U15 Yellows vs Pro Elite Woodkirk

It was a game of two halves.

First half, we were great, I was really pleased with what I was seeing. We played out, connected in triangles, found time and space all over the pitch, supported each other and we had opportunities to get in behind. It was clear to see what we've been doing in training over recent sessions, is being put into practice on the pitch, with good success. This was acknowledged by the players at half time and they collectively agreed, they were playing well.

Second half, it was bit of a mess. Too many individual errors across the park, several offered opportunities for the opposition in critical areas of the pitch and we were punished. Our heads went down which escalated the aforementioned issues and we lost track of what we should be doing and how we should be playing. These are moments that are character building and no matter what, we need to regain control and reset. A positive attitude is the most important attribute to have.

That being said, we pushed in the final 15 minutes to try and re-establish our hold on the game and to be fair we did in part, creating several opportunities to score but with a lack of clinical conviction but it was good to see.

I've said to the lads over the past few weeks that we will continue to work hard in training, develop our skill set and understanding of one another as we are still very fresh and find how we can play to our strengths. There will be a marked difference between our initial performances and where we will be in the lead up to Christmas. The team has already developed faster than expected, I'm delighted with their progress and today was a learning and reflection opportunity in terms of what we did well and what we could have done better.

I encourage all players to take time to reflect on their own performances and we can share these reflections at training.

Brilliant first half, not so great second half, let's look forward to the coming week and enjoy the rest of your weekend.