Sacred Heart 0 - 0 St Martins - 27/03/10
Over recent weeks the boys form has had a wobble but they have continued to work hard in training as we had another tough match against a team who are in a three way challenge for the league title.
First half the boys kicked off and looked sharp from the start. The Saints chased down every ball hassled every opposition player and when they got possession they passed the ball confidently between them. You could see the game taking shape as Hearts could not get any rhythm due to our three defenders Eric Karanja, Liam Wall and Cyrus Crawford dominating play. With Liam being the rock in the middle this allowed Eric and Cyrus to join up with the midfield three of Ryan Saint, skipper Danny Johnson and Adam Brown to torment the Sacred Heart defence and it wasn't long before Ryan using his speed and skill almost scored the opener with his shot going narrowly wide. This was followed by some neat play between Adam and Danny with the skippers shot just clipping the cross bar. Adam Brown then went close only for the keeper making an outstanding save followed by two Hearts defenders making a last ditch tackle on him as he went for the rebound.
Second half Hearts needed to get a result to keep up their title challenge and started to press the game but as with the first half they came up against a brick wall and could only manage long range efforts. Saints continued to chase the ball and all their hard work nearly paid off as Ryan went through on goal only to be thwarted by the keeper. When Hearts did manage to get into our box our in form Keeper Matty Payne made a fantastic save from a powerful close range shot and then dived to the right to make another save on the follow up. The lively Adam Brown then made two defence splitting passes, one to Danny and the other to Ryan only for both shots going agonisingly wide. And it was another great link up play when Ryan's brilliant cross to Adam which almost got us the winner.
Final score Sacred Heart 0 - 0 St Martins
Managers comments: Over the last few weeks I think the boys would agree that we have not been at our best but today I have seen their best performance of the season. It was a great game to watch. I thought Eric, who never stopped running and tackling, and the rest of the defence were magnificent and the midfielders including our subs Brandon and Oliver were immense. I was very proud of our performance. Well done.
Man of the match: The whole team.
Sundon Park Rangers 4 - 1 St Martins
I will not dwell on our first half performance as the boys will agree this was not one of our best. Saints had to work hard but all for the wrong reasons as Sundon Park started very sharply. Sundon won nearly every ball and if you do not get to the ball first then you have to work back chase and tackle but on a heavy pitch this was always going to be difficult. When we did have possession the boys did well creating a few chances. Brandon McGeoghogan and Oliver Jell did very well and continue to improve and did not stop running in the first half and our keeper Matty Payne did exceptionally well in a very muddy goal mouth making some fantastic saves to keep the score at 4 - 0 going into half time.
Second half we saw the real Saints. From the whistle the boys took the game to Sundon winning the ball, passing and moving. Skipper Danny Johnson pushed the team on and it was not long before he worked his way through and scored a fantastic goal taking his tally to 6 for the season. At the back Liam Wall and Cyrus Crawford did not let Sundon into the game with both players dominating the play. The pacey Eric Karanja and Adam Brown both got stuck into Sundon working the ball well. But it was Ryan Saint who was causing all the problems with his trickery and skill, the best moment of the game came when Ryan "Giggsy" Saint dribbled down the wing dropped the left shoulder then went to the right leaving the defender standing and then going on to beat another Sundon player. The second half was all St Martins and we could have got another 2 or 3 goals more on another day.
Final score Sundon Park 4 - 1 St Martins
Managers comments: First half we will forget although the players never gave up. Second half I thought the boys were brilliant, they showed great attitude and fighting spirit. Well done.
Mangers Man of the Match: Ryan Saint, exceptional second half performance, the drop shoulder move was worth coming to see on its own. |
Crawley Green 3 -2 St Martins 13/02/10
In snowy conditions the boys had to be at their best to get a result. The
saints started brightly and put a strong Crawley side under pressure.
Skipper Danny Johnson almost opening the scoring with some neat play only
for his shot to be saved by the goalie. Brandon McGeoghogan and Oliver Jell
were on fine form today playing some really good football. As with the
previous week game because of the boys total commitment to score we leave
ourselves open to the counter attack and this is what Crawley took advantage
of scoring two first half goals. Eric Karanja and Cyrus Crawford worked
really hard to get back into the game which paid off as Danny Johnson
smashed home one of his speciality long range free kick to get a very
important goal before the break.
Second half the boys were determined to get things back on track Ryan Saint
and Adam Brown were soon in the thick of the action and putting Crawley on
the back foot. With Liam Wall in charge at the back our in form keeper Matty
Payne had little to do although when called he did not let us down. Ryan
Saint causing problems for the Crawley defence managed to work his way
through to score the deserved equiliser. After this it was all St Martins
with Adam Brown coming close to scoring a third with a superb free kick and
Danny Johnson coming even closer when his shot clipped the outside of the
post. As usual in our games the opposition picked us off right at the end to
make it 3 - 2.
