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Tournament Summary
We played 64 games over 5 tournaments. We started a little off of the pace and of those 64 games conceded 3 goals in seven games and more than three in a further seven. We had 14 draws, six wins , made it through to a final and won our first penalty shoot out. Our first tournament saw an average of just under three goals conceded per game and no goals scored. We progressed to see our last two tournaments show an average of just over one goal a game conceded and a total of 12 goals scored. Positive signs for next season as move forward into our second season. (Steve B)
Great Horwood Ravens U11s at the Wolverton Tournament (3rd July 2005)
As usual the squad was split into two equal teams to play in the last tournament of the year.
The A SQUAD squad were: Jamie, Keenan, Jack G, Matt, James H, Will, Ben O.
Match One: Water Eaton A 0 Ravens A 0
The opening game saw some stout defending and some good movement from the team as they started the under 11 tournament.
Match Two: Water Eaton B 0 Ravens A 0
Match Three: Ravens B 2 Ravens A 0
The crunch game came along and served up an end-to-end feast of entertainment as both sides upped their game. The B team coming out on top after a strong run down the wing led to goal from Haydon. Another strong run from guest player Jonny led to him scoring to make it 2-0. The B team were then never really troubled.
Match Four: Scot Youth 2 Ravens A 0
Match Five: Southside A 0 Ravens A 0
Match Six: Southside B 1 Ravens A 0
Match Seven: Waterhall Stars 1 Ravens A 0
Three draws and two close defeats did not give a fair reflection of the football played by the A team. One game in particular saw the Ravens pepper the opposition goal and on another day could have seen them score 4 or 5.
The B SQUAD were:- James, Ben, Ben Y, Richard, Jonny
Match One: Water Eaton B 2 Ravens B 0
The B team started off with a good display and Haydon came close to scoring. Water Eaton however took the lead with a cracking free-kick from distance and another well taken goal later on led to a score line that flattered the opposition.
Match Two: Water Eaton A 3 Ravens B 0
A good display again from the Ravens as they sought get more competitive and get amongst the opposition. Three good goals led to a score line that did reflect the game and called for a bit of a team talk to recover for the next game against the other Ravens team.
Match Three: Southside B 2 Ravens B 0
Buoyed by their first win the Ravens were unlucky not to get something from the game. The increase in confidence was evident as James back heeled a pass to a team mate inside our own area and several runs from Haydon and Jack were halted at the last. David and Ben defended resolutely until with almost the last kick of the game a penalty was conceded which was well despatched past Jonny in goal.
Match Four: Waterhall stars 1 Ravens B 0
The team were starting to work together now as Rob again volunteered to go in goal. The rotating goalkeeper system throwing up some undiscovered nuggets as goalkeepers.
Match Five: Scot Youth 1 Ravens B 0
This game could have gone either way but was decided when one missed tackle allowed a player to cross and the striker put in from close range. The team were appreciating the enjoyment gained from being more competitive.
Match Six: Southside A 1 Ravens B 0
Yet another game with a cruel twist as the Ravens competed only to be outdone by a shot from distance that somehow just squeezed in at the base of the post.
Semi Finals
At the end of the league stages both teams were entered into their first semi-final appearance.
Southside A 2 Ravens A 0
First up the A team failed to beat a team they had earlier drew 0-0 with as their goal drought continued. They spent a lot of the tournament playing some excellent passing football but just failed to convert their creative play into goals.
Southside B 0 Ravens B 0 (Southside win pens 3-1)
The Ravens B team then experienced their first semi-final against a team that had earlier beaten them 2-0. The game was a close affair with chances at both ends. Ben Y now playing in goal pulled off some great saves to send the game into extra-time. Further play still failed to separate the two sides as penalties loomed. At the crunch up stepped Haydon to coolly slot the first penalty to make it 1-0 to the Ravens. Next James Ben handled the pressure to make the score 2-0. Finally, guest player Jonny hammered the ball into the net to make it 3-1 with Southside unable to come back with their final penalty.
Final
Southside A 2 Ravens B 0
A long wait to the final saw the Ravens falling just short of winning their first silverware. At 0-0 the manager tried to go for an attacking formation to force the game, unfortunately within a minute Southside took the lead and although the Ravens had some chances the game was all but over when Southside scored again to make it 2-0. The team were disappointed at the end which is an indication of the progress made during the tournaments to be in a position where they felt disappointment to lose a close game against a team that easily won our league. This all bodes well for next season.
