Under 12
Plymouth 1 - 2 Marjon 2nd / Plymouth 1 - 4 Lipson
January 13th, 2012: On an extremely cold, damp night more than a few of the players appeared slightly under the weather and not quite up for the challenge - perhaps a little over confident following the previous week's double winning streak?? We lined up in a familiar formation with Olli Large at centre forward, Cameron Baines at Left Half, Monty Davies at Centre Mid, Will Vowden at right wing and our usual solid defensive trio of Joe Griffiths (Captain) and Becky White (centre halfs) with Toby Smith (Smiffy) in nets. MARJON 2nds were well organised and fired-up and came straight out of the blocks moving the ball with speed, power and purpose. Cameron made a good start at breaking up the play and most of our positive attacking work came down the left flank early on, but their right wing and centre midfield were quick and highly skilled and gave Will and Monty a fairly torrid time. Uncharacteristically Becky found herself beaten on the inside and Joe got caught out of position allowing a smart finish from close range that was just too much for Smiffy - one NIL to MARJON. We battled on throughout the first half improving steadily - more through graft than guile and held the score to 1 - 0 until half time. Cameron had truly worked his socks off and earned a rest with fresh legs and eager running provided by Toby Deebanks. Will made way for Jake Pengelly at right wing and we pressed hard in the second half for an equaliser earning our first short corners of the match through Jake. Midway through the half our tactical switches started to pay off and Jake combined well with Olli, releasing him for a high tariff reverse stick shot from the top - just wide. Piling on the pressure through some great zonal marking we intercepted their hit-in, Olli released a smart pass to Jake who skinned his marker to fire home a powerful shot and level the match - one a piece. Things stayed fairly level with both sides threatening in turn before MARJON broke down their left, switched a great cross field pass to split our defence this time Joe being beaten on the inside despite some desperate chasing back - 2 - 1 MARJON and full time. Not bad, it could have gone either way.
The defeat to MARJON 2nd seem to completely shatter our self-belief and we took the field with a clear air of defeat. We were completely overrun in midfield by a very physical LIPSON side and again our defenders found themselves beaten time and again on the inside!! Before we could draw a breath and settle into the game we were 2-0 down and at half time some drastic tactical switches were needed to try and stem the tide. Jake moved to centre forward with Olli dropping back into centre midfield - Monty's energy was spent. Owen Hyndman made his debut for the U12 at right wing and Becky made way for Toby Deebanks who put in a characteristically energetic and tenacious shift, but in a totally new position for him. Cameron came back on for Will at left midfield after 5 minutes - a position he is quickly making his own. This seemed to have the desired effect and Olli managed to grasp control of the midfield releasing both Owen and Jake on the breakaway. Jake's skills on the ball continue to leap forward and he started to shine, crafting the best of our attacking moves. He executed a fantastic drag back to beat his marker and fire home a convincing strike 2 - 1. From this point on Lipson man-marked Jake and he received some rough attention from a physical centre back pairing who were to go on and play in the U16 Badgers?!?! Cameron's legs started to tire and Gemma Deebanks made her debut for the U12 at left midfield (having already put in a long shift for the U9) - she had been very patient waiting for her chance and played strongly from the off, holding good field position and playing with discipline - well done Gemma!! With the match fairly even and an equaliser looking likely the match was turned on its head with Olli's stock-in-trade reverse stick sweep being somehow penalised for back sticks 10m from our Dee. A quick self pass and uncharacteristic lapse in concentration at the back and Smiffy was caught isolated 2 on 1 and we were 3 - 1 down with only 5 min to play! Heads dropped and so a quick substitution at the back was made with Monty coming back on for the last 5. Throwing caution to the wind we continued to press - every boy and girl committing to the attack. Unfortunately we lost possession and the entire midfield was beaten with a single pass on the break and neither Toby nor Monty could get back in time. My money was on Smiffy to "hamburger" the Lipson centre forward, but he was somehow "nutmegged" - goalkeeper's nightmare - and it was all over at 4 - 1. Heavy defeat that really didn't reflect how closely balanced this match really was...