Managers comments: The boys deserved something out of the game as they
worked very hard. Really good game to watch and they all done very well.
Managers man of the match: Brandon McGeoghogan
St Martins 3 - 3 Luton Borough Dragons Reds 07/02/10
This was a game of two halves. Saints kicked off and started steadily against a well organised Dragons. The boys probably gave the opposition a little too much of the ball but once they started to close them down the Saints started to control the game. The midfield trio of skipper Danny Johnson, Adam Brown and Ryan Saint worked hard to create some good chances but it was Oliver Jell who came close to opening the scoring with a fantastic long range shot that just went wide. Cyrus Crawford battled hard to win the ball in the middle and Liam Wall did not let any thing pass him at the back. Skipper Danny Johnson opened the scoring with a stunning 15 yard free kick which went straight in the top corner, the lively Ryan Saint followed this up with another superb long range effort. Our keeper Matty Payne was called into action on a couple of occasions making some great saves.
Second half we made some changes with Brandon McGeoghogan and Eric Karanja coming on. Saints were soon under some pressure with the Dragons starting brightly to try and salvage something from the game but it was a stunning 20 yard effort from Eric Karanja scoring his first ever St Martins goal which put the boys three up. This is where the game changed, Dragons upped their game and dominated the second half putting the boys under increasing pressure until they managed to get a break through scoring their first goal. With their tails up they soon managed to get a second and then third despite some dogged defending and good goal keeping by us.
Final score 3 - 3.
Managers Comment: It was disappointing to be 3 - 0 and ending 3 - 3. Our concentration seemed to go in the last 15 minutes letting the Dragons into the game. But based on their second half performance a draw was a good result. Overall our commitment was great and the first half performance was really good. We will move onto the next game and use this experience to improve.
Managers man of the match: Liam Wall - He had a tough morning against a speedy Dragons forward line, he read the game really well winning some important challenges.
St Martins 1 - 3 Sacred Heart - 12/12/09
With Sacred Heart going well in the league losing only once the Saints needed to be on top form, they did not disappoint.
First half Hearts won the toss and kicked off. The Saints settled into the game very quickly and put the opposition on the back foot with probably the best first half performance I have see them play this season. Conditions were good and the boys football was magnificent to watch. In defence Liam Wall and Brandon McGeoghegan were strong and dominant. Cyrus Crawford who has recently moved into midfield was outstanding with some of the best tackling and ball winning I have seen. Hearts number 5 and by far their best player never got into his game due to Cyrus's tenacity and from there Sacred Hearts were rattled. Skipper Danny Johnson led his team mates in midfield and linked up well with the skillfull Ryan Saint and Adam Brown to create the first chances. Ryan and Danny both got close to opening the scoring but were thwarted by some good goal keeping and dogged defending. The move of the first half began with Danny and Ryan who exchanged some good passes and managed to feed a brilliant ball through to Adam who's powerful first time shot was well saved by the Hearts goal keeper.
Second half the game was for the taking but it was Sacred Heart who are currently top of our league who came out fighting and started to put pressure on the boys. With only 8 players available the Saints who had put so much effort into the first half started to tire which let Hearts back into the game and it wasn't long before they started to create some good chances. A fierce 15 yard shot tested our goal keeper Matty Payne who dived to his right to make a fantastic save only for the ball to drop to another Hearts player to tap in the opener. This was a bit of a wake up call for the boys who still had the determination to take the game to Sacred Heart but as with most of our games we get a little bit stretched which allowed Sacred Heart to score a scrappy second goal and then a brilliant free kick by Hearts for their third. With the score flattering the league leaders Saints still managed to carve them open and it was the skipper Danny Johnson's good play which put the speedy Ryan Saint through who smashed the ball past the Hearts keeper for our goal. Straight from kick off Danny and Ryan still kept going and created another great chance which was cleared off the line.
Final score St Martins 1 - 3 Sacred Heart.
Captains comments: " Cyrus tackling was really good and Ryans goal was brilliant" - Danny Johnson
Managers thoughts: We just don't seem to get the lucky breaks other teams seem to get from us. Every game the boys have got better and better. Sacred Heart are a very good team and the boys out played them in the first half and easily matched them in the second. The boys should be proud of their performance, I was.
Manager man of the match: Cyrus Crawford.
Luton Borough Dragons 4 - 1 St Martins - 21/11/09s
The team was down the the bare bones this week as we only had 7 players, but this was not going to affect the boys performance. First half the boys started strongly in an evenly matched encounter against and a well disciplined Dragons. It was an exciting end to end game with full commitment from both teams. In the middle of the pitch skipper Danny Johnson and Cyrus Crawford battled hard and were causing problems for the Dragons this allowed Adam Brown and Ryan Saint to feed off them and create some good opportunities. Ryan Saint opened the scoring, with superb control he turned the defender and using his lightning speed run through and smash the ball into the bottom left hand corner for an outstanding goal. In defence Eric Karanja and Brandon McGeoghegan were playing very well chasing down and tackling a slick Dragons attack unfortunately it was one slick attack that managed to get the Dragons their equaliser.
