Friday 28th October 2016 @ Wednesfield High School, Wolverhampton

Erdington and Saltley 0 – 0 Leeds

 

Team: Gerard, Tyrese, Tiarno, Aidan, Danny, Taylor, Kian B, Blessing, Resharne, Toby, Kian ON and Jaiy

 

Friday’s game against Leeds was a taster of what’s to come for The Ton, with six of the lads being under 10s due to the unavailability of a number of u11s players.

Despite giving away years in age, the boys gave very little else to their northern opponents, actually beating them in most physical battles throughout the game. In what became a scrappy game, The Ton boys battled, fought and scrambled their way to a 0-0 draw, their third clean sheet in five games.

In terms of the younger lads, Toby was making his debut for the u11s and fresh from scoring the winning goal for Blues against Juventus on Tuesday, the strong midfielder seemed unfazed by the step-up in age. With Toby patrolling the middle of the field, Resharne and Aidan were causing Leeds problems down the left and right wings respectively. Alongside Toby in the centre was Jaiy, whose intelligent play helped create a number of chances in the final third for The Ton. At the back, James was steady in possession and strong in the tackle, whilst Tyrese ensured he kept a clean sheet after a number of examples of quick thinking in goal!

In truth the game was a scrappy affair, but this wasn’t down to a lack of ability. Both teams had plenty to offer. However the willingness and desire of the Ton youngsters meant Leeds were never able to get into their stride.

Of all our results this season, this is the one that I’m most proud of. Not only did we have an incredibly young team on the pitch, but it was also great to see the u11 lads protecting their younger peers. All round it was a great afternoon and full of so much to be proud of!

 

Man of the Match – Tiarno

 

Up The Ton!

Tuesday 25th October 2016 @ Alan Higgs Centre, Coventry

Erdington and Saltley 1 – 0 Potters Bar

Coventry City FC 2 – 0 Erdington and Saltley

Erdington and Saltley 2 – 1 Potters Bar

Coventry City 4 – 0 Erdington and Saltley

 

Team: Gerard, Tyrese, Tiarno, Kian B, Danny, Kian ON, Cameron, Jaiy, Taylor, Jonan, Alfie, Reece and Che

Goals: Cameron, Tiarno and Reece

 

After playing Coventry City FC during the summer holidays, we were invited back to the Alan Higgs Centre by Jackson and the Coventry gang and were only too happy to accept the invitation. It’s great to see our local Midlands clubs supporting schools’ football, especially as Birmingham City had also entertained Potters Bar yesterday.

Speaking of The Bar, we started our festival by locking horns with our southern friends and couldn’t have got off to a better start. With the boys passing the ball around with confidence and showing more aggression than they did against Sutton Coldfield on the weekend, it was left to Cameron to score the winning goal. Breaking from right-back, Kian B burst down the wing before sliding Che in, who crossed for Cameron to tap home. It was a lovely move  played at great pace.

Up next for The Ton was Coventry City. However things didn’t quite go according to plan with the academy team dominating proceedings and The Ton left defending for larger periods of the game. Although it is worth mentioning that we had five u10s on the pitch at this stage, all of whom gave a great account of themselves. The game ended 2-0 to Coventry, who should be commended for the manner in which they played football. Their passing and bravery on the ball are two things that I always admire in a team.

Our third game saw us square up to Potters Bar for a second time. Boosted by their 2-2 draw against Coventry City, the Bar boys looked to push on and exact revenge for the defeat earlier in the day. With our play lacking fluidity, we made a couple of changes and reaped the rewards immediately as the lads scored a quick-fire double to take a 2-0 lead. The first goal came from the outstanding Tiarno, who had ventured up the pitch from his central defensive position, before poking home from a corner. A couple of minutes later, Reece latched on to a Cameron through-ball before rifling past the Bar keeper. With the game seemingly under control, the Bar got themselves back in the game, which made for a nervy finish.

Our last game proved one game too many. With legs feeling heavy from the incredible effort during the first three games, the Ton slipped to a one-sided 4-0 defeat to Coventry City.

Refusing to have their excitement dampened, the boys bounced back to the changing rooms knowing they’d given a brilliant account of themselves and further added to the growing reputation of The Ton!

A special mention for Jonan who made his district debut today (although he is an u10s player) and in doing so became the first ever player from my own school to represent the district for me!

Well done boys!

 

Man of the Match: Tiarno – Cool as a cucumber in defence

 

Up The Ton!

Saturday 16th October 2016 @ Heartlands Academy

Erdington and Saltley 1 – 0 Dudley and Brierley Hill

 

Team: Gerard, Taylor, Tiarno, Danny, William, Blessing, Kian B, Kian ON, Che and James

Goal: Kian B

Man of the Match: Everyone dug deep and battled their hearts out but Gerard stole the show with a series of stunning saves!

 

We knew this was going to be our toughest game of the season so far as Dudley are a quality team. However it wasn’t made easier by the fact that we still didn’t have a full team 30 minutes before kick off. Following a series of unfortunate events, our squad, in terms of numbers, was stretched to its limit. However when you have warriors like the ones that we have, no hurdle is insurmountable!

From the start of the game, Dudley pushed forward and took a grip of the game. Nevertheless the first twenty was slightly scrappy, with the two best Dudley chances being through balls that their number 9 attempted to latch onto, only for Gerard to play sweeper-keeper and clear.

The second twenty saw Dudley’s superior possession translate into more concrete goal scoring opportunities. With Blessing playing like a young Bryan Robson in the centre of the park, Che chasing down every last ball and Taylor repelling everything, including the kitchen sink, the spine of the side held firm under unrelenting Dudley pressure. Yet once again it was left to Gerard to steal the show, this time with a sublime one-on-one save.

Before the final third, we asked the boys to dig deep and to be honest when answering, “Have you played as well as you can?” Only Gerard and a more hesitant Blessing said they had. The other eight boys concluded that they hadn’t and could therefore give more to the team. This was a brilliant sight to see. The lads were standing up and taking responsibility for their own actions. True leadership.

For the final third, Blessing shifted up front, with Che drifting out to the right and Danny slotting into the centre of the park. Blessing was making a nuisance of himself up front, playing aggressively and attempting to keep the ball in the Dudley third for as long as possible, even if it was just to give the rest of the lads a break. Then with ten minutes to go, the midfielder schemer Kian B popped up and scored from distance. As the ball looped high and over the Dudley keeper, the boys’ relief was evident.

It would have been easy for them to have lost their shape and composure at this stage but they refused to give up on what they had worked so hard for. They were brilliant! From William and Tiarno, to Kian ON and Danny, plus lets not forget the debutante James, who only the night before had marshalled the u10s defence. Every one of the boys battled to ensure that the three points stayed in Saltley.

We have been on the end of such results over the years, so we know how low Dudley will possibly feel. However they have nothing to be down about, as on that showing they’ll achieve great things this season.

The Ton boys tested my nerves throughout a morning, that in hindsight was a truly brilliant spectacle! Well done boys, your grit, determination and bravely were amazing! You stars!

 

Up The Ton!