Saturday 2nd November 2019 @ Twickenham Road Playing Fields, Kingstanding
Representative Match
Erdington and Saltley 4 – 9 Gloucester
Team: Jack, George, Tobi, Joel, Dylan, Shane, Omari, Ebrima, Andrius and Mahliq
Goals: Dylan x 2, Ebrima and Andrius
Man of the Match: George, Dylan, Omari and Tobi – all four boys left everything out on the pitch
As the rain poured down and the temperature fell, the mood of the team as a whole also plummeted allowing Gloucester to capitalise and claim a deserved victory. Yet despite the one-sided nature of the scoreline, there were still plenty of positives to take from the game, alongside a number of important lessons.
The opening 20 minutes witnessed us play some of our best football of the season. For all of our talent, the sum of our parts has not always been more than our whole. There have been too many occasions this season when we have played as individuals, rather than a team. However, this was not the case during the opening third of yesterday’s game. We passed the ball for fun and attacked in numbers. More importantly, we also worked tirelessly to defend as a team. It was the perfect combination.
Our two first goals were unopposed and meant the boys raced into a two goal lead courtesy of Andrius and Dylan. Everything was going according to plan but then the rain grew heavier and the boys got colder.
It was then that Gloucester struck and gained a grip of the game. From two down to leading three two, Gloucester tightened their hold of the match and rarely looked like loosening it from that point on, despite flashes of Ton brilliance.
In defence, George and Tobi threw their bodies on the line in an attempt to repel every Gloucester attack, despite the fact that they were increasingly outnumbered as the game drew on. As well as defending with his life, George also offered quality in attack, threading one memorable ball through the eye of the needle to start a superb Ton attack.
In midfield, the rain meant it was difficult to control the ball but Dylan and Omari continued to orchestrate attacks, playing some superb football from start to finish.
At 6-3 down, we scored through an excellent Ebrima counter attack to give ourselves a glimmer of hope in the closing ten minutes. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be as Gloucester capitalised on our stretched team to put the game to bed.
There is so much quality in this team that it is only a matter of time before things fall into place. The results will improve. Lets just hope the weather does the same!
Well done boys!
Up The Ton!
P.S. A huge thank you to FC Elite for helping us put the game on. At short notice and despite the awful conditions, FC Elite allowed us to use their facilities for free, even opening up and setting the pitch up for us. If you’re in search of a local family-orientated club, look no further than FC Elite! Find out more about them at:
Erdington & saltley primary schools' FA 