So close......

Brickhill vs Aylesbury

With two first team regulars away today, a new formation was required and Angus stepped into goal with Ewan dropping back to defence to replace Cameron. A strong wind and low sun made conditions difficult for both sides. However, the game started well with the Hawks making some sublime passing moves through midfield and both sides making full use of the pitch.

Perseverence paid off and just before 15 minutes, Josh netted a storming shot with his right foot after a magnificent link up with Fred. Not to be outdone, Aylesbury took the game to the other end and won two corners in quick succession - to no avail.

The game continued apace and some excellent football was on display. Could this be our day? Hawks were building their moves from midfield and Niall, showing great ball control, flicked the ball through to Elijah who put it away.

However, by the end of the first half, Aylesbury had levelled the score, their first goal almost happening by accident and their second being a superb shot which gave Angus no chance. Our defenders were put to the test for the rest of the half and the break was a welcome breathing space.

After the whistle, the wind continued to play a part making goal kicks and high balls unpredictable. Both teams maintained their quality into the second half and for the observers it was an even and well balanced game. Hawks won a corner and Josh put away his second of the match.

By this time, the desire to win was strong on both sides and the physicality of the game notched up a level. Aylesbury levelled and in the last 5 minutes went one ahead. Final score Brickhill 3 - Aylsebury 4.

Well done everyone - you didn't win, but I think that was the best football you've played for a long time. The results will come if you continue to play like that.

Special mentions to Jay for fitting effortlessly into the team and to Angus for a stirling performance in goal, and to Ewan for some attacking defending.

Sunk at Sundon

Sundon Park Rangers vs Brickhill

The old cliche of football being a game of two halves was never truer than today!

Brickhill started well and went on the attack from the beginning, winning a couple of corners in the first few minutes. Ewan managed a left foot shot which almost went in. Looked like we were in for a thriller! And so it proved to be. Dom's reactions were quick as a fox, Sam Hall took a ball in the face, the game was end to end with Sundon never looking much of a threat. Only the sticky pitch looked like upsetting the run of play.

Some strong build up play between Niall and Fred gave Ali a chance to score his debut goal. 1-0 to Brickill after about ten minutes. This seemed to fire both teams up and Sundon launched a series of attacks, one of which resulted in Dominic plucking the ball almost from the foot of a Sundon player with lightning reactions.

Sandra and Darren made a switch when Sam H was injured. Angus came on despite feeling unwell and made some strong challenges. There was some strong defending at both ends and Brickhill seemed to at last have grasped the princple of taking chances when they arose. All were playing with one aim in mind - to consolidate the score. Sam Crouch ran one of the opposition off the ball in what was a certain goal scoring opportunity. After sustained intimidation from his marker, Niall let his feet do the talking and lobbed the keeper from a tight angle near the side line to make it 2-0.

Half time arrived and Brickhill players and supporters were upbeat.......

35 minutes later, somehow the score was Sundon 3 - Brickhill 2. This was despite a string of fantastic saves from a very brave and hard working Dom, some intelligent reading of the game from Niall, some good defending from all the back four and solid play from everyone else. No-one made any mistakes and everyone contributed to the team effort.

We didn't have luck with us today, but take heart from the performance boys - it will come!

Brickhill B vs Brickhill A

No match report - just a list of goal scorers to celebrate a comprehensive 10 -1 cup win!

Sam - perfectly timed for Adrian's birthday
Ewan - hat-trick
Niall - hat-trick
Elijah
Fred
CAMERON - first goal for two seasons

I can't remember the order - I'm sure someone will tell me!

An all round good performance and good practice for the forthcoming games. Keep up the good work lads!

Fixtures to end of December

CHILTERN YOUTH FOOTBALL LEAGUE - SUNDAY AM Fixtures
Under 13 *** Division Two

Date - 02/11/08
Sundon Park Rangers A v Brickhill Wanderers @ Leagreave Park Jnr

Date - 09/11/08
Brickhill Wanderers v Aylesbury Athletic FC @ Newnham

Date - 16/11/08
E B Lions AFC v Brickhill Wanderers @ Holmans Field

Date - 23/11/08
Brickhill Wanderers v Luton Borough Youth FC @ Newnham

Date - 30/11/08
LEAGUE CUP details tbc

Date - 07/12/08
Bedford FC A v Brickhill Wanderers @ Southfields, Bedford

Date - 14/12/08
Brickhill Wanderers v Bushmead Rovers FC A @ Newnham

Date - 21/12/08
Brickhill Wanderers v E B Lions AFC @ Newnham

Don't lose heart!

Brickhill vs Sacred Heart

On first appearances, Sacred Heart didn't look like threatening opposition, and indeed, Brickhill had the better start with some good passing within the first few minutes. Josh had two good shots early on and there was some good link up play in our midfield. Ewan sent a shot just wide, and then he and Niall had a shot each on target. Meanwhile at the other end, Sacred Heart broke away and had a shot on goal. All our back four made some strong tackles and the game looked like being a well balanced match. However, a dip in concentration saw Sacred Heart take their opportunity and in the 11th minute, they scored.

The game then stepped up a gear and both sides increased the level of attack. Dom made a fantastic save while stretched on the floor. Ewan, Greg and Niall linked up with some excellent short passing in midfield. After an incident in the 22nd minute, which I didn't see (chatting), Brickhill were awarded a penalty. Elijah stepped up and shot... but the keeper saved it. Perhaps we didn't have luck on our side today......

In the 23rd minute, something happened for the first time this season - we put on a sub. Fred, sufficiently rested from his rib injury came on for Angus and got right to work, making good runs and getting in position for the feeds from midfield. Sacred Heart in the meantime took every opportunity which came their way, winning a corner. This was picked up by Cameron who made a run down the length of the left wing. He crossed it in and just about all our team got a touch before Sacred Heart cleared away.

Half time - Sacred Heart 1, Brickhill 0

Here are the highlights of the ten minutes of the second half - Dom made a splendid save, Ewan had a lob shot, Sam made a good block and Josh sent in a good shot.

Suddenly however, Sacred Heart upped the pace and within the space of 5 minutes put two more goals away. In an effort to gee up the Brickhill boys, Sandra changed the formation. Angus went up front, Cameron went to right back, Josh to left back and Elijah to left wing.

Sadly, luck really wasn't on our side and after a goal mouth scramble, Sacred Heart scored again. Despite all the boys making a huge effort, it wasn't our day. Dom and Cam both sustained injuries and all efforts came to nought. Sacred Heart kept working hard and managed to put a fifth away.

Final score, Sacred Heart 5 - Brickhill 0.

A long drive home, but better luck next week boys. Keep going!

County Cup Encounters

Brickhill vs Luton Borough


Boyed up by last week's victory, the Hawks hoped to repeat their winning performance and duplicate the fantastic cup run of last season. Luton turned out to be one of the biggest and tallest sides many of us had ever seen, and as a Div 1 side, we knew it would be a challenge to get a result out of this game.

Within moments of the kick off, Dom made a great save from a Luton power shot, and the score remained level until Luton scored after 10 minutes. Our defence remained strong and we held well in midfield through a continuous barrage of attacks. Unfortunately, Luton were stronger and two more goals went in, one off the post.


However, the Hawks kept their heads up, even after some of the worst supporter behaviour I have ever witnessed at junior level, and we ended the half with two very strong attacks which involved most of our players. Things were looking up for the second half and the Hawks came out after the break in determined mood.


