Report: U12 NW vs. Wroughton Juniors 25-Nov-2007

It was back to North Wilts League action after two cup weeks and we all know what happened in the last league game. This was certainly no easy game to get the League program back on track as Wroughton, the only side to beat us at home last year were the visitors.

Wroughton kicked off and played the ball back through the midfield to the defenders. Charlie got stuck in and won the ball knocking it out to Callum; he advanced into the area and just shot over the bar. This was a little taster for the first 10 minutes of the game. In the second minute Albie had a chance on the right but his dipping shot was just grabbed by the keeper under the bar. The clearance came to Duncan who feed it out to Albie, his early cross was met by Callum at the back post who slammed the ball home. Wroughton just had not got out of their half yet. In the 4th minute Callum chased what seemed to be a lose cause into the left hand corner and won a corner kick. Albie hit it deep just clearing Bert but Charlie got above the defender the head powerfully home. In the 7th minute Jack pushed up the right to make a great tackle and then feed Albie. His cross was parried by the keeper who just collected it at the second attempt and Charlie charged in. The ball was cleared out by Wroughton but Bert made a great challenge and as the ball rolled to Karl, under pressure he lobbed the ball into the area. The defenders let the ball bounce and in nipped Charlie to head the ball over the advancing keeper for 3-0 after only 8 minutes. In the 12th minute as similar attack saw Callum get away as he was closed down he passed the ball to Charlie but this time the keeper just got the block in. Duncan, Charlie and Jesse all had half chances but the ball was always blocked. Then Wroughton broke down their right with a diagonally hit ball over the top. Jack, William and James all closed in on the ball but none of them took control of the situation and somehow the forward got there first to toe poke the ball in-between everyone for 3-1 and only 12 minutes have gone. Wroughton were now back in the game and in the 16th minute following a poor clearance a cross from the left saw the Wroughton forward with a few header which was put well wide. In the 20th minute a long free kick was hit into the Wroughton box, Bert went in on the keeper who dropped the ball which Charlie then put into the back of the net but a foul on the keeper was correctly awarded. However a minute later a Wroughton throw in the right hand corner was won by Albie who tucked it inside to Charlie. He gave it back and Albie hit one of his long range specials into the far corner of the goal for 4-1. Some panic in defence close on half time almost saw Wroughton almost score again but the lead was held.

Jon pointed out that if we could get 4 goals in a half then so could Wroughton and a defeat would move us down from 1st to 5th place. In the first minute Jesse played a great through ball for Albie to run onto. He was forced slightly wide to the right but his is cross shot across the replacement keeper but just past the far post…surely that would have killed the game off. Wroughton were now a totally different side, far more fired up. With seven minutes gone Wroughton turned a rare Wickham attack into a quick attack of their own. The danger seemed to have been dealt with but the clearance from the by line only made it to the “D” of the area where a midfield player arrived late to smash the ball into the apex of the goal for 4-2. In the 10th minute Jesse was flattened on the edge of the Wroughton “D”. Able hit the kick to the top left hand corner but somehow the keeper managed to palm the ball away. The next goal was going to prove important and in the 20th minute a Wroughton corner was unfortunately turned into his own net by Olly. This set up a grandstand finish with Wroughton now playing 4 up front but Wickham keeping 2 or 3 up as well. Jack had taken a knock so Jordan now stepped in never putting a foot wrong. With 4 minutes to go a Wroughton free kick found Nana on the edge of the area but his shot to the top corner was pushed round the post for a corner by James. Wroughton still kept coming but they were just about dealing with the Wickham forwards as they tried to break until the very last minute. The ball came to Fraser on the left who tucked it inside to Charlie who in turn immediately sent Albie away. This time he confidently slotted the ball away. There was only just time to kick off again before the final whistle went.

Player of the Day went to Albie who was instrumental in creating the initial 3-0 lead, however Ian did ask him that next time could he put away the 1 on 1 in the first minute and not the last minute of the half.
James Davies
Jack Wild, Bert Cherrill, William Herrington, Olly Sopp
Albie Oakman, Jesse Bowers, Karl Admans, Duncan Lorraine
Charlie De Fraine, Callum Johnson
Subs:- Fraser Roberts, Jordan Shaw, Aiden Weeks .

