East Birmingham 0 – 7 Erdington and Saltley
Scorers: Amari x 3; Shilo x 4
Team: Dermot; Michael, Mark; Ethan, George, Tyrese, Amari, Ramello; Shilo Subs: Callum and Leyton
M.O.M. – Shilo
The five hours restless sleep was certainly worth it! Twenty-nine years old and I still get nervous the night before the start of the season! Anyway, like I said, it was certainly worth it!
Despite starting the game the better team, East Birmingham were unable to maintain their control of the game and after the first ten minutes it was all about The Ton. At times the quality of our play took my breath away. The standard of passing and the level of finishing deserved to be on Match of the Day!
Now as always, I can’t actually remember all of the goals because I get caught up in the moment, but I’ll give it my best shot! The first goal was a sublime left footed finish from the edge of a crowed box by Amari. Shilo put the second away after latching on to a quick Dermot throw, he slotted the ball away to the keeper’s left. The third was a ridiculously classy finish by Amari. Bursting down the left wing, he cut in on to his right foot and lobbed the keeper from an almost impossible angle. Pure class! The fourth came courtesy of another Shilo finish, after the lethal forward sprinted through the offside trap (although he did stop to look at the linesman!) and rounded the keeper to cooly finish. The half time score was 4-0 to The Ton and it was the least we deserved.
The second half brought more of the same – more goals from Shilo and Amari! I can’t really remember all three of them but I do remember Shilo’s fourth and final goal. Ethan won the ball in our half and drove forward, evading the tackles of two or three players. With only the keeper to beat, he was fouled and a penalty looked certain. However, the referee played the advantage and Shilo instinctively finished. The final ten minutes brought plenty more chances, although at times we were a little too greedy! Nevertheless, the standard of football that we played was astonishing! The lads played quality passing football throughout the morning and should be incredibly proud of their efforts. I certainly am!
Man of the match? I genuinely could have given it to any of the eleven players! Dermot was commanding in goal, keeping a clean sheet and setting up Shilo for one of his goals. Tyrese put in a real shift in the centre of the park. Mark marshalled the defence like a pro. Ethan and George ran the game from the centre. Amari scored goals that Rooney would be proud of. The list is endless! I could mention every one of the lads. However, for his four goals and desire to win every ball, Shilo is my man of the match.
What a start to the season – six-a-side champions and a 7-0 win! The standard has been set incredibly high and now it is up to us to maintain these standards!
Well done boys you’ve made me an exceptionally proud manager!
Up The Ton!
Erdington and Saltley Primary Schools' FA 