MYS Black Stripes 7 - 6 Dunbar Utd Black (22Nov08)
It was the final match of the season today, and all the kids involved played extremely well in freezing cold conditions. This particular Dunbar team has always proved to be strong opposition and today was no exception. However, the Youngstars played some excellent football right from the kick-off, and forced a few early saves from the Dunbar keeper. The opening goal eventually came from some great play down the right wing, where Harvey trapped the ball and fed it back towards Jason. Jason charged towards the by-line and drilled the ball low to Lewis in the box, who looked up and rolled the ball into Morgan's path. Morgan met the ball cleanly and blasted it high into the net. Dunbar then stepped up a gear and pulled one back, and had another few efforts that went narrowly wide.
The Youngstars benefited from a Dunbar error in the second period to regain the lead. A passback to the goalkeeper was spilled and Lewis was alert enough to pounce and poke the ball into the net. Dunbar equalised once again, though, as a high ball bounced over Morgan's head and their striker was clean through on goal to finish past Innes. The Youngstars kept their heads up and were unlucky with a few chances, before they eventually managed to take the lead again. A Dunbar corner was cleared by Josh up to Jason in midfield. Jason played a great early pass to Calum who strode forward and stroked the ball past the diving keeper. Mark had a superb game in defence today, and was on hand time and time again to sweep up any loose balls and fire them down the left wing creating many attacks for the team.
In the third period, it was the Youngstars' turn to benefit from a high bouncing ball, played through by Harvey. Calum and Jason clashed into each other scrambling for the ball, and a Dunbar defender charged in to clear - but he lifted the ball over his keeper and into the the goals. As expected, Dunbar didn't give in and soon pulled one back after a bit of confusion in the Youngstars' box when a weak shot trickled past everyone and rolled over the goal-line. Like Mark, Ross had an excellent game in defence and was very calm throughout - always collecting the ball whilst maintaining control, and playing some fantastic passes down the right hand side. One pass in particular found Lewis in loads of space and he drived towards goal and, when one-on-one with the keeper, he kept a cool head and slotted the ball low into the net. Harvey found himself in space on many occasions down the right hand side, and had a number of efforts saved by the Dunbar keeper. Morgan also played well today, and kept the visitors at bay with many strong tackles as Dunbar piled on more pressure. A few more attempts were blasted wide by the Dunbar strikers, and one effort forced a good diving save by Innes as they tried to pull more goals back.
The Youngstars were confident going into the final quarter with a 5-3 lead - but Dunbar scored a couple of goals fairly early on to even up the match. Josh, Lewis and Jason combined well in this period and forced lots of scoring opportunites that we were unable to convert. Calum took over from Innes in goals, and made a few great stops as Dunbar pressed to take the lead. However, it was the Youngstars who scored next after a pass from Lewis set Jason free into a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper. Jason struck the ball sweetly into the corner to put the Youngstars 6-5 in front. A couple of minutes later, Lewis again found Jason and this time he chipped the ball into the top corner as the keeper scrambled to save it. A Dunbar goal in the last few minutes set up a tense finish, but the Youngstars held on to their lead and ended the season on a high with a great performance.
This was the end of the first "Summer Football" season - and while it's fair to say that the weather has hardly been fitting of the word "Summer", the kids have all played really well throughout and put on some great performances for the supporters on the sidelines. Roll on Summer Football 2009!
Teamsheet: Innes, Mark, Ross, Morgan, Josh, Lewis, Harvey, Jason, Calum
Goal scorers: Morgan, Lewis (2), Calum, Dunbar own goal, Jason (2)
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Saturday, November 15, 2008
HAT-TRICK HEAVEN
MYS Black Stripes 17 - 1 Tranent Juniors (15Nov08)
It was early kick-off this morning (9.15am!), but the Youngstars were ready and alert right from the first whistle. The kids won a corner in the first minute and Josh's cross broker kindly for Jason in the box who wasted no time in finding the back of the net. A minute later, the Youngstars won a second corner on the opposite side, and Josh's curling effort went straight into the goals under the Tranent keeper. The visitors almost pulled one back when their striker found himself one-on-one against Innes in goals. But Innes charged out and blocked the shot with his knee to keep a clean sheet in the first period.
Tranent did manage to score early in the second period, however, after a bit of a scuffle in the box. But straight from the kick-off, the Youngstars regained their two-goal lead. Lewis won the ball in midfield and played a fantastic through ball for Morgan who broke free from his marker and was one-on-one with the keeper. His shot was blocked by the Tranent goalie, but he was quick enough to follow up for the rebound and passed the ball into the net. Tranent fought back well, and forced a great diving save from Innes, who managed to push the ball out for a corner. The corner was cleared by Harvey, who passed the ball wide to Calum on the right hand side of midfield. Calum charged down the line, dribbled past two defenders and from wide on the right fired a great shot that slipped under the keeper's body and into the net.
It was the "Lewis and Harvey show" in the third period as the Tranent kids began to tire. Lewis scored first as he drilled the ball into the bottom corner from just inside the penalty box. Calum played well out on the right hand side of midfield, and fired a cracking cross along the 6 yard area for Harvey to blast the ball into the empty net. Lewis then scored a couple of quick goals beating the keeper at his near post (first from the right, then from the left), before Harvey scored his second and third with some accurate finishing. Lewis finished the scoring in this period with an amazing strike from well outside the box.
In the final period, Mark took a turn as striker and he was involved in the first three goals of this spell. First of all, he played a great pass to Jason who scored into the top corner. Sam then won the ball in defence and passed to Jason on the left wing. Jason skipped past the defenders and passed to Mark, who played a nice pass for Josh to hammer the ball straight past the diving keeper. Then came the best goal of the match. Morgan won a fantastic tackle deep in his own half and passed to Josh, who looked up and found Sam in space in the middle of the pitch. Sam took a touch, then slotted the ball through to Jason, who beat his marker and passed to Calum. Shifting the ball from one foot to the other, Calum layed the ball off for Mark to score by squeezing the ball past the keeper, into the bottom corner. Jason soon won the ball on the left wing, and yet again beat his marker and blasted the ball across the goal line for Calum to sneak in at the back post and score into the empty net. Then a poor kick-out from the Tranent keeper went straight to Jason who simply chipped the ball over the keeper to complete his hat-trick. Jason was involved in the final goal of the game when his low cross was met by Calum at the back post, who volleyed it into the corner to complete his own hat-trick.
Another convincing performance by the Youngstars today, with every kid playing extremely well and working hard as a team.
Teamsheet: Innes, Mark, Sam, Morgan, Josh, Lewis, Harvey, Jason, Calum
Goal scorers: Jason (3), Josh (2), Morgan, Calum (3), Lewis (4), Harvey (3), Mark
It was early kick-off this morning (9.15am!), but the Youngstars were ready and alert right from the first whistle. The kids won a corner in the first minute and Josh's cross broker kindly for Jason in the box who wasted no time in finding the back of the net. A minute later, the Youngstars won a second corner on the opposite side, and Josh's curling effort went straight into the goals under the Tranent keeper. The visitors almost pulled one back when their striker found himself one-on-one against Innes in goals. But Innes charged out and blocked the shot with his knee to keep a clean sheet in the first period.
Tranent did manage to score early in the second period, however, after a bit of a scuffle in the box. But straight from the kick-off, the Youngstars regained their two-goal lead. Lewis won the ball in midfield and played a fantastic through ball for Morgan who broke free from his marker and was one-on-one with the keeper. His shot was blocked by the Tranent goalie, but he was quick enough to follow up for the rebound and passed the ball into the net. Tranent fought back well, and forced a great diving save from Innes, who managed to push the ball out for a corner. The corner was cleared by Harvey, who passed the ball wide to Calum on the right hand side of midfield. Calum charged down the line, dribbled past two defenders and from wide on the right fired a great shot that slipped under the keeper's body and into the net.
It was the "Lewis and Harvey show" in the third period as the Tranent kids began to tire. Lewis scored first as he drilled the ball into the bottom corner from just inside the penalty box. Calum played well out on the right hand side of midfield, and fired a cracking cross along the 6 yard area for Harvey to blast the ball into the empty net. Lewis then scored a couple of quick goals beating the keeper at his near post (first from the right, then from the left), before Harvey scored his second and third with some accurate finishing. Lewis finished the scoring in this period with an amazing strike from well outside the box.
In the final period, Mark took a turn as striker and he was involved in the first three goals of this spell. First of all, he played a great pass to Jason who scored into the top corner. Sam then won the ball in defence and passed to Jason on the left wing. Jason skipped past the defenders and passed to Mark, who played a nice pass for Josh to hammer the ball straight past the diving keeper. Then came the best goal of the match. Morgan won a fantastic tackle deep in his own half and passed to Josh, who looked up and found Sam in space in the middle of the pitch. Sam took a touch, then slotted the ball through to Jason, who beat his marker and passed to Calum. Shifting the ball from one foot to the other, Calum layed the ball off for Mark to score by squeezing the ball past the keeper, into the bottom corner. Jason soon won the ball on the left wing, and yet again beat his marker and blasted the ball across the goal line for Calum to sneak in at the back post and score into the empty net. Then a poor kick-out from the Tranent keeper went straight to Jason who simply chipped the ball over the keeper to complete his hat-trick. Jason was involved in the final goal of the game when his low cross was met by Calum at the back post, who volleyed it into the corner to complete his own hat-trick.
Another convincing performance by the Youngstars today, with every kid playing extremely well and working hard as a team.
Teamsheet: Innes, Mark, Sam, Morgan, Josh, Lewis, Harvey, Jason, Calum
Goal scorers: Jason (3), Josh (2), Morgan, Calum (3), Lewis (4), Harvey (3), Mark
Monday, November 10, 2008
MEADOWMILL MAGIC!
Pencaitland Youth Blue 2 - 10 MYS Black Stripes (8Nov08)
With a waterlogged pitch at Pencaitland, the venue for this match was changed to the astroturf pitch at Meadowmill Sports Centre. Given that the squad trains there every Monday night at the moment, it was almost like a home match and this showed in the kids' performance as they played with great confidence.
Harvey opened the scoring on the day, and was followed by Josh. Harvey then scored another three before Josh scored his second of the match.
Ross proved to be very adaptable and played in a few positions (including a spell in goals) on the day, which was especially useful as the Youngstars only had seven players available for the game. Once again, Sam's tackling was brilliant and Mark had his usual great display in defence - and he even hit Pencaitland's post with a great effort at goal.
Harvey managed to score his fourth goal, and Josh completed his own hat-trick before the game ended. Lewis and Calum also got on the score sheet (as usual), and with Pencaitland scoring a couple of goals too there was plenty of excitement for the supporters on the sidelines.
A comfortable day in the end for the Youngstars, and they did especially well given the lack of substitutes available.
Teamsheet: Ross, Mark, Sam, Josh, Lewis, Harvey, Calum
Goal scorers: Harvey (5), Josh (3), Lewis, Calum
With a waterlogged pitch at Pencaitland, the venue for this match was changed to the astroturf pitch at Meadowmill Sports Centre. Given that the squad trains there every Monday night at the moment, it was almost like a home match and this showed in the kids' performance as they played with great confidence.
Harvey opened the scoring on the day, and was followed by Josh. Harvey then scored another three before Josh scored his second of the match.
Ross proved to be very adaptable and played in a few positions (including a spell in goals) on the day, which was especially useful as the Youngstars only had seven players available for the game. Once again, Sam's tackling was brilliant and Mark had his usual great display in defence - and he even hit Pencaitland's post with a great effort at goal.
Harvey managed to score his fourth goal, and Josh completed his own hat-trick before the game ended. Lewis and Calum also got on the score sheet (as usual), and with Pencaitland scoring a couple of goals too there was plenty of excitement for the supporters on the sidelines.
A comfortable day in the end for the Youngstars, and they did especially well given the lack of substitutes available.
Teamsheet: Ross, Mark, Sam, Josh, Lewis, Harvey, Calum
Goal scorers: Harvey (5), Josh (3), Lewis, Calum
Saturday, October 25, 2008
TOUGH TIME AT TRANENT
Tranent Colts 7 - 4 MYS Black Strtipes (25Oct08)
The wind and rain definitely played a part in today's match as the Black Stripes team suffered its first defeat since the summer holiday. In a slight change to the normal set-up, the Tranent team wanted to play 2 x 30 minute halves (which meant the Youngstars were fighting against the wind for the first half hour). This proved to be quite a challenge against a strong Tranent side.
Ross joined the squad today and played extremely well in his first game. Without Mark and Josh in today's side, Ross was heavily relied upon to make some strong tackles in defence. As Lewis was playing with Hearts FC at lunchtime, he played in goals for the first half hour to preserve some energy (and avoid any injuries!) and made a few brilliant saves. There was little he could do about the Tranent goals, though, as they capitalised on their wind advantage - scroing 4 goals in the first half. Jason and Harvey were unlucky not to score with a couple of efforts each at the other end, whilst Morgan battled hard as usual up and down the right wing.
Tranent scored their fifth goal early in the second half, which prompted a change in tactics. Innes replaced Lewis in goals, allowing Lewis to move into midfield - and this move paid off almost immediately. Ross had a great strike from just outside the box and the deflection fell kindly to Lewis who curled it past the keeper into the net. Innes then made a couple of cracking saves as Tranent piled on more pressure... but it was the Youngstars who scored next thanks to an outstanding shot by Lewis. He thumped the ball from well outside the box and it found its way into the top corner. Tranent played some great football against the wind, however, and soon managed to score a sixth goal. Then, straight from the kick-off the Youngstars struck back when a good pass from Lewis found Harvey on the right of midfield. He took the ball past the defender, and slammed it past the diving keeper. The wind began to get wilder, and a kick-out from the goalkeeper soon fell right into Harvey's path - he wasted no time in finding the bottom corner for his second goal of the game. The Youngstars had a great spell of pressure after this, with chances from Ross, Calum and Jason all being blocked. But Tranent scored another before the final whistle, when their striker managed to get clean through on goal. Innes made a great diving save from the shot, but the ball deflected back to the striker who passed it into the net. Some good covering from Sam allowed him to win many tackles in defence, preventing any further Tranent goals.
Overall this was a tough test for the kids today against a decent team, and they can all be proud of how well they played in the conditions.
Teamsheet: Innes, Lewis, Ross, Sam, Morgan, Havey, Jason, Calum
Goal scorers: Lewis (2), Harvey (2)
The wind and rain definitely played a part in today's match as the Black Stripes team suffered its first defeat since the summer holiday. In a slight change to the normal set-up, the Tranent team wanted to play 2 x 30 minute halves (which meant the Youngstars were fighting against the wind for the first half hour). This proved to be quite a challenge against a strong Tranent side.
Ross joined the squad today and played extremely well in his first game. Without Mark and Josh in today's side, Ross was heavily relied upon to make some strong tackles in defence. As Lewis was playing with Hearts FC at lunchtime, he played in goals for the first half hour to preserve some energy (and avoid any injuries!) and made a few brilliant saves. There was little he could do about the Tranent goals, though, as they capitalised on their wind advantage - scroing 4 goals in the first half. Jason and Harvey were unlucky not to score with a couple of efforts each at the other end, whilst Morgan battled hard as usual up and down the right wing.
Tranent scored their fifth goal early in the second half, which prompted a change in tactics. Innes replaced Lewis in goals, allowing Lewis to move into midfield - and this move paid off almost immediately. Ross had a great strike from just outside the box and the deflection fell kindly to Lewis who curled it past the keeper into the net. Innes then made a couple of cracking saves as Tranent piled on more pressure... but it was the Youngstars who scored next thanks to an outstanding shot by Lewis. He thumped the ball from well outside the box and it found its way into the top corner. Tranent played some great football against the wind, however, and soon managed to score a sixth goal. Then, straight from the kick-off the Youngstars struck back when a good pass from Lewis found Harvey on the right of midfield. He took the ball past the defender, and slammed it past the diving keeper. The wind began to get wilder, and a kick-out from the goalkeeper soon fell right into Harvey's path - he wasted no time in finding the bottom corner for his second goal of the game. The Youngstars had a great spell of pressure after this, with chances from Ross, Calum and Jason all being blocked. But Tranent scored another before the final whistle, when their striker managed to get clean through on goal. Innes made a great diving save from the shot, but the ball deflected back to the striker who passed it into the net. Some good covering from Sam allowed him to win many tackles in defence, preventing any further Tranent goals.
Overall this was a tough test for the kids today against a decent team, and they can all be proud of how well they played in the conditions.
Teamsheet: Innes, Lewis, Ross, Sam, Morgan, Havey, Jason, Calum
Goal scorers: Lewis (2), Harvey (2)
Saturday, October 11, 2008
DEPLETED SQUAD AT HADDINGTON
Haddington Ath Sky Blues 1 - 7 MYS Black Stripes (11Oct08)
The Youngstars squad was down to a bare minimum today, with only seven players turning up for the game. Although this resulted in some tired legs, it did allow all the kids to get one hour of match-time which will undoubtedly help their development. The first 15 minutes was very evenly contested with both teams playing some good football. Harvey and Lewis were each unlucky to score thanks to some great saves from the Haddington keeper. With both defences on top form, there were no goals scored in the opening spell.
In the second period, the Youngstars stepped up a gear and it wasn't long before they broke the deadlock. Harvey took a kick-in deep in his own half, playing the ball up the line to Jason who then played a superb through-ball, cutting the Haddington defence in half. Lewis latched on the pass and squeezed the ball past the keeper at his near post. A few minutes later, the Youngstars went two goals up after a weak kick-out went straight to Lewis. He blasted a shot towards goal, and the ball went right through the keeper's legs. Haddington then began to pile on the pressure, forcing some fantastic tackles from Mark to keep them at bay. A quick free kick from Haddington resulted in a swerving cross into the box, which Innes managed to safely collect in his hands as he again relished the opportunity to play in goals. Calum scored with the last kick of the second period, after Jason and a Haddington defender had been fighting hard for the ball. Calum charged in and won the ball, before turning and firing a shot into the bottom corner.
