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).

WESTBURY PARK FOXES U11 GIRLS WIN BGL TITLE!

Cheers!

Victory today means the Westbury Park Foxes have won the prestigious Bristol Girls League with 2 matches to spare!

A convincing win today (see match report below), put the girls on 56 points and they now cannot be caught. They remain unbeaten all season and have gone one better than last year!

Thanks must go to the tremendous coaching from Raph Burke that has improved the technical ability of all the squad. Also thanks to the fantastic support from all of the parents, who have helped with setting up the goals and barriers, coaching, and providing the essential sweets, cake and pop without which no team could succeed.

Final thanks must go to the girls who have played for each other all season and have been a credit to their club, always playing with spirit and a smile!

Come on the Foxes!

BGL u11 AEK Boco Blue 1 v 3 Westbury Park Foxes

Foxes inflict first home defeat on last season's Champions!

The Foxes arrived  in bright sunshine for an early 9:30 kick off in Hanham. With only 2 points required to claim the BGL title spirits were high, but we had seen how impressive Boco had been in their match the previous week, and knew we were in for a tough encounter.

With formalities over and the referee finally in attendance the game could get underway. Sim won the toss and gave us the advantage of having the still low sun on our backs for the first half.

The starting line up was familiar, with Betty in goal and Rhiannon and Amelia in defence. The Foxes resisted the temptation to play a third defender, feeling confident that we could take the game to the opposition. Lulu, Ella and Mara started in midfield with Sim up front.

Having seen the speed that Boco played the ball forward, the game plan was to run the ball out from the back whenever possible, and to use the channels going forward to link up play, or force the home defence to concede set piece situations that Lulu could exploit.

The plan played dividends as the first Foxes goal came from a familiar source as Lulu whipped in a corner that the defender could only steer into her own net under pressure from Sim. We knew the first goal would be vital as the teams boasted the league's meanest defensive records.

Lily takes them on!

Boco, not surprisingly, came back strongly, and a break down the right put a cross to the centre of the penalty box to the unmarked striker who fired low to Betty's right. The keeper took off and palmed it round the post to wild cheers from the travelling Foxes fans!

Betty fires forward!

A blow to Ella brought a change for the Foxes, and, as has happened so many times this season, Lily took over and made an immediate impact as a fine Foxes passing move, started by a great cut back by Mara, found her in space in the box to coolly strike the ball back across the keeper and into the far corner of the net!

Half time and a 2-0 lead. The plan was working!

We knew that Boco would regroup, and, sure enough they came out in the second half and really made a game of it. They went on all out attack, with two and sometimes three forwards intent on playing as much of the game as possible in the Foxes half. This called for stout defending, and Betty was again called upon to pull out a couple of fine stops. Rhiannon and Amelia continued some determined tackling, and, with Ella restored to the midfield, the Foxes looked to hit on the break.

Molly goes in!

The third goal was the result of a great run down the left by Ella, who didn't give up when the opposition thought the ball would run out of play. She pulled it back for Sim to fire home!
Molly entered the fray on the right of midfield and made some strong challenges and runs before succumbing to a leg injury.

Boco pulled a consolation goal back when the striker fired a shot from the byline that Betty palmed onto the post, but was unable to gather as it crossed the line.

The Foxes played out the remainder of the game without further incident and the ref's final whistle prompted wild celebration as the significance of the result sank in!

Rhiannon's slide rule pass!

Captain of the Week: Sim

Girl of the Game: Betty

BSYL Year 8 - Foxes 0 - 1 Bishopston Utd, 15/03

Bishopston Utd took all three points to go back to the top of the table from a game which could very easily have ended in a win for either side and where a draw would probably have been the fairest result. The game was won for Bishopston by a great solo goal by Toby Wales, who was clearly Bishopston's key player throughout the game. The away side looked to release Wales at every opportunity but the Foxes' centre-backs Alec and Ollie K dealt with the threat until, with 10 minutes to go, a Foxes corner was kicked long down field by Bishopston and, despite being driven wide, Wales managed to angle his shot across the impressive Archie and in off the post. Clear cut chances were difficult to come by although both sides found the net in the first half with both being disallowed, Sam's effort for Foxes  for contact with the keeper and the away side's for off-side. The Foxes started the second half the strongest and throughout the game, particularly from corners, threatened the Bishopston goal but could not convert any of the half chances they created. A really entertaining game, very well refereed by Phil Spencer, played in a good spirit by two teams who's players know each other very well from Redland Green School.

