After the darkness of the double cup exit the Worthing College Football Academy 1st XI headed into a top of the table clash against a talented Chichester side with confidence that their current stats read played 9, winning 8 and only losing last week. Pre match it looked as if the injury woes of the last month were beginning to ease with coach Dave Hall naming a 5 strong bench, including the returning Dan Heward & Joe Warner. They were joined on the bench by Drew McGill, Ryan Quirke and Dec Jenkins. The true strength of any team is based upon the quality that the bench has to offer and with the names above Worthing looked to be in a very strong position indeed. Worthing also welcomed an old favourite back to the fold with tough tackling defender Alex Staines lining up for the first time against Worthing in Chichester colours.
The only change from last weeks brave cup exit saw Dave Herbert replace the hard working Jenkins, who missed kick off due to work commitments. The game was always going to be a tough one when two heavy weights of the division come together and this was no different. Both sides looked to pass the ball at pace with effective movement, which is credit to all players involved. The game was very even from the first whistle, with tackles aplenty, which coincides with the local derby tag this game had. However a serious looking back injury to left back Olly Setchell after only 15 minutes of the game looked to put Worthing off their stride and this seemed to give Chichester the impetus with Fernandes denying the pacy Chichester striker with a fine full stretch save. Up the other end Worthing did look to create chances with Herbert being the worst offended. The first being a mis-kick from six yards out after a great Sam Mannings run and cross the second being a fine individual effort that resulted in the classy striker clipping the top of the cross bar. Half Time 0-0.
As Hall was absent for most of the first half as he was attending to Setchell it was fellow coach Danny Cullip who was the one who took the half time team talk with the emphasis on pressing for that opening goal. This definitely spurred on the Worthing side and they were first to come out of the blocks with Lee Mottershead and especially Mannings troubling their respective full backs with direct and pacy runs. However up to this point chances were at a premium and this lack of chance creation seemed to let Chichester take the initiative once again and this time the pressure on the Worthing defence and goal was constant and it was only for the blocks of Jack Carey, Matt Chester, Jack Boxall and Setchell's replacement Drew McGill keeping the score from going against Worthing.
Next came controversial moment number 1. With Chichester pressing hard a clear cut chance came their way. Carey blocked the first effort excellently, however the ball fell Chichester's way, the shot was crisp and so was the glove work by CENTRE HALF Matt Chester, however the diminutive referee couldn't see above the melee. NO PENALTY. Chichester were in hysterics and this let Worthing back into the game as it swung their way. Sam Mannings was to be the catalyst of this swing with some direct running and with that the chances came. Mannings himself volley spectacularly towards goal with the goalkeeper "posing" for the cameras. The introduction of Dec Jenkins and Joe Warner for the injured Liam "Des" O'Connor and the tired looking Lee Mottershead added to this pressure with Warner's first introduction being a wrestling match up with the Chichester number 4 and Jenkins missing two gilt edge chances, which he blasted both over the bar.
Now for controversial moment number 2. A Dave Herbert free kick was curling goalwards only for the Chichester wall to do a Cesc Fabregas impression and as they were situated in the penalty area, surely a penalty!! But yet again the referee decided against giving the decision. As the game drew to a close it looked as if Worthing would grab the points, but yet again Mannings was to be denied, this time by the Chichester goalkeeper. Full Time 0-0.
On the whole both management teams agreed that the result was a fair one and its a result that will stand both sides in good stead for their assault on the league and possible promotion to the National League. In conclusion I couldn't fault any of the players on this day as all tried to play football the way it should be, however at times the finishing needs to be more clinical if we are to continue this excellent early season form.
Onwards & Upwards,
Hallsy
Friday 26 November 2010
Thursday 25 November 2010
Banter with Bridges - Week 6
Southfields 1 Worthing College 6
Worthing arrived in South London with not much knowledge of the opposition and only knowing that they were playing in the Chelsea third strip. After a walk from the changing rooms, over a fence and across the road to the pitch, the girls came to find the state of the pitch slightly beyond be-leaf! The girls were chatty and bouncy during the warm up but perhaps could have concentrated more rather than watching the other team warm up and let complacency kick in.
It was a very scrappy start to the game with the main battle coming from the middle of midfield and being won early by the hard working Southfields midfield. The entertainment was mainly provided by a by-passing lorry which had to try and avoid the ball that had been kicked over the fence and into the road; this all ended in a loud bang and with the ball in pieces but kept the spectators amused during a dull period of the game. But after Naomi Robinson began to get on top of the Southfields left back and Worthing started to battle a bit harder, Amy Potkins opened the scoring after leaving her marker for dead to score what was a very well taken goal.
This in no way lifted Worthing and very much lifted the opposition, apart from a few dangerous moments provided by the Worthing wide players, the game was being controlled and played at a Southfields tempo, Worthing were looking complacent and slightly lazy, but just on the stroke of half time, Chloe Debaes steamed away from the defence and finished well.
2-0 Half time.
Worthing were told at the break to learn that teams weren’t just going to roll over because individually they were not as good as them and effort was just as important as ability, so with a slight reshuffle they took to the field and played with a bit more conviction. And with this came the third goal when Danni Lane slipped through Maddy Emmerton who scored her 5th goal of the campaign. This goal seemed to make Worthing think the tie was over and Southfields hit back strong and if a brave bit of goalkeeping from Lauren Binfield to stop the Southfields striker in her tracks wasn’t enough of a warning, then the goal certainly was. Worthing missed several opportunities to clear the ball, and a shot from outside the area was parried by Binfield with only the Southfields striker reacting and with 4 Worthing defenders standing and admiring the finish. 3-1.
