Welcome to the Welton FC Under 14B Match Reports for 2007/08

6 Apr 08: Louth Old Boys 4 - 0 Welton U14B
The season is now completed and we have achieved some targets but not others. We have finished with yet another defeat, but I believe we can take some positives out of this game. The result reflects the difference between the teams in that they had a regular goal scorer and we did not. The boys created as many chances as Louth but as is usual the opposite were able to punish any lapses in concentration or mistakes by the boys. The first was evenly balanced with the score 1 – 0 at half time after an unfortunate lapse by Nick in which an attempted clearance became a perfect through ball to the Louth centre forward. The second half began in bizarre and disastrous circumstances, in which from our kick off we conceded the second goal. A comedy of errors left the Louth forward through on goal and he slotted it passed Adam M, with us kicking off for the second time barely 90 seconds after the first. Two more goals followed, the second from a regular source this season with the back four stepping out to play offside and a midfield player staying in behind them so playing everyone on side. Also as has become a regular occurrence over the last few matches the boys stared to pick up a few injuries causing players to play out of position, one such injury resulted in Chris Duke ending up in Louth A & E, fortunately it turned out to be only a badly sprained ankle. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the boys for their efforts this season and I hope to see as many as possible back next season. Also I would like to thank all the parents for their support and encouragement but especially Dave and Jim BF for running the line every game this season.   

30 Mar 08: Welton U14B 0 - 4 Ermine Eagles U14
Well the last home game of the season has now been played and it followed the pattern of a lot of our games over the season. After 2 minutes we found ourselves a goal down, but from then on the first half saw us create chance after chance without converting any. Yet again as the half drew to a close we were caught out and conceded a second. The second half followed much the same pattern as the first with the boys pressing hard to try and claw a goal back that would have put us right back in the game. However it was not to be and Ermine scored 2 more goals, unfortunately the last goal was more down to us conceding the goal than them scoring as at least 2 if not 3 of the defenders swung at and missed the ball completely. The boys battled on spiritedly on a very warm day and never gave up. The boys are to be praised for the noticeable improvement in performances this season, if not improved results, and I believe that if we can keep this squad together and find a regular goal scorer then we will not find ourselves at the bottom end of the table next season. One final thing boys lets finish the season on a high and get a result at Louth on Sunday.

16 Mar 08: Welton U14B 0 - 4 Caythorpe U14
The best way to sum this game up would be to say that our performance was total garbage for the first ten minutes and excellent for the other sixty minutes. Unfortunately during the first ten minutes we conceded 3 goals due to a howler from Adam M and 2 defensive mistakes. It would be unfair to say that the boys were beaten after this because they put up a very spirited performance playing up the slope in the first half. Chances were created throughout the game by the boys but as is our problem none of them were taken. I would say that had we scored in the first half I would not have been surprised to see us go on and get at least a point from this game. The second half saw the boys continue to batter the Caythorpe goal without any success and as is the case Caythorpe scored again in the last few minutes with one of the many chances they created throughout the second half. Although the score line shows another defeat it also reflects the season the boys have had in as much that the defeat are coming regularly but not as heavily as last season. Special mention in this game goes to Alex Fenn, who I thought had his best game ever for the team and appears to have found his best position in central midfield. Two games to go and the boys aim must be to gain another point, stay off the bottom of the league and not concede 100 goals this season.

9 Mar 08: Woodhall Spa 8 - 0 Welton U14B
Another defeat but again another score line that does not reflect the way the game went. For the first time this season I had a fully fit squad to choose from so I was in the unusual position of being able to rest a player, on this occasion it was Liam, who to his credit still travelled to Woodhall to support the team. The game kicked off with Woodhall just requiring a win to earn promotion to the B league, so we knew it was not going to be a easy game. The boys battled commendably throughout the first half with everyone giving 100% commitment. Some excellent defending and a couple of good saves kept the score blank going into the last 10 minutes of the half, however 2 excellent finishes by Woodhall sent them in 2 – 0 ahead at half time. The boys were sent out with the message to keep up the hard work and show the progress they had made since being beaten 7 – 0 in the first home game of the season. Unfortunately Joe P had picked up an injury in the first half and had to be replaced by Nick, who was returning after 3 months out with a broken foot. Welton continued to battle away but injury again disrupted the team when Nick took a knock on his foot and as a precaution was taken off, meaning another defensive switch around. Woodhall had scored 2 more by this point to make it 4 – 0, as the game went into the final 20 minutes injury again hit Welton with Reece having to come off due to cramp in both legs, as Reece had been playing as an emergency right back this meant a sixth player having to fill in at this position. As to be expected with all the disruption the goals started to flow and it end 8 – 0. The one comment I would say about this game was that for 50 minutes the boys played very well, however this could not be said for the last 20 minutes where some players seemed to accept defeat too soon.

