Great Horwood FC Under 13's 2006-2007

Date Comp Venue Opposition Res. Score Scorers 03-Sep-06  Funday  Home  Wing Raiders  W 4-3  James H, Jack G, David P, Jamie 10-Sep-06 Lge  away  Wing Raiders  W 11-0  Jamie (3),David P, Jack R (2), Haydon, David R, Dan, Sean, Jack G 17-Sep-06 Lge  home  Steeple Claydon L  3-4 Jamie, Jack R, Jack G. 24-Sep-06 Lge away Woodside Wand. W 9-2 Ben T, James H(4), Jamie, David, Jack R (2) 01 Oct-06 Cup  home  MK City  W(aet)  1-1  David P 08 Oct-06 Lge home Stewkley L 3-4 Haydon, Jack G (2). 15-Oct-06 Lge away Steeple Claydon D 5-5 Jack R (3), Haydon, David P. 22-Oct-06 Cup home Moretonville Torn   PP Postponed (waterlogged pitch) 29-Oct-06 Lge home Willen Juniors L 1-7 Haydon 05 Nov-06 Lge away Wing Raiders L 1-3 Jack 12-Nov-06 Cup home City Colts L 2-7 Haydon(2) 19-Nov-06 Cup home Moretonville Torn. L 1-3 Jamie 26-Nov-06     Training   PP Postponed (waterlogged pitch) 03-Dec-06     Training   PP Postponed (waterlogged pitch) 10-Dec-06 Lge away Willen Juniors   PP Postponed (waterlogged pitch) 17-Dec-06     No fixture       07-Jan-07 Lge away Willen Juniors   PP Postponed (waterlogged pitch) 14-Jan-07 Lge away Stewkley W 8-1 Jack G (2), Jack R(2), Haydon, Jamie, James B, James H 21-Jan-07 Lge home Woodside Wand.   PP Postponed (waterlogged pitch) 28-Jan-07 Lge home Brookfield Rang. W 6-0 Jack R(2), Jamie, Will, David, Sean 04-Feb-07 Lge home Wooton Rangers D 0-0 - 11-Feb-07 Lge away Brookfield Rang.   PP Postponed (waterlogged pitch) 18-Feb-07 Lge away Wooton Rangers   PP Postponed (waterlogged pitch) 25-Feb-07 Lge away Old Stratford   PP Postponed (waterlogged pitch) 04-Mar-07 Lge home Leighton Eagles   PP Postponed (waterlogged pitch) 11-Mar-07 Lge away Brookfield Rangers D 2-2 Jack(2) 18-Mar-07 Lge home Woodside Wand. D 1-1 Jack G 25-Mar-07 Lge away Old Stratford D 2-2 Will, Ben T 15-Apr-07 Lge away Leighton Eagles. L 1-5 Jack R 22-Apr-07 Lge home Old Stratford L 1-3 Jack 27-Apr-07 Lge home Leighton Eagles L 0-4   29-Apr-07 Lge away Wootton Rangers L 0-1   06-May-07 Lge away Willen L 1-6 Jack R       Willen World Cup Tournament 15th July On a day of unusually dry weather the squad played well with particular highlights being Andrews first goal and Ben Turners goal from distance in a quarter final. The Ravens were unlucky not to get to the plate final, losing narrowly on penalties and the Rooks had some good games but suffered from missing a player (only having seven), with three relatively inexperienced players and no recognised keeper. The two teams competing were down as A and B, the Ravens (A) and Rooks (B) with the Rooks made up mainly of new players. The Ravens slowly got better during the day, playing their best football in the last three games. The Rooks played very well in all their games but found some of the opposition a bit too tough along the way. The Ravens opening game against Wing should have seen them record a win but as usual they managed to go down to a soft goal losing 1-0. The Rooks opening game was against last seasons Division 1 champions Central MK and a real baptism of fire. The game ended with a 6-0 'character building' result. To their credit they bounced back brilliantly, recording their first points with a goal-less draw against Wing. They had other really good performances against the Ravens losing narrowly 1-0 and a very close game against Brookfield Rangers. The Ravens had a narrow loss 1-0 against Central Milton Keynes, and a draw against Brookfield before beating their team mates. They finally showed their true quality in the quarter final against MK Wanderers before losing the semi-final on penalties after a nailbiting 0-0 draw with New City Saints. Overall a very good day enjoyed by all and a fitting end to the season. A farewell to some players and a welcome to Chris Brown. Next season will see some changes with the squad overall again looking stronger. Training wil start on 30th August... Great Horwood Ravens 0 Wing Raiders 1 New City Saints 1 Great Horwood Ravens 0 Fenny Stratford A 2 Great Horwood Ravens 0 Great Horwood Ravens 0 Great Linford Lions 2 Brookfield Rangers 0 Great Horwood Ravens 0 Central MK 1 Great Horwood Ravens 0 Great Horwood Ravens 0 Water Eaton Youth 2 Great Horwood Ravens 1 Great Horwood Rooks 0 (Jamie) Great Horwood Rooks 0 Central MK 6 Great Horwood Rooks 0 Wing Raiders 0 Great Horwood Rooks 0 Great Linford Lions 5 New City Saints 2 Great Horwood Rooks 0 Great Horwood Rooks 1 Brookfield Rangers 3 (Andrew) Great Horwood Rooks 0 Fenny Stratford A 4 Water Eaton Youth 5 Great Horwood Rooks 0 Quarter Final Great Horwood Rooks 0 Wing Raiders 4 Great Horwood Ravens 2 MK Wanderers 1 (Jamie, Ben Turner) Semi Final New City Saints 0 Great Horwood Ravens 0 (4-3 on penalties) Ravens Squad:- Haydon, Dan, Jamie, James B, Keenan, Will, Ben T, Ben Y. Rooks Squad:- Jack G, Ben O, Andrew, Chris, Louis, Greg, Sean.   MK City Tournament 16th June On a day of heavy showers the squad travelled to MK City and again played well in all games with the Ravens team in particular being unlucky not to progress. Two teams competed, the Ravens and Rooks with the Rooks made up mainly of new players. The Ravens had some really good performances along the way but were consistently outdone with late goals after cavalier defending. The Rooks played well in all but one game in which they failed to play well after a long break. A good lesson for the new players in particular and one from which they were quick to learn. The Ravens opening game was a narrow 2-1 loss against Parklands Tigers with Jamie scoring. This was followed by another loss of 3-1 with Jamie again getting the goal. They picked up their first point in a game they dominated to gain a 0-0 draw. This was followed by a below par performance and a 4-0 loss to a tough team from Woburn Lions. The next game against MK City saw them record their first win with Will getting the winner for a 1-0 victory. Spurred by the result they continued the form with a 2-1 victory over Downs Barn with particular note being Keenans well taken goal from a corner, and Will adding the second. Their last game could have seen them into the quarter finals and they looked on course after David P gave them the lead. However New City Saints fought back to take advantage of a lack of defenders to score twice and win the game 2-1. The result meant the Ravens missed out on progressing by one point. The Rooks had a baptism of fire losng their first game 5-0 and never getting close to the opposition. An injury to James H put the squad down to 7 and with Jack G in goal struggling with illness all day he did well to persevere. To their credit the Rooks bounced back to record a 0-0 draw against Down Barn and it looked like they would be ok. A narrow 1-0 loss against MK City Tigers was followed by a long break and then a poor performance against a good side from Willen. 3-0 but it could have been 10.... a quick chat after the game impressed the need to get focused after a long break and maintain concentration. It looked to pay off when they again bounced back to take the lead in their next game against Brookfield. A free-kick from Chris B was slammed into the top of the net by Jack R for a 1-0 lead that lasted until half way through the game when tiredness or loss of concentration kicked in and they allowed the opposition free reign to score three goals. In their last game they tried hard to compete but were always up against it. A 2-0 loss against Southside ended their day with a lot of good lessons learned and experience gained. Next up Mursley on the 8th July, it looks like we have at least one team that can compete against the best, lets hope they can do so and the other team can be strengthend by returning players to get closer to the action. Great Horwood Ravens 1 Parkland Tigers 2 Southside Utd Scorpions 3 Great Horwood Ravens 1 Willen Juniors Blues 0 Great Horwood Ravens 0 Great Horwood Ravens 0 Woburn Lions Whirlwinds 4 MK City Lions 0 Great Horwood Ravens 1 Downs Barn Cobras 0 Great Horwood Ravens 2 Great Horwood Ravens 1 New City Saints 2 Water Eaton Youth 5 Great Horwood Rooks 0 Great Horwood Rooks 2 Downs Barn Vipers 0 MK City Tigers 1 Great Horwood Rooks 0 Great Horwood Rooks 0 Willen Juniors Reds 3 Brookfield Rangers Ospreys 3 Great Horwood Rooks 1 Great Horwood Rooks 0 Woburn Lions Hurricanes 2 Southside Utd Sharks 2 Great Horwood Rooks 0 Ravens Squad:- Haydon, David P, Jamie, James B, Keenan, Will, Luke, David R. Rooks Squad:- Jack G, James H, Ben O, Jack R, Andrew, George, Joe, Chris. Steeple Claydon Tournament 10th June On a scorching day the squad travelled to Steeple Claydon and played well in most games against almost all higher league opposition. Two teams competed, split roughly in equal parts. The Ravens and the Rooks having some really good performances along the way. The Ravens opening game was a tough start against a big City Colts team but they were unlucky to go down to a solitary goal and could have got at least a draw. Next up saw a slow start punish them to go 2-0 down within two minutes from which they never recovered. Their remaining games saw a good 2-0 win over one of the Claydon teams, (the weakest side in the group) but was followed by a bad loss against the groups strongest team. Still, with the last game they could have had a good result but a good goal straight from our attack was followed late on by a really soft goal. The Rooks on the other hand had a tremendous start with Jack R and James H scoring in a 2-0 win. A 2-0 bye and a goalless draw saw them safely sitting in second place before suffering a 4-0 loss against a team from Willen that were unrecognisable from the team we played in the league. Another 3-0 loss in their last game ended the day with some slight disappointment. Overall an improvement from the Newport Pagnell tournament. Some players are really playing well, particularly David Powley, David Randall and Will Evett. Others are getting used to the pace required and everyone can see we have the makings of a good squad. Some players still need to continue working on their weaknesses which can be highlighted in tournament football, particularly pace, but they can all be faster with a little more effort and improved technique. Next up MK City on Saturday, lets focus on a positive performance and behaviour to carry on our improvement... Great Horwood Ravens 0 City Colts 1 Great Horwood Ravens 0 Steeple Claydon United 2 Steeple Claydon Athletic 0 Great Horwood Ravens 2 (Keenan, Jamie) Great Horwood Ravens 1 Newton Longville Blue 3 (James B) Great Horwood Ravens 0 Grendon Rangers White 2 Steeple Claydon Rangers 0 Great Horwood Rooks 2 (Jack R, James H) Great Horwood Rooks 2 Syresham 0 (Bye) Great Horwood Rooks 0 Grendon Rangers Gold 0 Willen Juniors 4 Great Horwood Rooks 0 Newton Longville Yellow 3 Great Horwood Rooks 0 Ravens Squad:- Haydon, Ben O , David P, Jamie, James B, Keenan, Will, Ben T Rooks Squad:- Dan, David R, Richard, Jack R, Sean, Ben Y, James H, Andrew. Newport Pagnell Tournament 3rd June On another beautiful sunny day the squad travelled to Newport and gradually played better with each game against Division 1 opposition. The opening game against Sharnbrook Casuals B showed we were a little off of the pace and the team struggled to get any rhythm going. A low shot on the wet grass just managed to elude Luke in goal for a 1-0 loss. The scoreline could have been higher but for some resolute defending and saves from Luke. Next up matched us against Newport Pagnell Town B and this was again a tough game. We played better but still lacked some belief in going for 50-50 balls. Dan hurt his hand making one save and had to be replaced in goal by Luke for the rest of the tournament. Two goals were conceded, one from a powerful low corner which had obviously been practised on the training ground but overall we could see the team starting to wake up to the speed required to compete. In the third game Horwood finally started to compete with a battling display against Water Hall Stars a 2-0 loss was suffered but we could have and maybe should have got at least a draw if not a win out of the game. Several chances were missed as we were able to venture forward for really the first time of the day. Buoyed by their success and with a little belief the team played their last game against City Colts B who later made it to the final. An end-to-end game saw a goal 'scored' direct from a throw-in which thankfully the ref spotted and called for a retake. The Horwood team played their best football making some good attacking moves and were eventually rewarded when David P hit the post only for Haydon to tuck away the rebound. 