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Cranfield Colts Cyclones 1 Great Horwood Ravens
4
SHIELD Round 1 - 13th December 2008
The U9’s powered their way into the second round of the Shield with
another convincing away win against Cranfield Colts. This is the third
time this season these two teams have met and it proved to be a repeat
of the league match a few weeks earlier when the Ravens also won 4-1.
In cold, wet conditions, the Ravens started in a determined manner
with some great tackling and quick passing in a pulsating first 10
minutes which saw the Ravens go 3-0 up. From the kick-off Daniel got
some great tackles in to dispossess the ball passing wide to Adam who
crossed back into the box but Daniel’s subsequent shot went narrowly
wide. In the next attack Adam and Daniel again played well together
passing the ball to Matty in the box who calmly scored low under the
keeper. Soon after Matty scored a second after some good work by Marcus
and Joseph to make it 2-0. The third goal, probably the best of the
day, came from a great cross by Adam into the box and Daniel shot on the
turn, chipping over the keepers head. The Ravens dominated possession
for the rest of the first half but couldn’t make it count.
The second half was much closer as the Cyclones got into the match.
James, John and Gus all played well in defence to stop the Cranfield
attacks and Kieran made some great runs from midfield. The Ravens
midfield however started to play too far forward and Cranfield
capitalised on this to get a goal back on the break. Matty however soon
put aside any concerns by completing his hat-trick with a well taken
shot which crawled under the Cranfield keeper.
The match ended 4-1 with the boys hoping for a second round draw
against Man Utd at Old Trafford.
Ravens Scorers
Matty (3), Daniel (1)
Team
Adam, Joseph, Daniel,, Gus, Marcus, Matty (Hodges),
John, James, Kieran
Great Horwood Ravens 2 Wing Raiders 5
6th December 2008
After all the rain during the week the Ravens
home league match versus Wing Raiders was switched to the Astro Turf
at Mursley. During a frantic first half the boys struggled to come to
terms with the new surface, misjudging the bounce of the ball and
failing to get sufficient shots on target. Wing however were more
composed and capitalised on the Ravens mistakes in defence, scoring 3
first half goals. It might have been more if Kieran hadn’t made a
great defensive clearance off the line in the dying seconds of the
half.
After a strong team talk at half time, the Ravens
came out for the second half fighting and began to pressure the Raiders
goal. The Ravens were rewarded early on with a well taken goal by Adam
and a few minutes later scored a second when Matthew forced another shot
by Adam over the line. The next nail biting 10 minutes saw the Ravens
narrowly miss a number of chances to draw level. The best of which saw
Adam one-on-one with the goalkeeper but his shot went wide of the goal.
As time ticked away the Ravens pushed further forward looking for the
equaliser. This left the Ravens goal exposed and Daniel had to made a
couple of great saves to stop Wing on the break. However very late on
Wing snatched two more goals, the first on the break with little Ravens
defensive cover and the second from a great free kick which went low
into the far corner of the net. The match ended 5-2 to the visitors.
A good fight back by the boys who are all looking
forward to a return to grass next weekend!
Ravens Scorers
Adam Graham, Matthew Taylor
Team
1.
Adam,
Joseph, Daniel,
Marcus,,
Kieran,
Matty,,
John,
Matthew,
Cranfield Colts Cyclones 1 Great Horwood Ravens
4
22nd November 2008
The U9’s put in an impressive performance against
Cranfield Colts and more than made up for the cup exit at the hands of
Cranfield a few weeks earlier.
Both sides started well and had equal share of the
opening attacks but the Ravens solid tackles and swift passing began to
pay off with a number of close chances. Both John and Matthew were
brilliant in stopping the Cranfield attack, Marcus and Matty both played
well down the wing, and Adam and Evan both had early attempts at goal.
