Brinklow Football Clubs Forum

Paul Wilby

Jul 19, 07 - 11:31 AM

Brinklow FC Under 10s 2007/08

Please post any information for the u10's in this thread.

Declan

Jan 13th, 2008 - 9:44 PM

2nd Round Cup game - AT7 0 - Brinklow Reds 3

A vintage seven a side performance today by the reds ensuring our passage through to the next round. With both teams being poised mid table in the red league, it wasnt obvious who would be victorious. Amazingly the pitch despite the work of some moles had held up well to all the recent rain.

The first half started well for Brinklow, passing well and creating lots of chances, AT7 defence held up well and always looked threatening on the break.
With the first half ending nil nil, it was going to be a case of who blinked first. Talk of extra time and penalties were confirmed by the ref should the game remain goalless. Second half subs for Brinklow got into action and within five mins Brinklow were one nil up from a Daniel Armstrong goal. Within minutes AT7 almost equalised only for Toby to make a great save. Brinklow settled and looked extremely dangerous, lots of passing and shots hitting posts, going wide, free kicks hitting the bar. Stanley picked up the ball on the half way line, AT7 backed off and he let a howitzer of a shot off into the top corner, that hard the goal rocked. The goal deflated AT7 and you could see Brinklow were in full control. The third goal was made by Richie, who was immense in midfield today, who's shot hit the post and from a tight angle Daniel tucked in his second, brinklow's third. Good defending today by Connor, Tom and Tom only allowed a couple of real chances to slip through onto Tobys Goal. Good running and passing too by Joe V.

Goals today Stanley 1, Daniel 2.
MOM - Harry passed superbly, Sam Brake kept going and getting to grips about passing

Special mention - Richie, awesome display

A great team performance today, well done to all

Declan

Jan 20th, 2008 - 8:29 PM

Cov Jag 2 - Brinklow Red 3

After last weeks vintage performance this week's game was pulsating. Brinklow down to a squad of eight and our usual goal keeper sidelined with an injury sustained during training on Thursday the boys new only a good performance would give them a chance to get something out of this.

Within five minute of the start, we were two down,two soft goals, although it was against the run of play. Brinklow stuck to the task, and before 10 minutes had gone Stanley pulled one back with a left footed shot. We settled and started to control the game and an equaliser looked envietable. Straight from a corner Richie took aim and fired in the equaliser. Cov Jag came back at us just before the break and our stand in goalie Connor came out and cleared before the on rushing striker.

The half time break gave us the breath we needed. We started the strongest and during one of many attacks the ball broke for "H" who fired home our third.

For a while we looked like we would add to our tally and at times the noise coming from Cov Jag seemed to inspire Brinklow. All looked fairly comfortable with two mins to go. A clash of heads forced Sam off, this seem to give Cov Jag a second breath and the for the last min the slight incline at Damleers green looked like we playing up a mountain. Having said that the defence stood up well and any shots that made it through were dealt with.

The pleasing point today it was not a smash and grab, we played some great football and at times terrorised their defence and after the first five minutes our defence joe, tom and connor ensured nothing was given.

Another huge performance by Richie
Sam never gave up, Stanley is starting to revel in his role on the left, Daniel got clobbered early in the second half had to come off and Harry just never gave up

Well done all, a great team effort

Declan

Jan 27th, 2008 - 8:36 PM

Brinklow Red 0 - Chapelfields Blue 5

An odd feeling after this game, the scoreline makes it look like a travesty, but at times we played some good football, sliced them open on numerous occasions and missed some good chances. Two freekicks nearly went in too. First half we gave away two soft soft goals again, but we should of pulled two goals back before half time. Second half, the third a disputed goal and toby really had nothing else to do for the rest of the game apart from pick the ball out of the net two more times.

Colts Blue are a strong and physical side and on the wolston pitch we struggled to show our style of game and maybe we should eat a bit more red meat on a saturday night and ensure we complete our tackles with our left and right midfield also competing more

MOM - Tom Hawthorne, played well under a lot of pressure at times

Pete

Jan 27th, 2008 - 10:22 PM

Brinklow (Green) 0 - Pinley FC 2

With a 6 week lay off since their last league match, a small pitch (look at the first half against Southam) and up against 4th place Pinley FC it is fair to say a few of the parents had some concerns about how we'd start. Yet again the lads proved there was no cause for concern as they got straight back into their rhythm showing they were certainly equal to Pinley, if not better at times.

With a slight shift in roles Will pushed Elliot into the midfield and slotted Aidan in at left back. Both soon found their feet highlighted by our customary 'build from the back' attack. This time it was Aidan winning it through a strong tackle on the edge of the box, a look up and accurate pass out to Louis on the left wing who fed it on to Elliot in the centre circle. Jinking past one player gave him space to push forward and then send Ben in on goal. Ben didn't manage to covert this chance but it clearly showed they hadn't forgotten how to play.

A Pinley midfielder controlled the ball with his arm but unseen by the referee he made for our goal. A great strike on the edge of the box was matched by the safe hands of Joe. Minutes later Joe showed again he was the master of his box tapping it from the head of a Pinley player and dropping on the ball to kill the attack. He then produced undoubtedly the best save of the game from a super-strike from the centre circle. He leapt like a CAT (Declan's words not mine !!!!) to tip it round the corner.

Time and time again Aidan and Mafube cleaned things up at the back and when space allowed they passed accurately to the midfield. The various combinations of James, Ryan, Elliot and Louis often made good use of the service creating numerous changes for themselves and Ben as well as a few very tense goal mouth scrambles.

HT 0-0

The second half continued in the same vein. James flicked one over the Pinley defence falling inch perfect for Ben. A great shot was denied by the upright but there was a feeling this game was there for the taking. It started to get pretty physical with Pinley's tank of a left back flattening Ben on several occasions and then landing on Elliot in the closing stages.

