BGL u12 Westbury Park Foxes 7 v 1 Downend Saints

Christmas Special!

The final match of an outstanding 2014 for the Foxes took place at BAWA today.

With the plans to split the league into 2 divisions in the new year, the Foxes welcomed Downend for what will be the only game between them this season.

After last week, the emphasis today was on getting the passing game going, which the girls did from the outset, with the ball being worked intricately from side to side.

It was clear that Downend were here to defend in numbers, which meant it was all the more important to pass the ball around, rather than trying to run through the opposition. The pressure told and, after a few chances went begging, Lulu fired in a free kick from the edge of the box to start the ball rolling! Soon after, Lily finished off a passing move to make it 2-0.

 Daisy added a third, and the Foxes were flying, before Molly lashed home a cross at the far post after Sim had dummied the strike to set it up perfectly.

In defence, the new 3 at the back, were recycling the ball with great skill, playing accurate through balls to find the Foxes midfield.

4-0 at half time and some of the best passing football we have seen all season!

Changes were rung in the second half, with Ella W, Izzy introduced, and some novel positional changes, with Rhiannon having a run out on the wing.

Daisy completed her Hat trick, with 2 further goals, and Sim, concerned she had left her shooting boots at home finally bagged the goal that her selfless work for the team deserved!

An unfortunate late consolation penalty for the away side, caused as Amelia stumbled whilst ushering the forward towards the byeline, did nothing to dampen a great bounce back performance for the Foxes!

Captain of the week: Sim

Girl of the Game: Amelia

Foxes Faithful!

BGL u12 Bradley Stoke 3 v 3 Westbury Park Foxes

Foxes Fightback Stuns Stoke!

Never has a draw seemed more like a victory as the Foxes fought back from 3 nil down to earn a point.

Without training yesterday, and with several players under the weather, the Foxes headed for Bradley Stoke for a delayed kickoff.

After a 'Football Remembers' joint photo, the teams lined up with the Foxes kicking off into the wind.

Football Remembers

Hoping to take the tremendous form of last week into the game, the coaches were confident that the girls would turn on the style again.

Sadly it all went wrong in the first ten minutes, as the slow starting Foxes allowed Stoke to run at will down both flanks. From an early goal kick the hosts were in front as a miss kick  found the Stoke striker on the edge of the box, who made no mistake from close range. Worse was to follow as a defensive clearance was sent looping back over the stranded Foxes keeper to send the home crowd wild. 2-0 down and the Foxes finally started to play, dominating territory and forcing 2 point blank saves from the home keeper. A tactical change replacing Izzy with Lily saw the Foxes start to enjoy more possession and territorial advantage, and it felt like it wouldn't be long before the reward came.

As the first half finished the Foxes went into the break still confident that they would get some reward for all the chances they were creating.

With the wind behind them the Foxes started the second half brightly, but disaster struck as Stoke broke away and the away defence failed to clear. 3-0 and it looked all over……

Another change as Ella, the second ill Fox, was replaced by Molly. What followed was the greatest determination to succeed that we have witnessed from the girls. Molly started to play simple passes that had been lacking and suddenly the home team looked vulnerable as the Foxes moved the ball more effectively. Several moves were lacking only an accurate finish, before Mara outpaced her marker to get into the box and beat the keeper at the near post.

3-1 and a faint glimmer of hope as the Foxes poured forward, forcing a number of corners, before, with time running out Daisy forced home from close range! 3-2 game on!

The hosts continued to break, but Betty was quick off the line to block the strikers and thwart further danger.

Despite the multiple interruptions to the flow of the game as the home side made sub after sub, the referee indicated that there was still 5 minutes to go. The rejuvenated Foxes piled forward, with Mara, Daisy Sim and Lily playing almost as a front 4 with Rhiannon, Lulu and Molly recycling the ball and getting it forward as quickly as possible. Daisy had a couple of strikes, one saved and one over the bar. The bench thought the chance had gone, but as the game entered the final minute, Mara broke down the left and fed through to Sim who smashed it from the edge of the box. The keeper could only palm the ball into the net. 3-3 and the team and supporters went wild!

Just time to kick off before the ref blew the final whistle. Another 5 minutes and who knows what might have happened.

When the dust has settled, whilst it was a great escape, on another day, had all our chances gone in, we could have taken more from the game. We need to play with the intensity of the final 15 minutes from the first whistle if we are to avoid this again……but what great spirit!!

Captain of the week: Daisy

Girl of the Game: Molly

BGLu12 Westbury Park Foxes 8 v 0 AEK Boco Blue

Foxes hit top gear with emphatic victory!

A foggy start to the day at BAWA saw the Foxes take on old foes in Boco Blue.

Whilst they have had mixed results this season, we know from previous encounters that they would pose a threat and we would have to be on top of our game to ensure victory.

What followed was one of the best all round performances we have seen from the team. From Betty 'Neuer' Platt in goal to Sim 'Mario' Kaur at the front there were outstanding performances from all the girls, on a day when everything clicked.

Goals came from multiple sources, with Ella B, Mara, and Lily all getting a goal, Sim a brace as did Daisy, who also rattled the woodwork on a couple of occasions.

Some excellent wing play was mirrored by tough combative midfield play from Lulu and Izzy.
Defensively there was some great desire to track back and outrun the opposition strikers, and to get tackles in.

Yet again there was great support from the bench, with Molly playing a delightful through ball to set up a goal, Lily getting a goal and Ella W making a goal saving challenge to preserve the clean sheet.

Sim and Daisy again looked a threat whenever the ball reached the opposition box, and Betty restricted the opposition to speculative long-range strikes with imperious command of the area.

So, on to another tough game next week against familiar foe. Lets hope we can take this sort of form with us!

Captain of the Week: Mara

Girl of the Game: Betty

BGL u12 Westbury Park Foxes 6 v 0 Longwell Green Whites

Foxes return to winning ways!

 The Foxes arrived determined to put right the errors of last week as they welcomed the Whites to BAWA.
With a focus on retaining the ball and playing simple passes the Foxes got the game underway, opting to try a 3 man defence with Ella W coming into the line up.
The game pattern was soon established, with the Whites happy to defend in numbers and look to get a chance on the break.
The game ebbed and flowed as the Foxes dominated territorially, whilst Longwell Green had occasional breaks that rarely tested Betty in the home goal.
With the Foxes execution the game plan the goals started to flow, with a first half hat trick for Sim and two goals for Daisy putting the Foxes in a commanding 5-0 half time lead.

With the points in the bag the Foxes use the second half to practice the passing and moving that need to be developed. With Sim already departed to London, Lily led the line, with the increasingly impressive Izzy coming on to win the ball in midfield, whilst Molly took over in defence.

Within minutes of the restart Daisy completed her hat trick, and, whilst still enjoying the bulk of possession, the Foxes were unable to extend their tally. With Betty invoking the '5 goal rule' and replacing Mara on the left, Lulu took over in goal and held on for the first clean sheet of the year.

So a good response from the girls, and a chance to practice under match conditions as we head towards some more tough matches!

Captain of the Week : Ella B

Girl of the Game: Rhiannon

Year 9 BSYL - 15/11. Stoke Lane 1 - 8 Foxes

The Foxes maintained their lead at the top of the League with a convincing win away at Stoke Lane.  

