PRESENTING ST MARTINS U16 YOUNG LADIES



Wednesday's Squad 28th April 2010: St Martins v Luton Belles 

K/O 6.30pm  - meeting at 5.45pm - Lewsey Park

Please allow me a little self-indulgence - it’s my last match report

Did we really just complete 5 years in probably one of the toughest leagues in the south of England. Well I am very pleased to say yes we did and not once did we miss a game or drop out of the top division. 5 years ago 21 teams competed at our age group – this season we started off with 19. To finish as the 4^th best team out of 19 in the Home Counties Girls Football League is a tremendous achievement and when you look at the 3 teams that finished above us, it’s an even bigger achievement for our girls.

I predicted at the beginning of the season, Spurs would win the league – I also stated I thought QPR would come runners up and whilst one of those two predictions might not come off, I wasn’t far off.

On Wednesday we hosted our nearest and dearest rivals from just down the road and if I am honest I was tempted to concede the game. Up until Tuesday we could not get a referee (the night before) however the league kindly stepped in and not only provided a half decent ref, they also paid for him - nice touch. It would have been the first itime in 7 years together as a squad we had conceeded and lets be honest – none of us like playing  Luton – we never have. From the days of Dino the Dictator, progressing through to Moffet the Sergeant Major and finally the dynamic duo of John Wyatt and his current sidekick. Of all of them John was the only one I could ever really get on with. Yes we had a little spat some time ago, but we moved on, spoken since and had a decent chat after Wednesdays game wishing each other all the best. His side kick seems to be still sulking - however all of them created an air of arrogance surrounding their team to the extent where it simply became in my humble opinion beyond the call of duty.

As Manager & Coach of St Martins, I decided from the beginning it would be a fun and enjoyable experience for all. It would be about the girls and not me. Yes we would try to make progress developing the girls of differing abilities and yes we would try to win as many games as possible, but not at all costs. However my biggest commitment to the squad was loyalty and I make absolutely no apology for having these values.

The big 3 as I call them have a completely different agenda. They are looking to progress their players onto a higher level – a much higher level and whilst I can understand that. How many will make it to the Women’s Premier League - who knows, but I would make a conservative guess and say of the players I have seen this season from all 3 teams, one might make it and she was playing on Wednesday. So at what cost does this route have on those who are left behind. Who knows, but I do know we have benefited as a direct consequence of their drive to be the best. The big three are happy to ship in and ship out at their leisure - at times whole teams, but for me it simply wasn't the way to go. Continuity - togetherness and loyalty - from both player and manager surely was the way to go, especially at youth level. I have never asked a player to leave St Martins because of lack of ability. In fact I would see it as a failure on my part if I had have taken that route. My job (after committing to any player) was to develop their existing abilities and talents - shiping them out or simply not playing them to the extent were they "get the hint" is quite simply a cop out. Like I said though - St Martins Girls and the big three were miles apart in the past 5 year in terms of what we were looking to achieve.

Lauren – Sophie and now Chloe have become an integral part of our squad and all 3 have been a pleasure to coach and a positive addition to our little band of merry girls. We have a tremendous team spirit here at St Martins and (although I did contemplate it a couple of years ago) I would not swap what we have developed and achieved for any other club. We are a little school team competing with Tottenham Hotspurs – Queens Park Rangers and Luton Town. We have never had the pulling power of these big clubs and as a consequence it has worked out really well for us. Loyalty is a big thing in my book and we have no fewer than 5 players who have been with us for the full 7 years – we have another two who have now completed 5 years – we have another 3 more who have been with us for 4 years and so on. Had we had the same pulling power of the others, perhaps some of those loyal players would simply have been pushed aside to make way for the new ones and stopped playing. We didn’t and they didn’t and we still managed to compete with most.

We even managed to outlast Enfield and Garston – two teams who used to regularly beat us. The going got a little tough for both of them, they lost a few players and they folded. Stevenage also folded this year due to lack of players. And from previous years you can add Hatfield Belles, Bushey Rangers, Bedwell Rangers, Buntingford Cougers, Ridgeway Rovers, Potters Bar, Panshanger, Parkfield, Arlesey and a second Stevenage team as they were called Vixens and Juniors in the past. No fewer than 13 teams have folded in just 6 years and that’s just at our age group.

Some of the players will have simply lost interest – some teams will have been poorly run. I know a large number of teams folded as a direct consequence of the centre of excellence not allowing the girls to continue to play for their club and some of the girls will have been sold the dream of playing at a higher level, left their existing team only to be shown the door sometimes in the same season. That dream is as far off as it is for a boy making it – in fact it’s probably further away. The best local female players (and I mean the best) play for Arsenal Ladies. It’s as simply as that. The dream simply isn’t their for the rest and never will be and so the realistic dream should be in my humble opinion to play for a team your comfortable with – a team that has some decent standards on and off the pitch - a team your going to enjoy turning out for and a team you will be able to look back on and say in years to come what a wonderful time you had. It works – I know it does – we have had 7 years and we are still together.

ST MARTINS FC – LUTON TOWN – WED 28^th APRIL 2010

The match:

The second half was a completely different story. Yes Luton took their foot off the pedal and yes we continued to do what we do best – compete. After some great hold up work by Kaisha followed by a neat turn and low cross, Stacey was on hand for a decent finish to give us an air of respectability.

Considering our previous two encounters 5 – 1 against Luton is respectable. However we continued to push and yet again after some decent work by Kaisha, Stacey managed a second. The one thing I cannot fault is my team’s ability to compete for the 80 minutes and Wednesday was no different. Lets be honest and realistic. We were up against a team that has been beaten no more than twice in 2 years and so whilst we would have enjoyed greater spoils on Wednesday, damage limitation and respectability was the name of the game.

At 5 – 2 Luton seemed to simply switch off and be content with the way things were going. Not the Luton we are used to and probably as a consequence an attitude that will eventually cost them the league, but from a personal point of view I was extremely pleased with the way things were going. However the Saints players obviously were not and after some slack defending by Luton, Kaisha pounced and produced a wonder strike to make the score 5 – 3.

Now I could sense an air of expectancy from our supporters or was it optimism. However if the final whistle had have gone after our third goal had gone in. I would have retired from Managing this team a happy Manager. I am not a defeatist, but a realist and I knew full well that Luton had a little more up their sleeve and so it proved with two late strikes. So we drew the second half 3 – 3 against one of the best teams around and to date the only team to stick 3 past Luton. I can live with that and I can now proudly say we are the 4^th best team in the Home Counties Girls Football League. Our best ever league finish – what’s to follow – who knows !!! But this is not the end - Training will continue for the next few weeks were we are hoping to see some new faces in rediness for next season. Perhaps one or two that don't make the dream might consider a new challenge.

Although both injured, a BIG Thanks, to Faye and Sophie for supporting the team on Wednesday.

MANY. MANY CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL 18 MEMBERS OF MY SQUAD – YOU HAVE BEEN A CREDIT TO ST MARTINS FOOTBALL CLUB AND I SINCERELY HOPE YOU HAVE ALL ENJOYED THE EXPERIENCE.

We now look forward to watching Kev and his team play at the MK Dons Stadium in their final, followed by our trip to Ireland in July.

Good luck to everyone in the next two months with your exams.