Despite the chances the score still stood at 0-0 with 20 minutes gone
so it was time for a couple of changes – Daniel came on in attack and
Joseph in defence. The game continued with Cranfield breaking into the
Ravens penalty box but Joseph made what looked like an excellent tackle
to clear the ball but the referee blew for a penalty. Cranfield scored
the penalty to go 1-0 up. The Ravens however hit straight back with
some good passing play up to Daniel who finished well scoring into the
bottom corner of the Cranfield goal. This gave the Ravens the momentum
and shortly afterwards they broke again down the right wing. Matty hit
a great cross into the box which bounced passed the Cranfield keeper and
into the net. The half ended 2-1 to the Ravens.
Great Horwood dominated the second half and scored
two more goals. The first goal was scored by Matty with a good shot on
the break. The second came from a goalkeeping fumble after Adam hit a
low strike which Daniel got on the end of. The keeper appeared to stop
the ball but it rolled into the net to make it 4-1. At the other end
Cranfield had a number of good chances but John in particular had a
great game in defence to stop their attacks. Cranfields best chance of
the match came late on when they broke through the Ravens defence.
James made a great save coming out of goal to block the shot and then
saved again when the Cranfield striker shot on the rebound. The Ravens
could have scored more following a couple of goal-mouth scrambles but
the match ended 4-1.
All the boys played very well today and showed a
great deal of determination in their attacking play. The boys celebrated
by giving Evan the bumps for his birthday.
Ravens Scorers
Daniel (2), Matty (2)
Team
1.
Adam,
Joseph,
Daniel,
Evan,
Marcus,
Matty (Hodges),
John,
James,
Matthew (Taylor),
Great Horwood Ravens 0 Newton
Longville Legends 3
15th November 2008
Sometimes despite all the hard work and playing
well as a team the chances don’t quite come off. On Saturday the
U9’s played some of their best football of the season so far but lost
in a closely fought game.
The first half started with the Ravens pushing
forward and having most of the chances. James had a couple of good runs
down the wing and Daniel, Matty, Marcus and Adam all played good
attacking football. Gus made some excellent tackles in defence.
However the Ravens pushed forward slightly too much and after 20 minutes
play Newton Longville broke past the defence to score. The Ravens
continued to push forward with both Evan and Kieran having good runs but
the half finished 0-1.
The second half was end to end with both teams
having good chances. Joe came out of goal and made some good runs in
midfield and John made some decisive tackles in defence. Newton
Longville also had their chances and they scored 2 more goals in the
second half – the first was an excellent shot from the edge of the box
and the second followed a great save by Daniel but the rebound fell
nicely for the Legends striker to knock it in at the back post. The
Ravens two best chances of the match came late in the game. The first
came from a good run by Adam who passed to Matty in the box but the shot
went just wide. The second was another good run by Adam whose shot was
saved by the keeper. The rebound fell to Gus who hit the ball well but
the Legends keeper made another great save to deny the goal.
Th e game ended 3-0 to the visitors but the
U9’s should be pleased with their performance.
Team
Adam, Marcus, Joseph, Daniel, Gus, Evan, Matty (Hodges),
Kieran, John, James
Great Horwood Ravens 2 MK Wanderers
Hawks 5
25th October 2008
The Ravens started slowly, conceding possession
and territory to MK Wanderers during the early exchanges.
After 10 minutes MK Wanderers took the lead,
knocking in a secondary chance from a corner. The Ravens picked up
their game, competed better, and applied a lot more pressure on to the
MK Wanderers defence and goal.
James went close with a shot, then after 20 minutes
Adam scored from close range to make it 1-1. After working hard to
achieve parity, we then let the opposition back into the game by letting
a midfielder skip through 3 tackles before passing to their striker, who
had a relatively easy finish to give a half-time score of 1-2.
Early in the second half MK Wanderers scored again
after hesitant tackling down our right flank. The boys had to work hard
to stay in the match, especially playing up the slope. A long goal kick
from MK Wanderers deceived everyone and was converted by their striker
(1-4). Adam and Gus both narrowly missed chances, before MK Wanderers
scored again with a rebound off a Ravens defender (1-5). Despite being
tired the Ravens rallied, and were awarded a penalty after a defender
controlled a bouncing ball with his arm. Joseph converted to make the
final score 2-5.
