U15s 'Bls' REPORTS
Blues 1-4 Clyst Rovers
Photos can be
found Here
Slideshow Here
report to Follow
Blues
3-0 United
A nerve-wracking semi final with their rival Brixington team ended with a well deserved 3-0 victory that put Blues into their second cup final in three years.
The game started a little cagey, as one would expect with so much at stake, with very few openings for either side. The first real action came 10 minutes into the game when a direct free kick brought a good save from Utd’s keeper, the resulting corner from Jake Preece curled beautifully into the net giving Blues a 1-0 lead.
Utd came back and threatened to equalise and only a last minute interception after a goalmouth scramble kept Blues in the lead. The score stayed the same until half time and things were getting a little tense as it was felt that perhaps one goal would not be enough.
Early in the second half a corner from Jake Preece was spilled by the keeper and the ball fell to Ben Walker who placed the ball into the net to double the lead. Blues passing game was very good and they battled well for each ball and it wasn’t long before their persistence paid off. Liam West received the ball on the edge of the penalty area and used his strength to hold off two defenders before beating the keeper to make it 3-0.
Utd however refused to lie down and kept battling to the end, a certain goal was stopped by a brilliant finger tip save by Blues keeper Sprake and they also hit the bar with another shot, but in the end Blues held on for victory. Unfortunately for Utd, they had several key players missing for the tie and just lacked that finishing touch in front of goal.
Well done boys and well done to the manager Dave Preece, we now look forward to another final and hope to go that one step further this time, I am sure that if each of the boys wants this enough and plays to their ability a winner’s medal will be coming their way on May 10th
Team:-,
Tom Allen, Darren Carpenter-Cossey,
Lewie Farrant, Guy Clifford Harding,
Andy McInnes, Luke Moody, Jake Preece, Dan Reynolds, Matt Sharp, Alex Sprake,
Ben Walker, Liam West, Billy Zberowski
Report
by Jon Walker
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Stoke Hill Celtic 3-4 Blues
A “Jekyll and Hyde” performance from Brixington Blues saw them take all three points in this game played in atrocious conditions.
Blues started well with some good passing and came close early on when Alex Humphrey took the ball well and fed Jake Preece only to find his shot hit the post. It wasn’t long before a goal was scored; a fierce shot cannoned off a Stoke Hill defender into the path of Ben Walker who struck the ball beautifully from outside of the 12 yard box into the back of the net.
The next blues goal again came from some slick movement, a quickly taken long throw by Matt Sharpe found Liam West, who took the ball around his man and shot low into the net giving Blues a well deserved 2-0 lead. Blues kept the pressure on and the wingers were finding lots of space – some great work by Preece on the left wing saw the ball come to Walker who took the ball quickly and shot passed the keeper for his second of the match.
At 3-0 Blues were coasting, however in the second half Stoke Hill started to get back into the game. A well taken free kick was floated in high and Blues keeper Alex Sprake made a fantastic finger tip save to tip the ball over the crossbar. However a shot from similar distance beat Sprake the next time. Blues kept going and scored a fourth goal through some good work from West on the left whose cross was turned in by Luke Moody to restore the three goal lead
Now at 4-1 and the weather getting much worse, Blues pressed the self destruct button. Some woeful defending allowed Stoke Hill to score two goals in two minutes and get back into the game, but in the end they hung on for the win. Well done lads and well done parents for surviving the awful conditions on the touchline!!.
Scorers:-
West, Walker 2, Moody
Team:- Tom Allen, Darren Carpenter-Cossey,
Lewie Farrant, Alex Humphrey, Andy
McInnes, Luke Moody, Jake Preece, Dan Reynolds, Matt Sharp, Alex Sprake, Ben
Walker, Liam West, Billy Zberowski
Report
by Jon Walker
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Blues 2-2 Honiton
This game was an absolute “mirror image” of the previous week’s game, seeing poor weather conditions, a number of near misses and a 2-2 scoreline.
