2015 drawing to a close!

Hi everyone,

Sadly the match planned for Saturday 19^th December has had to be postponed due to Barton fields being water logged and both of the pitches at KGV being allocated to Under 14’s.  This is a shame and will mean that our next football training will be on Wednesday 6^thJanuary and our next match will be a home fixture against Cullompton. 

It has been a great 2015 and like you I am sure I have many happy memories of the year and being part of a special group of players and parents.  John and I would like to thank you all for the bags of goodies and to know that it is really appreciated.

Well done to Dan who won the ‘shoot the hoop’ competition on Wednesday and wins two tickets to see Star Wars!! 

So, on behalf of John and I, we wish you all a very happy festive break and every best wish for 2016.  I am confident and hopeful that it will be a good one for Central City!

Ho, Ho, Ho!!

Mark & John

Stuck in the mud!

Stealers Wheel were “ Stuck in the middle with you" back in the 1970‘s and City seemed to be stuck in the muddy conditions at Sidford.With cup tie fever gripping the City, this reference can go full circle in line with the heavy,well played on pitch against Sidmouth.

A slightly later start than usual did not allow for any drying of the boggy surface despite some prevailing wind.A City call to arms drew on all 14 available players and a tactical left balance defence,with right side attack, initially gave City the best of the exchanges.A strong Cameron led defence supported by Charlie and Josh,with Man of the Match Will P dropping deep from a midfield role,led to three positive efforts on goal from Dan,Alfie and Tom D,each time the competant home keeper in the right place.

As City switched the play,Dan to Ewan and Sam P on the left,there did not seem to be any problem with the football flowing.As the match went on though,it was City whose footing suffered most.Sidmouth went close following a slight defensive mix up,an open goal shot wide,to relief and good fortune.City rallied to force two corners before Charlie was unable to continue following a head injury and the team were required to restructure, Joe coming on and Ewan dropping to right back.Despite good touches, Will A and Alfie were outnumbered in attack and at halftime City trailed 1-0 following a penalty award for handball.

The second half saw more frustration as it was difficult to connect cleanly with the ball and pass and shoot with any purpose.In this half,fresh legs were introduced,Tom O then Oner joining the Managers rallying calls.The team spirit kicked in,an Alfie corner forced a good save from Dan,Tom D combined with Alfie whose shot somehow stayed out and then finally,Dan took a short corner that Sam P boxed and as the ball stayed in the air,Tom D levelled with a clean volley.

The cup tie atmosphere continued to the end and City clung on,good fortune again with a missed attempt and then due to astonishing bravery as Noah came out to thwart a one on one attempt getting both the ball and a chest full of studs.

So,a draw was taken in the end.Judging by the cup clip below,it seems the Sidford pitch was pretty good.Aspire to a Ronnie Radford moment and consider how many refs would allow that tackle before it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHZWyMFgM80

Let's finish 2015 in style!!

Hello everyone,

Hope that you are all well.

A really positive training session last night, and was good to have John back with us after his trip down under!

Was also good to talk tactics and focus a bit on positional play, these are such important points and will hopefully make us an even stronger team.

So we have two matches left in 2015.  The match on Saturday 12th is away against Sidmouth.  They have requested a 11:15am kick off and I hope that this is okay with everyone.  They play this year at Sidford Playing Fields, Sidford, Sidmouth EX10 9QX.

We will take a strong 14 man squad with us, with only Dylan still out of action due to injury.  Cameron has been handed the captains arm band for the next two matches, setting consistently high standards in training and on match days so well done Cameron. 

We then have training on the 18th December before our final match against West Exe, again away, on the 19th December.  We will then have a break from playing and training until we re-group to work off the excesses of the festive period on Wednesday 6th January.

As always any problem please let me know, if not I will look forward to seeing you all on Saturday.

Regards

Mark

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City blown away!!

City were never at the races in their home fixture to Bideford Blues.It wasn’t just the gale force wind,howling across and from side to side that made the conditions difficult.So difficult in fact that you could be forgiven for thinking that the earlier team photo that currently adorns the City FC homepage was taken on the same day,with the Mums Dartmoor rescue team looking lost in the background.

It is of course,the Blues,a thorough test at any level.No need to dwell on the ballwatching,it was two in the first half and a further three in the second half.Still,we like to come back down to earth once a season:This is a St Martins moment from Flowerpot lane playing fields last year.Not that City played like Flowerpot men.The close isobars kept a first half effort out and when pressing forward there were hints of the usual City.But add in a few unlucky injuries to the point where it looked like a 10 player team would have to see out the match,and it was never going to be a photo finish.

Still,the council kept us amused by cutting only the grass on the white line markings which to be fair,were very clear.Also,helpfully keeping the grass short inside the goal-quite novel.And a bit of magic consistently throughout the game from Man of the Match Noah,no sleight of hand needed there,keeping the score,on a City offday,to at least half of what it could have been.

Andrew Worth

Copplestone game is called off

Tomorrow's game at Copplestone has been called off.

Steve has reluctantly packed away his special manager's coat for another day

Saturdays information

Hi everyone,

What a good training session last night, despite having a few players down we had well balanced session with some fitness, skills and game time.

We have an away game against Copplestone United on Saturday.  They play at Pullens Field, Bewsley Hill, Copplestone, EX17 5LX with a slightly later kick off of 12:30pm.

As you know Steve Tapp will be managing the team and the arrangements over the next week.  Steve’s mobile number is 07553925599.  I have given Steve mobile numbers for all parents and so if the match is cancelled due to the weather Steve will contact you.

The weather is looking a bit grim, but please presume it is on unless you hear from Steve.

We will be missing a number of players for Saturday and I think we are down to 12 so will be tight.

Dylan continues to rehab and might be out for sometime, wishing you well Dylan.  Also out for the weekend are Sam P and Tom O.

So the squad will be Noah, Josh, Cameron, Charlie, Onur, Joe, Ewan, Alfie W, Will A, Will P, Dan and Tom D.  Will Aggett will be wearing the captains arm band, Will led the team brilliantly last weekend and shows great team leadership and spirit so well done to Will A.