Overall we were good in phases, but we have to be
on top of our game at all times (concentration, hungry in the tackle,
desire to win the ball back, passing) to get more out of our matches and
put a smile on our faces.
Stewkley 5 Great Horwood Ravens 1
18th October 2008
The U9’s were all in the land of nod for this
away friendly against Stewkley. The boys started well with a number
of early chances before Adam put the Ravens 1-0 up with a well taken
strike. But despite the advantage they seemed to be half asleep and
let in a string of goals at the other end from unforced errors (plus
one very good shot). The first half ended 4-1 to Stewkley. The
second half was much better, only letting in the solitary goal, and
the boys created a number of chances up front. Stewkley however
deserved the win and a number of their players had a great game.
Ravens Scorer
Adam
Team
Adam,
George, Joseph,
Daniel,
Gus,
Bailey,
Marcus,
James,
Kieran
Two Mile Ash 1 Great Horwood Ravens 2
The U9’s put in a great team performance in
beautiful sunshine to get their first away win of the season.
The Ravens were the only team in it in the first
half with the majority of the match being played in the Two Mile Ash
half. Matty had a string of chances at the start of the match but his
shots went wide on each occasion. The Ravens midfield played very well
with some excellent tackling by both Kieran and Marcus. The Ravens
finally made the breakthrough after the ball was handled in the Two Mile
Ash penalty box. Matty calmly converted the penalty to make it 1-0 to
the Ravens. A few minutes later the Ravens got their second after some
great combination play from James, Marcus and Matty. James made a great
run to the edge of the box and neatly passed the ball to Marcus who
powered a great shot at the Two Mile Ash goal. The keeper did well to
stop the shot but the rebound came to Matty who volleyed the ball into
the back of the net – a great goal. At the other end George, Matthew
and John all did well to stop any TMA attack – in fact Joe only touched
the ball twice as keeper in the first half!
The second half was much tighter as both teams
rotated players. James went in to goal and made a string of great
saves. Kieran and Matthew played well in defence and Evan made a number
of darting runs in midfield. Bailey played up front and had four or
five long range shots at goal – one going very close. Joseph also made
some good tackles in midfield. During the last ten minutes the Ravens
started pushing forward to kill-off the match. They were rewarded with
a series of corners – the best one being a looping ball over the TMA
defence by Marcus but the Ravens attack couldn’t get on the end of it.
However, with a few minutes to go Two Mile Ash got a goal back after a
long shot could only be half stopped by James and the ball rolled under
his body and over the line. The match ended 2-1 to the Ravens.
Overall a great team performance.
Ravens Scorers
Matty (2)
Team
1)
George Edwards,
2)
Joseph Phillips,
3)
Evan Carter,
4)
Bailey Brownlow,
5)
Marcus Bounds,
6)
Matty Hodges,
7)
Kieran Craig ,
8)
James Rooney
9)
John Jenkins,
10)
Matthew Taylor
Great Horwood Ravens 3 Waterhall Stars
0
The U9’s fought out a scrappy game on a warm
but misty morning but goals from Matthew, Daniel and Matty gave the
Ravens their first league win of the season.
The Ravens didn’t seem themselves at the start
of the match and started very quietly. Both sides had early chances but
they were easily dealt with by the defence. Great Horwood could have
got an early goal with both Adam and Matty with good shots but the
Waterhall keeper did well to knock the ball over. The Ravens finally
got the break through from a corner which Matthew knocked in at the near
post – his first goal for the Ravens! Waterhall had their moments in the
first half but Daniel dealt with them, keeping a clean sheet. The first
half ended 1-0.
The mist began to lift in the second half and
the Ravens became more alert and played with more purpose. Matthew
continued to play well, getting in some great tackles in mid-field, and
Great Horwood started to control the game. Early in the half, Daniel
almost scored from a free kick but the Waterhall keeper got a fingertip
to it. Soon after however Daniel did get his goal using his knee to
knock the ball over the line following a goal-mouth scramble. At the
other end Waterhall had a couple of breaks which were dealt with well by
the Ravens defence and Bailey in goal. Great Horwood almost got a 3rd
after about 40 minutes when Daniel was fouled in the box. Daniel took a
well taken penalty but the Stars keeper did another finger-tip save to
deny him on this occasion. Great Horwood played well during the last 10
minutes of the match with a number of the boys showing some good skill
on the ball. The Ravens last goal was probably the best moment of the
match with Matty curling in a shot from a tight angle into the goal at
the near post to make it 3-0 to the Ravens.