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it 07793 849858

Sundays Squad 11th April 2010: St Martins v Letchworth K/O 2pm  - meeting at 1.15pm

Rosie - Chloe - Sophie A - Katherine - Monique - Holly - Milly - Sophie - Alice - Stacey - Kaisha - Erinna - Shanice - Louise - Sam

TOTTENHAM HOTSPURS - ST MARTINS FC - SUNDAY 28 MARCH 2010

After the heroics and efforts of the Saturday team who managed to beat Wycombe Wanderes in the Semi Final of their League cup it was it was always going to be a tough ask for the Sunday squad to go to Spurs and give 100%, especially with no fewer than 7 players having played the day before. Like many teams at this stage of the season we have a number of players who have little niggles and reoccurring injuries, but to say we arrived at Spurs with a full strength squad would have been papering over the cracks.

With Sam & Monique both unavailable we were relying on our squad as a whole and it was pleasing to see we still managed to field 14 on the day. However things went from bad to worse as things unfolded before a ball was kicked. In the warm up, Rosie continued were she left off the day before and tipped a ball round the post – however her momentum carried her head first into the metal post and left her feeling sick and nauseous. It was obvious she would not be able to take part in the game. A decision that proved to be correct as mild concussion was diagnosed later in the day. Sophie Atkinson immediately volunteered to don the gloves. One because she is a decent keeper and two because she was carrying an achilles injury. Sophie has played an important part of our defence in recent months and so to lose her, in addition to Monique in the back 4 was a hammer blow. So a quick reshuffle before the delayed start saw Shanice slot into the centre, with Holly starting at left back. Both I have to say performed very well.

The next 25 minutes or so saw both teams create chances, with Spurs playing the better football and the Saints living off the scraps. Spurs for best part of the match had the lions share of possession. They always do against us and they are very good at dictating play, however we had a game plan and we also caused the Spurs back 4 a problem or two with both Kaisha and Stacey (now getting back to her best) going close. In recent months Kaisha has played some terrific football and against the better opponents she has really excelled. Sunday was no different and her hold up play was sublime. Unfortunately our midfield were very deep (as was the instruction before the game) and could not get up to support in time which left Kaisha somewhat isolated and taking a whack or two for her efforts.

I remember a time were we simply could not get out of our own half when playing Spurs, but in the last season or two we have started to get a little closer to our more illustrious opponents and on Sunday we pushed Spurs to the limit at times. In fact in the first 20 minutes I was very pleased with the way things were going with our defence and midfield holding firm and our strikers asking questions of the Spurs defence. And so it was pleasing to see us get some reward when we were rightly awarded a penalty after Kaisha was tripped in our opponent’s penalty area. Our skipper Lauren stepped up to take the penalty with the instruction the place the ball either side of the keeper. Although striking the ball well, Lauren’s strike was wide of the target and the score remained 0 – 0. Lauren was no doubt disappointed, but to her credit she picked herself up and went on to produce a decent display – no more than I would expect from my Captain.

Unfortunately – and we know this by now. The very good teams in this league will make you pay and whilst we can applaud Spurs for their stylish passing game, I found it hard to take in the two goals we conceded in quick succession before half time. Two corners – two goals. Neither corner defended and very disappointing, especially after our opening 25 minutes. You simply cannot turn your back on a ball when trying to head clear – we did this twice and were punished twice. And so if we weren’t up against it before kick off. We certainly were now.

The second half saw the introduction of Katherine in the middle of defence and Keighley at left back and both did well – Katherine & Keighley have the potential to be a very good defenders and although both have had limited time on the pitch it was great to see both turn up and support the team.

Erinna & Sophie W both put in another decent shift in the middle and Chloe just gets better and better in her commitment to the cause, but we simply didn’t have enough in the tank and in the second half it showed.

As the game wore on, it became obvious that our chance had gone. Alice, Stacey, Kaisha, Chloe and Milly all showed signs of fatigue from the previous day’s exploits and Spurs started to dominate resulting in two more goals. The result shows another typical easy day for Spurs – however I firmly believe with a full and fit squad we could have run Spurs a lot closer.

We now have two home games left – dates TBC in where we entertain Luton (who are still in contention for the league title) and Letchworth. Lets hope we can finish on a high.

As you will see I am not at training tonight – no game this weekend – enjoy your Easter break. Training next Tuesday 7.30pm at Lealands.

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Finally

– Many Congratulations to Kev & Pat and their team for beating Wycombe on Sat. Believe me it was a great performance. The team will now play the final at MK Dons Stadium in April – I am going to try and drum up as much support as possible – I am sure we all wish the team the very best of luck against their opponents Chalfont Ladies.

Best Wishes and Happy Easter - John

ST MARTINS V AIK (SWEDEN) SAT 20TH MARCH 2010

I have to say the manner in which we played was always going to play a major factor in how the evening went. I knew from the first time AIK contacted me, that they were the current Swedish Champions at their age group. So to put into perspective the quality of opposition the girls were up against on Saturday night were on a par with Arsenal’s centre of excellence. I watched Arsenal’s U16s earlier this year and I can honestly say AIK were far and away a better technical team than Arsenal and so providing them with such a decent surface to pass the ball around was probably a mistake. However in saying that – what a fantastic facility The Arena in Baldock proved to be.

It’s fair to say AIK (at times) played us off the park, but we have played against much inferior opponents this season and not had a shot at goal. On Saturday we had numerous chances to score – however last ditch defending and a couple of good saves prevented the Saints from hitting the back of the net.

It would be interesting to see Spurs or QPR give them a game just to see who came out on top as I believe they are by far the best technical teams in our league. If I was to have a bet I would go for AIK – they had two players in particular who simply performed beyond there years.

It was interesting to see our Sat & Sun squad mix on the night and whilst I could go through the team in terms of complimenting them all on effort – commitment and application, I will not. They all performed extremely well and will have learnt a few lessons out there. AIK Management awarded Stacey our girl of the game award and richly deserved it was. Stacey was almost back to her very best with an absolutely superb performance.

Once again many thanks to all of those who supported the team on the night and apologies to the one or two who either struggled to find the ground and the one who didn’t make it.

I would also like to thank Jamal & Bernard for their financial support. Kev for producing the programmes and Pat and Ryan for helping on the night.

I should also mention our sponsors on the night in the form of SKF – Rossbro Ltd and Luton Town Mens team who provided a couple of footballs and signed shirts.

This week we wish the Saturday squad all the best in their league cup Semi Final against Wycombe Wanderes. The game will be played at Lea Manor on Sat morning K/O 11.00am. I am sure Kev & Pat would appreciate your support. The winners will play in the final at MK Dons Stadium.

On Sunday we play Tottenham Hotspurs away – K/O 10.30am

– meeting at lorry park 9am or at the ground 9.45am. This will leave us with two more home games – Luton & Letchworth and then a long awaited rest allowing us time to reflect on the season and decide what were going to do next season. 

TOTTENHAM HOTSPURS - ST MARTINS FC - SUNDAY 28 MARCH 2010

After the heroics and efforts of the Saturday team who managed to beat Wycombe Wanderes in the Semi Final of their League cup it was it was always going to be a tough ask for the Sunday squad to go to Spurs and give 100%, especially with no fewer than 7 players having played the day before. Like many teams at this stage of the season we have a number of players who have little niggles and reoccurring injuries, but to say we arrived at Spurs with a full strength squad would have been papering over the cracks.