Few chances presented themselves in the opening 30 minutes, however Blues very lucky not to concede a goal as the Honiton Town forwards were constantly getting the better of the full backs with their speed and indeed this is how the first goal game about. A ball played from midfield was taken, at pace passed the left full back presenting the striker with a one on one with the keeper and he shot low into the back of the net.
Blues fought back, but never looked dominant like they have in previous games. The shape of the team was not right and they giving away far too many balls. However the strength of Liam West brought Blues back into the game, a long ball was taken down superbly by West who battled to keep it and then chipped in over the advancing keeper and the ball ran over the line to bring the scores level.
Again however Blues let Honiton back into the game and they found themselves behind again to a ball that wasn’t cleared properly. This seemed to inspire Blues and they fought harder and pushed up to try and get back into the game. A well taken ball by West who turned his man beautifully and fired the ball low passed the keeper.
Positives to take from this game were Alex Sprake made a number of great saves to keep Honiton out, both centre backs, Farrant and Reynolds had a solid game and the team didn’t give up and fought to the end. At 2-2 this was a fair result, but Blues must improve if they are to advance up the league and take advantage of their games in hand. Also they have their cup semi final to consider and the prospect of meeting Brixington United which they will need a well disciplined performance to win.
Scorers:-
West 2:
Team:- Tom Allen, Darren Carpenter-Cossey,
Lewie Farrant, Alex Humphrey, Andy
McInnes, Luke Moody, Jake Preece, Dan Reynolds, Matt Sharp, Alex Sprake, Ben
Walker, Liam West, Billy Zberowski, Jacob Bellamy and Guy Clifford Harding
Report
by Jon Walker
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Stoke Hill 2-2 Blues
This was a very entertaining game in which Blues dominated for long periods and were very unlucky not to take all three points, however showed real spirit to come back from two goals down to draw this game.
The weather and pitch certainly did not give the conditions for a good passing game of football but from very early in the game you could see that Blues were playing the better football and easily beating their bigger opponents for pace. Liam West broke through to give the first of the chances and was very unlucky not to score, but the Stoke Hill ‘kepper just got a fingertip to it to push it onto the post.
Blues were playing a very dangerous defensive game and Stoke Hill nearly took the lead but for an outstanding tackle from Andy McInnes who took the ball away from the strikers feet when he was “teeing it up” for a certain goal. Blues ‘keeper Alex Sprake made a number of good saves to keep the score level.
Silly defensive errors cost Blues dearly after this. The defence failed to clear the ball properly and the ball somehow made it through passed the keeper for a very soft goal.
Again in the second half Blues failed to clear the ball away again and the ball (with a lot of help from pitch conditions) bounced over the keeper to bring it to 2-0. Blues finally woke up and started fighting for their lives. Their pace started to count and when Tom Allen played a timely pass through the defence, Liam West was there to coolly finish bringing it back to 2-1. However the best goal was saved until last. A great free kick taken by Jake Preece taken from the far left of the pitch floated over the defence and was met by Tom Allen who volleyed the ball into the back of the net.
Blues had a couple of chances in the dying minutes to snatch this and it would have been a deserved win, but they had to settle for a point in the end. One thing worth mentioning was the way this game was refereed, we are all very quick to moan about the man in the middle, but this referee was excellent, he explained what he expected from players, but gave great encouragement and defused potential situations with a calming word – so well done ref!
Scorers:-
West; Allen:
Team:- Tom Allen, Darren Carpenter-Cossey,
Lewie Farrant, Alex Humphrey, Andy
McInnes, Luke Moody, Jake Preece, Dan Reynolds, Matt Sharp, Alex Sprake, Ben
Walker, Liam West, Billy Zberowski, Jacob Bellamy
Report
by Jon Walker
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Blues 3-0 Heavitree
A much improved all round performance saw Brixington Blues put three goals past Heavitree Dynamos without reply in a thoroughly entertaining match.