Worthing were not to be caught again and conceding the goal spurred them into life. With Danni Lane and Meg Cave now in the middle of midfield, Worthing were starting to dominate the game, and were helped put the game out of sight by a distraught Southfields defender. After a Debaes effort was parried by the keeper the defender managed to slot the ball into the bottom corner whilst trying to clear her lines. 4-1.
And if that goal was enough to put the game out of sight then another gifted goal was to come soon after. A Naomi Robinson free-kick was spilt into the Southfields net by their keeper to make it 5-1.
The game had started to lose its tempo at this point as Southfields looked beaten and Worthing were just pressing for more goals, there was a last goal in the game for newly 18 and hidden pop sensation Emily ‘Power’ Hale as she volleyed home from the edge of the area to round off the game.
Final Score 6-1.
Player of the Match – Chloe Debaes, came on and did not stop working the whole time she was on the pitch, scored a good goal at a crucial time before half time and held the ball up very well.
Worthing arrived in South London with not much knowledge of the opposition and only knowing that they were playing in the Chelsea third strip. After a walk from the changing rooms, over a fence and across the road to the pitch, the girls came to find the state of the pitch slightly beyond be-leaf! The girls were chatty and bouncy during the warm up but perhaps could have concentrated more rather than watching the other team warm up and let complacency kick in.
It was a very scrappy start to the game with the main battle coming from the middle of midfield and being won early by the hard working Southfields midfield. The entertainment was mainly provided by a by-passing lorry which had to try and avoid the ball that had been kicked over the fence and into the road; this all ended in a loud bang and with the ball in pieces but kept the spectators amused during a dull period of the game. But after Naomi Robinson began to get on top of the Southfields left back and Worthing started to battle a bit harder, Amy Potkins opened the scoring after leaving her marker for dead to score what was a very well taken goal.
This in no way lifted Worthing and very much lifted the opposition, apart from a few dangerous moments provided by the Worthing wide players, the game was being controlled and played at a Southfields tempo, Worthing were looking complacent and slightly lazy, but just on the stroke of half time, Chloe Debaes steamed away from the defence and finished well.
2-0 Half time.
Worthing were told at the break to learn that teams weren’t just going to roll over because individually they were not as good as them and effort was just as important as ability, so with a slight reshuffle they took to the field and played with a bit more conviction. And with this came the third goal when Danni Lane slipped through Maddy Emmerton who scored her 5th goal of the campaign. This goal seemed to make Worthing think the tie was over and Southfields hit back strong and if a brave bit of goalkeeping from Lauren Binfield to stop the Southfields striker in her tracks wasn’t enough of a warning, then the goal certainly was. Worthing missed several opportunities to clear the ball, and a shot from outside the area was parried by Binfield with only the Southfields striker reacting and with 4 Worthing defenders standing and admiring the finish. 3-1.
Worthing were not to be caught again and conceding the goal spurred them into life. With Danni Lane and Meg Cave now in the middle of midfield, Worthing were starting to dominate the game, and were helped put the game out of sight by a distraught Southfields defender. After a Debaes effort was parried by the keeper the defender managed to slot the ball into the bottom corner whilst trying to clear her lines. 4-1.
And if that goal was enough to put the game out of sight then another gifted goal was to come soon after. A Naomi Robinson free-kick was spilt into the Southfields net by their keeper to make it 5-1.
The game had started to lose its tempo at this point as Southfields looked beaten and Worthing were just pressing for more goals, there was a last goal in the game for newly 18 and hidden pop sensation Emily ‘Power’ Hale as she volleyed home from the edge of the area to round off the game.
Final Score 6-1.
Player of the Match – Chloe Debaes, came on and did not stop working the whole time she was on the pitch, scored a good goal at a crucial time before half time and held the ball up very well.
Wednesday 17 November 2010
Hallsy's Academy Report - Week 9 Vol 2
Many emotions have passed through me on this long coach journey home; pride, disappointment, positivity, disillusion to name but a few, however I cannot fault any of the players who took to the pitch for the Worthing College Football Academy this week, who showed determination, discipline and ability in abundance with just the final part of the game required; the finish.
Anyway back with the most important thing; football. Worthing College 1st XI were required to provide TWO sides this week and with this the 1st XI took the two hour coach trip to Boreham Wood FC, home of Oaklands College for their important ECFA National Cup tie, where the 2nd XI (disguised as the 1st XI) took to the “field of dreams” that is Worthing College to play local rivals Steyning in the next round of the County Cup.
The 1st XI made three changes from last weeks excellent away performance at Ravenswood. Sam Mannings took his favoured left forward position, Olly Setchell slotted into left back and Lee Mottershead returned from his six week injury lay off to return to the right hand side. The opponents, Oaklands were in the National league and therefore put Worthing in the rare position of underdog, however coach Dave Hall was more than confident that when Worthing are on it they are more than good enough to match anyone, not just only regionally, but nationwide.
The game started evenly with Worthing applying good pressure to their illustrious opponents, causing many errors in the hosts midfield, which allowed Worthing to retain possession. This seemed to awaken the sleeping giant and Oaklands began to turn on the style with passing and movement rarely seen in opposition this season. To their credit Worthing worked hard to keep their shape and resort Oaklands to longer, higher risk passes that were cut out by the defence of Jack Boxall, Matt Chester, Jack Carey and Olly Setchell. Again Worthing increased the pressure and were just missing out on the final passes to Mannings, Mottershead and central forward Dec Jenkins. This pressure was soon to lead to chances, but not before scares at the other end. Chester and Carey won balls cleanly in the penalty area according to the referee, but not the home dugout and Olly Setchell timed a tackled to perfection to thwart a dangerous cross. Now for the Worthing chances. Jordan Clark narrowly headed over with help from the Oaklands keeper from a Mannings corner and from the next Mottershead corner Carey was only a whisker away from connecting goalwards.