With Sam & Monique both unavailable we were relying on our squad as a whole and it was pleasing to see we still managed to field 14 on the day. However things went from bad to worse as things unfolded before a ball was kicked. In the warm up, Rosie continued were she left off the day before and tipped a ball round the post – however her momentum carried her head first into the metal post and left her feeling sick and nauseous. It was obvious she would not be able to take part in the game. A decision that proved to be correct as mild concussion was diagnosed later in the day. Sophie Atkinson immediately volunteered to don the gloves. One because she is a decent keeper and two because she was carrying an achilles injury. Sophie has played an important part of our defence in recent months and so to lose her, in addition to Monique in the back 4 was a hammer blow. So a quick reshuffle before the delayed start saw Shanice slot into the centre, with Holly starting at left back. Both I have to say performed very well.

The next 25 minutes or so saw both teams create chances, with Spurs playing the better football and the Saints living off the scraps. Spurs for best part of the match had the lions share of possession. They always do against us and they are very good at dictating play, however we had a game plan and we also caused the Spurs back 4 a problem or two with both Kaisha and Stacey (now getting back to her best) going close. In recent months Kaisha has played some terrific football and against the better opponents she has really excelled. Sunday was no different and her hold up play was sublime. Unfortunately our midfield were very deep (as was the instruction before the game) and could not get up to support in time which left Kaisha somewhat isolated and taking a whack or two for her efforts.

I remember a time were we simply could not get out of our own half when playing Spurs, but in the last season or two we have started to get a little closer to our more illustrious opponents and on Sunday we pushed Spurs to the limit at times. In fact in the first 20 minutes I was very pleased with the way things were going with our defence and midfield holding firm and our strikers asking questions of the Spurs defence. And so it was pleasing to see us get some reward when we were rightly awarded a penalty after Kaisha was tripped in our opponent’s penalty area. Our skipper Lauren stepped up to take the penalty with the instruction the place the ball either side of the keeper. Although striking the ball well, Lauren’s strike was wide of the target and the score remained 0 – 0. Lauren was no doubt disappointed, but to her credit she picked herself up and went on to produce a decent display – no more than I would expect from my Captain.

Unfortunately – and we know this by now. The very good teams in this league will make you pay and whilst we can applaud Spurs for their stylish passing game, I found it hard to take in the two goals we conceded in quick succession before half time. Two corners – two goals. Neither corner defended and very disappointing, especially after our opening 25 minutes. You simply cannot turn your back on a ball when trying to head clear – we did this twice and were punished twice. And so if we weren’t up against it before kick off. We certainly were now.

The second half saw the introduction of Katherine in the middle of defence and Keighley at left back and both did well – Katherine & Keighley have the potential to be a very good defenders and although both have had limited time on the pitch it was great to see both turn up and support the team.

Erinna & Sophie W both put in another decent shift in the middle and Chloe just gets better and better in her commitment to the cause, but we simply didn’t have enough in the tank and in the second half it showed.

As the game wore on, it became obvious that our chance had gone. Alice, Stacey, Kaisha, Chloe and Milly all showed signs of fatigue from the previous day’s exploits and Spurs started to dominate resulting in two more goals. The result shows another typical easy day for Spurs – however I firmly believe with a full and fit squad we could have run Spurs a lot closer.

We now have two home games left – dates TBC in where we entertain Luton (who are still in contention for the league title) and Letchworth. Lets hope we can finish on a high.

As you will see I am not at training tonight – no game this weekend – enjoy your Easter break. Training next Tuesday 7.30pm at Lealands.

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Finally

– Many Congratulations to Kev & Pat and their team for beating Wycombe on Sat. Believe me it was a great performance. The team will now play the final at MK Dons Stadium in April – I am going to try and drum up as much support as possible – I am sure we all wish the team the very best of luck against their opponents Chalfont Ladies.

Best Wishes and Happy Easter - John

ST MARTINS V AIK (SWEDEN) SAT 20TH MARCH 2010

I have to say the manner in which we played was always going to play a major factor in how the evening went. I knew from the first time AIK contacted me, that they were the current Swedish Champions at their age group. So to put into perspective the quality of opposition the girls were up against on Saturday night were on a par with Arsenal’s centre of excellence. I watched Arsenal’s U16s earlier this year and I can honestly say AIK were far and away a better technical team than Arsenal and so providing them with such a decent surface to pass the ball around was probably a mistake. However in saying that – what a fantastic facility The Arena in Baldock proved to be.

It’s fair to say AIK (at times) played us off the park, but we have played against much inferior opponents this season and not had a shot at goal. On Saturday we had numerous chances to score – however last ditch defending and a couple of good saves prevented the Saints from hitting the back of the net.

It would be interesting to see Spurs or QPR give them a game just to see who came out on top as I believe they are by far the best technical teams in our league. If I was to have a bet I would go for AIK – they had two players in particular who simply performed beyond there years.

It was interesting to see our Sat & Sun squad mix on the night and whilst I could go through the team in terms of complimenting them all on effort – commitment and application, I will not. They all performed extremely well and will have learnt a few lessons out there. AIK Management awarded Stacey our girl of the game award and richly deserved it was. Stacey was almost back to her very best with an absolutely superb performance.

Once again many thanks to all of those who supported the team on the night and apologies to the one or two who either struggled to find the ground and the one who didn’t make it.

I would also like to thank Jamal & Bernard for their financial support. Kev for producing the programmes and Pat and Ryan for helping on the night.

I should also mention our sponsors on the night in the form of SKF – Rossbro Ltd and Luton Town Mens team who provided a couple of footballs and signed shirts.

This week we wish the Saturday squad all the best in their league cup Semi Final against Wycombe Wanderes. The game will be played at Lea Manor on Sat morning K/O 11.00am. I am sure Kev & Pat would appreciate your support. The winners will play in the final at MK Dons Stadium.

On Sunday we play Tottenham Hotspurs away – K/O 10.30am

– meeting at lorry park 9am or at the ground 9.45am. This will leave us with two more home games – Luton & Letchworth and then a long awaited rest allowing us time to reflect on the season and decide what were going to do next season.

Finally: Still waiting on a few final payment for subs – please try to get this to me by the weekend.

Best Wishes - John

Tottenham Hotspur LFC U16 and St.Martins will be played at the
Frederick Knights Sports Ground, Willoughby Lane, London N17 0SL.

Another great weekend for the U16 Girls with both squads coming out on top in their respective fixtures. The Saturday squad gained a valuable win in Division 1 of the Girls Bucks League after finally beating a resilient Chalfont side and the Sunday squad overcame a difficult away trip at St Albans based Harvesters in Division 1 of the Home Counties Girls Football League.