Against the run of play Pinley broke free and opened the scoring with a cracking shot. A scrappy second combined with the pace of the game seemed to take its toll on the lads just for a minute or two. We soaked up a lot more pressure before firing on all cylinders yet again to try to pull it back in the final few minutes. A boot in the face sidelined Louis for a few minutes but we kept pushing forward and creating chances. Time and tiredness was not on our side and ended the match with nothing to show for their efforts (on paper at least).

Will's summing up at the end was spot on. Each player had given their all and we'd shown we can play some really good football against strong opposition. Throughout the match everyone played their part and worked tirelessly for each other. Mafube, Ryan, James, Ben & Louis gave some fine performances and Joe was outstanding in goal and fully deserved MOTM but highlights for me were Elliot adapting to a midfield role and Aidan composed, committed and aware at left back.

Declan

Feb 3rd, 2008 - 3:00 PM

Chapelfields Colts 1 - Brinklow Reds 2

Have it !!!

All the way from here in Vegas

Last day of work here (8 hours behind UK time), I will celebrate this victory tonight

Scorers Sam Brake and Daniel Armstrong

MOM - Great Team performance, special mention for Toby who saved a heavily contested penalty late on

Elvis has left the building !!!!

Bob Mayne (Stans Grandad)

Feb 3rd, 2008 - 7:45 PM

Re: Brinklow FC Under 10s 2007/08

Chapelfields Colts 1 Brinklow 2
Firstly, congratulations to Declan on his wonderful eyesight!!! They sure do have some fantastic binoculars in Las Vegas.

Secondly, this game deserves a second mention, as it had everything you could wish for. It was freezing, nay,.. Baltic, and we turned up to face the league leaders on their home ground. They have'nt lost the last thirteen games, so when we went very short on players, and Harry turned up despite feeling unwell, the weather was the least of our worries. The whistle went. We went. And Chapelfield Colts did'nt!!!!. No less than OUT-PLAYED, Chapelfield could'nt get going, and for a change, we went like thunder from the start. Two goals by half time was a fair reward for digging in, passing well, running like lunatics, and believing they could win, and they did. Aided and urged by the very vocal Brinklow fans, the second half was all about running until it hurt, and they ran and ran. Danny needed to come off as he was shattered. Just before he was to be called off, Harry keeled over with all the effort he'd bravely put in, so Danny could'nt come off. That's how it went, with Chapelfields slowly putting together a game to match our exhausted lads. They rattled our woodwork three times, they had a dubious penalty, Toby and his new haircut made save after excellent save, and Chapelfields ground out a deserved goal. All too late though. We were beat, but not by goals, and not by Chapelfields. We were beat by running our socks off, and we won by our own fantastic efforts. Today, we were truly truly awesome. Well done EVERY player, and indeed MOM to the team as a whole was fair. You all played out of your skins, and got rewarded for it against a very good team you made look ordinary. Well done boys.

Pete

Feb 3rd, 2008 - 10:26 PM

Brinklow (Green) 0 : Leamington 3

Brinklow started well with strong tackling from the off. We had more of both ball and territory for the first 15 minutes and clearly looked the most threatening. Against the run of play Leamington broke for our goal and managed to open the scoring by pressuring our defence with sheer numbers. Their second quickly followed after some half clearances on the edge of our box. A bit of a soft one just when we needed to get back into the game.

Leamington continued to make the most of the few chances that came their way with a third a few minutes later. Particular praise should be heaped on Leamington’s tall midfielder who was at the heart of almost every attack. Often tall, slim players fail to be able to get their bodies moving quickly but this lad accelerated like a Ferrari and once up to speed seemed to take one stride to our defenders two. All credit to Aidan at left back who did his level best to contain him but it was inevitable he’d break free once in a while.

Although the half time score didn’t reflect this the lads had actually played some pretty good football at times. We’d had a number of good link ups through the midfield with Elliot, Jack, and Louis all getting stuck in and showing flashes of creativity. Ben had buzzed around their defence causing all sorts of trouble and was regularly tusselling with (and beating) defenders far bigger than he. On the balance of play it wouldn’t have been unreasonable for us to be holding a slight lead but alas, it wasn’t to be.

The second half was much less frenetic, perhaps due to tired legs or maybe the cold was taking its’ toll. Often we ended up defending too deep and resorted to oophing the ball up the field just to take the pressure off Mafube & Co. While James and Ryan added some strong tackling in the centre of the park we failed to either find space or move the ball quickly and accurately to really threaten the Leamington keeper. A couple of close but wide shots seemed all we could muster and I think Leamington will be disappointed that they didn’t manage to add to their tally as Joe was kept busy but untroubled.

In summary, a positive first half performance where we created chances but ended up getting caught out at the back. Although we drew the second half we struggled to work as a team and take control of the game.

Pete

Feb 10th, 2008 - 9:30 PM

Brinklow (Green) 2 : Firefighters Juniors 0

This one was a real nail biter for the first 35 minutes (but hey, at least it was in the sunshine). With Ben out of action Will had to change the formation yet again as Jack assumed the role of striker and Ryan, James and Louis rotated the exhausting positions on the wings. Fortunately the two main positives from the Pinley game (Elliott's commanding performance in the centre of midfield and the developing defensive partnerships of Aidan and Mafube) could be maintained for the Fireflighters clash so the big question was whether we'd got the fire power to put some of the lads names on the scoresheet this week.

The first half was played at a frenetic pace right from the first whistle with both sides getting straight into the tackles leaving little time for the midfielders to control and pass the ball. That said, when we did find a little space we certainly looked threatening with numerous attacks and corners. At one point Aidan controlled it just outside our box, looked up and played a confident, accurate ball down the wing to Jack who managed to dart past his marker and fire one hard and high across the box. Louis, coming in on the back post, flung himself forward and managed to get a head on it but it just skimmed wide (that would have been expensive for me if it had gone in !!!!!!)