Report: U12 OM vs. Appleton 18-Nov-2007

The weekend saw the start of the return fixtures in the Oxford Mail League as Appleton were the visitors to the Triangle Field. For the first game we were ask to kick off at 10.00, this time it was cold with driving rain into Appleton’s faces for the first half.

After a number of times of asking Appleton finally lined up but then had 12 players on the field... nice try, which again took some time to sort out, but eventually the game started. In the first minute Max was put through on the left beyond the last defender. However, a poor final touch saw the ball get away from him and into the waiting keepers hands. In the second minute the ball was fired across the box from the right to Max at the back post but having controlled the ball he could only produce a weak finish into the keepers hands. After five minutes, the ball was again at Max’ feet on the left hand side. This time he hit a cross to AO who was just beyond the far post but his first touch was too heavy which made the angle for the shot too narrow and the chance was gone. Wickham were pushing forwards and dominating the game; surely a goal would come shortly? The 7th minute saw another chance created by good midfield play from Jordie, Ollie and Max. This time the ball ended up at Ben’s feet only 3 yards out from goal but he hit it straight to the keeper and another chance had gone. It was very much a case of “de je vois” as this was exactly what happened in the game at Appleton, multiple chances were created with most of them wasted. More pressure in the 9th minute looked as if it would bring the opening goal. The ball was partially cleared out to Jordie on the edge of the box. He went round the first defender but was then clattered to the ground….. “Penalty Ref”…but after some thought and after moving the whistle to his lips Jon waived play on. Appleton then broke away but in a 1 on 1 with Ben, he did just enough to force the forward to shoot wide. Appleton were now beginning to find their feet and in the 16th minute they cut through the Wickham defence again. This time Ben came diving out at the same time as the forward slid in. The ball bounced free but Jordan was there to clear it away. Wickham attacked again & a nice pass from Ollie saw William flick the ball over the defender for Jordie to run onto but his shot was well saved by the keeper. In the 23rd minute William dragged a shot just wide of the left hand post. A minute later Appleton went on the attack which saw Ben C foul the forward near the edge of the box.. The free kick was hit well but Ben G managed to make the save at the second attempt. However, in the 26th minute Wickham were made to pay for their misses. A through ball split Jordan and Jack and despite the forward looking off side the flag stayed down. Ben came out to narrow the angle but the forward knocked it past him and into the net, just inside the left hand post. In the 27th minute Wickham attacked down the left with the cross coming into AO, who saw his shot saved. In the final minute Max seemed to have sent William clear but, despite a covering defender on the opposite side of the pitch, the flag went up for off side.

The lads were cold at half time so more layers of clothes went on. Wickham won their first corner of the game in the 3rd minute but the keeper gathered this in at the near post. Wickham were still attacking, despite now having the wind in their face but they had not yet tested the keeper. In the 10th minute Jack went to clear an Appleton attack and moved progressively up the field. He eventually got to the edge of the box where he laid the ball off to Ben but his shot just cleared the bar. Which ever team were now defending were finding it hard to clear the ball, as both teams suffered from the cold. In the 22nd minute Jodie won the ball in defence but tried to dribble the ball out. Unfortunately he lost the ball and then fouled the attacker…penalty to Appleton. Despite it being well struck to Ben’s right, he made a great save gathering the ball at the second attempt after knocking his hat off which had come over his eyes. Unfortunately the fresh legs provided by Stephen and Harry in the last 10 minutes of the game could not help produce a goal, so the lads went down to an unfortunate 1-0 defeat, which they did not deserve.

Player of the Day was almost unanimous and for some great saves including the penalty it went to Ben Grey.
Ben Grey
Aiden Weeks, Jack Wild, Jordan Shaw, Tom Farmer
Alex Olford, William Herrington, Jordie Rowlands Ollie Norman, Max Nicholls
Ben Cipolla
Subs:- Stephen Enever, Harry Russell.

Report: U12 NW vs. Croft A 18-Nov-2007

A rain soaked Triangle Field was the venue for the next round of the North Wilts League cup. Although it had stopped raining just before the start of the game it started again and this was the first match that this side had ever played in the rain. The “prize” for a victory was Wroughton at home in the next round of the cup.