Summary - Two defeats, but there was plenty to be encouraged by on this unluckiest of Fridays (13th!!!). Gemma and Owen are clearly ready to play at this level and both showed determination and commitment despite having to bide their time as substitutes - this bodes extremely well for next season. Olli and Jake's dribbling skills and attacking instincts remain a threat to any team we play and the midfielders are continuing to develop and grow in confidence - Cameron is becoming an automatic pick at left midfield and both Will and Toby Deebanks are unrecognisable players from 3 months ago so well done for all your hard work at training guys. Becky and Joe (normally both competing for Captaincy and man-of -the-match) had perhaps an off night tonight, but that happens sometimes - don't beat yourselves up - we'll all do better next time!! Coaching points to work on - shadowing and channelling when in defence - we mustn't set 'em up for a strong stick block tackle and then get beaten on the inside. Tonight's man-of-the-match was our very own goal machine - chasing down every ball and attracting some rough marking as a consequence of his growing attacking threat - Jake Pengelly. Yr5, but a stand-out performer again tonight well done!!!!
Also note - I am recommending that our Yr7s - Toby Smith and Joe Griffiths - consider a run out with the U14 Badgers Boys in preparation for next season if the opportunity arises.
For your diaries, the next U12 match night will be 03 Feb 12 - 2 very tough matches versus Devonport 1st and then MARJON 1st. This will be a big challenge and a good indicator of our progress - we will need everyone to be on form and up for it...
Also, Rob has now confirmed U12 entry into the Devon Mini's Tournament. Date and venue now confirmed as 18 Mar 12 (Mother's Day I'm afraid) at MARJONs - more details to follow once I have them.
Plymouth 0 - 4 Lipson / Plymouth 1 - 0 Devonport 2nd
January 6th, 2012: Wow, we started 2012 with a bang!! Straight from the off we played with speed and precision, passing the ball with confidence. When defending we pressed the ball very effectively and gave the Lipson team no time to settle or establish any kind of pattern. Toby Smith really had very little to do in nets, but kicked effectively on the few occasions called upon. Becky White and Joe Griffiths reinforced their strong defensive partnership taking turns to step forward as an extra midfielder in attack. Monty Davies enjoyed a coke on route to the match and played with an intensity and determination in the tackle that the Lipson midfield just couldn't match!! Cameron Baines made significant progress against his New Year's resolution putting in his best performance for the team this season, passing with accuracy and adding some good attacking work to his defensive duties and was unlucky not to score in the first half. Will Vowden took post on the right wing and ran hard showing much improved stick skills and great determination too. Olli was the stand out player in the first half though and really tormented the Lipson defence every time he received the ball, scoring twice before the break. Toby Deebanks came on for Cameron 5 minutes before half time to provide fresh legs just as Lipson started to get into the game and it worked a treat - his speed and energy across the park shored up the midfield and held us at 2-0. At half time Will took a rest, to be replaced by an eager Jake Pengelly who immediately combined well with Olli in attack forging several short corners - Becky continued to inject with power and accuracy allowing Olli to complete his hat-trick midway through the second half. Almost in the next attack Jake broke away down the right and forced a long corner, from this Olli self-passed, drove along the baseline and crossed for Joe Griffiths to score at the back post - 4:0. At this point Jack Palmer came on at left half to make sure of the clean sheet - a vital job of solid tackling.
