2016/17 Team Trials: Register Now!

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1bVhBW9ZfLw1Tz1jlJNFFOovzG2u7bIjDAMO2MvmgWAs/viewform

Are you a boy or a girl currently in year 3, 4 or 5?

Do you go to one of the following schools?

Erdington Schools:

The Abbey

Birches Green

Brookvale

Court Farm

Erdington Hall

Featherstone

Gunter

Marsh Hill

Oasis Short Heath

Osborne

Paget

St. Barnabas

St. Margaret Mary

St. Mary and St. John

St. Peter and St. Paul

Slade

Storywood

The Yenton

Saltley Schools:

Adderly

Audley

Brownmead

St. Clement’s

Coleborne

Corpus Christi

Cromwell

Firs

Hawthorn

Heathlands

Highfield

Hillstone

Hodge Hill

St. Joseph’s

Lea Forest Academy

Leigh

St. Mathew’s

Nansen

Nechells

The Oval

Parkfield

Rosary RC

St. Saviour’s

Shaw Hill

Shirestone

Thornton

Ward End

St. Wilfred’s

If you have answered YES to the above two questions, then your district needs you!

Please complete the trial registration form in order to register your son or daughter for the 2016/17 trials.

All of the above schools will also be contacted regarding the trials, so your son or daughter should be coming home with a letter during the first week after the school holidays.

Please note, if you son has played for the under 10s this season, he will not be required to attend round one of the trials. He will automatically be through to round two of the 2016/17 under 11s trials.

Registration form:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1bVhBW9ZfLw1Tz1jlJNFFOovzG2u7bIjDAMO2MvmgWAs/viewform

Dates, times and locations:

My son is currently in year five and attends an Erdington school:

Friday 22nd April 2016
Kingsbury Secondary School, Kingsbury Road, Erdington, Birmingham, B24 8RE
6:00pm – 7:00pm

My son is currently in year five and attends a Saltley school:

Friday 29th April 2016
Heartlands Academy, 10 Great Francis Street, Nechells, Birmingham, B7 4QR
7:00pm – 8:00pm

My son is currently in year 3 or 4 and attends an Erdington school:

Thursday 5th May 2016
Kingsbury Secondary School, Kingsbury Road, Erdington, Birmingham, B24 8RE
6:00pm – 7:00pm

My son is currently in year 3 or 4 and attends a Saltley school:

Friday 13th May 2016
Heartlands Academy, 10 Great Francis Street, Nechells, Birmingham, B7 4QR
7:00pm – 8:00pm

My daughter is currently in year 3, 4 or 5 and attends an Erdington school:

Friday 20th May 2016
Kingsbury Secondary School, Kingsbury Road, Erdington, Birmingham, B24 8RE
6:00pm – 7:00pm

My daughter is currently in year 3, 4 or 5 and attends a Saltley school:

Friday 27th May 2016
Heartlands Academy, 10 Great Francis Street, Nechells, Birmingham, B7 4Q
7:00pm – 8:00pm

Thank you.

Glorious Gloucester

Saturday 23rd April 2016 @ Longlevens, Gloucester

Gloucester 1 – 0 Erdington and Saltley

(Erdington and Saltley win the Midland Challenge Trophy 10-3 on aggregate)

Team: Rob, Sam, Pharelle, Tion, Ilani, Taylor, Cameron P, Kye, Rio, Harvey, Diago and Che

Man of the Match: Sam

Gloucester under 10s 4 -0 Erdington and Saltley under 10s

Gerard, Taylor, Cian T, Kian B, Tiarno, William, Cameron E, Blessing, Reece, Che and Ilani

Man of the Match: Cian T

Sometimes in football you don’t get the result that your effort, application and desire deserves. Yesterday morning was just one of those days.

The under 11s started proceedings as they met Gloucester in the second leg of their Midland Challenge Trophy final. With a commanding lead in the bag following a stunning performance in the first leg, the lads began the game brightly, having much of the ball and creating a number of chances. At times they linked up superbly, pinging the ball around brilliantly.

The centre midfield pairing of Taylor and Ilani belied the fact that both boys were playing against opponents from the school year above them. With Taylor breaking up play excellently, he gave much food for thought ahead of the new season. Mainly used as a defender for the under 10s this season, the Colebourne pupil proved an excellent partner for Ilani, who too was more than at home against the Gloucester under 11 boys.