Dom was put under pressure straight away and made a spectacular save which drew admiration from both sets of supporters. Cameron seemed to have the measure of his much taller opponent and made a fierce run down almost the entire length of the left wing. Both Sams were fearless in defence, Ewan and Greg held well in the centre and Niall created many chances. Suddenly, from good build up play, Josh found the back of the net; 3-1 and hotting up!

Luton went on the attack again and all our defenders had to work hard to prevent them from increasing their tally. Brickhill however had found their form and some exciting play ensued. An attack was launched from the midfield area and a chance fell for Elijah - just wide! Minutes later Ewan and Niall combined to score Brickhill's second goal. 3-2 and everything to play for!

Determined defending again from Brickhill but after a period of continued pressure, Luton managed to score to make it 4 -2. Dom remained alert and made a spectacular save, but shortly after, Luton scored again effectively putting the game out of reach for Brickhill.

However, the Hawks didn't let their heads go down - Greg had a shot just wide, Dom saved another blinder and Niall ran up to the last seconds.

A good and well disciplined display from all the players. And what a shameful lot of litter louts Luton turned out to be!!

Hawks soar to victory!

Well, the title says it all..... but here's the highlights.

With Fred out for some weeks with a rib injury, Angus took his place up front - would the new look line up pay off?

• The Hawks came out flying and went on the attack straight away. Passing was good from the start and the midfield looked to be in business, pushing forward and giving space for the defence to make their own runs when necessary.
• Half way through the first half, Ewan received the ball outside the penalty area and took a shot which went over the keeper into the back of the net.
  
• Very strong defending from all the defence with good passes forward
• Intelligent passing within and from the midfield
• Forwards ready to receive the ball at all times
• Dom's safe hands, even with a wet slippery ball
  
• Good pass through from Greg to Niall who tapped it round the keeper to a waiting Elijah who found the back of the net
• Staying calm even though the last few minutes were interminable

Well done boys for keeping your discipline far better than the opposition. EVERYONE played well, and it was a thoroughly deserved victory - hopefully the first of many. Good show Fred for turning up to support your team on one of the wettest days we've had.

Result
Barton 1 : 2 Brickhill Wanderers

Getting there....

Another sunny day, and the Hawks were in their red second kit. Bedford FC's goalie had also put on his red kit and there was some confusion when Brickhill attacked almost from the whistle as to who the extra player in the box was. However, it was to our advantage as Ewan powered his first goal of the season within the first two minutes. Bedford FC's goalie put on a bib.

A period of tight defending followed particularly from Sam H and Greg, with some good work in the air from Fred as Bedford upped the pressure . However, after a good move, Bedford FC evened the score after 12 minutes. This seemed to spur them on and they continued to pressurise our defence forcing Dom to make a series of spectacular saves, despite being winded by one of the assaults on goal. Eventually, one of their efforts went in - and the Hawks were 2 - 1 down.

Tense moments followed and the spectators began to feel nervous, especially when the ball went into the back of the net again. Fortunately for Brickhill, the goal was disallowed because of a handball in the area, and the score remained the same as the boys went off for halftime.

Darren focussed on the importance of talking to each other, our need to be organised and the requirement to stop panicking, emphasising the fact that the boys are perfectly capable of playing good solid football if they just settle down and think about what they're doing.

Both teams had fired up during the break and the pace picked up straight from the restart. A foul by Bedford gave us a free kick on the half way line, and we followed on with some good team play resulting in a couple of real chances on goal. The Hawks were battling well all over the pitch with some determined tackles and attacking runs. Another free kick from half way - Ewan fed the ball in to the area - it hit one of Bedford's defenders - and Elijah tucked it away. Two all and everything to play for!

Everyone was working hard as Bedford piled on the pressure again. Dom made some more great saves, both Sams, Angus and David cleared loads of balls away, Josh's "Ronaldo"skills in midfield entertained the crowd and Niall made some of his great runs. So it was hugely disappointing when Bedford managed to break through our defence and put their third away.

The Hawks kept their heads up though, and Niall took another free kick from outside the box which went just wide. Bedford were true to their reputation as a physical team and there was some hard battling for possession. The last couple of minutes were filled with Brickhill efforts but sadly the Hawks final break came to nought as the referee blew for full time.

So, 3-2 to Bedford FC, but Brickhill can take heart from an improved performance full of potential.

10 positive things to take away from Sunday's game against Luton Borough and 3 things to work on

Positive things
1. There was some excellent link up play, particularly between Fred and Niall

2. There was a fair amount of up and down play, the ball not sticking in anybody's half for too long

3. The Hawks made good use of the full width of the pitch with work on both wings

4. Our defenders and keeper worked hard throughout the game (despite the scoreline)

5. Midfielders fed the ball through well to the forwards who made the most of their chances

6. Elijah's free kick should be on Match of the Day Goal of the Season, being better than Robinho's the day before

7. We scored three goals in ten minutes - marvellous to watch

8. It wasn't a difficult game to watch until the last 20 minutes - before that, it was well balanced

9. Every professional player has been thumped by 7 goals some time in his career

10. At least it was sunny, and the scenery was interesting

Things to work on
1. Don't rest on your laurels when you've evened things up

2. Keep your heads up and motivate each other

3. Forget about it and move on to the next game with a fresh mind set

Conclusion
Moving up a division is not a walk in the park

New division – new challenge.

Could the Hawks replicate Hull City's storming opening day?

A new home ground for the Hawks this season, Newnham Middle School providing the venue. Unfortunately the pitch could have won the prize lawn category at Kew Gardens, the grass being lush and long. Valiant attempts were made by Adrian and Sarah to rake off the cuttings and paint the lines before kick off, but there was still plenty of loose wet grass on the pitch as the boys lined up against Crawley Green for their first foray into Division 2. With Angus away, no one was under any illusions about the task ahead!

Crawley Green went on the attack straight away. David had to make a series of clearances from the defence but within the first three minutes, the visitors were awarded two corners. The attack continued and their third bid went in. Five minutes later, another corner, some confusion in defence and Crawley Green scored again. 2 – 0 down within 10 minutes – the Hawks needed to turn the game around.

With great fortitude, the boys kicked off. Hawks managed to win and retain possession well, when Niall picked up a clearance from midfield and had a shot at goal. Crawley Green were playing a physical game and did not intend to let Brickhill through too often, but undaunted, Niall broke through their defence again and scored a great goal on 13 minutes. That's more like it Hawks!

Crawley Green made their own break away attack and powered in an opportune shot from the edge of the (non existent) penalty area. Some end to end play followed with both teams breaking through the midfields. Niall and Fred had shots at goal and both teams had to work hard to defend their own nets. Shouts of “Get the tackles in!” resounded from the home supporters who by this time had woken up a bit with all the excitement!

The pitch was proving difficult to run on and players from both sides were slipping everywhere. The next few minutes was eventful – some nice line work from Ewan, brave saving from Dom and shot on target by Josh which fell to the CG keeper. Against the run of play, Sam H flicked through to Niall who ran nearly half the length of the pitch and powered the ball past the keeper. Back to even Stevens!

The end to end play continued with all players contributing well to a good team effort. Towards the half time whistle however, the Hawks' concentration slipped and CG were able to pull a goal out of nowhere. Some more forceful attacks from Brickhill with Niall, Fred and Elijah linking up well, only for a shot to go wide.

Half time....and it's raining!

The Hawks were shooting downhill for the second half and started strongly. Fred came through from midfield but the shot went over. Sam C made a stirling block at our end. Greg's ankle looked to be causing concern, but he bravely got up to carry on. Suddenly, CG broke through and scored again to increase their tally to 4.

