Merley Allendale YFC

Leopards  Under 10   2008 - 2009

      RICHARD SIMMONS GOALKEEPER TRAINING SEE NEWS PAGE FOR DETAILS

League: Dorset Mini League

Current Position: -

Sponsor:Oakley Butchers Merley

"Thanks to all who took part in the Halloween Party, especially Annette Rendell and Jeanette Pike"

Date	Opponents	Venue	Comp	Result	Scorers	Man Of Match
14 SEP 08	Sherborne town youth	H	League	2-4	D Higbee ,  ( OG)	G Richardson
21 SEP 08	Wareham Rangers	A	League	0-2		C Pickard
28 SEP 08	Weymouth FC Youth	H	League	0-3		C Dickman
5 Oct 08	Parkstone Heights	A	D-Cup	P-P
12 OCT 08	Parkstone Heights	A	D-Cup	1-3	George Richardson	Max Mason
19 OCT 08	Canford Warriors	H	League	2-2	S Whitty  B Richards	B Richards
26 OCT 08	Dorchester Town Stags	A	League	P-P
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09 NOV 08	Heathlands Youth	H	League	1-3	M Mason	Max Mason
16 NOV 08	Weymouth youth Terras	A	League	5-1	G Richardson2 J Rendell B Richards A Wright	Joe Rendell
23 NOV 08	Poole Borough Youth	H	League	-
30 NOV 08	Poole Borough Youth	A	League	-
07 DEC 08	Sherborne Town Youth	A	League	-
14 DEC 08	Wareham Rangers	H	League	-
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04 JAN 09	Weymouth FC Youth	A	League	-
11  JAN 09	Blandford Youth Rangers	H	League	-
18 JAN 09	Canford Warriors	A	League	-
25 JAN 09	Dorchester Town Stags	H	League	-
01 FEB 09	Heathlands Youth	A	League	-
08 FEB 09	Weymouth FC Youth Terras	H	League	-
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Stats

League: Played6, Won 1, Drawn 1, Lost 4, Goals For 10, Goals Against15

Cup:      Played 1, Won 0, Drawn 0, Lost 1, Goals For 1, Goals Against 3

 16/11/08 Weymouth Terras 1 Merley Allendale 5

The Leopards notched up their first win of the season with a well deserved victory away against Weymouth Terras

With Luke Parris fit again after a 6 week break Merley looked more solid at the back allowing the midfield to put more pressure on Weymouth defence. Joe Rendell was gaining most from this pressure as the hosts defence looked vulnerable as he had two early chances after running at their defence. Then after a Sam Whitty throw found Rendell just inside the box Merley looked to have taken the lead but it was disallowed as Joe had handled the ball. 

George Richardson who was winning most of the loose balls and spreading the play well in central midfield then had an effect smothered on the line after their keeper had failed to hold his long range effort. Then on 10 mins Rendell’s hard work paid off as his shot across the goal found the corner of the net for 1-0 to Merley. 

Weymouth then had two good chances down their right as Merley failed to clear the ball but pressure from Max Mason and Luke Parris saw the ball go wide of Charlie Pickard's goal.Then a Richardson header from a Whitty corner and a David Higbee header from an Alex Wright cross just went over as it looked as Merley looked likely to double their lead. By now the Leopards were creating chance after chance as Rendell and Richardson both found themselves unmarked in the box, then on the flanks Higbee had a good run down the left while Wright hit the side netting when well placed on the right. 

At the break Merley knew that the next goal would be key and within 100 seconds from the restart it was 2-0 after Alex Wright picked up the loose ball after Weymouth were unable to deal with his excellent cross on the right. Even though now against the wind Merley’s continued to dominate with any balls getting through the midfield being dealt with by Cameron Dickman now partnering the excellent Parris at the back. Then Richardson dribbled his way through on the left into the box to make it 3-0. 

On 40 mins Weymouth got one back as Charlie Pickard was lobbed from his own goal kick. Pickard soon was back in action as he pushed the ball around the post as Weymouth were now looking for a 2nd goal. Now it was end to end stuff after Richard Dowling won the loose ball and beat 2 players before offloading to Wright who just missed the target. Then on 42 mins Richardson was tripped after weaving his magic in the box only to see the ref wave play on. Within 3 mins Richardson got his revenge as this time he shot early into the corner for 4-1.With 5 mins left a perfect Max Mason free kick found Bradley Richards in the box for him to blast it into the top corner for a fantastic 5-1 victory. 

All 11 boys played really well and proved that on their day they are still one of the teams in the county as they moved up to 8^th place in Dorset’s top U10 division. Joe Rendell just took the man of the match award for his first half attacking display. With matches against Poole Boro in the next fortnight Merley must build on this excellent result and confidence to continue their progress up the league.

