Wednesday, April 29, 2009

The season end beckons...

Another short line or 2 this week due to work commitments...

Under 16's Division 2

Hale Leys Youth 2 - Penn & Tylers Green 2

Hale Leys youth tackled the first half well & in a game that was set to be tight had a 2 goal advantage as they went into the halftime break.
As the two squads returned to the pitch Penn & Tylers made a tactical change; the home side made an attempt to alter their shape but were unable to counter the visitors attack & the lead was reduced to a draw by the final whistle.

Another short break now until the lastgame of this season to be played on May 10th.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Title hopes slide away...

A sad result for the Aylesbury lads this week made worse for me as the new shift pattern has kicked in & I wasn't able to attend & give a first-hand report, so brief is probably understatement of the decade...


U16's Division 2

Hale Leys Youth 3 - Prestwood Colts 5

The first half gave the home side a 3 goal advantage but the second half was a complete reversal of fortunes with the visitors finding themselves not only levelling but taking the game by storm.


I don't know at what point their game plan went awry but its safe to say that it definitely wasn't the result required to keep the possibility of the Div 2 title...

2 games left to play & even if the top spot is beyond your grasp that doesn't mean you have to retract your hands & stop trying, every point is another point to your gain.


For all:

I would like to distance my feelings from those of (former) manager David Hawes. 2 season back-to-back titles gives a bloody good indication of the level of these boys, (and I use the phrase boys because that is still what they are!) A 3rd title, although certainly a highly acclaimed prize, was always going to be tough. Having watched older & higher division teams play during the last couple seasons, it has proved (to me at least) that each year up brings with it a stronger opposition, each division up makes that even more apparent. The squad through all its variations over the last three seasons has always performed to a high level (even if on less than a handful of occasions it hasn't been quite high enough) & this season has been the toughest so far.



For the boys:
I have an obvious bias to be proud of my own son, James Marsh, who has given his all in his position as left back for the last 3 seasons, but I would also like to make it known to all that follow this blog that I share an equal level of pride for ALL the boys that have played with the squad through its current & previous incarnations. Despite what you may have read (on other blogs - now removed) You have conducted yourselves with a huge level of decorum & have set a true example of how teams should behave both on & off the pitch. Like myself, your parents should be rightly proud of each & every one of you
, continue to conduct yourselves in this manner through the rest of your lives & you wont go far wrong.

A bigger appraisal of this season will follow after the last match of the season is played on 10th May, a game that I am hoping to be able to see & give a proper report on.