BAYS UNITED FURY 1 - GORGE FC 0

Aaron sends Finn on a counter attack

Well what a game, eh? Exciting until the last whistle. The referee kept us biting our nails too, but that is part of the game. In the end though, we persisted and came out successful. Despite the pressure Gorge mounted towards the end of the game, the boys held their composure and maintained a good defensive stance. In my view, we deserved the win.

Jonathan battles hard for the ball in the midfield

When we last played Gorge, our biggest problem was that we were too soft on our challenges, our drive to win every ball and our determination to regain possession was also low. Ultimately, our confidence suffered. Since that game, we decided to focus on improving on those factors. We worked hard at moving the ball quicker, man-to-man marking, positioning and most of all on becoming stronger when challenging for the ball. I think that the boys should receive a lot of praise for implementing these skills into the game this past weekend.

Mathew mounts an attack ~ Koby and Gabriel advance in support

From the back to the front, the team worked hard. Aaron endured incredible pressure. Yet, he did well to take care of things. Almost before the final whistle went, he made two stupendous saves and the boys' reaction to them (going over and tapping him on the shoulder with a 'well done!') showed how much they all recognized Aaron's efforts. Our defenders were also phenomenal. Jonathan and Pierce controlled the middle excellently. I was very happy to see Pierce showed his prowess and set the standard high when tackling - and also ensuring that he did not go out of position. Jonathan's strong challenges and distribution of the ball was also admirable, especially cause he played both at the back and in the center mid.

Marcel controls the ball while in space

When it came to man-to-man marking though, it was the Tyler and Brandon show. These two young men put on a clinic when defending against Gorge's top boys. Neither one of them backed down and in fact, they had the upper hand on them so much that I could see the top players switching positions just to get away from Tyler and Brandon. Here is where Marcel and Finn and Gabriel also played an immense role. Marcel, despite having a knock on his knee, fought through the pain and battled the big boys like David battled Goliath. I was also very happy to see Finn and Gabriel come back and not one, or twice, but many times take the ball back and regain possession for our team. For me, one specific moment was of great importance. It happened when Finn slide-checked Gorge's top striker in the first half. This not only served Finn as moment where he could see what he needs and can do to improve his defensive game, but it also served as an example for the whole team to follow. Hamish also impressed me with his grit and slide-checks. It was a great effort from all our wingers.

Tyler clears the ball while under pressure

In the middle, Jonathan and Koby set a high standard from the start. Their control was exactly what we needed. When Justin came in, he added a different dimension to our midfield and worked hard at getting the ball back as well. What I like the most about our midfield was their understanding that their role is to pass and set the rhythm of the game. You need to know when to hold and when not to hold on to the ball for too long. All three played excellent, moving the ball quickly and accurately passing to open players. Well done boys.

Koby works hard to get the ball back from Mackie

Our wingers (Mathew, Finn, Gabriel, Hamish) were great on the attack. I found that finally, they were opening themselves so that they could use the space to their advantage. That was a big part of why our team put Gorge on their heels. They could not deal with our speed and incisiveness on the wings for a long period of time.

Finn takes off on another attack

Up front, Robbie and Mathew started off well. Robbie's strength and skill combined with Mathew's skill and speed created problems for Gorge. Credit to their defenders who kept a close eye on Robbie and Mathew though ~ their defence was not easy to break them down. Mathew was closely checked so he had a difficult time getting into spaces. Robbie was also being marked tightly, sometimes by two or more players. But through the work of the entire team, the goal we've been fighting for finally came. After closing down a pass to their midfield, Mathew controlled the ball in the middle, just outside the box. Then, he quickly made a pass to Finn who, instinctively, gave a first time right foot flick to Robbie in front of him inside the box. Robbie controlled the ball and headed towards goal and despite having one defender on his right side and the goalie come out to shut him down, maintained control of the ball and at the right time took a quick low shot which the bottom right corner. 1 - 0 for us. Our work paid off. It was a decisive move that exemplified how important it is to move for the ball when you do not have the ball.

Mathew turns away from the opposition and begins another attack

For their part, our super subs Ben and Thomas also did well. Thomas had a clear chance to score our second goal but slipped at the moment of contact. Unfortunate but Thomas still managed to create problems for the defenders, his positioning up front is excellent and it is this reason why he often finds himself in good positions to score. For his part, Ben continued his form to fight hard for the ball and move off the ball. His tenacity has improved a lot and because of that, he continues to shine in the positions we put him. As a coach, I was very pleased to see both these boys working hard for the team.

Benny battling hard for the ball

CONCLUSION

It is true that we endured some nervous moments in the end. But let's be clear: Gorge FC is a great team and we should not think that they would simply give up. The idea that we would dominate during the entire game is unrealistic. However, I truly believe that despite those scary moments in the end, we created clearer chances (which also scared Gorge a lot), had most of the possession of the ball and were better in setting the rhythm of the game. Most of all, we came out hard and played hard. In the end, I believe that we were the better team this game.

Justin giving it all to win the ball

So with that, back to practice we go. Season is not over - we still have lots of work to do!

For now, I want to thank all of the parents for your support again. We got a game against the HPL U13 Boys next Sunday so let's get ready for that.

Until next time,

Roberto