wide play from the two Liams, a great double act. Glenda.... does what he does bangs a biggee from distance which has enough purchase on it to take the keeper over the line and we equalise.
They go ahead again, a great passage of play from the City boys and we find an equaliser from a banger on the left wing that the defender winces at, turns his back, B O S H ! he's scored for us - thankyou very much !
Latter part of the game - good work rate, but we were outplayed. Some simple stuff went a bit wonky and we made it a bit easy - not through lack of effort, sometimes the opposition are just that little bit better.
In summary : dynamic, honest, gritty - hold your heads up and we'll be ready for the next game. Hope everyone enjoyed it.
Overall - No complaints - learn from the experience and lets move on up a gear and get slick for ' Tournie Time '
Chew conceded: 'Best game and win, so far this season' - Grandad on the touchline ; 'Best game I've seen in ages'.
Well done the City! each a credit to your team.
03.02.2008
Bath City Youth U11 vs Chew Valley U11
Hi Everyone,
What a great game!! We had good support and the boys played their best football. It really was a fantastic performance!
The pitch was full size as were the goals. The playing surface looked as if the cows had been moved off a little before we got there, there were bumps and craters but thankfully nothing else. We started really brightly and played some great football against the strong wind. It looked as if we were the better side and our tackling and passing suggested we'd do ok. If only we could get to half time without conceding, we'd definitely be ok in the second half.
I can't really pick the best bits out because everyone played so well it is hard to remember the individual moments of good play. Our defence looked absolutely solid, with Camen, Matt C, Matt B, Tom France, Peter and Christian working really well together and Jack in goal absolutely assured and in command of his massive area!
In the middle and up front Matt G, Sam, Alden, Tom Ross, Josh Spraggs, James H, Ollie and Conor, really played some great attacking football down both wings and through the centre. Josh was presented with a great shooting chance following some fantastic passing across from the right, but unfortunately their goalie made a good save. Using the wind advantage and their local knowledge Westfield scored two long range looping goals which to save, Jack would have to at least a foot taller. They then scored two more scrappy goals, which we could perhaps have saved, but with the strong wind it seemed as if our goal was magnetic and nothing anyone could do would stop the ball crossing the line. Matt G made a fine solo effort to try and stop one going in, but the ref gave the goal any way.
I got told off in the first half whilst linesman, for coaching, but I was also encouraging Westfield. Oops! Not being one to argue.... I thought discretion being the better part of valour, I'd withdraw hurt and Peter Spraggs kindly took up the linesman's flag - Thanks Peter! I just hope I don't get a touchline ban and have to sit in the stands - they're usually a long walk from the pitch.
So we started the second half 4 - 0 down, having played really well. The half-time mood was positive and within a few minutes of the restart, Matt B threw the ball in to Sam who raced down the right and passed the ball square for Alden to slot in a goal. Absolutely great play and the start we needed. Most of the play in the second half was in the Westfield half, but no matter how hard the boys tried the ball just would not come clear of feet and bodies for a shot. When there was a Westfield breakaway, Christian, Conor, Peter, Camen, Matt G, Ollie and Tom France, all chased back to make the interception and tackle - brilliant! The few times they had a chance on goal, Jack was either racing to intercept or making a great save. We were really enjoying the play from the sidelines and both teams were very fair with hardly any fouls in either half.
Matt C was making a real impact, looking really mobile and confident on the ball and his shot at goal fooled their keeper and squirmed in at the near post 4 - 2 with 15 mins to go! From there time seemed to accelerate and we had many chances. Camen had a thunderbolt that just cleared the bar and at one time we had three or four consecutive corners which we just couldn't manage to score from.
That's how it ended, but in the post match chat the boys were really pleased and proud of their game and resolved to work harder in training and the next game. From a personal perspective I feel the boys showed today that their training and practice is beginning to pay off and they are starting to believe they can win. In fact today they felt they'd done enough to win and so do I. Well done everyone!
Geoff
03.02.2008
Bath City Youth U11 vs Chew Valley U11
Yep, as usual it was windy up at Lansdown, at least we stayed dry!! but we definitely got cold. We started with a slight handicap, 6 of our players were involved in a hockey tournament in Bristol and had already run their socks off for an hour and also our GK Benji was suffering with a cold but still braved it between the sticks. (There... excuses over). We started with a bit of a makeshift line-up as some of the boys were still returning from hockey just 5 mins before kick-off. We decided to play against the strong wind to start, hoping that the wind will prove to be a bigger advantage in the second half. Certainly the majority of the play was in our own half because goal kicks and long- clearances struggled to gain good distance. However after about 15 minutes we took the lead with a great goal. Will won the ball on the left and played it up to Chris who inter-linked with Kaylum and set up a shooting opportunity for Theo outside the box. What a shot! Right in the top of the net. With 10 minutes to hold on, a wind-assisted looping header found Benji stranded just off his line. 2 minutes later a deflected shot hit our crossbar and the re-bound was again wind- assisted as it fell to a Chew striker to tap in from 2 yards.
At half-time it was 2:1 to Chew Valley and we were confident we could overcome the deficit. Amazingly the wind seemed to die down (or is it my imagination??). However it was Chew Valley that struck first with a very well worked goal down their left. The cross was inch-perfect between our defence and the on-rushing Benji. We picked up our game and were on the offensive. Kaylum had a great flick header from a free kick that went just over. George and Chris worked well on the right but it was from the left that Theo's cross/shot forced a defender to slide into his own net. The last 10 minutes were tense and we kept Chew Valley in their own half, their keeper made 2 absolutely outstanding saves to maintain their lead. Tiring legs (did I mention that some of the boys had a hockey tournament??) and aching feet meant that we were just unable to make the breakthrough and the game finished 3:2 to Chew Valley. On the positive Jamie, James and Ollie had very solid games in defence despite their morning's exploits. Jared is improving fast and Zach did well in a new position in the heart of midfield. For the second consecutive game Theo put in an outstanding performance and gets my vote for man-of-the-match.
20.01.2008
U13 Momentus Win
Bath City Youth vs Team Bath Arsenal Colts... persistance and belief pays off...The under 13's Colts recorded their first win in 6 attempts against Team Bath since Bill and Steve have been running the team today, 20 January. In difficult conditions at Kingswood School Team Bath went 1 up playing with the wind in their favour but Sam Bowery equalised to make it 1 - 1 at half time. Second half we went 2 -1 up through Aiden Grant but Team Bath came back to make it 2 -2. With about 12 minutes to go Josh Adlington (Bill's son) scored what turned out to be the winning goal and we held on comfortably to record a well earned win. Well done to all the boys for a very good performance in the wind and rain, and also to those parents who turned out to support.
This was some consolation for the 4 - 3 defeat in the away game against TB in October when we lost to a very controversial penalty in the last few minutes.U11 Cup Quarter-Final
Bath City Youth vs Team Bath Arsenal ColtsWe were pitted against the League leaders who have got a 100% record so far this season. Within 3 minutes we were 1:0 down from being unable to defend a corner. From then on we went into turbo mode. We were onto their players quickly and dispossessing them. We started to create chances of our own. We were rewarded with an equaliser from Theo (I think) I was down the bottom a bank collecting a ball at the time! A well taken free-kick just outside the box by Jamie took us into the lead. We went 3:1 up when Jared finished off a good move. The pressure started to affect our opponents, their supporters and coach. they complained about the refereeing, about the goals, about the linesman, about the ball! We didn't let it get to us and promptly scored a 4th with a repeat of his first free-kick by Jamie. 4:1 to us at half-time.