Second half the boys went out determined to get the result and came close to getting their second with some great play again by Ryan Saint who managed to get the ball into the box, the boys managed to get in a shot which the keeper saved but could not keep hold, the ball bobbled about in front of the goal then with a cheeky back heel by our skipper nearly caught out the keeper. I thought that Eric's Karanja's tackling and Brandon McGeoghegans goal line clearance in the second half was fantastic. With no substitutes and the amount of effort the boys were putting in you could see the tiredness and frustration creeping in and the Dragons took full advantage to score three more goals although it could have been more but thanks to the our in form goal keeper Matty Payne who's handling of the ball and brilliant saves kept the score to 4 - 1.
Captains Comments " Ryan's goal was like something out of the Premiership" - Danny Johnson
Managers Thoughts - Despite the result it was a great game to watch, our commitment was outstanding. The Dragons manager said to me after the game was the only difference between the teams was that his boys managed to take their chances to score.
Manager man of the match - All the team.
Well done |
Under 9's Cup 1st Round - St Martins 1 - 4 Sacred Heart 15/11/09
With the match day weather conditions bad together with a heavy pitch this was going to be a game where the team who could score the most goals with the wind behind them would win the game.
Sacred won the toss and began the game brightly using the wind advantage, our boys had to dig in deep and after the first 5 minutes the Saints defending was excellent with Cyrus Crawford and Liam Wall and Brandon McGeoghegan doing a fantastic job. But as expected with the pressure building Sacred Heart opened the scoring with a long range looping shot. When the boys managed to get the ball on the floor they played some great football with Ryan Saint using his speed and skill to cut through the Sacred Heart defence only for his shot to go wide. Sacred Heart managed to get another two quick goals with long range efforts but this did not deter the boys who went back at them with some slick passing and moving. Despite the difficult conditions our keeper Matty Payne kept his cool and made some great saves.
Second half it was our turn to use the blustery wind and it wasn't long before our attack started to get the upper hand with some fine play, skipper Danny Johnson coming close with a powerful shot from distance, then it was then Ryan Saint and Adam Brown to have a go at goal. Eric Karanja also got himself in an excellent position but was thwarted by some dogged Sacred Heart defending. As usual with the commitment of the boys Sacred Heart managed a counter attack and scored the fourth. Even with the result going against them the boys didn't give up and with some great attacking play by Ryan Saint managed to cross the ball for Adam Brown to bag his first goal of the season.
Final score. St Martins 1 - 4 Sacred Heart
Captains Comments: "It was bonkers, the ball was going everywhere. We should have attacked more" - Danny Johnson
Managers Thoughts: Despite the condition the boys did well but need a little bit more concentration and aggression to win the ball.
Managers man of the match - Cyrus Crawford
Well done
St Martins 0 - 4 Sundon Park - 07/11/09
This was always going to be a tough game as we had already drawn against Sundon Park in our preliminary games. The first half was evenly matched but I thought our boys played some great football with some clever passing. Ryan Saint using his pace managed to get a few opportunities on goal and I think on another day would have converted one or two and the skipper Danny Johnson came close with a wickedly curling free kick which went narrowly wide. Throughout the first half their commitment and attitude was excellent but it was Sundon who managed to score the opener with a fierce corner that managed to squeeze in by the near post.
Second half the boys came out with determination to win the match and started to take the game to a strong Sundon Park. The highlight of the match was a terrific shot from the edge of the box by St Martins which I think took a deflection and was going into the bottom corner only for the Sundon keeper to make an outstanding save to his left this came on to the rampaging Ryan Saint who smashed the ball against the up right this was still not cleared and Eric Karanger almost managed to get his foot to the ball to score the equaliser. With the boys pushing up the pitch Sundon Park managed to pick us off to score 3 other goals on the counter attack although our keeper Matty Payne who has been outstanding this season had problems with the sun in his eyes.
Although Sundon probably deserved their victory the scoreline was flattering and the boys must now move on to the next match and continue the improvement and hard work they have showed this season.
Captains Comments: " I think we should have won the game, and I thought every player was man of the match" - Danny Johnson
Managers man of the match: Ryan Saint
Well done boys.
