Match Report: Waverton Arrows 9 - Tarvin Athletic 0

Hi All,

Slightly different structure to the game tonight as we played 3 x 15 minute thirds against a Tarvin squad that on the whole play in the Mid Cheshire League (a different one to us). It meant that my cockiness of having plans for 6 aside and 7 aside were quickly thrown in the bin as I had to ensure that all the boys had as equal a playing time as possible!

We started off a bit sluggish if I'm honest and it was difficult to get the boys to acknowledge what myself and Darren were saying initially (shows what a week without training does!) but quickly it started to come back and we started to control the game. A great goal from Xander settled nerves and then a follow up goal, again from Xander, this time an absolute screamer from the halfway line meant that we finished the first third; Arrows 2 - Tarvin 0.

A shuffle of personnel in the second period showed us to be willing to fight for every ball - fantastic to see, with some great defending and also great forward play from everyone - Oli Wrigley in particular made some great runs and crosses from the right wing. Xander completed his hat-trick by making a trademark run through the Tarvin team before slotting it home. End of the second third; Arrows 3 - Tarvin 0.

The final period got underway with Jack Broadhurst really penetrating the Tarvin team and burying it, then with the resultant kick off Sion and Jack teamed together nicely and played some great one-two's up the pitch and Jack first hit the post and then within minutes hit the crossbar before finally Sion under great pressure opened up his scoring for the night.

Jack Broadhurst scored two more and then hit the post a few more times before taking his tally overall for the night to four. After a great battle between the two sides, Sion completed the scoring for the Arrows with a great effort which left the end result as being Arrows 9 - Tarvin 0.

This was great to see - we dominated possession and really controlled the game; this wasn't just about our attack though as our defence in Harry, Sion (early on), Oscar and Jack Binns really gave massive protection to Tom who was our captain for the evening and showed that great trait that a goalkeeper needs - concentration - he was great when called upon and made some really important saves.

Xander was named my Man of the Match for his overall contribution as well as his screamer in the first third; well done Xander. You will be my next captain in what is looking likely to be against Tarvin again this Saturday (subject to him being available).

Thanks everyone - literally 5 minutes after the game ended the heavens opened - and it hasn't stopped since - a lucky escape for once!

I'll drop an email out shortly regarding the next match - if we can get a squad together then that would be great, although Tarvin have already said they will be bringing a much reinforced team!

P.S. A shout out to Rob Stewart's Rockets team who also played a Tarvin squad last night alongside us. A great 2-1 victory for the Rockets!

Thanks all,

Carl
AFC Waverton U8 Arrows
07896 515717

Match Report: Newton Athletic 5 Waverton Arrows 1

Hi All,

I will try to keep these a bit shorter going forward :-).

We were playing the only team in the league that we hadn't encountered thus far and I was really intrigued to see how we faired. We had agreed to swap location to Newton's pitch and also 7v7, similar to what we did with Blacon last week.

Q1 started very very well. We dominated most of the play in the first quarter and it was really good to see. We had the majority of chances, but just lacked that instinct to put it away. A rare piece of pressure by Newton towards the end, resulted in a corner and it very nearly went in, but we quickly cleared the danger whereas in weeks gone by we would have seen that type of chance go in. End of Q1: Newton 0 - Arrows 0.

Q2 did start off initially as we finished the first quarter with a bit of pressure on Newton, and then something happened to us that hasn't been a problem before - on occasions when we lost the ball, instead of the boys in advanced positions racing to get it back, we on the whole started to walk/jog back towards our half, by which time Newton played positively up the field and put us under tremendous pressure. With Newton being as skilled as they are, they took this lack of concentration with pleasure and scored three goals in rapid succession - Tom made some blinding saves during this period and was in no way at fault for these goals - they were set much further up the field. End of Q2: Newton 3 - Arrows 0.

Q3 unfortunately continued like Q2, with us ambling back once the ball was lost - this really isn't anything I've seen us do before, but in addition to this, there were instances of some of the boys deciding to have a chat whilst the match was going on around them, which again just gave Newton the momentum they needed to get a further foothold on the game. Two more goals were scored and you could see the boys heads dropping. End of Q3: Newton 5 - Arrows 0.

Q4 began after I made some key changes to the squad and their positions - I really wanted to shore things up and get back to us playing football as I know we can. From the moment we kicked off, we spread the ball right to Oliver Wrigley and he made a great charge down the right - the ball came in and Harry, Jack and Sion all attacked it and were unlucky to not get a result from their efforts. This set the tone for the rest of the quarter - we dominated again - really playing some great football - Xander had moved back to his old position of Left Wing Back and was exceptional - really taking on his players and was unlucky too to not be rewarded with a goal or two. The pressure we put on Newton was immense and resulted midway through with the opposition scoring an own goal. We had many more chances after that, but similar to the first quarter, we just couldn't finish today. End of Q4 and final result: Newton 5 - Arrows 1.

Oliver Wrigley was my captain today and did a great job, thank you Oli. Man of the Match this week could again of been one of many, but due to some exceptional goalkeeping and no-fear attitude, I was delighted to award it to Tom. Well done Tom - this means of course that he will be my Captain when we play Saughall next weekend, subject of course to being available.