Foxes man of the match - Alec

BSYL Year 8 - Foxes 3 - 3 Thornbury, 01/03

The Foxes third draw of the season came courtesy of a late penalty for Thornbury in an enjoyable, end to end game. From the very first whistle both sides attacked and looked capable of scoring. The deadlock was broken when some hesitancy in the Foxes defence allowed Thornbury to steal in and finished well. Almost immediately, the away side (playing on their home pitch due to a waterlogged Downs) broke down their left their striker finished a good move with a clean finish. To their credit the Foxes did not stop trying and centre back Ollie K scored from one of many good corners from Ollie C. Half time came with the score at 2-1 to Thornbury but within five minutes of the restart the Foxes were in front due to great strikes from Jack and then Raul. The game continued to ebb and flow and both sides could have added to their tally, when with very little time left Thornbury won a penalty which was put away comfortably. A enjoyable game with Sam being named as the Foxes man of the match.

Year 2 Foxes v Ashley Down

What is it about footballers and how easily they are distracted eh?

Normally its beer, nightclubs, casinos and members of the opposite sex. This time however it was (admittedly very tempting) jelly and ice-cream that sent our best laid plans into chaos (to be honest, it doesn't take much)!

With the squad reduced by half, the visit of Ashley Downs to the Downs was looking a little trickier than it could have. However, with the sun shining, the scene was set for the latest celebration of soccer that is Under 7s football. Foxes were boosted by the news that Josh and Charlie were available to pass the ball rather than the parcel. Jessica was back in the team and Foxes fielded new signing Lewis for his debut.

Taking measurements from the neighbouring Year 4 pitch, the playing area probably was a bit spacious, particularly with only six or seven on the pitch. However the spaces played to the Foxes strength in the four games that followed. It allowed the Foxes to run at their opponents and the skills of the Foxes front runners came to the fore. Goals flew in frequently and the hoops took the opportunity of wiping out their negative goal difference built up over the winter months.

Josh, Eden, Charlie, Omar and Matt almost ran the statisticians pen out. Andrew got in on the act with his renowned eye for goal whilst Isaac was on the scoresheet too for a well taken and well deserved goal.

And so, with their shooting boots dusted off (though nowhere near as shiny as Morgan's beautifully turned out ones), Foxes leave the Downs for their toughest encounter of the season, an away trip to Coombe Dingle to face the might of Rockleaze. Hope springs eternal.

Player of the Week: Jessica. Dribbles, tackles, concentration and energy.

BGL u11 AEK Boco Red 0 v 2 Westbury Park Foxes

BGL now a two horse race as Foxes win again!

As spring finally sprung the Foxes headed to Hanham to take on the Reds. Most of the squad arrived early and caught the end of an impressive 4-1 victory for next weeks opponents, AEK Boco Blue, against second placed Bradley Stoke.

The climate change meant that for the first time in ages there was no mud and running around would make you get hot! and, with League Chairman Dave Winfield in attendance, the Foxes were keen to put on a good show.

Lulu's delayed arrival due to swimming meant a change to the Foxes usual starting line up, with Betty in goal, Molly started in defence with Amelia, and Rhiannon pushed up into midfield. Ella, Mara and Sim completed the line up.

The game started at a great tempo, with both sides keen to exert their authority in midfield. The Reds are a big physical unit, and sort to impose themselves, but it was a the Foxes who had the better of the early exchanges as they tried to get the passing game going and accurately judge the run of the pitch.

Lulu's arrival enabled the Foxes to revert to their more conventional line up, and tried to exploit the wing areas. This proved successful as several crosses made it into the opposition box, but strong defending cleared the danger each time.
A quick Reds breakout let their forward through one on one, but the shot went harmlessly wide.