Goals – Joe Rendell,Alex Wright,George Richardson 2 ,Bradley Richards

Man of the match – Joe Rendell

Merley U10s v Heathlands at Fenners Field: Sunday 9th November 2008 KO 2pm: Result 3-1 (Heathlands won)

After a poignant two minutes of silence before the game as a mark of respect on Remembrance Sunday the game kicked off under leaden skies and swirling winds.
Merley played with a good degree of skill which pressured the opposition in the first half of the game. Some excellent passing between George and Alex led to several good chances on goal which the keeper handled well. Good interplay between Josh and Alex combining well with George set up opportunities to score. Spirited defence from David and Ben and effective midfield play from Kieran saved blushes early on and Charlie made some good saves. Sam passed the ball precisely to George on a couple of occasions and showed a growing confidence in his tackling.

The breakthrough came after 25 minutes into the game when George was fouled midfield about 15 metres from the goal. Max stepped up to take the free kick and blasted it into the back of the net with an awesome right boot, heralding his first goal of the season and for the club. Despite the team's best efforts and some passages of fine play we were not able to build on this early advantage. An opportunity arose to double the score when David and George passed the ball with inch precision and George set Bradley up with a finely executed pass which Bradley capitalised on with typical fast running which broke through their defence, but unfortunately the final shot narrowly missed the goal. Sadly, minutes before the end of the first half, Heathlands combined well and demonstrated superb passing to equalise.

The second half  again demonstrated the improvement in Merley's game with some clinical passing and a number of clear opportunities on goal. To defeat these teams Merley has to take advantage of these moments as their build up play is improving hugely. Shortly into the second half Heathlands scored again and added a third goal ten minutes before the end of the game. Merley has the firepower, the speed and strong defensive players to start winning these games; it is crucial for them to finish off these chances on goal which I'm sure will come. Max deservedly won the coveted trophy best player for his excellent goal, aggressive tackling and all round good play

19/10/08 Merley Allendale 2 Canford Warriors 2 

With both teams pointless after 3 games in Dorset’s Premier Division this local derby lived up to being a close match with a very exciting finale. 

Merley stated well with Alex Wright and George Richardson winning the midfield battle and soon won a couple of early corners on the right. From the 2^nd corner Max Mason found Richardson who volleyed over in spectacular style. In defence David Higbee was filling in from midfield and was settling in well with Mason until a counter attack saw the visitors shoot wide of Charlie Pickard's goal. 

As the half progressed Merley were just edging it although with no real close efforts on goal. Joe Rendell and Richard Dowling were having some success on the left with their best work finding Richardson whose shot did not trouble the Canford keeper. The half finished with a Canford free kick which just missed the upright. 

The Leopards started the 2^nd half sharper with Kieran Fanner’s excellent run and cross down the right wing being unconverted. By now Bradley Richards was linking up well with Richardson and Sam Whitty whose pass to Richards was excellently saved by the Canford keeper who by now was playing a ‘blinder’. 

Then after another Richardson shot was saved Sam Whitty reacted first on the left and pounced to blast the ball home for 1-0 on 35 mins. 

Merley were on fire now with Richards involved with most things. George Richardson had two shot well saved with the 2^nd falling to Richards who was unable to convert. Then Canford counter attacked and looked certain to score but some how from a 10 meter deficit David Higbee used his sports day speed to catch their attacker to stop the equaliser. 

Cameron Dickman was enjoying his different midfield role and his tackling was setting up Wright and Richards who were combining well on the right and crossing the ball into the danger zone. 

Then with 5 mins left just as Merley looked like they were cruising to victory their defence was outrun to see Canford equalise against the run of play. Then 90 secs later the same happened again as the ball tricked past a helpless Charlie Pickard to see the Leopards staring defeat in the face. With injury time starting Dowling fed Richards who sprinted away from their defence to see his shot from just outside the box strike the back of the net for a last minute equaliser and the boys mobbed Bradley. 

With such an exciting finish both teams had mixed feeling about the draw as Merley were disappointed not to take 3 points as they were the stronger team for much of the 50 mins but they were pleased with their injury time equaliser. 

Although David Higbee was outstanding in defence Bradley Richards took the man of the match award for not only his equalising goal but for his 2^nd half performance and that lovely ‘Ronaldo’ back heel

12/10/08 Parkstone Heights 3 Merley Allendale 1 

The Leopards crashed out of the Dorset cup despite having most of the territory and possession 3-1 away to Parkstone Heights. 

