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| Football 1st XI Team 'Blog' |
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Eagle House 1st XI Squad (Invicta) 2007 Season 1. Max Kirk* 2. William Price* 3. Alex Manton-Jones* 4. J-J Dewes* 5. Haider Rubbani (c)* 6. Kevin Akunwa* 7. Felix Fowler+ 8. Theo Singh+ 9. Sam Auger* 10. Tom Fowlie* 11. Cameron Henderson+ 12. Afolarin Shasore 13. Richard Bishop 14. Billy Dovey 15. Nikolai Malyguine 16. Jin Hong * denotes colours awarded + denotes half colours
Played 6 Won 3 Lost 0 Drawn 3 Goals For 16 Goals Against 10
Final Match v Pilgrims Saturday 8th December Home Eagle House 3 Pilgrims 3 (Goals: Afolarin 16 min, Sam 22 mins, Afolarin 38 min.) With the rain falling heavily all morning and no gaps in the bleak grey sky, the prospects of a worthwhile match were not good. Indeed Pilgrims must have travelled with serious doubts as to the wisdom of persevering with the fixture. However, the pitches were in quite good condition and all the boys were keen to play the last game of the year rather than let their season 'dribble' out. With the home side's 'invicta' status in the balance, a rare occurance in Eagle House soccer, there was a lot at stake on this game.
Did I mention that it was dark? What a good job we did continue as this was to prove the best game of a fantastic season. Eagle House went into the match missing Haider, the captain, due to injury, and welcoming Afolarin whose recent striking performances have been impressive. Both factors heavily influenced this game. With Haider missing the balance of the midfield leaned heavily towards attack, and with some promising early moves Tom, Theo, Cameron and Felix were eager to flood forward. This put a lot of pressure on Kevin as, if he got caught with the ball, the opponents were straight through to the back three. Defending and goalkeeping in never easy in these wet conditions and after ten minutes the visitors stretched the home defence and produced a dangerous ball behind the back line, forcing them to turn. The Pilgrims striker was through at pace and finished well. Eagle House soon suffered another blow when a second through ball behind the full back proved hard to deal with. Max came off his line but could not collect before the striker steered the ball into the open net. Soon after, a tremendous effort from J-J who held strong under enormous pressure to make a goal line clearance, saved his team from sinking without trace. At this point the penny dropped. The team were two goals down against a combative side with a pacy and skilful attack that demanded respect. Will and J-J tucked in closer to Alex . . . Tom, Cam and Felix got up and down the pitch more to support Kevin and the back line and the constant threat from open field was curtailed. The red team also responded with a good goal of their own. A dangerous corner from Felix found Theo on the edge of the box. His quick strike was blocked on the line, but Afolarin was well placed to slot his team's first goal. The momentum was starting to build for the home team, but they were seriously rocked by a wonderful goal from a free kick, struck over the wall from thirty yards, to beat the keeper and fly in at the top corner. However a stunning response from the kick off put the match back in the balance. Kevin received the ball from the kick off and swept up the left flank where nice touches from Cameron and Theo set Tom free down the wing. His sharp cross found Sam who finished clinically at the near post. With the visitors showing their advantage in match experience while playing with skill and an imposing physical presence, the second half was going to prove an excellent test of character for the Eagle House side. I was very pleased with the courage shown here as the players kept their opponents under a measure of control and somehow prevented their dangerous attack from scoring in the second half. They still needed two outstanding saves from Max to keep in touch, but the Pilgrims keeper was much the busier player as the game proceeded. He had an excellent game, playing with composure and producing a number of excellent stops to deny the Eagle House attack. The equaliser came from a period of sustained pressure when Felix made some space up the right and fired in a speculative shot; Afolarin was again first to respond scoring a second goal on his debut.
