Leighton Town Youth 6 – Great Horwood Ravens 2

A depleted Ravens side took on Leighton Town and for the first 15 minutes or so held their hosts quite comfortably until a lucky ricochet in the penalty area wrong footed Joseph in goal to make in 1-0. Two more similar goals were conceded before half time so at the break Ravens were unlucky to go in trailing.

H/T 3 - 0.

Will took over in goal for the 2^nd half and the Ravens good fortune started to turn. A good defensive pass from Harry to Joseph saw him give the ball to Oliver and his first time cross was swept in by Ruben 3-1. Game on and with the hosts rattled, another mazy run from Joseph saw him finish with a low shot although he did have options around him. 3-2. The Ravens were unlucky not to equalize when firstly we had a shot that was cleared on the line and then the rebound from Oliver came back off the bar and the ball was cleared. After this, the Ravens went into self destruct mode again with Leighton peppering Will’s goal with off target shots before they took control of the game with 3 more unanswered goals, the last of which was a great dipping shot from some distance out.

F/T 6 - 2

Scorers: Ruben and Joseph

Great Horwood Ravens 3 – Great Linford Cougars 10

The Ravens went into this game on the back of 2 good second half performances in recent weeks and an excellent training session to build on. Both teams started brightly and there was more passion and urgency in the Ravens play from the start. It was against the run of play that we went a goal behind when Conor was unable to control a shot and the ball fell kindly to the Linford striker to tap in. Far from letting this affect them the Ravens pushed on and got a deserved equalizer straight away as Ruben picked up a great pass from Joseph and put the ball in at the far post. Some more slack play saw Linford regain the lead and Joseph equalizing again for the Ravens. The game saw chances at both ends with a great cross shot from Joseph coming back off the far post before Linford regained the lead again. Ruben got his second to make it 3-3, Joseph hit the same post again before Linford scored to make the half time score line:

H/T 3 – 4

Changes were made at half time with Mark replacing Harley, Thomas for James and Archie replacing Hayden to try and freshen things up but this week the performances went in reverse and for all the good work done in the first half was undone as performances dropped and the goals went in at regular intervals without reply. In fact it was hard to remember a shot on goal during that period. Further changes were made with Harry replacing Will, James for Joseph and other positional switches to try and ignite the team but it was not possible to do so.

F/T 3 – 10

Player of the week – James who played solidly at the back and was not bothered about getting stuck into the tackle. 

Scorer: Joseph, Ruben (2)

Squad: Hayden, Will, Harry, Joseph, Ruben, Archie, Harley, Thomas, Oliver, Conor, Louis, James and Mark 

Deanshanger Colts 4 – Great Horwood Ravens 1

Looking to build on their second half performance of last week there was a good feeling going into this fixture that a positive result was there to be had. Due to illness a couple of last minute changes to the team had to be made but the line-up was still strong enough to have pushed Deanshanger all the way.

With a 9.30am kick off however the Ravens were not at their best although not being totally outplayed, with Conor in goal handling the ball very well with Will, Harry and Oliver holding the defensive line and trying to break out when the opportunity arose. Joseph was having a very quiet game, Archie and Mark were battling on the wings and Ruben was having one of his better games. Thomas was left upfront on his own with no balls being able to get to him to inflict any damage.

Midway through the half Deanshanger took the lead and soon after made it 2-0 which was how it stood at half-time. H/T 2-0

After another team talk and wake up call, the Ravens came out more positive in the second half with Harley replacing Thomas and Hayden the hard working Archie. More chances were created at both ends before Deanshanger scored 2 more goals in fairly quick succession as we failed to clear the ball from our area. Joseph came off for a quick rest and when he did come back on started to impose himself more on the game and from a resulting break and clearance he slammed home a rising shot from the edge of the box to make the score 4-1. There then followed a period of increased pressure including a great pass from Harley out to Mark on the right and he got to the ball in time to pull it back to Ruben whose shot was charged down and cleared.

F/T 4-1

As said last week, if we can up the tempo from the first whistle we can start to dominate games but are still finding ourselves trying to play catch up which makes it harder.

Many thanks for the vocal support we had this week, let’s keep that up so the boys know we are all behind them.   

Player of the week – Ruben who had one of his best games and was not afraid to head the ball particularly when defending at corners.