A very close first half brought little chance of a goal for either side, but the football played was very good. Liam West in his new role as attacker was a constant nuisance for the Heavitree defence and came close a couple of times. However it was Heavitree who nearly opened the scoring in the first half when a quick break down the right hand side brought a very athletic save from Keeper Alex Sprake who kept the scores level at half time.
The second half was all Brixington, they played as a team and put all of their efforts in playing football. It wasn’t too long before we had a goal. A deep corner was picked up by Alex Humphrey who battled well and his hard work resulted in a penalty being awarded. A great shot by Liam West put Blues into a well deserved lead.
In so many games before Blues have surrendered a lead, this game however was not one of them. The team battled well for each other and soon they were 2-0 up. Liam West played a superb ball through to Jake Preece who remained strong and took it through two defenders and shot a low ball passed the keeper. The third goal was almost a replica of the second, however the roles were reversed as Preece fed the ball for West to get his second of the match and to take all three points for Blues.
This game was a very positive result and very enjoyable to watch. Every player contributed to that result which meant the “man of the match” was awarded to the whole team!! – Well done lads
Scorers:-
West 2; Preece:
Team:- Tom Allen, Darren Carpenter-Cossey,
Lewie Farrant, Alex Humphrey, Andy
McInnes, Luke Moody, Jake Preece, Dan Reynolds, Matt Sharp, Alex Sprake, Ben
Walker, Liam West, Billy Zberowski, Marcus Barnett, Guy Clifford Harding
Report
by Jon Walker
Photos can be found Here
Penalty
© I Hitchcock
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Blues 1-3 Stoke Hill
This, unfortunately, was a very predictable game in which Brixington are starting to set a pattern for themselves as the team that cannot hold onto a lead!. Some very entertaining exchanges in the first half saw neither team making a breakthrough. Blues were playing a good passing game making sure the ball stayed low, which was a good idea looking at the size of some of the Stoke Hill defenders, but unfortunately the final ball was not good enough. The best player in the first half was Liam West who was throwing himself in on every challenge and winning the majority of the battles with his man. Matt Sharp also played extremely well on the wing working hard to create openings for the strikers.
In was not until the second half that the deadlock was broken. A cross from the right handside lead to a handball in the penalty area and Liam West duly fired the ball into the bottom right corner of the goal. Again however instead of building on their lead and staying calm, Blues as usual not only allowed Stoke Hill back into the game, but they allowed them to completely dominate the final stages scoring three goals in a matter of 10 minutes with some comical defending.
It is also a great shame that discipline is slipping as the boys get older. If only players could channel their energy into performing on the pitch instead of trying to prove that they are the “hardest” on the pitch, we might see an improvement in the league position!
Scorers:-
West:
Team:- Tom Allen, Darren Carpenter-Cossey,
Lewie Farrant, Alex Humphrey, Andy
McInnes, Luke Moody, Jake Preece, Dan Reynolds, Matt Sharp, Alex Sprake, Ben
Walker, Liam West, Billy Zberowski, Marcus Barnett, Guy Clifford Harding
Report
by Jon Walker
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Heavitree 2-3 Blues
Blues usually have a tight game when they play Heavitree, and this was no exception. They started a little shaky and gave away a couple of soft free kicks which put them under needless pressure. But the ship was safely steadied after those opening moments and they soon found themselves one up. Jake Preece took a corner which was quite off target, but the ball ended up back with him, he carefully shot the ball and it curled beautifully around the defence and over the top of the keeper. Soon after a great cross ball from Dan Reynolds was met by Preece who again powered the ball over the keeper and made it 2-0.
As so often happens, Blues then stopped playing and after some sloppy defending found the ball in the back of the net to let Heavitree back in the game.
However a two goal margin was quickly restored when quick thinking allowed a cross field ball from Tom Allen to land perfectly at the feet of Ben Walker, he took it around the defender, steadied himself and shot the ball left footed into the back of the net.
