2005-2006 SEASON
For
the complete statistics for the season click here
RESULTS FOR MAY
RESULTS FOR APRIL
KILGETTY
TOURNAMENT 29TH APRIL
GROUP 2
Garden Village Colts
0 Killarney Celtic 0
Garden Village Colts 1
Kilgetty 3
(Jess)
PLATE MATCH
Garden Village Colts 0 Llandovery 2
Squad: Emily C, Hannah, Sian, Megan, Jordan, Keelee, Danielle, Jess
23RD APRIL
Garden Village Colts 0
Pontardawe B 2
Garden Village Colts 1
Pontardwe A 2
(Hannah)
Garden Village Yellow 3 Garden
Village White 4
(Lauren, Sian)
Squad: Megan, Hannah, Sian, Emily R, Emily C,
Rachel K, Lauren
9TH APRIL
Garden Village
Colts 0
Penyrheol 1
Garden Village Red 3 Garden
Village White 3
Squad: Lauren, Hannah, Jordan, Rachel K, Emily R,
Lois, Sian, Megan
DAFEN TOURNAMENT 2ND
APRIL
GROUP 1
Garden Village 3 Dafen
Yellows 0
(Katie W, Charlie, Alex)
Garden Village 6 Pontardawe
0
(Charlie x2, Hannah x2, Alex, Jayde)
Garden Village 3 Penyrheol
0
(Katie W x2, Charlie)
SEMI FINAL
Garden Village 0 Dafen
Blues 0
(Group 1 Winners Garden Village
played Group 2
Runners Up Dafen Blues, and after another tense, exciting
game which went to extra time with no goals scored, the
result was settled in a penalty shoot-out, won by Dafen)
Squad: Hannah, Lauren, Jordan, Lois, Jess,
Alex, Charlie, Jayde, Katie W
The first tournament of 2006 saw the Garden Village Girls fielding a squad made
up of Juniors and Colts
After a slow, shaky start for the first two minutes against Dafen Yellows,
Garden Village soon found their
feet, and goals by Katie W, Charlie and Alex gave them their first win of the
day. Everyone was now playing
well, and the girls were full of confidence.
Against Pontardawe for the second game, the girls were at the opposition from
the start, with early shots
at goal. Jordan took the ball off a Pontardawe attacker and passed cleverly back
to Jess, who gave the ball
out quickly to Alex. Alex ran the ball up the pitch and passed to Charlie, who
skillfully beat the defence and
scored Garden Village's first goal. Hannah soon followed this example and the
ball shot past the goalie for
number two. Alex chipped one over the keeper, and then Jayde and Charlie left
the defence standing with
a beautiful one-two, which enabled Jayde to stick one in the back of the net.
Both Charlie and Hannah added
another goal each to make it a 6-0 win for Garden Village.
Next up was Penyrheol, and while the Garden Village defence of Jordan, Lois and
Lauren never looked
in any danger of letting Penyrheol score a goal, and Hannah, Alex and Jayde kept
plugging away in the
oppositions half, no goals were scored until Katie W and Charlie came on for the
second half, when three
went in in quick succession. With three wins out of three, and not having
conceded a goal, Garden Village
were definitely through to the semi-final, but who would they be facing?
For the Semi-Final, Group 1 Winners Garden Village
played Group 2
Runners Up Dafen Blues. After a
tense, exciting
game, as usual against Dafen, which went to extra time with no goals scored, the
right to a
place in the final was settled in a penalty shoot-out, which saw some great
saves by both goalies.
For Garden Village, Jordan in particular scored a cracking penalty, but Dafen
got more shots in the net.
A good day, and although the girls were disappointed not to make it through to
the final, after winning
all three of their group games, scoring 12 goals, and conceding none, they can
be proud of the standard of
football they played all day. I think, perhaps they will insist on practicing
penalty-taking at their next training.
RESULTS FOR MARCH
19th March
Garden Village
Colts 0 Penyrheol 0
Garden Village Colts 0
Dafen 1
GV White 5 GV
Yellow 4
(Megan x2, Charlie x2, Alex x2,
Katie W, Hannah, Rachel K)
12th March
Garden Village
Colts 0 Llangyfelach 5
Garden Village Colts 0
Penyrheol 1
5th March
Garden Village
Colts 1 Pontardawe A 3
(Hannah)
Garden Village Colts 2
Pontardawe B 1
(Hannah x2)
RESULTS FOR FEBRUARY
For much of February, due
to illness, Garden Village Juniors did not have enough players
to field a team. Garden Village Colts kindly let the Juniors players that were
fit play
for the Colts on
those dates.
SUNDAY 26TH
FEBRUARY
Garden
Village Colts 4 Dafen 1
(Rachel D x3, Lauren)
SUNDAY 19TH FEBRUARY
No Matches due to bad
weather
SUNDAY 12TH FEBRUARY
Garden Village
Colts 0 Bancffosfelen 8
Garden Village Colts 0
Llangyfelach 6
Garden Village Green 2 Garden Village White
3
(Jayde,
Alex) (Charlie x2, Katie
W)
This match saw a mix of Juniors & Colts players on either side
SUNDAY 5TH FEBRUARY
Garden
Village Colts 1 Llangyfelach 2
(Charlie)
Garden Village Colts 3
Penyrheol 0
(Kayleigh x2, Charlie)
RESULTS FOR JANUARY
SUNDAY 22ND JANUARY
@ Garden Village
Garden Village Colts 0 Llangyfelach
5
Garden Village Colts 0 Bancffosfelin
8
Garden Village Colts 3
Garden Village Juniors 2
The squad were brimming with excitement at the prospect of a first home fixture or it might just have been the thought of post-match sausage and chips. With Jordan getting a late call up to the Juniors, Hannah stepped in as captain with Emily, Megan, Rachel, Sian, Danielle and Lauren filling the rest of the team sheet.
