March 2011 News
U13s make it 11 wins in a row
12 March 2011
Providence House A 1 St. Matthews 4 Venue: Tooting Bec
This was, as the cliché goes, very much a game of two halves. Truth be told we could have found ourselves 3 or 4 goals down in the first half. Early on we looked like a team that was tired and complacent and couldn’t even get out of our own half. We were out-played in midfield and if it hadn’t been for some resilient defending by Fabio and Sola and excellent goalkeeping by Justice we would have gone in at half time behind. However, as has become our trademark in recent weeks, after weathering heavy pressure we counter attacked quickly and a neat finish by Montel on the terrible, bumpy surface saw us go in ahead.
With the introduction of Daniel into midfield in the second half we were a different team, yet a lack of concentration at the back saw us pegged back to 1-1. But then we kicked into gear, with ‘Superstar’ scoring a sublime flicked effort from the edge of the box to put us back in front. From there we never looked back. Larenze added another and then Justice, who must have the longest goal kick in the league, saw one of his drop kicks bouncing over the opposition goalkeeper and finding the back of the net.
3 games to go – let’s keep it up!
J. Alexander
Edited: March 13th, 2011
Providence up the Junction with U13s
5 March 2011
St. Matthews 1 Providence House B 0
After scraping a win last week we knew we had to raise our game for the visit of our fierce Clapham Junction rivals who’d only lost one league game all season. Having won our last 9 games, though, we were determined to stay in the title hunt. Early on we were under a lot of pressure but on the break we are as good as anyone in the league, and some good counter attacking moves soon put us on the front foot. Midway through the first half a quick break down the right was finished superbly by Larenze from a tight angle to put us 1-0 up. Missing our captain and first choice centre half, Fabio, it was up to a makeshift defence to ensure we kept it tight at the back, and that they did just that. The second half saw some resilient defending and a brilliant team effort which left Providence contained to a few half chances. After all the ups and downs this team has had, this result shows just how well the boys can play and they should be extremely proud of their progress as players and their commitment to one another.
Edited: March 9th, 2011
U11s battle against league leaders
5 March
AFC Wandsworth 4 St. Matthews 1 Venue: Tooting Bec
The youngsters put in another battling performance against the league leaders and champions elect at Tooting Bec. The score line does not reflect how hard they worked for one another or how many attempts on goal they had. And out of the five goals scored, by far the best was Deashonel’s beautifully taken chip in the first half. Another great performance in a very tough first season for the boys and another step towards their well-deserved end-of-season Nando’s treat!
Edited: March 6th, 2011
UEFA B LICENCE COACH
Congratulations to Carwyn Jones, our girls’ Saturday morning club coach, on passing his FA Level-3, UEFA B Licence coaching course this month. He is the St. Matthews Project’s first coach to achieve this standard and we’re sure our girls will benefit enormously from his expertise.
Congratulations, too, to Michael Yuill, our volunteer coach from London Nautical School, Waterloo, who passed his FA Level-2 this week.
Edited: March 3rd, 2011