Saturday 17th March 2018 @ Wast Hills, BCFC Training Ground

BPSFA BCFC Cup

Team: Rihanna, Javeigh, Millie, Lacy, Octavia, Liberty, Savannah, Amne, Kayla, Latia and Tiana

Results

W 3-0 vs Aston

D 0-0 vs Aston

D 1-1 vs Sutton Coldfield

W 1-0 vs South Birmingham

W 2-0 vs South Birmingham

W 2-0 vs Gloucester

W 3-0 vs Aston

L 1-0 vs South Birmingham

Goals: Latia x 5, Tiana x 1, Rihanna x 2, Liberty x 3 and Javeigh x 2

Girl of the Match: Javeigh

In a strange way, despite losing in a final for the first time this season, yesterday was our best performance of the season. In the previous three tournaments, our A team has defeated all before them, while our B team has struggled result-wise. However yesterday both sets of girls put on a show! Both sets of girls finished the ‘group stage’ unbeaten, winning four of their six games and only conceding one goal. The football played by the girls, particularly in the 2-0 victories over South Birmingham and Gloucester, was a joy to watch.

The girls, sporting their new kit and looking a million dollars (thank you Sporting Elite), played some amazing football and once again showed why they have been a force to fear with this academic year!

Javeigh was at the centre of everything good yesterday, creating a number of chances in attack and forming a great partnership with Millie in defence. In goal, Rihanna kept a string of clean sheets, thanks in no small part to the excellent pairing of Kayla and Amne ahead of her. On the wing, Octavia was a bag of tricks, bamboozling the opposition on so many occasions. The goal machine that is Latia did what she does so brilliantly – she scored lots of goals. Schoolmate Tiana got in on the goal scoring action with an excellent strike against South Birmingham, while Lacy was a creative threat in midfield throughout the afternoon. Savannah continued her excellent return from injury with some excellent football, especially a lung busting showing against Aston. In the centre of the park, captain Liberty proved a box-to-box threat, popping up with goals and tackles in equal measures.

As stated at the outset, yesterday was arguably our best showing of the season and we will take plenty of strength from the final defeat. The spirit amongst the girls is incredible and in all my years of district football can only be equalled by the spirit amongst the 2015/16 boys, who like the girls, won a number of trophies and played some amazing football. Without this team spirit, nothing that we have achieved this season would have been possible. Thank you girls for making our job so easy. Thank you too parents for your continued commitment and support!

Defeats and setbacks will happen in football and the only thing you can do is pick yourself up and congratulate the victors. Well done South Birmingham on a fine victory. We look forward to locking horns again later in the season!

Well done girls!

Up The Ton!

Saturday 17th March 2018 @ Heartlands Academy, Nechells

Erdington and Saltley 1 – 5 Sutton Coldfield

Team: Padraig, James, Louie, Klechai, Toby, Daniel, Callam, Enoch, Alfie and Cian S

Goal:

Man of the Match: Toby – With standout performances from Daniel and Callam and an incredibly encouraging u11s debut from Cian, it was Toby who collected the MOM award for a performance that drove the team forward, especially during a second half which saw us control the game for long periods.

With fourteen players absent, some for completely genuine reasons and others for reasons that still remain unknown, and with temperatures below zero, it was certainly a tough day at the office for The Ton. However, don’t be fooled by the scoreline, this wasn’t a walk in the park for Sutton Coldfield. Our young stars made them work for their victory and arguably had the better of the second half with a performance of guts and determination.

Each of the opening three goals went the way of Sutton Coldfield, although in hindsight we played a part in each of the goals through individual errors. Yet full credit to Sutton Coldfield for pouncing on these mistakes and for finishing clinically. There was certainly no fortune about the way they slotted the ball away even if we did make mistakes in the buildup to each goal.

Our half-time team talk focused on the positive work of Callam and Cian S, who both constantly plugged away at the Sutton back-line in an attempt to release a teammate in on goal. We also discussed the improvements that were required from individuals, most notably the need to work harder and be more aggressive when attempting to win back possession.

With these words in the forefront of their minds, the boys started the second half like a different team. With Toby tightening things up in midfield and now alongside Daniel, the spine of the side was far more stable and this allowed the boys to claw themselves back into the game. Despite the best efforts of the retreating Sutton defender to clear the ball from his goal line, the linesman rightly flagged to say the ball had crossed and with 25 minutes remaining, the boys were given a needed shot in the arm. Now full of energy and commitment, our hardworking boys created five or six excellent chances, only to see them go amiss. Nevertheless the lads were now truly playing for their jersey and for each other.

