U9 Reds Match Reports

Date: 28^th August 2010 - Friendly

Game: Sundon Park Rangers Reds 0 - Luton Borough Dragons Reds 5

Borough had a few players missing (Ilyas, MJ and Alex), but I drafted in Luca to help as an extra sub. We started slowly and missed a few too many tackles and passes. James had a few good runs down the left, but without any end product.
We started to get our passing together and a good cross from Julio saw James finish at the back post. 1 – 0. That seemed to spark Sundon as they counter attacked well, often 3 against 1, but failed to finish! Our corner defending and marking up got better as the match progressed as did the throw ins.
Half time came and James and Jake had chances again pretty much straight from kick off, but took extra touches when perhaps a shot would have been the better option. We had a few more corners and Julio and Fabian were getting them in the box nicely, but no-one was there to finish. Lewis, who interlinked play well all game, went on a run and got his head up, crossed to Nathan who had an easy finish. 2 – 0. We then had a throw in which resulted in a 1 on 1 chance for Julio and then James, but neither could finish. The ball arrived at Luca who ran on and crossed for James to finish again. 3 – 0. Luca got the ball again and turn at the half way line and dribbled forwards to earn a corner. The resulting corner went across Julio shot, but was saved then Luca pounced to score. 4 – 0. We had further attempts on their goal including James hitting the post! More good passing and interlinking saw us dominate in the their half, which culminated with the ball coming to Nathan who hit a screamer for number 5! All in all a great result for Borough, but there is work still to be done on getting back when losing the ball as the amount of times Luqmaan was left exposed at the back was worrying as another team would have punished us. We have a few things to work on in training, but having said that our attacking play is definitely getting better

Coaches Man of the Match: Nathan for getting stuck in, passing the ball around and also getting a couple of goals.

Managers Man of the Match: Luqmaan for some great defending and keeping us in the game especially in the first half.

Date: 24^th July 2010 - Friendly

Game: Luton Borough Dragons Reds 2 – Sundon Park Rangers Reds 6

I was happy to arrange this friendly as this was against Division 1 opposition and would give us a good idea as to how we have grown as a team given the thrashing they gave us last time we played (15-1)! Well we had a few players missing (Lewis T and Julio B), but after drafting in the Whites Keeper (James) we started ok and had a few chances early with Nathan getting a shot off after good work by Fabian down the right. We looked like we were upto this task and after a long ball from James in goal Lewis nearly got another shot on goal. Then Ilyas had a good run and just mistimed his shot and was unlucky. Fabian was looking dangerous and willing to take people on and try to create something going forwards. SPR’s starting to get their game together and some good handling kept us at 0-0. Then we had a good passing sequence again and Jake got another long distance shot off that was saved.Suddenly they broke and we got caught out at the back and they scored. We did not let our heads drop and a good run by MJ nearly got us level, but needed better control in the final third. We needed to talk to each other and sometimes I wonder how many times I need to keep saying this! Suddenly another good 4 or 5 passes and the ball got to Alex who crossed the ball for Jake to score with a good low shot. Sundon were looking more and more threatening as the game went on and only more good interceptions by Luqmaan kept us in it.

Half Time came and we discussed helping each other and closing the man down. All in all a good first half, showing how much we have learnt and developed this season.

Second half started and Sundon were straight at us and after letting them run in on goal Luqmaan conceded a penalty, which was taken well and James could do nothing about it. Again our heads did not drop and we kept at them trying to get our passes working for us. It worked as the ball fell to Lewis who buried his low shot and got us level again.

Unfortunately fatigue and lapses in concentration then meant we let them shoot too often and soon we were 2 – 6.

BUT…. After saying all that I am proud of the boys and we are getting there as a team and the tactics are getting us far more opportunities in front of goal and we need to start taking more of them. The passing will come on again the more games we play and the only thing we really need to work on is the closing down.

There were several complaints during and after the game from Sundon about our tackles, but I expect that passion and we just need to work on getting the timing right!

Coaches Man of the Match: James (Keeper) for filling in and playing well in a team he did not know!
Managers Man of the Match: Jake for scoring a great goal and showing glimpses of the passion and skills that we all know he has!