Harvesters - St Martins U16 (Sun) Sunday 14th March 2010

On Sunday the squad produced a decent performance against a very robust and physical Harvesters side. Both teams were determined to go one better than their previous performance against one another back in October when the teams shared the points in a 1 – 1 draw. Neither team produced entertaining football it has to be said, with both teams closing down in quick fashion. The Saints produced the majority of chances in the first half with Stacey, Kaisha and Sam all going close, however it was a decent midfield battle that took centre stage with Sophie W and Alice taking one or two knocks along the way. Erinna held firm on the left and Sam continued some decent form on the right, but to be honest the game never really took hold as a spectacle and whilst it was obvious from the first whistle this was going to be a close encounter the Saints were almost made to regret missed opportunities in the first half. Last week against Spurs we were on the receiving end of some very strange decisions and one that effectively cost us the game. Well this weeks very young official proved to be far less controversial, although I have to say we were a little fortunate to get one or two decisions go our way. In saying that were talking about the odd free kick etc, not a penalty or match deciding decision. Whilst we created a number of superb opportunities in the first half, we really need to be more cynical when the chances come up. Against one or two of our more illustrious opponents, we may only get one or two decent chances in a game and we need to take them. The opener came from an absolutely superb 30 yard pass from Alice in the 20^th minute. And whilst the Harvesters right back will have been disappointed in not cutting out the pass the finish was of a high quality, with Kaisha taking the ball down with one touch, before cutting inside and sliding the ball past the impressive Harvesters No 1. Whilst Sam produced some decent work down the right, it seemed our left hand side was to prove more fruitful with Kaisha going agonisingly close for a second. At this stage of the season we have a number of players carrying slight knocks – however Stacey, Alice, Kaisha and Sophie A (WHO NEVER ADMITS TO IT) all put in decent performances in their respective positions. The second half proved to be a bit of a battle with neither side looking to surrender ground and whilst quality was lacking from both sides – effort and commitment was their in abundance.

Unlike our last encounter against the Harvesters in Oct were we simply rolled over and held on for the draw in the second half we managed to keep some decent pressure on and with our new look defence (which is proving to be very effective) we not only defended extremely well, but continued to counter attack. Chloe, Lauren, Sophie A and Monique are proving to be a solid unit winning most of the arial battles and playing some decent football when the opportunity arises from the back. This I believe to be the key to our recent half-decent results in the past two weeks. Add to that a keeper in form and one I may say who really believes her ability and you have a solid base to work from. Although not the alimo we were confronted with last time out, it was obvious our defending needed to be solid and solid it was, enabling the midfield to continue to scrap for the ball and our forwards to continue to create a chance or two. What turned out to be the winner was far from spectacular, although well deserved. Deserved from the teams points of view, but more so from the player that scored it. Stacey worked her socks off on Sunday and in addition to creating a number of opportunities, she also went close on 3 occasion’s herself. And so after creating a bit of space on the right and with little else on she decided to take a swing (as a friend of mine says frequently) if you don’t but a ticket etc. Well Stacey bought the ticket and the ball headed with some pace towards Harvesters near post. The Harvesters keeper (who I thought was impressive throughout) moved quickly to cover the shot, but collided with the post and as a result allowed the ball to trickle into the net.

Stacey has scored and will score many more impressive goals, but a goal is a goal and even sweater when it turns out to be the winner. At 2 – 0 and with 30 minutes left to play, I gradually introduced Shanice for the impressive Sophie W, Holly for the equally impressive Chloe and Keighley for the extremely hardworking Erinna. All 3 played their part ensuring the Saints gained the spoils, although a late consolation for Harvesters gave the Saints an edgy last 5 minutes. So a good win albeit scrappy, but pleased with the reaction of our players in th elast two games after the disappointment of our performance against Fairlands 3 weeks ago.

This is the second time we have come up against St Albans based Harvesters and on both occasion’s I have to say what a pleasant and sporting team they are. Yes they are physical and competitive, but that’s what you would expect in this league. And what an absolutely fantastic set up they have – definitely on a par with QPR as the best in the league.

St Martins U16 (Sat) - Chalfont Saints

On Saturday

Kev & Pat’s team entertained Chalfont Saints and after a promising start the Saints raced into a 3 goal lead. Chalfont pulled a couple of goals back to make life more than a bit interesting however the Saints who had the luxury of 3 subs (unlike their counterparts) used them to good effect slowly taking control again. Solid performances from a number of players ensured in the end the Saturday Squad ran out comfortable winners hitting the net a further 3 times, although Chalfont hit back with a 3^rd of their own. Kaisha notched 5 goals for the Saints with Chalfont helping the cause scoring the 6^th. The Saturday squad now have another league fixture this Saturday, before taking on current table toppers Wycome Ladies in the League Cup Semi Final in two weeks time.

This week the Saturday squad travel to Bedmond Ajax –U16 Girls Division 1
Kick off will be 10:00am at Bedmond Sports & Social Club Toms Lane Bedmond Herts WD5 0RB
Looking to meet their at approximately 9.15am, unless otherwise notified by Kev

On Saturday evening we entertain International opposition in the form of AIK FF (Sweden) it will prove to be an fantastic opportunity for the squad to face some quality opponents who I have been led to believe are of a very high technical standard. Their Mens team are the current Swedish League Champions and so they come with a very high pedigree. All Saturday and Sunday Squad players are invited to attend.

Venue: The Arena, Norton Road, Baldock, SG7 5AUK/O: 7pm – meeting at the ground for 6pm

It would be great to see as many people there as possible to support the team in what should be a night to remember.

John

Harvesters U16 v St Martins U16 - Sunday 14 MARCH 2010

Kick Off will be at 11.30am on pitch 5, this is the centre pitch on the left as you drive in.

Chesham v St Martins (Sat) - League Cup 1/4 Final

Well what a weekend this turned out to be for the U16 girls – with 22 players currently signed with the Saints on you would think neither the Sat or Sun teams would have any difficulty in fielding – however on both mornings the management of both teams considered pulling out of our respective games. With unavailability – sickness and one or two other issues arising, it was a case of do we walk away from a game of football or do we field our best available squads regardless of numbers.

Kev and Pat made the call for the Saturday team and what a good call it turned out to be. Playing away against Chesham Ladies in the ¼ final of the League cup was always going to be a difficult game. Chesham proved to be a decent side and showed their intent in the first 10 minutes creating numerous chances, however the Saints defence held firm. As the game progressed it became fairly obvious that the Saints had the upper hand creating a number of good opportunities with Kaisha going close twice. However it was Splinter who came up trumps with a neat finish to give the girls in White a deserved lead. St Martins continued to push forward and were rewarded with a 2^nd after Milly was first to react in the penalty area. At 2 – 0 the girls could have been forgiven in taking their foot of the pedal – however Pat was having none of it and made sure the half time team talk was a sharp reminder as to what can happen. The girls responded magnificently and continued to push with Splinter and a neatly taken solo goal by Chloe giving the girls a decent cushion. Chesham continued to push on and were rewarded with a goal of their own – however it proved to be too little too late and St Martins strolled into a tough Semi Final against an undefeated Wycombe side. After this performance the girls should be looking forward to the Semi with some confidence.

Tottenham Hotspur v St Martins (Sun) League Cup

On Sunday we had exactly the same problems re fielding with Stacey and Holly suffering from a bug, Sam unavailable, Faye still on the injured list and Fran finally having hung up her boots. Add to that some knocks from the previous day (Kaisha & Ali, both Ankle) and you start to get the picture. However yet again we decided to make the trip to Willoughby Lane and give it a go. And boy did we do just that. Whilst it wasn’t pretty and we defended in large parts, to say we came away disappointed with a 1 – 0 loss would be an understatement. We have had some disappointing Referee’s this season, but Sunday’s man in the middle gets the gong so far. When you get Erinna shouting get my Dad out there – you know something must be going amiss. Spurs dominated for large parts and without doubt played some great football – however most of it was in there half and lacked a cutting edge. The Saints defence held well, marshaled by Lauren and Sophie in the middle with Chloe (the punch bag) Walsh and Monique flanking either side.

