Match Roundup Saturday 7th March 2009

Cefn Onn School

A few problems with team selection this week as Adam was unavailable, Lucas and Tyrone were ill and Sam had to go to hospital just before kick off. Let's hope everyone is well again soon. Only seven players this week so it meant we had to look at drafting in a loan player for each of this weeks games.

Heol Hir Black 0 - Heol Hir Red 2

A big thank you to Matthew for volunteering to go in goal for the first half of our first game. The Reds loaned us Callum to make up an eight player team and he slotted in comfortably in the centre of midfield with Gethin. The game started really well with our team having most of the possession and totally dominating the game for most of the first half. Despite some good shots from Gethin, Kyle, Alice and Callum we were unlucky not to take a well deserved lead. Unfortunately for us one decent break by the Reds which went unchallenged ended with them taking a lead just before the break.

The second half is usually where we get ourselves back into the game but for some reason the team started slowly and once again we were caught out by one good break in the half which we just didn't deal with quickly enough and Liam was unlucky not to make the save. After going 0-2 down we started to play and created some good attacks in patches with Alice and Josef working hard on the wings and Gethin, Callum and Kyle trying to create something in the middle. Richard, Matthew and Liam were barely tested for most of the half and did well to keep the Reds at bay. A bit of a shocker losing 0-2 to the Reds this week after the recent result but they did well to get two goals and were obviously out to prove that a 5-0 scoreline was not going to happen again.

A big thank you to Callum for working so hard throughout the game and for linking up well with the other players just as if he was a regular member of our team.

Scorer(s): None

Heol Hir Black 1 - Llanedeyrn Bulldogs White 4

The Llanedern Whites gave us some tough games down at Willows on the astro-turf and were difficult to break down so this would be a big test especially after a disappointing 0-2 loss to start. Llanedeyrn showed that they had quality on grass as well as on the astro-turf and really came at us quickly from the kick-off. Matthew again did brilliantly in goal and pulled off some miraculous goal line clearances according to the extremely fair (and generous) referee. Llanedeyrn had loaned us Aaron who partnered Richard at the back but he found it hard to fit in and had a difficult time against his team mates. As we have come to expect the Whites number nine finished a decent break well to give them a 0-1 lead. Matthew was tested a few times and did well to make some great saves but was unlucky when their number seven struck a lovely shot and we were 0-2 down. Gethin, Kyle and Liam worked hard in the middle and Alice and Josef tried to create breaks but Llanedeyrn were very organised and defended really well to keep us out. Things seemed to be improving when the Whites number six hit a shot which Matthew was just unable to get a hand to and it was 0-3 at half time.

One change for the second half with Liam and Matthew swapping places to give Matthew a break from the goals and to try to create something in the middle. The change made an immediate impact and the second half looked like being a totally different story with some excellent football being played. Alice, Gethin and Kyle attacked well together but were unable to get a goalscoring opportunity. Josef played a neat ball to Gethin who found Kyle in space but Kyle's shot was saved by the keeper. Another decent attack looked like getting a goal when the keeper couldnt get to the ball and Kyle tried to roll it over the line. A Llanedeyrn player handled the ball on the line giving the referee a difficult decision as he stopped a certain goal. He decided that the only option was to award a penalty and Matthew bravely stepped up to take the first ever penalty for the team. He struck it well but the keeper got to it and it deflected back into Matthews path. There was no way Matthew was going to miss the opportunity of being the first player to score from a penalty even if it was from a rebound. GOAL!! A very calm and well placed shot from the rebound sailed into the net and got us a well deserved goal. A great cross from Josef found Kyle but he was unlucky not to score. Kyle kept battling but was unable to get a decent goalscoring chance and unfortunately Llanedeyrn did enough to get another goal. The game ended a 1-4 loss but the second half showed what the team is capable of and was a much better example of how we can play.

Scorer(s): Matthew (pen)

Heol Hir Black 6 - Llanedeyrn Bulldogs Red 0

The Reds loaned us Callum again for the last game which was greatly appreciated especially as he played so well for us in the first game. He took up a central midfield role to the right of Gethin and seamlessly fitted into the team again. After the first two results there was only one chance left to get a win and the team were fired up straight from the kick off. Alice and Josef sped down the wings with Gethin, Callum and Kyle attacking through the middle spreading the ball out wide and getting into great goal scoring positions. It wasn't long before Kyle played a lovely ball in for Josef who struck it with his favourite left foot. GOAL!! A lovely finish after coming in from wide to meet Kyle's pass flew into the back of the net. 1-0 At last Josef listened to Andy and timed his run to perfection. More fantastic football in the middle from Gethin and Callum and another goalscoring chance came Josef's way. GOAL!! It looks like the recent training paid off as Josef found the back of the net with a well placed RIGHT footed shot. 2-0 Alice kept working down the right wing and played some lovely passes into the middle and it wasn't long before Kyle got himself into a great position to take a shot. GOAL!! A good finish from Kyle and it was 3-0. Liam and Richard barely had a touch of the ball but did brilliantly when they were needed and tackled well and played some lovely passes out of defense to get the attacks going again. As usual the team made sure that our loan player Callum got plenty of time on the ball and he showed us some of his quality, passing neatly, tackling well and when he got the chance striking some decent shots. A nice pass found him in shooting range and he tried his luck. GOAL!! A fantastic strike from Callum found the back of the net and it was 4-0 with time left before half-time. Late in the half and the team were still hungry for more goals and kept working hard to create chance after chance. Gethin did brilliantly taking the ball from the right past a few defenders and hitting a lovely curling shot towards the top left corner. GOAL!! A sweetly placed shot made it impossible for the keeper to get to it and the first half ended 5-0 with Matthew barely seeing the ball.

The second half started and knew we would have to work hard for ten minutes to keep the momentum going and get the win but Llanedeyrn Reds did really well straight from the kick-off and created the first chance of the half. Liam made a stunning save to keep their shot out and to keep our first clean sheet of the day. Our team settled down soon after this and got back into their confident passing style of football that earned them five goals in the first half. Alice and Josef kept working the ball down the wings and put in some lovely crosses but Kyle, Gethin and Callum were unable to finish any chances that came their way. Josef did really well to hold onto the ball on the left despite pressure from Llanedeyrn's defense and passed neatly to Gethin who turned and passed inside to Kyle. Kyle saw he didn't have a shooting chance and did well to see Alice coming in from the right and found her with a lovely pass. GOAL!! A stunning LEFT footed shot from Alice and it was 6-0 with time left to play. Llanedeyrn worked hard to keep the scoreline from increasing and did well to keep us from creating any more chances. The game ended a very impressive 6-0 and showed the fantastic team spirit we have developed and just what excellent football performances we are capable of even after suffering two disappointing losses.

Scorer(s): Josef 2, Kyle 1, Callum 1, Gethin 1, Alice 1

Man of The Match

Every one of the seven players that turned up deserve a mention this week after giving 100% for all three games and for showing that even after two losses we can still come out and play attractive passing football and keep smiles on our faces. Also a big thank you to Callum for playing two great games in midfield for us this week. After some outstanding football in three differnt positions including in goal this week's Man of The Match went to Liam. Well played again this week Liam.