elliehaines

Finally we had a sunny Sunday morning! Everybody arrived at the pitch nice and early, to warm up and get ready for the match. We started off strong, settling straight into the game and showing the other team what we were made of. We were attacking constantly, keeping the ball in their half, with shots coming from Poppy, Isla, Zoe and Evie but none quite managing to hit the back of the net yet. Zoe played a beautiful ball right across the goal mouth but nobody managed to get their foot on it and tap it in. But don’t worry, it didn’t take Poppy long to send a powerful shot into the back of the net. After receiving it on the edge of the box she fired it straight into the back of the net. The whole team was looking strong, Susie and Eleanor started in defence and were clearing it with power across the half-way line, but we had Abbie’s safe hands in goal if they did manage to sneak through. Evie and Zoe were quickly dribbling the ball up the wings, placing it in the box for Sophie (our striker who had just come on for Poppy) to run on to. Fry Club were fighting back, but we kept our heads up and stayed in the game. Isla had a strong chance, firing it towards the goal but the keeper managed to get her hands to it. New substitutions saw Niamh come on in defence and Alice try out a new position of midfield. Both players got stuck in, tackling any opponents that came near them with the ball. Our hard work soon payed off and our second goal came. Sophie tackled their defender next to the goal and slotted it in the bottom corner. A final first-half substitution saw Leah come on in defence, tactically passing the ball up the line to Alice if it got through our midfield. The half-time whistle was soon blown.

The girls were feeling confident following the first-half, so we entered the second-half ready to score more goals and win our individual battles. Not long after the second-half whistle was blown, Isla scored a well-deserved goal. Zoe tackled their defender and the ball landed at Isla’s feet, she then hit it with the outside of her foot and curled it round the goalkeeper. Fry Club responded well, putting pressure on our defence, but our midfielders (Zoe, Isla and Evie) tracked back, making sure Susie and Eleanor were not overloaded in defence. Substitutions saw Leah come on in defence and Sophie come on in midfield. The girls were working well together, supporting each other when trying to win back the ball and when in possession passing it around their players. Fry Club had a couple more chances, but our defenders (Leah and Susie) were ready for it, passing it back to our midfield when the ball was won. Poppy’s second goal soon came, Zoe sent a small pass to Poppy, who dribbled around their players and placed it in the bottom left corner. This was followed by an amazing piece of play by Poppy and Isla, who were passing it around their defenders, Poppy then had a shot on goal but their goalkeeper was strong and got her hands on it – denying Poppy her hat-trick. Final substitutions saw Niamh come on in defence and Alice on upfront. Niamh was looking comfortable at the back, pushing up the pitch to close the gap between defence and midfield, so if they started an attack, Niamh was there to close them down quickly and win the ball back. After a few more chances, the referee blew the final whistle.

Strong performance by all of the girls today, big shout-out to Rosie who still committed to turning up to the match and doing the warm up but then had to go home because she wasn’t feeling very well and also to Abbie for turning up and playing the full match despite not feeling very well either. Our Star Players went to Susie (for an incredible performance in defence, covering every inch of our half and powerfully clearing away the ball) and Zoe (for making strong runs up the wing and making lots of chances for her teammates).

Written by Ellie Haines (U10s coach).

Everybody turned up well-rested following an unusual Sunday morning lie-in, with today’s match kicking off at 12:30pm (much appreciated by all parents and coaches). We slowly eased ourselves into the match, starting off a little bit rocky. But our defence was looking strong, with Rosie and Eleanor clearing the ball away from the box with power and accuracy straight to our starting midfielders (Isla, Bonnie and Zoe). If their strikers did manage to get through then we were in safe hands with Abbie in goal, who was confidently throwing herself around the place and catching the ball. Isla was controlling the game well as central midfielder, taking on their players and passing the ball to our wingers (Bonnie and Zoe) who dribbled the ball all the way into the box. Sophie was reading the game well as our striker, getting into the best positions for through-balls from midfield, creating chances for the team but none quite hitting the back of the net. A quick switch around saw Leah (a regular defender) take on midfield, backed up by Evie in defence behind her. Both players were supporting each other well, with Leah tracking back and Evie covering Leah when she went further up the pitch. Further supported by Niamh in defence, covering the whole pitch and picking up players in spaces, when the ball came to those players Niamh was there with her strong clearances, getting it out of the danger zone. We entered half-time still in the game.