So after all of Spurs possession and Saints resolute defending it was disappointing to see the man in the middle effectively decide the game with a very strange decision. Sophie came out of defence taking the ball clearly on her waist (hands either side) only for the Ref to stop play. Like many decisions that were to follow – nobody knew why he had stopped play and what decision was made. After some confusion the Ref pointed to the penalty spot, which was dually converted with a little bit of awkwardness and embarrassment. Whilst the score line probably reflected fairly in terms of possession, it certainly didn’t in terms of efforts on goal. In fact the first half pointed towards a stalemate, with neither team creating any decent opportunities. Spurs hit a couple of decent 25 yarders – however none troubled Roisin in goal. The second half proved to be physical affair with Spurs throwing in a few late and in my opinion dangerous challenges – however the Ref seemed oblivious to this, which resulted in a few challenges going in the other way yet again not penalized. Roisin was finally called into action with two great stops – the first after a rasping drive from close being tipped onto the crossbar and the second a double save before diving onto the ball with a nasty challenge coming in. However in the second half the Saints produced a couple of decent chances themselves. With Kaisha going on a maisy run before just putting wide and Alice crossing from the right only to see the ball fall to Erinna who couldn’t guide the ball in after pressure from the Spurs defence.

Kev – Pat & I would like to thank all those who mucked in to help the cause on Sat/Sun and wish all those who weren’t there a speedy recovery. We would also like to thanks Rosie for her absolutely fantastic support - travelling to both games - true committment.

Details for Sunday 07th March 2010

Tottenham Ladies - St Martins FC - Sunday 07th March 2010 - K/0 10.30am - Frederick Knight Sports Ground, Willoughby Lane, London, N17

Leaving lorry park at 9.00am - meet at ground at 9.45pm.

Squad: Rosie, Lauren (Capt) Chloe, Monique, Holly, Sophie A, Sophie W, Shanice, Milly, Alice, Erinna, Sam, Stacey, Kaisha,

St Martins FC v Fairlands – League 21 February 2010

None of us like losing and whilst we console ourselves with the old saying in that "it’s only a game of football" it’s still a little hard to take. Especially against a team we really should have blown out of sight in the first 40 minutes. To say we should have been 10 up in the first half would not have been an exaggeration, but it wasn’t to be and in the end we paid the price. Whilst the players have to take some responsibility, I as Manager and Coach of the team will have to take the lions share of the blame for Sunday’s defeat. Yes we had good opportunities – we also had the lions share of the game and to cap it off we defended as poorly as I have seen this season in the second half. However it was me who asked the girls to play in a manner I have always wanted my teams to play. As a player I have always enjoyed the possession – passing and competitive type of football and whilst it’s definitely the way to go in terms of player development. It doesn’t always get results and it doesn’t always win games. That was proven on Sunday. Numerous people have commented on our style of play and whilst agreeing with my principles, they also want to see the team winning games. It’s a balancing act and one I will continue to try and get right – however on Sunday I have to hold my hands up and say I got it wrong. At 3 – 1 up it was right to continue with the passing game. At 4 – 3 up we should have adopted a more defensive, simple and direct approach. On a positive note we scored some well worked goals with Kaisha and Stacey both scoring a brace and I have to say some of football in the first half was a delight to watch. I was also pleased with our girl’s positive attitude on the pitch considering the constant volume of nonsense being directed from our opponents Manager and Coaches on the day. How on earth Fairlands girls put up with that every week is beyond me!!!. All credit to them though. But no excuses – we simply have to say well done to the Fairlands girls who (with a little help from one or two of our players) produced a fantastic display in coming back from what looked like a certain defeat. At 4-4 it looked like we were going to be disappointed with dropping two points and so to score an own goal in the final minute was extremely hard to take. But that’s football. This week we play our local rivals Luton who have yet again been enjoying another season of winning games, scoring lots of goals and having very little opposition – lets hope we can pick ourselves up and give a good account.

Squad for this Sunday - St Martins v Luton - Meeting at Vauxhall Rec at 1.15pm

Rosie - Lauren (Capt) Chloe, Monique, Sophie A, Holly, Alice, Erinna, Sam, Sophie W, Milly, Kaisha, Stacey,

QPR - ST MARTINS- League 14th February 2010

It’s always difficult to write a match report after such a heavy defeat – when you lose 6 – 1 there are no excuses. Nothing to hind behind and very little I could write to explain as to why we were beaten so emphatically in the end. In the first half we more than matched a very talented QPR side and at 2 – 1 following Lauren’s well taken penalty (down the middle under the body of the GK :) ) It seemed as if we might just repeat our exploits of last year against the hoops. However it wasn’t to be and we let in some very sloppy goals. If I was to sum up this game and be completely honest I would say. We simply didn’t take our chances and we had a few – we ran out of steam in the middle of the pitch, which was probably down to a number of the girls having played the day before and that’s as honest as I can be. I have to say Sophie played probably her best game of the season on Sunday and Rosie produced another couple of wonder saves, but apart from that we simply weren’t at the races, especially in the second half. Perhaps one or two were still hung over from Friday night, although my friends Mr McCreesh and Mr McDermott were keeping an eye on the bar and reassured me none of the team were drinking anything more than coke and lemonade. We have had a tough few fixtures playing QPR 3 times, in addition to the Luton game the previous week. This week we entertain Fairlands were we will turn things round.

Race night:

A big, big thank you to those who managed to get to our Race night on Friday. After a nervous start we ended up having a fantastic night with all attendees enjoying themselves. A great deal of time, effort and money went into making the night a success and so it was pleasing to see so many of the squad in attendance, in addition to their family and friends. Whilst their were a few winners on the night, the big winner was the squad as we managed to raise approximately £550.00 on the night. Add that to the £400.00 raised at Christmas by selling the raffle tickets and we now have just under £1,000.00 in the kitty for our end of season tour. A big thanks to all of our race sponsors and to Spurs, QPR and Luton Ladies for their kind contribution.

End of season:

A few months ago I mentioned the possibility of going to Ireland to finish our time off as a youth squad. Personally I think it might be beyond our means, but Kev still thinks it’s a possibility. We now need a firm commitment in terms of interest. If you would like to go (players) you will need to let us know by next Tuesday – if we get the numbers required we will push on and go for it. If we do not get the numbers, then we will use the money for something else to celebrate our final year as a youth team – any ideas welcome. So please let me or Kev know by the weekend.

Finally: This Sunday – home to Fairlands 2pm k/o meeting at 1.15pm – please try to get there on time – many thanks.
Squad: Rosie, Lauren, Chloe, Holly, Monique, Alice, Sam, Kaisha, Stacey, Sophie W, Sophie A, Louise Mc, Erinna, Katherine, Shanice

St Martins FC - Luton - County Cup Semi Final 07th February 2010

Sunday has probably got to be the biggest disappointment in my time as Manager for a variety of reasons.

Our first half performance was very, very poor. We simply did not get going, allowing Luton time on the ball and comfortable possession. As a team we simply didn’t turn up. I do not mind losing when we have given everything, but for the first 40 minutes we basically rolled over and gave the game away.

When we get to this stage of the season we all get a little bit fed up. We all question why were doing what were doing and we all consider our options. This is the 7^th time I have been there as Manager of the team, and probably about the 25^th time as a Player, Referee and Coach. But Sunday was a difficult one to take and if ever we were all going to question what were doing, it was on Sunday at half time.

