Announcements:
Training session will now be at Waterhall 3G (Brighton Rugby Club, Waterhall Road, BN1 8YR) for the remainder of the season from 6-7pm.
Ben Lewis - click here for all our fixtures
Fixture: No game
Date: 01/03/15
Meeting Time: na
Kick Off: na
Location: na
Journey Time (from Brighton): na
SQUAD
1. Dillon Thompson
2. Ash Nzizi
3.Harry Couchman
4.Will Morfitt
5.Dylan Kyfinn-Walton (Vice Captain)
6.Paddy Van Der Velde
7.Rudi Spray
8.Harrison Mitchell
9. Harry G (Captain)
10. Conor Fitzpatrick
11. Charlie Smith
12. Ben Hedger-Grace
13. Ivo Christie
14. Kellan Mark
Players Unavailable:
1. Freddie Alexander-Morris
2.
3.
4.
5.
2014-15 Match Reports
Scorer Chart
Harry Garnham - 14
Freddie Alexander-Morris - 9
Harry Couchman -6
Paddy -6
Rudi - 2
Conor Fitzpatrick - 2
Ivo - 2
Harrison - 1
Charlie - 1
Assist Chart
Paddy - 7
Will - 3
Conor - 3
Freddie - 2
Rudi - 3
Ivo - 3
Kellan -2
Harry G - 2
Harry C - 1
Dillon -1
Fixture: Hawks 3 vs Cuckfield 3
Scorers: Harry G, Ivo, Paddy
Date: 22/02/15
Location: Stanley Deason 3G
MOM: Impossible to give as this was a truly great team performance.
Last time we payed Cuckfield we put in a really decent performance and were perhaps unlucky not to get the win in a fairly even game - this time we easily surpassed that and - although I am aware I am beginning to sound like a broken record - once again we deserved so much more than we ended up getting.
If it wasn't so heartbreaking to lose out on the 3 points in the way we did I think most would have just looked to the heavens and laughed out loud on Sunday.I went home with such a strange mixture of emotions, swinging from feelings of pride and excitement at the level of quality we were able to show to complete misery at the fact we yet again didn't reap the full rewards of that performance. From my perspective it was a day where all the things we have talked about in training, all the work we have done recently on defending, pushing out quickly and keeping a strong defensive line came to fruition. Tactically we were spot on, and the execution of their jobs by every player was outstanding. All of you turned up motivated and focused, everyone performed well and the team spirit and desire to get a win was palpable.
From the kick off there looked like there could only possibly be one winner. Within a minute Paddy was through on goal and unfortunately put his one-on-one over the bar, a minute later he was through again and in a familiar position on the touchline to the left of the goal - this time his pass across the goal line was missed by a stretching Ivo by mere millimetres. With the wind in Hawks favour and Cuckfield struggling to get past the halfway line the pressure continued to mount. A fine team move saw Harry G spread play out to the left where he found Charlie in space, wiggling free from a couple of challenges the wide player whipped in a perfect cross that found Paddy who opened his body up beautifully to guide his right foot volley past the keeper only to see it come back off the bar.
Eventually Hawks got the goal they deserved and once again it was Harry Garnham who was first to get on the scoresheet with his 14th goal in as many games. Showing great determination he was able to win the ball back on the edge of the Cuckfield area as they attempted to play it short from a goal kick. After keeping his feet through a number of challenges in the area he was able to toe poke the ball into the bottom left corner to put Hawks one up.
As the half wore on Cuckfield were beginning to get more of a hold on things and their presence in the game grew. Although the wind was making it difficult for them to clear their lines with kicks from the goalkeeper, it was aiding them when it came to playing through balls behind the defence - particularly with some long diagonals that were playing in their right sided winger. Nevertheless the Hawks back four were consistently immense. They covered one another perfectly - whenever they needed to make a saving challenge to stop a shot they did, and on the one or two occasions they did get shots off Dillon was equal to the challenge - most notably in a one on one situation where he came out and spread himself brilliantly to deny their forward when he looked certain to score. (That's 3 one on ones out of 3 in the last two games for you Dillon - you should be proud of that stat!)
So it was against the run of play that Cuckfield equalised and the goal carried a lot of good fortune with it. Receiving the ball on the bounce from a throw in the Cuckfield forward hooked a hopeful high ball into the six yard box and it dropped into the back of the net with no chance for our stranded goalkeeper.
The response from Hawks was to dish out more of the same, but unfortunately the woodwork was to come into play again... and again! Firstly from Paddy who was proving to be almost unplayable on the turn. Having negotiated himself into the area the lone frontman struck a shot that cannoned off the far post. Then Harry G chipped off a little more paintwork, picking up the ball in central midfield and driving a low shot off the inside of the post from 20 yards with the keeper beaten.
Unfortunately for Paddy, giving defenders such a torrid time, combined with not being afraid to engage in a bit of on field banter comes with a price and he certainly paid it in this game - taking kicks left right and center but not getting too much sympathy from the ref. Twice he had strong penalty claims denied in the first half as he was taken down in the area when about to get a shot off, and then an even stronger claim in the second half.
So for Cuckfield to make it to half time at one-each was an extremely fortunate thing for them - i think it is fair to say.
In the second half it was Hawks turn to go up against the 12th man that was the wind. But if anyone thought the gusty conditions were going to turn the second half into a Cuckfield whitewash they were sorely mistaken. Within a minute of the second half starting Hawks had taken the lead. Once again great play through the midfield released Paddy and this time the forward was able to square the ball to Ivo who had the easy job of popping it into the net at the back post after anticipating danger and making an excellent supporting run.
Ash, Rudy, Charlie, Ivo and Harry were all working extremely hard in midfield and winning the ball back quickly. The willingness to push out from the defence helped them do this by reducing the amount of space Cuckfield had to play in. The pressure we were able to put on them (getting two or three players around the ball quickly and forcing mistakes) was key to the success we were having and within minutes of going ahead we were two up. This time Paddy got himself on the score sheet after following up his own six yard strike to bundle the ball into the net.
As the game wore on the wind did eventually begin to stem the regularity of Hawks attacks with most of the play now taking the form of a battle in the centre of the pitch. Yet despite the difficulty it was causing us Cuckfield were finding it hard to play balls into the space behind the defence because of excellent organisation and all the talking from Harrison and his compatriots that was keeping the entire team so well organised.
Cuckfield through balls were either being cut out or getting caught by the wind and blown through to Dillon, so the major danger was always going to be from set pieces where the wind would be likely to play a big part in the delivery. And so it was to be when they whipped in an excellent curling corner that found the head of one of their players who was able to direct the ball powerfully downwards to give Dillon no chance. It was a harsh blow because until that point they had created next to nothing in terms of chances from open play in the second half period.
Time then seemed to slow down considerably for myself and the supporters. The defending continued to be excellent (Not least when Conor won a huge tackle in the box after coming on at left back) and the midfield were still pressurizing and creating chances for the forwards although most of these were coming from long range.
Yet despite the closeness of the game, hawks were still not panicking and were still in control of things in open play. Then with literally 10 seconds left we gave away a free kick 25 yards out in a central position - with the wind blowing like it was it was almost as good a chance as a penalty for Cuckfield and they didn't waste it! All it took was a casual side foot placed effort and the ball flew into the top corner like it had been struck by Drogba. Cuckfield ran off like they had won the World Cup and we hung our heads in despair despite the game being a draw! Why? Because we all knew if all victories in football were awarded to the team who fought hardest and created the most chances, we should have have won by a country mile. But that isn't the way it happens unfortunately so you will just have to trust me when I tell you that this game was proof of your ability as a team when you all play for one another and have belief.
Finally I would just like to say a massive thank you to Freddie, Conor and Kellen for their patience on Sunday. None of them got as much game time as I had intended due to the excellent start the team made in the second half. They were due to come on immediately after the break but then 10 minutes of dominance meant i didn't want to change things so they stayed put on the sidelines. All of them took that news maturely and professionally and without complaint. Thank you for doing that chaps- you truly are team players.
Fixture: Lewes vs Hawks
Date: 15/02/15
Location: Lewes Forfeit
MOM: Gary Lineker - for great presenting on the Sunday Morning Match of the day re-run!
Hawks stayed in bed, Lewes went skiing. Hawks run out worthy winners as they are better at sleeping than Lewes are at sliding down hills in the cold. After a short period of deliberation everyone agrees that Hawks get the points as they inevitably would have won anyway ;-)
Fixture: Patcham 1 vs Hawks 3 (league)
Date: 08/02/15
Location: Carden Hill
Scorers: Harry G x2, Paddy x1
Assists: Harry G x1 Paddy x1 Rudy x1
MOM: Ash: did an outstanding job in midfield, breaking up play and performing the CDM role excellently alongside DKW. Won countless headers to clear dangerous balls into the box from set pieces and relieve pressure on the team. Back to his best!
This was always going to be a tough game - two teams scrapping for points at the foot of the table on a sticky February pitch. Yet despite that the game was not short on quality, especially in the first half. After a fairly even start Hawks took the lead early on thanks to the determination of Paddy to close down their goalkeeper. Having recieved a bobbling pass back the GK immediately found himself under pressure from the Hawks lone striker and ended up smashing his clearance into him. The ball ricocheted out to the edge of the area and an advanced Harry Garnham was able to role the ball into an unguarded goal without too much difficulty.
Despite having most of the pressure at this point, Patcham equalised quite soon afterwards through a breakaway goal - the opportunity for which came after some confusion caused by the ref and the linesman. Having awarded a free kick to Hawks the decision was reversed after a conversation between the two officials on the sideline. By this point most of the Hawks team had advanced up into the opposition area to prepare for an attacking a free kick delivered into the box. As such, when the ref changed the direction of the kick Patcham were able to take it quickly and put their dangerous striker through on goal with the rest of the Hawks team desperately trying to recover. it was perhaps a little unfair on us but also a good learning experience. The lesson was that we need to be aware of what is happening and if a kick gets reversed like that make sure it is not possible for them to take the it quickly. Simply standing someone in front of the ball and waiting for the ref to push you back ten yards would have been a good idea - this would have allowed the team to get back into our defensive shape.
If i am honest I cant really remember how Harry G scored his second - but it was probably really good so well done again Mr G. I think Rudy had something to do with it - so have given him the assist.
Our third was a thing of beauty and was once again as a result of the combination of Harry G and Paddy. This time it came from a freekick on the edge of the box that Harry struck low. The goalkeeper could only parry it back out into the six yard box where Paddy was able to pick up the rebound. Surrounded by defenders and with his back to goal the striker pulled off an ingenious Thierry Henry-style back-heel effort that went straight into the back of the net - a great piece of improvisation and intelligence an done of the goals of the season in my opinion.
The second half was more of a scrappy affair with less quality but lots of grit and determination. We defended with urgency and made the tackles that counted. Dillon was excellent in goal - saving two one-on-ones thanks to his sharpness leaving the box. The first by making the tackle, the second by pushing the player out wide, creating time for the defence to recover and making the angle of his shot very difficult.
In defence Harry C and Harrison were excellent at CB as was Ben HG when he came on for his debut early in the second half. Obviously the relationship between him and Harrison at CB is something to be worked on in positional terms - particularly with regards to covering one another, not pushing out into the same areas and ensuring we prevent through balls to players in space, but it is evident we have secured a new CB who is very quick and not afraid of a tackle.
Charlie and Will were great as attacking fullbacks and also strong in the tackle. One thing for the fullbacks to work on is making sure that they get back in line with their centre backs really quickly when we lose the ball. We need that back four to be in line and nice and close together retreating towards the edge of the box when teams attack us.
In the wide positions Conor and Rudi both had good games and Dylan KW and Ash handled the defencive part of the central midfield area extremely well - winning the ball back on countless occasions.
We now find ourselves in an interesting position which I hope will get the best out of all of you. There is no doubt we are currently favourites to finish in the bottom two which is likely to mean relegation. We can either give up mentally and say to ourselves - we can't do it... whats the point? Or we can come together a squad and fight to very last minute for every ball and every tackle in each of our remaining game. I know what i would prefer but I can't make you have that mentality - that is down to each and every last one of you as an individual.
A quick look at the table shows that with three wins on the trot (vs Patcham, us and ASC Strikers at the weekend - Seagulls are now second in the table on 16 points). In our final 4 games we are playing Lewes who are not on the best form having lost to Eastbourne in the cup at the weekend, ASC - who Seagulls beat 4-2 at the weekend, Cuckfield - who we have already proven we can compete with and Rottingdean in our last four games. Two wins and a draw from the final 4 games would give us a really good chance - three wins would almost certainly keep us up. We've all seen the underdog stories in sports films. Let's try to make that our story and give everything to these final 4 games so we have no regrets when that final whistle goes on the last day of the season! Who knows what we can achieve if you can all bring your A games to the final matches - we have more than competed in pretty much every game this season, now it's time to turn those performances into results.
Fixture: Hawks 3 vs Seagulls 4 (league)
Date: 01/02/15
Location: Stanley Deason
Scorers: Harry G x2, Paddy x1
Assists: Freddie, Will
MOM: Harry G was excellent - dragging the team back into the game with two incredible goals. Paddy was also fantastic and had one of his most engaged games to date.
This was a hell of a game that once again ended up in heart wrenching tragedy for Hawks as the story of the season continues. Once again we competed well but were unable to drag ourselves over the line and get the points we so desperately needed this week.
They completely dominated us early on as we sat back and failed to engage in physical contact and make challenges so they went two goals up very quickly. Harry G then single handedly got us back in the game with two incredible goals from distance - the second of which was possibly one of the best long distance efforts I have seen from open play at this level - an absolute rocket of a shot high into the side netting from fully 25 yards. With the momentum swinging our way we then conceded again against the run of play before scoring a lovely team goal involving great interplay from Freddie, Will and Paddy. With the game tightly poised the second half was then a very tight affair with Seagulls benefitting from the wind assist and us looking dangerous whenever we could break out. A ball over the top was to prove our undoing again as Seagulls pulled ahead. Then, in the dying minutes an equalising goal from Paddy was ruled out for a very controversial offside decision and Will Morfitt had two more half-chances to get an equaliser but once again we left with nothing - a very tough thing for all of us to take!
I had a read back over the previous match report vs Seagulls and it is uncanny how similar things were in this game. These are some phrases copied from the last Seagulls match report that apply again this time around:
- This was a disappointing loss but a strong performance that deserved much more.
- In the first half we were perhaps a bit slow to adjust to the pace of the game - no match in two weeks (change to 8 weeks) will do that to a team, but once we got going we looked relatively comfortable from a defensive perspective even if Seagulls did enjoy the lion's share of the ball during those opening exchanges.
- Their second goal (In this game their 1st) also came from a corner, this time it was the second phase we failed to deal with. If the ball drops in the area like it did it is up to us to get our bodies in the way and close down extremely quickly. In this case we were caught a little flat footed and the Seagulls player was given enough time to get his shot off and find the bottom corner
- we can still be guilty of dangling in a foot and not committing fully to a challenge
- Unfortunately though, in the end we just ran out of time after giving ourselves too much to do. Perhaps that is the story of the first half of our season so far - going a few goals down early on, making a strong comeback but coming up just one goal short of a much needed result!
I suppose it's easy to point at individual moments and blame them on a result because usually over the course of a season you get what you deserve and these things even out. In our case when I look at our points tally and compare it to those above us I really feel it is a misrepresentation of our ability as a team. I think there is very little difference in terms of skill levels of the players we have and perhaps that what is missing from this team is belief and previous experience of div one football! Perhaps the only difference between our team and the majority of teams we have played this season is that we perhaps don't go into games thinking we are going to win! Of course this is understandable as you are the new boys of div one and haven't perhaps had the reward you deserved for some of your performances. These things can become a vicious-circle in that the more you play well and lose - the more likely you are to think you are going to lose when it comes to those moments late in game where it could still go either way and the extra belief is what carries the other team over the line. I don't know what to do about that other than point out that that bar the games against ASC Strikers, Rottingdean and Horsham - we have genuinely competed in every game and as a team you are well capable of playing and winning in this division.
Given that we have averaged just under 3 goals a game in our 13 matches this season I think another part of the problem we have had is perhaps the inconsistency in the make-up of our back four. Last season the back four was perhaps the strongest part of our team and we had four players regularly involved in it - only really having to switch it around once in a while to cover absences. Over the summer two of those players left and two others have since periodically moved to other positions. Harrison has been excellent but is the only ever present in defence and failure to find him a regular centre-back partner that wants to play the position and consistently playing the same full-backs has been a problem for us. All the players who have played in these positions have done great jobs individually but there are certain little things a back four that has played regularly together does together that we have not been able to do consistently this year. Things such as the timing of everyone pushing out, moving as unit together, knowing when to all drop off, keeping the defensive line and when to cover one another - are all things that require the back four to have time to play together and develop an understanding. Unfortunately for a variety of reasons this hasn't happened but i think we are very close to finding the right formula. It will definitely be a focus for future training sessions - particularly when we have more time and space for them in the summer months.
Anyway - heads up chaps, we all knew this would be a tough season that would challenge each and every one of us in different ways. This has certainly been the case but you have all improved as players as a result of that which has been fantastic to see. We need to enjoy the remaining games we have and see what happens. Starting with Patcham this week we still have enough games to get the points we need to secure a place in the division next season and as mentioned above are perfectly capable of doing that. If we don't get them then we will regroup and realise that the world hasn't ended and that there will still be plenty of competitive games to play going into next season and beyond.
Fixture: Hawks 2 vs Eastbourne 6 (league)
Date: 14/12/14
Location: Stanley Deason
Scorers: Harry G x 2
Assists:
MOM:
I wasn't present at this game so no match report for this one. The main points as fed back from Luke were... Despite only having 10 men we were still in the game at half time trailing 3-2. Great effort all round but struggled near the end as tiredness got the best of us and conceded most goals at this point.
Fixture: Seagulls 3 vs Hawks 2 (league)
Date: 30/11/14
Location: Shoreham
Scorers: Rudy, Freddie
Assists: Paddy, Conor
MOM: Charlie - strong performance at left and right back - showed composure on the ball, pace going forward and great strength in the tackle - excellent work.
This was a disappointing loss but a strong performance that deserved much more.
In the first half we were perhaps a bit slow to adjust to the pace of the game - no match in two weeks will do that to a team, but once we got going we looked relatively comfortable from a defensive perspective even if Seagulls did enjoy the lion's share of the ball during those opening exchanges. During open play in particular, our defence was well organised with Harrison taking the lead and everyone in the back four responding well to his direction. In the full back positions were were solid with only our defending at corners (a team defending problem not a defense specific problem) proving to be an issue. Outside of that Seagulls created very little in terms of clear cut chances and were largely restricted to long-range efforts that failed to trouble Dillon at all. It was particularly pleasing to see us stand up better to the physical challenge as that was the main criticism of our last game against Seagulls - there is however still lots of room for improvement in this area as we can still be guilty of dangling in a foot and not committing fully to a challenge - if you foul, then you foul - don't be worried about that - just as long as it isn't in the area!
Unfortunately the middle road pitch has a significant slope that tends to aid the attacking team when corners are delivered at the lower end. This was shown time and time again for both teams with a lot of chances and 3 goals (one of us and two for them) coming from set pieces at this end of the pitch. We went a goal down when a Seagulls striker contested for the centred ball with Harrison and the ball deflected off his back and found the far corner. From our perspective this highlights the importance of keeping men on the posts during corners and for them to hold their position their as in this case a well positioned defender on the line may well have been able to clear the effort.
Their second goal also came from a corner, this time it was the second phase we failed to deal with. If the ball drops in the area like it did it is up to us to get our bodies in the way and close down extremely quickly. In this case we were caught a little flat footed and the Seagulls player was given enough time to get his shot off and find the bottom corner - again a well positioned player on the post may well have stopped this. All that said they shouldn't have had a corner in the first place as our linesman had flagged for offside prior to it being awarded and was disregarded by the ref - our first significant slice of bad luck in the game!
If the first half was characterised by strong team defending without creating many opportunities, in the second half we were able to offer a far more potent attacking threat. The benefit of the slope and the introduction of Paddy gave Freddie support up front and a bit more physicality and speed to exploit the spaces in their back four. Within the first few minutes of the half we had already caused them a lot more problems than in the whole of the first half with Paddy denied at the near post by an excellent save from their goalkeeper and Conor narrowly denied from an excellent curling free kick by another good save. It was therefore against the run of play that Seagulls won a soft penalty and put themselves 3 goals up and Hawks in a very difficult position to come back from. Yet from that point onward it was Hawks that looked the most likely to score and eventually got the reward they deserved with a very similar goal to Seagull's second. Conor provided another dangerous cross from a corner and with Seagulls struggling to clear at the bottom of the slope in the same way we had in the first half - Rudy was able to latch on to the the ball as it dropped in the area and dispatch it into the bottom corner for his second the of the season.
Then came our second significant and extremely unwelcome slice of bad luck in the game after yet another corner dropped in the box at the bottom of the slope. This time the ball dropped to Ivo who smashed in a shot from 12 yards that struck the underside of the bar before bouncing a foot over the line. Unfortunately neither the linesman or the ref claimed to be able to see it so play continued despite us scoring a perfectly good goal. Probably too much to ask for goal line technology to be introduced to the Sussex Sunday Youth League I guess :-) !!!
More chances came and went - notably from Freddie who was unable to trouble the goalkeeper from the edge of the box after some great interplay with Paddy and from Paddy himself who was making an absolute nuisance of himself whenever we could get him on the ball. It was with around 7 minutes left that we eventually got our second - Paddy again picked up the ball, this time on the left hand side (after some great work by Charlie who was able to pick out the striker's diagonal run) and in typical Paddy fashion he cut in along the left goal line and picked out Freddie at the far post who was able to bundle the ball into the goal after a fantastic supporting run.
Unfortunately though, in the end we just ran out of time after giving ourselves too much to do. Perhaps that is the story of the first half of our season so far - going a few goals down early on, making a strong comeback but coming up just one goal short of a much needed result! Here's to a second half of the season with a bit more luck, a tighter first half defensive record and a few more points to reward our efforts and all round performance.
Well done in this game chaps - it was a whole world away from the performance against Horsham and you deserved much more - but sadly - I guess that's just the nature of football, sport and life in general in that you don't always get what you deserve!
Fixture: Horsham 2 vs Hawks 0 (KO Cup)
Date: 09/10/14
Location: Horsham
Scorers: NA.
Assists: NA
MOM: Dillon Thompson - saved 3 one-on-ones, made countless acrobatic saves and displayed faultless handling from crosses thoughout the game - had very little chance with either of the goals - only area for improvement was accuracy of kicking - but wasn't given lots of options to be fair to him.
What a difference a week makes! We have gone from perhaps our best performance of the season to perhaps the worst in the space of 7 days! So much of what had been so good the previous week deserted us in this match and I still can't put my finger on the reason why. perhaps it was that it was a cup game, perhaps it was that we had Freddie and Ivo missing, perhaps it was just one of those bad days at the office but nothing went well and in the end 2-0 was perhaps flattering to us - despite their 2nd being a clear 5 yards offside.
Rather than go into too many details of the game (which was basically them in possession of the ball and us chasing around like headless chickens trying to get it, and then squandering it with a lack of quality when we did - before eventually seeming to give up all together even though it was still only 1-0 late into the second half) - I am going to highlight some of things we needed to do better as individuals and as a team.
1) Take responsibility! The game was crying out for leadership and for someone to lead by example. It only takes one or two of you to up your game - maintain positivity and shout encouragement and other players will follow you. Whenever we had the ball on Sunday - whether it be in general possession or from throw-ins and goal kicks people hid away and didn't show for it. At one point I watched with the score at 1-0 with 10 minutes to go as Conor got the ball out wide and was closed down by 4 Horsham players whilst everyone stood and watched. No one made effort to give an angle for him to pass out of trouble and no one made the effort to cover him. I criticised MOM Dillon's kicking after the game but the reality was no one gave him good options. Against Cuckfield- when he had ball in hand we were on our bike looking to get forward - creating width for him. He was able to throw the ball out to his fullbacks and wingers (who immediately got wide for him) regularly and advance up the field. It is absolutely vital we do this or all the balls are going to be launched down the middle to no one in particular - they call that "food and Drink" for a centre back as they will nearly always win that type of ball with a header that comes right back at you and puts the team under pressure!
2) Defence start talking to one another and push out. Despite constant calls from the sideline to do this it was like talking to statues. We sat so deep that we created a massive amount of space in midfield that was too much for the CMs to cover. Yes we have to get the balance right between getting caught out with the ball in behind but we also have to squeeze play so our midfielders can get around the ball in the central area - playing on the break requires us to win tackles in midfield and break forward quickly - unless the entire back four pushes up at the right times we don't win the ball in the right areas. Finally remember there is such a thing as offside - if all four of you stay narrow but push out quickly and decisively and ball comes back over the top - the chances are the strikers will be offside - if they are not then they will be near you so you can still tackle them.
3) Communication and Encouragement - we needed this so much on Sunday, we were so quiet with the only shouts being ones of frustration and negativity. We must find a way to stay positive with one another and encourage - even after mistakes or poor play. giving a fellow player a pat on the back or a shout of great tackle, recognition of a good pass can be difference between a good performance or a bad performance for some players - especially those who thrive when their confidence is high.
4) Fullbacks Cover Inside - we will work on this at training a bit this week as it happenned too often. If as a full back you get beaten and your centre back has to come out wide to engage the player who has gone past you - you need make a recovery run inside him to fill the position he has vacated. If you don't do this the whole defence gets pulled right across the pitch.
5) Never - i repeat - never just give up on a ball you have lost. Against Cuckfield we were tenacious - if we got beaten in a tackle or skipped past - we got back goal side immediately and were ready to tackle again or cover the pressurising team mate. On sunday we seemed to lose out on a challenge and give it up - shrugging our shoulders or waving our arms in frustration and blaming others before meandering back into position. Against good teams the very least you need to do is put in 100% at all times. A team that is not as strong in individuals can always match a team of stronger individuals if the work rate is high and so-called lost causes are not given up on. If you chase and harass you will get your rewards. Horsham were an okay team but by no means should we have been outplayed like we were - particularly in the second half. It was down to our attitude on the day and in the end a lack of competitive spirit.
6) Turn up and get your mind in game mode! At the age you are and the level you are playing you shouldn't need me shouting at you to get you going prior to a game. The warm-up is vital! When you first turn up don't just aimlessly kick balls at the goal - start your warm-up as individuals, do some ball work and some running so when the actual warm-up starts 30 mins prior to kick off you are already half way there! You then need to communicate with one another - gee each other up and get yourselves going. Half-baked, leisurely warm-ups achieve nothing - i want to see the effort going into your runs and movement - they should be sharp and game realistic. I also want to hear you shouting and demanding the ball like its a cup final and encouraging and praising good play from you team mates from minute one.