A big shoutout to our new watergirl Chloe, who supplied the girls with drinks throughout the whole match and orange slices at half time so the girls were re-energised and ready for the second half.

The second half started and the girls were feeling positive. The game was tight but we were still creating chances. Rosie was on fire, covering the whole of the pitch, tackling their players and winning the ball back every time. Bonnie was strong on the wing, travelling with the ball up the line and crossing it into midfield, where Alice was stood ready to tap it in, we were so close but nobody was quite getting on the scoresheet. Evie was showing off her wonder-throws again, getting our other midfielders into good positions. Following many attempts, our time finally came. Isla won the ball at the half-way line then steamed forwards, running past their midfielders, before placing an amazing through-ball to Sophie who charged through their defence and placed it in the bottom left corner. Everybody was demonstrating confident football, passing the ball around the players without panicking in possession. Despite many more chances, the final whistle was blown.

The girls worked really hard today, covering every blade of grass. Our Star Players went to Rosie (for an outstanding defensive performance and pushing up and supporting our midfielders) and Bonnie (for not stopping running and her strong tackles).

Written by Ellie Haines (U10s coach).

With a last minute location change, we all arrived at St Bedes bright and early for a 10am kick off on Sunday the 6th March. Due to the size of the pitch we agreed with Downend to play 8v8 rather than our normal 7v7. Following our usual warm up (lead by Sophie this week) and shooting practise, we were ready to go.

With the girls not used to 3g astro it took a little while for us to settle into the game, letting Downend get on the front foot from the very start. We soon adapted and it only took Sophie 8 minutes to find the back of the net. Sophie was pressing high and tackled one of their defenders on the edge of the box, before firing it into the bottom left corner. With only 2 subs due to us playing 8-a-side, Eleanor stepped up to take on the role of right midfielder, confidently tackling and dribbling the ball up the pitch. Abbie was beautifully delivering the ball from goal to midfield, her strong kicks were getting all the way past the halfway line! Our attacking duo (Sophie and Alice) were organising themselves nicely, taking turns to drop back and help midfield and travel with the ball up the pitch. Soon came the second goal scored by Alice! Following a run of consistent corners, Isla crossed it into the box again and Alice was stood waiting at the back post unmarked, she tapped it into the bottom corner (with her knee!). Our defence was looking strong as we came towards the end of the first half, with Susie and Niamh confidently tackling and powerfully clearing the ball away from the goal. The half time whistle was blown.

We entered the second half ready for the battle in a very close game. The girls got stuck straight in, only taking Alice 3 minutes to score her second goal of the game! Sophie dribbled the ball up and had a shot which was deflected off the goalkeeper, but it found its way straight to Alice who tapped it safely into the net (again with the same knee!). Our captain Isla was organising the team well, telling everybody where to stand when we were attacking. Our designated throw-in taker (Evie) was sending the ball all the way down the line with each throw, putting our attackers in a strong position. If the ball ever got through our midfield then our defenders (Eleanor and Niamh) were ready to clear it away or tactically pass it on. When Bonnie received the ball she dribbled through the heart of their midfield, keeping the ball close and controlled before passing it onto our attackers. Our attacks were strong and often, but Downend were just as strong, with the defence stopping any ball that went near the goal. With only 5 minutes to go our star striker of the match (Alice) came off for Zoe, who took on our new position of attacking midfielder to create chances. Sophie received the ball from Zoe, she then passed it to Isla on the edge of the box who dribbled in and fired it into the centre of the goal with all her power, securing our next goal. The match was coming to an end but that didn’t stop Isla from bagging her final goal of the game, tackling their defender and shooting from far outside the box, sending it into the bottom left corner, a wonder goal!! Abbie was still on her toes at the other end of the pitch, with Downend coming close to getting a final goal, but she confidently threw herself around and stopped any chance they had. The final whistle was blown.

