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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)