7) Proper Tactical Understanding of 4-5-1 - Here is where I come in - and training over the coming weeks will be based around understanding the roles you are going to play in this system. We need to be able to make this work for us because it helps us play against bigger physical teams and stay strong defensively. In addition, against Cuckfield we proved we can also make it work for us in an attacking sense as well - now we need to do this regularly which means learning roles and responsibilities of positions we play properly. Nearly all of you have been asked to play in different positions over the course of the season with most players having two they will find themselves playing regularly. You need to know the roles and responsibilities of these positions inside out and what is expected of you when you play there.
As a general overview -
In Attack:
GK: look for balls out wide that can set us off on a fast break - preferably an accurate throw to a full back but if necessary a kick that should be reaching the half way line in a wide position.Centre Backs: remain central and run the defence - you need to be communicating more than anyone - pulling back your CDM and full back where necessary. You are also in charge of clearing us out - we need to get out quickly and with purpose - don't be afraid to carry the ball into midfield if you have opportunity as this will free up other midfielders. Just be sure you communicate what you are doing as full backs, CD partner and perhaps the CDM will need to tuck in behind you.
Attacking Centre Mid: work rate, work rate, work rate - you will never stop bombing on to support the striker, looking to play balls out wide to wingers or to the strikers feet, or behind the defence and then getting up to support them. If the team loses it you have to get back quickly. This is a no joke position only for the fittest players.
Centre mid: the play maker - you fil the hole in central midfield, keep the ball moving, feed your wingers, attacking mid and striker or reset the play with a backward pass and give an angle for a return ball. Switch play and change the angles of attack.
CDM; similar to above, but with the covering of advancing centre backs at the back of your mind. Stay behind the ball - do not advance ahead of it.
Wingers: pushed up high and wide - supported by full backs who may overlap if possible. Look to beat your man and advance up the touchline. Keep your head up for your striker's diagonal run and then get up and support him with an overlap/underlap.
Striker: up high making constant diagonal runs or ready to drop in the hole between the opposition defence and midfield to hold the ball up and find passes out wide or to the overlapping attacking midfielders if necessary. Don't just stand still being marked by a defender - movement off the ball is absolutely key - you need to be allusive and to occupy the defenders thoughts all the time. If you are just standing next to him waiting for the next long ball directed towards you he will have an easy time keeping you marked.
In Defence
GK: talk talk talk - you can see everything so let defenders know if they are not covering or if a player is not being marked. Own your area and be decisive when coming for balls. If you have to kick a pass back try to advance it up the filed diagonally - not just straight out for a throw in in an attacking area for the opposition.Back Four: stay nice and compact, Be strong in the tackle, fullbacks stop crosses, Central defenders take care of the threat directly in front of goal and if pulled out to pressurise a winger who has skipped past a full back - scream at the full back to drop inside to cover you. don't dive in - stand up and stay strong - if you get beaten, look to get up and make a recovery run immediately. COMMUNICATE LOUDLY and ENCOURAGE!
CDM - work rate, work rate, work rate - stay central in front of your CBs and make an absolute nuisance of yourself - look to break up play and feed your other midfielders. Drop into CB if one of them advances past you with the ball. Cover at corners.
CAM and CM - support your CDM and be ready and available to receive the ball at all times. endless tackles required! don't drop as deep as the CDM - we do not need you in our back four - we need you pressing in the space in front of them
Wingers - get narrow and get back into a defensive position to cover in front of your fullbacks - fill in at the back post and mark advancing opposition fullbacks/wingers that are free in this position - serious running required!
Striker - Stay high - pressurise from the front - defenders hate being rushed so even if you don't win the ball you may force a wayward pass that will win us the ball back.
7) Correct Footwear - Finally, I was amazed how many of you wore blades or moulded studs for this game. I know boots are expensive so if you only have one pair then fair enough - perhaps check out the 5Ways Soccer boot drop for a pair of £5 spares - or ebay! That said it would definitely help us through this winter period if we all had proper studs for the games we have on boggy grass pitches. It will help you keep your balance, be stronger in tackles and be able to turn with confidence.
Finally, we have Lewes away this week after the game against Seagulls was rescheduled due to their cup run. it's going to be another toughie so all of the above is going to be vital if we want to compete. Please come along to training and the game this week ready to give it your all and run yourself ragged looking to get a result - we weren't far off last time - let's go one step better this time!
Fixture: Away Vs Cuckfield FC (League)
Date: 02/11/14
Location: Cuckfield
Scorers: Paddy, Freddie (Pen)
Assists: Dillon, Ivo
MOM: Ivo Christie: full of positive forward runs - one of which lead to the penalty for our second goal. Great composure on the ball and fulfilled defensive duties as well - an excellent performance all round from a player who is getting better with each game he plays.
This was by far and away our best performance over the full 70 minutes this season. Everyone was switched on from the start and the intensity of every player remained high for the duration of the game. Tactically every player fulfilled their role well and in the end we probably deserved more than the draw we got.
The first half started well. We pressed with urgency and constantly disrupted Cuckfields play. Playing 3 in the middle helped us get close to them and the energy, organisation and work rate of all three CMs made the jobs of everyone else a lot easier. Other than one moment at the far post when a deep cross found a Cuckfield player unmarked in the box - we restricted them to no clear chances in the first half. For our part we looked dangerous any time we got forward. Cuckfield perhaps had a little more of the possession but weren't doing anything with it, Whereas when we won the ball our counter-attacking was excellent and incisive.
Two or three clear cut chances perhaps should have been converted - firstly when Paddy chose to shoot from 18 yards instead of feeding an umarked and overlapping Harry Couchman who had burst forward into the box from deep after sensing an opportunity. Conor did everything right but finish after following in a Harry garnham free kick - somehow blasting his close range shot over the bar after the keeper fumbled the shot - much to his own despair. We also had any number of excellent crosses fly dangerously across the box that where mere millimetres from contacting our players heads.
Paddy had the run of their back four - his physicality speed and turning ability proving too much for their centre back pairing to handle and he got an excellent first half goal when a long ball from our keepers hands bounced once on the half way line, enabling the striker to role his man and head the ball forward into space on the right. From there he was able to run the ball past a recovering defence and into the box where he finished in his typical style at the right near post.
A yellow card for a poorly timed challenge late in the first half somewhat disrupted the striker's performance and he was replaced with Freddie who had been warming the bench after missing the previous game.
Early in the second half it was obvious that Cuckfield had received some stern words about their performance as they came out galvanised and spent the next 10 minutes pressuring us in our half. For the first and last time in the game we looked a little bit shaky for a few minutes. Unfortunately for Hawks it took us just a little too long to get back to the pace of the game and in that time they managed to get an equaliser, albeit in extremely fortuitous circumstances. A central free kick from a long way out shouldn't have proved troublesome as we held a good defensive line on the edge of our box and when the ball bounced around the penalty spot with no one near it everyone was expecting a comfortable save from Dillon. Unfortunately - what had been a faultless performance until that point came undone when he missjudged the flight of the ball and was somewhat surprised by the bounce. The ball looped over him and he could only manage to push it onto the cross bar, after which it rebounded nicely at the feet of the onrushing strikers for a simple tap in - unfortunately just one of those things that happens in a game!!
However, the goal seemed to wake us up and we got back to what we were doing in the first half pretty quickly - maintaining a strong defence and operating on the counter-attack. About 20 minutes in, Conor delivered a fantastic ball down the left hand side to pick out Freddie's intelligent diagonal run. Turning back on himself he was able to move the ball to his right foot and deliver a perfectly waited crossfield diagonal ball to Ivo who had charged forward from midfield and had their left-sided defender isolated to the right of the goal. The impressive centre midfielder then carried the ball into the area and was chopped down for a penalty as he was about to shoot.
Harry Garnham stepped forward from defence to take it but Freddie was having none of it. Full of confidence from his 6 goals in his previous 3 games - the striker, simply took the ball, blanked out everything and stepped up to coolly side foot the ball into the bottom right hand corner to put us up 2-1.
In the final 15 minutes we did begin to tire somewhat - only having one sub meant it was difficult to refresh the areas that needed it and Cuckfield got the equaliser with an incisive move from the back that released their striker behind our defence and took advantage of our slowness to recover from one of own attacks.
Yet it was Hawks who had the final chance of the game when another great cross from Conor on the left found Freddie at the near post, but unfortunately the lively striker was unable to capitalise as his glancing shot on target was saved by the Cuckfield keeper.
In the end it was a good result and another much needed point but in all honesty i felt we did enough so be clear winners this week. Nevertheless we should all be extremely proud of the performance and it has set the bench mark from which we will need to progress. Work-rate was at the forefront of the achievement and no small amount of skill - however there are still tactical thing we can work that will be focused on in training over the coming weeks to help us push forward an build from here. Well done all!
Fixture: Hawks 0 vs Rottingdean 7 (League)
Date: 26/10/14
Location: Stanley Deason
Scorers: NA.
Assists: NA
MOM: Harrison : The standout defensive performance of many, barely put a foot wrong all game and made countless important tackles.
This was a really tough one for us! Up against a team who have put 8 past Seagulls and 5 past Cuckfield and Eastbourne it was always going to be a tough ask to get a positive result and we knew this going into the game. However, the attitude from everyone was spot on from the warm up to the final whistle and despite the scoreline I went home feeling that there was an awful lot of positives to be taken from the performance. This was not a Wadhurst capitulation by any means and if it wasn't for a final 10 minute period where we conceded 4 through tiredness the scoreline would have finished 3-0 and been a fairer reward for your efforts.
At this stage, there is no doubt they are currently a better team than we are and it is easy to see why they are sitting top of the league unbeaten. Their ball retention was top quality and their patient build up, technical skills, speed of play, decision making and ability to switch the play was very strong. As such we were playing without the ball for long parts of the game which can be extremely tiring for any team. However, for the majority of the game playing with 5 in midfield we did look a lot more composed and defensively sound. Ash looked completely at home in his CDM role and Ivo and Rudi showed outstanding energy levels when it came to pressurising their CMs and winning tackles in the centre of the park. Our wide players covered well and our back four made their fair share of great tackles. In goal Dillon made two or three cracking saves - particualrly when diving to his left to keep out an absolute stinger of a shot in the second half. Upfront Paddy maintained his composure throughout and worked hard for the team when he was able to despite being largely isolated for much of the match. Our communication was perhaps the best I have seen it.
As mentioned in the post game team talk the trade off to playing the 4-5-1 formation was that we failed to mount much of a threat on their goal. With only one player up front attacks tend to break down unless the midfield/wide players are very quick at counter attacking together - but with the amount of defensive work they were having to do this was a tough ask this week. This is something we will work on in training in the coming weeks as it will be very beneficial to us to have different styles of play as the season progresses.
Overall it will be important not to get too caught up in this game other than to perhaps use Rottingdean as an example of the level of play we need to aspire to reach. We can learn a lot from seeing what a sunday league team in our age group is capable of and if we keep improving the over the next couple of years we may well be able to reach that level.
One thing I would like to mention that relates more to this season than this specific game is that it is the first time as a coach that I have felt like I am no longer managing a team of children. It is a pleasure to see a team coping with demands of div one with maturity and a positive spirit. The feedback I am getting from you all is excellent and it is clear that your tactical understanding of football is growing by the day. I have no fears about this team at all. With every defeat we are learning things and constantly improving so whatever happens this season you will all have grown and improved as players from the experience.
This Saturday we have Cuckfield and if we perform with the same spirit and determination we showed for 60 minutes of the game on Sunday I am confident we can get a result. I am looking forward to it.
Fixture: Seagulls Blue 5 vs Hawks 3 (County Cup)
Date: 19/10/14
Location: Middle Road
Scorers: Harry C x2, Freddie.
Assists: Will (please remind me who assisted Freddie and Harry in the 2nd Half and I will add them)
MOM: Ivo - solid performance on the left of midfield followed by excellent performance in central midfield - has really been showing a solid progression in his understanding of how to play tactically in that role - first in training in 2:2 practices and now in the match scenario. Excellent work.
Having not seen the final 20 minutes of this game I can't really talk about where it went wrong in the end for us but I was surprised to hear the result as I thought there was only one team that was going on to win at the point that I left to sun myself in Cyprus with 20 minutes to go.
Once again we didn't have the best of luck at the start! Before either team had really got going, a poorly struck shot from 20 yards that was going well wide struck Harry G and rebounded to a Seagulls player who had space and time to pick out the bottom corner to put them one nil up. It wasn't really an example of good lay on their part or bad play on ours - just one of those things that can happen in a game when things aren't really going for you.
As such it was good to see us respond so quickly, with Will showing some of the skill and top quality delivery that he had shown in the previous game to break down the right-hand side and pick out Harry C who timed his run into the box perfectly and was able to open his body and steer the cross into the far post whilst under pressure from a defender.
However, Seagulls then began to impose themselves and Hawks began to look stretched. Once again our central midfield was being pulled all over the place - something that came about purely because of a lack of defensive cover on the wings. For us to remain compact and difficult to score against the entire midfield needs to drop and operate as a unit of four in front of the defence and put into practice the 2:2 style of play we have been working on in training. If this doesn't happen then our two central midfielders get pulled out wide to pressure the ball and it leaves large and dangerous spaces in the centre of the pitch. Or, if the CMs hold their correct positions more centrally - our full backs get exposed and we become vulnerable to crosses and attacks down the wings.
This happened over and over in the 1st half and is something we all need to get to grips with quickly as conceding goals is still what is costing us and it is time for the midfield to take their fair share of responsibility for that. Other than in our first game of the season we have now scored at least 3 in each of our 5 matches against division one opposition so it is a telling sign we have only managed to win one of those so far (and we conceded twice in that one too!).
I thought our goalkeeper had a good game again up until I left on Sunday and was desperately unlucky not to pull off the save of the season when they scored their second - dramatically blocking a point blank effort from a header at the back post but just not managing to hold on to it. However, I would like to see improvement from high ball moments such as their 3rd goal - it was a looping long range effort that could have been prevented with better anticipation, footwork and positioning back on the line. The shot was fairly central and not particularly powerful so really should have been caught or pushed over the bar. That said I did feel we could have been stronger and more urgent in the tackle to prevent that shot coming in too as the striker took a long time to line it up!
Which leads onto one other area where we need to make a big improvement! We came out second best in a lot of tackles in the first half of this game. Sometimes, it is our technique that is letting us down (diving in, dangling legs and turning our back on the challenge) other times I think we can be just a bit too nice, and whilst playing fair is a must, strong tackles and a bit more physicality is going to be necessary from all of us if we are going to start winning the games we need to in order to stay in this league.
Remember what we have been doing in training around tackling technique-
DO...
- Get in fast to the attacker to close down their space
- slow down quickly, set yourself side-on an extended arms distance away from the player with the ball
- jockey and win the ball when we can - commit to the block to prevent a shot
- drop off, provide cover and maintain our position if the ball is passed on.
- communicate to other players as and when they need to press/drop off and maintain
- provide cover for your fellow defenders whilst they are pressing whilst keeping an eye of other players (a job and a half)
- Be committed, expect contact and go in hard
- close down space quickly in central positions within shooting distance
DON'T...
- Fly in and commit unless you are 100% certain of winning the ball and maintaining possession or it is required to stop a shot.
- Turn your back on challenges/dangle in legs
- Pull out of challenges
- Go chasing after the ball everywhere and getting pulled out of position
- Go to ground unless absolutely necessary
- Switch off and fail to cover another player - (if you are in midfield and we don't have the ball you should be tracking back and defending - not watching play unfold).
Most of the stuff above was mentioned in the half time team talk and for the first 15 minutes of the second half we were awesome. Positionally we were much more organised, but perhaps more importantly we were a lot more aggressive and we immediately started to create chances. Harry C soon got his second of the game with another excellent finish and then more high pressing and strong tackling released Freddie who maintained his excellent scoring run with his 6th goal in the past 3 games.
Then I had to leave and we ended up losing 5-3 but I cannot comment from there so I will suggest we remember that first 15 minutes and use it as an example of how to play from now on. With regards to the end result - of the 3 games we are going to play against Seagulls this season this one was the one I was least worried about losing. It was in the county cup and the reality is we were always going to be unlikely to win that competition. Let's make sure that in our two league games against them we end up with the points because if we do that there is every chance we will maintain our status as a division one team next season.
We now go into a very difficult run of games that sees us come up against Rottingdean next week followed by Cuckfield away and div two leaders Horsham in the KO cup the week after that. I want us to go in with a positive attitude and with a real focus on an improvement of our defensive performance. The game against Rottingdean is a great place to start this as we are undoubtedly going to need to improve the physical element of our game and our organisation in order to compete. That said, our goal should be an ambitious one so we need to go in looking to take some points off them - if we can do that it would send a message to the rest of div one that would difficult to ignore.
And finally... try not to let stupid comments or aggressive acts by opposition players intimidate you. If you get pulled, pushed whacked or stamped on by an idiot opposition player that can't control themselves and the ref doesn't see it, stay calm, do not engage with the perpetrator, call over the referee and explain what has just happened, ask him to keep and eye out for it and carry on. This will have a much bigger effect than losing your calm as it will show them you can't be intimidated. Remember, many of you are 14 years old now and whilst this behaviour is unacceptable it is also something you should expect to happen on the football pitch from time to time now you are this age and something you should be prepared for. The thing that usually upsets us in these circumstances is the shock of it happening not the actual pain - so if you expect it to happen you are less likely to be phased by it. When this sort of thing happens there is nothing better than gaining a moral victory by letting your play do the talking and winning the game.
Fixture: Hawks 5 Vs Fishersgate Flyers 2 (KO Cup)
Date: 12/10/14
Location: Braypool
Scorers: Freddie x4, Paddy
MOM: Freddie/Will - Freddie scored an even more perfect than perfect hatrick (ie - left foot/right foot/header and one more for luck!). We was extremely lively throughout and the finishing was truly outstanding. Will had by far the best game he has had all season - bombing forward on the overlap whilst playing right back and causing them all sorts of problems when playing right midfield. He also got two excellent assists with a flick on for Freddie's third and an inch perfect cross for his fourth as well as creating numerous goalscoring chances that weren't converted.
It took us a while to get going in the first half but when we did we played some truly lovely stuff. I was very pleased with how solid we looked all across our defence and also with the involvement of the full backs in the attacking half. Dillon made a few great saves when he needed to early on that stopped us falling behind as we were finding our feet and Rudi and Ash controlled a packed midfield very well. Charlie provided a good outlet on the left and was able to contribute with some dangerous crosses and Kellen worked hard on the wing contributing equally to attack and defence.
We really got going as a team when Ivo came on. He made an immediate impact with his positive runs on the right wing and quickly set-up Freddie who took his edge of the area shot first-time on the outside of his boot and sent it flying into the bottom corner. Our second came shortly afterwards when the ball dropped kindly for the in form striker and he was able to fire home another powerful strike on the half volley from around the penalty spot. Hawks were very definitely on top at this point and looking dangerous with every attack. The team had a good balance and we were pressing in the right places to stop them getting out of their half. The third goal was not long in coming and came about when a chipped ball into the box from central midfield was cleverly flicked on by Will Morfitt and found Freddie who timed his run perfectly to meet the bounce and steer it past the goalkeeper at the near post to complete a first half hatrick of great quality.
In the second half things began to look a bit more disjointed as I made a number of changes to give people runs in different positions. Despite a little less fluency in our play we soon went 4-0 up when Paddy advanced down the left and finished one of his powerful solo runs with a cracking strike across the goalkeeper into the bottom right hand corner. Further changes occurred and despite still having plenty of shots on goal from Paddy and Harry Garnham we had lost the shape that was working so well for us in the first half and had begun to concede chances at the back - particularly from long balls over our defence. It therefore wasn't that surprising that Fishersgate scored two goals against us by employing exactly this method to put the score at a less convincing 4-2. We were then perhaps lucky not to concede a third when the same scenario occurred again with 5 minutes to go, but this time the Fishersgate striker shot high over the bar when perhaps he should have scored. Being pegged back to 4-3 at this point would likely have made for a panicky end to the game.
With just a minute or so left to go on the clock we added a 5th - again it came from Freddie and again it was a top quality goal. The assist came from Will when the right midfielder won the ball back high up the pitch and centred a cross that found Freddie's head perfectly for the strikers 4th and final contribution of the game.
Overall it was a strong performance with lots of plusses. It did become disjointed later on but this is largely because I chose to rotate subs a lot this week and move positions more than I would normally against tougher opposition. It was certainly an enjoyable game to watch and one that had lots of passages of high quality play, team work and individual brilliance. We now have Horsham (a very strong team who are unbeaten in division 2) in the next round in a few weeks time. It should make for a much tougher challenge than Fishersgate but one we can look forward to with realistic hopes of victory.
Fixture: Hawks 3 - ASC Strikers 7 (league)
Date: 05/10/14
Scorers: Ivo, Charlie, Freddie
Location: Buckingham Park
MOM: Dillon Thompson - Yes there were a couple of errors that need to be ironed out (particularly dealing with high looping balls) but Dillon's goal was peppered throughout this game and he made an incredible number of top class saves. Not least successfully foiling three one-on ones, and saving multiple well struck shots that were destined for the back of the net. It is worth noting that it takes a special type of character to be a goalkeeper as it is the one position on the pitch where every mistake is magnified. If a forward mis-controls a ball - there is no consequence other than losing possession, but a goalie mis-control can end in a goal and then they get the blame! It is therefore often a pretty disheartening position to play because you can play out of your skin - but then make one mistake and your team can lose. Dillon will hold his hands up and admit he could have done better with two of the 7 goals on this occasion - but we should all recognise it would have been a far more embarrassing scoreline without him. Outstanding effort young man!
It was a tough one this week! Prior to the game I was optimistic that we could get the 3 points against ASC and as such set the team up with an attacking intent. Unfortunately, this week I got my tactics wrong and it cost us. Setting up with a less familiar back four in order to use top scorer Harry Garnham upfront just didn't work for us this week as we were left without the experience he provides us at the back. For the first time this season playing a 4-4-2 formation also didn't work well either, as ASC employed a 4-5-1, allowing their technically strong team to overrun and outnumber us in central midfield. As a result our back four was overly exposed and they were able to exploit the space behind us with through balls on too many occasions. For me it was a reminder that in this league - always having the strongest possible defence is going to be vital. We have proved as a team that we are very capable of scoring goals but the challenge for us now is to figure out how to stop conceding them.
The game got off to a terrible start through no fault of our own. A hopeful cross from their right to no one in particular looped in at the back post to immediately put us 1-0 down and on the back foot. Fortunately, we were able to respond immediately when Harry G found himself with the ball out on the left and was able to whip in a powerful cross that found Ivo lurking at the back post who was able to stab it home. It was a really well worked goal and more proof we know what we are doing in front of goal.
From then on it became a little more one-sided. Due to the space and time they had in the centre of the pitch, individuals in our back four were often pulled forward to engage free opposition players in midfield. This resulted in the defensive line being pulled around and playing far too high up the pitch - leaving big gaps between each other as well as between our last man and our goalkeeper - a fact they exploited with runners from the wings and a fast centre forward playing upfront on his own. Out wide we were physically outmuscled - not our fault as none of us can help our size, but ASC had big, tall and strong wide players in a position where some of our smaller players tend to play. This made it hard for us to prevent crosses coming in or being beaten for pace. In forward positions we were doing okay, but the ball wasn't staying in their half long enough and our moves were breaking down through a lack of movement off the ball. We also failed to make the most of our set pieces with the excellent delivery that has been on show in the last few games seemingly deserting us this week.
Outside of the tactical mismatch we didn't really seem physically up for it in the first half this week. We lost far too many tackles we should have won and I saw too many players flinching and turning their backs on challenges. At this level it is vital we are brave when it comes to engaging the opposition. Even if a player is twice our size we need to stand up, go shoulder to shoulder and be prepared for physical contact.
All that said, there were also some real positives. We gave another player (Charlie) in our squad a debut - and he played well and scored. Ivo also got his first goal for the club with a great finish from an excellently timed run in at the far post. With the final goal we scored one of the best team goals we have in ages - an incredible fast break from a corner that saw the ball travel from one of the pitch to the other with each player involved taking just one or two touches before Freddie ended the move with a perfect lobbed finish. Dillon's save when one on one with their forward in the first half was top class. Despite the scoreline we continued battling to the end and never gave up. Scoring the final two goals of the game is testament to this and also further proof of our excellent general fitness as a squad.
Finally, we knew we would have tough weekends like this when we found out we were being promoted. A quick look at the results from the games this weekend goes to show how this result is nothing to be ashamed of and we needn't be too worried about it. Both Lewes and Cuckfield put 8 goals past Patcham and Seagulls whilst Rottingdean put 5 past Eastbourne. When games like this one come along the only thing to do is learn the lessons and work hard to improve on the errors we are making before putting it well and truly behind us and moving on to the next game with a determination to do better. This week it is going to be all about getting our defensive formation sorted in midfield and in our back line.
Fixture: Hawks 3 - Lewes Bridge View 4 (league)
Date: 28/09/14
Location: Stanley Deason 3G (Wilson Avenue, Brighton)
Scorers: Harrison, Rudi, Harry G
MOM: Harrison and Harry C - got his first goal for the club and put in another consistent centre back performance against a strong Lewes attack. Harry C - again showed his versatility playing in 3 different positions throughout the game and performing well in all of them.
The game against Lewes provides yet more evidence that we belong in this league competing against the best in the county on a regular basis. Lewes certainly started stronger - maintaining possession and constantly switching play in front of the defence in an attempt to stretch us. We defended pretty well but unfortunately due to the lack of defensive cover provided on the left hand side - despite constant requests from the sidelines for it to happen we went a goal down when Dylan found himself doubled up at the back post and the Lewes right midfielder was able to easily slot home after a cross from their left found him unmarked. A switch in positions moved Harry C into the wide role where he put in the extra effort required to provide this cover and shore things up. Their second came from a well placed effort from outside of the box - providing more evidence that at this level it is going to be vital to pressure the ball quickly in this position to prevent those dangerous longer range shots coming in.
Having created plenty of shooting opportunities of our own, the mood at half time was positive despite the 2 goal deficit. As a team we felt that we had nothing to fear from last season's Div One Runners Up and County Cup Champions and felt we could get back in it. Unfortunately the first 10 minutes of the 2nd half were probably our most lacklustre - we started slowly and forgot some defensive basics which led to us conceding two preventable goals. In the end this short period proved to be the difference between winning and losing this game.