The cruel nature of football reared its ugly head for the second week in a row, as Sutton scored two late goals to knock the stuffing out of the lads and put a gloss on the scoreline in a game they undoubtedly deserved to win, albeit not by such a commanding scoreline.

The best thing about football? There’s always next week!

A quick word for the three boys who had to play for Sutton Coldfield under 10s against Gloucester under 10s after a number of their teammates simply did not turn up. The Sutton manager Ben was full of praise for the hardy trio of Jeval, Tavani and Kayden, the latter of whom was “the best player on the park and amazing considering he is only in year four”.

While challenging for a number of obvious reasons, yesterday was a tine to reflect on the efforts of our lads in awful conditions.

Well done boys!

Up The Ton!

Saturday 10th March @ Maypole FC

West Midlands County Schools’ FA League

South Birmingham 4-3 Erdington and Saltley

Team: Padraig, James, Louie, Mason, Alfie, Toby, Callam, Klechai, Cian, Tavani and Che

Goals: Cian L

Man of the Match: Cian for his excellent hat trick and for posing a constant threat to the South defence. Although a special mention for Mason who arguably had his best game of the season!

Prior to the game, we thought we were up against it. With well over half of the team being under 10s and South Birmingham one of the two stand out sides of the season (alongside Sutton Coldfield), we could have been forgiven for expecting it to be a long morning.

However our young charges raced out of the blocks and played the most breathtaking football that we’ve played all season. The first twenty minutes was genuinely amazing! Every time we got the ball we caused South Birmingham problems. Time and time again we broke the South offside trap to find ourselves in on goal. With Alfie, Toby and Callam releasing Cian as early as possible, it was left to the SS. Peter and Paul forward to slot the ball home to give us a deserved early lead.

Despite conceding a South goal soon after, the boys continued to pepper the South goal and attack with every opportunity. It was no surprise when the boys retook the lead after ten minutes, with Cian clinically finishing once again. However the third Ton goal was by far the best move of the game. Picking the ball up deep in the centre of the park, Callam released Alfie, who played Cian through on goal with a sublime first time pass, allowing Cian to slot the ball into the bottom left-hand corner and extend our lead to 3-1.

Simply breathtaking.

Now playing up hill, the lads found the second twenty a little trickier and were forced to dig deep in order to protect their lead. However with captain Toby in his usual combative form, South found it difficult to break us down. Yet despite our best efforts, South did manage to pull a goal back to leave the scoreline 3-2 to The Ton with twenty to go.

It was at this stage that the game swung in the favour of South, as Toby had to leave before the final twenty got underway. The loss of our captain certainly hit us hard during the opening minutes of the final third and South capitalised to equalise for the second time in the match. Yet once again we poured forward and showed great character when refusing to lie down and accept defeat. A number of tantalising chances went agonisingly wide, until the final minutes of the game saw South take the lead for the first time all morning.

The boys were left understandably deflated following the roller-coaster loss, even though they should have been left with nothing but pride! They were amazing. From Padraig and James leading the backline into battle, to Cian, Callam, Alfie and Toby pulling the strings in attack.

We have rarely felt so proud in defeat.

The boys were amazing! What a great advert for schools’ football!

Well done lads!

Up The Ton!

Saturday 24th February 2018 @ Heartlands Academy, Nechells

Erdington and Saltley 2 – 1 St. Albans

Team: Padraig, James, Mason, Ethan, Owen, Rhys, Callam, Klechai, Jeval, Oliver, Romaoe and Alfie

Scorers: Romaoe and own goal

Man of the Match: James – A rock in the heart of our defence

On a bright but cold morning in Nechells, St. Albans came to town for their first ever visit to the home of The Ton.

The opening twenty minutes was all about the boys from The Ton, as they dominated the opening proceedings to play some eye-catching passing football. The unity of boys was their biggest strength, as the midfield and attack linked up beautifully to carve open the St. Alban’s defence on numerous occasions. One such time led to the opening goal, with Klechai’s shot being stabbed home by a St. Albans player.