It was getting very dark and miserable at this point late in the game, and the early energy fell away to a degree. In the final minutes, the battle was contained in midfield, where tiring attackers struggled to escape the committed challenges of opponents who had no intention of losing their last match at this late stage. The whistle blew on a great game in which skill, courage, tactical awareness and nerve had all been tested to the full, and both sides passed with distinction. Cheap Rag Newspaper Performance Ratings: Max Kirk 6, William Price 6, Alex Manton-Jones 6, J-J Dewes 7, Kevin Akunwa 7, Felix Fowler 6, Theo Singh 6, Sam Auger 8, Tom Fowlie 6, Cameron Henderson 6, Afolarin Shasore 8. Overall season synopsis to follow later this week
Friendly Match v Aldro II Wednesday 4th December Home Eagle House 'A' 3 Aldro II 1 (Goals: Afolarin 12 min, Felix 40 mins, Cameron 55 min.) With so many of the 1st And 2nd XI playing rugby at the Wellington Tournament, a friendly match was arranged so that the remaining players could have a worthwhile fixture. This meant that this was very much a scratch team with a number of you asked to play out of position, and the usual team understanding was noticably missing at times. You were missing players in key positions, particularly at centre back where Felix M. and Ryan, a hastily converted full-back and a midfielder, accepted the challenge and worked hard to contain the Aldro striker. Max had to bale them out quite a lot, and Will popped up twice to clear the ball off the line. However, going forward was another matter. Your control and dribbling skills were first class with Felix F. and Tom backed up by Karim, threatening up both wings while Cameron and Afolarin looked dangerous in the middle. Theo was also able to create space, and set up a string of half chances early on. The goalkeeping at both ends was of the highest standard, and neither player made a mistake throughout the match. Some clever trickery and pace from Felix F. took three defenders out of the game and his nicely weighted cross fell to Afolarin who finished clinically. Aldro forced themselves back into the game by establishing a measure of control in midfield. Eagle House were a little bit stretched in this area, and definitely missed the presence of the absent players - there was a clear imbalance - an abundance of skill but little presence. Billy was struggling to adapt to the left side of midfield and his usual composed play was missed. Aldro took advantage of this and a good ball put our centre partnership under more pressure when a half clearance fell to their sharp left winger who ran clear to score. Fortunately, your counter attacking skills remained a constant threat, and you were back in front within a minute; a mesmerising run from Felix F. took him into the box where he unleashed a powerful shot to score at the near post. Chances came at both ends, although when Edward moved to his favoured full-back position, the Eagle House defence tightened up. In the final 5 minutes Aldro switched their formation to a more attacking set up, in an attempt to snatch an equaliser. You held firm and gave little away in this period and then Cameron took advantage of the spaces at the back, running on to a good ball from Theo before lobbing the goalie with an excellent finish from 30 yards. This was a very good contest, played to a high standard and in a very good spirit. Your strength lay in the skills of some very talented individual players, and your weakness was a lack of familiarity and a definite imbalance. So it was nice to see you still trying to play good football and coming out on top in a game that could have easily slipped away from you. Full marks to Aldro on a good performance, and it was great to see you all at tea getting on so well. Cheap Rag Newspaper Performance Ratings: Max Kirk 9, William Price 7, Felix Medlock 5, Ryan Chan* 5, Karim Sheikh 6, Theo Singh 7, Felix Fowler 8, Billy Dovey 4, Tom Johnston 7, Cameron Henderson 8, Afolarin Shasore 7. Sub: Edward Beedham 5
Match 4 v Bradfield U14 Saturday 24th November Home Eagle House 2 Bradfield 2 (Goals: Sam 12 min, Haider 55 min.) Team Selected: 1. Max Kirk 2. William Price 3. Alex Manton-Jones 4. J-J Dewes 5. Haider Rubbani * 6. Kevin Akunwa 7. Felix Fowler 8. Theo Singh 9. Sam Auger 10. Tom Fowlie 11. Cameron Henderson subs: Richard Bishop This match always presents a new test to our players: bigger pitch, bigger goal, bigger ball, bigger, faster, stronger opponents who have been playing together all this term. However, as the Bradfield XI is one of their lower sides, this game has consistently provided a good contest and a good challenge. I did think Eagle House might struggle today though as their opponents were a very capable group and early on the home side were winning most of the fifty-fifty balls and their midfield were supplying good through balls to their fast strikers. Eagle House had to withstand a great deal of pressure in the early minutes and it is much to the credit of Will, Alex, J-J and Max in defence and the holding midfield players Haider and Kevin, that you came through this period without conceding. However, it was difficult to make progress further into the opponents half as Felix was well shackled by their fast left back and their enormous twin centre backs cut out anything through the middle.
