Football: Review for 2005-06

Our soccer teams either won or drew  72% of the matches played. For the first time in 12 years we won the New Beacon U13 7-a-side soccer tournament. Our Colts A team went unbeaten and our U10B team won the St Michael's tournament. Several senior boys gained county honours namely Ben Williamson, Nick Spurling, Adam Pollard, Nic Brauer and James Orchard.

1st XI
With a combination of last year's 1st XI providing both the defensive backbone and attacking flair, and an influx of skillful, and hard-working Year Sevens in midfield, the season started with high expectations. No-one was to be disappointed, as we ended up losing only three matches and securing The New Beacon 7-a-side tournament cup for the first time in twelve years, just rewards for a team that trained hard from day one. Scoring goals was not a problem with Nick Spurling, in particular, helping the team achieve a total of over 40 goals through the season. It was rare to score less than two goals a game and this is testament to not only the finishing but also the providers in 'the engine room' behind them. Nick was partnered up front by a number of different boys who did their part in creating space and time for his high individual goal tally. He, along with other team members Nick Brauer, James Orchard, Adam Pollard and Ben Williamson, was duly selected for the county soccer squad, and they will be travelling to Sweden in the summer. Two more players, Charlie Farrant and James Estlin, just missed out on selection due to age restrictions.

James Orchard was to prove a 'rock' between the sticks and behind the defence. Not only did James show bravery in his shot stopping but his effective distribution launched many an attack. The defence, knowing of their 'keeper's abilities, was given time to play the ball from deep and possession soccer was witnessed on many occasions as the ball was played with skill between all eleven players. James Estlin covered an enormous amount of ground at great speed to snuff out many attacks. Charlie Farrant proved himself to be an outstanding captain, combining respect from his peers whilst dominating his area of the pitch in every game, opposition players knowing that every ball was going to be contested. Alex Weir and Will McDowell supplied cover on the wings and were successful in positional play.  The Year Seven midfield of Alex Holder, Charlie Verrell, Ben Woodmansee and Ben Williamson learnt a great deal about playing at this senior level very quickly and they were given freedom of space and time by Adam Pollard and Nick Brauer who worked tirelessly in every match to stop the opposition running too far with the ball. Adam and Nick were immense in midfield, one winning the ball through commitment, the other supplying passes of quality to the front runners. Adam proved to be an especially creative player, displaying individual skills beyond his years. In attack we never really used Anthony Sanson's raw speed to split open defences as regularly as we should have done, but the presence of such a strong player gave defenders a great deal to think about as Anthony bore down on them at great speed.

I would like to thank all the boys who made the season such an enjoyable one; you worked with a great deal of team spirit to overcome most schools, and it is a testament to all of you that in the matches you lost you were the first to offer congratulations and three cheers to the opposition. You have been a credit to the school and to soccer as a game. I would also like to thank Andrew Leale of Tonbridge School who refereed a home match for us, and our groundsmen for giving us the best surface and size pitch to play on in the local prep school circuit.

One of the two highlights has to be the team's performance at the seven-a-side tournament, where, after a shaky and uncertain start, we played very well in the semi and final and proved to all spectators that we were the quality team on the day. The other highlight is probably being recognised as a good team by the Fulham manager, Chris Coleman, whose son was on the wrong end of a good Yardley Court performance.  Praise from a premiership manager does not come every day!

2nd XI
I have been immensely impressed with the level of support given by the boys to each other.  There has been a very positive team spirit displayed. Callum James, our goal-keeper, epitomised the courage and determination shown by all of the team. The defensive line of James Flemington, Oliver and George Dewdney and Richard Purkis generally worked as a cohesive team, using each others' strengths to cover for our weaknesses. The midfield of Dylan Hurdwell, William Baker, Matthew McNicoll and Jack Beaman strove tirelessly to support both defence and attack. Tom Beeson and Edward Atkin not only went for goal but linked with the midfield to create a more diverse threat. If it had not been for my coaching, we'd have had a far better season! Jack's role was sometimes taken by Adam Morris and sometimes by Matthew Dammers. All of the reserves worked well to fit into the team structure. The positive lead given by Oliver Dewdney certainly contributed to the strong team spirit. I would commend the boys for their skill, their effort but most of all for their team-work.

