We continued our dip in form yesterday by losing badly to a poor team.
Last weekend we played a team in a higher division who were technically similar to us and we almost held our own, whereas this weekend we played a team that we could comfortably outplay on our day.
Firstly we did not have all of our players available, but this is not an excuse at all as I feel we have enough quality in our squad to be about to win even with a weakened squad.
Secondly we underestimated the small size of the pitch and fielded a midfield heavy 4-2-3-1 formation which was never going to work on such a compact and gravelly pitch.
Football wise we found ourselves easily intimidated on the ball and were poor under pressure which led to us conceeding two soft early goals.
To make matters worse Stubbo twisted his ankle and had to come off and the team had to adjust again.
We changed to a 4-4-2 after the substitution and we found that the extra width and less congestion in the middle made us play a lot more fluidly in patches but unfortunately we conceded a soft third goal shortly after the change.
At the end of the second half Matt Roberts curled in a flukey free kick from wide to give us hope.
We started the second half well and had several one on one opportunities to score which we unfortunately could put in the back of the net.
Despite starting to play well we conceded our fourth soft goal and only then did we start to pick up the pace and urgency and start to play neat triangles and show what we can do.
Some poor defending cost as a needless fifth but shortly afterwards Ralph Stansfield drove a placed shot into the net to bring the score to 5-2 at full time.
Although it was a loss I feel that in the long term this game will help us, it highlighted our main weaknesses and gives us something to work on in time for our double header with West Totton coming up.
Sunday, 26 September 2010
Saturday, 18 September 2010
'Only The Cup'... Horton Heath 1 - 3 Polygon
Well it had to happen sometime but, we lost. Luckily it was in a Cup game and to a team in a higher division but nonetheless it was a loss and it hurts.
The two big factors in the loss were that A) We did not have our full squad, and B) We played a physical team who were also pretty good on the ball.
The two teams we had faced before, Romsey and Braishfield, were easily dominated both physically and our skill with the ball. The team today, Polygon, were well organised and comfortable on the ball and it is teams like this that we will need to be able to beat if we are to win this league convincingly, which I believe we are capable of on our day.
The game started with Polygon firmly on the front foot playing a mix of neat passing and incisive long balls which saw us quickly pinned back into our own half. Once we had started to get used to the style of play we began to get more of a hold on the game. Eventually, towards the middle of the half and against the run of play a ball was played through to the debutant James Guppy who made a Messi-esque run past 4 players before slotting the ball into the net.
The rest of the half we continued to be pressed in our half but hung on to our lead at half time.
We made two changes at half time and our 433 formation switched to a more conventional 442 formation and the second half started brightly with us starting to get into the game.
Nik Jones made some wonderful saves throughout the game but early in the 2nd half a loose ball on the edge of the area was absolutely and unstoppably spanked into the top corner making it 1-1.
Sadly we continued to be dominated and Polygon got their second goal from a badly defended corner with 20 minutes to go. Strangely it was at this point we began to play well stringing some nice passes together and attacking with pace. We managed a few shots and started to look dangerous as we began to attack with pace.
As I said to start with, it was only the Cup and I stick by that. We can learn from this loss and hopefully use what we have gained to help us conquer this league.
I apologise for this depressing and boring post but I felt I had to write a match report and decided to fight back the tears and just get on with it.
HHAFC x
Strangely just as we were at our most threatening we conceded the killer blow making it 3-1 late on and effectively finishing the game.
The two big factors in the loss were that A) We did not have our full squad, and B) We played a physical team who were also pretty good on the ball.
The two teams we had faced before, Romsey and Braishfield, were easily dominated both physically and our skill with the ball. The team today, Polygon, were well organised and comfortable on the ball and it is teams like this that we will need to be able to beat if we are to win this league convincingly, which I believe we are capable of on our day.
The game started with Polygon firmly on the front foot playing a mix of neat passing and incisive long balls which saw us quickly pinned back into our own half. Once we had started to get used to the style of play we began to get more of a hold on the game. Eventually, towards the middle of the half and against the run of play a ball was played through to the debutant James Guppy who made a Messi-esque run past 4 players before slotting the ball into the net.
The rest of the half we continued to be pressed in our half but hung on to our lead at half time.
We made two changes at half time and our 433 formation switched to a more conventional 442 formation and the second half started brightly with us starting to get into the game.
