match reports

This was a game of two halves , one a memorable 45 minutes , the other quite forgettable. John Paul College totally dominated Pine Rivers and their 7 goal half-time advantage could easily have been doubled but for some indifferent finishing. The opening goal from In Jai Won after only 5 minutes was a 35 metre left foot thunderbolt that would have graced any Premier league game. The lead was doubled after 10 minutes when Hyun Woo Lee calmly side footed the keeper and 5 minutes later Jong Pill Yoon's diving header from an In Jai Won corner further increased the lead. When Michael McGreggor laid on the forth JPC goal for Driton Xhemajlaj and then set up the fifth for Woo Young Kim the game was over. Woo Young Kim scored his second of the game after a dazzling solo effort beat the Rivers keeper from the edge of the box and a thoroughly deserved goal from Michael McGreggor made it 7 - 0 at the break.

Pine Rivers must have been dreading the second half with JPC threatening a cricket score. However the heavy downpour at half-time must have dampened the home sides enthusiasm as they went from top gear to reverse during the interval. Whilst they still dominated possession they could not repeat their devastating first-half form. They failed to find the net again and conceded 2 goals to give the score line a degree of respectability for Pine Rivers.

This game was played in the stinking heat at Rochdale and both teams did well to deal with the weather. the first half was a pretty one sided affair with JPC playing some very tidy possession football. the deadlock was broken on ten minutes with a fantastic piece of individual skill from soon ill kwoon who decided to take on 3 Rovers players from 30 meters out and jink his way into the box to drive the ball hard and low into the net. JPC continued there domination resulting in a great bit of link up play finding George free to slot home from just inside the penalty box.

The second half started slow which was very understandable with JPC probing and switching play hoping to get Rovers to come out of there own half, eventually Saviola darted into the box to receive a through ball from Gee and as cool as you like chipped the ball over the advancing keeper who had no chance of stoping it.

As the game progressed JPC seemed to go into cruse mode and conceded to soft goals which where direct results of overconfidence at the back. All in all it was a very good start to the season and a special mention should go out for Ryan Chipperfield the JPC keeper who through sheer hard work and determination has come a long way as a goalkeeper this year, one of the reasons his defence became a little over confidant in the later stages,something they where not guilty of last season, it is no bad thing for a young team who are predominantly under 14s playing up a year, they feel comfortable on the ball and who can blame them.

U/17s

Inji

Rochdale Rover 3 - 2 JPC

In many ways this game mirrored that of the under 15s match played earlier, however Rovers scored first from a free kick totally against the run of play most of the first half was saw Rovers defending very deep with wave after wave of JPC pressure that resulted in Terry smashing a 25 meter drive against the cross bar and a deluge of near misses. eventually Terry who had given Rovers all kinds of problems throughout the half powered home a shoot from the edge of the box. Rovers went ahead again just before half time due to a mix up in the JPC defence.

the second half was much the same with Rovers finding it hard to get out of there own half. Inji who totally controlled the game from start to finish lashed a fears shot against the crossbar which for the second time frustrated the JPC side however Inji did manage to find the back of the net with a 40 meter strike that took Rovers completely by surprise. Unfortunately Terry who had only arrived from Korea just after xmas was sent off for diving which is something he will need to get out of his system very quickly. JPC played 30 minutes with 10 men before Rovers got a player sent of. As the game went into the last 10 minutes Rovers struck again against the run of play to steel all three points. "we have a very inexperienced keeper and defence which will take some time to settle. For the purposes of development we are playing with a flat back four which is risky at the moment with the players not fully understanding there duties, however if we keep playing in the same way as we did on Sunday we are sure to score more than we let in. I was very happy with all the lads.We played Rovers off the park and came away with nothing, I now know how Man U feel when they play Bolton, that's football and credit to rovers they didn't get to much of he ball but took there chances" said Murray

With the aftermath of the Cambridge United game last night & the Ipswich Town academy match ahead of PSA tomorrow night, it was decided to change the match against Stevenage from a full game to a mixed & more relaxed training game. Stevenage enough players to field two teams so rotation allowed a number of PSA players a total rest & the whole day was used to shake of the effects of last nights weariness & more to prepare for the big match ahead.
Today's highlight has to be the PSA's worse player award, which simply had to go to Josh Parker the ex goalkeeper who for the fun of it tried his luck as a striker. (although he wore PSA colors he was without doubt Stevenages best player).

