EBFA Under 13 AFC Henley Hotspur 1 v Shinfield Rangers 8
Immortal: Back with a Bang
After two recent defeats the boys certainly showed it had no ill effects on them. Andre and Will went for the brave (if mad) option of playing 2-3-5.
From the off the boys went on the offensive, Luke early on and towards the end of the game produced some of the exciting football we know he is capable of. Sam scored the opening early on and Liam got the second with a fine finish.
Tyson chipped in with a goal and almost added another with a glorious effort when he turned his man in the box and tried to chip the keeper, it was reminiscent of George Bests goal against Chelsea when he chipped Peter Bonetti from an impossible position.
Tom popped up with another lovely finish and it finished at the half 6-0 to Rangers, which didn’t reflect the impact Henley were having on the game. The real difference was Shinfield took their chances when they had them.
Goal of the day went to Ethan, who with a tight turn in the box beat his man and unleashed an unstoppable drive into the back of the net.
Harry also put in his best performance so far this season and never stopped working for the team.
Sam went on to complete the scoring, four in total for Sam today, when somehow he got his foot to a ball that seemed easier to head.
It was brilliant to see the boys try to play the ball out from the back a number of times and while it didn’t always come off, the more they try, the better they will get.
In no way did the score line reflect what Henley brought to the game. On a number of occasions Henley threatened to score and somehow the boys managed to defend it and keep them to one goal.
Boys at this age must be encouraged to try to take players on and beat them with tricks and speed. If they aren’t given the confidence to do it now, they will find it much hard to do it at a later age. But allied to this the decision between when to pass and when to take players on must be developed. The work rate and application the boys show makes me believe there is much more to come when they really start to trust one another and allow each other the freedom to make mistakes.
Immortal by Duncan Hamilton, the definitive biography of George Best (in my opinion) was behind the decision to play an old fashioned attacking formation.
Pitchside with Ryan Blandville
Kindest Regards,
William Manning