Nik Jones made some wonderful saves throughout the game but early in the 2nd half a loose ball on the edge of the area was absolutely and unstoppably spanked into the top corner making it 1-1.
Sadly we continued to be dominated and Polygon got their second goal from a badly defended corner with 20 minutes to go. Strangely it was at this point we began to play well stringing some nice passes together and attacking with pace. We managed a few shots and started to look dangerous as we began to attack with pace.
As I said to start with, it was only the Cup and I stick by that. We can learn from this loss and hopefully use what we have gained to help us conquer this league.
I apologise for this depressing and boring post but I felt I had to write a match report and decided to fight back the tears and just get on with it.
HHAFC x
Strangely just as we were at our most threatening we conceded the killer blow making it 3-1 late on and effectively finishing the game.
Wednesday, 15 September 2010
The Team...
I think it’s about time I introduced the squad to you all with a little bit of background about each player. I’ll try to be as kind as possible but in some cases (Guppy) this is very difficult.
Here goes…
We’ll start with Dan and I as we co-founded and co-manage the wonderful sporting institution that is Horton Heath Athletic Football Club and I’ll work from there onwards.
Christopher ‘Nobbsy’ Nobbs (Moi) is the Chairman and (for official purposes only) the sole manager of the team. He wears the number 17 shirt (รก la Ivan Klasnic – Croatian Hero/God) and is (by his own admission) the least talented member of the squad. One time Holding Midfielder, he now finds himself as a Left Midfielder attempting to challenge Arjen Robben to the title of ‘Most One-Footed Winger Ever’.
Dan ‘Debra’ Burgess is the Secretary and (unofficial) co-manager of the team. Playing as a recently converted Right Back or more natural Central Midfielder he wears the number 11 shirt (in an attempt to emulate the wonderful Darijo Srna) and is easily the worlds dirtiest player (yes he’s also a Leeds fan…). He probably can’t remember the last time he played a full season without a suspension and can usually be found trying to recover his studs from the opponent’s shins.
Kevin ‘Devvo Kevvo’ Newman is the Captain of the team and our ‘Number 4’ in the truest sense of the phrase. Built like a brick shit-house and with ‘a good touch for a big lad’ he’s the ideal player to wear the arm band. An all round lovely guy but isn’t afraid to dump you on your arse in training for simply not being as fucking massive as him.
Phil ‘Phyllis’ Kimber is the Vice-Captain of the team (also one of the three founding fathers along with Dan & Chris) and can be seen playing in his beloved number 8 shirt. Comfortable on the ball and a lover of a cheeky skill, he’s been known to make me whoop with joy as he’s made a fool of somebody in training with one of his trademark turns. Plays either as a Midfielder or Attacker depending on how he’s feeling. I should also point out that Mr Kimber is a serial womanizer, because he is.
Nik ‘Paddy Kenny’ Jones is the Goalkeeper & token alcoholic of the team. For some reason he insists on wearing the number 14 shirt (much to my bemusement) and despite his ample frame he has been known to make some alarmingly cat-like saves. Can usually be found either smoking or in his van, sometimes a combination of the two. Lovely chap, has a very Hampshire accent.
Scott ‘Grandpa’ Wagstaff is, at age 26 (?) the oldest member of the team. Wearing the delightfully boring number 6 shirt he plays as a very traditional Centre-Back. Even as an avid Leicester fan it is difficult to dislike the chap and sometimes reminds me of Bradley from Eastenders. Despite being one of the players to have known me the longest (from the Bishops Waltham Dynamos days), he still finds me very weird. Odd.
Callum ‘Cal’ Foote is the other part of the Centre-Back pairing and at 16 is a full decade younger than Scott ‘David Weir’ Wagstaff. Equally as un-ambitious as his partner in his choice of number, 5, yawn. Despite being a central defender he has got all the tricks, and as such I will liken him to Josip Simunic (‘The Croatian Ronaldinho’).
Stuart ‘Lovejoy’ Morgan is one of the few players I’d not met before starting the team, despite this we get on like a gangbang and he texts me like a love-struck teenage girl. A recently converted striker (and therefore wearing the number 9 shirt) he has a left foot that even Roberto Carlos would be proud of. Also looks like Tim Lovejoy, poor lad.