One thing to note about Newton - they are well known for their talent and being a base from which many are involved in academies - the score-line today is not a bad one believe me - overall we held a very good account of ourselves, please remember that and also please pass this on to your boys.

Thanks to everyone again for your support - the parental turnout is fantastic - really great to see. Yet again, a few things have come out of today that we'll work on over the next few weeks, but that's what Friday nights are for!

Have a great weekend and see you on Friday.

Carl
AFC Waverton U8 Arrows
07896 515717

Team Confirmation vs. Newton AWAY - Saturday 5th December

Hi All,

The squad for Saturday's match is as follows:

Oscar
Xander
Max
Jack Broadhurst - bring gloves!
Oliver Wrigley - Captain (remember the MotM trophy!)
Sion
Casper
Elliott
Harry
Tom - bring gloves!

We are playing Newton who play on the Upton by Chester High School sports field. To gain access, park at the Cheshire County Offices club (the other side of the road to where we train!) and walk down towards the school - you'll see the pitches very close to the County Offices reception. Post code is: CH2 1PP, and a map is here: https://goo.gl/maps/ECxsH15Q7772

Kick off is 10:30, so can I have everyone there for warm-ups by 10AM please?

We are playing 7v7 which I'm looking forward too after our great display last week.

See you at training tomorrow for those that can make it.

Carl
AFC Waverton U8 Arrows
07896 515717

Match Report: Blacon Spiders 4 - AFC Waverton Arrows 4

What a fantastic game.

The disappointment from Upton two weeks ago was replaced by some really impressive play against a robust Blacon team that took no prisoners. We were playing 7v7 which really does suit our play - we seem to always be so much more at ease on the ball when we play this number of boys. Our training from what was a rain/sleet lashed Friday really paid off and every single boy took it onto the match-day pitch.

We started off uncharacteristically strong, giving Blacon absolutely no time on the ball and we were competitive throughout. A very early injury to Oliver Barnes meant that Henry came on to cover in the midfield and I have to say that in this position Henry is going from strength to strength. Blacon had very little of the ball and we came very close with an Oliver Wrigley strike. End of Q1 - Blacon 0 Arrows 0.

Q2 started as we had left off - the pressure was outstanding - we continued to battle and during one of these skirmishes the ball was won by Jack Broadhurst (Br) and he made a great pass to Harry which gave him room to run at goal. He put his foot through the ball and scored his first goal for the Arrows - well done Harry! The game was end to end now and a few good efforts by Blacon saw them go ahead for the first time; one of these I was particularly disappointed with as we had Elliott injured and off the pitch with the game not paused when it should of been but the opposition coach, acting as ref, allowed it. End of Q2 - Blacon 2 Arrows 1.

The halftime team talk started well, but then took a surprising turn - a couple of the boys said that they didn't want to play in the positions that I had allocated to them and instead wanted to play elsewhere or wanted to sit out Q3 completely - this I must admit didn't go down too well with me so I changed my plans and revised the team with those that did want to play and we started Q3. Again this was end to end, real battles everywhere and we were very unlucky to concede a third midway though the quarter. We stayed in it though which was a real testament to the boys as in previous matches we would of let this effect us massively. End of Q3 - Blacon 3 Arrows 1.

Q4, with me having refocused all the boys somewhat (!) really started to be dominant now and really stamped ourselves on the game. Oliver Wrigley followed up on both his fantastic goal in our friendly last week and also the warnings he was giving Blacon up to that point by scoring a great goal - Oliver kept his positioning throughout the match and the goal was just rewards for his efforts today. From the kick off, we again applied immediate pressure to Blacon and we were passing well, and winning tackles when needed which resulted in the ball breaking for Xander who was making his return to the squad today, as well as playing in a new role; he controlled it and put it away beautifully to bring us level.

We were now at 3-3 and I must admit the tension started to kick in a bit! The boys continuously kept their shape overall and this was a key driver to us playing so well today, it was only really in Q3 that we lost it at times. We pushed on and on and brilliantly went ahead when Jack Br took the ball from midfield, through some players and blasted it into the net.

I honestly thought we were going to win and we should of to be honest, but after a very hard tackle to Jack Binns (Bi) meant that I had to make a sub. As happened in Q2, the ref didn't allow the game to be stopped and as I was swapping the boys, bringing Elliott on, Blacon launched a very long ball to one of their boys and they placed it past Tom who had a great day in goal this morning, and equalised. Time was well and truly over now but the game still went on - we were reluctantly awarded a free kick close to the Blacon box and Xander took it - a great strike, looping over the wall and certain for goal, that is until a Blacon outfield player batted it down before it even reached their goalie - a clear handball and what should of been another free kick. But Blacon, clearly sensing what was going to happen blew the whistle and the game was over. Final score - Blacon 4 Arrows 4.

The coach said to me afterwards that he intentionally played more time so that they could try to score again and win it! Disappointing to hear, but I'm turning that on its head and really taking it as how well we played and what a great attacking threat we were. The Captain today was Sam Curtis and the Man of the Match was Oliver Wrigley who played fantastically today. Oli will be my Captain for our next game which should hopefully be the elusive Newton.