The Youngstars scored their fourth goal early in the third period, following a fantastic pass from Mark. Lewis collected the ball and fed it to Jason, who blasted it into the top corner past the keeper's out-stretched hand. A few minutes later, Lewis scored his hat-trick and the Youngstars were comfortably in the lead. Josh played excellently in defence during this period, and created the team's sixth goal. After a fantastic run, dribbling past two Haddington midfielders, he slotted the ball through to Harvey who (as cool as ever) passed the ball past the diving keeper into the net. Harvey then scored his second into the bottom corner, after a great pass from Lewis.
We shuffled the team around in the last quarter, with Innes playing up front and Lewis taking a turn in goals. Innes played well, laying off a few good passes to Josh, but the Haddington defence played really strongly and kept the Youngstars out. Lewis was forced to make a brilliant save near the end, but a Haddington striker was first to react to the deflection and managed to fire it into the net for a late consolation goal. Another great game for the team, and all the kids deserve credit for lasting the full 60 minutes.
Teamsheet: Innes, Mark, Josh, Harvey, Lewis, Jason, Calum
Goal scorers: Lewis (3), Calum, Jason, Harvey (2)
The Youngstars squad was down to a bare minimum today, with only seven players turning up for the game. Although this resulted in some tired legs, it did allow all the kids to get one hour of match-time which will undoubtedly help their development. The first 15 minutes was very evenly contested with both teams playing some good football. Harvey and Lewis were each unlucky to score thanks to some great saves from the Haddington keeper. With both defences on top form, there were no goals scored in the opening spell.
In the second period, the Youngstars stepped up a gear and it wasn't long before they broke the deadlock. Harvey took a kick-in deep in his own half, playing the ball up the line to Jason who then played a superb through-ball, cutting the Haddington defence in half. Lewis latched on the pass and squeezed the ball past the keeper at his near post. A few minutes later, the Youngstars went two goals up after a weak kick-out went straight to Lewis. He blasted a shot towards goal, and the ball went right through the keeper's legs. Haddington then began to pile on the pressure, forcing some fantastic tackles from Mark to keep them at bay. A quick free kick from Haddington resulted in a swerving cross into the box, which Innes managed to safely collect in his hands as he again relished the opportunity to play in goals. Calum scored with the last kick of the second period, after Jason and a Haddington defender had been fighting hard for the ball. Calum charged in and won the ball, before turning and firing a shot into the bottom corner.
The Youngstars scored their fourth goal early in the third period, following a fantastic pass from Mark. Lewis collected the ball and fed it to Jason, who blasted it into the top corner past the keeper's out-stretched hand. A few minutes later, Lewis scored his hat-trick and the Youngstars were comfortably in the lead. Josh played excellently in defence during this period, and created the team's sixth goal. After a fantastic run, dribbling past two Haddington midfielders, he slotted the ball through to Harvey who (as cool as ever) passed the ball past the diving keeper into the net. Harvey then scored his second into the bottom corner, after a great pass from Lewis.
We shuffled the team around in the last quarter, with Innes playing up front and Lewis taking a turn in goals. Innes played well, laying off a few good passes to Josh, but the Haddington defence played really strongly and kept the Youngstars out. Lewis was forced to make a brilliant save near the end, but a Haddington striker was first to react to the deflection and managed to fire it into the net for a late consolation goal. Another great game for the team, and all the kids deserve credit for lasting the full 60 minutes.
Teamsheet: Innes, Mark, Josh, Harvey, Lewis, Jason, Calum
Goal scorers: Lewis (3), Calum, Jason, Harvey (2)
Saturday, October 4, 2008
DUNBAR DOWNPOUR!
Dunbar Colts White 5 - 10 MYS Black Stripes (4Oct08)
Winter is definitely upon us. The weather was terrible for today's match with driving rain and a freezing cold wind - all the kids deserve great credit for putting on such a strong display. Jason opened the scoring after dribbling round a few defenders and slotting the ball past the diving keeper. A few minutes later the Youngstars went two up after Josh headed a crossed ball towards goal and Harvey nicked in to glance a header over the keeper. Dunbar did well to fight back though and manged to score two goals before the end of the first period.
Lewis scored a great goal at the start of the second period, and demonstrated a cool head as he passed the ball into the top corner (following a superb pass from Calum). However, Dunbar stepped up a gear and scored a quick equaliser, and then swiftly took the lead. Morgan had yet another strong match in midfield and seems to be relishing the opportunity to play further up the pitch. As usual, Calum ran the opposition defence ragged, and was unlucky not to score with a shot that went narrowly over the crossbar.
Sam and Mark also had an excellent game today, and are starting to form a fantastic partnership in defence. Sam won his usual fair share of tackles, and Mark's positioning helped him steal the ball from the Dunbar forwards and make some brilliant passes up the left wing. In goals, Innes showed his increased confidence by bravely diving low to smother the ball on a number of occasions. The Youngstars kept Dunbar at bay in the third period, and scored four goals at the other end (one from Lewis, two from Harvey, then another by Jason) to make the score 4-7.
Harvey scored his fourth of the game early in the final period, but Dunbar quickly scored another. Then a good shot from Lewis was blocked by the keeper and the ball fell kindly for Josh who stroked it into the empty net. Jason rounded off the scoring with his hat-trick after some skillful ball control, ending a great match for the Youngstars. The kids were freezing and soaking at the end, but they can take great pride from their performance in such treacherous conditions.
Teamsheet: Innes, Mark, Sam, Morgan, Josh, Harvey, Lewis, Jason, Calum.
Goal scorers: Jason (3), Harvey (4), Lewis (2), Josh.
Winter is definitely upon us. The weather was terrible for today's match with driving rain and a freezing cold wind - all the kids deserve great credit for putting on such a strong display. Jason opened the scoring after dribbling round a few defenders and slotting the ball past the diving keeper. A few minutes later the Youngstars went two up after Josh headed a crossed ball towards goal and Harvey nicked in to glance a header over the keeper. Dunbar did well to fight back though and manged to score two goals before the end of the first period.
Lewis scored a great goal at the start of the second period, and demonstrated a cool head as he passed the ball into the top corner (following a superb pass from Calum). However, Dunbar stepped up a gear and scored a quick equaliser, and then swiftly took the lead. Morgan had yet another strong match in midfield and seems to be relishing the opportunity to play further up the pitch. As usual, Calum ran the opposition defence ragged, and was unlucky not to score with a shot that went narrowly over the crossbar.
Sam and Mark also had an excellent game today, and are starting to form a fantastic partnership in defence. Sam won his usual fair share of tackles, and Mark's positioning helped him steal the ball from the Dunbar forwards and make some brilliant passes up the left wing. In goals, Innes showed his increased confidence by bravely diving low to smother the ball on a number of occasions. The Youngstars kept Dunbar at bay in the third period, and scored four goals at the other end (one from Lewis, two from Harvey, then another by Jason) to make the score 4-7.
Harvey scored his fourth of the game early in the final period, but Dunbar quickly scored another. Then a good shot from Lewis was blocked by the keeper and the ball fell kindly for Josh who stroked it into the empty net. Jason rounded off the scoring with his hat-trick after some skillful ball control, ending a great match for the Youngstars. The kids were freezing and soaking at the end, but they can take great pride from their performance in such treacherous conditions.
Teamsheet: Innes, Mark, Sam, Morgan, Josh, Harvey, Lewis, Jason, Calum.
Goal scorers: Jason (3), Harvey (4), Lewis (2), Josh.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
YOUNGSTARS ON FORM AGAIN
MYS Black Stripes 5 - 1 Pencaitland Yellow (20Sep08)
Pencaitland brought a depleted squad to Wallyford today, following a couple of late call offs - but they proved to be strong opponents with a number of great tacklers throughout their team. The visitors put the Youngstars under pressure right from the start, and Innes (playing in goal for the whole match) was forced into a couple of saves early on. However, the Youngstars opened the scoring following some great footwork from Jason out on the left wing. He then cut a great pass in to Lewis who had his shot saved by the diving keeper. The ball then broke kindly to Harvey who hammered it into the back of the net.
Pencaitland equalised early in the second period, when Innes was unable to hold onto a strong shot from their striker. This gave Pencaitland a boost and they kept the ball in the Youngstars half for most of the quarter. Innes kept them out with a couple of excellent diving saves, improving his confidence as a replacement goalkeeper now that Kyle has left the squad. The Youngstars restored their lead following some clever play by Lewis, who had won the ball from a Pencaitland kick-out. He dribbled out towards the left wing, then cut onto his right foot and fired the ball into the top corner.
Sam was used in defence again today, and (as in the previous game) stood out with a brilliant performance. His tackling was strong, his passing was accurate, and his willingness to track back was really needed by the team. Indeed, he was involved in the team's third goal when he won a great tackle in his own half and passed the ball to Lewis, who then drilled it into the penalty box. Calum ran onto it and made a nice first-touch pass to Jason, who skipped round the defender and blasted the ball past the diving keeper. Pencaitland lost their confidence at this point and the Youngstars pounced quickly with another two goals. Lewis had the ball on the half way line, then dribbled past three Pencaitland players before calmly slotting it into the bottom corner of the goals. Then Jason found space with the ball down by the corner flag on the left wing and crossed it towards Calum who knocked it into the net with a nice first-touch strike.
In the final quarter, some fantastic defending by Mark kept Pencaitland at bay and his passing set up many attacks for the Youngstars. In particular, Josh had an excellent game out on the right hand side, showing some great dribbling skills and firing in lots of accurate crosses. Morgan, on the left hand side, once again showed his usual determination to get up and down the pitch and is proving to be a very useful midfielder. No goals in the final period, but some great passing football was on display and the team walked away with a victory - but more importantly, another great team performance.
Teamsheet: Innes, Mark, Sam, Josh, Harvey, Lewis, Morgan, Jason, Calum
Scorers: Harvey, Lewis (2), Jason, Calum
Pencaitland brought a depleted squad to Wallyford today, following a couple of late call offs - but they proved to be strong opponents with a number of great tacklers throughout their team. The visitors put the Youngstars under pressure right from the start, and Innes (playing in goal for the whole match) was forced into a couple of saves early on. However, the Youngstars opened the scoring following some great footwork from Jason out on the left wing. He then cut a great pass in to Lewis who had his shot saved by the diving keeper. The ball then broke kindly to Harvey who hammered it into the back of the net.
Pencaitland equalised early in the second period, when Innes was unable to hold onto a strong shot from their striker. This gave Pencaitland a boost and they kept the ball in the Youngstars half for most of the quarter. Innes kept them out with a couple of excellent diving saves, improving his confidence as a replacement goalkeeper now that Kyle has left the squad. The Youngstars restored their lead following some clever play by Lewis, who had won the ball from a Pencaitland kick-out. He dribbled out towards the left wing, then cut onto his right foot and fired the ball into the top corner.
Sam was used in defence again today, and (as in the previous game) stood out with a brilliant performance. His tackling was strong, his passing was accurate, and his willingness to track back was really needed by the team. Indeed, he was involved in the team's third goal when he won a great tackle in his own half and passed the ball to Lewis, who then drilled it into the penalty box. Calum ran onto it and made a nice first-touch pass to Jason, who skipped round the defender and blasted the ball past the diving keeper. Pencaitland lost their confidence at this point and the Youngstars pounced quickly with another two goals. Lewis had the ball on the half way line, then dribbled past three Pencaitland players before calmly slotting it into the bottom corner of the goals. Then Jason found space with the ball down by the corner flag on the left wing and crossed it towards Calum who knocked it into the net with a nice first-touch strike.
In the final quarter, some fantastic defending by Mark kept Pencaitland at bay and his passing set up many attacks for the Youngstars. In particular, Josh had an excellent game out on the right hand side, showing some great dribbling skills and firing in lots of accurate crosses. Morgan, on the left hand side, once again showed his usual determination to get up and down the pitch and is proving to be a very useful midfielder. No goals in the final period, but some great passing football was on display and the team walked away with a victory - but more importantly, another great team performance.
Teamsheet: Innes, Mark, Sam, Josh, Harvey, Lewis, Morgan, Jason, Calum
Scorers: Harvey, Lewis (2), Jason, Calum
Sunday, September 7, 2008
HAT-TRICK HARVEY!
MYS Black Stripes 7 - 1 Longniddry Villa (6Sep08)
A freezing cold morning for today's match, but the Youngstars got the home crowd warmed up right from the start with an early goal from Jason. Josh won the ball deep in his own half and launched the ball forward, against the wind, over the Longniddry defence. Jason had burst through from midfield, collected the ball, and then calmly stroked it past the advancing keeper. With Kyle unavailable today, Innes played in goals for the first 45 minutes and made a number of good saves - one in particular where he had to stretch high into the left hand corner of the goals to save a great Longniddry effort. However, Longniddry managed to score an equaliser after a high ball into the box forced another great save from Innes, but the ball was deflected out to an unmarked striker who slotted the ball into the net.
Playing with the wind in the second 15 minutes was much easier, and Josh hammered a cracking shot into the goals from well outside the box to put the Youngstars back in front. Jason then hit a shot that cannoned off the cross-bar, and Calum did the same with the rebound... the ball fell straight into the hands of a Longniddry defender who was as surprised as anyone to find himself clutching the ball in the penalty area. Sam was given the opportunity to score from the resulting penalty. His shot was saved by the keeper, but he was quick enough to get onto the rebound and smash the ball into the back of the net. This was undoubtedly Sam's best ever game for the team and, following the confidence boost from his goal, he was all over the pitch with strong tackles, excellent dribbling and great passing.
With the wind against us in the third quarter, we needed Mark's excellent defending ability to keep Longniddry at bay. We were also grateful for the strength of his passing as he made numerous clearances right up the pitch. He also managed to get forward and had a great effort at goal go narrowly wide. Jason and Harvey both hit the cross-bar as Longniddry were put under real pressure. The fourth goal eventually came though, after a scrap in the box and Calum was, typically, on hand to poke the ball into the net. Then a superb corner from Mark was met on the volley by Harvey in the middle of the box, and the ball flew right over the keeper into the goals.
Morgan had yet another strong game in midfield during the final quarter, and a fine pass found Harvey who blasted the ball through the keeper's legs. Morgan was also involved in the game's final goal as he won the ball and passed to Sam, who turned his defender and passed to Innes. Innes looked up and slotted the ball into Harvey's path, who wasted no time in striking it past the keeper to complete his hat-trick. This rounded up another brilliant match for the boys, and it's great to see their confidence improve even further.
Teamsheet: Innes, Mark, Morgan, Sam, Josh, Harvey, Jason, Calum
Goal scorers: Jason, Josh, Sam, Calum, Harvey (3)
A freezing cold morning for today's match, but the Youngstars got the home crowd warmed up right from the start with an early goal from Jason. Josh won the ball deep in his own half and launched the ball forward, against the wind, over the Longniddry defence. Jason had burst through from midfield, collected the ball, and then calmly stroked it past the advancing keeper. With Kyle unavailable today, Innes played in goals for the first 45 minutes and made a number of good saves - one in particular where he had to stretch high into the left hand corner of the goals to save a great Longniddry effort. However, Longniddry managed to score an equaliser after a high ball into the box forced another great save from Innes, but the ball was deflected out to an unmarked striker who slotted the ball into the net.
Playing with the wind in the second 15 minutes was much easier, and Josh hammered a cracking shot into the goals from well outside the box to put the Youngstars back in front. Jason then hit a shot that cannoned off the cross-bar, and Calum did the same with the rebound... the ball fell straight into the hands of a Longniddry defender who was as surprised as anyone to find himself clutching the ball in the penalty area. Sam was given the opportunity to score from the resulting penalty. His shot was saved by the keeper, but he was quick enough to get onto the rebound and smash the ball into the back of the net. This was undoubtedly Sam's best ever game for the team and, following the confidence boost from his goal, he was all over the pitch with strong tackles, excellent dribbling and great passing.
With the wind against us in the third quarter, we needed Mark's excellent defending ability to keep Longniddry at bay. We were also grateful for the strength of his passing as he made numerous clearances right up the pitch. He also managed to get forward and had a great effort at goal go narrowly wide. Jason and Harvey both hit the cross-bar as Longniddry were put under real pressure. The fourth goal eventually came though, after a scrap in the box and Calum was, typically, on hand to poke the ball into the net. Then a superb corner from Mark was met on the volley by Harvey in the middle of the box, and the ball flew right over the keeper into the goals.
Morgan had yet another strong game in midfield during the final quarter, and a fine pass found Harvey who blasted the ball through the keeper's legs. Morgan was also involved in the game's final goal as he won the ball and passed to Sam, who turned his defender and passed to Innes. Innes looked up and slotted the ball into Harvey's path, who wasted no time in striking it past the keeper to complete his hat-trick. This rounded up another brilliant match for the boys, and it's great to see their confidence improve even further.
Teamsheet: Innes, Mark, Morgan, Sam, Josh, Harvey, Jason, Calum
Goal scorers: Jason, Josh, Sam, Calum, Harvey (3)
Saturday, August 30, 2008
STRONG START AFTER SUMMER BREAK
MYS Black Stripes 12 - 3 Haddington Athletic Clarets (30Aug08)
After last week's game being called off due to poor weather, it was great to eventually re-start the season today. The Youngstars got off to a flyer in the first 15 minutes, with some great play from Lewis and Jason. Some typically strong defending from Mark in his own box allowed the ball to break to Lewis, who looked up and fired the ball over the half-way line to Jason. One-on-one with the keeper, Jason cleverly chipped the ball over his head and into the net for the game's first goal. Soon afterwards, Lewis won the ball just outside the Haddington box and hammered it towards goal. The keeper managed to get a hand to it, but could only deflect it into the goals. With Kyle absent through injury, Innes took his place in goals for the first quarter and made a couple of excellent saves, diving down low to smother the ball. Lewis then scored his second after a throw-out from the Haddington keeper found it's way into his path. He strode forward and tucked the ball under the keeper's body to make it 3-0.