Minutes later the boys doubled their lead with a breathtaking team effort of neat, short, intricate passing and a lethal finish from Romaoe, who was making his debut for the under 11s. The two goal lead was no more than they deserved from the opening ten minutes, although the lads were arguably a little disappointed not to have scored more.

Following the first break in play, the St. Albans lads burst out of the traps and looked an altogether different team. Pressing high up the pitch, the boys in blue would not allow us to settle on the ball and dominated the middle third of the game, scoring a deserved goal to halve the deficit.

The final third of the game saw more chances come and go for The Ton, with Alfie crashing a free kick off the crossbar and Callam, Mason and Romaoe going close on a number of occasions.

At the back, James was a rock in defence, mentoring u9s Ethan and U10s Rhys and Owen throughout the match. If James was controlling things in defence, Padraig was cool and composed in between the sticks, distributing the ball with greater control than ever before.

Overall it was a great result for a team made up largely of under 10s and a great morning of football.

Thank you to St. Albans for travelling north and contributing to this great game. We look forward to our return visit in September.

Well done boys!

Up The Ton!

Friday 23rd February 2018 @ Play Football Arena

Birmingham Primary Schools’ FA Futsal Championship

A Team: Played 7, Won 7 – WINNERS

Goals Scored: 28

Goals Conceded: 1

Rihanna, Latia, Liberty, Savannah, Octavia and Javeigh

Scorers: Latia x 12, Liberty x 4, Octavia x 6, Rihanna x 1, Javeigh x 1, Savannah x 4

B Team: Played 7, Won 1, Drew 1, Lost 5

Rosie, Kayla, Jenny, Mary, Amne, Tiana and Taija

What an afternoon! What a season! This group of special girls continue to make us all proud! It really is our pleasure to work with them!

Both the A and B team finished the day with plenty of reasons to be proud and happy, despite a differing set of results. While the A team defeated all before them, the B team improved from one game to the next and showed brilliant resilience to continue battling throughout the tournament when it would have been easier to give up.

With four defeats from their opening four game, the B team earned a morale boosting 1-0 victory in their fifth game, before claiming a draw and narrow 1-0 defeat in their final two games. Despite playing very little as a seven throughout the season, the girls followed the instructions of coaches Jordan and Callam, and improved with every passing game.

Both Jordan and Callam, who were attending their first game as members of the ESPSFA team, were incredibly proud of the girls for their efforts and could see nothing but positives for the next 18 months ahead for this young team.

The A team started the tournament like a steam train, picking up four comprehensive victories in their opening four games, scoring 20 goals in the process. Next up was South Birmingham, in what was being billed as the championship game with both teams on maximum points heading into the fifth of seven fixtures. After conceding a penalty, The Ton girls breathed a sigh of relief when the unfortunate South player shot wide from the spot. That let-off spurred the girls on and they went down the other end to finish clinically and bag the three points with a 2-0 win. Heading into the final two rounds, the girls knew maximum points would guarantee them the BPSFA Championship title for the first time ever. Despite conceding their only goal of the day in the fifth game, the girls beat South B and then rounded off the day with a 2-0 win against a valiant Aston B side.

Amongst the clear joy of the trophy presentation, it was amazing to see both the A and B teams celebrating as one, a scene that only emphasised the amazing spirit amongst the class of 2018!

Girls of the Match: Taija (B Team) for her combative defending and Latia for her lethal finising (A Team)

Well done girls!

Up The Ton!

Saturday 17th February 2018 @ Hollyfields Club, Erdington

Erdington and Saltley (Boys) vs. Middlesbrough and Afan Nedd

Erdington and Saltley (Girls) vs. Middlesbrough

Under 10s Results:

Team: Padraig, Rhys, Owen, Toby, Daniel, Cian L, Tavani, Ethan and Che

Won 2-0 vs. Afan Nedd under 10s

Won 1-0 vs. Afan Nedd under 11s

Drew 0-0 vs. Middlesbrough under 11s

Won 2-0 vs. Middlesbrough under 10s

Goals: Toby x 3 and Daniel x 2

Man of the Match: Toby – excellent work in defence and attack from the combative schemer

Under 11s Results:

Team: Padraig, Klechai, Louie, Mason, Angelo, Oliver, Enoch, Alfie and Reece

Won 1-0 vs. Middlesbrough under 11s

Won 2-0 vs. Middlesbrough under 10s

Won 1-0 vs. Afan Nedd under 10s

Drew 1-1 vs. Afan Nedd under 11s

Goals: Alfie x 3 , Klechai and Reece

Man of the Match: Klechai – with energy and pace in abundance, the midfielder caused problems for our oppenents all day, before grabbing a sweet goal of his own.