Special shout out to our coach Tom for taking on the role of the ref this week when there was nobody available.

A strong shift put in by all of the girls till the final whistle, they worked really hard and showed real determination to get back into the game after a couple of set backs. Our Star Players this week were Alice (for scoring 2 goals and always being in the best position) and Niamh (for her confident and strong tackles in defence, stopping their attackers).

Written by Ellie Haines and Jamil Khan (U10 coaches).

Everybody woke up on Sunday the 13th of February expecting the match to be called off due to the constant downpour, however, with the pitch still in a ‘playable’ state, the match went on. Despite the horrible weather, we still had a full squad and subs bench, with all the girls raring to go and excited to get extra muddy (sorry parents!). This was our second time playing Whitchurch U10s, so we were desperate to bag a win. The rain and cold caused us to start off hesitant. Our starting defenders (Rosie and Eleanor) were on their toes at the back, kicking away any passes that managed to get through midfield. Our midfield consisted of our captain Isla in the middle, supporting Zoe and Bonnie on the wings, who were quickly feeding the ball through to Poppy upfront, who kept having chances but none quite hitting the back of the net. With the weather being terrible we were rolling our subs on and off quickly to keep everybody warm. Our defenders were being switched around regularly, but all 5 of them (Rosie, Eleanor, Susie, Leah and Niamh) were having a beautiful game, using their strength to stop all Whitchurch attacks. With half-time nearing we were still looking for our first goal of the match. A lovely run from Bonnie up the wing saw Zoe receive the ball, Zoe then crossed it to Alice on the edge of the box, who hit it with all her power, but the Whitchurch defender managed to get her toes to it, stopping what was almost a beautiful goal. Our time soon came though with a wonderful shot from Isla. A long throw-in from Evie (who’s throws are amazing by the way!) saw Isla receive the ball in the box. Isla turned and blasted the ball into the back of the goal, nutmegging the goalkeeper. We entered half-time with our heads held high.

It was still raining so half-time was a quick team talk and drink before we were back on the pitch to stay warm. Poppy started out as our central-midfielder, showing strength and confidence in a new position. We carried on with our lovely runs up the wing, with beautiful crosses into the box being shown by Evie, Zoe and Bonnie. Our defenders were gaining confidence in going up the pitch to make tackles and win back the ball, knowing they were in safe hands with Abbie in goal (who hadn’t actually had to do much and was getting a bit chilly!). The game was well balanced, with both us and Whichurch putting up a hard fight and making scoring goals difficult. Sophie had a couple of chances, receiving the ball on the edge of the box, but their defence were quick to put in tackles, stopping us from putting pressure on their goalkeeper. Another strong run up the wing from Zoe saw her have a chance on goal, sending in a powerful shot but it went straight to the goalkeeper who hit it away. This deflection happened to land right at Isla’s feet who fired it straight into the back of the net with no hesitation. With not long left of the match we carried on till the very end, Niamh was putting in a strong performance in defence, confidently tackling and passing the ball onto midfield. The final whistle was soon blown and despite being drenched through, spirits were high.

A strong performance by all the girls from start to finish today, despite the weather everybody played at their very best. Our Star Players went to Isla (for scoring both goals and controlling the game well in centre-mid) and Bonnie (for her strong runs up the wing and for never stopping running). Hopefully next week we have the sun back!

Written by Ellie Haines (U10s coach).

On Sunday the 23rd of January we all had to drag ourselves out of bed half an hour earlier than usual for a 10am kick off compared to 10:30am, and it was all the way over in weston! But we all managed it and were soon warming up ready for the game ahead.

