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| Football U11A Team 'Blog' |
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Wednesday 13th October v Lambrook Lambrook 6 Eagle House 0 Team: Finlay O'Kane, Tom Walton, Harry Waters, Alex McClelland, Daniel Salter, Ruairidh Whelan, Ben Howard, Joseph Britz, Jack Surrall (Capt.), David Pugh, Henry South, Rhys Davies Well, it looks like a disappointing result on paper and there is no doubt that Lambrook was a tremendous side who deserved the win but we did not let the school down. We had some good pressure and certainly in the second half had much of the ball but once again could not finish. There were some key players in our squad whose dogged determination was a pleasure to watch. Jack Surrall led by example today, working hard for every ball and never giving up. He created some good inter-play with Ru who was unlucky not to score a couple of goals. Lambrook competed for every ball and when they broke they were dangerous, moving the ball very well between players. At the end of the first half we were 4 - 0 down and I said that I wanted to see commitment from all in the second half and whatever the score was, so be it. We kept a clean sheet until the final ten minutes when a couple of goals (one very good effort breaking from an Eagle House corner) were scored. All players tried hard and they battled to stay in the game. There can be no doubt that had we got rid of some of the errors we could have been more of a force; yet there are lessons to learn from this. You have to move the ball around between players and create space and you have to take goal opportunties with more punch. This season has seen some disappointing score-lines but we have worked hard and the team has been a pleasure to coach. There is great ability and this should be built on for next season. Well done boys and thank you Lambrook for playing excellent football and being great hosts. Man of the Match: Jack Surrall
Saturday 9th October v Papplewick 2.30 pm Eagle House 3 Papplewick 2 Surrall x 2 Walton Team: Finlay O'Kane, Tom Walton, Harry Waters, Alex McClelland, Daniel Salter, Ruairidh Whelan, Ben Howard, Joseph Britz, Jack Surrall (Capt.), David Pugh, Henry South A week away from playing and with Section matches midweek we were determined to build on last week's win. The team was reshuffled slightly and Henry moved into defence with Tom playing more of a sweeper role and Ru playing up front. The game began with immediate pressure from Papplewick and we did not compete for the early balls. In no time at all Papplewick were a goal up as our defence rather let them play the ball too freely. From the restart we played the ball out to the right and back into their area where Jack thumped it into the back of the net. Papplewick pressure kept on and they retaliated with a good quick goal. We were getting stronger and beginning to control the play and our attack was working as we built on some excellent defensive play from the defenders who played the long ball up to our attackers. Henry and Harry were superb at the back, killing all balls with their solid clearances. Finlay was strong when he needed to be and Daniel closed down players effectively with Alex keeping pressure on Papplewick forward players. Our midfield was winning ball in the middle and David and Ben gave all sorts of options to Ru and Jack in the middle. Joe was sensational in the middle of the pitch, blocking balls and giving all sorts of options to other players. As the whistle went at the end of the first half we were a goal down but playing excellent football. The second half was tough football and saw our players showing desire for the ball and challenging every ball. Jack was putting pressure on the defenders and he kept probing away. A free kick just outside the box saw him strike the crossbar in a magnificent strike. Shortly after, he was brought down in the box and a penalty was awarded. Jack struck it sweetly and it shot into the back of the net. 2 - 2 and the Eagle House boys began to believe in themselves. Tom was playing great balls on the right into Jack and we had several opportunities to score. The goal had to come and after a goal mouth scramble Tom smacked in a superb goal that put us in the lead. Papplewick were still playing strong football but we seemed more comfortable and were able to continue the pressure for the last few minutes of the game. After some of the games this term and the disappointments, this was a truly great game and all the boys deserve credit. The man of the match award goes to the whole team for not giving up and playing some great football. Well done boys. Men of the Match: U11 As