Croft kicked off with the slight wind on their backs and immediately Charlie won the ball. He played it out to the right where both Karl and Jesse seemed to tackle each other but eventually the ball was switched left to Callum. As her was closed down he knocked the ball inside to Charlie who hit his shot over the keeper and into the top left corner for 1-0 after 27 seconds. In the second minute Albie went down the line got a great cross in for Callum to crash home but somehow he was adjudged to be off side. Wickham were battling for everything today and in the 6th minute a ball which should have been an easy corner for the Croft defender was turned into a corner by Duncan’s harrying. Duncan took the corner quickly to Albie who sent a cross to the back post. Both William and Charlie went up for the ball but it was Charlie who headed the ball home. Considering the conditions Wickham were passing the ball well but Croft were also defending well. In the 13th minute Wickham built an attack from the back at it was Jack out on the right wing. He hit a cross into the middle which Charlie either dummied or missed with the ball going onto hit Albie and then into the net. The croft keeper was having a great game in goal turning efforts wide of the posts and grabbing the ball when he could. In the 18th minute Callum was down the left. He got to the by line and then cut back to this time get a cross in off his right foot. The keeper then made three cracking saves before finally the ball came out to Jack, who smashed the ball across the goal and into the far corner for his first North Wilts goal of the season. Wickham had very little defending to do as the majority of the play had been in the Croft half. In the 27th minute Albie had a shot which the defender partially cleared onto his own post and then away for a corner. In the 29th minute a quick throw from Olly went to Ollie who played it inside to Duncan. He immediately sent Callum away and with no defenders near him he was able to cut inside and score with ease to make the half time score 5-0.

Croft came out with more fight in the second half and seemed a little bit quicker into the tackles. However the first 4 minutes were still played in their half until a clearance seemed to catch both Bert and William out leaving the forward to race clear. As James came out the shot went past his right hand and into the corner of the net. Wickham went straight back onto the attack with Karl and Albie breaking clear. The initial attack was stopped but the ball came out to Jack who drove the ball past the keeper onto so see a defender clear the ball off the line. Albie swung the corner into the box where a defender, under pressure from William turned the ball into the back of the net. The keeper was still pulling off saves as Wickham continued to press but Croft were getting into the Wickham half now but the back four were dealing with most things. In the 15th minute a Croft corner was turned into an attack as three quick passes saw Charlie race clear. His cross shot came back off the far post with the follow up blocked on the line, but the rebound came out to Ben, who had only been on the field for a minute, who drove the ball into the back of the net. Three minutes later which had a corner on the right which Albie took short to Jack. He duly gave him the ball back and Albie’s cross nestled nicely in the back of the net at the far post. In the 23rd minute a Croft defensive throw in was won by Ollie who gave the ball to Karl. Karl sent Charlie through who played a one two with Callum before going around the keeper to slot the ball away with his left foot. Croft to their credit kept going but near the end Jack won the ball at right back and sent it up the line to Albie. It was then Albie’s turn to play a one two, this time with Jesse before getting his cross in. Charlie had the initial shot which was blocked on the line but Ollie was there to complete the scoring for the day.

In such cold wet conditions both sides should be pleased with the way they kept going right to the end and it was a good passing and moving game from the Wickham lads. The Player of the Day voting was tight but went to Karl for his very good workman like effort in midfield throughout the game. So it’s onto Wroughton now, both next weekend in the League and in the next round of the cup.

James Davies
Jack Wild, Bert Cherrill, William Herrington, Olly Sopp
Albie Oakman, Jesse Bowers, Karl Admans, Duncan Lorraine
Charlie De Fraine, Callum Johnson
Subs:- Ben Cipolla, Ollie Norman.

Report: U12 NW vs. Radley 11-Nov-2007

Following the Bassett defeat in the League it was Berks & Bucks cup action away at Radley. All we knew about them was that they are an OML division 1 side that is currently struggling at the bottom of that division and our B side had beaten their B team 10-0 earlier in the season. The usual 11 players were supplemented by Ollie, Tom Fraser and Jordan.