I had an email from John this week from ‘down under’, he sends his best wishes to one and all and looks forward to standing on a freezing cold touch line in January!

I am really grateful to Steve T for standing in this week and to everyone else for helping out, it is really appreciated.

We have a week off on Saturday 28^th November but then build again for the massive home match against Bideford on Saturday 5^th December.  If you know you can’t make this match can you let me know in advance as it would be great to have as many people available for this big game as possible.

Good luck on Saturday, give it all you have boys!!

Mark

Happy when it rains!

A title borrowed from a Jesus and Mary Chain track that would have been a more than apt song to be heard over the KGV PA system (broken I assume) as City jogged off after the final whistle in their latest home game against Okehampton Argyle.

A nostalgic look back to the days when teams fielded 11 players and one sub was afforded by circumstances.Ongoing injury,sickness and the lure of the egg shaped ball game meant a dead twelve that had to come alive against historically game opposition.It’s true you knew where you stood when all Saturday games kicked off at 3pm,had 10 minutes for half time and the results hit the teleprinter shortly after 20 to 5.The keeper wore green,the unnamed shirts numbered 1 to 11 and the one sub wore 12.

City knew where they were on a soaked KGV after 9 minutes:2 nil down.Sticking to the reliable and adaptable formation though,dividends eventually paid.In front of Noah,whose handling once again was exemplary,the back three of Charlie,Josh and Ewan were supported by Man of the Match Will P,dropping deeper from midfield as the occasion often required.As the midfield began to get into the game more,Dan,Tom D and Oner,and then substitute Tom O,were able to get forward to bring Will A and Alfie into the game,with Joe running from midfield, forward on the right.

The City momentum started to swing into full gear in the second half as they went in level.A confident freekick and calm lob,both by Alfie,levelled the halftime score to 2-2.

More of the same from Alfie doubling his score to a hat trick plus one and it was quickly 4-2 City as the offside trap was beaten,more accurately overcome.Lino must have been humming the obscure Morrissey b side “The lines are no longer parallel” throughout the game.City went six up with close range tap ins from Tom O and Will A  which finished great football moves as City really hit their stride.

Argyle rallied late on to introduce just a slight shade of uneasiness with minutes to go,getting back two goals, but it was City’s league form that still stood the test of inspection as the final whistle blew.

Andrew Worth

Saturday's Match!

Good afternoon everyone,

Sorry for being so late (again!!).

So our match tomorrow is a home match at KGV against Okehampton who are always a well organised, well drilled team so we will need to be on our game right from the first whistle!

Unfortunately we will be without the services of Dylan, Sam P and Cameron so will be down to 12 players.

The starting team will be Noah (GK), Ewan, Josh and Charlie, Onur, Will P, Dan, Tom and Joe in the midfield and Will An and Alfie upfront.  Starting sub will be Tom O.

As you will remember Cameron was due to captain the team and I know that he is gutted that he is not going to be able to play.

Therefore the captains arm band is being handed to Will A.  I know you will all agree that Will has shown a great attitude to training and has had a blinder of a season thus far so well done Will.

John B is in Aussie for 5 weeks now so would really appreciate any help getting nets up, corner flags and respect barriers erected etc.  if we could all meet between 09:30 and 09:45 that would be great.

The weather is looking a bit poor but not enough for the match to be cancelled so unless we have standing water then it will be on!!

Also just a reminder that tomorrow is the deadline for names, numbers and money for the festive social at the Waterfront on 05/12/2015.  £14 per head to Emer, Rupert, Lynn or Russ.

Thanks and see you tomorrow

Mark

Tomorrows Match details

Good afternoon everyone,

Hope that you have all had good weeks.

Okay so our match tomorrow against Twford Spartans is scheduled to be played at Bickleigh Recreation Ground, Happy Meadow, Bickleigh, EX16 8RJ.

If we can meet as per normal at 09:45 that would be great.  The advice from the manager is to "Park in the Trout car park (presume The trout is a pub?) and walk through beer garden?!?!)"

We are without the services of Dylan tomorrow, and indeed perhaps for a few weeks as his knee injury continues to heal.  Wishing you a speedy recovery Dylan.

It is looking like tomorrows match will be the first of the season that is potentially going to be at risk due to the weather.  As per last season please presume the match is on unless I text you otherwise, I have asked the Twyford Manager to let me know when they have made a decision as it is forecast for heavy rain overnight.

We would like the full squad to come tomorrow that’s 14 boys, and will have three subs but will decide on the starting team in the morning.

Also this will be the final match before John heads of to Australia so it would be good to send him on his way with 3 points!

Thank you to everyone that has come forward with offers of help and support after my last email.  Rupert is going to update the website so if you want anything posted he is your man.  Emer and Lynn have kindly agreed to organise the festive social on the 5^th December at The Waterfront again which is brilliant.  Reminder to get money (£14 per person to Lynn or Emer over the next two Saturdays).

Also thank you to Steve Tapp and Simon Wilding who have agreed to co-manage the team on the 21^st November when both John and I are away, I know that you will give them both your full support.

Okay enough from me see you tomorrow, umbrellas at the ready!!

Mark

Dear All
It is the festive time of the year again and time to celebrate with all the boys. We have booked The Waterfront, at The Quay, for Saturday 5th December at 1pm. Like last year the Christmas Buffet works out at £14 per person. If you would like to come along please can you give full payment to Lynn on Saturday 7th Nov or to me or Rupert on 14th Nov. The Waterfront won't hold the table for us after this date.
Looking forward to seeing you all soon, Emer

A few bits of important information

Hi everyone,

A great result on Saturday and a lovely occasion too, was great to be able to celebrate Sam’s birthday with such a good performance.

Just looking ahead I wanted to flag up a few things.

Firstly just to confirm that there is no training this Wednesday as we are having a half term break, and also that we have no match on Saturday 31^st October.  This will come as a welcome break as I know some of the boys (Dylan and Charlie) are both nursing injuries at the moment.

So this leaves our next training session on Wednesday 4^th November and our next match on Saturday 7^th November an away match against Twford Spartans in Tiverton. 