So the boys were two down again and CG seemed buoyed up by their good fortune; another of their shots rebounded off the cross bar. However, the Hawks didn't let their heads go down. Some excellent passing saw Elijah, Niall and Fred link up to score our 3^rd goal. Another eventful period after the restart, Niall ran round loads of their defenders but shot just wide, a free kick to us after Fred was brought down, another bone crushing block by Sam C and a series of brave saves by both keepers. Excitement (stress!) on the touchline was mounting to the point where Alan stood up.

Continued pressure from the Hawks resulted in a corner. Shortly after, the ball came out to the edge of the penalty area where it fell to Josh who wellied it in to the back of the net. Four all and everything to play for! More opportunities for Niall and some good link up play between Josh and Ewan meant the players and supporters thought that we could take all the points. Despite strong defending and some sharp tackles from Cameron, CG managed to score again

No football game is complete without controversy which came when Elijah went down apparently unseen by the ref during which time CG scored again. Despite protestations, the decision stood and Hawks were 4-6 down with very little time left.

True to the Hawks style, they weren't going down without a fight and Niall made a fantastic effort to score his hat-trick. Sadly, time ran away from us and the final whistle blew.

So, no points for the Hawks, but a very determined and promising start to the new season. All players put in 100% effort, looked fit and worked hard. Well done boys!

Cambridge Tournament - Sunday 31st August (Thanks to Adrian for this detailed account of the day's events)

On a dull and foggy day, the team arrived at the tournament venue and after registering we all made our way to what was nearly the furthest point away from the entrance. The first match was not until 11a.m. so the team had a fair while to get into game mode and warm up. After what seemed like an age, it was show time. On went the team with a new look defence. Short of Angus (on his hols), the team lined up with Dom in goal a new back four of Cameron, Sam H, Sam C and David slotting into the right back position. In midfield, Josh was on the left, Ewan and Greg in centre and Niall on the right - Elijah and Fred up front.

All the players seemed up for the game, some players calling out to each other ready for the kick off. Once under way it seemed that it was going to be one of those days when we needed to wake up quickly as the other team came at us from the start. After gaining the ball in midfield and quick passing to the front, a shot from Elijah went just wide of the goal. From the goal kick the ball soon found its way in front of the defence and with some quick thinking by both Sams the danger soon passed.

Within moments, the other team broke through the defence and their striker looked to be one on one against Dom who came out, making himself big, resulting in a fantastic save which was cleared by Sam H up to Ewan and away out of danger. Yet again they came at the defence and Dom made another save to keep the game all square.

Into the 2nd half the team started to play some good football, passing the ball well and creating a couple of close chances, one by Ewan and another by Fred. There were some fantastic tackles made by the whole back four, and some very creative passing from defence. David, playing in this new position, had some good tackles and covered well down the right side linking well with Niall. Another near miss by Elijah, and a shot just wide by Ewan just before the end of the game made the end result 0-0.

After what seemed an age, it was time for the 2nd match. The game started much better for the team - passing was quick and to feet with both Ewan and Elijah having good efforts on goal. The defence held its line well; Sam H using his head well and Sam C making good tackles. A clearance by Sam H was passed to Ewan, then on to Josh who ran down the wing, beating one player before passing the ball onto Elijah whose shot on goal was cleared for a corner. With Darren calling the positions from the sideline, Sam H went up for the corner while Sam C and David covered the defence, David taking a position just in front of Sam C in the centre circle.

Elijah took the corner and after a couple of snap shots, the ball fell to Fred who wellied it towards goal where it seemed to hit the top of the net and bounce down behind the line. Alas the ref declared no goal. More chances came the team's way with Greg having a shot and Josh shooting just wide. Niall made some clever runs down the right side of attack, but for some tight tackling from the other team, all chances came to nothing.

2nd half... the defence was called apon again and was soon cleared by Cameron passing the ball down the wing to Josh who went on a run passed a couple of players before losing out in a tackle. A few minutes later a free kick was awarded to us. After looking up, Sam H kicked the ball up the field making a good pass to Ewan who then fed the ball onto Fred. He ran round a couple of players before passing to Niall who then ran to the corner before crossing the ball over for Elijah to shoot - oh no! against the post and wide! Greg got stuck in with the tackles and won the ball on nearly all of them. With shots going just wide, it seemed yet again that the ball would not fall just right for us to score. Game ending yet again 0-0

After another long wait, match 3 arrived. Both Sandra and Darren gave the team talk, making the players aware of what they needed to do in the last game. Straight from the start the team passed the ball well, from the defence to midfield and on to the forward players. Elijah went on a run, passing two players before kicking the ball out to Josh who clipped the ball over for Greg to just shoot wide. Another free kick came our way - Darren shouted out for Sam H to look at his options. With that, Sam H kicked the ball up field for Ewan to control and then to pass out to Niall who ran to the corner.After beating off two tackles, he passed the ball on to Fred who flicked it over for Elijah to have a strike at goal.

After a scramble in the defence, a corner came our way. Elijah looked to take a long kick which landed at the feet of Fred who turned a couple of players before passing to Ewan whose shot went just wide. From the goal kick we managed to win back the ball, firstly by Greg and then by Josh who ran to the corner making good ground. He then passes on to Elijah who ran into some tough tackles, the ball ending up being cleared by the defence. Yet again, winning the ball in midfield through Greg and Ewan, we broke down the right side this time, Niall going on a good run but yet again the shot went wide. 2nd half...

Straight from the kick off the team were battling for the ball, tackles being made and won by the midfield and defence. Free kick again this time; Darren shouted for Ewan to take it - he chipped the ball over the defence towards Josh who shot on the volley only for it to go over the bar. After winning the ball from the goal kick and with time running out, the ball went forward, and as a result we ended up with a corner.

Darren sent Sam H up again - this time the ball was kicked to the front of the box and was headed on by Fred. Then the shot came in from Ewan but was saved by the keeper. Cleared by the keeper the ball was worked out to the wing where Josh took control, and with some fast feet ran towards the box, passed on to Elijah who managed to force yet another corner. Darren shouted for both Sams to go! Elijah took the corner and sent the ball towards the back post where it was met by Sam H, who headed it on towards goal. It bounced down on the inside of the goal post and over the line. Goal!!!! ....but no, not given and the opposition cleared their lines.

It was just not to be our day! Three games played - no goals scored, but none conceded either.

Then the waiting started to see where we finished. After some score checking by Darren and some calculating by Sandra it worked out that the last game in the group needed to be a scoreless draw for us to end up having to go into a toss of a coin to see who finished 2nd in the group! After waiting over an hour, the final games were played, and a goal was scored in the last game which meant that we were on our way home.......

Fixtures to end of October

CHILTERN YOUTH FOOTBALL LEAGUE - SUNDAY AM Fixtures
Under 13 *** Division Two

Date - 07/09/08 - League
BRICKHILL WANDERERS FC A v CRAWLEY GREEN YTH FC A @ NEWNHAM SCHOOL

Date - 14/09/08 - League
LUTON BOROUGH YOUTH FC A v BRICKHILL WANDERERS FC A @ STOCKWOOD PARK JNR

Date - 21/09/08 - COUNTY CUP U13 - Rnd 2
BRICKHILL WANDERERS FC A v LUTON UNITED FC @ NEWNHAM SCHOOL

Date - 28/09/08- League
BRICKHILL WANDERERS FC A v BEDFORD FC A @ NEWNHAM SCHOOL

Date - 05/10/08- League
BARTON ROVERS YOUTH FC A v BRICKHILL WANDERERS FC A @ BARTON 2

Date - 19/10/08- League
SACRED HEART FC v BRICKHILL WANDERERS FC A @ LOTHAIR RD 2

Date - 26/10/08 - League Cup U13 - Rnd 1
BRICKHILL WANDERERS FC B v BRICKHILL WANDERERS FC A @ NEWNHAM SCHOOL

Sporting Achievement

Congratulations to Sandra, Darren and the whole team and all those who support it, on becoming the Chiltern League Sporting Award winners for 2007/08.