First up were Llangyfelach and the tricky Emma. Management attempted to boost confidence by suggesting the darting number 6 had no left foot. The players saw through this, pointing out her right was so good she didn't need one. But despite being odds on favourites, Llangyfelach were frustrated by the Colts for much of the first half. A towering performance from Rachel at the heart of defence, ably supported by marauding wingbacks, Danielle and Megan, limited Llangyfelach's opportunities. When they did manage to break through, another cat like performance from Emily meant there was all to play for at half time. Unfortunately, continued pressure in the second half eventually told and despite carving out a couple of near chances, the Colts couldn't take anything from the game.
Game two and Bancffosfelin. Not only are these girls tall, they're not half bad on the deck either. It's like playing a team of Peter Crouches. However, the final score didn't tell the full story. The Colts were under pressure from the kick off but buoyed by the appearance of the injury stricken Lois in the crowd, they continued to work hard. Particularly, Lauren and Sian who on a number of occasions put the opposition on the back foot by dropping deep, picking up the ball and rushing Rooney like into the channels. Strangely the half time chorus of "can I go up front" has been replaced by "can I go in goal". Hannah took the gloves for this one and pulled off a miraculous double save that even had the travelling fans whooping. In a reversal of roles the best chance of the game fell to regular keeper, Emily, whose jinking run saw her on top of the Bancffosfelin net. Sadly, she couldn't quite get the space to pull the trigger and isolated from her team mates, was eventually overrun by the defence.
The final game was another derby with the Juniors. The sides were again integrated and the girls, keen to renew old rivalries, wanted the keep the sides who drew last week. Players were reminded that there was to be no biting, gouging, spitting or punching but the game was as keenly contested as the previous meeting. There was nothing to choose between them. Goals from Charlie (2), Alex and Jade saw it all even going into the last phase of the match when Katie Weekes popped up to steal victory.
(Tim)
SUNDAY 15TH JANUARY
@ Banffosfelen
Garden Village Colts 4
Garden Village Juniors 4
(Lauren x2, Hannah, Kayleigh)
Garden Village Colts 1 Dafen
3
(Hannah)
Garden Village Colts 1
Bancffosfelen 5
(Lauren)
.
The final game pitted the Colts against hosts,
Bancffosfelen. The team returned to its familiar line up with Jordan making a recovery after intensive side line treatment (involving a sandwich!). This was always going to be a tough assignment with the Colts giving at least 2 ft away in average height. Emily came out from between the sticks after another couple of distinguished performances and Megan stepped in. The team moved to the much vaunted 'three at the back' formation but could do nothing to counter a lightening start from the opposition who quickly ran into an early lead. However, the girls began to settle with Jordan looking commanding in the centre of defence. Riding some steely challenges, Sian began to thrust into the danger zones from midfield and was unlucky not to set up a goal on more than one occasion before Lauren finally bagged another. The physical strength of
Banccffosfelen eventually told though and despite a solid performance from Megan they finished comfortable winners.
(submitted by Tim)
.
Garden
Village Colts Home Games
Garden Village Colts Under 11s have been allocated some home fixtures for the
New Year.
At last the girls will get to use the new Ladies changing rooms at the club, and
can
look forward to after-match sausage and chips, just like the Under 13s !
The Under 11s will be playing at the Garden Village Club, Stafford Common on the
following dates:-
Sunday 22nd January 2006
Sunday 26th February 2006
Sunday 19th March 2006
Sunday 9th April 2006
Sunday 23rd April 2006
(more details as soon as we have them)
RESULTS FOR DECEMBER
SUNDAY 11th DECEMBER
Pentrehafod
Garden Village
Colts 0 Landore 0
Garden Village Colts
0 Pontardawe 0
Garden Village Colts
0 Llangyfelach 4
Squad: Emily, Danielle, Hannah, Megan, Sian,
Lauren, Jordan and (temporary
Colt), Jayde
With five minutes to go on match day the portents were not good; Lois had reported sick with a broken wrist and there had been a pre-match dressing room incident with the spare kit and a bottle of port. Worst of all, our regular correspondent, Mark, had to take leave to tend to our ailing Captain.
Things though began to look up with the welcome return of Jordan, the injection of new blood into the side in the shape of Danielle and a touch of finesse provided by the on loan
Jayde. Hannah, Megan, Emily, Lauren and Sian provided the backbone to the team as usual.
The first game saw us up against a young Landore side. The girls quickly settled into the game, taking the lion's share of possession and setting up camp in the opposition's half. Unusually for a Garden Village Colts game, at half time, after the customary "can I go up front now", a nameless defender was even heard to say "I'm bored at the back". However, with Landore defending determinedly, clear cut chances were few and far between and despite continued pressure in the second half an elusive winner didn't come.