The girls were ready to go and despite the pitch being massive compared to what we are used to, we were on our toes and raring to use all our energy. The whistle blew and we were off. Our defence was looking strong, Rosie and Eleanor were clearing the ball, stopping any danger getting close to Abbie in goal. It took a little bit of time for our midfield to adapt to the size of the pitch, it required a lot more running! But we soon got there, and Bonnie, Zoe and Isla were passing it around in midfield, with bursts of sprints up the wing every so often by Bonnie and Zoe, putting pressure on the other team. Alice was our starting striker, getting into good positions if the ball were to come to her. The size of the pitch did seem to be putting us through our paces, with a rocky start looking like we were going to enter half time goalless. But Sophie and Isla came to the rescue! Our newly substituted striker Sophie dribbled the ball into the box and then passed it onto Isla, who booted it straight past the keeper and into the back of the net. Followed by the whistle blowing for half time.

The goal had been perfectly timed, giving the whole team motivation for the second half. When the whistle went we got stuck straight in, using the size of the pitch to our advantage by dribbling up the wing and around their players in our attacks. Leah and Susie (later followed by Niamh) in defence, were getting more confident with their tackles as the game went on. But if the ball were to ever go through then Abbie had it covered, both making saves on the goalline but also running out to the edge of the box to tackle their attackers. Weston Mendip again started strong, but we didn’t let this get us down. 11 minutes into the second half we welcomed our next goal! Starting with Evie and Poppy creating pressure in the box on a corner, standing strong against their defenders. Isla took the corner beautifully, passing it straight to Zoe on the edge of the box, who fired it into the top right corner of the goal. A few substitutions saw Eleanor come on in defence and Bonnie come on in midfield. Not long after that came another goal! A lovely pass from Eleanor and a few tap arounds by our midfield saw Zoe gain possession in the middle of the pitch. Zoe then single-handedly took on the whole of the opposition and dribbled into the box and placed it in the back of the net. The team were looking strong and ready for a come back. Eleanor was clearing the ball with confidence and strength in defence, supporting her fellow defender Leah who was going up the pitch and tackling and stopping their attackers turning. Our good form lead to the next goal, Bonnie dribbled the ball all the way down the wing and passed it into Sophie in the box, who tapped it in the bottom left corner of the goal. We had a few more chances before the final whistle, with a close shot by Poppy, who was perfectly positioned in the box to receive a cross, but just tapping it wide of the post. Followed by a free kick won by Bonnie who got absolutely wiped out on the edge of the box, but unfortunately we couldn’t quite get the ball in the back of the net. We soon heard the final whistle.

Our Star Players this week went to Zoe for her amazing strength throughout the game and for bagging herself 2 goals (the race is getting close for golden boot!). As well as Eleanor for her incredible performance in defence, with powerful clearances and supporting other players around her. Well done to all the girls for staying motivated despite it being freezing cold and a huge pitch!

Written by Ellie Haines (U10s coach).

Today marked the day of BLUs U10s first match of 2022 (albeit a friendly) and the girls started us it with an absolute banger. I won’t waffle on in the introduction because there is a lot to cover in this match report!

Having lost Abbie (our legendary goalkeeper) to covid, as well as Zoe and Susie to prior engagements, the girls started the match unsure about what they were about to face. Eleanor was the first to take on the role of goalkeeper, with the added promise to her dad that she would get her brand new goalie gloves as muddy as possible. With a rocky start to the match (we will blame it on the christmas break) we soon got into the flow of things. Our midfielders (Evie, Isla and Bonnie) kept good possession of the ball, dribbling round Bath’s players and finding good spaces to receive passes. This soon lead to our first goal of the match, also marking Bonnie’s first ever goal! Alice dribbled the ball up and passed it onto Bonnie, who took it all the way into the box and placed it in the back of the net. We carried on strong after our goal, with our amazing defenders (Leah and Rosie, as well as Niamh who came on shortly after) clearing the ball far from our goal, avoiding any unnecessary pressure from their attackers. A quick goalie change saw Evie go in goal for Eleanor and brought Eleanor on in defence. Not long after, we scored our next goal. A beautiful pass from Poppy slotted it straight through to Sophie who fired it past the goalkeeper. But this assist by Poppy was just the warm up, she went on to score not one, not two, but three goals within the next 5 minutes!!!! (That must be a hat trick record). The first came from a lovely pass by Isla, where Poppy turned and slotted it in the back of the net. The second came from a corner (again assisted by Isla), where Poppy was stood at the front post and elegantly tapped it in. And the third (you guessed it, another Isla assist!) was a wonderful through-ball from Isla, which Poppy took on and fired straight into the goal, with an insane amount of power! That saw us into half time.

