9th March – Rhos (Home) For the fourth time this season, and more frustratingly for the third time in the last five weeks, we were left to only being able to play one game each of 9 a side due to the opposition not having enough players available.  Although this more than likely can’t be helped, its certainly no fault of our own it is a source of huge frustration to us both as its not an ideal situation for us to have so many of our lads having to hang around and it seems ridiculous that we would be the club fined for not fulfilling a fixture if we decided not to play the games even though we’re the ones with all the players actually available– rant over !!   This time it was the turn of Rhos to face us with only 10 or 11 players and due to the fact an 11 a side pitch was not available we again played a game each of 9 a side with Rob’s team up first and thankfully we recorded two excellent wins.   After Rob’s team had romped to a convincing win Andy’s team got off to the worst possible start when we fell behind to a sloppy goal which I think we’ll put down to the fact the lads had had to stand around waiting to play rather than maybe taking the game too lightly after watching the first game.  We did though quickly draw level when Charlie finished off following a neat lay off by Xander after he controlled Ryan’s long pass up to him.  We then took the lead on the stroke of half time when Dylan smashed home a quite brilliant goal from long range after Xander’s corner was cleared to him just outside the area.   After slightly shuffling the pack a little at half time in an effort for us to get the game won early in the second half Charlie grabbed his second of the match when he slotted home from a tight angle but Rhos pegged us back again a minute later when we conceded yet another sloppy goal.  However, a minute later our two goal lead was re-established when Charlie grabbed his hat trick by stabbing home from close range after the visitor’s keeper could only push Fin’s cross out to him.  With the game seemingly (hopefully) now safe the pack was again shuffled and Charlie then grabbed himself another goal when he finished off a neat pass from Aron who had been set free by Dylan.  The scoring was finally rounded off by Dylan in the last moments of the match as we posted a very healthy 6-2 win.   Man of the match was its usual tough decision but was awarded to Charlie for an excellent display as he continued his recent rich vein of form in getting an impressive four goals to follow on from his brace last week.   Many thanks to Rob for running the team today in my absence but thankfully today will be the last match I will miss this season and all being well it’ll be back to business as usual next season and I wont be missing again (not sure if that’ll be viewed as a good or bad thing though by all the players and parents !!).   Next week we welcome Penycae to Alyn Waters for what is sure to be a tough match, as is usually the case against them, but hopefully we can be on top of our game (we’ll have to be) as this will be our last home fixture of the season but more poignantly it could well be the last time we actually play at Alyn Waters as we move to Shones Lane next season onto the big 11 a side pitch.

2nd March – Marford and Gresford (Away) On a beautiful late Winter / early Spring morning down near the duck pond in Gresford it was time for the return fixture against our neighbours Marford & Gresford for a ding dong derby affair and thankfully the bragging rights for our lads that go to school with some of the M&G lads were ours as we came out undefeated in claiming three wins and a draw.   Andy’s team were looking for two positive, strong performances after a couple of weeks of disappointing displays and that’s exactly what we got in posting two wins that were earned by working extremely hard and battling for every ball in our 2-1 and 3-0 wins.   The first match was a tight cagey affair with neither side creating too much in the first half but I felt we were always on top and looked the team most likely to score.  As the half progressed we seemed to get stronger and on the stroke of half time we were given the chance to take the lead when we were given a penalty after an M&G defender used his hand to keep out a drive from Cam who connected with a corner from Fin quite wonderfully.  Although penalties are not usually given in mini football it was agreed with the M&G manager beforehand that penalties would be given in such circumstances, however the decision did seem to take the referee by surprise as the distance at which we were made to take the penalty from was ridiculous as it was at least 20 yards out and Cam had very little chance of scoring and the M&G keeper duly saved the spot kick as he had an age to see it from a mile out. However, we seemed to up our game in the second half and after a sloppy kick off in which we somehow gifted the hosts a chance I felt we were on top through out and the lead we deserved was given to us by Charlie when he drilled home an unstoppable drive from the edge of the area after excellent work by Aron and Dylan who won the ball back and worked it to Charlie to enable him to have his strike at goal.  We then went on to boss the half and should have been two up after Aron’s shot bounced up over the keeper and seemed to hit the roof of the net but unfortunately for us it wasn’t clear enough for the referee to award the goal.  We weren’t to be denied thought and Charlie prodded us into a two goal lead when he stabbed home fro close range following a bit of a goal mouth scramble when we wouldn’t let the home side clear a throw in.  The only blot on the landscape was when we conceded with virtually the last kick of the match by allowing a long punt up field to find its way to the oppositions striker by missing our clearances and he duly obliged by striking the ball low into the corner against a very exposed Owen in goal.  But this was a very good win that was earned by working extremely hard and was just rewards for the lads.   The second match started in excellent fashion with us firmly on the front foot and after spurning a couple of early opportunities we grabbed the lead we deserved when Cam headed home from an excellently worked short throw in.  However, the hoped for dominance did not materialise and the half seemed to peter out but there was a bit of controversy and confusion right at the end when Charlie rounded the keeper and despite his effort on goal ending up in the net it was unclear if this was by being placed between the post or slipping in behind the post via a gap in the net.  It was unclear from where I was stood and after initially awarding the goal the referee changed his mind and gave a goal kick but from speaking to the players and spectators it still seems unclear as to what was the correct decision but maybe the fact of the matter is that if the goals and nets are erected and attached correctly such minor (well actually major) details would be established at source. Our half time chat centered on this decision and after telling the players to forget it and make it not matter by attacking and getting a second goal I was delighted they actually listened and did just that when Charlie stabbed home again to put us two up and put to bed the confusion at he end of the first half.  The goal seemed release us from our nerves and we were very on top for the rest of the half and Cam prodded home a third to seal an excellent 3-0 win. Today was an excellent response to what I felt was two weeks of pretty poor performances and hopefully it will give us the springboard to go on a good run until the end of the season.  Man of the match was a very tough decision.  Going through each player in turn, Owen had a very good and game in goal first game and was as safe as we could wish and was also solid at the back in the second, whereas Alex was very similar in clearing all the danger that came his way in the first match at the back and being dependable in goal in the second match and his save at the beginning of the second half of the second match was crucial in us being able to go on and grab our 3-0 win.  Ryan was his usual superb dependable self at the back in both games and his presence at the back is irreplaceable as he offers everything a manager could want as he never bottles a tackle and is also always looking to set up an attack.  Morgan was dependable as every when called upon at the back and put in one superb sliding tackle when an M&G attacker seemed certain to be clear.  Aron and Dylan put in their best performances for a long time as both battled to win the ball back and also used the ball well when they won it back.  It was nice to see both these boys back to the level we know they are capable of after some very quiet performances.  Fin was his usual brilliant self and although he didn’t score his threat is always there and he showed his importance to the team in that he brings other players into the game and his unselfish running and passing did create so many opportunities for his team mates.  Charlie and Cam were excellent in midfield and attack.  Cam is our ball player and is usually central to everything that is good about our football and his willingness to always receive the ball is invaluable and his ability to turn and run with the ball is simply brilliant.  I know he was upset about missing the penalty but he should not be worried as every great player misses them (even I was known to miss one or two for Rossett Villa FC) and he was made to take his from so far out it was laughable.  Charlie never stopped running and his energy really in invaluable and his strike in the first game to put us a goal up was sublime and his other goals today showed his predatory instincts.  I know Charlie likes to play in midfield, especially on the left, but I feel his so much better when in the centre of what is going on and at the forefront of attacks but his willingness to work for the team is a dream for me as a manager and must be for his fellow players.  Xander was given the captaincy for the day for his superb performance last week and I felt his displays of late had warranted this and his display today was excellent as he never stopped working and he was so unfortunate not to score with a couple of efforts that were deflected wide. But man of the match was awarded to win for what I felt were two brilliant disciplined displayed,  His performance in the first match was so brilliantly understated it was so telling that I felt I had to put him back on to secure the midfield whilst his display in the second match was just immense.  He was everywhere and did not miss a tackle, pass, header or interception and although the work he put in may have seemed unspectacular it was absolutely vital for the team and without this industry the opposition would have been on top of us. Today was an excellent return to winning ways for us but more importantly it was a return to very good performance levels that have been lacking lately.  It was so pleasing to see the lads dig in and fight for the victories today and let’s hope we can go on a run of excellent performances and results from now until the end of the season.   Today we made the short trip to Gresford to play our closest rivals Marford & Gresford where a few of our players were playing for bragging rights at school the following Monday. A lovely sunny yet frosty morning made for a great chance for everyone to enjoy some football, the only disappointment was how narrow the pitches were that they'd set up, it meant that there was no room at all to play which made the games very hard for some of our lads who like the ball at their feet to be able to work the opposition. I had a full team to select from today and knew that we had to start strong and get a grip of the game early on, I gave Freddie the Captains armband today partly hoping it would spur him on even more than just playing his schoolmates. We got going and we were creating opportunitys to get forward straight from the off and it was long before we created a brilliant chance for Luke to get us going. Kai won a long punt out from the M&G keeper and played the ball through the middle to Elliot who spotted that Luke had made a run past him, he held off his marker brilliantly and turned to play a defence splitting pass which Luke collected on his way and raced towards goal looking certain to score the opener the keeper did brilliantly and stood his ground forcing Luke to try to go round him and when he tried to shoot unfortunately it went agonisingly past the post. However there was only 5 mins gone when we found the net, we won a corner on the left and Luke swung it in finding Elliot in the middle of the area who headed home. Three minutes later we made it two when Kai took a throw in from the right wing which got the slightest of flicks towards the far post where Ben was on hand to poke the ball home from close range. Despite numerous chances for both sides the score stayed 2-0 till the break. We started the second half really quickly and Ethan grabbed the first of his brace when Robbie played a long kick out towards the right and Jack Cox won the ball and played a pass up field to Ethan who ran on and beat the keeper with ease. We continued to attack yet found M&G tough to break down. It wasn't until the tenth minute that we made the game safe when Elliot pulled out wide and recieved a ball from Ben, he then ran down the wing and played a pass inside to Ethan who smashed his shot against the crossbar the keeper fumbled and tried to parry the ball away but luckily Ethan had followed his shot in and was on hand to head home from about half a yard out. We saw the game out winninng comfortably 4-0  For the second game we started with the same 8 who started the first match as i was hoping that we could get a healthy lead to enable me to swap and rotate players around, unfortunately we found this M&G side alot more resiliant than the first and they certainly showed why Andy's side had only managed to beat them 2-1 . I can't recall any clear cut chance that we created worth noting and was gutted to see us go a goal down when M&G were pressing us to sit far too deep and it was the ever reliable Jack Bray who unfortunately managed to beat Robbie with a great OG when he smashed his attempted clearance/backpass straight into the roof of the net. The game was really tight and the narrow pitch was really hindering the way we normally try to play and we found ourselves having to work extremely hard to ensure M&G didn't get a second before the break. We managed to get to the whistle just a goal down, during the break i just asked the lads to slow things down and work on closing the ball quicker as we were constantly second to every ball in the first half and also that we were'nt winning any headers in central midfield which M&G were and they were breaking on us too easily. Secondhalf got underway and they seemed to have listened as we were getting the ball down and trying to free Elliot or Ethan but unfortunately M&G were proving a hard side to break down & we were extremely lucky to snatch a equaliser when Ethan launched a long throw into the area close to the near post and luckily for us a M&G player headed the ball up and over the hapless keeper to make it 1-1 with about 8 mins to go, I could see no where to make a change that would benefit the team as all the individual battles going on were so delicatley poised that it concerned me that if I were to swap things around it could upset the balance of the team, although some may have been agrieved by this there was noway I was going to risk loosing the game and was more than happy to see the game out as a draw. We have made it clear on many occaisions lately that if we felt there were times when we needed to play or stick with our strongest side during games that were closely matched we would do so for the benefit of the team and not any one individual, this is hard and over the course of the last 2 seasons we have been managing the sides we have tried hard to make sure the lads get as much playing time as possible. I was extremely relieved whne we eventually saw the game end in a draw. I awarded the Man of the Match to Ben as i felt over the course of the two matches he had worked really hard in defence & midfield.

23rd February – Borras Park rangers (Home) Today we welcomed Borras Park Rangers to Alyn Waters and due to half of their squad being on schoolboy football duty we were back to just playing one game each of 9 a side football as they only had 11 players available.  It must be said Rangers are an excellent squad but then that should be expected as they are selective in who plays for them (that’s not meant to be controversial its just the way it is, the amount of schoolboy players they have proves this, and it was even the case when I used to play youth team football – Borras have always had strong and competitive sides) and we can count ourselves unfortunate to have fallen to two close 0-1 and 0-2 defeats but credit to the opposition they have in the two fixtures we’ve had against them this season been the best side(s) we’ve faced this season and they do play some lovely football.   Andy’s team can count themselves unlucky to have been on the end of a 0-2 defeat today but unfortunately we paid the price for giving away a couple of sloppy goals and also not being clinical enough when we had chances and half chances. Missing Charlie (on schoolboy duty) and Alex (on Wrexham Wembley hunting duty) we had the bare bones for 9 a side and we started quite brightly with only a good save from the visitors goalie keeping Fin’s fierce effort out in the first few minutes.  However, we fell behind when we totally failed to deal with a standard corner and left a Borras player with a free run on goal to head into the far corner.  Not only was the marking and organisation disappointing but also the manner in which we conceded the corner as it came from a clearance that we turned our back on In midfield and rather than attack the ball in the air we tried to flick at the ball and conceded a totally needless corner. We did improve after the break and to be fair I think we were the stronger team in the second half and were unlucky not to draw level when Cam drilled a drive just past the post and Fin fizzed a shot just over the bar.  However, we were undone again when we were again very, very weak and sloppy in the tackle.  We turned our back on a tackle out wide which left the Borras player free roam towards our area and when his cross was spooned up into the air we stood still and allowed their striker to head unopposed into the corner of the net to secure the visitors two goal victory.   Whilst today was an improvement on last weeks poor performance it was, I felt, another disappointing display and below the standards we have previously set ourselves.  Lately we seem to have lost our desire to work hard and battle for the right to earn victories and without this fight, as I keep telling the players, we won’t actually deserve to win matches.   Man of the match was a very close decision between two outstanding performers on the day but was awarded to Owen for a brilliant display in goal and his saves helped keep us in the game at crucial times and thankfully the parent votes backed up my vote.  Ryan ran him close as again he was superb and if he keeps up this performance level he won’t be far away in the shake up at award time at the end of the season.  A special mention should also be given to captain for the day Fin as again he led by example and was our biggest goal threat throughout.   It’s locally derby time against Marford & Gresford next week and hopefully we can get back to winning ways but it must be said there are a few players who need to raise their game quite considerably not only to keep their place in the side but to also be considered for next seasons 11 a side squad.

