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| Football 1st XI Team 'Blog' |
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Eagle House @ The Regio Haarlem Cup July 21st - 28th 2008 This is a complete day by day diary followed by a short evaluation of the trip. I will be sending the players' families a set of the photos taken at the event and while enjoying our time in Holland. We also aim to have a small reunion dinner in the Michaelmas Term where highlights of the video material taken during the matches will be shown. Eagle House 1st XI - Touring Squad July 2008
Played 8 Won 5 Lost 2 Drawn 1 Goals For 23 Goals Against 12 Overall Position in the Tournament - 8th out of 30 Day 1 – Monday 21st July After an early meet up at 6am the party left at 6.30 in glorious weather. Nevertheless, PO spent an hour securing the baggage on the roof rack with enough tarpaulin and rope to defy a hurricane. A burnt out car on the M3 delayed the early part of the journey, but we arrived at Dover in good time for a very smooth passage over the Channel. The players took their chance to devour a big cooked breakfast on the boat before we continued our way through Northern France. Once we reached Belgium, the weather changed dramatically for the worse with heavy winds and driving rain. PO’s packing was sure to be tested! Nevertheless, we arrived in Haarlem on schedule and registered at the ground before heading on to our accommodation in Zandvoort. The players have 2 nice chalets to themselves and they quickly made themselves at home. We just had time for the boys to get some ‘fast’ food before turning in.
Day 2 – Tuesday 22nd July Match 1 Eagle House 3 - 0 Force SA(USA)
Goals: o.g. 25, Bishop 29, Fowlie 36 After quick breakfast by the Nord Zee we headed for the Stadium and our first match. This was to be against one of two scratch American teams in our pool. These teams are formed by ‘Soccer America’ from players who sign up from all over the States. Our opponents had some good players, including a few strong and athletic girls, but they had not played together much and the Eagle House teamwork saw most of the play entrenched firmly in the opponents half. Of course, our players were a little rusty and a touch nervous and despite great play and good pressure, the Americans managed to survive the first half without conceding a goal. Their goalkeeper can take much of the credit for this as he was having an outstanding game. After a brilliant sweeping movement that involved most our team, Tom was released to hammer a powerful strike, low towards the bottom right corner. The keeper produced a magnificent leap and stretched to touch it around the post. This little period of play drew great applause from a good crowd that had gathered. The second half was more productive. A deep cross from Tom caused problems for their central defence and, under pressure from Afolarin, the ball rebounded for an own goal. This brought a little relief and the Eagle House started to play with a bit more freedom. Richard Bishop came on and almost immediately scored. He pounced on a through ball from Theo and blasted the ball into the goal from close range. The keeper, who managed to get a hand to it but was beaten by the power. Will Fletcher had also come on and was playing very effectively in the holding role. The back three were looking very composed and Max was experiencing one of those games where it can feel very lonely in goal. He was very cheered to record his first clean sheet as an Eagle House goal-keeper. Tom finished the game off with a stunning strike over the keeper into the top corner from twenty-five yards.
Day 2 – Tuesday 22nd July Match 2 Eagle House 1 - 0 DSM (India) Goal: Shasore 32 If the first match was a fairly comfortable one for the tourists, the second match was really testing against a highly combative and skilful Indian side. Early in proceedings the English players were certainly coming off second best in challenges and one or two of the DSM players were posing a real threat. However, our defence responded well and gradually the balance of play moved in our favour. Kevin was doing some absolutely stunning things with the ball and occupying the attention of several players. Felix was busy up the flank and their left back was responsible for two cynical fouls just outside the box, when he was through on goal. Richard was once again a catalyst, adding a little simple common sense to a very talented attack. His ‘one – two’ with Tom set Afolarin through on goal and he finished convincingly to give Eagle House the lead. DSM had visibly tired at this point and, with Haider and Will Fletcher dominating the midfield, they were reduced to long range shots and individual breaks. They still presented a danger though, and Max had to be really alert to deal with a fierce volley that came at an awkward height. He was up to it though and he was able to record the second clean sheet in one day. So everyone was delighted to have won and to have played well. There is a very good feeling between the teams at this stage and the tournament seems well set up. Billy was feeling a bit of a calf strain had to sit out the second match. A few other players had little niggles but otherwise we are all healthy. The players relaxed in the ‘Coral Reef’ style pool in the afternoon and went for a pizza in the evening.
