Wednesday 7th October 2015 @ Bescot Stadium

Walsall FC 6 – 1 Erdington and Saltley

Team: Gerard, Taylor, Danny, Blessing, Ilani, Kian, Cameron, William and Resharne

Goal: Blessing

After starting their season unbeaten, the opposition for the under 10s stepped up in terms of difficulty when they played local professional team Walsall FC.

Excitement around this fixture was obvious for all to see and we headed into the game quietly confident of being able to make a positive impression. Unfortunately despite matching our opponents for long parts of the game, we failed to get the scoreline that our efforts deserved.

However if you look beyond the score, which we always do, the performance of the boys was something to be incredibly proud of. They moved the ball around confidently and continued to pass the ball out from the back, even when it would have been easier to panic and go more route one.

During the game we created as many chances as Walsall and on another day, with a bit more luck, we would have scored a few more goals than the one that we did.

In terms of development points, we need to work on holding our positions, which is something that will come as the season progresses and we play more games as a team. Also as the game progressed there were signs that we were getting better at this skill and during the final third our shape was fantastic! This is a great source of encouragement.

A huge thank must go to Mark, Ian and David at Walsall for the opportunity to play them and for the offer of a rematch later in the season. An offer we were more than glad to accept. Also good luck to the Walsall boys for the rest of the season. They were a lovely bunch of lads, with a great attitude and desire to play entertaining football.

I for one can’t wait for the u10s to get together again and am so excited about the potential that they have as a team!

What a brilliant bunch of kids!

Up The Ton!

Saturday 10th October 2015 @ Handsworth Grammar School

Aston 0 – 6 Erdington and Saltley

Team: Rob, Sam, Ilani, Kye, Kane, Tion, Oakley, Rio, Troy, Taylor and Harvey

Goals: Troy x 2, Tion, Harvey, Kane and Oakley

When the fixture list for the season is first published, my focus is immediately drawn to the date of the Aston game. As a teacher who works in Aston, it’s the game that I look forward to most. Plus it’s a local derby and more often than not, a number of our players play for the same Sunday league team as their players.

Over the years we’ve had some real mammoth games, with last minute goals, warring brothers (Tyrese played for Erdington and Saltley during 2013-15, whilst his brother Gio played for Aston) and penalty shoot out victories in cup semi-finals. Today’s game was less dramatic when compared to these past encounters, however that doesn’t mean it wasn’t memorable! In fact we’ll all remember today’s game as the match when the 2015/16 team clicked into place nicely and hit top form!

The Aston boys should hold their heads up high because they gave it everything that they had and never let their team down. It was just unfortunate for them that The Ton were in imperious form.

The first third finished 0-0, but it wasn’t for the lack of efforts created by our boys. After the first twenty minutes we stressed to the boys the need to stay patient and keep moving the ball around at pace.

This is exactly what they did and the goals eventually came their way. The first was scored by Troy, after the Marsh Hill striker spun on the edge of the box and lashed home an unstoppable shot. After this the goals continued to come at regular intervals. Next up was Harvey who burst into the box from the right hand side of the pitch and finished low to the keeper’s left. Before long it was Tion’s turn to get in on the action, with the Yenton midfielder scoring a header from close range.

The final third saw another three goals come, with Troy again in on the action! It was then Oakley’s turn to get his name on the score sheet and in doing so he became the second Marsh Hill pupil to find his shooting boots. The final goal deservedly went to Kane, as the Hodge Hill midfielder scored a peach of a goal.

Parents from both sides commented on the quality of our football and how it was a joy to watch. This is something that I want to echo! In all my years of being involved in district football, this was the greatest performance that I’ve seen. We now have to make sure that we push on and improve on today’s showing. This won’t be easy but it has to be our aim as development and improvement are central to everything that we do.

Well done boys, you should be proud of your performance today!

Up The Ton!

Saturday 3rd October 2015 @ Heartlands Academy

Erdington and Saltley 3 – 1 East Birmingham

Team: Rob, Sam, Ilani, Diago, Kye, Taylor, Rio, Oakley, Tion, Blessing, Cameron, Harvey and Pharelle

Goals: Pharelle, Blessing and Kye

Man of the Match: Sam

After kicking off the season in style against Harborne, the boys took on East Birmingham at Heartlands determined to send out a message to the other districts. However to their eternal credit, East Birmingham had ideas to the contrary.

Starting the game as the better team, The Ton passed the ball around confidently but found themselves undone by a goal of the most simplistic nature. One long ball from goalkeeper to striker, bounced in the centre of the pitch and over the top to the East striker who finished it with a sweet shot. With a few minutes on the clock, the boys found themselves one goal behind. This is how it finished despite the fact that we had the majority of the ball in the first 20 minutes.

The second 20 minutes continued in the same fashion, with The Ton having most of the ball but failing to convert their chances, whilst East defended with the commitment and bravery of a pack of lions. East also had a couple of chances of their own on the counter attack and could easily have stretched their lead. Half way through the game, The Ton equalised through a superb half volley from Pharelle, much to the relief of the Ton Army!

The final third of the game saw the boys finally take the lead courtesy of Blessing who finished smartly following a period of Ton pressure. Minutes later East threw everything at us when they got a corner, as they looked to equalise. However unfortunately for them we managed to break away, with Blessing picking up the ball deep in his own half and sprinting the length of the pitch before crossing to Kye to make it 3-1. It was a crushing blow for the East boys but they had no option but to chance the game.

Overall both teams should be incredibly proud of their efforts today. The Ton stuck to their principles and played some very attractive football, whilst the East boys defended better than any team I’ve seen in a very long time. Well done to both sets of players! This was a great advert for schools football!

We should also be very pleased with the fact that four under 10s played in this game – Blessing, Taylor, Cameron and Ilani – only further cementing our belief that the future is very bright indeed.

Next week sees us lock horns with neighbours and great friends Aston…we can’t wait!

Man of the Match – Sam: A rock at the back, who marshalled the two man defence like a young Paul McGrath.

Up The Ton!