Great Horwood Ravens U11s at the Water Eaton Tournament (25th June 2005)
Another mixed day for the two teams but still obvious signs of improvement week-on-week.
The two teams were designated A and B but in reality were two equal teams. They played in separate groups against a high standard of opposition and performed really well in all but one of the games.
A Squad
Jack Goodger – magnificent in goal. Ben Oxley, James Bennett, Matt Seddon, David Powley
Our thanks to our special guest players from the village – Jonny Moodie and Rob Ord
Great Horwood A 0 MK City Youth 1
Playing on Pitch Seven the A team started against MK City Youth A and had all the play. They peppered the opposing goal but lost to a goal on the break.
Water Eaton B 0 Great Horwood A 0
Another game with Horwood playing some superb football with Jack Goodger performing heroics in goal and guest player Rob Ord missing a couple of chances at the other end, it could have finished 2-2.
Great Horwood A 0 Leighton Corinthians A 1
Again, a tough game with Matt Seddon hitting the post, and seeing another shot just go wide. Another goal on the break with a player running the length of the pitch to finish coolly.
Waterhall Stars 3 Great Horwood A 0
A slow start from Horwood, playing against a good team and the cumulative effect of not winning their earlier games when they had deserved to all contributed to a 3-0 defeat.
Fenny Stratford B 1 Great Horwood A 0
Back to their earlier form, Horwood again deserved at least a draw against a team they had beaten the previous week.
Great Horwood A 0 Scot Youth 4
The only game of the day where Horwood were played off of the park, including scoring a penalty .Scot Youth bursting into life after earlier below par performances.
Fenny Stratford D 1 Great Horwood A 1
Finally, in their last game Horwood finished with a very good performance, Rob Ord scoring first before conceding again on the break.
B Squad
Sean Elmes – another very strong display in goal.
James Heath, Ben Yasue, Jamie Seddon, Will Law, Keenan Shaw and Haydon Morrison (special reserve keeper).
Pitch 8 saw Great Horwood B play in the other under 11 group and perform very well against some very good  opposition. The whole team played their best football yet, as the team continues to improve. The final result was Great Horwood finishing 6th in the table, their best result this season.
Great Horwood B 1 MK City Youth B 1
Horwood got off to a flier with a magnificent solo goal from Will Law, skipping past four players before finishing coolly in the corner. Unfortunately MK City struck back quickly with a goal from distance and the game became an end-to end affair with both sides capable of winning.
Water Eaton C 1 Great Horwood B 1
Second draw for Horwood as a very good goal from Jamie Seddon saw them take a deserved lead. Water Eaton equalised almost immediately when confusion in the Horwood goal led to a goalmouth scramble and a sucker goal.
Great Horwood B 2 Leighton Corinthians B 0
Two goals from top scorer Jamie Seddon saw Horwood to their first win of the afternoon leaving them in second place in the league.
The most notable from Jamie being his second from a long distance shot from outside of the penalty area. Horwood could have gone three up after a cracking shot from Ben Yasue from the half way line resulted in a great save from the Leighton goalkeeper.
Fenny Stratford A 2 Great Horwood B 0
A harsh score line for a strong display by Horwood and a measure of the improvement since the first tournament. Although the score line was the same as the first tournament, this time Fenny knew they had been in a game and only a bizarre goal had killed the game off at 2-0. Fenny had taken a shot which was going wide but hit a Great Horwood ‘A’ player standing next to the goal to be deflected inside the post. The referee gave a goal, the spectators standing close to the goal pointed out the error, but the goal stood and lessons were learned by the watching team mates.
Fenny Stratford C 2Great Horwood B 0
Details to follow
Great Horwood B 0 Water Eaton A 0
Another great display Horwood to hold another A team to a goal less draw.
Tight marking of the W.E. forward by Ben Yasue kept the eventual second place team from playing their game, resulting in a great result.
Central MK FC 4 Great Horwood B 0
The strongest team of the day andwinners of the group had been scoring for fun all day including seven in their game before meeting Horwood. Injuries to James Heath and Ben Yasue didn’t help the Horwood cause as it required some reshuffling of positions. However, the team never gave up and could have got something out of the game, even a goal. The memorable moment of the game came when Haydon Morrison was taken out by a pincer movement from two of the Central MK defenders when running at full pace. Thankfully he recovered to limp on to the final whistle.