Straight form the kick off Charlie won the ball and sent it out to Albie on the right. His cross was partially cleared but then it came out to Jesse who also went right. His cross went to the back post where Callum knocked it in. A minute later Albie was fouled out on the right. He swung the free kick to the far post where both Callum and Bert were free, with the latter firing the ball into the roof of the net. After 4 minutes Karl landed badly on his back and was replaced by Ollie and almost immediately Olly took a throw in to Ollie who played it down the line to Callum. He his a great diagonal ball into Albie’s path, who took it around the keeper to tap the ball into an empty net. In the 7th minute it was Charlie who found himself out on the right wing. He went past the full back before getting his cross in for Ollie to head home. Bert was now struggling at the back so Jordan came on. Wickham were in top form today with confidence flowing. In the 11th minute Jack won the ball in the centre circle and went on a run. No one got in an effective challenge and Jack soon found himself on the edge of the box. As the keeper came out he slipped the ball under him to score his first goal of the season. Duncan now took a knock so Tom come on. 11 minutes gone three subs used and already 5-0 up…what a strange game. Three minutes later some great interplay between Ollie, Tom and William saw the ball knocked up to Charlie who headed the ball into Albie’s path, who, after letter the ball bounce cracked in the volley. A minute later Albie hit a corner in from the left which William powerfully headed home. Two minutes later saw Callum and Tom work the ball down the left. Callum got a deep cross in which saw Jack up from the back hit a flying volley into the roof of the net. Somewhat surprisingly there were no more goals in the last 12 minutes of the half but Charlie did force a cracking save from the Radley keeper and could only hit the post from the narrowest of angles from the follow up.

It could have been difficult to motivate the guys for the second half but an early disallowed goal from Fraser for off side seemed to do the trick. Almost immediately Charlie won the ball from a clearance switched the ball left to Callum for him to score. In the 9th minute Olly took a throw deep in the Wickham half, which Albie immediately switched to Fraser on the right. He got to the by line and cut the ball back for Charlie to volley in. Karl then scored two goals in quick succession, the first from just inside the box but the second from quite some distance out after Albie had had his shot blocked. After some Radley pressure Bert intercepted the ball playing it to Olly. Olly played the ball across the back line to Jack who after making some ground sent Charlie free down the right. He got to the by line before laying it back to Jesse to score. A minute later Albie got a deep cross in from the right to Callum beyond the back post. He placed it into Jesse’s path who delicately chipped the keeper. Radley now had their best period of the game as a series of attacked resulted in James having to make some saves. In the 28th minute Wickham broke quickly via Albie. His deep cross was controlled by Jesse who somehow managed to chip the keeper from the tightest of angles to complete his hat trick and a 15-0 win.

Everyone played much better today, passing the ball around and making good runs. However one player stood out, not only for his defensive work but also his attacking play. The player of the Day Award thus went to Jack Bolton.

James Davies,
Jack Bolton, William Herrington, Bert Cherrill, Olly Sopp
Albie Oakman, Karl Admans, Jesse Bowers Duncan Lorrain
Callum Johnson, Charlie de Fraine.
Subs, Jordan Shaw, Tom Farmer, Ollie Norman, Fraser Roberts.

Report: U12 OM vs. Kennington 11-Nov-2007

Following the great performance in the cup last week, it was back to League duties with a home game against Kennington. The lads were just asked to play the ball around and to compete for every ball. Despite Fraser being back the same starting eleven took to the field.

All this advice seemed to go out of the window as the passes were poor, there was no covering back and no one seemed to want the ball. Wickham did create some chances but the flag going up for non interfering players caused the game to be stopped on a number of occasions. In the 7th minute Jordie gathered the ball from a goal kick and played the it out to AO. He sent Ben through the middle but he let the ball run out to Max who calmly put the ball away. Despite this, the passing still did not get going. AO hit the bar in the 12th minute and 3 minutes later Ben hit a volley just wide. Fraser now replaced AO on the right and suddenly Wickham started to pass the ball around. In the 18th minute some interplay between Jordie and Ben eventually saw Max put through and he calmly scored his second with a good left footed strike. Kennington attacked from the centre but Jordan intercepted and passed to Jack, he knocked it to Luke who sent the ball between the centre backs for Ben to run onto and score. Two minutes later it was Jordie’s turn to send Ben through on goal. The keeper got a hand to his shot but could not stop it going in. In the 28th minute Jordie was brought down in just inside the Wickham half. Aiden hit the free kick over the top for Jordie to run onto but his shot went just wide. From the goal kick Tom battled well to win it and sent Max down the left. His dink into the box was knocked back to the keeper but Max chased it down getting there first to pass it to Fraser for a simple tap in. Almost straight from the centre Fraser got the ball down the right, got past his man before hitting a cross in for Ben to put away the simplest of headers to complete his hat trick.