Girls:

Erdington and Saltley 5-3 Middlesbrough

Team: Rihanna, Millie, Sami, Liberty, Savannah, Tiana, Kayla, Amne and Latia

Goals: Latia x 4 and Tiana

Girl of the Match: Latia for her hold-up play upfront and lethal finishing AND Millie for her excellent defensive reading of the game.

What a day! Yesterday was the first time we have ever had our under 10s, under 11s and girls all playing on the same day, at the same venue. To do this on home soil in Erdington made it even more special. The district was re-established in 2012 with one under 11s side, no kit and no home ground. Thanks to the support of many people, most notably the late Bernard Day and secondary school stalwart Pete Mortiboys, the district made it through that first season and the rest is history. In the week when our 2013 captain Dermot signed scholarship forms with Manchester United, it was amazing to have approximately 80 children, 30 from The Ton, playing schools’ football at Hollyfields!

On the pitch the quality of play was amazing. The boys and girls of Afan Nedd (Wales) and Middlesbrough were a pleasure to host and they brought immense footballing skills with them from their respective faraway homes.

The girls locked horns with an excellent Boro side, whose girls were a credit to their schools and district. After building a commanding five goal lead, the Boro girls fought their way back into the game with three goals of their own. Up front, Latia was on fire, finishing four sweetly taken goals and causing problems for the Middlesbrough defence all day. Her physicality and strength meant she was able to hold the ball up brilliantly, bringing teammates into the action throughout the game. One such moment led to Tiana’s excellent goal and resulted in delirious celebrations from the two best mates.

Throughout the team there were girls taking responsibility and making significant contributions to the action. In defence, Millie had her best game ever for The Ton, reading the game brilliantly and forming a formidable partnership with Sami.

The girls were excellent and this will arguably go down as one of their greatest ever results and performances as a team. Although as stated at the outset, the Boro girls were also excellent and had the game been ten minutes longer, they could have conceivably turned the five goal deficit down, such was their fight-back!

Over on the 9-a-side pitches, the boys of Erdington and Saltley were split into under 10s and under 11s, with Alfie slotting into the year 6 side following the late withdrawal of a player. With Boro and Afan Nedd also having an under 10s and under 11s side, this was seen as the best way to test all of those involved.

Overall the boys’ teams had a brilliant day, remaining unbeaten and picking up six victories from their eight games and even more impressively, seven clean sheets from eight matches, conceding only one goal! A special mention to Padraig for his heroics in goal for BOTH sides!

With the lads keeping things incredibly tight at the back, the attackers were able to flood forward, safe in the knowledge that they were being covered by their teammates. With everyone supporting each other and pulling together, it was difficult for our opponents to break us down. Added to this some fantastic finishes from Alfie, Toby, Reece, Klechai and Daniel and tireless work from everyone else, it was easy to see why the boys picked up some great results!

A huge part of yesterday’s success was the attitude and skills of the 60 boys who were in action, as well as the commitment of the coaches and support of the parents. Both Boro and Afan Nedd made long journeys to Brum and sacrificed their whole day. Without such commitment schools’ football would be nothing! Thank you to all who made yesterday possible.

At the end of the day, once the goals were tidied away, 234 plastic bottles collected, 4 changing rooms swept and cleared, car packed and function room cleaned, we were able to relax for a moment and reflect proudly on how far we have come as a district since 2012!

Well done lads! Well done girls!

Up The Ton!

Thursday 8th February 2018 @ Heartlands Academy, Nechells

Birmingham Primary Schools’ FA Cup

Semi-final

Erdington and Saltley 4 – 6 South Birmingham

Team: Millie, Keira, Liberty, Latia, Rihanna, Savannah, Lacy, Javeigh, Sami and Octavia

Scorers: Liberty x 2 and Latia x 2

Well that was tough to take! So far this has been a season of historic achievements but even then this defeat was a blow.

After slipping behind to two early South Birmingham goals, the girls gave themselves so much work to do. However these girls are a fine group and they are a resilient group. Twenty minutes after falling two goals behind, they were leading 3-2 and in the ascendancy.

