MATCH REPORTS
Chislehurst 1 V U13 Tigers 6
19th Feb 2012
"I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel" - Stuart Pearce
After the last couple of games the lads needed a win to keep their confidence up, and that is exactly what they delivered on this fine bright , if a little chilly, morning in deepest darkest Chislehurst.
The last game against Chislehurst ended with an emphatic win, and it was clear from the kick off that the boys definitely had only one outcome on their minds.
Within the first minute Jack (S) had a shot on goal saved following a move which started from defence, and moments later Jack saw another chance go just wide from a free kick. Glebe were in control of the game for much of the first 10 minutes, with the midfield competing for every ball and not letting Chislehurst settle into any kind of rhythm. As the half progressed Frank had a shot saved from a Mark cross, and Luke was putting in a very solid performance in deference. Chislehurst had little to offer in the way of a challenge to the back four, and there was an air of inevitability when Frank "the goal machine" scored his first of 4 on the 14th minute following a scramble on the edge of the box, which saw the ball cleared off the line more than once. No more than a minute later Frank was at it again to convert a Jake cross and when Seb came on in the 20th minute he had an immediate impact on the game as he surged forward and crossed the ball almost inch perfect for Frank to convert his hat trick.
Jimmy, Luke, Callum and Oz were all having a great game in defence and so it was well and truly against the run of play when Chislehurst scored on the 33rd minute to make the score 3-1 going into half time.
There was a great deal of anticipation from the crowd as the teams lined up for the second half, and even the linesman had a definite spring in his step, could Glebe keep the pressure on ? The answer was definitely yes, and for the first 10 minutes of the half Chislehurst found it difficult to gain possession as the lads put on a fine display of passing football.
Seb had a shot turned round the post by a defender in the 47th minute, and Glebe won a succession of corners making sure that Chislehurst were pegged back in their own half. Jake made a fine run through the defensive line and scored on the 49th minute , 4-1. The goal seemed to lift the boys and the tempo increased. A sweeping move involving Jack (S), Seb, and Freddie ended in a fine save from a Jake shot and more of the same saw Mark take on the defence with a great run down the right wing who threaded the ball to Seb. Seb rounded the keeper and slotted the ball home , 5-1 on the 50th minute. The pressure continued with Jack (D), Frank, Cameron, and Seb all combining with one touch play and Freddie contributed with a twisting run thought the defence which resulted in a free kick inside the Chislehurst penalty area. Jack (D) delivered the free kick with a nice chip and who else but Frank was there to convert his 4th and Glebe's 6th.
All in all a good game was had by all, and a much needed win to set the boys up for next weeks game against Hamsey which will not be quite so easy I suspect.
Congratulations to all the boys and especially to Luke "iron man Eltham" for his well deserved man of the match.
Croydon Juniors 6 Glebe Tigers 4 29/1/12
'If you don't concede any goals you'll win more games than you lose'. Wayne Bridge.
This was always going to be an eagerly contested game as there seemed to be very little between the teams given their respective positions in the league.
The Tigers did not get the best of starts as Croydon scored straight from the kick off, which meant that the boys were on the back foot very early on. Just when Glebe seemed to have regained their composure, Croydon scored again in the 7th minute following a goal mouth scramble, and there was a very real danger that Glebe would not be able to fight their way back into the game. Gradually though, that steely determination which is becoming the teams trademark began to appear and Glebe dug deep and started to have an impact back on the game . Seb came on in the 18th minute and had an immediate impact as he ran through on goal only to see the keeper save his effort. Croydon countered immediately and Greg had to pull off a fine save to keep the score at 2-0, and shortly afterwards had to make another save as Croydon's number 8 (did anyone check his birth certificate ?) released a powerful shot from long range. Croydon continued to threaten and were very quick on the break and at times Glebe looked a little disorganised . However the break Glebe needed came in the 23rd minute as Seb converted an opportunity, and from the kick off Jack (S) scored a great goal as he chipped the keeper from a Jack through ball. Now we had game on our hands all square at 2-2 ! Not to be out done Croydon came straight back with a lucky goal as Greg parried an effort from a corner and saw the ball just about cross the line 3-2. Once again the Tigers launched a counter attack which resulted in Seb striking the cross bar (oohhhh!) and then putting the ball just over the bar (ahhhh!) from the re-bound. More pressure in the 28th minute from Glebe, and Frank got in on the act as he came close with a shot saved following a one-two with Jack (S). The play was rather scrappy at this point with neither team taking charge until Croydon scored a 4th in the 29th minute as a through ball beat the offside trap. The half ended with a Croydon effort hitting the cross bar from a corner, 4-2.