Thomas ‘Wilko’ Wilkinson and Jonathan ‘Dinosaur’ Grant will be the only joint bio I do as I think of them like a lovely little married couple which is probably not far from the truth (a bit like me and Dan but we’re more like an old married couple that never have sex and hate each other a little bit). They say opposites attract and it’s true in this case too, you’ll be hard pressed to find two footballers that are so different; Wilko is a skilful attack minded player with a free kick like Alex (the Chelsea one) and ball control like Dimitar Berbatov, whereas Jon is a solid-as-a-door defender that would probably have a stroke even at the thought of doing a step-over but also will never make a mistake. They wear the numbers 2 and 12 respectively.
Matthew ‘Linda’ Roberts is easily in the top few utterly wanky players. Such a bastard for a skill, trick or cheeky dribble and when he pulls them off it is wonderful. His favourite player is Dennis Bergkamp and it shows. However he has also been known to pull off some Le Tissier-esque wonder strikes too. In true wanky player style he wears the number 1 shirt.
James ‘Gup’ Guppy is Horton Heath’s number 7 and true to form is an utter tart. The only player capable of winding me up is luckily a very good player when he wants to be. When he doesn’t want to be he’s annoying, arrogant and sometimes violent. He does show his sensitive side from time to time which almost makes him seem like a human being again. Loves a step-over and is the proud owner of the heaviest touch in history. – Despite this, I do actually like the guy.
Samuel ‘Stubbo’ Stubbington is a wonderful chap and reminds me of Neil from The Inbetweeners. Possibly the best switcher of the ball I’ve seen at this level and he even did me with a Ronaldinho ‘flip-flap’ at training the other day which made me happy. Wears the number 15 shirt as it was the only number we had left.
Ralph ‘It’s A Quail!’ Stansfield is easily our most talented player but contrary to the norm is modest and lovely. Playing alongside Mr Stansfield is akin to playing with an athletic David Beckham and he’s a bastard for a pinpoint lofted through-ball. Dominates the midfield and makes my pants wet, plays in the much revered number 10 shirt.
Alistair ‘Ali Fresh’ Mcclymont is my favourite sort of player. He’s slightly unfit, a bit on the short side and absolutely fucking brilliant. Reminds me of a slightly intoxicated Paul Gascoigne having a kick about with Maradonna. Currently scouting for us in South America , he is looking to join up with us for the second half of the season and will wear the number 3 shirt.
As well as the full-time players, we also have four part-time players who somehow thought it wise to pursue a University Education;
Karl ‘Hovis’ Taitt is a sucker for a slide tackle and is also our token black player.
Sam ‘J-Bird’ Jacobson is the Yossi Benayoun of the team and loves a weavy Jewish dribble.
Joe ‘Kidney’ Hill once split his Kidney in a game, possibly from being too bloody fast.
James ‘Dedication’ Davies is such a team player that he owns his own kit. Respect.
Sunday, 12 September 2010
Braishfield 0 (Nil) HHAFC 8 (Eight)
With a starting 11 absent of Ralphy Stansfield and 'Devvo' Captain Kevvo, I have to admit I was feeling a little nervous.
J-Bird (Sam Jacobson), James Davies and Sam 'Stubbo' Stubbington made their debuts today and Phil (Kimber) took over the (loose fitting!) arm band as our serving vice-captain.
Dan and Phil came into the midfield to fill some big boots, Sam came in at right back and Stubbo made his 20th birthday appearance on at right midfield.
The idea was to line up with the same successful 4-4-1-1 shape as in last weeks 3-0 win over Athletico Romsey, however, for most of the game it was more of a 4-2-4 due to the size of the pitch and (lack of) skill from the opposition.
Luckily it became clear early on that my nerves were misplaced and that even without our 'strongest' line-up we were more than capable of creating a large win on the day.
As a team we camped high in the opposition half with as many as 6 men attacking at once limiting Braishfield to produce only long balls under sustained pressure.
Sadly in a game with oh so many goals I've forgotten how some went and even in the order they were scored but I'm sure a few angry Facebook messages from the scorers will lead to a follow up post with some more in depth analysis.
I shall try nonetheless...
Wilko bagged us the first goal very early on in the first half when his long range tester shot somehow managed to go straight through the goalkeeper and into the net.
Wilko also managed to stick the ball into the net in the 90th minute with a wonderful strike, but somehow the referee inexplicably blew the final whistle as the ball was on it's way into the top corner. Cheated.
Dan 'Debra' Burgess was on the score sheet twice with two short range efforts that I think were both from poorly dealt with corners (which were consistently brilliant from Stu and Wilko) and he somehow managed to totally spoon the ball from all of 2 yards (another corner) over the crossbar which would have sealed his hat-trick.