Haddingston played better in the second quarter and gave the Youngstars a real test. Harvey had a shot in goals and managed to get in front of a powerful shot, but it deflected behind him and into the net. Morgan played brilliantly on the right wing during this period, with numerous tackles, mazy runs and attempts at goal (and he was really unlucky not to score from a particular effort that went narrowly past the post).
Early in the third quarter, Josh hit a fantastic corner that looped over the keeper and went straight into the net. Moments later, he lofted in another fantastic corner which Lewis got on the end of and headered just wide. The Youngstars piled on the pressure and a great cross from Lewis was met by Jason in the six yard box and he fired the ball through the keeper's legs for his second goal of the match. Jason then set up the team's sixth goal as he crossed from the right wing and Lewis headered the ball past the advancing keeper. Seconds later, Jason again crossed the ball into the box where Lewis was waiting to strike and he scored his fourth. He then got a fifth after winning the ball outside the Haddington box and calmly stroking it into the bottom corner of the net. Haddington pulled one back, though, with some great dribbling from their striker followed by a cracking shot between two Youngstars defenders. However, Jason then completed his hat-trick after a nice short corner routine with Josh.
Sam played well in the final quarter with some fantastic tackles in the midfield. Lewis played in goals for this period and was called upon to make a number of brilliant saves. His powerful kick-outs also helped set up good attacking moves, one of which resulted in a goal for Harvey. Jason picked up Lewis' kick-out on the right wing, then chipped the ball over towards Harvey who had broken forward from his central midfield position. Harvey finished the move with ease as he blasted the ball into the goals. He then scored his second after some great passing play between Jason and Calum. Haddington scored their third a few moments later, but the Youngstars finished the scoring after Jason's shot came off the cross-bar and fell kindly for Calum who knocked the ball into the net with the last kick of the match. All in all, a great start to the second half of the season.
Teamsheet: Innes, Mark, Morgan, Josh, Sam, Harvey, Lewis, Jason, Calum
Goal scorers: Jason (3), Lewis (5), Josh, Harvey (2), Calum
After last week's game being called off due to poor weather, it was great to eventually re-start the season today. The Youngstars got off to a flyer in the first 15 minutes, with some great play from Lewis and Jason. Some typically strong defending from Mark in his own box allowed the ball to break to Lewis, who looked up and fired the ball over the half-way line to Jason. One-on-one with the keeper, Jason cleverly chipped the ball over his head and into the net for the game's first goal. Soon afterwards, Lewis won the ball just outside the Haddington box and hammered it towards goal. The keeper managed to get a hand to it, but could only deflect it into the goals. With Kyle absent through injury, Innes took his place in goals for the first quarter and made a couple of excellent saves, diving down low to smother the ball. Lewis then scored his second after a throw-out from the Haddington keeper found it's way into his path. He strode forward and tucked the ball under the keeper's body to make it 3-0.
Haddingston played better in the second quarter and gave the Youngstars a real test. Harvey had a shot in goals and managed to get in front of a powerful shot, but it deflected behind him and into the net. Morgan played brilliantly on the right wing during this period, with numerous tackles, mazy runs and attempts at goal (and he was really unlucky not to score from a particular effort that went narrowly past the post).
Early in the third quarter, Josh hit a fantastic corner that looped over the keeper and went straight into the net. Moments later, he lofted in another fantastic corner which Lewis got on the end of and headered just wide. The Youngstars piled on the pressure and a great cross from Lewis was met by Jason in the six yard box and he fired the ball through the keeper's legs for his second goal of the match. Jason then set up the team's sixth goal as he crossed from the right wing and Lewis headered the ball past the advancing keeper. Seconds later, Jason again crossed the ball into the box where Lewis was waiting to strike and he scored his fourth. He then got a fifth after winning the ball outside the Haddington box and calmly stroking it into the bottom corner of the net. Haddington pulled one back, though, with some great dribbling from their striker followed by a cracking shot between two Youngstars defenders. However, Jason then completed his hat-trick after a nice short corner routine with Josh.
Sam played well in the final quarter with some fantastic tackles in the midfield. Lewis played in goals for this period and was called upon to make a number of brilliant saves. His powerful kick-outs also helped set up good attacking moves, one of which resulted in a goal for Harvey. Jason picked up Lewis' kick-out on the right wing, then chipped the ball over towards Harvey who had broken forward from his central midfield position. Harvey finished the move with ease as he blasted the ball into the goals. He then scored his second after some great passing play between Jason and Calum. Haddington scored their third a few moments later, but the Youngstars finished the scoring after Jason's shot came off the cross-bar and fell kindly for Calum who knocked the ball into the net with the last kick of the match. All in all, a great start to the second half of the season.
Teamsheet: Innes, Mark, Morgan, Josh, Sam, Harvey, Lewis, Jason, Calum
Goal scorers: Jason (3), Lewis (5), Josh, Harvey (2), Calum
Saturday, June 7, 2008
PENCAITLAND TOO HOT TO HANDLE
MYS Black Stripes 1 - 11 Pencaitland Blue (7Jun08)
This was, by far, the hottest day we've played in - and Pencaitland were simply too hot for the Youngstars to deal with. Things started promisingly with a great goal from Josh. Having won the ball in the middle of the park, he played it out wide to Calum who manged to hold off his defender and lay it back. Josh quickly got it under control just outside the box and lobbed it over the keeper into the top corner. Pencaitland turned up the heat, however, and pulled one back quickly. Their star striker skipped straight through the Youngstars' defence and fired a cracking shot at goal. Kyle managed to get a hand to it, but it deflected into the net. Seconds later, Pencaitland almost scored another in exactly the same way - but this time Kyle managed to block the shot with a great save.
After that, it was all one-way traffic with Pencaitland making chance after chance. The Pencaitland striker was simply too strong, and he scored numerous others himself and set up many for his team mates.
Taking the positives out of the game, all the kids showed some elements of development. Kyle had made a few good saves before having to come off feeling ill, but Calum proved to be a more than capable replacement making some outstanding saves of his own. Mark did his usual solid defending, and was particularly good at holding off the attackers whilst waiting for support from his midfielders. Innes did well tracking back when we lost the ball and made a few brave blocks. Morgan was strong with his tackles and had a number of powerful clearances to relieve the pressure. Sam showed great determination to win the ball and look for team mates to pass to, whilst Harvey displayed his usual energy up and down the park. Josh continued to prove that he his is an exceptional midfielder, winning tackles and making great passes forward. And Lennon once again showed great ball control and tricks out on the wing.
So, despite the defeat, there was some good football on display from the Youngstars and we can look to improve on this further during training and into the next game.
Teamsheet: Kyle, Mark, Innes, Morgan, Sam, Harvey, Josh, Lennon, Calum.
Goal scorer: Josh
This was, by far, the hottest day we've played in - and Pencaitland were simply too hot for the Youngstars to deal with. Things started promisingly with a great goal from Josh. Having won the ball in the middle of the park, he played it out wide to Calum who manged to hold off his defender and lay it back. Josh quickly got it under control just outside the box and lobbed it over the keeper into the top corner. Pencaitland turned up the heat, however, and pulled one back quickly. Their star striker skipped straight through the Youngstars' defence and fired a cracking shot at goal. Kyle managed to get a hand to it, but it deflected into the net. Seconds later, Pencaitland almost scored another in exactly the same way - but this time Kyle managed to block the shot with a great save.
After that, it was all one-way traffic with Pencaitland making chance after chance. The Pencaitland striker was simply too strong, and he scored numerous others himself and set up many for his team mates.
Taking the positives out of the game, all the kids showed some elements of development. Kyle had made a few good saves before having to come off feeling ill, but Calum proved to be a more than capable replacement making some outstanding saves of his own. Mark did his usual solid defending, and was particularly good at holding off the attackers whilst waiting for support from his midfielders. Innes did well tracking back when we lost the ball and made a few brave blocks. Morgan was strong with his tackles and had a number of powerful clearances to relieve the pressure. Sam showed great determination to win the ball and look for team mates to pass to, whilst Harvey displayed his usual energy up and down the park. Josh continued to prove that he his is an exceptional midfielder, winning tackles and making great passes forward. And Lennon once again showed great ball control and tricks out on the wing.
So, despite the defeat, there was some good football on display from the Youngstars and we can look to improve on this further during training and into the next game.
Teamsheet: Kyle, Mark, Innes, Morgan, Sam, Harvey, Josh, Lennon, Calum.
Goal scorer: Josh
Sunday, May 18, 2008
LONGNIDDRY TOURNAMENT RESULTS
Longniddry Villa - Summer Tournament (17May08)
The kids played some great football today, with some help from a few members of the Blue Stripes squad (who had kindly agreed to cover for some absentees). The team won their group, but were beaten in the final against a typically strong North Berwick side. However, the boys can take heart from the way the played throughout the tournament, with some excellent passing and skills on display for the crowd. Our defending and goal-keeping was great, and everyone seemed to enjoy the whole event.
The results were as follows:
The kids played some great football today, with some help from a few members of the Blue Stripes squad (who had kindly agreed to cover for some absentees). The team won their group, but were beaten in the final against a typically strong North Berwick side. However, the boys can take heart from the way the played throughout the tournament, with some excellent passing and skills on display for the crowd. Our defending and goal-keeping was great, and everyone seemed to enjoy the whole event.
The results were as follows:
- Tranent Colts 0 - 3 MYS Black Stripes (Jason G, Jason J (2))
- Haddington Athletic 2 - 2 MYS Black Stripes (Keiron (2))
- Longniddry Villa 0 - 4 MYS Black Stripes (Lennon, Lewis, Calum, Keiron)
- North Berwick Hawks 4 - 0 MYS Black Stripes
Saturday, May 10, 2008
TRANENT TOO TOUGH
MYS Black Stripes 4-5 Tranent Colts (10May08)
The conditions were great for today's match, with no wind or rain for the kids to deal with. Tranent fielded a strong team, with a numer of tall and powerful players - but this proved to be a good stretch for the Youngstars. Mark and Innes played well again in defence, keeping the Tranet strikers at bay, and Lennon showed some excellent skills and tricks out on the right wing throughout the match. The opening goal came from a superb shot from Josh, which the keeper spilled and (as usual) Calum was alert enough to pounce on the ball and hammer it into the net.
Brandon Cullen joined the team for today's game, and started up-front in the second period. He had an excellent game and was unlucky not to score on a few occassions. On today's display, it's a shame that he's unable to remain with the squad due to other commitments. But, if his circumstances change, he'll certainly be welcomed back into the team. Tranent scored an equaliser early on in this period, but the Youngstars kept their heads up and fought back with a few good attacks. A great shot from Harvey was saved by the keeper and deflected out to Brandon. From a very tight angle, he managed to squeeze the ball under the keeper but it bounced off the back post and went wide. Tranent then broke through the Youngstars defence and forced an excellent save from Kyle. However, they managed to take the lead when a low shot slid under Kyle's diving hands, and fell to a Tranent striker who was able to tap the ball into the empty goals. Again, though, the Youngstars hit back when Brandon won the ball on the half-way line, skipped past his marker and charged towards goal. He hit a smashing shot past the keeper and hit the post, but the ball bounced back off the shin of a Tranent defender and into the net. The Youngstars restored their lead soon afterwards when Lennon's corner found Harvey in the box. Harvey's shot was saved by the keeper but the ball fell back at his feet and his second shot was deflected to Sam who kept his cool and passed it into the goal past the diving keeper.
In the third period, Tranent proved to be too strong with their bigger players finding it very easy to shove the Youngstars off the ball. A couple of Tranent goals put them in the lead going into the last 15 minutes of the match.
The Youngstars scored a good equaliser, again when Brandon won the ball in the midfield. He played a great through pass to Calum who, one on one with the keeper, slotted the ball into the bottom corner. Brandon was further involved when a couple of great shots were saved by the Tranent keeper. Morgan had a few great clearances from defence and was brave to win a fantastic header to keep Tranent out. It looked like the game would end in a draw, but a smashing pass from a Tranent midfileder went straight through the Youngstars' defence and a Tranent striker was in a great position to slot the ball past Kyle.
All in all, it was a great game today. Some fantastic passing throughout the game (particularly between Calum, Lennon, and Brandon) and a good test against bigger and stronger players.
Teamsheet: Kyle, Mark, Innes, Morgan, Josh, Sam, Harvey, Lennon, Calum, Brandon
Goal scorers: Calum (2), Sam, Own Goal
The conditions were great for today's match, with no wind or rain for the kids to deal with. Tranent fielded a strong team, with a numer of tall and powerful players - but this proved to be a good stretch for the Youngstars. Mark and Innes played well again in defence, keeping the Tranet strikers at bay, and Lennon showed some excellent skills and tricks out on the right wing throughout the match. The opening goal came from a superb shot from Josh, which the keeper spilled and (as usual) Calum was alert enough to pounce on the ball and hammer it into the net.
Brandon Cullen joined the team for today's game, and started up-front in the second period. He had an excellent game and was unlucky not to score on a few occassions. On today's display, it's a shame that he's unable to remain with the squad due to other commitments. But, if his circumstances change, he'll certainly be welcomed back into the team. Tranent scored an equaliser early on in this period, but the Youngstars kept their heads up and fought back with a few good attacks. A great shot from Harvey was saved by the keeper and deflected out to Brandon. From a very tight angle, he managed to squeeze the ball under the keeper but it bounced off the back post and went wide. Tranent then broke through the Youngstars defence and forced an excellent save from Kyle. However, they managed to take the lead when a low shot slid under Kyle's diving hands, and fell to a Tranent striker who was able to tap the ball into the empty goals. Again, though, the Youngstars hit back when Brandon won the ball on the half-way line, skipped past his marker and charged towards goal. He hit a smashing shot past the keeper and hit the post, but the ball bounced back off the shin of a Tranent defender and into the net. The Youngstars restored their lead soon afterwards when Lennon's corner found Harvey in the box. Harvey's shot was saved by the keeper but the ball fell back at his feet and his second shot was deflected to Sam who kept his cool and passed it into the goal past the diving keeper.
In the third period, Tranent proved to be too strong with their bigger players finding it very easy to shove the Youngstars off the ball. A couple of Tranent goals put them in the lead going into the last 15 minutes of the match.
The Youngstars scored a good equaliser, again when Brandon won the ball in the midfield. He played a great through pass to Calum who, one on one with the keeper, slotted the ball into the bottom corner. Brandon was further involved when a couple of great shots were saved by the Tranent keeper. Morgan had a few great clearances from defence and was brave to win a fantastic header to keep Tranent out. It looked like the game would end in a draw, but a smashing pass from a Tranent midfileder went straight through the Youngstars' defence and a Tranent striker was in a great position to slot the ball past Kyle.
All in all, it was a great game today. Some fantastic passing throughout the game (particularly between Calum, Lennon, and Brandon) and a good test against bigger and stronger players.
Teamsheet: Kyle, Mark, Innes, Morgan, Josh, Sam, Harvey, Lennon, Calum, Brandon
Goal scorers: Calum (2), Sam, Own Goal
Saturday, April 26, 2008
YOUNGSTARS DRAW, BUT A GREAT PERFORMANCE
MYS Black Stripes 2 - 2 Haddington Athletic Sky Blue (26Apr08)
Despite being a relatively low scoring game, there were a lot of positives to take from the match (particularly the rising confidence of Innes and Sam). The wind definitely played its part, causing difficulty for both teams, but all the kids tried their best to battle the conditions. Some great play between Lennon, Calum and Josh helped carve out a few early chances and the opening goal eventually came from a corner kick. Josh drilled the ball low into the box and it somehow squeezed between the keeper's legs and into the net. Haddington pulled one back though, with some great attacking play that allowed their striker to slot the ball in at Kyle's near post. Lennon displayed some great tricks and ball control out on the right hand side, but the team struggled to get past a strong Haddington defence.
The Youngstars were up against it in the second period, playing against a particularly strong wind. Morgan was worked hard out on the right wing, having to track back to defend whilst supporting our attacking moves going forward. Kyle was forced into making a couple of excellent saves as the Haddington kids took advantage of the wind behind them. Kyle was eventually beaten by a looping clearance from a Haddington midfielder. The ball was blasted high into the air and it bounced in front of Kyle, then over his head into the goals.
In the third period, the wind advantage helped and Sam had an excellent game on the left hand side of midfield. His tackling was strong, he ran back to support his defenders when needed, and showed great confidence in controlling the ball to dribble past opponents. He was involved in the set up of the Youngstar's equaliser, after winning the ball just inside the Haddington half. He skipped past his opponent with some good skill, then played a great pass through to Harvey on the right. Harvey quickly passed the ball into Calum's run inside the box and Calum kept his cool and tucked it past the advancing keeper.
The team was under real pressure in the final period, and some typically superb defending from Mark kept Haddington at bay. At one point, Mark managed to clear the ball high into the car park! Innes also had an excellent game, with strong tackling, good passing, and showing a real determination to drive forward with the ball. The Youngstars were unlucky not to score a third after Innes won a tackle in midfield and slotted the ball through to Morgan, who strode forward and played a great pass to Calum. One-on-one with the keeper, Calum hit a sound shot but, as it was against the wind, there wasn't enough power and the keeper made a good save.
All in all, the kids played well in the conditions and learned the importance of keeping the ball low when playing against the wind.