1-0 at the whistle the City Colts team thought we had knocked them out of the competition. However, goal difference was against us and the Colts team went onto to win the quarter and semi final to play Sharnbrook in the final. If only we can start to believe in oursleves a little earlier we might start to get into knockout stages...... bring on Claydon next week....!! Squad:- Dan, Luke, David R, Richard, David P, Haydon, Jack R, James B.   Great Horwood Ravens 1 Willen Juniors 6 Scorers:- Jack R (6 May 2007) The Ravens at last scored after going the last couple of games without hitting the net. Unfortunately it was a consolation goal at the end of a game they dominated early on before falling prey to not shooting and conceding a couple of soft goals. The Ravens started the stronger, playing good football with short sharp passing moves. However a speculative shot somehow managed to squirm past our keeper for the visitors to take an undeserved lead. Buoyed by their goal, Willen mounted a few more attacks requiring David R to defend and Luke to save well from the resulting corner. At the other end Jack R nearly got on the end of a ball the keeper had dropped but it wasn’t to be. A great run by Haydon ended in frustration as the strong wind helped the ball run away from him inside the box. A good shot from Jamie just went wide and another shot by Haydon from a quick corner put the Willen defence under pressure in the Ravens best period of the game. A good run from Willen down their left needed some good defending and Keenan cleared the ball off of the line after a good corner. Luke made some impressive saves in goal and Jack R had a good run forward to try and level the score. Just when the Ravens looked likely to strike, Willen mounted an attack which somehow squeezed inside the post for a 2-0 lead and against the run of play. For the rest of the half Willen started to get some pressure and the Ravens again failed to take advantage of the conditions by not shooting when the opportunities arose. Good tackles by Ben O and David R kept the league leaders out before Horwood muddled a good chance at the other end. Just before the half ended Luke made a great save to deny Willen and keep it to 2-0. Half time again impressed on the team that they must shoot more and put into practice the training from Thursday. The first half had also seen a lot of good moves break down as the wind caught the ball to push it back towards the keeper. We needed to keep playing football to make more chances but otherwise just keep going as we were. The Ravens started brightly again trying to get forward but it was Willen who scored first. This was probably the killer goal as Willen were looking to use the elements now in their favour and the Ravens tried to push forward to get some goals. By venturing forward we were leaving ourselves exposed at the back but with nothing to lose we went on a quest for a consolation goal. It wasn’t long before Willen made the most of our adventure, hitting the post. Up at their end Haydon went close with a shot just over the bar and had another one needing a good save by the keeper. Willen then hit the bar after Luke was again left with several attackers to look after before they scored again to make it 4-0. By now the Horwood defence had all gone AWOL… all seeking that end of season goal… and why not!! A free kick shot from Jack R needed a good save before Ben Y made a crunching tackle to stop a break away. Luke was called on again in goal but couldn’t stop another goal going in for 5-0. A lovely one-two between Will and Haydon led to a great shot from Will and another good save. Finally the Ravens got what they wanted when Jack R let loose a wicked shot from 25yds out to beat the keeper for what we all thought would be the last goal of the game at 5-1. However, it was Willen who had the last word with a goal right at the end for 6-1 followed by end of game celebrations as their win ensured their promotion as Champions. The Ravens had played well in patches during the game, playing with a smile on their faces. Skills were still in evidence, particularly Haydon’s cheeky Ronaldo step over and kick with other foot and it was great to see the team spirit after the game. The comment was made ‘it was more fun this year than last’ which sums up a lot about this season. They deserved better but we know where we need to work. As they left the changing rooms they all started singing the Monty Python anthem ‘Always look on the bright side of life….’ Marvellous…. Starting line up:- Luke, Ben O, David R, Ben T, Keenan, Haydon, Dan, Jamie, Andrew, Jack R, Will. Wootton Rangers 1 Great Horwood Ravens 0 Scorers:- (29 April 2007) The dry spell of not scoring continued with the Ravens again failing to find the net. However, there were many positives to take from this game as the Ravens played well and deserved more from the game. For the first time when playing against a team who play the long ball, the Ravens did not resort to the same tactics, instead choosing to play football and making more chances as a result. The Ravens also played good football on a small pitch which was another first. Our only failing was a general lack of fire power or accurate final ball in the last third. All things to work on in training this week. From the kick off Wootton tried an audacious shot to try and catch Luke out in goal. An unusual tactic in 11-a-side football but an indication of the intent from the home team to play the long ball. A very bright start from the Ravens saw lots of good football being played. A big kick from Luke put pressure on their defence and forced a corner. From the corner the ball again bounced around in their box but without anyone to poke it home. A shot from Jamie went close but overall the opening period saw Wootton putting the ball in the air and the Ravens trying to play it on the ground. The closest Wootton came to scoring was after a poor goal kick landed Luke in a lot of trouble but he made amends by making a great save. At the break it was clear we had applied the most pressure but Wootton always looked dangerous on the break. The second period started and Luke was soon called into action with another good save. At the other end the Ravens were suffering in front of goal as another scuffle in the box saw yet another shot go close before being kicked away by Wootton. A great move and pass by the Ravens ended with a difficult cross field ball that Andrew just missed out on getting to but he recovered to get it into the box. Another good run by Haydon led to a great cross but the header from Jack just went over the bar. As the game progressed you could see it was either going to be 0-0 or one of the teams would just nick it in the last few minutes. Unfortunately it was the home side who achieved the latter when a ball was sent as an up-and-over shot into the net. Desperate attacking in the final moments when everyone except our keeper were camped in the opposition box. A succession of corners were taken but failed to result in an equaliser and could have been worse as a big hoof up the pitch required Luke to act as a sweeper and clear the ball at the second attempt as defence streamed back. At the final whistle we all knew the result was harsh and the Ravens could have easily won it, but we had played football on an awful pitch, small in size, against a long ball team. All factors in previous poor performances that we have put right, now we just need some goals against title favourites Willen next week to end our season on a high and look forward to next year and achieving the potential we have shown this season. Starting line up:- Luke, Ben O, David R, Ben T, Keenan, Haydon, James, Jamie, Andrew, Jack R, Will. Great Horwood Ravens 0 Leighton Corinthian Eagles 4 Scorers:- (26 April 2007) On a cold and windy evening the Ravens started well but eventually paid the price for not scoring in the first half when the elements were in their favour. The bright start saw some good passing moves and tight closing down in a very even opening period. The deadlock was broken when the defence got in a muddle allowing Leighton to shoot and poke in the rebound after a good save from Dan. The goal came against the run of play but the Ravens fought back straight from the kick off with Ben T going close after a good break on the left. Later on Jack R had a shot saved by the keeper but clear chances were limited even though James B was putting good balls through the middle. Ben Y was having a storming game at the back, Dan was being strong in goal but overall the team lacked punch in going forward and was maybe a little hesitant in defence. Heading the ball was much improved over recent weeks and throw-ins also saw improvement. The even first half ended with Dan taking the ball confidently from a long range shot. The second half saw the wind get a little stronger and as it was blowing straight down the pitch the visitors used their kick and rush style to good effect. Their bright winger also started to influence the game and a quick attack needed a good save by Dan before the visitors were allowed to walk through the defence and score their second. The Ravens responded with a shot from Jamie before a good goal from Leighton increased their lead, although Dan was unlucky not to get to it. The Ravens were still trying to push forward when the opportunity arose with a good run from Will and occasional forays forward from Haydon and Sean. The visitors always looked likely to score on the break and they duly obliged late on to make it 4-0. We must learn from our two games against Leighton. The second one in particular showed we need to be positive with the elements in our favour and have a shot or close down quicker. The first games result definitely gave Leighton the edge in confidence but hopefully next season will see the Ravens play them when we are at our best and gain a result of which we are more than capable of. Starting line up:- Dan, Luke, David R, Keenan, Ben Y, Ben T, James, Jamie, David P, Jack R, Jack G. Great Horwood Ravens 1 Old Stratford 3 Scorers:- Jack R (22 April 2007) Back to not quite our best but still a very good performance, albeit without any points to show for it. At the end of the game the opposition manager praised our team and said we had given them their two hardest games of the season. Further evidence to show we are a good team but next season we need to improve our consistency to get the points and league position we deserve. Throughout the game some tough physical play from both sides saw a hard fought competition with few