As the half was moving towards a tie a game changing incident. With Oaklands having plently of possession, but being cleared up by the visiting defence a late challenge on Carey saw him clatter into the boards and he never returned to the field. Drew McGill slotted into right back and Boxall moved infield and with this reshuffle Worthing lost the ball centrally, fell to the diminutive central midfield player to strike the ball from 20 yards past the despairing James Fernandes. 0-1.
Really not a cause for concern. Worthing just needed to continue as they were and this they did until the half. Jenkins running was almost rewarded, but he was stopped in his tracks 20 yards out. Mannings struck the free kick well, but straight at the Oaklands stopper. Mottershead was running hard after his layoff and had a half chance from a cross, however again straight at the keeper. Half time.
Not much to say at half time, except for massive praise on their application and abilities with a bit more quality and possibly luck the game could be theirs for the taking.
Oaklands however had other ideas and started more brightly creating a couple of clear cut chances. Worthing held on with Setchell bravely clearing off the line and Fernandes being brave amongst flying bodies, which kept the score as was. As the game grew it became more open and this allowed Worthing’s class to shine. Matt Dodd, Liam O’Connor and Clark were combining excellently and were beginning to work openings. Clark’s drive was spilled and just out of reach of Mannings, Dodd’s rising effort and another Mannings strike in the box were all saved or wide of the target. With minutes to go Worthing continued to press, but unfortunately to no avail with the final score being 0-1.
Massive credit must go out to all who took to the field as Oaklands were forced to stay on the pitch for 20 minutes after the game by their management due to knowing that they had been in a game. Their management were very complimentary by saying that this was the best game they had played in all season. This statement is highlighted further by their previous opponents being the likes of Filton and Stanmore, the heavyweights of this level of football. So even though the result seems negative it again fills me with pride that this group of players can and have competed at the top table of College football.
Finally I would like to thank you all for your efforts and we will indeed bounce back next week.
Onwards & Upwards,
Hallsy
Anyway back with the most important thing; football. Worthing College 1st XI were required to provide TWO sides this week and with this the 1st XI took the two hour coach trip to Boreham Wood FC, home of Oaklands College for their important ECFA National Cup tie, where the 2nd XI (disguised as the 1st XI) took to the “field of dreams” that is Worthing College to play local rivals Steyning in the next round of the County Cup.
The 1st XI made three changes from last weeks excellent away performance at Ravenswood. Sam Mannings took his favoured left forward position, Olly Setchell slotted into left back and Lee Mottershead returned from his six week injury lay off to return to the right hand side. The opponents, Oaklands were in the National league and therefore put Worthing in the rare position of underdog, however coach Dave Hall was more than confident that when Worthing are on it they are more than good enough to match anyone, not just only regionally, but nationwide.
The game started evenly with Worthing applying good pressure to their illustrious opponents, causing many errors in the hosts midfield, which allowed Worthing to retain possession. This seemed to awaken the sleeping giant and Oaklands began to turn on the style with passing and movement rarely seen in opposition this season. To their credit Worthing worked hard to keep their shape and resort Oaklands to longer, higher risk passes that were cut out by the defence of Jack Boxall, Matt Chester, Jack Carey and Olly Setchell. Again Worthing increased the pressure and were just missing out on the final passes to Mannings, Mottershead and central forward Dec Jenkins. This pressure was soon to lead to chances, but not before scares at the other end. Chester and Carey won balls cleanly in the penalty area according to the referee, but not the home dugout and Olly Setchell timed a tackled to perfection to thwart a dangerous cross. Now for the Worthing chances. Jordan Clark narrowly headed over with help from the Oaklands keeper from a Mannings corner and from the next Mottershead corner Carey was only a whisker away from connecting goalwards.
As the half was moving towards a tie a game changing incident. With Oaklands having plently of possession, but being cleared up by the visiting defence a late challenge on Carey saw him clatter into the boards and he never returned to the field. Drew McGill slotted into right back and Boxall moved infield and with this reshuffle Worthing lost the ball centrally, fell to the diminutive central midfield player to strike the ball from 20 yards past the despairing James Fernandes. 0-1.
Really not a cause for concern. Worthing just needed to continue as they were and this they did until the half. Jenkins running was almost rewarded, but he was stopped in his tracks 20 yards out. Mannings struck the free kick well, but straight at the Oaklands stopper. Mottershead was running hard after his layoff and had a half chance from a cross, however again straight at the keeper. Half time.
Not much to say at half time, except for massive praise on their application and abilities with a bit more quality and possibly luck the game could be theirs for the taking.
Oaklands however had other ideas and started more brightly creating a couple of clear cut chances. Worthing held on with Setchell bravely clearing off the line and Fernandes being brave amongst flying bodies, which kept the score as was. As the game grew it became more open and this allowed Worthing’s class to shine. Matt Dodd, Liam O’Connor and Clark were combining excellently and were beginning to work openings. Clark’s drive was spilled and just out of reach of Mannings, Dodd’s rising effort and another Mannings strike in the box were all saved or wide of the target. With minutes to go Worthing continued to press, but unfortunately to no avail with the final score being 0-1.