Teamsheet: Kyle, Mark, Innes, Morgan, Sam, Lennon, Josh, Harvey, Calum
Goal scorers: Josh, Calum
Despite being a relatively low scoring game, there were a lot of positives to take from the match (particularly the rising confidence of Innes and Sam). The wind definitely played its part, causing difficulty for both teams, but all the kids tried their best to battle the conditions. Some great play between Lennon, Calum and Josh helped carve out a few early chances and the opening goal eventually came from a corner kick. Josh drilled the ball low into the box and it somehow squeezed between the keeper's legs and into the net. Haddington pulled one back though, with some great attacking play that allowed their striker to slot the ball in at Kyle's near post. Lennon displayed some great tricks and ball control out on the right hand side, but the team struggled to get past a strong Haddington defence.
The Youngstars were up against it in the second period, playing against a particularly strong wind. Morgan was worked hard out on the right wing, having to track back to defend whilst supporting our attacking moves going forward. Kyle was forced into making a couple of excellent saves as the Haddington kids took advantage of the wind behind them. Kyle was eventually beaten by a looping clearance from a Haddington midfielder. The ball was blasted high into the air and it bounced in front of Kyle, then over his head into the goals.
In the third period, the wind advantage helped and Sam had an excellent game on the left hand side of midfield. His tackling was strong, he ran back to support his defenders when needed, and showed great confidence in controlling the ball to dribble past opponents. He was involved in the set up of the Youngstar's equaliser, after winning the ball just inside the Haddington half. He skipped past his opponent with some good skill, then played a great pass through to Harvey on the right. Harvey quickly passed the ball into Calum's run inside the box and Calum kept his cool and tucked it past the advancing keeper.
The team was under real pressure in the final period, and some typically superb defending from Mark kept Haddington at bay. At one point, Mark managed to clear the ball high into the car park! Innes also had an excellent game, with strong tackling, good passing, and showing a real determination to drive forward with the ball. The Youngstars were unlucky not to score a third after Innes won a tackle in midfield and slotted the ball through to Morgan, who strode forward and played a great pass to Calum. One-on-one with the keeper, Calum hit a sound shot but, as it was against the wind, there wasn't enough power and the keeper made a good save.
All in all, the kids played well in the conditions and learned the importance of keeping the ball low when playing against the wind.
Teamsheet: Kyle, Mark, Innes, Morgan, Sam, Lennon, Josh, Harvey, Calum
Goal scorers: Josh, Calum
Saturday, April 19, 2008
MORGAN SCORES FOR BOTH TEAMS
Dunbar Utd Black 13 - 8 MYS Black Stripes (19Apr08)
The Black Stripes team suffered its heaviest defeat for a couple of years today, after a strong start. Jason G was drafted in from the Blue Stripes to help out a depleted squad, and made an immediate impact by scoring early on. He managed to find space wide on the right and drilled in a low cross which the Dunbar keeper could only parry into his own net. Jason soon scored a second with a great chip over the keeper's outstretched arms. Dunbar fought back, however, and forced a brilliant save from Kyle, diving to his left and pushing the ball out for a corner. Continued Dunbar pressure eventually resulted in a goal when a high ball bounced in front of Innes but he couldn't get it clear. The Dunbar striker pounced and blasted the ball past Kyle.
The Dunbar kids played very well in the second period, with the wind behind them. Despite some great defending from Mark, they scored three quick goals without reply. Just before the end of the period, though, Josh won the ball in the middle of the park and dribbled round the Dunbar defence. He then smashed a superb shot into the net to make the score 4-3.
In the third period, the Youngstars played much better despite losing two quick goals (one of which was an amazing own goal from Morgan into the top corner). Jason, Harvey and Lennon combined well and managed to create four goals. For the first, Jason won the ball in midfield and passed to Harvey wide on the right. Harvey skipped round the Dunbar defence and fired the ball off the far post and into the corner of the net. He was on the score-sheet minutes later after Lennon shrugged off his marker and played a brilliant pass into his path on the right. Once again, Harvey kept calm and placed the ball past the advancing keeper. Lennon then set up the equaliser by passing the ball between the Dunbar defenders for Jason to strike into the top corner. The Youngstars then took the lead as Harvey crossed the ball in low from the right. Lennon's shot hit the goalkeeper but the ball was deflected into Morgan's path and he hammered it into the bottom corner.
Things fell apart in the final quarter as Dunbar piled on the pressure. Three quick goals gave them a comfortable lead and the Youngstars' heads started to drop. Kyle made a couple of great saves, but was helpless at most of the goals. Josh pulled one back for the Youngstars with a cross that sailed over the keeper's head, but the Dunbar players punished every mistake and scored a further four goals. Sam played well with good running back to help his defence, but in the end Dunbar were simply too strong. Still, this was a valuable lesson for the Youngstars and demonstrated the need to keep good concentration throughout the whole match. Hopefully, the boys will learn from this and become stronger in future games.
Teamsheet: Kyle, Mark, Innes, Morgan, Sam, Jason G, Josh, Harvey, Lennon
Goal-scorers: Jason G (3), Harvey (2), Josh (2), Morgan
The Black Stripes team suffered its heaviest defeat for a couple of years today, after a strong start. Jason G was drafted in from the Blue Stripes to help out a depleted squad, and made an immediate impact by scoring early on. He managed to find space wide on the right and drilled in a low cross which the Dunbar keeper could only parry into his own net. Jason soon scored a second with a great chip over the keeper's outstretched arms. Dunbar fought back, however, and forced a brilliant save from Kyle, diving to his left and pushing the ball out for a corner. Continued Dunbar pressure eventually resulted in a goal when a high ball bounced in front of Innes but he couldn't get it clear. The Dunbar striker pounced and blasted the ball past Kyle.
The Dunbar kids played very well in the second period, with the wind behind them. Despite some great defending from Mark, they scored three quick goals without reply. Just before the end of the period, though, Josh won the ball in the middle of the park and dribbled round the Dunbar defence. He then smashed a superb shot into the net to make the score 4-3.
In the third period, the Youngstars played much better despite losing two quick goals (one of which was an amazing own goal from Morgan into the top corner). Jason, Harvey and Lennon combined well and managed to create four goals. For the first, Jason won the ball in midfield and passed to Harvey wide on the right. Harvey skipped round the Dunbar defence and fired the ball off the far post and into the corner of the net. He was on the score-sheet minutes later after Lennon shrugged off his marker and played a brilliant pass into his path on the right. Once again, Harvey kept calm and placed the ball past the advancing keeper. Lennon then set up the equaliser by passing the ball between the Dunbar defenders for Jason to strike into the top corner. The Youngstars then took the lead as Harvey crossed the ball in low from the right. Lennon's shot hit the goalkeeper but the ball was deflected into Morgan's path and he hammered it into the bottom corner.
Things fell apart in the final quarter as Dunbar piled on the pressure. Three quick goals gave them a comfortable lead and the Youngstars' heads started to drop. Kyle made a couple of great saves, but was helpless at most of the goals. Josh pulled one back for the Youngstars with a cross that sailed over the keeper's head, but the Dunbar players punished every mistake and scored a further four goals. Sam played well with good running back to help his defence, but in the end Dunbar were simply too strong. Still, this was a valuable lesson for the Youngstars and demonstrated the need to keep good concentration throughout the whole match. Hopefully, the boys will learn from this and become stronger in future games.
Teamsheet: Kyle, Mark, Innes, Morgan, Sam, Jason G, Josh, Harvey, Lennon
Goal-scorers: Jason G (3), Harvey (2), Josh (2), Morgan
Saturday, April 12, 2008
YOUNGSTARS TOO STRONG IN THE END
MYS Black Stripes 6 - 4 Haddington Athletic Clarets (12Apr08)
We had a great performance from the kids today, on their first game back after the Easter break. Haddington took the lead in the first period with a great chip from just inside the box. Some good tracking back from Innes, and strong saves from Kyle helped prevent any further goals from Haddington's waves of attack.
In the second period, the Youngstars came back into the match with a cracking shot from Lennon that hammered the crossbar. Some further pressure eventually paid off with Mark blasting the ball through the centre to Harvey, who skipped past a defender and passed the ball into the net past the diving keeper. Haddington went back into the lead, though, when a good cross from the left was met on the volley by their striker and the ball sailed past Kyle. The best goal of the game came next, after a good kick-out from the Haddington keeper. Harvey won the ball with a header towards Calum, who played a first touch pass back into Harvey's path. Harvey simply looked up and lobbed the ball over the keeper's head to score his second equaliser. Haddington then scored a third goal with a powerful shot that Kyle got a hand to, but couldn't stop the ball crossing the line.
Early in the third period, Haddington went two goals ahead with another chip into the top corner. However, a defensive error let the Youngstars back into the game as Calum pounced on the ball and hit a great shot into the bottom corner. Mark's clearances and kick-ins had been brilliant all day and he set up the next goal when his strong kick-in found Harvey in space on the left. Harvey kept his cool and slotted the ball past the advancing keeper to equalise yet again. The Youngstars then took the lead for the first time when a free-kick from Mark was spilled by the Haddington keeper. Once again, Calum was alert and managed to get to the ball first and blast it home. Some good tackling from Mark, Sam, and Innes in the box frustrated the Haddingston strikers as the Youngstars were put under real pressure.
A string of fine saves from Kyle helped keep Haddington out in the final quarter, and the Youngstars eventually went two goals ahead. Some great skill from Sam on the left wing allowed him to skip past a defender and play a good pass into Harvey's feet. Again Harvey took his time and placed the ball into the net for the final goal of the game. Morgan was playing on the left of midfield and made many great runs back to help out his defenders and keep Haddington at bay. All in all, a great performance from the kids today and a thoroughly entertaining match.
Teamsheet: Kyle, Mark, Innes, Morgan, Sam, Harvey, Lennon, Calum
Goal-scorers: Harvey (4), Calum (2)
We had a great performance from the kids today, on their first game back after the Easter break. Haddington took the lead in the first period with a great chip from just inside the box. Some good tracking back from Innes, and strong saves from Kyle helped prevent any further goals from Haddington's waves of attack.
In the second period, the Youngstars came back into the match with a cracking shot from Lennon that hammered the crossbar. Some further pressure eventually paid off with Mark blasting the ball through the centre to Harvey, who skipped past a defender and passed the ball into the net past the diving keeper. Haddington went back into the lead, though, when a good cross from the left was met on the volley by their striker and the ball sailed past Kyle. The best goal of the game came next, after a good kick-out from the Haddington keeper. Harvey won the ball with a header towards Calum, who played a first touch pass back into Harvey's path. Harvey simply looked up and lobbed the ball over the keeper's head to score his second equaliser. Haddington then scored a third goal with a powerful shot that Kyle got a hand to, but couldn't stop the ball crossing the line.
Early in the third period, Haddington went two goals ahead with another chip into the top corner. However, a defensive error let the Youngstars back into the game as Calum pounced on the ball and hit a great shot into the bottom corner. Mark's clearances and kick-ins had been brilliant all day and he set up the next goal when his strong kick-in found Harvey in space on the left. Harvey kept his cool and slotted the ball past the advancing keeper to equalise yet again. The Youngstars then took the lead for the first time when a free-kick from Mark was spilled by the Haddington keeper. Once again, Calum was alert and managed to get to the ball first and blast it home. Some good tackling from Mark, Sam, and Innes in the box frustrated the Haddingston strikers as the Youngstars were put under real pressure.
A string of fine saves from Kyle helped keep Haddington out in the final quarter, and the Youngstars eventually went two goals ahead. Some great skill from Sam on the left wing allowed him to skip past a defender and play a good pass into Harvey's feet. Again Harvey took his time and placed the ball into the net for the final goal of the game. Morgan was playing on the left of midfield and made many great runs back to help out his defenders and keep Haddington at bay. All in all, a great performance from the kids today and a thoroughly entertaining match.
Teamsheet: Kyle, Mark, Innes, Morgan, Sam, Harvey, Lennon, Calum
Goal-scorers: Harvey (4), Calum (2)
Saturday, March 15, 2008
PLENTY OF GOALS!
Longniddry Villa 1 - 14 MYS Black Stripes (15Mar08)
The Youngstars got off to a great start to this match, with three early goals. The first was scored following a great passing move, where Lennon found Calum who slotted the ball into Dylan's path and he smashed it home. Dylan soon scored his second goal, after collecting a pass from Harvey wide on the right wing, dribbling past a couple of defenders and hammering the ball into the net. Dylan was involved in the third goal with a good pass out to Lennon on the left hand side. Lennon looked up and played the ball towards Harvey, who placed it passed the keeper to make it 3-0. Sam and Innes played brilliant in defence together, winning every tackle and preventing any chances for Longniddry to score.
Longniddry played well in the second quarter, but were eventually broken down three times in the last five minutes. Josh scored a great goal first of all, from just inside the box. This was quickly followed by a goal from Calum. Mark had cleared the ball from defence up to Lennon who passed infield to Calum. After turning his marker, Calum blasted the ball past the keeper for goal number five. Josh then scored his second after winning the ball in the middle of the pitch, dribbling through the defence and slotting the ball into the bottom corner of the goals.
Josh set up an early goal in the third quarter as his pass found Lennon on the penalty spot. Lennon's powerful shot was deflected off the keeper's hands and into the roof of the net. Josh then completed his hat-trick as he picked up a defensive clearance just outside the box and placed the ball low past the keeper's right hand side. The Youngstars won many corners, allowing the defenders to push up into the box looking for a goal. This paid off following a short corner from Harvey and Josh - the ball eventually found it's way to the back post, where Morgan was waiting for an easy tap-in. Morgan was involved in the next goal, as his great clearance was met by Dylan who charged forward and scored his hat-trick. For the final goal of this quarter, Dylan managed to block a kick-out from Longniddry and the ball fell kindly for Harvey who fired it past the diving keeper.
Innes took a shot in goals for the last quarter, giving Kyle the chance to play up-front. He was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet but played very well turning his defenders and winning lots of tackles high up the pitch. A poor kick-out from the Longniddry keeper lead to Dylan's fourth goal as he intercepted the pass and scored with a great shot into the top corner. With the Youngstars pushing further and further forward, Longniddry managed to break free by winning the ball on the half-way line. Their striker headed straight for goal and managed to squeeze the ball past Innes to get on the score-sheet. The Youngstars bounced straight back though, with Dylan bombing down the left wing, cutting inside and hammering the ball into the net. Then, some great play by Morgan followed as he played the ball to the back post for Calum to score the final goal of the match.
Teamsheet: Kyle, Mark, Innes, Morgan, Sam, Josh, Lennon, Harvey, Dylan, Calum
Goal scorers: Dylan (5), Josh (3), Harvey (2), Calum (2), Lennon, Morgan
The Youngstars got off to a great start to this match, with three early goals. The first was scored following a great passing move, where Lennon found Calum who slotted the ball into Dylan's path and he smashed it home. Dylan soon scored his second goal, after collecting a pass from Harvey wide on the right wing, dribbling past a couple of defenders and hammering the ball into the net. Dylan was involved in the third goal with a good pass out to Lennon on the left hand side. Lennon looked up and played the ball towards Harvey, who placed it passed the keeper to make it 3-0. Sam and Innes played brilliant in defence together, winning every tackle and preventing any chances for Longniddry to score.
Longniddry played well in the second quarter, but were eventually broken down three times in the last five minutes. Josh scored a great goal first of all, from just inside the box. This was quickly followed by a goal from Calum. Mark had cleared the ball from defence up to Lennon who passed infield to Calum. After turning his marker, Calum blasted the ball past the keeper for goal number five. Josh then scored his second after winning the ball in the middle of the pitch, dribbling through the defence and slotting the ball into the bottom corner of the goals.
Josh set up an early goal in the third quarter as his pass found Lennon on the penalty spot. Lennon's powerful shot was deflected off the keeper's hands and into the roof of the net. Josh then completed his hat-trick as he picked up a defensive clearance just outside the box and placed the ball low past the keeper's right hand side. The Youngstars won many corners, allowing the defenders to push up into the box looking for a goal. This paid off following a short corner from Harvey and Josh - the ball eventually found it's way to the back post, where Morgan was waiting for an easy tap-in. Morgan was involved in the next goal, as his great clearance was met by Dylan who charged forward and scored his hat-trick. For the final goal of this quarter, Dylan managed to block a kick-out from Longniddry and the ball fell kindly for Harvey who fired it past the diving keeper.
Innes took a shot in goals for the last quarter, giving Kyle the chance to play up-front. He was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet but played very well turning his defenders and winning lots of tackles high up the pitch. A poor kick-out from the Longniddry keeper lead to Dylan's fourth goal as he intercepted the pass and scored with a great shot into the top corner. With the Youngstars pushing further and further forward, Longniddry managed to break free by winning the ball on the half-way line. Their striker headed straight for goal and managed to squeeze the ball past Innes to get on the score-sheet. The Youngstars bounced straight back though, with Dylan bombing down the left wing, cutting inside and hammering the ball into the net. Then, some great play by Morgan followed as he played the ball to the back post for Calum to score the final goal of the match.
Teamsheet: Kyle, Mark, Innes, Morgan, Sam, Josh, Lennon, Harvey, Dylan, Calum
Goal scorers: Dylan (5), Josh (3), Harvey (2), Calum (2), Lennon, Morgan
Saturday, March 8, 2008
MATCH ABANDONED!
N.Berwick Eagles 1 - 1 MYS Black Stripes (8Mar08)
For the first time ever, our match was abandoned today due to some horrendous weather conditions. It started off dry, but very windy. However, about 5 minutes into the game the rain began to fall. Kyle managed to get his hands onto the very slippy ball on a couple of occasions - but a good strike from a North Berwick forward found its way into the net for the opening goal. Mark and Innes played very well at the back, with a number of great tackles preventing any further North Berwick goals. The Youngstars were unlucky to score a quick equaliser through Calum's header and a great shot from Harvey which was cleared off the line. After some neat play between Sam and Calum on the left, the equaliser eventually came as Josh collected the ball and skipped past a North Berwick defender. He then fired the ball into the bottom left hand corner.