3rd XI
The Third XI has been enormously rewarding to coach this season. They are a great bunch of chaps, not everyone a natural footballer, but still some who, given a bit more foot-speed, may well have been in a higher team.  Although it is fair to say we had a mixed season in terms of results with some excellent wins but also some losses against schools with more depth, I was proud of the boys as at no stage did they give up, They stuck to their positions and scurried around the various pitches often overcoming personal fear to take on the opposition and defend our goal or attack.  Highlights of the season for me were the matches against Hawthorns and Sevenoaks Prep.  We needed those wins at those stages of the season and the chaps pulled them off.  Most importantly, the boys have enjoyed their football this season and it is to their great credit that they were competitive and yet, when on the losing side, dealt with it with humour and dignity; when winning, with grace and goodwill.

Under10A
Despite winning almost all of our games, I was left feeling that this was a season where the U10s never quite achieved their full potential. There are many keen and talented footballers in the year-group and this led to enthusiastic competition for places in the top team. We spent many coaching sessions working on the basic skills of the game and these benefited all the boys in Year Five as the skills' level increased across all of our teams.  The As, however, rarely played with enough 'togetherness' as a team and this will be an area for greater development next year when they move on to play at Colts level.  In players like Will Page and Luke Spurling, there is prodigious talent but individuals rarely win matches on their own. Alex Hollingsworth shows signs of developing as a capable defender being both strong and with the ability to read the game well. Campbel Hinshelwood has similar traits but now needs to ally greater mobility to his game. Robert Leron and Guy McNamara are both skilfull footballers who will benefit from a greater physicality next season. Harry Woodmansee can list soccer amongst his varying sporting skills and payed well for us as a 'wide man', Charlie Fox was a good shot-stopper but will work next year on getting off his line more readily to prevent those shooting opportunities from developing n the first place.  I think a I these boys will benefit from playing on a larger pitch and in the 11-a-side format next season rather than in the confined space of a 7 a side pitch. What cannot be questioned is the boys' enthusiasm for the game and it was a real pleasure for all the coaches involved with Year Five to work with such an enthusiastic group of boys; well done!

Under 10C & D
The Under 10Cs made a great start to the year with a strong showing at St Michael's.  Such was the quality of the side we were able to give their team two of our best players and still beat them handsomely 11 - 1. (Indeed the goal that was scored by their team was actually by one of our players playing for them!)

We have benefited from the skills of a number of different goalkeepers including Joe Pound and Ben Moffat, although Ben has spent most of this season with the B team.  The mainstay in defence has been Harrison Fuller who has helped minimise the number of goals conceded.

The second match was a hard fought game against Holmewood House with an almost completely different team.  The score, 4-0, did not demonstrate our quality and how hard we worked. The third match was against Hawthorns which was played in torrential rain and with the constant threat of the match being called to a halt if we scored too many goals. Despite the coach's insistence that they pass the ball around, the Cs just couldn't help themselves and were 10- 1 ahead before the referee called it a day.  The final match this season was played against Dulwich Prep who fielded a strong team as a result of our As not playing.  As a result we lost 4-1 having taken the lead early in the first half. Yet, despite this setback, our team-spirit could not be diminished.  Overall, our goal difference was +12, which is an excellent statistic to bear in mind.

The C Team has had a large number of players who have played for other teams and we have made a special point of rotating players in the C and D teams to ensure that everyone has a taste of team football representing the school. Everyone from Year Five has played at least a couple of matches and mostly more. The boys have without fail given of their best and I know that many of them have proved to themselves and the coaches that they have strengths and skills never before imagined. Well done all for taking part with such enthusiasm!

Under 9A
This was a year when we expected to achieve good results but we proved to be inconsistent throughout the season. At times we were superb in one half only to see the team relax and lose a game that was clearly there to be won. The prime example of this was the New Beacon match where we managed to turn a 3-0 half time advantage into a 5-4 defeat. We had boys with a high level of individual skill, but at times we found that these skills could not be used to full effect in match situations. The highlight of the season had to be reaching the final at our own Under 9 tournament. Here we displayed a desire to do well and work hard for each other. It was a shame to lose on a 'golden goal' situation but we could have secured victory before we had reached this stage. Saying that, we really did look like a team on that day. Next year I hope the boys win both halves of matches and work hard for each other, as team pay and commitment throughout the game are the real keys to further success.

Under 8
The Year Three boys began their sporting careers here at Yardley Court with a gritty determination to succeed, and I was delighted at the number of boys and parents who turned up to the Internal Festival we held early in the season. All the boys were given the opportunity to compete for the school, and we enjoyed considerable success. Most notably, the A team made it through to the final of the Hazelwood Tournament, where we were narrowly beaten into second place. I hope that the team spirit shown by all the boys will continue throughout their time here.
head