A few last mentions - as called out earlier - Henry was great and is really growing into his midfield role. Elliott played his socks off in what is 100% his best performance to date, one which, if available, means he has secured his position next week. Harry was exceptional too, with some great tackling and good positive forward movement (as well as his goal). Tom followed on from his impressive debut in goal last week with another solid display today. Well done all - if I haven't called your son out its not that they aren't deserving, everyone played very very well today - its just that I've realised I have written war and peace (again!).

Look out for the email coming soon (hopefully tomorrow) re next weekends match and availability. Looking forward to it already :-).

Have a great weekend.

Carl
AFC Waverton U8 Arrows
07896 515717

 

Confirmed squad for the match vs. Blacon on Saturday 28th AWAY

Hi All,

I've agreed to play 7v7 against Blacon this weekend which should be good as they have quite a large pitch and we were quite competitive last time we played them there.

I'll be taking 10 boys for the match and the squad is as follows:

Sam Curtis (Captain) - bring gloves for 1 quarter please.
Jack Binns
Xander
Oliver Wrigley
Henry
Tom - bring gloves please
Oliver Barnes
Jack Broadhurst
Elliott
Harry

Kick off is 10:30, so can we be there for 10am please so we can get the boys suitably warmed up? Please also remember drinks and shin-pads - without the latter the player will not be allowed to play.

The location is as follows:

Dee Point Primary School
Blacon Point Road
Blacon
Chester
CH1 5NF

Thanks all - see you at training on Friday evening.

Carl
AFC Waverton U8 Arrows
07896 515717

Saturday 21st Training/Internal Match Report

Hi All,

Just a (relatively) quick one this week you'll be relieved to hear :-). I was initially disappointed that Princes Villa couldn't fulfil their fixture, but after the work we did and the match we played internally on Saturday, it was something that I think was actually needed.

All eleven boys that were available played really well, I've identified some new positions for some of the boys which was one of the objectives for the Arrows v Arrows match so overall I am really pleased. We do need to work on some specific areas - we are still bunching up way too much, but I am hoping that I have a few drills for Friday that may help in trying to rectify this. It won't happen overnight, but it will come.

As mentioned the boys played really well - I could call out each and every one individually, but I promised that this would be a short one this week. A few well deserved mentions though are to the following:

Oliver Wrigley - scored a stunning strike on the volley - a real screamer - Oli is building in confidence game by game and is great to see.

Henry - played some good solid football on Saturday. Very much need to work on some aspects, but at one point he held Jack Broadhurst off with ease whilst protecting the ball, and believe me, Jack takes some stopping at times. It's that type of body strength and holding the ball up/opposition players off that is what I am looking for from Henry - some great passes too, and nearly a goal from a great effort in Q3 of the match!

Tom - Played well outfield but was really impressed with him when he went in goal, a position I understand he really likes. He made some fantastic saves, some very brave indeed and seemed at ease, both in terms of collecting the ball and its distribution back out to his team mates - well done Tom.

Goalkeepers overall - I've already mentioned Tom, but another key objective for me was to look at some of the boys that hadn't played in goal much, or in some cases not at all - I was really happy with what I saw. On Saturday, Harry, Sam, Tom, Oscar, Max and Jack Binns all had time in the nets - I've said this before, but I do believe we have a large number of boys in the squad that can handle the GK position very capably - it provides me with some great options as we go from match to match. I do think some of the boys worry that if we let in a few goals then that's solely on them, and that in turn puts them off - it really isn't - we attack and defend as a team and if a goal is scored, its got through every other boy on the field before it gets to the last line of defence. I know all too well of the pressures of being a goalkeeper (and more specifically a GK's dad!) through Jack and his participation with the Jets - its a vital role, but one, if really embraced can be a fantastic position to play in. Please help me to reinforce this message with your boys.

Anyway, I could go on (can't help myself), but I'm going to wrap it there - just to reiterate though I really appreciate all the help that everyone is providing. I know that the two worst things that I can say to a parent at the moment is, 'Its a 9:30 KO so there for 9 please' or 'We need help with putting the nets up please' - but so see the boys play like they are with enjoyment and a smile on their faces is hopefully a great output from what is really a great collective effort.

Thanks again, see you Friday at training (same time/place) and also on Saturday, if selected, against what should be a good match versus Blacon away. Details to follow.

Carl
AFC Waverton U8 Arrows
07896 515717

 

 

Confirmation: Arrows extended training + inter-squad match on Saturday 21st

Hi All,

As per my email earlier in the week, Princes Villa are unable to fulfil the fixture, so instead we will be at home this weekend (Huntington) for an extended training session and then an inter-squad match (Arrows vs. Arrows). Can parents be there from 10:30 please? Likelihood is we will be done by 12.

I'm taking this opportunity to undertake some additional training and also to give some boys some internal game time as we prepare to hopefully meet Blacon on the 28th, Newton on the 5th and Saughall once more on the 12th prior to our Christmas party on the 19th.

As mentioned there will be no Man of the Match this weekend, and Sam Curtis' match captaincy will be taken forward to the Blacon game, subject to him being available.