In the second half, we started brightly and had opportunities to extend our lead. The oppo had re-group and jiggled their formation around. A good long distance strike and yet another corner saw our lead erode to 4:3. A couple more well worked goals by TBA and our tiring legs meant that we were now behind. We showed character and another good attacking move saw Jared at the end of a good cross to make it 5: 5.
A tense final 5 minutes lay ahead. We were asleep from the re-start and TBA attacked down the right. A well worked move resulted in a goal. As we chased the game Our defense was out-numbered for the final goal. The players should be very proud of their performance and we came closer than any other team this season to beating TBA Colts. Well Done Boys. Final Score 7:5
Under 10 - Peasedown St John 0 - 4 Bath City Youth FC ( team two)
With a slight muddle up and misunderstanding as to today's game, the league table had our first team drawn away to Radstock Rangers... which ended up cancelled, then taking team two and three to Peasedown St John on arriving we find we are faced with their A team - and so what? What's in a character...? A letter in the alphabet.. whether you play in the first or second team... what counts is what you do on the pitch both individually and collectively.
So there we go, we're up against their A team but with the depth and determination in our squad the difference between our team one and two is minimal and today we played some superb attacking football, created many many chances which could have easily led to an 0 - 8 scoreline in our favour... With Obe's 'safe hands' between the sticks it was going to take something pretty special to beat him. The big magic man at the back played an imense role and as the last time we played here... any threat was blotted out with Cal at his left who timed tackles and measured passes to feet extremely well. Wilfi played a strong holding midfield role and battled doggedly throughout the game our new man Kaiden is finding greater confidence in each game - Mikey up front done good, Liam H tenacious as ever. Glenda... well, with a right foot like this we've a threat from the middle of the park and what a spawny goal which beat the keeper.
Birthday boy and Maxi made cameo appearances for the last ten to reinforce the lead, beautifully weighted passes and running off the ball proved too much for the defenders to cope with... and the Gav man made a great run down the left wing, turns and beats his man to lay off a perfect pass into the box for the Wilfmeister to slot home.
We had many more chances from close range - a little bit more support could've converted these into goals - sometimes we could do with hitting the ball a little earlier..
Game two - Peasedown Atheletic 2 : 2 Bath City Youth FC
This was a hard won result... PA fielding some very strong players and demonstrating some superb passing and interplay. Kaiden having a first half spell in goal and Mikey K and Liam H playing their second game. The pitch had become a bit boggy and got cut up as you'd expect - superb goalkeeping and with some help from the woodwork (plastic) kept the peasedown attacks at bay - then it came, good goal, then ours came to equalise taking us into a 1 - 1 situation at half time.Bradders struggled with the surface but made sure he chased everything. Chris B and Luke played outstanding defensive games - Mikey K, dropping deeper to assist in defense during the first half. We went 2 -1 down, but never gave up and created a number of fantastic chances : Dan P doing a great job as a solo striker supported by our very own T o n k a B o y Liam H linked well - our teams today were 100% committed... and our endeavour was rewarded with the equaliser. More attacks rained in on us, but our concentration at the back never faultered - then we nearly went home with another win ! Kaiden picks up the ball on the edge of our box, drifts pass one, shows and hides another... rides 5 challenges in total then he finds himself with a shot on goal - he bangs it !!! but the keeper has strong hands and guides the ball over the bar to safety... pheeewww, what a morning...
13.01.2008 Westfield 5 - Bath City Youth 2 Red team
It was yet another windy day. The red team took their places on the Pitch. The teams were strong and confident. Kirsten played well in goal, and Jack and Henry had lots of tackling to do. In midfield, Joe Proudman did some good runs and Lewis and George D worked hard running up and down the pitch. Joe B in attack caused some problems for the opposition. Fred scored a right cracker to put us in the lead. They later followed with two goals. In the second half Westfield got another. But after a few minutes a stunner from Joe Prescott put Bath City back in the running. Then they got another two goals and it ended five two. By Joe Prescott
13.01.2008 Blue Team: Westfield 2 Bath - City Youth 5
BLUES TAKE TO THE FIELD WITH THEIR USUAL DETERMINATION AND GET A GOAL FOR THEIR EFFORTS. BEN W THE SCORER. EDWARD MAKES IT 2-0. EVERYONE IS WORKING WELL TOGETHER, JOE PRESCOTT IN GOAL; GEORGE H AND BEN G IN DEFENCE; MIDFIELD KIRSTEN, EDWARD, VINNY AND JOE A; MILES, BEN W FORWARD. THE TEAM IS WORKING WELL TOGETHER NOT GETTING OVER CONFIDENT WITH THEIR LEAD. THE SECOND HALF SEES WESTFIELD COMING BACK TO EVEN THE SCORE. UNDETERED THE BLUES PLAY ON AND ARE REWARDED BY GOALS FROM BEN W AND EDWARD. AN OWN GOAL BY WESTFIELD MAKES THE END RESULT 5-2 TO BATH CITY. WELL DONE BLUE TEAM. THIS IS WELL DESERVED AS WITH THE PASSING OF EACH MATCH EVERYONE IS GETTING BETTER.I NOTICED PLAYERS LIKE VINNY TACKLING WITH MORE CONFIDENCE. YOU ARE ALL DOING VERY WELL AND HAVE NOW WON 5 GAMES IN A ROW. WESTFIELD HAD A STRONG TEAM BUT YOU JUST GOT ON WITH THE TASK AT HAND AND DESERVED THE FINAL RESULT. By Don and George H
06.01.2008 Under 8's Red Team: Chilcompton 4 Bath City Youth 1
A beautiful, warmish, sunny morning greeted the teams and a thrilling game followed. Tom made several saves in goal despite the low level sun in his eyes. Bath City Youth took the lead with one of Joe Prescott’s thunderous shots from outside the box. The lead was short-lived as Chilcompton equalized and then took the lead on the stroke of half-time. Bath City piled on the pressure for most of the second half with Lewis, Ethan and Tom coming close. Ben W, Edward and Henry in midfield and defence had a lot of tackling to do and, if there was a prize for tackle of the season, this would go to Jack who chased back 50 yards to stop a Chilcompton break with a well-timed challenge. Many pats on the back for Jack. Chilcompton scored two further goals to win 4-1 but neutrals would agree that this did not reflect the run of play. Well done to all.
06.01.2008 Under 8's Blue Team: Chilcompton 3 Bath City Youth 4
GREAT SUNNY MORNING NOT TOO COLD QUITE MILD GOOD DAY FOR A MATCH. ON ARRIVAL THOUGH WE FIND RED TEAM LOSING THEIR GAME. WONDER HOW THE BLUES WILL GET ON. NOT TO WORRY WITH KIRSTEN IN GOAL. GEORGE H AND BEN G DEFENDING; MIDFIELD JOE PROUDMAN, JOE A, VINNY; FORWARDS MILES AND JOE B. CHILCOMPTON COME OUT STRONG BUT KIRSTEN KEEPS THEM AT BAY. WITH GOOD TEAM WORK WE GET OUR FIRST GOAL SCORED BY JOE B WHO THEN TURNS THAT INTO A HAT TRICK. FROM HERE YOUR REPORTER LOSES IT SLIGHTLY BUT THE BARE FACTS ARE THIS (not necessarily in right order): CHILCOMPTON SCORE FROM A CORNER KICK MAKING IT 3-1, MILES SCORES FOR THE BLUES 4-1. CHILCOMPTON COME BACK AFTER KIRSTEN IS REPLACED BY GEORGE H. THEY SCORE TWO 4-3 TO US THEN THEY GET A PENALTY. THE TENSION IS GREAT AS WE KNOW THE WHISTLE MUST BE CLOSE. THE KICK IS TAKEN AND GEORGE H SAVES - EVERY ONE IS OVER THE MOON. WELL DONE BLUES. EVERY PLAYER DID THEIR BEST AND YOU GOT A RESULT! FINAL SCORE: 4-3 TO US.