John B is heading back to Australia for a few weeks just before Christmas so we will miss his presence on the training ground and also on the touchline for a few games.

However I am also away for a week from Friday 20^th through to Friday 27^th November.

As such I am looking for a volunteer or volunteers to take charge of the team on Saturday 21^st November for the away match at Copplestone and then run training the following Wednesday 25^th November. 

I will make sure you get all the balls and kit etc, but it would be great if someone could take this on…..mum’s or dad’s!!

If you fancy this could you drop me a text or give me a ring.

As regular observers of the blog will note I am struggling to find the time to keep the website updated with match results etc, does anyone have a spare bit of time and some basic IT skills to keep this updated?  It is not too tricky and I think is a really important place to share and look up information. 

Was also thinking about a pre-Christmas social event to get all the boys and families together, I would welcome any ideas or suggestions.  I know that previous trips to The Waterfront have always been successful but I would welcome any other ideas or suggestions if you know of anywhere.

I was thinking Saturday 5^th December after our home game as this is a nice distance from Christmas and Exeter City FC don’t have a match in the afternoon.

Again if you could let me know that would be fabulous.

Many thanks

Mark

Home and Away against Neighbours

No soaps,not at Walford or Coronation Street but the shared homeground of both City and United,KGV.A drizzly wettish day made for a quick surface as the clubs played their final league game before the international break,well half term at least.

With City kicking off left to right away from the carpark end,Charlie had to rest for the first 20 minutes due to twisting an ankle in the warm up.A brave 15 minutes first half action was curtailed 5 minutes into the second half when a tackle ended any hopes of Charlie carrying on.So,onto the easy list joining Dylan after last weeks goalkeeping heroics.

City played to their strengths,setting up with a confident Noah in goal behind the no nonsense defence of Cam,Josh and Ewan with Will P needed to drop deep from midfield for cover.The midfield engine saw plenty of the ball and used it with creativity welcoming back Sam to join Dan,Joe and Tom D.Then not forgetting Will A and Alfie up front.

Sam picked up the ball on the left,dribbled a bit,cut inside and crossed low for Alfie to stick a fast left footer into the top corner.10 minutes later the lead was doubled when Dan expertly controlled the ball and shimmied position to put a low right foot shot out of the keepers reach in the bottom right corner.This followed a good City spell when Dan had previously gone close with a backheader and Josh nearly repeated the St Martins freekick.

The second half saw more City pressure and several rewards.With Tom O on for the injured Charlie,at first it seemed that the chances were few and far between.It took a moment of inspiration from Tom D to pick up a throw in and evade several United defenders before having his shot parried,deserved of a goal.Tom O was on hand to follow up to make it 3-0.

Despite Noah needing to make several good saves with excellent handling,it was a confident City that completed the second half.Cam and Josh were increasinly finding the front players with accurate long distance balls.Captain Ewan was able to cover allowing Will P more forward midfield play and he went close from distance.City doubled this score in the final ten minutes.Alfie broke through and repeated the move 5 minutes later holding off the strong defender to secure the matchball with a fine hat trick.Sandwiched in between,Man of the Match Tom O,supersub,had seized on an Alfie throughball for a confident finish.

A great result and just a glance at Uniteds form this promotional season will reveal that City,as a team,had to be on top of their game to win this one.The return fixture,home or away,already looks one to savour.   

Blues end cup hopes at first hurdle

It was always going to be a tough game given the nature of the tough draw when City were drawn out of the hat against Bideford Blues in the first round of the leagues cup competition.A quick glance at the league results that Bideford Blues have enjoyed this season so far suggests they are well back to their very best,an elite academy standard set up.

Given that,the playing surface was somewhat disappointing,dry,hard ground,very uneven and bumpy.It would have benefitted from some irrigation though not necessarily that afforded a farmers field on the homeward bound link road detour.

So to the match:First half City played extremely well,starting very positively and forcing the Blues to review their concentration.It was a very evenly balanced half and when Alfie was hauled down in the box,the ref had no hesitation in pointing to the spot.Charlie stepped up to the plate (maybe also in anticipation of our next cup exploits) and dispatched a low shot close to the left post.Just like before,City found themselves ahead at Bidefords’ home ground,a position few,if any teams,could boast too often before,if at all.There was not so much an inevitability of a fairly immediate equaliser,but more a trait of failing to clear from defence and allowing the homeside space and fluency on the ball.Bad luck then intervened as Dylan,on a good goalkeeping performance,was unable to continue right on the stroke of halftime due to falling awkwardly on the hard ground.

With Tom O admirably and bravely stepping in between the sticks,the Blues led a second half onslaught that no one could contain adding five more goals to their tally.But this had quite a lot to do with the fact that City had forced the Blues Manager to warn of complacency against a side more than capable of competing.Blues supporters (Dads) were very complementary of Citys resilience and defensive quality.Tom went close towards the end and City enjoyed a consolation injury time second goal when Alfie netted,seizing on a rare Bideford mistake.

So,no disgrace in defeat for an early cup exit and a singing busload DJ’d by Will ‘scratch’Aggett on the way home reiterated the absence of any loss of team spirit-although the front of the bus could only identify “Buffalo Girls”,fortunately not going around the outside.A spirit exemplified by Man of the Match Ewans’ captaincy and example.

Let's give Bideford the Blues!!

Hello everyone

Hope that you are all having a good week and are pumped for the Cup match on Saturday away against Bideford.

 

The starting team for the match will be Dylan (GK), Charlie, Cameron and Josh in defense.  Midfield will be Joe, Dan, Tom D, Will P and Ewan (Captain), with Will A and Alfie playing upfront.  Starting subs will be Onur and Tom. 

 

This will be a tough old match against Bideford but like last time if we can start well and get an early goal then you never know!!

 

As before I have hired a 17 seater mini bus and we also have two cars full so we won’t be short of support.

 

I think we should leave at 08:15am from King George V car park so if I can ask for all players to be ready to set off at that time that would be great.  A few snacks might also be a good plan as I am guessing we will not get back to Exeter until after 13:30.

