September's Reflections...what a month!!

Hello everyone, 

Another outstanding match report by Jasmine and Andrew, always a delight to read, thank you so much for doing this and offering players, parents and others an account of all the games.

On that note feel free to invite wider family members, grandparents etc to subscribe to the blog, I think we currently have nearly 120 different subscriptions to the website which is really great. 

I remember saying to a Jayne Worth during pre-season training this summer that I am not sure we would ever be able to replicate the extraordinary experiences of the end of last season…..but blimey we are doing an AMAZING job and we should be so proud of what we are achieving so far this season. 

It is worth reflecting on how well we are doing this season so far as September comes to an end. 

We have had a brilliant start to our season but this is no fluke, it has come through hard work, training hard and such an exceptional team spirit. Unlike other clubs that we are playing in this division, we do not have a trials policy, we do not turn boys away from our squad and we work hard to improve the skills and ability of all players. 

We are a team that never shouts or moans, always encourages and always try to play with a spirit and a focus which I believe is at the heart of our success. 

We show great sportsmanship both on and off the pitch and are playing a delightful style of football. So to all the players I say really well done, our first month in Division 1 has been a really strong one, we are sitting joint top of the table with Bideford Blues and have a 3 from 3 unbeaten record. 

Perhaps even more importantly we are playing great football, passing the ball with confidence, playing with a creativity and dynamism that is so inspiring to watch. 

To all the parents and supporters, John and I would like to say thank you for the support and encouragement that you give us and all the team. 

Looking ahead to October now we have a set of challenging fixtures ahead, so careful planning and preparation will be important. 

We have Ottery St Mary this Saturday (4th Oct) at home which is a cup game. In past seasons we haven’t fared that well in the Cup but it would be great to see us progress through to the quarter finals. 

The following week will perhaps be our toughest challenge of the season so far……as Bideford Blues come to town! This will be a top of the table clash and promises to be one of the highlights of the season. The planning for this match is well under way!! 

We then have games against Okehampton and Broadclsyt both of which will be tough matches. I am just trying to find my feet with managing such a big squad of players and would ask that you bear with me for a bit.

A good example of that was on Saturday when we didn’t use Oscar. In the management of a game I have to weigh up the balance between the team shape and rhythm of play with the need to be fair and give as many people match time as possible. On Saturday I felt that making a substitution in the last 20 minutes of the second half would have disturbed our shape and rtyhm hence not bringing Oscar on. 

It might be that this happens again during the season and I hope that you understand why this is sometimes import. 

What I will always do is to try and make it fair for everyone over the course of the season. If you ever want to chat this over with me I would be very happy to do so. 

You will see that I have made some improvements to the blog this weekend, specifically putting the fixtures and results into a table format which I hope you agree looks a bit better and easier to read.

It is a work in progress (under construction I think is the techy term!!) so please check back on a regular basis. 

One final thing and then I will shut up. Some of you will have seen the photographer on the touch line last week.  

He was from the Express and Echo and came over to introduce himself to me before he started snapping away. So keep your eyes peeled to see if they print any pictures. 

At the start of the season you were asked if you were happy for pictures and names to be included in match reports for the paper. If you would rather this didn’t happen I would be grateful if you could let me know. 

See you for training on Wednesday evening at Isca (6pm to 7pm).

Thanks for your time…..I know I waffle on a bit :-) 

 Mark

City tame the Panthers!

And so it could go on and on with the feline anecdotes.

They used to call the Chelsea keeper of yesteryear,Peter Bonetti,The Cat,and our two cats,Sam R first half and captain Will A second half certainly stepped up to that level.

Reflecting on the Man of the Match award,this was designated a Men of the Match award simply because the whole team performance was outstanding.

Due to some unavoidable absentees it was a City side that had to adapt to a 4-3-1 formation with usual striker Alfie W back in the heart of the defence.

From the moment the teams strode on (a missed opportunity to hear the old Al Stewart number*) to the halftime whistle the contest was closely and keenly played.Some great goalkicking kept the ball in Alphingtons’ half as much as in ours and City pressed forward with several corners and a freekick sailing over.

A pinball pattern on the Panthers goal just would not break

City’s way and just before halftime the home side broke the deadlock moving swiftly from defence to unleash a shot only partially parried.

The manager had seen enough to have the confidence to change to a 3-4-1 set up which gave City more attacking options whilst maintaining discipline at the back.

When a typically searching Will P corner was headed out,Alfie W,who had drifted forward,steadied with one touch and delivered a bending thunderbolt of a shot to level the score.