From the kick off the Foxes looked threatening, keeping possession well and picking the right time for the final pass. A number of half chances were created before Sam finished off a great move. The lead was extended when Joe  scored his first goal for the club. Stoke Lane always carried a threat through their centre forward who, after drawing a great one-handed save by Archie, seized on a mistake by the Foxes to send an unstoppable shot into the top-left hand corner.  

At 2-1 the Foxes could have wobbled but Joe quickly put the game out of reach, twice rounding the keeper and keeping his composure to complete his hatrick. 4-1 at half time.

Stoke Lane had the advantage of the slight slope in the second half but could get back into the game as the Foxes back four, supported well by the midfield, dealt with any threat. With 20 minutes to go Danny wriggled into the Stoke Lane box and fired in his first of the day. His second followed after a great passing move which ended with Sam laying off the final ball, his third after great work by Dom and his fourth from a shot from the edge of the box.

Great performances throughout the side but Alec was judged the Foxes' man of the match for yet another great performance at the back.    

 

Year 9 BSYL. 08/11. Rockleaze 4 - 4 Foxes

Firstly it was hard to believe that the game was going ahead at all. The conditions were atrocious, with standing water and, early on, something approaching hail. We also lost Joe to illness before the kick off and, during the game, Ollie K to injury. Throughout the 70 mins, however, all of the boys were terrific.

At one point, following a very good early goal from the impressive Dom, we found ourselves 3-1 down to a combination of good finishing, a scrappy goal and a player who dominated centre midfield due to his size. After a switch which saw our giant, Tom, move in to a 'man marking' role on their giant, we started to take control of the game and Danny and Sam scored to level the score. Even so, Owen had to make a fantastic one handed save and we did concede one more to finish the first half 4-3 down.

The second half was pretty much all one-way traffic with Dom equalising, Ollie S hitting the post, Jack being denied what looked like a certain penalty and several half chances missed or cleared off the line. But the winner would not come.

There were notable performances everywhere but special mention to Jacob and Harry who stepped in at full back when Harri and Tom had to change positions and played really well. Harri looked perhaps the happiest of all those playing due to opportunity the game gave him to execute a series of perfectly timed and very muddy sliding tackles....

So, while we dropped points it could have been much worse.

BGL u12 Portishead Town 3 v 2 Westbury Park Foxes

18 Month Unbeaten run ends!

Despite the torrential rain over the weekend, the Portishead pitches had dried out enough to get todays game on.

Portishead have pushed the Foxes hard over the last 2 seasons, and were worthy runners up last year, beating everyone else in the league, so we knew that we were in for a tough fixture.

With a strong Foxes line up, hopes were high after last weeks impressive performance, but quality opposition, and the notoriously small pitch were to be the Foxes undoing.

A minutes silence was observed before the game got underway.

Starting strongly the Foxes were quirky into the attack, forcing a string of early corners, but it was clear that Portishead's passing game, and quick strong centre forward would put the Foxes under pressure, especially on the break.

Betty got a taste of this early on as the offside was sprung and Betty found herself one on one with the Portishead striker, but was quick to leave the box to make the interception.

The home team found more success playing early diagonal balls, whilst the Foxes found the pitch constraints hampering the wide play and through balls to be over hit.

The game swung from end to end, before the Foxes were caught in possession and a through ball this time found the striker with time to fire into the top corner.

It's a long time since the Foxes have been behind in a game, and were glad to get to half time, as composure and shape were lost as the girls tried to deal with going behind.

The second half started brightly, as the Foxes went on the offensive, again taking play to the opposition, but soon disaster struck as, from a Foxes corner Portishead broke and beat 2 defenders to rifle home a second.

The Foxes roared back though and soon halved the deficit with Sim on hand to poach a goal when Portishead failed to clear.
Just was it looked like we would get right back, again a quick break undid the good work, and Portishead restored the 2 goal cushion. Straight from the kick off the Foxes went right though the home team and Sim doubled her tally.

Again the Foxes poured forwards in search of the equaliser, with Portishead tiring, but eventually we ran out of time as the ref blew the final whistle.

Sometimes you can learn more in a defeat than in a win, and that was the case today. Our overall passing, ball retention and defending as a unit can all be worked on, but the character shown by all the girls cannot be faulted, and will stand us in good stead going forwards.

Captain of the week: Lulu

Girl of the Game: Lulu

BGL u12 Westbury Park Foxes 2 v 1 Wotton Rovers

Foxes remain unbeaten in top of the table clash!

Today saw the league's last two undefeated teams go head to head. Wotton are a well coached, talented team with plenty of pace, who have made the early running this season. The Foxes knew that the game today would require a step up in performance if the unbeaten run was to be extended.

With Mara still on a plane returning from Germany, the Foxes were forced to alter the line up, with Daisy moving to cover left midfield, and Lily 'Ronaldo' Kington Miller returning to the starting line up.
Izzy captained the side, initially from the bench, as Wotton got the game underway!

Wotton started brightly and attacked the Foxes from the off, using pace to spring the offside trap, requiring some sharp defending, as Betty was forced into three early saves.

Safe Hands!

The Foxes were soon in their stride, though, moving the ball well across the park, and forcing Wotton onto the back foot. The final ball was always hampered by the commanding presence of 'Big Amy' in the opposition's defence!

An injury to Lily meant that Izzy was called into the action, and the extra midfielder soon settled the home team as she harried the opposition and held up play effectively, reducing the counter attacking threat.

The action was end to end, but the breakthrough eventually came as Ella put in a blistering run down the right and, despite the attention of three defenders, managed to square the ball perfectly for Sim to lash home.

After sustaining the inevitable pressure the Foxes were unlucky not to go further ahead as a delightful cross field pass from Daisy saw Sim again find the net, but was adjudged to be marginally offside.
At the other end Amelia marshalled the defence well, but could do little as Amy unleashed a pile-driver from 30 yards that Betty pushed round the post!

Battling for posession!

The second half saw a reorganised Wotton stretch the Foxes as they went in search of an equaliser, exploiting the space down the Foxes left, drawing a further couple of saves from the home 'keeper.

Over the Top!

Now it was the Foxes sitting deeper and counter attacking, with Ella and Molly combining well on the right, and Daisy probing the left. The second goal, though, came down the middle, as Izzy slotted the perfect through ball to beat the offside and set Sim off on a blistering run, and unbelievable finish as she  struck with the outside of her boot to wrong foot the goalie, reminiscent of Oscar's finish for Chelsea yesterday!

The Foxes had the ball in the net again soon after, but again it was ruled out for a marginal off side.
.
Wotton then threw everything at the Foxes, and clawed a goal back when some lax play enabled them to rob the defence and, play an easy ball to the unmarked forward to slot home.

Further pressure was soaked up as the Foxes played out the final 5 minutes, to huge cheers at the final whistle!

So a fantastic squad performance, which will need to be maintained as we head to new league leaders Portishead next week!

Captain of the week : Izzy
Girl of the game: Ella

BGL u12 Whitchurch Sports 1 v 7 Westbury Park Foxes

Foxes continue unbeaten run!

Without a competitive game for 3 weeks the Foxes headed south to take on Whitchurch Sports.
The opposition had struggled in recent weeks to get a full team out, but the girls knew that they possessed a tricky number 10 and with a full squad could pose problems to the Foxes.

A changed Foxes formation meant a 4 girl midfield with Ella moving left, Daisy right and Lulu and Molly in central midfield. Sim and Lily upfront demonstrated the Foxes attacking philosophy, whilst Amelia and Rhiannon lined up in front of Betty.