With no subs our options for change were somewhat limited but moving Harry Garnham up front gave us a little more physicality and the ball began to stick. Our breakthrough eventually came from a corner. In the absence of Conor, Kellen stepped up to deliver the ball and whipped in a perfect cross onto Harrison's head that found the back of the net via a deflection off a Lewes player. Minutes later we found ourselves with another corner in the same position and once again Kellen delivered perfectly for his second assist of the game. This time Rudi was the beneficiary - expertly wrapping his head round a ball that came in slightly behind him at the front post and glancing it into the back post - a fantastic header that required great technique to get on target. As we have talked about, set pieces are going to be important for us this season so it is great that we are starting to be consistently dangerous from them. Our final goal came after a great bit of work in the box saw Harry G hit the underside of the bar and the ball rebound to Paddy in the penalty area, a sharp turn saw him brought to the ground by our former captain and the resulting penalty was smashed home in typical Harry Garnham style for his 7th goal in 4 games.
Unfortunately, in the end we fell just short of completing the full comeback - by conceding four goals we simply left ourselves with too much to do and the clock ran out on us. the way the game was going, I am sure if we had another 10 minutes we would have managed at least a draw but it wasn't to be. In conclusion we all need to start believing in how good we are from the start. In this game it felt a little like it wasn't until we were 4 goals down and the pressure was off that we started playing like I know we can. The truth is - we have proved that we will be able to score goals against anybody this season - we just need to tighten up defensively and start playing like we KNOW we are going to win from minute one!
Date: 21/09/14
Location: Stanley Deason 3G (Wilson Avenue, Brighton)
Scorers: Harry C x4, Harry G x3, Conor x 2, Freddie
MOM: Ash/Rudi - We were awesome in central midfield this week - Ash and Rudi completely controlled play, gave them no time on the ball and distributed it really well. Excellent work all round chaps. As a side note - Harry C was unlucky to miss out on the award this week as I felt he was the prototype "fox in the box" His 4 goals came from 4 clinical finishes of the type that both Michael Owen and Gary Lineker would have been proud of.
This was a very strong performance from beginning to end that saw Hawks completely dominate division 4 Hollingbury. With only 11 players available it was important everyone stepped up to the mark and did their job well - I was not disappointed. In defence we were extremely strong - keeping a clean sheet and only really allowing them any chance on a couple of occasions near the end of the game when we were 8-0 up and pushed so far up into their half that we were left a little vulnerable to the fast break. Harrison and Harry have already formed a good relationship in the centre and Dylan and Kellan performed their defensive duties brilliantly whilst always looking to overlap their midfielders when the opportunity arose. On those rare occasions Hollingbury did venture into our half with any purpose, Dillon was in fine form, handling reliably and kicking very well. I was particularly impressed with his decision making and accuracy when it came to distributing the ball quickly out wide.
In midfield we were completely dominant - Ash and Rudi were strong in the tackle, moved the ball brilliantly and kept possession very well. In the wide positions we always had Conor and Paddy available in space and were able to give their fullbacks a torrid time throughout. We also got back extremely quickly to cover fast breaks which helped us win the ball back and maintain possession in their half for the vast majority of the game.
However, the thing I was most pleased with in this game was our finishing. In the game against Eastbourne and particularly in our friendly against Hove Rivervale we were guilty of missing too many good chances - this weekend we were absolutely clinical. Harry C, Conor, Freddie and Harry G all took their chances calmly and incredibly well - something that will help us a great deal against stronger opposition if we can continue with it.
As an added bonus - once again from set pieces we looked extremely dangerous. Conor and Freddie both delivering corners that resulted in goals and Harry G scoring from a centrally placed free kick.
So a quick run through of the goals: Harry Garnham drove in an unstoppable low free kick from 20 yards before Conor added a second after he latched onto a Rudi shot that was going wide and calmly slotted home at the far post. The third came from Freddie after he picked up the ball on the edge of the area and curled his shot high into the top corner. Harry C got his first of the game in excellent fashion, an outstanding first touch out of his feet after receiving a pinpoint cross from the right allowed him to turn sharply in the area and slide the ball low into the corner. Harry C's second came almost immediately afterwards after a fantastic passing move up the pitch through central midfield found Rudi facing up three defenders on the edge of the area. After a neat "Zidane turn" the midfielder got his head up and chipped a perfect short pass through the crowd to Harry who had timed his run perfectly and was again able open up his body to cooly slide the ball past the out-rushing keeper. Conor then delivered another perfect corner that Harry Garnham was able to nod in at the back post after again timing his run into the box extremely well. Conor then curled in direct from a corner - the loud chuckle he let out when it went in perhaps giving away the fact it wasn't deliberate - but nevertheless proving that you get what you deserve when you continually wip in crosses to dangerous areas.
In the second half Paddy was more involved and helped Harry C to complete his Hatrick when he was taken down in the area to win a penalty - it's a sight we often see and testament to Paddy's liveliness and unpredictability in the box. Harry C once again put it away neatly. The 9th of the game came after more excellent work from Freddie, this time by getting his head up and delivering a pinpoint cross to Harry G. Harry controlled the bouncing ball well on his chest and jabbed home high into the net on the half volley to complete his hatrick and send himself two goals clear on the division 1 scoring chart. Harry C then completed the rout a little later when Freddie delivered another perfect corned into the danger area for Harry to header home unchallenged.
An all round excellent and professional performance I was extremely pleased with. Into the next round we go where we will face Fishersgate, but next up is an extremely tough but certainly winnable home game against Lewes Bridgeview in the league. If we all come with the right attitude, good energy levels and work rate we really can achieve anything we want this season.
Date: 14/09/14
Location: Stanley Deason 3G (Wilson Avenue, Brighton)
Scorers: Harry Gx2, Paddy
MOM: Harry G - A strong defensive performance and two well taken and timely goals gets Harry G the MOM award this week. With 3 goals in 2 games Harry currently sits joint top of the scorers table signifying a very strong start to his reign as team captain!
It perhaps wasn't the most fluid performance from us but nevertheless a great achievement to get our first win in Div 1 at only the second time of asking. Ten-man Patcham came with a game plan to make the pitch small and pressure us in the space between the halfway line and the edge of their box. It made for a frustrating afternoon where we struggled to find space for our forwards and didn't manage to use our wide areas as well as we will need to this season. Patcham's intent to pressure us on set pieces and look for counterattacking opportunities behind our defence worked well for them but fortunately we worked hard and managed to find the back of the net three times to hold on to a slightly fortuitous (after they hit the post 3 times) but ultimately deserved victory.
Firstly, the positives! Everyone battled and dealt with the physicality well. We took most of our chances when we got them and had plenty of strong individual performances. Conor's work rate and delivery from corners was again incredible. Dylan K-Ws foray into "the land of the giants" in midfield somewhat turned the tide when we were struggling with injuries in this area, Harrison and Will had really strong individual performances at the back again and Harry G put in a match winning performance - popping up to smash home our first after an epic goalmouth scramble and then hitting what would prove to be the winner to give us a two-goal cushion late in the half. In addition, lots of players showed their versatility by playing in multiple positions - Harry C, Conor, Harry G, Rudi, Dylan KW - all played well in multiple areas of the field.
And the areas for improvement? When analysing the performance it is important to remember that we are team with a lot of new faces who who will need some time to gel. It is also worth remembering playing against 10 men can be extremely difficult. In 10 man situations experienced opposition will usually do exactly what Patcham did and make themselves very difficult to score against whilst looking to exploit opportunities at set-pieces and on counter attacks. However - we could have been a bit cleverer in the way we went about things so we will look to improve in the following areas over the coming weeks...
Whilst the defence all did really well as individuals, as a defensive unit we need to brush up on a range of things and learn to do them together, in particular we need to address how and where we hold our defensive line on opposition goalie kicks and also on free kicks around the box.
On goalie kicks or long kicks from defence our back four were often pushed up far to high, constantly creeping forward and leaving lots of space for forwards to run into behind us. When we hold a line like that we all need to drop and narrow together once the ball has been kicked, whilst one of our players attacks it in the air or challenges for the dropping ball.
Pushing up as far as we did and not dropping off as a unit at the right times can have two negative effects - it makes us vulnerable to long balls into the space behind us and it reduces the amount of space in midfield when we are attacking. This is not so much of a problem when the opposition isn't sitting in and defending deep but when they are it would be better for our back four to drop off a bit and make ourselves available for backwards passes that would allow our defenders time on the ball to switch the play or find better forward passes to players in space.
Secondly, when defending against free kicks around the box we need to match up with our markers who are of a similar height and be sure to defend the danger areas by staying tight on our men and aggressively attacking the ball as it comes in (particularly at the back post). Even if you know it is going over your head, jumping or getting some physical contact on the attacking player (without fouling them) can often be enough to put them off their shot/header. In other words the ball should never drop in our area without us applying some sort of pressure on it or the opposition players attacking it.
Up front it is vital we time forward runs and stay onside. We were called for offside far too many times in this game when we didn't need to be. Each time that happens our team loses possession of the ball in an attacking area and gives the opposition the opportunity to simply launch balls back into our own area to put us under pressure.
In midfield we were better at attacking the ball in the air this week but still need to make sure we are at least challenging for every ball kicked from the goalie or defence to prevent free headers or give the opposition midfield time to control the ball and play forward without pressure in this area.
Out wide we need to figure out when we should tuck in and cover our fullback and when to push up, get wide and take more of a risk. We really needed more width in the game on Sunday because it was so congested in the centre of the pitch (when i say wide - I mean "Arjun Robben - boots touching the chalk on the sideline wide"). I understand that when you are out there doing this and just waiting for the ball it may feel like you are miles away from play not doing anything for the team, but actually it has a couple of really important effects. Firstly it makes their full back pull out to get closer to you (therefore spreading out their defensive line and creating a bit more space for other forward players) Secondly, if they don't pressure you, it puts you in lots of space and your midfield will know that a slightly longer diagonal ball forward will likely put you through on goal or into a great crossing position.
Needless to say we will work on all of this in training over the coming weeks.
Finally a quick note on the results this week. Perhaps Eastbourne's 2-1 victory over county cup winners Lewes will give us all belief of how it will be possible for us to genuinely compete in every game this year. Our performance against Eastbourne was excellent and we deserved a lot more than we got. If they can beat Lewes whilst playing away then so can we - which is a good thing because we are playing them in two weeks time on the 28th Sept after our 1st round KO cup tie this coming weekend. Exciting times and great opportunities for you all to get out there and prove yourselves against the best teams in Sussex with no fear!
Fixture: Eastbourne Town Yellow 4 vs Hawks Youth Withdean 1
Date: Sunday 7th Sept 2014
Scorers: Harry Garnham (Pen)
Assists: NA
MOM: Conor: battled incredibly hard throughout, provided a constant threat on the left hand side with frequent high quality deliveries into the box. Punched well above his weight in the physical sense - constantly standing up to heavy challenges and blocks from a tough opposition defence.
I think we all turned up at the match on Sunday not really knowing what to expect. Our first game at division one level was always going to be a real test for a team that has seen a lot of changes and has welcomed a number of new players to the fold. We started well enough - venturing forward when we could, and fashioned a few half chances in the early period through good some combination play from Harry and Freddie and some high energy attacking intent on the wings from Conor and Ivo. However, as the first half continued we began to find ourselves pegged back into our own half unable to maintain any sustained periods of possession. We defended well enough, but with the midfield dropping deep to provide defensive cover the ball kept coming back at us a little too regularly.
After fashioning a couple of chances, the best of which was superbly tipped over the bar by Dillon, Eastbourne got what was probably a deserved first goal when a shot from the edge of the box cannoned back off the post and fell kindly at their strikers feet right in front of goal. Their second came shortly after from an unstoppable 35 yard drive from central midfield that flew into the top corner. Both of these goals are perhaps a warning for the remainder of the season that we are now playing against bigger, more powerful players, many of who will be capable of shooting from distance. As such it is vital we get pressure on the ball in midfield whenever these players are within shooting distance. That said, their second came from so far out it would be harsh of me to criticise anyone too much as there are times in a game where you just have to hold your hands up and appreciate we have been beaten by a bit of superb individual quality.
Their third was a bit of killer for us, coming 3 minutes after the allotted time for the half when there had been very little stoppage of play. The free kick was given for their striker kicking the floor whilst attempting to shoot and they punished us from the resulting free kick with another great finish from outside the box that sent us in at half-time feeling a little flat.
My concern at this point was that our heads would go down in the second half but in hindsight I needn't have worried even when their 4th came from a disputable penalty early on.
From that point onward the game was all us. It was as if we had got to grips with the pace of things and realised that we needed to replicate the intense pressing game Eastbourne had put on us early on. Ash, Ivo and Rudi all did a fantastic job of this during their various stints in central midfield and Conor was awesome as always on the left hand side despite currently carrying a very sore toe injury. A special mention has to go to Kellan - playing his first competitive half for the team, he looked a little nervous with his first few touches but grew into the game as it progressed and soon began to show what a huge asset he could be for us this season as his experience grows. Going forward he was creative and skillful but what was particularly impressive was his energy and willingness to work back and provide cover for Will - who also had an outstanding game at full-back.
Harrison, also making an excellent competitive debut, came closest to getting us on the score sheet when we finally managed to get him and Harry into the box for a corner on the 4th attempt. Both centre backs advanced up the field talking to one another about the runs they were going to make. They then delayed them and timed their arrival perfectly for Harrison to meet Conor's superbly delivered corner with his head. Unfortunately the downward effort bounced too high and cannoned back off the crossbar having already beaten the Eastbourne goalie.
By this point Eastbourne could barely get out of their own half and were finding hard to have anywhere near the level of possession they had in the first half. Half chances kept coming and when Conor delivered another superb cross into the box, Kellan was desperately unlucky not to bag himself a debut goal when he met it with a flying volley that again left its mark on the crossbar.
After an excellent 1st half where he had given the Eastbourne back four plenty to think about with his intelligent runs and interplay with Harry C, Freddie had pulled up with a quad strain and had to make way for Paddy. Paddy's ability to turn and run at defenders immediately started causing further problems for what was now a very tired looking Eastbourne team. On one of these occasions we found ourselves outnumbering them in their own area and in desperation the Eastbourne centre back stuck out a hand to stop us getting a shot off. Showing the leadership qualities he has been asked to take on in his role as captain, Harry G stepped up to fire the resulting penalty high and to the keepers right for what was a well deserved goal for the team. As a result of this display of confidence and willingness to do this - he will now be the team's penalty taker going into the season.
In the closing moments, Paddy once again cause all sorts of problems with a sharp turn on the half-way line before neatly threading a ball through to Harry who had timed his run perfectly to stay onside. Arriving at the ball just before the keeper, the hard working striker managed to jab the ball past him only to see his effort slide narrowly past the post.
On another day with a bit more experience of Div one and a little more luck i feel we could have got a point out of that game and deserved it. It was an excellent show of team spirit against a team that comfortably finished 3rd in the division last season and should leave us all feeling we can more than compete in this league if we come to every game knowing we are going to have to work incredibly hard all over the pitch.
Coaching Points
Technical ability
We were equal to Eastbourne on the technical front. All of us can pass, dribble and receive the ball excellently - our running off the ball is good and we have nothing to fear from this perspective. Occasionally we panicked a bit when passing the ball out from the back - but this will get better with experience of this league.
Physicality and work-rate
There is a noticeable size difference in the players we are going to come up against so we should expect some hard tackles and to be pushed around a bit. That said, in the second half we gave as good as we got and we did it fairly - we need to be prepared for this in every game and not let it phase us. If you get kicked - don't start arguments - just get up and get on with it. Even if you are having a stinker of a game (we all do from time to time) a high work rate is a complete must and is the minimum I expect from everyone this year. If you don't go home knackered you should ask yourself if you could have done a little bit more running.
Corners
We do not have a huge team by any stretch of the imagination so we do need to use what we have effectively. On corners we must be trying to get the like of Harry C, Harry G, Harrison and Paddy to time their runs from the edge of the box and attack the ball in the air. Conor's delivery from corners is excellent so this is going to be something we should exploit when we can. Some of our smaller players must be prepared to become covering defenders when we do this.
Tactical
We defended too deep for most of the first half. We really need only one of our midfielders to play a CDM role, the other needs to provide a relief option a little further up the field and link us up to our strikers. This is obviously a bit more of a risk from a defensive point of view but when the gap between the defending part of our team and the strikers gets too big it is really hard for us to get out as a team effectively.
When we do win the ball back we need to break out really quickly to take advantage. Wingers need to get high and wide as soon as they can, at least one of our strikers needs to always be moving between the last men and the midfielder carrying the ball out needs to be prepared to follow his pass and provide extra support for the front two. Midfielder should look for the ball wide and into space if they can as this will give them the chance to get up the field and support the attack. Long balls forward to the strikers from defence are easily defendable and do not give us any time to push out as a team if we lose it.
High Pressing.
Judging from the way the game started the noticeable difference in the opposition that we will face this year is how quickly they will put pressure on the ball when we are in possession. Right from the start Eastbourne sprinted to close down our players, leaving no time to delay on the ball. It was high tempo stuff that is going to require a good level of fitness and technical ability to cope with so this is something we are all going to have to work on this year. In possession - we therefore need to pass and move quickly, out of possession we need to hunt in packs and close down a little higher up the field if possible. To get us used to this I want a high intensity in our training sessions as well.
Goal Kicks
We need to provide options for Dillon to use when we he has the ball ready to kick. If he goes long we need to challenge for the ball in the air - they won too many free headers in central midfield. In addition we need our centre backs to split and show for the short ball (CDM covers centrally) - this will allow our fullbacks and wingers to push up more and give us more options when we move the ball forward.
Finishing
We can't afford to miss so many chances this year so clinical finishing is going to be critical. Lots of shooting practice is needed by our forwards so please take responsibility for this yourselves by turning up to training early and taking shot after shot when you can. You need to get the feel of striking the ball well. i will help you set-up a number of drills you can do on your own to help this.
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2013-14 Match Reports
Scorer Chart
Harry Couchman 14
Paddy 12
Freddie Alexander-Morris 12
Harry Garnham 9
Max Lincoln 6
Daniel Hunt-Uribe 5
Conor 4
Cameron 3
Will Morfitt 2
Dan Addy 2
Ash 1
Rishi 1
Henry 1
Own Goal 1
Assist Chart
Paddy 13
Freddie 13
Cameron 4
Will Morfitt 3
Conor Fitz 2
Rishi 2
Danny H-U 2
Ash 2
Dan Addy 2
Harry G 1
Dylan KW 1
Harry G 1
Fixture: Hastings 0 - Hawks Youth Withdean 1
Date: Sunday 23rd March 2014
Scorers Freddie ,
Assists: Harry C,
MOM: Freddie - scored the only goal of the game, linked incredibly well with Harry C and was a complete pest to the Hastings back four for the duration of the game. This is a combination I am hoping to be able to see a lot more regularly next season as it was very creative and team orientated - we might not have an SAS but we do have a MAC - truly impressive to watch, well done.
I am not going to lie, I was pretty stressed out on Saturday night wondering if we were going to be able to put a team together to get this last fixture played. It actually got to the point where I was weighing up a decision to cancel vs fielding 8 fit players. In fact I had just about decided it wasn't fair to make everyone journey 1 hour and 20 minutes across the Sussex Countryside just to watch 8 boys get smashed by a strong Hastings side.
But cometh the hour, cometh the boys, and a series of phone calls later I had a hobbling Cameron pledging to hop through the game, Dylan K-W signed up to speed across the county straight off his 12.30 flight arrival into Gatwick, George T and Finley E-L volunteering to play two tough away games in one day and Conor volunteering to play if his legs would stop shaking long enough to kick a ball after three days without eating. So from a starting point of 8 we suddenly had 13 - even if it was going to be a motley crew resembling the cast of a fairly dramatic episode of Holby City.
But the drama wasn't going to end there! 10 minutes before KO was due we still only had 9 team members thanks to the fact that getting to Hastings involves navigating through a maze of country roads and various members of our team have neither a functioning sat nav or the masters degree in orienteering required to find the pitch.
After delaying the KO by 15 minutes we finally had the required 11 to match up numbers even after it was decided that - despite his courageous insistence on making the epic trip - Conor was really in no fit shape to compete in the game.
All the talk before KO was about keeping our defensive shape and ensuring we were going to be tough to break down. This is not usually our preferred style of play but given the team was going to be limited by injury and tiredness it seemed like the sensible course of action to stay solid and see if we could nick a goal through our forwards.
Who knew the plan would work out so well and you guys would execute it so perfectly? It was amazing to see the team come together with such fighting spirit, listen to instructions and play so brilliantly and calmly.
The opening exchanges were pretty even, with Hawks looking very dangerous on the break and Hastings having a bit more of the possession in midfield without ever looking really threatening. Then, 10 minutes in, Freddie was found in space by Harry C and was presented with a clear shooting opportunity at the edge of the box. He unleashed a powerful drive with his right foot that was excellently thwarted by the out-rushing goalkeeper. Fortunately for Hawks the ball rebounded straight to Freddie who was able to get another shot off quickly - this time with his left foot - and guide the ball past the despairing clearance attempts of a covering Hastings defender on the line. It was an extremely well taken goal that would not have been scored if he hadn't had the confidence to shoot with his weaker foot - and just goes to highlight the importance of using it regularly in training - something it is fair to say he does better than most players.
The game continued in a similar pattern for the rest of the half. Cameron managed to hobble through the first 25 minutes before the pain became too much. By this time, Dylan K-W had arrived and was able to relieve him of his duties for the remainder of the game. Despite the defensive formation, Hawks managed to create the best of the chances - with Harry C toe poking narrowly wide after getting in behind the Hastings defence and Freddie and Danny H-U having a couple of shots from distance well saved by the goalkeeper. Hastings never looked like they would be able to get behind our steadfast defence in the same way they had in the reverse fixture a month earlier so were restricted to shots from distance and to firing in crosses that were consistently attacked and dealt with well by Will and Harry in centre back and Dillon in goal.
At half time Ash arrived and we were able to give Finley Lamb a break after completing a game and a half of football that day. Ash went into centre mid alongside Danny H-U and Dan Addy dropped back to centre back in place of Will who was given the opportunity to play in his preferred wide position after deputising excellently in CB for the past few games. Again, Hastings probably had more of the ball in our half, but all their possession never really amounted to clear-cut chances. Dillon's handling was again exceptional, making a couple of expert punches from crosses and dealing with some tricky balls bouncing just in front of him excellently. When Hawks did break - they continued to look very dangerous. From corners, Harry G was getting his head on just about everything - causing mayhem on one occasion when his goal-bound header was cleared off the line and a comedy 10 seconds ensued with the ball bouncing around the six yard box like a ball-baring in a pinball machine before eventually rolling narrowly wide.
With 20 mins to go Danny H-U began to struggle, having been out of action with his knee in brace for the previous three weeks - he had done exceptionally well to go on as long as he had and play with such energy. Finley was brought back in and the team was again reshuffled to play to our strengths. By this point George was near collapsing through the exhaustion of having played nearly 130 minutes of high intensity match football but had no choice but to continue and do his best to make the endless tackles required at right midfield that had been supporting Rishi so well. With the finishing line in sight Rishi himself was remaining cool and composed with the ball, slowing down play on throw-ins and working the ball up the line like a seasoned professional. There was none of the final 20 minute panic that had been so evident in our game against Woodingdean before Christmas - which is testament to how much we have learned and matured as a team in the past few months. Many of the mistakes we were making early on in the season have now been ironed out and we are looking very impressive on a weekly basis.
Before the final whistle, Freddie was still able to test the keeper one more time - again combining really well with Harry C the two strikers worked an opportunity in the style of Sturridge and Suarez and Freddie hit a shot from the edge the box that looked like it was curling perfectly into the top right corner - but somehow the goalie got a hand to it and pushed it round the post. The final 10 minutes saw Danny re-enter the action and the remainder of the game played out with Hawks in full control to secure a result that had looked extremely unlikely 24 hours before and give themselves the best chance possible of securing a place in the top two.
Whatever happens now - whether we finish 1st 2nd or 3rd (all of which is possible). We can be seriously proud of what we have achieved this season. Having lost just one game we have by far the best record in our league since the January restart and have consistently learnt with every game we have played. We have a team of players who can now slot into lots of different positions and know exactly what to do in them. We have learnt to defend excellently and have maintained an attacking potency that has seen us score some incredible individual and team goals. Every single player has come on massively and I am confident if we do end up in division 1 we have the players who will work hard to improve and compete at that level. The thing I am particularly proud about though is the team spirit - something that was massively evident this Sunday. The effort made by all you boys and parents to come together and end up winning that game was huge and something I felt particularly proud to be a part of. Thank you all for a fantastic season, it's been an absolute pleasure to be a part of.
Fixture: Forest Youth 0 - Hawks Youth Withdean 7
Date: Sunday 16th March 2014
Scorers Paddy x2, Dan A, Harry C, Freddie Harry G x2, ,
Assists: Ash, Dan A, Freddie x2,
MOM: Ash and Dan A. Shared MOM goes to our two central midfielders in this game. Playing in a 4-4-2 against a 4-5-1 is tough because you are always outnumbered in central midfield. In this game Dan and Ash put in one hell of a shift - making endless tackles, keeping the play simple with short passes and regularly spreading play out wide in the second half as directed. Both made excellent assists with through balls in the second half and Dan Addy popped up with an important goal from a corner when Hawks had been under pressure late in the first half.
Despite the final scoreline in this game making it look like something of a walkover, this was a real battle of a match for Hawks - particularly in the the first half. Playing five across midfield Forest Youth made life difficult and had long periods of pressure in the Hawks half - testing Dillon's handling on a fair few occasions. It was against the run of play when Paddy broke free down the right hand side and finished well. The hope on the sidelines was that this would start to put Hawks on top but, if anything, Forest youth came into the game even more.
On another tight pitch all the space was out wide but we seemed to persist in trying to force play through the busy central midfield area. As a result many of our moves broke down and Forest Youth maintained a long period of pressure and created chances. With about 10 minutes of the half to go the ref blew his whistle for what looked like a harsh penalty against Hawks when the ball appeared to bounce up and strike a defender on the hand.
With Dillon making himself big in goal the Forest Youth kick taker didn't look confident. To the relief of everyone watching, he put his shot wide and Hawks remained on top. Soon afterwards a Hawks counter-attack lead to a corner and Freddie was able to put the cross right onto Dan A's foot. It wasn't the cleanest of contacts from Dan, but having flicked it with the outside of his boot the ball looped into the net to put Hawks two up and shift momentum in their favour.
Perhaps a minute later, another corner lead to the ball dropping in the area again, the ball was half cleared but Hawks managed to work it back into the box and in the resulting mellee, Harry C was able to side foot home with a calmly taken and precise sidefoot into the bottom corner.
At half time we talked about maintaining our width and making sure we looked for passed out wide and look for opportunities to switch and spread the play into space.
In the second half we did this excellently and never really looked back. The central midfield dominance that Forest Youth had shown in the 1st half disappeared and we managed to keep the ball in their half of the pitch for much long periods.
Hawks won a corner and once again, Freddie was able to deliver an inch perfect ball into the front post danger area we had discussed at the beginning of the game and Harry G rose to glance an excellent header into the far corner of the goal.