Then disaster struck once again. In the space of ten crazy minutes, the girls went from leading 3-2 to losing 6-3.

Once again they weathered the storm and took the blow in their stride, bouncing back to dominate the final third, pulling a goal back to make it 6-4 to South Birmingham.

Alas despite considerable Ton pressure, the girls were unable to turn the game on its head for a second time and had to accept defeat for the first time this season. As mentioned at the outset, this season is historic! Erdington and Saltley had never won a trophy before in the girls’ footballing arena, yet here they are with two to their name and half a season to play.

The girls have been amazing all season and will continue to be throughout the second half of the year.

Well done to South Birmingham who were deserved winners and we wish you the best of luck in the final in May.

As for us, we’ll pick ourselves up ready for the visit of Middlesbrough on Saturday!

Well done girls!

Up The Ton!

Saturday 3rd February 2018 @ Heartlands Academy, Nechells

2018 BPSFA 5-a-side

A Team: Padraig, Alfie, Toby, James and Louie

Won 2-0 vs Aston

Lost 1-0 vs South Birmingham

Won 7-0 vs Kings Norton B

Drew 1-1 vs Harborne

Won 2-0 vs South B

Won 2-1 vs Kings Norton A

Goals: Alfie x 6, Toby x 4, Louie x 2 and James x 2

B Team: Ethan, Enoch, Klechai and Mason

Won 2-1 vs South C

Drew 1-1 vs Harborne C

Won 3-1 vs Aston B

Won 1-0 vs Aston C

Lost 2-1 vs Erdington and Saltley C

Lost 2-0 vs Harborne B

Goals: Klechai x 4 and Enoch x 4

C Team: Rhys, Cian M, Tavani and Owen

Drew 0-0 vs Harborne C

Won 1-0 vs Aston B

Won 5-0 vs Aston C

Drew 2-2 vs Harborne B

Won 2-1 vs Erdington and Saltley B

Drew 0-0 vs South C

Goals: Tavani x 7, Cian M x 1 and Rhys x 2

With eleven players unavailable for a variety of reasons, it’s safe to say the squad was well and truly stretched to its limits. With no subs and having to rotate Padriag in goal between all three teams, the lads finished the morning with their reputation hugely enhanced and some silverware for their efforts!

The A Team had a fabulous morning in the A Team competition, only losing once to deserved winners South Birmingham. The lads were immense and their unity and team spirit was evident for all to see. They backed each other up, ran until they couldn’t run any longer and produced countless moments of pure class to entertain the huge crowd in attendance. With Alfie banging in the goals, Padraig and James shutting teams out at the back and Toby and Louie pulling the creative strings in midfield, it was the perfect combination between attacking flair and defensive stability.

The B Team started their respective competition firing on all cylinders and picking up ten points from the opening four games. Klechai and Enoch drew plaudits for their attacking play, as they shared the goals out between them throughout the morning. In defence, under 9s Ethan was outstanding, reading the game like a book and limiting his under 11s opponents to relatively few chances. In goal Padraig was earning his match fee, playing for all three teams, while Mason was a hive of activity in midfield, ensuring Klechai and Enoch had a platform upon which to attack. With the B Team title within their grasp, the boys needed just one win from their final two games to lift the title. Alas it wasn’t meant to be, as they suffered two defeats. Nevertheless the boys finished the morning with their heads held high thanks to some breathtaking play and monumental effort!

The B Team’s late stumble left the C Team (all of whom were under 10s) with a chance to claim the title for themselves, a feat achieved thanks to their unbeaten morning! With three wins and three draws, the under 10s were immense and once again provided an exciting insight into 2018/19. At the back, Owen ensured the boys picked up four clean sheets from their six games, despite never really having a settled goalkeeper and having to play various non-goalkeepers between the sticks throughout the morning. Yet rather than weaken the side, this only served to strengthen the team’s resolve, as James, Alfie, Toby and Louie all volunteered to step between the posts in support of their embattled district teammates. The spirit amongst the 13 boys was undoubtedly the thing that got them through the morning in such style. On the pitch, Tavani grabbed a bagful of goals, Rhys scored a screamer to send the crowd into raptures, Cian M bagged his first for the district and Owen defended diligently all morning.

The final word is “wow!” The boys were brilliant and helped us forget about the damp, cold and miserable conditions! What a great morning of football!

Men of the Match – Everyone!

Well done lads!

Up The Ton!