Great Horwood Ravens U11s at the MK City Youth Tournament (18th June 2005)
Two teams made up from the players who will form the squad for next season enjoyed another mixed day. The Ravens playing as the A team had periods of play which deserved goals and victories but luck just didn’t smile on them as unlucky bounces conspired to stop them getting results they deserved. They played in a group of other designated A teams and over five games only conceded 8 goals. Signs of improvement from the previous tournaments, and something to take forward into the next.
The Rooks playing as the B team had a more fruitful day narrowly missing out on third place. They started  slowly against Abingdon Athletic and were punished after a bad bounce on the dry pitch was not cleared allowing a striker to nip in and score. This early set back could have undone the Ravens but they rallied to attack Abingdon’s goal and didn’t allow Abingdon any more chances. A disappointing 1-0 loss but overall a good performance. Next up were Southside, known to be a good team and likely to test the Ravens. The game was a tight affair with the Ravens not really creating many chances. The defence held up well, learning from the first game and getting tighter onto their opponents. Notable moment from the game was the last gasp save by Dan from a throw-in by Southside. Dan reaching low into the bottom right hand corner to keep the ball out just as the ref blew his whistle. The teams first tournament at Preston Gawcott had seen them play the eventual winners Fenny Stratford A. We met again in the next game and Fenny B were oozing confidence before the kick off unaware of the improvements made in the last couple of weeks. For the first time the Ravens started to create chances with James Bennett being more influential and Matt Seddon energetically causing problems for the opposition. Jamie Seddon started to revel in his role in midfield and the defence coping with any attacks with James Heath and Keenan Shaw growing in confidence. The game ebbed and flowed before Jamie had a shot from distance which just missed the goal. This inspired the Ravens who pushed forward to earn a corner. Jamie crossed it in to James Bennett at the back. A low ball back across was steered home by Keenan, leading to celebrations all round and a neutral spectator standing next to Steve comment ‘good goal’. The defence only allowed Fenny one shot from distance which thankfully they put just over the bar. Disappointment from Fenny was obvious at the final whistle but the Ravens walked off the pitch a foot taller.
Next game at Milton Keynes City should have been an easy victory for the Ravens and would have made the difference in their progression to the quarter finals. The Ravens peppered the MK City goal but couldn’t find the net. Memorable passing movements between Jamie, James Bennett and Matt and tighter defending from Keenan and James Heath at the back kept Dan unemployed in the Ravens goal as the confidence from their earlier victory seeped through the team.
The last game against Great Linford was a cruel end to the day as a couple of harsh decisions gave the victory to the opposition. The first goal came from a well planned free-kick, the taker back-heeling it to his team mate to score low in the corner. The free-kick had been given after a dubious hand ball, to add further hurt it was then compounded when the Linford attacker later used his hand to control the ball before an excellent turn and finish. The team battled on and Dan made some fantastic clearances, punching the ball clear with the crowd showing their appreciation. James Heath continued to get stuck, in ending with a nice lump on his head to go with the lump Jamie had received earlier in the day.
Great Horwood Ravens u11's at the Steeple Claydon Tournament (12 June 2005)
The tournament started well for the Ravens as they scored first in their game against the home side of Steeple Claydon Wanderers. A strange decision from the ref to allow a bouncing ball to be taken as a corner  caught the Ravens off guard and allowed Claydon to equalise. The home side then started to push forward using their one special player Chris for all activities, eventually resulting in another goal. This rallied the Ravens as they pushed forward for the equaliser. The dying moments of the game saw another controversial event as the home side star player slid into to stop a certain goal and handled on the line. The ref didn’t give the penalty, the final whistle blew and the Ravens struggled to recover their momentum in their remaining games.
The next game against Grendon Rangers saw another defeat going down 2-0. This was followed by a very close game against City Colts Rockets before finally succumbing 1-0. Next up was the crunch game against the other Ravens team, (re-badged as the Rooks). A tightly fought competitive match with chances at both ends saw the match decided by a classic goal from James Bennett. A tough game against arguably the best team on the day Oxford City Colts led to a ****. By this stage the Ravens were tiring and showing their inexperience of the tournament format as once again the end of the day saw poor performances against Steeple Claydon United leading to a 5-0 defeat and especially against Moretonville leading to a 4-0 defeat.