Day 3 – Wednesday 23rd July Match 3 Eagle House 5 - 1 Orioles(Holland) Goals: Fowlie 10, 15, 29, Shasore 19, Akunwa pen 34 It took a while to get the boys conscious this morning and a very slow huddle of smartly dressed players emerged on to the field for their first match against the group leaders from Holland. Having only 13 in the squad is nice in that most players are fully involved, but it as left us a little fragile in case of injury. With Will Price entertaining the mother of all headaches and Billy doing his best Long John Silver impersonation, the physio was kept very busy prior to the match. We moved Tom up front to try and add a little more edge to our finishing. Theo was asked to work the left wing and help protect that flank. I felt that we could get the better of this Orioles side as they had looked a little ponderous at the back and had not really been tested as they had enjoyed runaway victories in all their previous matches. Nevertheless, they passed the ball around neatly and were quick to exploit errors. After only five minutes, their right winger pounced on a small mistake and centred precisely for their striker to lash a rasping shot across the keeper to put his side in the lead. The Eagle House side started to show their mettle, with Felix causing all sorts of problems up the right wing, Tom Fowlie immediately showed his quality as a striker shrugging off the defender to place an accurate shot beyond the keeper. Kevin was also playing havoc with the opponents marking system using his skill to draw people out of position and creating acres of space for his team-mates. Tom was a real menace at this point, his combination of skill, pace and power proving too much for his markers and he soon scored another great goal. Afolarin scored a third just before half time and the home players’ heads visibly dropped. Tom capitalised on another great break from Felix to score his hat-trick and when Billy was hacked down in the area, Kevin stepped up to place a decisive shot past the home keeper. Day 3 – Wednesday 23rd July Match 4 Eagle House 4 - 1 Storm SA (USA) Goals: Fowlie 5, Fowler 25, 30, Shasore 34. Having already secured first place in the group our team were guilty of a little complacency in their final match and a very sharp centre forward was clearly capable of capitalising on any loose play, not before Tom had carried on wreaking his own havoc, shrugging off a challenge to latch on to Haider's through ball to snatch the lead. The work rate was not its usual high standard and Alex found himself marking two players all too often. However, it took an opportunists goal against the run of play before the lesson was learned. Felix was exemplary at this point, running tirelessly up the right flank in attack and defence. Eventually his brilliant play was rewarded, scoring two great goals at the far post after good work from Haider. Haider was once again provider when Afolarin finished off another great move with a decisive shot. So, the Eagles have had two great days and they finished top of their pool. Tomorrow, the competition hots up as all the winners are pooled together. The four best teams out of fifteen will contest the semi-finals on Saturday. We have a difficult draw and we play one of the fancied teams who did some serious damage to some of our countrymen today. However, we will pose a real threat and we'll have to see how these teams react when put under a bit of pressure. An impressive spread of salads, salamis, cheeses and hams was offered in the interest of supplementing the dietary requirements not catered for by the steady input of fast food – to a mixed reception.There has not been time to do much outside the competition - but the environment at the ground is brilliant with lots of other players and interesting things to do, and the boys are very happy with the facilities at the center parc. All good news so far. Sorry about the delay in reporting. More tomorrow.
Day 4 – Thursday 24th July Match 5 Eagle House 8 - 0 Latvia FS (Latvia) Goals: Fowler 01, 10, Fowlie 02, Shasore 19, Singh 24, 27, Bishop 31, Kirk pen 35 Having finished first in our group, we qualified for one of the three ‘winners’ pools with the one other group winner, two teams that had secured second place and the best of the third placed teams. Latvia qualified as the best third placed group, but after two minutes they must have wished they hadn’t done quite so well, as Eagle House produced two of the most brilliant sweeping movements right from the first whistle to register two excellent goals. First Felix and then Tom crowned some delightful play with crisp finishes.The Dark Blues were on fire and the Latvia side could not cope with the threats that emerged from all quarters of the field. Felix scored his second on ten minutes and Afolarin added a fourth just before half time. Theo stole the show in the next quarter with some bright play down the left flank. First he beat three players and made room for a clinical shot past the goal-keeper. Next he crowned a similarly brilliant piece of play by showing the ball and then rounding the keeper to put his side six ahead. Richard continued his happy knack of getting on the score sheet and thenTheo was upended in the Latvian box and a penalty was awarded. Up strode Max from his lonely position in goal, to place a powerful and well-aimed shot inside the right upright to tumultuous applause. This was a great start to the final stages and the boys were delighted that they had played so well, but there would surely be greater challenges ahead.