Solid defence from the left back Midfield generals Cameron and Tom worked to create a little space up the left flank before Theo and Kevin found some through passes between the centres that Sam was able to capitalise on to earn himself a few sharp chances. The centres proved to be slow to turn, and when Haider sent through an inch perfect pass, Sam made the perfect turn off the shoulder of the last man, drew the keeper and struck the ball across him just inside the right upright. A peach of a goal, finished 'Michael Owen' style. Bradfield were stunned to go a goal down after applying so much pressure, but this Eagle House team is always quick to counter with their clever passing and good finishing. By the end of the first half you had taken the initiative and were clearly in the ascendency. At the start of the second half Bradfield caught you cold with a flowing move that, but for a poor finish, could easily have brought a goal. On the larger pitch you goal clearances did not get anywhere near the half way mark and The Blues were able to keep the pressure on, forcing a corner. With opponents A foot taller than you, any set piece is a major threat and you could not do a lot more than hope while the ball was in the air. However, once it landed in the 5 yard box it has to be cleared instantly. Those in a position to do anything dithered and it was smashed into the net. Bradfield went two up when a poor pass led to another corner. This one was met on the volley by their huge centre back and there was not a lot you could do but go a goal down. It was important that you didn't give up at this point. Even though you cleary faced a difficult challenge, you did have the weapons with which to hurt your opponents. With Richard helping Sam out up front now, those two players were presenting problems and if you could gain some possession in midfield you could get yourselves back in the game. Tom took the initiative at this point and fought his way, under enormous pressure, into the box. He was just about to pull the trigger when he was sythed down. A penalty was awarded ( another set-piece we have had no time to practise!) Tom was brave enough to step forward but put the strike wide.
Tom and Kevin take control With only 5 minutes of the match left this could easily have broken your spirit, but with an unbeaten season to protect and a measure of belief built up over this short season, you pushed forward. Will and J-J were terrific at this point, winning the ball and providing the midfield with good ball. Haider too was calm and bought himself some space with quick feet before placing a speculative shot from twenty-five yards out. The home goal-keeper, who had played particularly well, seemed to have it covered but under pressure from Sam and Richard, could only push it into the top corner. This earned you a very good draw away from home against a strong side. You never quite hit your fluid best, but you showed you had the spirit and the skills under pressure to come away with a result in difficult circumstances. Cheap Rag Newspaper Performance Ratings: Max Kirk 7, William Price 7, Alex Manton-Jones 7, J-J Dewes 7, Haider Rubbani * 8, Kevin Akunwa 7, Felix Fowler 5, Theo Singh 5, Sam Auger 8, Tom Fowlie 7, Cameron Henderson 7, Richard Bishop 6.
Match 3 v Sunningdale Saturday 24th November Home Eagle House 4 Sunningdale 2 (Goals:Tom 10 min, Sam 16 min, Felix 35 min, Sam 43 min.) Team Selected: 1. Max Kirk 2. William Price 3. Alex Manton-Jones 4. J-J Dewes 5. Haider Rubbani * 6. Kevin Akunwa 7. Felix Fowler 8. Theo Singh 9. Sam Auger 10. Tom Fowlie 11. Cameron Henderson subs: Billy Dovey, Richard Bishop With the ground a little firmer after a few dry days and sunny conditions, you were able to play a little more fluently in this match. The Sunningdale team was made up of experienced players who were well-organised and challenged for every ball and so the match today was a good test for you. I think that you are a very skilful side and you were able to use that skill to gain ascendency early in the game. You created all the early pressure and the visitors were forced to concede a number of corners and throw ins from dangerous positions. Eventually a good throw led to a centre from Theo which drew the keeper of his line. Richard challenged early and just flicked on the header for Tom to finish decisively. Kevin was very influential at this point, closing down the opponents and cutting out their early ball. His good defensive work and cross saw the ball fall on the edge of the penalty area to Sam who struck a sharp shot in off the left-hand upright.