From the kick off Merley had their hosts camped in their own half and looked the most likely to score after winning a succession of corners. On 6 mins George Richardson and Joshua Lord combined to feed Alex Wright on the edge of the box whose shot came back of the angle of the post and bar to bounce clear. 

Then from another Merley corner Parkstone broke at pace to see the ball passed clear of last defender Cameron Dickman to see Charlie Pickard helpless as the hosts took the lead against the run of play. 

Merley continue to dominate the middle of the pitch in the sunshine and soon Lord and Richard Dowling almost carved away through their defence. Then on 18 mins Parkstone counter attacked again and with Merley’s midfield slow to get back t0 see the Leopards go two down. 

Although the leopards heads went down they soon came back as after another set of corner Richardson got into the box to see his near post effort cross the line for 2-1. 

This would have been the idea score at the break but with a minute left Merley conceded again to see them 3-1 down at the break. 

The 2^nd half started well with Joe Rendell and Bradley Richards starting to combine well down the right but Parkstone were able to clear the ball before any efforts were made on goal. 

Max Mason looked solid at the back with makeshift defender Joshua Lord on for Cameron Dickman who had to go off sick. Down the left Kieran Fanner and Joe Rendell were combining well to keep the pressure on Parkstone. 

Alex Wright was unable to get his shot in he ran into the box and Richard Dowling hit the side netting. But Merley’s final ball was lacking and with limited shots on target Parkstone’s keeper was not tested. Towards the end Merley won a dozen coroners which they were unable to convert then Richardson when close as he also hit the side netting. 

At the end Merley were unable to breakdown Parkstone who held onto victory. The Leopards will need to work on their finishing over the next few weeks as although they had most of the possession and territory they were unable to hit the target. 

Max Mason for this fine 2^nd half performance won Man of the match

Merley U10s V Weymouth (H) Sunday 28th September 2008

With a squad depleted by injuries (Alex and Luke), the game against the top team in the league presented a challenge. True to form they mounted early pressure and managed a few testing shots on goal which Charlie deflected well. Max and Cameron proved solid in defence as Weymouth sought the breakthrough. Ten minutes into the game Merley started to gain control and dominated play during the middle phase of the first half. A looping free kick taken by George twenty metres from goal was directed towards Richard who headed it just wide of the post. George, Joe and David started to combine well and became a serious threat to the opposition. One of our best chances came when Max got the ball, passed to Joe who rounded a player and fired a shot towards goal which was saved by the goalkeeper.

Shortly afterwards an excellent corner kick by Max curled into the goal mouth at head height again putting pressure on Weymouth. David showed a keen competitive spirit with a superb sliding tackle and laid the ball off to Bradley for another chance on goal. Unfortunately, some missed tackles by Merley and good passing by Weymouth conspired to set up their first goal, a low ground hugging shot, a few minutes before the end of the first half. Spirited defence by Kieran, Max, and Cameron with Sam and George taking control in the mid-field, prevented the visitors from scoring again. Cameron, particularly played an outstanding first half tracking every attacking move. In the closing seconds of the half, George took an opportunistic shot on goal which cleared the crossbar by inches.

The second half continued in much the same vein as the first with Merley having a number of opportunities in front of goal but the goals still eluded them. Weymouth's second goal came early on and a lesser side might have buckled but Merley showed an admirable resilience and fighting spirit and began to take the game to them. Charlie pulled off a brilliant save worthy of any goalkeeper in the Premiership, a dipping, well struck shot which Charlie tipped over the bar with his fingertips. Arguably, our best chance to score came from excellent build-up play involving George, Richard and Josh. George took the ball from half-way, passed the ball to Richard's feet who ran down the left wing dribbling past two Weymouth defenders and passed back to George who followed in support. George unleashed a powerful shot  which the goalkeeper misjudged and the ball was deflected into Josh's path. Josh aimed for the right hand corner of the net but despite an excellent shot the goalkeeper matched it with a brilliant save.

The third goal for Weymouth sealed the match minutes before the end of the second half. Despite the 3-0 loss Merley demonstrated excellent team work and some superb passages of play provided Merley supporters and players alike with confidence that the best is yet to come. Cameron was relentless in defence and the man of the match award was richly deserved.

 

Merley U10's v Wareham (A) Sunday 21st September

It was a refreshingly warm autumnal sunny day for Merley's second league game of the season. Early signs were good as Josh, Bradley, David and George moved the ball around well and secured promising positions. The opposition's excellent defensive work combined with a lack of interplay in goalmouth positions with the final pass too often going astray meant Merley was unable to deliver that final punch, despite superb lead-up play.