What fantastic results and scorelines ! ! - not an easy place to go to Chilli... the editor. (knock the 'caps lock' key to off on your keyboard - it'll make this loads easier to read).
Bath City Youth U10's... 3 year unbeaten record against Westfield still in tact -
06.01.2008 Bath City Youth FC 4 : 2 Westfield A Team
This Sunday as we woke we were teased by blue skies at 9am, but c'mon, we play up on lansdown, which we know has a microclimate of it's own. Sure enough and predictably by 2.30pm the cloud had covered the sky and the temperature dropped. But no, our spirits were high as we witnessed some superb games this afternoon and a truck load of goals.
Team One. Bath City Youth FC 4 : 2 Westfield With the wotsit bug affecting a number of our players we tweaked our line up based upon recent performances and ability. The first goal, an almighty S M A A A S H from Ben McM... when he put his foot and body weight through the ball the outcome was inevitable... 1 - 0 to the homeside.
Goal two, a scramble in the box, Ethan 'jinkin' his way in the six yard box was brought down - not maliciously just a late tackle by the defender making sure he could not wack in a shot - ! ! ! P E N ! ! ! - Sealed with aplomb by the Maxi, who's engine was prolific throughout the entire game as always, picking up the second ball with grit and determination for the entire match.
BCY go 3 up with continued pressure and Ethan battled in goalmouth scramble to secure goal number 3 as the ball only just crosses the line. Westfield battled hard to find something... and were eventually rewarded with another goalmouth scramble, this time the ball just crossing our line. Our fourth goal was a peach... nice calm finish by Gav who held his nerve against a big defence, he carefully crafted a little space and shaped well, kept an extremely cool head slotting past the keeper for number four. Time ran out on westfield, their final goal came after a period of asserted pressure which was banged in - unstoppable which found the top left of the net. Dixi once again puts in a faultless performance, cool under pressure... always aware and swatting out danger and calmly running the ball out of the box and great play making - not to mention two spectacular runs down the wing - awesome.
Particularly pleasing was the asserted effort after the half time break, more goals could have come but we should acknowledge the stoic defending from Westfield. We absorbed their pressure well especially after their goal as the momentum was with them for five minutes. Also the Ethan and Kaiden did a great job, Ethan finding the net (could have got more against a weaker defence) and Kaiden coming very close from distance. In summary - Well earnt with some real beauty in movement and passing. A good start to 08, well deserved win for the home side.
Areas for improvement -
- Greater communication, lets make sure our team mates know where we are - be loud !
- Assertiveness - chase down the ball in the closing parts of the game
- Goal kicks - more movement to create spaces and options for the clearance
- Set peices are going really well - lets work on challenging for the ball in the air
Game two : 5 - 5 with no report on scorers, the result shows great appetite in pressing forward... clearly work needs to be done positionally and defensively. Finding the back of the net five times is fantastic despite a penalty miss. See picture gallery of this match
Game three : 1 - 2 An honest and resilient battle, this game could have gone either way with many chance presented for attackers who on this occasion failed to find the back of then net - what was great, composure, good defensive work. We saw a lot of extremely impressive play, defensively Chris and Luke were heroes and blotted out lots of pressure and the improvement as individuals was evident - good awareness and teamwork. We saw the captain Nick put in some super skills, battling hard and with composure on the ball. Zil, played outfield and was tireless & fearless as always and linked up very well with Liam our bulldozer centreforward. The goal levelled the score, it would be fair to say it was coming as we mounted attack on attack, scrambles in the box against last ditch defending... then it came, a long range shot from the captain out on the right, the keeper struggled as it went under his body - and great to see Liam following up and competing to ensure it found the back of the net.Wilf had a spell in goal in the first half and Kaiden had a great second half ensuring 90% of chances were thwarted - what a brilliant drop kick... Bradley - well, he was here there, every bloomin' where - tireless running and enthusiasm always great to see. Beautiful footwork from liam H... who played a massive role throughout the game, with great skill, desire and determination - great work everyone.
Areas for improvement
- Trust - trust eachother and sometimes release that ball earlier
- Coolness in the box in front of goal
- Both feet - let's work on using both feet... we've all got two !
In summary - all games
What a great start to 2008... lots to look forward to. You should all be proud of yourselves - everyone played their part in an exceptional afternoons football.
Bath City Youth U8s... just in....
16.12.2007 Bath City Youth FC 2 : 1 Frome Town Sports
It was a very cold match, we played Frome Sports and the teams were evenly matched. At half time it was 1-0 to us, scored by Lewis, and just after half time Lewis scored again to make it 2-0. We started to get tired as we only had 7 players. Frome scored with less than 10 minutes to go and we had a couple of goal line clearances, but fought hard to make it a 2-1 victory to Bath City Youth.
Edward
Bath City Youth FC 3 : 1 Frome Town Sports
Another freezing day and another sterling performance from the Blue Team. Joe Prescott took little persuading to step into goal having just completed the Red Team game. George H, with his customary tenacity and fearsome tackling, reduced the opposition to a gibbering wreck. Ben G was in fine form keeping the attackers at bay, and Vinny played right midfield as if he’d played there all his life. Lewis, Jack, and Edward took turns playing their second match of the day with great spirit. Miles (the secret weapon) opened the scoring and Joe Proudman followed with a second. Some good saves and big kicks from Joe Prescott helped to relieve the pressure and in the second half, Edward completed Bath City’s scoring with a fine shot. Very late in the match, Frome Town pulled one back, but this was Bath City Youth’s day. Hurrah.
Anon -'Oooh are ya?...'
Frome U7s vs Bath City Youth U7s
16.12.2007 '...rockin' result - AWAY WIN - Frome 0 : 8 Bath City Youth FC'
Under 7'sOn a very cold morning Bath Under 7s put on a great display against Frome. Although Frome were ready whilst Bath were still getting on their smart new shirts and waiting for a couple of players, any thoughts that we weren’t prepared soon evaporated when Thomas (wearing number 10) scored twice within the first five minutes. The first one scored after some great passing moves. In fact the Frome goal remained busy throughout the whole game, making our goal line the coldest place on the pitch. Our third was scored by Matthew (7), getting on the end of a cross from Alfie (2). Two further goals in the first half by Tom Van Gelderen (4) and Alfie made it 0-5 at half time. Frome came out determined in the second half, however it wasn’t long before defensive mix ups let Matthew score again. Frome could not get through our stern defensive line up of Ewan (5) and Eva (3). Archie (9), having spent the first half freezing in goal, scored our seventh, with Jake (8) setting him up. The game by now was wrapped up but not before Ton Van Gelderen hit a blistering shot into the top right hand corner of the goal. This was one of the best team performances of the season. It was good to see the players keep in their positions and make effective basic passing moves. Final Score: Frome 0 Bath 8
Following the main game the teams played again. Although Frome did score and played much better, Bath continued to dominate and scored a further five goals. The most memorable being a header from Matthew. The first headed goal I think the team have scored.
more images of this game here.
Well done also to the Mums and Dads who braved the cold and gave the usual encouraging support to all our players.
Team Bath Arsenal 1 : 8 Bath City Youth FC
16.12.2007 Christmas comes early....
Under 10'sA nippy start to the day caught the opponents cold. Our players focussed on their prematch warm up which payed off handsomely... Crisp passing, great awareness and trust in oneanother, the City Youth put TBA on the backfoot early on in the first half. Terrific running off the ball created a three on two situation - which created havoc in the TBA box, TBA were caught in two minds and failed to close down the attach, resulting in a fine drive which found the back of the net like a guided misile. The second followed soon after, which was great going as we chose to play up the hill in the first 20. Terrific saves which were goal bound from set pieces were thwarted by great concentration and strong hands to keep the scoreline to 2 - 0.