This was a relaxed day for the team & hopefully will help them lift there spirit ready for Ipswich.

Darren Gray
Tonight PSA traveled to the small picturesque town of Ely, home of Cambridge United. Split into 4 x 20 minute quarters the game was less than 10 minutes old before Cambridge took the lead. By the end of the first 20, Cambridge United were 3 up & PSA looked shell shocked. The pitch was not in the best of order but this was no excuse for the poor display. Players who would normally try to play out from the back had reverted to the long ball. United had the biggest of 16 year olds playing up front for them & the tactics were obvious, the big man had some very pacey support players around him & it was not long before PSA had the wind totally thumped out of them. It was 5-0 on 70 minutes. Had it not been for Josh Parker in goal the score may have been more.

The 3rd quarter saw Darren Gray take control of United's target man, Daniel Alizart dropped into the back 4, Shane Huke managed to get forward occasionally. From this United were no longer able to create from long plays & PSA started to keep the ball.
PSA pulled one back from its best passage of play all night but it was a case of "too little too late". From a coaching perspective it was a disappointing display on the pitch but a great opportunity for players to learn the importance of being able to adjust quickly to different environments & styles of play. Maybe the hectic schedule played a part but this is typical of what the tour is about.

From a spectators point of view it was great to see the beautiful sight of massive Ely Cathedral at night, glowing in the backdrop of the ground.

The rest proved to pay dividends for the PSA team, the players from the outset started a lot sharper & looked lot fresher for their rest.
The Peterborough side were a side coming into this game brimming with confidence after a very comfortable 7 -1win in the league Cup over Southend United on Saturday.

The celebrations looked like they were about to continue after borough took the lead early & against all run of play but as in every game so far the Aussie boys were not about to let the locals get it all there own way. PSA were matching Peterborough in every department & were pushing forward more & more as the game progressed, then on 30 minutes Adam van kerkvoort unleashed a 35 yard rocket that left a few of the pro lads wondering where the launch pad had come from.

Peterborough Youth have many outstanding players in their side, some are already members of the first team squad, Shane Tolley was outstanding in the cup match for borough on the weekend but tonight he was unable to shake the shadow Alarn Talic, Dean McKillop was also at his best along with Josh Lucy who was unlucky not to get on the score sheet himself after a well struck shot that just went wide. Finally the PSA side were rewarded after Ryan Jewitt's persistence in front of goal payed off, netting with about 20 minutes to go.

Just when it looked like our boys were about to get there first win on tour, disaster struck.
Peterborough were awarded a very very dubious penalty late in the game, the penalty was converted to even the score & the game ended 2 a piece. This game should have finished on high for the players but unfortunately finished with 22 very disappointed players.
This was a excellent performance by the whole team & there was some excellent individual performances & battles all across the park but if there was a player of the match award it would have to go to Shane Huke tonight, worked tirelessly all night & organized his side very well.Peterborough 2-2 PSA

On every tour there is always the risk of a breakdown in communication. This hopefully is it & it is out of the way early into the tour. Somewhere between the Southside of the planet & the Northern side of the planet the time & date for this match was...to use a very English phrase "well cocked up!"

However the night off was a good chance for the team have a well earned rest. The Peterborough match tomorrow will be a tough one boasting a couple of Internationals.

Prior to the Premier League match today we traveled to the seaside town of Southend to support Peterborough youth who were playing away to Southend youth in just one of many English youth cups.
The score finished up 1-7 to Peterborough. This was a great chance to see what PSA are going to be up against on the 23rd when they take this team on at Bourne in Peterborough.