The 5 th goal of the game came from Freddie himself after an advancing Paddy lost control of the ball in the area and it ran loose to his fellow striker. Freddie was quick to react and toe poked the ball home in true striker fashion.
The 6th goal came from Paddy after he ran through on to a perfectly weighted, chipped through ball from Ash from the half way line and toe poked the ball past the keeper.
The final goal of the game came from Harry G - who with the game secure had been advanced into a striker position for the final 15 minutes. Once again the source was from Central midfield, this time with Dan chipping a lovely ball into the area which bounced once before Harry calmly lifted the ball over the head of the stranded keeper on the half volley.
Overall this was a very well contested game for long periods. However, by keeping a clean sheet and battling through some tough periods, Hawks showed how much they have come on as a team this season. We are beginning to understand and be able to make tactical adjustments in our play as the game progresses which is helping us cope extremely well with some decent sides. We are looking clinical upfront and creating lots of chances. It was particularly pleasing to see us score twice directly from corners which is something we worked on very recently at training. Specifically we are now beginning to attack the danger areas and make good judgements as to where the corners are going to drop based on the consistency of delivery from Conor and Freddie.
One more game to go and one more big push this weekend and you will have all earned a well-deserved break from Sunday football. Let's go to Hastings on Sunday full of confidence, enjoy the experience and whatever happens the improvements this season have been huge and plain for all to see. Unlike last year we are looking in extremely good shape going into the 2014-15 season - whatever division that happens to be in.
Fixture: Hangleton Rangers 1 - Hawks Youth Withdean 4
Date: Sunday 9th March 2014
Scorers Harry C, Harry G, Paddy, Freddie
Assists: Cameron, Paddy x2
MOM: Paddy - had an outstanding game in which he scored once and won two penalties. He made an absolute nuisance of himself upfront and stayed calm and composed throughout the match despite being fouled a lot and receiving some silly comments from their frustrated supporters. In particular his ability to receive and turn on the edge of the box proved devastating. This was the type of performance I would like to see every week.
(Harry Garnham was a very close second for MOM this week - his performance at centre back was exceptional with excellent communication and composure on and off the ball)
The first thing we noticed when we arrived was that the hill of a pitch we played on last year had thankfully been turned into a rugby pitch. However, despite the new pitch being marginally flatter, the decision to make it the size of a postage stamp posed a whole new set of problems. Going into the game we knew that finding space would be an issue and as a result there would be a lot of physicality required and lot's of tackles flying in.
In the first 10 minutes we certainly struggled to adapt to this and quickly conceded a soft goal as a result. With the pitch being so narrow it was easy to deliver long-throws into the box and Hangleton did this well early on. With slightly better defensive positioning it is something we could have dealt with easily but we were slow to get into the pace of the game and as a result Hangleton scored an easy chance when the ball was flicked on and allowed to drop unchallenged in the 6 yard area.
Perhaps this was what was required to spark us into life as our response was excellent. Despite having to make a lot more tackles than normal and finding ourselves in lots of tight spaces we kept trying to move the ball and started to get a foothold in the game. The breakthrough for the equaliser wasn't long in coming. Paddy won a tackle on the halfway line and Cam picked up the loose ball. Cutting in from the right hand side he ran with purpose at the back four before slipping a perfectly weighted Ozil-esque pass into Harry C's path at the edge of the box. Harry took one touch out of his feet before coolly slotting home into the far right corner to put the perfect finishing touch to an incisive counter-attack.
This put Hawks on the front foot and having soaked up 15 minutes of pressure they now began to create more chances and keep Hangleton pegged back in their own half. Another nice bit of passing then found Paddy on the edge of the box and as he ran at his marker he was taken down for a clear penalty. Harry G stepped up to take responsibility and slotted home with confidence to put Hawks into the lead.
Hawks managed to continue to maintain the pressure for the remainder of the half and a few minutes later Paddy received the ball in the box in another dangerous position. Once again his signature turn proved too much for his marker to handle and he found himself through on goal and able to calmly dispatch the ball into the near left hand corner of the goal from 10 yards out to put Hawks 3-1 up and in control.
At half-time the team talk was all about maintaining concentration. We have learnt to our cost and our benefit that a two goal lead is nothing in this league. Nearly all the teams we have come up against this year have the ability to turn that round the instant a team loses shape and composure so keeping our focus was going to be vital.
What followed in the second half was an extremely professional performance from all involved. Whilst we didn't perhaps dominate any of it in the same way we had in the final 20 minutes of the first, we were extremely disciplined and hardly gave them a sniff. For the fourth game in a row the back four of Will, Harry, Rishi and Dylan defended brilliantly. Our defending from set pieces and throw ins close to the box was excellent, with a Hawks head getting on the end of nearly all of the balls that got played into the danger area. It is also worth pointing out that the Hangleton striker is currently the top scorer in our league with 20 goals. His threat comes from his speed and ability to run behind the defence. He didn't get the opportunity to do this once in the whole game on Sunday which just goes to show how well the back four are now understanding how to control this type of threat.
In goal Dillon's handling and kicking was excellent. He confidently dealt with crosses and controlled his area well. On the few occasions Hangleton managed to find themselves in potential shooting positions he reacted decisively to make his saves and smother the ball.
In central midfield Ash and Dan Addy had the unenviable task of going head to head with Hangleton's two most physical players. The number of tackles they put in was outstanding as was their continued attempts to keep passing the ball short and getting it out wide. On the wings, Conor, Cam and Freddie all made excellent contributions even though there was very little space for them to exploit in these areas.
The final goal of the game came at the mid-way point of the second half and once again came from Paddy's fantastic turning ability. Having rolled his defender for the umpteenth time in the game he was taken down with a tackle from behind just as he was about to get his shot off. The resulting penalty was then calmly dispatched to the keepers left by Freddie to put the game beyond Hangleton's reach. The remaining minutes were seen out calmly with Hawks keeping tight at the back and slowing down play well for a very well deserved victory.
Fixture: Seagulls 2 - Hawks Youth Withdean 1
Date: Sunday 2nd March 2014
Scorers Harry C
Assists:
MOM: Rishi - It was really hard to select a single individual in this one in what was a fantastic team performance but MOM goes to Rishi this week for a very strong defensive performance at right back. In the previous game against the Seagulls he perhaps struggled with the pace of the winger he was coming up against. This week he took on board advice to deal with that pace and dropped off and delayed their attack whenever required. As a result the constant threat from overlaps on their left hand side was nullified and very little threat came from that side as a result. Brilliant work.
This was a tough game against tough opposition made even tougher by the fact we could only take a small squad and many of those involved had just returned from a physically demanding week on the slopes. Despite this the effort from everyone was fantastic and the team deserved much more than the 2-1 loss they went home with after an excellent and competitive game.
Playing two up front with just two in midfield meant Danny and Ash were asked to cover a lot of ground which they did exceptionally well. Both won endless tackles and were the starting point for many of our attacks. Upfront, Harry and Paddy provided a constant threat running in behind the Seagull defence - Paddy having one of his best and most competitive games in a while and Harry chipping in with another goal to put him on 12 for the season which is as far as I can tell - a personal record for him and an incredible achievement given he has spent much of the season playing in more defensive positions. In the wide positions, Freddie, Conor and Cameron worked back tirelessly to help the defence and still managed to make themselves available in attacking moves.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the performance though was the defending and the goalkeeping. Credit has to go to Seagulls for two very well taken goals but outside of those two opportunities they created very little in the way of chances largely because of the excellent organisation of the back four which communicated well, dropped together when it needed to and kept its shape brilliantly. In the centre back positions, Will and Harry were strong and competitive - winning a lot of balls in the air and big tackles on the ground. In the full back positions, Dylan and Rishi played like pros - stopping pretty much all the threat posed from Seagull's wide players. By and large we restricted them to long range efforts that were in turn excellently dealt with by our in form goalkeeper - Dillon.
All in all disappointing to go home with the loss but I was proud at how we played and feel everyone should look at the overall improvement we have made as a squad since the start of the season which has been immense. We have gone from being a talented but disorganised team of individuals to a well organised, hard working group ready to battle for our results. I can't ask for any more than that.
I would also like to thank our spectators who were also great this week. Lot's of positive encouragement and calm attitudes really helped the boys concentrate on their performance this week and the environment created by all was spot on - long may it continue.
Finally, a massive thank you to Drew for running the line again - I am sure we would all agree that he has done an excellent job for us this season and has grown in confidence to become one of the best lino's in the league. Like all match officials in youth football, at times he has to put up with comments and abuse from players, opposition and managers but has conducted himself excellently at all times. Your regular hard work and cool attitude really is appreciated.
Fixture: Hawks Youth Withdean 3 - Hastings 2
Date: Sunday 16th Feb 2014
Scorers Max x3
Assists: Ash, Harry G
MOM: Max Lincoln - had his best game for the team so far. He covered the ground like a mad man, coped incredibly well with the physical approach of the opposition and put in endless strong tackles of his own. Plus contributed all three goals for Hawks from centre midfield in a very tight game - If you don't get man of the match for that then i am not sure what will win it for you :-)
The main thing that struck me about this performance is the improvement of the team from a tactical perspective and how well every individual learnt from their mistakes as the game progressed.
Hastings came with a very clear game plan to exert physicality over finesse. They started quickly and very soon we were seeing tackles flying in and pushes and dropped shoulder in just about every challenge. With an unfamiliar defensive line-up we were understandably a bit jittery during this time and at first looked a little phased by the Hastings approach.
It wasn't long before the high defensive line we were playing and the speed of their centre forward caught us out. With the back four right up on the half way line and Dillon back in his six-yard box it was easy for the Hastings midfield to launch balls into the space behind the defence for their striker to run on to. This they did, and try as he might Harry Garnham just couldn't get his foot to the ball to clear and the forward was left with an easy finish after rounding our GK.
Despite some good possession and a clear chance of our own soon after the restart, Hastings scored an identical goal just 5 minutes later. Once again the space behind the back four was exploited and the speed of their forward was just too much for our defence to keep up with.
To counter their attacking threat Dillon was called to position himself right on the edge of his 18 yard box and the back four were instructed to drop quickly as a unit to decrease the amount of space behind them as soon as the Hastings Midfield had possession of the ball. The level of understanding of this direction was fantastic to see - with captain Harry Garnham directing his fellow defenders well. For the rest of the game the back four and our keeper enacted what was asked of them and snuffed out pretty much any further threat from the nippy forward.
After getting over the initial disappointment of going two goals down Hawks really began to play. On two or three separate occasions the team produced some fantastic pass and move football that resulted in clear cut chances that were fantastically saved by the Hastings keeper - (including one incredible double stop from Conor). Danny then hit the post from a well taken free kick and a further couple of chances went begging.
The half time directions were to maintain our width and keep switching play. Not to get drawn into moaning about fouls, to understand that it was going to be physical and to stand up and fairly give as good as we got. The defence were asked to continue with their method of dealing with the long-ball and it was pointed out that Hastings would probably tire in the second half due to their lack of matches in 2014.
Once the second half got started Hastings did tire and began to find it more and more difficult to clear their lines. It wasn't long before Paddy was taken down by a late challenge in the box that resulted in a penalty. Max was given the opportunity to convert it, and he did so with a straight blast into the roof of the net that left the keeper with no chance.
The second goal came 10 minutes later and again Max was the scorer. For a brief second Hastings switched off when marking from a corner and the central midfield man stole in at the front post to flick the ball into the back of the net past a rooted keeper.
As the game progressed into the final stages, Hawks were clearly winning the territory battle but the chances they were creating earlier in the game appeared to be drying up somewhat as the Hastings defence retreated and closed up shop. Hastings attacks were being kept largely to minimum but on the rare occasions they did manage a shot on goal, GK Dillon was proving equal to challenge - doing particularly well to save and gather in a one on one situation when their forward got away from the back four for perhaps the only time in the second half. Eventually, with barely 5 minutes left on the clock, Man of the match Max recreated his second goal - this time converting at the front post from a cross from open play.
The final 5 minutes passed with little drama. Once again Hawks showed a calm attitude, slowed down play and saw out the remaining minutes in a composed fashion.
In the end everyone was clearly delighted at the result. I feel it was just rewards for showing tactical maturity, listening, communicating, playing the roles given to you extremely well and maintaining a positive attitude despite going 2-0 down. Congratulations all - another fantastic performance in 2014 long may they continue.
Fixture: Hawks Youth Withdean 7 - Forest Youth 1
Date: Sunday 2nd Feb 2014
Scorers Conor, Danny, Max, Freddie x2, Paddy x2
Assists:Paddy x3 Freddie x2
MOM: Conor - particularly for an incredible first half performance where he chased endless "lost causes" and won all sorts of balls he wasn't favourite for as a result. He also terrorised the Forest youth right back for the duration of the game and produced numerous fantastic crosses that should have perhaps been capitalised on.
Unfortunately I have left this report a little too late to give a truly accurate account of what happened but a big thank you goes to Pete Fitzpatrick for supplying me with a reminder text of the goals.
The first was a clinical effort at the far post from Conor - A fantastic team build up released an on-song Paddy on the right-hand side who showed pace and skill to beat his markers and deliver a perfect cross for the nippy winger to tap in from close range.
Hawks were creating chances galore but failing to finish them and then Forest Youth equalised after a saved penalty was gathered by the keeper and quickly kicked long over the advanced Hawks defence for a Forest Youth striker to slot away. The goal was certainly against the run of play but it served to give the team something to think about from a defensive perspective.
The only other goal of the half came from Danny. Playing in an unfamiliar wide-right role, Freddie found himself with time and space on the ball and was able to expertly chip a ball through to Danny who had timed his run from deep to perfection and was able to finish brilliantly from the right hand side of the penalty area.
The second half started well but Hawks could still not find a breakthrough until 15 minutes in Max drove a powerful shot from the edge of the area that the Forest Youth keeper could not hold.
The extra goal cushion marked a formation change with Hawks switching from the more defensive 4-5-1 to an attacking 4-4-2. The change proved very beneficial to the team and from that point on Hawks managed to pin Forest Youth back in their half and maintain complete control for the remainder of the game.
The reintroduction of Paddy up front alongside Freddie allowed both strikers to have someone to share the burden and support one-another. The result was two goals apiece to give a scoreline a deservedly one-sided look.
Freddie scored the 4th after picking up the ball from Paddy's attacking drive. He got Hawk's 5th and his 2nd just minutes later when Paddy once again found him in the area.
Paddy then delivered the individual goal of the game with an incredible solo run into the box that ended with a 360 Zidane turn past the final defender before he slotted the ball calmly past the helpless keeper. Freddie then returned the favour for Paddy's earlier assists with a nice little through ball for the striker to latch onto and finish calmly.
Overall this was an excellent team performance against a strong team in our division. Although they sit comfortably in mid-table, Forest Youth have not lost many games by more than one goal this season. As such to put on such a dominant attacking performance shows how much we are improving from game to game at the moment and bodes well for our final few games.
Fixture: Hawks Youth Withdean 12 - Eastbourne Borough Youth 1
Date: Sunday 19th Jan 2014
Scorers Paddy x 3, Harry G x 3, Max x2, Harry C x2, Will M, Rishi ,
Assists:Conor, Will, Rishi, Danny, Freddie, Paddy, Cameron
MOM: Harry G - Was absolutely excellent in defence and then contributed a very well-taken second half hatrick in the striker position - we couldn't have asked for more from him really!
Hawks took a while to get going in this game but once they did it turned into a very one-sided affair that was nothing short of a total domination of an Eastbourne side who had run out 5-1 winners in the previous meeting of the two sides in the KO cup in our third game of the season.
The first goal came fairly quickly and was a wonderful team effort. Max won a tackle in central midfield and released Conor on the left hand side with a fantastic diagonal ball. The nippy winger skipped past his defender, looked up and knocked a perfect cross to the front post with his left foot for Paddy, who finished tidily after a well-timed front post run.
It was some time before Hawks scored again but when it came it was perhaps the goal of the match. Paddy was again involved, firstly showing great strength to hold the ball up, then delivering a perfectly weighted pass into the path of Max who curled an incredible first-time shot into the top-corner from 20 yards out.
Paddy's second of the game came shortly afterwards from a Rishi throw-in high up the pitch on the right hand-side. Eastbourne - who had defended pretty well up until that point, were caught napping and the forward was allowed to receive the ball on the turn and lash home his shot from the angle.
Paddy then completed a first half hatrick when Danny put him through one-on-one with the keeper with a simple ball over the top. Hawks went in 4-0 up at half-time confident they could add to their total in the second period..
With Eastbourne offering little in terms of attacking threat, Hawks switched to a 3-5-2 formation to provide more attacking strength and made a few changes to personnel with Freddie, Harry C and Will M entering the game in place of Cameron, Conor and Rishi. The formation change worked well and suddenly Hawks found themselves with a lot of possession in the final third. The goals soon began to flow.
Will scored goal 5 with an excellently taken header at the back post after Danny's shot was saved. Goal 6 was a short-range effort from Max from a corner, Goal 7 Saw Harry C follow up another shot from Danny that had rebounded off the keeper.
Further positional changes saw Paddy, Max and Danny leave the field, Harry G move to striker, Dan A, Rishi and Conor move to midfield and Cam and Ash take up position in the back three alongside Dylan K-W.
After the changes it didn't take long for Harry G to make the most of his stint in the forward position and get in on the act with well taken effort inside the box. And then, the most amazing moment of the game happened.....
THE BALL DROPPED IN THE AREA AND IN MESSI-LIKE STYLE... RISHI... YES...THAT'S RIGHT... MR CAMPBELL-SAUNDH HIMSELF - RIGHT BACK EXTRAORDINAIRE, THE WIZARD OF DRIBBLE, KING OF THE TACKLE AND ALL ROUND TOP CHAP, TOOK A TOUCH, AND ANOTHER TOUCH - BAMBOOZLING DEFENDERS WITH EVERY SLY TWIST AND TURN AND BURIED HIS SHOT IN THE BACK OF THE NET. WOW! CAN I HAVE A MOMENT OF SILENCE PLEASE - FOREVER MORE JANUARY THE 19TH WILL NOW BE KNOWN AS RCS DAY! (hope that was a satisfactory write-up Rish :-) !!)
Unfortunately - perhaps due to the fact everybody was so stunned by the incredible action they had just seen, but more likely because Hawks were getting a little greedy by this point and it was pretty much only Ash and Dylan who were taking any notice of their defensive duties, Eastbourne broke clear after a series of well-made one-touch passes and fired home past the helpless Dylan. (Much to the joy of his Dad who saved a fiver as result of there being no clean sheet for Hawks! Must be something to do with the Whitehawk connection - we will of course be reporting him to the FA anti-match fixing department)
It was but a momentary blip in proceedings as Goal 10 for Hawks came shortly after when Harry C picked up another poachers goal, following up again but this time from a Harry G shot.
Goals 11 and 12 then came from two Harry Garnham left-foot rockets as the part-time striker danced round defenders in the box and rifled home a couple of shots to complete his second-half hatrick!
All in all I am not sure there was a great deal to learn from this game but I hope you all had fun and enjoyed blowing off the post Xmas cobwebs. I thought Eastbourne were a credit to their club - they never gave up and some of their goal-line clearances and last ditch saves were truly outstanding. We have been on the end of one of two hammerings in our time and it is never very nice when it happens but I hope we can learn from their attitude if it ever happens to us again in the future.
Next week we are away to top of the league Seagulls so we can expect an entirely different game. That said - if we play high tempo football, keep the ball well and defend like we know we can - it is definitely a very winnable match I hope we will approach with a lot of effort and confidence.
Fixture: Woodingdean Youth FC 3 - Hawks Youth Withdean 3
Date: Sunday 1st Dec 2013
Scorers: Freddie (Pen), Harry C, Paddy
Assists:Cameron, Danny
MOM: Max Lincoln - a fantastic performance that saw him continuously win possession back for the team, pass and combine well with team mates and regularly look to spread the play with a series of perfectly weighted balls out to our wide players.
Although a lot of you will be disappointed at going home with a draw when you were 3-0 up, I would like you to know you should be proud of yourselves because the first 50 minutes of this game was the best football we have played against a genuinely challenging opposition for a long while and despite the end result you were the better team responsible for nearly all the excellent quality football we got to watch as spectators to a fantastic game.
In particular, the first half performance was absolutely top class. You dominated Woodingdean - a team who has beaten us on last two occasions we have played them. You did exactly what I asked by closing them down quickly all over the pitch, playing tidy one- and two-touch football in tight areas and passing your way out of tight areas brilliantly. Everyone was showing for the ball and wanting it, the defence was solid and was being given good cover by the midfield, our Goalkeeper was in fine form, handling and kicking well and we were talking to each other all the way through.
I would like also to say that I was particularly proud of Freddie for stepping up to bury his penalty and put us into the lead. He has declined the last few penalties he has had the opportunity to take and I feel this was an example of a player showing courage and belief in himself at a key point in the match.
Unfortunately, after an excellent 50 minutes the game started to get away from us when Woodingdean got one back. Doubts started to creep in and a few players were guilty of resorting to rushed clearances and aimless balls forward. We started to give the ball back to Woodingdean much more than we had all game and that then gave them the opportunity to start knocking balls into the space behind our back four and mount a comeback. Tiredness, injuries and the difficult weather conditions also played a part but on this occasion I need to personally take a lot of the responsibility for the end result as I have not spent enough time teaching you how we cut out the threat of the ball into space behind our defence. There was therefore some confusion on how we should set up to defend our lead. Much of this has to do with how the midfield should work and also the position I ask our goalkeeper to take up (keeper sweeper) when the defence is pushed up. I also need to teach you how the back four unit can better use the offside rule to your advantage - we will look to work on all of this in the new year.
On reflection the fact is that despite the game ending in an avoidable draw, there were outstanding performances all over the pitch, attitude and determination were a million times better from everyone and in the cold light of day it wasn't a bad result either, so well done.
Finally I would like to say to all our supporters that it is vital you remain calm and encourage all our players to remain calm as well. I heard the same old panicky shouts of "get rid of it" I have been going on at you all about for years. If you are shouting that sort of thing with an air of desperation in your voice from the sidelines - how do you expect the boys to play? Hacking it aimlessly back to the opposition with an air of desperation perhaps? I have said it so many times to you all I am not sure why it still happens - if you are coming to watch Hawks play I don't mind calls of support and encouragement but please don't tell the boys what they should be doing with the ball, please remain calm and also please don't berate the linesman or ref if they make a decision you don't agree with.
Anyway, I hope everyone has a fantastic Xmas and NY, enjoy your break from football for a few weeks and I look forward to seeing you all in the New Year.
Fixture: Hawks Youth Withdean 5 - Hove Park Colts 0
Date: Sunday 8th Dec 2013
Scorers: Conor, Harry C, Freddie, Dan A, Paddy
Assists:Feel free to remind me and I will add them to the totals
MOM: Dan Addy - Did fantastically in midfield, showed great footwork to beat two defenders in the area and score his goal. Stayed vocal and lead by example.
A dominant performance from Hawks that saw them maintain possession in Hove Park's half for nearly the entire game. The win was secured in a rampant 20 minute period in the 1st half where Hawks scored four times in quick succession. First Conor raced through on goal and calmly lobed the keeper with a fantastic finish. Harry Couchman scored with a fine finish that went in off the post, Daniel Addy dribbled through two or three defenders inside the box to score his first of the season and Freddie scored an audacious effort that saw him flick the ball up to himself with his back to goal before volleying it past the keeper on the turn.
The second half saw Hove Park retreat deep into their own half and show no attacking intent. The result was a frustrating 35 minutes where Hawks tried but failed to apply a finish to their attacking moves. Eventually Paddy popped up to get the only goal of a half that saw GK Dillon touch the ball only one or two times from back passes.
Perhaps the only learning points we can take from this game is that in times when a team is defending so deeply and you are finding it difficult to create shooting opportunities we need to be more intelligent with our possession of the ball and not always look for the forward option. We need to pass quickly and accurately using one or two touches and perhaps we could have to looked to switch play more - passing the ball from the right wing to the left wing and keeping our wingers out nice and wide to stretch out their back four. Perhaps we could have passed the ball back into our own half and maintained possession in there for a while in order to draw Hove Park out of their half and create space for ourselves behind them? We will look to try these things the next time we find ourselves in a game like this one!
Fixture: Wadhurst United FC 8 - Hawks Youth Withdean 0
Date: Sunday 1st Dec 2013
Scorers: NA
Assists:NA
MOM: Conor - despite being one of our smaller players - showed no fear in his tackling and positive intent. Battled for everything and refused to give up. One or two players could learn from from his fantastic attitude - particularly when it comes to being brave and physical not being afraid to tackle tough opposition players.
I have been very generous with my praise for you all in the past few games and generally I do like to keep my feedback positive. However on this occasion I feel I need to read you all the riot act as our performance on Sunday was simply not up to the standard required if you wish to continue representing this Hawks team and doing yourselves justice.
I would, however, like to clarify that the reason I am so disappointed is that I believe you to have the potential to be an extremely good side who could compete with the best teams in Sussex. We now have really strong players in all positions, we have players who are regularly playing with Brighton Boys, Albion Performance and Elite centres and who have been attending 5Ways Academy and Saturday Soccer for many years - you know how to play football very well but it seems that we may be lacking the courage and strength of character to achieve what you are capable of which in my opinion would be a travesty. With the players we have we should at the very least be challenging the likes of Wadhurst to a good game - certainly not losing 8-0 to them.
It is also worth noting that had you won on Sunday you would have set up a quarter final against Woodingdean in the County cup (the most difficult competition to win of all of them). In other words you would have found yourselves facing a team you know you are capable of beating and a semi final appearance would have been a very realistic proposition. I feel you have gifted away that opportunity for yourselves.
Finally I would also like to say that I have no problem with us losing games from time to time. Losing is something that is inevitable in life and in football and there have already been games this season that we have lost but I have left feeling that there were lots of positives to be taken from the match. There is a chance we could have played well and still lost on Sunday - and if that had been the case I would have simply accepted it and said "oh well it wasn't to be!". But this week certainly wasn't one of those weeks!
There is no doubt that Wadhurst were a very good team and they played extremely well. In fact they played exactly how I want us to play - when we had the ball they pressured well as a team and when they had it they moved the ball quickly using one or two touches. Very rarely did their players have to dribble with the ball because they played with a high intensity and a collective will to play for one another and support each other's play - as such every player always had a passing option available to them.
There was something of a feeling from the sidelines that they were overly physical but this is something I completely disagree with - they were committed and hard working and even the smallest player on their side - their tiny right back, bullied us from the beginning to the end of the game. Admittedly the ref didn't have a great game - missing a fair few obvious fouls and calling some ridiculous ones but that has nothing to do with Wadhurst being "a dirty team" like some seemed to be suggesting. They put in no truly bad challenges, they were just physical and committed to working hard to win the ball and we didn't like it. They are obviously a team of players who take their training and their football seriously and play aggressively with a collective will to work hard for one another. Hawks, on the other hand, were timid, no one wanted the ball and when we did get it we looked like we couldn't get rid of it quickly enough. We committed endless basic errors and seemed to forget everything we have been doing well since the start of the season.