The second game was a different kettle of fish. Having not had to soak up any punches in the first game, the girls found themselves ducking and weaving against a pithy Pontardawe outfit. Having taken on the role of midfield dynamo in game one, Emily returned between the sticks to deliver another gutsy performance from which the rest of the squad seem to draw strength. A physical Pontardawe defence was repeatedly stretched by a number of slick, interlinking moves. A second clean sheet was well deserved but again the deadlock couldn't be broken.
Buoyed with confidence from the first two outings the girls were ready to take on Llangyfelach's dimunitive maestro, Emma. A tactical move saw Hannah and Megan pair up in defence to counter the threat. The first half saw everything proceed according to plan with Hannah and Megan looking unshakeable.
Jayde, Jordan and Danielle provided forward drive from midfield with Lauren and Sian linking well up front.
Jayde was unlucky not to take the chance that would have seen it all square at half time. Sadly, a heavy pitch and an untimely injury to Jordan took their toll and as the game wore on, Llangyfelach's taliswoman was able to weave her magic.
By way of post match consolation, the girls were able to share in the coach's yule tide gift of "After Eights". Well it was 12.30.
(submitted by Tim)
SUNDAY 4th DECEMBER
Garden
Village Colts 1
Bancffosfelyn 3
(Lauren)
Garden Village Colts 1
Landore 2
(Hannah)
Garden Village Colts 1
Llangyfelach 7
(Lauren)
Squad: Lois, Sian, Hannah, Emily, Lauren, Megan, Rachel K
GOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLLL !!!!!!
Garden
Village Colts/Village Sports? vs Bancffosfelyn
Lois
(Capt.) Sian, Hannah, Emily, Lauren, Megan and Rachel reported for duty on a
bright sunny and very muddy Sunday. They first lined up against a team they had
not played before, the other team was considerably bigger than our girls, but
then again everyone seems to be anyway!! The girls started well, putting some
good passes together, but were soon under pressure from the bigger girls, Rachel
and Hannah did their best but couldn’t stop the strikers running at Lois and
Megan. Emily has obviously been practicing her kicking as she was clearing the
ball very well, stopping the girls from coming under even more pressure, well
done Emily! The girls found themselves two goals down at the end of the first
half, with Lauren and Sian not seeing much of the ball up front. The second half
saw a definite improvement, with the girls getting much more of the ball, with
Hannah running past the midfield and bringing Lauren and Sian into the game.
Sian impressed with some fancy footwork, but it was Lauren who provided the goal
with an excellent shot to bring the score to 2-1. Against the run of play the
other team scored one more goal towards the end after a very strong finish from
our girls.
Garden
Village Colts/ Village Sports/ Tim’s Team? vs Landore
After a
very long wait, Landore were next up. Emily wanted a change, so Lois found
herself in goal again. This game was more reminiscent of the Mumbles tournament
games, very open and end-to-end play. After a couple of minutes, Village found
themselves one nil up courtesy of Hannah, who was having a storming weekend.
Lois had very little action, except to pick the ball out of the net from a close
range shot. Lauren and Sian had some good runs and we definitely finished the
half the better team. The performance in the second half was better, with Lois
clearing the ball up to the midfielders, Village were on the attack again, with
Hannah getting the ball up to Sian and Lauren who spent most of the time in the
opposition half worrying the Landore defence. Unfortunately all their hard work
did not produce a goal, and Landore managed to pull one more back towards the
end.
Garden
Village Colts/Village Sports/Tim’s Team/The Other Garden Village? vs
Llangyfelach
An under
strength Llangyfelach needed to borrow a player and Megan volunteered, what a
good sport. Once again the girls started very well, taking the game to the other
side, and again went in front thanks to Lauren again, who was definitely on form
today, with good assists from Sian. Rachel had the hard task of containing Emma
and did very well, stopping her in her tracks on several occasions. Then after a
long run from Megan, (who in case you have forgotten was playing for the other
side) she passed to Emma who promptly blasted the ball into the net. Cheers
Megan!! Emily had to go off, and we were one all, with no subs, and a player
off. Llangyfelach took full advantage of this and the half ended 4-1. The second
half wasn’t much better really, some big kicks from Lois started some attacks,
but the ball soon came back into the Village area. Towards the end the girls
were more interested in what they were going to do to Megan at full time!!
A poor result, but on the positive side, the team scored in every game they
played, which is a first, and in two matches were leading from the start.
(submitted by Mark Humphreys)
RESULTS FOR NOVEMBER
The
statistics for November have been updated. View them here
SUNDAY 27th NOVEMBER
All matches cancelled as the pitches were
frozen
SUNDAY 20th NOVEMBER
Pentrehafod
Village Sport
0 Dafen 5
Village Sport 1 Penyrheol
5
(Lauren)
Village Sport 0 Llangyfelach
6
Squad: Lois, Sian, Emily, Hannah, Lauren, Megan, Rachel K
Another
great Sunday morning saw Lois, Megan, Sian, Hannah, Rachel, Lauren and Emily
line up against Dafen. Nothing like an easy match to start the day!
I
was a bit concerned when one of the Dafen girls on the pitch was taller than me,
but it didn’t seem to bother the girls, who tried very hard but couldn’t
seem to clear the ball from their half. At half time they were three-nil down.