 

The subs for the bus is £3 per person if that’s okay, the club has agreed to pay for 50% of the bus hire which is great.  Can I also ask that £3 per seat applies to those going in the cars which will be driven by Andrew P and Russ to make it fair.

 

See you on Saturday morning, please do get in touch if there any problems,

 

Regards

 

Mark

The stars of Starcross

City kept up their winning ways with another convincing victory,this time away from home against St Martins.The well organised home side had delivered a footballing lesson in this fixture last year but on their new pitch,at Starcross,they came up against a City side playing with confidence and conviction following on from last weeks goalfest.

On freshly cut grass and in lovely conditions with just the colder autumn breeze a hint to the time of year,Man of the Match Josh was immediately involved with tenacious left foot play.City were forced to make an early substitution at 4 minutes as Will P was injured (able to return later for trademark corners).Dylan filled in the midfield space,a positive opening spell for City was followed by St Martins beginning to creep back into the game.Hot on the heels of a Cameron freekick that just sailed over the bar,Dylan broke from midfield and dribbled past four players before drilling a low right footer to give the visitors the lead.

St Martins levelled virtually immediately and then settled into their good game finding plenty of midfield to pass and keep the ball.A temporary onslaught followed and Dylan was called upon to head over Noahs goal to repel the danger.The tide then turned Citys way and before halftime their confident play paid real dividends.Will P dropped a corner just in front of the homeside keeper and Dan was there to restore the lead with a great header.City went further ahead when lessons learnt from last week and discussed on the training ground all came to fruition.With Ewan and Joe losing their markers and Charlie getting cover at the back when pressing forward, Will A netted twice,alert first to a rare keeper error,then on the end of an Alfie cross whose run was initially set going by a great ball from Cam.City even “scored" their ubiquitous offside goal.

The second half could not have got off to a better start.An inspired tactical vision prompted John B to call Josh over from defence to curl a blinding left foot shot into the top corner from a freekick:Unbelievable.Not to be missed.Early candidate for goal of the season.(Description needed for Mum as she may have been getting a coffee).To some extent though the game was just warming up.St Martins showed their class to persist with their gameplan and get two goals back in quick succession and it was to some relief that Joe put a great ball through for Alfie to calmly end the scoring at 3-6.Too much rugby had seen an earlier effort clear the trees.Oh,plus a fabulous lob spoilt only by the linesmans offside flag.

So,still unbeaten,lucky thirteen goals scored in the last 2 games,can it get better?.Bideford bus trip looms on a high.

Let us entertain you.....again!!

Let us entertain you again :October 3rd 2015

Citys' third match of the 2015-2016 season saw a comprehensive win over Colyton Redsocks who had been promoted themselves last season along with neighbours United.The smiles around the camp after the final whistle certainly had more than just the warm sunshine of the Indian summer as a reason to celebrate.

Colyton kicked off but City were quickly into their stride showing midfield tenacity, moving the ball around pleasingly and from a quick break,Alfie made it 1-0 within two minutes,drilling the ball into the net from the right hand side. 

Three minutes later saw the first City corner, which Will P sent over. This led immediately to a second corner following a goalmouth scramble, Will P repeating the medicine. A third, fourth and fifth corner followed for City over the next quarter hour with both Alfie and Will A going close. Tom D had two shots well saved but the fifth corner was taken before the ref had blown the whistle. In a deja vu moment,the resulting headed goal was not a goal. Fortunately Dan amended this, making it 2-0 shortly afterwards.

Despite the defence not being tested, Cameron , Charlie and Dylan, remained solid and well focused. Against the run of play the visitors got a goal back with their first attempt. It was to Citys’ credit that only a couple more serious assaults were made on Noahs’ goal. It was 25 minutes before Colyton forced their first corner but by then Alfie had made it 3-1, with a fine distance effort, and the Colyton defence were being tormented by Joe’s trickery down the right wing. The half ended with two highlights: a lovely sweeping pass showing great vision by Will P which deserved better fortune, then a magnificent individual effort by Ewan to make the half time score 4-1.

The second half saw City repeat the prescription with three further goals. Will A ran from the half way line to get on the end of a break by Alfie, Tom D made it six from outside the box and Charlie completed the rout from the penalty spot. City even had the luxury of missing several chances and could have joined the double figure scores of some of the U13 Division 1 elite seen this season.

Man of the match was Noah for several quality saves between the sticks without which,definitely would have seen the match score closer.

Mums and Dads can celebrate the best result in recent City history with a glass of champagne. Boys, you will have to stick to lemonade- we suggest the brand “SEVEN-UP”

Switch to astro

Good morning everyone,

 

Just a quick reminder that training this Wednesday will be from 6pm to 7pm at Isca College, Topsham Road. 

 

The focus this week will be on the first touch.

 

With a squad of 15 players the limited space of one allocated pitch might be a problem but we will do our best to make it a useful session.

 

As most of you know we will be without Sam P for the next few weeks after his head injury which he received playing rugby a couple of weeks ago.  I know we all wish him a speedy recovery and cant wait to see him back in a Central shirt!

 

On Saturday we have Colyton Redsocks at home, with a 10.30am kick off.  The weather is looking stunning and so it should be a beautiful KGV morning!

 

Team announcements after training.

 

Kind regards

 

Mark

Let us entertain you!!

Citys’ second fixture of the 2015-2016 campaign and their opening away game took place at Speed Meadow,a different location but once again against last seasons very first opponents,Cullompton Rangers,that marked the baptism of fire in Division One.

As John (Robbie) Braddick summed up in the post match analysis,entertain us City certainly did.Last season City netted four times in a memorable 4-3 away victory.It was pleasing to see City net four times again and especially so after being held 0-0 against West Exe two weeks previously but as the home side matched that score another exciting draw was the result.

A fine,very warm dewy morning started with sad reflection,both teams and coaches lining the circumference of the centre circle in a minutes silence for Bradninch football fan Oliver,a colleague of many of the Rangers team.The match that followed was a spirited competition and given that City had many players missing and were having to deal with illness and running off knocks sustained during the game,the match was a great tribute to fitness and resolve.Gamesmanship and flattened molehills were additional hurdles.Half time saw the home side two up but City were not two goals inferior,had lost Charlie temporarily to injury,had a blatant handball penalty denied and a great move and goal by Will A ruled offside.