Wickham started the second half well creating two chances in the first 30 second but both were saved. However, in the 2nd minute Max completed his hat trick as Luke’s cross was powered in at the back post. In the 3rd minute Max got a good cross in from the left which Stephen missed but Fraser was there to score. The next minute saw Jack feed Jordie and with runners going both ways for him the defence just opened up allowing him to get to the edge of the box and score. Wickham never stopped attacking but, for a change, people were keeping in their positions. In the 7th minute Ollie hit a good corner into the box which Stephen cracked against the post. The clearance then was hit against him and flew into the back of the net. Jordie was having a great game in midfield and he now set up Max and Jordan for a goal apiece. The 13th minute saw Max again get a cross in from the left for Fraser to complete his hat trick. Direct from the centre Ollie won the ball and just went straight through the middle of the defence to score. The next goal was only a minute later and was a sweetly struck free kick from Ollie which went flying into the top corner (see guys, practice does help!). The hectic scoring then stopped for 10 minutes as Kennington were able to get tackles in but the last 5 minutes saw four more goals scored, two from Ben and one each from Jordie and Max to give a final score of 19-0.

The player of the day award was close but for his influential role in midfield it went to Jordie.

Ben Grey,
Aiden Weeks, Jordan Shaw, Jack Wild, Tom Farmer
Alex Olford, Luke Evans, Jordie Rowlands, Ollie Norman, Max Nicholls
Ben Cipolla.
Sub:- Fraser Roberts, Declan Hess, Stephen Enever.

Report: U12 NW vs. Wootton Bassett Town 4-Nov-2007

The away game this weekend saw the lads travel over to Wootton Bassett. They had strengthened again during the off season with two more rep players joining the squad and of course acquaintances with Josh Way would be renewed. The side were at full strength but much would depend on the player’s attitudes and how much they wanted to win.

Wickham started brightly enough and in the first minute created two half chances as shots came in from the edge of the area, first from Charlie and then from Jesse, but both were blocked by covering defenders. Then we saw the first sign of Bassett’s tactics for the day as a long diagonal ball was hit over the Wickham defenders for their no.8 to run onto but he put his shot wide of the near post. Wickham pressing forwards and Bassett countering was the early shape of the game but with 5 minute gone Wickham seemed to have cleared the ball but from 35 yards out Fraser Evans sent a speculative shot goal wards which just went in under the bar. This stunned Wickham and gave Bassett a big boost. The Bassett back four were a solid as a rock with Wickham attempting to hit the ball over the top. Bassett were far more adept at this often creating one on one’s with James but never being able to finish them off. With 18 minutes gone a Bassett throw in the corner was headed into the Wickham box by Bert. After some panic the ball was partially cleared only for it to be knocked into the middle again. Both William and Bert went for the header which neither dealt with effectively as it fell between two Bassett players who could choose who made it 2-0. In the 23rd minute Wickham passed the ball around as Callum feed Charlie down the left. He played the ball to Albie in the middle who went across the defenders before hitting his shot just over the bar.

The half time talk was all about keeping the ball on the floor and passing it around, effectively playing to our strengths and not to get hitting the ball long and forwards. The first 10 minutes were fairly even with neither side creating a clear cut chance. With 12 minutes gone Aiden came on to play at left back with Olly moving up to left midfield as Callum came off. Almost immediately Olly got a cross in but Albie’s shot was blocked. The ball came back to Olly who found Charlie at the back post but his shot went just wide. With 15 minutes gone following lots of Wickham pressure and innocuous ball forwards towards the centre of Wickham’s box was not called for by James and William attempted to clear. The ball came off the back of his head and into the path of Bassett’s right winger who hit a first time shot across James and inside the far post for 3-0. Things just got worse 3 minutes later as Wickham never full cleared their lines from a goal kick. A scramble took place in the area but the initial shot went wide. Aiden had a chance to put the ball out for a corner but tried to clear it. The ball went straight to Josh Way who coolly slotted the ball away. Wickham now actually started to play some good passing football. When Bassett did break James got his positioning correct and made the saves. With a minute to go Wickham forgot how to defend from their goal kicks. A poor goal kick went straight to Josh Way, who took his time before placing the ball past James completing a 5-0 victory for Bassett.