What the score didn’t reflect was the excellent level of passing and
determination displayed by the Village team.
The
girls played even better in the second half, Sian in particular went on an
excellent run, only to be closed down before she could shoot. Emily made some
excellent saves to keep the score down and put in her usual sterling
performance.
Village
Sport vs Penyrheol
What
on earth went on here??????
The girls always play well against Penyrheol, the two teams are evenly matched
with end to end play.
The
girls started very well and looked to have the measure of the other team,
immediately putting them under pressure. Then with Lois the last man, deep in
the opposition half, the inevitable happened and they were caught on the break
totally against the run of play. The formation changed to just one in defence,
with a packed midfield. Again the girls had all the possession and played very
well, but every time the other team made a break, Lois found herself up against
three other players. Three goals and one shouting match with her father later it
was half time and Lois said she had had enough and wanted to go in goal. We were
four-nil down, what the hell!
The game was totally different second half, the girls continued to play to a
very high standard. Unbelievably, Lois played excellently in goal, stopping
every shot (all with her feet) including a chip she just managed to tip away.
What she did bring to the game was the ability to clear the ball from the area,
which helped the girls mount attacks and keep the pressure off the defence. With
a move built up from a goal kick, the girls went up the field where Lauren was
able to score an excellent goal. Well done Lauren!
Penyrheol only managed to score once in the second half and were lucky to do so,
pushing Megan over, in the process blocking Lois. Unlucky!
Another
good performance and unfair result for the girls.
Village
Sports vs Llangyfelach
Another
thumping for the girls on paper, but not on the pitch.
Emily was back in goal, with Sian and Megan in defence, Lois and Lauren up
front.
Emily pulled off some excellent saves again, Sian and Megan were formidable
in defence, managing to keep a lid on Emma. Rachel had a good game,
making some vital tackles. Hannah was everywhere, trying to get the ball upfield
to the waiting attackers. Unfortunately, Lauren and Lois didn’t see much of
the ball but did make a couple of good runs between them, without actually
getting a shot off.
It
finished six – nil, but the girls played very well again, particularly their
passing, with Hannah and Rachel linking up the attackers to good effect.
**WELLIE
NEWS**
Nothing to report, with only one pair on show today unfortunately,
courtesy of Megans’ mum, keeping the green alive!
(submitted by Mark Humphreys)
SUNDAY 13th NOVEMBER
Pentrehafod
Village Sport 0
Pontardawe 0
Village Sport 0
Landore 8
Village Sport 0
Llangyfelach 5
The squad of Lois (Capt.), Megan, Lauren, Sian, Hannah and Emily lined up on a
beautiful sunny morning.
**WELLIE NEWS**
Green wellies outnumbered the shoes
4 to 2; at this rate we will all be in the damn things soon! Although there was
talk of sequined wellies from a certain person, who will remain nameless (you
know who you are!).
Village
Sports vs Pontardawe
The
girls started strongly after their enforced two-week break, putting Pontardawe
under pressure from the start. There was good play from Sian and Hannah early
on, with Megan making some good runs from defence. All the action came from our
side and the girls were buoyant at half time, going in all square.
Tim had
a change around for the second half, and what a difference it made! Lois (I will
not cross the half-way line) joined Lauren up front, and I was amazed at how
well they played together, keeping possession and linking up really well, all
that was missing was a goal. The rest of the team played very well, except for
Emily, who I don’t think touched the ball, as Pontardawe only ventured into
our half on two occasions. Well-done girls. Good entertaining football, with
some excellent passing.
Village
Sport vs Landore
Sian
went in goal for this game and Emily joined Lois in defence, with Hannah and
Lauren up front and Megan the solitary midfielder.
Oh dear! Not their best performance, whatever they tried didn’t work, and by
half time they were 3 goals down, courtesy of Bethan from Landore. Emily went
off with a stitch in the second half, and with no subs Lois was left alone in
defence against up to three players, it wasn’t pretty! Bethan was running the
game, using her size and skill to go past anyone in her way. However, when the
girls managed to get the ball past her and up to Lauren and Hannah, we did get
into their penalty area several times, both girls surprising Landore with their
speed. It finished 8-0. A game best forgotten.
Comedy moment, a couple of minutes from the end of the match, seven goals down
and Lois shouts up to the girls
“Come on girls we can get them back!”
Village
Sport vs Llangyfelach
Another
team with one exceptional player, Emma. She is very short and very fast and does
not pass to anyone. As I feared, she ran at our girls from the start. Lois and
Sian in defence had their hands full. Emily was forced to make a few good saves
and tried her best. Sian made some excellent tackles and definitely kept the
scoring down.
Megan
had an excellent game and had two superb runs from almost the half-way line, one
resulting in a shot that was saved and rolled tantalisingly along the goal line,
and another fierce shot that was blocked. Well done Megan.
All in
all, not one of their finest performances, despite the promise shown in the
first game. If not for Bethan and Emma, things would have definitely been
different, I’m sure things will go better next week. To their credit, the
girls remained upbeat throughout the morning, not letting the defeats bother
them.
(submitted by Mark Humphreys)
SUNDAY 6th NOVEMBER
CANCELLED DUE TO RAIN
Another washout I'm afraid. No football again, today.