With some nerves creeping into the Panthers’ game City secured the win when Dan was alert to follow up from a freekick that was sent at pace into a crowded wall and penalty area.

City then dug deep with every player stepping up to the plate and needing several defensive headers to keep the Panthers at bay including one from Tom who had just previously put the ball in the net at the other end,sadly offside.

So a great start to the season continued with the pleasant fine weather a bonus because this was a game to be savoured in any conditions.

*Al Stewart “Year of the cat”.We will probably return to the issue of songs that teams come out to in future reports

It's Alphington away on Saturday!!

Hello everyone, 

 A really good training session last night and I think that we will enjoy training at Isca this winter. I thought the surface was a great and it was nice not having to out up the goals!! 

 It was really good to see our goal keeping coach Gillian working with Sam and Will and by all accounts they enjoyed the session and learnt a lot. She is away next week but will be a regular member of the coaching team which is great. 

News overnight is not so good in that poor old Josh is poorly and is not going to be able to play on Saturday. Added to this we will be missing Ewan from the game. 

So with two key members of our defence team missing we are going to have to make some changes ahead of the match against Alphington. 

The more positive news is that Dan will be fit enough to play for us again on Saturday which is great news after such a nasty looking injury last week. 

John and I have given this considerable thought and we feel that switching to a 4 – 3 – 1 formation might be our best chance, giving us more defensive strength and stability. 

We will also be asking some of the players to play outside their normal positions, most specifically Alfie W. 

So quite a few changes, but we are lucky to have a large enough and talented enough squad to make this work I am sure. 

Starting Team : Goal Keeper – Sam R

Defence – Will A, Charlie, Alfie W and Sam P 

Midfield – Dan, Will P and Joe 

Striker – Tom 

Starting Subs: Ryan, Alfie R and Oscar 

Injured, rested or unavailable – Josh, Cameron, Ewan 

Will A has the captains armband, this is for showing a great attitude and commitment during training and also for a great couple of performances at the start of this season. Well done Will. 

 

The essence of the formation is that we try and stay nice and compact at the back, strong defensive play and then try and counter attack quickly when we can.  

We will be looking for the left and right backs to take opportunities to break down the flanks and when they do so for the other 3 defenders to draw together to offer support and protection to Sam in goal. 

 If you can arrive at the Alphtington ground at 10am sharp please that will give us the time to prepare and talk some of this through in a bit more detail. 

Speaking of which the match will be played at Cowick Barton Fields (EX2 9DD) I have been in contact with Nick their manager and he told me that “The pitch is the furthest away from the main car park so it would be easier to park up that end which you access via Alphington Road” Hope that makes sense!!

 Snack Bar duty on the 4th October – still looking for a team of 4-6 volunteers to take this on please, nothing too onerous but would be grateful for any assistance. 

Think that’s it from me, thanks again for all the support and encouragement. 

 Mark

Inaugural home victory for City!!

An unusually quiet Saturday morning at KGV saw City run out 3-1 victors over Copplestone United in calm overcast conditions,at least meteorologically.

Any optimism regarding the outcome of an hours’ U12 football against a side lining up a player short dissipated shortly after the visitors kicked off and the first half provided few opportunities for either side to break the deadlock despite an early vicious shot by Alfie W temporarily poleaxing the keeper.

When City failed to capitalise on corners forced by good work by Ryan on the right and Alfie R on the left,and a great run by Will P ending in a shot bending to the side of the right post,the half time whistle was fast approaching with a goalless scoreline thanks to solid defensive lines.

With Will A remaining alert at all times and being called upon to make clean catches from several threatening shots behind the trio of Josh,Ewan and Charlie,it was the last named who opened the scoring when pushing forward on the left and cutting inside to jink past several players before expertly lobbing the keeper,the team earning a five minute break with a confidence boosting 1-0 lead.

The second half saw a noticable injection of pace by City and an increase in the physical nature of the opponents game and encouragement bordering on overcompetitiveness.

Sadly Dan was unable to continue and required hospital assessment following an ankle injury but not before he had seized the opportunity to play to the whistle,as it had not blown,clever midfield determination allowing the ball to break for Will P to double the City score with a right top corner screamer. 

Subs Tom and Joe were increasingly riding harsh challenges to threaten down both wings and this persistence allowed Joe to further increase the score with a magnificent effort.