Chiltern Junior SevensTournament

Well, new manager Prabs went into this tournament feeling a little apprehensive as to what was going to happen. Everybody turned up and we found out we were in Group A along with Luton United, St. Martins Whites, Sundon Park Rangers Reds and Sundon Park Rangers. Not a bad draw at all. First game was against Luton United and we started well with the children looking like they wanted to be there, closing down well and started to get some passing going. Unfortunately we did not get many shots off, but held our own against a Division 1 side, who we soon realised were "technically" the best team in our group. The game ended 0-0 and was a good start to our tournament. Next came Sundon Park Rangers Reds (who had beaten us 15-1) last time we played them. What a difference a season makes! We were positive from the first game and a great pass from Nathan Gale saw MJ shoot a screamer into the goal. 1-0 to The Reds! Then soon after Alex held the ball up and it found its way to Nathan to slot in the second. Half time came and Prabs asked for more of the same. The second half saw Sundon Park Rangers Reds with more of the ball and with Borough failing to clear a corner they scored. Luckily or not full time came and Borough had their first win of the Tournament 2-1. Borough were back in action against Sundon Park next. This should have been a simple enough task, but even though we had good possession it just did not happen in front of goal and half time came. Prabs changed it around at half time and soon enough Borough scored. The last game in the group saw Borough needing a win against St. Martins Whites (who had lost to everyone so far). Prabs sent a team out fully capable to scoring yet as so often with The Reds this season they failed to gel and this ended a bore draw with only a great shot from MJ hitting the crossbar in the second half to talk about. Still the Group stages had finished and the team were unbeaten, Winning 2 games and drawing 2 giving us 8 points and made us the best Runner up out of the three groups and getting us into the Semi Final. The Semi saw us facing Crawley Green Falcons and even though they were a good team we lost before the game had already started. Manager Prabs was disappointed with the way the boys heads fell too quickly. This was a same as this was a great overall performance by the boys over the course of the day. On a final note everyone played their part and even though the lack of shots was potentially a weakness it was clear to see how this team has kicked on from the beginning of the season. The spirit is good and it showed in many of the games we played, but training will now focus far more on technical skills as the manager feels this is now where we need to develop and where we are behind other teams.

Sat 24th April 2010
Eaton Bray Lions 3 Luton Borough 0
Last game of the season and it typified what's been happening for most of the games. Not wanting the ball enough to challenge; not taking shots; making silly mistakes to give away goals at key times. Some of the matches through the season, we have performed so well, that had we have played like that in all of the games we would ahve been up there challenging for the title. So this year we have to settle for mid table. Let's hope it gets better next season.
Man of the Match for this game was MJ who played while feeling unwell.

Sat 17th April 2010
Luton Borough 2 Sundon Pk Rgrs 0
The team had one of their not turning up days for this match. A don't care attitude was on show. They didn't pass, they didn't shoot. This was against a side that hasn't won all season. Luckily they managed to force a win from probably the only two times they bothered to pass the ball. Nathan Gale and Fabian Kapadia getting on the end of passes from M.J. to tap in two goals. they move up to sixth place in the table, but face top team Eaton Bray in their last match. Man of the Match went to James Kirkland who was so reliable in defence.

Sat 10th April 2010
Luton Borough 0 Eaton Bray 1
Borough were expected to lose heavily today, but they fought really well and took Eaton Bray by surprise really. The boys played solidly through the first half and deservidly came off all square. The second half was much of the same and it was just a corner that managed to thread itself through the defence in to the goal which was the difference between the sides. A lesson learned here I think. You have to take responsibility to clear the ball. Don't just think someone else will do it. Toward the end Luton changed formation and started to press for the equaliser but to no avail. Man of the Match went to Luqmaan who just shaded it from James his partner in defence.

Sat 27th March 2010
Luton Borough Whites 5 Luton Borough Reds 1
Borough didn't turn up for this match at all. The good defending, the wanting the ball more than the opposition, getting plenty of shots in. All the things that have won them their last three matches went completely out of the window. The whites had all the desire to win the ball and get it forward. The Reds were 2-0 down and looking like getting a thrashing when they actually went forward passing the ball. The ball got to Lewis Kennard who slotted the ball away giving their keeper no chance. More mistakes in the second half gifted the Whites three more goals. Manager Prabs didn't give a Man of the Match award as he said it was difficult to choose anyone who played with any desire or heart. He did say if he was forced to give it to someone it would have been Lewis K for the goal. He said for the boys, that they should look back at what Gordon wrote on this site the other week with regard to wanting to play and wanting to win. Every player needs to refocus for next week. Do you really want to win badly enough or are you just playing around???

