Elton - "I'm dreaming of a brown Christmas !"

Mud, Mud, glorious mud ! Nothing quite like it for cooling the Chrimbo blood !

Elton was back for a Foxes rendezvous on the Downs , just like the good old days.

Cold , wet, windy and muddy. PERFECT !

(Raymonde, Lawrence, Elton, Kione, Max, Armani, Messi, brom and Ian)

And makes a change for Elton, Ian, Ceti and Thomas, where the football is in SNOW at the moment !

A few passing and shooting drills, a penalty shoot out against the South's best old Northern goalkeeper and then a massive, muddy, mega, mini match that ended up 9-7 with Elton scoring the winner !!! It's like it was meant to be !

Hot chocolate and cookies at half time kept spirits high and, as the final whistle blew, all that remained was to pack up all the drenched goals and bibs, and stuff them in a bag to be dropped off at "Lamont's Laundry" later !

Thanks to everyone who turned up today, I'm pretty sure Elton appreciated it, and it was great to see the Finnish superstar again!

Elton, we're playing Clifton United on the 19th Jan, I'm sure the Foxes will pay for your flights !

Rock(hard)leaze - 15 December ...

Have you ever seen the film '300' ? 

It's about 300 Spartans fighting the might of a million Persians with ingenuity, bravery and incredible skill.

Well, that was like the Foxes against the mighty Rockleaze on the 15th December.

Now, I can only talk for the Blue Foxes, for that is all I saw, but it was a couple of matches strewn with incident and excitement !

RED :	Ned, Raymond, Harry, Ben L,Aran, Conrad, Neerij, Arthur
BLUE:	Ed, Lawrence, Seb, Kaylen, Max, Kione, Danny, Gabriel

We had players telling us they weren't turning up  ( 5 minutes after kick off was supposed to have started ) , we had a player taken home by his agent before the games had finished (so when a crucial substitution was needed, he was nowhere to be found), we had a Tevez style refusal to play half way through a match, and we had a player declare that he was going to play for Rockleaze instead next year.

All very exciting, and very unexpected in Year 4 footie !

So, the Blues kicked off and started a rough and ready game. Lots of pushing and shoving on both sides until BOOOOM ! BOOOM ! 

The Rockers were 2 nil up by half time.

Seb's dad, Chris, saw Max stomp off and kick a few goalposts and strolled over to have a word in his ear while I rallied the rest of the troops for the second half. "Don't worry," I said, "these guys are very good, so just treat this as training. A bit of practice."

No chance. Second half the boys were on fire !! And whatever Chris De Carlo said to Max worked wonders . BOOM BOOM !! 2 goals from the skinny fella.
( chris later told me he'd told Max to score 3 goals in the second half, so I hope he wasn't disappointed ...)

2-2 ...

Then, DISASTER STRUCK ! A gentle nudge from one of the foxes, sent a Rocker spilling to the floor.

"REFEREEEEEE !" The Rockleaze coach screamed, "HE PUSHED HIM OVER !!!"

"Okay," I said meekly, looking slightly surprised, "If you like ?!" ... and blew my whistle for a free kick.
( Wearing my Santa hat as ref obviously hadn't purveyed the friendly nature I was hoping for the game )

So Rockleaze tee-ed up ... and WALLOP ! The free kick was in the back of our net.

3-2 Rockleaze ...

"Oh poo" I whispered under my breath. 

The game then entered what will now be affectionately known as 'brommy time'.

And in the 'final second' of Brommy Time, Kione ran the whole length of the field and scored an equalizer that, if anyone was unsure before, would be fully convinced now that the ref wasn't entirely impartial ...
"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSS !!"

3-3

"PEEEEEEP !! " The whistle blew, "Game over everyone , Happy Christmas !!"



... and that was just the first game ...


The second game was a little tougher. Our sub had been taken home by his agent for an important photo shoot for the school magazine (maybe), and we had one little fox who got so upset, he just didn't want to play anymore.  Bless his dad, who managed to bribe/cajole/promise the earth to get him back on, meant we had a little fight back to get the score back to 5-3 after a proper footie battle. Seb and Kaylen were tireless in their pursuit of the ball, Lawrence's big clearances saved us on numerous occasions, Ed, as always, was dominating, skilful and fearless in goal, and Gabe , our lone striker, piled on the pressure every chance he got.

Max and Kione repeated their scoring partnership from the first match, but a big pat on the back goes out to the whole team, Rockleaze are fearsome opponents and we battled like warriors who thought they could defeat a million Persians.

Well done boys. These guys are the Empire, and altogether we scored 7 goals against them. 


We should rename ourselves "The Westbury Park Ewoks" ...

(That's a nerdy Star Wars joke, your kids will get it ...)