As the whistle blew for the end of the first quarter, the heavens opened and the driving rain showed no signs of stopping. The match was then abandoned, with Dylan and Lennon not even getting a chance to show their skills on the pitch today. All the kids were thoroughly soaked, so quitting the match was definitely the right thing to do.
Teamsheet: Kyle, Mark, Innes, Josh, Sam, Harvey, Lennon, Dylan, Calum
Scorer: Josh
For the first time ever, our match was abandoned today due to some horrendous weather conditions. It started off dry, but very windy. However, about 5 minutes into the game the rain began to fall. Kyle managed to get his hands onto the very slippy ball on a couple of occasions - but a good strike from a North Berwick forward found its way into the net for the opening goal. Mark and Innes played very well at the back, with a number of great tackles preventing any further North Berwick goals. The Youngstars were unlucky to score a quick equaliser through Calum's header and a great shot from Harvey which was cleared off the line. After some neat play between Sam and Calum on the left, the equaliser eventually came as Josh collected the ball and skipped past a North Berwick defender. He then fired the ball into the bottom left hand corner.
As the whistle blew for the end of the first quarter, the heavens opened and the driving rain showed no signs of stopping. The match was then abandoned, with Dylan and Lennon not even getting a chance to show their skills on the pitch today. All the kids were thoroughly soaked, so quitting the match was definitely the right thing to do.
Teamsheet: Kyle, Mark, Innes, Josh, Sam, Harvey, Lennon, Dylan, Calum
Scorer: Josh
Saturday, March 1, 2008
SUMMER FOOTBALL BEGINS
Tranent Juniors 1 - 7 MYS Black Stripes (1Mar08)
A very cold and windy start to the new season today - so much for Summer Football! An early goal for the Youngstars helped settle things down and got the crowd cheering. Dylan played a great corner towards the 6 yard area and the ball deflected of a Tranent defender's knee into the net. With the wind behind them, Tranent came back strong and were unlucky not to score a quick equaliser thanks to a great goal line clearance from Innes. The Youngstars soon scored a second goal following a great passing move. Harvey won the ball on the right hand side of midfield and played it towards Calum in the middle. Calum pushed the ball out to Dylan, wide on the left hand side and he skipped past a defender before playing it back to Calum in the middle. Calum then passed the ball out to Harvey on the right who hammered it past the keeper. Towards the end of the first period, Mark had pushed forward and crossed the ball from just outside the box towards Dylan, who quickly got it under control and blasted it through the keeper's legs.
No goals were scored in the second period, but some great play from Josh and Lennon in midfield helped keep Tranent pegged back deep in their own half.
Right from kick-off in the third period, Dylan drove forwards and scored a great goal with the outside of his boot into the bottom corner of the net. Kyle was soon forced into a great save after a strong shot was deflected off Calum's knee and the ball was headed towards the inside of the post. However a great diving save from Kyle pushed the ball out for a corner. Tranent continued to push forward, and used the wind to their advantage to score a cracking goal. From out wide on the right hand side, a Tranent midfielder played the ball high towards Kyle's goals. It dipped just under the crossbar and gave the Tranent kids a well deserved goal. Dylan then scored another goal when his shot was spilled by the Tranent keeper. Rather than admiring his shot, he had continued to follow up and stuck his foot out to squeeze the ball into the net.
In the final period, another corner from Dylan was deflected off a defender and into the goals to make the score 6-1 to the Youngstars. Harvey then managed to get his second goal of the game when the keeper saved a shot from Dylan, but could only deflect it towards Harvey. With his head up, Harvey spotted a gap in the corner and slotted the ball in for the final goal of the match.
Teamsheet: Kyle, Mark, Innes, Josh, Harvey, Lennon, Dylan, Calum
Goal scorers: Harvey (2), Dylan (3), Own Goal (2)
A very cold and windy start to the new season today - so much for Summer Football! An early goal for the Youngstars helped settle things down and got the crowd cheering. Dylan played a great corner towards the 6 yard area and the ball deflected of a Tranent defender's knee into the net. With the wind behind them, Tranent came back strong and were unlucky not to score a quick equaliser thanks to a great goal line clearance from Innes. The Youngstars soon scored a second goal following a great passing move. Harvey won the ball on the right hand side of midfield and played it towards Calum in the middle. Calum pushed the ball out to Dylan, wide on the left hand side and he skipped past a defender before playing it back to Calum in the middle. Calum then passed the ball out to Harvey on the right who hammered it past the keeper. Towards the end of the first period, Mark had pushed forward and crossed the ball from just outside the box towards Dylan, who quickly got it under control and blasted it through the keeper's legs.
No goals were scored in the second period, but some great play from Josh and Lennon in midfield helped keep Tranent pegged back deep in their own half.
Right from kick-off in the third period, Dylan drove forwards and scored a great goal with the outside of his boot into the bottom corner of the net. Kyle was soon forced into a great save after a strong shot was deflected off Calum's knee and the ball was headed towards the inside of the post. However a great diving save from Kyle pushed the ball out for a corner. Tranent continued to push forward, and used the wind to their advantage to score a cracking goal. From out wide on the right hand side, a Tranent midfielder played the ball high towards Kyle's goals. It dipped just under the crossbar and gave the Tranent kids a well deserved goal. Dylan then scored another goal when his shot was spilled by the Tranent keeper. Rather than admiring his shot, he had continued to follow up and stuck his foot out to squeeze the ball into the net.
In the final period, another corner from Dylan was deflected off a defender and into the goals to make the score 6-1 to the Youngstars. Harvey then managed to get his second goal of the game when the keeper saved a shot from Dylan, but could only deflect it towards Harvey. With his head up, Harvey spotted a gap in the corner and slotted the ball in for the final goal of the match.
Teamsheet: Kyle, Mark, Innes, Josh, Harvey, Lennon, Dylan, Calum
Goal scorers: Harvey (2), Dylan (3), Own Goal (2)
Monday, February 18, 2008
INDOOR TOURNAMENT RESULTS
Meadowmill Sports Centre (2Feb07)
This was a great day out for the kids, competing in their first ever 5-a-sides indoor tournament. Lots of goals were scored over the course of the day, with the Blue Stripes playing in the morning session and the Black Stripes in the afternoon. Each squad was split in two, with some kids playing for the morning and afternoon sessions to cover a few absences on the day.
Here's the results for the Black Stripes squad:
Pitch 1 - Dylan, Mark, Calum, Innes, Cameron/Jason J
Pitch 2 - Harvey, Kyle, Sam, Josh, Lennon
This was a great day out for the kids, competing in their first ever 5-a-sides indoor tournament. Lots of goals were scored over the course of the day, with the Blue Stripes playing in the morning session and the Black Stripes in the afternoon. Each squad was split in two, with some kids playing for the morning and afternoon sessions to cover a few absences on the day.
Here's the results for the Black Stripes squad:
Pitch 1 - Dylan, Mark, Calum, Innes, Cameron/Jason J
- MYS Black Stripes 3 - 2 Haddington Ath Clarets
- MYS Black Stripes 0 - 4 Pencaitland
- MYS Black Stripes 5 - 4 Seton BC Colts
- MYS Black Stripes 4 - 3 Dunbar Utd White
- MYS Black Stripes 7 - 0 Tranent Jnrs
- MYS Black Stripes 2 - 2 Dunbar Utd White
- MYS Black Stripes 3 - 2 Seton BC Colts
Pitch 2 - Harvey, Kyle, Sam, Josh, Lennon
- MYS Black Stripes 4 - 0 Tranent Jnrs
- MYS Black Stripes 2 - 2 Dunbar Utd White
- MYS Black Stripes 8 - 0 Seton BC Colts
- MYS Black Stripes 2 - 4 Pencaitland
- MYS Black Stripes 2 - 1 Dunbar Utd White
- MYS Black Stripes 4 - 1 Haddington Ath Clarets
Sunday, February 17, 2008
DUNBAR PROVE TOO STRONG
Dunbar Utd Black 9 - 6 MYS Black Stripes (16Feb08)
With the move to summer football resulting in the cancellation of league matches in February, a friendly match was arranged with Dunbar. This proved to be a really good work-out for the kids, in preparation of the new league starting in March. Dunbar opened the scoring fairly early on, but the Youngstars bounced back with a quick equaliser. Sam had been having a great game in this first period, and really building his confidence. He won the ball in the Dunbar half and then spotted Calum making a geat run forwards. Sam played a fantastic pass into Calum's feet, and Calum quickly controlled the ball and slotted it into the bottom corner of the net.
No goals were scored in the second quarter, mainly thanks to some excellent defending from both teams. For the Youngstars, Innes made a number of great tackles, and Mark swept up brilliantly throughout (including a superb goal-line clearance) to keep Dunbar at bay. Kyle was also relied upon to make a number of good diving saves. At the other end, Harvey, Morgan and Calum played some excellent football but were unable to break through the Dunbar defence.
Things fell apart for the team in the third quarter after a reasonable start. After a cracking Dunbar goal (straight into the top corner from a shot outside the box), the Youngstars grabbed another quick equaliser. Harvey played a great cross into the box and the Dunbar keeper got a hand to the ball - but it dropped to Lennon who passed it into the back of the net. However, Dunbar soon proved too strong with many attacks down the right hand side resulting in great passes and crosses into the Youngstars' penalty area. Five goals were scored in quick succession, resulting in a 7-2 lead for Dunbar at the end of the third period.
The Youngstars improved in the final quarter and managed to claw back a goal straight away. Josh took a corner on the left and the ball proved too difficult to defend as a Dunbar defender deflected it into his own net. Shortly afterwards, the Dunbar keeper cleared the ball out of the box but it fell to Harvey and he strode forward and blasted the ball into the bottom corner of the goals. Dunbar scored another goal to make it 8-4, but some great corners from Josh almost resulted in further goals for the Youngstars. Lennon was unfortunate not to score on two occassions - one from a header that wend narrowly wide, and another from a cracking shot that hit the crossbar. Another goal did arrive from a brilliant run from Josh down the right hand side. His cross was perfect for Calum to knock the ball into the net. Dunbar then scored another goal from a corner of their own but, again, the Youngstars kept their heads up and pulled one back. Josh had charged straight through the Dunbar defence and fired the ball past the keeper in the final minute of the match. Overall, this was a really enjoyable game with plenty of goals for the spectators to enjoy.
Teamsheet: Kyle, Mark, Innes, Morgan, Josh, Sam, Harvey, Lennon, Calum
Goal scorers: Calum (2), Lennon, Harvey, Josh, Own Goal
With the move to summer football resulting in the cancellation of league matches in February, a friendly match was arranged with Dunbar. This proved to be a really good work-out for the kids, in preparation of the new league starting in March. Dunbar opened the scoring fairly early on, but the Youngstars bounced back with a quick equaliser. Sam had been having a great game in this first period, and really building his confidence. He won the ball in the Dunbar half and then spotted Calum making a geat run forwards. Sam played a fantastic pass into Calum's feet, and Calum quickly controlled the ball and slotted it into the bottom corner of the net.
No goals were scored in the second quarter, mainly thanks to some excellent defending from both teams. For the Youngstars, Innes made a number of great tackles, and Mark swept up brilliantly throughout (including a superb goal-line clearance) to keep Dunbar at bay. Kyle was also relied upon to make a number of good diving saves. At the other end, Harvey, Morgan and Calum played some excellent football but were unable to break through the Dunbar defence.
Things fell apart for the team in the third quarter after a reasonable start. After a cracking Dunbar goal (straight into the top corner from a shot outside the box), the Youngstars grabbed another quick equaliser. Harvey played a great cross into the box and the Dunbar keeper got a hand to the ball - but it dropped to Lennon who passed it into the back of the net. However, Dunbar soon proved too strong with many attacks down the right hand side resulting in great passes and crosses into the Youngstars' penalty area. Five goals were scored in quick succession, resulting in a 7-2 lead for Dunbar at the end of the third period.
The Youngstars improved in the final quarter and managed to claw back a goal straight away. Josh took a corner on the left and the ball proved too difficult to defend as a Dunbar defender deflected it into his own net. Shortly afterwards, the Dunbar keeper cleared the ball out of the box but it fell to Harvey and he strode forward and blasted the ball into the bottom corner of the goals. Dunbar scored another goal to make it 8-4, but some great corners from Josh almost resulted in further goals for the Youngstars. Lennon was unfortunate not to score on two occassions - one from a header that wend narrowly wide, and another from a cracking shot that hit the crossbar. Another goal did arrive from a brilliant run from Josh down the right hand side. His cross was perfect for Calum to knock the ball into the net. Dunbar then scored another goal from a corner of their own but, again, the Youngstars kept their heads up and pulled one back. Josh had charged straight through the Dunbar defence and fired the ball past the keeper in the final minute of the match. Overall, this was a really enjoyable game with plenty of goals for the spectators to enjoy.
Teamsheet: Kyle, Mark, Innes, Morgan, Josh, Sam, Harvey, Lennon, Calum
Goal scorers: Calum (2), Lennon, Harvey, Josh, Own Goal
YOUNGSTARS BEAT SCOTLAND
MYS Black 4 – 1 Scotland Boys (26Jan08)
After 3 or 4 days of continuous rain, the weather changed on this Saturday morning as we welcomed the Scotland Boys team from Hamilton. No rain to deal with, but the wind was wild and caused some problems playing against it. The first period of the match was well contested and the Scotland Boys took the lead half way through. However, the youngstars didn’t let their heads drop and were soon rewarded with a great equaliser. Lennon was wide on the left and managed to find Josh with a pass inside. Josh skipped round a defender and slotted the ball into Calum’s path, who looked up and placed the ball into the bottom corner past the advancing keeper.
Early in the second period, the youngstars took the lead. Harvey won the ball in his own half, charged over the halfway line, and fired the ball up to Dylan. With some great control, Dylan spinned round his defender and blasted a great shot past the goalkeeper into the roof of the net. In defence, Mark had an outstanding game and managed to thwart the Scotland Boys’ attacks on numerous occasions. He was also involved in the team’s third goal, taking a kick-in deep in his own half up to Dylan wide on the left wing. Dylan bombed forward towards the corner flag, then cut inside and scored from an amazingly tight angle to give the youngstars a two-goal lead. Some great saves from Kyle towards the end of the period, and a fantastic goal line clearance from Innes kept the score at 3-1.
The Scotland Boys then changed their squad for the third and fourth periods, bringing on a weaker team to give them some match experience. To make the game more even, we agreed to let them play with 9 players and this worked well as all the kids got a good test. Only one goal was scored, following a cracking shot from Dylan. The keeper managed to get an excellent block on it, but it fell kindly for Calum who fired it straight into the top corner. Morgan played in midfield today, and made some great runs up and down the wing and was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet. In summary, the kids played great this morning for their first game back after the winter break. Their passing was fantastic and their work-rate was excellent, giving everyone a lot of confidence for the season ahead.
Teamsheet: Kyle, Mark, Innes, Morgan, Harvey, Josh, Lennon, Dylan, Calum
Scorers: Calum (2), Dylan (2)
After 3 or 4 days of continuous rain, the weather changed on this Saturday morning as we welcomed the Scotland Boys team from Hamilton. No rain to deal with, but the wind was wild and caused some problems playing against it. The first period of the match was well contested and the Scotland Boys took the lead half way through. However, the youngstars didn’t let their heads drop and were soon rewarded with a great equaliser. Lennon was wide on the left and managed to find Josh with a pass inside. Josh skipped round a defender and slotted the ball into Calum’s path, who looked up and placed the ball into the bottom corner past the advancing keeper.
Early in the second period, the youngstars took the lead. Harvey won the ball in his own half, charged over the halfway line, and fired the ball up to Dylan. With some great control, Dylan spinned round his defender and blasted a great shot past the goalkeeper into the roof of the net. In defence, Mark had an outstanding game and managed to thwart the Scotland Boys’ attacks on numerous occasions. He was also involved in the team’s third goal, taking a kick-in deep in his own half up to Dylan wide on the left wing. Dylan bombed forward towards the corner flag, then cut inside and scored from an amazingly tight angle to give the youngstars a two-goal lead. Some great saves from Kyle towards the end of the period, and a fantastic goal line clearance from Innes kept the score at 3-1.
The Scotland Boys then changed their squad for the third and fourth periods, bringing on a weaker team to give them some match experience. To make the game more even, we agreed to let them play with 9 players and this worked well as all the kids got a good test. Only one goal was scored, following a cracking shot from Dylan. The keeper managed to get an excellent block on it, but it fell kindly for Calum who fired it straight into the top corner. Morgan played in midfield today, and made some great runs up and down the wing and was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet. In summary, the kids played great this morning for their first game back after the winter break. Their passing was fantastic and their work-rate was excellent, giving everyone a lot of confidence for the season ahead.
Teamsheet: Kyle, Mark, Innes, Morgan, Harvey, Josh, Lennon, Dylan, Calum
Scorers: Calum (2), Dylan (2)
INNES IN GOALS FOR NORTH BERWICK!
MYS Black Stripes 10 – 1 North Berwick Eagles (15Dec07)
A lack of players for the North Berwick Eagles today resulted in a comfortable win for the Youngstars. At kick-off time, only 6 North Berwick players had turned up, so Innes agreed to play in goals for them, and was put under pressure early on. The first goal came from a superb pass from Dylan who had reached the by-line and drilled the ball across the goals for Calum to knock it into the net. Soon afterwards, Dylan managed to find space with the ball on the penalty spot and blasted it past Innes for the team’s second goal. The Youngstars midfield proved too strong for North Berwick and Dylan again found space and drove towards goal with a one on one against Innes. His shot however, was saved by Innes’ right knee so the first quarter ended up 2-0 to the Youngstars.