After an exhilerating first half, the girls were all buzzing (might’ve been from the hot chocolates most of them were drinking too) and ready to start the second half. Poppy was next to take on goalkeeper, making sure that the ball didn’t touch the back of the net. Our defenders (Leah and Eleanor) cleared every ball that came near them, putting all their power it and not letting a single one past. Only 5 minutes into the second half saw Isla finally bag her goal of the game. A strong throw-in by Evie landed at Isla’s feet, she then took it on her left foot (!) and whacked it into the bottom corner. A substitution saw Sophie come on for Alice as stricker, and it didn’t take long for Sophie to put her name on the score sheet again. A powerful corner from Isla resulted in a scramble in the box, Sophie was well positioned on the edge of the scramble and as soon as the ball came out to her she slotted it in the back of the net. This was soon followed by another goal by Sophie! A cross from Isla landed directly at Sophie’s feet, which she took closer to the goal and popped it in. Our midfielders were looking good, confidently dribbling the ball around and winning their individual battles. One successful battle lead to Bonnie dribbling the ball up the wing, all the way from the halfway line, and into the box, where she finished the wonder-run by placing the ball in the bottom corner of the goal! (“Viva Ronaldo” – Jamil). Our final goalkeeper substitution saw Sophie go into goal for Poppy, and Poppy come on as striker. With not long left of the match, we wanted to make the last few minutes count. Other substitutions saw Rosie and Eleanor take on a midfielder position for the first time, and Evie drop back into defence with Niamh. Rosie made a beautiful run up the pitch, dribbling past all of their players and taking it into the box, where she shot and hit the post!! But soon after this Poppy banged another one in the net, with an impressive power-shot from outside the box (I wouldn’t have wanted to be the goalkeeper!). Poppy wasn’t quite finished yet. A lovely centre pass from Poppy to Isla saw Isla boot the ball up the pitch, which Poppy ran onto and fired into the back of the net! The final whistle was blown and handshakes were shared with the very strong Bath City Development team.

All of the girls had an absolutely amazing match, choosing the star players was so hard. A special mention to all of the girls who bagged themselves lots of goals (especially Poppy!), and stepped out of their comfort zone by trying new positions. However, it’s not all about the scoring but also stopping them from scoring, and this is why Leah was our first Star Player – for her powerful clearances and tackles in defence, applying all the skills she’s learnt from training into the match. Our second Star Player was Bonnie, for scoring her first ever goal (plus a second) and showing some amazing strength through dribbling and tackling.

Written by Ellie Haines (U10s coach).

After experiencing the baltic weather conditions last week, the girls turned up to today’s match (Sunday 28/11/21) well prepared with base layers, coats, hats, gloves and snoods (other than cold-resistant Isla of course!). This week we faced Emersons Green for the first time. We started the match straight away, putting up a good battle against a strong side. Our defenders Rosie and Susie were clearing the ball away from the goal, passing it onto our midfielders (Zoe, Isla and Evie) who were dribbling confidently up the pitch. Our starting striker was Alice, who was positioning herself well to tap the ball in. However nothing was coming of our brilliant attacks. Substitutions saw Leah come on in defence with Poppy and Sophie coming on in attack to replace tired legs. Our chances were coming fast and often, but nothing was quite enough to get into the back of the net. Niamh and Eleanor came on to replace our defenders, keeping up our strong back line and not letting their attackers have a shot against Abbie. But when they did get through we were in safe hands. Abbie was throwing herself around the place, getting her fingertips on the ball to place it round the post, protecting the goal. Half-time whistle was blown and we entered even stevens, having played the best football I have ever seen the girls play.