Rockleaze at home 15 December 2012 - Lost

Property:

That is all.

Sonic BOOM !

It was cold.    Baltic.     Brass monkeys.

But we're the Foxes ... and nothing stops us. 
So we bustled on over to the Sonics ground for another taste of football inspired warfare.

We had one team ready due to a lack of numbers : Kione, George, Ned, Raymonde, Connie, Kaylen, Max, Ed and Harry.

And we were off ! The first match was end to end, a hard fought battle, this was clearly the Golden boys' A team and they meant business ! 

Wallop ! 5 minutes in and it was 1-0 to them !

But we're a hardy bunch, and in a characteristic one man charge from Max, probably shouting, "passing is for losers !" he blasted past a few defenders and evened the score.

1-1 ! Game on !

We'd ruffled their feathers, they were on the back foot. Suddenly, a charge from George, on hiatus from time spent canoodling an odd shaped ball, lead to a powerful shot that 'glanced' off one of the Sonics and ta daaaa ! 

2-1 to the Foxes  ! Get in there !!!!

However, this was their A team after all, and our boys may have been tiring ... Unfortunately, the Sonics managed to pull back another 2 goals just before the end and nipped the game in the dying minutes.

3-2 Sonics ...

A fantastic game ! But let's not talk about that ....

Up step the Sonic's second set of hedgehogs for a prickly Foxy reception.
Our boys were warmed up this time and eager for another slice of the action.

But first, disaster ! Neerij's boots had somehow shrunk during the first game to the size of 2 small acorns, his feet were cold and stinging and he had to retire early.

The team held fast, with Ed strong and resolute in net, and Harry , Connie, Ned and Kaylen guarding our half, we managed to stop all the attacks coming our way. Kione and George were holding the front line, pouncing on every pass. Harry, always untiring, is a problem for the opposition wherever he plays. 
But from nowhere came a surge down the wing from Connie in defence ! Running the full length of the pitch meant if he could just cross it into the box, we had a chance for glory.

He took it, It was inch perfect. And George met it. 
He said a simple "Hello, how'd you like to meet the back of the net ?" .. and Coolio Iglesias, we were one nil up !

2 goals already for George after his 11 match ban. Let's hope the rugby world forget they ever knew him.

Half time beckoned, and unfortunately a bit of a goalkeeper fracas led to one of our less experienced players stepping up and squeezing into the goalie jersey ! 
This was going to be tricky, Raymonde could only just get his head through the jersey's neck.

Unfortunately, until he managed to get the hang of it, one of the sonics bundled a goal into the back of the net.

1-1. 

Time to beef things up at the back ..."Kaaaaaaylen ! You're back on !"

Raymonde got into it and came into his own, saving a few shots. Kaylen was everywhere at once, a moving man mountain chasing down the ball. He clears it to Kione, whose football brain was alive and well. Head up, he sees his chance and passes it to Max, Max tears down the right wing, George just ahead of him in the box. 
2 defenders bear down on Max, the crowd gasp,  'oh no,' they cry, 'there's no way he'll get past them, and (apparently) he never passes ! ' ...

... the ball floats from Max's foot, over their heads, a glorious cross ... time seems to slow to half speed , George, bounding towards it like a short, blonde gazelle, leaps and gently taps it into the net with the lightest and most exquisite of touches ! 

3 goals to george ... 2-1 to the FOXES !!!!

The crowd go wild , the coaches hug, and in almost perfect synchronicity, check their watches and beg for the ref to call an end to the game  !

A few minutes later, he does ... we're back baby, we're back.

Oh poo, it's Rockleaze next ...

"A bad day at the office" - Terry Herbert 2012

Ouch.

On a day when the Blue moon has risen to the top of the table, in the South West, the Blue foxes suffered tragically at the hands of the Shire.

Tired from the school disco? Too many late nights? Bad management?

Who knows? But our rainbow haired little soldiers turned in a lacklustre performance today against the well organised and stoic Shire.

No dancing for them last night I'll wager, just early nights and a full English in the morning I expect.

We got pummelled ...

But 3 little battlers who deserve a special mention were Ned, Arthur and Connie.

Despite the scoreline, Ned was phenomenal in net, saving at least 6 or 7 other potential goals. Then he came out in defence and performed even better, a pat on the back for that young sir. Arthur and Connie were equally committed, chasing that ball and battling non stop to try to get back in the game. They excelled themselves today and showed true spirit.

A big well done to the rest of the team too, everyone tried their best to remain upbeat despite the score.
And a special thank you to the parents and spectators, who kept the positivity flowing throughout !

Whilst fighting back tears and tantrums, the Blues did manage to pop a goal in, courtesy of Neerij, and in a carefully rehearsed bout of spectacular synchronicity, managed to dance gangnam style to celebrate!