By the time the second period started, another North Berwick player arrived so Innes moved back into the Youngstars team and had a great match in defence alongside Morgan. The best piece of defending of the game came when a North Berwick striker sneaked the ball under Kyle’s diving body at the edge of the penalty area. It looked as if it would find its way into the bottom corner but Morgan had charged back from around 20 yards and made a fantastic slide into the goals and cleared the ball off the line. The Youngstars then took full control of the game with a few quick goals, the first of which was scored by Lennon. He received a nice short pass from Calum, then looked up and chipped the ball over the goalkeeper and into the net. Then, following another of the team’s typical short corners, the ball was blasted into the box and it bounced off the post - Calum was right on top of it to sweep it into the net. For the fifth goal of the game, Josh won the ball in midfield, rounded three North Berwick midfielders and played a superb pass through to Harvey who slammed it past the keeper.
In the third quarter, Sam was excellent out on the left wing with lots of good tackles and passes, linking in well with Calum up front. The North Berwick keeper was forced to make a fantastic save at one point, but the ball was deflected straight to Harvey who wasted no time in smashing it low into the net. Some great saves from Kyle helped prevent North Berwick from scoring.
Kyle came out of goal in the last period and played really well in defence, pushing high up the pitch to support his midfielders. It wasn’t long before the Youngstars scored again, and this time it came from some great dribbling from Josh. He managed to get round a North Berwick defender and then drill the ball along the ground into the bottom corner. Dylan soon got on the scoresheet again with a mazy run in the box, followed by a shot high past the keeper’s right hand side. He then scored his hat-trick when he won the ball off a North Berwick defender (whilst lying on the ground), stood up and smashed it into the net. The team’s final goal came from Dylan again who had bombed down the left wing, cut inside, and fired the ball low past the keeper’s diving left hand. North Berwick managed to score a late consolation goal with some good pressure in the box and a great shot from around the penalty spot, to make the final score 10-1.
Teamsheet: Kyle, Innes, Morgan, Sam, Josh, Lennon, Harvey, Dylan, Calum
Goal scorers: Dylan (4), Calum (2), Harvey (2), Lennon and Josh.
A lack of players for the North Berwick Eagles today resulted in a comfortable win for the Youngstars. At kick-off time, only 6 North Berwick players had turned up, so Innes agreed to play in goals for them, and was put under pressure early on. The first goal came from a superb pass from Dylan who had reached the by-line and drilled the ball across the goals for Calum to knock it into the net. Soon afterwards, Dylan managed to find space with the ball on the penalty spot and blasted it past Innes for the team’s second goal. The Youngstars midfield proved too strong for North Berwick and Dylan again found space and drove towards goal with a one on one against Innes. His shot however, was saved by Innes’ right knee so the first quarter ended up 2-0 to the Youngstars.
By the time the second period started, another North Berwick player arrived so Innes moved back into the Youngstars team and had a great match in defence alongside Morgan. The best piece of defending of the game came when a North Berwick striker sneaked the ball under Kyle’s diving body at the edge of the penalty area. It looked as if it would find its way into the bottom corner but Morgan had charged back from around 20 yards and made a fantastic slide into the goals and cleared the ball off the line. The Youngstars then took full control of the game with a few quick goals, the first of which was scored by Lennon. He received a nice short pass from Calum, then looked up and chipped the ball over the goalkeeper and into the net. Then, following another of the team’s typical short corners, the ball was blasted into the box and it bounced off the post - Calum was right on top of it to sweep it into the net. For the fifth goal of the game, Josh won the ball in midfield, rounded three North Berwick midfielders and played a superb pass through to Harvey who slammed it past the keeper.
In the third quarter, Sam was excellent out on the left wing with lots of good tackles and passes, linking in well with Calum up front. The North Berwick keeper was forced to make a fantastic save at one point, but the ball was deflected straight to Harvey who wasted no time in smashing it low into the net. Some great saves from Kyle helped prevent North Berwick from scoring.
Kyle came out of goal in the last period and played really well in defence, pushing high up the pitch to support his midfielders. It wasn’t long before the Youngstars scored again, and this time it came from some great dribbling from Josh. He managed to get round a North Berwick defender and then drill the ball along the ground into the bottom corner. Dylan soon got on the scoresheet again with a mazy run in the box, followed by a shot high past the keeper’s right hand side. He then scored his hat-trick when he won the ball off a North Berwick defender (whilst lying on the ground), stood up and smashed it into the net. The team’s final goal came from Dylan again who had bombed down the left wing, cut inside, and fired the ball low past the keeper’s diving left hand. North Berwick managed to score a late consolation goal with some good pressure in the box and a great shot from around the penalty spot, to make the final score 10-1.
Teamsheet: Kyle, Innes, Morgan, Sam, Josh, Lennon, Harvey, Dylan, Calum
Goal scorers: Dylan (4), Calum (2), Harvey (2), Lennon and Josh.
FIRST DEFEAT OF THE SEASON
North Berwick Hawks 5 – 4 MYS Black Stripes (8Dec07)
The first defeat of the season today for the Black Stripes, following a disastrous opening 10 minutes with the team losing four early goals. A number of cracking corners from North Berwick put the Youngstars under real pressure, resulting in three of the four goals. The Youngstars struggled to get into the match in the first period and created very few chances.
The team played better in the second period, however, and pulled a goal back following a North Berwick corner. The ball was deflected in the box to Josh, who then passed wide to Dylan. Dylan bombed down the left hand side and hit a great shot that was blocked by the keeper - but Calum was in at the back post to volley the deflected ball high into the net. As usual, Mark played very well at the back, and was relied upon many times to win the last tackle and hammer the ball down the line towards Lennon and Dylan.
By the time the third quarter came around, the team were back to playing their normal good quality football. Dylan got on the scoresheet early on when the North Berwick keeper passed to him in error. He then calmly dribbled round the last defender and drilled the ball into the goals. The team’s third goal came from a brilliant pass from Josh in defence, where he fired the ball straight to Dylan’s feet. Dylan again got round the last defender and blasted home his second of the day. Sam played well in midfield with some well-timed tackles preventing North Berwick attacks. However, North Berwick still managed to create a few good chances with Kyle forced to make a string of great saves and Innes having to clear the ball out of the pitch on a couple of occasions.
Lennon and Harvey both did some great work in the final period, tracking back and winning essential tackles, with Kyle being called upon to make more strong saves. Morgan also played well, with his no-nonsense defending keeping North Berwick at bay. However, the North Berwick kids had some more brilliant corners, and one of these resulted in their fifth goal. Josh managed to block the ball but good pressure from the North Berwick forward allowed him to win the ball and tuck it under Kyle’s diving body. However, the Youngstars didn’t let their heads go down and Dylan managed to score the best goal of the game in the final minute. Josh won the ball in midfield, flicked it up into the air, then lobbed it over the North Berwick defence where Dylan was waiting. He let it bounce once, the fired a superb half-volley into the top corner for his hat-trick. In the end, this match was a good stretch for the kids today and they did very well to come back from a disappointing first 10 minutes to make the final score 5-4 to North Berwick.
Teamsheet: Kyle, Mark, Innes, Morgan, Josh, Sam, Harvey, Lennon, Dylan, Calum
Goalscorers: Calum, Dylan (3).
The first defeat of the season today for the Black Stripes, following a disastrous opening 10 minutes with the team losing four early goals. A number of cracking corners from North Berwick put the Youngstars under real pressure, resulting in three of the four goals. The Youngstars struggled to get into the match in the first period and created very few chances.
The team played better in the second period, however, and pulled a goal back following a North Berwick corner. The ball was deflected in the box to Josh, who then passed wide to Dylan. Dylan bombed down the left hand side and hit a great shot that was blocked by the keeper - but Calum was in at the back post to volley the deflected ball high into the net. As usual, Mark played very well at the back, and was relied upon many times to win the last tackle and hammer the ball down the line towards Lennon and Dylan.
By the time the third quarter came around, the team were back to playing their normal good quality football. Dylan got on the scoresheet early on when the North Berwick keeper passed to him in error. He then calmly dribbled round the last defender and drilled the ball into the goals. The team’s third goal came from a brilliant pass from Josh in defence, where he fired the ball straight to Dylan’s feet. Dylan again got round the last defender and blasted home his second of the day. Sam played well in midfield with some well-timed tackles preventing North Berwick attacks. However, North Berwick still managed to create a few good chances with Kyle forced to make a string of great saves and Innes having to clear the ball out of the pitch on a couple of occasions.
Lennon and Harvey both did some great work in the final period, tracking back and winning essential tackles, with Kyle being called upon to make more strong saves. Morgan also played well, with his no-nonsense defending keeping North Berwick at bay. However, the North Berwick kids had some more brilliant corners, and one of these resulted in their fifth goal. Josh managed to block the ball but good pressure from the North Berwick forward allowed him to win the ball and tuck it under Kyle’s diving body. However, the Youngstars didn’t let their heads go down and Dylan managed to score the best goal of the game in the final minute. Josh won the ball in midfield, flicked it up into the air, then lobbed it over the North Berwick defence where Dylan was waiting. He let it bounce once, the fired a superb half-volley into the top corner for his hat-trick. In the end, this match was a good stretch for the kids today and they did very well to come back from a disappointing first 10 minutes to make the final score 5-4 to North Berwick.
Teamsheet: Kyle, Mark, Innes, Morgan, Josh, Sam, Harvey, Lennon, Dylan, Calum
Goalscorers: Calum, Dylan (3).
DERBY DAY!
MYS Blue Stripes 2 – 3 MYS Black Stripes (24Nov07)
A wet and windy morning for the first derby match of the season, with the Blue Stripes kicking off with the wind behind them. Jason G had the first chance of the match with a strong shot forcing a great save out of Kyle. Jason then had another chance a few minutes later, and again Kyle pulled off a great save. Battling against the wind, the Black Stripes had very little opportunities to score, although Harvey played a few great crosses into the box from wide on the right. Towards the end of the first period, the Blue Stripes pressure (mainly through Jason G and Brendan) finally paid off following a great corner from Jack. Dylan did well to get his head onto the ball, but the deflection took it past Kyle and into the net.
The second period was fiercely contested by all the kids, but no one could get on the scoresheet. Kyle was called into action on many occasions and made a fantastic save from a superb Jamie B shot from outside the box. All the defenders played very well, with Jack and Jamie A proving too strong for the Black Stripes to get past and Morgan having a great game at the other end preventing the Blue Stripes attacking down the left. As usual, Mark was relied upon to drill the ball far up field into the Blue Stripes' half, towards Lennon and Jason J (both of whom linked up well together throughout the game).
In the third period, the Blue Stripes went two goals up thanks to a great effort from Jason G. Picking up the ball just inside the Black Stripes half, he drove out to the right and from outside the box he fired an amazing shot past Kyle and into the top corner of the net. The Black Stripes soon pulled one back, however, when Calum found space in the box and drilled the ball low into the bottom corner of the goals. Calum almost scored a second when Jason J played a great through ball into his path, but his shot went narrowly past the post. Keiron played well out on the wing for the Blue Stripes, with lots of runs forwards forcing a number of crucial tackles from Innes.
Kyle was called into action at the start of the fourth period. Cameron collected the ball and drove straight towards goal, and his thunderous shot was blocked by Kyle. Then it was Owain’s turn, with a fantastic high lob that Kyle just managed to hold onto to prevent another goal. The Black Stripes then managed to score an equaliser following a short corner between Dylan and Lennon. Dylan then moved towards the box and slotted a great pass into the feet of Josh who hammered the ball into the net. Sam had a good game playing in defence for the Black Stripes, with lots of good tackles and then great passes up to his midfielders. The final goal eventually came from a smashing solo effort from Dylan, who charged down the left with the ball before cutting inside and firing the ball past Jamie B to put the Black Stripes 3-2 up. For the Blue Stripes, some amazing tackles from Scott helped prevent any further goals, and Owain had a great period out on the left of midfield with fantastic runs and crosses. Keiron was unlucky not to equalise late in the game, following some great skill managing to find space in the Black Stripes box. He hit a strong shot that beat Kyle but also went narrowly wide of the goals.
Blue Stripes Teamsheet: Owain, Jamie B, Jamie A, Scott, Jack, Cameron, Keiron, Jason G, Brendan
Blue Stripes scorers: Own Goal, Jason G
Black Stripes Teamsheet: Kyle, Mark, Innes, Morgan, Sam, Josh, Dylan, Lennon, Harvey, Calum, Jason G
Black Stripes scorers: Calum, Josh, Dylan
A wet and windy morning for the first derby match of the season, with the Blue Stripes kicking off with the wind behind them. Jason G had the first chance of the match with a strong shot forcing a great save out of Kyle. Jason then had another chance a few minutes later, and again Kyle pulled off a great save. Battling against the wind, the Black Stripes had very little opportunities to score, although Harvey played a few great crosses into the box from wide on the right. Towards the end of the first period, the Blue Stripes pressure (mainly through Jason G and Brendan) finally paid off following a great corner from Jack. Dylan did well to get his head onto the ball, but the deflection took it past Kyle and into the net.
The second period was fiercely contested by all the kids, but no one could get on the scoresheet. Kyle was called into action on many occasions and made a fantastic save from a superb Jamie B shot from outside the box. All the defenders played very well, with Jack and Jamie A proving too strong for the Black Stripes to get past and Morgan having a great game at the other end preventing the Blue Stripes attacking down the left. As usual, Mark was relied upon to drill the ball far up field into the Blue Stripes' half, towards Lennon and Jason J (both of whom linked up well together throughout the game).
In the third period, the Blue Stripes went two goals up thanks to a great effort from Jason G. Picking up the ball just inside the Black Stripes half, he drove out to the right and from outside the box he fired an amazing shot past Kyle and into the top corner of the net. The Black Stripes soon pulled one back, however, when Calum found space in the box and drilled the ball low into the bottom corner of the goals. Calum almost scored a second when Jason J played a great through ball into his path, but his shot went narrowly past the post. Keiron played well out on the wing for the Blue Stripes, with lots of runs forwards forcing a number of crucial tackles from Innes.
Kyle was called into action at the start of the fourth period. Cameron collected the ball and drove straight towards goal, and his thunderous shot was blocked by Kyle. Then it was Owain’s turn, with a fantastic high lob that Kyle just managed to hold onto to prevent another goal. The Black Stripes then managed to score an equaliser following a short corner between Dylan and Lennon. Dylan then moved towards the box and slotted a great pass into the feet of Josh who hammered the ball into the net. Sam had a good game playing in defence for the Black Stripes, with lots of good tackles and then great passes up to his midfielders. The final goal eventually came from a smashing solo effort from Dylan, who charged down the left with the ball before cutting inside and firing the ball past Jamie B to put the Black Stripes 3-2 up. For the Blue Stripes, some amazing tackles from Scott helped prevent any further goals, and Owain had a great period out on the left of midfield with fantastic runs and crosses. Keiron was unlucky not to equalise late in the game, following some great skill managing to find space in the Black Stripes box. He hit a strong shot that beat Kyle but also went narrowly wide of the goals.
Blue Stripes Teamsheet: Owain, Jamie B, Jamie A, Scott, Jack, Cameron, Keiron, Jason G, Brendan
Blue Stripes scorers: Own Goal, Jason G
Black Stripes Teamsheet: Kyle, Mark, Innes, Morgan, Sam, Josh, Dylan, Lennon, Harvey, Calum, Jason G
Black Stripes scorers: Calum, Josh, Dylan
PENALTY SAVED!
Haddington Ath Sky Blues 0 – 5 MYS Black Stripes (17Nov07)
Both teams had good starts to the match, with chances at either end. Thanks to some good defending however, the first period ended 0-0.
The Youngstars dominated the second period, helped by an early goal. From a short corner, Josh played a quick one-two with Sam, then crossed the ball into the box for Harvey to knock it into the net. Soon afterwards Josh played a great cross in from the right hand side to Calum at the back post, who calmly struck the ball past the Haddington keeper. Josh then set up the third goal with a pass to Harvey who squeezed the ball past the keeper’s near post. To round things off, Harvey scored with a fantastic solo effort. He won the ball wide on the right, then dribbled past three defenders before passing the ball into the bottom of the net.
Into the third period, and Dylan made a number of great wide runs and with good crosses into the box, but the Haddington defence managed to clear each time. However, on one occasion, Dylan passed the ball early into Jason’s feet just outside the box. Jason showed some great skill with a cheeky “step-over” that fooled the Haddington defender and bought him some space. He then looked up and blasted the ball low into the bottom corner for the team’s fifth goal of the match. With a minute of the third period remaining, Harvey played the ball out of defence but it fell to a Haddington striker who drove quickly into the Youngstars’ penalty area. Harvey did well to chase back, but his tackle was a bit late and he brought the striker down to the ground. The referee awarded a penalty, which gave Kyle the opportunity to show what he could do in goal. The striker hit the ball soundly enough, but Kyle made a great save diving to his right and then smothered the ball.
In the final quarter, Mark and Innes played really well together at the back and didn’t give anything away (both managing to make a number of great clearances). Sam also had a strong period with some good tackling and a number of great passes. In the end, however, no more goals were scored and the team picked up yet another victory.
Teamsheet: Kyle, Innes, Mark, Josh, Harvey, Dylan, Sam, Calum, Jason J.
Goal scorers: Harvey (3), Calum, and Jason
Both teams had good starts to the match, with chances at either end. Thanks to some good defending however, the first period ended 0-0.
