Programme Notes – What the match day programme said about The Ton

These are the player profiles that were included in the match day programme yesterday:

Alex Tame

Goalkeeper – Vocal, brave and a wicked shot-stopper. Alex is one of the most improved players this season. You’d be hard pushed to guess that he plays in defence  for his school and Sunday league teams! A rock upon which the team is built.

 

Bailey Vincent

Strker – A strong, robust and powerful striker, like they ‘used to make ‘em in the olden days!’ Bailey has a great touch and plenty of skills in his locker, not to mention a sweet shot on him!

 

Callum Brown

Striker/Midfielder – Now you see him. Now you don’t! This boy would give usain Bolt a run for his money and has the skills to go with the pace. One of the best players in the Birmingham District League and he has the footballing world at his feet. Callum has represented the City of Birmingham this season.

 

Cedric Mbenze

Midfielder – Don’t be fooled be Cedric’s small size and stature, after all Xavi, Messi and Iniesta are all tiny and they’re the greatest players in the world! Cedric has more skills and tricks than you could shake a big stick at!

 

Darrelle Warrican

Full back/Winger – Darrelle is another lightening fast player, as well as being committed and brave. He never grumbles when asked to do an unfamiliar job and just simply rolls up his sleeves and gets on with things. What a great attitude to have!

 

Ellis-Jay Smith

Winger – Ellis-Jay can play on either wing or through the middle. He is a great dribbler of the ball and causes the opposition no end of problems. His ability (and willingness) to play anywhere across the middle of the pitch makes him worth his weight in gold!

 

Ethan Thomas

Midfielder – Ethan is another versatile player who has also been known to play in defence as well as midfield during the season. He is diminutive in stature but tenacious in the tackle and composed on the ball.

 

Jayden Ward (Captain)

Defence/Midfield – Jayden is the captain of The Ton and leads by example in everything that he does! Jayden is every managers dream – brave, fast, clever and technically gifted. However if you ask him where he wants to play, he’ll say ‘up front’ . . . so don’t ask him! Jayden has represented the City of Birmingham this season.

 

Joshua Freeman

Full-back – Another one of a smaller players, but like the rest, ‘Little Josh’ is brave and committed in everything that he does. He gives every game 100% and is also an incredibly polite, respectful young-man.

 

Joshua Subhan

Centre Midfielder – Josh is the kind of player that every team in the whole world needs, the type of player prepared to run through a brick wall if it means stopping the opposition in their tracks! He makes me tired just watching him play as he covers every single blade of grass on the pitch! We’d be lost without him. Big Josh has represented the City of Birmingham this season.

 

Karter Blackstock

Midfield/Striker – A big, strong young man, Karter really introduced himself to the District stage in November against Harborne Primary Schools’ when he bullied and harassed their back-four to the point of distraction.

 

Michael Doyle

Centre Defence – Michael is a ball playing defender and can do a job in midfield if asked. He has a lovely touch and can thread the ball through the eye of a needle. Many of our best moves have started at the back through Michael.

 

Sahib Rahmen

Everywhere! – Sahib would love to play as a striker if he had his way, however he literally plays everywhere! He has played at the centre of defence, on either wing, in the middle of the park and up front! I’m sure I’m driving him crazy with the constant changes in positions, but he never moans and always gets on with things. Great mentality!

 

Sam Pinkney

Defence – Another one of our most improved players this season. Sam started the season as as a right back but has since also played at the heart of our defence. He is not afraid to stick his head in where it hurts and has a very nice turn of pace. A very important part of The Ton jigsaw.

 

Treymaine Morris-Griffiths

Midfield/Striker – The big man is a joy to work with. Fast, skillful and technically gifted…everything that I wanted to be as a footballer before I accepted defeat! Trey has won admirers from every team that we’ve come up against this season due to his refusal to accept defeat and obvious desire to win every game! Trey has represented the City of Birmingham this season.

 

William  Coffey

Defence/Midfield – William is a quiet boy off the pitch but when he steps over the line he lets his feet do the talking. His refusal to panic is a great quality for any player to have, especially one with a responsibility to defend.

 

Zane Lashram

Striker – Tidy when in procession and committed when chasing the ball. Zane has found starting opportunities few and far between this season due to the level of competition. However, when called to do a job from the bench he has done just that. He is a dedicated player who never gives anything short of 110% for The Ton.