Captain Kimber was also keen to get in on the act and led by example scoring two fantastic goals. The first came when the ball was played through to him down the left of the penalty area, he cut in and advanced along the by-line before slotting the ball in at the near post with the goalkeeper stranded.
His second was one of the most wonderful goals I've seen in my career.
The ball was played wide to Nobbsy on the left who cut in onto his stronger foot an played the ball to Phil on the edge of the 18 yard box. He had time to look up before opening himself up and curling a wonderful ball over the 'keeper and into the top right hand corner.
As our only out and out striker it would have been a shame for Stu to not bag a goal. He spent most of the game making runs of the last defender and creating a large number of our goals. Luckily he managed to bag himself a goal before he jetted off on holiday with a lovely effort stroked along the ground from the right hand side of the penalty area into the bottom left corner of the goal.
Now this is where I get really excited as I managed not only to score my first ever competitive goal, but to score two of the bastards.
The first came when a lovely through ball was played for me to run free on goal which I took with my weaker left foot and shot into the bottom right corner of the goal and squirmed under the falling goalkeeper. Frankly I was a bit confused the I'd actually managed to put the ball into the net, but as I'd managed earlier to volley onto the bar and also shank a 1 yard shot wide I guess it was just my lucky day.
I decided to celebrate but going totally fucking nuts and running into whoever got to me fist. Unluckily this was Dan (co-founder) Burgess who in his excitement decided it would be a wonderful idea to take me out in a Rugby style challenge and subsequently give me a dead leg much to the amusement of the 4 people that were watching.
My second was putting the finishing touch on a stunning piece of team play which must have consisted of about 15 passes including one-twos, back heels and eventually a stunning through ball from Phil which put me one on one with the goalkeeper and I luckily managed to keep my cool and slot the ball in with my right foot into the net at the near post.
The goal was special not only because the least talented player in the whole squad managed to put it into the goal but the fact that is was the most stunning piece of passing build up we'd managed to create.
Aside from the goals everyone played wonderfully;
Nik made a few wonderful saves, most notable of which was a close range free-kick that looked destined to go in which he managed to punch away and keep his clean sheet.
Callum and Waggy won absolutely everything and kept us solid at the back and played mostly as a back two as the full backs and midfield advanced.
Phil had a great game as captain and as well as scoring two goals he managed to slow the game down when the rest of the team were getting over-excited.
Jon was solid down the left and played some wonderful balls into the midfield and through for Nobbsy to chase.
Wilko had another stunning game dropping into the midfield and creating chances all over the place.
James Davies came on for the final 20 and played well on the right side making some nice runs into the box.
J-Bird (Sam Jacobson), James Davies and Sam 'Stubbo' Stubbington made their debuts today and Phil (Kimber) took over the (loose fitting!) arm band as our serving vice-captain.
Dan and Phil came into the midfield to fill some big boots, Sam came in at right back and Stubbo made his 20th birthday appearance on at right midfield.
The idea was to line up with the same successful 4-4-1-1 shape as in last weeks 3-0 win over Athletico Romsey, however, for most of the game it was more of a 4-2-4 due to the size of the pitch and (lack of) skill from the opposition.
As a team we camped high in the opposition half with as many as 6 men attacking at once limiting Braishfield to produce only long balls under sustained pressure.
Sadly in a game with oh so many goals I've forgotten how some went and even in the order they were scored but I'm sure a few angry Facebook messages from the scorers will lead to a follow up post with some more in depth analysis.
I shall try nonetheless...
Wilko bagged us the first goal very early on in the first half when his long range tester shot somehow managed to go straight through the goalkeeper and into the net.
Wilko also managed to stick the ball into the net in the 90th minute with a wonderful strike, but somehow the referee inexplicably blew the final whistle as the ball was on it's way into the top corner. Cheated.
Dan 'Debra' Burgess was on the score sheet twice with two short range efforts that I think were both from poorly dealt with corners (which were consistently brilliant from Stu and Wilko) and he somehow managed to totally spoon the ball from all of 2 yards (another corner) over the crossbar which would have sealed his hat-trick.
Captain Kimber was also keen to get in on the act and led by example scoring two fantastic goals. The first came when the ball was played through to him down the left of the penalty area, he cut in and advanced along the by-line before slotting the ball in at the near post with the goalkeeper stranded.
His second was one of the most wonderful goals I've seen in my career.