real chances. The match was played in good spirit with just one exception. One of his poor tackles led to the manager taking him off and caused a bit of an altercation on the side lines although thankfully the situation was quickly diffused. Hopefully the players problems are due to the hormones kicking in or an otherwise good player will soon be spending most of his time off of the pitch. The game started with Old Stratford showing some good attacking play leading to a shot over our bar. A few more attacks from the visitors were interspersed with moves to try and get our own momentum going with Haydon and Jamie looking for one-two’s down the wing. A quick ball through needed Dan to be quick to the ball but a big shove from the ‘exception’ bundled Dan over for a daft free-kick to be awarded. Otherwise the defence looked pretty strong with Will making his debut as right back and performing very well. Half time and 0-0 was a fair reflection of the game. Dan made another good save early on in the second half to keep the scores level before Jack R shot from outside the area squirmed past Jack G to go in the net. Some debate followed on whether the goal was offside but it was allowed to stand and gave the Ravens a brief lead of 1-0. Within a few minutes Horwood gave away a foul just on the edge of our box and a great free kick found its way into our net to level the scores at 1-1. The Ravens responded with some good attacking play with Jamie crossing to Jack G who couldn’t quite get on the end of it. At the other end Stratford had a shot go just wide before a soft goal was conceded. Several rebounds off of our own players in our area allowed the striker to knock it home from three yards. Horwood still looked to create and go forward and a couple of near misses could have seen the Ravens equalise but is just didn’t want to happen. A quick break from Stratford and a couple of missed tackles led to a late lunging tackle in the box and an obvious penalty. We have now conceded three penalties in our last three games, so it’s something we need to be aware of and practice a few techniques in our next available training. At 3-1, and to their credit, Horwood still looked to break and gain a consolation but the ball just wouldn’t fall around the edge of the box, allowing the visitors to restrict us to a few tame shots from distance. At the whistle Old Stratford celebrated as the win ensures their promotion, Horwood were disappointed not to have gained something from the game as a draw would probably have been a fairer result. We need to take this performance into Thursday and get a good result against Leighton in our last home game of the season. Starting line up:- Dan, Will, David R, Keenan, Ben Y, Haydon, James, Ben T, Jamie, David P, Jack R. Leighton Corinthian Eagles 5 Great Horwood Ravens 1 Scorers:- Jack R (15 April 2007) After our last great performance against the table toppers the Ravens again failed to play football against poor opposition. The game was notable for some truly awful refereeing decisions which were key to the result. I would like to believe the refs performance wasnt intentional but it was way below the standard of any other game we have had this season - I guess We all have our off days..... The loss wasn't all down to the ref as the Ravens started slowly on a very hot morning and never really came to terms with the hard ground and the bouncing ball. Heading the ball seemed to be a problem and the Ravens just seemed a little off the pace. A couple of early substitutions made an impact as we put some pressure on the home team but a poor quality game saw a lot of head tennis and missed tackles. A good pass from James B put Will through on goal and Haydon had a shot go wide but otherwise the Ravens didn't really threaten the opposition goal. Jamie had a free kick caught by the keeper before some strange decisions started with the ref awarding drop balls instead of free kicks for the Ravens. Dan had to be sharp in goal as the ball just tipped over his hands but he recovered well to make it safe, the half ended 0-0. For the second half a bit more positive action was required throughout the team and John gave some good advice to the defence about the big guy up front. At the start of the second period Andrew had a good run up the left leading to a corner but a long hoof up the pitch saw a clear foul on David R ignored by the ref allowing the attacker to run on and score. Buoyed by the goal Leighton applied more pressure, hitting the post before Haydon put the ball in the net but was disallowed for Jack R being offside. A really soft goal for the home teams second as the ball bounced past a defender and onto another defenders head for a poor own goal and 2-0 to the home side. An obvious handball was given to to the Ravens and up stepped Jack R to score a deserved goal and the Ravens looked to be back in the game. The players however, had the wind taken out of their sails when a free kick was awarded to Leighton for obstruction when the Leighton player had clearly fouled Ben Y. This one really had everyone on the side shaking their heads and was topped off by Leighton scoring from the free kick. Five minutes to go and at 3-1 down there was no point in sitting back, the plan was to take a defender off and ask the team to press forward to get something out of the game. More strange decisions led to free kicks being awarded instead of throw ins for the home team and the trend of no decisions going our way continued. Always a gamble to just go for it, but this time it didn't work as a defender was caught in possession leading to a 4th and with pretty much the last kick of the game a penalty was awarded and despatched very well into the bottom corner, giving Dan no chance. On reflection the Ravens could have still won the game if they had been at their best, but with a few players playing below their standard it didn't need much help from the ref to lose our unbeaten run. The trick now is to start another run next Sunday. Starting line up:- Dan, Ben O, David R, Keenan, Ben Y, Haydon, James, Ben T, David P, Jack G, Jack R. Old Stratford 2 Great Horwood Ravens 2 Scorers:- Will, Ben T (25 March 2007) A great performance from the Ravens against the league leaders, although tinged with a little disappointment as Stratford came back from being 2-0 down. Many chances at both ends could have seen a much higher scoring game so overall a draw was probably a fair result. The Ravens always looked likely to score on the break and played some great football going forward. At the back the new look back four had some heart stopping moments but came through to look very strong against a lively and robust attack line from the home side. A very even start to the game saw both teams have opportunities. Dan had to be quick off of his line to close a striker down and then had to repeat the effort as the home side burst through again but this time they somehow managed to shoot wide. Just as Stratford started to build some pressure Ben O hit a lovely ball over the top for Will to run on and score for the Ravens to take the lead. Shortly afterwards the Ravens increased their lead when Ben T beat the keeper to a cross field ball and tucked it away. The Ravens were playing some lovely football with little triangles of play down the left and looking to play the wingers in at every opportunity. Old Stratford were showing top of the table form. Before today they had only dropped points once with one loss against second place Willen. A lot of action in our box was finally cleared when Luke cleared the ball and it took Dan to mop up again when a missed tackle looked to put the opposition through. The Ravens were trying to get to half time with their two goal lead intact but it wasn’t to be as they let Stratford back into the game. Some good football opened up the defence and led to a good shot from the edge of the box finding the back of the net. At the other end the Ravens were still playing well and making chances with a great ball from James B to Jack R who just failed to get through the defence. The last action of the half saw a corner from the Ravens come out to Ben O who cut inside to get a shot away but was just blocked by a defender. 2-1 at the break and lots of positives from playing a new formation and with different players in new positions. We needed to get a little tighter and not allow the opposition so much space on the edge of our box but otherwise everything was going to plan. The second half kept the same line up that finished the first, rewarding the effort and quality of football that had been played. This period saw more end-to-end play with lots of chances going begging at both ends. Unfortunately it was a soft goal that levelled the scores as a ball bounced around the box and nobody took control, finally a Stratford boot connected and over the line it went. The Ravens fought back and had good moves going forward without any real clear cut chances. Stratford then cut through after another missed tackle. Just as the striker ran into the box David R got in a challenge which the referee thought unfair and awarded a penalty. From the spot Dan saved brilliantly with his legs to keep the score even. The remaining action saw Andrew just fail to convert from inside the area as the ball came across, and Ben T go close after running through from Dan's goal kick. Dan again had to sprint off his line to close down an attack which needed David R to finally clear it and then the last attack of the game saw Keenan make a match saving tackle to stop the Stratford striker in his tracks. 2-2 at the whistle and the reaction from Stratford showed how much it meant to drop points, but the Ravens can be rightly proud of their performance. Self belief and confidence are always difficult to attain but the Ravens look to be finally believing in their own ability and starting to gain the results their efforts deserve. The result sees the Ravens extend their unbeaten run to six games as we look forward to our tough end to the season. Starting line up:- Dan, Luke, David R, Keenan, Ben O, Will, Jamie, James, Ben T, David P, Jack R.   