3 Feb 08: Welton U14B 0 - 3 Swineshead
 Yet again another defeat but again another encouraging performance. To sum up this game it would be best to say that it was lost due to 2 lapses in concentration and 1 wind assisted goal. Adam M, our keeper, had one of his quietest games of the season and I think only had to make 1 save in each half, but yet again the lack of a clinical finisher was our downfall. The first half kicked off with trying to take advantage of a glaring sun and a very strong wind, but as luck would have it as the game kicked off the wind died down. The game was fairly even throughout the half with both defences on top and chances wasted at both ends. The only goal of the half came when Swineshead won a throw in on the edge of our box, the defence marked up and were careful not allow anyone get goal side of them, however this could not be said for the rest of the team because as the throw was taken 2 Swineshead players ran on to it totally unmarked by a Welton player. This left them with a simple finish past a helpless Adam M. We had a couple of good chances with one cleared of the line and a free kick cleared.
The second half saw Swineshead now with the advantage of the elements and as is our luck at the moment the wind returned but even stronger. We were finding it increasingly difficult to clear our lines but we still managed to breakaway a couple of times with Reece forcing a fine save out of their keeper. The second goal came after constant pressure and yet again was the result of a throw in and a lack of concentration with the Swineshead player left unmarked in the centre of the penalty area. After further pressure a deep cross was assisted by the wind into the far corner of the net to give the final result a very unfair complexion. To be honest the most pleasing aspect of this display was that the boys are starting to play some very good football and there is less of the thump it forward and all run after it that had been the style earlier on the season. I still believe that with the addition of a proven goal scorer we have the basis of a very good squad, so keep your heads up lads and battle on till the end of the season.

27 Jan 08: Ruskington 4 - 0 Welton U14B
For the first time in ages we actually had 14 players available for this game, however it was only fair that the 9 that played last week started this game. This was true except for Liam who has been carrying an injury. The boys started off brightly and the game swung first one way then the other with Ruskington`s playmaker causing his usual problems, but the boys seemed to be coping well. However midway through the first half a couple of highly contentious decisions turned the game Ruskington`s way. Firstly our defence stepped forward to play the offside trap leaving Ruskington`s captain offside, the referee’s assistant’s flag went up straight away as he received the ball but the game continued with their captain beating Adam M to score. The referee then came across and said that the ball had touched a Welton player on the way through and therefore he was not offside and the goal stood. (No comment). To make matters worse within a few minutes a good move down the left resulted in Jack slotting the ball passed the Ruskington keeper only to see the flag go up for offside and this time the referee agreed and ruled out the goal. The boys continued to press forward to try and equalise but another good attack by Ruskington resulted in them going into half time leading 2 – 0. The second half continued in a similar fashion with chances created at both end, Ruskington appearing to be competing in their own personal crossbar challenge. Eventually Ruskington grabbed a third goal, again slightly lucky as a mishit corner deceived Adam M and ended in the back of the net. Ruskington scored a fourth soon after to run out 4 – 0 winners. This was not a true reflection on the boys' efforts and whilst we are returning to some very encouraging performances, we are still not always getting the results these performances deserve. All I can say is keeping going boys and sooner rather than later we will pick up the points we deserve.