 Luke, as ever provided solid defence and Max supported him well thwarting their strikes on goal. George was industrious in midfield and constantly hassled the opposing midfield player frequently dispossessing him and setting up play for Josh and Bradley. One of our best chances in the first half came when George passed the ball up to Josh who took the ball well, moved past a player along the left wing and passed the ball in but Wareham read the ball well and blocked the final shot.

Charlie kept Merley in the hunt with some outstanding saves. Twenty minutes into the game Wareham struck a low ball into the left hand corner and Charlie dropped to the ground blocking it with his body inches from the line. An improving passage of play characterised Merley's game for the next five minutes and we had a number of opportunities to score with Richard delivering good ball to Josh and Sam with George feeding rebound ball into the box. Against the run of play Wareham counterpunched with an excellently struck goal just minutes before the end of the first half. Merley were galvanised into action by this as they were able to mount a good comeback with Charlie kicking the ball to Richard who rounded his man and passed the ball to Sam who aimed a good ball into the bottom left hand corner but was kept out by their keeper.

In the second half Merley started to work even more tightly as a cohesive unit. Joe came on and displayed an attacking style of play which energised his team mates. Bradley ran well down the left wing capitalising on his speed to get past the opposition. David also tackled more aggressively winning good ball on a number of occasions and managing a few shots on goal. George chased down any ball that came within his orbit and Merley began to produce some outstanding play.

The best chance in the second half came when George produced a captain's performance with a weaving, determined run, getting past three players to position himself in front of goal, but the final shot narrowly missed. From the goal kick Wareham retained possession mid-field manoeuvring the ball well with some good interplay and carved a hole in our defence to score their second goal. Charlie enabled Merley to stay within reach with a series of excellent saves one in particular was dipping under the upright and Charlie tipped it over the bar. The final ten minutes saw Merley produce their best passing moves and they dominated the play, sustaining the pressure on the opposition. Two clear chances where we had four of our players up front mounting an attack with only one of their players left in defence and sadly the last pass didnt quite reach its target. Overall Merley can be encouraged by their performance, they produced some outstanding football, on occasions. Losing only 2 - 0 to a team of the calibre of Wareham is not a disgrace and with each game Merley is gaining in experience.

Charlie fully deserved Man of the Match as he made some fantastic saves keeping Wareham at bay throughout the match.

 

First league match Merley U10s v Sherborne (H)

Merley started well with some speculative shots by Alex Wright and George Richardson with support provided by Josh Lord and David Higbee.  Despite early pressure being applied by Merley, Sherborne scored the first goal against the run of play. This provided the catalyst for Merley players to step up the pressure and 7 minutes into the game an excellent move was started by Alex where he passed the ball to Richard Dowling down the right wing who then passed the ball into Josh whose shot was saved by the Sherborne keeper.

In the middle part of the first half, the movement see-sawed between Sherborne and Merley with excellent play on both sides. Merley’s defence tightened up and Max Mason and Luke Parris prevented Sherborne capitalising on their opportunities. An equalising goal was the result of excellent passing between Luke and Alex Wright who raced down the line, slipped past the Sherborne defence and struck the ball powerfully which deflected off a Sherborne player for an own goal.

Merley continued to apply pressure and the passing between Alex, George, Josh and David enabled Merley to dominate in the latter part of the first half. Merley’s second goal came from an excellent build up with Alex laying the ball off to George who passed it to Josh about 30m out from the Sherborne goal mouth. Josh passed it skilfully to David who was racing up the left wing and he struck the ball well to score Merley’s second goal. Charlie Pickard ensured that Merley kept the advantage in the first half, making some excellent saves.

In the second half, Sherborne intensified their attack and dominated play. In the first 5 minutes the visitors won 4 corners but Luke and Max defended well with George heading the ball to safety. Joe Rendell linked well with George and David up front, however, Sherborne moved up a gear and set up their equalising goal with a fine passing movement which split open our defence.

Charlie did well to hold the visitors to 2 goals but after a sustained attack and some defensive errors, a well-struck goal by Sherborne brought the score to 3-2. To Merley’s credit, they rose to the occasion and the final 5 minutes saw the advantage swing back to Merley. After a fine passage of play where Joe tackled well winning possession and George and David linked well to set up a great opportunity for David to score the equaliser; sadly the ball skewed just right of the post. Merley played well in the final few minutes and looked more likely to score so it was a surprise and totally against the run of play that Sherborne scored their 4^th goal in the last minute of play.

Despite their defeat Merley showed that they can compete with the best of the higher league teams. This was the first time in 23 months that they have suffered a home defeat and it illustrated the more serious level of competition they will face in a tougher league. George Richardson deservedly won Man of the Match.

		Walking on the hallowed turf  to a 1-0 victory well done boys!!!
		Receiving there medals from the royal box (WEMBLEY)