The Rooks had a much improved tournament from the previous week and were unlucky not to qualify for the semi-finals of the competition. They started  their day with a 0-0 draw against Steeple Claydon United, followed by a very narrow and undeserved loss against Steeple Claydon Wanderers 1-0. The team were competing much better than last week and showing signs of improvement. They were unlucky not to beat Moretonville, drawing 0-0 against a team that had beaten them 5-0 the week before. This was followed by the clash against the other Great Horwood team and then a close defeat against Grendon Rangers 2-0. The toughest game against Oxford City Colts led to a good performance that could have seen them through to the semi-finals, but was not enough to stop the Colts winning 3-0. The final game against the City Colts Rockets really could have gone either way but again the Rooks just lost out to a single goal, going down 1-0.
Great Horwood Ravens u11's at the Preston Gawcott Tournament (5 June 2005)
THE RAVENS UNDER 11's were split into two teams labelled A and B but in reality both teams were of an equal standard.
 The RAVENS (A) had a difficult start playing the Fenny Stratford A team but despite showing our lack of experience to tournament football finished the game strongly going down 3-0 after some spirited defending to the eventual tournament winners.
With some shuffling of the players to unaccustomed positions this was followed by 1-0 loss to Brackley, chances by Gt Horwood on goal were limited. We then played our finest game of the afternoon, great commitment from everybody, limited opportunities on goal but a more consistent game finishing in a 0-0 draw against Preston Gawcott Allstars.
With an injury to our keeper the team then had to play back to back games without substitutes and with tiring legs leaving open ever widening gaps for the faster, fitter and more experienced teams of Preston Gawcott Pumas and Downs Barn Tigers both ended with 5-0 loses, despite heads going down the first time experience of tournament football was encouraging....!
The Rooks (B) had a very good start drawing 0-0 with Brackley B with some excellent defending from Jack Reynolds at the back and Haydon Morrison in goal. A few close chances from Will Law led to a very even game.
Next up saw Great Horwood play the hosts and again the team defended well but struggled to make any clear  cut chances. The game was heading for another 0-0 draw until the final couple of minutes when the fact Great Horwood were playing their second game in succession finally started to pay as tired legs gave way for some clinical finishing from the home side to score three goals in quick succession.
A long break before the next game saw Great Horwood play off of the pace as a lack lustre performance saw a relatively easy win for Moretonville at 5-0. Some lessons to be learnt by the management in team preparation for the next tournament.
The final game against Downs Barn Tigers was again straight after the Moretonville game. The team however were back to competing as they came close to scoring before a strong challenge on James Bennett went unpunished allowing the Tigers to score their first goal. A cruel blow for Horwood saw some heads go down briefly before they rallied again to push on a for a goal which left them vulnerable at the back allowing the Tigers to score twice more before the end.
Some positives to take from the tournament which gave debuts to two players and an introduction to tournaments for most players. Team selection, rotating starting line ups and preparation after a long lay-off are lessons to be learned by the management but several players proved they can play against tough opposition which will hopefully improve again with the next tournament next week at Steeple Claydon.
