CK ANDOVER - Under 18s 2014/2015
Winning isn't everything.......but wanting to win is.
A challenging season ahead which will see the squad competing a year above their age group but one which will see the lads develop as individuals and as a team. With players leaving from last season and new players joining us we look forward to the season ahead.
MATCH REPORTS
06 December 2014: A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION FOR CK.
Worthy's Red 3 CK ANDOVER 1
CK had just one target in today's cup match and that was to improve on last weeks performance and to be fair to the squad they did. Starting with a high tempo CK closed their bigger opponents down quickly and it looked an even game. Against what seemed to me against the run of play Worthy's went 1 up with a good finish. Then we seemed to have a complete repeat as for long periods CK looked comfortable but a quick one two on the edge of the CK box enabled Worthy's to double their lead. CK then made the pitch too big by not moving up and supporting and half time came at the right time for us. We spoke about that when we made the pitch small we could compete much better and that when we did this we put more pressure on our opponents and this is turn made them make errors. To help with this we moved to two up front. CK started the second half superbly, pressing Worthy's back. The reward was a forced corner. Jordy Mumford swung in an inch perfect cross and Matt Blake provided the perfect header to get CK right back in the game. For the next 10-15 minutes CK looked the only team likely to score but as the half went on they slowly reverted back to the problems of the first half and the pitch again became big. Worthy's eventually found another goal to end the game and I can't help thinking we let them out of jail somewhat. A much improved performance with player of the match awards going to Liam Ryan and George Daykin for 2 outstanding games.
29 November 2014: CK NEED TO DO BETTER !
CK ANDOVER 0 Stockbridge 5
This CK squad have had a lot of praise and deservedly so but today's performance was just not good enough and Stockbridge came out easy winners. CK started well and seemed to be holding their own against a very good team but then gave away a penalty which Stockbridge converted. Slowly but surely CK seemed to be getting intimidated and began to make mistakes and allowed Stockbridge to take control. A lack of positional discipline then crept into CK's game and they became stretched. Stockbridge seemed to have an extra player over on almost every attack. Scoring a further 4 goals which included another penalty, Stockbridge were in complete control and were much stronger physically than CK. The most disappointing part was that CK seemed to throw in the towel in this game and lacked the fight that you need when against a good strong team. The squad took some honest but tough criticism from myself and Jamie after the game and we are hoping that all the squad take it on board and react in the right manner in our next game.
15 November 2014: ERRORS AND FINISHING COST CK
CK ANDOVER 0 South Wonston 5
With such a positive start to this challenging season for the squad I suppose it was only a matter of time before we had a bad day at the office, and today was it. Individual errors all over the pitch cost CK any chance in this game. All this was discussed privately and positively in the changing room after the game and that is where that will stay. CK conceded within minutes but then came into the match and had an excellent 20 minutes where we could have and should have been leading but Wonston took advantage of chances not being taken and indeed taking theirs well to lead 3-0 at halftime. CK started well in the second half and again should have got back into the game but a really poor goal conceded ended the game. Wonston added a 5th late on to complete the. CK misery. I can't fault the effort of the players today but we were very poor on our positional play and decision making today. Again it shows how far the squad have come that we are so disappointed in this defeat and that we literally gave our opponents 3 goals and should have scored 3 of our own. Player of the match went to Matt Blake for a excellent performance in midfield and special mention also to Justin Miller who was solid at right back. So heads up and we move on to the next challenge next week.
