24/4/10

Saturday U11's Division 2

Radcliffe Olympic 4 Hucknall Sports White 3

Unbeaten run comes to an end

Five weeks after clinching the league title Hucknall travelled to Radcliffe for the penultimate game of the season looking to preserve their unbeaten record but despite a fantastic second half fight back Sports left things too late and lost the game 4-3.

Radcliffe's early well taken goals in the first half rocked Hucknall to the core and unbelievably the Champions heads dropped and all confidence ebbed away. Sports had their chances to get on the score sheet but looked tentative in front of goal and often looked to take an extra touch with the goal at their mercy. But this should nothing aware from a great lesson in football from Olympic who played as a team despite having nothing to gain from winning the game.

Injury to Oliver Bowley saw Tyler Johnstone entered into the action but a frustrating first half for Sports came to a close with Radcliffe seizing on a misplaced goal kick to score their third goal and make the score 3-0 at half-time and leave Hucknall with a mountain to climb.

Half time: Radcliffe Olympic 3 Hucknall Sports White 0

Playing downhill and with the wind at their backs in the second half Hucknall galvanised themselves for 30 minutes of hard work to try and get back into the game and an early goal from the combative Jarrod Davies looked like the perfect start. But Radcliffe hit back with a well taken goal directly from a free kick and could have made the score 5-1 had they not missed from the penalty spot. Sports showed flickers of form and a fabulous goal from Jacob Barlow was followed up by a scrambled goal from Ryan Towle to see Hucknall in the ascendancy with the clock ticking down. A last gasp shot from Davies narrowly sailed agonisingly over the cross-bar and the game was done.

Sports unbeaten record was gone and Radcliffe celebrated a well won victory.

Final score: Radcliffe Olympic 4 Hucknall Sports White 3

For the neutral this was a great game, but for Sports Management this was a nightmare. Too many times Hucknall were second to the ball and guilty of arguing amongst themselves rather than trying to pull together and win the game.

This should not detract from what has been a fantastic season for Sports, but hopefully it will serve as reminder that, whether you like it or not, football is a team game and you must all pull together in order to win.

The outright winner for Sports Man of the Match award was Dylan Smith, although a special mention should go to one of this seasons most improved players Joe Newton for trying his best to rally the troops. But when all around him were losing there heads Dylan Smith stayed calm and collected and set an example that others would do well to follow.

20/3/10

Saturday U11's Division 2

Keyworth United White 2 Hucknall Sports White 5

Hallam Hat-Trick secures Championship for Sports

Miserable weather and an undulating pitch could not dampen Whites desire to take a grip of this game after they made the long journey to Keyworth in search of a victory that would secure the League Championship title.

Fielding a full strength team Hucknall started at a blistering pace with wingers Ryan Towle and Jacob Barlow threatening to unlock the Keyworth backline every time that had the ball. A left wing cross from Barlow picked out Oliver Bowley who controlled the ball well and sent Whites on their way by coolly slotting the ball into the bottom corner. Strike partner James Hallam quickly followed this up with a well taken goal of his own and Hucknall looked to be coasting to victory.

Joe Newton, Ellis Evans and Jarrod Davies gave a demonstration of intelligent midfield play, defending well at times and making 'killer' passes at others, to drive the team forward. Winger Towle, in particular, providing some wonderful right wing crosses that the Hucknall forwards narrowly failed to convert.

Keyworth were found a way back into the game with a well taken goal and then followed this with another just before half time to take the game into the break with the scores level.

Half time: Keyworth United Whites 2 Hucknall Sports White 2

A great finish to the first half meant that United started the second with confidence running high and it was Keyworth who looked dangerous in the first ten minutes. Hucknall's defence just about held on with Mitch Davies in particular typifying their 'never say die' attitude and Keeper Kal Orton put in a solid performance to mop up any balls that eluded Whites defence.

Second half Whites substitute Dante Diriso looked dangerous on the right wing and Barlow continued to play well out wide on the left. Good play from Sports midfield released Hallam to score his second of the game and he then turned provider for Jacob Barlow to make the score 4-2 to Hucknall.

Finally, the boys could relax and enjoy the game and this allowed them to play some great football in the final quarter of the game creating chance after chance. Substitutes William Brown, Kieran Wilson and Tyler Johnstone entered the game and once again showed the strength in depth that Whites posses this season by maintaining the high performance levels that the team were now playing. Super-Striker Hallam scored the goal of the game for his hat-trick and 27th goal of the season, smashed another against the cross-bar and still had time to setup Johnstone for a chance that he was unlucky not to convert in the closing minutes.