2004-5 (as Under 11s) results
|
Date (04) |
Comp |
Venue |
Opposition |
Res |
Score |
Scorers |
|
05-Sep |
Grade |
Home |
Great Linford R |
L |
1-7 |
W.Law |
|
12-Sep |
Grade |
Home |
Woburn Lions |
L |
0-9 |
|
|
19-Sep |
Grade |
Away |
Willen Juniors |
L |
2-4 |
D.Powley(2) |
|
03-Oct |
Friendly |
Away |
Moretonville Juniors |
D |
1-1 |
S.Elmes |
|
10-Oct |
Lge |
Home |
Great Linford R |
L |
0-3 |
|
|
17-Oct |
Lge |
Away |
Newton Longville |
L |
1-3 |
J.Honor |
|
31-Oct |
Lge |
Home |
Willen Juniors |
L |
1-4 |
J.Seddon |
|
07-Nov |
Lge |
Away |
Moretonville Juniors |
L |
0-4 |
|
|
14-Nov |
Lge |
Away |
Southside United |
L |
1-6 |
J.Goodger |
|
21-Nov |
Lge |
Home |
Brackley Athletic Jaffas |
L |
1-3 |
J.Seddon |
|
28-Nov |
Cup R1 |
Home |
Water Eaton Youth B |
L |
0-2 |
|
|
05-Dec |
Friendly |
Home |
Winslow |
L |
0-1 |
|
|
12-Dec |
Lge |
Home |
MK Wanderers |
L |
0-1 |
|
|
09-Jan |
Lge |
Home |
Water Eaton Youth B |
L |
3-5 |
S.Elmes, W.Law(2) |
|
16-Jan |
Lge |
Away |
Brackley Athl. Jaffas |
L |
0-4 |
|
|
23-Jan |
Lge |
Away |
Great Linford R |
L |
0-11 |
|
|
06-Feb |
Lge |
Away |
City Colts Rockets |
L |
1-3 |
K.Shaw |
|
13-Feb |
Lge |
Away |
Water Eaton Youth B |
L |
1-4 |
W.Law |
|
27-Feb |
Lge |
Home |
Moretonville Juniors |
L |
1-2 |
W.Law |
|
06-Mar |
Lge |
Home |
Southside Utd |
L |
0-10 |
|
|
13-Mar |
Lge |
Away |
Willen Juniors |
W |
3-1 |
W.Law(3) |
|
20-Mar |
Friendly |
Home |
Winslow |
L |
1-4 |
W.Law |
2004-5 (as Under 11s) table
|
1 |
Southside United |
18 |
16 |
1 |
1 |
33 |
|
2 |
Brackley Athletic Jaffas |
18 |
15 |
1 |
2 |
31 |
|
3 |
Great Linford Rangers |
18 |
13 |
2 |
3 |
28 |
|
4 |
City Colts Rockets |
18 |
8 |
3 |
7 |
19 |
|
5 |
Water Eaton Youth B |
18 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
18 |
|
6 |
Moretonville Juniors |
18 |
6 |
2 |
10 |
14 |
|
7 |
Newton Longville |
18 |
6 |
1 |
11 |
13 |
|
8 |
Willen Juniors |
18 |
4 |
4 |
10 |
12 |
|
9 |
MK Wanderers |
18 |
3 |
3 |
12 |
9 |
|
10 |
Great Horwood |
18 |
1 |
1 |
16 |
3 |
2004-5 (as Under 11s) Fair play table
Great Linford Rockets 85.00%
Great Horwood 83.70%
Moretonville Juniors 82.90%
2004-5 (as Under 11s) Match Reports
MK Wanderers 5 Great Horwood Ravens 0 (19 March 2005) Milton Keynes and Border Counties under 11's division 2
A disappointing end to the season for the Ravens as they conceded two long shots in the first half - the second after rebounding off the under side of the goal and being awarded by our very own Russian linesman. A change of ends failed to change Horwood's fortunes as missed chances at one end were punished at the other.
Man of the Match going to Keenan Shaw
Great Horwood Ravens 1 Winslow 4 (19 March 2005) Friendly
Scorer: W.Law
The training game was split into four quarters of 15 minutes. For three of those quarters the visitors were outplayed and the Ravens could have had a more decisive score line. This was all excellent stuff as William Law continued his scoring form and Jack Reynolds had a great debut playing his first ever game alongside 4 of the Ravens Sevens who all played magnificently. The third quarter after half time saw a change in goalkeeper which meant the defence was severely weakened by our centre back going in goal. This coupled with more tactical changes and some naive defending saw the visitors score three soft and one great goal all in quick succession. A hasty change back to a stronger formation saw some return to the earlier strength but all too late to score or get something out of the game. Good lessons were learnt by the management for next season and for the remainder of this one but at the expense of the victory. We could put it down as 1-0 for three quarters and 0-4 for one quarter!!!
Man of the Match to Ben Yasue for continuing his excellent form.
Great Horwood Ravens 0 Southside 10 (13 March 2005) Milton Keynes and Border Counties Under 11 Division 2
The Ravens had one of those days where although they didnt play badly they came up against a team who were in form and who profited from every mistake. The Ravens never gave up even though the goal seemed to be a magnet for the Southside players. Every time the visitors had a shot it seemed to go in. Apart from the shots on goal the rest of the game was surprisingly even and should act as a lesson for the team.
Man of the Match to goalkeeper Daniel Elliott.
