Saturday 30th September 2017 @ Holte Secondary School, Aston

Aston 0-10 Erdington and Saltley

Team: Tyrese (c), Louie, James, Klechai, Toby, Jiay, Enoch, Che, Mason, Callam, Cian L, Reece and Rhys

Goals: Reece x 5, Jaiy x 2, Cian L x 2 and Mason

Man of the Match: Jaiy – when you win the award ahead of a team mate who bagged five goals, you know you were on fire! Jaiy was at the centre of everything that we did yesterday. Everything. A masterful performance and a pleasure to watch. Well done Jaiy!

10:26am, four minutes before kick off and we had six players. It was far from the perfect start to a morning that ended in glorious style.

10:30am, as the ref blew to signal the start of the 2017/18 West Midlands County Schools FA League campaign, we had nine players on the pitch, although the frantic start to the game meant we were far from cohesive. Fortunately we rallied in style and took an early two goal league as school mates Cian and Jaiy stuck the ball in the back of the net for The Ton. After the first third, our lead was a comfortable 3-0 and we now had a full squad following the late arrivals of Toby and Reece. The final goal of the first period was a spectacular team affair, with Toby, Jaiy, Enoch and Cian all linking up superbly in a free-flowing passing move – it really was a joy to watch.

The middle period saw Reece come into the fray and pick up a goal, alongside a second for Jaiy to make the score 5-0 to The Ton. In truth, the middle twenty saw our play become a little scrappier as too many players drifted into the middle of the pitch, making it very congested. Nevertheless the quality of the goals continued to excite the watching crowd.

After being told to spread out and use the whole of the pitch, the lads took full control of the game during the final third, scoring five goals and protecting their clean sheet. While the attackers will naturally draw praise for their play and great goals, such as the volley scored by Mason or top corner screamer by Reece, the defence and keeper deserve a great deal of praise too! James was a commanding presences in the heart of the defence, with Klechai and Louie marshalling the flanks expertly. In goal, Tyrese played the role of the sweeper-keeper like a young Manuel Neuer!

Throughout the team, boys played with aggression, flair and bravery. There was no moaning or groaning and a great deal of teamwork. It really was a joy to behold!

Finally, the performance and result was made even more satisfying by the presence and efforts of five u10s lads – Che, Cian, Neil, Rhys and Toby.

To their credit, Aston refused to give in and actually had their best chances late in the game, therefore illustrating their determination to keep going until the final whistle.

Well done boys! What a game!

Up The Ton!