Day 4 – Thursday 24th July Match 6 Eagle House 0 - 6 Holland Stars (Holland) The Holland Stars were a team who had quickly established a strong reputation by the outstanding precision of their play. A very small side playing in bright orange, eight of their players were on the Ajax of Amsterdam books and they had destroyed a number of good teams in the opening round. They would prove a real ‘top-level’ test for our inexperienced side. The decision making of this Dutch team was remarkable. They did not do anything remarkable as individuals, but they did do everything very, very well, with absolute control and at lightning speed. There were no weaknesses and the skill required in this match would be to slow everything down and not lose the ball too easily. However, these skilful players worked particularly hard to close down our midfielders and the Eagles found it very difficult to get any forward momentum. Alex, Karim and Will Price found themselves facing a whirlwind of mesmeric movement all around them, while midfielders unerringly picked the best option to set their strikers into space. Four goals down at half time, you had to admire the wonderful play of our opponents. I was really pleased that we continued to compete right up to the final whistle, restricting this impressive side to only two second half goals. A vat full of ‘Spag Bol’ was prepared and devoured on the patio of Chalet No 119 in the evening and the boys had a relatively early night.
Day 5 – Friday 25th July Match 7 Eagle House 1 - 1 MFS Indzikovo (Macedonia) Goal: Fowlie 18 Our great hope of making the semi-finals required us to win our two remaining fixtures convincingly in order to qualify as the best 2nd placed side. This was not going to be easy with back to back matches against two competent sides in 30 degrees midday heat. With a very small squad, and three players carrying injuries it proved a day too far. Against a sharp-witted and committed MFS side we conceded the softest of goals after just three minutes. An unnecessary foul just outside the area led to a poorly struck shot which somehow managed to completely fool the despondent Max! There was enormous frustration within the team that they couldn’t impose their play on their stubborn opposition. Tom did manage to pull a goal back before half time finishing from a precise cross from Felix on the right wing, but no one had the energy to press on and claim the win.
Day 5 – Friday 25th July Match 8 Eagle House 1 - 3 RKVV Westlandia (Holland) Goal: Fowlie 18 Seconds out – and off to the next pitch in the blistering heat, to play the second fixture and this was looking to be a game too far. Sure enough, from the start Kevin tried to work his magic but was pounced on and pick-pocketed by several lively midfielders who rapidly sent a through ball for the striker to sail past our static defence – one nil. Haider was struggling for mobility and energy was low. Felix kept buzzing on the right and Theo and Tom were still a threat but we couldn’t keep the ball for long enough to cause too many problems. Alex and Will Price kept doing their best to batten down the hatches, but two more goals followed in the first half. Our own efforts at scoring were certainly hampered by the constant flagging for offside by the young assistant coach of the opponents – this almost became comical and the referee soon learned to ignore him. However, we were not playing well and I had to move the only people who had energy left into midfield in order to make a game of it. This proved pleasingly effective. Will Price, Felix, Richard and Kevin battled gamely in the second half and Alex adapted his play effectively. However, this was Max’s chance to shine and he had a marvellous half, defying a tide of green strikers with a string of super saves. We actually kept a clean sheet in the second half and with Tom snatching a goal with ten minutes left to play, the, the game was back in the balance. I was very pleased with the players’ mental strength to keep going against the odds. It had been a tough day, but a Domino’s pizza for lunch followed by a trip into Haarlem and our sole supporter (Mrs Sheikh) took the lads for a meal in Haarlem's Central Square to help soothe the pain. Riding traditional Dutch bicycles around the Center Parc and exchanging phone numbers with their (girl) owners also seemed to prove therapeutic. There was also a sudden upsurge in interest for going to the beach in the morning . . . . hmmmm. Day 6 – Saturday 26th July After the exertions of the last four days, a late start seemed a good idea and we aimed to get back to Heemsteede for the final at 1pm. We missed two very balanced semi-finals and were disappointed that the showpiece of the tournament turned out to be a very one-sided affair with the Beleen Boys, another Ajax junior team, conquering a lacklustre Holland Stars side who had simply run out of steam. We moved on to Nordvijk in the late afternoon for a meal in the restaurants on the seafront and a late night game of 'bulldog' on the beach.
