MJFC Under-9s v TSC United – 07 January 2012
EMJFL Under-9s League Fixture
RESOLUTION NEEDED FOR THE NEW YEAR
STARSÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 0 – 6Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â TSC UNITED (ht 0-4)
GALAXYÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 1 – 3Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â TSC UNITED (ht 0-2)
After a long, enforced break through postponements and Christmas the boys took to the field for their first fixture for over a month. Match fitness was a concern in a what was likely to be tough contest against one of the form teams of the division. However it was good to be back on the pitch and it was pretty obvious what some players got from Santa judging by the number of shiny new boots in colours that were a far cry from the days of Garth’s sturdy, black clod-hoppers.
 Game 1:
A few missing players made the coaches shuffle the squad at the last minute to try  put together two competitive teams. Stars went out first set up in the usual 1-1-3-1 formation with Blake the anchor in midfield. Being back in familiar surroundings, with a familar ref, against familiar opponents sent a wave of anticipation through an expectant crowd as the kick-off approached. Playing in a blustery wind which was mainly behind them for the first half Stars started out brightly, a series of confident passes working the ball upfield to Matt V. A clear-cut chance couldn’t be created and the ball was lost allowing TSC to move quickly forward. Kaden was exposed at the back as Stars were caught bunched in the opponents half and failed to track back to defend. The shot on goal was wide of the mark but the tone for the game as was set in this early passage of play. It was significant that the coach, Richard, said Kaden asked at half time if Stars could play with more defenders to help him out. The reason Kaden needed help was perhaps twofold; firstly the team kept losing shape as players chased together to try to get the ball leaving wide open spaces for TSC to exploit. Secondly it looked like the fear of making a tackle had returned as TSC players were often left to run at goal with no-one willing to put a foot in. The first full-blooded tackle came from Louie R which received thunderous cheers from the crowd but by this time Stars were already four down, despite some good blocks by Max in goal. At half time the coaches had a few words to see if the players recognised why the match was not going their way. The team agreed to up two areas of their game: if we lose the ball to get back into position as quickly as possible and secondly don’t be afraid of tackling. The second half saw Stars grow into the game. Owen covered a huge amount of ground and pressured the opponents earning a well deserved round of applause and a rest when finally substituted late in the game. The effort throughout the team was much more on show from Matt V leading the line and causing worry for the TSC defence, Blake hounding back to win the ball and making some good runs, to Kaden putting in some huge tackles to stop TSC’s skillful strikeforce. Josh G bounced back from a recent ankle injury to put his body on the line, quite literally to twice block strikes on goal and he put in great tackles. Will demonstrated how much he has improved with a man of the match performance in midfield, heeding the coaches half time advice as he doubled his effort in chasing back and his determination to win the ball was superb, leading to some great passing moves. Although conceding two more goals Stars were much, much better and were unlucky not to get on the scoresheet themselves, the TSC defence scrambling away attacks. Despite the result the team kept trying to pass and eventually got ‘stuck in’ to give the opponents more of a game – positive play to take into next weeks match.
 MotM: Will – eagerly took the advice of the coaches to put in a commanding display in midfield, leading by example. Great to see him improve every week.
Game 2:
With Josh P unavailable and Mat S jet-lagged from his appearance in the States Brodi played in defence with Aaron taking up position on the right wing. From the kick-off Galaxy took control of the game with some neat passing exchanges, focussed around Morgan in the midfield, who distributed the ball well. Noah’s speed and ability took the TSC defence out wide on both sides a few times and he combined well with both Aaron and Jamie but they found no way through for a decisive pass or clear shot on goal. Early possession was all with Galaxy but the opening goal fell to TSC with their first meaningful attack. The ball was played around Galaxy’s penalty area and then shepherded out right by the defence but a quick, sharp ball across goal found a TSC striker unmarked at the back post to slot home. The game became more open now with both teams minded to attack, the play moving quickly from end to end. Jamie made a tremendous effort up and down the left flank, made some important tackles and he looked to pass to feet. On the right flank Aaron put in solid performance, upping his energy levels to chase back and surge forward and putting in some timely tackles. Louis M rushed and chased in centre midfield with just a few moments where he lost his sense of position which marred an otherwise mature display. Both teams cancelled each other out with few chances being created; Noah forced a scrambled save at one end and Max played much more confidently to keep TSC at bay. A moment of indecision by Brodi dwelling on a long clearance allowed TSC to steal the ball and place a shot beyond a despairing Max. With the game seemingly creeping away from them Galaxy were pleased to hear the ref blow for half time. Switches for the second half saw Mat S drop into defence, Jamie switched to the right with Jago on the left and Brodi pushed up into midfield. Brodi came into his own here, covering a huge amount of ground and displaying some crunching tackles, with perhaps a few the wrong side of the law but leading by example. The game was still relatively even but Galaxy started to create more now. One good move around the TSC penalty area ended with the ball rolling to the edge of the box inviting a shot but with a lack of a call between Jamie and Morgan, who got in each others way, the chance was gone. The next action saw a mad scramble in the Galaxy penalty area with Morgan eventually clearing. This was a sign as TSC scored again when the Galaxy team fell asleep leaving Max exposed and unable to keep out a shot despite getting a hand to the ball. As with Stars the game ended well for Galaxy with a much improved passage of play, forcing TSC back with good football. They finally got on the scoresheet when an astute pass from Mat S out of defence allowed Noah to run from his own half all the way to power a drive past a helpless keeper. With not much time left Jago so nearly capped a strong, willing  performance by getting on the end of a ball in the box from Morgan but the shot skewed wide. The ref blew up for full time leaving the Galaxy and Stars with two defeats but showing enough promise later in the games to encourage the coaches and the crowd.
MotM: Brodi – a deserved award for determination, drive and strength to cover the whole pitch and certainly put fear in the opposition.
PotW: Jamie – looking fit after Christmas Jamie put in an energetic display up and down the wings and played some fine passing football.
 The post match analysis centred around hesitation by both Stars and Galaxy; too often we didn’t tackle well, we stopped running when we lost the ball and we didn’t play a simple pass or clearance when needed, which put us in trouble. However as Garth noted the opposition today were a good team and once we got going we gave them a game. It is worth taking this, on a cold January day in the new year of 2012, as a warm-up to the second half of the season.