Massive credit must go out to all who took to the field as Oaklands were forced to stay on the pitch for 20 minutes after the game by their management due to knowing that they had been in a game. Their management were very complimentary by saying that this was the best game they had played in all season. This statement is highlighted further by their previous opponents being the likes of Filton and Stanmore, the heavyweights of this level of football. So even though the result seems negative it again fills me with pride that this group of players can and have competed at the top table of College football.
Finally I would like to thank you all for your efforts and we will indeed bounce back next week.
Onwards & Upwards,
Hallsy
Thursday 11 November 2010
Insight with Sambrook - First Edition
Worthing College 2nd XV –v-Weald Community College 1st XV Wednesday 10th November 2010
Today’s game saw a first start for several players since joining the Academy. Most notably Olly brought an international dimension to the team with his first game since recovering from a serious knee injury. And what a debut! Olly was in great form showing high levels of skill and application as he made his presence felt in the tackle and with several excellent turnovers to his credit he will be one to watch.
The first ten minutes was very one sided with the Worthing pack dominating in the scrum and at the breakdown. This dominance was however wasted to a certain extent by the spreading of “white line fever” and several excellent chances went begging for want of a final pass. With territorial dominance and possession in abundance the first score had an air of inevitability as Cameron crashed over following a trademark catch and drive from 10 metres out. This score was converted, a rare event in itself, by Kieron who built on this kick to provide a MOM performance with two tries, numerous sniping runs, excellent service and a further conversion. One try was the result of another well executed catch and drive and the other was a far more individual effort with several excellent steps en route. Kieron’s partner at half back, Lewis, had a good game with line breaks and tactical kicking backed up by intelligent use of the short side or a switch from blind to open when the opportunity presented.
Simon led the pack with authority and Henry was prominent in the loose with several storming runs making good yards. Peter also had his first start and it too was promising as he made his presence felt with several carries into Weald’s 22.. A blow to the mouth meant an early bath for Pete in the second half but he is definitely making progress. The front row continued to dominate at the set piece throughout the game and Chris found his range well at lineout time. Connor made a nuisance of himself in the loose and used an increasingly effective fend to good advantage. Dom too was making big holes in the Weald’s valiant defence whenever he took a short ball although he did suffer the Ref’s wrath late in the first half with a thrice repeated offence at the breakdown leading to la carte jeune.
Outside the somewhat makeshift back line went through the moves and plays efficiently rather than effectively, it had too much of the training ground about it at times. Sam made hard yards at times and put in several crunching hits on his opposite number. Gage had his best performance yet in my opinion as he surged forward against his old teammates. Declan, Greg and Vic at first counter attacked at every opportunity and always got over the gain line. Grant replaced Vic who had to retire after a jinking run with several excellent steps ended in what appeared to be sprained ankle. Grant had been on the field for less than 5 minutes before he benefitted from the pack’s dominance and Henry’s aggression to take an offload less than a metre from the line to dot down in the left hand corner. Although it was a position that he had previously claimed as his second least favourite after prop he made no mistakes for the following 60 minutes. Greg , Declan and Grant were always secure under the high ball.
So, what went wrong? Why, with so much domination, did Worthing not win by a cricket score? Same problem as in previous games with a negative penalty count of more than 6 to 1 against allowing the Weald to stay in touch with some good penalty shots for too much of the game. Discipline at the breakdown is not collectively our strongest suit. Allied to this is a frustrating inability to look after ruck ball that has clearly been won but then lost. Against stronger opposition this will be fatal. To sum up we were never going to lose, individually there were some fine performances, but we need to take care of discipline and ball at the breakdown, one and all.
Today’s game saw a first start for several players since joining the Academy. Most notably Olly brought an international dimension to the team with his first game since recovering from a serious knee injury. And what a debut! Olly was in great form showing high levels of skill and application as he made his presence felt in the tackle and with several excellent turnovers to his credit he will be one to watch.
The first ten minutes was very one sided with the Worthing pack dominating in the scrum and at the breakdown. This dominance was however wasted to a certain extent by the spreading of “white line fever” and several excellent chances went begging for want of a final pass. With territorial dominance and possession in abundance the first score had an air of inevitability as Cameron crashed over following a trademark catch and drive from 10 metres out. This score was converted, a rare event in itself, by Kieron who built on this kick to provide a MOM performance with two tries, numerous sniping runs, excellent service and a further conversion. One try was the result of another well executed catch and drive and the other was a far more individual effort with several excellent steps en route. Kieron’s partner at half back, Lewis, had a good game with line breaks and tactical kicking backed up by intelligent use of the short side or a switch from blind to open when the opportunity presented.
Simon led the pack with authority and Henry was prominent in the loose with several storming runs making good yards. Peter also had his first start and it too was promising as he made his presence felt with several carries into Weald’s 22.. A blow to the mouth meant an early bath for Pete in the second half but he is definitely making progress. The front row continued to dominate at the set piece throughout the game and Chris found his range well at lineout time. Connor made a nuisance of himself in the loose and used an increasingly effective fend to good advantage. Dom too was making big holes in the Weald’s valiant defence whenever he took a short ball although he did suffer the Ref’s wrath late in the first half with a thrice repeated offence at the breakdown leading to la carte jeune.
