Moor Mead Athletic go into the Christmas period looking forward to the continental style break that has been in keeping with Coach King's tikka takka style of play.
Division 3 seems about right for this Moor Mead side; that said, friendlies against Division 2 sides were reasonably competitive; our second outing to AFC Lanes (a very good side) was an improvement on our first and we continued to try to play passing football. The one blip, from a league point of view, was a sub-standard performance on a miserable day in South London where the weather, pitch, poor shape saw us struggle against a superior side.
The period saw us play a very competitive fixtures against a skillful Teddington Athletic Eagles side where the teams were evenly matched; both teams showing some good skill levels and playing the ball through the thirds. The fact that coaches and parents could enjoy the game without resorting to histrionics was also a good advert for both clubs and the league in general.
We continue to try to strike the balance between trying to give game time for our large squad and being competitive; by and large this seems to have worked well.
and Barney have proved to be tireless runners and be willing to chase every ball and hound the opposition. Alex and Brendan have had good stints in goal - the former developing as he comes more experienced, the latter putting in a commanding display at centre back vs Kingswood TFC.
Moor Meads very own Jamie Vardy, Sam Chronnell, has proved a menance for opposition defences; full of strong running, tenacity in the tackle, bagging a hatrick which sees his dad having to line up the jug at the next coaches' drinks night. We have juggled positions slightly and players (and parents) have showed maturity in not reverting to the "but my son's the next Ronaldo and must be striker" line.
Early January sees a home fixture vs Teddington Athletic Hounds (the team/band formerly known as "Beamish") which should allow the whole squad to get some game time in and allow the kids to show off their latest Nike Mercurial sock boots/Puma Kings (delete as appropriate). Attachments area.