Thanks all,

Carl

AFC Waverton U8 Arrows
07896 515717

Match Report: Upton 11 - Arrows 3

This result really took me by surprise if I'm honest as I was expecting a really close game with the result to have about one or two goals in it...

Some of the boys seemed to still be in their pyjamas and were walking around dazed for parts of the match which wasn't great to see - we had worked really well on the Friday evening on multiple aspects of the game; fitness, bursts of speed, defending, goalkeeping and playing in small tactical scenarios - it all seemed to be forgotten though which was hard to watch.

It may be that training on a Friday evening, mixed with early starts on a Saturday is too much. Unfortunately I can't do much about either at the moment - with the weather turning we need to train on astro - and have made a commitment to share the pitch with the Rockets until Feb/March next year. Saturday morning matches are difficult too. Ideally we would have a kick off around 10-10:30, but when we play away we are typically asked to play earlier. We are next due to play against Princes Villa at home on Saturday 21st and I will confirm details as soon as I can.

Onto the match - this was supposed to be 7v7 but very quickly into the match Upton were asking us to drop to 6v6 - I agreed a compromise to do Q1 & 3 as 7v7 and Q2 & 4 as 6v6. This was disappointing to me as we had agreed earlier in the week to do the whole match 7v7 and I had obviously brought a team of 10 to cover that. Having 10 players for 6v6 becomes more difficult to manage, trust me!

Q1 was interesting - although we were sluggish to begin, we seemed to be reasonably competitive at times - but the quarter summed up the period with one of Upton's boys running through three of our players and slotting it in for a goal (it was one of those slow motion moments where it just seemed to bobble over the line). End of Q1: Upton 1 - Waverton 0.

Q2, moving to 6v6 made Upton much more competitive, the pressure really turned on us and they had a really impressive strike from a very narrow angle that flew into the net and made our heads drop a bit. The next few minutes saw real opportunities at both ends, Sam Curtis made some amazing saves and Sion, playing in attack had some great efforts on goal. We took another goal against us, but also then had one of our own, through Jack Binns placing tremendous pressure on their defence and goalkeeper, the shot in this instance was a long one, that just couldn't be handled and they bundled it into their own net. I thought we were still in it at this point, but a late goal by Upton took us into the end of the half: Upton 4 - Waverton 1.

Q3 was 7v7 again and we did seem much more in control - that extra boy makes all the difference, and Upton on the whole struggled to contain us. An unlucky bobble (again) took the ball past us early on to give them a fifth, but Jack Binns played some great football today, being relentless and continuing to press the ball - this type of play is what we need to see from all of our attacking players - Oliver Wrigley, when playing in his right wing back role continued to be really effective and played some fantastic balls forward. Jack scored a great goal during this period, but then we collectively started to become careless by starting to back-pass and inviting Upton to take the ball which they gladly did, resulting in another goal and an end of Q3 score-line of: Upton 6 - Waverton 2.

Q4 started as Q3 ended - we were passing the ball directly across the pitch most of the time, and more often than not, just metres in front of our own goal. Upton started to really increase the pressure and scored two more in quick succession, the latter of the two shouldn't of been given as they kicked the ball out of Oscar's hands and into the net; I made an emergency substitution at this point as Oscar was visibly shaken by the actions of Upton and Max stepped up to make his debut as keeper. On a very isolated occasion, Jack burst through from midfield, skipping past a few Upton players and slotted what was to be our third and final goal of the day - again a really positive display from Jack. From then on though Upton reverted to playing high up in our area, with us continuing to play dangerously with the ball. Max made some fantastic saves, and his distribution was very strong too; Upton though, due to their pressure and us being risky conceded three further goals in the closing minutes to take the end result to: Upton 11 - Waverton 3.

Following on from his great performance last week, Sion was really strong and a great captain for us in the match.

Man of the match overall was Sam Curtis; he played incredibly well in goal - his focus was fantastic and he was unlucky with some of the goals scored against him. When he came out to play LWB towards the end, he also made some positive contributions - well done Sam. This of course means that, subject to availability, Sam will be Captain next week.

I've started planning already what we will be working on at training on Friday, so see you there. Hope you have a good rest of weekend.

Thanks,

Carl
AFC Waverton U8 Arrows
07896 515717

Confirmed squad for Saturday 14th November AWAY to Upton

Hi All,

Thanks to those parents for responding on your availability; much appreciated.

The confirmed squad for the match vs. Upton for this Saturday (14th November) is as follows:

Max
Sion (C) - remember the MotM trophy on Friday!
Oliver Wrigley
Casper
Sam Cheetham
Thomas
Sam Curtis - bring GK gloves!
Jack Binns
Oscar - bring GK gloves!
Harry

You'll see that this week, I've selected 10 boys, this is due to us playing 7v7 against Upton. I'm also trying something slightly different, so reintroducing an extra sub this week as I've noticed that we have started to fade a bit with the boys playing most/all of the game. This means though that some boys will play two of the four quarters only. I'll talk to them on Friday night about this.

As a reminder the address for Upton is as follows:

Acresfield Primary School, Acres Lane, Upton, CH2 1LJ.

The kick off will be at 9:30 so all the squad need to be there at 9AM please.