RESULTS
FOR OCTOBER
The statistics for October
have now been updated View them here
Sunday
30th October
Pentrehafod
Cancelled due to rain
SUNDAY OCTOBER
23RD
Pentrehafod
Village Sport
0 Dafen 4
Village Sport
1 Penyrheol 1
(Lauren)
Village Sport
0 Pontardawe 1
Squad: Lois, Jordan, Lauren, Megan, Sian, Emily
It
was a miserable morning at a muddy Pentrehafod and it looked like B&Q had
had a run on green wellies, judging by the Village Sport mums.
No Alys or
Hannah this week, the girls lined up, Lois (Capt.), Emily, Jordan, Megan, Sian
and Lauren to face the mighty Dafen in their first match.
After a pre game snack of chocolate birthday cake, courtesy of Lois (Happy
birthday Lo), the girls wiped their faces and took to the pitch. They had lost
heavily in the previous games to Dafen, eight nil and six nil.
On a
chocolate high they kicked off, surprising Dafen with their confidence,
immediately putting pressure on Dafen and not giving them any time on the ball
to relax. I would not be exaggerating to say this was their finest performance
all season, and showed just how much the team has bonded and developed the last
two months.
Lauren and
Sian combined well and actually had the nerve to take the ball into the Dafen
penalty area. As the half went on, Dafen showed their class, spending most of
their time in our half. Megan was everywhere, making vital tackles and trying to
link up with the attackers, taking on girls twice her size. But it was the
three-girl defence that had the most work to do, with Lois, Jordan and Emily
playing superbly against a constant barrage from the Dafen team. Emily pulled
off some amazing saves that Jessica or Carys would have been proud of, and is
now officially not allowed to play in any other position!
The
game was gripping, with all the surrounding parents watching and cheering
(special thanks to Andrew for his vocal support). Simon was not available for
comment as he got so caught up in the game that he forgot to watch his own
daughter playing, sorry Alex!
In my defence, I was on the way from
watching my son play, to watching my daughter play, and I stopped to watch the
best half of football on any of the three pitches this morning. Village Sport
played the best I have ever seen them play. They showed what they are really
capable of, and it honestly looked as if they would beat Dafen, a very strong
team. How could I walk on by ? Alex did fine in her match without me. - Simon
Finally the whistle blew and it was half time, but more importantly it was still
0-0.
Dafen
came out swinging in the second half, having obviously had a rocket from their
coach. They were all over the girls, Lauren and Sian being forced to help out
defending. Hopefully Hannah will be back next week, as Megan had a ball in the
back of her head and Lois had one full out in the face and had to go off for a
while and will probably have to miss training. Nobody takes a ball in the face
like Hannah, so please come back soon! The girls battled well, but Dafen managed
to score four goals when the girls were unable to clear the ball from the
penalty area. All in all a superb match, at this rate they should only beat us
by two goals next week and we will have a draw the week after. We’ll see.
Village Sport vs
Penyrheol
This
has always been a very open game, and today was no exception. Buoyed by their
performance last game, the girls got at them from the start. Sian came close, as
did Jordan with an excellent shot, but it was Lauren again, sprinting at the
Penyrheol defence who scored the excellent first goal. Then it was open season
on the Penyrheol goal, with everyone trying to score. Lois, the last man was
defending deep into their half. Occasionally they would break down the pitch,
but Megan and Jordan were always tracking back with them, well done. Emily again
had a superb game, pulling off some cracking saves, with Carys coaching from the
sidelines. Sian went on a run the length of the pitch, but was tackled just
before goal. Lauren made many good runs and was unlucky not to get another.
Deep into the second half, Penyrheol were getting desperate and brought on a
seven foot tall striker to try to make a difference, and she did, causing real
problems for Lois and Jordan, but along with Emily, they managed to keep a clean
sheet until full time. Unfortunately, Tim the referee found a couple of minutes
extra time from somewhere, and the giant of a striker managed to score, to level
the game. Bad luck girls.
Village
Sport vs Pontardawe
The
rain came down heavily during the match and I didn’t make many notes as my
paper was getting wet, but I do remember the first half was very open, with both
sides attacking. Lauren in particular was running riot and had several attempts
on goal. Jordan was up front with her, with an injured Megan dropping back into
defence with Loudmouth, sorry, I mean Lois. Sian had a good game in midfield
linking up well with Jordan and Lauren. The girls were really unlucky to concede
the goal after a frantic goalmouth scramble. The game then descended into a very
physical match, with both teams evenly matched, Megan, and Jordan flying into
tackles and Lois using her arms as much as her feet to make sure no one got
past. I did feel that Megan was a tad too polite, apologising every time she
knocked someone to the floor!
Try as they might, the Village team just couldn’t score, but not through lack
of trying. Maybe if the match had lasted a little longer they would have got the
equaliser, where’s Tim’s watch when you need it?
Once
again the scores did not reflect the performance of the girls, but lessons were
learnt; Emily is an excellent goalkeeper, the girls play better when given
chocolate, paper gets wet in the rain, green wellies can be a fashion statement
and Hannah is the master of the ball in the face!