There were more great moves from the back with Ryan sliding a perfectly weighted through ball into the box for Jack & Louis to chase and then Elliott dispossessing Firefighters well into our half and showing good awareness to push it wide to James who sent Jack on his way down to the right corner. The closest we came in the first half was a Mafube belter which Elliott gathered and shot slipping just inches the wrong side of the left post. Despite these and numerous goal mouth scrambles we couldn't hit the back on the net.

The second half started much as the first had finished but was perhaps even more frustrating as Brinklow were clearly the dominant force. High pressure was not just applicable to the weather, I think Wills blood was about to spurt out of the top of his head much like an over heated thermometer.

Celebration (and relief) came from one of the best moves of the game. Another strong tackle from Aidan at left back saw Louis gather the ball on the edge of our box. An absolutely perfect 1-2 with Elliott put Louis into space and surging forward. He then lifted a lovely ball over the Fireflighters defence for Jack to latch onto and put away a clinical shot to finish off the best route 1 goal we've scored this session. – Will's face changed back to a healthy pink.

Minutes later Jack was bought down in front of the Firefighters goal so here was a chance to further relieve the tension. He stepped up confidently but blasted it straight at the keeper. Fortunately the rebound dropped back at his feet and he tested the strength of the net for a second time.

We then seemed to sit back a little and lost some of that good movement and passing . At least this gave Mafube and Aidan a chance to shine, and shine they did, helping us to a well deserved win and awarded a combined MOTM.

In summary it was great to see Joe have such a quite afternoon as the defence seems to have really clicked. It was encouraging not only for us to get on the score sheet again but also that we created chance after chance with varying combinations of Elliott, Ryan, James, Louis and Jack. Particular praise should be saved for James who was clearly unwell but both tackled like his life depended on it and showed good awareness of play down the right.

MOTM : Mafube & Aidan
Goals : Jack (2)

Declan

Feb 10th, 2008 - 9:47 PM

Cup Game : Brinklow Reds 8 - Alvis 2

What a beautiful morning for football, on a superbly marked out pitch.

What could of been a tricky affair, with Alvis in contention for promotion from the Blue league the second half display by Brinklow rid any fears of a 'after the lord mayors show' performance due to the heroics of last. By the way the next person that asks me if I had a nice time, I will XXXXX - I was working hard there for 5 days, Honest (!).

The game started brightly and early exchanges from both side threatened the goal. A goal from a throw in taken inside our half allowed sam to use his pace and slot home the winner. A goal soon after from Harry's head and a second from Sam allowed us to go into the break three nil up.

Second half we dominated for the first five minutes only for a break away from Alvis to score. With an almost immediate reply by Brinklow settled an nerves. Some good worked goals from the back, with swift passing moves created two more goals, and a pen ensured seven for brinklow. A thundering late goal from Alvis showed they never gave up, only for Joe V to finish a fine performance with a thundering goal to reply. Alvis goalie made some great saves today too. Our pace up front dominated, well done to all a solid performance ensuring our passage through to the quarter finals.

Goals today
Sam Brake - 5 (back of the goal trail)
Richie - 1
Joe V - 1
Harry - 1

MOM - Sam Brake
MOM - Joe V

Declan

Feb 17th, 2008 - 8:51 PM

Coundon Court 3 - Brinklow 1

Well I told you all in the week we would need tin hats for this game, and I was not wrong. The day got off to a bad start when Cherysse had just taken Kian to Rugby practice when Finlay (dog) threw up all over the rug in the lounge. Believe me when a great dane throws up you know about.
Having cleaned up and with a delay to kick to allow the frost to burn off the tactics started with ref deciding to put the fear of god into our boys by telling him he would send players off for bad tackles and after a bit of banter he threatened to send some one off before the game started. Funny how he never gave the the same pep talk to the home team.

The game started poorly for us, frightened to tackle for the first twenty mins ! Two down at the half time although we hit the woodwork twice.

Second half we came out and went for it. Scoring early on and dominating the game only for the woodwork to be struck at least three times, possibly four. Their goalie made some fine saves too. At times Coundon were chasing our shadows. The ref continue to ignore hand balls in the penalty area and sure fire stick on when Tom was hauled down from an amazing run from within our own half.

With about six or seven mins to go Coundon made sure of the points with a bit of hesitation in the defence allowed a third goal to be scored.

Depsite abhorrent reffing if we had taken our chances we would of been out of site in the second half.

Goal scored by Sam Brake
MOM - HArry Smith, never gave up running

Pete

Feb 17th, 2008 - 9:46 PM

Brinklow (Green) 2 : Dunlop Utd 2

When we last met Dunlop near the beginning of this season both sides put on a fantastic display. At the time we weren’t really aware of the quality of the opposition but this time around we were playing a side fighting with Westwood for the top spot in the league and some 12 point clear of 3rd place Pinley FC. This was going to be a toughy.

At the kick-off you’d have been forgiven for thinking that both sides were playing in their pyjamas but a few verbal rockets from both managers a couple of minutes in and suddenly things livened up. Dunlop had the best of the first half with Joe being called upon on several occasions to keep us in the hunt. We had some promising moments with Ben shooting wide after gathering up a Mafube blaster of a gaol kick but it was Dunlop who took the lead with a fine shot from the left wing.

Ben continued to cause chaos around the strong but sometimes static Dunlop defence pinching balls from their feet like a terrier and pressuring them at every opportunity. This paid dividends when the chance came for him to slot one home – It was great to see him back and most definitely on form.

In spite of good work from Mafube & Aidan Dunlop tested Joe again and again. At one point the Dunlop striker found himself on the edge of our box with no defenders in sight, however, Joe shot out of the trap like a greyhound to block the shot less than 2 feet from the player.

Dunlop put up their second before the half was over but going into the break we could sense if we could step it up a gear this side was definitely beatable.