The second half saw Gloucester start brightly, forcing Robbo into his first save of the game. Rushing off his line, the alert Gunter shot-stopper showed excellent awareness to keep the scoreline 0-0.

Frustratingly the second half was very similar to the first for The Ton boys, with chances coming and going at regular intervals. If the Gloucester goal was living a bit of a charmed life, it was no less than the Gloucester boys deserved as they gave their final game of the season 110%.

With ten minutes remaining on the clock, the deadlock was finally broken when the Glooucester striker tucked a beautiful shot into the bottom right hand corner of our goal. Refusing to submit, The Ton boys grabbed the ball, composed themselves and threw everything that they had at our Southern opponents.

The final whistle brought with it celebrations from both sets of players – a rare sight! The Gloucester boys had managed to sign off with a win in their final game of the season, whilst the boys from Brum had secured their fifth trophy of a breathtaking season. It was as if the game had been dreamt up by the greatest of script writers!

With the under 11s feasting on sausages and chips, the younger team squared off against Gloucester for the second time this season, having beaten them 7-5 in a barnstorming encounter earlier this year.

Just like their elder team-mates, the under 10s started off the game brightly and were arguably the better team throughout the first quarter. As we know, football is cruel at times and none more so than when William inadvertently directed a Gloucester shot goal-bound whilst defending valiantly. These things happen and if William was in the same position again, I would ask him to do exactly the same thing. It was just a freakish bit of bad luck.

Unperturbed, the lads hit back during the third quarter through an Ilani thunderbolt of a strike which cannoned off the bar. Had that gone in the boys would have had some momentum behind them. As it was, the Gloucester boys bagged themselves a second goal with their own goal still vibrating from the Ilani shot moments earlier.

Although the final quarter saw the boys concede a further two goals, it’s fair to say that the scoreline does their efforts a disservice. Composed in possession and passing the ball intelligently, the signs for next year are exceptionally positive.

With Che making his debut for the under 11s earlier in the morning and with Taylor and Ilani coming off the back of an assured performance during the first half of the under 11s game, even more positivity came in the form of Cian Tevlin’s brilliant debut performance. The St. Mary and St. John pupil was a rock in defence, as well as mixing perfectly personality wise with the rest of the under 10s boys.

Putting the results aside, the boys were brilliant all morning. Their excellent football was bettered by their amazing manners and attitude away from the pitch. Every single one of them did us proud!

Well done boys!

Thank you too Gloucester for your unrivalled hospitality. A few seasons I took a team to Gloucester for the first time after resurrecting the district team and was inspired by Bob and his motley crew and continue to be inspired to this day. The set-up at Longlevens is second to none and made even more enjoyable by the welcome provided by the staff, parents and players of Gloucester. As ever, we look forward to locking horns again next season. Get the steaks ready chef!

Next up for The Ton is the semi-final of the Birmingham Primary Schools FA Cup on Saturday. No rest for the boys…we wouldn’t want it any other way!

Up The Ton!

2016/2017 Trials: Round One, Friday 22nd April

2016/17 Team Trials: Register Today!

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1bVhBW9ZfLw1Tz1jlJNFFOovzG2u7bIjDAMO2MvmgWAs/viewform

Are you a boy or a girl currently in year 3, 4 or 5?

Do you go to one of the following schools?

Erdington Schools:

The Abbey

Birches Green

Brookvale

Court Farm

Erdington Hall

Featherstone

Gunter

Marsh Hill

Oasis Short Heath

Osborne

Paget

St. Barnabas

St. Margaret Mary

St. Mary and St. John

St. Peter and St. Paul

Slade

Storywood

The Yenton

Saltley Schools:

Adderly

Audley

Brownmead

St. Clement’s

Coleborne

Corpus Christi

Cromwell

Firs

Hawthorn

Heathlands

Highfield

Hillstone

Hodge Hill

St. Joseph’s

Lea Forest Academy

Leigh

St. Mathew’s

Nansen

Nechells

The Oval

Parkfield

Rosary RC

St. Saviour’s

Shaw Hill

Shirestone

Thornton

Ward End

St. Wilfred’s

If you have answered YES to the above two questions, then your district needs you!

Please complete the trial registration form in order to register your son or daughter for the 2016/17 trials.

All of the above schools will also be contacted regarding the trials, so your son or daughter should be coming home with a letter during the first week after the school holidays.