Buoyed up from our first win of 2012 we started the second match with confidence - perhaps a little too much. The early first half was very frantic with both sides coming close, but neither able to generate a clear chance. Devonport's Olli Barlow proved to be a match for Olli and Jake's attacking flair and started to increase the tempo of the Devonport counter-attack. Monty started to tire after a massive central midfield show tonight and to find better balance Will came on at centre forward for his physical presence and Olli dropped back into centre-mid. At half time Jack Palmer came on at left half and tackled hard - making progress he has added control to his game and didn't give away any freehits for dodgey chop tackles so well done Jack. Midway through the second half momentum started to sway against us and we were forced to concede 2 short corners in quick succession, but well defended - time for a change. Toby Deebanks for Jack and a man-to-man marking job on Olli Barlow down the left channel and an on field switch Jake for Will (right wing / centre forward). With the clock running down Olli managed to break free in midfield and make a reverse stick shot just wide. Devonport counter-attacked with speed forcing a one-on-one with the keeper and Toby Smith saved low and left - top class. With literally a minute to go Olli and Toby Deebank exchanged passes and slipped the ball through to Jake at the top of the circle, a little dink to beat the defender and bang 1-0 on the whistle!!! What a win - nail biting stuff and great performance by the whole team.
Summary - Our fitness is starting to improve and players have learnt the system and their roles. They are playing for each other and defending as a team. Our flair players were outstanding and being caught in skill level by the others - fantastic work in training is playing dividends. Although Olli scored a hat full of goals and did a great job as Captain, Cameron was by far the most improved player tonight. Joe Griffiths was struggling through injury, but showed all the courage and determination that epitomises this team. Although every player was great tonight Becky White just edged the Man of the Match award for me - solid tackling in defence and in attack passing with power and accuracy both at short corner and open play to release attacks down the left which created several good attacking moves through Cameron giving us a new dimension - bring it on!!!
Plymouth 4 - 5 Devonport 2nd / Plymouth 0 - 2 Ivybridge
December 2nd, 2011: On a very cold and wet night the players motivated themselves to run out and start the first match at an impressive tempo. We are really starting to grasp the idea of zonal marking and pressing the opponents half of the pitch. Our midfield of Jack Palmer, Monty Davies and Jake Pengelly worked very hard straight from the whistle to deny Devonport both time and space and put in some great tackles to keep play largely in their half. Jake and Olli Large combined very effectively going forward and both scored in the first half to top off our complete control of the game. Olli's individual skills continue to impress and he seemed to be a magnet for every clearance from our rock solid defence and was able to beat players at will to generate chance after chance. Jake has discovered the use of wide space and utilised the V-drag at will to beat his marker and drive to the baseline, winning short corners on every attack. Becky continued to show growing confidence and composure on the ball and stepped forward from defence regularly to create an overlap. Her short corner injections were typically very effective and only some committed defence prevented Olli from scoring more. Cameron Baines and Will Vowden provided fresh legs across the midfield at half time and Cameron also came close to scoring on a couple of occasions. Joe Griffiths continued to anchor our back line, but to be fair both he and Toby Smith in nets were largely untroubled in this one way affair with both Olli and Jake scoring again in the second half and both squandering chances of hat-tricks!!!
Now completely wet through, but buoyant from their first win of the season the team was eager to get stuck into a talented Ivybridge team. Keen to impress, all the players took off from where they left off in the first game with a now typically committed and energetic team performance. Joe Griffiths and Becky White took turns stepping forward into midfield and Olli and Jake continued to combine effectively when attacking. This was an organised Ivybridge team that defended strongly and in numbers and despite having the lions share of pocession we just couldn't score and saw several shots cleared off the line in the first half. In the second half we continued to control the game forcing several short corners, but again Ivybridge defenders were very quick off the line to hold us out. Then early in the second half Ivybridge managed to break forward generating a 2 on 1 with the keeper to score 1-0. Thereafter things degenerated into a frenetic display with both teams losing shape and structure - Ivybridge pressing to secure the win and Plymouth desperately trying to turn the game around. Toby Smith made an absolutely terrific triple save to hold the score at 1-0 and twice denied the Ivybridge striker with high left hand saves. He also won 2 one-on-ones as holes in our defence started to open as we pressed ever desperately forward in search of the equaliser. Olli Large continued to display some exceptional close control skills in attack, but found himself very effectively double marked and hence most of our attacking success came from Jake Pengelly who never gave up and showed his full repertoire of dribbling tricks, dinks and drag backs to generate chances for both Olli, Cameron and Will. The last 5 minutes were truly all Plymouth with Ivybridge defending stubbornly to hold on to the win. Unfortunately Joe Griffiths took a stick on the knee with 3 minutes to play and needed to be carried off - a trip to casualty on Saturday revealed no broken bones thank goodness, but he will not be fit to play until the swelling has subsided. Well played Joe - speedy recovery buddy.