Learn it, Live it, love it ... once those foxes get some sleep, you'll be seeing it a lot more!

Hope that video cheered you up - if it did try to hold onto that thought, cause here's the the Red Foxes' report and it's not too pretty. Getting down to basics, basically, we didn't do the basics well enough - we didn't control the ball well enough, we didn't pass it well enough, we didn't clear our area well enough, we didn't make our tackles count. These are all things that up until this weekend we've been doing increasingly well. But on Saturday, we were all clearly tired and at least one of us was emotional.  Let's just say it was a massive development opportunity.

When Shire got the ball they were savvy enough to string through passes that counted and we weren't lively enough to intercept them.

I know I've said it before but there should be no clubbing the night before an important match - at the top level it's 48 hours.  We're not asking for that, but early to bed on match nights.

All that said there were two standout performances from the Reds - Harry ran, tackled, dribbled, passed and shot like the night before's Red Bull flavoured Haribos hadn't yet worn off, or maybe he'd sunk a couple of Beroccas for breakfast; I don't know, but Gareth Bale would have been proud of that performance, true end-to-end stuff and a fantastic goal to cap it all.  At the other end Kaylen pulled off fearless save after save, without him it would have been a cricket score. Great instinctive blocks followed by him dropping on the ball no matter how many attackers were bearing down on it.

Let's draw a line under this and get back to winning ways next week, yeah?

As Psy would say:

"Jeongsu-khae boijiman nol ttaen noneun yeoja
Ittaeda shipeumyeon mukkeot-deon meori puneun yeoja
Karyeot-jiman wen-manhan nochulboda yahan yeoja
Keureon gamkakjeo-gin yeoja
Oppan gang-namseutayil"

Winds of (no) Change

Sefton Park Scorpions Y4 v Westbury Park Foxes Y4

Saturday 12 October 2012


Game 1  |  REDS ( 1-1 )


Currently being penned by the great man himself ... Si "The Mountain" Lamont ...
... watch this space.


And here it is, sorry about the delay.  Not sure about that nickname.  I'd take offence but I'm not the grumpy kind.


Anyway...


The Reds, comprising Raymond, Bens H and L, Danny, Lawrence, Conrad, Kione and Neeraj, kicked things off with brio, putting in a solid first half performance.  Danny and the Bens in defence largely kept the ball away from Raymond debuting in goal.  And when he did get his hands on it he sent it into orbit with his fabulous goal kicks.


While at the other end of the pitch, a spirited strike force made up of Connie, Kione and Neeraj peppered the unusually small goalmouth with shot after shot, but struggled to get it past the Scorpions' 7-man defence.


However their persistence paid off when Connie bundled the ball in for a one-nil lead and some fabulous skidding celebrations.


The Foxes' Reds started the second half somewhat bemused by the Scorpions full-team substitution policy, but soon were back in their stride.  Again the opposition's everyone-behind-the-ball approach frustrated our midfield (now joined by Lawrence) and forward lines.


Then it happened.  The Scorpions' first real break of the match and their big no. 4 stood with his entire weight (and lethal studs - more of which later) on Ben L's right Adidas Predator Absolion Lethal Zone, thereby taking out the last line of our defence and leaving him through on the keeper. Raymond was beaten by an unlucky bounce and the Scorpions got their first goal of the season.  Ben H came back on the shore up the defence while Ben L hobbled off for some magic spray.


And that's how it ended.  1-1.  There's a pattern emerging here, maybe we need to change our bib colour.  Next game it'll be the blues and the oranges.  That'll do it. Bound to.


Game 2 | BLUES ( 3-0 )

It was time for the Blues to step up against Sefton Park's unknown soldiers.
They'd already proved themselves to be a hardy bunch of characters in the first match, let's hope the blues hadn't worn themselves out in the warm up.

Ed, Seb, Gabe, Ben S, Kay, Max, Ned, Harry and Aran jogged on to commence battle. 

The first half was a tightly fought contest, the foxes holding their positions and defending strongly. Especially against corners, no one was getting through. 

Then disaster struck, kaylen was down ! 
A Sefton Stomper had trampled Kay's foot, apparently ( according to the injured party ) with a new breed of razor sharp studded boot. 

He limped off. Max quickly had to take his place. 
Suddenly Kay's recuperative powers kicked in and he was begging to go back on, a champion in the face of adversity. "Hold on til half time, big fella" came the reply.

Then, from out of nowhere, with Harry holding the centre like a tarantula in its web, the team threaded passes through Sefton Park and ... WALLOP ...the ball was in the back of the net ! 

1-0

Half time. 