16th February – Llangollen(Away) On a fine lovely February morning we welcomed Llangollen Youth to Alyn Waters and it was a full mixed bag of results today with wins, a draw and a defeat being recorded as each team enjoyed one victory a piece whilst Rob’s team drew their other match and Andy’s lost to give us a return of 2 wins, 1 draw, 1 defeat from the 4 matches played.   Andy’s team match report could actually be very brief today and just read extremely poor but I’ll endeavor to string some more words together but unfortunately the weather was the only thing fine about the day as we put in two woeful performances with the first game defeat undoubtedly being the worst I have witnessed from any of my Llay teams.  I thought the joy of having a wisdom tooth out on Friday was going to be the only painful event of the weekend that would leave me speechless but on Saturday morning the idea of return to the dentist chair was actually quite appealing.  I know I can sometimes be a bit demanding of the lads in attempts to get the best out of them but today’s performance in the first match was totally unacceptable and I hope it is never witnessed by any of us again.  We were totally outplayed, out fought and out thought by a very good Llangollen side that have improved superbly over the last couple of season.  We were also let down by a terrible attitude with some of the boys seeming to have a feeling that they only had to turn up to win the game which is never the case.  Bizarrely though we could have actually taken the lead early on but for good goalkeeping by the Llan keeper but we found ourselves behind when slack play from a Llan throw in allowed their wide man too much time and space to get his cross in and then we allowed their striker in the area to wriggle free and fire a shot into the far corner.  A terrible goal to concede but the second a few minutes later was equally as bad.  Again we stood off and allowed Llan to get a cross into the area and stood still whilst their striker diverted the ball into the goal.  The second half got slightly better and we pulled a goal back in the most route one fashion you could see.  Owen’s long clearance evaded the Llan defence and Fin ran on to slot home.  We had a few half chances but frankly we didn’t deserve to equalise and yet more inept defending allowed Llan to restore their two goal cushion when we all again stood and watched their striker head home from close range.  I don’t think we actually put two passes together in the match and the tackling was non existent with some of the boys seeming more than happy to even back out of them and although it pains me to say it we got exactly what we deserved out of the match and were soundly beaten by a better side.  After ten straight victories stretching back to November, during which time we conceded just one goal, it was a hugely disappointing way for the run to come to an end. The second match did see an improvement and it was nice to see us bounce back and record a 3-1 win with all of our goals coming in the first half.  Aron got the scoring under way after he and Dylan exchanged a couple of one-twos and Aron’s shot into the top corner was a lovely sweet strike.  Our lead was doubled when Owen stabbed home from close range following good work by Fin and Charlie and the Fin grabbed the third when he fired home from outside the area giving the goalie little chance.  The second half was a bit of a mundane affair and Llan got the goal they deserved when we lost the ball deep in their half and more slack defending allowed their striker to run free and fire past Alex in goal.  We did have a few chances to extend our lead in the second half but a reluctance to pass to each other and try to take players on instead was our undoing. Man of the match was an easy decision today and was deservedly awarded to Fin who did himself proud in both games and was a stand out performer for us all morning, if only all of the lads would have had his attitude this morning !! Apologies for the negative nature of this match report but I think it’s only fair and right that we report accurately not only when the team plays well but also when the team is poor (which is very, very rare).  I’m sure we’ll get back on track in our next fixture and here’s hoping to the start of another long unbeaten run.   Well today we entertained Llangollen at Alyn Waters on a cold but sunny morning. We were half expecting Llan to turn up low on numbers but thankfully they didn’t and we were able to play 8v8 & also have the luxury of having a full strength team to select from. I made Robbie Captain for the two matches today. The first match got underway and we wasted no time in taking the lead when within the first 90 seconds Kai scored what was to be the goal of the day when he came striding forwards from central defence snaked his way past two players and shifted the ball into space ready to let fly with his trusty left foot & boy did he let fly, letting fly with the sweetest of strikes that left the keeper with no chance as it flew past him into the top right corner of the goal. The lads seemed to be roused by this and we were knocking the ball around with real confidence & some of the movement was really pleasing to watch, it wasn’t long before we were 2 up when Lewis who was showing signs of an early night made good work to get to the by-line of the left wing and win a corner which Jack Bray swung in and the ball made its way to the far post where Elliot was on hand to tap in.  A minute or so later another fine move was put together when Nat & Jack Bray worked the ball well between them to find Elliot who beat his man and his cross in from the left found Lewis coming in and he slotted home with a neat right footed shot . The goals were coming thick and fast and it was 4-0 a minute later when Freddie & Ethan exchanged passes & Ethan laid the ball into Kai’s path as he came  surging forwards yet again and he smacked his shot at goal and was unlucky to see it to hit the upright but fortunately Luke had kept his run going and gambled on a possible loose ball etc and stabbed home the rebound. We had a slight pause in goals as Llan tried to contain a rampant Llay team. However the chances were still being created and it was nice to see Lewis & Jack Cox playing some of their best football of the season to date and it was these two who almost made a nice goal between them when Nat won the ball in defence and stoked it forward to Lewis who showed real composure and strength to beat a marker and got his head up to spot Jack running in from the right wing and he slid a pass between two Llan defenders but unfortunately Jack couldn’t quite get his shot on target and the ball went wide, however on 12 min’s Jack did get his goal his first half performance deserved when Ethan received a ball down the left from Jack Bray and he played it infield to Kai who then slid a nice pass into the area where Jack Cox was on hand to stroke it home. It looked like we’d finish the half in real command but unfortunately just on the stoke of halftime we conceded a silly goal when the ever reliable Nat found he couldn’t play it forwards so he tried to lay it back for Robbie but he unfortunately let the ball slip through his hands and his legs and a Llan player was quick to pick the ball up and slot it home into a gaping empty net leaving Robbie lying on the ground in despair. We started the second half a lot slower than the first & looked a different side for  a long period and this gave Llan something to build on and they grew in confidence and started to pass the ball around like we had in the first half, although we were still creating some good chances just not converting them with such ease, Luke almost got his second of the day when some fantastic work from Ben & Freddie down the right saw Ben knocking a lovely pass down the wing which Ethan raced onto and crossed the ball low into the area which saw Luke arriving a second too late when all he had to do was to get the slightest of touches on the ball to divert it past the keeper. Another sweet move saw Luke and Ethan combine again and it was Luke this time who worked his magic and got past a couple of defenders and passed the ball to Ethan but unfortunately his effort hit the side netting. We got the 6th goal 2 minutes before the final whistle when Elliot & Jack B  exchanged passes in midfield and Elliot wipped the ball out to Lewis on the right wing he then sent in a lovely cross which Ethan tapped in at the far post. The second match didn’t go quite so well and we found ourselves facing a much more organised side that had just beaten Andy’s side 3-1. During the first half we didn’t get into our rhythm and had to fight hard for every ball, that said we did create a few half decent chances but found their keeper in good form and failed to make the breakthrough. On 8 minutes we went a goal down failing to deal with some excellent Llan pressure. We held on to halftime and went into the break just 1 goal down. I explained to the lads that we needed to up a gear and return to how we played the first half of the first game and start finding ourselves with better passes. The halftime team talk seemed to work and on 6 minutes we drew level when some great defensive work by Nat and Kai stopping a Llan attack between them and Nat came away with the ball then finding Luke in midfield he then spread the play to Elliot and he skinned his marker and played a peach of a through ball for Ethan to run onto, he saw his first effort brilliantly blocked by the keeper but was sharp enough to stay alert and pounce on the rebound .  The rest of the game was really end to end and drew gasps from both sets of supporters as both sides fought hard for a winner,it wasn’t to be and the game ended 1-1, which overall was probably a fair result. I awarded Man of the Match to Luke, as he worked hard for the team today and was instrumental in a lot of the moves which led to the goals and in the second half of the final game was determined in the tackle showing real desire to win the game.

9th February – Brickfeild (Away)   Today saw us make the trip through town to Court Road for our visit the home Brickfield Rangers who are also the current FAW Community Club of the Year, taking over privilege that was warded to ourselves in 2011.  Unfortunately Brickfield could only field 10 players therefore we were faced with a choice of playing two fairly meaningless games of 5 a side or each of our teams only playing one game of 9 a side against the one team Brickfield had available and after a brief discussion between both teams sets of coaches we settled on the 9 a side format. After watching Rob’s team unluckily lose 0-1 it was the turn of Andy’s team to take on a very good, competitive Brickfield side and we knew we would have to start well in order to set the tone for our performance and I think it’s fair to say that the lads didn’t disappoint.  We were on the front foot from the off and found ourselves a goal to the good on the stroke on 60 seconds when Will expertly found the far corner of the net from about ten yards out after excellent work by Charlie, Cam and Fin created the space for Will to compose himself and apply the neat finish.  With the pitch getting heavier and even boggier by the minute we used the width extremely well and moved the ball delightfully and only a mixture of good defending and goalkeeping by Brickfield prevented us from extending our lead further before the half time interval. The second half brought much more of the same and I think our range of passing and ability to move the ball around took its toll on a Brickfield team that had already played once and we spent much of the second half in the attacking third of the pitch with only a handful of corners troubling our tight defence and Robbie In goal for us.  The decisive second goal came midway through the half when Cam, who was excellent throughout, won the ball in midfield and despite the keen attention of the Brickfield player a wriggled free to set Fin clean through and hecoolly slotted the ball home for the goal his all round display deserved.  We went close on a few more occasions but unfortunately couldn’t add to our two goal advantage and the game finished with us deservedly 2-0 winners. Man of the match was an extremely tough choice.  Robbie was confident and composed in goal and his distribution out to the wings was excellent.  The defensive trio of Morgan, Alex and Ryan was absolutely brilliant with Morgan dogged as ever in the tackle, Alex marshaled the back line superbly and won every ball he went in for and was as solid as always whilst Ryan continued his excellent form this season with another masterful display in closing down the attackers, winning the ball and turning defence into attack with his effortless ability to bring the ball out from the back.  The midfield four was equally as effective and impressive with Will performing the deeper role with outstanding maturity and his calmness on the ball is priceless and his goal was great reward for his hard working performance.   On the wings we had Aron and Charlie and they were absolutely tremendous in pulling the opposition out wide and their constant probing and crossing was always a danger whilst they also worked in helping the defence out by working back whenever we were on the back foot.  Fin lead the line up front quite superbly and the goal he got in the second half was just rewards for his excellent display and on another day he maybe would have got more but he did come up against a goalkeeper in excellent form.  The award though went to Cam who I felt enjoyed probably his best game of the season as he was magnificent from start to finish and was involved in everything and everywhere on the pitch.  His ability to win the ball back and then beat a man and find a team mate in space is a joy to watch and I doubt if a better 30 minute individual performance has been witnessed anywhere in the league this season. Whilst it wasn’t ideal that we could only play one game each this morning it was very pleasing to see that the players and parents of both teams were there to support each other but hopefully we’ll get back to normal 8 a side mini football next week at home to Llangollen.

4th February 2013 – Brymbo (Home)   On a beautiful sunny winter morning down at Alyn Waters Country Park it was back to playing the beautiful game of football again after an enforced two week break caused by the recent snow and what an impressive return to action it was as we recorded a clean sweep of four wins against very good opposition in Brymbo Lodge who are always impressive opponents that keep on improving from one fixture to the next.   Andy’s team first match was a close well fought encounter in which we had to work hard to come out as 2-0 winners.  Once everyone had eventually arrived for kick off, we did something we frustratingly don’t do often -we started extremely brightly and were on the front foot from the off, not sure of the was by luck or the lads took on board what their manager said to them, but it was pleasing to see and we certainly reaped the benefits.  After dominating the early exchanges and missing a couple of half chances we took the lead when Charlie drilled home from the edge of the area into the far corner.  The goal was great reward for our patience as we kept the ball extremely ell whilst probing the oppositions defence until an opening was created and when he sniffed the chance Charlie took his goal brilliantly.  The second goal wasn’t long in coming along and arrived when Ryan latched on to a clearance from a corner and lashed an effort goal wards which was diverted into the net by Aron, again it was a pleasing goal that came from us keeping the ball alive when the opposition were maybe thinking they had cleared the danger.  The second half was an even affair with us going close a few times to extending our lead and Brymbo also troubling our goal but each attack was either snuffed out by our defence of Morgan and Ryan, who were excellent throughout, or they cam up against a goalkeeper in Owen who was on in top form.  The most pleasing aspect of the win though was how well we controlled the game with the lads in midfield really controlling the game with our ball retention being excellent which centered on Dylan and Cam controlling the pace of the game from the middle of the park.   Our second match was a much more open encounter and I think it’s fair to say Brymbo were the better side for much of the first half and without a number of excellent saves by Owen in goal we might have found ourselves in a position where the game might have been beyond us.  Brymbo deservedly took the lead two thirds of the way through the first half after we fell asleep at a set piece and never recovered to defend the situation properly and left two of their players totally free at the far post and once the ball arrived with them the goal that followed was inevitable.  It was a very disappointing goal to concede following a very impressive run of 8 consecutive clean sheets.  The goal though did seem to stir us into a reaction, which was pleasing to see, and we quickly levelled the score when Charlie hooked home after the Brymbo goalie unfortunately spilled a corner and we went onto the half time interval all square.  We seemed to up our game quite considerably in the second half and after dominating the half we took the lead in very fortunate circumstances when Brymbo scored an own goal.  The goal came about through Charlie not giving up and what seemed a lost cause and after being forced out very wide by the oncoming goalie his ball back across the area took a wicked deflection off a defender rushing back agonisingly crept a couple of foot over the line before the goalie could manage to pull it back.  Our second half dominance was confirmed a few minutes later when Ryan riffled home when the ball dropped at his feet from a corner and he made no mistake when he hammered it into the roof of the net to secure our 3-1 victory. Man of the match today was a tough decision as they were a number of outstanding performances.  Owen was splendid in goal and his saves in the first half of the second match very much kept us in the game.  Morgan and Ryan were excellent at the back together with Ryan not losing a tackle all game whilst his ability to bring the ball out from defence is invaluable and hugely impressive, and Morgan, who was captain for the day, enjoyed arguably his best performance of the season as he was dependable and like his defensive partner didn’t lose a tackle all morning.  Our midfield was also very impressive, with Dylan and Cam being instrumental in all our good passing moves from the centre of the park.  Aron added excellent industry and whilst Xander worked the right wing superbly and his crossing was always a threat.  Charlie and Fin rotated between left wing and striker duty and both performed each role superbly and were always a threat.  Fin maybe didn’t get the goal his unselfish running deserved whilst Charlie have us the vital lead in the first match and equaliser in the second then forcing the own goal that gave us the lead.   A very satisfying return to action with two hard fought excellent wins and let’s hopes we can continue or current winning run of 9 wins on the trot away at Brickfield next week but we’ll have to be on top form to do so against such good opposition.   Nice to be back in action this weekend after having the last 2 weekends called off due to the snow. Today we welcomed Brymbo Lodge to Alyn Waters, a well run club whose teams always give us a run for our money & today proved to be no different albeit we managed to win all 4 games but not without knowing we'd been in a game. Just Elliot missing for me today due to having a chesty cough which affected his ashmer although Rich did say Elliot tried hard to give himself a fitness test to determine if he felt he'd be able to make it but unfortunately Elliot decided he best not run the risk. The first game got under way and both sides showed some neat touches & passing play although not many clear cut scoring opportunitys were created. Ethan was working hard upfront and harrassing the Brymbo defenders, Luke,Freddie & Lewis across midfield were trying to get forwards to support him as much as possible but the Brymbo lads were equal to us in most areas. Yet again Kai was marshalling the defence with great ability & we looked strong at the back. The first half flew by without any real chance to note created. Second half we started on the front foot and a great team move saw us go 1 up, Nat tenaciuos in the tackle won a ball on the right and got his head up to spot freddie free in midfield and slida through ball into him, Freddie then spotted Ethan out wide on the right and swung the ball out to him, Ethan whipped in a peach of a cross and found Luke at the far post who just had to guide the ball home. still Brymbo fought hard and made Kai,Nat & Jack Bray(Captain for today) work extremely hard to protect Robbie. Freddie started to look tied so Ben came on on the right & Lewis swapped with Jack Cox & thankfully we kept our shape and kept pushing hard for the equaliser,that said it took us right until the final minute to secure the win when again Ethqn worked hard out wide and sent in a low cross which Brymbo failed to clear & the ball found its way to Ben ant the far post & he poked home from close range to make sure we won 2-0. I don't remember too much to write about for the second game as I had to reff the match and it's not so easy to see things in the thick of the action, however we did manage to get in the lead early on when Luke struck after great work from Nat & Ben out wide who exchanged passes and Ben found Luke in space to score. Kai stepped forward into midfield,Jack B moved into central defence & Ethan went out on the left wing. We kept pressing but this Brymbo side were very organised and at times had us pegged back and it looked like they might have snatched a goal but it was Llaywho got a second when Kai picked up a loose ball and surged forward before unleashing a trademark left foot shot which took a slight deflection on it's way into the net. The second half was a real slog yet we dug in and Nat & Jack Bray worked their socks off to get a foot into every challenge they could. To their credit Brymbo gave us a real go but we held firm & won 2-0. My man of the match was yet again a close decision between 2 lads (Jack B & Nat) And i gave it to /Nat as he continued his fine form against Bala where he almost won it there. Everyone of the lads excelled themselves today and were a real credit to Llay in the manner that they played. Here's looking forward to Brickie (away) next week.