Captain Lil!

The Foxes went on the attack straight away, playing into a fierce wind. The opposition were set up defensively with 4 at the back, and looked to use the wind to hit the Foxes on the break. This they achieved with good effect and the tricky No 10  rounded the back to hit a cross that skimmed the far post.

Daisy Drives Forward!

The Foxes were guilty of sitting too deep, dropping back rather than holding the off side line, but with Amelia more vocal the defence tightened up!

Gradually the domination of possession told and the Foxes notched up a couple of goals as Sim finished off some great crosses from Daisy.

With Mara restored to the left flank the Foxes pressed for more and took a 3 goal lead as Daisy ran into the box to fire past the keeper.

3-0 at the break and the wind on out backs for the second half! Izzy came on for Molly and Ella W joined the action on the right of midfield, calmly bringing the ball out of defence with her first touch.

Ella brings it out!

Over on the other side Mara got the second half scoring underway with an brilliant solo run, cutting in and firing past the stranded keeper. Sim and Daisy added to their tally before Whitchurch grabbed a consolation as their No 10 sprang the offside and outpaced the defence to fire past Betty.

Sim fires home!

The Foxes added a 7th before the opposition again ran unchallenged from half way. This time Betty knew she had to close down and sprinted out to confront the stiker at the edge of the box and clear the danger!

So a great team performance, and a confidence boost as we come to a run of tricky fixtures against the teams above us in the league!

Captain of the Week: Lily
Girl of the Game: Daisy

Photographer of the match!: Molly, Lily and Ella!

BSYL - Year 9, 18/10. Foxes 7 - 0 Golden Hill Sonics

The Foxes went joint-top of the league with a fine win and their best, and most impressive, performance of the season. Joe returned to action after a month out with an injury and played a full part in a midfield that dominated the visitors.

Defending strongly, moving the ball quickly and breaking at speed the Foxes were too much for the Sonics in the first 20 minutes and goals from Jack, the first after an unselfish pass from Sam and the second with his head, Sam and Omar gave the Foxes a comfortable 4-0 cushion.  

The Sonics never gave up and tried to flood forward when they had the ball but Archie had an easy game in goal, although his ability to organise Harri, Alec and Ollie K and Nick, was a key factor. Three more goals came in the second half: a crisp free kick from Ollie C; a third for Jack; and a wonderful solo goal from Nick left the final score 7-0.

The speed, strength and precision of the Foxes football was great to see and any of the players could have received the coaches' man of the match award but Jack deserved it for three goals and a great all round performance.   

Yr 9 BSYL, 11/04 - Shirehampton 1 - 6 Foxes

The Foxes travelled to take on Shirehampton and, in beautiful Autumn sunshine, started the brighter. The Foxes played some lovely possession football but chances on goal were proving hard to come by until a fine pass from Omar  released Ollie C who finished well to open the scoring.

After a quick tactical change the Foxes looked more dangerous. Sam played in Omar who scored the second. Then a fine corner from Sam lead to an own goal off an unlucky Shire head.

In the second half Omar completed his hat-trick with another two good finishes with Ollie S and Harry claiming the assists. Shire, however,  was not going to go down without a fight and they clawed one back with a classy free kick from the edge of the area and for the next 10 minutes the Colts had the upper hand but a top notch strike from the Foxes Sonny  settled the nerves and Westbury Park closed out a 6-1 victory.

Omar was the players man of the match, while Danny took the coaches award for a hard working and creative turn in central midfield.

Yr 9 BSYL - 27/09, Wickwar 7 - 4 Foxes

The Foxes travelled in expectation to Wickwar but came away with a heavy defeat after a disastrous first 20 minutes. The home side took the lead within the first minute as the Foxes decided not to tackle and, in a blink of an eye, the score was suddenly 4-0 with the Foxes struggling to play with any rhythm or coherence.

Things started to look up as Jack scored great goal but the half ended with another Wickwar goal and a 5-1 deficit. Half time was focussed on instilling belief that we could still make something of the game and the target of winning the second half. Despite best efforts it got worse before it got better as Wickar extended their lead to 6-1. From then on it was all the Foxes as jack scored another scorcher, Omar took his chance well and Nick refused to give up and got on the end of a through ball before the keeper. Other chances came and went before Wickwar killed the game off with a good headed goal from a corner.   

So, a game of two halves which was lost in the first few minutes. The second half was much, much better but we had left ourselves just too much to do.

Man of the match - Nick

YR 9 BSYL - 20/09 Foxes 3 - 0 Ashley Down

The Foxes continued their impressive start to the season with a second win and a second clean sheet. Ashley Down, who had also won their opening game of the season, proved to be  well organised and difficult to break down. The Foxes back four, with Alec and Nick standing out, coped with the away sides three or four man counter attacks, and the midfield and strikers kept probing for an opening.

 The first goal came when the Foxes used width to get behind the Ashley Down defence, with Ollie C's great cross finding Captain Jack at the far post. The lead was increased before half time when Omar completed a lovely passing move through the middle of the pitch. The second half followed a similar pattern, but only one goal came as Ed  scored his first for the club with a cool finish. Changes in the back four gave Ashley Down more space but Foxes keeper Owen was determined to end with another clean sheet.      

Man of the match - Alec

BGL u12 Westbury Park Foxes 5 v 2 AEK Boco Red

Foxes continue winning streak!

It seems like summer will never end as the Foxes assembled for an early kick off at BAWA, with the sun blazing and tee shirts the order of the day.
Molly returned to the Foxes squad in place of Emily, as the Foxes lined up in their familiar 2-3-3 formation.
Captain Betty lost the toss, so the Foxes kicked off into the sun.
It was a confident and assured opening by the Foxes, who were wary of the Reds who were unbeaten and had been in free scoring form themselves. It wasn't long before the Foxes were testing the opposition down both flanks, and the opening goal came from a typical Ella run on the right which Sim finished off with a fine strike from the middle of the box.

Sim opens the scoring

The lead was soon doubled as the Foxes followed up superbly following a set piece, and as the keeper was unable to bring the ball under control, Daisy pounced to stab in from close range.

Ella celebrates as Daisy stabs home

So 2 nil up and cruising we thought, until a Red was allowed to run through 3 challenges and skip down the right wing before firing past Betty to stun the home support, and bring the Reds back into the game.
With Lily on for Molly the Foxes pressed forwards again, and were rewarded with a penalty as Lily was up-ended as she laid the ball off.
Sim took over penalty duties and calmly slotted the ball into the corner of the goal.

Cool penalty

So the Half ended 3-1 to the Foxes.

Ella W and Izzy came on for the second half, which saw the game open up as Boco pressed to try to get something from the game, and the Foxes looked to hit on the break. Soon the lead was extended as Ella B scored an almost carbon copy of the Boco goal, running down the right before blasting a shot that the away keeper could only parry into the net, injuring her hand in the process and having to leave the field.

Ella Fires in!

The final Foxes goal completed Sim's hat trick, as a fine passing move from Daisy to Molly saw the midfielder square to Sim who again finished with deadly accuracy.
The Reds weren't beaten though as their powerful forwards combined to blast a hole in the Foxes defence and run through to slot in a consolation, and nearly got a foothold in the game late on as they again broke the line, only for Betty to charge out and save with her knees.

So a hard fought game against sizeable unbeaten opposition, who represented a step up in challenge to the Foxes. The girls are starting to see how to play each other in and are reaping the rewards!