(submitted by Mark Humphreys)
SUNDAY OCTOBER
16TH
Pentrehafod
Village Sport
0 Landore 8
Village
Sport
2 Pontardawe 0
(Lauren x2)
Squad: Lois, Jordan, Emily, Lauren, Hannah, Rachel K, Sian, Megan
A late start, and not a great start saw Village lose 8-0 to Landore. As I
arrived late, I didn't actually see the girls' first match, but their incredible
enthusiasm really impressed me. Not a bit disheartened, and still smiling, they
didn't even want to rest before diving straight into their next match against
Pontardawe. Tim, their coach, had to leave to attend a leaders course, and the
girls were obviously determined to make him sorry that he had to leave. They
played an absolutely superb game which saw them dominate the midfield. Other
than one hairy moment when Emily had to come well out of her goal to deny
Pontardawe any chance of scoring, Jordan and Lois were not letting anyone get
past them. This allowed everyone else to push forward into the Pontardawe
half. Hannah, Megan, Rachel K, and Sian all worked really hard, with some
very good running and passing play, and they all had chances at scoring. It was
Lauren, however who found the back of the net, just before half-time, and again
from a corner late in the second half, by when the girls were so determined to
score again, that apart from Lois who was planted firmly on the halfway line,
they were all in the Pontardawe penalty area. An excellent game for Village
Sport, and a shame Tim missed it.
SUNDAY OCTOBER
9TH
Pentrehafod
Village Sport
1 Llangyfelach 3
(Megan)
Village Sport 0 Penyrheol 1
Village Sport 0 Dafen 5
Village Sport 0 Loughor
0
Squad: Lois, Emily, Megan, Jordan, Alys, Bethany, Lauren, Sian, Hannah
Village
Sport vs Llangyfelach
It was a
lovely sunny morning that saw a full squad of girls turn up ready for action.
They tried their best, running as hard as they could. Fitness was obviously
going to play a large part; some of them weren’t ready for such an energetic
start and were soon puffing and panting. It wasn’t looking good and I thought
some of them weren’t going to make it. . Then Lois decided they had had enough
and finished the warm up! Tony had
obviously been told by his scouts about Rachel’s goal last week, as she found
herself in his team for today! Never mind, we had Jordan back, and debuts for
Lauren and Bethany.
Llangyfelach
were up first, someone had told them how good the Village team was, as they
wanted one of our girls on their side. They said they were one short? Yeah
right! Sian
drew the short straw and lined up for the opposition. Lauren
made an excellent start and had a couple of attempts on goal. It looks like she will
fit in very nicely. Bethany came on for the second half and did very well. Someone should have had a word with Sian, as she was definitely trying too hard.
Anyway, the girls played well with plenty of possession and a few real chances.
They had five of the Llangyfelach girls running in circles. Unfortunately it was
six a side and Emma on their side was a one girl football team, whenever she got
the ball it was trouble. She didn’t pass at all, but she didn’t need to, and
scored three good solo goals. I did tell Lois and Jordan to “sort her out”
but they said that was against the rules. However, in the second half, Megan
went on an excellent run, beating three players and made no mistake blasting the
ball into the back of the net. Jordan made several crunching tackles to keep the
girls in the game, well done.
Village Sport vs Penyrheol
The
girls were confident. They played well last game despite the result, and
Penyrheol only just managed a draw with them last week. Tim went
for strength and size up front with Alys and Jordan; he was obviously going for
an attacking formation. It was a very open game, with Jordan belting the ball
close to goal. Hannah did very well tracking back to help the defence, then
helping the attack. Emily did very well in goal looking more confident than last
week. Then tragedy again as a deflected shot trickled over the line. Half time,
one nil down! The
girls came out fighting and attacked from the start. Lois went on an excellent
run from her penalty area, beating two girls, and then finding plenty of space,
she carried on all the way to their touchline before being tackled. It
wouldn’t be Sunday without Hannah having a ball in the face, so she thought
she would get it out of the way early on, she must be getting used to it by now!
Time eventually ran out and Penyrheol had escaped again.
Village
Sport vs Dafen
Tim
moved things around, putting Megan in goal and giving Lois a breather on the
sidelines for the first half. Dafen are an excellent side and exploited their
age and size advantage, laying siege to the Village goal, Bethany, Sian and
Hannah did their best, and with Megan making some excellent saves. After one
very good save, the ball fell to the Dafen striker who tapped it in. Simon was heard to describe the goal as “cruel”. Alys did her
best up front but just didn’t get enough of the ball, having to track back to
help out.
Village
Sport vs Loughor
Tim
should really bring his earplugs next Sunday, as it might help to protect his
ears from the constant nagging of the girls in between games/halves. However,
they wore him down and he made changes again. Hannah was now in goal, and showed
what a big kick she has, well done! Loughor needed a sub when one of their girls
was too frightened to face us, and Emily took up the challenge, going upfront
for them, as if we were going to let her score? Another close game, with shots
from Sian and Lauren coming close, but not quite going in. Bethany did well in
defence, with battling performances from Megan, Alys, Jordan and Lois.
We had the better opportunities but the game finished all square with no
goals on either side.
(submitted by Mark Humphreys)
SUNDAY OCTOBER
2ND
Pentrehafod
VILLAGE
SPORT UNDER 11s
Village
Sport
0 Landore 2
Village Sport
1 Penyrheol 1
(Rachel K)
Village Sport
0 Dafen 6
Squad: Sian, Hannah, Lois, Alys, Vicky,
Rachel K, Emily, Megan.