Day 7 – Sunday 27th July An early start this morning and a short trip to Amsterdam. We parked in the centre and set off on our cruise around the harbour and the network of canals that are such a feature of this city. Once the cruise was over, we headed back to the coast to a quiet undeveloped beach at Langerveld Slag. This was perfect for such a lovely day. Swimming, beach football and sand sculpture were the attractions. When we left the area some of the players found other attractions including trampolining and some very, very slow toy cars and motorbikes!
Richard was very impressive on the trampoline and drew a small crowd of admirers. In the early evening we headed back to Nordvijk where the players were given a king's ransom to spend on a lavish tea. Some went for quality and others went for quantity. Later a small troupe entertained passers by on the beach with a selection of impressive dance routines from Felix and Kevin, Will Fletcher chipped in with his unusual version of an Indian dance. Will Price presented the show and charmed a few euros out of the admiring punters. The town had recently hosted a sand sculpture competition and all along the beach front we saw some fantastic creations. We returned in good time to prepare for an early start for the trip home in the morning. Day 8 – Monday 28th July Loading the bags onto the roof rack bega at 7am and the players were pretty efficient in their final tidy up of the cottages prior to a prompt departure at 9am. We then had a wasted hour seeking an establishment that would cash a travllers cheque - not easy in Europe it would seem. Nevertheless, the journey was smooth and uneventful and we arrived at Calais on schedule. Heavy coach traffic led to congestion in immigration and we were unable to board our scheduled boat. The crossing was very smooth once again and we arrived back at Eagle House at 7.45 pm. Conclusion This trip represented a new venture for Eagle House. We have had some tremendous rugby tours over the last twenty years, but this soccer trip was our first involvement in an overseas tournament. Much of the early initiative came from the players themselves who were very determined to be involved in a sporting event his summer. I was cornered into finding a suitable outlet and as a result the expedition was organised at much shorter notice and at much less expense than the other recent tours. Once the venue had been identified, the parents of the selected players were overwhelmingly supportive of the plans and, through their generosity, the squad received a fabulous match kit with names and numbers along with a smart tracksuit and travelling bag. They also received a wonderful tour programme and a tie to keep as mementos. On the pitch the boys had the marvellous experience of playing 8 teams in four days from countries as diverse as: USA, Latvia, Holland, India and Macedonia. It says much for a small school, where soccer has been the 'third' winter sport, that this side were able to compete so strongly in a soccer tournament winning 5 of their matches. We knew that we had a good side when competing with similar schools, with all the players comfortable on the ball and a number who had outstanding skills, but it was good to see that we could also compete and win against soccer clubs and specialist soccer schools. It was a particularly pleasing achievement to come top of our pool and qualify for the second round. We played some marvellous football - the first goal scored within a minute against Latvia, was the best goal of the tournament for me. When we were finally beaten, we learned our shortcomings against the very best prospects from the Ajax of Amsterdam junior squads, taking a lesson in off the ball movement whilst noticing the levels of stamina and concentration required at that level. I was pleased that the whole party was able to contribute towards this success. Richard and Will Fletcher had not been members of the 1st XI, but they immediately put in such strong performances that they were quickly assimilated into the team plans. Indeed, Richard was the first player on the scoresheet! We were a little short on squad numbers towards the end of the week as fatigue became a serious factor, and this badly affected our performances towards the end of the competition, when a semi-final place was a very real prospect. Nevertheless, I was delighted with the way we played. I think we looked immaculate and that the players all performed admirably. I liked the way they mixed so easily with their opponents - they virtually adopted the Indian side after a terrific contest when we just managed to shade the victory. I hope the tour party all had a great time and that the players will be able to look back on their week as a significant time in their sporting education.
The Boss
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