Perhaps you were a little complacent at this point, as your commitment to challenge for the 50 -50 balls faded and Sunningdale showed that they were not to be taken for granted. They started to find their front men who worked the ball around well and stretched your defence. Your defensive line is very good and the players read the game well. However, there is only so much they can do if a string of quality balls are being delivered from unchallenged positions. One such attack led to an indirect kick for a pass back to the goalie. Perhaps you were a little naive in your defensive set up and for not closing down the lay off, nevertheless, their left-winger conjured the sweetest of strikes to leave you stunned. Sunningdale were right back in the match. Roared on by their supporters they were able to develop a period of sustained pressure. Just before half-time they secured a well-earned equaliser when another clean strike from the edge of the penalty box flew in in the right hand corner.
So, all the momentum had switched to the visitors, and it took a determined effort from your senior players, particularly Kevin and Tom to turn the tide. Kevin was quite inspired today both in possession and when the opponents had the ball. He is so flexible in reaching to contest for the ball that he must have rubber knees! One challenge saw the ball fall to Haider who fed Felix. Felix played a delightful one-two with Billy on the edge of the box and finished with some flair to put the home side back in the lead. You had really taken the initiative now and the Sunningdale strikers hardly had a kirk as increasingly their players were forced to defend in numbers. Again sustained pressure led to a string of chances before Sam claimed his second, following in on a strike from Cameron. This was a good overall performance, with some very fluent play and some thrilling skills shown at pace and with purpose. The back three and the keeper continue to show skill and maturity in the way they combine to deal with the various threats that they face. Their communication is also very mature. The midfield showed tremendous ability, but must keep the effort rate high and not get caught 'spectating'. The strikers combined well and looked threatening all through the match. The highlight of the game was J-J's thunderous strike from 20 metres which arrowed towards the top right corner only for the Sunningdale keeper, to dive full stetch and tip it over for a corner.
Cheap Rag Newspaper Performance Ratings: Max Kirk 7, William Price 7, Alex Manton-Jones 7, J-J Dewes 8, Haider Rubbani * 7, Kevin Akunwa 9, Felix Fowler 8, Theo Singh 7, Sam Auger 8, Tom Fowlie 8, Cameron Henderson 7, Richard Bishop 6, Billy Dovey 6
Match 2 v Cranleigh Wednesday 21st November Home Eagle House 1 Cranleigh 1 (Goals:Tom 18min)
Team Selected: 1. Max Kirk 2. William Price 3. Alex Manton-Jones 4. J-J Dewes 5. Haider Rubbani * 6. Kevin Akunwa 7. Felix Fowler 8. Theo Singh 9. Sam Auger 10. Tom Fowlie 11. Cameron Henderson sub: Jin Hong This was a very evenly matched game, both sides fielding skilful players and looking to attack but struggling to find their best form after so much bad weather. Both sides boasted centre-backs and goal-keepers who put in commanding performances and frustrated the best efforts of the attacking forces. Nevertheless, on accasion both sides strung together moves of real quality and the game certainly generated excitement as it was a genuine contest. An early Cranleigh break came in the opening minute, when their captain shrugged a sleepy J. J. off the ball, and struck a firm shot just wide of the upright. Alarm bells were ringing loudly, and memories of that sound thrashing last year were revisiting a few of the home players. However, Alex and Max are made of sterner stuff and I can't sing their praises highly enough. They had excellent games at the heart of the defence, minimising the serious threat posed by such a fast, skilful and intelligent player.