There were frustrations with City being caught offside following passing,flowing movement from all sections of the pitch but the defence and goalkeeper held firm as the team ran out with their second win and a Division 1 unbeaten record.

Top of the table at 2pm Saturday 20th September 2014!.

A real victory for sportsmanship and intelligence and damned good defensive play by parents Man of the Match,Josh.Great stuff. 

Footnote.

Unannounced FA official reports on our coach as part of a league assessment process and determines he is doing an excellent job.

Not like the FA  to recognise the blindingly obvious!!!  

Andrew & Jasmine

Social outing......calling all mothers of players!!!!

News has come through from the awesome group of mum's of the City boys of a social event on Thursday 23rd October. 

Details are hush hush to avoid any infiltration from the DOP's (dads of players!!) however if you are able to make it please see Jane or Emer on the touchline or text Fran on 07799776634. 

A second event has also been organised for 4th Decenber. 

Should this spur on the DOP's to organise their own exclusive event?? 

Da Management!! 

X 

Satruday 20th Sept.....home v's Copplestone United

Hello everyone, 

Hope that you are all well and having a good week. 

Just a few thoughts from me from training this week, then the squad for Saturday, a few dates and then I will leave you in peace!! 

 A good session last night at KGV and thank you, as ever, for such a great turn out. I think we have really benefited from the 90 minute sessions on the grass this pre season, asto pitches are fine but it is only really on grass that you get the feel for the ball. Just a gentle reminder from John and I about training for the players. 

Whilst we are all up for having a laugh and catching up, training has to be about learning and listening. That means that when we are talking through, for example, set piece drills, you might not be very active. We would ask that at these times you are patient with us to give us that time to focus on individual positioning etc. 

We will always try and incorporate a match at the end of the session but whilst the weather is warm and dry it is a good chance to run through set piece plays.

On that note that will be our last midweek session at KGV, as of next Wednesday 24th September we will be moving our sessions to Isca College (EX2 6AP). 

These sessions will be from 6:00pm to 7:00pm. We will revert to the 3 x 20min sessions focusing on fitness, skill development and then a match.

We have also managed to acquire the services of a specialist goal keeping coach Gillian who will be working with Sam R and Will A on Wednesday evenings for the first 40mins of each session which is great news and I am sure we will make her feel very welcome to our team. 

So to Saturday and our second League match of the 2014/15 season.

This will be a home match at KGV and if we can meet at 10am for a warm up and match preparation that will be great. Also a hand setting up the goals would, as always, be really welcome. 

Goal Keeper – Will A 

Defence – Ewan, Josh & Charlie 

Midfield – Alfie R, Will P, Dan & Ryan 

Striker – Alfie © 

Starting Subs: Tom & Joe 

Unavailable & Rested: Sam P, Oscar & Cameron 

Injured: Sam R 

Alfie W will lead the team out once again, he has done a fine job so far this season. 

We will also have an allocated referee for this match, this will be a first for us, so please ensure if you have metal studs they are smooth, no jewellery etc. 

Other Bits:- 

You will recall from last season that the club runs a snack bar at KGV each week, this is not only a nice thing to offer spectators and players on a Saturday morning, but it is also a significant revenue generator for the club. The staffing of this is done on a rotational basis with each team doing it roughly twice a season. 

Our teams first time comes on Saturday 4th October (which is our home Cup match). I would really appreciate a minimum of 4 volunteers to help set this up and run it for the morning, there are a lot of home team matches so could be a busy morning. 

It will mean being at KGV for 10am at the latest and setting the hot water up etc. 

Anyone interested or able can they let me know; we could set up a rota so you can also watch a bit of the match!

Okay think that is it……I know the ‘mothers of players ’ are trying to organise a social event sometime soon so watch this space for details!!!!

See you all on Saturday 

Mark

A friendly workout!!

Central AC U11's kindly provided City with a welcome opportunity for a match style practice at KGV.

The format followed that of the previous friendly against United.

With virtually a full squad to choose from and the match divided into four separate sessions,the manager was allowed the opportunity to give everyone a decent runout and try a few different positional options and although these are to an extent settled,the players benefit as it is likely that at some stage the classic lineup will have changes forced upon it.

I doubt though that this will include lending opponents players of the class that sportingly attempted to even up the gulf by ditching the Argyle green bibs of City and shoring up the defences of AC.

For the record though,6-1 was the score at full time in City’s favour,2 for Alfie W and 4 for Tom ( and a hat tricks a hat trick in any game) and  parents Man of the Match,well done to Ryan.   

Andrew & Jasmine