A good win....
Ravens Scorers:- Matthew, Daniel, Matty
Team:-
Adam Graham, George Edwards, Joseph Phillips, Daniel Springall, Gus Nash, Evan Carter, Matty Hodges,
Matthew Taylor, Kieran Craig, John Jenkins, Bailey Brownlow.
Great Horwood Ravens 2 Cranfield Colts
Cyclones 2
(Cranfield won after penalties)
What a great cup match which ended, inevitably,
with a penalty shoot- out.
The Ravens played well as a team and deserved
their 1-0 lead at half time. The goal came from an excellent low, hard
corner kick by Marcus and Kieran knocked it in at the back-post.
Earlier Adam, Evan and Marcus all had good chances but the Cranfield
Colts keeper managed to turn the shots away on the goal-line. At the
other end Cranfield Colts had their moments but Gus and James in defence
and Daniel in goal did well to stop their attack (although there were a
few hairy moments!).
The Ravens started well in the 2nd half with
James going into goal and Daniel up front. James made a couple of good
diving saves but soon after a defensive error let Cranfield in to level
the score. A few minutes later Cranfield scored a second which could
have ended the game but the Ravens didn't give up and started the fight
back. Adam, James, Daniel, Marcus and Kieran all had shots on goal
before Adam finally made the breakthrough with a well taken goal on the
break. Both sides had opportunities in the final few nail-biting minutes
but the game inevitably went to penalties.
The boys had all trained for the possibility of
a penalty shoot out but it's never the same as the real thing. Great
Horwood won the toss and decided to take the first penalty. Adam took
the kick but the Cranfield goalkeeper made an excellent save. Cranfield
then converted their first penalty to go 1-0 up. Both goalkeepers then
made a series of great saves (well done Daniel) to keep it close all the
way to the last man. But the Cranfield keeper was excellent, saving all
of the Ravens kicks to win the match for the visitors.
Having played so well, going 1-0 up and then
fighting back to take it to penalties, the boys were all desperately
disappointed with the end result. But they should be proud of how they
played and build from the experience for the rest of the season.
Ravens Goalscorers:
Kieran (1), Adam (1)
Team
Adam, Daniel, Gus, Marcus, Kieran, James,
Bailey, Evan
Southside Utd Stars 3 Great Horwood
Ravens 0
The U9's played well in their opening game of the season and were
unlucky to lose.
The Ravens dominated the first 10 minutes of the game, playing with
the confidence gained from their previous 10-0 friendly win but failed
to capitalise on the momentum with a goal. Marcus played very well
running down and winning the ball and Adam and James both had excellent
runs on the wings. Joe had the best chances but failed to release the
ball quick enough before the strong Southside defence closed him down.
Against the run of play Southside broke the dead-lock following a
corner which hit the back of a Great Horwood player and into the goal.
Matty came on and made a big impact and the Ravens had a number of
further chances to level the score. Southside however scored two
further goals. The first a goal mouth scramble which the Ravens failed
to clear. The second followed a great save by Daniel but the rebound
fell to a Southside striker who knocked it over the line.
The second half was very close with both sides defence playing
exceptionally well (well done to Matthew, Gus and George). Joseph
replaced Daniel in goal and made a number of superb saves and Adam made
a goal-line clearance which stopped what would have certainly been a
contender for goal of the season - a power shot from a long way outside
of the box. The Ravens also had their chances to score including a
series of corners but the tall Southside defence managed to clear the
ball on each occasion.
Overall the boys should be proud of how they played and they are all
eagerly awaiting their next match.
Team
Adam, George, Joseph, Daniel, Gus, Marcus, Matty (Hodges), Kieran,
James, Matthew (Taylor),
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