12th January 2013  – Bala (Away)   After a relaxing and thoroughly well deserved mid season break of a month it was time to get back to football and what better place to start than a mouthwatering trip to Bala on a freezing cold January weekend morning.  After spending the week intensely monitoring the weather forecast and performing various snow and ice dance routines it became pretty obvious that the inevitable was going to happen and the match would be on and we would have no alternative but to make the winding trip to the picturesque town of Bala and just hope that enough players didn’t succumb to travel sickness to enable us to play to our full potential and enjoy the trip.  Once we made it through the blizzards and bends we arrived at a very cold Ysgol Berwen on a cloudy morning and it was time for the players to pull on their new Christmas boots (worryingly a lot of them were pink in colour L ) and kick off the second half of our season in style.  And thankfully that’s exactly what we did in gaining four out of four impressive wins against good hard working opposition.   Andy’s team first game was an entertaining game in which all of the lads worked and battled hard and it was these qualities that formed the foundations for a resounding 5-0 victory.  Again adopting our new tinkered formation we were on the front foot from the first whistle and after spurning a few half chances Will grabbed the first goal with an excellent finish into the top corner from just inside the imaginary penalty area.  Cam, who was instrumental throughout the game, notched himself an excellent first half hat trick with goals created by a mixture of brilliant passing and moving and also superb running with the ball and all three finishes were neat and tidy giving the Bala goalie no chance.  With a comfortable half time lead of four goals we moved players around in the second half whilst also rotating the subs a number of times to save the lads getting too cold on the side lines as the chill was fairly bitter (I doubt any of the travelling Llay supporters and parents could still actually feel their feet by now – I know I couldn’t) and whenever Bala did mount an attack they found a solid defence typified by a superb Alex who didn’t miss a tackle and on the odd occasion they did break through Owen was thankfully warm enough and in fine form to pull off a couple of good saves.  We only added one more goal in the second half which was a well worked move that ended with Dylan excellently drilling the ball home into the bottom corner from what I imagine was the edge of the area. After a quick turn around between matches we again started the second match brightly and Fin quickly fired us ahead with his first goal of the day after he seemed destined not to score such was his misfortune in front of goal in the first match, during which he hit every part of the Bala goalie and each post.  Cam carried on where he left off in the first game by rounding off neat interplay to stroke home our second and Fin rattled in a third with a rasping finish to give us a commanding three goal lead at half time.  Again we changed things around in the second half and rotated the subs as by now icicles were forming on everyone on the sidelines and teeth were certainly chattering (makes a difference from the usually chattering that goes on though I suppose) and despite being in total control we just couldn’t add to our goal tally but I think its fair to say that the hard work we put in during the first half did seem to take its toll on some tired legs on heavy winter pitches. Today was an excellent return to action as it’s always worrying how a long break can affect the players but I think it’s fair to say it appeared that the lads had actually missed playing such was their appetite today.  Alex continued his excellent recent form and deservedly won the man of the match award as his performance in the first match was superb as he battled hard, never lost a tackle and his enthusiasm seemed to rub off onto the team and set the tone for our hard working performance, and he also kept a clean sheet in the second game, although its fair to say he didn’t have too much to do but when he did he pulled off good saves which showed excellent concentration.  Morgan was tenacious in the tackle and helped keep the visitors at bay whilst Ryan was his excellent reliable self both in defence and midfield and as ever he gave his all which is always a joy to see (and coach).  Will was tireless and proved a strong link between the defence and midfield but when he did roam forward he linked the play to the forwards superbly and with a bit more luck in front of goal he could have easily added to the one goal he did score.  Aron as always worked hard in midfield and won the ball back for us on numerous occasions and given the fact that he was clearly feeling off colour his performance and effort was extremely meritable.  Xander enjoyed an excellent game and provided us with valuable width and his crossing was dangerous as he continually attacked their full backs.  Dylan also worked tirelessly in midfield and his range of passing when we won the ball back set up numerous attacks and his endeavor and willingness to get forward was rewarded with this excellent goal at the end of the first match.  Owen performed admirably in goal in the first match as he made a number of notable saves at times in both halves of the first game and his quick thinking and distribution helped set up many counter attacks that caught the opposition off guard whilst he was also solid in defence and midfield in the second match and continuously won the ball back for the team.  Finally Cam and Fin were absolutely tremendous and ran Bala ragged for the duration of both games.  I doubt any other team in our league possess two such dangerous players whose ability to run with the ball is a delight to watch and they not only create chances for themselves but also for their team mates and its not unfair to say that whenever one, or both, are not on the pitch there are sorely missed. All in all an excellent return to the pitch and let’s hope this fine form can continue long into 2013.     Well both Andy and I doubted that this game would go ahead today as the weather didn't look too good, however we were proved wrong !! So we set off for the twisty turny drive through the beautiful welsh scenery and made our way to Bala. Once again schoolboy football took over and robbed us of Charlie,Robbie and Ethan, so I was down to 9 today and half expecting to end up playing against 6 or 7 knowing how Bala struggle to field a full side ! As we approached Bala the sleet began to come down & Icouldn't help thinking i should perhaps stayed in bed !!! Anyway their coach began setting up the goals & marking out the pitch albeit it was extremely narrow ! We soon sorted that and added a extra 10 yards to the width. The first game got underway & we started off with Freddie in goal in the absence of Robbie. As usual we started off too slowly & Bala caught us on the break and nicked a goal inside 3 minutes however this seemed to spark us into life & from then on we started producing some excellent football with Kai,Elliot & Luke all starting to stamp their authority on the game and were pulling the Bala defence all over the place & on 7 mins they produced the goods when Elliot drifted out to the left beat the on coming defender & slid the ball infield to Luke who shot low & hard but the keeper managed to get a hand to it & parried it out only for it to fall at Ell's feet & he made no mistake from about 3 yards. We continued to pass the ball around really well with Jack Bray & Lewis linking well down the left & Kai having yet another commanding game as Captain at the heart of the defence stopping everything that came his way on the ground yet better still & most pleasing for me was the way he headed the ball when it came via the aerial route.It was good movement by Lewis & Jack Bray that saw Jack pick up a pass from Lewis & cut inside & slotted a sweet pass to Elliot out on the right who stormed forwards & struck a shot at goal which beat the keeper at his near post. Four mins later & right on the stroke of halftime Elliot made it 3 after great work by Kai who sent out a lovely ball to Luke who skipped past 2 Bala players & played Elliot in who again smashed his shot past the keeper at his nearpost. The 2nd half got underway & it took just a minute & a half for us to get our fourth goal when Nat (who was having a great game at rightback) made a surge down the wing & played Ell in who crossed in low & Lewis was on hand to stab the ball home from close range. Bala rarely threatened Freddie in goal and anytime they did manage to get forwards the excellent defensive trio of Kai,Nat & Jack B were able to deal with it with ease, with about 3/4 of the half gone Jack B brought the ball out of defence & played the ball out to Luke who brushed his marker aside & headed for the corner before swinging in a lovely cross which Elliot duely placed his shot beyond the hapless keeper, that was the end of the scoring for this match & we saw the game out to win 5-1. We swapped pitches & keepers as Jack Bray replaced Freddie in goal & the 2nd match started but we seemed to have left all our footballing ability on the other pitch as virtually everyone of our players struggled to get a hold on the game and kept giving the ball away, we found ourselves going a goal down & what a silly goal it was too !Probably one of the few occaisions Bala managed to get beyond Kai & co saw a Bala player shoot from about 15 yrds & Jack parried the ball away only to see it hit Freddie and fall just right for thier player to stab home from 2 yrds. We played in much the same way right through to halftime creating very little worth noting. Although i must say had it not been for Kai & Nat having fine games we would probably have been more than 1 goal behind. 2nd half started & things looked a bit better as we swapped Freddie for Luke in central midfield to see if Luke could work his magic down the wing & 6 mins in it paid off as he won a corner after a fine run down the wing & cross saw their defender put the ball behind the line, he then sent in the corner & again it was Elliot on hand to smash the ball home for the equaliser (the crowd went wild....well Me and Paul did) we continued to battle hard from here on in and i think the players sensed the tension from the supporters and it looked like the game would end in a draw until on 14 mins Kai stormed forwards & played a lovely 1-2 with Luke & sent an unstoppable left foot shot straight into the top corner for the winner. My man of the match was very very close between two lads (Kai & Nat) however Kai just nicked it with the way he set up & finished the winning goal.

8th December 2012  – Garden Village (Home)   For our final fixture of 2012 it was back to where we started this season by playing Garden Village in the return game at Alyn Waters and for the first time ever we did not accommodate the opposition’s lack of numbers by playing 8v7.  Although this could be seen as a controversial stance we do need to appreciate that time and time again we have had to reduce our playing numbers due to the opposition not having enough players (its happened more times in the first half of this season than it did in the whole of last season) and whilst it could be deemed as unfair to the opposition I would suggest it is equally unfair on our lads to be asked to sit out games through no fault of their own.  So apologies to the Garden Village coaches, players and parents if this was an unpopular move but I think it’s a stance we will have to take for the remainder of the season after bending over backwards for various opposition for the last few season, and equally if for some reason we would not have enough players one week I would not expect the opposition to reduce their numbers to accommodate us,   Anyway onto the football and firstly it must be noted how much Garden Village have significantly improved since our meeting on the opening day of the season.  Whilst we came out on top in all four games today the matches were a lot closer and could easily have gone the other way on another day.   Andy’s team first match was a very close affair with the score being deadlocked at 0-0 at half time and this was mainly due to the fact that Alex had pulled off a truly brilliant save midway through the half to keep the visitors at bay.  Thankfully though we didn’t panic and kept calm, this is probably down the fact that Dan was running the team today in Andy’s absence, and surely enough the goals duly arrived during a more one sided second half.  Fin opened the scoring early in the second half and further goals from Aron and Cam gave the scoreline a more comfortable appearance than maybe it justified but great credit to the lads for keeping going and not panicking.   The second match saw one the finest displays Alyn Waters has ever witnessed – Andy’s debut as referee whilst Dan stayed in charge !!  I don’t think I actually put a foot wrong and the athleticism shown was truly remarkable.  But onto the match and we came out of the blocks flying and raced into an early lead and didn’t stop all half, reaching a 5-0 scoreline before the half was brought to an end for well deserved refreshments.  The second half was a slower affair and I think it’s fair to say the heavy pitch was taking its toll on the performance level but we added another two goals to end up 7-0 victors.  The goals came from a Cam hat trick, a brace from Charlie and one each from Fin and Xander.   Man of the match was Cam for two hugely impressive displays.   (Apologies to players and parents that this match report isn’t as detailed as usual but it actually been written in Jan 2013 and not during the evening after the game due to the parents Christmas meal)   All in all an excellent end to 2012 and here’s hoping 2013 will be even better.   Well this was our 3rd home game in a row and yet another fine day for football. We welcomed a much improved Garden Village team who played their part in 4 decent games. We were almost back to full strength today our only absentee was Ethan who is doing a good job of dragging his Dad around Wales to play Cricket. Luke was back to full fitness after a nasty bout of the flu virus plaguing us all (although it was My turn now) having him back seemed to gel the side as we looked a lot more creative in our play.    We started really brightly and Luke,Freddie and El were working some neat passes and created on or two decent chances but GV managed to clear their lines, It took us a good 8 minutes to get our noses in front when Elliot managed to get a shot on goal the keeper fumbled and the ball fell kindly for Luke who had followed the shot and poked the ball home from close range. We kept on creating and had Jack C had his shooting boots on he too could have had a couple of goals by the break. Kai who was back in central defence was getting up field as much as he could and was unlucky not to score from a Jack Bray corner. Nat and Ben were enjoying the slightly sticky pitches as they were getting stuck in today and thwarting most of GV's efforts of attack .Just before half time we netted again after great work from Elliot who had pulled away to the left and collected a through ball from Jack Bray he skipped past their full back and sent in a low cross which found Freddie who had time and space to place his shot calmly into the net, within about 20-30 seconds later Freddie found himself running onto another loose ball which GV failed to clear and he stabbed home for his 2nd of the game. Just in the nick of time as that was the last action of the first half . 2nd half got underway and we continued to create plenty of chances although we seemed to find it hard to convert any of them. At times we let GV have too much time on the ball yet thankfully they failed to really threaten Robbie in goal, right on the stroke of full time Ben burst forward and sent in a low cross which GV failed to clear and thankfully Lewis was in the right place at the right time and stabbed home from 4 yards. We ran ou 4-0 winners.   Second match got under way and it took us just over a minute to score when Elliot smashed home to net his first of the day against his former club. It seemed like we were playing GV's stronger team as they were passing the ball around well. Yet we were 2-0 up after 2 1/2 mins when Elliot slid the ball into Luke from the left and he slotted home for his 2nd of the day. We created plenty more chances throughout the half with kai coming close a few times yet getting frustrated with himself when his effort was just off target, Jack C also had a few chances to grab a couple of goals but unfortunately as I said earlier it appeared he'd left his scoring boots at home today. Second half got underway and there were just 2 mins on the clock when Luke got his 3rd of the day with a fine solo effort, he received a pass off Freddie just inside the GV half and turned to run at their defence only to loose it to his marker, however the pleasing part was the way he chased back and won the ball back out on the right wing right on halfway line with a fine sliding tackle and he then raced infield towards goal and tricked his way past 2 Gv players before finding the bottom righthand corner with a low effort. With just 5 mins remaining Elliot finished off his days scoring with yet another fine finish after some great team work, he passed the ball wide to Nat who beat his man and fed Luke down the right who in turn skipped round an onrushing GV player and crossed in for Elliot to control well and smash the ball home. Lewis then grabbed his second of the day when he drove the ball home from a sweet ball in off Ben from the left wing . Two very good team performances today where every player was on their game and appeared to be much more confident on the ball.   My Man of the Match was relatively easy decision today and was awarded to Luke who I have have felt could quite easily have had it a couple of times over the last few weeks and definitely stood out today contributing so much in both the games having assists with goals aswell as grabbing 3 goals himself. My man of the match was Kai, again very much deserved given his performances of late. Hopefully we can continue our form long into the New Year during the 2nd half of the season.