The trip into Upton Park for the visit to Westham was as expected an eye opener for the Brisbane players. 38,000 people crammed into streets half the size of Milton road & scrambling for the same train was probably more exciting than the 0 - 0 draw itself. But hey! who needs goals when you get to hear & feel the atmosphere of thousands of vocal cockneys & see the larger than life size of Schmicheal in goal against the pint size genius Joe Cole, just to name a few. (Di canio & Anelka).

Westham were kind enough to let the players down onto the edge of the ground for a photos at the end of the game, which is a rarity for any Premier League club, so hopefully families back in Australia will get some great snap shots from the boys to savor the moment.

A morning on the Eye training field gave the players a chance to reflect on last nights match & a chance to work on some basic defending & attacking plays in preparation for the game against the full time Cambridge City youth.

The city ground itself would be the envy of any NSL club in Australia & for our boys it had a Wembley feel about it, the response from the players was as professional as the surroundings itself.

City as expected were very disciplined, boasting quality individuals & why not... they train & play 6 days per week all year round. The 3 goals for City could not be denied & they deserved their early 3 goal lead.
The third goal deserves a special mention in particular, City's smallest player had been causing problems for our back four all night, he was one of those players that you knew whenever he got the ball he was going to do something clever, he had pace, he was strong & just to add to his artillery he was very cleaver with the ball.
Midway through the 3rd period a ball was played hard & low from wide left. Facing goal & 20 yards out he let the ball run across his body & with what looked like he was going to launch a missile, he cleverly sold a fake shot, he cushioned the ball with the right foot gently to the left of the sold out centre back & with just the right weight the ball rolled into the box & was set perfectly for the execution. Without lifting his head & no more need for any extra touches he cleverly clipped the ball with his left foot over our keeper who I might add was not too badly positioned.
The fake would have been bought by the best in any league.

In the early stages of this match, PSA had allowed the game to become too long & our front players had continually become isolated.

But not to be out done Danny & Aiden took control of the game from the back & started to squeeze the game.
It was from this point the qualities of our boys started to appear & by the end of the 3rd spell PSA started to dominated & could have scored at least 3 goals.
Jordie Macleod came close to scoring with a great header that was heading straight for the bottom right side of the goal, but the keeper at full stretch palmed it around the post.
Minutes later Macleod again was causing havoc in City's box, he got in behind the City defence again, with too much time to think about the shot he miss hit his first attempt, the shot resembled a pass rather than a shot but City's back 4 were feeling the pressure & before Macleod had chance to bury his head in the lush green turf the City defender miss hit his clearance & Macleod intercepted the poor clearance. He neatly turned the ball onto his right foot & fired a blistering shot at goal but only managed to melt the paintwork on the cross bar.
The result could easily have been 3-3 but the slow start had been too costly. In all the players had done a fantastic job against a very very good side & by no means deserved to be scoreless by the end of the game. No injuries & the boys deserve a well earned rest tomorrow.

The first of the PSA tour matches was played last night against a mixture of local Peterborough players currently not getting a game in the youth side along with 2 players on trial from Tottenham, Goalkeeper from Brighton Hove Albion & local clubs from the Peterborough area.
The game was played in 3 x 20 minute halves then a final 2 x 10 minute halves which proved to be too long for the 22 guest from Australia. Although the overseas visitors took the lead at the end of the first 20 the team never looked settled & were never given a chance to find any cohesion, the Peterborough equalizer came early in the second 20 minute quarter with a second to follow within minutes . Peterborough pressed all over the park for virtually the entire game, making the tempo of the game difficult for our boys to cope with, all 22 players got a run but the 30 hour flight had taken its toll by the last 20 & Peterborough killed the game off with a third in the last 10. The game in truth was typical of trial match, lots of changes & intervals, the game never really gave players a chance to settle, however it did give them a taste of things to come. For the local spectators from the village of Bourne it was a match to savor some great individual performances by both locals & the visitors from down under.
Final score Peterborough 3-1 PSA.