Great Horwood Ravens 1 Woodside Wanderers 1 Scorers:- Jack G (18 March 2007) A funny old game played in extreme weather conditions could have seen a hat full of goals but the goalkeepers either kept out the strikes from distance or the ball just managed to find its way past the post or be blocked at the last minute. Right from the kick off the Ravens attacked and could have scored in the first minute. Both Jacks had attempts at goal blocked as the ball bobbled around the opposition penalty area before a defender pumped it away. The Ravens looked lively and pressed forward again as they coped with the very strong cross field wind better than Woodside. A few minutes gone and Woodside broke away causing Luke to to catch and gather well in goal. Shortly afterwards he repeated the action then the Ravens attacked down the right with Jack G sprinting down to hit a cross field ball which fooled the keeper for the Ravens to take a deserved 1-0 lead. Horwood looked to extend the lead and capitalise on their greater possession with Haydon having a shot just skim the post and Ben T just headed wide. As the half progressed the visitors created a few chances requiring Luke to block a good shot and concede a corner. As the teams changed round at half time the talk was all about the weather and what a lottery it made of a game of football. The Ravens had edged the first half with lots of chances not being converted, the second half would see Woodside suffer similar luck in front of goal. Right at the start of the second period Will had a good shot require a great save from the keeper. As the action then went into a bit of a lull in the middle of the park it was Woodside who set the pulse running again as they had a series of attacks needing Luke to be at his best but also needed the post to save the Ravens. Jack R had a good run leading to a great chance but the shot from Jamie just went wide. It looked like we had weathered the storm but just when you thought the one goal would be enough the Ravens failed to clear their own area to concede a soft goal to level the score. The late goal was just about the last action other another shot from the visitors fortunately going straight to Luke. Overall a draw was probably a fair result but the Ravens felt a little disappointed in their own performance at the end in a quiet dressing room, particularly their first touch. They should have been reasonably happy with a result that extends the unbeaten run to five games since the start of the year and sees the team up to 4th. However, at the end of the season it will be the number of draws that hold back our league position (plus the two aberrations against Stewkley and Steeple Claydon) but otherwise even in conditions like today you can see the team growing and improving. Starting line up:- Luke, Ben Y, Ben T, David R, Keenan, Haydon, Jamie, James, David P, Jack R, Jack G. Brookfield Rangers 2 Great Horwood Ravens 2 Scorers:- Jack R(2) (10 March 2007) A depleted Ravens side played on an awful pitch which had a levelling effect on the two teams. The Ravens put in a great deal of effort to try and play football and suffered from not scoring enough in the first half when the pitch conditions were in our favour. The second half saw us play some really good football but the terrible sand and mud on the pitch repeatedly stopped the attack from capitalising on their good work when the team got close to the opposition goal. At the start of the game ,after swapping pitches, the Ravens were a little asleep and allowed Brookfield to mount the first attack ending in a good shot and save from Dan. A feature of the first half was the good work from David and particularly Haydon down the left wing. A corner saw the first shots on goal by Jack R and Jack G. More pressure from the Ravens saw a defender poke the ball back to his keeper but the pass back wasn't given. Horwood were playing some good stuff going wide but a little lopsided with not much use being made of the right wing. To open the scoring Dan collected the ball and quickly distributed it wide to Haydon who promptly earned a throw-in which he took quickly for Jack to run on and score. Goalkeeper to goal in a matter of seconds.... very impressive.... The emergency defence of Ben Y, Keenan, Jack G and Ben O held up really well throughout the game, special mention to Jack G who had a very good game and Keenan who hasnt played in the middle for some time. With the half coming to an end Jack R burst into the box and expertly finished inside the far corner. 2-0 at half time and we should have had more... The second half was always going to be difficult on such a pitch as the energy sapping surface took its toll on the midfield. However the Ravens played all the football in the second half creating several good chances but just failing to convert. Haydon had a good run and shot but it just didnt look like we would be able to dig the ball out of the inches deep mud and sand. After twenty minutes of the second half Brookfield had their first attack needing Dan to be active in goal. Shortly afterwards the home side scored with a good break and shot from distance which just dropped inside the far post, not much anyone could do about it, a good goal. Even after conceding the Ravens could have increased their lead as the game became stretched with tiring legs. After 35 minutes the score was still 2-1 but strangely the ref added a further 6 minutes allowing the home team to build a little pressure with a couple of corners then squeeze an equaliser through a crowd of players with almost the last kick of the game. At the final whistle it felt like we had lost instead of just dropping a point but we know under different conditions the scoreline would be altered. One thing the conditions did highlight was the fitness levels within the squad need to improve. We play some great stuff but need that extra level so we can finish off teams instead of running out of energy. Starting line up:- Dan, Ben Y, Keenan, Jack G, Ben O, Haydon, Jamie, James, Andrew, Jack R, David P. Great Horwood Ravens 0 Wootton Rangers 0 Scorers:- (4 February 2007) A much changed starting line up held out against the quick starting visitors to record their second successive clean sheet and a rare goalless draw. A win for the Ravens would have seen them leapfrog Wootton but in the end a draw was probably a fair result as chances were limited at both ends. Probably the best of the Ravens chances came near the end when a wicked spin on the ball saw the shot go over the bar. At the other end Wootton had two good chances one from a free-kick which Luke saw late and another from a very powerful shot which Luke pushed wide. Looking back at last years results when Wootton scored three times in the first five minutes we were expecting a bit of an onslaught and the visitors didn’t disappoint. The first ten minutes were all Wootton as the Ravens struggled to get into the game but defended resolutely to keep the chances down but rarely ventured out of their own half. As the game progressed the defence started to sort out the opposition and collectively deal with the difference in size of several players. A feature of the game was poor goal kicks which we need to work on in training, however, they did improve as the game went on. Ben Y was having lots of fun up against a giant of a lad on the right wing but dealt with him admirably throughout, so much so that the player decided to swap wings in the second half but came up against equally strong defence in Keenan and Ben O. After the first ten minutes the Ravens settled to start moving forward. Early release of the ball would have created more chances but we still had a shot from Jamie go just wide before a good passing move saw Jamie and James H combine to get a shot away. A free kick to the Ravens was poked over the bar by James H whilst at the other end a loss of concentration saw one defender play 4 attackers on side but fortunately the shot went wide. 0-0 at half time and some team changes saw a return to a similar line up from the previous week. However, it was the visitors who had the first chance of the half as a free kick whipped through the crowd of players requiring Luke to make a fantastic instinct save and force it over the bar. The second half saw better football from the Ravens with many moves breaking through the middle but more pleasingly out to wide positions with David and Haydon making good inroads into the Wootton defence earning corners and creating havoc in the visitors defence. A good move down the left led to a shot from Haydon requiring a good save whilst at the other end the defence were having to work their socks off to maintain the clean sheet in a very tight game. Another save from Luke after a strong run down the right kept it goalless While at the other end a good corner from Jamie saw the ball bounce around without anyone to stick it in and James B get off a shot in the box which was blocked on the line. David R had to come off with just ten minutes to go but fortunately Ben O again slotted in for a seamless change. As the game came to a close the Ravens still had time for a good passing move between Jamie and Haydon leading to a shot from David P and good pressure from several corners. With just a couple of minutes left the Ravens had the chance of the game but suffered from a wicked spin on the ball when the goal opened up for our striker who put it over the bar. With just seconds to go Wootton had a corner which led to frantic defending before Keenan got a good tackle in and James B cleared as the whistle went for a final 0-0 score. A good performance from the home team, not quite the same level as last week but a good learning experience showing the resolve in the side to fight to the last. We need to work on 'joining up' the team when under pressure. Too many times we had gaps in the middle of the park which we need to work on. This means more of the players being aware of their position such as one of the forwards dropping back to fill the void in midfield if the centre has been dragged away, or a wide player shuffling across. All areas for improvement on what is already a much improved season as we record our second successive clean sheet and equal last seasons points total with eight games still to go. Starting line up:- Luke, Ben Y, Ben O, David R, Ben T, Haydon, Jamie, Richard, David P, Jack G, James H. Great Horwood Ravens 6 Brookfield Rangers 0 Scorers :- Jack R(2), Jamie, Will, David, Sean (28 January 2007) The Ravens continue their good from with a cracking performance against Brookfield. A game played in good spirit against a team further up the league than us. The Ravens started brightly and took an early lead with Jack R forcing his way through to open the score. A period of end-to-end football followed with the visitors producing their best moment when a great run and shot called for a fantastic save from Dan in goal. The Ravens were playing some good stuff with David making good runs down the right requiring the keeper to get hold of the cross. Further good work between Jamie and David again called on the keeper. At the other end a mix up from our throw in nearly gifted a goal to the visitors, needing Dan to rush out and narrow the angle to force the shot wide. The Ravens were showing good attacking form with another good run from David P ending in a cross which had Haydon’s shot blocked then James B put the ball back into the box for Jack R to use his strength and score his and the Ravens second for 2-0. The visitors were not being allowed to get too close to the Ravens box and when they did the strong back four of Keenan, David, Ben T and Ben Y dealt with most problems or if they needed help Dan was quick and mobile about his box to snuff out any danger. The midfield of David P, Jamie, James and Haydon were working hard on the big pitch with Andrew coming on to add a bit of speed on the left. Up front the two Jacks were causing problems for defence with Jack R getting the 50th and 51st goals of the season. Changes were made at half time with Will making his debut for this season. Early on in the half Andrew had a great run on the left using his pace to get around the back of the defence and hit the ball across the six yard box for Jamie to score and make it 3-0. A little while later Will had a great run through the middle to score and make it 4-0. As the Ravens pressed forward the visitors conceded a free kick on the edge which Sean despatched into the top right hand corner of the net for an impressive 5-0 lead. To finish the scoring the Ravens played a great move when Haydon watched the offside line before turning and running to get a pass away to David P who then used his speed to get into the box and hit a hard shot which gave the keeper no chance for 6-0. The game still saw a couple of chances for the Ravens as a short corner to Jamie saw a pass across the box leading to Ben T having a shot straight at the keeper. A little while later the Ravens had another free kick which Sean whipped into the box, just failing to find a Horwood