The ball was played wide to Nobbsy on the left who cut in onto his stronger foot an played the ball to Phil on the edge of the 18 yard box. He had time to look up before opening himself up and curling a wonderful ball over the 'keeper and into the top right hand corner.
As our only out and out striker it would have been a shame for Stu to not bag a goal. He spent most of the game making runs of the last defender and creating a large number of our goals. Luckily he managed to bag himself a goal before he jetted off on holiday with a lovely effort stroked along the ground from the right hand side of the penalty area into the bottom left corner of the goal.
Now this is where I get really excited as I managed not only to score my first ever competitive goal, but to score two of the bastards.
The first came when a lovely through ball was played for me to run free on goal which I took with my weaker left foot and shot into the bottom right corner of the goal and squirmed under the falling goalkeeper. Frankly I was a bit confused the I'd actually managed to put the ball into the net, but as I'd managed earlier to volley onto the bar and also shank a 1 yard shot wide I guess it was just my lucky day.
I decided to celebrate but going totally fucking nuts and running into whoever got to me fist. Unluckily this was Dan (co-founder) Burgess who in his excitement decided it would be a wonderful idea to take me out in a Rugby style challenge and subsequently give me a dead leg much to the amusement of the 4 people that were watching.
My second was putting the finishing touch on a stunning piece of team play which must have consisted of about 15 passes including one-twos, back heels and eventually a stunning through ball from Phil which put me one on one with the goalkeeper and I luckily managed to keep my cool and slot the ball in with my right foot into the net at the near post.
The goal was special not only because the least talented player in the whole squad managed to put it into the goal but the fact that is was the most stunning piece of passing build up we'd managed to create.
Aside from the goals everyone played wonderfully;
Nik made a few wonderful saves, most notable of which was a close range free-kick that looked destined to go in which he managed to punch away and keep his clean sheet.
Callum and Waggy won absolutely everything and kept us solid at the back and played mostly as a back two as the full backs and midfield advanced.
Phil had a great game as captain and as well as scoring two goals he managed to slow the game down when the rest of the team were getting over-excited.
Jon was solid down the left and played some wonderful balls into the midfield and through for Nobbsy to chase.
Wilko had another stunning game dropping into the midfield and creating chances all over the place.
Birthday-boy Stubbo (pictured) had a solid debut and although he came off after 70 minutes he made some wonderful moves, in particular when he switched the play with wonderful accuracy.
James Davies came on for the final 20 and played well on the right side making some nice runs into the box. I've saved the best for last though as also making his debut was Sam Jacobson who earned himself the Man of the Match award by being an absolute fucking menace and Right Back.
As well as keeping it solid defensively he was making fantastic runs for all of the 90 minutes and frequently built play from the back, cutting the ball inside or taking it on himself.
The most exciting aspect of the game was that we were able to score freely from midfield. Before the start of the season I was not worried about our lack of dedicated strikers (none!) as I believed we had the firepower in midfield to cause enough problems and luckily I've been proved right as a staggering 9 of our 11 goals have been scored by players in midfield positions.
Although the quality of the opposition was poor we also have to remember that the team today was not featuring Kev, Ralph and the yet to play Matt (Roberts) and James (Guppy) who are in my opinion some of the most talented players in the squad and I genuinely feel sorry for whoever plays us the week that all 14 first-team players are available.
HHAFC x
Tuesday, 7 September 2010
The thrills and spills of the… midweek training session.
Just as I think I’m finally getting over the excitement of the opening day win, Tuesday comes along and I get excited all over again in preparation for this weekend’s fixture.
This Saturday we’ll be travelling again to the Romsey area to take on the mighty Braishfield Reserves (in what will definitely be a full-blooded clash of style and skill) and tonight the HHAFC boys will meet in preparation.
The absence of the influential Mr Stansfield means that a few changes will have to be made, however, we should have Mr Samuel Stubbington on board if a technical issue can be resolved in time (in a drunken state, Mr Stubbington may or may not have signed for another team, and at the risk of a points penalty or further discipline from the league, we will not play Samuel until the issue has reached a conclusion, the tit).
Tonight we will hopefully have a productive training session and then get down the pub (The Shamblehurst Barn if you’re interested) afterwards to see a hopelessly small football nation verses the Swiss.
On Saturday night/Sunday day I’ll do a full match report and include photos, drawings and possibly even more of my lovely Football Manager/paint screenshots.