It was only fitting that the two teams that finished first (Rovers) and second (Toro) in the league should battle it out on Sunday in the Grand final.

North Star Soccer Club played host to the final, which saw both clubs well represented by a very vocal crowd.

The match kicked off at 4.30PM and took some 20 minutes to fire up, Rovers played the first 20 minutes very deep allowing Toro to keep the ball unchallenged in their own half, in the hope that Toro would press higher up field from the back, this resulted in Toro pumping hopeful balls into the Rovers half only to see a change over in possession as Rovers played on the counter attack. Both sides had one or two half chances but it was a pretty uneventful fist half.

Straight form the second half kick off it was apparent that Rovers had been given instructions to take the game to Toro. Chances fell to both teams when in the 50^th minute a deflected clearance from the Rovers defence found a Toro player unmarked, although Pearse the Rovers keeper managed to stop the first shot the Toro attacker did well to fire in from close range to open the scoring.

From the restart Butler was brought on for Lucy who had worked hard on the right side of midfield Butlers fresh legs and pace began to make an instant impact, however Rovers began to think the gods had conspired against them when there striker Jewitt was given a straight red card for a 50/50 collision with the Toro Keeper, the Referee and the Toro players had seen nothing wrong with the challenge however the linesman on the far side who had made various debatable decisions throughout the first half convinced the referee to send the striker off. Butler was sent up front and Talic pushed up into midfield as Rover played 3 at the back looking for the equaliser. The entire second half was played at a frantic pace with both teams playing some very exiting Football. With 25 minutes to go Rovers replaced Brievley and Talic who had both given 100%, with Viney and Macleod, this seemed to Kick Rovers into top gear with the fresh legs of the two subs and nothing to loose Rovers kept streaming forward with Tyko, Croyden, and Vankerkvoort all coming close to getting the Equaliser, then with 18 minutes to go Macloed dispossessed a Toro defender 30 meters from the Toro goal whipped in a first time cross into the path of Butler who drove his first time shot past the Keeper who had no chance of stoping it. At this point the play went from end to end with both sets of supporters creating a fantastic atmosphere. With 80 minutes gone Rovers got a corner.Macleod sent over a perfect in swinger into the crowded penalty box, Grey who had been arguably, man of the match managed to get up higher than the 3 Toro defenders to tuck the ball into the top corner. The noise was now deafening as Evans and Alizart (injured) kept shouting words of encouragement form the bench.

Rover then switched to 1 up front as Johnson and Catic chased down and cleared anything that came remotely near the Rovers goal. The last 5 minutes saw chances go astray at both ends with Rovers clearing everything high up field to run down the clock. At the final whistle the score was 2-1 to Rovers.

‘We have had some Good games against Toro this season, In our previous two encounters I believe we played the better football but lost to superior finishing, we have hit the woodwork 5 times against them in the previous 2 games and come away with nothing. The plan today was to play a little less football and take our chances. I felt so sorry for Ryan Jewitt he was causing Toro all sorts of problems with his pace, you get to know your players and I know that he would never have gone in with his elbow in a 50/50 situation with the keeper and to the Toro players credit none of them even hinted that Ryan had done anything wrong. All the Toro players where a credit to their club and to their parents, they put up a spirited performance. My lads stuck to our plan kept their shape well. I have worked with some great kids in the past but I have never seen young players with so much heart. Phil and I have worked hard on getting the players to play good attractive, attacking football, for the most part that is exactly what the lads have done, we have asked a lot of them, several of the lads played Division 2 and 3 last season. When we struggled with injuries and suspensions Phil and I never once considered bringing down XXXX youth players, we brought up Under 15 Division 1 and Under 17 Division 2 players who did a great job for us and played no small part in this seasons success” Said Murray.