Lily came on for the hard running Ella, and tenaciously took the play to the Red defence, linking well with Sim, and soon the opening goal came as a breakaway was hammered home by Sim from the edge of the box.

The Foxes were really having to compete in the middle of the park, and were glad of a second goal cushion as the keeper could only palm a vicious in swinging corner from Lulu into the roof of the net.

So the half ended 2-0 to the Foxes.

The second half saw Sim and Mara rested, with Lily taking over up front, Ella switching wings and Molly returning on the right flank.
 Whilst the Reds had more possession, the Foxes were quick to break, with Rhiannon bringing the ball out from the back, Amelia crunching into tackles when we lost possession, and Lulu driving the ball down the flanks.
 A further break by the Reds meant Betty had to put her body on the line to palm the ball away as the striker caught her above the shin pad.
Mara and Sim returned, with Ella W on to bolster the defence. Soon she was dominating the the middle of the park with some strong tackling as the Foxes moved to a more counter attacking style.

No further goals and the game ended 2-0 to the Foxes.

An enjoyable and hard fought victory brought praise from the league chairman after the final whistle, but, with Portishead winning as well, the Tizer will have to stay on ice for at least another week!

Captain of the Week : Betty
Girl of the Game : Amelia

BGL u11 Westbury Park Foxes 2 v 0 Longwell Green Blue

Foxes march on to 50 points and remain clear at the top of the BGL!
11 consecutive wins sets new club record!

A return to St Ursulas brought familiar weather as the drizzle set in just before kick off. Longwell Green Blues had proved to be tricky opponents in our previous encounter, and possess a quality keeper who had prevented the Foxes scoring in the the reverse fixture.

Nice Kit!

The Foxes lined up with their familiar 2-3-1 formation, Betty in goal sporting the new silver Foxy goalie top, (nice!), with Rhiannon and Amelia defending, Lulu, Ella and Mara in midfield, and Sim up front.

It became clear that the opposition were happy to sit deep and try to counter, and in the early play the Foxes were guilty of not getting forward in support, and whilst holding the lions share of possession, were too often caught in a 2 on 5 situation near the opposition box.

The Foxes were guilty of showing too much respect to the long kicking away goalie, and were not using the width of the pitch to best advantage.

Slowly things started to improve as Rhiannon led from the back, bringing the ball into the opposition half with some trademark mazy runs. Soon the Foxes were exerting some real pressure, with a number of shots flying agonisingly wide, or bringing out great saves from the away goalie. An injury to Mara had Lily on but even the extra striker failed to make the breakthrough and the half ended goal less.

Half time and the team talk was all about relaxing and continuing in the same vein. Longwell Green decided not to allow the goalie a run out and were clearly going to attempt to try and hold out for another 30 minutes.

With Mara back on the Foxes also swapped Millie for Amelia, and kicked off the second half. Again the Foxes dominated possession, and a couple of well worked moves couldn't beat the keeper. We knew it would only be a matter of time and, sure enough, Sim collected the ball unmarked on the edge of the box and lashed home to the right of the goal. Relief for the Foxes!
 Longwell Green were forced to try to play further up the pitch and this suited the Foxes as Millie and Rhiannon recycled the ball into further Foxes attacks. With Lily back on for Ella the Foxes pushed for a second, going close when Sim hit the post. With Mara having taken a couple of knocks in the game, a final change moving Ella to the left of midfield paid dividends. Lily, rather than charging the Longwell Green goal kick, kept marking the midfielder, and intercepted the defenders pass. A quick pass to Sim on the right wing was followed by a pinpoint cross to Ella on the back post who chested it down and smashed home on the half volley! A goal of the season contender.

Ameila returned to see out the final minutes as the match ended 2-0.

So another great result and a lesson in not panicking and sticking to the game plan. The girls have a real understanding, and all the squad players are fitting in seamlessly to the the setup providing great strength in depth!

A big thank you also to Rob and the team at Spire Hospital Bristol for their continued sponsorship of the girls this season!

Captain of the Week : Rhiannon
Girl of the Game: Sim