Sat 20th March 2010
Crawley Green 0 Luton Borough 6
Borough were awesome in this match. They really worked their socks off, giving Crawley no time on the ball and challenging really strongly. This wasn't just a win today, this was a hammering. If only we had played like this from the start of the season, we would have been up there challenging for top spot. Nathan and Lewis K linked up a few times and threatened their goal and it was this combination that worked for the first goal in the 5th minute and the second two minutes later. MJ was enjoying himself nicking the ball of their defence and shooting at random. Their goalkeeper helped with a kick out straight to Lewis K for his hatrick in the 13th minute. Then in the 17th Nathan had a strong shot which at the last moment was deflected slightly by Lewis but the goal is Nathans. Sorry Lewis. Four nil up at half time and the boys thought they had it in the bag, but manager Gordon Attwell kept them at it for the second half telling them to go out there and work hard for every minute of the half. This they did and continued to put Crawley under pressure, although they did manage to keep playing and threaten the Luton defence at times but James and Luqmaan held firm. Particularly James who had a great game and would have had Man of the Match if it hadn't been for Lewis Kennard's great performance. One of MJ's many shots came off the post five minutes into the second half and Nathan was there to slot it home. Lewis came off half way through the second half for Alex to come on and keep the Crawley defence on their toes, but they couldn't stop him scoring the sixth goal for Borough. The last three games we have scored eleven goals and kept a clean sheet in all of them. Well done guys!!!

Sat 13th March 2010
Sundon Pk Rgrs 0 Luton Borough 2
Borough fought hard to get the supremacy in this match and it was a crushing blow to Sundon when two minutes from the end of the first half Julio got the ball and passed to Nathan who avoided one player and hit a crisp shot to the far post to make it one nil. The second half was much like the first really with Borough pressing and and Sundon still threatening on the break. Just like the first half Borough made sure of the points with a goal in the last two minutes from Man of the Match MJ who took it on the half way line and lobbed the goalkeeper from distance. We had already hit the post and the bar and was almost expecting Sundon to nick a goal and a point, but the boys kept fighting and deserved the win. That's two wins and two clean sheets in two weeks.

Boys:
Please read the message under the League Table on the front page.

Sat 6th March 2010
Luton Borough 3 Sundon Pk Rgrs Blue 0
No Match report for this match as yet.

Sat 6th February 2010
St Martins 3 Luton Borough 3
Borough started pretty well although on the defensive they were solid. Then they forgot what to do to form a wall in front of a free kick and a good shot meant they were one down. Downright bad defending and lack of concentration from midfield to full backs let another goal in before half time. They started the second half with a bit of spark and pushed forward looking for a goal, but instead we gifted them a third from a long shot. Borough were really up against it at this point, but to be fair they showed a lot of fighting spirit. They started wanting the ball and getting really stuck in to their tackles. They attacked and attacked until they got one when MJ dribbled forward and passed to Nathan who scored well. Soon after that Jake scored a good goal to really put the pressure on St Martins. All of a sudden it was St Martins who looked scared to death of the ball and Borough looking like they were going to get a hatful. They couldn't deal with MJ's runs on the ball and one of them created the equaliser which he finished himself in fine style. They also had other chances hitting the bar and the post but the winner just wouldn't come. Having been 3-0 down to get a point was a great result, but somehow you wonder if it should have been two. Man of the Match was MJ, but well done to all the boys!

Sat 23rd January 2009
Luton Borough 0 Sacred Heart 4

Was this result due to the long lay off over Xmas and the snow problems. I don't think so. It was the same for other teams. There seems to be the thought in the players minds now that I don't have to tackle that player Someone else will do it! I don't have to get there quickly, the opposition player will wait for me! Oh! we have a corner. Is someone going to tell me what to do. Borough's players needed a wake up call, but the alarm didn't go off. OK yes they managed to stem the tide of goals in the second half, but to do that they had to lose their attacking formation of the first half and go to three in defence and three across midfield. They managed to create a couple of chances in the second half which came from the short corners being called for, but in general Sacred's No5 had a masterly performance in defence and hardly anything got past him. Will they turn it round next week against Sundon Park? We'll see.