1st December 2012  – Borras (Home)   Today we faced the only team we were yet to play this season as we welcomed Borras Park Albion to Alyn Waters on a cold, fresh morning in a fixture that’s always thoroughly enjoyable with good close games played in the right spirit and that always provide great entertainment.  All four matches didn’t disappoint as we came away with three wins and a loss in tight games that surely warmed the spectators in the wintery conditions.   Andy’s team enjoyed two excellent wins in very good games with us coming out on top 1-0 and 2-0.  Our first match was a bit of a slow burner in that goal scoring chances were few and fair between but both teams played some lovely football as they searched for an opening.  We reverted to two at the back today to enable us to have an extra player in midfield and it definitely worked to our advantage as we had the majority of possession whilst Alex and Ryan were simply superb at the back as they didn’t give the Borras attack a sniff at our goal.  The second half sprang to extra life when we seemed to up a gear and put the visitors defence under constant pressure and we were unlucky not to take the lead when we hit the bar and were unable to convert the rebound.  We pressed and pressed for a breakthrough and were rewarded a couple of minutes from time when Dylan grabbed the crucial goal.  He found some space at the edge of the area and curled a right footed effort towards the far corner, the goalkeeper (who was having an excellent game in goal especially as he wasn’t a regular keeper) was very unfortunate as he seemed to gather the ball but as he landed the ball came loose and agonizingly for the young lad the ball bobbled into the corner.  Thankfully we saw the game out and it was a very satisfying hard fought win that was earned by our never give up attitude and willingness to keep going to the very end.   Our second game was an even better one than the first match with the game very much end to end and lots of goal mouth action.  We took the lead midway through the first half when Fin latched onto a brilliant through ball from Cam, coolly rounded the keeper and firing the ball into the empty net – a classy finish it must be said.  The second half saw us come under a bit of pressure and we had Owen to thank in goal for keeping us ahead as a made a couple of excellent saves, one point blank from a header and the other a diving save to tip a fierce shot around the post.  We managed to gain control of the match again in midfield with Aron and Dylan excelling in the middle of the pitch and Charlie and Cam working wonders out wide.  We doubled our advantage midway through the half when Morgan claimed his first goal of the season, he was in the right place at the right time as he was on hand to expertly slot the ball home after Cam’s thumping drive was parried out by the Borras keeper.  It was hard luck on the goalie as it was an excellent save but he could do nothing about Morgan’s lethal three touch finish (one off the chest and then a touch off each knee J ).  It was great reward for Morgan who was thrust into a forward role due to our change in formation and his willingness to work so hard for the team was a valuable asset today whilst it also now means all of the lads have at least one goal each this season.  We comfortably saw the remainder of the game out as the second goal did seem to take the wind out of the visitor’s sails.   Man of the match was a close decision today between our two outstanding performers of the day – Alex and Ryan at the back.  They were simply superb today and laid the foundations for both our wins that were earned by us working hard as a team and for each other.  However, all the lads should be proud of how well they performed, Owen was safe and confident in goal and made some brilliant and vital saves at important times, the midfielders of Fin, Dylan, Cam, Charlie and Aron were immense in how hard they worked with and without the ball and their passing was also excellent on a very sticky pitch, and Morgan enjoyed one of his most effective performances in a Llay shirt as he worked tirelessly up front by occupying the Borras defenders, winning and holding up the ball then bringing his teammates into play.  The award though went to Alex as he really was a giant at the back for us and I genuinely don’t think he lost one tackle today and brought the ball out from the back very well too.   Another decent days weather graced us at the waters this morning albeit a tadge frosty, the pitches were perfect and ready for the visit of Borras Albion a team/club who we always have some great games of football against and today was another fine example.   A couple of absentees for me today, Ethan who was away with Welsh cricket, Nat who was getting over the virus/Flu that has plagued the area over the last few weeks and Luke who was still trying to shake his off after a two week dose. So we were down to the bare bones of 8 and no subs. We started with El was today playing central midfield with Lewis furrowing away up front. Whilst we were seeing a lot of the ball we weren't pressurizing the Borras goal enough and we saw it through to halftime goaless. We started the second half brightly and seemed very comfortable with the ball creating a few half chances which Lewis and Jack C were unfortunate not to take advantage of. Jack Bray was having yet another solid game at the back and when we won a corner came over and swung in many fine balls but we just didn't show enough gile to stick our head on the end of any. After about 5 mins of the half I decided to put Kai up top to give them something different to think about and it certainly started to show signs of a good move to make as we were starting to have a few more pops at goal. We got our noses in front with 4 mins left to play when we won a couple of corners in quick succession and again Jack B put in some sweet crosses, it was from the 2nd one that we scored with Elliot showing the others how to do it once again with a powerful header into the top corner. We held firm and saw the game out to win 1-0.   The Second match was pretty much the same except this Borras side seemed more composed on the ball than the first side did. We fell behind midway through the first half to a silly goal which could have been avoided had we cleared a loose ball a lot quicker. Ted played a ball forward from midfield which looked a tadge too hard for the attacker to get onto and Robbie raced forward to clear only to loose his footing and slip on his backside leaving the goal gaping behind him and the ball rolling loose for their lad to slot into the net. Having switched Elliot to play up front we could see Ted was starting to control the game in midfield and everything was going through him ( he was also constantly trying to score the flamboyant goal with overhead kicks etc). We kept on trying hard and held on till half time. 2nd half got underway and we switched Ell back into central midfield to stop the supply to Ted . Kai,Jack and Ben were working hard to stifle any moves Borras came at us with whilst Freddie and Jack C were working up and down the flanks, I felt there was something to be taken out of this game and it looked like we were going to do just that when with 5mins to go it was yet again Elliot who got us level after fine work in midfield by Lewis who slid the ball into El's path and needlessly to say he did the rest by firning low and hard passed the keeper. However there was to be one last twist in the game when Borras had a couple of corners from the right and unfortunately for Robbie whilst trying to palm the ball out and away to safety he hooked it into the roof of the net. We definitely didn't deserve to loose and a draw would have been a much fairer result bit it wasn't to be and we lost 2-1.   My Man of the Match was pretty much a no brainer today and I awarded it to Elliot, had it not been for him we certainly would have been a lot more disappointed. Robbie was Captain today and certainly shouldn't be too despondent with conceding 2 today as neither could be helped.

24th November - Ruthin (Home)    We endured the first frosty start of the season at Alyn Waters this morning for our earlier 10am kick off against Ruthin today (many thanks to Ruthin for agreeing to an early kick off) but thankfully the frost was not that heavy or cold enough that any of us were so keen to warm up that we felt the need to join the mums that went for a jog around the country park !!  On the footballing front we enjoyed a successful morning in winning three and losing one of the four games today with Rob’s team enjoying two good wins and Andy’s team having one big victory but suffering a close defeat.   Andy’s team first game was a strange affair which we unfortunately lost by the slenderest of margins 0-1.  Again we were very slow out of the blocks and I desperately wish I could find a cure for our slow starts as this frustratingly seems to be happening week after week.  The first half was timid to say the least but we did force the visitor’s keeper into a couple of smart saves from long range efforts but we struggled to penetrate their defence and rarely got in behind them.  Hoping for better after the break we unfortunately put in what I feel was our worst 15 minutes of the season as we simply didn’t seem to turn up.  Our passing was poor, sloppy and weak whilst our positional play was pretty woeful to be honest.  I don’t like to be hard on the lads as they do give their all every week but that second half performance was simply notacceptable and hopefully we won’t see the likes of that again but I suppose every team has to have an off day once in a while.  Ruthin’s goal came when we lost possession midway in their half and they broke very well on us and with nobody tracking back from midfield and the defence AWOL their forward was left with the freedom of Alyn Waters to take his time and lift the ball over Alex for the only goal of the game.  The goal though did seem to stir us into a positive response but we failed to create any clear scoring chances and anything that did hit the target was well kept out by the visitor’s keeper who enjoyed a fine game in goal.  As did our own goalie for the day Alex who by far had his best performance of the season in goal and without him the score line would undoubtedly have been larger.  Upon reflection we should have no complaints with the result as the lads should know in football you usually get what you deserve and I’m sorry to say that we didn’t deserve to win this match and hopefully it’ll serve as a learning curve and such an abject performance will not be witnessed again.   We changed formation for the second match and after a tentative first half it seemed to take quite a bit of getting used to but we found our form in the second half and ran out excellent 6-0 winners.  The first half seemed to very much follow the pattern of the first half of the previous game in which not a lot happened and whatever we did hit on target was again easily saved by the Ruthin goalie.  However, for the second half we seemed to be back to our best as we laid siege to the visitor’s goal and at times looked unstoppable.  Charlie got the scoring underway when he finished off a neat interplay of passing which started when Aron won us a throw in close to the corner flag.  The goal should serve as proof that hard work does pay off as Aron’s pressurising in forcing the throw in was fundamental in us being able to get hold of possession and without this the goal would not have been possible.  Will added a second a minute later when he finished off a neat passing move and Aron quickly added a third in very similar fashion.  Fin hammered home a trademark effort for the fourth whilst Aron stabbed home his second of the day a few minutes later.  The final goal came from Cam much to the relief of the Llay fans as it seemed he was destined not to score today and in the end we ran out comfortable 6-0 winners although the score line was quite flattering given the non event that was the first half and Ruthin should count themselves unlucky to be on the end of such a heavy score line.   Man of the match was a tough decision between a couple of stand out performances from Alex and Will today and although it may appear that I’ve been a bit harsh on the team performance this is not the say the lads performed particularly badly on an individual basis, today was just one of those days and not up to our usual high standards.  Ryan brought the ball out very well from the back as usual whilst never backed out of a tackle and Morgan was his dependable self in kicking away everything that came his way at the back.  Charlie never stopped running in midfield or up front whilst Dylan was forever trying to get our passing game going and worked hard.  Aron seemed to enjoy his central role today and got himself into double figures for goals so far this season whilst Fin hustled and bustled hard and created most of the openings that came our way.  Xander enjoyed a good game on the right side of midfield and rarely gave the ball away whilst Cam was as usual central to most of out play going forward and was unlucky with several goal attempts until he bagged himself a goal at the end of the day.  Alex was simply superb in goal and without him that losing margin in the first game would have been greater and we would have been out of sight by half time in the second match without him.  The award though went to Will who seems to be our Mr Consistent and I felt his role in the middle of midfield in the second match was pivotal in us gaining a controlling measure on the game and his calmness on the ball and simple but effective passing really is a joy to watch especially when we need a cool head on the ball and goes to show that passing and moving is not difficult and shold not be over complicated.    Next week sees us at home again against Borras Park Albion and hopefully we can get back to the level we know we’re capable of and get today’s defeat completely out of our system like we did during a very impressive second half of the second match today.   A fresh and Frosty morning down at the waters today, and we welcomed Ruthin Rovers who I'm sure are more than used to the conditions they were about to face   We were down to 9 lads today as Ethan had a school commitment and Ben was away with his Dad.   Elliot who along with Luke were overcoming the effects of a chesty cough/cold this week and were set to miss training on Thurs had it been on. So I was a tadge concerned that given the conditions we all woke up to this morning they too may have suffered and the team would most definitely would have been stretched, thankfully they both made it through both games without any problem.   The first game got underway and I felt we started really well and didn't show any signs that the chilly temperature was going to put a freeze on our performance, lewis started the game on the bench today so we lined up with Robbie in goal, a defensive trio of jack c, jack b and nat then in front of them was luke left mid,Freddie right mid with Kai in the middle and El up top,  we seemed to be getting a lot of joy from the left early doors with both kai and Nat finding Luke who appeared to be in the mood today to tease Ruthin's full back/defence with some of his neat footwork (something he must get off his Mum) and he was putting In some testing crosses for our lads to attack, and it was on 4 mins that after a fair bit off Llay pressure we found ourselves 1 up, Elliot won a corner at the near post which Luke sent into the box for kai to flick on the Ruthin Keeper tried to claim it but could only fumble it away and it fell kindly to El who swept a onrushing defender aside and got the ball onto his famous left foot and smashed it low and hard into the net, we continued to press Ruthin with Freddie working hard along the left and kai having a very effective game in central midfield. Whilst anything that did slip through the two jacks and Nat dealt with it very well. 8 minutes later we were 2 up and it came from a superb move, Freddie battled for a ball down the right and sent in a low cross which Ruthin cleared well upto the halfway line only to see Jack Bray come striding forward and send a sweet volley which flew like an arrow straight at goal, the keeper parried it away to his right and Luke tried to stab home from close range only to see the keeper save it again but this time he could only clear to the edge of his area and was stranded out of his goal when Elliot smashed it from 10 yards into the empty net. We went into the break deservedly 2 nil up and all I had to say to the boys was to keep up the tempo and the passing that we'd showed in the first half and we would be comfy winners as it had been one of the best displays of teamwork we'd showed for sometime. The 2nd half got underway and for 5 mins we did ok but then everything seemed to go a bit flat and we started to loose our shape, giving the impetuous to Ruthin to have a go and for a little while they did exactly that ! Thankfully the lads stood firm and a few little scares aside held out for the win.   2nd match got under way and I felt this Ruthin side thought they were going to walk the match they seemed to have an air of over confidence about them, our lads got at them from the off and were playing the same as they had in the first half of the first match plenty of possession and lot's of hard work, they were really trying hard to knock the ball around and it almost paid off after about 7 mins when Jack Bray who was having a couple of fine games today pounced on a loose ball in our half and knocked it forwards to Elliot who spun his marker brilliantly and played a sweet pass which split two of Ruthins defenders, Luke instinctively knew where El was going to place the ball and raced after it but unfortunately the keeper had also read the pass and rushed from his line to clear the chance , had Luke been a fraction quicker he'd have had a great opportunity to score. Ruthin were also creating chances but kai, Nat and Jack bray held firm. Freddie was working his socks off trying to play from box to box and Jack Cox was starting to get into the game and was putting in some stern tackles. The first half somehow ended goaless.   The second got underway and it took us just 5 mins to go 1 up and what a goal it was too, possibly contender for GOAL OF THE MONTH, Lewis was bustling around harrying Ruthin's players and got his reward when he stole the ball on halfway and slid a peach of a pass to Elliot who went on an amazing run turning left turning right beating about 5/6 Ruthin players before placing a sweet shot into the left hand corner. What a goal to win a game. He almost scored another in pretty nuch the same fashion but his shot went wide.  Ruthin pressed hard for a equalizer but the lads stood firm and deservedly ensured we won the game.   I gave Man of the Match to Jack Cox as I felt he had a steady game trying very hard to help us see out the win sticking his foot into some tidy tackles in the process. Captain today was Elliot and he certainly led with example. A massive well done to all the lads getting two big wins after the disappointment of the Pen Y Cae match. Also a big thanks to Rich Bull for yet again having to Ref both games.