The second half, with the hill advantage saw numerous chances come our way, the scoreline could easily have been 15 to us as our midfield dominance and superior understanding kept the ball in the TBA half of the pitch. Great credit to TBA, as they continued to find some way back into the game and were finally rewarded with a solo effort which found goal.
Game Two - we loan out three key players to the opposition
Due to a number of players unable to make their fixture, three of our key players sportingly rose to the challenged and donned yellow jersey's - what was great was the desire to play the game, resulting in the first goal to TBA coming from one of our players ! It was a terrific game to witness, we created umpteen chances but failed to find the back of the net - final score being 4 : 1 to the TBA, there were no losers football won the day.
All those who played on both teams should be very proud of themselves, great spirit and sportsmanship - great teamplay - that's x-mass come early and Santa was definitely watching... 'fill 'em stockings beardy bloke - these kids deserve everything on their wish lists !!'
Bath City Youth Under 11s Knockout Cup - Knock them out !
16.12.07On a very cold but fine day BCY started their cup campaign against a side they lost 7:6 to earlier in the season. A bright start saw Leon latch onto a through ball and he slid the ball past the oncoming keeper to make it 1:0. After Frome drew level, BCY worked well on the right hand side a half-chance fell kindly to George who slotted home. We went further into the lead when forceful work from Chris in midfield rewarded him with a shooting opportunity on the edge of the area. A powerful shot beat the outstretched arms of their keeper. Frome came back to 3:2. George again showed his pace as broke away beyond the defenders and calmly rounded the keeper to score his second.
After half-time Frome applied a lot of pressure and Chris, Jamie, James R and James N battled hard to keep Frome at bay. A harsh penalty award made it 4:3. The final goal of the game was a spectacular effort from Kaylum. He struck a beautiful shot that was goalbound but bravely blocked by a Frome defender. The rebound bounced once, then was met by Kaylum's left boot, who struck a sweet unstoppable volley. Benji made several good saves in the second half to ensure that the score remained 5 : 3 to BCY U11. onto the next round!
Bath City Youth Under 15s End League Leader's Unbeaten Run
25.11.07City pulled off the upset of the season with a convincing 3-2 win over league leaders Cameley. This was against the form book as Cameley were unbeaten so far this season having trashed City 15-1 in their previous encounter. However good linking play and teamwork saw City go ahead 2 -0 with a goal from a free-kick by striker Jake and a crisp header from a cross from Sam. They held this lead into the half-time break and although Cameley came back into the game in the second half, they were contained by spirited defending to 2-2 before Ashley sealed the well deserved victory with a first time strike in the 70th minute from a whipped cross into the box.
City have the chance to meet Cameley again in the semi final of the cup if they get past their next two opponents. Their cup campaign kicks off this Sunday against Frome Town Youth against whom they drew with in their last encounter.
Horrific Injury to coach affects team's performance
25.11.07A pre-match accident left BCY's coach crippled and unable to deliver his pre-match motivational speech to his players! As one of the U11 coaches disappeared on a (Cardiff City FC related) jolly. The remaining (dedicated) coach was there to prepare the team. During the warm-up one of the players (with his back to the coach) took an almighty backswing of his right boot to kick an oncoming ball. Unfortunately at the height of his backswing his boot connects to the coach's knee! (stop laughing Phil...). The coach refused to go to hospital (not that anyone offered to take him!) and the match started.
Both teams started off slowly (too much Sunday lunch?) and the play was a bit scrappy. A few more minutes in and Theo started to work well with Will in midfield. Olly and James N in the centre of defence coped well with any attacks that Team Bath Arsenal had to offer. Zach was playing well down the right and was rewarded by chasing well onto a good through ball, despite a strong TBA challenge, Zach broke through and slotted in well to give us the lead.
Early in the second-half (the coach's knee was still hurting) BCY were involved in several excellent passing moves which resulted in some chances. Finally one chance fell to Tom just outside the box and he fired home to add to his impressive goal tally. We were 2:0 up and seemed to be cruising. From then on we seemed to have spells where several team members lost concentration and were more spectators than participants. TBA responded with a goal after beating 2 defensive challenges and also an unopposed header from a corner. At 2:2 the game became tense and mistakes were being made by both sides. A shot from the right by TBA was only partially stopped by Benji and the oppositions winger was on hand to tap into the net. At 3:2 down we battled hard and looked the better team again. We created a couple of opportunities to equalise but luck was not on our side. At the end we probably deserved a draw but it was not to be.
Lessons from today's game..... The importance of a good positive start to a game (see last week), keep our concentration levels up during the whole of the game, keep on passing, keep on battling for the ball, don't kick your coach in the knee!
Final result 3:2 to TeamBarf Arsenal U11
Welton Rovers 0 : 11 Bath City Youth FC... we're by far the greatest team.. etc
18.11.07.......yes, that is eleven nil!!
How proud are we of our under 7s??!!
8 players turned up at an icy cold, wet and muddy pitch at Midsomer Norton and produced goal after goal after goal! Prolific goal scoring from the 2 upfront, Matthew and Thomas, with Tyler, Alfie, Archie, Gabrielle, Ewan and Eva all contributing to the total.
Opportunities were created by every player in the team with surging forward runs, brilliant passing and positive tackling. And the defence from Ewan and Eva was solid as a rock creating no opportunity for the other team to break through at all. What a performance from 8 very cold wet but very committed team players.
Lewis, Ewan, Viv and Patrick
"thats one hell of a result... what a bashing!" - the editorBath City Youth U8 (Red) 1 Team Bath Arsenal 4
18.11.07What a solid, brave and impressive performance from the Under 8s Red Team, despite the bitter cold, rain and wind. A determined effort was shown by all, resulting in a gripping match, creating exciting chances for both sides, not truly reflected in the final score.
Bath City Youth dominated much of the first half with most of the play in the opponents half. Some surging forward runs by Fred and Lewis cutting through the defence, beautiful crosses from Lewis, and a near miss from Joe Prescott practically from the ½ way line!
An unlucky breakaway goal was scored by the other team, which was very quickly answered by an absolutely cracking goal by Joe Prescott straight into the top left corner of the net.
Good strong kicking from Henry and Charlie, determined defence from Kirsten, strong tackling from Edward, big, accurate throw-ins from Ben, and a superb save from Jack from a strong attack, kept the pressure on, resulting in a tight 1:1 scoreline at half-time.
An early goal in the second half from the other side created some pressure, resulting in some strong tackling and clearances from Edward, Jack and Kirsten and positive claims of the ball from Ben in goal.
Shots from Fred, Joe and Charlie going just wide or cleared from the line, but the elusive goal just did not come, leaving a wider score margin between the teams than the quality of the match indicated.
Lewis (with a little help from his Mum, maybe)
Bath City Youth U8 (Blue) 6 Team Bath Arsenal 4
18 November 2007It was a freezing and rainy day. The match began with our kick off. It was not long until Miles and Joe Proudman got the ball up to the other end and Miles scored. Ben G and George H were celebrating our first goal on our way to beat Arsenal. It was tough for everyone because of the cold weather but we did very well defeating the coldness.
Our second goal was scored again by Miles who George H and Ben G call their "secret weapon". We had a bit of action going on near our goal but thanks to George H and BenG, the defenders ,they kept the ball right away from the goal, this meant that it was harder for Arsenal to score.