Scorer: Joseph

Squad: Hayden, Will, Harry, Joseph, Ruben, Archie, Harley, Thomas, Oliver, Conor and Mark 

Great Horwood Ravens 2 – Sharnbrook 6

The Ravens took to the pitch for the return fixture against Sharnbrook having had an extended break due to the weather. Due to absences and injury the line-up had to be adjusted with Oliver starting at left back and Will playing up front to try and give a bit more height and strength in the final third of the pitch. Both teams started brightly although the clearer chances on goal were falling to the opposition. Louis and Harley were tormenting the Sharnbrook defence but again the quality was lacking in front of goal and the moves were breaking down, one of which created the first goal. A breakaway saw the opposition leave our midfield standing and gave Joseph no chance to stop the ball from going in. The Ravens then conceded a second fairly quickly and the writing on the wall did not look to good. However a promising move saw Louis make another run into the box and his cross appeared to strike the defender on the arm but as the referee was unsighted he could only give a corner.

Mid way through the half Oliver who was playing out of his skin at the back, played a ball across his own box which was intercepted and put passed Joseph to make it 3 - 0 and then they scored a 4^th just before half-time.

H/T 0-4

After some encouraging but stern words during the break and with Conor taking over in goal from Joseph and Thomas replacing Harry, the Ravens set about the half with more determination and spirit that had been shown in the first and we started to put pressure onto the opposition. It was no surprise when after another mazy run and cross from Joseph saw Thomas slam the rebound off the keeper into the net for his first goal for the club. 1 - 4. The fight-back was on and soon Joseph himself hit a shot that went in to make it 2 - 4. At this point you could see the tension into the opposition and with a little bit more luck we nearly made it 3. Had this have gone in the Ravens may well have gone on to win, but from a breakaway, Sharnbrook increased their lead and soon after scored again to take the game away from the Ravens 2 – 6.

The final whistle blew after more chances at both ends with the game finishing at F/T 2 – 6

There were some very promising displays from Harry, James, Conor, Joseph and Louis throughout and others that picked up in the second half. If we can play for the whole game like we did in the 2^nd half on Saturday, then we will start to pick up points before the end of the season.

Player of the Week – Oliver, who playing in a position the he was unaccustomed to was strong in the tackle, passed the ball well and seemed to read the game better. More of the same in the coming weeks please.

Scorers: Thomas and Joseph

Squad: Hayden, Will, Harry, Joseph, Ruben, Louis, Harley, Thomas, Oliver, Conor and James  

Sharnbrook FC 10 – Great Horwood Ravens 0

Another battling performance saw the Ravens on the end of another flattering score line to the opposition. 2 long distance strikes that were worthy of any game split the 2 teams at half time although Sharnbrook shaded it on chances created. The Ravens defended stoutly but the clear cut chances did not fall our way and we did not have the same power and accuracy when hitting shots from distance.

H/T 2 – 0

The second half saw Conor take over in goal having come on to make his debut for the team in defence 20 minutes into the game. The early signs looked positive into the 2^nd half but after we conceded a 3^rd, we went into meltdown for a 10 minute period where Sharnbrook took full advantage scoring 5 unanswered goals. The boys started to regain their composure but with the Sharnbrook striker camped on our goal line, we conceded 2 more before the end.

And so the match ended in another defeat but the team have proved that they can play football. All they need is that extra cutting edge and strength in the tackles and passes to turn games into a point or 2 before the season ends.

F/T 10 – 0

Player of the week: Joseph who was assured in goal in the first half and had no chance with the 2 goals. He then tried to lead the fight back in the 2^nd but without success.

Squad: Hayden, Archie, Will, Harry, Joseph, Ruben, Mark, Louis, Harley, Thomas, Oliver, Conor  

INDOOR FOOTBALL FESTIVAL

A superb performance at the IFF saw the U11's reach the semi finals having never got out of the group stages in 3 previous attempts. 

The team got off to a flying start with a 4-0 win and followed it up with a 2 -0 win. The next game was a narrow 1-0 defeat before a convincing 3-0 win against the over confident Moretonville Allstars. Another narrow 1-0 defeat before an even more comprehensive win against the unbeaten Kempston Allstars 4-1. The group fixtures were rounded off with a tight 3-2 defeat although we nearly snatched a draw coming from 3-0 down.   

Qualifying as runners up with a record 4 wins and 3 defeats scoring 13 and conceding 5 (4 each for Joseph, Harley and Louis and 1 for Will) we were drawn against Willen in the qtr final.