17th November 2012 – Penycae (Home) It was back down the bypass again this week to the land that never seems to be warm again as we went that little bit further South of Rhos to the Afoneitha playing fields of Penycae – the scene of our tournament triumph earlier this year when we beat the hosts to claim their trophy.  We always have tough and close games against Penycae and today was no different when unfortunately we suffered only our second winless week of the season as we drew twice and narrowly lost twice in excellent hard fought games.   Andy’s team first game was an enthralling 2-2 draw in which we fought back from two goals down late on and ended the match very much on top.  The first half was a close cagey encounter with neither team really getting on top or creating clear scoring chances although the home team coach seemed to get very excited when a corner drifted out of play and landed on the back of the net.  The second half was a fantastic 15 minutes of football with both teams deciding to go on the attack in order to try and claim the win.  Penycae took the lead when we allowed their winger far too much space and he was allowed to fizz in a cross which Alex was extremely unfortunate to turn into his own net – such a shame his finishing couldn’t be as dynamic as it was last week at Rhos !!  The game seemed to see-saw with chances coming and going but we found ourselves further behind when we switched off again by waiting for the ball instead of going to receive it and this allowed the home team winger to again nip into acres of space and they then easily moved the ball to each other to create the chance for their striker to score.  Even though each of the players had been rotated in an attempt to rescue the game we made some more substitutions and they paid off as for the remaining 6 or 7 minutes we were absolutely brilliant.  Charlie got us back into the game when he hammered a loose ball home after great pressing from midfield and a minute later Fin got us back on level terms when he absolutely hammered a shot home with his sweet left foot into the bottom corner and all of a sudden the hosts looked shell shocked.  In a frantic finale we swarmed all over the home side and could and maybe should have won when we twice hit the post and only a bobble just before Cam was about the strike the winner prevented us from completing a fantastic comeback as the bobble made Cam hit his shot almost as high as the surrounding trees on the river bank.  A draw was probably a fair result as both teams had spells on top but with us finishing so strongly it was pleasing that we did not give up even at two goals down and finish the game the stronger team. Buoyed from our comeback in the first game we were hoping to kick on in the second but again we seemed to start quite slowly which is worryingly becoming a feature of our play.  Again though there was not much in the game to separate the sides although we had to defend very well and rely on Owen in goal to keep the scores level.  The home side took the lead midway through the half when we failed to clear the ball in the full back position when all we had to do was simply make the ball safe and put it out of play.  We were punished to the full when we fell asleep after we should have cleared the ball and allowed Penycae players too much room and they followed up after an initial shot had been saved.  Very much like the first game we improved drastically after the break and were very much on top.  We drew level when Fin brilliantly scored following a long run when he took on virtually the whole of the Penycae defence and rifled the ball into the bottom of the net after being set up by Xander who cleared well from the back.  With the game equally balanced and us growing in confidence we again fell asleep when we allowed the home team to catch us on the break and instead of chasing back we just stood and watched them swarm forward and even though their initial effort on goal, and the first rebound, were saved the ball broke loose for a Penycae player to shoot into the empty net.  We never gave up though and we threw everything we had at the home side but unfortunately we just couldn’t find the equaliser I think we deserved and sadly Penycae ran out winners. All the lads gave their all today and it’s just unfortunate that we suffered a narrow defeat in the second match when I think it’s fair to say that two draws would probably have been true reflections of the games today.  However, we got punished for some sloppy play and each of the goals we conceded should have been prevented as each came from a mistake from us and I hope this will be something that we will learn from.  But not wishing to be negative our attitude and desire was superb and the last 5 minutes of the first game was easily the best we’d played all season and to be truthful we were absolutely brilliant and unstoppable and if we’d reached that level a bit more today we’d have won both games easily as I doubt any teak could have lived with us at that time.  Morgan was his usual self at the back whilst Alex and Ryan were as ferocious as ever in the tackle.  Aron worked hard and was a major factor in our comeback in the first game when he enjoyed his best performance of the season in that 5 minute spell whilst Dylan and Cam excelled in trying to run the game for us from the middle of the pitch.  Xander was dependable in defence and midfield and keeps improving all the time whilst Will’s work rate, will to win and never say die attitude is exactly what I want in my players.  Charlie worked his socks off and sparked the first game comeback whilst Fin was the pick of the outfield players with his brilliant running with and without the ball and his goals were equally brilliant.  However, man of the match went to our goalkeeper Owen today who was simply outstanding as he pulled off save after save and we wouldn’t have been in a position to mount the first game comeback without his saves in that first match whilst he kept our hopes alive in the second match and he was so unfortunate with both goals in the second match as each was scored whilst we were standing still after he’d saved the initial shots. Although this mornings results were disappointing we were extremely unlucky and shouldn’t be disheartened as with some extra luck we could have won both games but unfortunately Penycae seem to somehow get the better of us but our time against them will come – just as it did when it mattered in that tournament final at their ground last season so keep the faith boys and lets get back to winning ways against Ruthin next week.   The venue down a track on the outskirts of Pen-Y- Cae. Weather set fair, playing conditions good on a slightly sloping pitch in excellent condition. Our lads warmed up as usual as the parents chatted in anticipation of a good game followed by a quiet evening of Strictly come dancing or X factor with a ruby and large glass of vino to wash it down or was that just me! Unfortunately that was about as good as it got. In all my five years of watching Llay this was probably the most disappointed and frustrated I have felt after a match which we could of and should of won . The lads started reasonably well despite a lot of them not taking heed of Andy’s  usual advice in getting an early nights sleep. We took the lead through good work yet again from Kai who took a throw in for Elliot to score with a sweetly taken volley.   From there on we seemed to go backwards with too many of the players thinking the game was won and not doing the simple things like talking, passing and defending properly. Substitutions had to be made to accommodate players and we seemed to loose our shape . This seems to be a re-occurring problem for Rob with players wanting to play out of position or asking to play somewhere they are clearly not comfortable with. Silly mistakes seemed to creep into our play from back to front as Pen-Y-Cae pushed for and equaliser . Robbie despite making good saves was put under pressure by their quick thinking forwards as he was unable to distribute the ball out to the wing backs who at some points didn’t seem to want the ball, this in turn caused him to kick long resulting in us loosing possession in midfield. Llay just didn’t seem up for the fight the effort was there but not the commitment. Pen-Y-Cae deservedly equalized with 5 mins left of the second half and could of won the game but for some poor finishing and good saves by Robbie.   The second game was more of the same and quite frankly we got what we deserved "nothing" . I dont know how Rob held his tongue at half time. Its clear we need to work on keeping the ball and bringing it out from defence . Possession and speed of pass will unpick most teams in this league . Kai for me was the only player to come out of the game with any credit and week after week he is the one trying to urge the lads forward and organize. He in my opinion was man of the match by a country mile. Unfortunately we went down 2 nil loosing possession of the ball numerous times through not looking for a pass or trying to do to much.   The game was bossed by a lad from Pen Y Cae who was probably one of the smallest players on the pitch but was up for a battle that our midfield clearly wasn’t. We need to learn to win the battle against the good teams and then try to play the football. To do this all the lads need to concentrate and listen to the coaches a lot more and show that they want to play for the team . Not much more to say about the games today as I am struggling to think of any positives but as a parent and coach I know what busy lives we all lead but feel if we're to give Rob and Andy any fighting chance of progressing with this team we need to get our lads to bed early and not pressurize them by asking them to play our kids in certain positions they clearly don't suit.    Next season we will be playing 11 a-side and whilst I agree its only a game and perhaps I shouldn’t take it so seriously but nobody likes loosing and already this year we are starting to see that as the lads get older the games become a lot more competitive . I have taken the opportunity this week to put my views forward , they are not the views of Rob who told me he was lost for words after his teams performance.  On the plus side we have another game this weekend against good opposition in Ruthin and I’m sure with a bit of work on the training pitch the problems can be sorted out and we can return to wining ways. Congratulations to Pen Y Cae on a deserved win and come on lads lets bounce back this Saturday. Captain for the day was Lewis and Kai was awarded Man of the match and deservedly so.   Well for me a big massive thanks goes to Andy for being so honest in his views and offering to write up this weeks match report for me. It's really good to get a parents views and perspective of things as a coach/manager it's sometimes hard to see the things in a game that a spectator can let alone remember them to write the report a day or 6 later. This week for the first time ever it's sad to say I was really struggling for something to write about from either game and it disappoints me to say that, knowing what a good bunch of lads I have and the way we usually perform. We now have 3 more games left before the Xmas break so hopefully we can end the first half of the season on a mini unbeaten run and look forward to taking it on long into the 2nd half of the season in the New Year.   Especially as we look towards shaping the squad ready to make the step up to "Big boy's football 11 a-side.

10th November 2012 – Rhos (Away)    With winter woolies at the ready it was time for a trip up to possibly the coldest football field on the planet that’s known to mankind to play Rhos Aelwyd at Grango school and just to throw all our clothing preparations out of the window the sun was shining but I don’t think any of us where fooled into leaving the thermals at home.  When the games got under way it was a case of a 7 a side and 6 a side game due to lack of numbers in the home side but it was goals, goals, goals all the way as our teams recorded a clean sweep of four wins in which we scored 41 goals and conceded just 3.  Andy’s team started the first match on fire and raced into an early lead when Will stroked the ball home after neat exchanges of passes set him free and from that moment on it simply was all one way traffic.  By half time we’d opened up a 9-0 lead and what was most pleasing was we had seven different scorers as Xander (2), Will, Aron, Fin (2) Cam, Charlie and Ryan had all found the back of the net.  Dylan got himself on the scoresheet twice in the second half and that left just Alex being the only player yet to score and for the rest of the game he did everything but score despite all his team mates trying to set him up.  His shots were just off target of being kept out by the goalie’s elbow, knee, finger tips, shoulder….basically anything he could throw in the way.  Not even the bounce was going with him as even Rhos got on the scoresheet with an own goal. The second match started in much the same fashion as the first when we took an early lead through Aron but we were quickly pegged back when casual play at the back allowed the Rhos player to wriggle free and his weak shot took adeflection off Cam to beat Charlie at the near post.  We were soon back in front though when Aron again hammered the ball home and a quick fire double from Xander and a neat finish from Cam gave us a commanding 5-1 half time.  The second half of this game was pretty similar to that of the first match as we moved the players around from their usual positions and spent the next 15 minutes trying to set Alex up for a goal but again his luck was completely out.  To be honest I think Alex could have stayed there all week and wouldn’t have scored as such was his bad luck in front of goal today.  Not even him clattering into the keeper at least twice and smacking the ball into the keepers face and giving him a nose bleed whilst we all held our breath waiting for the net to bulge could help him - although I am hasten to add that these clatterings and ball in the face incidents were completely accidental on Alex’s part.  We did manage to add a further three goals in the second half through Charlie, Will and Dylan but we did also disappointingly concede again towards the end of the match when we had completely abandoned the idea of defending and left Cam totally exposed in goal. Man of the match was its usual tough decision and could have been won by any one of the lads.  We passed and moved very well at times today but also we were guilty of switching off, taking it easy and even being lazy at times and it could be said that we also got a tad bit selfish in front of goal but, without wishing to be disrespectful to hard working opposition who never gave up at all, I think its fair to say that it was slightly understandable.  The award went to Dylan though who has been back to his best in recent weeks and he passed and moved the ball quite brilliantly today and was a thoroughly deserving winner of the award. Credit must go to the Rhos lads today who never gave up and although I never like conceding any goals it was pleasing that they were rewarding for their never say die attitude by scoring the last goal of the day. We’re back up this end of the world next week for a trip to neighbouring Penycae as we embark on a run of difficult fixtures so let’s hope that we can carry on where we left off today when we trek back down the A483 bypass next week.   A big massive thanks to Rich Bull for taking the team for me again today and ensuring the lads won both games and emphatically at that. Also for compiling yet again a great match report also a witty one too !! (Or is it all El's doing again ?)    Surprisingly it was sunglasses that were required for our away game in Rhos instead of the usual thermals. Robs team had a full turn out of 11 players and unfortunately Rhos could only muster one team of 6 players and a team of 7, so we were resigned to the lads playing half a match each. The first team consisted of Robbie, Ben, Jack C (Captain for the day), Luke, Freddie and Kai. The team stormed into a lead with Kai looking determined to beat Robbie Fowlers record against Arsenal of a hat-trick in 4 minutes and 23 seconds (remember that Rob!). Kai scored 2 goals in less than 2 minutes and seconds later was storming down the right wing to set up a goal for Luke to make it 3-0. Minutes later Kai pounced on a rebound off the keeper to slot his first half hat-trick, on a pound a goal bonus it looked like it was going to be a very profitable day for Kai! Totally dominant in the match and the Rhos defence unable to cope with Kai’s strength on the ball, he picked up the ball on the half way line and went on a solo run to score his fourth. With everybody contributing to the performance, Ben brought the ball out of defence to selflessly set up Luke for his second of the morning. The first half finished 6-0 with the watching subs chomping at the bit to get on the pitch. The second half team was Robbie, Jack B, Nat, Ethan, Elliot, and Louis. Unfortunately the complete change of team at half time saw a slow start with Rhos scoring a great team goal which fortunately woke the boys up. Ethan and Elliot immediately played some lovely one-two’s from the kick off, working their way up the pitch for Ethan to score his first goal of his second half hat-trick. Elliot was desperate to get in on the scoring act and shortly managed to get 2 goals to his name before Ethan set up a much deserved goal for the hard working Louis. The game finished 12-1.   The second game started where the first had left off with Kai scoring again. Robbie enjoyed the first half of this game outfield and a big thanks goes to Ben for offering to go in goal. Freddie had worked hard all morning in midfield and got his rewards with a cheeky and skilful back heeled goal from a corner. The team relaxed a little and Rhos dug in before Kai closed down the keeper to make it 3-0 and score his 6th of the morning, although I believe one of the goals has been submitted to the dubious goals panel before his bonus is paid! The team swapped again for the second half and this time they weren’t going to be complacent and Elliot pounced to score 2 quick goals. Ethan was pulling the strings in midfield and scored his 4th for the day before Louis scored the first of his 2 goals to give him his first hat-trick for the club, with Elliot scoring his third for the game and fifth for the day, the game finished 9-0.   Lots of goals this morning and everybody contributed to the team performance. MOtM went to Nat who played his usual disciplined game in defence which gave the team the platform to drive forwards and attack.