Kay was back on, and with some half time team changes it seemed "Senor Blobello" the coach had inadvertently put on 1 goalkeeper, 1 defender and 5 strikers. 
We needn't have worried, Kaylen's one man defensive army kept the forces at bay, whilst the rest of the team carried on their relentless attack ! 
Ben in goal could have sat down and had a cup of coffee. 

BOOM !! BOOM !! 2 more goals and the match was over. 

3-0. 

A fantastic team effort contributed to a delightful scoreline, even despite some ropey positioning tactics from the coach. 

Another win and a draw.  Undefeated so far, but with tough matches to come, the teams, basking in glory, drove off into the afternoon sun, as the crowd chanted our mantra ... 

We will, we will, Fox you ...

Well done everybody !

Click for photos

Away win, score draw

Ashley Down Y4s 0 - 2 Westbury Park Foxes Y4s Blues

Ashley Down Y4s 1 - 1 Westbury Park Foxes Y4s Reds

“You’re going down, Ashley !” the cries rang out on a crisp Autumn morning in September as the (over)confident Year 4 Foxes bounded across the pitch, ready for action.  Two teams of raw, unbridled talent, searching for their first win of the season.

And they got it.

The Blues stepped up to the mark first: Ben S, Kione, Kaylen, Ben H, Maxi, Ned and Danny.

The whistle blew and they were off into battle!

With a combination of fancy footwork, unfortunate woodwork and some superlative teamwork, the Blue Foxes roared off into a first half that left them 2 nil up by the time they’d strolled over for oranges.

With some great passing work between Max and Kione, two gorgeous goals, and a plethora of chances either smashing off the post, or floating and dipping tantalisingly close to the top corner, the Foxes were well in control.

Ned and Ben’s defiant textbook goalkeeping, coupled with a solid 40ft wall that was the defence of Ben, Kaylen and Danny, helped keep a well-deserved clean sheet.  

Midway through the first half, Kaylen got a pounding and momentarily had to come off injured, but was quickly replaced by the indefatigable Seb, who took up the mantle honourably and battled like a terrier in a cattery.

The second half was more of the same, as Ashley Down took more control and started their fight-back, but for this game it was too little, too late, as the Foxes held their own until the final whistle.

An awesome game and a well-deserved “Player of the Week” trophy for Danny, who battled valiantly for every ball that came his way.

Now it was time for the Reds to do their stuff.

There was a tenseness in the air now. The Downers had had a rallying team talk and looked like they meant business this time. This was going to be tougher.

Lawrence, Ben L, Ed, Aran, Harry, Gabriel, Connie and Neeraj stepped up to the plate.

Sir Alex announced his formation. The little heard of 4-1-1-1 line up. “When I want your opinion, I’ll rattle your cage” was his terse reply to Signor Mancini's casual questioning.

The game began…Captain Neeraj was omnipresent, a devilish little workhorse, darting this way and that until he was finally rewarded with a goal !

1-0.  

Game on.

Harry was his usual unstoppable, untiring self and with a bit of luck could have had a couple of spectacular goals of his own. Connie surpassed himself with his pace and skill tearing down the wing.

Some excellent brave defensive work from Ben, Gabe and Aran kept the Downers at bay for a long time, and the combined goalkeeping skills of Ed and Lawrence frustrated the opposition no end.

But in the end, it was only a fumbled, scrambled equalizer that popped in out of nowhere that gave the Downers some hope…and that hope spurred them on to some great football. But it stayed a draw til the final whistle, and a well fought one at that.

Ashley Down had surpassed themselves this time, and have grown to be a force to be reckoned with (as demonstrated in the final 8-a-side kickabout, which they won 2-1), but it was another top class performance from the Foxes and well worth the entry fee.

Bring on newly-promoted Sefton Park, we’re ready…

R Mancini, Direttore Sportivo

Starting Point

Bishop Road Buccaneers 2-2 Westbury Park Foxes Y4s/U9s Blues 

Bishop Road Buccaneers 0-0 Westbury Park Foxes Y4s/U9s Reds 

It was the last day of Summer, it was the first point of our season. No more narrow defeats at the hands of Bishop Road's Buccaneers. The Year 4 Foxes held firm and secured a couple of hard-fought draws.

The Blues were two-nil up at half time (Max's second goal was a screamer - a candidate for Goal of the Season in the very first week), however a couple of failures to clear out the penalty area in the second half led to fumbled BR goals. But we shored things up to hold onto the draw. 

The Reds' game was proper end-to-end stuff. They never bothered our keeper once, while we just couldn't get the ball in the onion bag no matter how we tried. At one point it ricocheted off the crossbar onto the line and back out (when, oh when will FIFA introduce goal-line technology at U9s level?!?). Neeraj came on as impact sub in the second half, but not even his darting runs and deft passing could pierce the BR defence.

Solid start to the season - well-played everyone.

Did anyone see Madrid spank Citeh tonight?

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