One thing I took particular issue with is the amount of times we simply kicked the ball out of play rather than try to keep possession. We must have done it 10 or 12 times throughout the game resulting in possession for them high up the pitch in dangerous areas. Since when have we been averse to keeping the ball in the back four and supporting one another to keep possession and pass out? It is what we do every single time we train! It looked to me like our players were simply scared to have the ball in their possession. When looking to receive the ball from Dillon, no one showed for it. We have drilled the routine from goal kicks over and over again in training this year and even went back over it on the tactics board prior to this game - fullbacks push up, centre backs split, cdm drops in central to cover, midfield two support the players in who receive it, wingers get high and wide, striker on last man. On Sunday instead of showing we wanted the ball we hid away, obviously hoping it wouldn't come to us, and if it did, we panicked and often kicked it blindly back to the opposition.
If I am being extremely generous there was perhaps one period in the game where we did ourselves any credit and that was in the period between their 3rd and 4th goal. Before and after that we looked like a team of players who had spent a late night on their Xbox's and would rather be back imagining they were football players in front of a screen than actually committing to be one in the real world.
I would like to see a collective effort for massive improvement over the next two weeks for our final two games of the year and then into 2014 when we come back after Xmas. We have yet to beat a strong team this season - we have lost to Woodingdean and Seagulls. We are due to play Woodingdean on Dec 15th - I am challenging you all to come to that game with the right attitude and desire to do well, I don't care if we end up losing as long as we work our socks off and show a desire to force our style of play on them - not hide away from our individual responsibilities.
After the weekend's performance I feel there is two sides to our team - the focused and hard working group that plays for and supports one another, and another side that is perhaps a little arrogant about their ability and feels like putting effort in on the pitch or in training is not required because they are too cool to try hard. It wasn't until after the game when I spoke to Luke that I heard that the attitude at 5Ways Academy from many of our players the previous day had been extremely poor and that effort levels from some had been simply unacceptable. Remember, I talk regularly to the coaches up at 5Ways and although you may consider yourself a certain starter - I will not play players who do not put in the effort at training or show an attitude that helps our team progress. There are one or two of you who I will speak to individually who have shown an extremely poor attitude to working hard in training sessions in recent weeks that needs to improve. This weekend we have Hove Park and I will be picking my team for this based on attitude and effort over the last few weeks and will feel no qualms about not putting you on at all if you fall into this category at training on Thursday or at 5Ways on Saturday.
Rather than break down the game this week i have opted for individual feedback for each player but before that I would like to say a little word about the warm-up... It was silent and despite my best efforts to get people talking and working hard - there was no communication. When we did the running, I watched as certain players took short-cuts, deliberately went slow to get out of doing the extra yards or took ages to do up their shoelaces to get out of the running. Unsurprisingly those very same players put in some very poor performances. It also doesn't help when certain players consistently turn up late to proceedings - this needs to improve as the warm up is where we get our heads and bodies ready to be competitive.
Every player has room to improve so I have listed below areas each individual needs to improve on if we are going to progress.
Dillon: We need you to dominate your box. Talk to your back four and make them confident that you will come out and show bravery to win the ball if you possibly can. Your starting position needs to be closer to the edge of the box and if a player is running through at you standing still awaiting their arrival is not an option - you need to work on timing when you come out in order to close down their angle for a shot. Finally you need to work on your agility and reaction speed (being light on your feet and ready to leave the ground very quickly to dive or jump for the ball).
Dylan KW: You have been excellent this season at showing for the ball from the goalkeeper's possession. This week you were one of the players who hid away from that responsibility. You must look to rectify that this week, play with confidence in your ability to hold the ball and pass well. You also need to look to overlap your left midfielder more often. There were too many occasions you played forward to Conor this week and then failed to support him.
Dan A: I thought you were one of our stronger performers this week and were obviously committed to the cause. That said you were one of the players who regularly kicked the ball out of play rather than attempt to maintain possession. There are times (when you are isolated and have no other option) when this might be the correct course of action. I didn't feel you got the decision making process right this week. Look to show more bravery with the ball at your feet - you are as strong as anyone in the team at holding off players, dribbling and turning out of trouble.
Rishi: You were one of the players who took short cuts in the warm-up and in training recently you have taken every possible opportunity to go in goal rather than put in the effort to go on pitch. If you want to learn to be a goalkeeper then that's fine - you need to make that decision and we will look to have a bit of competition between you and Dillon for that place. However, if this is not the case then to me this says you do not want to learn your actual position and are not fully committed to improving there. However if you want to play on pitch in this team then right back is where you are going to play and you need to start improving at it. Getting your angles in defence right, not selling yourself and getting caught out square on to defenders and knowing when to pressurise and when to drop off. You also need to make sure you put in challenges when you have the chance - especially when you are one on one in the box. Their 7th goal which went in just before I took you off was an example of you just letting a player walk round you without showing any real attempt to make a challenge or win the ball in a very dangerous area.
Harry C - you have been fantastic for us his year in that you have played pretty much every position and done it well. I thought this weekend your decision making wasn't great and you also played the ball forward or out of play blindly on one or two occasions. Keep your composure and listen to the calls from your fellow players. Keep working hard in training on your first touch, passing accuracy and running with the ball - your chance as an attacking player will come.
Conor: you were our outstanding performer this week. You worked hard all game as you have done for the duration of the season so far. If there is one area for you to work hard on it is your finishing or final ball. You are consistently getting in good positions due to your commitment to get forward but are currently lacking that end product that would turn you into a truly excellent goalscoring wide player. Also be aware of how you socialise in training. The past two weeks have seen you, Danny and Max form a close nit group from the moment you have turned up. To some this could feel like you are alienating them and as a new player to the team this year it is important for you to get to know all the boys and form a strong and positive relationships with all of them.
Max: I thought you were another of our stronger performers this week and as it was your first game it is difficult for me to really have a strong idea about where you need to improve. If there is one area that did stand out it is that you perhaps need to look to maintain possession of the ball in midfield a little more - you were guilty of pumping balls forward in a rush to our forwards when perhaps passing and moving, or running at the back four would have been a better option. As a very new member of the team you will need to get to know the other players so be aware of always grouping yourself with Conor and Danny in future training sessions. I would also like to apologise on behalf of the rest of the team for making your debut for us such a frustrating experience - Don't worry, you have joined a far better team than the one you played with on Sunday and feel you will be able to add a great deal to it in future games.
Danny: You are one of the most guilty at taking short cuts in training and warm-up. You tend to do both at half-pace and it can take a lot of effort on my part to get you going. Playing in midfield requires a lot of stamina and very hard work. If you want to maintain your starting position there I need to see a more dedicated and focused attitude in training from you and a commitment to treat every session like an important match. Only if you apply yourself will you really reach your potential. Football also becomes a lot more rewarding when you know you have put the effort in and you start to see the results of hard work. The same goes for you in terms of being social and inclusive of other players in the team as you have a tendency just to talk to your mates from school.
Paddy: Given the recent history of your behaviour and your general improvement in this area it disheartened me to hear from Luke that you were the worst offender when it came to disrupting the 5Ways Academy training session on Saturday. I also don't feel you managed to control yourself to the level I now expect on Sunday. When you are focused and committed to playing fairly but competitively on a Sunday you can be an outstanding player. Unfortunately I have seen that all to rarely this season and now I challenge you to pull it together for our remaining games. You are already well aware of the consequences if you return to the attitude we saw in early games so I needn't go into it here. You can also be guilty of alienating other players in the team from time to time with comments and remarks about other players at training - you need to work on your concept of "team" and realise that when you pull on the Hawks shirt you are representing 14 other players and your manager - not just you. Also please turn up on time (Hendrik)!
Freddie: When we come up against stronger opposition this season I am not consistently seeing the 25 goal a season Freddie I am used to. One of the major things I would like to credit you with is that your attitude and work rate in training has continued to be very good, however I feel you need to work hard on your finishing - with some extra time dedicated to putting the ball in the back of the net and shooting from further out - as you are not quite timing your shots and connecting with the ball consistently like you used to. I know its hard for you playing up front on your own but I have seen you at training sessions scoring some ridiculous goals. A bit more time dedicating yourself to the art of finishing (like you used to before and after Saturday training will help you massively as you are are an unbelievable striker and always have been - it's important you don't let that slip through lack of individual practice). You have only ever needed one chance to score in the past - you should challenge yourself to become that ruthless scoring machine again.
Will: As I keep telling you, you are an outstanding player. You have the best first touch of any player in our team and are as skilful as anyone. The only thing holding you back from being our best player is your own mind. You worry too much about what other players/supporters say and you let negatives comments effect you way more than positive comments. At the end of the day the opinion of anyone other than me doesn't matter as I am the one who decides if you go on the pitch of not. I rate you very highly! Its time to start believing in your right to hold down a starting place in this team because you are well deserving of it. Don't be afraid to demand positivity from other players in the team - you are perfectly capable of sticking up for yourself and letting your football do the talking. Other than that keep doing what you have been doing and you will be fine.
Cam: You have the attitude to training that I wish everyone would have and as a result you have improved more than anyone else this season. Your concentration is better and your application of what I have taught you has been excellent. I had no major issues with your performance on Sunday (other than I now know that CDM is probably not your best position at the moment :-) Keep working on your first touch, dribbling and your use of your left foot to control the ball.
Anyway - apologies for the epic report - as I have mentioned, i truly believe in the potential of this team but I get frustrated at a waste of ability because of a lack of consistent effort and positive attitude. Remember, however good your are, none of you will win anything alone. We need every member of this team to work hard for one another and make everyone around them feel like they are part of something special and then maybe we can finally start achieving what we are capable of. So get off your Xbox, get outside in the real world and work on your game or look forward to spending the final few years of your youth football days losing matches we have the ability to win - it really is down to you guys.
Fixture:East Grinstead Town 1 - Hawks Youth Withdean 3 (AET)
Date: Sunday 17th Nov 2013
Scorers: Harry C, Freddie, Conor
Assists:Dylan K-W, Freddie
MOM: There wasn't one player who didn't perform in this game, making it dificult to pick out individuals. Despite the close scoreline, the dominance of Hawks was obvious for all to see with the ball rarely leaving the East Grinstead half. A real team performance - hence the multiple awards this week.
Conor and Freddie
Conor: Ran himself into the ground on the left hand side, looked to beat his man at every opportunity, delivered countless dangerous balls into the box, was excellent for the 10 mins he played as striker, finished his goal extremely well.
Freddie: a constant threat who really came into his own when we needed him in extra time. His goal was a true strikers goal - a beautifully timed front post run to get in front of the defender and and convert an excellent cross. He also provided an excellent assist for Conor - scooping a perfect pass over the defence to put him clean through.
Positive Players: Ash and Danny H-U
As a pair they controlled the midfield brilliantly, Danny was fantastic in possession, very rarely gave the ball away and looked to spread play at every opportunity. Ash didn't stop running, won the ball back on so many occasions it was incredible and was also very good at keeping play ticking over with simple and effective passing.
Missing Players: Henry Simpson
Once again, all the talk before the game was about the pitch. It was one of those places where you were left wondering who on earth thought it would be a good idea to paint white lines and put up goals. But despite the fact we were playing on something that looked like a huge inverted skate ramp - the surface actually wasn't so bad, which at least allowed us to get the ball down and pass with confidence.
From kick-off we took the initiative, dominating possession and passing well. With Town staying narrow and compact - all the space was on the wings. On the left Conor and Dylan K-W were combining excellently and on the right Cameron and Rishi were doing the same. As a result many of our opportunities were coming from crosses, but for the most part their defence marked-up well in the centre and when they didn't their goalkeeper was equal to the challenge - leaving our forwards somewhat frustrated. Eventually, after some good work in midfield, the ball came loose in the area and Harry Couchman popped up to force in his 7th of the season and continue the fine scoring run that is seeing him deservedly lead the Hawks scoring chart this season despite being played in defence for a big portion of the games we have played.
As the game went on our confidence and domination increased - with the only threat being that of the counter attack - something we were managing to deal with well. In midfield, whenever we lost the ball Ash was winning back possession very quickly and keeping the pressure on. Danny was passing excellently, Will Morfitt was looking dangerous going forward and Dan Addy and Harry G were in complete control in central defence. In goal, Dillon had little to do, but when called on the make clearances from back passes, his kicking was excellent - frequently finding our players out wide and putting us immediately back on the offensive.
Feeling confident in our control of the game, at half time I made a tactical change and switched our formation to a 3-1-4-2 - taking Harry G out of defence and moving him up-front to help provide a little more height and numbers in our forward line. However, as time passed and we continued into the second half with a single-goal lead, it became clear that East Grinstead were going to be hard to finish off.
More chances came and went and then, with just 4 minutes left on the clock, the unthinkable happened... East Grinstead broke away on a rare foray into our half and their striker somehow found himself clear through on goal and was able to finish clinically. The East Grinstead supporters went wild, knowing that they had somehow pulled off something astonishing in the final moments.
Perhaps I should have been worried that our performance wouldn't get the result it deserved, but actually, for me, extra time was a bonus as it allowed me to enjoy a further 20 minutes of the football we were playing. It also proved to be our most effective period of the game. After the equaliser heads could have dropped, but instead it seemed to inject an even bigger will to win and an urgency and controlled aggression into our play. From the kick-off we looked even better than we had been in the first portion of the game. Two or three minutes into the first period, Harry G broke clear and forced another incredible save from the goalkeeper that was followed up excellently by Freddie - who was unfortunate to be ruled offside after poking the ball into the net at the back post. Then, just a few moments later, Dylan K-W, (free'd up to play an attacking wide role due to the formation change) delivered an excellent ball into the box that just asked for a striker to put it away. Fortunately Freddie was equal to the challenge. The striker - perhaps somewhat aggrieved at having his earlier effort chalked off - made a perfect front-post run in front of his defender and was able to deflect the ball into the back of the net. The celebrations that followed were testament to Town's resilience until that point.
The individual moment of the game came a few minutes later when Paddy picked up the ball deep in his own half and began a run at the heart of the Town defence. Using great skill, control and strength he passed at least 6 players on route to the penalty area, where he performed a near-perfect Zidane turn to pass through the Town centre backs and was just a clinical finish away from scoring the goal of the season.
Fortunately, switching back to 4-1-4-1 in the second half of extra time to play it a little safer did nothing to halt Hawks momentum. Conor re-entered the fray - replacing Harry Garnham up front, and Freddie dropped back into midfield to replace a slightly tiring Danny in the engine room. It was these two who then combined for what will be a contender for goal of the season. Freddie, with the ball at his feet facing up against a line of defenders, put his foot under the ball and scooped a fantastic pass over the defensive line into the feet of Conor. With one touch out of his feet, the striker fired an unstoppable shot across the goal into the far post. A clinical finish that complimented the inventive pass perfectly.
With the game now safe and everyone a little more relaxed there was still time for one more chance - this time from a corner. Timing his run beautifully and leaping to meet the well directed cross Rishi was unfortunate to direct his header just over the bar.
With the game now safe and everyone a little more relaxed there was still time for one more chance - this time from a corner. Timing his run beautifully and leaping to meet the well directed cross Rishi was unfortunate to direct his header just over the bar.
In summary, I personally really enjoyed watching this performance and despite the close scoreline never once felt like we wouldn't come away as winners. They had an excellent goalkeeper and a resolute defence but we remained calm and just kept on playing our game - moving the ball excellently and creating countless chances. Their equaliser with 4 minutes left was just one of those things that makes football such an interesting game. They probably had as low as 30% possession and had one shot and scored one goal at just the right time for them. Well done boys - we now enter the 4th round of the County Cup for the first time - a great achievement - let's continue to enjoy the experience of each round as they come.
Fixture: Hawks Youth Withdean 2 - Seagulls Blue FC 4
Date: Sunday 20th Oct 2013
Scorers: Ash, Freddie
Assists:Paddy
MOM: Will Morfitt - was excellent throughout - showed a consistently great first touch and was positive with the ball every time he got it. Covered his fullback, gave us width and linked play very well.
Positive Player: Conor: kept on the bench until half time because I knew I would need fresh legs in the forward positions after a tough first half. Remained focused and positive and was excellent when he came on at half time.
Missing Players: Daniel Addy
This was always going to be a tough match against a good side with a similar record to ours. From the start I was confident we would play well because we turned up with the right attitude and were focused and hard working in our warm up right from the start.
Unfortunately, soon after kick off, we conceded before we had time to adjust to the pace of the ball and effects of the wind. I was worried it would put us on the back foot and we might start doubting ourselves but the response was fantastic. For the remainder of the half we played brilliantly despite the obvious difficulties posed by the strong wind in our faces. We looked for the ball short from Dillon nearly every time and played out from the back excellently, we limited them to a handful of chances and looked dangerous from our corners and from counter attacks.
In the second half we started very strongly obviously confident that we would now reap the benefits of the wind. To start with this was certainly the case - almost straight from kick off Paddy found himself with the ball at the edge of the box and was able to roll his defender to set himself up with a clear shot on goal. -Unfortunately it wasn't to be on that occasion but shortly afterwards Ash popped up in the six yard box to volley home the equaliser with the outside of his boot.
I firmly believe that if we hadn't then conceded so soon after equalising we would have maintained the attacking momentum and gone on to win the game. Unfortunately a long kick from the goalkeeper wasn't met with a Hawks head and the ball was allowed to bounce in front of our defence - three or four kicks later and the ball was in the back of the net. It is just one of those things that can happen in games but it does highlight to all the importance of attacking and meeting the ball when it is kicked long toward our defence.
This goal really seemed to take the wind out of our sails (not literally - it was still very windy!) and gave seagulls a big boost. We found ourselves in a position we hadn't planned to be and weren't really sure how to respond. When soon after they got their third everyone new it would take a huge effort to get back in the game and it was easy to see the resulting drop in energy levels from Hawks.
In the end our second goal proved to be little more than a consolation as it came after a fourth Seagulls goal just 20 seconds from the end of the match. It was however a very well worked effort that saw Paddy and Freddie combine excellently yet again.
In the end I left the game feeling disappointed that we lost a game that was perhaps there for the taking but very satisfied with the overall performance - particualrly in the first half and pleased with the massive progress we have made since the beginning of the season. If we can continue the effort, good attitude and commitment we have been showing in recent weeks we will definitely continue to improve and the rewards will come.
Coaching Points:
Attack long balls in the air and get something on them:
If you can win them then:
1st choice - get it under control or knock it to one of our players
2nd choice - get it a good distance back into their half and push out as a unit to pressure them higher up the field.
When headers are contested in midfield it may not always be possible to direct the header where you want so be sure we always cover behind the player attacking the ball and if possible get other players around him to pick up the loose ball.
Maintain efforts to pass out from the back and build our attacks from there:
Our defence has shown how comfortable it is with the ball at their feet in training in recent weeks. We need to trust them to be able to deliver the ball to the midfield and forwards. We did it all through the first half but stopped doing it so often in the second half.
Fixture: Hove Park Colts 0 - Hawks Youth Withdean 12
Date: Sunday 20th Oct 2013
Scorers: Harry C x4, Cameron x2, Freddie, Dan Hunt-Uribe, Paddy, Conor, Will, Henry
Assists: Freddie x4, Will, Cam, Harry G, Rishi, Dan Addy and More?
MOM: Cameron Follows and Harry Couchman
Having
been asked by stand-in manager Paul Campbell to canvass for MoM suggestions
from parents two players came in with equal votes, so for one week only there
are two Men of the Match.
Harry
Couchman – Not just four very well taken goals but a complete performance from
Harry who took his defending and attacking roles equally seriously as always,
and who fully deserved his ovation when leaving the field when substituted in
the second half. Harry is the model professional with exactly the right
blend of skill, speed a knack of being in the right place at the right time and
a great attitude.
Cameron Follows – Cameron’s improvement has been clear this season and he was rewarded with two well taken goals and was desperately close to a hat-trick when hitting the bar. When attacking Cameron always looks for space on the right and when he finds it he will let his team-mates know with a yell that’s hard to miss. When the ball is fed to him his first touch will more often than not take him past the first man and result in a decent scoring chance for the Hawks. Cameron also seems to be making cutting in and lobbing the goalie his particular trademark this season! Defensively he tracks back well, his positional play is good and he puts in some good tackles and picks up second balls. A great performance from Cameron and the effort that he put in was reflected in a face that was as red as his shirt as he was substituted to applause in the second half!
Positive Player: Freddie (chosen by Paul): My positive player is Freddie, primarily because he didn't let his head drop when it didn't look like it would be his day. But he persevered, made the assist for Conor's goal, then got his goal. But even more than that was his constant running and pressure on their defence which allowed us to mount wave after wave of attacks. He ran himself into the ground on a big pitch.
Missing Players: NA
Another
week, another great team effort and another clean sheet, our second in a row
against a Hove Park Colts team who are struggling to find their feet in a
strong and open SSYL second division. From the warm-up through to the
final whistle the attitude of all the players was exemplary with every player
putting in maximum effort, encouraging and supporting each other and going
about their business with a smile on their face. The power of
positive team-work is certainly getting results. Our defence kept their
shape and made the job easy for Dillon who was rarely troubled but who dealt
with everything perfectly when called into action. Our midfield was also
disciplined in keeping their position, tracking back when defending and
attacking creatively when going forward using the width on a fairly large
pitch.
Right
from the kick-off our positive attitude resulted in a lot of pressure on the
Hove Park defence and to their credit their defence, and especially their
goalkeeper were able to keep the score 0-0 for the first eight to ten
minutes. The breakthrough came when Harry Couchman finished well
from inside the area on the right to make it 1-0 (assist?). Soon
after their goalie made a good save from a one on one from Freddie and Cameron
went close with a good header from the resulting corner. Another corner
saw Harry Couchman not quite able to control his header aftyer a good run to
the near post. At this point we were perhaps suffering from
shooting when a pass might be the better option but Hawks kept the Colts
defence penned in well. Good work from Freddie on the edge of the area
was followed by slipping Harry Couchman a short ball which he curled in
superbly to make it 2-0.
A
rare Hove Park attack resulted in a shot well saved from Dillon and a long ball
on the right was picked up by Cameron on the wing and he cut in and lobbed the
keeper superbly. 3-0 (Dan Addy/ Rishi assist?). The fourth came
with a typical Danny Hunt-Uribe goal from a central position outside the area
with their keeper getting a touch to it and after a little confusion when the
offside flag was raised the goal was given. Soon after this Freddie
intercepted a goal kick and when challenged the ball broke to Conor who
finished well for his first of the season to make it 5-0. After a bit of
a scramble in the box Freddie finally got one of his shots past the keeper to
make it 6-0 and Harry Couchman completed a fine first half hat-trick after
Freddie pounced on a poor clearance and when tackled the ball broke to Harry
who made no mistake with a well placed shot.
Half
time and a 7-0 score-line meant that the half-time talk was all about more of
the same and keeping the shape, which they did for a lot of the second half,
although there were times where one Hawks player was in defence against 2 or 3
Colts players as the game wore on.
Attacking
into the wind in the second half meant that Hawks defence were a little busier
and Harry Garnham and Dan Addy were extremely effective in mopping up any
danger with Rishi and Dylan both excellent again in their positioning when
defending and finding space wide giving Dan and Harry options. Danny, Ash
and Harry C were pulling the strings in central midfield and Cameron and Conor
were dangerous wide men with Freddie working hard up front and Hawks looked
good for a few more goals.
Cameron
slotted the ball home nicely from the right the make it 8-0 and then the
introduction of Paddy and Will and later Henry produced a period of play where
the Hawks played some beautiful football. Paddy fed the ball to
Will wide on the left who beat his man to cross well for Harry Couchman to get
his fourth – this was perhaps the most pleasing goal from a team
perspective. Another great move had Paddy again allowing Will to get
towards the bye line but this time nothing came of it. In another move
fine move Freddie scooped the ball over a couple of players to Cameron and his
lob unluckily hit the bar. Picking the ball up in defence Harry Garnham
played the pass of the match out to Will on the left again and he cut in this
time to then curl a lovely shot into the corner for another contender of goal
of the game to make it 10-0. Then Cameron crossed from to the right and
Freddie could not make much contact from his head but the ball fell to Paddy
who, with his back to the goal in the six yard box, turned smartly to stab an
unstoppable shot into the net. Will Morfitt had another great shot tipped
over the bar before a fast and dangerous ball across the goal from Freddie was
bundled over the line by Henry for his first of the season to make it
12-0.
Without what was a stunning goalkeeping display from the Hove Park
goalie it could have been nearer to 20! Seagulls Blue will certainly
provide a tough test next match but on this performance Hawks have nothing to
fear. I’m sure that everyone would also agree that Paul did a sterling job
standing in for Ben – thanks Paul, a career in management is sure to follow!
A big thanks to Guy for the match report this week - see you at the weekend, Ben
Fixture: Hawks Youth Withdean 2 - 0 Three Bridges Youth
Date: Sunday 6th Oct 2013
Scorers: Dan Hunt-Uribe, OG
Assists: Freddie,
MOM: Dylan Kyffin-Walton - it takes a special kind of performance in the second game to be my man of the match on two consecutive weeks but this week few could deny Dylan deserved to be the first to manage it. Playing at left back for the duration he was up against a quick forward who was twice his size (not to mention a year older). However, he did not put a foot wrong all game. He angled his covering runs to always force the forward out wide, jockeyed intelligently to prevent crosses and shots on goal and showed a fantastic knack of keeping his eye on the ball before nicking it away and playing out calmly when he could. A truly impressive performance that took it up another level from the man of the match effort of the previous week.
Positive Player: Will Morfitt: Just like the rest of the defence Will had a stormer. The only difference was he was playing out of position. Right from the moment he heard he would be playing in centre back he was positive and approached it as a challenge to be embraced and enjoyed. He played fantastically and contributed massively to the first clean sheet of the season.
Missing Players: Harry C and Harry G
This was a fantastic performance from Hawks and a particularly strong team effort. From my perspective the biggest highlight of this game comes from achieving our first clean sheet of the season against a team we conceded 7 against last season. The shape of our back four is something we have been working on a lot in training recently and it showed. Our defence was consistently excellent and alongside our clean sheet we also managed to concede very few chances. Those shots that we did allow them to have tended to come from distance and were comfortably dealt with by our goalkeeper Dillon.
We worked hard for our opportunities and we took them well. The first goal was an excellent example of the chances that can come from working the ball out wide and getting players in the box to attack the cross. In this example it was Freddie who centred excellently to force an attempted clearance from the Three Bridges defence that ended up looping into the back of the net. The second goal from Danny was a carbon copy of his goal against Eastbourne a few weeks ago - shooting high from the edge of the box with enough power to ensure the GKs touch on the ball was in vain.