Outside the somewhat makeshift back line went through the moves and plays efficiently rather than effectively, it had too much of the training ground about it at times. Sam made hard yards at times and put in several crunching hits on his opposite number. Gage had his best performance yet in my opinion as he surged forward against his old teammates. Declan, Greg and Vic at first counter attacked at every opportunity and always got over the gain line. Grant replaced Vic who had to retire after a jinking run with several excellent steps ended in what appeared to be sprained ankle. Grant had been on the field for less than 5 minutes before he benefitted from the pack’s dominance and Henry’s aggression to take an offload less than a metre from the line to dot down in the left hand corner. Although it was a position that he had previously claimed as his second least favourite after prop he made no mistakes for the following 60 minutes. Greg , Declan and Grant were always secure under the high ball.
So, what went wrong? Why, with so much domination, did Worthing not win by a cricket score? Same problem as in previous games with a negative penalty count of more than 6 to 1 against allowing the Weald to stay in touch with some good penalty shots for too much of the game. Discipline at the breakdown is not collectively our strongest suit. Allied to this is a frustrating inability to look after ruck ball that has clearly been won but then lost. Against stronger opposition this will be fatal. To sum up we were never going to lose, individually there were some fine performances, but we need to take care of discipline and ball at the breakdown, one and all.
Banter with Bridges - Week 5
Worthing College 11-0 Reigate College
Worthing made light work of the 1st round of the BCS knock out cup with a strong performance against Reigate, taking the lead after 30 seconds and never looking back. Chloe Debaes tapped in after good work down the right from Naomi Robinson. From that moment on Worthing started to move the ball quickly and Reigate couldn’t get close to them. The 2nd took its time in coming with Reigate producing some desperate defending and the woodwork keeping Worthing at bay. That was until a flurry of goals came around the 20 minute mark with Danni Lane, Amy Potkins, Sophie Frost and Maddy Emmerton all hitting the target to make it 5-0 after 30 minutes and with Lauren Binfield in goal barely touching the ball apart from the odd pass back from her team-mates. A final goal before half time from Potkins made it 6-0 before the break.
At the break Worthing were told to maintain their standards for the 2nd half and a minimum of 10 goals were expected. Worthing went out there with the same attitude and quickly added to their tally through Potkins again to grab her third hat-trick of the season. Emmerton scored from long range before Frost headed home her 2nd from a Robinson corner. Lucy Somes got herself on the score sheet with a good finish after clever work in midfield from Emmerton sent her clean through. Before Chloe Lamley rounded off the scoring with another goal from long range. All in all a very strong performance without letting the opposition have a single shot on goal all afternoon.
Player of the match – Charley Howcroft-Stemp – solid at the back and good distribution
Goals –
Amy Potkins x 3
Maddy Emmerton x 2
Sophie Frost x 2
Lucy Somes
Danni Lane
Chloe Debaes
Chloe Lamley
Worthing made light work of the 1st round of the BCS knock out cup with a strong performance against Reigate, taking the lead after 30 seconds and never looking back. Chloe Debaes tapped in after good work down the right from Naomi Robinson. From that moment on Worthing started to move the ball quickly and Reigate couldn’t get close to them. The 2nd took its time in coming with Reigate producing some desperate defending and the woodwork keeping Worthing at bay. That was until a flurry of goals came around the 20 minute mark with Danni Lane, Amy Potkins, Sophie Frost and Maddy Emmerton all hitting the target to make it 5-0 after 30 minutes and with Lauren Binfield in goal barely touching the ball apart from the odd pass back from her team-mates. A final goal before half time from Potkins made it 6-0 before the break.
At the break Worthing were told to maintain their standards for the 2nd half and a minimum of 10 goals were expected. Worthing went out there with the same attitude and quickly added to their tally through Potkins again to grab her third hat-trick of the season. Emmerton scored from long range before Frost headed home her 2nd from a Robinson corner. Lucy Somes got herself on the score sheet with a good finish after clever work in midfield from Emmerton sent her clean through. Before Chloe Lamley rounded off the scoring with another goal from long range. All in all a very strong performance without letting the opposition have a single shot on goal all afternoon.
Player of the match – Charley Howcroft-Stemp – solid at the back and good distribution
Goals –
Amy Potkins x 3
Maddy Emmerton x 2
Sophie Frost x 2
Lucy Somes
Danni Lane
Chloe Debaes
Chloe Lamley
Wednesday 10 November 2010
Worthing College 1st XV 53 Chichester High XV 0
Parker, Bath, Roberts, Wigzell, Luke and Short. Not the name of the world’s largest firm of solicitors but the scores of the 9 (nine) Worthing College tries on Wednesday 10.11.10. Worthing went to Chichester High expecting a physical tough encounter from beginning to end. As it was Worthing started very well and made every effort to win the game early on.
A strong display of running by forwards and backs alike made for good viewing. Worthing played expansive and direct rugby in equal measure leading to the 3 tries from Parker and 2 from Bath. The first of which was the arguably the best one of day coming from a turnover in the Worthing 22, strong running from Short, Peake and good interplay between the lose forwards lead to a 90m score Bath trotting in under the horns for the 7pointer.
Stand out performances came from the robust running of Luke, Short, Wigzell, Spring, Peake, Laszlo and later Mitchell. Bringing some finesse to proceedings Roberts danced like a strictly veteran with Patrick taking care of the lineout business. Parker and Keith got the backs moving quickly when given the opportunity by the rampaging forwards. Pumfrey played hurt (man points) and Fastnedge was a constant threat at outside centre. Green and Bath both demanded attention from the defence as did P White when he came on playing out of position. N White was the glue at the back organising and competently clearing up all assignments that came his way.
A very pleasing win against one of our local rivals and hopefully this is a point from which to propel ourselves forwards and into the darker months of the season.
More discipline will be needed if we are to challenge the better sides regionally and nationally, but that is for Monday.