Much love,
HHAFC x
This Saturday we’ll be travelling again to the Romsey area to take on the mighty Braishfield Reserves (in what will definitely be a full-blooded clash of style and skill) and tonight the HHAFC boys will meet in preparation.
The absence of the influential Mr Stansfield means that a few changes will have to be made, however, we should have Mr Samuel Stubbington on board if a technical issue can be resolved in time (in a drunken state, Mr Stubbington may or may not have signed for another team, and at the risk of a points penalty or further discipline from the league, we will not play Samuel until the issue has reached a conclusion, the tit).
Tonight we will hopefully have a productive training session and then get down the pub (The Shamblehurst Barn if you’re interested) afterwards to see a hopelessly small football nation verses the Swiss.
On Saturday night/Sunday day I’ll do a full match report and include photos, drawings and possibly even more of my lovely Football Manager/paint screenshots.
Much love,
HHAFC x
Sunday, 5 September 2010
One For The History Books: Thomas Wilkinson Makes It 1-0
As the title suggests, I've decided to give the first goal a bit more air time as it was officially Horton Heath Athletic's first ever competitive goal and will have to be remembered for when we're good enough for me to bother making a Wikipedia page.
Here goes...
I'll set the scene;
It's the 40th minute in a game that HHAFC have dominated, the score is 0-0 and the away team need a goal before half time to ensure we have the confidence to go on and win, then Thom receives the ball deep on the left side of the final third...
For a team that have never scored or even played in a competitive fixture the next 10 seconds were a thing of wonder.
Thom picked up the ball near the by-line in the top left hand corner of the pitch. He advanced across the pitch where he met the first hapless defender who was neatly dispatched with a cute outside of the boot nutmeg. Thom then advanced further into the danger zone coming into the 18 yard box where the second onrushing defender was neatly rounded to put him one on one with the 'keeper.
As he advanced the other HHAFC players had time to also enter the box and offer goal scoring options which left the opposing goalkeeper in two minds. He kept his place firmly rooted to the middle of the goal suspecting a cut-back into the area.
Thom then cushioned the ball onto his stronger foot and casually slotted the ball from a tight angle, through the flailing goalkeeper's legs and into the side netting in the opposite corner.
Mobbed by elated HHAFC players, Thom was forced to retreat behind the goal where he was jumped upon by the bearded Chairman and hugged and congratulated by his team mates.
Phwoar!
Here goes...
It's the 40th minute in a game that HHAFC have dominated, the score is 0-0 and the away team need a goal before half time to ensure we have the confidence to go on and win, then Thom receives the ball deep on the left side of the final third...
For a team that have never scored or even played in a competitive fixture the next 10 seconds were a thing of wonder.
Thom picked up the ball near the by-line in the top left hand corner of the pitch. He advanced across the pitch where he met the first hapless defender who was neatly dispatched with a cute outside of the boot nutmeg. Thom then advanced further into the danger zone coming into the 18 yard box where the second onrushing defender was neatly rounded to put him one on one with the 'keeper.
As he advanced the other HHAFC players had time to also enter the box and offer goal scoring options which left the opposing goalkeeper in two minds. He kept his place firmly rooted to the middle of the goal suspecting a cut-back into the area.
Thom then cushioned the ball onto his stronger foot and casually slotted the ball from a tight angle, through the flailing goalkeeper's legs and into the side netting in the opposite corner.
Mobbed by elated HHAFC players, Thom was forced to retreat behind the goal where he was jumped upon by the bearded Chairman and hugged and congratulated by his team mates.
Phwoar!
Saturday, 4 September 2010
Horton Heath Athletic 3 - 0 Athletico Romsey
Well, the title says it all.
WE ONLY WENT AND WON OUR FIRST EVER COMPETITIVE GAME DIDN'T WE!?!
Stunning.
Saying that, the scoreline actually doesn't do us justice, it should have been AT LEAST 5 or 6 nil but we can save that for next week when I hope we can put in a similar wonderful performance.
OK, now I know that no-one will ever read this but I'm going to try and get all geeky and tactical when giving this match report.
Here goes,
We lined up for the first half in a basic 4-4-2 formation (or 4-1-3-2 if you're being picky) with a flat back four, (Ralph) Stansfield in a deep laying playmaker role between the defence and midfield, (Kev) Newman as the engine room, (Chris) Nobbs and (Phil) Kimber providing the width, (Thom) Wilkinson playing the withdrawn striker role and link between the midfield and attack, and finally (Stu) Morgan in the forward position just off the last man.