Coaching Points
The area we now have to improve on is in our transition from defence to attack.
1.) Unless we break quickly with good control, crisp passes and good movement our attacks tend to break down because we isolate our forward players and expect too much of them.
2.) I really want us to move away from playing hopeful straight through balls from central midfield through to our forwards. They tend to be easy to defend and it is very difficult to weight them correctly so the ball doesn't run through to the opposition goalkeeper.
3.) We need to be cleverer around the area - using the width of the pitch where we can and making sure we remain calm and maintain possession whilst moving the ball quickly in order to create a clear chance. Remember - we are not playing basketball so there is no shot clock! In other words just because we are near the goal doesn't mean we have to panic and force an attempt on it! If we can get enough players up and around our forwards to offer them support and we can play with our head up, then we are perfectly capable of creating clear cut chances through clever movement in and around the box.
4a.) Finally, if we do lose possession whilst attacking, our first job is to see if we can win it back quickly and maintain the pressure on the the defence as much as possible. Near the end of the match on Sunday we started to do this superbly. Dan Addy in particular took on the advice at half time and began attacking the ball when it was being cleared by their defence. On two or three occasions he managed to burst out of the back line to win the ball and put us back on the attack - you can create an awful lot of chances by doing this as the defence tends to be disorganised and is often out of position at the time of a clearance.
4b.) If however, we cannot win it back quickly - that is when we drop off and get ourselves back in our shape ready to defend our goal and counter attack when we get it back.
All in all I was very pleased with us - as always there is plenty to improve on but I think the overall standard of our play is getting better with each game and I hope that it is a trend that continues into the season. Well done all of you.
Fixture: Hawks Youth Withdean 4 - 3 Hangleton Rangers
Date: Sunday 29th Sept 2013
Scorers: Harry Garnham x2 Paddy, Cam
Assists: Freddie, Paddy
MOM: Dylan Kyffin-Walton - was strong and disciplined in central midfield for 40 minutes of the game and when the time came for some tactical changes he slotted back into left back excellently and didn't put a foot wrong. An excellent all round performance.
Positive Player: Cam Follows - came on at half time and did exactly what was asked of him at right midfield. He covered back as required but was also quick to spot opportunities to break forward. Scoring the winner in this game was the least he deserved for an outstanding 2nd half performance.
Missing Players: Henry Simpson
This was certainly a real nail-biter of a game and must of been a great spectacle for the neutral to watch (although probably only the ref fell into this category) In the end though the overriding feeling was probably that of relief for all connected to Hawks to come away with a deserved victory.
The first half was excellent in terms of team shape. Although perhaps we didn't play the most expressive attacking football, what we did do was put into practice a lot of the positional discipline we have been working on in training. Our defence was solid, consistently staying tight and covering for one another when it was required. The midfield ran itself into the ground - constantly getting back to support the back four and breaking quickly on the wings where Conor and Will excelled. We managed to restrict them to pretty much only one clear chance that came near the end of the half which came about on one of the very few occasions the midfield players were slow to get back after an attack. It came from a long ball out of the goalkeeper's hands that went over the midfield's head, was allowed to bounce and ended up putting our defence under pressure. (A learning point perhaps - given the training session we had on the Thursday prior to the game - remember - one defender attacks the ball, the other three drop 5 yards and squeeze together behind him. the midfield then picks up the pieces whilst the winner of the header drops back into the back four). Fortunately Dillon was equal to the challenge and palmed the resulting shot on goal around the post.
Both first half goals came from an impressive Harry Garnham - the first from a trademark free kick from 30 yards and the second from a well taken penalty after Freddie(?) had been fouled.
In the second half Hangleton certainly started stronger. Perhaps because of tiredness the midfield began to drop a little too deep and were a bit slower to break out than had been the case in the first half. As a result of this, whenever we won the ball we were opting for more panicked long balls forward and found our attacks were breaking down due to Freddie being isolated upfront on his own. Sensing that chances would come their way, Hangleton maintained the pressure and it wasn't long before 5Ways Soccer regular George Haire got behind the defence and finished expertly from the edge of the area. Soon after, the equaliser came about as a result of some defensive panic as an attempted clearance cannoned back off a Hangleton player and once again released one of their forward players who finished well past a helpless Dillon.
Playing on such a big pitch can take its toll and with the midfield now obviously lacking some energy after their first half exertions it was time to make some changes to freshen things up. With Harry G moving to centre back and Dylan Kyffin-Walton and Harry Couchman moving to left and right back respectively we suddenly had outlets available on the wings with both players showing a willingness to get forward and overlap when the opportunities arrived. Paddy came into the game in an attacking midfield role to support Freddie and Cam Follows moved to right midfield - immediately giving us an additional attacking option - staying wide and timing his runs forward into space with fantastic effectiveness.
The change worked immediately and perhaps five minutes after his introduction some great interplay between our forward players put Paddy through on goal where he was brought down after expertly rounding the keeper. The resulting penalty was then calmly dispatched by the man himself to put Hawks back in front.
Hawks now had a period of dominance in which multiple chances were created, the first of which was fantastically finished by the energetic and vocal Cameron. Once again, Paddy and Freddie combined in the centre forward area and seeing his opportunity Cameron kept wide and broke forward into space whilst screaming for the ball. Playing with his head up, Freddie delivered the ball to Cam's feet leaving him one on one with the Hangleton left back but still with plenty to do. Showing skill and strength he beat his man and managed to direct his shot over the keeper and drop it into the far post to put Hawks 4-2 up. More chances came and perhaps should have been taken - particularly when more great interplay - again coming from a Cameron forward run on the right put Paddy through on goal. Unfortunately the opportunity was missed when the forward opted to use his right foot to finish when his left would have been the better option.
All was going well until a routine ball through to Dillon resulted in an uncharacteristic error from the usually sound stopper. Whilst coming out to collect an over-hit forward pass, the keeper fumbled the ball, inadvertently allowing the Hangleton forward to score from an easy tap in. Coming against the run of play, the knowledge that the team were now only one goal away from going home with what would have been a disappointing draw lead to some nervous play and the final 8 minutes of the game were played out with Hawks dropping deep and defending for their lives. Fortunately the defence stayed strong and the team were able to collect the win they deserved.
Coaching Points:
Remember how a back four should deal with a long ball -
1)If it is a high one (like a kick from the GKs hands) try not to let it bounce (We have a tall back four now so you should be able to attack the ball in the air as it comes through and win most headers - even if you don't if the other members of the back four do their job they will be behind you covering and waiting to clear up).
2) One player calls it and attacks the ball aggressively.
3) The other 3 defenders drop 5 yards and squeeze together
4) Midfield must get back together and do it quickly because if they don't - even if the defender wins the ball in the air it is likely to drop at an attackers feet if they are not in the right area to clean it up.
5) Remember the basics - never walk back to the half way line with your back to goal - if the opposition keeper releases the ball quickly, if you are not looking at them how will you react to what is happening?
Midfield and Defenders defending as a unit:
Excellent in the first half but the midfield dropped too deep in the second half which is what allowed Hangleton to put pressure on us. The defensive line should be two rows of four not one row of 8. If all of the midfield do drop right into the back line, when we win the ball we have no one to pass out to and the opposition will quickly win it back and maintain their pressure on us.
Counter Attack - (we will practice this on Thursday)
Break quickly, once we win the ball we need forward outlets to become available quickly particularly out wide - Cameron provided this brilliantly in the second half whilst still maintaining his defensive duties as did Conor and Will in the first half.
Date: Sunday 22nd Sept 2013
Scorers: Harry Couchman
Assists: Will Morfitt
MOM: Dan Hunt-Uribe, solid in left back but came into his own when he moved to central midfield. Created chances, came close with a few efforts of his own including being desperately unlucky to hit the underside of the bar.
Positive Player: Harry Couchman - kept going to end, bagged Hawks a goal with a fantastic header and didn't really put a foot wrong in the game.
Missing Players: Freddie, Henry, Dan A
Definitely a case of "one of those games" for Hawks and a very odd match to watch for the spectator. Despite losing 5-1, I personally felt we played better than we had the previous week. We created more chances, had more possession, passed better and 5-1 was certainly an unfair reflection on what actually happened in the game.
The lesson to take from this one is that we have to be far more clinical with our finishing. We created an awful lot of chances in this game but too often missed the target or made things easy for the keeper. A bit more composure from us in front of goal may have lead to a completely different result at the end of this game. The other lesson is that we need more support for our right back. A hatrick from their left midfielder shows that Rishi was too often left exposed. This is something we will have to work on in the coming weeks. It is the job of the right mid, central midfielders and centre backs to ensure we give our full backs support and prevent them from being isolated wherever possible.
For us, low squad numbers at training and at the match also played its part with absences in the back four, midfield and forward line meaning we had to duel sign a player from the other Hawks team and could still only take one sub. An injury to Ash in the first half meant we were then very limited in the changes we could make but hopefully this was just a one off and we can start getting our full squad to training and matches regularly.
For their part, Eastbourne were clinical. Of perhaps 5 clear cut chances overall they scored 4, with the 5th goal coming from a curled in corner, outside of that though I genuinely thought we were the better team. All in all, one of those games to confine to history knowing that the end result truly doesn't tell the whole story.
Fixture: Eastbourne Borough 1 - Hawks Youth Withdean 3
Date: Sunday 15th Sept 2013
Scorers: Freddie Alexander-Morris x2 Daniel Hunt-Uribe
Assists: Paddy/Conor
MOM: Freddie Alexander-Morris - as one of the players who has perhaps been struggling with his confidence in recent games this was a fantastic return to form for the man who netted 26 times for Hawks last season. Starting in central midfield Freddie was at the heart of a lot of Hawks attacks and deservedly bagged two excellent first half goals to get himself up and running for the season. Freddie then continued this form after moving to a central striker role at half-time where he lead the line and impressively played off the central defender's shoulder to offer a consistent goal threat that had been lacking somewhat earlier on in the game.
Positive Player: Ash Mkuchi - Playing in the CDM role requires a lot of discipline and concentration. Whilst other players were being drawn to the ball, Ash listened to his coach and did exactly what was asked of him by covering the back four, staying in position and keeping play ticking over in midfield with a simple short passing game.His discipline and hard work is what allowed many of the more attacking players to go forward in the knowledge they were covered. This was a truly unselfish performance put in for the good of the team.
Missing Players Dylan Kyffin-Walton
After a string of 3 defeats in a row going back into last season and a fairly poor 6-a-side record over the summer, Hawks got up and running again with solid if unspectacular performance against the newly promoted division 3 runners up.
Hawks started slowly and were clearly lacking some confidence and still adjusting to the change in personnel over the summer. Eastbourne had the lion's share of play in the first 15 minutes and despite some promising attacks from Hawks, deservedly went ahead when a deep cross from the left found one of their players unmarked and with time on his hands to slot the ball past our isolated goalkeeper.
After this Hawks began to get more of a grip on the game and chances started to come with more regularity. It was not long before Freddie equalised with a fantastic header and then put Hawks ahead after timing his run perfectly and latching onto a beautifully weighted through-ball from Paddy.
With the Hawks back-four looking very solid, in the second half, Danny Hunt-Uribe entered the game at left back and by pushing forward gave the team a bit more of an attacking option with his overlaps and intelligent play out wide. With 10 minutes to go he cut inside and unleashed a cracking strike from 25 yards that put the game to bed and helped Hawks see out the remaining minutes with a two goal cushion.
Learning points from this game:
It was clear from this performance that we have all the individual ability of the top teams but we lack the togetherness and understanding of team function to help us perform at our best every week. Unless we all really try to understand the roles and responsibilities of the positions we are playing in and take them seriously we are unlikely to progress this year and will come unstuck against the more organised teams. We will be focusing a lot on this in training over the coming weeks so I need everyone to turn up, listen and use the time we have together to really take on what is being taught.
Before the game we talked about the importance of having width and not playing too narrowly down the middle. We asked the fullbacks to make themselves available to Dillon whenever he had the ball and to look to play out from the back. Despite this the first half was again very narrow with our GK having to kick long more often than not. Some adjustments at half time helped in these areas and we certainly improved, however, we can still do a lot better.
This week I will be looking to coach the following as a progression from what we were doing this week in the hope it will give us more options going forward whilst always maintaining cover at the back.
1. Can the centre backs split to receive the ball from the GK in wide positions?
2. Can the CDM then drop into the centre back position to cover any mistakes and ensure there is still at least 3 at the back if the full backs go forward.
3. Can the full-backs get more involved in the attacks? Full backs can push further up the pitch to start attacks and allow the wingers to get further forward. Can they then give an overlap option for the wingers? (Watch closely what Ashley Cole, Leighton Baines and Wayne Bridge all do on the pitch)
4. Strikers must push up high on the last man and be constantly moving the centre backs around. (drop short to go long, long to go short, right to go left, left to go right). Watch and study the way Van Persie plays off the ball. He always looks to make space for himself with this simple movement - he is the absolute master of it.)
5. Central midfielders must look for balls out wide to wingers as well as through-balls to the central striker and then offer the striker and winger options with their own overlaps/underlaps and general support play.
6.Wingers must look to give us width and then cut in to become an attacking alongside the striker. Can you isolate a full back for a one on one, take them on and get into the box? If not, can you get to the byline and cross or reset and start again if your options in the middle are limited?
7.When we lose the ball, everyone must react, drop, get narrow and goal-side of the ball where possible.
If this doesn't make sense don't worry - we will be working on it for a good while at training until we can master it. When we do, I am certain we will be a force to reckon with.
Fixture: Hawks Youth Withdean - Woodingdean
Date: Sunday 8th Sept 2013
Scorers: Harry Couchman, Harry Garnham
Assists: Paddy
MOM: Harry Garnham
Positive Player: Rishi Campbell
Missing Players NA
Wind
the clock back nearly a year to 7th October 2012 and you will see
that this corresponding fixture bears a great resemblance to this match.
Two teams who are fairly evenly matched in a reasonably physical hour or so
with a decidedly lopsided 5-2 result at the end of it. Last year Hawks won
it whilst not playing particularly well, whilst this year we ended up on the
wrong side of this score-line having played well. The result is not
important given the decent team performance as Hawks looked to integrate new
team members Dillon in goal and Danny, Ash and Conor outfield, and the signs
are promising. Once the team gel and get to know how each other
play there will be some great attractive football coming from the Hawks again
this year.
As
in the two games against Woodingdean last season the pitch was horrible, with a
hard bumpy surface making it hard to succeed in the passing game that Hawks
like to play. To give them credit they did try to pass but too
often the wide men were ignored and our central attacks were fairly easily
snuffed out by a physical and organised defence, although when Hawks got the
ball wide Woodingdean looked vulnerable. The breakthrough came when Paddy
was fed a decent ball and was driven wide but managed to cross as Freddie and
Harry Couchman both made intelligent runs from midfield into the box and Harry
calmly slotted the ball past a helpless keeper. The lead didn’t
last for long and Woodingdean struck back just a minute or two later though
with a great shot from the edge of the area giving Dillon no chance. A
fairly entertaining half ended with the scores level.
Hawks
came went into the second half determined to get in front but were dealt a
cruel blow when Woodingdean broke early on and their front man managed to
wrong-foot Dillon with a scuffed shot that somehow squeezed into the bottom
corner in slow motion to make it 2-1. No matter as Hawks kept their
heads up and looked to get the wide men involved, with Danny, Dylan and
wide-man Conor combining well on the left and Freddie Harry Couchman and Rishi
on the right with Paddy up front causing their defence all kinds of trouble
which began to produce free kicks in dangerous areas as a desperate Woodingdean
defence looked rattled. Whilst Harry Garnham could only hit the wall with
his first free kick in a dangerous area he pulled out all the stops from a free
kick on the wide right about 5 yards in from the goal line. He had
no business scoring from such an acute angle but he practically burst the side
of the net with a beautifully curled powerful shot as the goalie and defence
had no time to react to the thunderbolt.
With
Danny, Harry, Dylan and Rishi able to extinguish the Woodingdean attacks and
Ash, Henry and Cameron joining the action (and Will rejoining it) it looked
like the game was going to end 2-2, which would have been a fair
result. As the clock was ticking down on the first 70 minute match
for the team Harry Garnham was sent up to try and snatch a late winner
. However another break from Woodingdean and a well taken goal
meant that it was not to be. To concede two further goals in the minimum
of two minutes added time that the ref announced he was playing added insult to
injury for the Hawks.
On
a better pitch there is no doubt that Hawks would come away with a win more
often than not against Woodingdean and if there is anything to be learned from
this game it is simply that football can be a cruel game sometimes! Hawks
should be proud of their performance and forget about the result and look
forward to an away-day in Eastbourne next week in the knowledge that if they
continue to play their passing game the results will come.
Scorer Chart
Freddie - 26
Paddy -20
Alfie K - 10
Harry G - 6
Cameron -3
Lewis - 3
Will M - 2
Alfie W - 2
Harry C - 1
Dan Addy - 1
Henry -1
Morgan -1
Assist Chart
Paddy - 11
Freddie -10
Lewis - 5
Will M - 5
Harry G - 4
Dan Addy -2
Cam -1
Jamie - 1
Alfie K - 1
Rishi - 1
Morgan -1
Fixture: Fishersgate Flyers 4 - Hawks Youth Withdean 1
Date: Sunday 31st March 2013
Scorers: Freddie x1, ,
Assists: ?
MOM: Harry G: absolutely outstanding in every way at centre back. He was hugely positive, loud and strong in the tackle. Despite a goal going in off a deflection from his head, he shook it off immediately and resumed being an inspiration (something that he may not have been able to do under adversity last season!) With the back four under constant onslaught from long throw-ins into the box he battled alongside his fellow defenders and gave 100% right to the end.
Positive Player: Jamie - his half time team talk was mature, inspiring, funny and absolutely what all the team and supporters needed to hear at that point in time - I was without doubt my favourite non-footballing moment of the season!!!
Missing Players - Lewis, Henry, Harry C
Honestly, this was probably one of my least favourite games to be a part of in the past couple of years but it left me feeling very proud of my players and impressed by the growing maturity you are starting to show as a group.
At the beginning of the game we were all aware it was a big one - with 2nd place and possible promotion to division one up for grabs it appeared to be one of those "must win" situations!!! But, after a game where we all witnessed a lot of player and coach tension, some group targeting of individual players from opposition supporters, on-field tantrums and occasionally over zealous supporting from some of us, I left the game feeling that the very idea of a "must win" match for an u12 team is a bit stupid if it means we all feel stressed and no one learns to actually improve at football!
I think it would be a travesty if any of you felt that because we didn't finish second or get promoted that we haven't had an amazing season.
This season I think we have witnessed everything. From coming back from 4-1 down in our first game to win 5-4 against Hastings, to the grit and determination involved in going 3-0 up against and very good Eastbourne borough team and eventually dealing with the loss. My favourite was when we played Fishergate off the park at home on 3G, and worst (outside of last weekend) was our journey to the pits of youth football by coming up against Woodingdean on a huge sloped cow-field of a pitch in the freezing cold wind where every second touch was a tackle.
Apart from ASC who we have yet to play a second time, we have beaten every team in our league at least once and (with the exception of perhaps Eastbourne) have easily played the best and most inventive football of all of them. Of course any coach will probably say that about their team but in my case I think it is backed up by what we see from you each week...
I ask myself how many teams do we play against where you see players put their foot under the ball and scoop a spoon pass over the top of the back four - (Harry G vs Seaford and at least once in pretty much every other game as it has become something of a signature move for our players)? I ask, apart from Freddie, how many strikers have you seen run through one-on-one and calmly chip a keeper Messi-style or finish from 20 yards into the top corner with the outside of his boot (like he did vs ASC). How many opposition centre backs will turn a player and carry the ball out of defence past players (Dan Addy and Harry both love doing this - Harry C nearly scored this way vs Fishersgate (?)) How many goals have we seen of the quality of Morgan's diving header, (also against fishersgate and something he had done twice at training the Thursday before the game). How many times each game do we see Will allow a ball to run through his legs as he turns and nutmeg the defender with a little flick of his toe? How many other teams have players that 99 times out of 100 can take the ball out of the sky with one touch like Lewis and immediately get their head up for a pass? How many players are as good as Paddy at taking on crowds of players and always coming up with the ball?
This is all about our individual technique, but of course a focus on that can come at a cost! Sometimes we are going to come up against teams with players a bit bigger and stronger than us that aren't necessarily as skilful but will be very direct and physical who will beat you because these tactics are the best way to win a game of youth football at your age.
I am sure Fishersgate are capable of playing far more inventive football than they did, but last Sunday they chose the option of launching long throw-ins and crosses into our box at every opportunity. We were dominated by the strongest kid on the pitch who ran the game for them and we tried our best to defend a constant onslaught of balls into the box without being able to keep much possession in the midfield ourselves! Despite a couple of mistakes that resulted in goals the fact is the defence did a an absolutely fantastic job overall. If you think about the fact that you had to defend between 20-30 throw-ins directly into your 6 yard area - to only concede once from a throw in was fantastic work. Perhaps where we weren't at our best was in attack as we missed a few good chances in the second half despite having some good periods of dominance.But that said, the goal we scored was a lovely fast break passing move that was finished beautifully in the bottom left corner from Freddie for his truly impressive 21st league goal (26 overall) of the season that currently leaves him as the top scorer in Div 2 this year!
On our part one thing I want us all to remember in defeat is this... We are not a long ball team and we really don't want to be! Even though we can all see that at your age right now launching balls into the box is an effective way of scoring and winning games, I promise you it is not the best way for you to continue to improve as footballers. Sooner or later your size and physicality will catch up with those other players around you and when that happens you will be so much better than them!
We now have one game left on the 28th vs ASC strikers. As for next season, we go again in Division 2 confident we will do well with all our home games on 3G and use it as an opportunity to master our style of Future Game football! I am already excited!
(To all parents - just so you know why I go on about all this passing football stuff -Have a read of this FA Future Game Playing Philosophy as it pretty much outlines the style of play I will be coaching the boys as they progress with this team.)
Fixture: Seaford Town FC 2 - Hawks Youth Withdean 5
Date: Sunday 24th March 2013
Scorers: Lewis x1, Freddie x1, Alfie K x1, Will Morfitt x1, Alfie W x1,
Assists: Freddie for Lewis, Will M,
MOM: Harry G and Dylan K-W (for outstanding combination play on the left hand side of the field)
Positive Player: Rishi - played Centre back for the first time with no coplaint and showed how much of a natural defender he is - a fantastic performance.
Missing Players - Dan Addy
I have perhaps waited a little too long to write up a completely accurate report of this game so I will keep this one short and sweet! If the last two games have shown us anything it is that Seaford are a decent team that are perhaps just one or two players away from being real contenders in this league. In this particular game they ran us all the way and there was one point at 2-2 when they were on top, putting us under pressure and it really looked from the sidelines like they would end up winning it. Fortunately, as a team we have a strong character, have strength and depth and have multiple players capable of turning things around in a snap.
We went ahead through Lewis in the first half after a fantastic fast break that ended with Freddie feeding a perfect reverse pass into Lewis to score his 3rd of the season. It was a well deserved goal for Lewis who has been showing some fantastic form in recent games. With the wind blowing out to sea, we were also looking dangerous from in-swinging corners and after adjusting his movement in the box Alfie Westhead was well positioned to smash home a second when Seaford failed to clear.
In the second half Seaford came back into the game strongly and managed to get level. We had our chances but Seaford were definitely on top for some time and Hawks were struggling. Things seemed to change after Paddy got injured after being kicked in the eye. The event seemed to galvanise the team and what followed was a 10 minute period of complete domination where Hawks got the ball down on the floor and scored three goals in rapid succession to effectively kill off the match. First, Alfie Keelin smashed home, then Will, who had been looking dangerous and skilful all game, put away his chance at the far post. Then to round things off nicely Freddie ran through on goal and placed his effort over the goalie's shoulder into the back of the net.
It wasn't our best performance of the season by any means but it was pleasing to see us deal with a period of pressure when things weren't going well and turn it around with some fantastic play near the end.
Fixture: Seaford Town FC 2 - Hawks Youth Withdean 4
Date: Sunday 17th March 2013
Scorers: Freddie x3, Paddy x1,
Assists: Paddy x3 Harry G, Will M,
MOM: Harry Couchman - an awesome performance from the converted centre back, his pace at the back stopped countless attacks and his reading of the play in front of him and ability to win tackles was first class.
Positive Player: Cameron Follows - always gives 100% and I have never heard him moan about playing in a position he doesn't want to, he just gets on with it and gives his all for the team. When he went into central midfield alongside Alfie K and Paddy after half-time - hawks had their strongest period of the game and scored two very well worked goals after dominating that area.
Missing Players - Rishi
This was a comfortable performance that never really reached the heights of previous games but was solid nonetheless. Maybe two games of playing on cow fields effected us somewhat as there were perhaps too many occasions when we walloped the ball up field hopefully when we could have retained possession and played some of the creative football we are capable of. That said we never really looked under continued pressure and did have some very good moments.
After looking dangerous from the start the first goal of the game came from a lovely bit of skill from Harry G. After picking up the ball on the left he cut inside and found himself confronted by a wall of defenders. Seeing Paddy lurking behind the defence he put his foot under the ball and scooped a wonderful pass over the top of the approaching defenders that put paddy clean through on goal. Paddy then slotted it home with relative ease.
The second goal came about as a result of some great work by paddy on the right side of the 18 yard box. Only moments earlier he had been in a similar position and failed to get the desired result with a cross-come shot that went out for a goal kick but this time he got his head up and brilliantly picked out Freddie at the back post who finished comfortably with a powerfull downward header.
Before half time Seaford pulled one back when Dan Addy mistimed his challenge in the box and was unfortunate to give away a penalty that was duly converted.
After the break it was all about the Hawks. After a few changes we had a bit more of the ball in midfield and began to dominate proceedings and create chances. It was not long before another bit of Paddy skill and a well timed pass released Freddie in the box and the striker was able to finish with a delicate chip over the keeper.
The fourth was not long in coming either and came about from a wonderful bit of wing-play by Will who picked up the ball on the half way line and skipped past two or three players before delivering the ball into the path of Paddy (a bit of work that earned him an assist). Paddy then beat two in the box and got to the byline where he rifled in a low cross and Freddie was able to bundle in at the back post and complete his second hatrick of the season.
Throughout the game the defence looked strong with Dan winning all the headers and Harry C clearing things up on the floor. The left and right back positions got changed fairly regularly but everyone that played there did their bit, particularly Henry and Dylan in the second half. In central midfield we were stronger in the second half and the combo of Paddy, Alfie K and Cam seemed to work best in that department. Lewis played with his head up and was very lively throughout - constantly looking to thread balls through to the forward players and would have had a couple of assists if the finishing had been a little bit better. On the wings, Harry and Will brought a lot to the game by giving us width and cutting in well when needed. Morgan was strong throughout and was unfortunate not to score after getting into some good positions during his 15 minute spell up-front at the end of the game. Alfie W played multiple positions but came into his own when he moved more central in the second half. Jamie had no chance for either of the goals, and apart from a little miscommunication at the beginning of the game was loud and dominant throughout the rest.
