U15 Yellows vs AllSkills Elite Black

I'm going to start with some comments heard after the match.....

'You didn't deserve to lose'

'You were by far the better team'

'You played like a completely different team from last time'

'Despite the score, it feels like a win'

Yes, I agree with these words and the lads, in my opinion, played their best football to date. However, my competitive nature means that I was disappointed we didn't manage to finish the game a win because it was what they deserved.

The opposition scored two blatant offside goals. One so much so, the lads completely stopped for one of them because it was so obvious but the ref didn't give it......rule #1, never stop and always play to the whistle!!

Along with that, there were two goal mouth scrambles that we should have dealt with much better, put bodies on the line, clear the ball, eliminate any opportunities in our box.

Take all that into account and we win the game convincingly. We connected well, the detail on the passing was better than in previous matches. Our reaction when we lost possession was excellent, with the lads showing a real intensity to win the ball back and regain possession as quickly as possible. I've said from the start, if we get these basic details right, the rest will fall into place naturally and this match exemplified this.

All our goals were well worked and executed. Lucas' full volley from inside the box, was executed with superb control and precision, Seb's runs into the oppositions box for both Lucas's goals were deadly. Adams strike from outside of the box was top bins perfection. Shiloh's run into the box was super strong and the defence had no choice but to bring him down. Jack took the resulting penalty and gave the keeper no chance with a perfect strike into the side netting.

Lots of positives to take away as well as some tough learning opportunities, particularly game management, that we need to appreciate and understand to improve our game further.

It's a shame we have a little break now, another match in quick succession would have been ideal. After this performance, we can look forward to our next game in 2025 and hopefully, start the new year with another super performance against Doncaster.

Big thank you to all the awesome parents for their continued support, too. We are a team on and off the pitch and it's very much appreciated.

Well done everyone, keep it going!