Saturday 25th November 2017 @ Hollyfields Club, Erdington
Midlands Challenge Cup
Erdington and Saltley 2 – 0 Gloucester
Team: Padraig, Klechai, Loiue, Jaiy, Olly, Callam, Mason, Reece, Cian L, Enoch and Liam
Goals: Reece and Cian
Man of the Match: Jaiy – posed a creative threat throughout the whole game
After a couple of tricky weeks and defeats at the hands of Solihull and Sutton Coldfield, the lads showed superb bouncebackability by putting on a great showing against Gloucester in the Midlands Challenge Cup.
If truth be told, there have been beaten at times this season by ourselves rather than our opponents. Yet against Gloucester we put right the wrongs that we identified in our games against Solihull and Sutton Coldfield. We worked incredibly hard, battled when required, stayed positive even when things went against us and passed the ball in a way that demonstrated a level of trust hithero seen amongst the boys. In fact, the word that comes to mind when reflecting on this game is ‘positivity’. Everything about the victory could conceivably be put down to our positive attitude.
Throughout the game the lads passed the ball around with confidence, showing a trust in each other that hasn’t always characterised our games. Even when passes went astray or boys arguably made a poor decision, the team responded positively to ensure heads and spirits remained high. Consequently some of the passages of play were breathtaking to watch. Intricate passing moves built through patience and determination led to more chances being created than in the previous two games combined.
The goals came from a superb Reece finish in the first twenty and drive low into the corner from Cian as the clock ticked down at the end of the game.
As excellent as the two finishes were, an equal amount of credit must go to all departments of the team and not just the two attackers. With two up front, we shuffled the pack to play two in defence, with Klechai and Louie proving a brilliant pairing. In goal Padraig had an excellent game and on another day could have been man of the match. The midfield showed energy and desire when out of possession and creativity and flair in attack. Orchestrating affairs was captain Jaiy, ably supported by the endless running of Enoch and Mason, flair of Olly and verve and vigour of Liam and Callam.
Gloucester played their part in an entertaining game, hitting the crossbar in the final minutes of the game with the score still 1-0. However despite their best efforts, it was The Ton boys who picked up a well deserved 3 points in the Midlands Challenge Cup.
It was genuinely a joy to watch and a performance that sets us up perfectly for when the second half of the 9-a-side season starts in February.
Well done lads!
Up The Ton!
Midlands Challenge Cup standings:
| District | Played | Won | Drew | Lost | For | Against | Diff | Points |
| Erdington and Saltley | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 20 | 9 |
| Gloucester | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Aston | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 21 | -21 | 0 |
Erdington and Saltley Primary Schools' FA 