Another terrific display saw the game go into extra time where we scored 2 great goals to move into the semis.

Taking on New City Saints, a well worked free kick saw Joseph put the ball into the net, but were soon pegged back to 1-1 and then 2-1 down. Still battling, Oliver slammed in an equalizer before we went 3-2 down with a minute or so to go. As the hooter sounded and the whistle blew for the end of the game on the next pitch, we stopped playing and allowed NCS to score a fourth to make the final result 4-2.

All the members of the squad deserve praise for the commitment, passing, goals scored and when it was their turn in goal the fact that we only conceded 5 in the group stages was down to the players in the games.

Having made it to the knockout stages it was very tough to make the team selections which left some very disappointed players who did not get to play.

This in no way refected upon their performances in the earlier games as without them we would not have progressed as we did, so well done to Will, Harry, Joseph, Louis, Hayden, Ruben,Harley and Oliver.

Hopefully we can carry this success into the 2nd half of the season and start to get the results that the boys performances deserve.   

Olney Town Colts Falcons 4 – Great Horwood Ravens 0

Playing against a team who like us have been struggling, the Ravens put in another hard working performance that saw them end up with nothing. In previous games we have been creating chances without success but today although a lot of hard work in chasing and tackling was done, we created very little in front of goal until late in the game when the Olney keeper made some good saves!

The first 15 minutes saw both teams cancel themselves out until a breakaway saw Olney take the lead. With all the midfield committing them-selves forward, our move broke down and they all struggled to get back to help out Joseph in goal and his defenders. 1 – 0. The boys carried on trying to play football but all too often tried to take on too many players resulting in a promising move breaking down and having to recover the situation. Olney scored again in the first half.

H/T 2 – 0

The second half saw an improved performance from the boys but they were guilty still of trying to do the difficult things instead of the easy!

2 more breakaways saw Olney increase the lead before we finally managed to get some shots on goal.

There were good performances from Joseph in goal who in fairness had very little to do, Archie, Harry and Will at the back, Mark who worked tirelessly down the right and Louis in central midfield. Harley on the left, Hayden and Ruben played well, but need to be able to work hard for the whole game. Thomas played well when coming on up front, where he held the ball but was often left in a 3 on 1 situation because his support went into the area rather than coming to help him.

We can now have a break and regroup until the New Year when we hope to come out and start collecting some points.

Player of the Week – Will who never gave up chasing and tackling and made a great save when in goal for the last 10 minutes.

Squad: Hayden, Archie, Will, Harry, Joseph, Ruben, Mark, Louis, Harley, Thomas

Great Horwood Ravens 2 – Moretonville Rangers 10

Another game and performance that does not do justice to the team as they soldier on through the season!!

We unfortunately lost Thomas through illness just as we were kicking off so Hayden stepped into the breach as goal keeper for this game and in the circumstances played very well.

Both teams started brightly with the Ravens having their fair share of possession and half chances but were let down again when the Rangers forward was allowed too much space behind our defence to score with ease. As so often happens in our games, once a goal is conceded, more follow as we try to regroup and this is exactly what happened. However we were continually battling with Will and Archie at the back getting some good blocks, ably assisted by Harry who was having a terrific game. Not only in making tackles but having the confidence at times to bring the ball out before playing it. There was good interchange play between Mark, Louis, Joseph and Ruben across the midfield with Harley trying to pick up the scraps upfront.

A great through ball saw Harley one on one with the keeper, but he tried shooting from distance when a further touch would have given him the better option and the keeper saved it.  

At 4-1 down, Joseph finally got us on the score sheet before Rangers got a 5^th before the whistle blew for half time.

H/T 1-5

A leg injury to Will meant that he had to sit out the whole of the 2^nd half, so a further re-shaping of the team saw Oliver coming on upfront and Harley dropping back to defence. This also meant we had no further subs to use and in the windy conditions it made hard going for the team, especially as our opponents were able to change things around quite frequently.

Although Rangers scored 5 more goals in the 2^nd half, it was not as one sided as it seems and the boys got themselves a well deserved 2^nd goal when some good passing between Ruben and Oliver saw him get to the bye line and put over a low cross. As the ball bobbled around in the box, Harley finally managed to get on the end of it and put his shot into the top corner.

With all the upheaval of losing players and the conditions, the boys were commended by both manager and parents for their contributions with Harry picking up the player of the week award although Mark pushed him closely for it.