Captain of the Week : Betty

Girls of the Game : Izzy and Ella W

BGL u12 Emersons Green 1 v 4 Westbury Park Foxes

Foxes maintain 100% winning start!

A bright Sunday afternoon sent the Foxes to Emersons Green to take on the renamed Cadbury Heath team.
With Molly absent, the Foxes were forced into a tactical switch, moving to a back 3 of Rhiannon, Ella and Amelia, with Lulu and Daisy in midfield with the usual wide players, Ella and Mara, and Sim up front. The bench was filled by Lily, Izzy and a rare appearance from Tex!

With no referee provided by the home team for a second year running, the Foxes declined the option of a home coach, and installed Y3 coach Dave Wyatt as the man in black for the afternoon.

Clearly afternoon starts don't suit the Foxes as it was the home side that made the early running, playing long balls from the back for the big strikers to run onto, whilst packing the midfield.
An early injury to Ella forced a change at the back, with the Foxes reverting to a back 2 and Lily coming on to strengthen the midfield.

It takes 4 to stop Daisy!

This had the desired effect, with the Foxes slowly able to start imposing their style of play, and attacking down the flanks. The opening goal came from a powerful run from midfield by Daisy, with a rasping shot that gave the keeper no chance.

With nerves settled, the Foxes went about their business and soon doubled the lead with a jinxing run into the box by Lily, who rounded the keeper to slot home her first of the season.

Lily opens her account!

Sim was soon in on the act with a calm finish to put the Foxes 3-0 up at the break. The score would surely have been greater but for a solid Emersons defence who were well drilled in the offside trap.

With Izzy on for Sim in the second half the Foxes had to withstand some spirited Emerson pressure, drawing Betty into a couple of saves. Her quick distribution set the Foxes up for some fine counter attacking as the wingers broke quickly. Goal number four came from a fine Ella run and cross which Daisy arrived in the box to smash to ball past the Emerson goalie!
A further run gave the Foxes a penalty as another cross was hand balled. Daisy, on a hat trick, confidently placed the ball, but the shot went agonisingly past the upright.
With Tex on in the midfield the Foxes looked to see out the game, but got caught when a clearance was met with a speculative lob that dropped just under the bar into the net.

So a hard earned win against sizeable opposition, and a repeat of last year's scoreline.

Captain of the Week: Sim

Girl of the Game: Betty

BGL u12 Westbury Park Foxes 6 v 1 Longwell Green Blue

Foxes remain top after impressive home win!

An unchanged Foxes squad returned to BAWA for the first 'home' game of the year, following last weeks switch from Keynsham.

The visitors today were Longwell Green, who had put up an impressive display against the Foxes last season. We knew that we couldn't afford to commit as many forward players as last week, so a change was made to the starting line up with Molly coming in to bolster the midfield and Sim playing as a lone central striker. Lily made way and joined Ella W on the bench.

The game demonstrated just how well the team is gelling and adapting to the new format. The Foxes scored 6 goals, and the manor of scoring was incredibly pleasing to the coaches. Daisy, playing as a number 10 off the central striker scored 2 classic number 10 goals, hit with power from distance, and was unlucky not to get a first half hat trick when another effort thundered down off the crossbar.
Sim scored a couple from a central striker role, the first a classic 'rolling off her marker to poach in the box', the second a run onto a through ball and calm strike. Mara's goals were again exactly what were expected of her position; ghosting in at the back post for one, and following up a shot for a tap in for her second.

The pleasing thing was that the goals were possible by the whole team understanding their roles and playing them to perfection. Defence making tackles and playing forward, midfield and wide players running hard and timing passes, and strikers hitting the net.

The girls were reminded of the need to concentrate, when they were caught out of position leading to a 4 on 1 for Longwell Green, who were able to run through and shoot, with Betty only able to deflect the fierce shot into the net. This proved to be the only lapse, and did nothing to spoil a tremendous team performance.

Captain of the Week: Amelia

Girl of the Game: Molly

Year 9 - BSYL Foxes 10 - 0 Shire

A new season, three new players and a new home pitch. The astro at St Bedes was a welcome change from the grass on the Downs and all three of Dom, Joe and Ed contributed to a convincing win.

 

Both sides looked a little rusty but the Foxes carried the greater goal threat throughout and several chances, including a penalty, were either brilliantly saved by the Shire keeper or missed. The deadlock was broken from a corner as Ollie K scored with his right foot rather than his head. A collectors item. Captain Lawes had a really impressive game and opened his account with a cool finish before Ollie S's fine header finished the best move of the first half, with Joe feeding Jack who's left-footed cross was perfect. 3-0 at half time. 

The Foxes had decided to take the maximum number in the squad that the rules allow and substitutes were used to great affect as the game wore on and Sam completed his hatrick and there were further goals for Danny, Omar, Raul, Ollie C and Jack. Shirehampton never gave up but the Foxes proved to be too strong on the day.

 

Foxes man of the match - Sam

BGL u12 Keynsham Town 1 v 10 Westbury Park Foxes

Everything's Changed…..Apart from the Result!

A step up to 9 a side, the offside rule, a new home at BAWA, and now 6 different schools represented, but the Foxes started the season on Sunday where they left off last year!

With a late change due to league newcomers Keynsham's pitch not being ready, the Foxes kicked off the season on the immaculate playing surface at BAWA.

This was to be the girls first ever 9 a side match, which meant a change to their familiar formation.
Lining up with Betty in goal, Rhiannon and Amelia in defence, Lulu sat at the base of the diamond in midfield with the familiar wide players Mara and Ella on the flanks. New summer signing Daisy Ackerman lined up at the top of the diamond, playing behind strike duo Lily and Sim. Ella W and Molly completed the Foxes squad.

Keynsham got the match underway but soon found themselves in trouble as Mara skipped down the wing before crossing along the 4 yard line where the oncoming Sim swept the ball in. Less than 2 minutes in and the Foxes were on their way.
The half continued with the Foxes dominating both possession and territory. The front 5 playing some delightful football, using the width to great effect, peppering the Keynsham box with crosses and forcing corners. As is often the case, Sim was ideally positioned to finish moves off, and added a further 4 goals in a half that Betty didn't get a touch of the ball. The few excursions by Keynsham into the Foxes half were quickly mopped up by the defensive trio, allowing the impressive Daisy to orchestrate a new attack. Ella W took over from Amelia at the back and Molly took over on the right side of midfield.

The second half was more of the same. Sim soon completed her double hat trick, before making way as Ella moved up front and Molly returned to the wing. With Mara scoring and Ella bagging a couple, the scoring was completed by debutant Daisy.
Rhiannon made way for Ella at the back, before Betty came out for the final quarter with Lulu taking over in goal.
Keynsham are a new development team, who possessed some good technical players, who will gel together with match time, and, sure enough, they got their break. Having forced a goal kick they were first to the recycled ball and sent it looping over Lulu with the last kick of the game to get on the score sheet, to the delight of both sets of supporters.

So a fine start, with the team adapting nicely to the new format. Only 2 offside flags all match, showed good positional awareness. Great link up play and outstanding finishing capped a memorable season opener.

Captain of the Week : Daisy

Girl of the Game: Daisy

U11 Girls Complete the Double!

Westbury Park are Bristol City Schools Champions!