This trophy is awarded on season-long matchday scoring of sporting attitudes of the players, club officials, parents and supporters so everyone has played a part in this achievement.

To win this, Brickhill Hawks was competing against 64 teams in 6 divisions at U-12, so it's quite significant.

Perhaps this had some bearing on the other news de-jour: promotion to play in Division 2 of the league in the coming season !

We know them so well ...

Germany advance to the Euro2008 semi-finals after being less than convincing in pre-qualification and then in the group stages.

I think we see how this may all end up ....

A Game

Whilst waiting for news of Hawks' placing in the 2008/09 season (Div 2 or 3 ... that is the question), I do notice that the team has been promoted in one sense - it is now denoted the U-13 "A" team on the official website.

Fantasy Football ?

Mel, Derek and I talked about whether there is interest among Hawks supporters (and/or Hawks players) to put together a super-league in the Telegraph Fantasy Football league for 2008/09.

A super-league is free to create so the only fixed cost to it is the £6 entry fee for TFF itself. Of course if people wanted an additional prize for winning the Hawks superleague then everyone would have to put in something for that, but equally it could be just-for-fun.

The only other issue is that one TFF team cannot be in more than one superleague so if you have a TFF team in a works superleague then that's a slight problem.

5 teams is the minimum. Is anyone interested ? I used to have a team in a works league but that is moot now. I'll probably create a team for me and Harry will do one I expect. Derek and Mel, at least, are persuadable. Not too much of a stretch to get to 5 teams ....

Milton Keynes Tournement

The weather was great and so was the football. Well done to all the parents who supported and congratulate all the players. Alot of football was played in very hot conditions, Dominic worked out that the Reds played over 100 minutes of football and for most of them they only had 6 players so well done. It was probably just one game to many. But to get to the final, of the Plate competition after a nail biting penalty shoot out in the semi-final, was a good achievement.

The White team also played very well reaching the semi final of the Plate.
There were some good performances and everyone tried to play football the way they were asked to. Not many goals scored but some amazing ones! Niall’s the length of the pitch to lob the keeper, Cameron’s amazing bolt of lightening that went through everyone! Still waiting for Derek’s leap into the air???? Special mention to Sam Crouch who Sandra thinks runs on Duracell batteries as he played all the games and didn’t stop running !!! it was a super team performance we even gave Kempston Colts a run for their money and we certainly worried their coach!!!

The Write Stuff

Mel and Derek have been granted access to write on this blog. Expect to see their contributions once they have had a chance to play around with it, and have something to write about.

I can permission anyone else as well - let me know.

Derek pointed out that it would be good for lots of supporters or players to send in their thoughts for posting (which he could do). I would also remind people they can comment on the blog posts.

Good luck in the upcoming season !

Good luck in MK !

8th June - Milton Keynes tournament.

One More Award ...

Presentation evening at The Addison Centre last night. This is a ritual that we experienced for the first time last year when we were surprised and delighted for Harry to receive the Most Improved Player award in the then U-11 team. Obviously it will be our last year this year, with Harry not in the running for any awards.

The event was expertly run by Sandra, and the highlight for us and the readers of this blog was of course the presentations for the U12-Hawks, who were more-or-less neatly turned out in black & white with matching team ties.

As usual, Sandra was extremely thoughtful in the awards themselves which were as follows:

Most Improved Player: Sam Crouch
Sportsman's Award: Ewan McLeod
Players' Player of The Year: Niall Canavan
Parents' Player of The Year: Luke Travers
Captain's Player of The Year: Elijah Hukin
Manager's Player of The Year: Fred Shannon
Highest Goalscorer Award: Elijah Hukin

Excellent and well-deserved winners in each category.

Some extra awards this season, which was rightly recognised as a really strong season for the team:

Special Achievement: Greg Simkins
Best Darren (Top Coach): Darren Payne
Lifeline (Linesman) Award: Reuben Hukin

Sandra also found time to present Harry with the team matchball signed by all the team, which was a fantastic leaving gift, and even a lovely photo presentation for your departing reporter.

Sadly, no award for Pebble for best team mascot. Next year maybe.

This is likely to be the last post by me on this blog, of course. If anyone would like to use the blog for the upcoming season, let me know and I will show you how easy it is.

So, in closing, I can tell you that Elijah also wins the award for most blog mentions. This is closely related to his prolific goal-scoring, no doubt. We see that Harry also scored well for obvious reasons. But we can also see that in general the number of mentions is not highly correlated to the contribution to the team.

For example, Niall was rightly a unanimous choice for Players' Player because of his massive and tireless effort in the team. But he works so well in the team that at times he was hardly noticed by the blogger.

So, here are the scores for number of blog mentions throughout the season:


Elijah.........51
Fred...........43
Harry..........39
Dominic........38
Greg...........28
Ewan...........25
Luke...........25
Josh...........18
Cameron........14
Niall..........14
Angus..........12
Sam Crouch.....12
Sam Hall.......9
Romao..........7
David..........6

and also mentioned:

Sandra.........17
Derek..........7
Boz............6
Reuben.........5
Pebble.........5
Darren.........4
Adrian.........3
Karen..........2

It's been great writing about this fantastic team all year. We hope to stay in touch with the team and wish The Hawks all the success they deserve next season and in seasons to come.

Cup Run

League Results

Final League Position

Not all teams have played all their matches, but we are now certain to finish exactly third. It looks like theoretically Sundun could still win the league but this would require Ampthill to lose all their games - which seems unlikely !

So - third in the league and cup semi - not bad !

One Hundred, And One

The season finale ! We are guaranteed an excellent league finish no matter what - third place is a certainty. If Sundon lose and we win, then 2nd is our reward. Under a freak scenario we can even win the league.

Back to the job in hand, however. Houghton Athletic, away. The early sunshine has given over to overcast conditions, and a not-so-distant rumble of thunder is a reminder of the rain forecast.

Thanks to Derek for the material for the previous 2 blogs. He was so pleased not to have to take notes today, that he instantly volunteered to run the line when Sandra asked. He did run away to the car when kick-off beckoned though ....

Brickhill enjoyed good early possession and Fred forced an early fingertip save from the home goalkeeper and nearly got on the end of a speculative effort from Josh.

However, after 8minutes, it was Houghton who opened the scoring against the run of play, and they could have added a second shortly afterwards.

Sandra brought Elijah into the attack. He doubtless wanted to score Brickhill's 100th league goal of this season, but it was in fact Greg who took the honour of The Chiltern Hundred - meeting Josh's through ball and guiding it across the line.

Greg nearly gave Brickhill the lead but was denied by an outstretched foot. The resulting corner led to a real goalmouth melee. However, the last touch was from Sam Hall whose headed effort sailed into the net - our 101st goal and Sam's first of the season, finally !

We would have hoped to control the game now, but in fact Houghton equalised right on half time.

The story of the second half was mainly rain. The boys continued to put in maximum effort and created some long-range chances. However, nothing went our way and with less than 10minutes to go, Houghton scored in a 1-on-1 with our keeper.