St Martins 1 v 1 Crawley Green 31/10/09
The boys started the first half brightly and confident. It was an impressive Ryan Saint who started to get things moving with some great skill and dribbling on the ball who created the first chance that was struck fiercely over the bar by Eric Karanja. With Callum Scowen controlling the midfield St Martins started to put more pressure on Crawley and the best move of the match which included some slick passing on the edge of the box put both Callum and Ryan one on one with the goal keeper who made a brave save. With all the pressure the boys won a corner and it was a powerful curling cross that caught out the keeper who deflected it in for the opener, I think Callum will be claiming that one. For the final 5 minutes of the first half Crawley started to exert a little bit of pressure and against the run of play they scored the equaliser from an own goal.
Second half the boys had to dig in as Crawley continued to put pressure on but with the boys commitment this did not last long and it was the Saints came close to getting the winner with a fantastic effort by Eric Karanja who narrowly missed with his volley from a corner.
Final result 1 - 1. I thought the boys deserved the win but we still remain unbeaten in the league another fantastic effort, well done boys.
Man of the match - Callum Scowen
Finally and sadly we said good bye to Callum Scowen who is moving away from the area. Callum is a fantastic player and a very talented footballer who will be missed by all the lads, parents and friends of St Martins FC. I wish him good luck in the future and if he manages to be in Luton at a weekend there will always be a place for him in the team.
St Martins Whites 2 - 1 Luton Borough Dragons - 24/10/09
Big Thank you to Assistant Manager James Johnson who led the Saints to their second league victory with goals from Skipper anny Johnson and Callum Scowen. Well done Boys - see you all at training.
Sundon Park Rangers 0 - 2 St Martins Whites 17/10/09
First league game of the season the boys were soon into their stride. With results not quite going their way in previous weeks the boys were determined to get a positive result. St Martins soon put the pressure on Sundon Park with Ryan Saint, Adam Brown and Danny Johnson coming close to opening the scoring with some fantastic football. All the hard work put into training was paying off with some slick passing and moving which made the game hard work for Sundon. And it was a desperate Sundon who fouled the lively Callum Scowen that led to the deserved opener. Callum stepped up to smash home a fantastic free kick. At the back the colossus Liam Wall and Cyrus Crawford never let Sundon into the game.
Second half St Martins wanted to finish the game off, the boys who came on Eric Karanja, Oliver Jell and Brandon McGeoghegan slotted in brilliantly to keep the pressure on Sundon and it was the skipper Danny Johnson who scored the important second goal to finish off proceedings. With a dubious penalty being awarded to Rangers later in the second half giving glimmer of hope but this was excellently saved by the in form keeper Matty Payne who also had another fine game.
Final score two nil to the Saints.
Man of the match: Callum Scowen.
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St Martins Whites 0 v 1 Luton Borough Dragons 10/10/09
The boys started very brightly against a well organised Dragons side. The defending in the first half was outstanding with Cyrus Crawford, Liam Wall and Callum Scowen dominating the ball with some fierce tackling and tough heading. The midfielders were also more than a hand full for the Dragons. The boys determination and commitment was fantastic to watch in an end to end thriller.
In the second half the game opened up little and it was St Martins who took the initiative and started to play some good football. It was the little magician Callum Scowen who managed to win the ball in our own half beat three players and played an excellent ball to the captain Danny Johnson who put through Adam Brown who's shot was excellently saved by the Dragons keeper. It was then the Dragons turn to spring a counter attack and with St Martins pushing up to score the opener it left us a little bit open at the back and the Dragons capitalised by scoring after Matty Payne had done his best to save the first shot but only to parry it to another Dragons player who coolly slotted it home.
The boys heads did not drop and they continued to push for the equaliser with numerous corners and quick counter attacks. This was a fantastic game to watch and I think a fair result would have been 0 - 0 but thats football.
My special mentions this week are to Liam Wall, Cyrus Crawford and Callum Scowen.
In the last few weeks the progress of all the boys has been great to watch.
Well done boys. |
Sundon Park Rangers 1 v 1 St Martins Whites 03/10/09
On the back of two defeats in previous weeks the boys were determined to make amends. The game started with St Martins taking control of the proceedings. It was great to watch the boys commitment, all the hard work they had been putting in in training over the past couple of weeks was beginning to pay off. They attacked the ball ferociously winning nearly every 50 / 50 and despite the blustery conditions the first touch, control and passing was brilliant. It was some neat football that put Ryan Saint in position to smash home a fantastic shot which the Sundon Park keeper had no chance of saving. One nil up the boys kept pushing with Adam Brown flashing a shot just inches wide and skipper Danny Johnson getting into good goal scoring positions. The St Martins defence was magnificent led by the impressive Callum Scowen. Unfortunately we managed to score an own goal which gave Sundon a glimmer of hope but it was St Martins who pushed on with Callum Scowen who's hard work and skill throughout the game gave him a couple of one on ones with the keeper but was unfortunate not to score.
A fantastic game to watch and the boys unfortunate not to get the win they deserved.
to all 3 :)