head to stick it in the net. The last excitement of the game saw an ‘interesting’ move from Ben Y cause panic in the Ravens defence requiring Dan to come rushing off his line and a frantic period of play before Ben T cleared the ball away. A great performance from the home team with lots of good passing moves mixed with some direct play. We certainly seem to have picked up some form and need to carry this forward into the next game to get up that table.... Starting line up:- Dan, Ben Y, Keenan, David R, Ben T, Haydon, Jamie, James B, David P, Jack G, Jack R. Stewkley 1 Great Horwood Ravens 8 Scorers :- Jack G (2), Jack R(2), Haydon, Jamie, James B, James H (14 January 2007) A good result for the Ravens after a long break due to the bad weather. Although a little rusty they had too much for the home side and look to be rediscovering their form from the start of the season. An early goal settled the team but we still had patches of rushed play when all that was needed was to play a bit of football. To their credit the home side never gave up and pushed forward until the end. The home side keeper was far busier than the Ravens goalie as Horwood surpassed last seasons total goals scored with less than half the season completed, with six different scorers today you can see why. The early goal came from Jack G after a good move through the middle. Not long afterwards Haydon made it two when he forced the ball over the line after Jack G had lobbed the defence and Jack R had his shot blocked on its way towards goal. The Ravens were playing some good football and passing it well, one such move resulting in a good save from the keeper to deny Jack R. Another good move down the left led to Jack R setting it up for Jamie to score from the edge of the box and make it 3-0. Just when things were looking good Stewkley upped their game and started to press the Ravens, forcing them to rush their play and create some chances for the home side. One attack had a shot just go over the bar before a free kick was well saved by Dan but still needed Keenan to clear the rebound for a corner. Fortunately this period didnt last long as the Ravens returned to have a bit more composure and get control of the game again. Jack R was being busy up front and hit the post before scoring his first and the teams 4th after a scramble in the goalmouth. Shortly afterwards Jack R grabbed his second by using his strength getting into the box to whack it home. The scoring was completed in the first half by Jack G getting his second after a chip over from Jamie for 6-0 at the break. After the long lay off we Wanted to give as many players as possible a run out. Four subs were used in the second half with Ben O and James H coming on to add a bit of pace and strength and a change of keeper and winger with Luke and Andrew. The Ravens pressed forward to win a corner. As the ball came over it broke to the edge of the box where James B set himself and let fly a classic shot into the net to go ahead 7-0. The corners were causing Stewkley all sorts of problems with the next one being whipped across by Haydon for Ben T to get a good header in requiring a great save to keep it out. The Stewkley keeper was called on again when Jack R had a good shot saved but he was unable to do anything about a cool finish from James H running on for a one-on-one aftera great through ball. Jamie had another one-on-one shortly afterwards but this time the keeper saved it. With just a few minutes to go the clean sheet being kept by the strong defensive combinations of Ben Y, David R, Ben T, Keenan and Ben T with Dan or Luke in goal was lost. The home side won a free kick which was wellied into the box and with a wicked bounce off of the soggy pitch made its way into the net. At the end of the game James B had another shot - this time straight at the keeper and James H just missed out on getting a toe onto another through ball with the keeper rushing off his line. Overall, a very good performance from the Ravens but we have played better. Lets hope we can get some momentum going with the weather not getting in the way of our charge up the table..... Starting line up:- Dan, Ben Y, Keenan, David R, Ben T, Haydon, Jamie, James B, David P, Jack G, Jack R.   Great Horwood Ravens 1 Moretonville Tornadoes 3 Scorers :- Jamie (pen). (19 November 2006) A 'true grit' performance from the Ravens in a hotly contested game against the Tornadoes. The Ravens line up included a couple of players playing their first game back from injury and a late change due to illness. All things considered it was not surprising they took time to settle in the first half as players playing out of position settled into unfamiliar roles. Luke had a great first half in goal and David R was again solid at the back. The first half started with an attack from the visitors which was followed by wave after wave of attack as the Tornadoes repeatedly overloaded their right hand side and played three through the middle. Gradually the Ravens started to work the problem out 'getting their foot in' to put the ball into the opposition half. David R and Keenan were breaking up the attacks in the middle and Ben Y was starting to get the measure of the Moretonville winger. Just when we looked to be getting into the game the visitors were not closed down on the edge of the box which resulted in a speculative shot finding its way under the bar. Not to be deterred the Ravens dug in and continued to battle. Several through balls were mopped up at the back by Luke sprinting out of goal to act as sweeper. He also had a couple of good saves from distance as it was nearly all one way traffic in the first half. Highlights from the Ravens attack were fewand far between but James H had a great run down the left just failing to pull the ball back for the incoming attackers. The defence were holding tight and keeping a good line, catching the visitors offside repeatedly, including a move which they put into the net for a disallowed goal. Half time team talk demonstrated the weakness in the opposition tactics with a plan to get our attacks going. However, shortly after the kick off Moretonville attacked and had a shot which Dan did well to get to but just failed to push it wide enough as an attacker ran in to poke it home for a 2-0 lead. After the goal the tide turned as the Ravens decided to lift their game. A long ball through by Jamie nearly had James H on the end of it, James B had a great tackle in the middle of the park as he continued to look for the killer pass. A good passing move by Jack R and James H nearly beat the keeper but at the other end a wicked bounce caught a Ravens defender out as the ball rolled up to hit his arm and a penalty was harshly awarded. Thankfully the penalty went wide and the Ravens surged forward again. The second half was looking better as the game went on with the Ravens starting to show good form. A couple of chances were followed by a strong run into the box by David P which was ended with a shove in the back. Jamie stepped up to slot the penalty into the bottom right hand corner and now it was really game on..... A couple of free kicks were calmly dealt with by Dan as the Ravens pressurised the visitors into some poor discipline which was nearly their undoing. Haydon had a one-on-one after James B put him through but the keeper did well to save. Andrew made some cracking tackles with the desire that was creeping through the team. An awful challenge on Jamie led to a deserved yellow card before several more Ravens chances went unrewarded. The crowd could sense the team were on top and looking for a deserved equaliser as the opponents continued to implode. Then with almost the last move of the game the Moretonville winger was allowed to walk past three of our players and nick it in to the corner to end the game with a scoreline that did not reflect the second half. The players and spectators were pleased with the performance with the players given an ovation as they left the changing rooms. A fun game next week for all players (10:30 at the pitch) seeks to keep the good feeling going as the team play and spirit continues to improve. Starting line up:- Luke, Ben Y, Keenan, David R, Ben O, Haydon, Jamie, James B, David P, Jack G, James H. Great Horwood Ravens 2 City Colts 7 Scorers :- Haydon (2). (12 November 2006) A great performance from the Ravens.... full of grit and determination. The team spirit shone through as they never gave up and had chances to cause an upset but were just undone by a stronger team, 3 divisions above them. A very tough start for the Ravens against a team who were physically much bigger. An early corner saw their centre back (about 2 foot taller than our team) charge in to score a header. Shortly afterwards the Colts sent a long ball forward, outwitting the defence for their second and it looked like we were in for a long afternoon. However, to their credit the Ravens upped their game and competed for everything. The visitors were still looking strong and it needed a good save from Luke to keep a free kick out before another corner had a similar result and the Colts were 3-0 up. The plan for the 'big lad' to come up and score was snuffed out by the Ravens and he didn't cause any more problems for the rest of the game. Throughout the first half the Ravens competed hard and thwarted a lot of attacks but never really held the ball long enough to play their own football. Still, they battled hard and went in at half time a respectable 3-0 down. Half time team talk concentrated on continuing to play as a unit and compete for everything but just try and play a little more football when we finally got the ball. We needed to be able to pass the ball around a bit and put them under pressure as all their strength was in midfield and attack with the defence looking a little vulnerable. The team responded and started the second half brightly. Haydon in particular was continuing his form and looked the most committed of the Ravens. He burst forward and lobbed the diminutive keeper to get the game back to 3-1. It would have been interesting to see the reaction if we had got another to make it 3-2 but as it was our troubled goal kicks continued to be a source of concern for the the team as a defensive error allowed the Colts to restore the three goal advantage. Again the visitors looked to put our team under pressure with a break and a couple of corners but it was a goal from midfield that added to the score to make it 5-1 before another great save from Luke. In the last quarter the Ravens finally started to play some of the attacking football they are capable of with a good passing move leading to Haydons and the Ravens second goal. A strange free kick (which nobody could understand) finished the scoring as a flukey hit somehow went through a crowd of players to make it a harsh 7-2 final score. Apart from the two early goals and two late goals conceded the Ravens could have got more out of the game. We again showed that this year we can score against any team with two clinical goals from just a few attacks. We need to take this defensive performance and add it to our normal passing and attacking play and we will be a tough game for anyone, regardless of division. The impressive part of the game was the team spirit and the 'never say die' attitude of the squad not giving up; exemplified by David Randall in particular who does a very good impression of Stuart Pierce at his peak. Luke in goal had a great game with the scoreline not a reflection on his or the defences performance. Bring on next week and lets see the Ravens get a result