The Youngstars dominated the second period, helped by an early goal. From a short corner, Josh played a quick one-two with Sam, then crossed the ball into the box for Harvey to knock it into the net. Soon afterwards Josh played a great cross in from the right hand side to Calum at the back post, who calmly struck the ball past the Haddington keeper. Josh then set up the third goal with a pass to Harvey who squeezed the ball past the keeper’s near post. To round things off, Harvey scored with a fantastic solo effort. He won the ball wide on the right, then dribbled past three defenders before passing the ball into the bottom of the net.
Into the third period, and Dylan made a number of great wide runs and with good crosses into the box, but the Haddington defence managed to clear each time. However, on one occasion, Dylan passed the ball early into Jason’s feet just outside the box. Jason showed some great skill with a cheeky “step-over” that fooled the Haddington defender and bought him some space. He then looked up and blasted the ball low into the bottom corner for the team’s fifth goal of the match. With a minute of the third period remaining, Harvey played the ball out of defence but it fell to a Haddington striker who drove quickly into the Youngstars’ penalty area. Harvey did well to chase back, but his tackle was a bit late and he brought the striker down to the ground. The referee awarded a penalty, which gave Kyle the opportunity to show what he could do in goal. The striker hit the ball soundly enough, but Kyle made a great save diving to his right and then smothered the ball.
In the final quarter, Mark and Innes played really well together at the back and didn’t give anything away (both managing to make a number of great clearances). Sam also had a strong period with some good tackling and a number of great passes. In the end, however, no more goals were scored and the team picked up yet another victory.
Teamsheet: Kyle, Innes, Mark, Josh, Harvey, Dylan, Sam, Calum, Jason J.
Goal scorers: Harvey (3), Calum, and Jason
BRILLIANT PASSING PERFORMANCE
MYS Black Stripes 5 – 2 Dunbar Utd White (3Nov07)
Dunbar started this match very strong, with constant pressure in the Youngstars’ penalty area for the first 6 or 7 minutes. However, Musselburgh broke free and started to play some excellent one-touch football (especially between Harvey, Jason and Lennon). Eventually, the ball broke to Harvey just outside the Dunbar box and he drilled the ball low into the corner past the keeper’s right hand side to start the scoring for the day. Shortly afterwards Harvey played a great one-two with Jason and then crossed the ball into the box for Lennon to tuck it under the keeper for goal number two. Then, Lennon and Josh worked a quick short corner and crossed into the box for Jason who played a one-two with Harvey before blasting the ball into the net for the third goal of the game.
Things were a lot closer in the second quarter of the game with Dunbar getting a goal back early on. A cross from the right was saved by Kyle’s feet, but it broke to a Dunbar forward who smashed it home. Dylan soon found some space on the left and charged down the wing, before cutting inside and blasting the ball into the roof of the net from an incredibly tight angle. Morgan played really well on the right hand side of defence with some great runs into the Dunbar half, keeping the Dunbar team pinned back. Calum also had a good game on the right hand side of midfield and his tireless running gave Dunbar many problems.
Dylan was involved in the team’s fifth goal with a great corner into the box. A Dunbar defender managed to get his foot to it, but it was deflected to Harvey who managed to score a carbon copy of his first goal. Dunbar managed to pull another goal back after some constant pressure, with a fantastic shot from outside the box. Josh and Innes worked well together in defence, and managed to keep Dunbar at bay for the rest of the quarter along with some help from Kyle who was called upon to make a few good saves.
The final quarter of the game had some great defending, especially from Mark who was outstanding. Sam showed great determination to win many tackles and set up attacking moves but the quarter ended without any goals, leaving the final score at 5-2 to the Youngstars.
Teamsheet: Kyle, Mark, Innes, Morgan, Josh, Harvey, Lennon, Dylan, Sam, Calum, Jason J.
Goal scorers: Harvey (2), Lennon, Jason, Dylan
Dunbar started this match very strong, with constant pressure in the Youngstars’ penalty area for the first 6 or 7 minutes. However, Musselburgh broke free and started to play some excellent one-touch football (especially between Harvey, Jason and Lennon). Eventually, the ball broke to Harvey just outside the Dunbar box and he drilled the ball low into the corner past the keeper’s right hand side to start the scoring for the day. Shortly afterwards Harvey played a great one-two with Jason and then crossed the ball into the box for Lennon to tuck it under the keeper for goal number two. Then, Lennon and Josh worked a quick short corner and crossed into the box for Jason who played a one-two with Harvey before blasting the ball into the net for the third goal of the game.
Things were a lot closer in the second quarter of the game with Dunbar getting a goal back early on. A cross from the right was saved by Kyle’s feet, but it broke to a Dunbar forward who smashed it home. Dylan soon found some space on the left and charged down the wing, before cutting inside and blasting the ball into the roof of the net from an incredibly tight angle. Morgan played really well on the right hand side of defence with some great runs into the Dunbar half, keeping the Dunbar team pinned back. Calum also had a good game on the right hand side of midfield and his tireless running gave Dunbar many problems.
Dylan was involved in the team’s fifth goal with a great corner into the box. A Dunbar defender managed to get his foot to it, but it was deflected to Harvey who managed to score a carbon copy of his first goal. Dunbar managed to pull another goal back after some constant pressure, with a fantastic shot from outside the box. Josh and Innes worked well together in defence, and managed to keep Dunbar at bay for the rest of the quarter along with some help from Kyle who was called upon to make a few good saves.
The final quarter of the game had some great defending, especially from Mark who was outstanding. Sam showed great determination to win many tackles and set up attacking moves but the quarter ended without any goals, leaving the final score at 5-2 to the Youngstars.
Teamsheet: Kyle, Mark, Innes, Morgan, Josh, Harvey, Lennon, Dylan, Sam, Calum, Jason J.
Goal scorers: Harvey (2), Lennon, Jason, Dylan
KYLE HAS GREAT GAME IN ATTACK
MYS Black Stripes 11 – 1 Longniddry Villa (27Oct07)
Another good performance from the Youngstars today, with a second victory against Longniddry this season. Only one goal scored in the first 15 minute spell, after some good defending from Innes who won the ball and passed to Calum. Calum looked up and spotted Dylan wide on the left and fired the ball to him. Dylan then charged down the wing, cut inside and blasted the ball past the keeper. Harvey played in defence for this first quarter and linked well with Sam on the right many times, with both kids causing problems for Longniddry.
In the second quarter, the Youngstars scored a further five goals. For the first of these, Lennon played a short corner to Jason who crossed the ball into Calum in the box. His first shot was blocked by the keeper, but he was alert enough to win the rebound and hammered the ball into the net. Calum was involved again as he won the ball just outside the Longniddry penalty area, and passed it through to Jason who spotted the keeper out of position and simply passed it into the goals. For the next goal, Jason made a great pass through to Lennon who was unmarked and calmly stroked the ball into the net. Jason again set up the next goal after winning the ball in midfield and playing a fantastic through pass to Calum who slotted it under the keeper. The team’s sixth goal came from Jason, with some great dribbling on the right hand side before a smashing shot past the keeper.
Longniddry played their strongest team in the third quarter and managed to get a goal back, whilst keeping the Youngstars out. This was not for lack of trying, with some great play from Josh throughout and he was unfortunate not to get on the scoresheet with a couple of good efforts.
Some great defending from Morgan and Mark in the final quarter helped avoid any more Longniddry goals, and Innes had a comfortable time in goals. Kyle was given a run-out in attack and did very well, quickly scoring a good goal after dribbling round a defender and smashing the ball off another defender into the net. Dylan then got his second of the game by dribbling past four defenders and smashing the ball high into the goals past the helpless keeper. Kyle made a real nuisance of himself in the Longniddry box and managed to win the ball on many occasions. On one of these, he looked up and passed to Dylan who shot past the keeper for his hat-trick. Later, Dylan passed wide to Calum who then fired the ball into the box for Kyle to slide the ball under the keeper for goal number 10. Then, with seconds remaining, Kyle won the ball yet again and blasted it across the 6 yard area for Mark to nod the ball into the net, rounding off another great day for the team.
Teamsheet: Kyle, Innes, Mark, Morgan, Josh, Sam, Harvey, Lennon, Dylan, Calum, Jason J.
Goal scorers: Dylan (3), Jason (2), Calum (2), Kyle (2), Lennon, Mark.
Another good performance from the Youngstars today, with a second victory against Longniddry this season. Only one goal scored in the first 15 minute spell, after some good defending from Innes who won the ball and passed to Calum. Calum looked up and spotted Dylan wide on the left and fired the ball to him. Dylan then charged down the wing, cut inside and blasted the ball past the keeper. Harvey played in defence for this first quarter and linked well with Sam on the right many times, with both kids causing problems for Longniddry.
In the second quarter, the Youngstars scored a further five goals. For the first of these, Lennon played a short corner to Jason who crossed the ball into Calum in the box. His first shot was blocked by the keeper, but he was alert enough to win the rebound and hammered the ball into the net. Calum was involved again as he won the ball just outside the Longniddry penalty area, and passed it through to Jason who spotted the keeper out of position and simply passed it into the goals. For the next goal, Jason made a great pass through to Lennon who was unmarked and calmly stroked the ball into the net. Jason again set up the next goal after winning the ball in midfield and playing a fantastic through pass to Calum who slotted it under the keeper. The team’s sixth goal came from Jason, with some great dribbling on the right hand side before a smashing shot past the keeper.
Longniddry played their strongest team in the third quarter and managed to get a goal back, whilst keeping the Youngstars out. This was not for lack of trying, with some great play from Josh throughout and he was unfortunate not to get on the scoresheet with a couple of good efforts.
Some great defending from Morgan and Mark in the final quarter helped avoid any more Longniddry goals, and Innes had a comfortable time in goals. Kyle was given a run-out in attack and did very well, quickly scoring a good goal after dribbling round a defender and smashing the ball off another defender into the net. Dylan then got his second of the game by dribbling past four defenders and smashing the ball high into the goals past the helpless keeper. Kyle made a real nuisance of himself in the Longniddry box and managed to win the ball on many occasions. On one of these, he looked up and passed to Dylan who shot past the keeper for his hat-trick. Later, Dylan passed wide to Calum who then fired the ball into the box for Kyle to slide the ball under the keeper for goal number 10. Then, with seconds remaining, Kyle won the ball yet again and blasted it across the 6 yard area for Mark to nod the ball into the net, rounding off another great day for the team.
Teamsheet: Kyle, Innes, Mark, Morgan, Josh, Sam, Harvey, Lennon, Dylan, Calum, Jason J.
Goal scorers: Dylan (3), Jason (2), Calum (2), Kyle (2), Lennon, Mark.
A COUPLE OF HAT-TRICKS!
MYS Black Stripes 10 - 2 Tranent Colts (13Oct07)
One of the best performances of the season from the Youngstars today, with some great defending, good passing moves and superb finishing. An early goal helped set the tone of the game, with some good dribbling from Dylan inside the Tranent box. The ball broke off a defender and fell straight to Harvey’s feet and he tucked it away into the bottom corner of the net. Some great defending from Innes was followed by a smashing pass to Calum wide on the right. Calum charged down the wing, reached the by-line and fired in a fantastic cross, past the goal keeper, for Harvey to knock in his second goal. For the team’s third goal, Dylan stole the ball from the Tranent defenders and burst into the box to blast home a smashing left foot shot. Harvey then managed to complete his hat-trick after a strong shot from Calum was deflected into his path. Harvey looked up and buried the ball under the keeper to make it 4-0. Tranent had a few chances to score, but some fantastic tackles from Mark and great goalkeeping from Kyle kept them out.
Into the second quarter of the match, and Dylan scored his second early on. A quick kick-in from Calum caught out the Tranent defence, and Dylan took advantage with another great blast into the roof of the net. Soon afterwards Morgan won the ball in his box, following a Tranent corner, and cleared it out to Dylan on the half way line. Dylan took the ball round the last defender and drove forward into the Tranent penalty box. He slowed down, looked up to check the goalkeeper’s position, and then slotted it into the bottom corner for his hat-trick. Towards the end of the period, a Tranent midfielder drilled the ball into the box from wide on the right and it was deflected into the net to make the score 6-1.
The Youngstars picked themselves up again in the third quarter, with a couple of great goals. For the first, Josh made a great tackle just outside his penalty box and then played a great pass to Calum on the half way line. Calum managed to turn his defender, and made another great drive down the right wing before blasting the ball past the keeper. The team have been working hard recently on taking quick short corners, and this paid off for the next goal. Josh waited patiently before taking a short corner on the left, and slotted a great pass through to Sam who dribbled past a couple of defenders in the box and hit a great shot low into the net.
Tranent scored an early goal in the final quarter, but the Youngstars scored yet another straight from the kick-off. Dylan beat a couple of midfielders in the centre of the pitch and moved to a position wide on the left. He then fired a great pass in between a couple of defenders to Harvey on the right hand side of the box. Harvey’s shot was saved by the keeper, but the ball fell kindly to Lennon who simply passed it into the empty net. Some great play from Dylan again led to the final goal of the game. From the centre of the pitch he dribbled past a few Tranent players before being brought down by a strong challenge, but the ball broke to Lennon who then scored his second of the match. A great all round team performance today, and a thoroughly deserved victory.
Teamsheet: Kyle, Innes, Mark, Morgan, Harvey, Josh, Lennon, Sam, Dylan, Calum
Scorers: Harvey (3), Dylan (3), Lennon (2), Calum, Sam
One of the best performances of the season from the Youngstars today, with some great defending, good passing moves and superb finishing. An early goal helped set the tone of the game, with some good dribbling from Dylan inside the Tranent box. The ball broke off a defender and fell straight to Harvey’s feet and he tucked it away into the bottom corner of the net. Some great defending from Innes was followed by a smashing pass to Calum wide on the right. Calum charged down the wing, reached the by-line and fired in a fantastic cross, past the goal keeper, for Harvey to knock in his second goal. For the team’s third goal, Dylan stole the ball from the Tranent defenders and burst into the box to blast home a smashing left foot shot. Harvey then managed to complete his hat-trick after a strong shot from Calum was deflected into his path. Harvey looked up and buried the ball under the keeper to make it 4-0. Tranent had a few chances to score, but some fantastic tackles from Mark and great goalkeeping from Kyle kept them out.
Into the second quarter of the match, and Dylan scored his second early on. A quick kick-in from Calum caught out the Tranent defence, and Dylan took advantage with another great blast into the roof of the net. Soon afterwards Morgan won the ball in his box, following a Tranent corner, and cleared it out to Dylan on the half way line. Dylan took the ball round the last defender and drove forward into the Tranent penalty box. He slowed down, looked up to check the goalkeeper’s position, and then slotted it into the bottom corner for his hat-trick. Towards the end of the period, a Tranent midfielder drilled the ball into the box from wide on the right and it was deflected into the net to make the score 6-1.
The Youngstars picked themselves up again in the third quarter, with a couple of great goals. For the first, Josh made a great tackle just outside his penalty box and then played a great pass to Calum on the half way line. Calum managed to turn his defender, and made another great drive down the right wing before blasting the ball past the keeper. The team have been working hard recently on taking quick short corners, and this paid off for the next goal. Josh waited patiently before taking a short corner on the left, and slotted a great pass through to Sam who dribbled past a couple of defenders in the box and hit a great shot low into the net.
Tranent scored an early goal in the final quarter, but the Youngstars scored yet another straight from the kick-off. Dylan beat a couple of midfielders in the centre of the pitch and moved to a position wide on the left. He then fired a great pass in between a couple of defenders to Harvey on the right hand side of the box. Harvey’s shot was saved by the keeper, but the ball fell kindly to Lennon who simply passed it into the empty net. Some great play from Dylan again led to the final goal of the game. From the centre of the pitch he dribbled past a few Tranent players before being brought down by a strong challenge, but the ball broke to Lennon who then scored his second of the match. A great all round team performance today, and a thoroughly deserved victory.
Teamsheet: Kyle, Innes, Mark, Morgan, Harvey, Josh, Lennon, Sam, Dylan, Calum
Scorers: Harvey (3), Dylan (3), Lennon (2), Calum, Sam
BACK TO WINNING WAYS
Pencaitland 4 – 8 MYS Black Stripes (6Oct07)
Having suffered a few defeats against Pencaitland last season, it was good for the Youngstars to start with an early goal today. A fantastic cross from Lennon on the left hand side found Harvey 6 yards from goal and he smashed the ball high into the net. The Youngstars managed to earn a number of corners in the first 15 minutes, and the second goal came from a great short corner. Dylan nudged the ball to Calum, who played a great pass back to Dylan. He stepped past a Pencaitland defender and blasted a cross into the box. The ball missed everyone and bounced past the keeper and into the net. A string of great saves from Kyle managed to keep Pencaitland out and gave confidence to the Youngstars defence.
Pencaitland managed to pull a goal back in the second quarter, but Jason stole the show with a superb hat-trick. The first was a great solo effort, beating a few defenders on the right hand side and driving forward to slot the ball past the keeper. For his second, Calum won the ball in his own half and passed the ball to Sam, who then saw Jason free and placed the ball right into his path. Jason wasted no time in firing the ball into the goal. About 2 minutes later, some confusion in the Pencaitland defence allowed Jason to win the ball just outside the box, and he stroked the ball comfortably past the helpless keeper making it 5-1 to the Youngstars.
Into the third quarter and Pencaitland scored early on to keep the game reasonably close. However, another fine pass from Lennon left Jason free in the box and he scored yet again. Mark and Innes worked well together in defence and prevented a lot of attacks from Pencaitland, but were unfortunate when the Pencaitland attackers broke free and blasted the ball past Kyle into the roof of the net.
In the final quarter, Pencaitland managed to score another goal, but the Youngstars proved too strong and made many more chances to score. The pick of the bunch was an effort from Josh, who picked up the ball in his own box and drove forward right into the Pencaitland box before firing a smashing shot at goal. The Pencaitland keeper was forced to make an excellent save to keep the ball out. Eventually, the seventh goal came following some great dribbling skills by Dylan and a powerful shot which the goalkeeper managed to save, but the ball was deflected to Jason who passed it into the net for his fifth goal of the game. Shortly afterwards, Sam won the ball with a header towards Dylan, who then drove towards goal and buried it under the keeper for the final goal of the game. A great result for the team against one of the stronger teams in the league.