Our third goal came from a great left foot shot from Joe Proudman. Vinny put in some amazing tackles in mid-field. George H and Ben G had to stay back in the coldness. The first in goal was Joe Prescott who put on some impressive saves and he was followed by Joe A and George H who did some very impressive kicks and saves.
Joe A and George D played well in midfield putting in good tackles and taking a few tumbles. Arsenal scored 2 goals in the first half and we ended the first half 3-2 up.
In the second half Ethan made quite a lot of daring attacks on Bath Arsenal and scored our 4th goal. Joe Prescott joined us near the end of the second half with his Joe Prescott style of good football playing. There were 2 more goals scored by Miles and Joe Proudman and Bath Arsenal also scored two and the match ended 6-4 to us in a big cloud of fog. After the final whistle blew we were very pleased with our game but very cold!
Dictated and partly typed by Ben G with secretarial support from his Dad.! ! ! ! Brass monkeys ! ! ! ! 1 - 3 Away win for the under tens
Bath City Youth Under 10's brave the elements and come out top bananas
18.11.07First game : Huge credit to players and parents who braved the elements this Sunday... it was hell out there. We've been lucky to date with the weather and today our boys showed their metal. To add to the wind, rain and cold - the pitch, it was too small for 8 a-side the game plan was put into practice : early shots as there was no room to run or pass through, well worked set peices. The team should be very proud of how this worked. Good listening skills and team-play gain these results - knowing what to do and putting it in place is fantastic. Well earnt, well done. We saw one of the saves of the season... a full length dive and parry from a stonkin' 25 yard pile driver - awesome - even more so as we know for a fact that he helped his dad with the sound at a Take That gig and didn't get to bed until after 1am !
Solid : 0 - 0 Away Draw
Hats off to the lads who arrived early, braved the weather but still put in a stout performance!!!!Our second game, all were soaked through to the bone - horrible, but despite the conditions all chose to play - AMAZING! Today I saw some beautiful football - neat passing, but most of all a willingness and desire, we have a man of the match to thank 'CB' in goal who kept out two blistering shots no grown ups would have saved. And in the second half with the hill advantage it looked like we may steal a goal, corner after corner but alas no it didn't come. When you think about it a 0 - 0 draw was absolutely the right result for anyone who braved the elements - great conviction from both teams.
Review to date
we've had 3 official fixtures... the rest of the games have been arranged by myself and opponents the results and goals scored speak for themselves.
At a glance:Games won = 11( 3 official midsomer norton youth football league fixtures )
Games lost = 5
Games Drawn = 1
Goals scored = 51
Wells City U11 vs Bath City Youth U11A
18.11.2007 '...the most miserable day of the season '
Under 11's'sOn the most miserable day of the season so far almost the entire squad turned up for a game of football in cold windy rain. Firstly a big thank you to the players and parents for showing such great commitment! We were all rewarded by the display of the season so far. We got off to an electrifying start with the team responding to the pre- match talk about delivering early balls to the danger area just in front of the corners of the opposition penalty area. Two great passes and two great runs saw us take a quick 2:0 lead with George putting the finishing touches to his runs.
This put the Wells defence on the back foot and dropping deep giving us plenty of space to pass the ball about in the middle of the field. This pressure lead to a move when Chris scored from outside the box with a powerful shot. Well got a goal back but we were soon on top of them again. Another fast attacking move saw Leon latch onto a bouncing ball and finish with a firm strike. Towards the end of the half George completed his hat-trick with an excellent solo run down the left and cutting in to hit an unstoppable shot. We really were all over Wells in the first half, Taity and Tom controlled the centre of the park and our defenders responded well to their attacks.
In the second-half the rain eased, Ian felt that the job was done and started to change the team positions big-time! This made for a more even match. A clear penalty was awarded to us and the day's Captain, Tom stepped up. A well taken penalty low to the left of the keeper saw him make an excellent save only for Chris to react the quickest and follow in the rebound. I think each player played in at least 3 positions today and Tom's punishment for missing the penalty was to go in goal!! The highlight of his stint in goal was an excellent 1v1 stop against their striker where he came out and dived low to the striker's oncoming feet. However Wells did score 2 well worked goals against us to cheer them up a bit. Our final goal came from Jonathan with a superb strong run down the right to shoot from 12 yds into the roof of the net.
Wells done boys a cracking result. 7 :3 to Bath!!!
Under 8's Rampant Reds... give Timsbury a spankin'
04.11.2007 5-2 win for Bath City Youth U8.
Timsbury FC 2 : 5 Bath City Youth
A cool and misty start welcomed the players but soon the sun came out on the pitch and the game. The first half saw solid defending from Bath with Henry and Jack keeping the gates closed, whilst Tom in goal made a few choice saves. Meanwhile, up front there was some fantastic passing and movement. Edward thwarted Timsbury in the midfield, making some excellent tackles. Ben W showed some solid passing and Lewis had a couple of solid shots on goal as well as creating runs and passes to the pair up front: Fred and Joe Prescott. The passing and running between Joe P and Fred was the best we have seen this season. Fred scored 2, and Joe Prescott scored 3, but both players moved the ball between them with skill and foresight.
In the second half, Timsbury countered with some solid attacking, forcing a penalty, which they converted and then scoring another. Bath held them at bay though, with more good tackling from Edward, some monster kicks from Ben W and more creative forward runs by Lewis and Henry. Fred still backtracked to help Tom during a counterattack in numbers, and Lewis showed true commitment to winning the ball and keeping the pressure on, despite some hard collisions. All in all, Bath played like a team who knew their plan and executed it well.
Tom (with a little help from his Pa, Mark)
Four-tune favours the brave
Timsbury FC 0 : 4 Bath City YouthUnder 8'sBath enjoyed a productive trip to Timsbury on an uncharacteristic sunny November morning, notching up a convincing win against the hosts. The visitors opened their account at the earliest possible opportunity. Miles, receiving the kick-off direct from Kirsten, took the ball from centre-circle to the opposition box and beat the Timsbury keeper with a left foot strike. This set the pattern for the first half as Kirsten's link-up play with Miles meant the pair posed a constant threat in the final third.
Building on robust defence from Ben G and George H and the tackling and superior possession of the midfield of Joe A, George D and captain Vinny, it was not long before Bath increased their lead. A cross from the right from Kirsten found Miles in space and his shot could only be parried away by the Timsbury keeper - Miles put the rebound away. Continued tight marking and tackling prevented any real threat on the visitor's goal leaving Bath's first half keeper Lewis to enjoy the sunshine. Meanwhile, at the other end, Bath added to their total when Miles attempted a right foot shot from an very acute angle which took a deflection off a Timsbury defender to beat their stranded keeper - no doubt Miles will try to claim this one too! Kirsten and Miles combined once again to put the game beyond doubt just before the interval when Kirsten put Miles through on goal to conclude both his and Bath's scoring for the day.
At the break Timsbury came out more resolute and better organised than the first and reduced the visitor's scoring opportunities by comparison with the first half. However, the industrious "Blues" (Blue in name perhaps, but actually "Black and Whites" (ed)) contained the hosts and the best of Timsbury's efforts on the Bath goal were a couple of long range efforts that finished wide of keeper Jack's goal. Bath by this time had comfortably ensured the win and the applause of the travelling supporters.
Miles (with a little help from his helper, Doug)
This weeks action
Football on a Saturday... whoever heard such nonsense...?
21.10.2007 Bath City Youth 2 : 3 Frome Collegians
Under 10'sTwo weeks running, two fantastic footie afternoons... a result is one thing, but the quality of the football played by both sides is another. Frome came with a massive squad enabling our players not on holiday at least one game, if not two runouts on the day - so plenty of action for all - A huge thanks to Mr P for stepping in as caretaker manager for one of our two sides.