F/T 2 - 10

Player of the Week: Harry who had his best ever game for the team.

Scorers: Joseph, Harley

Squad: Hayden, Archie, Will, Harry, Joseph, Ruben, Mark, Louis, Harley, Oliver

Next match – Away - Olney Town Colts Falcons 

Great Horwood Ravens 2 – Samba Pele 14

Once again the Ravens were beaten but not disgraced against their unbeaten opponents from Division 4 in this 1^st round Shield game. Both teams started brightly, but Samba soon had us on the back foot with Joseph having to play more centre back than central midfield, in order to stop the wave of attacks. With the opposition playing a 5 – 0 – 3 formation, Oliver was left isolated upfront as we could not get the ball away from our box due to weight of numbers. The midfield was getting overrun and we were not always making the tackles that needed to be made at certain times however the boys managed to hold out for a while until the inevitable breakthrough came when one of Samba’s slick passing moves ended with the ball in the net. 0-1

Not to be outdone, in a rare excursion into the Samba half Joseph hit a low cross come shot which ended up in the far corner. 1-1

Thomas was having a good game in goal, with more positive handling and shot stopping but was unable to keep out Samba for long as they soon started to stretch the lead with goals in quick succession.

Just before half time, a great run by Louis saw him tackled in the opposition box but Ruben quickly latched onto the loose ball and fired in his 1^st goal for the club at the near post.

H/T 2-6

The second half started with Louis being replaced due to his ankle knock, but the wave of Samba attacks kept coming. Having scored with 1 long range effort, they were all trying from distance, but this time without success. To the Ravens credit, they started to get more of a grip on the game as the tackling and passing got tighter and we created more chances. However as we were unable to take ours, Samba were and the goals kept going in.

However Thomas saved the best till last in goal. Having come out and saved the first effort, it looked like the ball had been kicked from his hands on the floor. The referee played on and Will instinctively put his hands up on the line to stop the shot going in. A penalty was awarded and with the manager telling Thomas that the ball was going over the bar, he duly saved it with strong hands in exactly that place!!!

However the joy was short lived as from the resulting corner the ball was firmly headed in.

All the boys played their part and when we get the chance to play a team of a similar level, the results will start going their way as the drive, fitness and commitment is now starting to show.

F/T 2-14

Player of the Week – The parents voted for Will who had an exceptional game at the back although Thomas was more than a match for the award.

Scorers: Joseph, Ruben

Squad: Thomas, Will, Archie, Joseph, Hayden, Ruben, Mark, Louis, Oliver

Next match: Home v Moretonville Rangers – kick off 9.30am.

Great Horwood Ravens 1 – Linslade Galaxy Giants 9

Beaten but not outplayed.

Following on from their showing of last week, the Ravens started off in confident mood and were holding their opponents well. In a slightly changed line up, Thomas started in goal with Archie, Harry and Will at the back, Joseph, Hayden, Louis and Ruben in midfield and Oliver up front. Mark and Harley started on the sidelines.

Once again it was against the run of play that Linslade took the lead after a promising move by the Ravens broke down and we were out of position leaving Thomas no real cover at the back. However to the boy’s credit they kept going and were soon on level terms after a great shot from Joseph was saved by the keeper but fell to Oliver who lashed the ball in from 10 yards into the far corner.

We soon however found ourselves 2 – 1 down and that quickly became 4 – 1 by half-time.

With another re-shuffle, Harley replaced Oliver with Ruben pushing up front and we continued to create chances but were up against a keeper who was having a great game. For the next 20 minutes of the half we continued to play despite conceding 2 more goals, but in the final 10 minutes we started to lose our shape and not compete for the ball as we had been and so conceded a further 3 which made the score look totally one-sided.

If we can get a few breaks during the remainder of the season, the results will come our way, so let’s start by beating Samba Pele in the Shield next week!!!!

Player of the Week – Thomas as voted for by the parents. Playing his 1^st real game in goal and did the best he could. If he wishes to continue, his confidence will grow and he can only improve.

Scorer: Oliver

Squad: Thomas, Archie, Harry, Will, Louis, Joseph, Ruben, Hayden, Oliver, Harley and Mark

Great Horwood Ravens 1 – Leighton Town Youth 8

A more confident display saw the Ravens beaten, but not by how the score line suggests. For the first 15 minutes the boys matched their opponents and were outdone against the run of play when Oliver came to clear a ball on the edge of his area and did not get back in time to prevent Leighton scoring into an empty net. 1 soon became 2 as a Leighton forward was allowed to run through the midfield and defence to score in the corner.