Dominic then made a great save to hold the deficit at one goal. We continued to apply as much pressure as we could, but the last goal of the game came from the home side.

A disappointing end to the season - both in terms of the result, and the weather ! However, there is no denying the fact that - with 3rd in the league and a semi-final in the cup - it has been an excellent debut at 11 aside.

Thanks are due to Sandra and Darren of course, and to Reuben for his regular contributions in training and on the line. And thanks to all the parents for their support and help.

HOUGHTON ATHLETIC 4 - 2 BRICKHILL WANDERERS
Greg (19min), Sam H (23min)

All white on the night

Back to our familiar home strip for this vital fixture at home to Ampthill. The visitors are going to the the league winners this season. Having been defeated just once and conceding only two draws, their record is impressive.

The match was especially important for Brickhill as a victory tonight and on Sunday would secure us 2nd place on goal difference.

The away fixture at Ampthill was a highly-charged match. The return leg turned out to be a real battle in footballing terms, but without the bad-temper of that encounter.

The first half saw a close-fought game in all areas of the pitch and it was Ampthill who came away the better with a goal about half way through. Sandra made changes to the line-up and shape of the team at half-time to cope with the fast-paced opposition strike-force.

This may have worked as Brickhill started to edge the fight and create opportunities in midfield. One such move resulted in a very near miss from Josh, who found the post in the way. With the Hawks showing great commitment, it became a nerve-wracking time for the spectators.

We had to defend well to avoid falling two behind. Meanwhile, we were still creating chances, and Fred shot just wide.

Then with less than 10 minutes left, we won a free kick. Elijah's shot hit the wall but Ewan pounced on the rebound and buried the ball in the net to the delight and relief of the crowd.

It was now virtually sudden-death with chances at both ends. However, the whistle cut short the battle for a winner. A great effort by the team, despite the disappointment. We remain the only team to have played Ampthill twice without losing the the division champs.

BRICKHILL WANDERERS 1 - 1 AMPTHILL TOWN
Ewan (52min)

ps - the next goal scored by Brickhill will be our 100th league goal of the season ! Who will be the century-maker?

Red Letter Day

I can picture it now. Derek huddled over a dictaphone all match instead of shouting "SHOOT" at the top of his voice. It seems like I missed a great game.

Brickhill's own Mr (W)Right has provided me with a rundown so detailed that I even know what the boys had for breakfast.

However, the most important pre-match fact (and I am not aware of whether the coaches shared this with the squad) was that Sundon dropped the ball midweek, losing to Westoning. This made Sunday's match at home to Luton Borough especially crucial. If we continue our winning streak, we will now finish 2nd !

A full Brickhill squad, in changed red strip, got off to a bright start with several breaks early on. Cameron is still looking for a break that will see him net his first goal, but the good passing did see the home side open up the scoring after 5mins - Elijah with the final touch after Niall and Luke set up the opportunity.

However, Luton countered and were only held by Dom's good reactions and a typically fearless determination from Sam C and the strength of the whole back four.

Both sides were also having some trouble judging the dimensions of the goal as numerous chances went wide and over.

The net result was no further scoring at half-time, and a very tense second half in prospect.

As often happens, Brickhill made a robust start to the second period and another promising shot from Cameron saw a save from the keeper but left him out of position and Ewan took full advantage with a well-judged lob.

2 - 0 was a more comfortable position but Luton created several chances from the wings and set-plays and could count themselves unlucky not to narrow the deficit.

Inside the last 10 minutes, Elijah added a second (our third) from Romao and Ewan. A great team goal ,and three goals would surely be enough ? Probably, but Luton got through again and converted this time (3 - 1) and continued to put great pressure on. They were eventually rewarded with a second goal (3 - 2) but ran out of time to find an equalizer.

Phew !

BRICKHILL WANDERERS 3 - 2 LUTON BOROUGH
Elijah (5min, 54), Ewan (35)

Thank you to Derek for the material. It was almost as good as being there.

How it Looks

Here is the current league. Not all teams have played an equal number of matches, but the picture is somewhat clear anyway:






As we can see, Ampthill are in great shape to win the league - already top with 2 games in hand over all contenders. Technically any of the top 3 could win but really the fight is for 2nd - 4th.

We can now see how important our close defeat to Sundon at home was - that was a real 6-pointer. We look good for 3rd at least, however, as we lead Dunstable by 3 points with a spare game. To get past Sundon we need them to drop points. All we can do is win all 3 games and hope for other results to favour us.

Whatever happens, we can see that we were in the top cohort of teams, and a fine debut season at Under-11 no matter where we finish now.

Linesman Wanted

I am away for the next two matches (Sunday 20th and Weds 23rd) so I won't be able to write a report. But if anyone wants to email me the news - anything between just the result up to and including a full report (which will go with your byline) then I will post it up on the blog.

At a minimum, if someone could mail me the result for completeness, that would be great.

It's a shame to be missing the Ampthill rematch in particular....

Far, Far Away.

Off to Leighton today to face Leighton Town, who beat us 4-1 in the home fixture - one of our worst performances. Leighton, I think, had a poor start to the season but have played themselves back into a reasonable position in the league and they are the only side to have beaten Ampthill.

In any case, their pre-match demeanour and vocal performance on pitch showed us they meant to do the double over us.

They enjoyed the better of the early possession, despite playing up the slope. Local conditions also featured a very pleasant daisy-marked pitch, steam-locomotion in the background and a lost ball in the ditch every 5 minutes.

We began to even up the match and Fred conjured up an effort over the bar from a Greg throw and Luke flick-on. Greg was involved again with a wonderful cross that found a Leighton boot and flew into the net. Technically an own goal, but it looked good. One up after 14minutes.

However, despite seeming to have the upper hand, we gave up the lead just 2 minutes later. A defensive header arced into the box and was chased down by Leighton who nodded it in over the keeper.

It was a busy period of the match - it wasn't long before we restored our lead. Fred forced a corner, and a typically sweet delivery found Luke's head.

2 - 1 lead at half time, as we played hunt the oranges. The tight scoreline was a fair reflection of a close half.

As the second half began, we conceded a penalty - no complaints about the decision. It's the first time Dominic has faced a penalty in goal. He must have put the striker off effectively, as he shot wide of the target.

The game remained very tight with plenty of pressure coming from the home side, but it was Fred's persistence that allowed him to win the ball and keep it, ultimately converting with a strong strike away from the keeper's reach. We led 3 - 1 now with less than 10 minutes left.

We were at least even in terms of this phase of play, but when they forced a rare corner, we gave away a second penalty (for handball this time). Dominic decided to dive the same way, and indeed the shot went the same side. In fact, it was a copycat effort and also went wide of goal ! 2 missed penalties in one game is a rarity.

This was the last significant action of the game and it finished:

LEIGHTON TOWN 1 - 3 BRICKHILL WANDERERS
o.g. (14min), Luke (19), Fred (52)

Getting Ahead

First mid-week game of the campaign. This time facing bottom-of-the-table Bedford Park Rangers. Clearly we expected three points, but the plan has been known to fail before.

At least we had a full squad of 15. Perhaps the prospect of goals a-plenty was a factor. That, and the fact it would be hard to find an excuse to be unavailable on a school night. And devotion to the team, obviously.

The main feature of the early game was the Walcott-like pace of Cameron, which resulted in a number of enthralling runs at the target, but no actual goal. However, one of these attacks brought a loose ball which Elijah grabbed hold of (not literally of course), and made a clean finish to open the scoring after a little less than 10 minutes.