As the second half got underway it seemed that Croydon had the bit between their teeth as they almost scored from the kick off (not again ! ) , but a remarkable goal line clearance from Jordan denied the Croydon attacker a goal, but perhaps not his blushes. Frank scored right on the 40th minute from a defensive clearance which Jack (S) took down the left wing, and threaded the ball through to Jack 4-3, and once again the Tigers were right back in it. More attacking play in the 42nd minute as Jack and Frank combined nicely and gave Samuel an opportunity to shoot, but his shot was saved. Another chance came only a minute later when Seb rushed through on goal but was again denied by the keeper. A cruel twist came in the 44th minute as a speculative shot bobbled through Greg's legs and the Tigers were again chasing the game from two goals behind (5-3). The midfield battled well,and were beginning to make in roads into the Croydon defence and their hard work paid off as Frank and Seb both had chances foiled by the keeper. At the other end Greg was putting in man of the match performance with a number of great saves from long range shots, free kicks and swift attacking play, which was keeping Croydon at bay. But not even Greg's performance could stop another Croydon goal in the 57th minute, which he almost saved - there was a pattern beginning to emerge as every time Glebe got themselves back in the game Croydon either by hook or by crook extended their lead. Not a single head went down though and more strong play gave opportunities to both Seb and Frank in the final phase of the game. Time was running out and only a minor miracle would now see Glebe pull off an amazing recovery. Never say die though, and Seb pulled one back in the 67th minute from another through ball by Frank 6-4. Croydon thankfully had a goal ruled out with a minute to go which meant that the game ended at 6-4. This was one of those games that could quite easily have gone either way as both sides had plenty of opportunities denied them, and there were certainly lots of incidents which on another day could have seen a very different result. The Man of the match was awarded to Greg for his valiant efforts in goal, but is was close run thing as Frank also put in a great performance (well you still get a prize for second !)
U13 Glebe Tigers v Crawley. 1/4 Final - 1-4
"We must have had 99% of the play, it was the other 3% that cost us the game"(!) Rudd Gullit.
The last outing against Crawley was early in the season and resulted in a 4-2 defeat. So this 1/4 final clash was perhaps an opportunity to see how the team has developed over the last 4 months. On the evidence of today I would say that lads have most definitely grown as a team and one outstanding feature is their "never say die" spirit.
The weather conditions were perhaps an additional feature to contend with today, but Glebe started well and it took both teams a little while to settle down. Glebe certainly took the initiative, and early pressure saw strong play from Cameron and swift runs down the wing by Samuel put pressure on the Crawley defence. Seb had a shot saved by the keeper in the 7th minute (it was going to take something special to beat the big man between the sticks) and Freddie and Jack (S) combined well going forward with a nice move on the edge of the Crawley penalty area. Seb showed great determination in the 11th minute as he battled the ball back from Crawley and found Jack (S) with his back pass, unfortunately the shot was just wide. Crawley began to get back into the game and a swift break in the 14th minute needed Greg to pull off a great save from a point blank range shot. Cameron continued to battle well in midfield and was more than a match for his Crawley counterpart. Against the run of play Crawley scored on the 16th minute from a low shot which had Greg at full stretch (1-0). Glebe came straight back from the kick off with a great move involving Jack (S) and Jack (D) and a shot from Frank which the Crawley keeper saved (well he would wouldn't he !). Almost immediately Crawley countered and doubled their score in the 21st minute with a well hit shot from their right winger which crashed into the top right hand corner of the net. Despite the score line, Glebe were contesting every ball and continued to press forward. Jordan shot over the bar in the 28th minute, which showed that this game wasn't over yet. The 3 shredded wheat that the Crawley keeper had surely had for breakfast came into play in the 30th minute as his long goal kick was not cleared by the Glebe defence, and was converted by their striker, a potential killer blow right on half time.
