Sunday 16th July 2017 @ Sutton Coldfield Town FC, Coles Lane

Sutton Coldfield 5-5 Erdington and Saltley

Team: Millie, Tiarna, Latia, Liberty, Savannah, Rihanna, Lacy, Jessica, Amne, Octavia and Kayla

Goals: Liberty x 2, Lacy, Latia and Savannah

Girl of the Match: Liberty

 

Breathtaking. Simply breathtaking. All present at this morning’s game will remember it for a very long time.

That was without doubt the most enjoyable game that I’ve been involved in for years! From the very first whistle to the dying seconds of the match, momentum swung as the result remained in the balance. Both sets of girls were a credit to their district and schools. Both sets of girls have many reasons to be excited ahead of the new season!

After falling behind early in the game, The Ton stormed into a 2-1 lead, only to then find themselves 3-2 down and so the pattern continued. At no point in the game did anyone know which way the result was going to go!

It was fitting therefore that we equalised in the last seconds of the match as neither team deserved to lose.

Some of our play was mesmerising! Time and time again we played seven and eight pass combinations before attacking the Sutton goal. Yet all of this would have been in vain had their work rate and desire not matched the girls’ attacking instincts.

I was blown away by the performance and genuinely can’t wait for the upcoming season!

Well done girls!

Up The Ton!

Friday 14th July 2017 @ Hollyfields Club

Erdington and Saltley ‘Gold’ 2-1 Phoenix Rangers u12s

Erdington and Saltley ‘Gold’ 3 – 0 Erdington and Saltley ‘Black’

Erdington and Saltley ‘Black’ 1 – 5 Phoenix Rangers u12s

Black Team: Padraig, Buster, Bobby, Angelo, Liam, Neil, Mason, Enoch and Jamie

Goal: Liam

Man of the Match: Angelo

 

Gold Team: Padraig, James, Klechai, Toby, Aidan. Resharne, Reece, Cian S and Cian L

Goals: Cian S, Resharne x 2, Reece and Cian L

Man of the Match: Resharne

 

Once again it was an evening of mixed fortunes, albeit of an overly positive nature. As has been the case throughout June and July, 18 boys were picked for the match day squad, allowing for two completely different teams to be picked, meaning everyone was given ample game time to impress ahead of the new schools’ football season starting in September.

The first match was an all Erdington and Saltley affair, with the Gold team once again winning, just as they did a few weeks ago at Wast Hills.

The game started evenly, with both teams fully committed in a balanced midfield battle. Yet five minutes into the game the deadlock was broken when Resharne struck a stunning free kick, looping the ball high and over the Padraig. A second goal soon came and once again it was courtesy of the captain’s boot, making it a brace of goals for the evening for Resharne. Soon the game was sewn up when Cian S unleashed a rocket-like shot from close range – after all it is best to be safe than sorry! Despite the one sided look to the scoreline, there were a number of positives to take from the performance of the Black team, not least the resilient showing from Angelo at the back.

The second game of the evening saw the black team take on Phoenix Rangers from Stud Lane, Stechford. A goal behind early on, the boys equalised immediately after Callam went on a mesmerising run before putting the ball on a plate for Liam to slot away. Now on level terms, the boys unfortunately failed to push on and soon found themselves on the wrong end of a four goal deficit. Phoenix Rangers were good value for their victory and we must take lessons from defeat. Just like against Phoenix United a few weeks ago, we have to work as hard as possible for the entirety of a game, chasing every ball and fighting for every tackle. District football is unforgiving but I know we have the potential to make a success of it during the next academic year.

The third and final game of the evening provided the gold team with an opportunity to put into practice the lessons learned from the previous game and the defeat suffered by the black team. Once again we found ourselves trailing to a Phoenix Rangers goal but the boys refused to roll over and simply got on with things, dragging themselves back into the game. The equalising goal was stunning – a fierce shot from out wide via the foot of Reece. With momentum now turned, The Ton almost took the lead immediately after equalising, yet it wasn’t mean to be. However the boys didn’t have to wait long before taking the lead, when Cian L got the goal that his brilliant performance deserved. All evening his link-up play had been a delight to watch, as he teamed up superbly with Aidan and Resharne. The performance of the gold team was characterised by Toby’s drive and energy, something that was lacking in the first Phoenix Ranger encounter. More importantly this was a sign that we had learned from the lessons dished out earlier in the evening in the first Phoenix Rangers game – brilliant!

Thank you to Nobby, Jason and the Phoenix boys for such an enjoyable evening of football. The positive atmosphere throughout the evening allowed for both sets of players to play some really good football! Thank you.