Good work from Luke and Fred in midfield opened up another chance for Elijah 3 minutes later, doubling the lead.

The game was not entirely one-sided, so Dominic had something to do in goal and his kicks out of goal were working well, assisted by the windless conditions and the hard ground. From one such launch, Elijah won a free-kick but he was off the field receiving treatment when Josh took the free ball. The keeper parried the shot, but Luke easliy dealt with the rebound to make it 3 - 0 at the 15-minute mark.

Cameron finally converted a chance: Dom's long kick was met by Elijah who took the ball forward and passed to Cameron who took aim. Unfortunately, his conversion was of the rugby type. His first goal will have to wait !

BPR now made a break and, though the play was judged offside by Adrian (who had kindly volunteered for line duty), the referee felt the move was valid and allowed the resulting goal, which was well taken at the end.

However, Greg restored the 3-goal lead with a Lineker-style effort. 4 - 1 at Half-Time.

It felt like we missed more than we scored in the second half. Niall scored after a Greg run and a deflection (5 - 1) and Elijah made it back-to-back hat-tricks when he added his third, and Brickhill's 6th.

That is how it stayed although BPR rattled the crossbar in pursuit of a second goal.

A good win for us, and a game played in great spirit by BPR who have not had an easy season.

BRICKHILL 6 - 1 BPR
Elijah (9min, 12, 45), Luke (14), Greg (30), Niall (36)

Snow Business

We awoke to a white Sunday morning but, by the time we were listening to the sound of leather-on-leather in pre-match warm-up, the thaw was well underway.

We were playing at home to Kempston but, due to a pitch availability issue, we in fact played at their ground. We easily beat them in the away fixture, but their team was clearly fired up and they enjoyed the first attack.

We soon found some attacking form ourselves - Luke making several threatening runs. The first goal, though, was a rare headed effort from Elijah. 1 - 0 up after about 8 minutes.

However, Kempston very nearly cancelled this out immediately. Their shot struck the post before rebounding into Harry's grasp.

Greg was also looking very dangerous, and Luke found a cross for another Elijah header - this time just over the bar. Elijah, in turn, provided a pass for Fred whose shot ran across the face of goal.

However, we were not dominating and a single-goal lead is always fragile. Perhaps we needed to take our chances better.

Greg took a shot from the wing and as it passed in front of goal, Fred looked like he ought to be able to get a final foot on it. However, he strangely pulled out of the move, to the dismay of the crowd. Then, strangely, the ref pointed to the centre circle. Realisation dawned - the ball had crossed the line and passed through a hole in the side netting. 2 - 0, finally !

Cameron - taking a midfield role - was very active and played a key role in goal #3. The end of that move involved a Fred cross into Elijah who made a simple tap-in.

It was almost four on the stroke of half-time - Fred headed onto the post and Cameron hesitated as he thought the ball would fall into the net. Kempston were able to get it away to hold the deficit the three goals.

However, it was not long into the second period that goal #4 arrived - Luke getting a deserved goal originating from an early corner.

Elijah's hat-trick came as he combined well with Greg and it looked like Brickhill could run away with the game. Kempston wasted a golden chance as their strikers hesitated on the line and on the counterattack, Ewan got a strong shot in to make it 6 - 0.

Kempston did finally score and then entered a period of good possession, but failed to add a second. In fact, Fred added his name to the scoresheet with a minute or so to go.

A good performance from the team, which included a number of positional changes. A good start to our run-in where we really need to take maximum points from all the remaining games if we are to challenge for promotion.

BRICKHILL WANDERERS 7 - 1 KEMPSTON COLTS
Elijah (8min, 27, 34), Greg (25), Luke (31), Ewan (38), Fred (59)

Fixtures

REVISED Fixtures

SUN 6th April Home (but at Hillgrounds) vs Kempston Colts B
WEDS 9th April 6:15pm KO. Home vs. BPR
SUN 20th April. Home vs. Luton Borough
WEDS 23rd April 6:15pm KO Home vs Ampthill
SUN 27th April Away vs Houghton
SUN 4th May Away vs Leighton

Beautiful Day for The Beautiful Game

It's been a while since we were last in action in the league, so today's friendly against Bedford Town was a chance to have a run-out and for Sandra and Darren to try a few variations in positions.

Before the match, we enjoyed the ceremony of The Changing of the lag-Gard. This year, Sandra seemed to be staging an attempt at the title, but in fact it was Boz who clearly earned the right to be ridiculed for the coming 12 months, or longer if no-one else forgets to set their clock next Spring.

We were also able to admire the curious hybrid line markings. It is perhaps not that unusual to have an athletics track outside a football pitch but to see the lanes running along inside the touchline was rather off-putting to the players, who tended to play on only 3/4 of the pitch until they got really into the match.

Once Boz arrived, we had our referee for the game (thanks Boz !) and we were off, with a slightly delayed start. We were a little low on players, but we did have two goalkeepers in Dominic and Harry. Dominic was in action first and was extremely busy as Bedford Town ran riot in the early part of the game.

There were shots peppering our goal. A great number were saved by a combination of various parts of Dominic, the many defenders, 2 posts and the crossbar. However, we did fall behind fairly quickly, and conceded a second after six minutes.

Harry came into goal after Dominic suffered an injury to his knee. A third goal for Bedford followed on 12 minutes, but now Brickhill were beginning to offer some resistance and were perhaps becoming more used to their new positions.

In fact Angus - playing upfront - pulled a goal back on 19 minutes from a well-deserved Elijah corner.

For the remainder of the half, there was much more purpose from Brickhill. Ewan was very effective, and Fred was causing a lot of problems in the midfield. We managed to hold the half-time score to 3 - 1 down.

The second half was a really solid effort from the whole team. There was battling play in all areas of the pitch. Angus continued to adapt pretty well to his upfront role, whilst David was having a solid match and made a number of vital interventions. Sam C and Josh were also able to apply constant pressure to the oncoming Bedford forwards, preventing them from adding to their goal tally.

Ewan, meanwhile, was excellent and was rewarded with a goal after about 10 minutes of play in the 2nd half.

At only 3 - 2 down, we weren't too sure whether we wanted the whistle to blow to hold the score there, or to keep playing to find an equaliser. That looked possible, but in fact with the last kick of the match the home side finally made pressure pay and added a fourth.

The final score, 4 - 2, was a decent result against 1st division opposition. For large periods of the match we were equal to them. Remembering that they were 3 - 0 ahead after 12 minutes, we effectively won the last 45 minutes by a margin of 2-1.

BEDFORD TOWN 4 - 2 BRICKHILL WANDERERS
(Angus 19min, Ewan, 39min)

20th March League

Here are the current league standings:

It appears that the league title is really between Sundon and Ampthill. We ought, really, to be able to secure 3rd as we have games in hand over both Dunstable and Westoning. To achieve 2nd, however, we would need Sundon, especially, to give up a lot of potential points. Unfortunately we have played both our games against them.

March 16th: Match vs Kempston Postponed

League match (Home vs. Kempston Colts 'B') postponed due to waterlogged pitch.

Oh When the Saints

Cup semi-final day. We faced Shefford Saints, away. This is the first time we have played 1st division opponents. However, we always felt we had a chance if we played to our best.

The omens were good - Barnsley dumping Chelsea out of the FA Cup yesterday, and Potsmouth doing the same to Man. United. Playing conditions were virtually perfect. We had a full squad available for the first time in several games, and promptly at 10:30 we were off.