In summary, a very disappointing display, with a number of players not playing anywhere near their best. Maybe this was because of the way Bassett set themselves up to play the game but certainly the best side won easily on the day. Hopefully everyone will now realise that they need to perform in all games and that we need to improve for the next League match against Wroughton. The Player of the Day award went to one of the few people who did put in his normal effort for the whole game, Duncan Lorrain.

James Davies
Jack Bolton, Bert Cherrill, William Herrington, Olly Sopp
Albie Oakman, Jesse Bowers, Karl Admans, Duncan Lorrain, Callum Johnson.
Charlie de Fraine
Sub:- Aiden Weeks, Jordan Shaw, Max Nicholls

Report: U12 OM vs. Abingdon 4-Nov-2007

The OML side went up to Abingdon for the 2nd round of the League Cup have had a bye in the 1st. Abingdon are a mid table division 2 side so this would be a tough game especially as there were only 12 players available.

In the early stages Wickham were able to hold their own and in the 2nd minute AO worked an angle down the right but saw his shot fly across the goal and just wide. Three minutes later two corners followed in quick succession but Abingdon were able to scramble both away. The 7th minute saw Abingdon’s first genuine chance as they broke with pace. Jack Wild was able to get a partial block in but the forward went around Ben. The shot was cleared off the line by Jordie but only to another forward who shot into Ben’s arms. Abingdon’s no5 was looking dangerous down the right and in the 11th minute he got around Tom and then past Jack as he came across to cover. Fortunately he went directly for goal, instead of passing to the free player in the middle, and Ben made the save. A minute later Abingdon again broke down the right. A cross came in which Jack tried to clear first time, but he miss-kicked it to a forward for a tap in. Wickham kept battling and in the 15th minute Ben had a chance but hit the ball straight at the keeper from the edge of the box. A minute later Ollie’s cross was headed over by Ben and then Max hit a shot across the keeper but wide of the far post. Abingdon dominated the last section of the half but without really troubling Ben in goal.

With 10 minutes of the second half gone Wickham were looking tired but they were beginning to dominate without creating clear chances. The Tom feed Stephen down the left he got his cross in and Ben’s shot was deflected wide. The corner came in and was played back to Tom whose shot just cleared the bar. Abingdon’s attacks were now limited but when they did get through Ben either got his angles correct or times his intercepts perfectly. In the 17th minute and Abingdon corner was cleared and Wickham came out. As the ball was dinked back in the ball was put into the net but both the scorer and 2 other players were off side. With 9 minutes left the switch to 3-5-2 was made as both Tom and AO pushed forwards more, and it was all Wickham pressure. With 4 minutes left a corner came out to Jack but he shot straight at the keeper. With 2 minute left a defensive Abingdon throw was won by Ollie who hit a shot goal bound. It cleared the keeper but came back off the bar and Tom’s follow up shot was saved. In the last minute a corner flashed across the box and Max’s volley went just wide. Finally with 30 seconds left another corner was cleared out to Ben at the edge of the box (what was he doing there!) and he drilled it into the roof of the net.
Extra time was dominated by Abingdon but neither side created a decent chance so it was down to penalties. Abingdon missed their first two and with Jack scoring Wickham’s second they were 1 up. However, Abingdon scored all their remaining kicks with only Tom scoring for Wickham so Wickham went out 3-2. The player of the Day Award went to Ben Grey who had a great game in goal, remembering all the positional tips he was given during training and then carrying them out. He could not be blamed for either the goal during the match or not getting to any of the penalties which were well placed in the corners of the goal
Ben Grey,
Aiden Weeks, Jordan Shaw, Jack Wild, Tom Farmer
Alex Olford, Luke Evans, Jordie Rowlands, Ollie Norman, Max Nicholls
Ben Cipolla
Sub:- Stephen Enever.