Summary - This is exactly the kind of hockey we need to play - fluid passing, high levels of individual skill in attack and tenacious, committed defence. Sound tactics and high levels of concentration from start to finish. A glimpse of what this team is capable of with self-belief and hard work. Man-of-the-match was again incredibly difficult to decide. Olli's skills in attack were as exceptional as Joe's reading and positioning in defence and Becky's distribution and passing. Toby Smith also made a strong case for himself with a great kicking display and some great one-on-one takes on the ground, but by the narrowest margin the stand out player tonight was Jake Pengelly. Stepping up from the U10 he scored 2 great goals (the second a deflection on the turn whilst marked - absoluetly first class). I lost count on the number of short corners he forced from the baseline and he never failed in his midfield defensive duties either, showing great team spirit and high energy well done!!!
For parents - sorry that comms broke down a little this week, but my email snags are now "unsnagged"... thanks for the patience.
This was our last match night of 2011 with 2012 fixtures due to re-start from 06 Jan 12. As soon as we have the fixtures list, I'll drop you all a line, but in the meantime we still have 2 training sessions left before Christmas with plans to play some mini-tournaments and have some fun - particularly on the last week...
Plymouth 1 - 2 Marjon / Plymouth 1 - 5 Ivybridge
November 18th, 2011: Determination and commitment is proving to be our watch words - we play at maximum intensity and pace from the off and are no push-over. Joe Griffiths put in another top defensive display with Becky White now showing a good range of passing ability and composure when breaking forward from defence. Toby Smith made his debut between the posts and showed excellent aggression and bravery from the start in coming off his line to "baggage" a formidible MARJON centre forward more than twice his size (U12????). Monty Davies started at centre midfield for the first time and showed huge commitment and energy throughout, tackling like a tiger and looking to pass the ball at every opportunity. Cameron managed to maintain his strong running that featured so well last week and his skills continue to develop. Izzy Ingham made her first start at right wing and tried very hard to hold the team shape and make herself available out wide. Oli Large is clearly enjoying the free reign as sole striker and was always willing to drop deep to collect the ball before turning with exceptional skill to drive at the MARJON defence. Our intensity and aggression really unsettled this MARJON side with Oli scoring a scorcher very early in the first half. Predictably the goal shocked MARJON into action and they raised their game to pull level by half time. Both teams were very evenly matched and Jake Pengelly was brought on at right wing to try and make a difference with his trickery, but MARJONS just managed to edge it on the night. Never outclassed, we can do no more.
After another defeat by the narrowest margin, we needed no motivation to take on the second match and the team started with good intensity levels. Employing the half court press with increasing success we generated several chances with Oli going close 3 times in the first half. Toby Smith showed good agility and improving awareness (especially when he listens), but this Ivybridge forward line is both efficient and ruthless. By half-time the score was 2-0 with both goals scored as rebounds from kicks. As the match went on our energy levels started to fade, but at no time did we surrender. Joe Griffiths and Monty put their bodies on the line with some last ditch interceptions and tackles before Monty took a massive kncok on his knee. However, he was so fired up that he returned to the fray after just a few minutes and refused to let the team's heads drop. Toby made several top class saves in the second half with one notable one-on-one. Becky played with the best focus I have seen from her with impressive composure on the ball post tackle. Her counter-attacking passing through to Oli or Jake generated all of our forward momentum in this match and her short corner injections were as strong and reliable as ever - a top performance from a player vying for a shot at captaincy. Cameron continued to tackle hard and Izzy was a willing runner throughout - almost connecting with Oli's cross midway through the second half!! Jake also put in another good performance showing a full range of stick skills and wasn't so easily pushed off the ball this week - particualrly noteworthy as he also put in a full shift as U10 captain tonight!! The score didn't really reflect the passion and commitment our players showed on the night. This was perhaps the best performance and the most exciting U12 match of the season so far and I was exceptionally pround of the whole team.