Sat 14th Oct 2009
Luton Bor Whites 2 Luton Bor Reds 1

Playing against our own club teams always adds a bit of an edge to the game, and both managers wanted to put one over the other. It was a very even game and in the first half the reds had most of the chances, with Jake Aroyewun having plenty of shots. The half finished 1-0 down however when the Reds made their only mistake in not shutting their player down quick enough and allowing the shot in. Second half was more of the same, but the Reds just couldn't find their shooting boots. Toward the end the Reds pushed forward looking for the equaliser but in doing so left themselves a bit at risk at the back and let another goal in. They didn't give up however and they continued to go forward and eventually found the net after a cross from Ilyas Moradi found debut boy MJ who slipped it in. It was no more than they deserved and Manager Gordon Attwell has hope for the future. Jake got the Man of the Match award. Well done Boys!

Borough played OK, but just OK and they lost because they didn't want the ball enough when there was a 50/50 chance. They watched as Crawley players took the ball, instead of getting stuck in straight away. It was a boring match played out in midfield and two goals scored by Crawley caused by not marking back. There were some good Passages of play, but not enough to make it in to a good performance. I have to say that Crawley's keeper did very well in the second half when we did create a few chances. Man of the Match was Nathan Gayle who was head and shoulders above most of the others. He was up and down the pitch attacking, defending, tackling hard and the only one who was getting their foot in first to the ball. Others have to copy his urgency in the tackle!

Sat 21st Nov 2009
Sundon Pk Rngrs Blue 1 Luton Borough 1
Borough played well against the team in second position in the league. They had at last started to tackle quicker as soon as the opposition got the ball. They also started to think about marking the players that got behind them, which was where a lot of the goals against had come from so far this season. Borough got what they deserved in the eighth minute when Fabian Kapadia, who never stopped running and chasing and tackling for the whole match, nicked the ball off their keeper who hadn't picked it up, and stuck it in the net. The team played so well in the first half that the Manager didn't make any changes at all at half time. Instead he asked that they go back out there and get a second goal. They tried but couldn't get it, and then calamity struck when the keeper passed to their player, instead of our left back and all of a sudden we were chasing a draw instead of a well earned win. The last ten minutes were all Borough, but not gaining from the pressure because of shots not on target. Our supporters did think that the ball had crossed the line for a second goal at one time but it was waived away by the Ref who it must be said had an excellent game otherwise. Another incident to add to the case for video evidence being used at matches!!!!Man of the Match was Fabian Kapadia and the teams thanks go to Alex Hutchings and Myles Forsyth who unfortunately didn't get on this time.
Manager Gordon Attwell said "If we can keep this level of performance up we may start to move up the league table, but I'm afraid there are three or four players who need to improve their skills and their desire to win the ball, if they want to help to win points for the team, rather than just turn up to have a good laugh! Having said that, the players deserve a well done for today's performance."

Sat 14th Oct 2009
Luton Borough 1 Sundon Athletic 3

Borough got what they deserved from this match for their second half display. They started brightly passing the ball about and enjoying playing in the opposition half. This was turned in to a goal which came from a corner and Lewis Kennard poked it home. Borough didn't turn their superiority in to goals however and it was still 1-0 at half time, which was never going to be enough given the wind being against them. The second half they didn't tackle pass mark or win any 50/50 balls. Sundon put three goals past them with ease and they go in to the next round. Borough need to find a bit of fight and toughness if they are ever going to make a team.
Man of the Match was Nathan Gayle.

Sat 31st Oct 2009
Sundon Athletic 3 Luton Borough 3
Borough's first point in the league proper and they deserved it, with a good performance. In fact Borough deserved the win and only missed it because they didn't make timely tackles. Sundon had a few boys who could hit a powerful ball and they used it as much as possible. Borough improved an awful lot on previous weeks, especially with their positioning. Sundon were not good at defending against players running at them with the ball and Fabian Kapadia and Julio Brahimi kept them on their toes in the first half with good runs down the wings. Passing was also good and each time Borough scored from Lewis Kennard twice and Ilyas Moradi they looked like they were going to run out comfortable winners, but their tackling let them down each time, allowing Sundon back in. A good short corner from Fabian to James and back to Fabian who crossed, lead to the first goal and then Lewis Kennard got a second goal after a long clearance from James Kirkland in defence. The third came from Ilyas after running from the halfway line and a long shot which deceived the Sundon keeper. Julio Brahimi got the Man of the Match for a good first half performance.