Thanks as always, see you at training on Friday night.

Carl
AFC Waverton U8 Arrows
07896 515717

Match Report: Waverton Arrows 2 - Saughall Colts Blacks 6

A much, much closer game that again the score-line doesn't reflect.

We were so competitive for the first two quarters, as well as for half of the third, but we reverted back to playing in front of our goal that just invited pressure and ultimately led to some cheap goals from Saughall.

Q1 - starting off with our team raring to go after some good warm-up activity, the boys really took the game to Saughall - great to see as this initial spell has been a problem for us in the past. They did have some good efforts on goal, but all prompting some really good goalkeeper work by Oscar. Unfortunately the first goal against us was one of those that was initially saved but you see it in what seems like slow motion bobbling over the line. We didn't let it effect is though and after some great build up play resulting in substantial pressure by us, Sion managed to get an equaliser. This was followed by some great efforts by Jack Broadhurst and Sam Curtis, but with seconds to go in the first quarter we saw Saughall take a good touch and cross to one of their players on the far post to make the end of the quarter Arrows 1 - Saughall 2.

Q2 - we saw in Saughall what they did against us in the first game four weeks back; their right defender/wing back was pumping balls long from literally deep by their goal line to their striker/advanced midfielder that kept putting us under pressure - the difference this time is that in the last match he did it in Q4, in this match, because we were so much more competitive they actually started to do it towards the end of the first quarter, but certainly more in this one and in the next. One of these efforts saw another of their players latch onto one and put it beyond Sam Curtis who did a fantastic job in goal (his first outing in this quarter (and the next) as GK for the Arrows this season). We kept at it though - the pressure that all of our players put on Saughall was immense - we fought for every single ball and our link up play was fantastic - it really is coming together; this period of play forced Saughall to score an own goal so we went in at half time Arrows 2 - Saughall 3.

Q3 - after a few changes in this quarter we continued to pick up from where we had left off, and again it was a great battle between the teams, we played really well together - the best example of this was Sion at one point ran a long distance down the right wing and powered a shot towards goal which their goalie just tipped away with his fingertips; a great effort. Saughall at one point just clicked though and some great passing across and through the field resulted in a great goal being scored by them which took the wind out our sails to an extent, but believe me it was an excellent section of play by Saughall that ultimately deserved the goal. End of the quarter Arrows 2 - Saughall 4.

Q4 - we went again in the final quarter, the boys seemed to be up for it, the weather just went hard again with a brief couple of minutes downpour that soaked everyone (not an excuse this time though I think, although obviously it made everyone very wet and cold quickly!). Not long after this we started to lose our focus somewhat and this just invited Saughall to attack and become more dominant in this period and as a part of this, with a great break of play, one of their boys scored a great long range effort. We did try to battle, but we reverted back to doing something from the last time we played Saughall (and Princes Villa before that); we started to clump together right in front of our goal, which was literally a gift to Saughall; we tried at times to push forward, but ultimately the pressure succumbed with us conceding an own goal  a few minutes from time. End of the quarter and match result, Arrows 2 - Saughall 6.

Overall, a great all round performance by the boys with some more questions and puzzles to be addressed by me for the games ahead (always!). I am so sure we are close to another positive result though!

Weekly Awards (see previous post for context):
Team Captain v. Saughall:          Jack Broadhurst (awarded for his efforts against Upton two weeks ago, and to kick things off)
Man of the Match v Saughall:   Sion Lucas

This means that Sion, subject to him being available will have an automatic place in next weeks squad against Upton. He will also be Team Captain. Well done Sion - immense effort today, great goal and you were unlucky not to bag a few more! The award was close though as one or two others were very hot on his heels - next time for them!

As mentioned, next match should be against Upton at their ground - I will confirm ASAP.

Thanks all for your continued and incredible support.

Carl
AFC Waverton U8 Arrows
07896 515717

Man of the Match & Matchday Captain

Hi All,

Just before I send out the match report, I'd like to overlay some context and something I'd like to try going forward. I spoke to the boys who were there on Friday about this, and will speak to all the boys at the next session, but wanted you to know too so you can hopefully explain/reinforce how this works.

I have introduced a Man (Boy?) of the Match trophy, to be awarded by me at the end of each match on a Saturday for either the best all round performance or the most improvement by an individual in a single game. This has a couple of rules associated with it though, which I need you as parents to help me with and support as I've seen this go wrong in some other sporting activities and I think we can avoid if we are clear up front:

 

·         If you win the trophy, it gives you an automatic place in the team the following week (subject to them being available of course);
·         If you win the trophy and you play the next week, you will be captain of the team for that week (the second new element that has been introduced);
·         If you win the trophy on a Saturday, you MUST return the trophy to me on a Friday at training - if you are not going to be at training, you will need to let me know ASAP and I will try my best to collect from you - if this doesn't happen it makes it difficult to do this form of reward for the boys.

Thanks for your great continued support.