Willen Juniors 1 Great Horwood Ravens 3 (13 March 2005) Milton Keynes and Border Counties Under 11 Division 2
Games against Willen have always been close games (we have played them twice before) and always with a good sporting atmosphere. The Ravens started well but end-to-end action finaly resulted in a deflected goal for the home side. The Ravens kicked off and quickly put the home side under pressure before a left footed volley from William Law drew the game level at 1-1. Half time came and reassurance to the players that they could win the game. More pressure from the Ravens in between frequent attacks from Willen finally led to another goal from Will. The lead galvanised the team into more effort as Ryan Burrel performed heroics in goal and Jack Goodger and Ben Yasue competed for the highest tackle count. Strong performances from Keenan Shaw and the ever dependable Jamie Seddon helped the returning to form David Powley and James Bennett boss the midfield. Sean Elmes constantly broke through the tackles to force chances as the defence held strong with Michael Thorne and Jack Parker.
Man of the Match could have gone to many of the players but for the all round performance and for their first win Man of the Match was awarded to the whole team.
Great Horwood Ravens 1 Moretonville 2 (27 February 2005) Milton Keynes and Border Counties Under 11 Division 2
Scorer: William Law
The Ravens continue to search for that elusive first win after a hard fought contest on a bitterly cold Sunday morning. The Ravens took the lead in the first half with a goal from William Law. The visitors played some good football against a new look defense prior to getting the equaliser before half time. The second half again saw an even game with the visitors sometimes applying the pressure before the Ravens could break to force a chance at the other end. A dissapointing goal conceded from a scrambled corner led to Moretonville taking the lead which the home side just failed to claw back.
This was the best performance so far in terms of competing as the team performed for all of the game instead of the recent games where they had only managed to compete for one half. We have played a lot better football but now just need to get the football being played together with the competing and we will be on our way.
Man of the Match William Law.
Water Eaton Youth B 4 Great Horwood Ravens 1 (13 February 2005) Milton Keynes and Border Counties Division 2
A poor display in the first half saw the Ravens losing 3-0 against the ten players of the home side. Down to ten players themselves in the second half saw a much improved performance from Horwood with a goal from William Law plus several missed chances for a more even game. The Ravens have four or five players who consistently put the effort into each and every game, the aim for the team must be to get all of the team working in the same way for all of the game- greater enjoyment will then surely follow.
Man of the Match for another consistent performance to Ryan Burrell.
City Colts Rockets 3 Great Horwood Ravens 1 (6 February 2005) Milton Keynes and Border Counties Division 2
Scorer: Keenan Shaw
The Ravens bounced back from their last performance with a much improved effort in an even game. The Ravens came back strongly against the home side and probably deserved at least a draw. A goal from Keenan Shaw spurred the team onto a frantic last 10 minutes but without further success. Another strong performance from Ryan Burrell.
Man of the Match went to Jamie Seddon.
Great Linford 0 Great Horwood Ravens 11 (22 January 2005) Milton Keynes and Border Counties Division 2
A tale of unavailable players, injury and sickness led to the Ravens playing with a depleted team. Several players had been ill the day or night before but still turned up to play. One had to go off at half time leaving 10 players then another left the field feeling unwell leaving 9. A great start from the Ravens had seen them trouble the opposition goalkeeper and they had the home team worried. However as soon as the first goal went in Great Linford pushed on and made it a miserable first half for the Ravens. The Ravens were guilty of poor tackling and tracking back, sometimes excused by the general health of the team but other times held no excuses. A half time pep talk from all supporters spurred them on to a better display but the numerical advantage for the home team proved too much. Lessons need to be learnt from the game in order for the team to progress - which means extra training next week - this time hopefully with everybody available - fit and well...
Man of the Match to the whole team for not giving up in the second half.
Brackley Athletic Jaffas 4 Great Horwood Ravens 0 (15 January 2005) Milton Keynes and Border Counties Division 2
The Ravens started in the same positive fashion as last week against the divisions top team. A near miss was quickly followed by the home team taking the lead. If that first effort had gone in it might have been a different game but the Jaffas grew in confidence as their leading scorer proved the difference between the two teams. Some questionable antics by the home side failed to deflect the Ravens determination to defend but the home team still went in leading 3-0. The second half saw the introduction of Sam Cogle 'this time as left midfield' in his last game before departing for Australia. The Ravens continued to defend but with some good chances being missed at the other end. Another goal from the jaffas top scorer finished the goal tally but the Ravens deserved to at least score to continue the improvement in the team.