Gloucester Primary Schools’ 4 – 1 Erdington and Saltley

Saturday 12th January @ Longlevens Primary School, Gloucester

Gloucester 4 – 1 The Ton (Ellis Jay)

With Jack Frost very much present in the air, there were some sceptics amongst us who thought this historic day would never happen. However, it did and what a day it was! The Ton had the privilege of becoming the 119th different primary school association to play against Gloucester Primary Schools’. The word ‘privilege’ probably doesn’t do our host justice! The lads from The Ton were treated like bona fide professional footballers from the moment we were greeted at the entrance to the school to the moment we were waved away with our bellies full and with a whole collection of memories that will stay with us forever.

Starting line-up: (4-4-2) Alex; Sam, William, Jayden, Michael; Cedric, Ellis-Jay, Josh S, Sahib; Bailey, Callum

On a beautiful pitch, Gloucester kicked off the first 20 minute third with The Ton looking to close them down at every opportunity. It was a cagey affair with both teams carving out the slenderest of chances here and there. However, a defensive slip up cost Erdington and Saltley dearly. Under pressure from the Gloucester attacker, The Ton cleared the ball into the centre of a congested pitch rather than out for a throw or down the channel. The Gloucester striker did not need a second invitation and pounced to rifle home the ball and give his side a 1-0 lead. Unfortunately The Ton did not learn from their mistakes and gifted their opponents another opportunity when they once again failed to clear their lines. Although this time round the Gloucster forward had to work a little harder for his goal but boy did he do just that. Picking up the ball on the edge of the area, he curled home a left footed shot that hit the inside of Alex’s right hand post and went in.

Lineup at the start of the second third: (3-5-2) Alex; Jayden, Sam, Michael; William, Darrelle, Josh, Sahib, Ethan; Callum, Karter

During the first break I asked the lads to cut out the silly defensive errors and to just keep it simple at the back. We also knew that we needed to get a grip of the game in midfield, therefore we sacrificed a defender for a midfielder and switched from a 4-4-2 to a 3-5-2 formation. This worked in terms of offering us more solidity but the footballing gods were still not looking down on The Ton! An innocuous shot from distance somehow found it’s way past a terribly unlucky Alex. However, these things happen in football and I know for a fact that Alex will win The Ton more points this season through his world class saves than he costs us. Mistakes happen…such is life. At the end of the second third we were 4-0 down but far from broken! To Alex’s eternal credit, he later pulled off two saves that would have been right at home on Match of the Day!

Lineup at the start of the final third: (3-4-3) Alex; Jayden, Ethan, Sam; Eliis-Jay, Darrelle, Josh, Callum; Bailey, Cedric, Karter

Determined to win the final third and take some pride home from the match, we went all out attack, once again switching to a more attacking formation. With Sam marshalling the back line superbly, Jayden knew he could venture forward safe in the knowledge that Sam had things covered at the back. This is exactly what he did at the start of the final third before slipping Ellis-Jay through for the winger to score his first of the season. The Ton were in the ascendency and determined to score more. Moments later Bailey struck the crossbar following an audacious overhead -type kick and The Ton were convinced that more goals were coming their way. However, despite their best efforts that had to settle for just the one.

To play like they did during the final third, when 4-0 down, says an awful lot about this bunch of lads. They could have easily given up and accepted defeat lying down but that’s not The Ton way to do things! They rolled up their sleeves and dusted themselves off for one more effort and deservedly won the final third, even if overall victory evaded them on this occasion. It’s that kind of effort that makes me proud to manage The Ton.

What a day! What an experience! All of The Ton would like to say a huge thank you to Bob at Gloucester and all of his team, players and supporters. You all made us feel welcome from the very moment we arrived to the second that we left. I know that the lads will remember this day for a very long time. The day that The Ton went nationwide! Thanks once again Gloucester!

In terms of Man of the Match, it was a tough call and I couldn’t decide between two players…so it will be shared this week! Both Sam and Jayden were great at the back and threw themselves into every challenge like their life depended on at. What an example to set!

 

Up the Ton!

Erdington and Saltley vs. Gloucester

Adress information:

Post code: GL2 0UF, Gloucester

Additional Information: drive past the school and the library (GL2-0UF) which is on your left and turn left immediately after the library down a side road called ‘The Elms’. Enter the school grounds through the big green gates at the end. Just remember that when you arrive, drive PAST the school and turn left immediately after the adjoining library. Please don’t park in the front playground as you’ll either get dragged in to Slimming World – or locked in the car park when it finishes!