20 Jan 08: Caythorpe 3 - 0 Welton U14B
Another game, another defeat but this is one of those games where the score line does not tell the whole story. After all the rain recently I had hoped that this game might be postponed and the fact that we only had 9 available out of a squad of 15 I probably would have been better doing so, but I decided that it was to nobody’s advantage if I did. We arrived at Caythorpe with only 2 recognised defenders, 5 midfielders, 1 striker and a goalkeeper. I decided to play 4 – 3 – 1, this meant asking both Reece & Joe BF to play out of position in defence. To their credit neither complained and settled into their new positions, Joe at centre half and Reece at right back. The game kicked off with the boys playing up a slight slope and against the wind, as expected Caythorpe was immediately on the attack and as the half continue the attacks kept on. The boys battled hard and with a few last ditch tackles and some fine saves from Adam they managed to keep the score line blank until half way through the first half. Caythorpe scored 2 goals in quick succession, but it is to the boys` immense credit that their heads never went down and kept on battling till the end of the half. Half time was greeted by the parents with a round of applause and a great deal of encouragement as the 9 heroes came off the pitch. By half time we had picked up a few injuries and both Liam and Jacob were both limping. The boys kicked off the second half with the conditions in their favour, if not the numerical advantage. The second saw the boys battle hard creating a few chances and using Adam’s big kicks to put Caythorpe slightly on the back foot. This half saw only one goal and even that was down to the boys determination to battle for everything, as both Joe BF and Jacob chase back to attempt to clear a shot that had beaten Adam, unfortunately Joe’s attempted clearance ricocheted off Jacob and into the net. This was not deserved, in fact if any team deserved a goal in the second half it was Welton. This half was summed up by two incidents, firstly Matt putting in a thundering tackle just inside the Caythorpe half and immediately getting back up to chase his winger back into the corner and secondly Jim putting a tackle in right in the far corner of the Caythorpe half and instead of praise being shouting it was greeted by the defenders shouting to Jim to get back. He chased back the full length of the pitch to help repel another attack. The game finished with the boys able to hold their heads high having gained the respect of Caythorpe and proved to themselves that with a little luck and more displays like this they can and should improve their record this season. All nine boys deserved and were duly given Man of the Match. I for one am proud to be associated with such a determined and courageous performance. Well done Adam, Reece, Matt, Alex, Joe BF, Jacob, Jim, Deano and Liam you deserve all the applause you receive from the parents on Sunday.

13 Jan 08: Babworth 3 - 2 Welton U14B
Start of a new year, but no solutions to old problems. Another defeat that could and should have been avoided. The conditions were not the best with a sloping pitch and a gale force wind blowing across the pitch. The boys kicked off playing down the slope and created a few chances with Joe BF unluckily having a chance blocked on the line by Deano. However worryingly Babworth were creating as many chances going up the slope. We won a free kick just outside the box and Reece curled a sweetly hit shot straight into the back of the net. This should have allowed the boys to calm down and create more chances, unfortunately two pieces of very slack defending allowed Babworth not only to equalise but take the lead. With the half drawing to a close the boys received a boost when a shot from Jack squirmed through the keepers hands and legs to make the score 2 – 2 at half time. The second half started with the wind getting stronger and the boys coming under increasing pressure. We still managed to break out a couple of times but there only appeared to be one team likely to score and unfortunately it was not Welton. The inevitable happened midway through the half when both Alex and Matt went to block a shot and in the process unsighted Adam in goal, the shot went through the two defenders and beat Adam to secure the game for Babworth. I think it maybe time to change tact with the boys and just let them go out and enjoy their football and forget about results for the rest of the season. Over to you boys.

16 Dec 07: Wragby 10 - 1 Welton U14B
Yet again another worrying display from the Jekyll and Hyde team that is the U14Bs. If I could put my finger on what causes these very contrasting performances I might have a chance of putting things right. As many parents, who watch us regularly, will know you cannot tell which team is going to perform until on the day. After an excellent battling performance against Rustons I had hoped we could end the year on a high, how wrong I was. Not to say that it was all bad, believe it or not after 25 minutes of the first half the score was 2 – 1. The boys had battled back level with an excellent goal by stand in captain Joe BF, after falling behind to a goal that might easily have been disallowed for offside. A re-jigged back four, due to a major injury to Nick, were coping very well with a quick Wragby forward line and were executing the offside trap brilliantly. As I said that was until 25 minutes of the first half then for some unknown reason the team fell apart, we seemed to forget how to tackle, how to pass and even how to communicate. It was Wragby at home all over again. The second half was not much better and few boys came out of this game with much credit. Reece again acquitted himself well when asked to play at centre half, Joe BF gave a battling performance as captain and the vocal side of captaincy will come with experience. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. 