Man of the Match Keenan Shaw
Great Horwood Ravens 3 Water Eaton Youth B 5 (9 January 2005) Milton Keynes and Border Counties Division 2
Scorers: Sean Elmes, William Law (2)
The Ravens should take heart from a positive performance. The visitors took the lead but an equaliser from 25yds by Sean Elmes spurred the home team on with William Law going onto score twice. Unfortunately the Ravens could not hang onto 3-1 until half-time as the visitors just sneaked another goal with almost the last kick of the half. The second period saw an early equaliser for the visitors as the wind became stronger forcing the home to defend deeper and deeper inviting pressure. The defence finally broke as Water Eaton took the lead and then onto score another before the finish. Without the conditions the Ravens would have had a chance of getting their first points of the season, but a lot of positives can be taken forward to the next game.
Man of the Match Michael Thorne
Great Horwood Ravens 0 MK Wanderers 1 (12 December 2004) Milton Keynes and Border Counties Division 2
The Ravens paid dearly for a poor start when their closest rivals scored a disputed early goal. Slowly as time went on the Ravens came more into the game but couldn't force the goal their play deserved. Strong performances from several players but Man of the Match went to Jack Goodger for an impressive first performance in a new position at right back.
Man of the Match - Jack Goodger
Great Horwood Ravens 0 Winslow 1 (Sunday 5th December 2004) Friendly
A good performance from the Ravens as the full squad took on the team from Winslow. A close game throughout the Ravens played with several players trying out new positions and all the Ravens Sevens playing an 11-a-side game together for the first time. The game also saw the very welcome return of Dan Elliott in goal with a Man-of-the-Match performance which included a penalty save.
0-0 at half time the game looked likely to continue in stalemate until a soft goal was conceded from a corner after a goal mouth scramble the ball travelled through a players legs and trickled over the goal line.
Man of the Match - Dan Elliot
Great Horwood Ravens 1 Brackley Athletic Jaffas 3 (21 November 2004) Milton Keynes and Border Counties Division 2
The Ravens continued their improvement from last weeks game with a fantastic performance against the top side. Stout defending for the first twenty minutes of the first half was cruelly rewarded with an own goal when the Jaffas hit the ball hard across the six yard box and a defenders foot steered the ball into the net. Refusing to drop their heads the Ravens started again and could have had a goal themselves before a great move from the Jaffas with slick passing led to a shot from just inside the box that hit the top left of the net - a good goal.
The second half started with the Jaffas taking the kick - Sean Elmes being replaced by the returning from injury Dan Elliott. The Ravens passed the ball around and got the goal their play deserved when Jamie Seddon scored from the edge of the box. Continued pressure had the Jaffas rattled and a penalty after Will Law was fouled in the box could have really made things interesting. Unfortunately the penalty went wide and the Ravens had to raise their game again. End to end action from both teams had the crowd getting more and more excited with near misses and two strikes on the woodwork. Then with just a couple of minutes to go the Jaffas attacked again and another own goal this time off of a defenders backside finally made the game safe for the visitors.
Man of the Match could have gone to the whole team but for yet another tremendous display in goal Sam Cogle just edged it.
Southside Utd 6 Great Horwood Ravens 1 (14 November 2004) Milton Keynes and Border Counties Division 2
A tremendous performance from the Ravens bouncing back from last weeks dissapointing display. Southside took an early lead as the Ravens struggled to cope with two particularly good wingers. The team performance improved throughout the first half but four good goals and a cruel goal that just crept inside the post meant the Ravens were 5-0 down at half time.
The second half started with a good break from Southside but after that the Ravens pushed on and took control for large periods of time. A well deserved first goal for Jack Goodger saw the teams spirits lifted as they all competed for every ball. Another penalty save from Sam Cogle demonstrated the all round improvement in the team. If we can only put in performances like this against weaker teams it wont be long before we get that elusive first victory.
Man of the Match to Ben Yasue for a tremendous display and recognition of improvement since the start of the season
Moretonville 4 Great Horwood Ravens 0 (7 November 2004) Milton Keynes and Border Counties Division 2
The Ravens failed to build on their previous weeks performance putting a lot of effort into the game with little reward. The earlier game with Moretonville (played a few weeks earlier) had proved to be a great display of football with several of the Ravens Sevens playing some really good football. That result may have led to some over confidence within the Ravens for this important league game. Moretonville run out deserved winners with a lucky goal starting the scoring, coming off a players knee. A good goal, followed by a penalty, then another goal when we looked like at least getting a consolation goal. The high point came when another penalty decision (this one was very harsh) was saved by Sam Cogle performing in goal to his usual high standard. Jamie Seddon was notable for playing football.