The second half saw superb performances from the whole team,11 Alan Balls in the ‘66 World Cup Final,11 players who never stopped running.Man of the Match Alfie W opened the City scoring,right foot,left top corner and added a second from the other side of goal in reply to Rangers’ third.With Josh and Charlie holding the back lines and Will P dropping deep as cover for Cam,Oner playing slightly behind midfield when asked,City stuck to a passing game using width with Dan increasingly marshalling the midfield to find Tom and Joe opportunities to press forward.Reward came as Alfie W crossed for Will A to get on the end of the move with Tom behind to have made certain if needed.Despite Cullompton scrambling a fourth,City dug deep and Cameron came off the bench to step up to the plate with a freekick whipped straight in.

4-4.

5 minutes of extra time played in draining conditions.A victory in all but scoreline,fantastic teamwork.

Great result, great performance!

What an outstanding game of football we all enjoyed on Saturday and I was so pleased and proud of all the squad for a famous and gutsy performance.  From the warm up through to the warm down and all the exciting and crazy bits in-between we really looked like we have got our mojo back and are playing lovely football.

 

I really look forward to reading Andrew and Jasmine’s match report on this action packed 4-4 draw…..should be a corker!!

 

Just a couple of notes from me.

 

Firstly to confirm that training this week will still be at King George V Playing fields from 6pm to 7pm.  The format will be 10 mins warm up, 20 minutes working on set pieces, specifically goal kicks and corners and then we will aim to have a 30 minute game.

 

Also we have no match or no training next Saturday so a weekend off to enjoy the rugby, football, washing your mums car or  some shopping!!

 

In terms of planning for the rest of the season, if you are away and you know in advance could you let me know asap so that I can make plans and arrangements to ensure we are all covered.

 

Was so excited and happy on Saturday, it really felt like a win!!

 

See you on Wednesday for training

 

Thanks

Mark

City on the road!!

Hi everyone,

So sorry about the late post about the match tomorrow it is proving to be quite a challenge at the moment to get messages posted in a timely fashion!

 

We have a tough match tomorrow away against Cullumpton, they are a well organised and well drilled team and so we will need to be on our best form. 

 

We will be missing 5 players tomorrow who are unable to play for different reasons  - Sam P, Dylan, Ewan, Thomas and Noah so this currently leaves us with just 10 players.

 

I still propose that we travel and we do our best with the players we have.  It will mean everyone playing the whole match but we are a resilient and sporting team and I know that all the players will give of their best.

 

If we could meet please then at 9.45am at Speeds Meadow, Duke Street, Cullompton, EX15 1DW.

For those of you who have played the summer tournaments it is the same pitches just next to the railway line, off the motor way through the town and then bear to the left.

 

Tom D is our captain again for the this match.

 

Just to remind you all that as mark of respect for Oliver Croker the 12 year old boy who tragically lost his life last weekend at a football match, we will start the match with a minutes silence.  I know we talked about this on Wednesday evening.

 

See you all tomorrow, any problems please let me know.

 

Mark

Saturday's friendly match

Hello everyone,
It was great to see everyone last night and hope you all enjoyed the training session.

I must say it is great to see you all working so hard, but also having fun as well which is what it is all about!

On Saturday we have a friendly against our friends and fellow Division One team Central United.

Could I ask that we meet at 9:45am for a warm up, this will be a good chance to ensure everyone has some match time and also enable us to further work on our 3-5-2 formation for the season.

I think we will have the whole team available so this will be a good chance to get a team picture so if possible wear black shorts, black socks and Central tops.  I have a couple of spare ones if anyone needs a different size.  Tom (I have one for you).

Looking forward to seeing you all on Saturday

Cheers

Mark

First game of the season.....match report!

City opened their 2015-2016 campaign with as exciting a goalless draw you are ever likely to see.An incident packed match promises much for the season as KGV once again played host to newly promoted West Exe.

Eight feet high is tall enough to challenge all bar the loftiest of Dads (and Mums,no exclusion here) but looking around at the plethora of Samba goal construction,it was a relatively pleasant task to net these goals.Full size goals,11 a side and what looks a virtually full size pitch plus the professional line handshake routine prior to kick off was a nod towards the elevation the U13 league affords.

On a cool,rain threatened morning,City played a 3-5-2 formation away from the car park end in the first half and were given a balanced contest from the side the other side of the river.On overall statistics City probably shaded the percentage for the possession but were denied by the opposition goalkeeper time and time again as he had an outstanding game.Plus two City old boys,Logan and Zak,were right on their game too.

It was not until the last ten minutes of the second half that the contest opened up to end to end football and although one goal may well have sealed it for either side,on balance the draw can be taken in a very positive light.

City stayed defensively strong,have developed and can work on passing and moving from midfield and on another day would have chipped the keeper (Alfie),not rattled the bar but gone in a millimetre under (Captain Tom D) and had a textbook training corner taken and headed goal (Will P and Josh) with the refs' whistle piercing the air sending dogs large and small to invade the pitch.

Man of the Match was Josh for defensive strength and attacking versatility.

Special thanks from the team and supporters to Ewan for taking the full force of the ball on the goal line at the end to keep it 0-0.

Will A's birthday bash!

Looks like all the boys has a great time at Will's this weekend! 

Here we go here we go!!

Hi everyone,

A great training session on Wednesday hope that you all had a good time and it was wonderful to see such a strong and able squad for this season.

We have our first league match on Saturday at King George V Playing Fields, it is against the recently promoted West Exe team who I am sure will be keen to start their Division 1 campaign with a win!

So we will need to be ready to go from the first whistle and give it all we have for the whole match.

The squad for the match will be Josh, Cameron, Charlie, Noah (GK), Alfie, Sam, Will P, Will A, Ewan, Joe, Dan, Dylan and Tom D.  Tom D has been named as the captain for the first two matches, he has shown a great attitude to training and the summer tournaments so well done Tom.

