Result - Win - 3 - 0
Player of the day:
Cameron - for strong midfield play.
Strengths - Strong play when going forward.
Areas to develop - Same as last week, which is to focus on passing (& receiving passes) without giving away possession. Using the field better and not bunching together which creates gaps for the other team.
The team thought this was going to be an easy win, but they were impressed by how much the Cougars had improved. In the first half the Cougars had better positional play.
Our goals all came from some great team work.
This first was when Cody made a great tackle, passing to JD, who sent the ball on to Vinnie who made a great cross for Aaron to beat the keeper in the 3rd minute.
The 2nd was from a corner where our strikers put pressure on their defence and they conceded a corner. Liam made a strong kick into the box where AJ (who had come forward from defence) was in a good position to tap it over the line.
Our last goal (excluding Vinnie's who was unlucky not to have his goal counted) was when Cameron received a great pass up his left wing and took a long-range punt that sailed through the goal.
We had 2 subs for the game and I was able to give some players a go in new positions. Most players are most suited to their usual positions but some need to be reminded about their roles.
In addition to winning the game through strong team work, my other highlights were:
Once again Josh had a strong game in goal, keeping another clean sheet. He never looked troubled and dealt easily with the pressure.
Cody had a great game. There were never any concerns about his tackling ability but his strength is getting the play going in the right direction.
Vinnie moved from defence into striker and did his best to score. He had 3 near misses before he got one in, unfortunately it wasn't counted. Vinnie's versatility in any position is a real strength.
Bosco has found his role at the back. His defensive skills neutralises attacks and his strong kicks gets the play going our way.
Sam was busy on the field, keeping up with the play and making some good passes.
Cameron was also busy on the field and illustrated how a mid-fielder should play - moving forward on attack and back on defense, linking the strikers and defenders..
Andy had his strongest game of the season in mid-field with some excellent tackling and positive passing.
Amanda also had her best game, making strong challenging tackles and useful linking passes.
JD was keen to score and kept moving forward when he could sniff a goal. He also tackled strongly.
Aaron was the left striker again today and seemed hungry to score. It only took 3 minutes for him to score the first goal and he was well marked after that, but was still able to create some more opportunities.
AJ was as a defender for much of the game. He has a good ability to read the game and even though he was new to the role was able to contribute positively.
Caleb was Mr Reliable as the central defender, controlling the defensive line. This was certainly a strong part of our game as their attackers were being pushed back and unable to get into scoring positions.
Liam attacked the goal and set up goals for the other players. The opposition obviously recognised the threat he posed and marked him (annoyingly) closely.
It was a game to take many positives from, especially the way we played as a team. We will need to work on some of the areas that left us exposed, which other teams could exploit - especially our positional play and passing earlier.
I'm looking forward to practice so we can develop these skills. Meanwhile, we can bask in the glory of another good win!
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