Sat 24th Oct 2009
Luton Borough 1 St Martins 2
Borough gave away two penalties which St Martins capitalised from and when they got one of their own, it was tamely hit straight at the goalkeeper, although he did well to hold it. Up until the penalty, Borough were holding their own and it was slightly better than last week. Boroughs goal came in the second half from what was a foul throw which was crossed in front of goal and in the melee that followed Alex Hutchings managed to push it over the line. These results will continue unless the players find the will to want the ball more than the opposition do and also the discipline to keep their position. Man of the Match was Alex.

Sat 17th October 2009
Sacred Heart 1 Luton Borough 0
A very poor performance after last week's win. There didn't seem to be a player out there that actually wanted the ball. Sacred Heart played like a side that wanted to break their record of no wins. Yes NO WINS! Well they have now. Borough played like a side that wanted Sacred Heart to break that record as well. Gifted their goal, Sacred fought to hold on to the lead well. Every tackle you looked at you saw a Sacred player wanting the ball more than the Borough player, and when that happens you lose!
Nothing else needs to be said. Man of the Match went to Alex Hutchings as probably the only player to go out there and try to do as he was asked.

Sat 10th October 2009
Sundon Pk Rangers 0 Luton Borough 1

A good win this, which made sure of not finishing bottom of the qualifying league, so well done boys! The team were managed by Tenny in the absence of Gordon and didn't he do well! The game started with Sundon passing it around confidently, but that confidence soon went when they found Borough denying them space and more importantly time on the ball. After the first five minutes it was all Borough attacking but with nothing to show for it. Lots of runs from Nathan, Fabian and Jake, but they were just running without thought. Never a thought to stop the ball, turn round and pass back so that Borough kept posession. (I'll always find something to criticise) One run from Nathan ended with him in front of goal, but with the ball on his left foot and his shot went wide. One time when they did pass, was when Nathan robbed one of their players on the half way line and only took a few steps with the ball before slipping it inside to Lewis Kennard. Lewis took it across the pitch and took a shot on the run with his left foot which went just outside the post. It would have been goal of the season if it had gone in. The great thing I thought from Lewis's point of view was that as soon as Nathan received the ball, Lewis started his run in to space. No waiting to see what Nathan was going to do with it. Well done both of you guys. It was all Borough at this stage and shortly after, a goal kick from Sundon was headed back by Lewis and Jake shot just over the bar. Immediately after, some good inter passing between Lewis and Nathan resulted in another shot from Lewis which went just wide. This time with his right foot. Another good shot by Nathan just before Half time but Borough just couldn't find the net. In the second half Sundon came out with a bit more purpose, and with the changes made in the Borough team they had to keep their wits about them. Sundon's attacking eventually died down and Luton started to push foward on their many individual runs. One of these, with about ten minutes to go, from Fabian who picked it up deep inside his own half and ran to the right and crossed it, only for a defender to kick it out to another of his team. Lewis was close enough to disposess him, turn and shoot almost in one movement. It went in just inside the post, to the joy of everyone from Borough. Man of the Match went to Fabian Kapadia.
Well Done Borough! Next week away at Sacred Heart.
The final League Table from the qualifying is below and we now go in to Division2 starting next week.