Almost straight from the off it became attack and counter. Our midfield really started to click with some good control, awareness and fast accurate passing. Louis challenging for every ball and then twisting and turning to find space, Ryan gathering, breaking and then pushing Ben through and Elliot was almost unpassable in the centre and his distribution was excellent. A Louis throw saw Ryan find a yard (sorry, metre for the young ones) on his defender but his shot was well held by the Dunlop Keeper. The pressure continued with Louis stumbling through defenders in their box but couldn’t scramble it over the line. Finally a move worked from a Mafube throw-in gave Brinklow the reward they deserved. Jack picked it up in the centre circle and sent Louis away on the right wing. A ball onto Ben within 10 feet of the goal and Ben slotted it in at the near post.

That was 2-2 but Brinklow were not going to settle for the draw. We really had our tails up and Dunlop were cracking under the pressure. With no instruction form their manager they seemed to batten down the hatches with a 4 strong defence but the lads piled on the pressure in the last 10 minutes. Aidan smothered every attack down the right and at one point fed it to Elliot in the middle who whipped to straight back out to Louis on the Right wing. Past one player and back across to Jack before Ben received it in front of goal. How the keeper saved it I’ll never know but try as hard as they did the winner just did not come.

This was a real team effort with every player giving their absolute maximum. I know I’ve said this before but with Aidan and Mafube creating that solid defence it has allowed the midfield to start to play a good passing game. With chances falling to all the midfielders as well as Ben it shows we can really start to take the games to even the top sides in our league.
Scorers : Ben (2)
MOTM : THE WHOLE TEAM – no doubt !!!!!!!!

Declan

Feb 26th, 2008 - 12:32 AM

Brinklow red 1 - Hillmorton 3

After this sorry display the melletts trundled off to Nottingham to watch the blaze u10 vs Nottingham panthers. In Junior ice hockey Sheffield are the Man Utd and Nottingham are the Arsenal, Coventry Blaze u10's, well they are the upstarts currently placed 3rd in the league. The display the blaze put on was marvellous, competed in every area, put their little souls on the line, skated their hearts out and almost dropped the gloves when it got a bit tasty. They lost the game but each player left the arena with their heads held high knowing they had played one of their best games of the season and played as a team.

Getting back to Sunday morning, we didnt get out of bed. We allowed Hillmorton to coast through this game. Even when we scored it did not light our passion. We have to compete if we are to challenge teams in this league, on sunday we were not there at all. They wanted it more that us.

In spells we passed it well up from the back.
Expect tough training this week and a shake up with selection

Goal scored by Stan

Five league games left, lets see a different team for these remaining matches

Pete

Feb 26th, 2008 - 7:43 PM

Leamington Hibs 3 : Brinklow (Green) 0

Even with 8 more games to play the clash with Leamington Hibs was a real 6 pointer (Before the game they were 4 points ahead with a game in hand). Unfortunately, much like the home clash a few weeks back, it was a good even game but we just couldn’t put the chances away.

Hibs won the toss and decided to start up hill (a very steep up hill at that). Both sides started brightly with some neat and accurate passing moves. Louis, Ben and Jack were linking up well and, with the assistance of the slope, getting to the edge of the box very quickly, however, this often proved to be our downfall (similar to the first half at Westwood Utd back in September) as we always seemed to pick up speed as we approached the goal and the ball usually just ran on that little bit too far. Less than 10 minutes in Jack found himself surging forward towards the Hibs box with loads of space. He was looking up to pick out Ben or Louis when he stepped on the ball and came crashing to the ground. As Will carried him off it was immediately clear it was not just dented pride. He was very pale, winded and a little shocked and it looked extremely unlikely he’d see any more action on the pitch.

During the first half Ryan played some outstanding football as he always seemed to be in the right place at the right time, winning tackles and setting the wingers free. Likewise for Aidan and Mafube (we’re starting to expect this from the back two now) who managed to keep their towering no. 9 very quite. In my opinion we were unlucky to be behind at half time let alone two down, especially when you consider how we conceded the second. A shot from outside the box struck the crossbar and as Joe turned to see where it had gone it came straight down and hit him on the forehead. It looped up and just crossed the line as Joe dived to grab it. All everyone could do, including Joe, was laugh about it as this was just the way our luck seems to go against Hibs. Minutes after this incident Aidan produced the block of the season, a blaster from the edge of the box saw him launch himself in the firing line to stop an almost certain third.

The second half saw us control the ball slightly better, perhaps assisted by the terrain. Elliot had also moved to centre midfield giving us extra ‘tackling power’ in front of the defence. Our best chance came when Louis gathered it on the left wing, slotted it through to James in the centre who set Ben away into the right side of the box only to be hacked down before he could get the shot away. A huge penalty appear was refused but this didn’t diminish our attacking spirit. Neither did Hibs third goal which was a result of an excellent stop from Joe but as it fell to their striker he just had to tap it in.

James tackled hard in the second half and created the foundation for a swift attack through Ben and onto Elliot who’s shot drew a great save from Leamington’s keeper. With minutes to go Jack re-appeared on the touch line with a great deal more colour in his face. This was a timely return as first Will had to carry Aidan off and then seconds later Elliott needed the same treatment. – I’ve never seen Will work so hard !!!!!

To sum up I think Leamington Hibs are proving to be a bit of a bogey team for us. This is the second game where we’ve certainly been their equal (and probably superior in spells) but ended up coming off worse as we’ve not managed to convert our chances. Full credit to Mafube & Aidan for the MOTM partnership but bravery award must go to Jack for coming back on to help the team out after such a nasty incident in the first half.

Declan

Mar 9th, 2008 - 11:44 PM

Brinklow red 2 - At7 0

A pleasing performance and result today which brought an end to a poor run. Two goals scored by Sam allowed us to go into the break with a comfortable lead but AT7 had rattled the post twice.

Second half we started to dominate keeping At7 down to only one or two chances. A missed penalty by us could of put the game out of reach but a two nil allowed the game to remain nicely poised for entertainment value.