Teamsheet: Kyle, Mark, Innes, Josh, Sam, Harvey, Dylan, Lennon, Calum, Jason J.
Goal scorers: Harvey, Jason (5), Dylan (2)
Having suffered a few defeats against Pencaitland last season, it was good for the Youngstars to start with an early goal today. A fantastic cross from Lennon on the left hand side found Harvey 6 yards from goal and he smashed the ball high into the net. The Youngstars managed to earn a number of corners in the first 15 minutes, and the second goal came from a great short corner. Dylan nudged the ball to Calum, who played a great pass back to Dylan. He stepped past a Pencaitland defender and blasted a cross into the box. The ball missed everyone and bounced past the keeper and into the net. A string of great saves from Kyle managed to keep Pencaitland out and gave confidence to the Youngstars defence.
Pencaitland managed to pull a goal back in the second quarter, but Jason stole the show with a superb hat-trick. The first was a great solo effort, beating a few defenders on the right hand side and driving forward to slot the ball past the keeper. For his second, Calum won the ball in his own half and passed the ball to Sam, who then saw Jason free and placed the ball right into his path. Jason wasted no time in firing the ball into the goal. About 2 minutes later, some confusion in the Pencaitland defence allowed Jason to win the ball just outside the box, and he stroked the ball comfortably past the helpless keeper making it 5-1 to the Youngstars.
Into the third quarter and Pencaitland scored early on to keep the game reasonably close. However, another fine pass from Lennon left Jason free in the box and he scored yet again. Mark and Innes worked well together in defence and prevented a lot of attacks from Pencaitland, but were unfortunate when the Pencaitland attackers broke free and blasted the ball past Kyle into the roof of the net.
In the final quarter, Pencaitland managed to score another goal, but the Youngstars proved too strong and made many more chances to score. The pick of the bunch was an effort from Josh, who picked up the ball in his own box and drove forward right into the Pencaitland box before firing a smashing shot at goal. The Pencaitland keeper was forced to make an excellent save to keep the ball out. Eventually, the seventh goal came following some great dribbling skills by Dylan and a powerful shot which the goalkeeper managed to save, but the ball was deflected to Jason who passed it into the net for his fifth goal of the game. Shortly afterwards, Sam won the ball with a header towards Dylan, who then drove towards goal and buried it under the keeper for the final goal of the game. A great result for the team against one of the stronger teams in the league.
Teamsheet: Kyle, Mark, Innes, Josh, Sam, Harvey, Dylan, Lennon, Calum, Jason J.
Goal scorers: Harvey, Jason (5), Dylan (2)
A TOUGHER TEST
MYS Black Stripes 3 - 3 Dunbar Utd Black (29Sep07)
Today’s match was, by far, the toughest test for the Black Stripes this season against a strong Dunbar side who took the lead after 10 minutes. The game was very evenly contested throughout and the Youngstars equalised in the second quarter. Morgan had won the ball in his own half and hammered it up to the midfield. Dylan collected the ball and played an excellent pass through to Jason, who then calmly slotted it into the net. Dylan and Lennon played well together and some brilliant passing lead to other opportunities to score but the Dunbar goalkeeper was on good form and made lots of fantastic saves.
Early in the third quarter of the game, Josh was wide on the right hand side and looked up to see Jason making a run towards goal. He played a superb pass through and Jason blasted it past the keeper to make it 2-1. Dunbar bounced back, though, and despite some good tackling from Mark, Innes and Calum, they managed to break through and score a second goal. Sam made some good runs down the left hand side with the ball, but great defending from Dunbar prevented any further goals in this quarter.
In the final quarter, the Dunbar goalkeeper kicked the ball out of the box but it landed straight at Josh’s feet. Josh wasted no time getting the ball under control and hammered a fantastic shot high into the net. Again Dunbar bounced back with some excellent football forcing Harvey to make numerous saving tackles, and some great saves were required from Kyle. Eventually, however, the ball broke to one of Dunbar’s midfielders just outside the box and he fired it into the top corner to make it 3-3. Overall, this was a great performance from both teams and a really enjoyable game.
Teamsheet: Kyle, Innes, Mark, Morgan, Josh, Harvey, Dylan, Calum, Lennon, Sam, Jason J.
Goal scorers: Jason (2), Josh.
Today’s match was, by far, the toughest test for the Black Stripes this season against a strong Dunbar side who took the lead after 10 minutes. The game was very evenly contested throughout and the Youngstars equalised in the second quarter. Morgan had won the ball in his own half and hammered it up to the midfield. Dylan collected the ball and played an excellent pass through to Jason, who then calmly slotted it into the net. Dylan and Lennon played well together and some brilliant passing lead to other opportunities to score but the Dunbar goalkeeper was on good form and made lots of fantastic saves.
Early in the third quarter of the game, Josh was wide on the right hand side and looked up to see Jason making a run towards goal. He played a superb pass through and Jason blasted it past the keeper to make it 2-1. Dunbar bounced back, though, and despite some good tackling from Mark, Innes and Calum, they managed to break through and score a second goal. Sam made some good runs down the left hand side with the ball, but great defending from Dunbar prevented any further goals in this quarter.
In the final quarter, the Dunbar goalkeeper kicked the ball out of the box but it landed straight at Josh’s feet. Josh wasted no time getting the ball under control and hammered a fantastic shot high into the net. Again Dunbar bounced back with some excellent football forcing Harvey to make numerous saving tackles, and some great saves were required from Kyle. Eventually, however, the ball broke to one of Dunbar’s midfielders just outside the box and he fired it into the top corner to make it 3-3. Overall, this was a great performance from both teams and a really enjoyable game.
Teamsheet: Kyle, Innes, Mark, Morgan, Josh, Harvey, Dylan, Calum, Lennon, Sam, Jason J.
Goal scorers: Jason (2), Josh.
THIRD WIN IN A ROW
Haddington Ath Clarets 0 – 6 MYS Black Stripes (22Sep07)
The team played well today, with its first visit to Haddington. The first quarter was a well-contested game, with no goals scored thanks to some good defending (especially from Josh and Innes). Early in the second quarter, Harvey won the ball deep in his own half and passed the ball up to Sam on the wing. Sam then played a nice through pass into Dylan who drove forward and fired home the fist goal of the match. Soon after, Dylan found space in the box and blasted a shot towards goal. The ball deflected off a defender and fell straight to Jason who wasted no time in slotting the ball into the net. The Youngstars kept up the pressure, and Dylan found himself wide on the left hand side, close to the by-line. In an attempt to cross the ball into Jason’s feet, he whacked it as hard as he could and it fizzed into the goals straight under the Haddington keeper.
Into the third quarter, and Jason managed to score a similar goal to Dylan’s previous one. Jason was close to the by-line on the left hand side and spotted Sam making a great run into the box. He fired the ball towards Sam, but it crept under the keeper and found its way into the net for the fifth goal. The team came close to finding a 6th goal many times, thanks to some excellent passing from Lennon, but the Haddington defence made some excellent clearances.
In the final quarter, Calum went in goals to give Kyle the chance to get more involved, and was called upon to make a couple of great saves. Kyle, meanwhile, was full of running and had an excellent performance out on the left wing (and was unlucky not to score with a cracking shot that was saved by the keeper). The sixth goal eventually came, though, with some great play by Harvey. He won the ball in the middle of the park, and then dribbled through the Haddington defence before slotting the ball cleanly past the keeper into the bottom corner. An excellent finish to the game, and another great result for the team.
Teamsheet - Kyle, Innes, Josh, Harvey, Dylan, Lennon, Sam, Calum, Jason J.
Goal scorers - Dylan (3), Jason (2), Harvey
The team played well today, with its first visit to Haddington. The first quarter was a well-contested game, with no goals scored thanks to some good defending (especially from Josh and Innes). Early in the second quarter, Harvey won the ball deep in his own half and passed the ball up to Sam on the wing. Sam then played a nice through pass into Dylan who drove forward and fired home the fist goal of the match. Soon after, Dylan found space in the box and blasted a shot towards goal. The ball deflected off a defender and fell straight to Jason who wasted no time in slotting the ball into the net. The Youngstars kept up the pressure, and Dylan found himself wide on the left hand side, close to the by-line. In an attempt to cross the ball into Jason’s feet, he whacked it as hard as he could and it fizzed into the goals straight under the Haddington keeper.
Into the third quarter, and Jason managed to score a similar goal to Dylan’s previous one. Jason was close to the by-line on the left hand side and spotted Sam making a great run into the box. He fired the ball towards Sam, but it crept under the keeper and found its way into the net for the fifth goal. The team came close to finding a 6th goal many times, thanks to some excellent passing from Lennon, but the Haddington defence made some excellent clearances.
In the final quarter, Calum went in goals to give Kyle the chance to get more involved, and was called upon to make a couple of great saves. Kyle, meanwhile, was full of running and had an excellent performance out on the left wing (and was unlucky not to score with a cracking shot that was saved by the keeper). The sixth goal eventually came, though, with some great play by Harvey. He won the ball in the middle of the park, and then dribbled through the Haddington defence before slotting the ball cleanly past the keeper into the bottom corner. An excellent finish to the game, and another great result for the team.
Teamsheet - Kyle, Innes, Josh, Harvey, Dylan, Lennon, Sam, Calum, Jason J.
Goal scorers - Dylan (3), Jason (2), Harvey
A COMFORTABLE WIN
MYS Black Stripes 16 – 0 Tranent Juniors
Another comfortable game for the team this weekend, with an early goal helping to boost the boys’ confidence. Dylan hit a great shot from outside the box, which hit the post and Calum was on hand to slot the ball into the net from the rebound. Dylan then scored a great goal himself, followed by one from Harvey and another from Calum. An unfortunate own goal gave the team a 5 goal lead, before Lennon finished off the scoring in the first 15 minutes with a smashing shot from just outside the box.
In the second 15 minute spell, there was some great passing in particular between Josh, Jason and Lennon. This resulted in Josh scoring a hat-trick, with Jason and Lennon bagging a goal each. Another great pass from Jason found Sam on his own in the box, and he calmly stroked it past the keeper. At this stage, the Youngstar’s defence was under very little pressure, with Mark managing to sweep up any threat from Tranent that came his way.
The team changed things around in the final 15 minutes, with Innes talking a shot in goals and Kyle playing as a striker. This worked well, with Innes saving a couple of straightforward shots, and Kyle taking his opportunity with a goal at the other end. Morgan was pushed into midfield and, having made some excellent runs into the box, was rewarded with a couple of goals. Calum managed to complete his hat-trick and the team ended up with 16 goals for the second week in a row.
Teamsheet - Kyle, Innes, Mark, Morgan, Josh, Dylan, Harvey, Lennon, Sam, Calum, Jason J.
Goal scorers - Calum (3), Dylan, Harvey, Lennon (2), Josh (3), Sam, Jason, Morgan (2), Kyle, and an own goal.
Another comfortable game for the team this weekend, with an early goal helping to boost the boys’ confidence. Dylan hit a great shot from outside the box, which hit the post and Calum was on hand to slot the ball into the net from the rebound. Dylan then scored a great goal himself, followed by one from Harvey and another from Calum. An unfortunate own goal gave the team a 5 goal lead, before Lennon finished off the scoring in the first 15 minutes with a smashing shot from just outside the box.
In the second 15 minute spell, there was some great passing in particular between Josh, Jason and Lennon. This resulted in Josh scoring a hat-trick, with Jason and Lennon bagging a goal each. Another great pass from Jason found Sam on his own in the box, and he calmly stroked it past the keeper. At this stage, the Youngstar’s defence was under very little pressure, with Mark managing to sweep up any threat from Tranent that came his way.
The team changed things around in the final 15 minutes, with Innes talking a shot in goals and Kyle playing as a striker. This worked well, with Innes saving a couple of straightforward shots, and Kyle taking his opportunity with a goal at the other end. Morgan was pushed into midfield and, having made some excellent runs into the box, was rewarded with a couple of goals. Calum managed to complete his hat-trick and the team ended up with 16 goals for the second week in a row.
Teamsheet - Kyle, Innes, Mark, Morgan, Josh, Dylan, Harvey, Lennon, Sam, Calum, Jason J.
Goal scorers - Calum (3), Dylan, Harvey, Lennon (2), Josh (3), Sam, Jason, Morgan (2), Kyle, and an own goal.
GREAT START TO THE SEASON
Longniddry Villa 0 - 16 MYS Black Stripes (25Aug07)
The first game of the season, and the kids were really looking forward to the match. The team settled very quickly with an early goal from Dylan following some great ball control from Lennnon wide on the left hand side. Lennon then scored a cracking goal himself with a shot from just inside the penalty area into the top corner of the net. Minutes later, Lennon was again involved, with an excellent pass through to Dylan who buried the ball into the net for goal number three.
Jason came on after 15 minutes and made an immediate impact. Dylan picked up the ball on the half way line, drove forward and then released a terrific pass through to Jason who shot low and hard into the bottom corner for the fourth goal. The fifth goal was probably the best of the match. Innes won the ball in his own penalty area and cleared it out to his own corner flag, where Harvey collected it and passed it across the penalty box to Morgan. Morgan then squeezed the ball past two opponents toward Sam who then passed it wide to Jason. Jason dribbled forward before releasing Dylan in the centre who slotted home comfortably. A great passing move! Shortly afterwards, Jason scored a fantastic volley from about 3 yards out from a superb corner by Dylan, and then completed his hat-trick following some great dribbling in the box.
After 30 minutes, Josh was moved out of defence into midfield and was given licence to move forward. He relished this opportunity and after a weak kick-out by the Longniddry goalkeeper, Josh quickly brought the ball under control and smashed the ball into the net for the team’s eighth goal of the day. The ninth goal came soon after, with Jason dribbling past two defenders and slotting the ball smoothly past the keeper. Jason was involved in the next goal too, with a great pass from the right straight to Josh’s feet. Josh then calmly passed the ball into the back of the net for his second of the match, and then quickly followed this with a third after some good dribbling skills. Another great pass from Lennon set up Jason for the team’s twelfth goal and, after a great shot from Josh was saved by the keeper, the ball broke to Jason who hammered it home to complete his double hat-trick.
In the last 15 minutes, Harvey joined in the scoring with a brilliant hat-trick. His first goal came after dribbling past three defenders before lifting the ball into the net, out of the keeper’s reach. Calum was unlucky with a great shot that hit the post, but he had been full of running all day and after yet another burst forward he layed the ball off to Harvey who slotted home his second. The final goal was scored after a great short corner ended in much confusion in the box, and the ball eventually fell to Harvey who finished with confidence.
Throughout the game, the team played really well to deny Longniddry any real chances, and when Kyle was forced into action during the game, he kept his concentration well and made a couple of good saves. All in all, a great start to the season.
Teamsheet - Kyle, Innes, Morgan, Josh, Sam, Harvey, Dylan, Lennon, Calum, Jason J
Goal scorers – Dylan (3), Lennon, Jason (6), Josh (3), Harvey (3)
The first game of the season, and the kids were really looking forward to the match. The team settled very quickly with an early goal from Dylan following some great ball control from Lennnon wide on the left hand side. Lennon then scored a cracking goal himself with a shot from just inside the penalty area into the top corner of the net. Minutes later, Lennon was again involved, with an excellent pass through to Dylan who buried the ball into the net for goal number three.
Jason came on after 15 minutes and made an immediate impact. Dylan picked up the ball on the half way line, drove forward and then released a terrific pass through to Jason who shot low and hard into the bottom corner for the fourth goal. The fifth goal was probably the best of the match. Innes won the ball in his own penalty area and cleared it out to his own corner flag, where Harvey collected it and passed it across the penalty box to Morgan. Morgan then squeezed the ball past two opponents toward Sam who then passed it wide to Jason. Jason dribbled forward before releasing Dylan in the centre who slotted home comfortably. A great passing move! Shortly afterwards, Jason scored a fantastic volley from about 3 yards out from a superb corner by Dylan, and then completed his hat-trick following some great dribbling in the box.
After 30 minutes, Josh was moved out of defence into midfield and was given licence to move forward. He relished this opportunity and after a weak kick-out by the Longniddry goalkeeper, Josh quickly brought the ball under control and smashed the ball into the net for the team’s eighth goal of the day. The ninth goal came soon after, with Jason dribbling past two defenders and slotting the ball smoothly past the keeper. Jason was involved in the next goal too, with a great pass from the right straight to Josh’s feet. Josh then calmly passed the ball into the back of the net for his second of the match, and then quickly followed this with a third after some good dribbling skills. Another great pass from Lennon set up Jason for the team’s twelfth goal and, after a great shot from Josh was saved by the keeper, the ball broke to Jason who hammered it home to complete his double hat-trick.
In the last 15 minutes, Harvey joined in the scoring with a brilliant hat-trick. His first goal came after dribbling past three defenders before lifting the ball into the net, out of the keeper’s reach. Calum was unlucky with a great shot that hit the post, but he had been full of running all day and after yet another burst forward he layed the ball off to Harvey who slotted home his second. The final goal was scored after a great short corner ended in much confusion in the box, and the ball eventually fell to Harvey who finished with confidence.
Throughout the game, the team played really well to deny Longniddry any real chances, and when Kyle was forced into action during the game, he kept his concentration well and made a couple of good saves. All in all, a great start to the season.
Teamsheet - Kyle, Innes, Morgan, Josh, Sam, Harvey, Dylan, Lennon, Calum, Jason J
Goal scorers – Dylan (3), Lennon, Jason (6), Josh (3), Harvey (3)
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