Saturday 2nd October 2.30 pm v St Piran's Eagle House 8 St Piran's 1 Surrall x 2 Howard x 3 South x 3 Team: Sam Cookson, Tom Walton, Harry Waters, Alex McClelland, Daniel Salter, Ruairidh Whelan, Ben Howard, Joseph Britz, Jack Surrall (Capt.), David Pugh, Henry South, Rhys Davies 9 a-side today. We played the whole squad and subbed players on and off so everyone got a run around. There was no doubt that we used some of the skill that has always been part of this side to great effect today. We played some great passing football and this led to some excellent goals. Jack's first goal was struck sweetly in the box and as soon as we were off the mark then we played with more confidence and the desire began to show through. Ben was immense on the pitch and scored a hattrick, the best of which was a superb header into the back of the net. The St Piran's boys were unlucky at times and we know only too well what that feels like. Finding space and winning the ball in the middle were the tactics that we enjoyed playing and with goals going in, the confidence made all players work hard for the ball. There were still some errors that with more thought could be eliminated, but as the first half closed at 5 - 0 we were playing good, solid football. Henry worked hard today, scored a hattrick, looked for space and found it. 9 a-side gives you more space and we found it easier to move the ball around. Jack scored again through some lovely set-up play from David and he must be congratulated for his determination this afternoon. Harry, as usual, was excellent in defence. This was a much needed win for us and all credit to St Piran's who battled hard. Our next two games are there for the taking if we can focus and play with confidence. Well done boys! Men of the Match: Ben Howard and Jack Surrall
Wednesday 29th September 2.30 pm v Hall Grove Hall Grove 6 Eagle House 0 Team: Finlay O'Kane, Tom Walton, Harry Waters, Alex McClelland, Daniel Salter, Ruairidh Whelan, Ben Howard, Joseph Britz, Jack Surrall (Capt.), David Pugh, Henry South, Rhys Davies Another big scoreline against us and another game in which we failed to make good our chances. Having said that there was a lot of effort from the EH boys and it just shows that luck is not on our side right now. Hall Grove were strong and played good football, defending well and giving good ball to the attack. For the first half we defended quite well and Hall Grove managed to score a goal because of a defensive slip up. They had had a lot of shots on goal but could not find the target. As we went into half time I was encouraged that we had managed to stay in the game and that our players were beginning to find some rhythm. The star of the first half was Finlay O'Kane who made some excellent saves. The floodgates rather opened in the second half, but ironically we actually played some better football, with our forwards moving the ball around and giving us several scoring opportunities that we just couldn't finish. Hall Grove were able to find the space and played some great football, causing our defenders problems. It was a shame that we couldn't get a goal on the sheet but it was not to be. Jack played well today and had a tough job as the big defenders closed him down whenever he had the ball. I think it is important that we don't lose heart. The scoreline does not reflect the effort we put in and had we scored it might have given us some extra confidence. Heads up for the next game. Man of the Match: Finlay O'Kane
Wednesday 22nd September 2.30 pm v Yateley Manor Eagle House 1 Yateley Manor 4 Team: Finlay O'Kane, Tom Walton, Harry Waters, Alex McClelland, Daniel Salter, Ruairidh Whelan, Ben Howard, Joseph Britz, Jack Surrall (Capt.), David Pugh, Henry South, Rhys Davies Ok - let's begin by saying that this was a more even game than the score suggests. We had plenty of chances but just could not convert them into goals. It appeared that we had been given a lucky break with a penalty in the first minute. The shot was saved and this shook our confidence somewhat. Yateley were a good side and they certainly supported each other a little better than we did, but once the game was truly up and running we played some great soccer. David played some blinding balls down the middle and we were unlucky not to score with a lovely opportunity about ten minutes into the first half. The key to the game is to win the ball in the middle and we were not always picking these balls up and lost out. Once we had the ball it was clear that we could break well. We just seemed to lack the pace at the key moments and could not finish off the ball once in the area. Our defence was held together by the wonderful play of Harry Waters who was immense throughout the game. His desire is something we could all learn from. There was not enough movement amongst our players; too often a ball went awry because we were not in the right place or on the opposition quick enough. I will repeat what I have already said to the team many times - you are all talented footballers who should start to believe in your ability. Support each other and enjoy playing and wonders will be created. Jack worked hard but luck was not on his side today although he did score a great goal after a lovely piece of build up play. Henry moved back into the midfield and Jack went up front and this certainly made the opposition work hard. As a team we should now move onto the next fixture with heads high and ready to play competitive football. Yateley Manor played well and were admirable opponents.