MOM - Richie, battled well throughout and dominated in the second half

Scorer - Sam Brake (2)

Declan

Mar 16th, 2008 - 9:53 PM

Brinklow Red 5 - Whitley 1

A late change of venue due to the weather probably made it a different game to what it would of been at the Revel.

Whitley started the first five mins down the hill, with the wind at the backs and scored when a half cleared corner was met with a thunderbolt shot.

Next five mins we struggled to get a pattern, with passes going astray and rushing to get passes completed. A couple of chances went begging.

After half time, we started with purpose and almost scored from the kick off. Then the goals started to come, Stan scored the equaliser, Tom H shot from out far which the goalie was unable to hold on to. Then within mins, a second from Tom, a free kick from out far which went into the top right of the goal. Sam Brake added a fourth and Connor making a cameo appearance up front 'turned on sixpence, sped away from the chasing defenders, laid off a perfect pass to Richie, who slotted home the fifth' Well thats want Connor said !!

A great second half performance, need to be on it from the start

MOM - Richie, second half performance was the catalyst
Also Tom H, solid performance at the back and scored two crucial goals.

Will

Mar 30th, 2008 - 12:22 PM

Re: Brinklow FC Under 10s 2007/08

Brinklow Green's Fixtures.

Thursday 3rd April away vs Pinley meet 5.30 K/O 6.00 at Pinley R.F.C, Wyken Croft, Coventry.

Sunday 6th April home vs Pinley K/O 11.00 meet 10.30 at the Revel.

Will

Mar 31st, 2008 - 5:09 PM

Re: Brinklow Under 10s Green League 2007/08

Revised Fixture for Green Team.

Brinklow Greens vs Pinley 6th April K/O 12.30 meet 12.00 at the Revel.

Pete

Mar 31st, 2008 - 10:12 PM

GNP vs Brinklow (Green)

With the fixtures stacking up at the end of the season the GNP manager had asked we play today’s match as both the home and away legs. Will therefore agreed we’d play two 25 minute matches with no ‘half times’.

With 5 weeks since our last match and training disrupted due to the Easter break everyone was a little concerned that the lads would be a tad rusty. Added to this we only had a seven man squad so the lads would need to be flat out for the full 50 minutes.

The match started with both teams struggling to put more than 3 or 4 passes together but it was Brinklow who had most of the play for the first 10 minutes with numorous shots falling wide or straight down the keepers throat.

James had a particularly strong first match with strong tackling in the heart of the midfield and some lovely touches out to the wings. He set up a fine move putting Ben free down to the left corner. He cut it back up the line to Louis who hit a first time ball over the approaching defender and onto Jack on the edge of the box. Hurried but GNPs left back he managed full contact but it just slipped wide.

Minutes later Jack whipped in a first class corner sailing over two defenders and bouncing through the box. With Louis sneaking in around the back he hit it first time only to be denied by the post.

At this point Mafube was obviously feeling left out as he controlled the ball in the centre circle and then unleashed a thunderbolt which again slipped wide.

Thanks in no small part to Elliot and Mafube Joe had a very quite first match with little to do other than the odd well timed sprint out to squash a GNP attack.

Match 1 – 0-0

In the second match we fell into our usual trap of starting slowly after the break. GNP capitalised on this and after having the upper hand for the first 10 minutes made it count with a soft goal. From the throw they put it over our midfield, ran round them to get clear on goal and slotted it home. This was something they did time and time again and it took us until the last 10 minutes to get organised to combat this.

Conceding seemed to fire things up. Elliot played some great stuff in the centre holding it up and distributing well allowing us to play well into the GNP half. Time and time again Ben split the defence getting in some great open positions but it just didn’t run for him today. With this constant pressure Jack was kept busy with the number of corners surely into double figures.

Jack’s dead ball play had been excellent all game and he fully deserved an assist when he fired in a perfect corner right into the heart of the GNP box. Louis played a cushioned volley that lofted over the keeper. A few parents had hearts in their mouths as it hung in the air threatening to hit the woodwork but it dropped just into the top left corner – Louis is adamant it was perfect placement .

The second match remained nip and tuck calling for Joe to show high levels of courage dropping on scrambles and taking command of his box. Unofrtunately it was Brinklow who buckled under the pressure as GNP slotted home a second.

The lads dug deep with more chances to Ben, Elliot & Louis but the ball just kept running that little bit too far. Jack fired in a screamer from just inside the GNP half beating the keeper but just skimming wide. With the quality of Jack’s long balls and power shots I couldn’t understand how he didn’t get on the score sheet.

Match 2 : GNP 2 – Brinklow 1

In summary this wasn’t the result we were looking for but on balance we had the better of the play but just couldn’t make the final touch count.

Let's put the final pieces in place on Thursday

Pete

Apr 5th, 2008 - 7:46 PM

Pinley 4 Brinklow 1

Playing 3rd from top we expected a pretty touch game on Thursday evening. Both sides started well with Brinklow passing much better than they had on Sunday against GNP. In terms of possession, attacks and chances it was pretty even all game. However, Pinley took their chances in the first half (assisted by a little luck) to take a lead at the break. Their first goal came from a shot Joe knocked onto the bar. Unfortunately it rebounded straight to the feet of their right winger about 6 ft in front of goal so he just slotted it home.
Binklow were soon on the attack with a lovely flowing move started by Elliot at right back, through James, Jack and Ben on the edge of the box. He saw Louis homing in from the left and laid off a great ball allowing Louis to hit it first time - but it just slipped wide.
Pinley got their second following in on a fine save from Joe but rather than our heads dropping it seemed to drive us on to pick up our game. There were odd spells of fine passing, movement and awareness. Within our own half Mafube put in a long throw over 2 Pinley players and onto Ryan’s boot. He controlled, turned and fed it to Ben who laid it back to Jack storming down the wing. With defenders all around him Ben made for the right corner and Jack, seeing the run, put it right in his path. Ben tried to bustle through but with no joy, however, it clearly showed that if we play the passing game we can match the best of them. We then followed with a series of good corners. These were not just hit and hopes as the lads in the box (Ben, Ryan, Louis and Elliot on occasion) were controlling and passing in pretty tight spaces but we could not open up the space to hit the net. We also saw some pretty good heading of the ball, of particular note was Ryan and I even saw Mafube put his nut on it at one point.
Pinley got a third but then Ben came to the rescue as he hassle the keeper in typical style who fumbled it and gave Ben a tap in.

