end of season blues.....

Cheltenham Youth League
LRFC Cougars (1) V (6) Painswick Youth
1400hrs kick off, Naunton Park

On reflection we were rarely in this game although it never really felt like we were out of it. Where it mattered, goals, we came up short. With our keeper doing something egg-chasing related we moved Jacob into goal. An excellent keeper in his own right this move does, however, rob us of our midfield battery. 

Up stepped Conor who in the first half particularly was the epitome of strength and power. Flying into tackles and breaking up play all around him. Where we struggled was up front and actually getting the ball there. For the second game in a row we failed to create clear chances. So while we had good possession and defended well at times Painswick were more clinical when they had chances. 

The opening goal was  penalty. correctly called by the referee and scored in less than convincing manner in off the post. Jacob dived the right way and it was only his reach that stopped him getting to it. You can practice and train many things but longer arms isn't one of them. At the back Jordan and Paddy as centre backs looked strong and composed on the ball. With Harvey at left back and Willbo on the right we did alright. The difference was that when Painswick had a chance they took it.   

Freddie started well in midfield, staying deep and then moving the ball quickly forward through Max T and Louis. Painswick were quick to close down though and in the heart of their defence had a defender with as much pace as Luca and Daniel - not something we see very often. Freddie made way for Max P to come on in midfield, his attributes of bustling tackles and commitment made a difference and he linked well with Max T and Louis although again we failed to create a clear chance and didn't even test their keeper.

The second goal looped over Jacob's head leaving him no chance and owed as much to the wind as it did the strike. At the interval we were 3-0 down and while we did not look out of it we didn't really look like scoring. 

The second half we had the wind behind us. We resumed in a 4-5-1 formation but quickly switched to 4-4-2 in a bid to get some momentum. Louis moving up alongside Luca with Conor moving out to the left of the midfield 4. Within 15 minutes of the restart we had conceded 2 more goals to put us 5-0 down. As we pressed forward the gaps at the back were apparent and exploited. 

Jacob then came out of goal replaced by Freddie. This had an impact on the team and we started to get more of the ball although with the clock ticking it was a big ask. We did get a goal back, through Luca, good work from a throw in from Dan G, coming on for Willbo, the ball dropping for Luca. Some quick feet and he slid the ball under the goalkeeper. He only had one chance and scored. 

As if to put us back in our box Painswick replied almost immediately with their 6th goal. 6-1 which was how the game would end.

It's easy to drawn on negatives from a result like this, but not the performance. When we were in possession we played the ball, we tried to pass it and were able to without reaching the front players. We did not resort to just kicking the ball forward. To the credit of both teams this was a really good football match. Where we lost the game, in similar manner to Thursday, was in midfield. That is not to criticize the midfielders just that we have played against some very strong technical teams. Teams that are very strong when the ball is in the air. This is not something that we are good at and was a similar story to much of last season. 

Paddy was the MotM although was closely run by Conor. His power and pace for the whole match was excellent. Bringing the ball out of defence when he could and clearing it when necessary. Alongside Jordan who never stopped talking and organising and showed strength to get his foot in when necessary. 

The last two matches have been a struggle and we have shipped 14 goals. Through this Louis has shown to be an excellent footballer, great technique in possession and able to drop a shoulder to buy him some time. Against strong opposition his ability has really been apparent. 

We have one final game on Wednesday 24/04 against Painswick. We could still be playing for joint 4th spot in the league, with Painswick (assuming the fail to get a result at Churchdown) we cannot be caught by the teams below us so relegation is not likely. 

Lets have a final push and give a good account of ourselves later this month.

One final note, Eric departs for the Himalayas, via Delhi, on Monday to start his epic journey to Base Camp Everest. There are more details on his trip here and there is still time to support his charity efforts. 

As a little taster on what he might expect to see this is a Himalayan sunset...

This is a photo of Eric training earlier this year on Leckhampton hill. We all wish him well.