9 Dec 07: Welton U14B 0 - 5 Ruston Sports U14
Another Sunday morning, another home game, the visitors this time being the unbeaten league leaders. We had played Rustons first game of the season and lost 10 – 1, so this was a chance for the boys to prove how much they had improved since then. The pitch was fairly soggy but at least the rain was not falling. We kicked off with the sun at our backs and the boys competing strongly for every ball. The first 10 minutes passed without too many scares at either end, but then lady luck decided to interfere. As has become typical of this season the rub of the green went against us, Alex trying his best to cut out a cross from the left only succeeded in planting it into the back of the net giving Adam no chance. The boys did not let this deter them and carrying on giving as good as they got against the league leaders. Reece especially was doing an excellent man marking job on Rustons 21 goal leading scorer to the extent that he was taken of for the second part of the first half.  A second and third goal followed during a competitive first half, but unfortunately so did a couple of injury problems. By half time Chris, Nick and Adam were all carrying injuries. As the second half was due to start it was apparent that Nick was unable to continue, so Chris was pressed into service as a replacement centre half. Things got worse within the first 15 minutes of the second half when it became apparent that Alex was struggling and he needed to be substituted leaving us with neither first choice centre half on the pitch, Reece being asked to fill in as a second emergency centre back. Rustons scored 2 very fortunate goals in the second half, the first being an over hit punt back into the box which eluded Adam and crept under the bar and the second being a corner which almost went straight in. The boys never gave up throughout the game and battled even harder as players were asked to play out of position to cover injuries and illness. The boys have to be commended for their team spirit today, as everything seemed to be against them. The Rustons manager said that the team was almost unrecognisable from that which played the first game and could even challenge teams above us in the league. Well done boys!!!

2 Dec 07: Welton U14B 1 - 0 Louth Old Boys U14
As I asked at the end of the last match report the boys produced an excellent performance. Not only was a performance to the standard I had hoped, but it was produced in very difficult circumstances. On a very wet and cold morning at William Farr I waited to see how many fit boys would turn up as after training I was left with only 10 fit players and 1 very doubtful. Illness had stripped us of 3 players, 2 of which were first choice defenders. By kick off we had managed to get 11 players even if Liam was not fully fit. We kicked off with the rain into our faces, with a man advantage as Louth only had 10 players. The boys put into practice what we had done in training and played possession football to make advantage of our extra man. 15 minutes into the first half we won a free kick on the left hand side. Tom A floated it into the box where it was flicked on by our smallest player, Jacob, and sweetly volleyed over the keeper by Liam. It should have been the boost to go on and dominate the match, but as is usual with us this season the numbers were soon balanced as Adam H had to limp off with a damaged hamstring. The boys battled through to half time creating a few more chances and restricting Louth to long range efforts. The second half kicked off in bright sunshine with Louth kicking into the sun. The boys continued to control the game with unusual calmness. This half brought few chances for us as both defences closed down with great determination. The closest Louth came to equalising was when Nick missed a clearance a left Adam M one on one with the forward, but before the forward could shoot Nick had recovered and slide in a knock the ball to safety. The boys should be proud of this performance as the team are not renowned for winning games 1 – 0 also they have now managed to equal last season’s points total by the midway point of this season.