The Foxes girls have had a busy week. After enjoying the Foxes end of season tournament last Saturday the girls attended the BGL presentation evening to pick up the 2013/14 U11 Winners Trophy. Rhiannon received the shield to wild applause from the gathered parents. A great evening, and one we hope to enjoy again next year!

Foxes Presented with BGL Winners Shield

BGL Shield!

Following that there was a final run out for the School team as the girls looked to complete the double as Gloucestershire Schools FA champions and Bristol City Schools champions.
A 4 team final at St Bedes saw the girls win all 3 matches, scoring 6 goals and conceding none to round off a fantastic season.

Nutters!

So a return at the weekend to preseason training, hopefully with some new faces, as we prepare for 9 a side next season…...

EoS Tounament 2014 - The Best Ever!

Many thanks to everyone who took part in the End of Season Tournament 2014. Great weather, great football and smashing coffees.

Come on the Foxes!

Unfortunately we were left with a bit of lost property, including:

brown coffee flask/mug
'Riotevents' boot bag with green sandwich box
purple, green and orange spotted umbrella
size 12 kids Geox shoes
see through nike waterbottle
black Adidas backpack with a deer patterned picnic mat, thin grey Jackwolfskin fleece and three bottles of water
dark blue hoodie with London 2012 logo on it, size 10 years
black LAGEAR zip-up hoodie, pink labels. Size 14 years
red Fat Face rain jacket. Large
North Face red and black coat. Large
grey ‘George’ top
Blue Nike top
one purple ‘diamond’ hat
one purple hoodie age 13-14
one large Dunlop umbrella
one small flowery umbrella
Shergar
Lord Lucan
one small child answering to the name ‘Austin’

Contact Sally on sals_newman@yahoo.co.uk in order to get your stuff back. Everything left will be placed in the WP school lost property bins on July 15.

Yr 8 - BSYL Cup Final Winners - Foxes 4 - 1 Wickwar Wanders

After a two month delay from the original date for the Final,and on evening where temperatures gave the boys a taste of World Cup conditions, the mighty u13 Foxes won their third BSYL Cup in a row. Keynsham Town FC provided the neutral venue for the game and the playing surface, plus the allocation of the home changing room and seating for the 'crowd', provided the perfect backdrop for a fantastic performance. From the first whistle to the last the Foxes were first to the ball, great in possession and dangerous in the Wickwar box. Omar, who was awarded the Man of the Match award by the referee, opened the scoring with an unstoppable effort after five minutes. His second, after great work from Jack, stretched our lead. Throughout the first half the Foxes kept their discipline and their shape and Wickwar could find no way back. Archie was excellent in goal, marshalling his back four and making sure those in front of him knew what he wanted them to do. Harri, Ollie K, Alec and Nick played with skill and power ensuring that Wickwar did not get close to our goal. Oliie C, off his sick bed, Jack and Harry gave us width and pace and caused a constant threat and Danny and Owen controlled centre midfield. Up front Omar and Sam showed how well they can link up, both keeping the Wickwar back four constantly occupied. Ollie S came of the bench to give Sam a break and worked really hard to put pressure on Wickwar when they had ball. 2-0 at half time. As expected Wickwar came out for the second half and tried to attack with three upfront. The Foxes knew the first 10 minutes were to be crucial and when Sam finished off a great team move to extend the lead, the mood on the Foxes and Wickar benches could not have been different. Perhaps due to the three goal gap the Foxes relaxed and for a 10 minute period Wickwar looked more threatening and finally got their reward from a well taken free kick. If anything this killed the game off as the Foxes refocused and, after Omar and Danny hit the bar and the Wickwar keeper made some good saves, Ollie C finished the scoring off with a brilliant free kick from 30 yards out. Tom, Sonny and Max came off the bench to add fresh legs and to make life even more difficult for Wickwar and there was still time for Nick, after a non-stop 70 minutes of running, covering and tackling, to burst from the halfway line on the Foxes left, drive into the box and force the save of the game from the Wickwar keeper. The final whistle and great celebrations to cap another fantastic season for an exceptional age group of great lads.

U11 Girls Triumph at Carterton Tournament!

Because Bristol is not enough…….

The all-conquering U11 girls went on the road on Sunday to the Carterton Town FC Summer Tournament - a trail first blazed by Foxes girls 3 years ago (*see blog dated 11th June 2011). Calamity had struck the squad in training on Saturday, when keeper Betty broke a finger making a typically brave stop. Lulu stepped in to don the gloves, and was joined in the squad by Lily, Molly, Rhiannon, Ella, Sim, Emily and Amelia.

The Foxes took their place at a tournament deep in the Cotswold countryside in the shadow of RAF Brize Norton. There were ten teams, in two groups of five - mostly members of the Oxfordshire Girls League, with poetic and evocative names like Summertown, Wantage, Ashton Keynes, Stonefields....oh, and Didcot. With Lulu between the sticks, and the games being only 6-a-side, some formation rejigging and experimenting was required. All of the squad adapted magnificently. After their habitual slow tournament start (0-0 v. hosts Carterton) the girls were soon into their stride, with 2-0 and 1-0 wins over Summertown and Wantage respectively, followed by another goalless draw which was enough to top the group.

The generous format meant that four out of the five group teams went through to the quarter finals, but the Foxes' top seeding gave them a reasonably comfortable fixture which they won 2-0. In these first five games, Sim bagged her usual share of the goals, with Lily also on target with a fine finish. Ella and Lily were chief providers, tormenting defences down the wings in the blazing Oxfordshire sunshine. Ever-present Rhiannon coolly anchored the midfield, aided by a superb showing from Molly. With Lulu flawless in goal, helped by some tough and skilful defending from Amelia and Emily, the Foxes were looking good going into the semi against Didcot.

'The Railway Girls' (as perhaps they are known by their supporters) had their best chance when their biggest player launched a howitzer goal kick to force a tidy save from Lulu. But the neat and skilful Foxes gradually took control, deserving an early one goal lead, before a golden moment which sparked wild touchline celebrations. Ella stroked a perfectly judged corner into the danger area, where it was met first time by the right boot of Emily, for her first ever competitive goal! 2-0 to the Foxes and a place in the final against Tower Hill Vixens, the Oxfordshire league champions.

The final was a close and tense affair, with chances at both ends, but with Amelia, Rhiannon and Molly in particular putting in sterling work to shackle Tower Hill's star player. The man in black blew for full time...and it was straight to penalties.
The Tower Hill star scored first, but Sim followed her with a rocket which nearly took the net off. Lulu then saved the next one, then trotted casually out to blast home the Foxes' second. Once she remembered that she had to trot back into goal again, she resumed her position, only for her unfortunate opponent to drag her shot wide. The Foxes were the champions!

No one player could be singled out as girl of the tournament. The outstanding feature of this day was the way in which every member of the squad of eight made a huge contribution. They achieved their success, as always, with smiles on their faces, and were praised by opponents and officials for their good manners as well as good play.

So it's yet another trophy for the 'cabinet' (we don't actually have one - perhaps we need one), shields all round, and a big thank you to all parents, coaches, and above all...Amelia's dog Dougal, our lucky mascot.

Girl of the tournament: All of them
Captain of the Week: Dougal the dog


Stop press: Betty's finger should be OK to be back between the sticks in 4 weeks time!

Yr 8 - St NIcks Tournament

We always look forward to this one, having won it in year 6 and always being impressed by the organisation and playing conditions.