Village
Sport vs Landore
It was a
cold and breezy morning that saw the girls back at Pentrehafod. No Jordan this
week (get better soon!), but Rachel and Vicky were welcome additions to the
squad. The first game was against their favourite team, Landore. Having been
knocked out of the semi-finals last week by the same team, the girls were out
for revenge, so look out Landore! It was good to face them on a “level playing
field”, and the girls were confident.
Tim was in a tactical mood, and played Megan in goal, with Lois (capt.) and
Rachel in defence, Emily and Alys up front.
It was as if the pitch was sloping as badly as last week, towards the Landore
goal, as the ball was permanently in their half, the girls piling on the
pressure, we were all over them. Vicky had several attempts on goal, and I
don’t think Megan touched the ball. Half time, but no worries, they had no
chance!
The Landore goal came from a routine corner, there were four Village girls on
the line, and the ball trickled over the line from a lucky touch from a Landore
foot.
Well, I expected the police to run on the pitch and arrest the whole Landore
team for stealing a goal!
The game settled down into an end-to-end battle then, with Vicky coming close
again and again. Megan had to make an excellent save to keep the score at 1-0.
Then, with Village pushing up to grab the equaliser that was rightfully theirs,
Lois found herself in a sprint from the half way line, shoulder to shoulder with
the Landore striker, she stayed with her but couldn’t quite get her foot in
front of the ball. They were speeding so fast towards the goal that Megan had no
chance against the well-struck shot. Good goal. It ended up 2-0, but the girls
were happy, it could have so easily been the other way around. See you next week
Landore!
Village
Sport vs Penyrheol
Yet
another change from Tim. He decided he couldn’t find anyone smaller than Megan
to put in goal, so he went for the next smallest, Emily. Had he gone mad? Was
the pressure getting to him? Or was it an inspired decision?
Read on and find out.
Penyrheol defended very deep, Vicky and Rachel must have thought it was
Christmas, running at the two defenders and linking up well together. Village
were pushing up constantly, leaving Lois on her own at the back. When the other
team broke, Alys was always there, tracking back, making vital tackles. After a
long run by Vicky, a deflected shot rebounded out to who else but Rachel, who
coolly slammed the ball into the back of the net. Get in there!
After much shouting from their coach, they swapped their striker for their
defender. It was now game on, and the girls struggled to maintain their lead.
They battled hard in midfield, with Sian and Hannah giving it their best. Hannah
even took a ball in the face just to block a pass.
And what about Tim’s decision to put Emily in goal I hear you ask? Well in a
word, she was superb! Having to make several saves, and a one on one with the
striker. With about two minutes to go they equalised from a throw in, that
should really have been stopped. Never mind, the girls had played well again,
but just didn’t get the breaks.
Village
Sport vs Dafen
Well,
the score says it all. Dafen are one of the best teams in the division, and it
showed. They were extremely fast and just ran through the Village girls. Hannah,
Megan, Sian, Alys, Rachel and Vicky did their best to try to contain them but it
was no good. Emily performed well in goal again, but the ball was being kicked
too fast and too hard. Lois came on for the second half, giving Vicky a
well-deserved rest, pity she was out of breath from all the instructions she was
shouting from the touchline! Tim made another brave decision and put her up
front with Megan, well, they tried their best, and did link up twice, but never
managed a shot on goal, with the real action taking place between Rachel, Sian,
Hannah and Alys, trying to get the ball from the Dafen side.
Overall a good performance for the first two games, but it will be while before
the girls can match the likes of Dafen,
but they WILL get there.
(submitted by Mark Humphreys)
RESULTS
FOR SEPTEMBER
SUNDAY
SEPTEMBER 25TH
Underhill
2000 Girls Soccer Tournament
UNDERHILL
PARK, MUMBLES
Underhill 2000 held a girls
mini 6-a-side football tournament with the support and assistance of the
West Wales Girls League and Mumbles Rangers Boys and Girls Club. The tournament
was based on a round robin competition that decided the
finalists in each age group. The winners in each age group played for the
Underhill 2000 Shield. Sponsored by Underhill 2000, the tournament was held to promote girls
football to the wider community.
Village
Sport 0 Landore 1
Once the
girls had trekked up the slope to their allotted pitch, they were ready to start
their first tournament. They faced stiff opposition in their opening game from
an experienced Landore side. The girls started very strongly, even though they
were playing uphill, enjoying the majority of possession thanks to constant
harrying by the midfield of Megan, Hannah and Emily setting Alys up on some
excellent runs. At half time they were confident, Lois (captain) and Jordan had
not been troubled in defence and Sian did not have a save to make. Things were
looking good! The second half started the same, Alys came close on a couple of
occasions and was unlucky not to score. The ball had to go in the goal soon,
didn’t it? After another skirmish in the Landore penalty area, Landore cleared
the ball quickly and surprised the girls by carrying on into the Village half!
The Landore team managed to beat several shell-shocked Village girls and put the
ball in the back of the net with their first and only attack of the game.
Nevermind, the girls had all played very well and were optimistic
Village
Sport 1 Newton
0
(Emily)
Onwards
and upwards. Buoyed by their performance in the last match, the girls lined up
against an unknown team that had a definite height, and probably age advantage.