25 Nov 07: Welton U14B 0 - 9 Wragby U14
Well what can I say about this game that would sum it up properly, I think only one word fits and that is embarrassing. From the first whistle of the first half until the final whistle of the second half not one player did himself any justice with his performance. This is the first game I have ever seen when so many Welton players lost their composure and had we had a stricter referee we could have been struggling to put a team on the field next week. At least 4 players were lucky not to receive red cards. I have to add that in all four cases their actions were borne out of frustration at the way the game was going, but that is no excuse and in the end they only have themselves to blame for that. Everything that has typified Welton U14B`s good performances this season was missing on the field – tackling was almost non existent, constructive communication between the players was non existent and most alarmingly of all there appeared to be a lack of fighting spirit. At 5 – 0 down at half time the boys only had pride to play for in the second half and to be quite honest even that did not spur them on to any great improvement. The final score was 9 – 0 but that would not have mattered to anyone connected to the U14B team had the boys battled throughout the game. Finally I believe this performance will prove to be a blip in the improvement we have made so far this season as I am sure that the boys will bounce back with an excellent display against Louth this Sunday.

18 Nov 07: Swineshead 1 - 1 Welton U14B
After last Sunday’s display I was hoping for some sort of reaction from the boys and happily I got it. As bad as we were last Sunday we were as good for the first half of this game and parts of the second half. It was another cold overcast morning as we kicked off with the wind behind us. We played some excellent passing football at times during this half with great interplay through the midfield. Both Jacob and Jack were having success on the wings, but as is usual we just could not find a finishing touch on many occasions. To say we were dominant in this half can be shown by the fact that Adam M in our goal only had one real save to make from a corner after a scramble in the box, otherwise all he had was to collect a few over hit balls. The breakthrough finally came in the last few minutes of the half when the Swineshead keeper came for a ball and missed it completely. The ball fell to Joe BF, who volleyed goal ward only to see it tipped onto the bar and over the line by a Swineshead defender, unbelievably the referee waved play on until the linesman explained it should be a penalty. At this point Joe BF put the ball on the spot and after a short wait sent the keeper the wrong way and dispatched it into the bottom corner. The halftime whistle blew soon after. The second half started with the boys dropping deeper and deeper allowing Swineshead to take control of midfield and a foothold in the game. As the half went on chances came and went for Swineshead luckily none were taken. A double substitution saw us gain control of midfield again allowing us to create a couple of chances to kill off the game. Unfortunately none were taken and with only 2 minutes left we paid the price, when Swineshead finally converted a chance to earn a hardly justified point. As the final whistle blew the boys were very down even though this was our first away point of the season. I have to praise the boys for not reacting to some very unsavoury tackles and strange refereeing decisions throughout this game. On this point however I would like to remind parents not to barrack the referee as without him games like this would not be played and our boys would not be able to play a game they enjoy. Finally I would like to thank all the parents that came to Swineshead for their support, which has been magnificent this season, long may it continue. I am sure the boys will do their best to make you proud.

11 Nov 07: Ermine Eagles 6 - 0 Welton U14B
Well what can I say an away match and all the old bad habits that we seemed to have got rid of came back to haunt us. This was a game that I thought with a performance like we have produced over the last few weeks we might be able to sneak a point. It was not to be. The boys had been sent out with instructions to keep it tight for the first 10 minutes and not to allow Ermine any early chances, within the first few minutes Adam M was picking the ball out of the back of the net. The first 5 minutes was a horror show there was no challenging for the ball, the passes were going astray, and there was no passion!!! After that for the rest of the first half the boys playing against the wind started to play as I know they can. Unfortunately we conceded another own goal towards the end of the half to change round 2 – 0 behind. With us now playing with the wind the boys should have been able to kick on and try and pull back the 2 goal deficit; however that was not the case. What followed was probably the worst 35 minutes display the boys have given since losing 11 – 0 to St Helens back in September. Even a change in formation and personnel, including giving Chris Duke his debut, seemed to have no effect. All we managed to collect in the second half was 4 more goals in the back of our net and a few bruises. I do not think any of the boys can honestly say that they have not performed better than that this season. It is away again next at Swineshead, hopefully the boys will put in a performance that both they and I know that they can, otherwise it will be a long wasted journey. Swineshead are one of the teams at the bottom of the league with us that we can get points off. What we need is commitment and passion otherwise it could be another 22 games till we win again. Boys it's your choice!!!