3rd November 2012 – Marford and Gresford (Home)    It was local derby time this week as we welcomed our neighbours Marford & Gresford to Alyn Waters on yet another balmy morning with conditions perfect for football.  After the disappointment of both teams suffering a defeat in last weeks winless fixture we were looking to bounce back in style and that’s exactly what we did in recording a clean sweep of victories against our local rivals with both teams putting in impressive performances in scoring a total of 16 goals and conceding just once.   Andy’s team first match was a splendid 5-0 victory in which we were always in control and played some great passing football.  Fin got the scoring under way when he ran onto a through ball from Charlie and blasted the ball past the advancing keeper.  The goal came about though after great battling by Aron and Dylan in the middle of the pitch won us the ball back and the nature of our pressurising of the ball when the opposition were in possession was a great feature of our play today and formed the foundation of our wins.  Fin doubled our lead before half time when he rounded off a truly superb team move that involved Xander feeding the ball down the line to Cam who then cut inside and squared the ball the Charlie who then drew the keeper out before shifting the ball on to Fin who coolly slotted home right footed into the empty net.  We seemed to step on the gas a bit more in the second period and a quick fire double from Cam stretched our lead to four and both his finishes were excellent with one in particular being a net buster from long range that gave the visiting keeper absolutely no chance.  Some of the football we played during the remainder of the match was superb and some of this football resulted in Dylan’s goal towards the end of the game when he drove home from the edge of the area after great movement by our forward players created the space for him.  The 5-0 win was a great result and just rewards for how ell we played and dominated the match. The second match was very much more of the same for us and we ran out 6-1 winners with more great silky football being played.  We again started brightly and it was Aron who gave us the lead when he stabbed home from close range after great work by Fin and Charlie down the left who worked the ball across to Aron for a copy of Fin’s second goal in the first match.  We went two up a few minutes later when Xander brilliantly fired home from distance when M&G thought they had cleared a corner but Xander’s rasping drive into the roof of the net provided us with the goal of the day.  However, going two up seemed to send us into a bit of a sleep as the for the last few minutes of the first half we were guilty of ball watching and pulling out of tackles and we were punished when M&G worked the ball up the pitch and their forward fired home onto the corner past Alex to give the visitors a glimmer of hope on the stroke of half time.  But we were soon back into our stride in the second half and a quick fire Charlie hat trick made the game safe.  Ryan grabbed his first goal of the season too and I don’t think there was a more delighted scorer on the day.  The score line could have been even greater if it hadn’t been for some great last ditch defending and goalkeeping from M&G with Owen twice being denied by goal line clearances. As usual man of the match was a tough decision as this was one of our best team performances of the season with every one of the lads putting in superb performances.  Owen was steady in goal first game and unlucky not to score in the second.  Ryan was sensational in his bringing the ball out from the back and his first goal of the season was just rewards for his play.  Will was strong and composed as every both in defence and midfield.  Morgan continued his great form from last weeks mom display in tacking everything that moved.  Alex tackled hard and was solid at the back even when his nose wouldn’t stop bleeding after heading the ball with his nose during the warm up.  Dylan, Aron and Xander  worked superbly hard in the midfield in winning the ball and rarely wasted a pass.  Fin terrorised the visitor’s defence all morning whilst Cam was his usual brilliant self in being at the heart of all our excellent passing.  The award though went to Charlie who was the pick of our players today.. He never stopped running and working during both games and he got his rewards in the second match with an excellent hat trick. Today’s performances were excellent and were are great response to the disappointment of last week and showed what great character we’ve got within the squad – well done boys !!   Lucky with the weather again today as we faced our local rivals Marford and Gresford who usually give us more than something to think about.   The first game got underway and was pretty much one way traffic to our advantage yet despite having most of the possession we somehow failed to hit the net, although  Elliot was trying very hard to furrow a way through up front he just couldn't get a clear scoring opportunity, Ethan, Luke and Freddie were causing their defence all sorts of problems and at one point I think we spent the best part of 5 minutes camped in their area yet still couldn't find a breakthrough.   Somehow the half ended goaless! 2nd half got underway and we got at them In pretty much the same way as the first and 3 minutes in we finally found a way through, Luke made a burst out to the right from his  central midfield position to pick up a pass from Ben he skipped pass a M&G defender and got to the by-line where he managed to win a corner, he picked up the ball and lofted the ball into the area perfectly for Kai to meet it with his head and power it home. It only took us a further minute or so to go 2up when again great work in midfield by Freddie who broke up a M&G move and set Luke off down the left who in turn fed the ball through to Ethan he took on 2 M&G defenders with ease and cut inside letting fly with a low drive which gave the keeper no chance. Jack Cox had a chance to make it 3 when yet after another fine ball in from the right found him with time and space to smash home but unfortunately his effort went just wide of the upright. With the possession and chances created we should have scored more goals but as it was the game ended 2-0.   The second match was very similar to the first where we had plenty of the ball but didn't utilize it enough and failed to punish M&G. We had a spell where we had them pegged back and after a succession of corners and poor clearances by their defenders the ball fell to Kai who dummied a defender and got the ball onto his left foot and drove it home to put us 1 up. It stayed 1 nil till half time despite a few half chances here and there for Ethan and Elliot. 2nd half got underway and M&G found a bit of momentum and started to press us a lot more but thankfully the trio of Jack Bray, Ben and Freddie stood firm and snuffed out anything they could muster up, whilst Luke was having a good game creating a lot of chances from both flanks and it was from another one of his crosses that Elliot had a great goal bound header handled by their defender giving us a definite penalty shout which thankfully Rich blew his whistle and awarded it, I instructed El to take the spot kick as it was his effort that was blocked and he sent the ball home with real venom. We kept on creating chances and El almost had a chance to grab his 2nd only for him and Jack Cox to get in each others way and the opportunity went. With about 5 mins left Ethan grabbed his 2nd of the day with another cooly taken finish. The game ended 3-0. It was nice to keep 2 clean sheets although  Robbie did give me a scare towards the end when he came out of his goal to pounce at the feet of their man only to see the ball go underneath his body and roll across goal and out for a corner, had the player running in got his stretched out leg to it he'd have just had to poke the ball into an empty net. Freddie was captain for the day and my man of the match went to Jack Bray who had put in a fine performance hardly putting a foot wrong all day.

27th October 2012 – Borras Ranger (Away)   On the coldest morning of the season so far we had a trip down the new link road to Wrexham Industrial Estate to play Borras Park Rangers for what we knew was going to be our stiffest test of the season so far against very good opposition of cherry picked players from the Wrexham area with over a dozen of the opposition players also being in the Schoolboys team along with our own Charlie, Ethan and Robbie (and maybe Cam after he was approached after this fixture). Both our teams put in excellent performances this morning but unfortunately we ended up without a victory from the four games in a fixture for only the second time in two seasons as we drew twice and lost twice.  Both teams seemed to follow the same pattern in playing out extremely hard fought draws in their first matches but seemingly running out of steam in the second matches and falling to narrow defeats but credit to the opposition as they had very good players in every position and it was evident to all watching why a number of their players are in the Schoolboys squad although we still wouldn’t swap our squad for any other in the league. Andy’s teams first match was a fantastic 2-2 draw in which we twice fought from behind to rescue a point and can consider ourselves unlucky not to have won.  The game started in disastrous fashion when we fell behind within ten seconds when we sloppily lost the ball from our kick off and allowed the Borras forward through one on one to slot coolly beyond an exposed Owen in goal.  However, it was so pleasing to see we didn’t wilt or feel inferior to our opposition of district players and during the course of the half we eventually got into our groove and started to get on top.  Our equaliser came when we harried and pressured the Borras defence whilst they attempted to play the ball out from the back and great hassling from Charlie resulted in him being able to feed Fin who prodded home in to the net.  With half time approaching we caught our sleeping habits from the first few seconds of the half again by allowing a Borras player to get his shot away and it sneaked into the far post beyond a despairing dive into the far corner.  Although behind at half time it appeared ours was the happier team talk as we had not been outclassed at all and the second half was a great ding dong affair.  We drew level when again Aron pressurised the opposition high up the pitch and again Charlie was brilliant in winning the ball back and he brilliantly found Dylan on the edge of the box and he drilled home with a great finish.  Both sides had chances to win it in the remaining five minutes with both Dylan and Fin coming close for us and Borras rattling the post in the last few heart stopping moments but I think its fair to say a draw was a true reflection of the game and both sides and managers should be proud of the performances put on by their teams. Our second match was again a very close encounter but I think it would not be unkind to say we seemed to feel the effects of the efforts the first match took out of us as we fell to our first defeat of the season.  The first half was fairly non eventful in that not many clear goal scoring opportunities were created by either side with just a great long distance shot by Fin and a long punt bouncing wide by Borras being the only notable dangers to any of the goals.  However, with half time looming we totally fell asleep at a throw in and allowed the Borras player far too much room as he drifted past a few lazy tackles to sneak a shot in at the corner.  We upped a gear in the second half and for spells were the better team but we just couldn’t find the breakthrough we deserved with most of our efforts being just off target.  With time running out we got caught be a sucker punch at the death when we were left exposed at the back for the Borras striker to have the easiest of tasks to poke the ball home with virtually the last kick of the game to give the home side a 2-0 win although I think the score line was slightly flattering. Man of the match was a tough decision between two outstanding performers on the day.  Owen played his part in goal when making savers when called into action whilst at the back Ryan tackled sharply as always and Will was as composed as ever.  The midfield of Aron Dylan and Cam were excellent in the hard work they got through with Cam especially being superb in running the show in the first match. Charlie and Fin worked their socks off up front and Charlie’s persistence resulted in both our goals in the opening match and Fin played a captain s role in never stopping trying.  But those two outstanding performers were Alex and Morgan at the back as both enjoyed their best performances of the season so far.  Their tacking was brilliant and if it wasn’t for them both the opposition would have had far more chances.  The award though went to Morgan and it’s a decision that has been vindicated by the fact he seems to have gained the parents MOM decision today too.   Whilst disappointed to lose our unbeaten start to the season we should be proud of our efforts today as we more than matched our opponents and we should look forward to the return fixture in the new year where I’m sure we can reverse the defeats we experienced today and hopefully we can start another long unbeaten run next week but that wont be easy in our local derby against the always impressive Marford & Gresford.     Today we faced a team we knew very little about apart from the fact that the majority of their players were representatives of Wrexham schoolboy/district team so given that we were expecting to have our hands full to some extent, however coming away with a nil nil draw and a 1-0 defeat it was extremely evident that we were more than a match for this "Elite" team.   The first match was a very entertaining game yet with no real clear cut goal scoring opportunities to write/talk about as both sides were working tirelessly to ensure neither conceded a goal and as a result neither did. On the odd occasion when we did find ourselves under the pressure of a Borras attack our defensive trio of Kai,Nat and Ben stood firm and managed to clear what Borras managed to muster up and the odd time they did get around us or shoot from distance our Captain for the day Robbie was always on hand to avert the danger. Ahead of this mean defence were Jack Bray who was playing in Luke's usual role out on left of midfield with Luke himself being tried out in a central midfield role as we were missing Ethan today due to Wales cricket trials,  Freddie was out on the right and between them they bust their guts to get up and down the pitch as much as they could to help out the defence yet also trying to create something for Elliot to get on the end of and do the damage to teams we all know he's more than capable of. Unfortunately we just couldn't find a clear opening and most efforts we did have either went wide or were snuffed out by their defence Waiting in the wings were jack Cox and Lewis who when they came on played their parts in ensuring we saw the game out to a well deserved draw. With Lewis going up front and using his pace to hound down the defence and force them into giving the ball away and unfortunately when they did we didn't quite take advantage and punish them, Jack C worked hard up and down the right side again chasing and harrying their left midfielder and defeneder  overall I could in no way have asked from anymore from any of the lads and all credit goes to them for earning a draw and a clean sheet.   Unfortunately the second match didn't quite follow the same pattern as the first and we found ourselves under a lot more attacking pressure and even though the lads worked extremely hard we conceded a sloppy goal about midway through the first half. Second half was much of the same really every time we cleared our lines  the ball soon came back at us and when we did manage to muster a rare attack we were too stretched to put their defence under any real threat, at one point I thought I was going to have to run on to wake their goalie up !! With about 5 mins to go we got ourselves into a real threatening position and the ball was bouncing around in their area yet somehow we failed to smash the ball home and the chance went begging (although Nikki and Tara found it extremely amusing the moment I swung my foot across the ground through sheer frustration when we failed to convert such an opportunity) with about a minute to go we started to play football and put Borras's goal under some real threat by having 3 throw in's in a row from right by the corner flag which with having Kai on the pitch to take throw in's is as good as having a corner and he launched the ball into the area on each occasion but nobody was brave enough to stick any part of their body onto it and force it home, the game finished 1-0 and although any defeat is hard for me to swallow I feel on this occasion given this was probably by far our toughest test we came through it with our heads held high and if anything Borras should feel more disappointed than us as they were probably expecting to turn us over with some ease.   I have to say I was over the moon with our performances over the two games and couldn't have asked for anymore from any of the lads. Jack Bray was very close to having Man of the match for me today but was pipped to the award by  Robbie who in the second game was key to us only loosing by just 1 goal. We can all take great pleasure from today and look forward to welcoming Borras back to Alyn Waters in the new year and hopefully send them home with a taste of defeat, however that's next year and we have the small matter of a derby game at home against Marford and Gresford to think about this coming weekend.

20th October 2012 – Llangollen (Away)   The first game started with Llay pegged back in our own half and struggling to clear the ball further than the half way line for the first 5 minutes. Although under pressure, the defence stood firm and didn’t allow Llangollen to get a shot  at our stand in keeper for the day Jack Bray. Having been a spectator for most of the first 5 minutes the ball broke up the pitch and Elliot managed to get a goal against the run of play. Llangollen didn’t sit back though and after more pressure won a corner which we failed to clear and allowed a tap in equaliser. Slowly we managed to gain territory on the pitch and started playing more attacking football, which was rewarded with a 2nd goal from Elliot before half time. The 2nd half started with more Llay pressure and Kai scored a great headed goal from one of the many well delivered corners we had on the day. Now with the comfort of a 2 goal lead the team started play more like we know they can. Luke playing up front, cheekily closed down the keeper as he tried to clear the ball and he pounced on the rebound to slot it away. Llay now put the Llan goal under a bombardment of shots and the goalkeeper for Llan made some great saves, Ben got his rewards for his tireless running when he followed in on a shot and slotted the rebound after a another great save from the Llan keeper. The game finished 5-1 with all the lads contributing to the victory.   Pleasingly Llay started the second game where they had left off the first. Elliot playing in a less familiar central midfield role, controlled the ball from a Llan goal kick and played it out wide to an inspired Louis, who ran through and shot at goal only to see the keeper make a good save, but Luke was on hand to cooly follow it up and put us into an early lead. The first half saw a succession of corners from the left which Luke lofted into the box, at one point nearly lofting the corner flag as well as the ball, ouch! The pressure on the Llan goal continued with Freddie very unlucky not to get on the score sheet with an excellently struck shot which shook the post. Seconds later captain for the day Nat burst from his defensive position and ran onto a loose ball, hitting it with real venom and keeping it low giving the keeper no chance. The 2nd half saw continued pressure with Louis continuing his new found goal scoring prowess. After scoring his first of the day, he had the taste for goals and scored an excellent second by turning his defender and a burst of his pace taking him clear. He only had eyes for goal and drove a shot in the bottom left hand corner. Apparently he was on a win bonus of a MacDonalds, so I hope he got it as it was well deserved. The game finished 4-0.    Excellent performance from all the boys but Man of the Match went to Freddie for a good performance in a central midfield position.   A big thanks to Rich for taking the team for me today and also for writing a great match report.   This morning our U11 squad travelled to the picturesque vale of Llangollen for a Saturday morning fixture on a glorious sunny Autumn morning during which our two impressive teams enjoyed another unbeaten week in posting three wins and a draw.  Again we were missing a number of players who were away representing their respective Schoolboys and Academy teams and also missing a manager with Rob being at work but thankfully Rich Bull stepped in again to help out and also kept up his own unbeaten record as our emergency third manager / coach.   Andy’s team first match was an entertaining affair that ended in a draw but I don’t think it’d be unkind to say that it was quite possibly one of the most one sided draws many of the spectators will have ever witnessed and the fact that we hit the post about seven times I think is testament to this.  I also don’t think it would be unkind to state that both games today were played on fairly poor pitches that were in desperate need of a visit from the school’s grounds maintenance team, or a herd of cattle that could have feasted on the long, long grass, and the condition of the pitches did not really suit us today.  In the first half of the first game we especially struggled to get our passing game together and a number of under hit passes led to good opportunities being squandered.  However, this did not seem to stop us from still creating plenty of chances and I think during the first period we had already wracked up our hitting the frame tally to five times and each time the rebound fell unkindly.  Our failure to turn possession and chances into goals cost us dear right on the stroke of half time when Ryan unfortunately under hit his back pass to Alex and the Llan striker was left one on one with Alex and made no mistake in ramming the ball home.  The second half was more of the same when we again laid siege to the host’s goal and time after time we either hit the frame of the goal or were faced by a goalie in inspired form.  Our equaliser came from an unlikely source in Alex when his clearance from the back found its way all the way into the back of the net to give us the goal our pressure merited.  The winning goal though eluded us as we just kept missing the back of the net and the game ended in a disappointing 1-1 draw.   The second match very much appeared to be more of the same as yet again we were slow out of the blocks and when we did find ourselves in good positions we were either just off target, hit the frame of the goal or the Llan keeper was making good saves.  We found ourselves behind again when we failed to clear and although Xander, deputising in goal, got a hand on the ball it found its way into the far corner.  However, this seemed to stir the lads into action and for the rest of the match it was one way traffic.  We found ourselves level when Cam brilliantly volleyed in a well delivered corner from Dylan and a minute later Cam put us ahead with a quite wonderful strike when he picked up the Llan keepers goal kick and strode forward before blasting the ball into the top corner.  The lead was extended further early in the second half when Will pounced on a loose ball on the edge of the area and his neat side footed effort found the corner of the net.  With Ryan enjoying a quite superb game in midfield he set up the next goal when his running and determination got the better of some defenders and he found Aron unmarked in the area who had the easiest of tasks to find the empty net.  The scoring was completed when Aron’s whipped in cross eluded everybody and crept in at the far post for his second of the match.  The match ended in a 5-1 win which was thoroughly deserved.    Man of the match was as usual a tough decision as there were so many candidates.  Xander was excellent both in goal and defence when called upon whilst the other defensive players of Will, Alex and Morgan were resolute especially in the first half of the second match when we had to dig in fight.  Ryan, Dylan, Fin and Aron all worked tirelessly in midfield and never gave up whilst Cam scored two outstanding goals and was as usual at the heart of all our best attacking play.  However, the award went to Alex who is enjoying a really good phase in the season and when he came out of goal in the first match he was the difference in turning defeat into a draw in the way he organised the team and held the team together from the back, although I don’t think we’ll mention his mistimed tackle midway through the second half.