Not to be outdone Joseph had 2 efforts off target and the Leighton keeper was being kept busy. A change was made and Louis returning from injury came on and started making some good runs both on and off the ball. 

Mark, Thomas, Hayden and Harry and Ruben were also giving a good account of themselves although throughout the team some of the passing was still off and if we had made better use of the ball, more chances/goals would have come.

At the back Will (returning from injury) and Archie were both having solid games and despite a 3^rd goal going in before half time, Oliver was doing ok as one of our stand in keepers.

H/T 0 – 3

We started the 2^nd half as the first but soon found ourselves 4 – 0 down so a change was made with Joseph taking over in goal from Oliver and making some decent stops and clearances although he too was unable to stop 4 more goals going in. In between these the Leighton keeper made 2 or 3 great saves to keep the ball out. Some good link up play between Oliver, Ruben and Louis finally saw Louis find the back of the net. A goal that the whole team deserved based on the performance.

With such a small squad that has been depleted through injury and players leaving over the last few weeks, it was good to see the boys more upbeat after the game and should now start believing that they can go on to win games in the remainder of the season.

F/T 1 – 8

Player of the week – Louis, a great return from injury.

Scorer: Louis

Squad: Oliver, Hayden, Thomas, Joseph, Archie, Louis, Mark, Ruben, Harry and Will, 

Great Linford Cougars 12 – 1 Great Horwood Ravens

A morning to forget as the Ravens put in a very below par performance against a Linford side that knew how to pass and move with or without the ball.

In a re-shaped line-up, Oliver started in goal and within the first 2 minutes had kept the score-line at 0-0 with 3 blocks as the defence and midfield played statues. It was no surprise when Linford did take the lead and by half-time we were 3-0 down with Oliver keeping out at least another 4!! The only other players of note for effort were Archie who was playing his best game by far and Louis, although ball distribution was still an issue. Some of the boys seemed totally lacklustre and only putting in a bit of effort if required and not keeping the shape as practised in training. 

After a talking to at the break, the boys came out and immediately pulled a goal back through Louis, but this was to be a false dawn as Linford hit back with 9 more as the boys became less and less interested.

Player of the week was Archie who just shaded it over Oliver in goal.

Scorer: Louis

Squad: Oliver, Hayden, Thomas, Joseph, Archie, Louis, Mark, Ruben, Harry, Harley

Great Horwood Ravens 1 – 5 Preston Gawcott Pumas

After a bright first 10 – 15 minutes of good passing football the Ravens went a goal up through Louis who anticipated well from another good in-swinging corner from Jack.

Jack then gave away a penalty for handball which Gawcott duly scored and from then on the whole side seemed to go off the boil and lost all shape and energy.

Before long Gawcott scored again so at half time the score was 1-2.

In the second half we tried to regroup but never found the cutting edge we had previously despite some energetic performances from Louis, Ruben and Jack. At the back Hayden and Archie put in some telling tackles and Joe was playing a solid game despite being under the weather. Will was having an exceptional game in goal making some great blocks, but soon we found ourselves 3-1 down when we tried beating 3 players in our own penalty area instead of clearing the ball first time and gave Will no chance to stop the ball going in.

Not learning from this we made similar mistakes in giving Gawcott 2 more cheap goals to make the final score 1-5.  

Player of the Week – Will for his overall performance in keeping the score line down in the end.

Scorer: Louis

Squad: Joseph, Will, Harry, Thomas, Archie, Louis, Jack, Ruben, Hayden, Mark and Oliver.

Great Horwood Ravens 0 – 4 Deanshanger Colts

The Ravens first league match at 9 aside ended in defeat to a very good Deanshanger side. We never got going in the 1^st half and went into the interval 3-0 down.

An improved 2^nd half saw the boys passing the ball more although never putting their keeper under any pressure and only conceded a 4^th goal late in the game.

A good experience for the newly formed team, with signs from the game and in subsequent training sessions we can do well in the Division this season.

Player of the Week was Joseph with some good keeping and ball distribution and had no chance with any of the goals.

Squad: Joseph, Will, Harry, Thomas, Archie, Louis, Jack, Ruben, Harley, Mark and Oliver.

Next up Preston Gawcott Pumas at home in the Cup.