4 Nov 07: County Cup – Welton U14B 0 - 12 Boston FDC
This was definitely one game where the score line does not reflect the performance and all the parents who were there would agree. Let's put the game into context; this was a game between an unbeaten team from the A league (Boston) against a team fourth bottom of the C league (Welton), in other words it was like Arsenal playing Lincoln. The boys were told before the game to go out and enjoy themselves and pit themselves against players, who were some of the best in their age group in the County. Their aim was to keep the score respectable and also to gain the respect of the opposition. I think in the end they achieved both. Boston had played Swineshead in the League Cup earlier in the season and beaten them 21 – 0 so our target was to do better. The first half started with us playing with the sun at our backs and defending resolutely. I think in the first half we made it into their half no more than 4 or 5 times. After 25 minutes of the first half the score was 5 – 0 which was very respectable. In this period the team battled against a very skilful team and denied them with some excellent defending. The defending started from Adam H at the front through to Adam M in goal, who made some saves even he does not know how he got to them. The first half was not without its usually comedy moments from the boys with Nick twice coming close to beating Adam in goal, with one effort hitting the crossbar. An example of the determination shown by the boys came when Nick lying on the ground still managed to clear the ball from in front of a Boston forward. Half time was reached with the score 8 – 0. Again the boys where told to try and keep it respectable and asked to defend slightly deeper to stop Boston playing the ball in behind the defence. With the sun now in their eyes it would have been expected for Boston to take complete control but to the boys’ credit they kept battling and only allowed Boston to score 4 more. I say Boston scored 4 more but it has to be said that after Nick’s attempts to score in his own net in the first half both Reece and Joe P went one better by putting the ball into their own net. Both boys were very unlucky and could do nothing to prevent these goals. I have always thought that a captain should be a player that leads from the front and in this game I think that Nick led the team superbly with strong performance from first whistle to last. He was not the only one to have an excellent game but as was said by one parent even Steven Gerrard could not have done more to inspire his team. Next game is Ermine Eagles away(KO 2.15) if we keep up these determined performances I would like to think that we can improve on last season’s result which was an 8 – 1 defeat.  

28 Oct 07: Welton U14B 5 - 0 Babworth U14
Well its been a long time coming but finally the boys performances have got what they have all deserved – that elusive first win. To put this result into context Babworth might be bottom of the league but in the corresponding game last season they beat us 6 – 1. Also for all you Stattos out there this was our first win in 22 games (Babworth Away 4 – 2) and our first clean sheet in 26 games (Wragby Home 0 – 0) so as I said it’s been a long time coming. On a day that was not suited to good flowing football due to a gale force wind and then towards the end of the second half driving rain the boys put in another excellent performance. The confidence from the Ruskington game was still there as we kicked off with the wind at our backs. It was apparent from the start that if we could give Jacob and Deano plenty of the ball to attack their respective full backs we could have plenty of success. Jacob especially gave his full back a torrid time throughout the game until he came off for a rest. The first goal came as a result of a clearance pick up by Joe BF and hammered back past the keeper. The second was the result of an excellent passage of passes from Tom to Liam and through to Joe BF, who had carried on his run from midfield, to calmly slot it past the keeper again. The first half saw the boys keep almost complete control except for two occasions where Babworth broke, but these were well dealt with by the defence, Adam M only touching the ball only twice throughout the half. The second half started with Deano and Reece switching positions as we played against the wind. After a fairly quiet start the boys started to get on top again and creating chances. It looked for certain from one of these chances that Tom would score his first goal of the season, which his performance richly deserved, having beaten the keeper he shot at the goal only to see it cleared of the line from in front of Joe BF. It was Liam, who scored the next goal after some more excellent build up play by the boys. Joe BF`s hat trick soon followed, but in slightly controversial circumstances. Joe BF chased a long ball through even though their keeper was favourite to get it, however the keeper failed to hold the ball and as he dropped it on the ground and tried to retrieve it Joe BF nipped in to put the ball away. After the referee explained to the Babworth players that their keeper did not have the ball under control he awarded the goal. The fifth and final goal was credited to Alex after his shot from a corner by Reece hit a couple of Babworth defenders on the way over the line. After this goal the only other thing left to achieve for the boys was a clean sheet and the defence were determined to do this, even though a slight mix up between Nick and Adam M nearly resulted in a goal for Babworth. Next up is Boston FDC in the County Cup, this a game that the boys must use to see how far they have improved recently and how far they need to improve to compete on equal terms with the best teams in the A league.