13th October – Brickfeild (Home) Another stiff test for the boys today with Brickfield Rangers coming to town (well Alyn Waters) and they always seem to provide a stern test for our lads.  To make our task worse both our teams were reduced to the bare minimum of 8 today with no subs due to numerous absentees including one of our Managers as Andy was also missing in action today.  We lost Cam and Xander to a cubs weekend whilst Robbie and Ethan were away on schoolboy football duty – well done to you both and also to Charlie for making the Wrexham schoolboys squad for this season as it’s a great achievement.  Charlie was available for us today due to numbers with the schoolboys squad but it’s his turn to represent them next week.  Also missing was Owen who had a game for TNS Academy U11’s and obviously that’s where Andy was. Our other absentee was Lewis although we don’t know where he was spending his Saturday morning.  Andy did give a text team talk to the parents last night in which it was simply said that we had to make sure we won all four matches today and thankfully that’s exactly what the lads did but I doubt that was anything to do with the inspiring text talk as Brickfield have always been a bogey team for him as his team had 3 of their total of 6 defeats against them last season so well done Rich (Elliot’s dad) for coming out on top today in Andy’s place.  It is also worth noting that today was the first time Brickfield had tasted defeat this season and I think it’s fair to say we’d be surprised if any other team recorded four wins in one fixture against them this season. Andy’s teams first game was a thrilling 4-2 win but I think it’s fair to say that we should have made the game a lot more comfortable than we did.  We raced into a two goal half time lead given to us by a brace from Fin who continued his excellent form from his Man of the Match performance last week. Dylan added a third early in the second half but instead of spurring us on to record a thumping win the goal seemed to have the reverse effect as the boys completely took their foot off the pedal and allowed Brickie back into the match and to get back to within a goal of us at 3-2.  Thankfully we realised what we were doing before it was too late and Dylan helped himself to his second of the match to restore a two goal margin and the game finished 4-2.  A very good win but hopefully the lads learnt the lesson that you can never take a game for granted and have to keep pushing until the end and not start thinking the job is done halfway through a match. The second match was a much tighter affair and again we were thankful to Fin for giving us a first half lead.  His powerful shot took a big deflection off a Brickie defender but was struck with enough venom to still find the back of the net.  The lads had to withstand some pressure from the visitors in the early part of the second half put they came up against an inspired Alex in goal who was having his best games between the sticks so far this season and a defence that was resolute in their work as always. Man of the match was a tough decision as the midfield and forwards of Aron, Charlie, Dylan, and Fin worked hard and scored and created the goals we needed whereas Alex, as mentioned was excellent in goal, whilst the back line of Ryan, Will and Morgan were also superb in coping with everything the very good opposition threw at us.  The award went to Ryan who not only excelled in his play but for his overall effort in bombing forward whilst also never forgetting his defensive duties in getting back into position.  Well done boys and keep up the good work !! Another crisp and sunny morning at Alyn Waters just right for a mornings football. Today we entertained Brickie who came to us with a unbeaten record so far this season. Both clubs were low on squad numbers due to missing some players who were either away on schoolboy duty or playing for an academy team. So it was 8v8 with no subs. As I was missing Robbie today I asked Jack Bray to deputise in goal and once again "like at the Borras tournament" he did us proud. I decided to play Kai just in front of him in a sweeper role just to give him a little bit more protection and it was a job Kai did very well as he marshaled a defence of Nat,Freddie & Ben (who was Captain for the day)  in a very mature manner, ahead of them were Luke and Jack Cox with Elliot playing up front, we started off fairly brightly and saw plenty of the ball which gave the lads confidence to knock it about  and isolated Brickie to few attacks on our goal, whilst keeping their Keeper and defence fairly busy unfortunately a lot of our efforts were either too tame or just off target, however we made the breakthrough though on 12 mins when we had a throw in from the left which Kai strolled over to take, Luke and Freddie made some good moves in the area drawing their markers with them giving Elliot some space to work in, Kai took the throw which was flicked up in the box and there was Elliot on hand to head home from close range giving us a lead we thoroughly deserved. Second half didn't really produce an awful lot to talk about and for a little while we let Brickie creep back into the game at times making me nervous they might grab goal, however we held firm and stopped them getting that equalizer winning the game 1-0.   Second game we got going a lot quicker and put together some lovely moves some of which looked like they had come straight off the training ground as they were what we've been working on the last few weeks, 3 mins in and we were 1 up during the break between matches I asked the boys to try to get a few quick through balls into Elliot for him to run onto and that was exactly what Freddie did sliding in a lovely  ball down the left of the area for El to run on and slot home, it wasn't long before we were 2up when some nice interchanging of passes between Luke,Freddie and Jack C worked Luke into space who then slid in a pass to Elliot who swiveled brilliantly and smashed his shot at goal the keeper stood firm and saved with his knees only to see the rebound fall back to El who made no mistake with his next effort. With about a minute left of the half unfortunately Freddie's dad fell ill at the pitch side so Mike Bray who was reff'ing the game brought the half to an end.  The restart was delayed for a good 10 minutes or so until we were sure Craig was going to be ok. I needed to be sure that Freddie was going to be ok to continue and to his credit and fantastic character he really wanted to play on, we eventually got going again and were soon 3 up when Freddie fed Elliot with another fantastic through ball leaving Elliot to round the keeper and finish off with his usual effortless style. Luke almost added a fourth soon after when his lofted shot just drifted over the crossbar, Brickie pulled one back after a rare lapse in concentration let them in but Jack Cox followed on from scoring last week when he ran on to a neat pass from Elliot who'd dropped deep to win the ball and turned lofting a lovely ball over the defence for Jack to run onto and score. The game finished 4-1 a scoreline we thoroughly deserved.   My man of the match was deservedly won by Elliot.   Just as we were all finishing off packing up, the gorgeous weather that had graced us all morning turned nasty and we all got soaked by a heavy down pour so a special thanks goes to all who helped get the stuff to the car for me, especially Helen "Will's" mum who had taken on the slow task of rolling the rope in.

6th October – Brymbo (Away) As was very much the case at this time last season when we visited Solway Banks to play Brymbo Lodge the sun was shining and our football was dazzling J.  It’s always a good fixture and test against Brymbo with the games close and hard fought but we managed to come out of today’s fixture with three 3 wins and a draw. Andy’s team put in by far their best two performances of the season in recording 4-0 and 3-0 victories and although the winning margins were pleasing the manner of our wins was by far the most pleasing as we tried to dominate both matches by working extremely hard both with and without the ball and played some wonderful football when in possession of the ball. Our 4-0 win in the first game came by virtue of a brace of goals from Fin and one apiece from Charlie and Cam.  It was Charlie that got the ball rolling halfway through the first half when some excellent chasing down of the ball out from the Brymbo goalie to his defender resulted in Charlie stealing the ball and being able to slot the ball into the far corner with the keeper left stranded.  The goal perfectly summed up the intensity of our performance and was reward for how hard Charlie had been working up front in chasing and harrying their defence by not allowing them to bring the ball out from the back like we know their players can if given time and space.  The goal seemed to spur us on into another gear and before the break we were two up when Fin raced onto a wonderful defence splitting pass from Charlie and one and one with the keeper I don’t think any of us doubted the outcome as Fin stroked the ball home.  The second half was pretty much one way traffic with Alex a virtual spectator in goal as Charlie and Fin combined to produce a near replica of our second goal to put us further ahead.  With Morgan, Owen, Will and Ryan solid at the back and bringing the ball out majestically between them and our midfield of Aron, Cam and Dylan in total control the game was wrapped up when Cam dribbled from out wide on the half way line before entering the area and smashing the ball in off the crossbar.  A hugely impressive performance but our best was yet to come in the second match. We started off the second match pretty much were we left off in the first by working tirelessly to get the ball back when we didn’t have it and passing it around beautifully when we had it.  The game was pretty even for the first ten minutes or so but with us gradually getting on top Fin found the breakthrough when he smashed in from close range after being set up wonderfully by the midfield trio of Dylan, Charlie and Aron.  The second half was mainly one way traffic especially after Will put us two up with a fabulous team goal that involved great interchange of passing and a crisp finish from Will that was straight off the training ground earlier in the week (always pleasing for a coach J).  Again or defence of Alex, Ryan and Morgan coped well with everything the opposition managed to throw at us and on the one occasion we did allow them to get a shot away Owen was equal to it in goal.  Our midfield of a combination of Dylan, Aron, Charlie, Will and Cam were at the heart of everything we did whilst Fin was simply superb up front and he rounded the scoring off with another neat finish to give us a scoreline probably fitting to how well we played. Man of the match was a very difficult decision as everyone was brilliant today with our performances setting the benchmark for the rest of the season.  These wins were based on how hard the lads worked both with and without the ball as the lads know that the rewards of winning matches only comes with the hard work being put in first.  The award went to Fin but was not based on his goals but how he just never stopped working also but a special mention to Charlie who was also excellent today and some of his passing, especially in setting up Fin twice, was superb. Lovely sunny day at solway banks for our games against Brymbo. Always very close and hard fought matches and today was no different. First match was a bit like a game of chess and both sides worked tirelessly in midfield and from early on it looked like it would be one of those games and teeter out into a draw, Ben playing at right back was having his best game of the season by far battling AND WINNING everything a shining example of how we want our lads to play. Chances though were few and far between with the home keeper being the busier of the two, quite a few of our efforts were either just wide or just over, Elliot,Ethan and Luke all having a pop but not quite close enough. First half ended nil nil. The second half got under way and followed pretty much the same pattern until about 6 mins to go when Elliot pounced and smashed home after great work by Freddie and Luke thankfully we held out for the win. 1-0   Second match seemed even harder and I think the sticky pitches had taken their toll on the lads legs as we struggled to find any real rythym to our play, giving Brymbo too much time on the ball and worse still too much respect(apart from Ben I must add who was awesome throughout the two matches). We were quite lucky not to have gone a goal down on 10 mins when Brymbo had a corner and we failed to clear the ball was bouncing around in the area waiting for someone to lash it home, thankfully we cleared the danger and 3 mins later took the lead some great work down the left from Nat and Luke, luke managed to make it to the by-line and put in a cross which just eluded Ethan and Elliot but bobbled  around and found it's way too Jack Cox who poked it home from 3yrds. Second half got underway and we still looked out of shape and Brymbo finally got the equaliser when again we failed to put a boot through the ball and 4 or 5 of our lads tip toed around the ball like it was going to blow up !! It eventually got stabbed away only to find an on rushing Brymbo player who hit the sweatest of half volleys which flew into the net. The game ended in a very fair 1-1 draw. Very pleasing not to have lost as Brymbo are a bit of a bogey side for me a bit like Coedpoeth .   Captain of the day was Elliot and my Man of the Match was the simplest of choices Ben.