08 November 2014: HARD FOUGHT POINT WELL DESERVED FOR CK
Lyndhurst 1 CK ANDOVER 1
A 9:30 kick off time, torrential rain, a late team adjustment as Matt Blake was ill, and a far from great pitch greeted the U18 squad but agin they took everything in their stride and produced another hard working performance. CK started well with Femi Oduneye slipping into the centre of defence well and Jordy Mumford dropping into the left back position and this nearly payed dividends in the first few minutes as Jordy hit a great 30 yard free kick against the Lyndhurst crossbar. However towards the end of the half CK started to become second best and the older Lyndhurst team out muscled CK and created a number of good chances but failed to take any of them. Half time came at the right time for CK. A good talking to and some firm encouragement seemed to work and CK started the better in the second half only for a speculative Lyndhurst shot to take a wicked deflection and nestle into the CK net. CK never let their heads drop and the battling midfield of Harry Plummer, Brandon Tulk, George Daykin, Liam Walters and Niall Kane gave the CK defence some great protection. Then we made a tactical change swapping Liam Walters with Jordy Mumford and with 10 minutes left the plan worked. Great work on the right hand side saw the ball fall to Jordy outside the box who feinted to short right footed moved to his left and hit a great shot into the bottom corner. Great team passion that saw a bundle of players in celebration. CK then really believed they could get the winner and nearly did as George Daykin made a great run but saw his shot go over. So many top performances today in awful conditions. This squad really are working so hard for each other. Player of the Match goes to Femi Oduneye who had an outstanding match in the centre of defence but a special mention to all the defence as they closed down magnificently and when called upon Edward Farrow was confident and safe in horrible conditions. Also Ethan Stoodley and Lewis Reed shared the lone striker role and both put in great shifts. Again lads a really good squad performance today and it shows the confidence growing as we all agreed after that we really could have maybe taken all 3 points today. On reflection though a great point.
11 October 2014: BRIDGE TOO STRONG FOR CK
Fordingbridge 5 CK ANDOVER 0
It was always going to be tough against a big Fordingbridge team who currently are top of the league. CK missing Callum Holdway Lopez in midfield we wish him a speedy recovery, also then had to re adjust again as Jordy Mumford went off after 30 mins with a back injury. Although physically bigger and stronger CK again took up the challenge of facing older teams and restricted Fordingbridge to balls over the top for their quick forwards to chase. It was this that led to their first goal. CK caught with a high line. CK continued to work hard and reached half time just a goal down and might easily have been awarded a penalty on another day. During the break we spoke about how important it would be to keep focused in the second half especially early on but CK conceded a soft goal within minutes which seemed to knock their confidence. CK then had a ten minute spell where they switched off and let Fordingbridge move the ball around quickly resulting in them scoring another three quick goals. With the game now over CK to their credit got back to their feet and started to battle again and didn't let the score line get silly which would have been an undeserved reflection on the game. Yes Fordingbridge were deserved winners but CK deserve a lot of credit for their performance today. Player of the match is shared today between Captain Liam Ryan and Vice Captain Harry Plummer who encouraged and pushed the team forward to the end. Heads should remain high in the squad. We also would like to send our best wishes to a Fordingbridge player who twisted his knee as he landed in the final minutes. It looked a nasty injury and we wish him well.
27 September 2014: TWO STONKING GOALS EARN CK 3 POINTS !
CK ANDOVER 2 Bishops Waltham 1
Bishops Waltham looked a big physical team but CK stood by their game plan. Hassling the opposition and not letting them use their age advantage in any way. CK looked solid at the back and the midfield were working tirelessly. Ethan Stoodley up front on his own worked hard defending from the front. CK held Waltham to one chance that came back off the CK post. Dissapointingly another moment of indecision cost CK as a Walthan free kick was headed towards goal and three players ran in unmarked and one of them found the net. With only minutes remaining in the half to go in one down was frustrating to say the least. At half time we spoke about keeping the game tight for the first ten minutes and then seeing if we could hurt with our attacking play. The plan worked to perfection. With the CK work rate still at top level CK found themselves coming more into the match as an attacking force and when the ball fell to Harry Plummer on the edge of the box he smashed an unstoppable half volley into the net. A superb finish that saw Harry bundled in the celebrations that followed ! Then with less than ten minutes left good closing down from Lewis Reed saw CK get some good fortune with the referee awarding us a soft free kick on the edge of the box. The keeper seemed to leave a big gap to his left hand side as if to tempt us. Jordy Mumford obliged with a perfectly placed free kick again starting off a mass team bundle ! The last minutes of the game seemed to last a life time and only a fantastic last minute header to clear a corner from Femi Oduneye kept CK ahead. A very special morning for the squad today and for both myself and Jamie. Proud is an understatement. Player of the Match goes to everyone today. Well done again.