With Hailey suffering a broken leg, Dave L stepped into to help Dave T with one of the sides, while Andy and Nige took the other. Each group had eight teams so there was more than enough football. Across 14 games that both sides played in total, only two were lost but we struggled to win enough, or to score sufficient gaols. In the end the Foxes finished a creditable third in both leagues, and so narrowly missed out on the knock out stages.

No doubt we'll be back next year.   

Yr 8 Thornbury Tournament - Champions!!!

Well , well, well.

Last year we only entered one end of season Tournament and decided that it was unfair to expect the boys to remember how to paly small-sided football without a warm up. So, with St Nicks in mind, we took two teams to Thornbury and, out of the blue, saw both get to the semi finals and one going on to win the whole thing. Champions! Who'd have thought..... 

The weather forecast was awful but in the end, apart from one sharp shower, we were battered by the wind but not soaked. Both sides were in groups with the Sonics and two Thornbury teams, both qualified for the semis by finishing second in their groups and both were then were paired with Thornbury's finest - made up of their AYL Div 1 winning side. The local supporters were clearly expecting an exclusively home final but very nearly witnessed an all Foxes affair as both games went to penalties.

The Final was understandably tense and again ended in penalties, and sudden death penalties at that. The celebrations that greeted the Foxes' victory and the stunned reaction of the home teams will be long remembered.

Well done boys. a well deserved trophy that reflected how competitive the Foxes are in this age group.      

BSYL Yr 8 - 23rd April. Foxes 3 - 1 Rockleaze

Another midweek game to end the season as the Foxes welcomed Rockleaze. The away side were finishing the year much more strongly than they had started it and their side and the performance were unrecognisable from when the two teams met earlier in the season.

The Foxes never really jelled, partly due to the return of some of the squad who had not been available for a while and partly due to a rejigging of the formation due to last minute illness with Archie moving to right back.

Both sides looked to attack and the Foxes could have scored more than the goals from, for the second week running, Ollie C, Sam and Jack. Rockleaze never gave up and on a different day could have earned a draw.

Man of the match - Jack     

BSYL Yr8 2nd April - Golden Hill Sonics 1 - 3 Foxes

Hot on the heels of the Foxes victory in the cup semi final, the rearranged league game was moved from the Sonics home pitch to the RGS astro. The two sides were vying for third place and a win for the Sonics would have left the Foxes with no chance of a top three finish.

The game was played in a  good spirit and at a fast pace, with both sides taking a while to settle. The Sonics went ahead through a mix up in the Foxes defence but after that the Foxes took control and ended up with a comfortable win through goals from Ollie C, Sam and Jack. Once in the groove the Foxes played some lovely passing football and deserved the win that, for the moment anyway, left them clear in third.

Man of the match  - Alec.          

Year 2 Foxes at the Clifton Tournament

Two teams of Year 2 Foxes crossed the Suspension Bridge to the Millionaire's playground that is the Clifton College Sports Ground. The sun was blazing down and the 3G pitches were laid out and waiting for the festival of football to start. Each of the Foxes teams played five matches, this time it was our old adversaries from the Friendly "League" who were providing the opposition.

Again, we were out of our comfort zone. Big pitches, five a side, goals that were about 10ft wide by 3ft tall and a playing surface with not a lump, divot or puddle to be seen. But we gave it a real go, a few (but not all) lessons had been learned and we doubled the number of wins from seven days previously as the goals flew in at both ends.

After joining last week, Hemang made his competitive debut for the Foxes. He started in goal and showed some good touches and well timed tackles when moved into defence. And there was another notable first when Jessica fired in her first goal for the Foxes and celebrated in great style. Ambrose and Jacob were the next Foxes to find the net. It took a while for the first win to come but soon after we were on a roll. After literally shaking the bar with a thunderous free kick, Omar notched a quick-fire double to win one for Dave's team which also included Hemang, Jess, Ambrose, Matt, Elliot and Ben. On the other pitch, an Eden and Cos goal avalanche was underway for Pete's impressive team which included Louis, Jacob, Monty and Morgan.

Last week's penalty saving hero, Jacob H was showing he can score as well as save whilst putting in some lung-busting running back to produce last ditch tackles that would have put Premier League defenders to shame. With Cos and Eden prolificating for Pete's team, it was great saves by Ben and Elliot that caught the eye in Dave's team. Unfortunately, Elliot wasn't actually in goal at the time but the penalty was missed anyway!

For their efforts in the hot sun, the 13 shiny medals were richly deserved.



Year 2 Hooped Heroes



Year 2 Foxes at the Thornbury Tournament

The Year 2 Foxes made their tournament debuts on a sunny Sunday afternoon in Thornbury. Encouraged by the massed ranks of hooped Foxes marching en masse to the arena, two Year 2 teams joined the Under 7 five a side fray.

Up on the Downs we're more used to 20+ scrimmaging in the mud in some sort of medieavel battle re-enactment. Here it was completely different. Firstly, it wasn't raining, secondly the pitches, marked out for the older age groups looked massive and thirdly it was only five a side. I did feel for our littl'uns stood lonely in acres of space. What the empty spaces did encourage was passing (though unsurprisingly, not much by us) and it was a pleasure to see some good football being played by many teams. To begin with our naivety (0-0-4 formations rarely work) was punished but soon we were getting organised, Elliot was flattening tackling people left, right and centre, Charlie and Eden were revelling in the space and Matt was doing everything but find the net including some excellent goalkeeping.

We were beaten by one man in a game against St Valliers (whoever they are!)which was a real eye-opener what individual talent exists at this young age. (Saw him and his mum leaving clutching an invitation to attend Ipswich Town academy - I don't envy his parents making that midweek drive to training!).

But soon it was the Foxes quality shining through. Eden notched a brace as the first win was bagged, then shortly after a tactical battle was won (by leaving our striker in the opponents half on his own) as Ambrose, Omar and Charlie all latched on to long balls to score.

But the real drama was left to the last game as Pete's boys battled not only their opponents but a young ref too. Free kicks are rare at this level, penalties are rarer than hen's teeth. Imagine our surprise when we had one awarded against us! Fortunately Jacob H made the save. Imagine our slight consternation when we had a second awarded against us. Jacob H made the save. Now, this is only a five minutes each way match so you understand the "disappointment" amongst the Foxes following when unbelievably we had a third penalty awarded against us. Jacob H made the save! I bet you can't guess what happened next. We had a fourth penalty awarded against us! The moment of truth, could Jacob do it again. Surely they would score this time? Bang! Smashed against the bar and away to safety. Never was a 0-0 draw more deserved.

Player of the Day: Jacob H, great defending and unbeatable from six yards. A true Foxes hero.

Year 2 Foxes v Shire Colts

The final match of the Year 2 Foxes debut campaign. A tricky away day at the little known Sea Mills Rec. An oasis of calm that proved a little stressful until you realised that there was no entrance, just four footpaths from the surrounding roads.

But we all got there sooner or later. Sixteen Foxes stood proud and ready for battle. The sun was blazing but the conditions were tricky due to long grass and dandelions. Same for both teams. Four games were played, the Foxes split evenly, the Colts, well who knows!

Pete's team played two fantastic matches, evenly matched against both Colts teams. In the first, Omar found his scoring touch whilst Jacob H scored for the second saturday running. The whole team were excellent and gave a battling performance against some skillful opponents. In the second game, Pete's team were on top as string of chances were created and Charlie scored the goal that was the least that his performance merited.