29th September – Cefn (Home) This week we were up against new opponents to us in our mini league in the form of Cefn United and after they triumphed against us in their tournament over the Summer we were expecting our toughest test of the season so far.  Unfortunately due to some late withdrawals Cefn could only field 13 players which meant our full squad of 22 players would have to be rotated greatly in order to try and ensure all of the lads were to get as equal playing time as possible in 7v7 and 6v6 matches,  This week did show again, however, how equally our squad has been spilt into the two settled teams as both teams secured 1-1 draws with Cefn’s A team and comfortable 8-0 wins against their B team. Andy’s teams first match was against Cefn’s A team and an entertaining game ended with the teams locked at 1-1 although I think it’s fair to say that we can consider ourselves to be very unlucky not to have come out on top.  As is the norm at Alyn Waters at this time of year the wind was fairly strong and kicking into it for the first half we controlled the game well whilst always looking dangerous going forward.  However, Cefn’s attacking nature and formation meant we had to be at our best when defending and every one of the lads performed their defensive duties admirably under the pressure we found ourselves at times against the wind.  Alex and Will seemed to be dealing with the aerial threat at the heart of our defence whilst Morgan and Ryan kept the visitors at bay be denying them any room to shoot or get their crosses in, and on the occasions our defence was breached Owen was on top of his game to keep our goal intact.  In midfield Aron, Dylan, Fin, Charlie and Xander worked tirelessly and whilst protecting the defence superbly they were always providing a threat going forward.  We took the lead half way through the first half when our defence again snuffed out a Cefn attack and after neat interplay in midfield Cam was set free and with the last defender taken out the game by a killer pass Cam kept his head by rounding the goalkeeper in Jimmy Greaves fashion before slotting the ball into the empty net with his left foot.  With half time approaching Cefn found themselves level when, for the first and only time, we switched off at the back when we only half cleared a corner and whilst we stood and stared at the loose ball the Cefn striker fired the ball into the roof of the net from just inside the area.  The second half was mainly one way traffic with us on the attack but having to be mindful of how good Cefn are going forward so not allowing ourselves to be subject to a sucker punch on a counter attack.  Just as we defended resolutely against the wind in the first half the Cefn defence stood firm when we did everything but score the winning goal our performance deserved and on the several occasions we did break through we found a goalkeeper in superb form who, even in the last minute, was performing heroics in keeping our efforts out as even the last action of the game saw the Cefn goalkeeper excellently tip over a rasping drive from Cam over the bar.  A thoroughly entertaining draw between two very good sides and although we didn’t get the victory we craved the lads can be proud of their performance. The second match against Cefn’s B team was a much more straight forward affair and after a slow start we ran out comfortable 8-0 winners.  Kicking into the wind again in the first half we somehow struggled with the 6v6 format and failed to utilise the vast amount of space on the pitch and by half time we only had a Cam goal to show for our effort, however it’s fair to say that the visitors didn’t really pose too much of a threat to our goal and Alex was a virtual spectator in goal.  The lead could have been greater if we’d maybe got our final passes away quicker and if our finishing had been more clinical – summed up by Owen’s effort which hit the bar from 6 yards out although I take comfort in the fact it’s harder to hit the bar than to score-well that’s what I told him at home afterwards.  I also think it’s fair to say that the large number of substitutions didn’t help our game but in the second half we ran in seven goals with Cam grabbing a further four, Fin one, Xander thrashing in his first of the season and an unfortunate own goal from a Cefn defender.  Dylan and Aron also had a couple of chances each well saved by the over worked Cefn keeper and great credit must go to the Cefn B team players for never giving up and keeping going right up to the last whistle.  Man of the match was a fairly easy decision and went to Cam for his influential display at the heart of the first match and the fact that he scored 5 and set up all the other goals in the second match.  Although I feel a special mention should go to Aron for another impressive display in what’s been an excellent start to the season for him and also Alex who had his best game of the season to date at the back in the fist game where he stood tall against the Cefn attack. Rob’s team was managed by Rich (Elliot’s dad) today as Rob was in work and their first match was against the Cefn B team and it was a match we were in command of from start to finish whilst recording an impressive 8-0 victory.  The game also featured a first for us – a penalty kick, although these are very rarely given in mini football they can be awarded in circumstances as a foul to a player on the goal line about to tap into an empty net and this is what happened today.  Unfortunately though captain for the day Freddie has his spot kick very well saved.  After a relatively slow start to the season following his 64 goals last season Elliot seems to be building up his goal scoring momentum as he grabbed four goals, with the others coming via a brace from Lewis and one a piece for Freddie and Ethan.  Lewis seemed to be enjoying his best game of the season so far and it was such a shame he didn’t grab the hat trick his performance deserved. With a comfortable performance and win in the bag it was then time to take on Cefn’s A team and we followed very much in the footsteps of Andy’s team in enjoying a thoroughly entertaining match that ended in a 1-1 draw but which we can count ourselves unlucky not to have won.  After Cefn took the lead we fought back tremendously well and Elliot deservedly pulled us level with another expert finish.  The second half was probably the most exciting half of football we’ve enjoyed this season with the game see sawing from one end of the pitch to the other and whatever chances that did come along both teams either found a defender willing to throw his body on the line to block a shot or a goalkeeper on the top of his game, with Robbie obviously well aware his mum had her camera on her after she took a team photo for us as one of his saves was straight out of the top draw goalkeeper camera saves – hugely impressive stuff J !!  When the final whistle was blown both managers knew their teams had been in an excellent game and maybe a draw was the fairest outcome in what was a great advert for mini football. Man of the match could have been awarded to a number of players for heroic performances but went to Lewis for what was undoubtedly his best weekend of the season and was thoroughlydeserved but well done to all the lads who put last week’s defeat to Coedpoeth behind them and produced the level of performance we know they’re capable of – well done boys !!

22nd September - Coedpoeth Away   Three weeks into the U11 2012/13 season and at last two games of 8 a side football – HOORAY.  Now it actually feels like the season has started !! In an uncanny parallel to last season our squad suffered a first defeat of the season in the second match of the third fixture of the season and again against Coedpoeth – how bizarre.  However, with us winning three of the four games today we think we should  be proud of a great start to the season. Andy’s team enjoyed two excellent wins today against good Coedpoeth sides.  The first match was a bit of a ding dong affair with us eventually triumphing 3-2.  We started the game excellently and quickly found ourselves one up when Dylan ran through onto a quickly taken throw in by Fin  who’s quick thinking caught out the opposing defence.  We had a couple of chances to extend our lead but some great goalkeeping by the Coedpoeth keeper kept the margin narrow.  Coedpoeth levelled when they caught us on a quick counter attack and despite Owen saving at the feet of an attacker the ball broke loose and Alex and Ryan’s attempts to keep the ball out just failed as they forced the ball over the line.   However, Dylan quickly put us back ahead just before half time when he collected a through ball and neatly beat the advancing keeper.   I don’t know what was in the Coedpoeth players half time refreshments or what words of wisdom were spoken but they came out flying in the second half and to be fair for periods they out played and out fought us and only an inspired goalkeeping display form Owen kept us ahead,  but we couldn’t hold out forever to the pressure on us and after letting one of their midfielders advance too far Coedpoeth were level when he drilled the ball home from just outside the area.  Thankfully we showed our great fighting spirit eventually and with time ticking into the final minute quick thinking by Cam released Dylan who raced through, kept his calm and slotted home the winner with 20 seconds left on the clock.  A big well done to the boys for digging in and earning a very hard fought victory. The manner of our first game win seemed to stir us into action and we enjoyed a comfortable 5-0 win in the second match with us playing our best football so far this season.  Charlie gave us an early lead when neat interchange of passes involving Fin and Aron released him for a run on goal.   Our second goal came from Cam who slotted in from close range from Charlie’s cross following a great move down the wing.  Dylan added a third in pretty much the same manner as the goals in his great hat trick earlier in the day but the goal of the day came from  Aron who rifled the ball into the top corner from outside the area, again following some lovely passing that involved 4 or 5 of the lads.  The second half was a lot quieter as we moved players around a bit with the highlight maybe being the collapse of the home teams goalpost  which was maybe still shaking after Charlie rounded off the scoring be blasting the ball past the keeper. Man of the match was a tough decision as in the first game Dylan grabbed a match winning hat trick whilst a great goalkeeping and defensive display by Owen Morgan, Ryan and Alex kept a rampant home side at bay and the second was full of great passing football with our forward players of Charlie, Cam, Aron and Fin working together brilliantly.  The award though went to Xander who I felt enjoyed a very impressive performance in which he did everything I asked of him in controlling the ball, getting his head up and trying to play his teammates into attacking  positions in both games…..but well done to everyone today and let’s look forward to a tough test against a very good Cefn United side next week. A lovely sunny day up in the hills of coedpoeth. The first game and we played some excellent football pretty much dominating the game from start to finish, our attacking trio of Elliot,Luke,Freddie were creating chances a plenty although we struggled to hit the back of the net. Luke Captain for the day was as busy as always down the left and  had the Coedpoeth defence measured for most of it. However surprisingly it took us a good 12 minutes to find the breakthrough a quick through-in from Kai back towards our goal found Luke who got the ball from out of his feet and shot a low drive at goal that managed to sneak its way through a crowd of legs into the net, a lead our dominance thoroughly deserved, and it stayed that way to half time. 2nd half started pretty much as the first left off really with us commanding in all areas, yet it took us a good 5 mins before we struck again, this time the roles were reversed with Luke setting up Kai, coedpoeth put the ball out for a corner and Luke dinked the ball in with just the right pace and height for kai to head home, chances continued to flow with freddie finding time and space in midfield to pick off passes out wide, 7 yet with us missing the chances we were creating Coedpoeth managed to hold out and the game ended 2-0.   The 2nd game was like watching a totally different team, we struggled to get any hold of the ball and gave coedpoeth too much respect with some tepid tackling, our movement was non existent when Robbie had the ball he had no options to pass to, this resulted in us gifting them their first goal when he threw the ball out to Freddie in midfield Freddie tried to knock it back to Kai but his pass was too gentle and a Coedpoeth player picked up the loose ball and slotted home passed a stranded Robbie. Their 2nd goal was also a defensive mix up which resulted in the ball dropping to their player about 3yrds out who smashed the ball home. 2nd half got ever so slightly better yet we still seemed to lack the positive passing which we produced in the first match, and went further behind a goal which I missed as I was tending to the injured Freddie who'd took a smack from the ball to the side of his head "ouch". With about 5 mins to go we finally had a chance or two only to be denied twice by the woodwork, firstly Luke picked the ball up on the left and cut inside striking a shot from 12 yrds or so which cracked the cross bar rebounding into Elliot's path only for he too to hit the frame of the goal this time the rebound fell to Ben who then shot just wide, apart from one more shot which wizzed over the bar from Luke that was all we managed to muster and ended up loosing 3-0. My Man of the match went to Luke a decision which was based solely on the first game.

15th September - Bala Home As is customary with playing Bala at home they turned up with just 10 players for what should be mini football of two teams of 8 a side.  Rather than repeat the farce that was the 5 a side matches we enjoyed / endured when Bala last travelled to Alyn Waters last season we decided to play a 9 a side format which would at least allow our lads who had turned up in their numbers as usual to have one complete game each. Rob’s team was first up and put in another impressive performance in beating the visitors  2 – 0 thanks to goals from Luke and Elliot. This game and result though seemed to stir the Bala lads into finding another gear as in their game against Andy’s team (with Rob at the helm as Andy went AWOL to watch Owen playing elsewhere) Bala took a first half lead through some sloppy play at the back and they almost held on to win before Will managed a late equaliser even though he was suffering from an earlier blow to the head (we’re not sure if this actually aided his finishing). All told a strange day with two very contrasting performances.  Hopefully next week Rob’s team can continue their impressive start to the season in which they’ve been banging in the goals without conceding any and Andy’s team can eradicate the sloppiness that seems to have crept into their play, and passing in particular (and attitude ?) in matches and training lately and start to find the form we know the lads are capable of. As is always the case many thanks to our parents / fans for all their help in setting up and taking down the goalposts, rope etc and for the collection of the monies and we can only apologise for the circumstances in which the morning panned out as even we were surprised by Bala’s lack of numbers after being given assurances on more than one occasion in the days before the matches that at least enough players for 7 a side would be travelling to Llay.

8th September - Garden Village Away Well after a Summer of overindulgence it was time to get the boots back on as the beginning of the 2012/13 season crept up on us - but enough about our two managers, it was also time for the lads of LLay United to kick off the new Under 11 campaign and hopefully carry on where they left off at the end of last season.  And what a start it was away against Garden Village at Wats Dyke School where in winning all four matches we scored a total of 32 goals without conceding a single goal, Andy’s tram triumphing 4-0 and 8-0 whilst Rob’s team went goal crazy in posting hugely impressive 13-0 and 7-0 victories.   Andy’s team first game was a 7-a-side affair in which we were always in control but somehow found clear goalscoring chances hard to come by after Will gave us a very early lead when he raced through from the middle of the park onto an excellent through ball by Dylan to slot the ball into the far corner.  Despite dominating with Alex a virtual spectator in goal we didn’t extend our lead until just before half time when Dylan smashed home a loose ball emphatically.  Our third goal early in the second half was a classic counter attack when Will broke up the oppositions play and played the ball forward to Dylan who then held the ball up before releasing a flying Fin who ran on to the through ball to out pace the defender and hammer the ball into the far corner.  With the game wrapped up we moved the lads around into different positions and this played dividend in our quest to get different names on the score sheet when Owen expertly stabbed the bal home for all of about two yards when Will fed the ball to him in the dying seconds. With the first game ending in a pleasing 4-0 win it was onto our second game where again our first half dominance wasn’t really reflected in the 2-0 half time lead we established.  This lead was given to us with goals from Fin and Aron who both provided excellent width to the side and were always a threat going forward.  They seemed to be laying chance after chance on for their team mates but unfortunately we just kept spurning these chances but I’d be more worried if we weren’t creating these chances.  However, the goals started to flow in a very one sided second half which began when Aron finished off the best team goal of the day which involved almost every out field player being involved in a flowing passing move which swept the whole length of the pitch and Aron’s finish into the corner was one fitting of such a move.  Our other goals came from Dylan, who grabbed a quick fire double, Cam who smashed home a long range effort, Charlie, who had spent the morning hitting everything but the back of the net and the preverbal barn door eventually bobbled one in and Alex who followed in the footsteps of our other goalie Owen in the first game be proving devastating from two yards out.  Unfortunately the only two lads not to make it onto the score sheet were Ryan and Morgan.  However, both enjoyed excellent games with Morgan proving dependable as ever at the back whilst not really getting the bounce of the ball in his turn up front and Ryan enjoyed a superb return to Llay United following his arrival from Rhosddu after a couple of seasons away,  I’m sure his return will only aid in improving the team even further with his ability to bring the ball out of defence whilst his tackling is as ferocious as ever.  He was made captain for the day on his return and played a captains role in leading by example. Man of the match could have been awarded to a large number of the lads but went to Aron for his excellent team play and hard working performance which further underlined his impressive form during pre season.   All in all an excellent start to the season and here’s hoping for another successful campaign.   What a fantastic start to the new season, it was raining goals in the sunshine at Garden Village this weekend. Andy & I switched our teams over for the new season and I have to say how proud I am of all the lads as they played their socks off on two very poor conditioned & small Garden Village pitches coming away with two excellent wins. The first game took a little while to explode as although GV didn't seem to have any great attacking threat they were doing a great job of getting in our faces, it was too long before the goals came along and it was Kai who struck first with a fine shot from distance which flew into the top left corner, Ethan who I'd made captain for the day was having a stormer and was next to get his name on the score sheet closely followed by the returning Jack Bray who like Kai hit a sweet shot from distance, some of the football being played was most enjoyable to watch as everyone of the boys were working hard to find space and play a pass. Luke grabbed himself a brace and also had a hand in a few assists, whilst Ben who was having a great game hit a well deserved 4 goals. Kai grabbed 2 more to add to his early strike before the ever busy and reliable Freddie got in on the act. The final and 13th goal of the game came from Nat who put in his usual no-nonsence sort of performance. Perhaps the most surprising part of the first match was Elliot not managing to wrap his foot around the ball and find the back of the net, having said that it certainly wasn't through the lack of trying it just seemed he couldn't get the ball out of his feet and get a shot away before a GV player came in to close him down. 13-0   Game two, we had to drop a player to make it 7v7 and then just before kick off the GV keeper decided he didn't fancy picking the ball out of the net again and had a hissy fit throwing his gloves on the floor and storming over to the corner flag kicking it high into the air and then went to go and sulk in the bushes !!   The game kicked off 6v7 and only took 3 minutes for the goal machine Elliot Bull to get off the mark and set out on his mission of smashing his prolific tally last season and within a minute he'd made it two. The GV keeper slumbered back over towards the goal and donned his gloves again. It wasn't long before he had to pick the ball out of the net when on 10 and 12 minutes Luke who was having a fine mornings football netted another brace. Halftime came and we made a few changes and moved a few lads around but when we got going again we didn't seem to get at Garden Village as much and struggled to press for more goals and it seemed like we'd have to be   with a 4 - 0 win, but then with 5 minutes to go we swapped things around again and brought Ethan,Elliot and Luke back on and it was Ethan yet again who stamped his authority on the game bustling about and making the GV players life's hell and deservedly grabbing a fine goal to top off a magnificent performance. Elliot then grabbed his 3rd of the game to put to bed any fears I had of him amazingly not netting on the opening day. 6-0 The two performances were very pleasing to watch and as usual the traveling support was tremendous. I gave the Man of the Match award to Ethan as he put in such a tireless and selfless performance.