Bring your heart and lungs boys……..
A strong display of running by forwards and backs alike made for good viewing. Worthing played expansive and direct rugby in equal measure leading to the 3 tries from Parker and 2 from Bath. The first of which was the arguably the best one of day coming from a turnover in the Worthing 22, strong running from Short, Peake and good interplay between the lose forwards lead to a 90m score Bath trotting in under the horns for the 7pointer.
Stand out performances came from the robust running of Luke, Short, Wigzell, Spring, Peake, Laszlo and later Mitchell. Bringing some finesse to proceedings Roberts danced like a strictly veteran with Patrick taking care of the lineout business. Parker and Keith got the backs moving quickly when given the opportunity by the rampaging forwards. Pumfrey played hurt (man points) and Fastnedge was a constant threat at outside centre. Green and Bath both demanded attention from the defence as did P White when he came on playing out of position. N White was the glue at the back organising and competently clearing up all assignments that came his way.
A very pleasing win against one of our local rivals and hopefully this is a point from which to propel ourselves forwards and into the darker months of the season.
More discipline will be needed if we are to challenge the better sides regionally and nationally, but that is for Monday.
Bring your heart and lungs boys……..
Hallsy's Academy Report - Week 8 Vol 2
The week began wet and windy, but finished dry and bright for the Worthing College Football Academy 1st XI, who were back in league action for the first time in over a month against a Ravenswood School side that had moved their way to second place in the ECFA League. Looking at league position this was going to be an extremely tough affair, especially away from home. Preparations took a turn for the worse as coach Dave Hall had 15 Academy members unavailable, with 13 being due to injury. This however provided opportunities for others to impress on the day. The line up was much changed from the side that progressed into round four of the ESFA National Cup. Iain Haggart and Matt Chester came into the backline, Abdoulie Bah took his place as the central striker and a full debut was handed to Dec Jenkins, who took the wide right berth.
As from previous experience the pitch was not ideal and it would mean that Worthing would need to alter their smooth passing style slightly to make their football effective. As the game began you could sense that this was not going to be a classic, with bobbles and shanks aplenty. However it seemed that the visitors would be the ones more likely to break the deadlock. The main chances were coming from set pieces and Rory Delap style throws, with Matt Dodd coming closest to open the scoring, but deciding to play "wall ball" with the post was not the best option. Meanwhile at the other end Worthing stood relatively strong in front of skipper James Fernandes. Again not pretty on the eye, but effective.
With time moving towards the break Worthing created a clear cut opening. A Jack Boxall pass was flicked on by the hardworking Bah, which allowed Ryan Quirke in on goal to strike the ball low into the corner. 1-0. This seemed to settle Worthing until the half and could of doubled their lead after Jordan Clark and Dodd combined excellently, however Clark could not find a volleyed finish.
The chat from the bench was that Worthing needed to be a yard quicker and take the information being given on board, which should see them home. After the break the game seemed to open up and allow space for both sides to look to play. It was Worthing that used this to great effect and quickly doubled their lead. Dodd again broke into the penalty area and chipped a delightful ball to Quirke, who play a quick one-two with Clark and in quick time caressed the ball into the net. 2-0.
Worthing now in the ascendency surely? Not quite. Teams are at their most vulnerable after scoring and this theory was found true in this instance as the Ravenswood number 9 turned Jack Carey and curled the ball into the far corner. 2-1. This seemed to spur on the hosts and Worthing were now under severe pressure. Throw ins were coming in like corners, corners were coming in like corners, but all defended with determination and intelligence. Even when Ravenswood broke the Worthing defence Chester was there to stop the ball on the line, with his back!
Work ethic and enthusiasm was in abundance, which was making up for the poor field and match balls, however this was about to boil over when Bah kicked out at his centre half opponent, which led to coach Hall warming up Ross Myers to replace him. Bah did however have the last laugh as he was part of the move, which killed the game. His hold up play was excellent and played in Dec Jenkins, who took the ball in his stride and struck the ball cleanly and with power into the far corner. 3-1.
As the final minutes played out it was very much job done, but not in the usual style and this was described by Hall using the analogy of choosing a date for the school prom. It didn't seem as if we were going to go to the Prom as we had just been turned down by the hot cheerleader at the school, however it came about that the school maths champion was available (braces and all). So we took that option and still went to the Prom. Happy Days with the Prom being 3 points!!
Joking aside this result shows that the Academy are moving in the right direction in terms of development and attitude. This was typified today by Seb Gershwind and Jon Watkins, who travelled, but did not feature. Their attitude was superb and this attitude, enthusiasm and dedication is running through the Academy, which can only be a positive for the future.
Onwards & Upwards,
Hallsy
As from previous experience the pitch was not ideal and it would mean that Worthing would need to alter their smooth passing style slightly to make their football effective. As the game began you could sense that this was not going to be a classic, with bobbles and shanks aplenty. However it seemed that the visitors would be the ones more likely to break the deadlock. The main chances were coming from set pieces and Rory Delap style throws, with Matt Dodd coming closest to open the scoring, but deciding to play "wall ball" with the post was not the best option. Meanwhile at the other end Worthing stood relatively strong in front of skipper James Fernandes. Again not pretty on the eye, but effective.
With time moving towards the break Worthing created a clear cut opening. A Jack Boxall pass was flicked on by the hardworking Bah, which allowed Ryan Quirke in on goal to strike the ball low into the corner. 1-0. This seemed to settle Worthing until the half and could of doubled their lead after Jordan Clark and Dodd combined excellently, however Clark could not find a volleyed finish.
