Around the Grounds
After a well-deserved half-way break in the Season for our Coaches and Players, it was back onto the paddock for Round 10 fixtures, with a number of our teams still training hard over the school holiday period. Plenty of goals were scored throughout the age groups in some competitive matches.
We also had the second stint of our 3-5 year Wolverines Miniroos Program back on Field 1, with the kids excited to receive their Westside Jerseys & Participation Packs.
U6 Tigers
The Tigers Round 10 fixture was at Samford for another Triple Header. The Tigers first match was against Pine Hills Echidnas with the second match being against Samford Victory.
The Tigers made a really good start for the first match after the mid-season break with high energy against Pine Hills however during their second match against Samford signs of tiredness started to show which was reflected in the score. A 3-1 loss vs Pine Hills and 2-nil loss against Samford.
The Player of the Day awards this week went to Blake for great defensive play, Oscar for dribbling well and Max Harvey for his great effort in both games.
U7 Geckos
The match between the Gecko’s and Samford Glory in Round 10 was an eventful affair. The Gecko’s took an early lead and dominated the first half, heading into halftime with a comfortable 4-1 advantage. Flynn showcased exceptional skills and netted an impressive four goals for the Gecko’s.
However, the second half witnessed a remarkable turnaround by Samford. With a combination of individual brilliance and team effort, they managed to mount a spirited comeback. In the end, Samford emerged victorious with a final score of 7-5.
While Flynn’s goal-scoring prowess earned him recognition, Seth stood out for his exemplary display of sportsmanship throughout the match. Seth’s fair play, respect for opponents, and positive attitude were commendable, making him a deserving recipient of the sportsmanship award.
Despite the defeat, the Gecko’s displayed resilience and determination, showing promising signs for their continued improvement as the season progresses. Well done Geckos!
U8 Hornets
Westside U8 Hornets were up against The Gap FC Melbourne Victory this week. The boys were excited to be back playing after the school holiday break. Their previous game against this Gap team was a cracker (13-0) and the team was hoping for a similar result.
The Hornets had a full squad this week which was fantastic, after the injuries and illnesses of the first part of the season. The boys came out fast with Salvi taking an early goal. The Gap fought back though, and it was great to see their improvement from the previous match. The first half was a hustle, with neither team able to gain the advantage, although the Hornets held most of the possession.
Coach Anthony reiterated the importance of teamwork and passing during the half-time break, and something just clicked for the Hornets as they were unstoppable during the 2nd half (maybe it was the oranges!!). James, Ned, Romeo and Salvi all scored multiple times. Just about every player from the Hornets had a crack at a goal and unfortunately for The Gap, they were no match for the skills of the Hornets. The final score was 8-0 to the Hornets. The Player of the Day award this week went to Romeo.
U9 Falcons
The Falcons Round 10 fixture was at home against Bardon Crocs. The Falcons finished with a strong win before the mid-season break and came out hungry today for another victory.
The Falcons dominated the match by controlling the ball from the start with great dribbling, passing and speed to cut through the defence. The match got a bit scrappy with some pushing and tripping towards the end but the Bardon Crocs were no match for the Falcons on the day.
The final score was 6-1 with a hat trick from Ned, a double from Braxton, and Archie got the other goal. The Player of the Day awards this week went to Ned, Archie and Harper. Well done Falcons!
U9 Vultures
The Vultures were at home to Toowong and fielding low numbers; Archer out sick, while Theo & Ellis took UK holidays to hone their football skills.
A missing ref, so Theon kindly ran the game, and the Vultures were under some early pressure defending their line.
Edgar in goal found Henry and Elijah out wide to work balls down the wings to James, Likhit, Archie, and onto striker Fletcher. Elijah switched play across field to Archie who was able to run towards the goal, while James & Likhit played nice forward passes through to Fletcher. Leo guarded the central defence very well against some quality Toowong attackers. A couple of panicked shots too far out by the Vultures prevented us from reaching our scoring zone in the first half, however the passing to create those chances was excellent. But it was Toowong who showed us how to move the ball into the scoring zone and shoot for a 1-0 lead into half-time.
The second half Fletcher kept goal, and managed to save a rocket of a shot, and also dived on a number of dangerous loose balls. Unfortunately, Toowong dabbed two goals in from close range. Our Vultures were looking hungry for a goal, and some excellent passing wasn’t being rewarded, but it wasn’t long before Likhit received the ball on halfway, popped it through the defenders legs and ran with the ball into the scoring zone to shoot – the Toowong keeper saved it – but supporting his teammate was Archie, who swooped in, picked the scraps, and kicked a goal!! The Vultures haven’t scored many goals this season, so the supporters made the most of it and cheered loudly!! The excitement of a goal seemed to spur the Vultures on as they continued to attack and cause trouble – but that’s how it finished… 3-1 to Toowong.
The coach was really proud to see our best passing of the season today, and importantly no hesitation to shoot in front of goal.
Next week is a country trip to the lush green pastures of Samford, with Theo and Archer back, the goal hungry Vultures will be eyeing Samford Bull for breakfast.
Player of the day awards this week went to Likhit – excellent passing today out in front of Fletcher, and excellent running with the ball into the goal scoring zone and shooting; Archie – plenty of nice clean tackles in the middle, and supporting his teammates in attack. Deserving goal; Fletcher – great saves in goal against a good attack, dived on the ball without fear; and Edgar – saved two certain goals, involved in some tough tackles defending at fullback.