The emphasis has always been on fun at St Martins (without it I know we would all be wasting our time) however there’s a balance and all of the other attributes I look for as a Manager and Coach when I send a team out to play in any game such as – commitment – desire and a willingness to play for the team is in my humble opinion something all the squad should be striving for. For 40 minutes will simply were not at the races. 5 Goals conceded and game over.

They say football is a game of two halves and in the second half we were as good as we were poor in the first. In fact it was probably the best 40 minutes we have produced for a long time. To get a goal back would have been consolation, but to get 3 and not concede was a fantastic turnaround in fortune – they say fortune favors the brave, well if we were nothing else then we were brave. Shanice and Stacey 2 gained the spoils and made life just a little interesting with only 5 minutes to go, but the damage had been done in the first half. However I will say the girls attitude and commitment right up until the final whistle was a joy to watch – never say die – never give up and just what a Manager would want in a team. Whilst we gave it a go and lost, we managed to lose with good grace, shake hands at the end and wish Luton well in the final.

It’s the St Martins Way

If the first half made me question what I was doing out there on Sunday – the second half gave me a sharp reminder. Great attitude – great spirit and lots and lots of effort. Well done.

QPR V St Martins FC

Wave after wave of attacking play resulting in hitting the cross bar 3 times – the post once having a penalty saved and only going a single goal up would pretty much sum things up.

St Martins FC v QPR Sunday 01st November 2009

On Sunday we welcomed QPR to the Vauxhall Rec in what turned out to be a very entertaining game. Lots of free flowing football, some industrial performances from a number of players and one or two exquisite pieces of play by both sides. Last year we piped QPR winning our home game 3 – 2. This time out we were (in the end comfortably beaten) Steve (QPR, Manager) has once again assembled a great footballing team – very well organised and one I think in with a shout of winning this league. Like Spurs, QPR play the ball on the floor, they don’t rely on one or two players with both teams producing some free flowing football and at times on Sunday we found it hard to manage this.

Saying that after the first 35 minutes (against a strong wind) the Saints managed not only to hang on in there, but create a couple of opportunities themselves with Stacy (finally back from injury) hitting the post and Sam going close on two occasion’s. It was quite ironic before the game in the changing room I mentioned the recent Arsenal, Spurs game were Spurs managed to contain the Gunners for 40 minutes before conceding 2 goals before half time. Well they say lightning doesn’t strike twice but that’s exactly what happened. Two lapses in concentration and 2 goals gave the half time team talk a completely different complexion. To be fair to the team, they really did hold there own for long periods, however as we all know against the better opponents, if you switch off for a minute, you get punished. The first goal was a loose ball in the penalty box we just didn’t react to. The second was a good turn on the edge of our box followed by a neat finish. I have to say I really felt for the defence and midfield who had worked their socks off. We were always going to be limited in terms of chances up front and so Stacey (who produced a great 80 minutes) and Sam who also put in a good shift were left isolated at times with the midfield playing deeper and deeper as the game went on. Erinna, Milly, Sophie and Alice all put in a good shift and should be pleased with their efforts in the centre of the pitch competed for most .

The second half promised to be more of the same with QPR playing some decent football and the Saints looking for a quick break and so it proved. Some of the squad a jumped up a few levels in the past season and whilst this was probably not the level to introduce them, at times your hand is forced and I have to say Louise (left back) and Katherine (centre back) , both stepped up to the mark. QPR’s midfield and forwards were a handful and whilst we plenty of experience around it was good to see both grab their opportunity.

To be honest I cannot remember the 3^rd goal conceded, but the 4^th was a very good free kick some 25 yards on the left-hand side of our goal. Rosie who had yet another fantastic game in goal for us simply could reach the shot, which travelled at speed and dipped just under our cross bar. I have to say I thought the free kick awarded was extremely generous, but very well executed (in fact very similar to Faye’s against Luton last season.

By this time the game was up and we had a major reshuffle with Holly, Keighly and Katherine replacing Louise, Chloe and Alice. Chloe who had an excellent game at right back and will hopefully now be enjoying her football again. She has definitely regained a bit of her confidence and most importantly playing with a smile again, which is great to see. Lauren pushed on again from the centre back position to right midfield however on this occasion it didn’t work, but there was some method in my madness (watch this space).

Congratulations to Steve and his team. They always conduct themselves in a decent manner and whilst they won in the end and won well, they won with a bit of good grace.

The great thing about this league is we continue to be challenged every week which is what we wanted when we first entered the Home Counties League – we could have stayed within our comfort zone – played local league or lower league football and won most games comfortably. Some teams seem to enjoy that environment going through the whole season unbeaten, scoring lots of goals and humiliating their opponents. After a season of that (for the benefit of your team) you would move on and challenge your team to go onto the next level, or so you would have thought.

Finally I have saved the final part of this report to mention a performance on Sunday I thought was exceptional. This young lady came to us only 3 years ago after playing Chiltern Junior 7s football and just keeps on getting better and better. In the past few weeks I think she has probably been one of our most consistent performers and yet again on Sun against a very talented side looked real class. Fran who has recently taken over the Captaincy recently really held things together on Sunday and at times looked a class apart. Not sure what makes her tick, as pre match she looks the least interested of the lot (which can be frustrating) but well done to Fran – keep it up.

Training 7pm - 9pm tuesday - Starting with Box Aerobics - Technical - Real Play

Squad for this Sunday - QPR - as follows:

Rosie, Lauren, Fran, Lousie, Katherine, Keighley, Holly, Chloe, Alice, Sophie W, Erinna, Milly, Stacey, Sam

Meeting at 1.15pm for 2pm K/O

Apologies for delay - just finished 4 day Coaching Coarse - F.A. Age Approporiate - Module 1 and passed.

See you all Sunday.

Fairlands - St Martins FC Sunday 18th October 2009
see bottom of report to see this weekends squad

It’s either a feast or a famine – the previous week (especially in the first half) we could not buy a goal. This week we won comfortably and could have sold a few. Make no mistake this was a good win for the Saints for a number of reasons. Fairlands were no pushovers – far from it. In fact they’re probably one of the more physical teams in our league. They challenge for every ball and compete in every part of the pitch. Whilst the score line reflects a comfortable win, we will do well to get anywhere near that score line again when we entertain Fairlands back at our ground. And so this was a good win – comfortable in goals scored, anything but in terms of competing – however unlike in previous years and to be honest in more recent games we not only held our own in this department, but managed to play some great football.

Literally minutes before kick off one of my players approached me to confirm they were not feeling well but felt comfortable enough to start the game. Well eighty minutes later she had played the full game and bagged 4 fantastically well taken goals into the bargain. Perhaps not a nice thing to say, but I hope she arrives next week not feeling to well and produces the very same performance. Sam had a great game up front, however I think she will be the first to admit (or at least the second behind me) that you simply don’t score goals without the supply behind you. The first however was more courtesy of a mix up in the Fairlands defence. A clearance ricocheted onto one of Fairlands midfielders sending the ball back towards their goal and Sam clean through. Yes she was presented with a goal scoring chance, but Sam still had the keeper to beat and beat her she did. Our second came from a nice move down the right, a neat ball through from Ali and a cool finish from Milly (making her full debut for the Saints) The third was simple. Fran delivered an absolutely fantastic free kick for Sophie to run onto, before beating the oncoming keeper.