The second half started slowly for Brinklow and we absorbed a lot of pressure. After 10 minutes we got back into our stride with James & Ryan battling well in the middle and Ben & Jack creating trouble up for the Pinley defence. Despite some hard work at the back from Elliot and Mafube Pinley took advantage of our more attacking style and put away a 4th in a counter attack.

While the overall performance was better than that of Sunday and we were certainly equal to Pinley all match we created too few chances to really trouble the keeper and when we did the ball did not run our way.

We have the opportunity to settle a score at home on Sunday as we host Pinley at the Revel. On Thursday’s performance I think this is definitely do-able.

MOTM : Ben

Will

Apr 9th, 2008 - 5:19 PM

Re: Brinklow FC Under 10s 2007/08

Green team fixtures.

Thursday 10th away vs Christ The King K/O 6.30.

Sunday 13th away vs Alvis Juniors K/O 10.30

Thursday 17th home vs Christ The King K/O 6.30 at Barr Lane.

declan

Apr 10th, 2008 - 10:36 PM

Quarter final

brinklow 1 hillmorton 1
scorer Richie
Brinklow winning on pens

It wasnt pretty, we had to stop them scoring
hillmorton being the on form side in our league
Pulling level early in the second half the game
removed tense and could of gone either way right
up to the end of extra time

Fine penalties from tom, Richie and joe and
great goal keeping by toby, four pens taken none
conceded

Semi final this Sunday 11am at the revel

Pete

Apr 12th, 2008 - 1:38 PM

Christ The King 3 Binklow (Green) 0

A cold, wet and windy Bablake playing fields was not the place most of the supported would have chosen to be on Thursday evening but the full squad of lads approached it with their usual enthusiasm. Having said that I think their minds were elsewhere for the first minute as CTK kicked off and from their first attack slotted a soft goal past us. This definitely provided a wake-up call and the defensive machine of Mafube & Aiden started to roll into action. Aiden, having not played for some weeks, approached it with great commitment and once he’d found his touch again was really denting the CTK attacks. In fact he was the original catalyst for one of the finest passing moves from the team I’ve seen in ages. He won a crunching tackle at left back and rather than just ooph it clear he put to straight to Mafube’s feet on the edge of our box. Mafube pushed it right to Elliot who quickly put Jack in to space in the centre. A fine 1-2 with Louis on the left wing had CTK in all sorts of trouble then to add to the move it came back out to Louis on the left of the box who turned a defender and then found Ben in space on goal. A fine save denied us the glory but it showed yet again that if we control and pass the ball the chances will come.
There continued to be chances at both ends with Joe mopping up everything (I think I know what we should get for Christmas next year) but CTK got the rub off the green when a firm cross across the box took a deflection off Mufube’s knee and sailed in. 2-0 at half time was no reflection of the balance of play.
In the second half Ryan & James certainly did their bit. James was solid in midfield and Ryan was pushed up front to very good effect. Ben, in the Hole, had an absolutely outstanding second half. His determination in the tackles, battling spirit and close ball control was winning practically everything in the middle of the park. Time and time again he dispossessed their best player and fed Jack and Louis on the wings who in turn would put Ryan away.
CTK’s secret weapon was their throw-in taker. At one point he was lining up to take a throw from the half way line and he was telling his team mates to get into the box – and it got their with ease. Their 3rd came from the boot of the same player who blasted one from well outside the box. It was like the red sea as the defence seemed to part as it approached so I think Joe must have seen it late and ended up having to use his feet.
A great game of football was witnessed in horrible conditions (by all parents bar one who wimped out and watch the last 5 minutes from the car !!!!). As the CTK manager commented, he was surprised by the standard of our play given our current league position.
MOTM : The Whole Team – Great stuff lads !!!!!

Pete

Apr 13th, 2008 - 3:01 PM

Alvis 0 : Brinklow (Green) 2

Well, this win has been a long time coming but the boys really did deserve it. As Will has said at the last few matches, if the boys keep up their good passing and commitment to the tackles we’re as good as anyone else in the league – and today just proved it.

Our first real chance came from a Mafube tackle. Passing it through Jack, Elliot (playing centre of midfield from the off) and up to Ben who then played a delightful 1-2 with Louis only for his shot to be blocked by their man mountain of a keeper. We kept up the pressure and passing and were eventually rewarded following a fine move down the right by Jack and Elliot. It came through to Ben on the right of the box who picked out Louis advancing on the left. A clinical finish from no more than 5 yards out put us in front. (Thanks to Richie Gosling for the shooting advice he’d given Louis over the weekend).
The next chance came from a monster of a goal kick from Mafube. It flew past Ben well into the Alvis half and lighting legs himself sprinted past the defender to get a good shot on goal – All credit to the Alvis Keeper for his quick reactions and save.
We continued to push on and almost got the second in a goal mouth scramble that saw Louis & Elliot’s shots blocked and Ben hit the post.
This commitment up front did have risks but we had the solid defensive partnership of Mafube and Aiden to allow us this attacking formation. Aiden was outstanding with his tackles and blocks all game. I suspect he may have a few bruises but what a contribution he made.
At one point Mafube had been drawn into the attack so much he found himself in the box with a chance on goal. I think he was in danger of getting a nose bleed he was so far up.
The second half saw Ryan & James in the action. Starting on the wing and then moving up to striker Ryan was pressuring the defence constantly. He was holding the ball up well and setting the advancing midfield free.
Joe coped well with a prolonged period of pressure from Alvis in the second half. For about 5 minutes the lads just seemed to stop (running, passing or even thinking). Alvis had a couple of very good chances but Joe stood up bravely to keep a clean sheet.
James in his midfield role got stuck into everything. His reward came right at the end of the match when he stole it from an Alvis player in the centre circle and put it wide to Jack on the right wing. Jack unleashed a rocket from the half way line that flew into the top left corner – The keeper had absolutely no chance.
Finally I should mention the commitment of Ben and Louis’ tackles. Although we did concede a couple of free kicks none were malicious and their determination and passion was an example to all. Hats off the Ref who was spot on all game and ensured a shake of hands whoever was at fault.
A 2-0 win for the boys in yellow and blue was just reward for the way they’ve been playing as a team of late. With 3 games in 4 days at the end of this week I think players and supporters alike are now looking forward to the final run in.