First game we witnessed some good goals from both teams, we came from behind each time which showed determination. Some superb passing and interplay despite at least four players being forced out of their favoured positions... Should it have been a penalty to make it 3 : 3 ?... I was right up there with the run on goal - in my opinion their last man did his best to make up ground to thwart a one on one with our keeper, he lost his footing and it was his fall that brought down our striker... there was absolutely no intent to foul our striker - no shirt pulling - no trip it looked like a clumsy accident - their keeper nice lad that he was, even offered me the ball expecting a penalty... if we were up an age group and the points and results mattered the decision would have been to award the pen, however this being a friendly it would have been appropriate.
In summary, when we're back in our positions the floodgates will open, I'm in absolutely no doubt that this is one of the strongest teams in the league. To work on: set plays, we do it in training - lets get it on the pitch when the whistle goes...
Game 2
21.10.2007 Bath City Youth 2 : 1 Frome Collegians
Under 10'sA great result, we have no report on this match but we're told that everyone stuck in and played for eachother and the club... great stuff.
Game 3
21.10.2007 Bath City Youth 6 : 0 Frome Collegians
Under 10'sSecond game... scoreline says it all, slick passing, second ball won around 80% of the time, good awareness and some very strong individual skills resulting in an emphatic result. 2 really messy goals at the death made the scoreline more flattering.
Game 4
21.10.2007 Bath City Youth 1 : 0 Frome Collegians
Under 10'sIn summary
The above results clearly shows the depth and committment we have in a squad of 28... lets look forward to the next matches work on our skills and continually strive to improve our teamplay.
Under 8's
14.10.2007 Bath City Youth 0 : 3 Paulton Rovers
The Red Team
By George Davis and Dad, JamesThe Under 8s Bath City Red Team put up a very good performance against a strong Paulton Rovers red team on Sunday. The match was very close throughout with both sides having chances to open the scoring in the first half. Bath City defended with a lot of determination and put some very nice passes together to create opportunities in the Paulton goalmouth. It was only the very last kick of the first half that saw Paulton take the lead with a long range shot that was very difficult to stop. Bath City again came out very strongly in the second half to look to level the scores. Both Joe Prescott and Fred made some very good runs from midfield and were unlucky not to find the net. Edward and the two Georges continued to defend very well and Tom, Henry and Joe Adams worked hard in midfield. Jack was very busy in goal and made some very good stops. Paulton continued to play very well and scored a second goal with a very hard shot. Bath City again came back strongly and a lot of determination. Tom was very unlucky not to score when his shot almost crossed the Paulton goal line. Just at the end Paulton scored another goal from an unstoppable shot.
Bath City should be very happy with their efforts against a very strong team. It was always a very close game with a lot of goalmouth action. We very much look forward to playing Paulton again next year to see if we can reverse the score!
This weeks action
Under 13's
14.10.2007 Frome Town Sports 4 : 4 Bath City Youth
'Are you Black Lace in disguise...?'
spy in the camp.The fixture: Oakfield School in Frome.
The conditions: an absolutely beautiful afternoon, though the pitch appeared from the touchline to look a little more like a field... one that might want ploughing...add a couple of spuds and bingo - you're in business.
We witnessed some quality goals that afternoon, a nifty chip from wide - a heroic 2 on 1 sandwich in the box, the ball could have gone anywhere but rightly so ended up in the back of the net. There were a number of slick passages of play where the ball was moved and cut through the opposition, but overall the temptation was to be lured into a bit of kick and run rather than dominant possession, probably due to the home teams style of play. 4 : 4 at full time was a fair reflection of the afternoon.
Frome went behind each time but had the resolve not to give up - spurred on by a manager who I swear is the lead singer of Black Lace... you know: 'Aaaaaaaaaah Gaaaaaaaaaaaah do do do... push pineaple shake the tree, Aaaaaaaaaah Gaaaaaaaaaaaah do do do... jump up and down and grind coffee - or was he from Kajagoogoo... yeah Limal thats 'im... ' your too shy shy, hush hush, eye to eye... come on girl, move a little closer'
spy in the camp
Under 11's
14.10.2007 Bath City Youth FC 1 - Lots Team Bath Arsenal...ouch thats gotta hurt
An under par performance and a couple of absentees led to a flattering score to TBA. Even if we were full-strength and had performed well, we would have struggled to contain a team that had plenty of attacking options. In essence we had a bit of a masterclass on how to play attacking football at this age level. The first 20mins were very even, yet another harsh penalty awarded against us opened the scoring, TBA's second resulted from a great through ball. We battled back and from a well taken free-kick by Jamie, the GK made a good save only for Kaylum to pounce on his spill. At that point we felt the game could have gone either way. When TBA scored their 3rd our heads dropped and we lost belief. For the rest of the game we showed glimpses of promise, but our overall lack lustre performance allowed too many chances for the opposition.
I must point out that Tom H (in his own kit this week) put in an excellent performance and did not give up once during the game. The team have promised to follow his example in future games.
Other lessons from today:
Do not allow the opposition too much time on the ball.
Defend corners properly.
Working harder to win the ball.
Defend with a
flat back line.
Play to our strengths and let the opposition worry
about us!
We're confident that we have fired enough spirit into the boys for them to bounce back, so our next opponents had better watch out! For those that really want to know how many, it was less than 12 but more than 10!!
Ray
Under 10's
14.10.2007 Chilcompton 4 - 2 Bath City Youth FC...Noble in defeat - football the winner of the day.
This week we found ourselves against the strongest opposition in our age group. We witnessed one of our best ever performances despite the sickness bug - which clearly had taken its toll on a number of players. BCYu10's went one nil up with a terrific poachers strike and we found ourselves at 1 - 1 at the break. Chilli played a stong team and secured another goal swiftly after half time... a top volley. Obs kept the scoreline down with a succession of wonder saves - one off the chin and flicking a rocket onto the bar. Chilli continued to up the pressure and tempo and as we had no subs we began to crack and the game went to 3 - 1. A year ago the floodgates may have opened - but not this year, no-one gave up, we dug deep and put immense pressure on the homeside, shots came and were stopped by a solid keeper and finally our endeavour was rewarded to make the scoreline 3 - 2, several other shots and corners still would not cross the line - with Chilli clearly rattled by the quick feet and passing movement resorted to a 3 man defense an occaisionally 4 men dropping back... this is the respect our players earnt
We eventually conceded another goal, no mistake purely down to legs running out of steam and everyone looking to find the equaliser. We left not disappointed, we were part of an exceptional match leaving the opposition concerned about a return fixture knowing full well the result may have been an away win.
Team Two U 10's break a four season curse
Chilcompton 0 : 1 Bath City Youth FC
We always know a trip to chilli is a tough fixture... lets face it, the opposition work hard on their fitness and the stongest make their team... At long last an away win... we deserved it, a great goal, some amazing defending - I saw from distance a couple of tackles that would have made Chopper Harris wince. Chilli had their chance but couldn't take it - awarded a penalty only to be denied by safe hands fearless CB, incredible. The opposition mounted waves of attack and increased pressure to try to get something out of the game yet failed.
In summary this week ' football came out the winner ' thanks to both teams putting in superb perfomances.
Under 13's
07.10.2007 Bath City Youth 6 - 0 Timsbury from a Spy in the Camp
The under 13's put in a top performance this week and can take many positives from the game. Timsbury came in a positive frame of mind but the quality within BCY began to dominate. Fundamental skills were rewarded, ball down - control - head up - movement - pass - supporting ball... magnificent. We witnessed some top drawer goals, individual skills as well as some really crisp passing a joy to watch.