Summary - we are converging on our stronest line-up and the players are starting to understand their roles and putting the tactics into play. Our play is characterised by guts and determination and the passing is improving, but could always be better. We need to work on our finishing - Oli can't do it all on his own. Overall this team needs a good dose of luck to close out a win. Man-of-the-Match - Monty Davies - massive improvement this week he was the heart beat of the team tonight and tackled back with boundless energy and determination putting his body on the line!!
Plymouth 1 - 1 Devonport 2nd / Plymouth 0 - 2 Tavistock
November 11th, 2011: Our team was in fine fettle and took the field determined to do better than their last meeting with Dev2 (3-0 defeat). Joe Griffiths was awarded the Captain's armband for the first time in recognition of some consistently strong play and excellent leadership. He rewarded the team with another solid display at the back, tonight more than ably assisted by Becky White who matched his strength and commitment in equal measure. Opting to deploy a half court press tonight the team adapted to this new tactic fantastically and achieved early success with Oli Large going close twice before scoring with a strong shot from the top. Oli made his debut at centre forward and perhaps provided the cutting edge that the U12 had been missing. Toby Smith worked very hard at centre midfield chasing back and tackling hard - as did Jake Pengelly who, starting at left half, denied the opposition time and space whilst breaking forward at every opportunity. Will Vowden continues to grow in confidence too and put in an absolutely barnstorming first half performance at right wing. Monty Davies and Toby Deebank-Jones provided the fresh legs at half time and the team pressed forward with attacking purpose to secure the win - indeed Dev2 were forced to clear off the line twice from both Oli and Jake (inc a dodgey defender's kick!!) Then with only 3 minutes to run we lost concentration for a split second and reverted to a deeper man-to-man defense, abandoning the zonal system that had worked so well. Dev2 saw the opportunity and managed a quick ball from their own hit-in, straight through to the centre forward who turned and slapped in from the top giving Cameron absolutely no chance in goal: 1-1 on the whistle!!
Encouraged by our first point of the season against Dev2, we were very optimistic and took the field eager to do well, but in Tavistock we found an equally resolute team with one or 2 exceptional players. Indeed early exchanges saw Joe Griffiths uncharacteristically turned inside out by their centre forward requiring Cameron to make a few good kicks and Becky to drop across and make covering tackles close to goal on more than one occasion. Our midfield worked very hard - particularly Toby Deebank-Jones who covered a lot of ground from left half to press and tackle like a tiger! Oli managed to craft a couple of chances up front, but the Tavistock defenders managed to get a stick on the ball and clear off the line. Winning several short corners during the later stages of the first half, Becky demonstrated her growing skill and consistency to inject with proven power and accuracy to create our best chances of the game. Tavistock were constantly a threat and their fwd players combined well throughout finally scoring close to half time. Cameron did very well to get a pad on the ball, but the power was just too great!! The second half brought more of the same - several well crafted chances for us, but solid Tavistock defending and quick movement and passing on the counter causing us difficulty throughout before they scored again to secure the win. Most noticeable was that the half court press continued to yield fruit, but Tavistock were just better drilled than us on the night.
Summary - We tried quite an advanced tactic tonight and the players' levels of concentration, particularly in the first match were outstanding. Our substitutes played their full part, hitting the field with speed and huge energy in the wide positions - great job. Cameron also returned to GK in Jack's absence and did an absolutely fantastic job, saving well with his shoulder in the last minute of the Tavistock game and taking a knock for the team in the process - typically brave and spirited performance. Switching Oli to centre forward may also have unlocked our goal drought, but we have to keep driving forward as a team. It was very difficult this week to pick a man-of-the-match, because everyone did so well, but Becky White just edged it. In defence she proved reliable, strong and focussed, her tackling and distribution of the ball was excellent throughout whilst in attack her short corners provided an excellent scoring opportunity every time. Well done Boo!!