3 – 0 and things were going well – however we did have some defending to do and Katherine (also making her full debut) had a great first 40 minutes. Katherine gave the Fairlands attack simply no time on the ball and won far more than she lost. When the ball did get through, then once again Fran did the business. Fran has developed into a natural centre back. In addition to her strength and speed, Fran’s decision making when attacking the ball has improved enormously and with the added responsibility of Captaining the side, I would say probably our most improved player in the past 2 years. Fairlands did get through on one or two occasion’s and in addition to clipping our cross bar, Rosie was their to step in and produce the business, no more so than at the start of the second half were she produced a fantastic save (Monique’s words).

The second half I thought would be more of a problem for us as we lost Sophie to injury. Sophie adds that little bit of quality in her distribution and timing of the pass, but in fact the second half proved to more of the same with Kaisha causing absolute havoc up front and taking a kick or two for her troubles. Whilst Kaisha did the tricky stuff, Sam (in addition to some absolutely terrific work down the right hand side) went for the more direct route. A nice ball out from Milly and Sam was through to coolly lob the Fairlands keeper for her 2^nd and our 4^th. After yet another solid performance at the back form Holly with some great defending including 4 or 5 decent defensive headers and Lauren who finally got to start in the position I had promised her a go at more than a year ago, it was time for a change and up stepped Louise (starting at centre back before reverting to left back) and Chloe (the 3^rd of our debutantes) coming on at left back. Katherine made way and Sophie came off with her injury. To be fair to Louise neither centre back or left back is her favoured position, but what was great was her positive attitude when asked to play their. Simply got on with it (although may have mumbled a few words under her breath at me) but she didn’t let the side down.

The right hand side re-shaped with Chloe playing just behind Lauren, who now had licence to push on and grab some headlines, herself. I have to say whilst neither grabbed the headlines, but things worked very well on the right and it was pleasing to see Chloe settle in very quickly and linking up well with Lauren. Lauren looked a natural right-sided midfielder in patches whipping in some great crosses and defending as I already new she was capable of. BACK TO THE GOALS

Sam notched a well deserved hatrick with another good finish, after seeing the ball bobble around in the Fairlands box and being the first to react (I half expected Lauren who was standing right behind Sam to push her over and get the goal herself)

Kaisha who is also in a rich vein of form had a few opportunities in the first half and will have a been a bit frustrated at times continued to work for the team and in addition to her undoubted ability on the ball chased down a lost cause, robbed the Fairlands defender and stuck a neat cross to the far side of the goal. Now the goal scorer I could not have been more pleased with. Not only was she in the best position for a tap in – she had worked her socks off during the previous 60 minutes and deserved her reward. Yes a tap in for Erinna, but well deserved. And so 6 – 0 was I think a fair reflection on the chances created and goals scored (yes we did have some terrific chances in the first half, but as stated at half time, not once did I see a head go down when an opportunity was missed and as a consequence we won the game and won it well. Sam was on hand to score her fourth before setting up Kaisha for a richly deserved and neat finish of her own. The only dissapointing thing on the day was conceeding. We don't manage many clean sheets and so it would have been nice to do that.

All that and we were missing some key members of the squad in Stacey, Faye, Sophie W and for the second half Sophie A and of coarse Monique who helped with this weeks match report after making the trip to Stevenage with us. Competition for places will hot up in the next week or so, but those who played on Sunday should all be pleased with their efforts.

This week we have a weekend off just checking to see who reads the web site

- enjoy the break - see you all next Tuesday 7pm

St Martins FC – Harvesters Sunday 11th October 2009

We dropped two points and had to hang in there for large parts of the second half, but to be honest this was probably one of our best performances in many ways for a long time. The football played by both teams was of a reasonable high standard and whilst we should have been out of sight by half time, we can have no complaints with the final score-line. With no fewer than 4 players out through injury we still managed to compete with a side who had won last seasons Division 2 title with some ease.

On Sunday the Harvesters team arrived not knowing what to expect. We have now managed to keep our heads above water in Division 1 for 4 years and whilst the early years were extremely difficult, last season we managed to hold our own against most teams in this league. The Harvesters on the other hand have never been in this division and with the difficult start presented to them (QPR – Tottenham) they could have been forgiven if they had phoned the league requesting an immediate return to Division 2.

The game itself was a game of two halves, with the Saints dominating large parts of the first period – creating some great opportunities and basically dictating play. Sophie A, Kashia and Sam all had opportunities, but either good keeping from Harvesters No. 1 (who had a solid game) or wayward shooting on our part kept us on edge and the Harvesters in the game. It’s fair to say we created enough chances in the first half to wrap up 3 games, but that’s football and whilst we pushed for the opener, we were also given a little reminder that our opponents weren't here to roll over and let us have it all our own way. The Harvesters back line and midfield played some great football and at times out thought and out passed our lot.

Sophie A – who started the game like a steam train, finally got us going with a neat finish. Was this going to be the floodgates opening – absolutely not. We continued to create good opportunities, but either lady luck wasn’t on our side – our opposing No. 1 handled well or the Harvesters defended well and in numbers, thus preventing us taking a two goal lead into the break.

The second half was for large parts – backs against the wall. Our opponents who used their substitutes very well basically had the legs on us and as we tired, we retreated into our defensive third inviting our opponents on. If we had the opportunities in the first half, then the Harvesters returned the compliment in the second half with one shot going agonisingly past our right hand post. With only 10 minutes to go we finally buckled under the constant pressure with Rosie only able to palm the ball up and into our net from a shot from close range.

Although were always going to be disappointed at dropping two points – really pleased with the fact we managed to get the point. This was one of those very rare games in girls football when one team doesn’t completely dominate the other and all things considered a fair result. Both teams will have enjoyed this one and I sure will be looking forward to the re match.

Final Note: I have to say the Harvesters players – management and supporters were a real pleasure to host. The girls were a credit to their club – the management courteous throughout and the supporters did just that – support. Well done to them in what was a tense game at times.

Response From Michelle Chandler (Harvesters FC)

Hi John

"Many thanks for the link to your website, we have read the report and we are very grateful for your kind comments on us, the players/management and indeed our supporters"

"The Harvesters had a truly enjoyable time at St Martins and we too are looking forward to the next meeting. It is always a pleasure to be well received and enjoy good football on the pitch and have no other issues. Your facilities were wonderful, your girls behaviour was exemplary and it was a pleasure to work with a manager like yourself, we thank you for that"

Kind regards from the Harvesters Team.

Michelle Chandler

Harvesters FC

This week were AWAY to Fairlands last seasons Div 2 runners up – details to be announced.

Training 7pm - 9pm tuesdays - Starting with Box aerobics - Technical - Real Play

St Martins FC – Stevenage Vixens Sunday 04th October 2009

What a difference a week makes – training on Tuesday was a real success. Whilst one or two will take a session or two to settle into the box aerobics, most got stuck in last week and enjoyed the 40 minute session. This followed by a 30 minute coaching session, leading to a game and I think all in all the evening went extremely well. There is absolutely no arguing that our team as a whole are simply not fit enough to compete with one or two teams in this league. Technically we have some very gifted players – we also have a large number of players who give their all, but fitness wise – we struggle. The box aerobics will definitely help our season and in addition to getting a number of player’s fitter, it will also help one or two from sustaining niggling injuries. If your not fit, if your not subtle, then you will pull a muscle or two.