As the final whistle blew Hucknall players celebrated victory in style with their supporters for their first League Title.

Final score: Keyworth United Whites 2 Hucknall Sports White 5

Scoring a hat-trick and being involved in everything good in the attacking half of the field would normally secure a Man of the Match Award for James Hallam, but it was Defender Mitch Davies who won it for his brilliant defending.

If there is a boy who can head a ball better than Mitch then he must be playing in the Premiership. An inspiring performance from him that frustrated Keyworth attackers time and again. Unlucky James, but well done Mitch.

This has been four years of hard work, the early seasons saw the boys losing more games than they won but all credit to each and every one of them for having the desire to improve and belief in themselves. They have worked so hard over this time to become a football team that they can be proud of. This is the first trophy that the team have ever won and the boys could not have deserved it more.

Coaches and Manager would like to go on record to say how much they have enjoyed working with the boys, its been a pleasure and privilege.

Four Goal Towle drives Sports on to Victory

Four Goal Towle drives Sports on to Victory

Newstead Recreational Ground was bathed in spring sunshine for the final home game of the season for Hucknall Sports against Clifton All Whites. Earlier in the season Clifton had held Sports to a 3-3 draw to become the only team to take points from Hucknall so far.

Missing Kal Orton to illness and Kieran Wilson to Kick-Boxing exams meant it was a reshaped Hucknall who took to the pitch. William Brown, one of the heroes of the East Valley game, played in goal and Ryan Towle partnered Jarrod Davies in midfield. After winning the toss Sports elected to play with the wind at their backs but Clifton's high-line of defence caught out Hucknall's front line time and again. The offside flag was correctly raised countless times and Sports were struggling to find a way to break through. Midway in the half James Hallam broke free and chased down a long ball to cross from the goal-line for Ryan Towle to finish with aplomb. Strike duo of Hallam and Oliver Bowley had their chances to extend the lead along with Dante Dirsio and Harry Saxton but the second goal just would not come and at half-time Hucknall lead by a solitary goal.

Half time: Hucknall Sports White 1 Clifton All Whites 0

Clifton's tactics of shoot on site were clear from the second half kick-off. However, fantastic midfield play from Joe Newton and Jarrod Davies meant that Clifton had no time on the ball and Sports keeper Brown was a spectator for most of the half.
Up front Josh Hart showed great skill to take on the combative Clifton back-line and was really unlucky to see his shot just drift wide after a great run. Hallam also went close but it was Towle who found the net to score his second of the game and this was quickly followed by a neat volley from Ellis Evans. Clifton were not happy at all and the referee had to work overtime to keep a 'lid' on the game as it looked likely to explode at any time.
Whites backline of Mitch Davies, Harry Saxton and Dylan Smith marshalled the Clifton attackers well and on the rare occasion that Al Whites looked like threatening Sports defensive unit snuffed out any sign of a chance.
As the second half passed the midway mark, leading by example, Ryan Towle showed that thankfully good football will prevail and produced a 'master-class' of right-wing play that resulted in him scoring two more goals and closing the game out for a fabulous victory to Sports that see's them complete their home league fixtures with a 100% win record. Clifton did score a consolation goal late on after a rare defensive mix-up from Hucknall but the referee blew his whistle to complete the game soon after.

Final score: Hucknall Sports White 5 Clifton All Whites 1

The first half was certainly a unique test for Hucknall and valuable lessons will have been learnt. In the second half Sports controlled the game with some measured and all-round good play.
This weeks Man of the Match award went to Ryan Towle, not just for his four goals, but for showing that footballing skill is the main ingredient for winning a game - well done Ryan, that's 17 goals for the season, not bad for a defender!

Hucknall Sports White 3 West Bridgford Harriers 1

27/2/10
Saturday U11's Division 2
Hucknall Sports White 3 West Bridgford Harriers 1

'Super Kal' keeps Hucknall on track for Title

A waterlogged pitch in West Bridgford meant that this game was switch to Newstead Recreational Ground and Hucknall looked forward to meeting a West Bridgford side noted for their clever style of football.

Harriers started the game like a rocket and took the lead from their first attack when a well worked move saw them cut open the Sports backline. Whites were stunned but confident that they could get back into this game with so much time remaining on the clock and sure enough a sustained spell of pressure saw Jacob Barlow level the scores and keep his own rich vein of form going with his 13th goal of the season. Oliver Bowley then played in James Hallam for him to smash Hucknall into the lead and soon after Ryan Towle converted his own free-kick, scoring high into the top corner, to have take Hucknall into the break leading by 3-1.