14 Oct 07: Welton U14B 2 - 2 Ruskington U14
Believe it or not this is the hardest report to write. Like the boys, at the end of the game I did not know whether to be delighted or disappointed. OK so we had got our first point of the season and scored 2 goals and this was against a Ruskington team that had beaten us 16 – 0 in the corresponding game last season, but we had led 2 – 0. The game saw Jack Foster make his first start of the season after injury, replacing Liam, who was carrying a slight injury. The boys kicked off with the sun in their eyes, which made any high ball difficult to see. The first half saw us create a load of chances, but convert none, whilst Ruskington created very little. The defence snuffed out anything they did create. The only time they did get a shot on target, it was well saved by Adam M in goal. The first half ended 0 – 0. The boys were pleased to have finally got through a complete half without conceding a goal. The second half carried on where the first half had left off, with us on the attack. This half Adam M`s long kicks were now causing trouble for the Ruskington defence. Ruskington had reorganised in the second half and played their best 2 players further forward, with this in mind Reece Harvey was asked to man mark their most creative player. Adam H chased a long through ball from Joe BF and coolly slotted it away to put us 1 – 0 ahead. Ruskington were starting to get a bit frustrated that they were unable to score against us and as they pushed further forward another long ball by Joe BF saw the keeper miskick it whilst under pressure from Adam H. The ball fell to Jacob, who calmly took it to the side of the last defender and plant it into an empty net from 18 yards. Ruskington started to pile on the pressure, which saw a few hairy moments including Alex divert the ball towards his own goal. Adam M managed to save this although he did not know much about it. Ruskington pulled a goal back when their captain lobbed Adam M from out on the right hand side of the box.  We then created another outstanding chance when Adam H floated in a corner from the right hand side, which was met sweetly by Joe BF, but unfortunately he connected too well and the ball went over the crossbar. It still looked as if the boys would hold out for a memorable win until the referee gave a penalty for handball against Alex right on the edge of the box. Adam M got down well to it, but was unable to prevent the equaliser going in. Ruskington had one last chance to score what would have been a very undeserved winner before the final whistle. The boys trooped off the pitch absolutely gutted that it was only a draw, which shows how much things have changed in the last couple of games. Every parent from Welton that was present applauded the boys as they came off. Next up is Babworth in a game, which could have a large bearing on the rest of our season.

7 Oct 07: Welton U14B 0 - 5 St Helens U14C
This might have been another defeat, but building on the cup game against Spilsby, it was another encouraging performance. A quick mention here must go to Joe Pybus, who at 12 o clock persuaded Reece, who was ill and had only turned up for the team photo to play. To make matters even harder for Reece, he was asked to play out of position at right back. Welton kicked off this game knowing that they had already lost 11 – 0 away to St Helens, so to say it was going to be tough was an understatement. The boys played really well in the first half having a few chances to score through Adam, Liam and Joe BF, but unfortunately with no success. Just as it seemed that we might get to half time at 0 – 0 our bad luck struck again. Jacob was injured in a tackle on the half way line and as he was off the pitch receiving treatment St Helens made the extra man count and broke through to lob Adam M as he advanced to close the forward down. No sooner had we got back on then St Helens scored again, however at the time Adam H was now off the pitch having been asked to leave the pitch to clean away some blood off his knee. Therefore it was 2 – 0 at half time. Into the second half and after some discussion with the boys we changed to 4 – 4 – 2 to try and get back into the game. The second half followed much the same pattern as the first half with the boys giving as good as they got with Joe BF and Tom A battling hard in the middle of the pitch. Nick and Alex clearing all attacks thrown at them with the help of Joe P and Reece, anything that got passed them was dealt with by Adam M, either simply or spectacularly. Our 2 wingers, Deano and Jacob, both had their best games of the season both attacking and defending as required. Unfortunately as the boys tired and with no substitutes St Helens created more and more chances with 3 goals scored in the second half of the second half. The boys can take great credit from this performance as the St Helens manager said that they looked like a totally different and more confident team that had played them only a few weeks earlier. Roll on Ruskington.