Registration form:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1bVhBW9ZfLw1Tz1jlJNFFOovzG2u7bIjDAMO2MvmgWAs/viewform

Dates, times and locations:

My son is currently in year five and attends an Erdington school:

Friday 22nd April 2016
Kingsbury Secondary School, Kingsbury Road, Erdington, Birmingham, B24 8RE
6:00pm – 7:00pm

My son is currently in year five and attends a Saltley school:

Friday 29th April 2016
Heartlands Academy, 10 Great Francis Street, Nechells, Birmingham, B7 4QR
7:00pm – 8:00pm

My son is currently in year 3 or 4 and attends an Erdington school:

Thursday 5th May 2016
Kingsbury Secondary School, Kingsbury Road, Erdington, Birmingham, B24 8RE
6:00pm – 7:00pm

My son is currently in year 3 or 4 and attends a Saltley school:

Friday 13th May 2016
Heartlands Academy, 10 Great Francis Street, Nechells, Birmingham, B7 4QR
7:00pm – 8:00pm

My daughter is currently in year 3, 4 or 5 and attends an Erdington school:

Friday 20th May 2016
Kingsbury Secondary School, Kingsbury Road, Erdington, Birmingham, B24 8RE
6:00pm – 7:00pm

My daughter is currently in year 3, 4 or 5 and attends a Saltley school:

Friday 27th May 2016
Heartlands Academy, 10 Great Francis Street, Nechells, Birmingham, B7 4Q
7:00pm – 8:00pm

Thank you.

End of Season Fixtures

Unfortunately I am unable to update the fixture least beyond it’s current state. We still have plenty of games to play but many of them remain unconfirmed. Our end of season fixture list looks like this:

Midland Challenge Cup

We play the second leg of this final on Saturday 23rd April when we travel to Gloucester to defend our 10-2 lead.

Birmingham Primary Schools’ FA Cup

Normally there is a quarter final and semi-final stage to this cup. However as there are only five teams this season, the knock-out stage will take place at Heartlands on Saturday 30th April. The two teams that finish top of this round robin 9-a-side tournament will qualify for the city final, which will be held at Bodymoor Heath on Friday 6th May.

West Midlands County Schools’ Under 11s League

After finishing the regular season unbeaten and on top of the league, we now have to take on Sutton Coldfield for the league title. The date and venue is TBC.

West Midlands County Schools’ FA Cup

As the defending champions we take on Derby in the quarter finals. The date is TBC, although the game will be away from home.

English Schools’ FA/Premier League 9-a-side Championship

We have reached the national final of this prestigious competition, although we are still waiting for the date and venue TBC.

Jersey 2016: Results and Stats

Sunday 3rd April

Erdington and Saltley 1 – 4 Jersey

Goal: Troy

Man of the Match: The boys voted for no one!

Monday 4th April

Erdington and Saltley 4 – 1 St. Alban’s A

Goals: Troy x 3 and Cameron P

Man of the Match: The boys voted for Troy

Tuesday 5th April

Erdington and Saltley 1 – 0 Thurruck

Goal: Rio

Man of the Match: The boys voted for Sam

Wednesday 6th April

Erdington and Saltley 6 – 0 St. Paul’s Under 12s

Goals: Rio x 2, Tion x 2, Troy and Kane

Man of the Match: Rio

Thursday 7th April

Erdington and Saltley 4 – 2 Plymouth

Goals: Kane, Rio, Tion and Troy

Man of the Match: The Plymouth management voted Kane

Friday 8th April

Erdington and Saltley 3 – 0 Gloucester A

Goals: Kane, Rio and Cameron

Man of the Match: The Ton

Jersey 2016: Friday 8th April

Jersey 2016

Friday 8th April

The final match day had arrived. After playing some stunning football throughout the week, we were determined to end on a high against our good friends from Gloucester.

Over the past few years we have played many great games against Gloucester B, but today was our first encounter with Gloucester A. After ending the group stage unbeaten, we knew our opponents were going to be a tough nut to crack.

The first half saw us have the majority of the ball and deservedly take a three goal lead. Despite failing to add a fourth during the second half, we dominated play and passed the ball around in a way that I’ve never seen the boys do before. Their play was so mature and intelligent that the lack of further goals was not an issue.

More importantly the boys, along with the Gloucester boys, played the game with a great sporting attitude and it was a superb advert for Jersey 2016 and district football in general. We can’t wait for our away trip to Gloucester in two weeks!

After stuffing their faces with pizza and ice-cream at Pizza Hut, the boys wanted to spend the afternoon doing something that they’ve become fairly decent at…playing football! St. Brelade’s beach was the venue and a mammoth two hour game capped off a stunning week.

