Match Report

Earls Colne 1 – Boadicea Dynamos 3
(H Chamley)

I approached this match with more than a degree of trepidation, as BD had only lost to our 9-0 tormentors, Tempest, 3-2. We kept much the same team as last week, with the same formation. Unfortunately we were without George, who’d ‘done a Heskey’ at school and broken his foot. Best wishes George, and make sure you are fully recovered before returning.

The early exchanges were not good. Time after time we failed to clear our lines, either miskicking (when is that going to stop?), or simply passing the ball back to one of their eager strikers. BD hit the post with a long range effort which seemed to have bedazzled Thomas, and at least three other good chances were missed. At this stage I thought our chances were slim.

Then the inevitable happened – they scored. Another long range shot rained in but bounced off Thomas straight into the path of the opposing striker. A frustrating way to lose a goal, but ultimately they deserved to be on top.

Suddenly we sprang to life. Rather than sink our chins into our chests we started to play. The defence started to clear balls with greater conviction, Louis started bossing the midfield and Harry and James finally had something to do. The equaliser was a gem; Louis threaded the ball through to Harry, who held off two defenders before rounding the keeper with confidence and style. The goal fired us up, and with the crowd pushing them on the lads grew in stature and ability in front of our eyes. Luke worked tremendously hard on the left wing, and combined brilliantly with James and Harry, but struggled to deliver the ball in. Louis went on one amazing run into the box, taking on three defenders before releasing a shot, but frustratingly he could never get the ball onto his right foot. Then disaster. An innocuous shot bobbled its way under Thomas and we went in 2-1 down.

The second half saw our defence take control, with Sam and Calum always on hand to clear our lines. We pushed hard, with Harry always a threat up front. An odd call by the ref denied him a great chance to repeat his first half heroics, and following more good work by Mr Chamley on the right Luke was unfortunate with his shot that blazed over the bar. Louis was taking a pounding in the centre but kept on battling and playing passing football. We wasted a number of corner kicks and ultimately this was to be our undoing. A corner was cleared and they broke with speed. Within moments we were all back in position, lungs bursting from the effort, but a simple cut back pass left a BD player free on the edge of penalty area who gratefully thumped the ball home.

We had some ‘Dave will have a sore throat tonight’ moments including a goal line clearance by Calum following some less than confidence building defence of the goal. Whilst we finished the game pressing forward we again didn’t make enough clear cut chances. We need to shoot and pass with greater confidence and speed.

The BD manager, Graham, came over at the end to congratulate all the boys and to praise the way we played – which was a lovely gesture and much appreciated.

Next week Halstead, who beat BD 2-0 in a pre season friendly…

Thanks to the dads who put the goals back, Kevin for running the line, all the support, Janice for helping out and Val for sustenance. One plea – things like corner flags don’t find their way into the sheds by magic – please don’t expect someone else to do it.

Man Of The Match
Harry Chamley – many played very well – Luke, Calum, Patrick, Sam, and James amongst others, but no-one worried BD more than Chammers.




		Under 12s Match Report



		Earls Colne 1 – Boadicea Dynamos 3 (H Chamley) I approached this match with more than a degree of trepidation, as BD had only lost to our 9-0 tormentors, Tempest, 3-2. We kept much the same team as last week, with the same formation. Unfortunately we were without George, who’d ‘done a Heskey’ at school and broken his foot. Best wishes George, and make sure you are fully recovered before returning. The early exchanges were not good. Time after time we failed to clear our lines, either miskicking (when is that going to stop?), or simply passing the ball back to one of their eager strikers. BD hit the post with a long range effort which seemed to have bedazzled Thomas, and at least three other good chances were missed. At this stage I thought our chances were slim. Then the inevitable happened – they scored. Another long range shot rained in but bounced off Thomas straight into the path of the opposing striker. A frustrating way to lose a goal, but ultimately they deserved to be on top. Suddenly we sprang to life. Rather than sink our chins into our chests we started to play. The defence started to clear balls with greater conviction, Louis started bossing the midfield and Harry and James finally had something to do. The equaliser was a gem; Louis threaded the ball through to Harry, who held off two defenders before rounding the keeper with confidence and style. The goal fired us up, and with the crowd pushing them on the lads grew in stature and ability in front of our eyes. Luke worked tremendously hard on the left wing, and combined brilliantly with James and Harry, but struggled to deliver the ball in. Louis went on one amazing run into the box, taking on three defenders before releasing a shot, but frustratingly he could never get the ball onto his right foot. Then disaster. An innocuous shot bobbled its way under Thomas and we went in 2-1 down. The second half saw our defence take control, with Sam and Calum always on hand to clear our lines. We pushed hard, with Harry always a threat up front. An odd call by the ref denied him a great chance to repeat his first half heroics, and following more good work by Mr Chamley on the right Luke was unfortunate with his shot that blazed over the bar. Louis was taking a pounding in the centre but kept on battling and playing passing football. We wasted a number of corner kicks and ultimately this was to be our undoing. A corner was cleared and they broke with speed. Within moments we were all back in position, lungs bursting from the effort, but a simple cut back pass left a BD player free on the edge of penalty area who gratefully thumped the ball home. We had some ‘Dave will have a sore throat tonight’ moments including a goal line clearance by Calum following some less than confidence building defence of the goal. Whilst we finished the game pressing forward we again didn’t make enough clear cut chances. We need to shoot and pass with greater confidence and speed. The BD manager, Graham, came over at the end to congratulate all the boys and to praise the way we played – which was a lovely gesture and much appreciated. Next week Halstead, who beat BD 2-0 in a pre season friendly… Thanks to the dads who put the goals back, Kevin for running the line, all the support, Janice for helping out and Val for sustenance. One plea – things like corner flags don’t find their way into the sheds by magic – please don’t expect someone else to do it. Man Of The Match Harry Chamley – many played very well – Luke, Calum, Patrick, Sam, and James amongst others, but no-one worried BD more than Chammers.