MOTM : The whole team again

Rich Farthing

Apr 13th, 2008 - 4:34 PM

Re: Brinklow FC Under 10s 2007/08

Sorry that the red team lost in the semi final today. Keep your heads up you have a lot to look forward to with 11 a side next season.

Rich.

Declan

Apr 13th, 2008 - 9:15 PM

Semi Final Brinklow 0 - Chapelfields Colts 3

Oh the heartache, two years on the trot, same team same round, so close yet no cigar.
The suits back in the cupboard, cancel the coach & the limo, put the bunting on ebay and the next person that says its only a game, well they're going to get it !

As you can see, I have been great company this afternoon, eventually being sent to B & Q to get some additional chicken wire to keep the rabbits out of the garden.

Getting back to Football, we played a lot better football than on Thursday in the quarter final which was pleasing, but getting caught virtually from the start always put us on the back foot. We gradually got back into game. Creating chances and almost grabbing an equaliser. As we chased the game we got caught twice more. Second half our Toby didnt have much to do at all, but colts were able to keep us out.

Continuious running by Richie and Tom showed the boys whats required.

Two final league games to come, lets finish the season off in style with six points.

Well done to all the boys, a great effort and we took the result on the chin.

Next year we'll be back again

Pete

Apr 19th, 2008 - 10:34 PM

Brinklow (Green) 1 Christ The King 5

Although the score line looks like a hammering it really wasn’t a fair reflection of the game. The first half was very even with both sides creating chances and some spells of pretty solid defending. CTK got their first through an unlucky bounce and a fumble and their second from a very good header. Joe bounced back with some excellent saves but he had no chance with their 3rd as they were 2 on 1 with the defence nowhere to be seen. In general the CTK midfield and attack were well organised often getting 2,3 and sometimes 4 bodies in the box to put us really on our back foot.

At the other end we had several chances with Jack, Ben Louis and Ryan having openings but nothing would quite run for us.

In the second half we were strong for the first 10-15 minutes and that continued pressure brought some reward. A pinpoint corner from Jack met the head of Louis coming in to the box and we were back in the hunt. James also added some strength to the midfield and kept thinks moving with some good passing to the wings.

Unfortunately with 10 minutes to play we just stopped completely. The defence were static, the midfield slow to challenge and the strike force could only try hit and hopes from long range. This gave CTK all the space they needed and bombarded our goal to good effect. Joe stood up well to many attacks but it was only a matter of time before they struck again.

In summary we started brightly with bags of effort but couldn’t make the chances count. CTK had fewer chances in the first half but managed to put them away. Things looked promising in the second half but once we stopped fighting for the game it was all over.

Pete

Apr 19th, 2008 - 10:38 PM

Brinklw (Green) 0 Pinley FC 0

What a match we saw today. This was a real spirited performance by every single member of the team and although we are all happy with a point against the 4th place team it could have been more – especially from the first half performance.

With the slope and wind to our advantage we were at Pinley from the off. Joe’s kicking and Mafube’s goal kicks gave use territorial advantage time and time again. On several occasions Ben would latch onto one of Mafube’s grenades and either hold it up for the advancing midfield or turn and run round the defence to get free on goal. He was absolutely tireless up front constantly pressuring the defence and the keeper, so much so that our best chance came purely due to his tenacity. He homed in on the keeper causing him to fumble the ball by this left post. Ben snuck it away from him and took a shot but a goalies boot just appeared from nowhere and just deflected it wide.

Louis was twisting and turning like a slippery eel and Jack was never far from the action. James and Ryan got stuck into the action with both helping create chances and have attempts on goal but, alas, we went into the break 0-0 which left the supporters a little concerned that we’d not taken advantage of the downhill play.

The second half was tension at its highest. After Jaffa cakes at half time the lads came out of their blocks like whippets. Following a well worked move from the back Louis found himself just past the centre circle with defenders all around. He was pushed towards the right corner where he dummied the limpet of a defender and whipped in a great cross from the by-line. It sliced through a mass of Pinley players and was met by James, Ben and Jack. The Pinley goalie and defence swamped the boys but how it didn’t go across the line is beyond me. Suffice to say there where a few girlie shrieks from the touchline – and the ladies were a little exited too.

After that it was ‘remember the Alamo’. Will practically exploded on the side lines making sure they gave 100%. And 100%+ was what every single one of the lads delivered. Elliot made some crucial tackles and Ben flew in from nowhere to stop the Pinley attacks (picking up a knock for his troubles). Aidan, Mafube, Ryan and James’ blocks and challenges were full blooded and undoubtedly contributed to this crucial point.

While we have played better passing games in recent weeks this was top drawer for commitment, tension and drama and every player should be proud of both their individual and team performance this morning. One more game tomorrow so let’s finish the season in style (and I’ll bring the jaffa cakes!!!!).