Half time: Hucknall Sports White 3 West Bridgford Harriers 1

Kieran Wilson entered the match as a second half substitute and slotted into midfield along the impressive Jarrod Davies to try to starve Harriers of the ball. But Bridgford showed why they are considered on of the best footballing sides in the League and had the confidence to play the ball 'backwards to go forwards'. Whites defence was working overtime and time and again defenders Joe Newton, Harry Saxton and the outstanding Dylan Smith shut out Harriers with last ditch tackling. Harriers continued to press and broke free from the Hucknall defenders only to find themselves confronted by Whites Keeper 'Super' Kal Orton who showed tremendous bravery to dive at the feet of the Bridgford attackers a least three times to stop them from scoring. West Bridgford were awarded a penalty and sensed a way back into the game only for Orton to foil them with a 'cat-like' save that saw him push the ball onto the cross-bar and have the speed of thought to pounce on the lose ball - truly breath-taking.
Dylan Smith defended wonderfully well when he was left as the last man and tackled not once, but three times in quick succession to foil the tricky Harriers winger and then Orton totally demoralised Harriers when he saved bravely again when one-on-one with the Bridgford attacker for one last time. As the clock ticked down, Hucknall saw out the game in the attacking half of the pitch and the referees whistle blew for a hard fought win much to the relief of the fans and coaches.

Final score: Hucknall Sports Whites 3 West Bridgford Harriers 1

This was a wonderful football match for the neutral (as they say on Match of the Day) and both teams deserve great credit for playing some outstanding football on a muddy pitch that Division One teams would be proud of.
Dylan (The Silent Assassin) Smith, Jarrod (Patrick Vieira) Davies and James (Didier Drogba) Hallam worked their socks off today but an outstanding performance from Hucknall Keeper Kal Orton won him a long over due Man of the Match away - fantastic Kal, well done.

Hucknall Sports Whites 4 Keyworth United Whites 0

13/2/10
Saturday U11's Division 2
Hucknall Sports Whites 4 Keyworth United Whites 0

Another well fought team performance from Sports

Sports match was played on a cold Saturday afternoon against Keyworth United Whites. Hucknall were determined to improve on the previous week’s game against Cotgrave and kicked downhill with the wind in the first half.
Hucknall didn’t start the game particularly well, with some scrappy passing, but as the match progressed they finally got their game of flowing, attractive, football working.
Good midfield play saw Sports probing the Keyworth back-line but with the away team playing five-across-the-middle it was very congested and space was at a minimum.
Harry Saxton, in his solid defensive role, won a loose ball at the back and took on his man (Beckenbauer-style) to slot a side-rule pass through to James Hallam who ran in on goal and dispatched the ball into the far corner. Jacob Barlow and Kieran Wilson were dangerous on the wings when Sports got the ball out wide and did well in getting round the back of the Keyworth defence and putting in crosses.
The visitors rallied and searched for an equalizer but were having to be content with long range shots which Kal Orton (The cat) made look easy to deal with. Sports became more confident and started taking control of the game, with Jarrod Davies, William Brown and Ryan Towle winning most of the midfield battles. A good passing move saw Hallam sprint down the left to leave is marker and play a ball across the box for an incoming Towle to slot home past the stranded keeper.
Half time: Hucknall Sports 2 – Keyworth United 0
In the Second half there were team changes from Hucknall with Dante Diriso and Joe Newton bolstering midfield as Sports were expecting heavy pressure from the away team. But Hucknall’s solid rear-guard of Mitch Davies, Harry Saxton and Dylan Smith stood firm and it was Sports that were searching for a goal.Slick interplay saw Oliver Bowley and Diriso combine to cross for Hallam to flick the ball into the far corner to make the score 3-0. Sports had a taste for yet more goals and a fantastic surge up the left wing from Hallam saw a pin-point cross pick out Towle who wrong footed the keeper to shoot home for a fourth.
Keyworth’s never say die attitude resulted in them being awarded a well deserved penalty only for them to smash the ball against the bar and soon after the final whistled blew with the score 4-0 to Hucknall Sports.
Full time: Hucknall Sports 4 – Keyworth United 0
This was a solid team performance from everyone and a great improvement from the previous week. Sports Coaches still think there is potential for better from the boys and the team need to stay focused for the final run-in to make sure that all their hard work is rewarded.
There were several candidates for Man of the Match with Goalie Kal Orton having another outstanding game.
However, in this match it went to James Hallam for an awesome performance where he held the front line well and had the determination to battle for every ball - brilliant James.
Well done boys, more of the same next week please.