Blues
then really fell apart, they wasted a lot of chances and were not marking their
players close enough and allowed them to get some shots in on goal.
Finally Heavitrees persistence paid of when another sloppy goal was
conceded and made a very nervous last few minutes, but luckily for Blues they
hung on for three well deserved points.
The Man of the Match award went to Ben Walker for working tirelessly up and down both wings within this match.
Scorers:-
Preece 2; Walker:
Team:- Tom Allen, Jacob Bellamy, Darren Cossey Carpenter, Lewie
Farrant, Alex Humphrey, Andy McInnes, Luke Moody, Jake Preece, Dan Reynolds,
Matt Sharp, Alex Sprake, Ben Walker, Liam West, Billy Zberowski
Report
by Jon Walker
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Blues needed a fantastic display against formidable opponents Clyst Rovers who have been one of the strongest sides in the league over the past few years.
The whole team started well and were much disciplined in making sure that the Clyst forwards were unable to penetrate the defence. The Blues centre midfield duo of Liam West and Tom Allen battled well in trying to stop the ball getting through and also trying to initiate an attack for our own forwards.
After 30 minutes of play the score was still 0-0 and to be quite honest Brixington were matching their opponents in all departments. Unfortunately, a couple of minutes later, after a slight lapse in concentration, Blues found themselves 2-0 down. The first came from a long throw in on the right, the defence were unable to clear it and the Clyst forward tapped it into the net. The second goal came from a lovely cross from the right and was met beautifully by the forward to give the Blues keeper no chance of saving.
Brixington,
like so many other teams that have played Clyst Rovers, could have let their
heads drop and been thoroughly beaten, but they upped their game and again
worked really hard to stop any more goals and to create openings for themselves.
The defence played brilliantly with Lewie Farrant and Dan Reynolds making
some excellent tackles to clear the ball away to safety.
In the end those five minutes late in the first half cost Blues the game, but every player should be very proud of the way they performed on the pitch and I am sure that Clyst Rovers will not have a harder game this season. Take heart from this game boys, if you carry on with the skill and passion shown in this match, you will do very well.
Team:- Marcus Barnett, Jacob Bellamy, Darren Cossey-Carpenter, Lewie Farrant, Alex Humphrey, Andy McInnes, Luke Moody, Jake Preece, Dan Reynolds, Matt Sharpe, Alex Sprake, Ben Walker, Liam West, Billy Zberowski
Report
by Jon Walker
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A much improved performance from last weeks draw against Honiton was needed, and that’s what was given. Blues dominated the opening play and were rewarded with an early goal. The ball was taken on the right wing by Matt Sharpe, who crossed the ball perfectly for Liam West to control it and fire Blues into the lead with a great finish. The second goal came soon after, a lovely ball from defence was threaded through at pace and looked to be going out for a goal kick, but Jake Preece didn’t give it up and raced on to pick it up on the line, he shot from an incredibly tight angle and the ball ended up in the net to make it 2-0. Again Preece was involved with the third goal, he cleverly lobbed the ball over the defence and a perfectly timed run by Luke Moody allowed him to one on one with the Alphington keeper and he coolly chipped it over to put Blues into a commanding lead.
Instead of building on their lead, Blues then took their foot of the gas, and played some sloppy football that could have let their opponents back in the game. The score stayed the same until late into the second half when a fast shot from the left headed across the goal, Blues keeper Alex Sprake could only palm the ball away and it fell to an Alphington striker who gave his team a slight lifeline.
Blues had many chances to put this game far beyond the reach of their opponents, but lacked that clinical finish in front of goal. However there were a lot of positives to take from this result, they are unbeaten at home, the defence is looking stronger with both centre backs Lewie Farrant and Dan Reynolds now both fully fit and forming a good partnership together and we are scoring goals – so well done Blues
Scorers:-
West; Preece; Moody:
Team:- Marcus Barnett, Jacob Bellamy, Guy Clifford
- Harding Lewie Farrant, Alex Humprey, Andy McInnes, Luke Moody, Jake
Preece, Dan Reynolds, Matt Sharpe, Alex Sprake, Ben Walker, Liam West, Billy
Zberowski and Ben Wiltshire
Report
by Jon Walker
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Honiton 2-2 Blues
Trying
to avoid the football clichés, but this really was a “game of two halves”,
the half that Blues turned up for and the half that they might as well stayed at
home for!