U9 Raptors
Check out the Raptors in action in Round 10 against Toowong wearing their NAIDOC kits.
U11 Wallabies
Round 10 saw the U11 Westside Wallabies take on the ACE FC Kilmarnock in a close scoring away game.
The first half was full of Wallabies attack. After an unlucky rebound off the post, refusal to give up saw Eddie take our first goal.
This was closely followed by a goal from Remy and after more attacking play, a great rebound goal from Charlie.
Shortly before half time saw Rhys score another for the Wallabies which was followed by a great goal from ACE, the ball cruising in just over Lysander’s finger tips.
The second half was spent mostly in the Wallabies defensive half with the team appearing to tire. Three consecutive goals from ACE saw the final score for the game tied at 4 all.
Congratulations to our Players of the Day – Eddie for his jockeying and slowing the play to give our defense time to get back into position’ and Dash for his relentless work rate and great crossing game in attack.
U11 Wolves
The Wolves were back on the road for Round 10 – a 10am kick-off at Bribie Island!!! We were expecting a tough game, someone may have done some stalking on Facebook, and it was clear this team was getting wins. The game didn’t disappoint starting at a pretty high tempo. It was clear early on that the Bribie team were technically proficient – their passing and movement off the ball was impressive and they were maintaining good shape. The Wolves were pressing and defending very hard early on but were turning the ball over quickly struggling to find options down the wings. This meant Bribie were dominating possession.
Bribie scored early on from what was a somewhat fluky goal. The ball was clearly intended to be a deep cross to the back post, but managed to sneak in under the crossbar – Landon in goals could do nothing to prevent it. It was shortly after that the Wolves conceded a goal from an in-swinging corner kick. Concern was growing from the touchline that the boys might drop their heads. They were encouraged to keep fighting and move the ball around more to build possession to get more control of the game. The boys responded excellently and stepped it up a notch, having a great spell for the remainder of the first half. Going after the game, the increased pressing and better ball control was starting to put Bribie on the back foot a little.
Alex, Teo and Eli linked up brilliantly around the box with Eli beating two defenders and subsequently being fouled on the edge of the box. Eli stepped up to take the free kick and rolled it over the wall tucking inside the left post. 2 – 1 Bribie. The momentum had shifted, and the Wolves could smell blood and continued to go after it. After another strong sequence of play, Eli found himself in a great position just outside the left-hand of the penalty box and hit a great curving shot into the top right-hand corner of the goal. 2 – 2 at half-time.
During the half-time break we discussed the issue of turning the ball over too much. Essentially the cause of this was the front wing players dropping too deep when out of possession, this left us too flat at the back when we won the ball back with no clear or easy options down the line. The great combination plays were called out that led to the first goal, something we have been working on in training.
The second half was a bit of a mixed bag. The Wolves had some good moments, but Bribie were creating the better opportunities. Landon was having a good day at the office, reading through balls and coming out and collecting them effectively. In training we have also been working on closing down incoming attackers quickly, to prevent them turning and building momentum moving forward. James was executing this perfectly, preventing numerous attacks from developing. In the end the Bribie team were just a little sharper in their movement and passing. As the boys started to tire, the press dropped off slightly and they managed to get a further 2 goals. The Wolves created a few chances in the last 5 mins of the game, but nothing on target. It ended 4 – 2 to Bribie.
The main takeaways from the game were the excellent fighting spirit shown to come back from 2 – 0, and the requirement to develop our speed of play. Like in most community divisions, there’s quite a spectrum of ability between the teams. When they come up against the better teams, the speed of play causes the basics to break down and leads to the ball turning over frequently. In general, for the balance of the season we will be working on this as well as our defensive shape, attacking combinations and maintaining possession. We also tend to put great crosses into the box, but we haven’t scored from a header yet. So we’ll be looking at keeping more balls on the ground and aim to find good positions in the box until we get more confident in the air.
We went all out and gave three Player of the Day awards – Eli for his great goals, James for his awesome defensive work and Landon for effectively reading the plays and closing off opportunities in front of goal. Then, as any self-respecting football team does, the boys went to the pub after the game (Sandstone Point Hotel).
U12 Gliders
In Round 10 the Gliders faced off against Toowong FC U12 Rose in the first home game after the Winter holidays. The Gliders were a few players down this game and didn’t have any substitutes.
The Gliders pushed up the wings helped by very precise passes from Blair and our defenders. The girls paced themselves very well in the first half and through solid defence the score was nil-all at half time despite some significant pressure led by Toowong’s number 14.
Second half saw the pressure increase from both sides and Gliders defence again played very well. Unfortunately, a very precise corner kick enabled Toowong to score the first goal. The Gliders took the challenge and increased the pressure despite considerable fatigue. A precise throw in from Freya and a great pass from Scarlett to the centre saw the Gliders equalise 1-1 with a brilliant attack from KB.
Toowong was forced to change goalie as the Gliders’ offence had found their stride. The lack of substitutes however was wearing the team down and the last 10 minutes found the ball increasingly on the Gliders’ half and a few minutes before full time Toowong scored the winning goal.
The girls have all matured in their positions and the strategies are sinking in and creating a number of opportunities. Only 9 games in for most of the players but the Gliders are turning into a force to be reckoned with.
Player of the Day awards went to Isla and Tabitha for their solid work in defence.