I hope it is okay to continue the tradition of the captains family bringing the half time oranges, albeit we are now catering for a few more players!!

If I could ask that we gather at KGV at 09:45am for a warm up and match preparations.  Also any help to put up the new goal nets, corner flags, respect barriers etc would always be welcomed.

Also just to say that we also have a match the following Saturday 12^th September against our friends Central United, this will be a friendly game and will focus on further fitness work and tactical development so if all players can be there that would be wonderful.

Come on the City!!!!

See you tomorrow morning, any problems please get in touch.

Regards

Mark

Some great action!!

Hi everyone. 

Here are a few pictures I took last night and hopefully a video clip!!

It was a great night you all worked really hard. 

Regards 

Mark 

Wow!!! What a great start!

An amazing night last night and a great start to our 2015/16 season. 

It was so pleasing to see you all again and to see how hard you worked with Simon. He text me to say how impressed he was with your fitness and attitudes which was great to hear. 

It was also really great to welcome Onur to our squad and think he will be a great asset to our very impressive squad this season. 

We have a friendly on Saturday against St martins. This will be at their new home ground in starcross. The postcode is EX6 8PY. If we could meet at 10am that would be great. I have suggested 4 x 15 min quarters to enable us to really focus on formation, tactics and fitness. 

Any problems please let me know. I know we are without josh and will A. 

Have also attached a couple of pictures from last nights session. 

See you Saturday. 

Mark 

Will A's birthday social

Hi boys

Will Aggett would love it if you could come to Heavitree Park at 3pm on Saturday 5th September to celebrate his birthday ( which is on 29th August).

Come for a kick around and come back for hotdogs afterwards. 

Pick up from 30 Regents Park around 6.30 pm. 

Hope you can come. 

please text Lynn on 07817387807

Fixtures on website!!

Hello everyone, 

Just a quick note to say that the fixtures for the 2015/16 team have been added to the Exeter and District website today. 

It shows our first fixture to be a tricky home tie against West Exe Youth on Saturday 5th September. 

Next season is starting to feel quite real now :-) 

Regards 

Mark 

Warm up leader

Me again!!

Message to all the players, 

Now that we are U13's we are keen for players to take more leadership in the preparation for our matches. 

So we are looking to see if one of the players would like to take a leadership role in the warm up before games? 

Basically leading the aerobic warm up, stretching, and warm up drills. 

Obviously john and I will be on hand to support and help out. This is a good opportunity for anyone who might be interested in sports teaching or coaching in the future. 

If you would like to try this then get your mum or dad to get in touch and we can have a chat with more ideas. 

Thanks for thinking about it. 

See you soon 

Mark 

2015/16 Our exciting new line up!!

Hi everyone, Hope that you have all had a good start to the summer holidays. Hopefully by now you will have all received an envelope with information about signing up for the 2015/16 season. If you haven’t can you let me know and I will send out another one. Any problems getting it submitted before the 6th August or with the payments please just let me know. So we are still in need of one perhaps two new players for the season ahead. As things stand the squad is Joe Alfie W Sam P Dan Will A Tom Will P Ewan Cameron Dylan Josh Charlie I am sure you agree with me that this is a really strong squad, but I do think that we need a couple of extra players in case of injury, sickness or other activities. Also with the bigger pitches and the move to 35 minute halves we will need cover for tired legs! Any suggestions or ideas really welcome, I am reluctant to put an advert on the Exeter and District Website but think that I might have to in the next week or so unless we can pull a couple of budding Ronaldo’s or Messi’s out of the woodwork! I will be posting a few more messages in the days ahead so please check in when you can for updates about pre-season training and friendly’s and other interesting stuff! Happy holidays Mark

Summer of fun!!

Summer Tournaments Review 

Just wanted to thank all the players who have participated in the tournaments this summer and hope that you have found it fun and rewarding. 

All four tournaments offered something slightly different, but I thought we adapted quickly and made good progress. It was good to win the Honiton tournament and to also progress through to the quarter finals yesterday in Cullompton. 

Also really good to welcome Dylan into our squad and I remember him making quite an impact at Newton St Cyres!! 

Thank you to all the parents and grandparents for getting the players t the various destinations on time and for being such great supporters for the team.

 I was reminded again yesterday of just what an impact that can have on a team as I witnessed some less than supportive and sportsmanship behaviour from other teams!! 

And so to the 2015/16 season we look.

As you will be aware Oscar, Alfie Ramsey and Ryan have moved onto different thing or different teams over this summer and I wish them all well. 

We have welcomed Dylan into the squad and I am confident that he will have a very positive impact on our team next season. 

However we are still short of 1 possibly 2 more players, so if you know of anyone who might be interested PLEASE do give them my number or let me know and I will make contact with them, they have to be the right player for our squad. 

Pre-season training will start on Wednesday 26th August at 6pm to 8pm at King George V playing field, please do everything you can to attend this first gathering, if you cant can you let me know. 

I have also secured the services of a specialist fitness coach who has agreed to do some pre season fitness work with us. 

Further sessions will be Saturday 29th August (9am to 12noon), Wednesday 2nd September (6pm to 8pm) and Saturday 5th September (9am to 12noon) I do have some admin to complete in the next couple of weeks to ensure all players are registered and accredited to play in the league so I will be in touch, but as ever please check in regularly with this blog for updates and information. 

Kind regards and thanks again for a great summer of football, have a nice break, happy holidays and see you on the 26th August. 

Mark

Our own Iron Man!!

Hello everyone Just to send our congratulations to Rupert for competing and completing the Iron man in Germany last weekend, he completed the extraordinary event in 9 hours and 50 mins!! Well done Rupert and we look forward to hearing all about it soon. Regards Mark

Bringing home the silverwear!!!

Hiya

Just wanted to congratulate the whole squad for the fabulous performance at the Honiton 6-aside tournement on Sunday. 

We played 7 games and won 6 which meant we won the league and received winners medals. 

It was a great day and was so proud of the team for your skill, fitness, determination and team spirit. 