Lesson four…shirts and ties are needed for the end of week dinner!

Up The Ton!

Jersey 2016: Thursday 7th April

Jersey 2016

Thursday 7th April

Just like the very best teams, we’ve got better and better as the week has gone on. Today’s game against Plymouth was something to admire and be proud of, particularly the first half.

It is worth remembering that we are little old Erdington and Saltley. Birmingham does not have a district football team. We are but one 7th of the second city. Yet we are able to match and beat districts the size of Plymouth. For me that is something to be incredibly proud of!

After racing into a three goal lead during the first half, we added a fourth shortly after the start of the second half. Now in a commanding position, we took our foot off the gas and conceded two sloppy goals. Fair play to Plymouth, as they refused to give up. However the first thing that the boys did following the final whistle was to question their own second half performance. They were happy with the win but not with the scoreline. We said nothing to them to stimulate this discussion and it was one of those moments where you just sit back and enjoy. The boys, who at the start of the week lacked focus, were now deconstructing their own performance and demanding more. Brilliant!

Later that day we went bowling and my word was this another eye-opening moment! Some of the lads mistakenly believed that the aim of the game was to throw the ball down the gutter, whilst others clearly thought bowling was like golf – the lower the score the better. Alas, following a short break to raise the barriers, the game continued and Blessing and Diago smashed the field!

One day to go…

Up The Ton!

Jersey 2016: Wednesday 6th April

Jersey 2016

Wednesday 6th April

Late kick-offs and an old black and white kit clearly suit our boys, because just like Monday when we had both of these things, the boys put on a show today and picked up a great 6-0 win against St. Paul’s. A stunning show of passing football (the polar opposite of yesterday) saw Tion and Rio grab a brace each, whilst Troy and Kane bagged a goal apiece too. It was arguably the best we have played all week!

Today’s afternoon activity saw the boys venture to Aqua Splash where Blessing and Pharrelle caught the attention of some local girls. Such is the life of a pair of international footballing superstars.

After three long hours and with my eyes feeling like I had poured vinegar in them, we headed back to the hotel to eat dinner (still no sign of the phones) and shoot some pool. Despite playing pool since the start of the week, I’m afraid to say that none of the boys will be challenging Ronnie O’Sullivan for any titles in the near (or far) future just yet!

Oh and have I mentioned room inspections? Well the trio of Rio, Pharrelle and Oakley have devised an ingenious way of tidying their room. It involves piling every last item, including the kitchen sink, into a cupboard and forcing it closed, before wedging the sideboard up against it to prevent it from spilling open. In fact, since discovering their cunning plan yesterday we haven’t actually seen Pharrelle. Although I’m sure I heard a distant cry coming from the wardrobe of room 411…I better go and inspect.

Up The Ton!

Jersey 2016: Tuesday 5th April

Jersey 2016

Tuesday 5th April

Confidence was high following the 4-1 win over St. Alban’s. So high in fact that we forgot to turn up this morning. These things happen! Luckily our inability to pass the ball and shoot didn’t stop us from winning as we did remember how to dive in front of fast-moving balls, throw our body on the line and how to score deflected shots! If all else fails, a good old last-minute deflected shot will always do the trick. Some people would have you believe that the good old-fashioned last-minute deflected shot is not in vogue these days, but they would be wrong.

Another win in the bag and it was on to Creepy Valley where we climbed high into the trees, jumped from platform to platform and fell from great heights in spectacular style! Think Superman with concussion. Great fun! Brilliant!

This was one of the best moments of the week for me as it was great to see the lads push themselves out of their comfort zones. Nervous and weary of the great heights, a number of the lads were far from excited by the thought of putting their life in the hands of the tree gods. However despite trembling with fear, they puffed out their chest and conquered their fear, even if it was with closed eyes!

The night was topped off with a quiz. The night was topped off with the realisation that no matter how good our boys are at football, their geographical skills leave something to be desired! Examples include:

Question: What is the capital city of Spain?

Child One: Real Madrid.

Child Two: No that’s wrong! What about Athletico?!

Question: Name the Scottish Loch where a mythical creature is said to live.

Child One: Loch Ness River.

Dear. Oh Dear. Oh Deary me.

The biggest shock of the day? Pharrelle, Rio and Diago won the quiz. Then again, I suppose they did put a man on the moon.

Up The Ton!