The chat from the bench was that Worthing needed to be a yard quicker and take the information being given on board, which should see them home. After the break the game seemed to open up and allow space for both sides to look to play. It was Worthing that used this to great effect and quickly doubled their lead. Dodd again broke into the penalty area and chipped a delightful ball to Quirke, who play a quick one-two with Clark and in quick time caressed the ball into the net. 2-0.
Worthing now in the ascendency surely? Not quite. Teams are at their most vulnerable after scoring and this theory was found true in this instance as the Ravenswood number 9 turned Jack Carey and curled the ball into the far corner. 2-1. This seemed to spur on the hosts and Worthing were now under severe pressure. Throw ins were coming in like corners, corners were coming in like corners, but all defended with determination and intelligence. Even when Ravenswood broke the Worthing defence Chester was there to stop the ball on the line, with his back!
Work ethic and enthusiasm was in abundance, which was making up for the poor field and match balls, however this was about to boil over when Bah kicked out at his centre half opponent, which led to coach Hall warming up Ross Myers to replace him. Bah did however have the last laugh as he was part of the move, which killed the game. His hold up play was excellent and played in Dec Jenkins, who took the ball in his stride and struck the ball cleanly and with power into the far corner. 3-1.
As the final minutes played out it was very much job done, but not in the usual style and this was described by Hall using the analogy of choosing a date for the school prom. It didn't seem as if we were going to go to the Prom as we had just been turned down by the hot cheerleader at the school, however it came about that the school maths champion was available (braces and all). So we took that option and still went to the Prom. Happy Days with the Prom being 3 points!!
Joking aside this result shows that the Academy are moving in the right direction in terms of development and attitude. This was typified today by Seb Gershwind and Jon Watkins, who travelled, but did not feature. Their attitude was superb and this attitude, enthusiasm and dedication is running through the Academy, which can only be a positive for the future.
Onwards & Upwards,
Hallsy
Thursday 4 November 2010
Hallsy's Academy Report - Week 7 Vol 2
After a week's rest both Football Academy sides were back in action with important cup matches. The training week began well with injuries beginning to clear, however this was short lived with Matt Chester (back) and Joe Warner (ankle) adding to the long and extensive injury list. Even with this both teams went into the matches looking to build on a week's rest and a positive training week.
Coach Dave Hall handed Drew McGill a debut at right back for the 1st XI in their ESFA Third Round tie against Reigate College with Sam Mannings reverting to a more attacking role in the centre of midfield alongside Jordan Clark and Matt Dodd. With Warner's injury he dropped to the bench and he was joined by Dec Jenkins and Jack Chandler. Kieron Gillard was also on the bench as cover for the rehabilitating James Fernandes.
With Reigate being somewhat of an unknown quantity it was imperative that Worthing took the game to their visitors. The Worthing United surface was flat and would suit Worthing's passing style, however the wind was blustery and could allow Reigate to spoil Worthing attractive style of play. It was the former that occurred with Worthing taking the game to Reigate, even though the wind was in their faces. However it was a long ball that was to open the scoring. A Jack Boxall free kick was flicked on by Clark straight into the path of striker Dave Herbert, who made up for his misses in the Chichester High game by slotting the ball past the advancing goalkeeper. 1-0.
The opposition were trying to upset Worthing's tempo by looking to "play dirty" with niggling fouls and off the ball incidents high on the agenda. To their credit the Worthing players stepped up to the plate and just carried on with playing football. This paid off as the second and third goals came relatively quickly with Ryan Quirke and Dodd being on target. 2-0, 3-0.
The next goal of the game would be crucial and Reigate looked to get on the scoresheet before half time, but Fernandes, McGill, Boxall, Jack Carey and Olly Setchell kept their opponents at bay, with some excellent and intelligent defending against the wind.
During the turn around again complacency would surely be Worthing only enemy? To their credit Reigate looked to have sorted themselves out tactically to stem the threat from Clark, Dodd and Mannings. For a time this seemed to work, but Worthing continued to be dangerous on the break with Quirke being the main culprit for missing two chances to extend the lead. The second half was not an attractive affair with play broken up with free kick after free kick and Reigate got their reward midway through the second half. The Worthing defence allowed the Reigate striker to break three tackles and then hit the ball past Fernandes into the far stanchion. 3-1.
Worthing rang the changes with Dodd retiring due to an ankle injury being replaced by Dec Jenkins for his first appearance. Jenkins caused problems straight away with his pace and direct running, however the final ball went begging. Quirke was then replaced by Jack Chandler, who slotted into the centre of midfield and did not look out of place, keeping possession effectively. The final change was enforced after an awful challenge on Setchell, he was replaced for the final minutes by Joe Warner. With the final whistle Worthing came away victorious even though the win was not pretty it was still a win with the main positive being that Worthing discipline was outstanding, which eventually ground down Reigate. All work hard and dug deep, but special mention must go to Liam "Des" O'Connor and Sam Mannings, who ended up taking three positions throughout the game and played with maturity and an excellent attitude.
The 2nd XI travelled to South Downs to continue their defence of the County Cup and came out 5-2 winners. Worthing performed well, but according to "The Stig" let their opponents "off the hook" by letting them take the lead at 1-0 and 2-1. Danny Cullip was pleased that more chances were taken than last time out, especially from an unlikely source, Iain Haggart. Haggart bagged a brace, one with his head, the other a goal mouth scramble. Other scorers on the day were Abdoulie Bah, Judah Langford & Tinashe-Shawn Chikowore.