We have the same team next week on the 3G astroturf (our last home game of the season before we move on to two difficult away games against Fishersgate and ASC strikers for our final games of the season). Lets go out and put on a show for this one!!
Fixture: Woodingdean Youth 2 - Hawks Youth Withdean 1
Date: Sunday 10th March 2013
Scorers: Paddy (Pen),
Assists: Freddie (fouled for Pen)
MOM: Freddie - battled and stood up strong against a really physical Woodingdean back four. Should have won at least two more penalties and was good in possession despite being perpetually fouled throughout the game.
Positive Player: Lewis: Was made captain for the game because of his growing vocal presence on the pitch. As requested he stayed loud and vocal throughout and as always worked hard and lead by example in every position he played.
Missing Players - Jamie, Will Morfitt
It feels almost as if the team is being punished for playing so well on the 3G surface a few weeks back as ever since we showed what we can do on a perfect playing surface we have had to play on some shocking pitches! If our 8-2 victory against Fishersgate on the 3G at Stanley Deason was the best game of the season because of the quality of football that was played by both teams, then this was the exact opposite (although it was not really your fault). Played on a men's sized, sloped cow-field of a pitch with full-size goals and rabbit holes all over, passing a ball along the floor was like watching a beach ball being pinged around by a football crowd. The wind was strong and icy and blowing downhill and because we were minus our usual goalkeeper, Rishi had to volunteer his services in goal.
For the second time in two games, shooting uphill and against the wind the first half meant lots of defending and looking to attack on the break. Woodingdean had a few chances and managed to score the first goal with a long ball over the top that put a striker through one on one with a helpless Rishi. On the break we looked dangerous and had some very near misses, namely when Harry G hit the bar with stinging left footed strike and when Paddy chipped the keeper but his lofted effort was held up by the slope and the wind on the goal line and a defender was able to get back to clear.
In the second half it became something of a slug fest - with Hawks now enjoying the benefit of the slope and the wind, they were able to put more pressure on the Woodingdean back four but the response was a physical one. We were frequently picking up free kicks and being fouled as Woodingdean looked to out-muscle us and disrupt our game. The playing surface was so bad that we didn't really have much luck dribbling or stringing many passes together and the game became narrow with lots of big tackles and changes in possession. This meant hawks had little choice but to engage them in this way and whilst we were trying to break down their defence, we got caught on the break and Woodingdean went 2-0 up, making our job that much harder.
The rest of the game was much of the same until Freddie was fouled twice in quick succession in the box leaving the referee no choice but to point to the spot. Having successfully converted his last penalty, Paddy stepped up and once again hit the back of the net with a well placed strike. A few more chances came and went including an effort from a corner that hit the post and few half-chances, but Woodingdean stayed strong and we were unable to get the second goal our effort deserved.
All in all it was one of those days where we can blame a lot of factors for the lack of quality in performance that go beyond us just playing badly. I felt we worked hard as a team but for a variety of reasons including the poor facilities and physical opposition we just didn't manage to put on a show in this match.
Fixture: Hangleton Rangers 1 - Hawks Youth Withdean 5
Date: Sunday 24th February 2013
Scorers: Paddy x2, Freddie x2, Harry G x1,
Assists: Paddy x2, Will M, ??
MOM: 3 Men of the Match this week!! Paddy - truly unstoppable on the day, he took the second half by the scruff of its neck,chased everything, scored two and set-up two. Cameron and Dylan K-W played with fantastic discipline sharing the midfield holding role (CDM) and were responsible for breaking up attack after attack from Hangleton.
Positive Player: Harry G - playing with such confidence at the moment, right from the start he looked up for it and his effort and commitment was an example to team mates throughout the match.
Missing Players - Alfie K
Report: A lot of the time when I write these reports forward players and goal scorers get lot's of mentions because they are inevitably involved in the descriptions of the goals. Today I want to focus on the performance of the defence... it was magnificent. With Jamie in goal, Lewis and Rishi in the full-back positions and Dan A and Harry C in the centre of defence I don't think we have ever looked so solid at the back. Add to the equation Cameron and Dylan playing the majority of the game in the CDM role and we have what looks like an unbeatable defensive line. The consistency was amazing and the marking from set pieces exceptional.
Things went well from the toss - Captain Jamie won it and opted to change us round and play up the hill first. The slope was possibly the worst we have played on all season and was bound to have a big impact on the game. We were playing against a big, physical team who won a lot of tackles all over the pitch. Initially we played with Morgan and Alfie in central midfield hoping to be able to pass out of trouble. Unfortunately the physical presence of Hangleton in midfield and the steep slope and wind made this almost impossible and our counter attacks kept breaking down leaving our defence a little too exposed. Eventually Hangleton went ahead with a somewhat soft shot from the edge of the area after a mix-up in defence left Jamie out of position and unable to recover. Recognising that the second half was the time to attack we introduced Cameron and Dylan as CDMs to try to shore things up defensively for the rest of the first half.
The plan worked well and from that point onwards the defence was exceptional. Hangleton were able to swing in lots of dangerous corners that we dealt with brilliantly. Every player took a man, communicated well, attacked the crosses, won the vast majority of headers and when the ball dropped at the edge of the area we closed down quickly and won our tackles.
In open play, the back four kept their line brilliantly. Defenders covered for each other and the midfield got back to support quickly after we lost the ball in attack. Dan A and Harry C's partnership at centre back continues to flourish with both consistently winning balls high and low and playing out of the back with style and calm. Lewis at left back was like a young Dani Alves - alert, closing down with speed and urgency and joining in attacks on the overlap. At right back, Rishi played a cracking game, stopping crosses, winning tackles and starting attacks.
Despite having to do a lot of defending, when we did have the ball our attackers and wingers provided a great outlet for our ball-playing defenders and it was on one of these breaks that Will Morfitt chipped a ball up onto a Hangleton Players hand and a freekick was awarded at the edge of the 18 yard box. For the second week in a row Harry G stepped up to fire another one of his unstoppable dead-ball strikes past the despairing keeper to equalise.
Given the circumstances - to go in at half time at 1-1 was an exceptional effort and with the slope and wind now in our favour everyone was confident we could get the result. And so it proved to be with the defence once again staying solid and our forwards making use of their superior speed to attack the space in behind the Hangleton defence. Paddy's aggression and skill in the box coupled with Freddie's eye for goal was once again on show with both picking up a brace to stay in contention for the league golden boot.
All in all a great effort on a pitch that should never have been used to play football. Thankfully we are back on the 3G astro at home to Premier FC this weekend so let's hope for a little bit more of that wonderful passing football we can play!
Fixture: Hawks Youth Withdean 8 - Fishersgate Flyers 2
Date: Sunday 17th February 2013
Scorers: Patrick Van der Velde x3, Freddie Alexander-Morris x2, Morgan Turner x1, Harry Garnham x1, Own Goal x1
Assists: Paddy for himself - winning a penalty, Lewis for Freddie - ball over the top, Harry for OG - whipped in corner, Freddie for Mo - cross stood up a back post for diving header, Paddy for Freddie - cross for tap in at back post. Mo for Harry - taken out whilst through on goal.
MOM: When you have a game where the defence are operating perfectly and winning the ball back on pretty much every opposition attack, the midfield are dominating possession and the strikers are scoring how do you pick one player for MOM? This was a truly collective team effort with every player contributing a fantastic performance. In this game singling out one individual for praise would be unfair on too many other players who did just as well.
Positive Player: Lewis O'Shaughnessy: I heard an awful lot of talking from Lewis in this game - he was organising and giving vocal support and encouragement to his team mates throughout.
Missing Players - Dylan KW, Jamie, Alfie K
Report: At the beginning of the first half I was a little worried. We started a bit slowly and looked very rusty after so long without a game. We weren't quite putting our passes together and were under a bit of pressure. Fishersgate, weren't particularly dominating but it came as no surprise when they scored first after we failed to clear the ball in our own area. As the game progressed we started to come into it a bit more and were lucky enough to get a penalty when Paddy was brought down just inside the 18 yard box. After picking himself up and dusting himself off he calmly slotted the ball into the bottom left corner to make the score equal. A few more chances came and went for Hawks and then a fine bit of play from Fishersgate put them back in the lead.
From that point onward Hawks came alive and after a nice bit of possession play, Paddy broke down the right and beat two defenders in the box before slotting home to equalise again. Hawks now began to dominate in every part of the pitch. A series of corners were unlucky not to bring reward, particularly after Paddy flicked on a near post corner and Morgan followed in with a diving header that went just over the bar. Then, with pressure mounting on the Fishersgate goal, Lewis won the ball in midfield and launched a long pass over the top in the direction of Freddie. A great first touch released the striker and he was able to place his finish past the outrushing goalkeeper to put Hawks into the lead for the first time.
With Hawks leading 3-2 at the Break, Harry Garnham re-entered the match after spending part of the first half as a substitute - his delivery from deadball situations was going to prove very useful. It wasn't long before Hawks had a corner on the right and up stepped Harry to whip in a powerful inswinger into the danger area that that deflected off a Fishersgate defender into the back of the net.
The best goal of the game came next. The defence won the ball and passed up through midfield until it reached Paddy on the left. After beating a couple of players he switched play to Freddie on the right hand side of the 18 yard box. After gliding past his man Freddie reached the byline and stood up a fantastic cross to the back post where Morgan powered home a spectacular diving header made possible by the perfect timing of his run into the box. It was a sublime goal and it seems diving headers may be some sort of Mo speciality after scoring one in training on Thursday as well!
Mo was involved again for the next goal when he was awarded a free kick after being cynically taken down whilst through on goal. There was no question as who was going to take it - up stepped Harry G and in a manor similar to Gareth Bale, smashed a dipping and curling freekick with such power that the goalkeeper could only parry it into the net.
With Alfie remaining disciplined in the CDM role, and Henry and Will doing the same at left and right midfield, Paddy and Mo were free'd up to be more attacking in the second half, both were causing Fishersgate all sorts of problems. Goals 7 and 8 came from Paddy breaks down the left of the 18 yard box. Once again beating players with incredible pace he first crossed for Freddie to slot home his second of the game and then finished things off nicely with a fantastic solo effort that ended in him placing his shot in the bottom right corner with the outside of his boot to complete his hatrick!
It is worth noting that the defence, made up of Rishi, Lewis, Dan Addy and Harry Couchman, had their best match of the season as a unit in this match. All four of them, kept their line, covered for one another and reacted to the play in front of them exceptionally. There were frequent moments where Fishersgate players looked like they may break but were closed down rapidly by two defenders who would win the ball and then calmly pass their way out of defence. It was wonderful to watch and all four of you deserve great credit for your growing understanding of how a back four should work. Cameron also deserves a special mention as he was superb in goal - he was the perfect outfield goalkeeper - brilliantly using his feet to save us on multiple occasions.
Finally, I think it is fair to say that our first venture onto 3G proved extremely successful because it played to our strengths - as a collective we can all control the ball well, play a quick short passing game, move well and support one another and have the tricks and skills to beat players - when the ball bounces perfectly like it would on the Wembley stadium pitch we look immense. Unfortunately it is back to bobbly grass next week away to Hangleton Rangers - they beat us last time but if we show the same skill and ability we showed against Fishersgate, we will have a great chance and I have seen you do it on grass before so I know it's possible.
Fixture: Hawks Youth Withdean 3 - Hangleton Rangers 5
Date: Sunday 9th December 2012
Scorers: Alfie Keelin, Freddie Alexander-Morris x2
Assists: Rishi Throw in for Freddie,
MOM: Rishi - made very few mistakes and got himself and assist with some quick thinking from a throw-in.
Positive Player: Morgan Turner - always committed and always has wise words at the end of the game - in this case he correctly commented that everyone gave their best and that was the most important thing. He was right.
Missing Player - Dan Addy
Report: It was just one of those days today for Hawks - with confidence perhaps a little dented after a couple of very hard games against top opposition the belief, energy and above all enjoyment of the game didn't seem to be there today. We were undone by individual mistakes in the end but we should look at the game as one we could have won and take the positives in the fact that we created a lot of chances and with a missed penalty and a dubiously disallowed goal should also perhaps have finished the game with at least 5 goals of our own.
As a team we perhaps need to stop worrying about making mistakes and feel relaxed enough to play good football. Perhaps it is because we have been playing good teams but today we seemed to be very panicky in possession with lots of rushed clearances and passes. We rarely seemed to play out from the back and for some reason seem to be trying to lump our goal kicks as far as possible rather than having our back four split and look to receive the ball wide. In our warm-ups before the game we look so good when we are playing keep ball - passing and moving with speed and urgency - this is what we do best so let's not resort to long balls now.
Major learning points for this game:
1. Play out from the back as much as possible and trust Jamie to be able to do the kicking.
2. When the defence clears the ball the defence must push out quickly and all together. If you hang back close to the goal you will play everyone onside.
3. Don't turn a passing opportunity into a rushed clearance to nowhere. At times during this game players were opting to smash the ball up field without really looking rather than keeping possession with a short pass and then moving for the return pass, I want you to play your way out of trouble not just boot it aimlessly.
Fixture: Three Bridges Colts 7 - Hawks Youth Withdean 3
Date: Sunday 2nd December 2012
Scorers: Patrick Van der Velde, Henry Simpson, Alfie Keelin,
Assists: Will - throw-in for Paddy
MOM: Henry Simspon and Dylan Kyffin-Walton
Henry only played around a half of this game as he is coming back after a series of injuries and illness has kept him out for the past few matches, however - his impact was fantastic. Immediately after coming on at left midfield he did what he does best - working hard to close down the oppostion and putting in tackles all over the place. Add to this his first goal of the season - a fantastic lob from the edge of the 6 yard box and his MOM is well deserved.
Dylan - This season Dylan has been the quiet addition to the squad that has probably had less plaudits than other players but never has a bad game. As one of our most consistent players, today was another example of a composed performance full of desire to get forward and the energy to get back and defend.
Positive Player: Harry Garnham - I have been very impressed with Harry's attitude recently, he is one of the few that is beginning to understand that if the team is reach it's potential everyone will have to approach training and matches with a mature attitude and put in the effort to improve. This Sunday was no different.
Missing Player - Dan Addy
Report: I am going to keep it brief today as shell-shock after the first 15 minutes lead to me blanking a lot of the details of the game from my memory.
Put simply we were half asleep for the first 15 minutes and by that time we were already 4-0 down and had lost it. Three Bridges came out of the blocks with far more energy and desire than we did and as a result they got a good cushion. It's difficult to put a finger on why we didn't start well but it may have been something to do with us giving them too much respect, standing off our players and not getting stuck in. From the start there was a lot of talk of "they have this player, or they have that player". Yes they have some excellent players, of this there is no doubt, but so do we and if we had been at the races from kick-off we could have given them a much better game - as proved by a far better performance from about 20 minutes onwards.
Goals for us came from Paddy, after great work from a throw-in, Henry - with an excellent lob and Alfie K after Three Bridges failed to clear their lines properly after a Hawks free kick. Things to work on are holding our back line, pushing out of the area together after we have cleared the ball, being positive from our kick-offs and - as mentioned after the Woodingdean game, using the Warm-Up properly to prepare ourselves for the match so we start strongly.
Fixture: Eastbourne Town Yellow 3 - Hawks Youth Withdean 3 (6-3 After Extra Time)
Date: Sunday 18th November 2012
Scorers: Alfie Keelin, Own Goal, Freddie Alexander-Morris
Assists: Freddie for Alfie/Freddie for OG/? for Freddie
MOM: Freddie Alexander Morris and Dan Addy
Freddie Alexander-Morris: A while back it was pointed out to me that Freddie had never received a man of the match reward. At that time he was told that in order to win one, scoring goals wasn't enough - he had to give the team a complete performance - on Sunday that happened! Not only did he score our third goal and provide the assist for Alfie Keelin's goal and the own goal he also worked his socks off for the entire game. He understood that in order for us to stand a chance he would have to be our first defender and chase absolutely everything, putting pressure on their back four at all times, closing down space and making it difficult to play out from the back. Playing up front alone he battled, tackled back, held the ball up and brought other players into our attacks. In my opinion this was one of his best performances ever in a Hawks shirt - which is quite some statement when talking about a boy who has finished top scorer for his team every season since joining Hawks 5 years ago.
Dan Addy: I have never seen a better defensive performance than this in youth football. Dan epitomised everything that was great about the team on Sunday. With the team under endless waves of pressure, he won tackle after tackle, header after header and was an absolute wall of defiance from the 1st minute to the last. Watching him challenge for every high ball, control the back line and put in crunching tackle after crunching tackle was a joy for me and everyone else that appreciates what being a classy defender is all about - outstanding work Dan. (I think Dan would also say that Harry C should share part of the accolades here too, as Harry was also excellent on the day but just missed out on an MOM because of Dan's particularly exceptional performance)
Positive Player: Rishi Campbell-Saundh
I felt I should add a new award today because one player stood out to me for the endless vocal encouragement and positivity they brought to the team. When things were going against us in extra time I never heard Rishi give up or utter a negative word. Like everyone, he gave his all but whilst some let the last second equaliser effect them, Rishi continued to stay positive and continued to boost his team-mates morale wherever possible.
Report: For obvious reasons there was a lot of disappointment at the end of this game but I want you all to forget about the eventual result and try to see things from a different perspective. Firstly - Eastbourne Town Yellow are the Div One Champions, they pick their team from the best players from all over Eastbourne and other parts of Sussex in order to achieve this. They have extra training sessions as a team and they spend an awful lot of time working on 11-a-side shape and tactics. Because we haven't gone out and picked all the best players - we work a lot more on our skills in order to catch us up with those best players and don't have as much time to work on team shape and discipline as they do. On Sunday - our skills and technique matched up to theirs but we weren't as good at being organised and playing our positions like they did - this is something we will get much better at the more we play 11-a-side and the more we learn as we get older and stay together as a team.
On Sunday we were 30 seconds away from beating them and if it wasn't a cup game that had to go to extra time, they would have left the match being very happy and relieved to have got the draw. We ended up losing 6-3 because we were so disappointed at not winning in normal time it was very difficult for us to then pick ourselves up and find the extra energy and concentration needed for the extra time period.
Finally, if there is one thing we have perhaps been weaker at this season it is defending as a team - this week we proved we can defend along with the best of them - it was amazing to watch you all. I asked all of you to give your all at the beginning of the game and you did - on another day with a bit more luck we would have won the game 3-0. None of their first three goals were brilliant efforts that tore our defence apart - all had a certain element of fortune about them.
So to the game itself - right from kick of it was immediately obvious we were playing a good team because of the way Eastbourne set themselves up. Their wingers gave them plenty of width when they were attacking and their central midfield was fantastic in possession - passing and changing angles all the time and recycling the ball when we closed them down. However - although we couldn't quite keep enough possession in midfield ourselves, we quickly began to realise we didn't have anything to be scared about. With our midfielders tracking back to provide cover for our defenders in the first half we limited them to very few genuine chances and when we did win the ball back we were looking most dangerous on the counter-attack.
Eventually, our first goal came from the desire of Harry Garnham to win the ball back in the opposition's half. Instead of leaving the defender to clear the ball he chased down a lost cause and pressured their right back into making a mistake - as a result of this bit of hard work the ball then dropped to Freddie, who in turn forced the goalkeeper into making a fine save from a tight angle. The ball then dropped to Alfie Keelin who had followed up well for a relatively easy finish into an open goal.
From kick off the game settled back into a familiar pattern with Hawks chasing and harrying the Eastbourne players into losing possession before attempting counter attacks of their own. With Eastbourne's strength in central midfield obvious, Hawks adopted a far more direct style that is not usual for them - hitting our forward players and wingers with early balls and relying on the skill and intelligence of Freddie and Paddy to build attacks. What was excellent was the speed in which the midfield got up the pitch to join them and we caused Eastbourne lot's of problems as a result of some very clever attacking play.
The second goal came as a result of a throw-in in an attacking position on the right of the pitch. Alfie K delivered the ball into Freddie's feet and the clever forward chipped the ball up to himself and volleyed it over his head into the danger area. Under pressure from Cameron and the rest of our midfield the Eastbourne Centre back headed his attempted clearance backwards and high into the air and the ball looped into the Eastbourne net as the keeper watched on helplessly.
Although we always believed we would give Eastbourne a good game, coming in at half-time 2-0 up was probably not something we had expected would happen. Despite the confidence we had gained from the goals we all knew it wasn't over so the team talk at half-time was about maintaining our work rate and staying focused.
The second half started well with Hawks following the game plan and working well for each other. When, after a few minutes, Hawks scored a third through Freddie the win suddenly looked like it was within touching distance.
However - football can be a cruel game and sometimes teams don't get what their efforts deserve. In this case all it took to change the game was a fortunate goal with 20 minutes to go from Eastbourne and suddenly they had all the momentum. It was at this point that Hawks began to defend for their lives. All over the pitch tackles were flying in but if we were guilty of one thing it was that we had got into a defending state of mind and stopped playing our football - opting for safe long balls and big clearances over the passes and patient build up play we are capable of. As a result of these clearances Eastbourne won corner after corner were able to mount more and more pressure on us.
Their second goal came with 5 minutes left on the clock and again - it came from something of a goalmouth scramble. However it was the very lucky equaliser that hit the post and bounced back into the goal off a fully stretched and desperately unlucky Jamie 30 seconds left on the clock that really did for the team. The celebrations of Eastbourne said it all - for them it was as if they had won the game and for Hawks it felt as if they had lost. So much energy and commitment had gone into holding on for the win - that tears came for many - even though the game was far from over.
In extra time, Hawks looked more vulnerable than they had all game from the get-go. Unfortunately it takes an awful lot of energy to defend in the way you had and this was the first time we have ever experienced playing extra time in a match. When we conceded a fourth goal we had to commit players forward to look for an equaliser and as a result began to look more and more exposed at the back. Although at 4-3 we definitely had chances to score, by the end of the second half of extra time we began to look very tired and mentally drained and if it hadn't been for a series of wonderful saves from Jamie we could have been further behind. In the end the scoreline was very unfair on you all. If the scoring had been the other way round and we had got the equaliser with 30 seconds to go I am sure we would have gone on to win as these things are all about momentum.
Despite the eventual loss I know that myself and all our supporters are all incredibly proud of your performance - it was fantastic and has proved in my mind that we are undoubtedly good enough to be a division one side. We know we need to improve on certain aspects of our game and we have to take the attitude we showed on Sunday into every match we play. The good news is that we are still in the County Cup and are one course for promotion. We also have another chance to prove ourselves next week when we take on Three Bridges who will be just as tough, but if Sunday's game has proved anything it is that we shouldn't be scared of anyone!
Fixture: Lancing Rangers 1 - Hawks Youth Withdean 7
Date: Sunday 11th November 2012
Scorers: Harry G x1 Alfie K x1 Will M x1 Freddie x1, Paddy x1, Alfie W x1, Dan Addy x1
Assists: Paddy x3 (for Alfie K/Will M/Freddie), Freddie and Cam for Paddy, Will - fouled for Dan's penalty, Freddie fouled for Harry's free-kick.
MOM: Jamie Morrish - had by far his best game of the season, patrolled his box with authority and pulled off some fantastic saves at crucial moments - not least from dangerous free kicks around the area. If he hadn't made the saves he did at the times he did, Hawks would have had a far tougher challenge in the second half.
If this game had a Sun newspaper headline it would read "Seven hit seven on eleven eleven". It was a fantastic Remembrance Day performance from the team that showed, strength, determination and some lovely passages of play that rightfully earned Hawks a place in the 3rd round of the County Cup.
After a delayed start to kick-off Lancing started strongly and with the benefit of the slope maintained pressure on Hawks for the first 10 minutes of the game. After a sustained period of attacking play they managed to take the lead when Hawks failed to clear their lines after a corner and the ball dropped to a lancing forward in the box. Unperturbed Hawks got back to business and quickly started to gain control of the match. Harry G was looking dangerous on the attack and Freddie was looking lively and hard working as ever up front. The equaliser came quickly when a foul near the edge of the Lancing box resulted in a free-kick for Hawks. Having already converted a dream of a free-kick in the previous game, Harry G stepped up full of confidence and blasted his shot at the goal. Whilst it wasn't quite the scorching top corner effort we witnessed against Hove Rivervale, it was well struck and contained enough power to sting the hands of the Lancing keeper and cause him to fumble it into the net.
With Lancing proving to be a strong and physical side the introduction of Paddy and Alfie W to centre midfield gave Hawks a little more control of the centre of the pitch and the team began to create more chances. It then did not take long for Paddy to unlock the Lancing defence from open play with a short run and a lovely diagonal ball with the outside of his boot to put Alfie K through one-on-one with the goalkeeper. With a calm precision, Alfie gave the keeper "the eyes" and slotted home into the bottom corner to put Hawks ahead and send them in at half time with a slender but deserved advantage.
Directly after half-time the game was still looking tight but Hawks were definitely creating the better of the chances. Another foul near the edge of the box gave Hawks another chance to fashion a shot on goal. With Harry G off the pitch, up stepped Paddy to curl a lovely ball into the area that was brilliantly attacked by Dylan and Will whilst the Lancing defence remained static. Showing wonderful desire to get a touch on the ball, Will open up his body and managed to steer a half volley expertly into the top corner to score his first of the season. It was an important goal because it seemed to suck the life out of Lancing and from that point onwards there was little doubt that Hawks would go on to win as they began to make a decent Lancing team look average.
Despite the lack of recent games this was another good all round team performance by Hawks. In central defence Cameron and Dan always looked in control, with Dan Addy winning everything in the air and Cam sweeping up the leftovers expertly. In the fullback positions Dylan and Rishi once again showed how classy they are as modern examples of wide defenders, constantly showing attacking intent and defensive discipline when required. Henry Simpson had one of his best performances of the season on the right-hand-side of midfield, maintaining possession and showing good stamina and positive intent throughout the game. Morgan was neat and tidy and did a lot of the hard work in midfield winning the ball back - he was also great in his short stint at right back. Hampered by a foot injury, Lewis was limited in what he could offer but gave 100% as always in the short time he was on the pitch and despite the obvious pain he was in showed some lovely touches and played some nice intelligent passes.
The fourth goal of the game came as a result of a combination of hawks two top scorers for this season. Paddy picked up the ball deep in his own half and began running with the ball. As he advanced up the pitch it quickly became obvious that no-one in the Lancing team was going to be able to stop him. 10 seconds and a three or four bamboozled players later he found himself in the Lancing box and had the presence of mind to lay the ball off to Freddie who curled his close range shot neatly into the right of the goal. Shortly afterwards Hawks won a corner on the right hand side and Freddie repaid the assist by crossing the ball into the near post to Cam who in turn laid it off for an easy tap in for Paddy.