On Sunday we entertained a Stevenage side who lost only 6 of their 22 league games last season. Two years ago we drew 4 - 4 with this team in what was a hard fought game. (One which saw our keeper Hollie carted off to hospital) This time round there were no serious injuries thank goodness and on what was a beautiful day (3^rd Sunday on the trot) we had a fairly comfortable afternoon. Whilst we took 15 minutes to settle down (with one or two players filling new roles in the team) from there on in, I have to say we looked totally in control – in fact it was a mirror image of the previous weeks game, only this time it was the Saints who had the upper hand. A five goal blitz from Kaisha in the first half with a little help from one or two team mates, coupled with second half goals from Milly (making her debut) Sophie A and Sam made up for the previous weeks disappointment.

Some solid performances from our back line in Louise – Fran – Faye and Katherine, which definitely helped steady the ship early on. And a fairly dominant display in the middle with Ali – Sophie A, Sophie W and Holly gaining control of the game with Milly and Shanice waiting in the wings to further bolster things.

A Special mention to Sam (who started in her favoured position up front) who created chance after chance from the right in the first half and with a little fitness now in tow, also managed to get back and help out. And of coarse to our latest wonder keeper (Rosie) who yet again showed a tremendous amount of bravery at times on Sunday with some crunching challenges and superb reading of the game. But the final word/s must go to Kaisha (a complete enigma) On Tuesday I was not best pleased with her, On Saturday she must have had 5 great opportunities to score and missed the lot – on Sunday she had 5 reasonable opportunities to score and scored the lot in addition to setting up two of the other goals. If I can keep her attitude positive, she will have her best season ever – however it will be a joint effort. Thanks to Milly and Shanice for turning up at short notice – it definitely made a difference.

With only 3 games into the season, the league table has pretty much sorted itself out already. There maybe one change, but that’s my prediction in terms of the way it will finish.

This week were at home again playing last seasons Div 2 Champions Harvesters – meeting at changing rooms for 1.15pm for a 2pm k/o. Please try to get there on time – thanks.

Training 7pm - 9pm tuesdays - Starting with Box aerobics - Technical - Real Play

Sunday 11th Oct - Home to Harvesters - meeting at 1.15pm - 2pm k/o

Luton Belles - St Martins FC - Sunday 27th September 2009

Sickness, injuries, a pitch that resembled an end of season surface with shot put holes littering one end, a scorching hot day and at one time only 9 fit players on the pitch really didn’t help our cause.

We arrived at Stockwood with a big squad in the knowledge that two of our players were carrying injuries. Stacey had an issue with her foot and Monique came off worse in a challenge at Letchworth the week before. Whilst Stacey managed to last a good 25 minutes it was obvious she would be simply aggravating the issue and so apart from a cameo 5 minutes at the end we had to bring her off. Monique on the other hand didn’t last the five minutes and so whilst it was great they gave it a go, it simply was worth keeping either on only for them both to sustain further long term injury. Add to injuries to Sophie A (thigh) Faye (foot) Keighly (ankle) and one other I cannot go into detail and it was backs to the wall.

To be fair to Shanice and Louise – I never intended to put them on until the final 10 minutes of the second half, but they were both thrown in at the deep end and whilst it will have been a steep learning curve for both of them, they will have learnt a great deal form this one.

This is one report I do not intend to go into detail, as we simply have to move on. It will be nice to play on a level playing field this week (excuse the pun) where we will hopefully have a fit squad and a decent surface.

Congratulations to the Belles – they played some great football and scored two goals you would find hard pressed to better on any football pitch. There 4^th was a great finish in the top right hand corner and the header in the second half was as good as it gets.

Also special mention to Rosie who had a great game (we must have a knack at finding keepers here at St Martins FC) three in 3 years is some going. Also special mention to Kaisha who for 75minutes was an absolute inspiration. Well done to both.

Training 7pm - 9pm tuesdays - Starting with Box aerobics - Technical - Real Play

Sunday 04th Oct - Home to Stevanage - meeting at 1.15pm - 2pm k/o

St Martins FC - Tottenham Hotspurs - Sunday 13th September 2009

A tougher start to the season we could not have had playing against in my opinion the team that will eventually win the league. Naturally Luton and QPR will have something to say about that, but this Spurs side are something else. Technically they have always been the best team in our league, but they now have the physicality to go with it and whilst they can play some terrific football, they can now put themselves about, which to be honest was the missing link in their armoury. For our part on Sunday we did what we do best – we competed to the best of our ability, which is the all’s I can ask for. Rosie, Katherine and Louise all made debut’s, with Keighley returning to the squad after a year with the Sat team and whilst (Rosie apart) their time on the pitch was limited on Sunday, I am sure during the course of the season all 4 will have a big part to play.

This season we start the campaign with a squad of 18 (this goes back to our U12 days), but the big difference this time is we have a number of players playing Saturday football. And I know during the next 6 months we will incur injuries, one or two who simply cannot make the game and the odd one or two who will simply walk away for numerous reasons. When you loose a boy from football there are plenty around the corner simply waiting to jump on board – girls football is completely different. They are either playing for a team – at this level locally that means Luton or us, and if there not playing at this age 15/16 they would really struggle at this level.

In addition to Rosie, Katherine, Louise and Keighley we warmly welcome Shanice and Milly to the squad, who didn’t play a part in Sunday’s fixture, but will in time compliment our already great bunch of girls.

Back to the game: It’s easy to be critical of a team that looses 5 – 0 and whilst there were some really poor decisions made (especially in the second half) we also played in patches some great football. Gone is the day when we simply hoof the ball as far away as possible only to see it come back at us just as quickly. The first half saw the ball hit the back of our net twice. The first goal conceded was just a case of Spurs reacting quicker in our penalty box and the second was allowing the Spurs left midfielder time and space to run through and slot home a good finish. These mistakes we can put down to the fact it was the girls second game (first league) and we simply weren’t switched on. Kaisha and Stacey led a good line up front and whilst they will have been frustrated at the lack of quality ball due to Spurs closing our midfield down quickly. When they had possession they created one or two opportunities with Stacey in particular going close with a decent left foot 20’ strike just going wide of the right hand Spurs post. Our midfield held some good shape in the first half, but Spurs were relentless both in possession and in closing down. The second half saw Spurs go for the jugular and it was a credit to our defence and Rosie that we managed to keep the score down. I thought Rosie’s handling was superb, not to mention an absolutely fantastic save full stretch pushing the ball onto the inside of the post. By the way great goal line clearance from Lauren following the save. Unfortunately straight after we gave away another really soft goal with a poor back pass not reaching Rosie allowing Spurs to sneak in and notch a third. Within a minute it was 4 and a few heads were starting to go down – as I said to the squad at half time. We put so much effort in and still manage to find ourselves going behind to goals which on the whole were avoidable. And so what was looked a credible 2 – 0 defeat turned into 5 with Spurs scoring with virtually the last kick of the game. Were now officially bottom of the league – I do not expect to finish there and so the only way is up.

It’s quite ironic how we manage to get Spurs first game of the season this year, QPR last year when one or two others competing at the top of our league get a nice gentle opener. But still that’s the luck of the draw!

Thanks again to Ken for running the line – Janet for providing the refreshments (for which I am sure there is a kitty) and all of those who turned up to support the team – as I stated last week, it’s a big year for us and I am relying of everyone’s support to keep this season going.

Game this Sunday (20th Sept) against Letchworth Garden City Eagles U16 10.30 kick off and will be played at Pixmore Playing Fields, Baldock Road,Letchworth Garden City, Herts.SG6 2EN. Meeting at the ground at 9.45am. Any problems please call me 07793 849858