All in all a successful day results wise for the Football Academy, however to keep this run going injuries need to be kept to a minimum along with keeping the attitude and work ethic at a hard working consistent level. With both sides in action again next week there is no rest for the wicked!!
Onwards and Upwards,
Hallsy
Coach Dave Hall handed Drew McGill a debut at right back for the 1st XI in their ESFA Third Round tie against Reigate College with Sam Mannings reverting to a more attacking role in the centre of midfield alongside Jordan Clark and Matt Dodd. With Warner's injury he dropped to the bench and he was joined by Dec Jenkins and Jack Chandler. Kieron Gillard was also on the bench as cover for the rehabilitating James Fernandes.
With Reigate being somewhat of an unknown quantity it was imperative that Worthing took the game to their visitors. The Worthing United surface was flat and would suit Worthing's passing style, however the wind was blustery and could allow Reigate to spoil Worthing attractive style of play. It was the former that occurred with Worthing taking the game to Reigate, even though the wind was in their faces. However it was a long ball that was to open the scoring. A Jack Boxall free kick was flicked on by Clark straight into the path of striker Dave Herbert, who made up for his misses in the Chichester High game by slotting the ball past the advancing goalkeeper. 1-0.
The opposition were trying to upset Worthing's tempo by looking to "play dirty" with niggling fouls and off the ball incidents high on the agenda. To their credit the Worthing players stepped up to the plate and just carried on with playing football. This paid off as the second and third goals came relatively quickly with Ryan Quirke and Dodd being on target. 2-0, 3-0.
The next goal of the game would be crucial and Reigate looked to get on the scoresheet before half time, but Fernandes, McGill, Boxall, Jack Carey and Olly Setchell kept their opponents at bay, with some excellent and intelligent defending against the wind.
During the turn around again complacency would surely be Worthing only enemy? To their credit Reigate looked to have sorted themselves out tactically to stem the threat from Clark, Dodd and Mannings. For a time this seemed to work, but Worthing continued to be dangerous on the break with Quirke being the main culprit for missing two chances to extend the lead. The second half was not an attractive affair with play broken up with free kick after free kick and Reigate got their reward midway through the second half. The Worthing defence allowed the Reigate striker to break three tackles and then hit the ball past Fernandes into the far stanchion. 3-1.
Worthing rang the changes with Dodd retiring due to an ankle injury being replaced by Dec Jenkins for his first appearance. Jenkins caused problems straight away with his pace and direct running, however the final ball went begging. Quirke was then replaced by Jack Chandler, who slotted into the centre of midfield and did not look out of place, keeping possession effectively. The final change was enforced after an awful challenge on Setchell, he was replaced for the final minutes by Joe Warner. With the final whistle Worthing came away victorious even though the win was not pretty it was still a win with the main positive being that Worthing discipline was outstanding, which eventually ground down Reigate. All work hard and dug deep, but special mention must go to Liam "Des" O'Connor and Sam Mannings, who ended up taking three positions throughout the game and played with maturity and an excellent attitude.
The 2nd XI travelled to South Downs to continue their defence of the County Cup and came out 5-2 winners. Worthing performed well, but according to "The Stig" let their opponents "off the hook" by letting them take the lead at 1-0 and 2-1. Danny Cullip was pleased that more chances were taken than last time out, especially from an unlikely source, Iain Haggart. Haggart bagged a brace, one with his head, the other a goal mouth scramble. Other scorers on the day were Abdoulie Bah, Judah Langford & Tinashe-Shawn Chikowore.
All in all a successful day results wise for the Football Academy, however to keep this run going injuries need to be kept to a minimum along with keeping the attitude and work ethic at a hard working consistent level. With both sides in action again next week there is no rest for the wicked!!
Onwards and Upwards,
Hallsy
Hockey Academy Report - BCS Cup Special
Worthing went to Lewes to face Sussex Downs in the Second round of the Men’s BCS cup, and came back being able to tell the happy side to an eventful match.
Worthing went 2-0 down early on but showed good resolve and hit back instantaneously with the score swaying 3-2 to the visitors.
With plenty more twists in the tail, the home side hit back to level the scores before taking a 4-3 lead. Worthing equalised to make it 4-4 and were once again the ones to go into the lead with not long left on the clock. But the home side were resilient and with 4 minutes remaining Sussex Downs scored to make it 5-5. In the last few minutes Worthing had plenty of chances to put the game to bed but after a goal fest, they were all of a sudden struggling to find that winning goal.
Worthing went on to win 4-3 in penalty flicks, and the match which had a real cup tie feel was awarded the way of the visiting team, one of those that both sides would have been gutted to lose.
On reflection, Worthing were the better team, they played well and deserved the eventual victory which took longer than any of us would have hoped.
May the cup run continue!!
Rob
Worthing went 2-0 down early on but showed good resolve and hit back instantaneously with the score swaying 3-2 to the visitors.
With plenty more twists in the tail, the home side hit back to level the scores before taking a 4-3 lead. Worthing equalised to make it 4-4 and were once again the ones to go into the lead with not long left on the clock. But the home side were resilient and with 4 minutes remaining Sussex Downs scored to make it 5-5. In the last few minutes Worthing had plenty of chances to put the game to bed but after a goal fest, they were all of a sudden struggling to find that winning goal.
Worthing went on to win 4-3 in penalty flicks, and the match which had a real cup tie feel was awarded the way of the visiting team, one of those that both sides would have been gutted to lose.
On reflection, Worthing were the better team, they played well and deserved the eventual victory which took longer than any of us would have hoped.
May the cup run continue!!
Rob
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.jpg)