See you on Sunday!

Also just wanted to wish Rupert all the very best as he takes on the Ironman in Germany on Sunday. 

That's a 2.4 mile open water swim, 112 mile bike ride and then a 26 mile run to finish. I am sure I speak for all the players and parents in wishing you every best wish Rupert and we look forward to hearing a about it. 

Maybe we could get Rupert to do the pre season training ;-) 

Cheers 

Central AGM

Just to flag up the Central AGM which will be taking place on Friday 17th July at the Coaver Club, County Hall in Exeter. 

The meeting starts at 19:30. Everyone and anyone is welcome to attend this meeting which will focus on wider club issues and developments. A great opportunity to get involved in the running of the club if your interested. 

Regards 

Mark 

Summer tournaments

Recommended viewing for summer tournements

http://youtu.be/JV_-HtTa2fg

Farewell to Team Richeson

Hi everyone, 

To say goodbye to our friends the Richesons' your invited to join them for an evening of food and drink on Sat 27th June 6~9pm at the Globe Inn, Clifton Rd., EX1 2BL.

If you would like food it does fab burgers and pizza, approx £10 but if you eat between 6 &7pm there is 20% off. 

Boys can play footie in Belmont Park while we are in pub, if they like (Just 100m away).

 Please can you let Emer know ASAP on 07843252529 so she can book a table and liaise with the Globe. 

Thanks everyone, should be a fun night 

Mark 

Food glorious food!!

Hello everyone. 

Last year when we went to the River Dart Country park I just drew up a list of food and asked people to bring three things, it worked well, didnt have a lot of waste and we all enjoyed a varied and tasty lunch! 

 Can I propose that we do this again? I have divided this up again and have placed the players name against a set of three or four things to bring. 

 Any problems please let me know. If anyone has a picnic table they could bring that would be great also table clothes and all that jazz! 

WILL AGGETT 

French bread 

Butter 

Salad 

Crisps 

JOSH CUNNINGHAM 

Quiche 

Cold meats 

Raw vegetables and dips 

TOM DAY 

Crisps 

Sandwiches 

Afternoon cake 

JOE DORNAN 

Sandwiches 

Cold meats 

Quiche 

big bottles of water 

SAM RICHESON 

Salad 

Salad dressing 

Napkins 

Fruit 

Big bottle of water 

 CAMERON SLOMAN 

Plastic knifes and forks (for 30) 

Paper plates 

Cordials for squash x 2 

big bottles of water 

 ALFIE WORTH 

Plastic cups 

Coffee 

Tea bags 

Milk 

Sausages rolls 

 EWAN WARREN 

Cold meats 

french stick 

a pudding 

 SAM PLUMER 

Cake 

sandwiches 

Fruit 

big bottle of water 

 CHARLIE TAPP 

Soft drinks 

Bread sticks 

Dips 

Table cloth 

 DAN WILDING 

Potato salad 

Sandwiches 

big bottle of water 

 WILL PYE 

Afternoon cakes 

soft drinks 

 All those who have confirmed with me wiull have their names on the gate and will be let in, if you would like to just arrive on the day or want to bring additional people then that would be great and will just need to pay the full rate. 

 See you on Saturday!!

This weekend's fun!!

Hello everyone, 

Hope that you are all okay and enjoying the nice weather.

I thought I would post some information about this weekend as it is looking busy!

Saturday – River Dart Country Park 

I have 34 people confirmed which is great and I have paid upfront at the discounted rate of £6 per person.

The entry gate will have a list of your names so hopefully it should run smoothly! If I could collect the money back on the day it would be appreciated. 

I am aiming to get there around 10am and will look to reserve the area where we were last year as this worked nicely, I will take the gazebo as well just to give a bit of shelter from the sun (rain!!).

Any problems please let me know but just turn up any time and hope we will have a great day. 

Sunday – Crediton 6-a-side football tournament. 

Our first tournament of the summer and it is looking like a good one! 

The confirmed squad for the day will be: Ewan, Tom, Dan, Will P, Cameron, Josh, Will A and Charlie.

If we could meet at the venue at roughly 09:30am on Sunday morning that would be great, Cameron and I will be leaving Ide at approximately 08:30am if anyone wants a lift.

The venue is the Crediton Sports Centre, Commercial Road, Crediton EX17 1ER. Again any problems please let me know asap. 

Thanks everyone and look forward to catching up on Saturday 

Mark

River Dart Country park team day!!

Good afternoon everyone, Okay so it seemed I misjudged the level of interest in the day at the River Dart Country Park and am sorry for any confusion or upset that might have been caused. Let’s go for it shall we and hope as many people can make it as possible? Saturday 13th June from 10:30am onward with a buffet lunch as last time. I will get in touch with the group booking people and see what can be done regarding entry fee’s etc and will keep you posted. This will be in addition to the tournament on the Sunday 14th June so a busy weekend. Thanks again and hope as many people can make it as possible. Kind regards Mark

here comes the sun!!

Hi everyone Hope that you are well and have all enjoyed a nice bank holiday weekend. I just wanted to say hello really and to give a few updates and snippets of information. I will get the bad news out the way and that is that I think we will need to cancel the planned day at the River Dart Country Park on Saturday 13th June. Thanks to those who replied but I am not sure we would have enough people able to make it to get the discounted rate and make the day viable which is a shame. I totally understand that it is a busy time of year. However on a more positive note I have entered the squad into 4 summer competitions and am keen that all the players get the opportunity (if they want to) to participate. The dates are Crediton on Sunday 14th June, Honiton on Sunday 5th July, Newton St Cyres on Sunday 12th July and Cullumpton on Sunday 19th July. Would you be kind enough to text or email (marksloman@hotmail.co.uk) to let me know if you are available for any of these dates, I will then come back to you. Most of the tournaments are 6 aside so we would need a squad of 8. If you could do this in the next few days I would be grateful. Once again I hope that you are all well and hope to see you at some stage over the summer. Kind regards Mark

So much I didn't say!!

