U16 Rep Squad Fixtures and Results.....
The Representative Football Tour to the North of England started on Monday 18th of April. Fifteen players from Canvey Island Boys Club, Brentwood Athletic FC and Woodham Radars FC took part in the tour which included the Inter County Tournament; the NBC Cup.
A friendly against Carlisle Academy on the way up to High Row gave the boys a chance to brush up their skills ahead of the NBC Cup games which were played against Northumberland and Durham. After staying the night at the EBGC High Row residential centre on Monday, a day of outward bound activities followed with the team scaling a number of peaks in a grueling walk led by Mountain Leader Susan Hughes and Gerry Smith, who kindly agreed to drive the minibus.
On Wednesday we travelled across to Sunderland where Grindon Youth Club kindly hosted us. A 6pm kick-off that day saw us play against Durham in the NBC Cup. The boys fought well against a technically and physically strong Durham side. Two goals from set-pieces meant the score ended 3-0 to Durham. The next day was a similar experience against Northumberland, although the lads will feel aggrieved at the 4-1 score-line which did not reflect the closeness of the tie.
The season culminated with the chance to play Tottenham Hotspur academy at their Chigwell Training Ground. Despite losing 7-0 in the end, the boys put on a fantastic display, eventually being undone by the superior fitness of Tottenham.
At the end of the game Luke Taylor (Brentwood Athletic FC) was awarded the Graham Dady Trophy for player of the season. The trophy is awarded for performance both on and off the pitch and Luke Taylor’s exemplary attitude, as well as his consistency throughout the season made him a more than worthy winner of the accolade.
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Prevoiusly....
Christmas and New Year brought with it a glut of rain, snow and general misery for amateur football clubs. Whether carpeted with cold white stuff or a foot under water, most grass pitches in Essex have been more suited to fishing and snow-holing than playing football.
Unfortunately this meant that the EBGC Rep. side did not have a chance to play their second trial friendly against Rowhedge FC before going into the big games against Southend Utd. U15s and Ipswich Town U15s. Subsequently the final squad had yet to be determined so it was necessary to experiment with a number of different players in the games against the two professional clubs.
The first of these games was played under floodlights against Southend Utd. on Thursday 27th January at the impressive Basildon Bowl pitch in Gloucester Park, Basildon. In the first half the lack of football played over the previous two months was evident as EBGC conceded in the first 5 minutes to a soft goal resulting from confusion amongst the defence as they attempted to spring the offside trap.
However after the initial shock of conceding so early the boys soon settled down and began to string some passes together. Despite a period of exceptional play from EBGC they still could not find the back of the net and were guilty of a couple of glaring misses. Southend however were slightly more ruthless in front of goal and a penalty as well as a goal that looked suspiciously offside meant they went in at the break 3-0 up.
In the second half EBGC came back strongly; although they still could not open their account. However signs of intelligent play and exceptional work rate were encouraging. EBGC conceded just one goal in the second half as fitness began to tell in the latter stages and a poor clearance left the Southend winger with a free shot from the edge of the box.
Next up was the Ipswich Town match played at their state of the art training facilities on Playford Rd. With a lot of new faces in the team EBGC started very well, defending stoutly and keeping the ball well in midfield. Ipswich took the lead after about 15 minutes with a superbly struck free-kick from the edge of the box. EBGC worked incredibly hard to break down the Ipswich team but it was difficult not to marvel at the regimental discipline displayed by the home side as they broke down play and counter-attacked quickly and effectively.
At half-time the score was 3-0 to Ipswich. However EBGC continued to give them a run for their money, closing down in all areas of the pitch and defending stubbornly. As the game wore on players began to tire and the quality of the Ipswich side became more telling. Despite this EBGC were incredibly unlucky not to score on a couple of occasions on the break.
At the final whistle the score was 6-0 to Ipswich. Despite the score, the players can be extremely proud of their efforts and it was heartening to see that all of the lads were still upbeat after the game. Opportunities to play against sides like Ipswich Town and Southend Utd. are unique and it was evident from their performance that all the players appreciated this. The most important thing for them to take from the day was the experience, not the result, and judging by the reactions and sportsmanship shown by all the players both on and off the pitch, this was most certainly the case.
CDH