The first attack came from Shefford, but straightaway Brickhill re-took the initiative and forced a corner. What followed was text-book: a good ball in to the near-post found Niall's head and then the back of the net. 1 - 0 to Brickhill after 2 minutes. What a start !

Brickhill now had to weather a series of attacking moves from the 1st division side. A goalmouth scramble resulted in no goal, then their #11 shot wide after breaking free and beating Angus in goal. More chances were squandered by the home team - a header wide from a corner, shots over bar.

However, although Shefford had plenty of chances they were not wholly dominating either and there was good football from Brickhill as well.

Eventually, Shefford did find a goal. A goal kick into the wind was won by the red shirts, and they were able to take it back into our box and past the keeper. 15minutes gone, and level.

There was pressure at both ends but no further scoring. To be 1 - 1 at half time seemed a good situation, really, and we could see that we had a chance.

At the re-start, we made the first in-roads, but on the counterattack, Shefford fired a low one in from the wing and the ball slid through Angus' dive. The home side now had the lead for the first time, but we kept up the pressure although the last ball seemed to be missing. Fred came on for Dominic and there were a number of promising attacks.

3 - 1 was the next scoreline when a solid shot was out of reach. We still looked capable of closing the gap. A goal-mouth scramble somehow resulted in no goal, and Elijah fired more than one effort on target, but the keeper was always in position.

With less than 15 minutes to go, Shefford found another goal although this effort was surely offside. Unfortunately, the referee and his assistant did not see it that way and at 4 - 1 down it was likely to be an uphill struggle.

The Hawks continued to battle to the final whistle, forcing several corners and free kicks, but we failed to find the magical comeback.

At the end, 4 -1 flattered the victors. Over 60 minutes, Shefford probably deserved to win but it was in no way a one-sided encounter and left no doubt that Brickhill were justified to be in the semi-final. It has been a fantastic cup run that is a credit to the team and the coaches. Sadly, it is now over for this season.

We hear that Kempston were 5 - 0 winners over EB lions in the other match, to set up an all 1st-division final.

SHEFFORD SAINTS 4 - 1 BRICKHILL WANDERERS
Niall (2min)

Well done again to Sandra and Darren for taking the team this far in their first 11-a-side season.

Birthday Honours

Away at Westoning (near Flitwick) today, in need of a good result after a very poor run. The pitch was in good condition - looking very fresh in fact as it was repainted in front of our very eyes during pre-match warm-up!

Fred was back post ski-ing injuries, albeit with his knee strapped up. We were however missing Cameron and David.

We were off to the best possible start, in any case. Dominic made a strong run into the box and took it all the way, and over the line, for a goal after just 56 seconds !

It was a much better effort all round in fact as Greg added a second after 7 minutes after picking the ball up just into their half and eventually beating the keeper at close range. It was all-action, with everyone getting stuck in, and plenty of shots.

There was no Derek to shout "SHOOT!" but all the boys were doing it anyway.

Just over half-way through the first period, Brickhill increased their lead to 3 - 0 from an Elijah corner. There is some debate over the scorer. Before the ball finally came to rest in the back of the net, Greg got a head on it. However, after taking witness statements and considering my first impression of it, I have concluded that it was already over the line before Greg's contribution.

There is some case for it being an own-goal as the Westoning keeper certainly had a touch, but I will award it to Elijah.

Despite our lead, Westoning remained committed themselves, and they pulled back a goal shortly afterwards and a 2nd a few minutes later. For our part, we had many near-misses but the half-time score remained 3 - 2 in our favour.

As soon as the 2nd half resumed, however, this changed as Greg got on the end of a good passing sequence and made it 4 - 2 from the first move of the period.

Fred now came on for Dominic. He clearly was excited to be back in action, and eager to put his name on the scoresheet. However, it was Westoning who found the next goal - lobbed in, possibly with some assistance from the wind.

Nevertheless, it looked as though we had plenty of goalscoring potential - Luke, Elijah and Fred all going close before Niall slammed one into the roof of the net to give us a 2-goal cushion with a few minutes remaining.

This was certainly a bonus as Westoning were also creating opportunities and forced a great save from Harry - tipped over. The home side did appear frustrated at times, and they kicked the ball away on more than one occasion prompting the referee to speak to the players.

Now, Luke was brought down in the box and Ewan decided he (Luke)should take the resulting penalty. The shot was nearly placed in the bottom left. 6 - 3.

Wait ! The ref has not blown his whistle, and the ball had to be replaced on the spot. A nerve-wracking moment, but Luke coolly fired the second attempt in the top right corner. 6 - 3 again.

This was the final score. A good result and a much better performance, which was a nice present for Sandra's birthday (yesterday) and a nice lead-in to our victory over Shefford Saints in the cup next Sunday.

WESTONING RECREATION 3 - 6 BRICKHILL WANDERERS
Dominic (1min), Greg (7, [18], 31), Elijah (18), Niall (56), Luke (pen, 59)

Another game of two halves

Away to SKF (Luton), who had beaten us at home earlier in the season. However, since they are towards the lower end of the table, we must have fancied our chances.

We were missing only Fred (ski-ing injury) once everyone had negotiated the A6-closure and found the ground.

SKF were obviously very competitive and made plenty of noise about it, including the coach and some competitive dads !

The immediate impact of that was the amazing tempo of the early part of the game. This resulted in Brickhill falling behind straight away. With less than 1 minute gone, SKF were clear through and - despite a valiant clearance effort by Cameron - the ball rebounded off a defender and into the goal.

They nearly added a second just a couple of minutes later, and in fact they did double the lead on 6 minutes. The pace of the home side and their direct approach was really getting to Brickhill, who seemed to have no reply.

Our best chance was to slow the game down, which we showed some sign of doing. However, a freak handball led to a penalty. Harry dived the right way, but the kick was well struck into the corner. 3 - 0 down half-way through the first half.

It looked like 4 - 0 in fact, but a clever goal was ruled offside, and then Brickhill did finally pull one back - Elijah flicked on Dom's pass and Greg converted the opportunity.

But, SKF replied with two more goals to lead 5 - 1 at the break.

Angus took on goalkeeping duties for the 2nd half. It was a much better effort by us, perhaps helped by the home side tiring. Dominic struck a super shot from long range, just under the bar to give some hope of a fightback. Cameron - who was having an excellent game - shot just over.

Brickhill were now putting up more of a fight. However, SKF scored a 6th goal to lead 6 - 2 and although Dominic scored from a corner to reduce the deficit, it was too big a gap to close.

SKF YOUTH 6 - 3 BRICKHILL WANDERERS
Greg (22), Dominic (36, 46)

An Inconsistent Truth

Last week, we just got the better of Dunstable (away). Today, we faced the return fixture. We knew to expect a tough game, with the visitors fired up for revenge.

We were missing Fred & David (away) and, with Luke on the sidelines (ligament injury), we had just enough for a full team plus one sub.

We haven't played much at Mowsbury this year so far and apparently the pitch needed some attention pre-kickoff. Derek attended to it with a borrowed spade. The lender of the spade, although he was obviously right there, apparently couldn't do the job till Monday at the earliest.

Sandra also ordered some goal-mouth trampling (polo style), and after the referee allowed some extra time pre-kickoff (perhaps to allow more defrosting of the pitch) we were off.

It was instantly obvious that Dunstable were really up for the game. Although Brickhill had an early chance when Elijah short over, it was no great surprise when the visitors scored from a useful cross after 6 minutes. What was surprising was that we did not fall further behind.

Sam C cleared off the line, and Dunstable had many efforts that just finished wide or over the bar, or fell foul of the offside flag.