Hello everyone, 

 Well it was so wonderful to see everyone at the presentation evening on Saturday and hope that you all had a good time. It was a long old evening wasn’t it but I hope the boys enjoyed the occasion and thinking back on what has been a great season for our squad! 

Congratulations to Sam R, Charlie and to Josh for your awards and to the whole squad. 

 As the evening wore on I knew that what I had planned on saying needed to be trimmed a bit as I could see people flagging and so there are a few things that I wanted to say but didn’t. 

 I wanted to once again thank all the parents of the players for the support throughout the season, to everyone and anyone who has tackled the Samba goals, run the line (no mean feat this year with off side), supplied the half time oranges and travelled many hundreds of miles in getting the players to the matches on time.

 I would like to thank Andrew Worth and Jasmine for their weekly match reports which have made for entertaining and enjoyable reading and have acted as a nice memory of the various matches that we have played. I know from looking at the number of ‘hits’ on the site that they have been enjoyed by many people over the season so thank you once again.

 I wanted to say thank you for the kind gifts that John and I received, that was really kind and I will ensure that I pass onto Gillian and Callad the ones for them when I see them next. 

 To all the players I want to say thank you for your hard work and efforts all season long. You have trained and played really hard this season, in all weathers, but have done yourselves really proud.

 Finishing third in the top division for your age group is exceptional and we should be really pleased with the way we have approached the season. 

Maintaining a reasonably large squad for 9 a-side has meant that players have had to be patient and have perhaps not played as much football as they would have wanted. 

 I acknowledge that and understand it and hope you all know that John and I have always tried our best to juggle the challenge of being competitive and being equitable. It is hard and I know that I don’t always get it right! 

 Two things for the summer. As last summer I will be entering teams for summer tournaments, probably 4 or 5 over the summer and will text parents to ask about availability and interest. 

 The second thing is that I am trying to organise another day at the River Dart Country Park, probably a Saturday, and have fingers crossed that it will be another wonderful day like last year. Again I will text around but am provisionally thinking that the Saturday 13th June, but that is subject to confirmation!! 

 Okay I am going to sign off now, but am sure that I will see you over the summer, either at the River Dart day or at a summer tournament. 

 Kind regards 

Mark

Central City's season ends on a high!!

Not for the first time,the City faithful (Mums and Dads and siblings and friends, dogs,any other animal in a red and black scarf) outnumbered the home support to give vocal encouragement for the final game of the season. What they saw was a deserved City victory against Copplestone United,battling from an already injury depleted squad in a competitive match of some gamesmanship.In a later than usual 12 noon kick off at the top of Bewsey Hill,City completed their year with the same aplomb and attitude as their first game,finishing third in the league with an outstanding record. Despite Sam R being tested early it was City who took the lead as Alfie W latched on to a Tom pass.Riding several tackles the ball was despatched into the right hand corner.The lead gave City real momentum and they were soon well on top.Joe was crossing the ball from the right,great drop kicking by the keeper was keeping the ball in the homesides half and a Sam P effort from a turn and hit went just wide. Cameron,Will A and Ewan at the back were holding strong and when Will P sent over the first of many City corners,Tom’s effort just sailed the wrong side of the bar.A Cam freekick found Sam P and once again the shot was agonisingly closeThe dominance however did not increase the scoreline and as Copplestone got more of the play,Sam R had to be alert when a high ball was threatening to creep just under his crossbar. The second half saw City start brightly once more but the attrition came with a few knocks.Ewan bravely soldiered on in this half and Ryan,despite being injured and replaced earlier,dug deep to return to the affray.City began to once again play some decent football, linking throw ins and corners with a notable Will P effort close but Copplestone levelled as City stood off.This did not last too long though as Alfie W hit a Tom pass first time with real power and enjoyed a Stuart Pearce celebration and City were back in front. And that is how it stayed despite the extra seven added minutes seeming like a lifetime.It could have been more as floodlights were available at the ground.No Man of the Match,all the team that played throughout the season deserve that accolade and it just remains to sign off in the words of Feargal Sharkey with the Undertones: Here comes the summer (tournaments)

End of Season presentation!!

Hi everyone, 

 How gutted was I to have missed the game on Saturday !! 

 I was so pleased and proud to see the result of the match on Saturday against Copplestone and it sounds like it was a very intense and dramatic game! What a great way to end our season, and what a season it has been. 

 Many many highs, some lows but a great season of competitive football in which we not only acclimatised very well to life in Division One but we took the league by storm and have finished in such a respectable 3rd place in the table!  

There are many statistics to consider from the season but perhaps one of the most important ones is that we have only lost 3 of the league games all season, fewest of all the teams in the division (including Bideford who went onto win this season!) 

 We should be very proud of this and it shows that we are a very gritty, determined and hardworking team. 

 We have improved and developed as a team, training has been more structured and more focused and the introduction of Gillian to do some specific goal keeping work with Sam R has really worked well. 

Our three signings from the 2014 summer quickly became integral members of the squad and we have played an exciting and impressive style of football this season. 

 Everyone that has been part of that should be rightfully proud of themselves. 

Much credit has to go to John Braddick who once again has been a committed and ever present coach and I think has really helped the players to understand some of the finer and more tactical aspects of the game. 

We still have room for improvement and I hope that the 2015/16 season will be as exciting and interesting as this one. We know that we will have to make some changes to the squad over the summer but for now let’s just enjoy what we have achieved. 

 The final event of the season will be the end of season Award Ceremony which will take place on Saturday 2nd May in the marquee at Exeter City Football Ground. 

 It starts at 6.30pm but I would encourage people to arrive from 6pm onward to enjoy the bar and catching up with team mates! Also the parking will be easier  

If you are not able to make it would you be kind enough to let me know, Nigel and the committee put a lot of effort into making it a special occasion for the boys.

 I am going to try and enter a few tournaments over the summer as we did last year, these are normally fun occasions and give the chance for boys to play together in a slightly different format. 

 We are also going to try and organise another trip to the River Dart Country Park, probably in June, which was such a fun occasion last year.

 I will sign off now but will look forward to seeing you all on Saturday at the end of season celebration. 

Kind regards 

Mark