On the other pitch my team "enjoyed" a mixture of emotions. In the first game it was one way traffic with Matt bagging a quick-fire hattrick, Josh adding a brace and Toby firing in for the second game running. London Buses anyone? Sophie was adorned in Foxes hoops for the first time and certainly looked the part. By the second game, it had all changed. One way traffic again and we were the ones in reverse. Elliot and Oliver were the goalkeepers with plenty of back-breaking work and our attempts to park the bus would not have impressed Jose Mourinho. Still, we kept going and saved the best to last. Matt went on a solo dribble (instructions on man to man marking seemingly lost in translation!) and headed for the Shire goal. The keeper woke from his twenty three and a half minute slumber but was too slow to react as Oliver found himself in front of goal with the ball at his feet. Bang! the ball was in the net, Oliver had his first goal for Foxes and the rest is history. The cheer must have woken the posh folks of Stoke Bishop and Sneyd Park.

Players of the Week: Non-Stop Charlie and Goal Machine Oliver!

Year 2 Foxes v Sefton Park Scorpions

A sunny day and a perfect pitch greeted the Foxes as they returned from their well earned Easter break. 22 hooped heroes were up for action, Scorpions brought 14 so it was four games of seven a side on The Downs.

Foxes gave a debut to Sophie who didn't disappoint. The first games kicked off and the goals immediately followed. Dave B's team had Josh at his best and a solid defence. Hatrick! On the other pitch Pete's team couldn't stop scoring, Matt hitting four to add to doubles from Cos and Eden. Andrew hammered in another. Goal of the game was a Cos chip. Sublime.

The second set of games saw the underemployed Foxes keepers given a run out. Omar had been waiting for a long time for a touch of the ball! He was bright and threatening throughout as the Foxes found it harder going against better organised Scorpion sides. The Foxes rear guards were finally breached but there was plenty of action at the other end too with Josh adding to his tally, Charlie showing his quality, Jacob H finding the net for the first time since the reverse fixture in the Autumn and all this was topped off by first Foxes goal for Toby!

Pete's team were also on fire, Eden adding to his two from the first game, and although they were pegged back during a disorganised mass substituion, Matt blasted another quickly followed by a cool finish by the dangerous Own Goal. Tremendous defending kept Foxes at bay in the second half with Matt sending across corner after corner. Finally, at the fourth attempt, super sharp Cos applied the super finish that Matt's deadly delivery deserved.

Players of the day: Josh and Matt. Razor sharp.

BGL U11 Bradley Stoke 1 v 1 Westbury Park Foxes

Foxes Go Unbeaten All Season!

Today saw the final game of a tremendous season for the girls. An away game at Bradley Stoke was always going to be tough match, but the girls were determined that they wanted to end the season on a high, without losing a game.

It was a vastly depleted Foxes squad, with only 8 girls available due to the Easter Holidays. Regular defenders Izzy and Amelia  were away, and star striker Sim had left for the Lake District at 5am. However, with Stoke's leading scorer Daisy Ackerman not in the home squad, it looked like the teams would start even.
If the Foxes required any more encouragement, then knowing that their training coach, and star of 'Class of '92', Raph Burke was coming to watch, provided all that was needed!

The Foxes lined up with Betty in goal, Rhiannon and Molly in defence. Lulu, Mara and Ella B started in midfield, with Lily leading the line.

The Foxes were quickly into their stride, attacking down the flanks and winning most of the 50:50 balls in midfield. Whilst the attackers were getting to the side of the box, the final ball in was lacking, and too often the Foxes resorted to shooting from impossible angles, or not finding a team mate with the cross.

Foxes attack the corner!

The Foxes forced a number of corners, but failed to convert from the set pieces, and often had to scramble as Stoke countered with some slick passing of their own. Ella W joined the fray as Lily recovered from a stich.

Midway through the first half disaster struck, as a Stoke counter attack evaded several tackles resulting in a shot that Betty could only get a palm to as it flew into the side of the goal. The Foxes were 1-0 down. On the side, regular match day coaches Graham and Martin, tried to remember the last time we had trailed in a game, (and couldn't), in an attempt to remedy the situation.

Rolling up those extra long sleeves!

The girls rolled up their (extra long) sleeves, and set about trying to rectify the deficit. Rhiannon  went on a trademark mazy run down the right and flashed a cross that rolled agonisingly close, but again there were no Foxes on hand to tap home. Then Mara was able to run at the defence, cut in from the left and send a shot fizzing over the bar. At the other end Stoke also had a shot against the bar that Betty had covered.

So the half ended with the Foxes still a goal down. Time for a well earned breather, and a tactical change. The coaches realised that our best chance of an equaliser was to move Mara into a more central striking role, whilst utilising Lily's pace with the ball to supply down the right wing. Ella B switched flanks to the left.

The second half began brightly with the Foxes on the front foot again. The switch almost paid immediate dividends as the fast Foxes line caught the Stoke defence high up the pitch and had a 3 on 1 with the defender. The resulting shot was straight at the keeper, but was encouraging for the away side.
10 minutes in though and the front 3 combined well again to run at pace at the Stoke defence. This time there was no mistake as Mara slotted cooly passed the Stoke keeper to level the scores.
Relief on the sidelines as the unbeaten record was back on!
The Foxes, spurred on by the goal again went on the attack again, and a fine run down the right by Lily was eventually  forced out by the final defender for a Foxes corner.

Stoke were recycling the ball quickly, with the keeper's long kicks going 'route 1' down the slope. Betty did well to come out and clear the box, and was soon called into a brave save as 2 Stoke attackers closed in on goal. The home tactic meant a huge amount of running back afar attacks for the tiring Foxes. Stoke were able to keep things fresh with rolling substitutions.

In the end neither side could add to the goal tally, and, as the final whistle blew,  all agreed that a draw was the right result for such an entertaining game.

After the match, coaches Graham and Martin were pleased to learn that Raph had suggested the same changes at half time, to Director of Football Tamsin, as they had thought of themselves!

With Raph after the final whistle!

So, in the end, a fantastic finish to a Championship winning season. We will keep training hard ahead of the ESFA national finals in May, but will savour a great season in the BGL!

Captain of the Week: Ella Beswetherick

Girl of the Game: Lily Kington Miller

BGL u11 Westbury Park Foxes 2 v 0 Whitchurch Sports

Foxes win final home league game of the season!

Spring had definitely sprung at St Ursulas as the team arrived to find the pitch covered in daisies.

The management were concerned that the girls may have been suffering football fatigue, having played the day before. The Y5 girls joined Y4 for a series of friendlies against Bishops Rd, and the Y6 girls, representing the Gloucester FA, qualified for the National Schools football finals in Birmingham in May.

Fortunately they seem to have recovered remarkably better than the adults who all looked like they could have done with the extra hour in bed!

The Foxes lined up with Betty in goal, Izzy and Rhiannon in defence, Lulu, Ella and Mara in midfield and Lily up front.

The Foxes stared strongly, with Whitchurch happy to sit deep with 4 behind the ball. Initially we were draw into the crowded centre of the pitch, but as the match progressed the Foxes started to exploit the width. it was from just such a wide position that the Foxes first goal came, as Whitchurch allowed Lulu space and time to blast a shot to the top corner from outside the box.