The sixth goal came after Will's silky skills resulted in a foul in the box. Feeling confident the match was already in the bag, Dan Addy stepped up to expertly slot home the resulting penalty into the bottom right hand corner for his first goal of the season. Then to round things off nicely, Alfie Westhead became the third player of the day to get his first goal of the season with some beautiful skill on the edge of the area that saw him skip past 3 or 4 players before slotting home expertly to seal a convincing win and set up an exciting 3rd round cup match against Three Bridges (Currently sitting at the top of division one of the Mid-Sussex league having not lost and conceded only 3 goals all season).
With our next two games now scheduled being cup games vs Eastbourne and Three Bridges we will be playing some of the better teams in the county. As such the next two weeks should be really fun and should be a really exciting challenge for all of you as will be able to test yourself against some good players. I think we are perfectly capable of getting great results and advancing to the next round of both cups but only if we stay focused, train hard and believe in ourselves. On our day we are one of the best around but we have to make sure we turn up focused and confident and ready to work hard for one another. Last season we played our best games against the good teams so lets go and do it again and see what happens. Exciting times Hawks - lets keep it up!
Missing Player(s): Harry Couchman (played in goal for Hawks U13s)
Fixture: Hawks Youth Withdean 5 - Hove Rivervale 1
Date: Sunday 14th September 2012
Scorers: Freddie x2, Alfie K, Harry G, Paddy
Assists: Freddie for Paddy, Paddy for Alfie K, Alfie K for Freddie
MOM: There were a number of contenders for Man of the Match in this game. Up front, Freddie came close to securing honour and probably would have been given it if he had managed to secure his hatrick or picked up an extra assist. He was lively and hard-working from the start, took his 1st goal well with his left foot and slotted home his penalty with a calm confidence at a vital point in the match. In midfield Alfie K had a stormer - he won loads of tackles and scored a fabulous header but it was his vision and range of passing that impressed most. In defence Rishi was excellent and didn't put a foot wrong all game. He received the ball well and played brilliantly out of the back, rarely gave the ball away and covered excellently for the rest of his defence. MOM on this occasion though has to go to Harry Couchman who had a stormer in central defence. He read the play in front of him excellently, frequently bursting out of the back line to intercept passes and win the ball. His passing was top notch and when tracking back he used his pace to snuff out two or three excellent opportunities for the Hove strikers who had looked favourite to get a shot on goal. He even nearly got himself on the score sheet after picking up the ball in defence and beating 5 or 6 players on route into the area, he got his shot off but was unlucky to have it blocked at the last moment.
Missing Player(s): Dan Addy
After last week's poor performance this was a return to form for the Hawks who turned up bright eyed and bushy-tailed and went on to dominate the game from start to finish. If Premier FC was the battling performance of the season, this was the first time Hawks really showed their class.
I have to give credit to the team as a whole - last week I criticised you all for turning up with the wrong attitude and not using the warm-up to get yourselves into the right frame of mind to compete properly in the game. This week it was as if a completely different team turned up to represent Hawks. From the start everyone involved looked energised and alert. The warm up was lively and the quality of football in the possession session was good. It just goes to show that if you turn up ready and willing to get yourself up for the match - the performance on the pitch will benefit.
Once the game got under way Hawks immediately looked in control. After dominating the opening exchanges they were extremely unlucky to give away a penalty when a throw in looped over Cameron's head and hit him on the arm in the area. It looked very accidental but the referee took a different view and Hove dispatched their penalty well - giving Jamie no chance. As the game progressed Freddie began to look dangerous - chances were coming his way but the striker was initially struggling to find the finish to complement his fine movement. With Lewis and then Will playing excellently in the attacking central midfield role being backed up by the high work-rate of Henry, Morgan and Alfie K, the chances kept coming and eventually Freddie was released on the left of the box and was able to drive his left foot strike through the goalie's legs to put Hawks back on level terms.
With Jamie having a faultless game in goal and Dylan, Harry, Cam and Rishi looking very solid the scores remained even until the break. The message at half-time was "more of the same" and it was not long into the second half when Hawks got their opportunity to go ahead when the referee awarded what looked like another dubious penalty for handball - this time in Hawks favour. Freddie stepped up to calmly slot it home into the bottom right hand corner, this time with his right foot.
If there had been any nerves, taking the lead seemed to take them away and from this moment onwards it was a case of complete control for Hawks. The third goal was not too long in coming... and what a thing of beauty it was too! After some strong defensive action, hawks won the ball in midfield and played a pass up to Paddy on the edge of the box. Receiving the ball on the turn he slalomed between two defenders on route to the byline. Once there, he looked up to assess his options and then chipped a perfect ball into the path of an onrushing Alfie Keelin who leapt to head home for his second goal (and second header) of the season.
If that was the team goal of the game, Hawks fourth was an example of incredible individual excellence. It came after Paddy was brought down a few yards outside the edge of the Hove box and the referee awarded a free kick. In the perfect position for a left footer, up stepped Harry Garnham to curl an unstoppable drive round the wall and into the top corner. It was so powerful it is a wonder we haven't had to buy new nets for Patcham Place as a result. It really was a memorable goal for Harry, the team and all those watching!
The fifth and final goal of the game came from Paddy. Freddie took a throw-in quickly in an advanced position on the left hand side of the pitch. Turning his marker like he wasn't there, Paddy took his shot early on the half volley and drove his shot low and hard into the near bottom corner to round of a great day for Hawks and send them through to the third round of the KO cup in convincing style.
The reward for this result is a game against Eastbourne Town Yellow - currently sitting (yes you guessed it) top of division one! It will be a great opportunity for us to test ourselves against one of the better teams in the leagues and is what cup football is all about! If we have ambitions to be in division one next year this should be a good test to see how ready we are for that challenge! I am convinced that when we all turn up ready to go we are one of the best teams in this any division at this age group - so I view this as a very winnable game. However, when we stop working hard in training and arrive at games with the wrong attitude we can look average and at times poor... it is up to you guys to maintain the attitude we showed today.
On that final note, at the beginning of this game two players were talked to about their behaviour in Saturday training and dropped for the entire first half of the game as a result of it. In many ways they were the unfortunate ones as there have been a few others who haven't been giving their all on Saturdays and Thursdays recently who were not punished in this way. Please take note that I always have a long chat with Luke and the other 5Ways Academy coaches after their sessions with you so if I hear of unacceptable behaviour your involvement in the match on Sunday will also be limited. On this occasion credit has to go to both those involved as they took their punishment well and showed a mature attitude by accepting responsibility for their actions. I am sure the whole team can learn from this and understand that the right attitude has to be displayed at all times when it comes to training and the matches. No one in our team is so good they can't improve so every training session is important to you and the team as a whole. No player will be immune to being dropped if they act up in training - no matter how good they are!
Fixture: Hawks Youth Withdean 5 - Woodingdean Youth 2
Date: Sunday 7th September 2012
Scorers: Paddy x2 Freddie x3.
Assists: Lewis for Freddie, Dan Addy for Freddie, Will M for Paddy
MOM: No one really had an outstanding game but top performers on the day were Lewis and Cameron. In midfield Lewis frequently showed fantastic control and good composure in possession. Cameron played multiple positions, was always positive and put in 100% effort from start to finish. Special mention also has to go to Harry Couchman who deputised for Jamie in goal and made some fine saves to keep Hawks in the game.
Missing Player(s): Harry G, Morgan, Jamie.
After the outstanding performances of the last two weeks this game was something of a drop in form for the Hawks. From the warm up at the start players were looking tired, lethargic and not really in the right frame of mind for a big match. When the action got under way the battling mentality that was so evident against Premier FC was nowhere to be seen and Hawks struggled to string more than two passes together against a team they should have been doing better against.
Woodingdean were looking good going forward and were creating chances so it was against the run of play when Hawks took the lead. The goal came about after a long ball over the top looked to be going harmlessly back to the Woodingdean goalkeeper. In a moment of indecision the goalie opted to clear it and kicked it straight to Freddie who then had time and space to slot it home.
Shortly after this Hawks won a corner after a little bit of positive play on the right. Paddy took it and delivered the ball into the front post where Lewis flicked it behind him and Freddie was able to make an easy tap in thanks to some poor Woodingdean defending.
Despite going two goals ahead Hawks still couldn't get a grip on the game and Woodingdean continued to create chances. It was therefore no surprise when they got one back to send the teams in at half time with just the one goal separating them.
The half time team talk was all about effort and commitment and working hard for the team. We talked about the importance of getting yourself up for a game and always putting in 100% even when things aren't working. We made some tactical changes and went back out to try and improve our performance for the second half.
Things didn't start well and Woodingdean quickly got the equaliser they deserved. It was strange to watch from the sidelines as it seemed that Hawks had stopped doing all the simple things they have been doing so well this season. They weren't pulling together as a team, there was very little communication and players were on their heels looking as if they didn't really want the ball to be passed to them. At times defenders were clearing the balls right into the centre of the area and didn't seem to be able to pass out from the back, midfielder players were not getting back, not passing to one another and always looking for the long ball over the top. Forward players were not really putting pressure on the opposition defenders and were regularly being muscled off the ball.
Fortunately the equalising goal seemed to wake a few Hawks players up. Suddenly the team realised that they needed to start working hard to win tackles and keep possession. With the introduction of Alfie Keelin to the midfield Hawks started winning more ball in the centre of the park. Hawks had managed to start putting pressure on the Woodingdean back four and were starting to create chances through Paddy. Paddy then picked up the ball on the right of the pitch and beat two players before cutting into the box. A goalmouth scramble followed and eventually the ball found its way back to Paddy and he was able to bundle it home.
Hawks were still looking far from being in control but were at least beginning to win more tackles and create chances. In their effort to get another equaliser Woodingdean were committing players forward and as a result were becoming vulnerable in defence. With time ticking away Dan Addy won the ball at the back and played a perfect through-ball to Freddie who timed his run well from the left to go through one on one with the keeper. With the ball bobbling around in the area Freddie showed all the calmness and accuracy we have come to expect of him to guide his shot into the bottom corner and round off his hatrick.
By the time Paddy got his second goal of the game and Hawks fifth, Woodingdean already looked a beaten side, but whilst the scoreline is a flattering one given the performance, it is a sign of a good team if you can still win when you are playing poorly. That said, in the next three games we are going to be coming up against much tougher opposition than Woodingdean and will need to be on top form again if we are going to do ourselves justice.
The next three games are important ones so I want everybody really start to pull together as a team and start working hard at training on a Thursday and a Saturday. I think we have a team full of really excellent players in every position and have the potential to be a truly fantastic team that could possibly go on to win all sorts of competitions in the future. But if you really do want to win medals together then to do that you will have to train, warm-up and play with the right attitude every week and really encourage team mates to do the same.
We are now second in the league and are going well in the cups. Next week we have Hove Rivervale in the League Cup - they are currently top of division 5 having won all their games convincingly this season. Although they are in division 5 I have heard they really should be in the same division as us as they are more than good enough. The second game is against Lancing in the 2nd round of the County Cup. The County Cup is the best cup you can win in youth football because every club in Sussex enters a team in it. Lancing play in a Chichester league so we know very little about how good they are. The third game is against Fishersgate Flyers in the league - they haven't lost yet this season and drew 3-3 with ASC Strikers when they played them - so as you can see, we are going to have to be at our best now.
Fixture: Premier United FC 1 - Hawks Youth Withdean 6
Date: Sunday 30th September 2012
Scorers: Paddy x4 Cameron, Freddie.
Assists: Paddy for Freddie, Jamie for Paddy, Harry for Paddy
MOM: Because of his overall contribution of 4 goals and an assist, and the fact that he single handedly caused the opposition coach nightmares that will apparently cause him to quit football altogether it has to go to Paddy on this occasion. However, I also felt that a special mention has to go to Alfie Westhead who had his game of the season so far - he had a huge performance in the middle of the pitch, covering his defence, winning tackles and keeping things ticking over with endless clever touches and short passes in an area of the pitch that was at times more akin to a medieval battle ground!
Missing Player(s): Will M, Henry, Morgan
This was the performance of the season so far for Hawks. With a smaller pitch giving both teams less space in which to play, Hawks showed how strong their short passing game and ability to play out of tight spaces really is (Rondo anyone?). In turn they backed it up with a strength and physicality that in previous seasons may have been somewhat missing but will have been helped no end by playing teams from the year above last season - Premier FC simply could not cope with the power, skill, determination and desire all of the team showed.
After a relatively slow start to proceedings in which both teams seemed to be trying to get to grips with the crowded pitch, Hawks took the lead when Paddy broke free into space on the right and was felled by a clumsy challenge in the box. The referee immediately pointed at the spot and Paddy himself stepped up to take it. Despite a fairly centrally placed kick that was lacking a little in direction and power - the luck was with the Hawks as the ball somehow slipped underneath the keeper and found its way to the back of the net despite the GK getting a good hand on it.
This marked the beginning of a first-half Paddy-show in which the midfielder managed to contribute a further three outstanding individual goals made through a combination of fantastic dribbling in the box, strength and determination on the ball combined with the odd unstoppable shot.
But whilst it was Paddy making the headlines with his goals, all around the field there were some incredible contributions to the team. The back four looked as strong as they ever have with Dan Addy and Alfie K reunited in central defence in the starting line-up for the first time in many months. Dan was winning every defensive header going and Alfie K showed the same composure on the ball as he had the previous week. Hawks looked organised and disciplined across the back line and, with Rishi and Dylan happily providing outlets for the brilliant distribution of Jamie, were able to play out from the back and avoid the long balls that were happening in the first half of the previous game.
In the centre, Lewis and Alfie W were passing and moving brilliantly, getting back to defend and bringing the wingers into play. On the right and left, Harry C and Harry G gave the team width in attack and excellent cover in defence. Playing the utility role with great effect Cameron did an incredible amount of running in this game - getting up and down the field like a farmer on a super-powered combine harvester, contributing a goal and countless tackles and passes.
From kick off after the half time break Hawks concentration lapsed for perhaps the first time in the match and after less than a minute of play Premier had pulled one back. It was perhaps what Hawks needed to wake themselves up and dispel any complacency as from that point onwards the game was all about them and, despite only scoring two in this half, the interplay was even better than it had been in the first half.
A major difference in the second half play was the contribution of Freddie who had been a little isolated upfront on his own in the first half and had struggled to get many opportunites in front of goal. In the second half however he worked tirelessly to bring his midfield into play, and finding himself constantly marked by multiple defenders was able to show a fantastic new dimension to his game with some excellent hold up play and a couple of defence-splitting cross-field balls (switches). The move of the match in my opinion was a counter-attack in which Freddie was picked out on his own over to the right of the field but was able to look up and pick out Cameron cutting in from the left wing with a long cross-field ball along the floor. Cameron in turn fed Lewis (who had made and intelligent Lampard-esque burst down the centre of the pitch) on his inside with a quick one touch pass to put him through on goal. If it wasn't for an excellent save from the onrushing goalie, it would likely have been an early contender for goal of the season.
The goals in the second-half came from Freddie (who followed up a saved shot from Paddy to smash in an easy close-range finish) and Cameron (who broke free down the left and looped his shot into the back of the net via the keeper's hand from the edge of the area.
Overall the work rate and desire on display was really impressive and I think it may be the best performance we have put in since we beat Hassocks away last season. However - if there is one negative it was the general reaction and some of the things that were said by some Hawks players after the game. We played a tough and hard game and as a result of our dominance of every aspect of the game we annoyed the opposition and their manager. I have no problem with how we played as I thought we played fairly and sometimes this kind of reaction and poor sportsmanship is what happens when you hand out a beating to another team who doesn't like it - at times we have been beaten and felt like they must have and we know its not nice.
In this case their manager was silly and reacted very poorly to the situation and caused a fuss amongst their players and supporters when he shouldn't have. That said, we can take responsibility for our own actions and be above this behaviour. When we win we should win with dignity and if the opposition doesn't want to shake our hand at the end that is their choice but we will offer a handshake anyway. We will not engage with silly insults or slanging matches but instead let our football do the talking. After the game, what happened on the field stays on the field and we can walk away with our heads held high knowing we have given our all - as a team that is what we have always been about so lets not start engaging in arguments with the opposition players after we have done so well even if they do say stupid things to you. You have nothing to gain from arguing with them as anything that we needed to say to them had already been said in the football we played.
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Fixture: Seddlecombe Rangers FC 1 vs Hawks Youth Withdean 5
Date: Sunday 23rd September 2012
Scorers: Lewis, Alfie K, Harry G, Paddy, Freddie,
Assists: I remember Freddie's cross for Alfie's header and have been told of his pass for Lewis's goal and Dan Addy's deflected pass for Harry but was too busy shivering on the sidelines to remember the other two.
MOM: Difficult to pick a single MOM because as a team you stuck together brilliantly in horrific conditions and everyone gave 100%. However I would like to mention Dan Addy, Lewis and Alfie K as all had fantastic performance$s. Alfie - scored a great glancing frontpost header, was calm in possession and always a threat going forward. Lewis - continued his confident start to the season, defended well and linked up with attack - communicated brilliantly with team mates. Dan Addy - once again such a solid defender, with the long ball a constant threat he won some huge headers and tackles and read the play in front of him beautifully.
Missing Player(s): Will M, Henry, Morgan
Put simply, this would have been a great game to be involved in if you were a flying fish. From the moment the first whistle blew until 10 minutes from the end the wind and rain came in hard and Hawks players and supporters wondered what on earth they were doing an hour and a half from home standing outside under the thunder and lightning. But despite the wet, the game went ahead and the team did themselves proud when it would have been easy to have given up and gone home.
In the first half Hawks took the lead through Lewis, who looked sharp and lively from the start. When the ball dropped to him in the area after a dangerous cross from Freddie he found he had time and space to turn and get his shot away. Aided somewhat by the wet conditions the shot carried enough power and direction to slip under the keepers grasp and put Hawks deservedly ahead.
What followed was a period where Hawks remained camped in the Seddlescombe half but were continuously closed down by a well organised and hard working defence. Hindered by the conditions and unable to maintain possession through short passing Hawks started looking for the long ball through the middle far too often allowing Seddlescombe to win it back and put Hawks under pressure from long balls over the top. It was one of these balls that eventually lead to a Seddlescombe corner and when Hawks failed to clear their lines an opposition player picked up the ball on the left hand side of the 18 yard box and curled an unstoppable shot into the far top corner.
Despite the set back Hawks reacted brilliantly Within minutes of the restart, Freddie was released into space on the right hand side and looked up to provide the perfect cross for an inrushing Alfie Keelin. Showing fantastic desire for a goal he beat his marker to the front post and sent a glancing header into the back of the opposition net to regain the lead for his team.
When the half-time whistle went everyone wanted a quick turnaround to avoid any unnecessary extra time in the rain, so with 3 brollies acting as a makeshift roof, the team huddled together for a short talk before returning to the field with a new Goalie to take the place of the now frozen Jamie. On days like this playing goalkeeper is tantamount to subjecting yourself to torture so a huge amount of respect should go to our captain for barving the first half and Harry C for volunteering to take on the roll in the second half!
In the second half it was all Hawks. Dylan and Harry G formed a fantastic partnership down the left hand side and this was the route of a lot of the Hawks attacks. The defence was again looking solid with Danny and Cameron remaining disciplined in central defence and Rishi doing the same at right back. In the middle Alfie Westhead gritted his teeth against the elements and dropped deep to offer the defence lots of cover.
After numerous attempts that hit the post Hawks eventually got their third through Harry G who rifled home from close range after more good work on the wings.
Paddy added a fourth shortly afterwards with some neat footwork in the box to free himself from the defence that left the goal at his mercy. Then, rounding things off nicely a very cold Freddie braved the conditions to return to the field after a brief absence and continue his run of a goal in every game this season with a fine finish from the edge of the box.
It was a good day for the team who showed tremendous courage and battling spirit, it was also a very good day for the O.G. 5*.
Although, things became a little disjointed in the final 10 minutes, I would like to credit everyone for playing their positions very well this week. The defence took on board instructions brilliantly and the midfield provided fantastic cover. Our wingers and fullbacks gave us width - particularly in the second half and we looked a far more organised side than we did the previous week. Long may this continue.
*OG 5 = (O.G. is a hip hop term used to describe someone who has been down since day one) The 5 scorers on the team sheet this week were all members of the first ever U9s team set up 5 years back when we were known as Withdean. Well done boys - great impact today!
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Fixture: Hawks Youth Withdean 3 - 5 ASC Strikers
Date: Sunday 16th September 2012
Scorers: Harry C, Freddie, Cameron
Assists: Will, Freddie (Unsure of who provided the assist for Harry's goal)
MOM: Will Morfitt - once again played the utility player role. Played Left mid, right mid and centre back and did excellently in all - particularly in right midfield where he set up Freddie's goal and gave the ASC strikers left back nighmares with his direct play and willingness to take him on. Excellent performance Will - well done.
Missing Player(s): Paddy - picked out of a hat to miss out but boy could we have done with him!
I think this was the weirdest game I have watched this Hawks team play. The first 10 minutes of the game undoubtedly contained some of the best football the team has played. They won every tackle, passed and moved brilliantly, created lots of chances and eventually were rewarded with an incredible goal taken on the half volley from Harry Couchman.
Then, 10 minutes into the game something switched and the team went through a period that was one of their worst 30 minutes of football that saw them lose nearly every tackle, fail to be able to pass to one another and ship 5 goals to go 5-1 down. Frankly - during this period if it wasn't for some great saves from Jamie and some rather desperate goal line clearances it could easily have been 10 goals conceded!
The game finished with 20 minutes of Hawks in the ascendency that saw them score another two goals and almost get themselves back into the match. The first of these goals was an outstanding finish from Freddy - shooting with the outside of his right boot and curling the ball into the far top left-hand corner. The second came from Cameron, who managed to get on the end of a loose ball after the referee played the advantage after Freddie was fouled in the box. He calmly slotted it past the onrushing keeper to put Hawks back in contention.
During this time there were also chances for Harry Garnham - who had a flying header excellently saved by the goalkeeper and another free kick from Freddy, that was again well dealt with by the Striker's goalkeeper.
In the end the Hawks had left themselves with far too much to do to get back into the game and the worry now with 9 goals conceded in the first two games of the season is that we are turning into something of a "Kevin Keegan" team, with a "we will score one more goal than you" attitude. So the question now is: can we turn around our team's defensive display so we don't have to score so many to win the game? It is certainly not right to blame our loss on the defence - as although the defensive line was at times a little ragged, many defenders had good games as individuals. The trouble is that the team needs to defend as a team so when the defence are offered little to no defensive cover by their midfield (who for a long part of today's game were more interested in hanging around at the other end of the field in an attempt to score goals) they are always going to struggle. Next week we are playing a division 3 team in the cup - your goal is to keep a clean sheet - remain disciplined in your positions and win the game whilst remaining defensively sound.
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Fixture: Hastings United Youth Colts 4 - 5 Hawks Youth Withdean
Date: Sunday 9th September 2012
Scorers: Freddie x2, Paddy x2, Lewis
Assists: Harry G, Paddy, (plus two I can't remember - let me know who made the passes for Lewis' goal and Paddy's 1st goal)
MOM: Harry Garnham - His delivery from set pieces caused the Hastings defence trouble all game and eventually led to the assist for the winning goal. He came close to scoring on a couple of occasions and was only denied by some fantastic goalkeeping. He closed down well, was good in possession, won numerous tackles and gave us the much needed width on the left wing we required throughout the second half. Well played Harry.
Missing Player(s): Alfie K
The first game of the season can be a tricky one. Players are a little rusty from a lack of match practice, very little is known about the opposition and the warm weather can make a game tiring. Add to the mix a football pitch that resembles a skate ramp and you know conditions will be difficult.
Fortunately Hawks got off to the perfect start. Firstly Jamie won the toss and switched ends so the Hawks could play up hill first; and then it took less than a minute for the team to take the lead. A quick series of passes in midfield led to Paddy receiving the ball in his right midfield position, looking up and crossing perfectly for Freddie to volley home with a first time effort at the front post.
However, as the game continued it began to become clear how much the slope would play a part in the game. It was difficult for the Hawks to clear their lines and a lack of width in their play meant their short passes kept running into a wall of Hastings defenders. Hastings on the other hand were winning more tackles, dominating the midfield and managing to pin hawks back in their own half. It was not long until they had their equaliser and then, after a mix up in the box lead to an indirect free kick, they took the lead. What followed was a 15 minute period of pressure that saw the Hawks struggling to cope and eventually conceding another 2 goals.
With Harry C moving to right midfield and Harry G on the left, the team suddenly had a bit more width in their play and for the final 10 minutes of the half were the better team. Their passing improved and as the half was drawing to a close a fine passage of patient possession on the edge of Hastings box led to Lewis picking up the ball in the 6 yard area. Still with plenty to do, Lewis evaded the challenges of a defender and the goalkeeper to calmly slot the ball into the bottom corner and send Hawks in at Half time with a chance and the belief needed to get back into the game - a vital goal at a very important point in the match.
The second half started as the first had finished with Hawks dominating possession and having the better of the attacking play. The slope was now providing the advantage to Hawks and with Harry C moving to centre back alongside Dan, Dylan having a solid debut and Cameron providing some much needed cover for Rishi at right back - the defence looked solid. In midfield Alfie W and Morgan were pulling the strings with some fine passing and skills and Paddy and Freddie were looking very dangerous up front. Is was therefore no surprise when Hawks pulled another goal back when some good interplay lead to Paddy having the relatively easy job of putting the ball in the back of the net with a neat little finish to make the score 4-3.
As the game went on Hawks continued to create chances but the Hastings Goalkeeper was having an excellent game and made fine saves from the likes of Harry G, Freddie and Paddy. In the end it was a slice of fortune that gave Hawks their equaliser. Paddy latched on to a through ball into the box and was brought down in what looked to have been a fair challenge. The referee pointed to the spot and Paddy lifted himself from the floor to slot home neatly into the bottom right corner.
Time was ticking away but Hawks continued to push for a winner. With only a couple of minutes left on the clock, Hawks picked up a free kick midway into the Hastings half and Harry Garnham stepped up to swing a dangerous cross into the corridor of uncertainty. The ball bounced once and - ever alert to the possibility of a goal - Freddie stooped low to header home his second of the game and a much deserved winner for the team.
On reflection it was definitely a roller coaster of a game, and there are definitely some things that need working on - not least being disciplined and staying in your positions. However, the end result was a fantastic testament to your self belief, teamwork and ability. I think we were the better team and could have beaten them more convincingly with a better first half performance but you should all be proud at your fightback and I hope it will give you all the belief that you are never out of a game as long as you still believe you can do it! Well done boys - a great start!