 

Carl

AFC Waverton U8 Arrows

07896 515717

Training on Friday 6th & Squad Confirmation for Saturday 7th

As mentioned, training is on for those that can make it - same time same place. Can you please remember to ensure that all boys have appropriate kit for both training and matches. This includes:

·         Shinpads
·         Appropriate footwear for the pitch being played on
·         Adequate drink
·         Jacket/jumper for when they are not playing/when they have finished

The team of 8 boys for this Saturday's game (6 a side) against Saughall is as follows:

·         Oscar (bring GK gloves!)
·         Sam Cheetham
·         Sion
·         Jack Broadhurst
·         Harry
·         Casper
·         Henry
·         Sam Curtis

We are playing better when there are less changes, hence the 8 boys rather than 9 or 10. This lower number of boys for the match has been trialled over the last couple of games and has been more effective, but I will continue to monitor.

We are at our Huntington 'home' ground so would appreciate it if we can be there from about 8:45 so that the pitch can be built and the boys can be warmed up and ready for the match. Kick off will be at 10AM.

If you aren't involved this week, please feel free to come and support the team anyway - it was good to have the additional support against Upton - it also gives the boys the opportunity to watch the game and pick up tips for when they are next in. Alternatively the offer to attend the Duck Pond with Robbie from 10:30 remains for those interested.

Thanks all.

Carl
AFC Waverton U8 Arrows
07896 515717 

Match Reports - Saturday 24th October - 2 games against Upton

Game 1: Upton 3 - Waverton Arrows 10

Wow! I felt really confident that we would get something out of both games, but certainly wasn't expecting a performance and result quite like that in game 1! We thought we had avoided the rain initially and got off to an okay start, but again our usual hesitation kicked in and we succumbed to a goal taken by Upton on the break. Jack Broadhurst (Br) scored his first for the team in what was a new position for him in a proper match - that of Striker. Upton again hit us on the break and scored past what was overall a solid return to Goalkeeping duties by Oscar. Jack Br scored another and from that point onwards we really started to dominate. This confidence in play was rewarded by another debut goal, this time from Sion and the quarter was finished on a massive high with Jack Br scoring his hat-trick with a fantastic half-line shot. End of Q1: Upton 2 - Arrows 4.

Q2 got underway exactly as Q1 ended - we absolutely controlled every aspect of the match; this is except apart from the weather - it teemed it down and everyone was soaked through within minutes. It didn't significantly affect us though and Sion had a fantastic shot saved, but the ball fell to Jack Br who put away the rebound to claim his fourth. Another one close to the end of the quarter for Jack Br saw him take his first half tally to five. The end of this quarter saw all teams running for the tree-line for a prolonged break whilst we waited for the rain to die down (albeit ever so slightly). End of Q2: Upton 2 - Arrows 6.

Q3 had a change in positions for some, with Oscar coming outfield and Jack Br retaking his old Jets position of Goalkeeper. Yet again the Arrows ran the match, we were passing really well, and gave Upton no time on the ball whatsoever. The intensity was high and Sion took two great goals with some truly superb finishing. End Q3: Upton 2 - Arrows 8. A slight tweak in positioning again and Q4 was underway. The boys were getting cold now, but the tempo stayed high; everyone continued to fight and play as a team - I was really, really impressed with how the boys clicked together. Sion took two more excellent efforts taking us to the 10 goals mark - he played probably the best all round performance I've seen in weeks - well done Sion! We started (towards the very end) to sit back a bit and this invited pressure onto us, and an Upton team that hadn't given up throughout took a great strike which took the overall score to Upton 3 - Arrows 10.

Before moving on to the next game I have to call out every member of that first early morning team - Oscar was great in goal, really confident, and when he came out in the second half was a real constant threat to Upton - how he didn't score I really don't know! He took some studs to his lower back during one attempt on goal but that didn't stop him - he was desperate to get back on and continue - that is real dedication! Sam Cheetham owned the defence in the game - very little went past him and he controlled the distribution out to his team-mates. When we needed a LWB (Q3) and Midfielder (Q4) he was equally composed; great work Sam. I've talked already about Sion and Jack Br so won't go into more detail, except to say that the two of them clicked so well together in their respective positions that we could have the basis of a great partnership in some games - we shall see! Finally Oliver Barnes and Henry for me showed the most improvement though - both fought for the ball constantly, won it more often than not and passed positively all of the time. Both ran with the ball at their feet which I have seen in training but not in a match - until Saturday - I was so impressed with them and all the boys - well done - great result!

One final thing - the team spirit was amazing, both within the first team that played and also when the squad for the second match arrived - the latter started to arrive to warm up, but saw what was happening on the pitch and towards the end were lined up next to me watching avidly. At the final whistle the collective Waverton cheers were amazing!!

Game 2: Upton 7 - Waverton Arrows 2

This second game is a hard one to write about, probably the hardest I've had to do so far. The boys turned up when it was still tipping down and it was a miserable environment weather-wise. As mentioned though they got behind the boys that were playing in the first game really well and I hoped that the excitement and action would carry through to the next game and for the first quarter we started very positive - we moved the ball around well and had good control - it was a battle at times but we kept our composure resulting in Oliver Wrigley making a great run down the right and slotting it past the Upton keeper to claim his debut goal. End of Q1: Upton 0 - Arrows 1.