Hucknall Sports 0 Lowdham Colts 2

5/12/09
U11's Saturday FA Shield
Hucknall Sports 0 Lowdham Colts 2

Hucknall Humbled in Cup
Bright winter sunshine illuminated Newstead Recreational Ground for this FA Shield Match between Division 2 leaders Hucknall Sports and Division 1 Lowdham Colts.

Winning the toss Hucknall chose to play with the wind at their backs and started slowly. The crisp passing and movement of the previous week had deserted the team but they still managed to fashion decent chances with James Hallam and Oliver Bowley unlucky not to find the back of the net on a number of occasions. Whites penned Lowdham in their own half for the entire first half apart from once when just before half-time a left sided move saw the Colts winger evade Sports defence to slot coolly home to take the game into the break 1-0 to the visitors and leaving Sports wondering just how they had not managed to take one of the host of chances themselves.

Half time: Hucknall Sports Whites 0 Lowdham Colts 1

Sports took to the field in the second half with last weeks hat-trick hero Ellis Evans playing as Hallam's strike partner but Colts defended manfully and dealt well with any attacking efforts. Lowdham got their second goal of the game after following up a shot that came back off the post during a defensive mix-up by Sports. Dylan Smith had the best effort for Whites when his shot from just outside the area grazed the post. But the final whistle blew all too soon for Hucknall to signal the end of a disappointing match.

Final score: Hucknall Sports Whites 0 Lowdham 2

On a different day Sports might have been out of site after the first 15 mins, but it just was not to be their day today.
Lessons will be learnt from this game and Hucknall will back to league action next week.
Good luck to Lowdham in the next round of the Shield.

Jarrod Davies was the winner of today's Man of the Match Award for his combative display in midfield (and defence) as well as making some of the best passes of the game - well done Jarrod.

Lowdham Colts 1 Hucknall Sports Whites 5

7/11/09
Saturday U11's
Trophy

Lowdham Colts 1 Hucknall Sports Whites 5

Lacklustre Whites Win Trophy Match
Hucknall Sports Whites travelled the short distance to Caythorpe to take on Lowdham Colts in the second round of the Saturday Trophy competition on the back of an unbeaten start to the season with confidence running high.

But it was Lowdham who started the better of the two sides and Whites defence could only watch as a Colts breakaway saw the opposition crash a clear shot on goal against the woodwork. This should have provided the warning for Whites to move up a gear but a succession of poor control in midfield and neat passing from Lowdham meant that the Sports defence was working overtime to keep the score sheet clean. Thankfully, a wonderful pass from Jarrod Davies put James Hallam through on goal and he calmly slotted the ball into the net to put Whites into the lead.
All credit to Colts though as they refused to crumble and they got the goal that their play deserved with when a fantastic run from defence to attack saw Santos level the scores. Hucknall were clearly rattled at not having things their own way and Colts threatened once more but Whites Keeper Kal Orton showed great composure to side-step the attacker and make a simple pass to his defenders. Late in the Hucknall were awarded a penalty when Josh Hart was tripped in the box and but Colts keeper made a great save from Hallam to take the match into half-time with the scores level.

Half time: Lowdham Colts 1 Hucknall Sports Whites 1


Whites rang the changes at half-time with all four substitutes being introduced in an attempt to get back to the football of recent weeks. Half-time tactics where executed from the start by Hucknall and great wing play from both Dante Diriso and Jacob Barlow started to create gaps in the Colts back line. Good footwork from Oliver Bowley saw the ball crossed into the 'danger' area and Jarrod Davies flicked the ball home with the outside of his foot. Finally, the Colts resistance was broken and as fitness started to play a major part in the game Hucknall exerted their authority and closed out the game with further goals from Mitch Davies, Jacob Barlow and Ryan Towle.

Final score: Lowdham Colts 1 Hucknall Sports Whites 5

This game will hopefully serve as a lesson to Sports that you must respect your opposition at all times. It is not good enough simply to turn-up at a game expecting to have shooting practice. Players have to continue to work hard to create chances for their team mates and stick to the tactics that have seen them make a great start to the season.


Amongst many good second half performances there are four in particular that are worthy of note: Jarrod Davies and Mitch Davies won the midfield battle and Kieran Wilson and Dylan Smith stood strong in defence.
However, the winner of the Man of the Match Award was Harry Saxton. His calm play from centre-back saw him bringing the ball forward and making wonderful passes that were reminiscent of Franz Beckenbauer at his best. The entire crowd watched in awe as his 25-yard strike smashed the cross-bar to deny him his first goal for the club.
Well done Harry - it was a pleasure to watch such a mature performance.