The defence dropped relatively deep throughout the game in order to prevent us from being caught out by the ever present long ball with Ralph picking up the ball from our defensive third and driving the game forward with well timed runs. Kev's physical presence in the centre of the park caused the opposition a number of problems and we found ourselves being able to dominate in this area and be able to look for our attacking outlet.
On the left flank, Chris and Jon (Grant) played a more defensive role, subduing the opposition's attacks down their right side and allowing the play to flow at a greater pace down the opposite wing.
Dan (Burgess) and Phil provided much more attacking threat down the right flank with the Right midfielder often joining the attack in the wing position.
Up top Thom dropped into the midfield in order to have more of an influence on the game and Stu made sure there was always an option by keeping in line with the opposing centre-backs.
The first 10 minutes of the game were relatively shaky as we were getting used to the pitch and the pace of the game, one we had the ball on the ground we were able to finally control the game and play a short passing style and be prepared to be patient in our search for the opener.
We took the lead just before half time when a throw deep in the final third made its way to Thom who was unmarked on the left side of the goal close to the by-line. He had the time to carry the ball close to goal before slotting the ball into the right corner and through the legs of the onrushing keeper from a tight angle and HHAFC deservedly took the lead just as the whistle was blown.
At half time the goal scorer came off and our pacey striker (Joe) Hill came on in his place and subsequently the shape of the team altered slightly.
The introduction of Joe meant we replaced the playmaking option of Thom with two strikers now more inclined to play a traditional role off the last man.
After a poor first 15 minutes to the second half we finally regained our sharpness and adapted to the altered shape of the team and changed our play accordingly.
Although we lacked the same degree of fluidity and possession as the first half, we now had the threat of a much more attacking system often with five men looking to attack the ball and surge into dangerous positions. The threat paid off when a long clearance from (Callum) Foote in defence went all the way through to Phil who was unmarked at the edge of Romsey's penalty area and was able to slot the ball home from close range.
Things went from good to great when a few minutes later some nice play in midfield led to Stu being released and able to casually fire in a shot from the left hand side to make it 3-0.
We continued to threaten for the remainder of the game and were unlucky to win by a bigger margin when the final whistle went.
Overall we found ourselves playing the kind of football we were happy with and being able to adapt to slightly different systems in the two halves.
Callum Foote was named Man of the Match for constantly preventing any ariel threat whilst also being calm with the ball at his feet.
Next week we find ourselves away to Braishfield Reserves and we hope for another successful performance!
HHAFC x
WE ONLY WENT AND WON OUR FIRST EVER COMPETITIVE GAME DIDN'T WE!?!
Stunning.
Saying that, the scoreline actually doesn't do us justice, it should have been AT LEAST 5 or 6 nil but we can save that for next week when I hope we can put in a similar wonderful performance.
OK, now I know that no-one will ever read this but I'm going to try and get all geeky and tactical when giving this match report.
We lined up for the first half in a basic 4-4-2 formation (or 4-1-3-2 if you're being picky) with a flat back four, (Ralph) Stansfield in a deep laying playmaker role between the defence and midfield, (Kev) Newman as the engine room, (Chris) Nobbs and (Phil) Kimber providing the width, (Thom) Wilkinson playing the withdrawn striker role and link between the midfield and attack, and finally (Stu) Morgan in the forward position just off the last man.
The defence dropped relatively deep throughout the game in order to prevent us from being caught out by the ever present long ball with Ralph picking up the ball from our defensive third and driving the game forward with well timed runs. Kev's physical presence in the centre of the park caused the opposition a number of problems and we found ourselves being able to dominate in this area and be able to look for our attacking outlet.
On the left flank, Chris and Jon (Grant) played a more defensive role, subduing the opposition's attacks down their right side and allowing the play to flow at a greater pace down the opposite wing.
Dan (Burgess) and Phil provided much more attacking threat down the right flank with the Right midfielder often joining the attack in the wing position.
Up top Thom dropped into the midfield in order to have more of an influence on the game and Stu made sure there was always an option by keeping in line with the opposing centre-backs.
The first 10 minutes of the game were relatively shaky as we were getting used to the pitch and the pace of the game, one we had the ball on the ground we were able to finally control the game and play a short passing style and be prepared to be patient in our search for the opener.