The boys should rightly take confidence from this performance, each played for eachother and team. Reflect upon the words of their coaches and experience... it has been shown to pay off. Nice one Steve and Martin.Under 11's
07.10.2007 Chew Valley A 3 - 2 Bath City Youth
In the most hectic run up to a game ever, the team was stripped to the bare bones. One vomiting goalie, one reserve goalie twisting his ankle in the morning, one midfielder delayed by a rugby tournament, one player facing disciplinary action (grounded by parents!) and we were left with 11 brave souls. Even then amongst these we had one carrying a slight ankle injury, two who had a sleepover (or a lack-of-sleep over) and one (who shall be named at the request of his dad), Tom H, who forgot his kit!
Olly was the volunteer for the GK position and showed his skill by pulling off the save of the season so far (sorry Benji and Jack you'll have to do well to top this one). Later on in the half from one of our corners Tom (despite being in borrowed trackies and borrowed boots) met the ball at the near post to head onto the post. Soon after Kaylum showed his strength and bustled through Chew's defence to slip in the first goal. Unfortunately CV soon equalised when a cross was inadvertently flicked past Olly off Tom's head (why couldn't he do it at the other end?!?!). We showed persistence and determination and Kaylum restored the lead with an acrobatic finish.
In the second half CV applied loads of pressure and we were harshly adjudged to have conceded a penalty when a missed-controlled ball by Jamie popped up and struck his hand. 2:2 and we were on the back foot. Tom, James R and James N battled hard to gain possession in the middle of the park but we started to drop back a bit too deep. A fine lob by CV's best player followed by a tap in at the far post made it 4:2 to CV. Then we started to play again. George terrorised their right back and in one counter-attack Zach set up Jamie to make it 4:3. We had further chances, with shots from George and Theo. We even sent Olly up into the opposition's box for a couple of late corners. Sadly it finished 4:3 to Chew Valley.
07.10.2007
Under 10's Bitter...... moi ?
Chew Valley A 3 - 2 Bath City Youth
A tough battle for the under tens this week. Our boys battled hard, five injured in a different 'approach' to the game. We were ahead at half time but were undone for the first time this season, we created more chances and were the better team denied by the post and the final whistle.
Second game yet more controversy, a two nil lead at half time reduced to 3 - 3 at full time, then we suffered the indignity of conceding in 'extra time' (I quote sarcastically) - and upon the goal funnily enough we hear the final whistle. Amazing the way the half can drag out - we video'd the lot and know exactly how much 'extra time' was played.
Winning is great, we all enjoy it and we've had a great run so far this season. We don't mind losing ( sometimes, when we're beaten by a better team ). In summary, we are a superior team on every level. Well done to all our boys ( and girls ! ).
30.09.2007
Under 10's City Boys on the rampage out in the sticks
Timsbury C Team 0 - 5 Bath City Youth
A very exciting game which even made a grey start to Sunday turn out as a blue sky day. We anticipated a tough battle at Timsbury and went on the pitch with a very positive attitude. The first goal was a true scorcher - the first shot on goal was saved but we followed up rebound with an unstoppable drive to open our account... the first hat-trick of the morning.
A mazy, 'jinky' run for our mohican midfield dynamo came later in the second half, after injury our mohawk was replaced by substitute DP... chomping at the bit to get back on, within minutes, he shaped to shoot an inspired right foot lob from 20 yards out, the keeper grounded could only flap at it in vane.
In summary - superb team effort - this week our efforts were rewarded. Great finishing
Timsbury 1 - 5 Bath City Youth
An extremely well balanced match, the scoreline probably flatters us - although we must not forget why we won - the defense and goalkeeping in particular proved again to be a fortress. Solid keeping by CB, defensive work by the Zilmeister and Dixmeister, all showed superb composure and bravery.
Not to mention: Point blank saves, long range saves - dives at strikers feet with no fear for personal safety - our man puts himself on the line each week and is an un-sung hero as are our defenders. 2-1 up at half time, early issues were rectified with a change in positions to sure up the midfield and bingo... more goals eventually came as the opposition tired, some quality crossing and passing crept into our game.
It is difficult to criticise any aspect of the game, we can look to some weaker points: Set peices, corners free kicks and throw-ins. Supporting ball - when we've made the pass, lets not stand back and enjoy the accuracy lets pass and move.
We can all look around us, each has done themselves proud so far this season... what we have amongst us is not just good teams - but a fantastic team spirit with a dynamic personality, there is clearly more to come.
We can enjoy the weekend, there are tougher games ahead of us.Bath City Youth Under 7s v Paulton Rovers at home
30.09.2007Paulton Rovers turned up with eleven players and we had ten, so we agreed to play mixed ability teams of six in two matches, with substitutes.
The general opinion of our parents was that Paulton played their best six in the first game! Although we lost the first match 4-1, (our goal scored by Thoms Van Gelderen), we fought hard and were very competitive. Paulton scored all their goals on the break away - we just couldn't scrabble the ball into their net! Matthew Thompson ran himself into the ground.
In the second game we won 7-1. Our team showed a couple of moments of very impressive passing in between the forwards and midfield which cut through their defensive, and bodes very well for the future. Thomas King scored four goals and hit a cracking free kick from an acute angle, which just missed the angle of the goal post and cross bar. Matthew also scored two goals this match.
In the second half, the rest of the boys played, with Archie Foster moving from goalie to defence where he was a sterling last line, and also dribbled the length of the picture to set up a goal by Jake. Harvey Squire played in his usual neat and cultured style whenever he was on the pitch and Ben Stringer played very athletically and determinedly throughout both games.
All the boys enjoyed themselves, and left happy and tired! The overall standard of play was very pleasing and all the boys tried very hard. Well done!
Bath City Youth U11A vs Westfield Youth U11A
30th Sept 07On a rare fine and calm afternoon at Lansdown, Bath City Youth U11A started the better of the two teams. Chris was very lively in the first 2 mins and had a chance when he unsettled the defender just outside the oppositions box. Taity and Will were commanding in midfield and dictated the play. Westfield tackled well throughout the first half with Bath seemingly having more of the play. Theo came close on two occasions both with long range shots, one hitting the crossbar. Westfield were restricted to counter-attacks to which James R, Ollie and Ben defended with great composure. Half-time 0 : 0.
The second half started very evenly and Westfield started creating a couple of chances. In one attack persistant work on the left from Liam resulted in a save by Jack but the rebound was put back across goal for Westfield to slot home. Bath bounced back immediately applying pressure to Westfield's defence. Eventually Kaylum collected the ball from outside the area and dribbled past two defenders to slide the ball into the bottom corner. Shortly after Chris ran onto a well executed throw-in to calmly slot in Bath's second 2:1. Westfield fought back and at one point some penalty area pinball inside Bath's box had the ball bouncing everywhere except Bath's goal. With 10 mins to go Tom on the left side of midfield took the ball inside past a defender and his shot from outside the area found the top part of the net. Other highlights included a mazey run from James N beating about 6 players but unable to unleash a shot. Leon had an excellent breakthrough and was bearing down on goal only to be brought down just outside the area.
An excellent performance by all players involved, a 3 : 1 victory to Bath City Youth U11A.
Paulton Rovers U11B vs Bath City Youth U11B
30th September 07After three tough games against difficult opposition Bath City Youth U11B's notched up their first win of the season. Matt G, Curtis and Matt C scored goals in the first half and at half time we were winning 3 -1. The team were really optimistic at half time that the slight down hill advantage and a tiring Paulton would mean scoring more goals in the second half.