Attacking throw (Photo - Justin Parvess) In the first half, Eagle House had the edge in midfield. Kevin showed tantalising skills luring opponents in and beating several in the smallest of spaces. Once or twice he was able to follow this up with a telling ball and his early trickery led to the best move of the game. A through ball behind the full-back invited Tom to beat a defender and find Sam who had made an intelligent run and was unmarked in the box. He met the cross well but was unable to get a good contact and the keeper gathered well. Felix was able to find a little room up the right wing and set up a few half chances, one which led to Tom's well struck goal, but neither side were able to hold the ball long enough to establish sustained pressure. If Eagle House edged the first half, Cranleigh had the clearer chances in the second. Our midfield failed to put sufficient pressure on their 'creator' and he was able to thread a series of dangerous balls between and over the two centre backs for their predatory striker to feed on. Max managed to deal with most of them but I felt that unless those balls were cut out at source he would score eventually. Sure enough, after 40 mins he seized on a great ball and left Max with no chance. Two minutes later a similar strike was only denied by Will's great goal-line clearance. However, Eagle House finished strongly, a good bit of work from Will and then Theo saw Tom break free and send an inviting ball to the far post where Sam couldn't quite get too. Sam then pressurised the visiting goal-keeper into an error only to see his shot go just wide. Give Sam his dues, he was usually in the right place at the right time.
Twin Strikers (Photo - Justin Parvess) If this match was not a great spectacle, it was a keenly fought contest between two good sides. The home side could be particular pleased with a performance that was disciplined and dogged, after the spineless showing last year! Max certainly thought he had seen some progress! Cheap Rag Newspaper Performance Ratings: Max Kirk 9, William Price 7, Alex Manton-Jones 9, J-J Dewes 7, Haider Rubbani * 6, Kevin Akunwa 8, Felix Fowler 7, Theo Singh 6, Sam Auger 5, Tom Fowlie 8, Cameron Henderson 5, Jin Hong 5.
Match 1 v Pangbourne Wednesday 14th November Away Pangbourne 1 Eagle House 3 (Goals:Haider 6min, Tom 15min, Sam 25min) I was pleased that you were able to make such a positive start to the season. To control a difficult away match with so little time to prepare after changing from rugby (literally yesterday) augers well for this short set of soccer fixtures. There is a lot of skill in this team and it has been set up with attack in mind. Right from the whistle you pressed your opponents and set up a number of chances. The home keeper had been kept quite busy dealing with awkward crosses from Cameron and Felix before he was beaten by Haider's sharply-struck shot from the edge of the box which flew in off the upright. This first score enabled you to relax a little and play more flowing football, keeping up the pressure but letting the ball do the work. Tom seized on a through ball from Theo and powered his way past two defenders and rounded the keeper to score number two. However, despite having overall control, the host side posed their own threats. The more experienced Pangbourne players were occasionally finding space between our midfield and defence and threatened with some sharp counter attacks. Max made an exceptional save, at full-stretch to deny their striker and two very good chances were not on target. Will, Theo and Felix started to combine really well up the right flank, J-J, Cameron and Tom were also effective up the left while Alex commanded the area at the back. Unfortunately, the ball did seem to get stuck under your feet a little; the surface didn't quite have the zip of our home pitch, and Kevin's silky dribbling skills looked a little pondorous (or was it the size 10 boots he had borrowed!) Sam also found the ball was often just a little behind him when he was about to shoot. He still got himself on the score sheet, sensing an opportunity from a deep cross and tapping off a rebound. Sam, Kevin and Theo had been sensational in the trial match yesterday, and no doubt their day will come.
Haider scores the first goal of the season The second half was a hard-fought affair with both sides making chances and Eagle House having to hold out through a period of sustained pressure. Our backline battled really well to win the ball and were very constructive with their distribution. Nikolai came on and showed that he is also a capable player. Towards the end of the game, our midfield tired and Pangbourne players were allowed to pick passes unchallenged through to their strikers. Only hesitancy and the organisation of the three defenders backed up by Max's sharp interventions kept them out. A finely timed eventually unpicked the lock, and you paid the price as their speedy striker ran through on goal to beat Max from short range. The score was a fair reflection of the match. On the whole your creative play deserved the win and I hope this gives you the confidence to be really decisive in your actions for the next match. Whether you run, pass, clear, shoot, be decisive . . . don't dither.
Cheap Rag Newspaper Performance Ratings: Max Kirk 7, William Price 8, Alex Manton-Jones 7, J-J Dewes 7, Haider Rubbani * 6, Kevin Akunwa 5, Felix Fowler 7, Theo Singh 6, Sam Auger 5, Tom Fowlie 7, Cameron Henderson 6, Nikolai Malyguine 5.
Sam closes in before scoring the third goal
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