A minor change in Q2 and we were off - again both sides battled hard and it was a great game to watch. Upton had a break and put the ball into our goal and it was 1-1, but as a team we kept our heads up and went again. We continued to play well but after a few warning signs from Upton we unfortunately succumbed to an own goal to give them the lead at the close of play. End of Q2: Upton 2 - Arrows 1.

Q3 was tight, yet again both teams really went for it, but it was during this period (and then the final quarter) that we started to implode both as a team and individually. We started to tackle each other and then once we took the ball off one of our own players, continually went on to lose it immediately. Balls were given away time after time across all areas and our positioning just fell apart. Jack Br (who was playing both games due to us being one short across both matches) did manage to break at one point and scored an equaliser and it looked like there was an outside chance we would regain our composure, however not long after we scored another own goal from a corner and this took us into the last quarter behind again. End of Q3: Upton 3 - Arrows 2.

The team talk at the end of Q3 was interesting; the boys started off being up for it as usual, but when I reconfirmed their playing positions half of them started to be vocal and voiced their displeasure of having to play again. Whether it was because of the weather (most probably) or because of the actual position being assigned - or a bit of both isn't an excuse - they need to accept the positions given and play them to their best ability. Just for clarity - no position assigned was new to them - they had all played them previously! This overall mood transferred to the pitch in the final quarter; the boys lost their momentum and desire to battle and across this period we succumbed to goals 4,5 6 & 7 by Upton. End of Q4: Upton 7 - Arrows 2. The game and eventual score-line should not have been like this; I write this fairly frustrated because the team that was selected had the capability to win, or at the very least battle and be extremely competitive - it just wasn't there though.

The boys do need to understand that the weather from here on in for at least the next 3-4 months could well be like it was on Saturday (rainy/miserable), and most of the time the temperature drop will be an unwelcome replacement for the heavy rain. I do hope it was the shock of the first bout of bad weather that caused this on Saturday, but I can only monitor to see how things progress.

Finally, thanks to everyone for bringing their boys, and also for sticking around and watching/supporting the teams - it really is great to see so many parents out their cheering us on! Special shout out to Darren and Jack Binns who were there for the duration, with Jack Binns being available as a super sub if needed in the first game.

There is training this Friday 30th at the normal place/time, but there is no match on Saturday 31st as Newton couldn't fulfil it. Therefore with it being half term I've decided to let the boys (and parents!) have a day off so our next match should be on Saturday 7th November. I'll send a note early next week to confirm.

Thanks again all - and sorry for the size of the post...

Carl
AFC Waverton U8 Arrows
07896 515717

League changes and revised fixture for Saturday 17th October - Blacon AWAY

Hi All,

I just wanted to provide a quick update - the league have decided to move things around (yet) again which means that we now only have 5 other teams in the 3rd tier Green League. Malpas, Christleton Newscene and Ellesmere Port Jets have all left us (the first two have moved to the top league, and the last has moved to the middle), and we welcome one of Blacon's teams to our group.

The league has also changed all the future fixtures too, so now instead of playing Upton this Saturday, we are now playing Blacon. This is annoying as everything was already in place for Saturday, but have now had to amend.

I'm going to take 8 boys this week in order to try and focus on positions and make as few a changes as possible - something I think the boys may benefit from.

Squad is as follows:
Oliver Wrigley (GK - bring gloves!)
Elliott (GK - bring gloves!)
Max
Sam Curtis
Thomas
Jack Binns
Casper
Sion

The location is at:

Dee Point Primary School
Blacon Point Road
Blacon
Chester
CH1 5NF

Kick off is 10AM so I need the boys there at 9:30AM please.
We currently aren't due to play on Saturday 24th October, but I am looking at arranging two friendlies against Upton if possible. I'll keep you posted; failing that I'll be running an extended session instead.

Thanks all.

Carl
AFC Waverton U8 Arrows

Arrows Availability for Saturday 17th October - game vs. Upton Jaguars AWAY

Hi All,

Can you please let me know as soon as possible your availability for this Saturday (17th October)? We are due to play Upton at their new ground of Acresfield Primary School (CH2 1LJ). Kick off is 9:30 so I will need the boys there at 9am.

I know that Harry, Oscar, Xander and Jack Broadhurst aren't available, any others not around please let me know ASAP.

If I can have all responses by Thursday noon then that would be appreciated.

Thanks all.

Carl
AFC Waverton U8 Arrows
07896515717

Match Report - AFC Waverton Arrows vs Saughall Colts Blacks

Result - Arrows 1 - Colts Blacks 7

A frustrating morning, where again we were a good match for our well drilled opposition. Our pre-match training went really well, concentrating on positioning & shooting from distance as well as making space, controlling the ball and shooting closer to the goal.

Q1 was interesting; again we succumbed to two quick goals, which is something that we need to work on as we give the opposition too much room for them to play and we keep giving ourselves a hill to climb. Xander and Jack Broadhurst worked really well in their new positions; collecting the ball quickly and driving the play forwards. On one such run, which is quickly becoming a trademark, Xander ran through the opposition, placing the ball beyond the goalkeeper, making the score 1-2. Unfortunately, shortly after, SCB made another incisive play and scored another. End of Q1 1-3.