In the second half the team made some good passing moves and had many opportunities to increase the score, but the ball appeared to be magnetically attracted to the Paulton Goalkeeper. At the other end, our need to practice defending corners came to the fore again and Paulton scored from the first corner of the half. Paulton scored again to make it 3 - 3 and the match continued for a long period, going from end-to-end with much incident, but no goals. With a few minutes to go, we started a move from our own half and in a series of sweeping passes the ball was in the Paulton area and Henri managed to get his shot past the Paulton Keeper. The game had barely restarted when the final whistle blew.
Bath City Youth started the season with a 10 – 1 win over Welton Rovers. The players were: Kirsten, Tom, Fred, Joe P, Joe B, George H, Edward and Jack F.
The manager Nick Prescott said “The team played together very well in a great performance. All their hard work in training has paid off.”
Our forwards and midfield had lots of shots on target firing in from all directions and angles. Fred scored a fantastic five goals, Joe P managed a hat-trick with Joe B and Edward getting a goal each. Tom and Kirsten did a great job in goal and George, Edward and Jack were tackling and passing well. In the wind and drizzle BCY U11A played in a scrappy game that was
certainly not helped by the poor weather conditions. The first part
of the game saw BCY create a couple of chances on the right flank with
Theo working well. One cross was met by Kaylum's head but went over
the bar. In latter part of the first half, Taity had a couple of long
range efforts which were on target but well saved by Paulton's
keeper.
In the second half BCY had the wind advantage and a slight downhill
slope. Zach reverted to the right and caused trouble amongst
Paulton's defence. The decisive goal came in the middle of second half with
Jamie popping up in central midfield, hitting a powerful shot from outside
the box which beat the goalie's outstretched arms. Later on George
created chances with his pace, in one attempt he managed to slide the
ball beyond the oncoming keeper only for it to be cleared off the
line by a defender. Without our two regular central defenders, Will D was
solid as a rock. We held Paulton back well, throughout the game our
keeper Jack did not have a single save to make.
A well deserved win in difficult conditions.
Bath City Youth in amazing victory! for the U8's
23.09.2007 Under 11's : Final score Paulton Rovers 0 - 1 Bath City Youth
under 10's. Away to TeamBath Arsenal.... 'they don't like it up 'em...'
TeamBath Arsenal 5 - 7 Bath City Youth
This week took the u10s to the sulis club, against local side TeamBath Arsenal, always a close fixture.
Team one after securing a 6 - 1 lead at half time, we sat back and let not only
the slope but also the opposition play its part in a final scoreline of 5 - 7.
Had it not been for some outstanding goalkeeping from TeamBath the scoreline could quite easily have been 5 - 12, so some further work in front of goal under pressure is required.
Team 2 put in a superb performance, we struggled to find the net and our chances were thwarted. We were also unfortunate that the opposition did not turn out in full, TeamBath played 2 first team players which were then substituted for first team players throughout the game... we've seen this tactic before. Clearly we have TeamBath Arsenal on the backfoot.
Final score 4 - 1. We lose one game - but win as a genuine team, no ringers, no excuses.
2 Wins 2 Draws 1 loss reported
16.09.2007No match reports have been submitted this week... if you've something to share then mail the the news to the Editor.
Hopefully we'll have more to say after Sunday's games.
Westfield C team cancel - No Game for the under 10's 16.09.07
This week the players put together a tournament amongst themselves up at lansdown. An encouraging turnout. Three teams of seven-a-side and one team of six. It was a good chance which allowed all players the freedom to express themselves picking their own sides ensured no bias. With a big squad it was valuable for training purposes - seeing ball skills and teamwork put into action on the pitch.
What was noticeable was a lot of very stong individual play initially, then as tiredness set in there was a greater appreciation of the space available.
Points we still need to focus onGreater work and enthusiasm for: basic ball mastery and skills, increase our vocabulary of turns, change of pace and feints. If you can master all of the basics it will be intuitive on the pitch... no thinking... just doing... Vision: we need to take pitch snapshots - lifting our heads up regularly to increase our awareness of what is going on around us. Volume: if you are in a good position and your team mate is making a run... if his head is down he cannot see you, let him know - shout loud and want the ball do not be shy. Supporting ball: you make a pass... lets not sit back and admire the accuracy - follow up, if you can't see the ball move and make yourself available. On goal: :we need the vision mentioned above eg, can I take a touch or must I hit it early first time? The keeper is he big, small - where should we place the ball? Match awareness: What is going on around me - what can I do to help and make a greater impact on the game... speed it up, slow it down, am I in position or do we need more cover across midfield or the back...
Positives: Some fantastic defensive work, sensible and not desparate the ball was worked well out of defensive positions Following up attack, some superb presence in the box - lets keep this up Goalkeeping, the keepers were outstanding and brave with no concern for their own safety, efforts on goal were thwarted. Overall - Loads of action - loads of goals.great enthusiasm and work ethic. No negativity amongst any players - support each other and we'll have a great season ahead.Make team selection difficult each week... turn up, give maximum effort and go for it.
Under 13 Team Bath Arsenal 4:1 Bath City Youth
08.09.2007TeamBath Arsenal dominated the midfield, won the first and second ball and after resilient defending the inevitable happened with TeamBath finding the back of the net.
On a hot day the boys battled hard with a good work ethic and were rewarded a consulation goal. The dominant side won on the day - we'll meet again... lah di dah... la dee daaaaah...
Bath City Youth U11 A 2:1 TeamBath Arsenal
08.09.2007A close game with a very even start. After a couple of chances for both sides, Bath City Youth started to dominate the game but were unable to convert their chances. TeamBath battled hard won much of the ball in midfield. Towards the end of the 1st half City were unable to clear a corner. TeamBath were 1:0 up. The second half started much in the same vein, good pressure from Bath City but very strong tackling by TeamBath. A throw-in to Bath City deep in the opposition half allowed Big Ben to turn quickly onto the ball and strike a half-volley into the net from 10 yds. A few minutes later good midfield work from Will and a quick through ball from Big Ben allowed George to break the defensive line. A 30 yard run and a cool finish allowed Bath City to take the lead. TeamBath had a couple of chances to equalise but Bath City also had chances to extend the lead. The final play saw Tom come very close to scoring but denied by the TeamBath GK who had had an excellent game. 2:1 to Bath City
Bath City Youth U15 - 1:14 Camley & Temple
08.09.2007A defeat 14-1 away to league championship Cameley and Temple. Lots of positives for us though, particularly in the second half, as we received a masterclass in Under 15 football.
U10 Peasedown Athletic 1:6 Bath City Youth
U10 Peasedown Athletic 1:2 Bath City Youth
U10 Peasedown Athletic 0:4 Bath City Youth
08.09.2007A strong home team was eventually broken down after a period of tough battling, quick passing and movement unlocked the door for the first goals. 5 of our 8 man squad finding the back of the net ending in a tough call penalty decision in our favour which was delivered low and hard with pinpoint accuracy.
Game two proved a fine balance between two very equal teams. Each creating chance after chance, we saw 4 shots go wide and a free kick skim the bar eventually to be rewarded with the winner.
Game 3, was a game of two halves... 3 goals in the first half did enough damage. A complete change of personnel for the second half was hard fought and eventually a stunning solo effort caught a defender on the backfoot. A very positive start to the season... though we know there are tough fixtures ahead and should enjoy the moment but treat our next opponents with respect.
New players have arrived and found their feet very quickly, one of which is a boy wizard and we can look forward to him conjuring up some fancy magic this season... 'Wingardien Leviosa' - (you know who it is) well played boys and well done for those who waited around patiently in the heat before getting on the field.
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