The early exchanges were fairly even with no side really penetrating their opponent’s defence; however some bad luck and woeful finishing by Honiton kept the Blues level. Unfortunately the same old problem of not being able deal with headers reared itself again with only three headers landing on a “blue head “in the first half.
Blues were awarded a penalty when a long goal kick from Keeper Alex Sprake was met by Liam West who threaded the ball through to Jake Preece, who was brought down in the box. Unfortunately Preece put the spot kick wide of the post.
This seemed to spur Honiton on and they picked up the ball from a Blues goal kick and quickly sent it back into the box, the Honiton attacker took it through without being closed down quick enough and shot passed the keeper to make it 1-0.
The scored stayed like that until the second half when again the defence failed to deal with an easy clearance and the attacker took the ball coolly passed the keeper and passed the ball into an empty net.
At last the Blues woke up after this, they upped their game and started pressurising and were rewarded when a great free kick from Tom Allen was cleverly met by Jake Preece at the far post to give the Blues a lifeline. In the celebrations and eagerness to continue, a scuffle broke out which resulted in the Honiton Keeper being shown the red card, this really made the Blues pile on the pressure and after some excellent work by Matt Sharpe on the left who passed the ball through for Liam West to finished superbly passed the stand in keeper.
Blues dominated the rest of the match but failed to capitalise on the one man advantage, but really a draw was a fair result. Special mention ought to go to Billy Zberowski who seems to be enjoying his new “outfield” role, he is battling for every ball when he gets on the pitch and this match was no exception. The man of the match was given to Matt Sharpe who is fitting nicely in to the team and playing some great football down the wing.
Scorers:-
West; Preece:
Team:-, Tom Allen, Lewie Farrant, Alex Humprey, Andy McInnes, Luke Moody, Jake
Preece, Dan Reynolds, Matt Sharp, Alex Sprake, Ben Walker, Liam West, Billy
Zberowski and Ben Wiltshire
Report
by Jon Walker
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This was a much improved performance from last weeks’ defeat with every player rising to the challenge set before them. Right from the start you could see the difference, and the extra work in training on heading and shooting had paid off.
Blues dominated the play in the first half with some excellent football, particularly down the right wing. Jake Preece delivered some outstanding corners which were always met by a “blue” head and narrowly went wide.
The first goal came from the right, with Preece battling well to beat three Stoke Hill players to pass to Matt Sharpe who cleverly fed the ball through to Liam West who placed the ball delightfully into the top right hand corner of the net.
The second again came from the right, a free kick taken by Preece was met by Ben Walker who powerfully headed the ball passed the keeper.
In the second half Blues kept the pressure up and a third goal came when Luke Moody took a shot and the rebound fell to West who powered the ball in for 3-0. Some delightful play by Tom Allen brought on the fourth goal; he took the ball from midfield and set up West who left the ball cleverly for Moody to score. Again Allen was instrumental in the fifth goal; he took the ball on and passed it across goal only to be turned into the goal by a Stoke Hill defender. Allen was rewarded for his good play when he picked the ball up on the edge of the box and powerfully shot the ball passed the helpless keeper rounding off a great 6-0 win for the blues.
This was an exciting game to watch and it was great to see that the players had given that little bit extra particularly when meeting the ball with brave headers. The Man of the Match award was given to Ben Walker who is battling so well on the wing at present and is linking well with the forwards. Well done Blues
Scorers:-
West 2; Walker; Allen; Moody; O.G.:
Team:- Tom Allen, Lewie Farrant, Alex Humprey, Andy McInnes, Luke Moody, Jake
Preece, Dan Reynolds, Matt Sharp, Alex Sprake, Ben Walker, Liam West, Billy
Zberowski and Ben Wiltshire
Report by Jon Walker
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Countess
Weir 2-1 Blues
This
is a game that Blues should have “sewn up” before half time as chance after
chance went begging. It was a game
that too many of the big players didn’t perform to their usual abilities and
unfortunately they were made to pay for those missed chances.