Directions from Braemar Road: 

http://www.theaa.com/route-planner/index.jsp#fromNode=18260035007681%7CB73%206LN,%20Sutton%20Coldfield%7CSTREET%7C411053%7C294906%7CtoNode=18260035198392%7CGL2%200UF,%20Gloucester%7CSTREET%7C384905%7C220468

Travel Arrangements:

The following people are going straight to Gloucester:

Team Sam: Sam, Ethan and Josh S

Team Cedric: Cedric

Team William: William

Team Darrelle: Darrelle

TOTAL: Six Players

Meeting at Braemar Road at 8:15am on Saturday:

Team Alex T: Alex T, Karter, Little Josh, Sahib, Michael, Bailey

Team Phil: Ellis-Jay, Callum and Jayden

TOTAL: Nine

For those players travelling from Braemar Road, we should arrive back by 2:00pm at the latest. I will text all of the parents the minute that we leave Gloucester as this will give you approximately an hour to get to Braemar Road.

The squad on the day will consist of 15 players as unfortunately both Zane and Treymaine are unavailable to play.

We have agreed with Gloucester to play three lots of 20 minutes. This means every single player will get a minimum of 40 minutes playing time. Therefore making the journey worthwhile.

Give me a call if you have any problems and roll on Saturday!

Oh and if anyone has a camera, please bring it along so we can take a few snaps of this historical day!

The Ton are going nationwide!

Up The Ton!

Erdington and Saltley 5 – 2 Aston

Saturday 5th January @ Braemar Road

 

On a beautiful winter morning, the lads from The Ton dusted off their boots for the first time in a month and took a step back from the last turkey sandwich! Still smarting from the last game they played (a 6-1 defeat to Aston) the lads were determined to set the record straight by claiming a much needed three points.

The team talk before the game had been about staying strong and not wimping out of challenges, as well as playing the ball out wide to the areas of the pitch not consumed by mud! This is exactly what we did in the first ten minutes when we played the ball into the right channel for the lightening quick Callum to latch onto. Despite their best efforts, the Aston defence just could not catch up with Callum as he sprinted clear before calmly slotting the ball away for a 1-0 lead. It was the kind of run and finish that Michael Owen would have been proud of in his prime! However, Aston refused to lie down and equalised following a run that saw their player skip past four Ton players. The lads refused to let their heads drop and regained the lead moments later when a speculative Treymaine effort somehow found a way past the unfortunate keeper. Nevertheless, Aston once again rallied and equalised when a Loic cross evaded half of The Ton before landing at the feet of an Aston player. A simple finish is all that was required and the scores were level at two each. With minutes to go before half time, Treymaine got his second of the game, rifling home from the right hand side of the area.

With a 3-2 lead to build on, we talked at half time about the need to be first to the ball and to basically ‘man-up’ and win the ball. This is exactly what we did during the second half and as a result we were able to score two goals with no reply. Firstly Karter finished into the top right hand corner following a goal mouth scramble and then Treymaine raced clear of the Aston back line to complete his hat-trick. However the most pleasing thing about the second half wasn’t the goals that we scored, but the way in which we defended as a team. Josh Subhan was absolutely immense in the centre of the park, winning every ball and throwing his body on the line in a way that very few players would even dream of. At the back, the defence was solid and compact, with Jayden dropping back following his recent efforts in midfield and adding a touch of composure to proceedings. Special mention should also go to Callum who caused Aston no end of troubles and created havoc every time he had the ball at his feet. In fact, every player deserves a special mention because it was a truly great team performance!

Man of the match I hear you say…well it was a ridiculously difficult decision to make and I could have given it to any one of four or five players. However, to score a hat-trick and not win man of the match would be pretty harsh, so Trey wins it this week. Although I genuinely mean it when I say it was an exceptionally tough decision.

I am so proud of you boys for the way in which you’ve picked yourself up following the 6-1 defeat before Christmas and the type of football that you played yesterday! What a team! What a cracking bunch of lads!

We’ve got a great experience on the horizon next week with an away game against Gloucester. A genuinely real away game! The Ton are going nationwide! The journey continues!

Enjoy your first week back at school lads and roll on next Saturday!

 

Team: Alex, Sam, William, Michael, Jayden, Ellis-Jay, Treymaine, Cedric, Josh S, Sahib, Callum     Subs: Bailey, Zane, Karter, Ethan

Scorers: Treymaine x 3, Callum, Karter

 

Up the Ton!