5 Teams Games
Played Games
Won Games
Drawn Games
Lost Goals
For Goals
Against Goal
Difference Points
Crawley Green Falcons 4 4 0 0 29 4 +25 8
St Joseph 4 2 1 1 12 6 +6 5
St Martins Blues 4 2 0 2 10 5 +5 4
Luton Borough Reds 4 1 1 2 3 11 -8 3
Sundon Park Rangers 4 0 0 4 2 30 -28 0

Sat 3rd October 2009
Luton Borough 1 St Josephs 1

Well at last! Manager,Gordon Attwell, went home in shock after the boys picked up their first point of the season. He had changed things round alot from previous weeks, playing Fabian Kapadia at full back and putting James Kirkland in the middle of defence whilst also making him captain. It worked well and at least the defence were working well and giving the rest of the team confidence. Even though Borough were on the defensive for most of the first half, it was organised defence and St Jo's didn't get too many chances. Borough broke out occasionally and hit them on the counter attack. One of these led to the first goal when Nathan Gayle scored. So Borough went in at half time with a one goal lead, but changes had to be made to get all the boys on and they were made as gradually as possible so as not to disrupt the team too much, but inevitably, ten minutes from the end, the one time when Borough reverted to type and didn't put pressure on the attacking players, St Jo's scored the equaliser. Borough continued to play well after this and had a good chance to get the winner through Nathan again, but he found it on his wrong foot and put it just wide from close up. All the lads played well, but James just got the MOM award from Nathan for the way he went about his new position and also his captaincy. One tackle he made in the first half was so hard you could here the sound of the boot on the ball all round the park.
Stars are going to Nathan and Julio Brahimi and James.

Saturday 26th Sept Qualifying League.
Lutons First Netball Team
Luton Borough 1 Crawley Falcons 8

This was a miserable match for all but Crawley players and supporters. The headline comes from the fact that we handled the ball five times in the penalty area. We didn't tackle. We didn't pass. We were scared of them and just let them run rings round us. The only positive note was two minutes in to the second half, when Nathan Gayle dribbled round two players and stroked the ball past their keeper. Unfortunately the damage had already been done in the first half having conceded four goals. We knew we were going to be on the defensive and lined up with three at the back to give us something to build from, but the expected tackles never materialised which let Crawley dominate. More mistakes in the second half let them double their tally and it finished 8-1.
Nathan was Man of the Match for the way he took his goal!

Saturday 19th Sept Qualifying League.
St Martins Blue 2 LutonBorough 0

Although we got a respectable scoreline, the team didn't really turn up for this match. Literally in some cases! After a quarter of the team turning up with only ten minutes before kick off, they were never going to be in the right frame of mind to play. Having said that they did show fighting spirit in keeping St Martins at bay and coupling that with the oppositions ineptitude in the attacking half, we arrived at the 18th minute with the score still 0-0. Then a mistake and a refusal to want to tackle let them in for two goals before half time.
In the second half it was more of the same with St Martins camped in the Borough half and just the occasional foray down toward the other end.
There are three main skills used to win a football match. 1. Tackling: Getting the ball off the opposition. 2. Passing: Having obtained the ball passing to get in a position to score. 3. Shooting: Putting the ball in the back of the net. It is a very easy game to play!!!
Borough didn't do numbers one or two and therefore didn't get a chance at number three.
The whole team need to learn to tackle hard and then have the confidence to keep the ball before looking up and passing. They need to learn quickly because they are still playing catch up with teams that have had a whole seasons experience playing at U8 level.

Sat 12th Sept. Friendly.
Sundon Pk Rgrs Blues 0 Luton Borough 1

The second match and a big improvement on last week. Lewis Tune in goal was much more confident and the whole teams performance had alot less mistakes, more passes and more tackles. They was the good points. On the other hand this Sundon team were also a new team like us, so we shouldn't get carried away too much! It was pretty much stalemate all through the match until one of their players inexplicably picked the ball up in the area and gave away a penalty. It was good to get a win and build confidence for our first match in the Qualifying league against St Martins next week. Scorer was Myles Forsyth and Man of the Match was Luqmaan Shah for a very solid performance in defence.
Well done guys! Onwards and Upwards!

Sat 5th Sept. Friendly.
Sundon Pk Rgrs Reds 15 Luton Borough 1
Borough's first match and didn't it show! Manager Gordon Attwell said he'd expected a loss but not by so many. Anyway the only way is up as they say. Borough were overwhelmed and overawed. Many of the goals were from set piece direct shots which was disappointing. Failing to chase back after losing the ball, not tackling hard enough and not thinking about their position were just three of the classic mistakes being made by boys of their age. It's expected from players who have never played before. So now starts their very steep learning curve playing against teams who have already had a seasons experience. Nathan Gayle was our only scorer with a strong shot and Fabian Kapadia was Man of the Match for a good all round performance.