Saturday 18th September 2.30 pm v Cranleigh Eagle House 0 Cranleigh 7 Team: Sam Cookson, Tom Walton, Harry Waters, Alex McClelland, Daniel Salter, Ruairidh Whelan, Ben Howard, Joseph Britz, Jack Surrall (Capt.), David Pugh, Henry South, Rhys Davies Oh what a tale of two halves! The scoreline looks pretty bad and there is no doubt that Cranleigh was the better team. Well drilled, good at passing the ball and not afraid to take chances. We were an equal to them for most of the first half and had plenty of ball, taking some great chances and getting the ball into the area on several occasions. David Pugh had a great first half, working tirelessly on the left and getting some fine balls into the box. We went down a goal in the first two minutes and gave away a penalty (brilliantly saved by Sam Cookson) and it looked like we were going to be 0 - 1 at half time. In the dying seconds of the half they scored a great goal on the break and we were two down but by no means had disgraced ourselves. The second half is best consigned to Room 101 as Cranleigh dominated, playing some classy football and we just watched it happen. There is no point blaming anyone in the squad. We were all to blame and are guilty of letting our heads go down and making some crazy errors. We can only look forward to the next game and take an important lesson from this one. Well played Cranleigh. Eagle House you need to believe in your ability and play with determination.
Wednesday 15th September Match v Sunningdale Sunningdale 0 Eagle House 3 Surrall x 2 Pugh Team: Finlay O'Kane, Tom Walton, Harry Waters, Alex McClelland, Daniel Salter, Ruairidh Whelan, Ben Howard, Joseph Britz, Jack Surrall (Capt.), David Pugh, Henry South, Rhys Davies It is always good to get the first game of the season out of the way. The practice sessions are beneficial but the team needs to be put in a match situation to see if tactics pay off and everyone knows how to react in a game situation. We were warmly welcomed by Sunningdale and once on the field we began our season. The first ten minutes were a little tentative and there was some bunching after the ball. Our team has some skill and one of our targets is to get the ball into space and use the talents of the team to play good, flowing football. There were some good breaks but as is often the case in the early games we gave away too much of the ball. The midfield need to dominate and be looking to win ball in the centre of the pitch at all times. On the wings David Pugh and Ben Howard played well and used the space to get good balls into the box. Jack Surrall worked tirelessly in the middle and put in the tackles when required. The defenders were a little too careful with the ball but grew with confidence as the game went on. The first goal came after sustained pressure on the Sunningdale goal and was nicely finished off by Jack. David scored the second with excellent work down the left and produced a magnificent finish to send us into half time 2 goals up.
The second half saw commitment from the whiole team but still rather too many errors. This has to be addressed in the next game. Ru Whelan made way for Rhys Davies and both boys played well in that sweeper position. Finlay O'Kane was largely untroubled in goal but his play was confident and he cleared well from the area. After some sustained pressure on the Sunningdale box we managed to put a third goal in; a nice piece of play from Jack. Henry South worked well in the game but became more confident in the second half, showing some real skill on the ball.
Sunningdale had some breaks and they defended well, often frustrating the Eagle House players in the box. Joe Britz played well in the middle and our back four players held the back line but there needs to be a greater awareness of each other. Tom Walton was good on the right and pushed up to provide great balls for Ben. Harry Waters and Alex McClelland put in some good tackles and Daniel Salter harried the opposition at times.
Overall we know that we can play better and there has to be a more aggressive approach in the next game. Nevertheless a good start and plenty to be pleased about. Men of the Match: David Pugh & Ben Howard |
