Cullompton Match Report

Cullompton 1 (1) v Central City 1 (0)

It was a first half of very few chances. On a bobbly pitch Central struggled to play their good passing football and jet lag had set in on a rare away match. Whilst the defence coped well with any attacking threat Cully possessed, City struggled to make an impression at the other end and most of the half was spent in the middle third. It was nearly 30 minutes into the game when Cully had their first meaningful shot that flew in from 25 yards. Although City went in at half time 1-0 down, it was clear that if they could raise their game by 10% they would get a result. 


The second half was a vast improvement and the benefits of having a good choice of substitutes on the bench enabled City to get themselves back into the game. Max was brought on in the centre of midfield and Charlie pushed forward on the right wing. Central's attacking threat grew and it was Max who got the equaliser with a cracking strike from outside the box into the bottom corner. City once again realised that they are good team, and in a repeat of the previous match against St.Martins they took control of the game and looked like they were going to move on and take all three points. 


Charlie had a goal unfortunately disallowed for high feet from Dylan and just moments later he lobbed the keeper only to see his shot hit the base of the post. Dylan followed up with a goal bound effort that the keeper managed to block. It was all City and in their final attack of the game Dylan ran through on goal but just overran his first touch which enabled the keeper to smother the ball. 

The first draw of the season, but enough to move City above their Central neighbours who they meet next in the first derby of the season.

Steve Tapp

Cullompton match and some important information

Hello everyone,

A really good session last night, really feels like we make the most out of the mid week hour that we have together.  Ideally I would have liked 90minutes but astro pitch availability is tight and so an hour it is.

We worked on throw in's this week which an part of the game in which we gave away a few opportunities last week. 

I have attached a basic, yet informative, you tube clip just to remind of the basics and also to ensure that we get it right each time. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRUAiHWWLRQ

Also this made me laugh......it can happen to the best of them!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFF7iWDCozg

Anyhow, back to this weekend.

The match is away against Cullompton, a strong team who will pose us quite a challenge.

They play at Speed Meadows which many of you will know from their summer tournmant.  Their pitch is through the gate and beyond the main pitches.  The post code is EX15 1DW

Sadly I am away again but John will be there calling the shots and will be supported by Steve Tapp (thanks Steve).

John would like the full squad to attend, we are missing Tom O, but we anticipate everyone else being there.  He will let the boys know about the starting team on arrival. 

Any problems please let me know and I will pass messages onto John.

Also just to say that we have re-arranged the match against Cullompton which will now be played on Saturday 3rd December at KGV.  I have emailed the league to update their fixture lists accordingly.

Hope that will be okay for everyone.

Good luck for Saturday

Mark

St Martins Match Report

St. Martins 1 (1) v Central City 3 (0)

One game, Two halves, Three points.

What a difference a week makes with a full squad available.

St. Martins controlled the early stages of the match, keeping the ball well and passing amongst their midfielders. Although they had most of the possession they rarely threatened the City goal and it was Central who had the first clear chance when Dylan went through one on one with the keeper. The goalie stood up well and blocked the shot. Moments later the two came face to face again, this time the keeper decided to block Dylan rather than the ball, and was deservedly shown a yellow card. The resulting free kick from Cameron was well saved.

City's belief grew and Tom D had a good effort pushed around the post.

As half time approached St Martins undeservedly took the lead as they followed in on a powerful free kick. City were unfortunate to go in at the break 1-0 down.

The second half began and within a couple minutes City were level, with a smart finish from Dylan. Heads were up and their performance went from good to excellent. Another attack 5 minutes later and Sam played a great ball across the goal for Dylan to bundle the ball over the line for his second. City were now well in control and St Martins looked like a beaten team. As City dominated, Noah spent the most of the game spectating and was able to enjoy Dylan's third as he drove the ball into the home teams net.

City at 3-1 up maintained control for the remainder of the match.

Well done to the squad and let's build on this win.

         Steve Tapp 

 

Back to ful numbers and full strengh!

Hello everyone,

What a good training session last night, hope all the boys enjoyed it and thank you for putting in such concentration and commitment.

We have a rare away fixture this Saturday against St Martins who play over at Starcross on a very nice pitch in the middle of the village.  (Full details can be found on the League website)

Could I ask that we aim to arrive at 9.45am please for a 10am warm up please.

I would like to get back to naming the starting line up for each match if I can.  This week the starting team will be:

Goal keeper - Noah
Defense - Josh (cap), Cameron and Charlie
Midfield - Zak, Da, Will P, Tom D and Ewan (welcome back!)
Strikers - Dylan and Sam P

Starting subs will be Max, Tom O, Joey and Will A.

Rested players will be Onur.

Any problems please give me a ring or text.

Just to remind mums about the social evening at Jo's on Friday night and also to see Emer about the social lunch after the derby match on Saturday 10th December at Urban Burger.

Kind regards and see you on Saturday

Mark

Heavitree Match Report

Central City 0 (0) v Heavitree 4 (2)

For the second time in 3 matches Central had the bare 11 players.