23 Sep 07: Welton U14B 1 - 5 Spilsby U14

After Tuesday evening’s defeat at St Helens the team approached this game fearing the worst, however after making a few positional changes in the team and settling on a 4 – 5 – 1 formation the boys were sent out with the message to just go and enjoy themselves. Before the game Spilsby were unsure which Welton team they were playing. After the first half they were probably still unsure as the boys put in an excellent performance and with a bit more luck might have finished it level instead of 2 – 1 down. Considering they were a goal down within the first 60 seconds, they battle back and levelled the score after great work by Joe BF and a cool finish by Liam. The second half found the boys playing into the wind and under the kosh for long periods, but they still battled for every ball until the last whistle. Spilsby scored three more in the half but Welton did not discredit themselves and Jim Ball, myself and all the parents were proud of this display against a team in the league above. I do not normally name a Man of the Match, but I felt it only right to tell the boys that all 11 would be named as Man of the Match in my report on the Mid Lincs Website. The boys have now got to use this performance as a base to build on for the rest of the season and to pick up some much needed points.

18 Sep 07: St Helens U14C 11 - 0 Welton U14B

Having arrived 10 minutes late for this game I was pleased to hear that we were only 1 – 0 behind, however whether I am a jinx or something we conceded 2 goals within 10 minutes of my arrival. However for the remainder of the half we created plenty of chances to reduce the 3-goal deficit but without any success. Throughout the second half we failed to pick up players running from midfield and through our back line to balls played over the top this led to 8 goals been conceded. This is something that our midfielders need to be aware of as the defence can only mark so many players before they become outnumbered. Again in this half we created chances but could just not convert any of them. A true reflection of this game came from the St Helens manager and parents, who said that they thought that the players and supporters did the club proud in that they never gave up despite the score line. A special mention must go to Deano`s Dad for his bravery under painful circumstances when he managed to find one of the many potholes on the side whilst running the line. Having spoken to him since his ankle is sore but should be OK. I think we now have as many injured parents as we have injured players.

16 Sep 07: Welton U14B 0 - 7 Woodhall Spa U14

Another game and another defeat for the boys. This game followed a similar pattern to the Ruston game in that we were 4 – 0 down at half time, however that is where any similarity ends. This was a much better performance from the team and some encouraging signs for the future. As usual this season we only had 11 available for the game, so again in hot conditions the boys had to play all 70 minutes. As happens we seem to concede goals in clutches whether it be at the beginning or at the end of each half and this game was no different. After conceding an early goal in the second half we held on bravely, with the help of some excellent goalkeeping and some goal line clearances and last ditch defending from all our defenders. However 2 late goals gave the game a slightly inaccurate appearance. Hopefully this season we will finally get rid of our inability to convert chances and find a regular goal scorer

9 Sep 07: Ruston Sports 10 - 1 Welton U14B

New season, new manager, same old problems. The season kicked off with only 11 players because of injury, illness & unavailability, so on a very hot afternoon the boys had to do their best to get the season off to a good start. The first 15 minutes of the first half and a 15 minute spell in the second half, rounded off by a goal from Reece, were very promising, but as happened many times last season once the first goal had been conceded the floodgates opened. Although 2 out of the first 3 goals could be put down to bad luck, many of the others were down to errors that could have and should have been prevented. A major worry for the team is the lack of communication between the players on the field, which led to at least 5 of the goals conceded, this can be solved by players taking responsibility for situations and clearly their lines instead of hoping someone else will do it for them.  The one pleasing aspect that came out of this game was the boys commitment over the 70 minutes. The boys have the opportunity to improve on these problems on Sunday against Woodhall Spa. Here is hoping for a better result.