Match Reports 

Under 13s
Stuart Bethell

Back to basics this week at training. First touch, passing and possession. An indifferent session on Wednesday was followed by a very positive session on Friday. We had commitment, effort, good behaviour and a willingness to learn. As this isn’t always the case at training, I was hoping this would continue into the game and was looking forward to seeing how we would go against a team that had it all their own way last time we played.

Kick off saw Northcote with plenty of possession, without creating any clear cut chances. The positive was that we were defending well while still having plenty of our own time on the ball. Passing it around, moving the ball on quickly, working hard for each other off the ball and transitioning into defensive mode at speed when Northcote regained possession.

By half time we had conceded one goal yet we had our own chances and maybe should have gone in level. After the break we continued our positive play and although Northcote scored two late goals, we hadn’t disgraced ourselves and had put in a very good performance that we hadn’t managed for quite a few weeks. 

Under 14s
Shaban Mehmet

A week where the focus at training was to play forward as much as possible, we started our 2nd last game of the year very well. We were playing the ball freely and moving it well. We were trying to beat our opponent more with our first touch, which lead to 3 great goal opportunities and scoring one. Very positive signs.

The boys attitudes were spot on. 1st half ended 1-1 after having much of the play. 2nd half was a bit tougher while still grafting out a few goal scoring chances and playing forward as much as possible our energy levels dropped, a few mistakes in Northcote's front 3rd lead to a couple of 1 on 1's with the keeper which were converted.

What was most pleasing was we continued to stick to our task and never give up. Well done boys.

Under 15s
Paul Nieuwenhuizen

During the week, we worked on controlling the play when we had the ball while looking to play the ball forward.

Once again, we were slow to start a game, with the team not really warming to the task at hand until after the first 10 minutes. Our desire to control the play when we had the ball and play the forward pass was a real positive, with only the quality of the final pass or poor decision making causing our attacks to break down. Halftime saw the scores locked at 1-1.

Halftime the boys were positive and determine to not let the game slip.

The second half again saw the team trying to play the ball forward quickly which was great to see. However, a few passages of wonderful football from both teams saw the score line change several times, 1-2, 2-2, 2-3 and 3-3. Again, the response from the team was to NOT drop their heads but to stay positive and to keep playing football.

The one passage of play for the half that stood out was the build-up play to equalise at 3-3. The desire to win the ball back in the midfield was great, but then the composure to then play the ball forward to a team mate's advantage was fantastic. And then continue the move forward with some great ball movement and top it off with a goal was fantastic to watch.

However, the once again in our desire to push forward in the last few minutes saw us again concede a goal in the last minute. After the game the team was disappointed with their failure to see out the game. This is something the team must draw from and learn that they must concentrate for the full game.

Looking back across the season this has seen us drop 11 points from games that we have either lost or drawn in the last few minutes. This is the difference between having 21 points and sitting 15th on the ladder or having 32 points and sitting 11th. This goes to show that the team is not that far off the standard needed to play in this competition.

Thanks to James, Marcus, Teng & Brandon from the under 14s for stepping up and giving their all.

Under 16s
Tommy Giuliani

The boys bounced back on Sunday with a fine performance against a top side.There was a lot of raw emotion on display at the end of the game, they let it slip in the last 30 seconds....but the boys were reassured at half time I was more interested in performance rather than a result; an upward curve in attitude, application, habit, core skills and tactical intelligence.

I was very  pleased with the football. There was some nice controlled possesion in the mid third, our build up play was good and we were sharp in our attacking third. At the back we were solid all day and our pressing to win the ball back when we conceded possession was top notch as well.

Not all the feedback was positive. These boys need to embrace the challenge to improve in the areas they need to and not sulk. They must become more resilient and meet adversity head on. We need young men not little boys.If they can’t be challenged they will stagnate and I think we’re moving in the right direction in this area. Is the coach “picking” on me?or is he driving me to go to another level and reap the rewards of hard graft? Perceptions......

I’m in constant communication with our TD about who’s ready to step up to 20s and senior football and how individual players are performing, we don’t dwell on score lines, we really do put the emphasis on player development; and it’s been an honor  to help groom these boys. It’ll be sooner than later for many of these boys and I look forward to having a beverage in our new pavilion watching these boys represent our NPL club.⚽️⚽️?? 

Under 18s
Glen Wilson

Our match on Sunday was against the top of the table team, who have dominated all opposition all year.  This information alone is enough to worry most, but as I stressed to the lads pre-game – they would’ve seen where we sit down at the other end of the table and would’ve noticed our recent form which has seen us pick up a couple wins and a draw.  We just wanted to get some respect out on the park by playing a good brand of football and being “hard but fair” when we contest any loose balls.

As usual, we were short on numbers and were relying on 6/7 lads to step up from the 15’s & 16’s…….this always puts you at a disadvantage when playing against an opposition which has 15 sets of “fresh legs”!

Once again, the focus of the team was to remain compact and make it difficult for our opponents to work through our zonal defence…..and then when we win the ball look to quickly find our 9 or 10 and launch a counter attack.

The team defence was resolute and our work off the ball was sensational with plenty of communication and shuffling side to side.  There was also pressure applied to the ball carrier which then forced them to turn back and recycle = well done to all.

Unfortunately when we were doing one of our counter attacks, we turned the ball over just as we committed numbers forward and got caught out ourselves, conceding a goal.

The score remained at 1 nil down through to the half as we limped through to the half time break – as we had Harun who was doing a sensation job at Centre Back come off with an ankle, causing us to reshuffle the back 4 – something that I am normally loathe to do during a match, especially when things have been kept very tight.

At the break, the instructions were to continue to keep it tight and wait for our chances to counter……but, what happened was our energy just seemed to dissipate ……we stopped closing down the ball carrier giving them time to pick passes, our defensive shuffling was slow and tardy and the gaps opened up allowing them to control things and play though us with more ease, this easy access to dangerous positions put more and more pressure on our keeper and it wasn’t long until the goals started to come (not his fault).  This snowball effect, also meant that the game opened wide up and we were able to get a couple goals of our own and perhaps could’ve had more – so could they! 

The end result of 7 – 2 down was not flattering, however I would prefer to focus on the first half …….that was pretty impressive!  Well done to all lads who played, especially those playing more than a single game.

Codes of Conduct for everyone