We started the second half raring to go and keep warm. Our striker Poppy was on her toes and positioning herself well for through balls. Our wingers Evie and Zoe were dribbling the ball up the line confidently, crossing it into Isla and Poppy. Our defenders Eleanor and Susie were marking their attackers on the halfway line and getting to the ball before they even had a chance to turn towards the goal. Unfortunately the other team managed to slip through a few times, but the girls didn’t let this stop them. A substitution saw Sophie come on as a winger and Niamh come on in defence. Soon came our time of glory, Zoe dribbled the ball beautifully up the wing, cutting into the box and then passing the ball to Isla who slotted it into the back of the net. The crowd went crazy – all of the best supporters (parents and grandparents) jumping up and down in joy. Even though the girls had stayed positive, this motivated them even more. Niamh was well composed in defence, stopping their players from getting past and passing it confidently to Isla and Sophie in midfield. Alice and Eleanor soon came on in defence, demonstrated man-marking and powerful clearances. Like in the first half we had shot after shot, but none of them were seeming to go in again. We had close calls, like Isla hitting the post, missing by centimetres. We soon heard the full time whistle.

The girls are improving massively every week, going up against teams who have been playing matches for the past couple of seasons already. This week the Star Players went to Abbie for her insane saves (we know she does it every week – we are going to have to get her her own trophy soon!) and Niamh for her amazing defending and strength like we have been practising in training.

Written by Ellie Haines (U10s coach).

My first every match report, it will be better than Ellie’s. Bright and early, 10:30 kick-off in Chipping Sodbury. Another away day at St Nicks. It was baltic outside, but the girls were up for it. First half started; we were pinning St Nicks in their own half. This was due to Poppy playing in centre of the park but in a more defensive role to usual, trying be mine and Tom’s Roy Keane. With Isla, Zoe and Evie striking shots at the St Nicks goal. 15 minutes into the first half, Abbie made a triple save and found her inner David De Gea. Abbie also had amazing distribution of the ball out from the back and made amazing saves. Sophie showed some amazing strength as she started in defence. Very vocal from both our captain (Isla) and our vice-captain (Sophie). Halfway through the first half Isla strikes again, this girl cannot stop scoring. A true stat-padder like Bruno Fernandes. Great pass from Zoe to slot in Isla for a one-on-one, Isla with ice in her veins slots it into the St Nicks goal. Up the other end Eleanor was showing some class defending and winning all her tackles and more importantly passing it out with composure to find the attackers. Furthermore, after Susie got blasted by the cold Mitre football (which left a significant red patch on her leg) she was still getting stuck in and winning her tackles and trying hard for the team. Niamh and Alice were put on with specific tasks to man-mark a couple of the St Nicks attackers and they did a fabulous job of it, stopping all the attacks they could. 

Half-time and the girls were freezing, it was not good conditions. But the girls were still up for it and wanted to get back on the pitch so they could stay warm. We were still getting shots on the St Nicks goal with Isla, Evie and Zoe breaking on the counter like prime Salah, Mane and Firmino. But the ball wouldn’t go into the net, Evie hit the post and the St Nicks goalkeeper made amazing saves after watching Abbie’s display. Later in the game we had Sophie playing upfront. The St Nicks goalkeeper failed to clear the ball, Sophie pounced and was sharper than all the other players and slotted it into the back of the net! Golden boot at the end of the season will be a close one with Sophie trying to catch Isla. The game ended, with the girls giving all they could give and their first game in the blistering cold. Great support from all the parents. Amazing home and away crowd, at least we never have empty seats like Man City. 

Our first star player went too Eleanor for an amazing defensive display. Our second star player went to Zoe for never stopping and for getting her assist for the first goal. 

Written by Jamil Khan (U10s coach and Manchester United supporter (if you can’t tell from the references)).