PS : Louis’ chuffed to bits as we’re ahead of Finham Park Rangers (his older brother’s former club) – albeit only due to alphabetical order.

Pete

Apr 20th, 2008 - 10:58 PM

Brinklow (Green) vs AT7

Well, what a perfect way to end the season. Not the football result but the couple of jars in the Raven with the other parents following a cold morning on the touch line. The match on the other hand was a bit of a rollercoaster.

In truth we started pretty slowly and AT7 took full advantage. Within minutes they’d gone 1-0 up after a wild shot from outside the box took a wicked deflection off one of our defenders leaving Joe completely stranded. We then woke up and started to pass the ball as we know we can but AT7 broke rapidly again to pinch a second.

Elliot then started one of those classic Brinklow moves from the back, steeling the ball from their left winger and then finding Ryan in space. He turned on a sixpence and found Louis in the middle of the park who worked a lovely series of passes with Ben to get him free on goal. Ben unleashed his right boot on the edge of the box and the AT7 keeper pulled off an outstanding save to just tip it over the bar. Brinklow looked like they’d found their fighting spirit again. Alas, minutes later AT7 broke down the right and bobbled a weak ball across the box. We just didn’t get it clean and AT7 had an easy tap in. 3-0 at half time was not a fair reflection but as we only really played for 15 minutes we could hardly complain.

After a stern talking to from voiceless Will (following Saturday’s bellowing !!!!) and a jaffa cake each the lads came out a different team in the second half. 5 minutes in and we saw our best move of the game. A Mafube tackle and pass, Louis flicking it down the line, Ben collecting, laying it back to Louis and running on. Louis finds Ben down the left who slots it back inside to James. James has a 1-2 with Jack on the right and then taps it onto Louis. A full blooded attempt nearly snaps the crossbar and the predictor, Jack, storms in on the right to get us back in the game. The lads tails were really up now and AT7 were on their back foot.

After a sustained period of pressure we conjured up another greater counter attack. This time a well held save from Joe was quickly dispatched to Elliot who set Jack free down the right. A good diagonal run from James gave Jack the option down the line and James in turn put Ben in on goal. Ben didn’t need any invitation and Brinklow were right back in it at 2-3.

Strangely rather than this spurring us on it seemed to sap all our energy and commitment. For 5 minutes we stopped talking, backed off tackles and couldn’t put 2 passes together. To their credit AT7 took full advantage and secured themselves a two goal lead once more. The last 5 minutes were very tough as we pushed men forward but it was all too late.

A specific mention should go to Aidan who had shown massive commitment at the back from the off. I was just congratulating him on a lion heart piece of defending when we realised he’d taken a pretty nasty knock. He wanted to play on through it but needed a break to recover.

Result : Brinklow 2 (Jack, Ben) AT7 4

This wasn’t the result we wanted to end the season but I’m sure Will and all the supporters will agree with me that the way the lads have played since Christmas has been outstanding. They’ve started passing well, tackling hard and we’re also seeing them take training ground skills onto the pitch but above all they’re working for each other. Every single member of the team has given their all and when it clicks it’s an absolute joy to watch.

Finally a big thanks to Pete Day for stepping in to ref at the last minute after Dale cried of with a snivel. Only joking Dale, you looked pretty rough on Saturday (well, rougher than normal) so it wasn’t a massive surprise.

Will

Apr 21st, 2008 - 7:06 PM

Re: Brinklow FC Under 10s 2007/08

Green team no training this week due to Red team having league game at Barr Lane on Thursday, next training session Thursday 1st May at Barr Lane.

Friendly 11 a side game vs Rugby Town Sunday 4th May K/O 11.00 At Barr Lane, Brinklow.

Grandparents Anon

Apr 24th, 2008 - 1:29 PM

Re: Brinklow FC Under 10s 2007/08

Well boys, parents and last but not least grandparents. Here we all are almost at the end, you could say of the first half. Second half to follow later in the year.

I am sure you will all agree that the boys have been a pleasure to watch. Not just for this season, but, since they started playing as a team, and that their ending poition in the league, does not reflect their abilities as football players and as a team. Their team play throuout the seasons has been excellent. As the time has passed you can see how they have all improved their skills, due to the help and encouragement they have received from their manager.

As for the manager, well, what can we say. Just a VERY BIG THANK YOU. The boys, parents and grandparents could not have a more committed, fair and understanding one. THANK YOU WILL, for listening to everyones thoughts and taking them on board, and also putting up with all of us.

THANKS also to Pete for taking the time to give such enjoyable write ups on the matches. THANKS PETE.

As a team, boys, manager,parents and grandparents have all been one friendly and happy group. I am sure that we all hope that the second half, as it unfolds, will be as happy and the first.

Onwards and upwards (should be our moto) as far as the league goes next season.

Well. We're off now. So see you all at the forthcoming friendlies and tournaments. We have just got time to polish our slippers and find the muscle rub ready for June 5th. Looking forward to the pain afterwards.

Declan

Apr 27th, 2008 - 10:30 PM

Chapelfield Colts 2 - Brinklow red 0

Our last league game of mini soccer, although the scoreline says 2, we will call it 1.

We expected a physical game, it certainly was. This time we didnt ly down The ref needed eyes in the back of his head. First half Colts dominated but second half we took the game to them, Richie hitting the bar and Sam almost got away but the ball just wouldnt come down in time. With minutes to the full time the game turned with an off the ball incident needing Connor to come off leaving us to play for a minute with only six players. Colts captilising and scoring a second. For the final frantic minute. Connor back on
for the final minute. A Mele in our penalty area ended up with two colts players lying on the floor, doing my Arsne Wenger bit, I didnt see what happened, my view was blocked. The Ref blew for full time.

A brave and gutsy performance today from our seven players - Toby, Tom, Connor, Joe, Richie, Sam and Harry.

Onwards and upwards, next sunday 11 a side Barr lane against Rugby Town

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