Q2 was great, a real battle, both teams fighting for the ball & some amazing saves were made from both Goalkeepers; this period ended 0-0, so overall  1-3.

I made quite a few changes in Q3, and unfortunately we couldn't keep our shape and started chasing the ball and clumping together, resulting in SCB scoring two additional goals. This was really unfortunate and had a palpable effect on the boys.

Q4 started similar to how we had played in Q3, so after some slight repositioning of the boys we regained some of our composure and started to play again. A few times though we started to play directly in front of our own goal (something we did a lot against Princes Villa last week) and this again invited pressure from the away team. We had quite a few chances in this last quarter but we just couldn't hit the target and on the break SCB hit us twice more taking the score to its final 1-7.

Overall we had lots of chances on goal during the match, we just aren't being clinical enough. We looked at this in training on Friday night and again during pre-match training and on the whole we were good, but we aren't taking this forward into the matches. We seem to be panicking and lashing the shots rather than keeping our composure and finishing like I know we can. Its easy though to forget just how far we have come though. I've said it before and will continue to say it - we are improving game by game.

Again the opposition coach said that the game was a real battle and the score-line didn't reflect the match.

Special mentions to a few of the boys from yesterday - the goalies were great - Oliver building on his performance from last week and Elliott making his debut in this position was fantastic - we have a real abundance of goal keeping talent in the squad which is really rare - a great luxury to have! Max also needs a mention for his control and dominance in defence; especially in the first two quarters - well done Max! Finally, Sam Curtis for his positioning and awareness again in a position which is fairly new to him in midfield - great work!

I said to the boys at the end - I am so proud of them. We will regroup, train more and be ready for next weekend which should be against Upton.

See you Friday - enjoy what's left of the weekend :-).

Carl
AFC Waverton U8 Arrows
07896 515717

Squad confirmation against Saughall Colts Blacks - Saturday 10th October

Hi All

As mentioned on my mail from Tuesday, we are playing against Saughall Colts Blacks at our home ground in Huntington. Kick-off is 10:30, but I would like the boys to be there from 9:30 please so we can get some drills completed beforehand. If I can have some helpers to build the goals from just after 9 that would be really welcomed - I really do depend on this help so thank you in advance.

Thanks also for the rapid response by the majority of parents - it helps me confirm and formulate the squad in good time, which then enables me to tailor the training accordingly on Friday (and for this week, Saturday morning for those selected too).

The confirmed squad for Saturday is as follows:

Oliver Wrigley (GK - bring gloves please)
Elliott Barnes (GK - bring gloves please)
Xander Veal
Jack Broadhurst
Sam Curtis
Max Gaynon
Henry West
Sion Lucas
Jack Binns

Thanks again to everyone, and see you all if you can make it on Friday evening for training.

Carl
AFC Waverton U8 Arrows
07896 515717

Oct 2nd Friendly & 3rd Match Reports

Hi All,

Potentially going to be a long one (sorry!).

Friday nights' two friendlies against the Waverton U8 Rockets were really interesting. It showed that we aren't a million miles off, the two main areas that we need to improve are being settled in our positions (we surprisingly lost some of that) and also our finishing in front of goal. Both teams though played incredibly well and on a brief survey of the boys afterwards they all attested to being incredibly tired after a hard week. Good work to all though and thanks to everyone that was involved, both from a boys and a parental perspective.

Moving to Saturday, I was looking forward to this as being an opportunity to get something out of the game, but on retrospect because we gave the friendlies a full-on attitude the night before, I think the boys were on the whole just even more tired than pre-Friday training; something to be aware of in future.

The game with Princes Villa was certainly a result that didn't reflect the game. On the whole we played really well and when we went forward we always looked a threat.

However, stunned by two early goals in the first quarter you could see the boys heads drop, we started a very unwelcome habit of trying to play all of our football in our own half and especially right in front of our own goal, but we regained our focus in Q2 and that particular section ended 0-0. Q3 we went again, we again started playing too deep in our own half which just invited pressure from the other team and this time, resulted in another goal for Princes Villa. That really spurred us into life and not long after that, Xander did something he threatened on several occasions the previous evening - took the ball out of defence, skipped past a few players and slotted it home nicely. Our second competitive goal! The Arrows collective heads went up and within a minute, Xander again had a shot, this time a Beckham-esque effort from the halfway line which was only (only) narrowly wide. Then a very uncharacteristic few minutes of pressure from the opposition meant they took their forth and we went into the last quarter 4-1.

The final period was a real battle, some good chances again and great tackles, but unfortunately a fifth was scored by the home team, mainly due to the boys being caught pushing forward - my fault as I had asked them to take a higher line in an effort to get another goal.

I said this to some of the parents at the end today - the boys are doing amazing. We lost some focus, but on the whole played well. I can see that some boys are looking progressively tired, which isn't surprising. With that in mind I'll be making a few changes over the coming weeks. The boys that are affected haven't done anything wrong, this is just rotation that is needed to ensure everyone has a fair chance.

A final note; the manager of Princes Villa told me that we have his team the most competitive game of the season so far - that is a real compliment.

Thanks again to all, and see you on Friday.

Carl
AFC Waverton U8 Arrows
07896 515717