When they got the ball down on the ground and passed the ball around,
they played some good football, but as on so many other occasions their failure
to deal with headers is their downfall.
Blues took the lead in the first half when Liam West passed the ball from midfield to Jake Preece wide on the right, Preece then took the ball passed the defender and shot, the ball rebounded back to him, on his second attempt the ball made its way to Luke Moody whose shot was helped into the net by a Countess Weir defender. Instead of building on their lead, Blues missed a hat full of chances and really should have added two or three more goals to their tally by the end of the first half.
Both Countess Weir goals came from Blues failure to deal with throw ins. The first came from a throw on the left, the ball was threaded through and the resulting shot crept underneath the goalkeeper. The second came in a similar fashion, with a flick on from the throw in not being dealt with properly. The team were not direct enough with getting the ball out and the ball ended up in the net.
To be fair to the Blues, they were one regular defender short before the game started and injuries to both centre backs during the game did not help matters. They also didn’t get the “rub of the green” with decisions and having what seemed a clear penalty claim turned down. One good thing was the performance of Alex Humprey who was thrown in to the left back position and gave a solid display.
Blues must pick themselves up from this defeat and every player must give a little extra if they are serious about challenging this season.
The man of the match award was shared by Dan Reynolds, who is throwing himself at every challenge in his new defensive role and Alex Humprey
Scorers:-
Moody:
Team:- Tom Allen, Lewie Farrant, Alex Humprey, Andy McInnes, Luke Moody, Jake
Preece, Dan Reynolds, Matt Sharp, Alex Sprake, Ben Walker, Liam West, Billy
Zberowski and Jacob Bellamy
Report
by Jon Walker
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Blues 3-0 Colyton Blues
Brixington Blues started their under 15s campaign with a hard fought victory, building on the good football that won them several trophies in the pre-season tournaments. With several new players at his disposal, manager Dave Preece changed his system slightly, bringing Dan Reynolds into the centre of defence and striker Tom Allen playing in the centre of Midfield.
Blues started this game with confidence, passing the ball about assertively, but as with so many other matches failed to turn good possession into goals. However the big change this season is the defence looked more confident and were able to deal with their opponents in a calm and decisive way.
The first goal took its time to come; with some good work down the right wing the ball came to Ben Walker who laid it off to debutant Liam West to power the ball into the net. At the start of the 2nd half Colyton pushed hard and at times the defence looked a little shaky, but it was Blues who took the initiative and doubled their lead. Some excellent work by Jake Preece, who took a quick throw in on the right to find Liam West who effortlessly placed the ball into goal.
It was again through the right hand side that Liam West grabbed his well deserved hat trick, he controlled a direct ball from Dan Reynolds brilliantly before shooting the goal that made the points safe for Blues.
At times Blues played some very good football, but they must be more assertive in the air, meeting headers and being first to the ball. All of the new players brought in played important parts with Alex Sprake giving a commanding performance in goal and Marcus Barnett making some speedy runs down the wing.
The man of the match award was shared with Jake Preece who battled well all through the game and Liam West for his excellently taken goals and hard work.
Well done Blues, keep this up and we could have an exciting season.
Scorer: L West 3:
Team:-
Tom Allen, Marcus Barnett, Darryn Carpenter-Cossey, Lewie Farrant, Andy McInnes,
Luke Moody, Jake Preece, Dan Reynolds, Alex Sprake, Ben Walker, Liam West, Alex
Humprey, Jamie Pinn, Billy Zberowski and Jacob Bellamy
Report
by Jon Walker
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