Well done lads!

Up The Ton!

 

Monday 10th July 2017 @ Hollyfields Club

Erdington and Saltley u10s (2017/18) 2-0 Arden Forest u11s (2017/18)

Team: Padraig, Jay C, Owen, Che W, Ethan, Neil, Rhys, Tavani, Tre’vaun, Micah, Kodi, Danny, Kian, Mason and Harley

Goals: Callam and Kodi

Man of the Match: Padraig

 

The 2017/18 under 10s played their second game of the preseason and once again it was against a talented, older team. As in previous years, Wayne brought across his team of galacticos, including our very own Cian S and Bobby. The Arden team was packed with talented lads and this made for an entertaining game, although one in which both defences and keepers stood firm for long periods.

The deadlock was broken via a stunning free kick from Neil, with his strike nestling in the top corner. The second goal was a little scrappier and scored from much closer, although Kodi did brilliant to bundle the ball home under pressure from the Arden keeper.

Several more chances came and went for both teams, with The Ton keeper Padraig pulling off a number of stunning saves and more than earning his clean sheet!

Thank you Arden for making it such an enjoyable evening! Your boys were a credit to you and we’re really looking forward to locking horns with you again on Friday evening!

 

As for our boys, a clean sheet and two goal victory against a talented team should never be turned down! Arguably the most pleasing aspect about Monday’s game was the way in which 15 players gelled and minimised any disruption that could have potentially been caused by regular substitutions.

Well done boys!

Up The Ton!

 

 

Saturday 24th June 2017 @ Wast Hills Training Ground

Erdington and Saltley vs. South Birmingham

Erdington and Saltley B 0 – 1 South Birmingham

Erdington and Saltley A 5 – 0 Erdington and Saltley B

Erdington and Saltley A 1- 1 South Birmingham

 

Team: Tyese, Padraig, Daniel, Bobby, Klechai, Angelo, Fydel, Patrick, Aidan, Enoch, Jamie, Neil, Rhys, Tavani and Toby

Goals: Enoch, Daniel, Neil, Toby, Jamie

Man of the Match: Tyrese

 

A week after the lifting of the WMCSFA for a third successive season heralded the end of the 2016/17 team as we waved them off to secondary school, the boys of 2017/18 began their year long adventure representing The Ton.

An enjoyable morning of football saw goals flying in from all directions, lots of positives and one or two clear things to work on over the coming weeks. In all, it was a great morning!

The first game saw the B team lock horns with, 2016/17 national finalists and most successful BPSFA district South Birmingham. In an even game the victory went to the boys from the south of the Second City after they scored in the last moments of the game. This was a blow for the Ton boys in black as they had worked their socks off and matched South for much of the game, squandering a few chances of their own.

Yet they had to quickly pick themselves up off the canvas as next up were The Ton A team.

The early exchanges of the game were evenly balanced, with neither team taking control of proceedings. However the game turned during a five minute period in which the A team scored a number of quickfire goals to knock the stuffing out of the B team, the best of which was arguably a stunning long distance curler from Neil.

The final game of the morning was a far scrappier affair from an Erdington and Saltley point of view, with our shape and discipline going AWOL at times during the 20  minute encounter. Despite conceding possession to South for significant periods of the game and relying on the superb Tyrese to keep us in the fixture, the boys showed incredible spirit to drag themselves back into the game when in the final minute they equalised. The goal was another great example of sheer determination, as Jamie converted cooly on the back of a number of missed opportunities. It was really pleasing to see so many positives in terms of the mental side of the game and this bodes well for the upcoming season.

As I said from the outset, this was a really enjoyable morning and one which sets us up nicely for the remainder of pre-season. The effort, attitude and ability of the boys leaves us all eagerly anticipating the next match!

Well done boys! Thank you for making the start of the new season so great!

Up the Ton!

Sunday 18th June @ Futsal Centre

Despite starting the afternoon as strangers, the new under 10s got their 2017/18 pre-season off to a flying start by making it to the final of the Arden Futsal Invitational. Even though the final never went according to plan, the games leading up to it left everyone filled with enthusiasm and excitement about the potential of this excellent group of lads.

Only 24 hours earlier the 2016/17 under 11s were being crowned West Midlands County Schools’ FA Cup winners, yet any sadness at saying goodbye to that special bunch of boys was certainly dampened by the excellent performance of the new under 10s.

Roll on September and the start of the schools’ football season!