''down the line, always down the line"

A switch brought Sim on for Ella, with Lily moving to the flank, as the Foxes pressed for a second. Whitchurch held firm and played some neat passing football themselves as they looked for a route back into the game. The send goal came following a further switch as Izzy move to the wing allowing Ella W on as the back. Great tackling and tenacious following up by Izzy in the penalty box laid the ball to Sim to square and Mara to smash home. 2-0.

The good work was nearly undone as the tall Whitchurch midfielder was allowed to run at the Foxes defence, but Ella W ran back to make a great covering tackle as the attacker went to shoot.

Half time meant further changes as Bea came on in defence. The second half was end to end with Betty called into a couple of fine stops as the opposition pressed. At the other end Sim, Lily and Ella combined well with some slick passing, but both defences held firm and the match finished with no further goals.

So a great weekend of footy, and one more match remains, a tricky away game at Bradley Stoke in a fortnight. Should be a cracker!

Captain of the week: Izzy

Girl of the game: Izzy

Year 2 Foxes v Bishop Road

After the dizzy heights of the Rockleaze triumph the pundits were all wondering whether the Foxes would be able to raise themselves for another battle, this time against Bishop Road. Gary Lineker said some kind words but Alan Hansen claimed that you won't win anything with kids. Unfortunately I can't print Ron Atkinson's comments.

The Foxes were there early and in force. Players, parents, siblings and, ahem, most of the coaches took part in the Sport Relief mile, charging around the periphery of the Downs and putting the other watching clubs to shame. Bishop Road arrived with 16 eager children which, after some complicated maths, resulted in 2 games of eight-a-side. This seemed a good idea at the time but the mass scrum that ensued stifled the Foxes free flowing, high tempo, continental style play. Would Bishop Road drag us down to their level?.....yes they would..

The first game was remarkable in the that it ended in a result not seen before for this year's U7's. Never in the history of football have so many children had so few shots. We love our children dearly but we shouldn't have to put up with this!.

Thankfully game number two was an improvement, and the goals flowed freely. BR took the lead but Josh smashed in the equaliser. Matt and Eden scored a goal a piece but then BR came back with a goal of their own. Another goal from Matt, and one from Josh was followed by a Bishop Road comeback. .

And the games got better still. The next game was a defensive masterclass from both teams. Eden grabbed another goal, posts were hit, tackles were made, and Felix put in his greatest performance to date. Jess even demonstrated the fine art of passing thought its been so long, the watching masses may not have recognised it.

But all these games were just a build up for the final match. This game had it all. Goals galore, brilliant play and the odd dreadful challenge. Cosmo bagged a hat trick, Omar got another and still BR piled on the pressure. Neither team was willing to give up..

The whole morning ended with a scoreline that couldn't have been closer and with a lot of happy faces. Although Hansen was technically right about the kids, our unbeaten run of moral victories continued and some extremely tired Foxes trudged home with heavy legs but uplifted spirit. They'd done their bit for charity and for the club..

Player of the Week: Felix, at his best!

BSYL -Year 8. Cup semi-final. Golden Hill Sonics 0 -2 Foxes 2, 22nd March

Cup specialist the Foxes reached their third consecutive BSYL Cup Final in an enjoyable, if at times tense, game played in fantastic conditions at Golden Hill. Both team seemed to relish the perfect playing surface and the unexpected sun on their backs. The first half started in a nervous fashion but the game settled down as the teams looked to attack with pace, stretching both defences without quite being able to break through. The closest to a goal came when Omar rounded the Sonics keeper, only for a goal-saving block from the covering defender. The second half saw more end to end action but the first goal only came with 15 minutes to go. The Foxes were awarded a free kick which Sam curled into the box for Ollie K to power home his header. The Sonics did not allow their heads to drop and kept pressing for an equaliser, but steady defending and a couple of timely interventions by Archie in goal kept them out. With the home side committing players forward the Foxes broke, Ollie C and Ollie S worked together to create a chance for Sam who hammered the ball home. 2-0 and the final whistle. The Sonics deserve a huge amount of credit for their performance and the game could easily have gone either way but they Foxes march on to the final. Man of the match - Sam Lawes, an all round display capped by an assist and a goal.

Year 2 Foxes v Rockleaze

Oops! Didn't mean to knock the all-conquering girls off the top of the blog! Sorry folks.

With me and half the squad enjoying a fantastic training session on tbe sunny Downs, your match report this week comes courtesy of Mr Dave B. I did warn him not to give the result away, but, hey, excitement gets the better of us all sometimes!

Lord Nelson, Lord Beaverbrook, Sir Winston Churchill, Sir Anthony Eden, Clement Attlee, Henry Cooper, Lady Diana, Maggie Thatcher – can you hear me Maggie Thatcher! Your boys took one hell of a beating! Your boys took one hell of a beating!

If you replaced the names above with people from Westbury on Trym and were very selective about the games you focussed on, and it wasn’t said in a competitive way, or in any way that could suggest the score, then this would reflect the mood at Saturday lunchtime.

Although fans of Barcelona and Real Madrid may disagree (and they would be wrong), games really don’t come any bigger than Foxes v Rockleaze. The level of excitement was at fever pitch as we made the long journey to Coombe Dingle to avenge the non-competitive, friendly, fun-for-all, highly inclusive, of course it doesn’t matter, drubbing we received at the Downs. Hopes were high as the squad of 12 started to assemble. Hopes were a little crushed, much like a car door trapping a finger, as the prolific Eden had to make a trip to the physio's table half an hour before kick off.

The first two games were incredibly closely fought, at least until half time. In the first game Ambrose, Elliot, Freddie, Matt and Josh were playing a team including a couple of the Rockleaze stars. At half time, with goals from Josh and Matt, we were 2-1 up with Ambrose performing heroics between the posts. I can’t quite recall what happened in the second half, and I am sure it doesn’t matter. There may have been a goal or two for the opposition but no-one was counting. (Sorry Dave, I can tell you that Rockleaze were counting, I've had it at the Elmlea school gates all week!).

Over on the other pitch there was a titanic tussle taking place with Charlie, Monty, Morgan, Cosmo, Omar and Jacob H. Apparently the cheer when Cosmo scored his second goal was heard as far away as Cardiff. Rockleaze got back into the game but Jacob and Charlie defended magnificently. Even the sight of one of their players turning a bit Alan Pardew at the end could not take the gloss of a stunning performance.

Pete and Clare's terriers bounded into their second game on a wave of enthusiasm and Foxes were off to another fast start. Monty and Morgan were bossing the middle of the park and Cosmo grabbing an early goal. Omar grabbed some playground bragging rights when adding to the Foxes goal tally for the day but Rockleaze fought back with some quality football leaving Foxes to celebrate a (moral) victory.

The final game did not start at all well and by half time the Foxes were three nil down. However with the naivety of youth they still thought they could come back. A cynical middle aged coach started to believe when Matt scored from just inside the half way line within 3 seconds of the restart, and when Josh scored and Matt got another then the dream was on. Freddie was taking his turn in goal and produced one of the greatest performances of the 21st century to keep the goal intact, and some ferocious Elliot sliding tackles (surely not?!) helped to relieve the pressure. One final attack saw the ball break to Josh who was through on the keeper. I am not allowed to tell you what happened next, but I can say that I was very pleased with him. After a couple of last ditch tackles from Ambrose, the ref blew his whistle to end a fantastic morning’s football.

Players of the day: Freddie – peerless between the posts. Jacob H - defended like Terry Butcher in his prime (but with less bandages).