We took the lead just before half time when a throw deep in the final third made its way to Thom who was unmarked on the left side of the goal close to the by-line. He had the time to carry the ball close to goal before slotting the ball into the right corner and through the legs of the onrushing keeper from a tight angle and HHAFC deservedly took the lead just as the whistle was blown.
At half time the goal scorer came off and our pacey striker (Joe) Hill came on in his place and subsequently the shape of the team altered slightly.
After a poor first 15 minutes to the second half we finally regained our sharpness and adapted to the altered shape of the team and changed our play accordingly.
Although we lacked the same degree of fluidity and possession as the first half, we now had the threat of a much more attacking system often with five men looking to attack the ball and surge into dangerous positions. The threat paid off when a long clearance from (Callum) Foote in defence went all the way through to Phil who was unmarked at the edge of Romsey's penalty area and was able to slot the ball home from close range.
Things went from good to great when a few minutes later some nice play in midfield led to Stu being released and able to casually fire in a shot from the left hand side to make it 3-0.
We continued to threaten for the remainder of the game and were unlucky to win by a bigger margin when the final whistle went.
Overall we found ourselves playing the kind of football we were happy with and being able to adapt to slightly different systems in the two halves.
Callum Foote was named Man of the Match for constantly preventing any ariel threat whilst also being calm with the ball at his feet.
Next week we find ourselves away to Braishfield Reserves and we hope for another successful performance!
HHAFC x
Friday, 3 September 2010
Peru Shirts & Post-It Notes.
Well it’s finally here; Horton Heath Athletic (the team I co-founded on a whim) finally have their first league game tomorrow against the wonderfully named Athletico Romsey, and I’m absolutely bricking it!
The team unofficially started in November 2009 when an email was sent to the Hampshire FA asking how the hell you set up a football team from scratch, and since then there have been many hours, weeks and months of emails, meetings, courses, scrunched up post-its with lots of dots and arrows on, and other such adventures to keep myself and Dan (the other founder) busy, and very stressed.
In the seemingly short 10ish months since, we now have:
A Football Association affiliated Club,
Affiliated to a league (Southampton Saturday Junior 5),
A bank account (with genuine cheques and statements sent to me as ‘The Chairman’!),
An email address (hhafc@yaoo.co.uk),
A website (www.clubwebsite.co.uk/hortonheathathletic),
Numerous Facebook pages,
A Twitter account (admittedly only because I’m too embarrassed to have my own one),
A kit (stunning Peru/River Plate/Southampton sash),
And importantly, 19 players signed on!
Wish us luck for our first game tomorrow! We’ll be lining up in a tactically adventurous (!) 4-4-2 formation and hopefully playing some sexy passing football reminiscent of the World Cup 1974 Netherlands team (minus the implosion and scandal, although that would spice things up!).
I’m sure it won’t go exactly to plan but we can look back at my failed prediction and optimism when I write the match report on here over the weekend!
Also, remember that it’s ‘Non League Day’ tomorrow (as there's no Football league action) so go out and support your local team and you’ll be hearing from me soon!
Much love,
HHAFC x
The team unofficially started in November 2009 when an email was sent to the Hampshire FA asking how the hell you set up a football team from scratch, and since then there have been many hours, weeks and months of emails, meetings, courses, scrunched up post-its with lots of dots and arrows on, and other such adventures to keep myself and Dan (the other founder) busy, and very stressed.
In the seemingly short 10ish months since, we now have:
A Football Association affiliated Club,
Affiliated to a league (Southampton Saturday Junior 5),
A bank account (with genuine cheques and statements sent to me as ‘The Chairman’!),
An email address (hhafc@yaoo.co.uk),
A website (www.clubwebsite.co.uk/hortonheathathletic),
Numerous Facebook pages,
A Twitter account (admittedly only because I’m too embarrassed to have my own one),
A kit (stunning Peru/River Plate/Southampton sash),
And importantly, 19 players signed on!
Wish us luck for our first game tomorrow! We’ll be lining up in a tactically adventurous (!) 4-4-2 formation and hopefully playing some sexy passing football reminiscent of the World Cup 1974 Netherlands team (minus the implosion and scandal, although that would spice things up!).
I’m sure it won’t go exactly to plan but we can look back at my failed prediction and optimism when I write the match report on here over the weekend!
Also, remember that it’s ‘Non League Day’ tomorrow (as there's no Football league action) so go out and support your local team and you’ll be hearing from me soon!
Much love,
HHAFC x
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