 

Saturday 17th June 2017 @ Wednesfield High School

Brierley Hill and Dudley 0 – 2 Erdington and Saltley

Team: Gerard, Taylor, Cian T, Danny, Tiarno, Cameron, Ilani, Blessing, Che, Toby, Reece, Resharne, Aidan and William.

Goals: Cameron and Resharne

Man of the Match: Cian T

As the lads raised the cup above their heads, the curtain was brought down on yet another generation of Ton stars. It’s been a blast lads!

Whilst yesterday was the last game for the current ‘year six’ boys, it was also their best performance of the season. Against the league champions and favourites Brierley Hill and Dudley, the boys pulled a stunning performance out of the bag to lift the West Midlands County Schools’ FA Cup for the third year in a row!

Knowing the Dudley striker was a class act, we changed our formation to four at the back to keep him quiet and our clean sheet would suggest this move was successful.

Within the first few minutes of the game we knew we were in the trenches. Dudley were hard in the tackle (but fair) and all over us whenever we got the ball. Fortunately we weathered the storm long enough for our midfield trio of Ilani, Cameron and Blessing to find their feet and settle into the game. However this was only possible thanks to the committed rearguard effort of Danny, Tiarno, Cian and Taylor, coupled with a stunning one-handed save by Gerard. It was the kind of save that cousin and Ton legend Dermot would have been proud of! In fact, I recall him pulling off a similar save against Kings Norton in 2014!

With a minute left on the clock, Cameron pounced to poke home from two yards out following an almighty goalmouth scramble. It wasn’t pretty but who cares.

At half-time, in the shadow of the onlooking Darius Vassell, the boys were told to continue fighting for every last ball and to back each other up until the last whistle. Thankfully this is exactly what they did!

Shortly into the second half, the hard-working Che made way for Toby, after running himself into the ground and working selflessly up front for the bigger cause of a cup triumph. Toby settled quickly into the game without disrupting the flow of the team, as did the other four substitutes, with Reece, William, Aidan and Resharne all making significant contributions to the victory.

The latter bravely stepped up to take responsibility for the penalty that was awarded after Cameron was brought down in the Dudley area. Despite being one of the youngest players on the pitch, Resharne calmly tucked the penalty away to make it 2-0 with ten minutes remaining on the clock.

All that was left to do was defend and protect Gerard’s goal via whatever means possible, including placing a defender’s chin on the ball. Isn’t that right Cian?

With the final whistle came an immense sense of pride. Against the odds, the boys had rallied and pulled a performance full of grit, determination and heart out of the bag. That’s what special teams do. That’s what special districts do.

And there you go. After our toughest game of the season, came our best performance and with it our greatest achievement.

 

It’s been emotional boys!

Up The Ton!

 

Saturday 10th June 2017 @ Holyfields Club, Erdington

Erdington and Saltley 2 – 1 Aston

Team: Gerard, Taylor, Tiarno, Danny, Cian T, Cameron, Che, Blessing, Reece, Aidan and Toby

Goals: Aidan and Cian T

Man of the Match: Aidan

 

With Brierley Hill and Dudley just around the corner, the boys stepped up their preparation for the final game of the season – the WMCSFA Cup Final – by taking on Aston district in an entertaining encounter.

On a beautiful surface at Holyfields, the game started frantically with the ball bouncing around at 100 mph. Few chances were produced by either side in a scrappy opening quarter.

Thankfully the boys grew in terms of composure as the second quarter got under way. Their passing was more composed and this ensured they held onto the ball for longer. Yet despite this, very few clear cut chances were created and the score remained 0-0.

Then everything changed in the blink of an eye! As the game restarted for the third 15 minutes, Aston took a chance from the kick off and it paid off in spectacular style! Immediately from kick off, the Aston player spotted an opening and went for it, with the ball sailing past Gerard and into the top corner of the net. Eat your heart out Beckham!

The goal proved a wake up call to the boys and sparked them into life, as they went on to create five clear cut chances over the next 15 minutes. Unfortunately only one of these chances was converted although the improvement in our play more than made up for any disappointment we felt thanks to the missed chances. The goal came from a Cian tap-in, although the build up play involved some excellent wing wizardry from Blessing and then Cameron.

With the wind behind their sails, the boys went for victory during the last period of the game and were rewarded when the brilliant Aidan burst forward from centre midfield to score the winning goal. Striding forward from defence, Tiarno linked up superbly with Che to play Aidan through on goal, before the Abbey midfielder finished brilliantly.

On another day we might have scored more than two, especially as the wordwork was hit on two occasions, although Aston could also make the same claim. This was an excellent game and a great advert for schools’ football!

Well done boys!

Roll on Saturday!

 

Up The Ton!