their play certainly deserves. Starting line up:- Luke, Ben Y, Keenan, Ben T, David R, Haydon, Sean, James B, David P, Jack R, James H. Wing 3 Great Horwood Ravens 1 Scorers :- Jack R. (5 November 2006) A much better performance from the Ravens in a game that showed how cruel football can be. For nearly all of the first half the Ravens peppered the Wing goal, scoring once but it could have, and may be should have, been 8 or 9. The number of clear cut chances that just wouldn't go in was incredible. Three times the ball bounced along the goal line with legs and boots flying in but somehow the goal remained intact. The game started with a rhythm and tempo that would continue for the first half. An attack by Sean saw his shot put out for a corner. A quick short corner from Sean gave Haydon the opportunity to float a lovely cross in and Jack R to head a good goal for a deserved 1-0 lead. More corners followed with Jack G going close, hitting the ball over the bar. A rare attack from the home team where they broke the offside trap called on Dan in goal to make a great save. A good clearance from Dan almost saw Luke get in on goal, David P lobbed the keeper but it just failed to cross the line with Jack R charging in to put it away but somehow it stayed out. A little while later Haydon was breaking through before being taken out by a big defender. The resultant free kick just going wide from Sean. At this stage it was all Horwood pressure with the occasional break away by Wing being mopped up at the back by the reshuffled defence or Dan in goal. Another lob from David saw almost a carbon copy series of events as the ball again refused to go in. Another corner saw James B get two headers in which were both blocked or saved by the keeper. The next corner saw Jack G head just wide. At this stage you start to get a feeling about a game and the luck may be just against you. Try as they might the Ravens couldn't increase the lead as they battled in vain to convert chance after chance. Right on the stroke of half time the home team broke away and hit a shot onto the post, a goalmouth scramble followed where no Ravens player took command of the play to boot it out and instead the home team poked the ball in for a shock equaliser. The half time whistle coming immediately after it had hit the net. The timing of the equaliser had a big impact on both teams as belief surged through Wing and almost drained visibly from the Ravens. The half time team talk just asked the team to go and continue what they were doing as the goals were sure to come. The wish to keep the same formation was dashed with an enforced change in goal requiring a new look forward line. However, unfortunately at the start of the second half the home team started brighter and scored to go ahead when the Ravens were still thinking about that late equaliser. As the second half progressed the centre midfield ,playing much better than last week, started to tire and several players looked to be struggling. We still created chances in this half and still looked to be the better team, however Wing were on a high looking to capitalise on their good fortune and look dangerous on the break. Just as we were again looking to get a deserved equaliser Wing had a speculative shot from distance go right up into the heavens and drop with sun behind it to fool the keeper and squeeze over the line...... some days are just not going to be your day...... Not to be downhearted the Ravens still pushed forward and could still have scored a couple of goals with Sean hitting over the bar and David P having a good effort go wide. At the final whistle the scoreline just didn't reflect the game . The Ravens were justifiably mystified as to how they didn't win the game by a similar scoreline to the last time the two teams met. Maybe this week we have stored up some good fortune for ourselves over the next couple of hard cup games. The team should be proud of their performance this week (following last weeks efforts) and know in their own minds that on a different day it could have all been so different. Starting line up:- Dan, Ben Y, Jack G, Ben T, David R, Haydon, Sean, James B, David P, Jack R, Luke. Great Horwood Ravens 1 Willen Juniors 7 Scorers :- Haydon. (29 October 2006) The Ravens paid the price for a poor first half performance. We struggled all match for the midfield and attack to get any rhythm or influence on the game. Willen, with a stronger team than last year, played throughout with the confidence of being top of the division, but we allowed the victory (the first half in particular) to be far too easy for them. Right from the start Willen pumped the ball forward resulting in a shot over the bar. At the other end the Ravens forced a corner. As the Ravens pushed forward Sean had a long run and shot on goal saved before Willen, showing good pace and moves, broke down the left for a shot to go wide of goal. The visitors opened the scoring from right midfield with a good passing move which led to their number 14 going round the keeper to score. A period of good short passing opened up the Ravens again for the visitors second. The third came from a corner which was passed back to the attacking defender for him to run on and blast a goal from 25 yds which gave our keeper, Luke, no chance in goal. A rare foray forward from the Ravens had Sean shoot on goal from the edge of the box but unfortunately it just went over the bar. As the half progressed the centre midfield for the Ravens were struggling, so changes were made to freshen up with a hope that a change would instill some sense of urgency into the team. As the changes took a little while to settle the Ravens defence broke down and allowed Willen to score their 4th. After a short period the Ravens improved in the middle of the pitch and started to push forward with Haydon taking a couple of corners. However, the visitors were still looking dangerous and a wicked corner required some great defending with the post helping to keep the ball out. The Ravens then broke away and a superb ball from Keenan found Haydon wide on the left. He cut inside to hit a fantastic shot to the keepers right and it looked like the Ravens would be clawing their way back into the game. Unfortunately almost from the restart Willen counter attacked and scored their fifth. The team talk at half time concentrated on trying to get the players to raise their game. Unusually for us this season we had a few players lacking energy. With a few exceptions, (but notably David R and Haydon), this had led to the team spending the first half on their heels. The poor warm up before the start, where the team struggled to maintain any focus, was reflected in the game. The middle of the pitch being the problem with midfield and attack not working hard enough. The second half saw a much better performance, as though the players finally realised the half term had ended..... A weak shot from one of our forwards was followed by some good defending by Ben T and a save by Luke. Andrew was having another good match on the right being more focused on the game and demonstrating his speed. A minor touchline altercation with a visiting spectator was deftly handled by the ref before a penalty was given away by the Ravens defence to make it 6-1. Some 'backs to the wall' defending by the back four kept the score at 6 until a low cross across the six yard box gave an easy tap in for the Willen striker. Other action to mention would be Keenan having a shot saved by the keeper before the final whistle ended the game at 7-1. We need to concentrate and learn from this game. The team will be freshened up with a new signing, in the meantime we need to readjust from missing some players. This has required some experimental changes to the formation which are unfortunately taking time to settle. From now on at the very least we must make it harder for the opposition, we didnt create many chances today, which is unusual for us this season. The centre midfield and strikers need to think about improvement and getting back to their earlier form. Luke in goal, Keenan and Ben T all played well. Some players playing out of position did their best, but Haydon and David R were outstanding. Lets concentrate on the positives from today:- The defence exit routes were much better, more thought went into clearances. We still have much to work on, but must remain upbeat and continue our much improved and positive start to the season. Starting line up:- Luke, Ben O, Keenan, Ben T, David R, Haydon, Sean, James B, David P, Jack R, Jack G Steeple Claydon 5 Great Horwood Ravens 5 Scorers :- Jack R (3), Haydon, David P. (15 October 2006) Much, much better display from the Ravens right up until the last 15 minutes when we nearly threw away the game completely. As it was we finished only dropping a point. The defensive tactics handed out on Thursday and discussed at the start of the game improved the defending but we still need further improvement and add better distribution to reduce the pressure through the middle. Just for a change it was the Ravens who took an early lead after the in form Haydon lobbed the ball forward for Jack R to run on and blast into the net to go 1-0 up after a few minutes. The only trouble was we gave away a free kick very shortly afterwards which allowed them to hit a hopeful shot and equalise. 1-1 and less than five minutes gone. The home side bouyed by their equaliser pushed on and a strong shot needed a great save from Dan to keep the score level. However, the Ravens were playing some good stuff, looking to bring Haydon and David into the game as much as possible. A through ball from David to Jack R was passed on again for Haydon to score and get the Ravens back in front at 2-1. At this stage the home side had reverted to the direct game and although better, we still found ourselves susceptible to the big hoof up the pitch. As it was one such punt went over our defence to allow a striker to clip over the keeper and equalise again. Not to be downhearted the Ravens upped their game again with a throw in from David to Jamie and onto Jack R to finish and get the Ravens nose in front again at 3-2. The see saw nature of the scoring was not a reflection of the game as the Ravens played the better football and had several shots from distance not quite having the power to beat the keeper. As the half drew to a close David ran down the wing to hit a cross which cleverly found the keeper off his line and went in to go to the break 4-2 ahead. Some poor banter on the pitch was stamped out by the referee at the start of the second half but otherwise the half time team talk concentrated on trying to get the ball more out to David and use the width of the exceptionally large pitch. Shortly after the restart a ball from Sean to David was knocked through to Jack R for him to run on and score his hat trick. At 5-2 the game should have been closed down and our better football should have been enough to record another win. However, this was not to be and a period of ping-pong football through the middle saw a lack of heading from the Ravens and an inability to get the ball wide. Haydon then broke through to chip over the keeper but also unfortunately over the bar. Then... yet again... we were outdone by a long ball over the top for an attacker to run onto and score for 5-3. This encouraged the home side and seemed to cause some anxiety in the Ravens as we continually looked to clear the ball straight down the middle of the pitch into the waiting crowd of attackers waiting to push forward. The home team's method of attacking in packs of players