Despite it being half term, the Foxes were able to field a strong squad for the St Nick’s Tournament. In previous years this had been a held on warm sunny days. This time the skies were leaden and the driving wind and rain a constant and draining presence.
With many unfamiliar teams, this was another chance to see how the Foxes match up to bigger clubs that play regular league football – many from the Hanham Minor League and Mid-Gloucester Mini-soccer League. We began in a group of 8 teams! It was going to be a long haul if we were to progress.
Tournament Squad: Billy, Harrison, Henry, Joseph, Ludo, Rohan (goalie), Stanley, Tee-Jay.
Drawing on previous successes, we set up for the tournament with Rohan in goal, Billy, Tee-Jay and Henry sharing the defensive/mid-field responsibilities, Ludo our midfield lynch-pin and Stanley, Joseph and Harrison taking their normal roles as our rapid strike force. With matches of 10 minutes one way, it was essential to get off to a flying start. In brief the results were:
League Match 1 – Wotton Rovers
A cold day and a cold start. Still, we dominated the match and went close but could not convert pressure into goals.
Result: Foxes 0: Wotton Rovers 0
League Match 2 – St Nicholas Blue
Stanley got the Foxes rolling with a well-taken goal.
Result: Foxes 1: St Nicholas Blue 0
League Match 3 – Yate United Blue
Foxes were on a roll. Goals from Harrison and Joseph gave us a well-deserved win.
Result: Foxes 2: Yate United Blue 0
League Match 4 – Stoke Lane Blue
Potentially our toughest match. Played in a downpour, Stanley opened the scoring for the Foxes. Stoke Lane then got one back though an own-goal before Joseph struck to give us another victory.
Result: Foxes 2: Stoke Lane Blue 1
League Match 5 – AEK Boco Red
Another big name club and another great performance. Despite creating most of the chances we just couldn’t get the goal we deserved and some great defending and excellent goalkeeping from Rohan kept the game alive.
Result: Foxes 0: AEK Boco Red 0
League Match 6 – Downend Saints Red
A totally dominant performance with the entire team playing a skillful passing game. Joseph bagged a hat trick, including two tap-ins as Harrison passed around the keeper. It could have been 6 or 7.
Result: Foxes 3: Downend Saints Red 0
League Match 7 – Thornbury Town Red
A must –win match to guarantee our progress. The cold and wet was beginning to take its toll but we still dominated and a stunning goal from Stanley, direct from a corner, gave us our fifth group stage win.
Result: Foxes 1: Thornbury Town Red 0
A superb team performance saw us qualify for the knockout stages as group winners. Sadly a whole morning spent getting soaked with just a couple of brollies for shelter had taken its toll. Other, more experienced clubs had brought mobile shelters to keep dry and warm between matches. A lesson learnt. The Foxes however began to fall by the wayside.
Semi-Final – Stoke Lane Red
Despite having two of our players retire in tears because of exhaustion and the cold, the Foxes tried their hardest. We went one down but a magnificent goal from Joseph brought us level. The game finished in a draw and extra time beckoned. After 82 minutes of sodden, cold wind-swept football it was no surprise that more players were in tears, but without any subs left, they bravely agreed to soldier on. It was too much and we lost in extra time.
Result: Foxes 1: Stoke Lane Red 1 (Foxes lost in extra time)
Man of the Tournament – all eight players deserved an award. All made us proud. But in the end it went to Billy for his tireless running, couageous defending and fabulous concentration throughout.
Overall, the Foxes played magnificently, drawing compliments from the coaches of other teams, including one who said we were the best team they had seen all day. Our record in the group stages was outstanding – played 7, won 5, drew 2, scoring 9 goals and conceding none other than an own goal. Sadly the effort of 70 minutes of high-octane football in miserable conditions took a heavy toll and the semi-final was clearly a game too far. However, the Year 4 Foxes have become a team that others fear to play and we know that with a full compliment of fit players, we can beat anyone. One day, with a touch of luck, our chance will come...
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