To compound the problem, the eleven did not include a goalkeeper. This meant Josh left his defensive role to go between the posts, and Zach was moved back into defence.

Despite Central having a good start in the game they were 1-0 down to early goal as the ball was swept in from a corner. City kept trying to play football through a very even first half but rarely threatened the Heavitree goal. A handling error from our stand-in goalkeeper gifted Heavitree a second goal, and Central were unlucky to go in to the break at 2-0 down.

In a bid to give more attacking threat in the second half Dylan was pushed forward to play alongside Will, but it was Heavitree who scored the third goal of the game after a defensive error by Zach, who otherwise had a good game playing out of position.

It is disappointing that despite City's efforts, the lack of players turning out for the team, are essentially handing games to the opposition.

A fourth goal came towards the end of the match with a smart turn from the Heavitree striker. With a full squad turning up, this would have been their only goal.

Steve Tapp

Challenging Times!

Hello everyone,

I thought I would sneak a quick note in before the match report from the weekend comes in.  Was thinking long and hard on the journey back from Milton Keynes yesterday to try and find the right for of words!

This season continues to pose new challenges for John and I in managing this wonderful bunch of players.

I was really upset to hear about what happened on Saturday, massive respect and credit to the boys that pitched up and played but I am sorry that it was a tough defeat against a strong Heavitree team. 

Sadly two players who had been asked to play withdrew late on Friday night and one on Saturday morning which left us with the bare 11 players, no substitutes and no one to cover injuries, of which there were a couple.

This made the task of beating Heavitree almost impossible and I do not think this was fair on the players that turned up.

Injuries, illnesses are totally understandable and even other opportunities that the boys have are great and we support this if we can have notice.  But John and I are trying to run a football team and I do not think it is fair on him or the players to be put into these situations.  I cannot imagine anyone would disagree with that.

Moan over.  So sorry to the players and parents that turned up and lets train and build now for the next match which away against St Martins.

See you on Wednesday for training 6pm (prompt!!) please.

Regards

Mark

Christmas lunch at Urban Burger. Saturday 10 December 2 p.m.

It is that time of the year again to celebrate the boys footie Christmas lunch . 

Urban Burger has been recommended by a few folk:  www.urbanburger.co.uk , on Queen's St, just up from Central station on the opposite side of the road. 

We have booked a table at 2pm On Sat 10th Dec. 

We hope you can make it. 

Please click this link to see the burger menu and let Emer know your burger + side options. 

If you would like to come please can you give Emer a £5 deposit per person with your choice of food by Sat 26th Nov. (gluten free and vegetarian options available). Balance to be paid on the day. Drinks to be paid for at the bar.

Emer's deails: emer_scanlon@hotmail.com, 07843 252529

Hope to see you there

The week ahead!

Hello everyone,

Hope that you all enjoyed the weekend off and are raring to go again this week.
A number of us had a really good Sunday afternoon at the basket ball in Plymouth, the home team lost but a good time was had by all.

Training tomorrow (Wednesday) from 6-7pm at Isca and then another home match on Saturday against Heavitree.  Sadly I am away, making the pilgrimage to Milton Keynes again!

So any assistance that you can offer John to get the nets, corner flags, respect barriers put up please would be appreciated.  Steve T has kindly offered to assist John with the match management, thanks you Steve.

Getting back to winning ways has really helped us get our mojo back and whilst I am sure Heavitree will be tough opposition I am sure we will give a good account of ourselves.

Can I ask that if any players are going to miss wither a Saturday match or training on a Wednesday that you email me (marksloman@Hotmail.co.uk) or text me (07876018577), with the best will in the world I only have a small brain capacity and cant always remember verbal messages.

It is great to see that Jo C is orgnaising a 'mums night in' in a couple of weeks and also just to say that Emer is kindly organising a post match/pre Christmas lunch after the derby game on Saturday 10th December so if you can keep the date free and more details in the next week or so. 

Thanks for your time and see you soon, good luck to all the players for Saturday's match!

Mark

Mum's night out .... 18 November .... Save the date

The next Mum's night out will take place at Jo's house in Topsham on Friday 18 November. Details to follow. 

Please let Jo know by Saturday 12th if you can make it. 

Sidmouth Raiders Match Report

Central City 4 (1) Sidmouth Raiders (0)

City's week on week improvement continued with a comfortable win over a big Sidmouth side. It was there best passing performance of the season and they could have won by more. They opened the scoring after 10 minutes with a great strike from 25 yds by Joey, who had a solid game on the right wing. They continued to try and play good football but could not add any further goals before the half time whistle. Sidmouth were limited to one chance in the opening 35 mins with Noah making a great double save.

The second half burst into action with Dylan finishing into the bottom corner in the first minute. This gave City a bit of daylight and their confidence grew. Onur and Tom D both missed good chances before Josh scored with a superb free kick from the right hand side of the Sidmouth penalty area. With City looking unlikely to concede, with another accomplished defensive performance, they wrapped the game up with a late strike from outside the box by Dan. Four different goal scorers in a good team performance.

Steve Tapp