was helped again and again by not clearing wide and not finding a pass. This is the area we need to work on with a clear requirement to introduce some calm in defence with escape paths to waiting wide players. From the keeper all the way through the team we need to work on not only how deep we defend but how we progress forward once we have the ball. Too often we are being undone by poor opposition play when we only need to pass the ball around them to benefit from their bad organisation. At 5-3 the shape of the team had all but dissapeared the only release being Andrew wide on the right. Another period of play with the Ravens failing to clear saw the home side score again to make it 5-4. We were making hard work of holding on and needed the final whistle to go. Unfortunately a disputed offside was allowed to go ahead as the home side equalised, shortly followed by the final whistle. The game had some pretty poor decisions throughout which proved decisive at the end. The dissapointment felt at the end by parents and players needs to have an effect on the way we play. We were better defending as a team and the whole squad have started to take on board the need for thinking about the game. The conversations and communication between team mates is definately a good sign. We need to continue these positives and look to work on distribution. The midfield need to make themselves available and the defence be looking to find them instead of the team getting dragged into a jumble of players in the middle. Still, lots of poistives to build on for next weeks cup game against Moretonville... Starting line up:- Dan, Ben O, Keenan, Ben T, Ben Y, Haydon, Sean, Jamie, David P, Jack R, Jack G. Great Horwood Ravens  3  Stewkley   4 Scorers :- Haydon, Jack G (2). (7 October 2006) If this reads a little too familiar then that is exactly because it is.... Oh dear, just when you thought it was all going well we get undone by big punts up the pitch to lose a game we never deserved to win. Again a story all too familiar from last season. The game started terribly with the team conceding within a minute form the kick off, and that after a long talk before the game about the need to keep a clean sheet and not concede an early goal!! All that was undone with a simple straight ball through the middle which was not cleared by midfield, defence or keeper and eventually came off of a defender for an own goal - 30 seconds and 1-0 down. Poor play continued until a short while later when another ball was missed by midfield, followed by an air shot from defence allowing an attacker to run on and score again for 2-0. The team (with the exception of Haydon) was unrecognisable from the team that played so well the previous week. Lots of frustrated shouting from the sidelines had no effect as the 'welly and chase it' game again undid the Ravens. Eventually the home team started to put some football together, a good ball from David R having Jack G run on to shoot wide. Haydon had a great left foot shot go wide before Jack G had another shot blocked by defence. As the Ravens picked it up a great through ball from James B saw Haydon finish well to get it back to 2-1. A little while later another great ball from James B had James H run on for the keeper to save but Jack G followed up to level the score at 2-2. A break from the visitors required Luke to pull off a great one-on-one save to keep the score at 2-2 before a long ball (this time from the Ravens) saw Haydon's shot blocked before Jack G again buried the ball as it came down out of the clouds. Half time and the Ravens had got out of jail to lead at 3-2. In hindsight the changes made at half time by the manager did not work and some of the blame for the second half must be down to swapping players around when it would have been better to play on and regain some form. Even so, the second half saw some good skill from Jack R to get the ball out to David P to force a save from the keeper. Another good ball from Sean saw David's cross just go out but in general the forwards were being caught too many times offside. A free kick from the visitors saw our defence again too far up the pitch and again caught napping as the ball went over their heads, with the keeper not being able to get to the ball and Stewkley equalised. This is an area we just don't seem to be able to improve, so special efforts will be made in a five minute talk and walk through after training on Thursday. We will then continue to work on this area in every game and every training session until we get it right!! The Ravens still had chances with Jack R shooting wide but once again like a recurring nightmare the defence and midfield were too far up the pitch, a long ball came over the top and the visitors couldn't believe they were winning 4-3. Huge disappointment at the end as the players and manager found it difficult to contain their feelings. Collectively we do not deserve to lose these games and have shown we are more than capable of beating anybody. We must be fully prepared when we turn up to games, on time, fresh and bright, and not be over confident based on earlier performances. The manager needs to think long and hard about the players on the pitch and any substitutions and we all need to dig deep to put this type of performance behind us and push onto to better things... Starting line up:- Luke, David R, Sean, Ben T, Ben Y, Haydon, James B, Jamie, David P, James H, Jack G. Great Horwood Ravens 1 MK City 1 after extra time Horwood go through 3-2 on penalties. Scorers :- David P (1 October 2006) On a very wet and windy Sunday afternoon Horwood raised their game to go through after a tremendous team effort. The game looked to be in doubt right up to the kick off as lighting and hailstones in nearby locations threatened to have the match called off. However, the county appointed ref had more confidence than everyone else and we kicked off with dark clouds looming that fortunately didn't come our way. Our normal pitch was unplayable due to having long grass after the recent wet weather had stopped it being cut. However the Ravens have played on the big pitch already this season and that together with the fitness training on Thursdays really paid off as the game went on. The match started with a tentative few minutes as each team looked to settle their nerves and gain the upper hand. The Ravens looked to play football and tried to string some passes together, Jack G passed to Haydon who tried to lob the oncoming keeper but the keeper just got a hand to deflect the ball out for a corner. A short time later Keenan hit a ball over the bar after another corner and the half progressed with end-to-end play albeit with the Ravens creating much the better chances. Another corner led to Jack G just failing to reach the ball, it fell to Jamie but a defender just nicked it away from him to push the ball to Haydon. His shot required a great save from the keeper to push it out for another corner. The Ravens ended the half with Luke in goal not really being tested and several close chances failing to be converted. The half time team talk concentrated on just repeating the same as the first half but with a bit more chat and communication amongst the team. As the teams lined up for the second half the elements turned against us as the wind appeared from nowhere and the sun came through, all to the visitors advantage. The strong wind dictated much of the play for the second half as MK City looked to take advantage. Right from the start they broke away for a shot that went wide. However, the Ravens still lookd to pounce on the break as a quick through ball from James H for David P to cross gave Jack R a great chance which the keeper just managed to keep out (again)... MK City had another break making use of the wind advantage which again just went wide. A disputed free kick about 25 yds out looked to cause problems as the wind swept it through for a difficult claim by the keeper which led to the ball bouncing up and just hitting the post. As the game drew towards full time there was a feeling the element s would be enough for a sneaky goal to clinch it. However the Ravens stood firm and the normal time ended at 0-0. Extra time was started with a toss-up by the ref for the winning visiting captain to select the same end for the first period. This continued the pressure for the Ravens as MK City had more space and pressure as both teams looked to tire. The Ravens defence continued to be resolute although once or twice they rode their luck as corners bounced across in front of goal. As the first half of extra time came to end it looked like the Ravens had done enough to turn the tables and use the elements against the visitors for the second period. However, it was MK City who upped their game at the start of the second period and a through ball beat our offside for their striker to finish and take the lead. Not to be downhearted the Ravens did no more than attack straight from the kick off to apply pressure and win a corner. The corner was blocked and sent the ball back for Jamie to cross in again through a crowd of players for David P to knock in a deserved equaliser. The end of the game saw few further chances as the 90 minutes played could not separate the two teams. As the final whistle went 5 players stepped forward to take their turn in a penalty shoot. Jamie, Sean, Haydon, Jack R and David were all brave and strong enough to volunteer and steeped up for the Ravens to go through 3-2 on penalties. A special mention must go to Ben O who didn't get on during the game due to the precarious nature of the match and the fact no rolling subs are allowed. He played his part in the squad and will definitely be playing next week. Starting line up:- Luke, David R, Keenan, Ben T, Ben Y, Haydon, James B, Jamie, David P, James H, Jack G.   Woodside Wanderers 2 Great Horwood Ravens 9 Scorers :- Ben T, James H(4), Jamie, David, Jack R (2) (24 September 2006) Overall a very good display and a good response to last weeks disappointment. We didn't play too much football in the first half, taking time to work out how best to play against the opposition, but made up for it with an impressive performance in the second when the fitness training we have been doing really paid off. All through the game the wing play from Horwood caused the home side problems. This started early on when a run down the right from James H lead to a corner. Jamie whipped a good ball across which was thundered into the net with a strong header and a debut goal from Ben T. The Ravens had a lot of passing moves with good breaks into the opposition box but it was the home side who scored next after a good move which split the defence and left Luke with no chance in goal. The Ravens responded with more incisive moves into the Woodside half which had James H and Haydon both going close including hitting the post. At the other end Luke came out to close the angle and force a miss from a good Woodside attack. As the half came to an end Jamie hit a long ball through the middle for James H to run on and hit very well to go in at half time 2-1 up. The half time team talk concentrated on the need to play football and not fall into the trap of wellying and chasing the ball. The team were getting stretched with midfield not being able to keep up with the ping-pong football being played. First action of the second half saw a good save from Luke as the home team started the brighter. A couple of chances from Horwood were followed by a good long throw from Ben Y for James H to run on and score to increase the lead to 3-1. The home team