Meanwhile, we were really struggling and when the break came, we could easily have been 4 or 5 down. So the good news was that the deficit remained a single goal. A couple of times I had to count to make sure the opposition didn't have 12 or 13 players and that we actually were playing a full 11.

In the early part of the second half, the match was more balanced and we equalized when Elijah flicked an excellent ball into Dominic in the box. He appeared to stumble at first, but he recovered and found the net, albeit in off a Dunstable head.

This goal changed the mood of the team and we enjoyed a good spell. Ewan, especially, was battling all over the pitch, with Josh having good pace upfront.

However, when we fell behind again with less than 10 minutes to go, we never looked to be in the game again. Although several of their efforts were stopped by the defence (including some excellent saves by Harry) we actually conceded again from an excellent long range lob which gave the goalkeeper no chance.

Our home record continues to be very weak - all four defeats in this campaign have been at home. The manager was not happy.

Dunstable meanwhile fully deserved the win.

BRICKHILL WANDERERS 1 - 3 DUNSTABLE YOUTH
Dominic (35min)

In a Roundabout Way

Today's fixture at Dunstable (first of back-to-back matches against this team) saw us making one of the longest journeys of this year's away campaign. The trip was made more challenging by the apparent overnight disappearance of an ancient roundabout near the destination. Google said it was there, but there it wasn't, and pretty much everyone was wrongfooted.

Even the manager wasn't pitchside until 10:15, and last-to-arrive Sam C was only in situ moments before kick-off. The boys who arrived earlier were, of course, involved in useful pre-match exercises, except when they were playing "drop-kick the Evian" or climbing trees.

Nevertheless, by 10:30 we had 14 players (Romao unwell), 2 coaches and a linesman. Last week's emergency linesman, Boz, was re-assigned to reconnaissance duties behind enemy lines in the home crowd.

We kicked off playing up the noticeable but manageable slope. The pitch appeared small by comparison with last week's vast expanse, and the lack of a gale-force wind was most pleasant.

If Brickhill were at all put off by the haphazard start, then it was not apparent as we played good open football and were rewarded early on when Dominic got the ball over the line inside 2 minutes - Fred & Elijah also getting an attempt on target in the move.

Luke & Greg were also in a lot of the action upfront. We did not appear to be disadvantaged at all by playing uphill. At the back, Cameron was making some key interceptions. Sam H was back in the starting line-up and using his head wisely.

However, despite the good possession, the 2nd goal was elusive and we nearly paid for it as Dunstable broke clear and fired a shot decisively past our defence. Fortunately the post was equally decisive in preventing an equalizer.

We moved forward again and, a few minutes later, we did find the second goal when Greg and Fred combined well.

"There's still hope" cried the opposition captain. No kidding we thought - you should have seen us last week ....

And Dunstable hopes were still well afloat at Half Time: 2 - 0 it remained.

This scoreline wasn't seriously threatened until well into the second half. Once again, Brickhill created plenty of good moves - Ewan apparently in all of them. Niall was also in really good form in a creative/defensive role.

Now, Dunstable found their hope. After putting Harry to the test at close range, they converted the rebound. With a little less than 15 minutes to go, they visibly and audibly upped their game. They were now clearly willing to fight for a result.

Their spirit wasn't diminished when we restored our 2-goal margin: Angus started the move and found Ewan. Fred & Dominic then sandwiched the keeper on the edge of his box. When the ball escaped, Dominic gave it enough of a touch to take it across the line.

With the increased tempo from Dunstable, however, it wasn't clear that this would be enough of a lead. Harry parried one excellent free-kick and still another dead-ball shot came close to finding the corner. The home side were making repeated runs into our box.

With a minute left of regular time, they reduced the deficit to a single goal again from an effective cross.

Once again, it was tough on the supporters as the clock ticked down. Probably we could have been more effective at keeping the ball in this crucial phase, but we did enough to prevent any late equalizer.

In the end, the three points were safe and we did what we needed to do. Hopefully we can make a more straightforward job of it next week at home.

DUNSTABLE YOUTH 2 - 3 BRICKHILL WANDERERS
Dominic (2, 53), Fred (26)

Back and Fourth

We switched places with Sundon following our defeat last Sunday. We have games in hand, but we do need to win them !

It's important that we take 6 points off Dunstable this weekend and next.

Home and Away

Today's home match against Sundon had to be moved to Kempston's Hillgrounds pitches due to waterlogged ground at Mowsbury. This had the advantage of avoiding a further pile-up of fixtures, but the downside was that we were allocated a senior pitch with full-size goals. Still, the conditions were the same for both sides.

Reuben was unavailable for line-duty, so thanks are due to Boz for taking the flag. And, in fact, it is a good time to mention our appreciation to Reuben for doing a professional job for us most weeks. There was some consternation among the crowd as Boz left it late to arrive pitchside - it can be a thankless task that no one wants to do!

We fielded a full squad apart from Josh (unwell), and Luke took the captain's armband when Sandra elected to use Ewan as a sub.

We won the toss and wisely chose to play the first half with the help of a considerable wind. This direction also benefitted from a slight slope on the pitch and from the sun being behind the players.

It was clearly going to be important to take full advantage of these environmental factors, in the form of early goals. We were certainly able to enjoy the vast majority of the possession. Our defence was able to play well upfield, with Cameron and Angus able to put in a number of good balls well up the huge pitch.

Our best chance in the first 10 minutes came from a theatrical effort from Dominic, which unfortunately found the post and ricocheted away from danger. The wind, meanwhile, was not universally helpful - several crosses were pushed behind the goal when we did not allow enough for the effect.

More chances came and went until, with nearly 20 minutes played, David and Dominic set up a move to Romao who flicked in a ball from the wing onto Elijah in the box. He connected beautifully, only to see the effort hit the crossbar. However, he was able to pick up the rebound and slot the ball in at the corner from a narrow angle.

Still, one goal did not seem enough of a return. Fred and Dominic both put efforts wide or high despite the cavernous goals, before Elijah added a 2nd with an excellent free kick - over the wall and then down to find the low right-corner.

2-0 at half-time despite several more chances from Brickhill. Meanwhile Sundon were unable to make much progress at all - their sole shot at goal in the last minute of the half was easily caught by Harry.

Ewan came on for the second half and was soon involved in the third goal: Luke's throw was picked up by Ewan who found Dominic in scoring position. However, Dominic in turn made a pass to Fred who smashed the ball into the top corner.

It was good to add to the lead because already Sundon were much more threatening with the weather playing their way.

In fact, they were soon able to take advantage. Harry's goal-kick into the wind was ineffective and immediately picked up by Sundon who drilled the ball past Harry's diving attempt to recover.

The damage was doubled a minute later when a Sundon cross was converted at close range. There was now some measure of disarray amongst the home side, although Sam C in particular remained very solid. Sundon continued to apply considerable pressure. Their wind-assisted shots and long balls created a lot of problems for us.

They levelled just over half way through the second period when they committed Harry and used the full width of the goal to find the net.

There was time to recover the game, but Brickhill were struggling and didn't seem to be getting the best of the decisions either. Indeed Sundon now seized the lead for the first time with a long-range shot that bounced in the box and over Harry who possibly came too far out.

Chances to equalize were few, although Greg created a good chance for Luke. Instead, the visitors extended their lead just before full time and almost grabbed a sixth. So in the end, it was a pretty clear defeat and we need to learn from this and do better next time:

BRICKHILL WANDERERS 3 - 5 SUNDON PARK RANGERS
Elijah (18min, 25min), Fred (36min)