Another consistent display at the back led to Man of the Match going to Keenan Shaw.
Great Horwood Ravens 1 Willen Juniors 3 (31st October 2004) Milton Keynes and Border Counties Division 2
A close game played in the right spirit as a depleted Ravens team took on Willen. The visitors took the lead before a goal from Jamie Seddon equalised. Another goal for Willen just before half time led to a spirited attack from the Ravens throughout the second half hitting the woodwork and several near misses. Another goal for Willen with the last kick of the game led to a scoreline which did not reflect the game. Strong performances from Sam Cogle and Jamie Seddon.
Man of the Match award went to the whole team for their spirited performance.
Newton Longville 4 Great Horwood Ravens 1 (17th October 2004) Milton Keynes and Border Counties Division 2
A strange game played on a minature pitch which never alowed the Ravens the get their passing game together. Lots of effort from all the players was never rewarded as a five minute spell when concentration was lost led to three goals being conceded. A late fight back saw a goal from Jake Honor but too little too late to stop the home side victory.
Man of the Match: David Powley.
Great Horwood Ravens 0 Great Linford Rangers 3 (10 October 2004) Milton Keynes and Border Counties Division 2
The Ravens defended well against the weather conditions in the first half to go in at half time 1-0 down. The conditions improved for the second half which favoured the opposition but the Ravens failed to convert numerous chances and concede two more to lose 3-0. A better performance with two loan signings making their debut from Winslow but the team still looks for that first league victory.
Man of the Match Jamie Seddon.
Moretonville Juniors 1 Great Horwood Ravens 1 (3 October 2004) Friendly
Scorer: Sean Elmes
A fantastic performance from the Ravens squad as five of the Ravens Sevens competed against the much more experienced side from Moretonville. A brave display from new loan goalkeeper Sam Cogle saw a half time scoreline of 0-0. Sean Elms then took the lead for the Ravens who nearly managed to hold on for the victory but a late goal from the home side led to more defending for the Ravens to hold onto a deserved draw.
Man of the Match was goalkeeper Sam Cogle.
Willen Juniors 4 Great Horwood Ravens 2 (18 September 2004) Milton Keynes and Border Counties Grading Game
Scorers: David Powley (2)
The Ravens learnt a painful lesson as a 2-0 lead at half time evaporated to a 4-2 loss. Three late goals from the home side cancelled out two first half goals from in form David Powley. Strong performance again from Captain Ryan Burrell.
Man of the Match was goalkeeper James Bennett.
Great Horwood Ravens 0 Woburn Lions 9 (12 September 2004) Milton Keynes and Border Counties Grading Game
A great performance from Ravens 10 players against the 11 players of last season’s champions. Cruel deflections and some well taken chances had Woburn leading 7-0 at half time. Great Horwood then went onto a magnificent display of defending and were unlucky not to convert a couple of chances themselves. Developing the offside trap at the back worked successfully and the team never let their heads drop. Further improvement from the Ravens which should hopefully see a full team turn out next week.
Great Horwood Ravens 1 Great Linford Rockets 7 (5 September 2004) Milton Keynes and Border Counties Grading Game
Scorers: William Law
The Ravens under 11’s also continued to improve with their display against a very strong Great Linford team. A close game at 2-1 with the Great Horwood goal coming from William Law. This continued up until an injury to Dan Elliott the Ravens keeper who was replaced by centre back Ryan Burrell. The remaining 10 players then had an uphill task on a very hot day, but they never let their heads drop. The final 7-1 score line was a little harsh but still evidence of improvement for the new Great Horwood team. Even though the fixture was a league grading game, both teams also went home with a commemorative medal and stayed around to enjoy the rest of the day’s activities.
Man of the Match award going to Sean Elmes.
2004-5 (as Under 11s) End of Season Awards
Congratulations to Great Horwood Football Club U11s who came second for the Milton Keynes and Border League U11 Fair Play award 2004/5.
Pictured left:
Award winners for 2004-5 season.
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