were responding to instructions from the side and pushing up which allowed our speed up front to bear fruit with James H scoring another brace of goals on the break. Substitutions were made to freshen up the team on a warm morning, after which it took a little time for the team to settle. Confusion and indecision at the back led to a defender kicking the ball across our goal for an easy toe poke from an attacker to get the score back to 5-2. A little disappointing to concede such a goal when we were dominating the game. We need to learn from the mistake and ensure someone always takes responsibility and clears it, even if it is for a corner. Ben Y then headed a ball forward to James H who passed inside for Jack R to bury it in the net to restore the difference for a 6-2 lead. Shortly afterwards a corner from Jamie was headed in by Jack R for his 2nd and the teams 7th. The Ravens were by now easing their way towards victory with more goals to come. David hit a great goal ( I am sure he will say it was a shot) from the right touchline which sailed into the net just creeping inside the far post. Ben Y then attacked down the left to earn a corner from which Ben T just headed over the bar. Jamie had a run into the box and lobbed the keeper to score from a deflection when the ball hit the post to come off of the inrushing defender. A Ben Oxley throw to Jack R and a near miss from Jamie, followed by another near miss from Keenan kept the score at 9-2. Apart from one lapse the defense played very well and kept the team in the game in a tight first half. David R, Ben T, Keenan, Ben Y and Ben O all doing their job with Luke playing his first full game in goal not putting a foot wrong and acting as the sweeper when required. The midfield of James B, Jamie and Richard all battled hard in a stretched first half and more compact second half when their superior football skills were on display. The wingers of Haydon, David P and Ben Y caused problems all game and kept the width in attack to good effect. Up front the combination of Jack G, James H and Jack R is looking good with enough variation to cause any side problems. Lets look towards next week and a tough cup game against known opposition from a higher division. Starting line up:- Luke, David R, Keenan, Ben T, Ben Y, Haydon, James B, Jamie, David P, James H, Jack G. Great Horwood Ravens 3 Steeple Claydon 4 Scorers :- Jamie, Jack R, Jack G. (17 September 2006) Oh dear, just when you thought it was all going well we get undone by big punts up the pitch to lose a game we deserved to win. A story all too familiar from last season. The game started terribly with poor defensive play gifting a goal to the opposition after two minutes. This gave them confidence for the rest of the match and led the home side to be constantly chasing the game. An equaliser came shortly afterwards with the Ravens playing some excellent passing moves before Haydon knocked in a great cross for Jamie to dispatch past the keeper. The Ravens took some lessons from the opposition and also played a little 'route 1' football.  Dan's big kick leading to Haydon running on and getting off a shot for the visitors keeper to tip over the bar.  Major changes were then made, some enforced and others to give players a run out.  Not all the substitutions worked and the defence had a lot of pressure put on them as the midfield took time to settle. The Ravens were making good chances and were the only team playing football. Jack G had a cracking left foot shot just miss the top right of the goal before a badly defended corner allowed the visitors to go in at half time 2-1 up. The start of the second half saw the team revert back to the same line up as when the game started and limited substitutions in the second half were intended to give a little stability to the team. The stronger line up again put Claydon under pressure, Sean forcing an error from the keeper as he dropped the ball, the keeper then saved a good Jamie effort before Jack G levelled the score. On the sidelines it looked like they would go onto to get a clear margin as we pushed forward again. Sean had an effort saved after a defensive slip and then another corner wasn’t cleared to present an opportunity for Claydon to take the lead yet again. Jack G then hit the bar, Haydon had a shot go wide and James B just pushed a shot past the post. The traffic and pressure was all one way with Claydon only looking dangerous on the break with big kicks forward from the back. One such attack bounced over the defence and with Dan rushing out the striker finished well with a lob into the net. Despair and dismay on the sidelines was not shown on the pitch as the team pressed forward to get something out of the game.   Jack R burst through a tackle and then hit a good finish into the net to make it 4-3 but time was running out for the home team. All too soon the whistle went to leave the Ravens reflecting on what could have been. On the positive side we still made lots of chances and with our strongest side out could have easily gone onto win. However, we were found out too often, repeating the same defensive mistakes throughout the side. We need to work on this aspect in training and push onto our next game. Starting line up:- Dan, David R, Keenan, Ben T, Ben O, Haydon, James B, Sean, Jamie, Luke, Jack G. Great Horwood Ravens 11   Wing Raiders 0   Scorers :- Jamie (3),David P,Jack R (2), Haydon, David R, Dan, Sean, Jack G. MK Borders League (10 September 2006) Last weeks promising start continued with an impressive display, this time playing 9 v 9. The rearranged fixture played on a narrowed pitch saw a great display from the home team with eight different scorers including a hat trick for the captain and a goal for the vice captain. Right from the start the Ravens looked to play some good football and passed the ball around playing a 3-3-2 formation. James in the middle linked the play between Jamie on the left and David Powley on the right. For an opener, a smooth passing move starting from Haydon led to Jamie scoring the first goal. In and end-to-end opening period an attack from Wing gave the Ravens a scare as a good shot whistled over the bar. At the other end the Ravens were getting through balls to the front two for repeated attacks with Jack Goodger just shooting wide. Haydon then tackled a defender to win the ball and pass to Jamie who slotted it across the goal for David Powley to tap in and make it 2-0. By this time Sean was taking the corners, with one in particular whistling across the goal and missing everyone. Ben Turner, continuing his form from last week, had another run forward to shoot at goal. He didn’t score but the keeper only managed to parry the ball to Jamie who slotted home. Wing were still putting some attacks together, including hitting a shot across goal followed by a corner which required a good clearance from Ben Yasue. However, just before half-time a short corner taken between David and Sean led to a hard cross which Jack Reynolds, only on for a minute, converted, to end the half 4-0. The second half continued much as the first with several substitutes keeping the Ravens legs fresh without weakening the team. A good run from David Randall into the box from the right back position was followed by a shot that just went wide. Haydon then went round a player to coolly finish and make it 5-0. Shortly afterwards David Randall repeated his earlier run but this time his shot from just inside the area hit the top left of the goal to make it 6-0. The Ravens now were playing some really excellent stuff and looked to create several more chances although Wing were still looking threatening. A break by Haydon with a shot just going wide was followed by a break from Wing requiring Ben Turner to make an excellent tackle. Keenan then had a shot just go over the bar before Jack Reynolds went round a player and beat the keeper in a one-on-one to score his second and the teams 7th. A buoyant Ravens saw Sean have a shot which just went wide before Jamie lobbed the keeper for his hat trick and the Ravens 8th. Sean then had a run down the left before crossing to Dan (who had been replaced in goal by Luke) to score. Wing were still battling hard to play football and to their credit never gave up. As the game came to a close a lovely passing move from the midfield led to Jack Goodger just shooting wide before Sean used his strength to get the ball and keep it before stroking it past the keeper to make it 10. With almost the last kick of the game Jack Goodger finally got on the score sheet to finish the teams record win. A special word for Wing, having been on the end of these scorelines ourselves we can appreciate their feelings. It was to their credit they kept the game competitive until the end. As for the Ravens, let’s look to build on this performance, work on some weaknesses and build towards our next game vs Steeple Claydon. Starting line up:- Dan, David R, Keenan, Ben T, David P, James B, Jamie, Haydon, Jack G.   Great Horwood Ravens 4 Wing Raiders 3 Scorers :- James H, Jack G, David P, Jamie Fun Day (3 September 2006) The conditions dictated the match as being 'a game of two halves'. Playing with the strong wind behind them in the first half the Ravens played some excellent football. Most of the play was in the Wing half with rare adventures into the Horwood end. After twelve minutes James Heath opened his account for the season with a good chip over the advancing keeper. A few minutes later Jack Goodger increased the lead with a strong shot inside the box which beat the keeper and just crept in after a good effort to block from a defender. At this point the Ravens were showing good form and building on their performances in the end-of-season tournaments. With ten minutes to go in the half, Ben Turner went on a mazy run past 4 Wing Players to hit a shot which was well saved by the Wing keeper. It could have been goal of the season!! More chances went begging with James Bennett having a good shot blocked before David Powley burst through to score and make it 3-0. Towards the end of the half James Heath went round the keeper to cross the ball towards goal and leave an easy tap in for Jamie Seddon. 4-0 at half time and confidence was building. In keeping with the Fun Day spirit changes were made at half time with the under employed Dan in goal being replaced by Luke and three outfield swaps. The change in formation took a little time to settle, a poor clearance across our own goal leading to the visitors first goal before a badly defended corner increased the anxiety to make it 4-2. The goals were going in at one end but the Ravens still forced several chances at the other. Keenan Shaw (not to be outdone by Ben - his centre half partner) also went on a run up field to have a classic volley sail narrowly over the bar. Other chances followed to kill the game off but Wing kept pressing to deservedly score the goal of the match with a turn and shot just inside the box that had all the spectators spontaneously applauding. 4-3 with the clock in slow motion, James Heath - still had time to go around the keeper and shoot wide. All in all, a very promising start. The starting eleven looked good but need to keep up the performance to keep their places from some strong subs appearances. Next week we play Wing Raiders again. This should be interesting, to see how the team react, if they are not on top of their game Wing are sure to punish us. Starting line up:- Dan, Ben Y, Ben T, Keenan, David R, David P, James B, Jamie, Haydon, Jack G, James H.

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