Our final match of the Southill Season

Our final friendly football match of the season took place after school today. This time, 11 boys from Years 5 and 6 were chosen to represent Southill Primary against St Andrew’s. We chose a combination of experienced players and also some players who have trained hard all season and finally had their opportunity to play in a football fixture.

In the first half, Southill couldn’t find their rhythm. St Andrew’s were very keen with it being their very first fixture of the season. Noah, Reed, Corey and Oliver W were called into action on a number of occasions in the opening 10 minutes, making vitals saves and blocks to prevent us from falling behind in the match. We couldn’t keep possession of the ball and St Andrew’s continued to play the ball long, causing our defenders to run towards their own goal. Near to the end of the first half, a half chance fell to Albert. Corey drove into midfield and played a lovely ball, slicing the defense open. Albert turned quickly and shot just over the crossbar. The score at half time…0-0.

On a very small pitch, we talked about the importance of keeping the ball on the floor, making very quick short passes and then moving into space. We talked about the importance of being confident on the ball and dribbling with it if the game opens up. We also discussed the importance of turning quickly on the ball and glancing up to see the whole picture, especially our central-midfielders. The boys were keen to put in a shift after half time…

We got off to a flying start! The team were far more confident on the ball and began to dominate possession. Within the opening few minutes, Reed played a ball into Mason who then passed it to Leo on the right wing. Leo’s cross ended in a mix-up in the St Andrew’s defense and Albert pounced quickly. His quick turn and finish gave the keeper no chance. FINALLY A GOAL TO SETTLE THE NERVES. In fact, this goal really helped the team as we started to play with more freedom and be more expressive. Joshua and Leo were giving us width and both Samuel and Mason began receiving the ball with confidence in the middle of the pitch and playing lovely diagonal balls for our wingers to run onto. It didn’t take long for us to find our second of the game. Albert held up the ball and popped it wide to Leo who quickly shifted it onto his left foot and rifled it into the bottom left corner. Southill were really finding their feet as Albert was holding the ball up well which allowed our midfielders to push up and support with runs in behind. Oliver W, who moved into left midfield in the second half, played a lovely inside pass into Samuel who shifted the ball onto his stronger foot and curled it just wide of the top right hand corner.

Finn and Oliver S were brought onto the pitch to help keep a clean sheet for Southill and they did a remarkable job considering it was their first match for the school team. Our captain and fearless leader (Reed) ensured that both boys knew what they were doing and supported them well. At one point, he even shouted, “Throw your body in the way of it!” which shows the level of passion our team has not only to win but to also keep a clean sheet.

The final whistle blew with the final score…

St Andrew’s 0 – 2 Southill

Despite the pitch being very small and some of our more experienced players missing from the game, I am really proud of how the children dusted themselves off and performed so well as a team in the second half. It wasn’t easy with us being away from home and on a bobbly pitch but we still managed to come out on top.

A huge thank you to Nell who, once again, very kindly refereed our friendly football match. A huge thank you to Mr. Frampton for coming to take some cracking pictures of the boys in action. Thank you to the parents, carers and siblings who came and cheered on the team. Finally, thank you to the team. Sadly, we say goodbye to a number of our players who have represented the school so incredibly well over the years. They have been incredible and it has been a pleasure taking them to various football matches and competitions.

Tom Prior