As with the first half, Glebe were the stronger team from the kick off and the first 5 minutes showed Crawley that they had a fight on their hands. Jack (S) stepped up to take a free kick on the edge of the area in the 7th minute, which needed the keeper to save to keep the score at 3-0. Glebe won another free kick just outside the area in the 11th minute as Frank was brought down by the keeper following a strong run through the defence. The resulting free kick was deflected wide for a corner kick. Glebe were showing great spirit as the whole team dug deep and there really was very little between the teams. In a typical Seb run on goal in the 13th minute, Glebe had an opportunity dashed as the Crawley defence cleared from the line and only moments later Jordan saw his 25 yard shot crash against the cross bar - surely Glebe deserved something from this game ! The reward came in the 18th minute as Seb took the ball from the half way line down the left wing, cut inside onto his favour right foot and scored, 3-1. Was this the turning point ? Continued pressure from the lads gave Jake an opportunity on the 21st minute, unfortunately his shot was saved, but at this point in the game Glebe's midfield were the stronger and were combining well with the forwards. The Tigers had opportunities created by Cameron and Seb saved by the keeper in the 26th minute and Jake had a shot which dipped over the bar. It still wasn't over, as once again Seb broke through and had his effort saved, and Jordan shot wide from the rebound. Out of nowhere ( well a corner actually ) Crawley scored in the 33rd minute to take the final score to 4-1, which was definitely not a true reflection of the game. On balance Crawley had the rub of the green as they were able to convert more of their opportunities, but the Tigers should feel unlucky that the score line was not closer. Well done on another hard fought game, and to Jordan for his well deserved MOM.
Glebe Tigers - 2 Balham Blazers - 7
Sunday 8th January
As Neville Southall once said :-
"If you don't believe you can win, there is no point in getting out of Bed ....at the end of the day." ;0)
Following the emphatic win against JDG before the Christmas break, the Tigers definitely had a point to make against Balham given the score line after their last encounter.
Both teams started well with an early break by Frank following a through ball from Freddie setting the pace, and a look of determination ran through the team, this was going to be a tough contest !
Luke looked solid in defence (too much Christmas pudding perhaps ?) and the midfield looked strong in the early stages. Against the run of play Balham scored in the 5th minute (1-0), but Glebe quickly countered as Seb surged through on goal only to be beaten to the ball by the keeper rushing to the edge of box. Glebe continued to push forward and looked by far the stronger as the whole team combined well and were playing some very nice football. Jordan and Frank worked well together in the 10th minute, which resulted in a free kick and Samuel shot just wide. During the next few minutes Glebe put together a number of attacking runs involving Jack (S) and Frank who were battling hard against a solid and well organised Balham defence.
At the other end Luke was leading the Glebe defence with a no nonsense performance, and Calum, Jack (D) and Jordan were all holding the line. On the 16th minute Seb took off on a characteristic run which split the Balham defence, and he scored a well deserved equaliser. The teams were very evenly matched, and at this stage the midfiled were chasing and contesting every ball with great work from Cameron, Samuel, Freddie, Jake, Jimmy and Frank. As the half moved into the last 10 minutes Balham scored again in the 22nd minute and came close to a third in the 24th minute with a shot which was just wide of the post. The lads continued to battle on and were rewarded with another Seb goal following a Balham free kick, which was quickly cleared by Jack (D) to Seb who once again outpaced the Balham back four, 2-2. Greg pulled off a fabulous save on the 30th minute in a one on one contest as Balham broke fee, and it looked as if they would end the half in the lead. Not to be outdone, Glebe launched their own attack down the right wing and Seb whipped the ball across the face of the goal only to see it spin past the oncoming Tigers attack. The half ended with a Jack (D) effort going wide and it was all square after 35 minutes - time for some half times oranges and a well deserved breather.
As the teams lined up for the second half it was difficult to see who would be the ultimate winner, as the Tigers had definitely shown real grit and determination in the first half. So it was a great surprise when Balham took the lead after just 4 minutes, and Greg had to make another class save on the 6th minute to keep the score at 3-2. There was a definite lull in play for the next 10 minutes with neither team making any real headway. Luke made a vital clearance in the 21st minute following a long through ball from Balham. The deadlock was broken in the 23rd minute as Balham were awarded a penalty and despite Greg getting a hand to it Balham extended their lead to 4-2. With typical spirit the Tigers started to battle their way back into the game, and it needed a reaction save from the Balham keeper to stop Seb getting his hat-trick. Despite the Tiger finishing strongly , Balham scored another 3 goals in the last 5 minutes with the game ending 7-2, which was not really a true reflection on the game as a whole. In the final analysis Balham were probably more organised defensively, but the Tigers can definitely hold their heads up high and consider themselves unlucky to have suffered such a heavy defeat. Well done to all the boys for a very determined performance, everyone battled hard and showed real spirit which is to be congratulated. Well done to Freddie for his man of the match.