An even match, the action was end to end, with Lois and Jordan having plenty to
do in defence and Sian being called upon to make crucial saves.
The
brief downpour did not dampen the girls’ spirits, and they continued to press.
Alys had a tough game and found herself on the floor a few times from hard
challenges. Then from nowhere after a goalmouth scramble, Emily pops up to score
what would turn out to be the winning goal. Village Sports had notched up their
first win of the season. Tim was cautiously optimistic, not one to get carried
away, and Lois was already asking how big the trophies were.
Village
Sport 0 Landore
0
A
character building game for the girls, with the challenges flying in.
Unfortunately the Village team generally came off worse, with Alys and Hannah
going down painfully on several occasions. The game was far more open than
before, with Emily up front and Alys deeper, getting stuck in with Megan and
Hannah in midfield. With Lois and Jordan “pushing up”, Sian had a lot to do.
Emily had chances to score, but it was difficult kicking the ball uphill into
the net, and it always came on her left foot! The game finished in a draw, which
was a fair result. So three games and only one goal conceded, well done Sian,
Lois and Jordan! Tim still hadn’t smiled and was still taking it one game at a
time. The girls were at the trophy tent looking at medals.
Village
Sport 2 Newton
0
(Jordan, Alys)
The sums
had been worked out, a draw or a win would be enough to get them through to the
semi finals. The girls were starting to get a little tired now, but were running
on adrenaline. Another open game, with Hannah seemingly playing in every
position to get the ball. Lois and Jordan were camped out on the half way line,
as Megan, Hannah, Alys and Emily piled on the pressure. Jordan got a bit carried
away and found herself in the penalty area with the ball, taking full advantage
she fired home from close range. Not to
be outdone, Alys added a second later in the match. Village Sports were on their
way to a well deserved semi-final.
Semi-final
Village Sport
0 Landore 1
The
pressure was on. Who would the girls draw? Garden Village, Loughor or Landore.
As fate would have it they drew Landore, their arch rivals for the day.
They knew it would be tough, and it was. The girls were tired from the last two
matches and had not had much time to catch their breath. The game was physical,
with Hannah being hurt badly on one occasion, but bravely carried on. To cries
of “Well in !” and “push up!” from Tim, the girls battled against a
determined Landore side. No amount of shouting and finger pointing from Lois
could stop the Landore goal, with Sian being unlucky not to stop it. The girls
had their chances, and came close, but in the end were overpowered by a more
physical side.
All in all the girls played very well as a unit and should be very proud, only
losing two games and conceding a total of only two goals.
(submitted by Mark Humphreys)
Squad: Lois, Jordan, Hannah,
Emily, Alys, Sian, Megan
SUNDAY
SEPTEMBER 18TH
Pentrehafod
Village Sport
0 Llangyfelach 7
Village Sport
0 Penyrheol 2
Village Sport
1 Garden Village 4
(Vicky)
Squad: Rachel K, Vicky,
Lois, Hannah, Jordan, Sian, Emily, Megan
The Village Sport team, missing Alys, who is ill (get well soon), got off to a
sluggish start against Llangyfelach. Heads high though, they came back to play
some excellent football against Penyrheol, before, once again facing off against
their team-mates Garden Village, where some good team play enabled Vicky to
score a fine goal.
SUNDAY
SEPTEMBER 11TH
Pentrehafod
Landore 0 Penyrheol 0
Village
Sport 0 Garden Village 6
Village Sport 0 Penyrheol
0
Garden Village 4 Landore
0
Village Sport 1 Landore
1
(Hannah)
Garden Village 2 Penyrheol
0
Squad: Lois (capt), Megan, Emily, Hannah, Sian, Alys, Jordan.
The first matches of the new season for the Under 11s were played on a lovely
sunny morning.
The two girls teams found themselves playing each other in the first match.
Village Sport seemed to have decided to go easy on Garden Village for the first
half, but the Garden Village girls obviously felt no such qualms, and the half
finished at 4-0.
Village Sport were much stronger in the second half, with some fine defending
from Lois and Jordan, and a couple of strong attacks up the full length of the
pitch from Alys. Even so, after 2 more goals the match finished 6-0 to Garden
Village. Landore drew 0-0 with Penyrheol.
The second set of matches saw Village Sport playing Penyrheol, and Garden
Village against Landore.
The Village Sport match was very exciting, with lots of chances for both teams.
Some excellent saves from Sian. along with a solid defence prevented Penyrheol
from scoring, and Emily, Megan, Hannah and Alys repeatedly took the ball to the
Penyrheol goal, but couldn't quite find the back of the net.
In the third and final set of matches, Village Sport played Landore, and Garden
Village played Penyrheol.
Village Sport really impressed in this match, with all the girls by now
displaying enough confidence to use their skills and teamwork. Hannah's
determination to score paid off, with a superb goal following a charge up the
wing. Village Sport were 1-0 up at half-time, and looking very good. In the
second half, the girls continued their great performance, but unfortunately a
last-minute equaliser from Landore denied the girls a well-deserved win.
All in all, a fine start, or as the Ramones used to say, "Hey Ho, Lets
Go!"
Village Sports U11's
Manager & Coach Timothy Ford Tel. 01792 873022
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