Year 8 Boys Football

It has been a very busy Autumn term for the Year 8 football team. September started with over 35 boys at training every single Wednesday after school, until the pitches got too muddy to play on. There have been over 20 boys involved in the team since the start of the year and we have played both League and Cup matches. The team are currently in the 3rd round of the cup, awaiting the result against Lawnswood and Corpus Christi. They are also currently top of the league, playing 6 and winning 5; with the only loss coming against Cockburn. We are due to play Ruth Gorse in the new year, who are currently 2nd with a game in hand. It is a must win game to ensure we stay top of the table! The top 2 teams of the league go into the final cup match, which will be another great achievement for the team. We play an attacking 4-5-1 / 4-3-3 formation and there is plenty of flair and free flowing football on display. As a result, there are always goals. We have scored 23 and conceded 8 in the 6 games we have played. We have a great team spirit and there is a lot of belief from the team that they will always win matches.

In goal, we have Glen Archer and Fynley Taylor who have shown some great shot stopping abilities and have protected our leads in many of the games. In defence we have Sem Zeremariam at left back who shows real assurance on the ball and plays the easy passes that can ask questions of the opposing defenders and create opportunity. At right back, we have Emmanuel Pelo who loves to dribble with the ball, committing the opposition and supporting the attacking right hand side with his pace. Sekou Kourouma, Golden Owen and Lamiek Dasta are our centre halves and have all showed a growing confidence in their defending, strength in the tackles and leading the back line so it keeps it shape. In midfield we have many players in the squad to choose from; Aleks Bogdonawicz plays as our number 4 and is a box-to-box player who supports both defence and attack. As one of the tallest in the squad he is able to win headers but is also very adept with the ball at his feet. Jack Hedley is also very comfortable on the ball with both feet and is able to find the spaces on the pitches to receive the ball and then link up the play between the midfield and striker. Yohannes Kebede has had more game time recently and it is absolutely warranted, as he shows a dogged determination to win the ball, is strong in the tackle and wins most things in the air. Keiron Tomas plays as an attacking midfielder who has wonderful footwork and can unlock defences with his runs and dribbling. He is deadly on free-kicks and in front of goal; a real asset to the squad. Papush Camara plays on the wing and has got fantastic ability. Often playing on the left and cutting in, he has the opposition’s full backs on toast all game and causes problems for even the best of defenders. Tiago Malu, has missed a few games through injury, but he loves to play and when he is on the pitch the football sticks to his feet like glue. This adds further attacking prowess on the right with Emmanuel. Dawit Fre has been a great addition to the team, he also plays out on the wing and has been involved in many assists and scored too. His jinking runs inside causes defenders to back off and this allows him to pick the pass to the forward running players. Keiran Mabou-Fotsing is a strong player who can get in behind the full backs and get crosses into the box, which adds another dimension to our forward play. Jack Hood has recently been playing following some absence, and he loves to get involved with the physical side of the game, causing mistakes from the opposition and breaking up the play. As striker we have Zoel Deji, who will run the back line all day putting pressure on the defenders so they make mistakes. We have scored many goals because of this relentless pressure. He can also pick up the ball from deep and drive forward making the 4-5-1 formation a very attacking set up. In front of goal, I would always back Zoel to score and he has had success this season. Other boys who have been involved in the team are as follows: Michael Wolde, Malvin Quartey, Vincent Ohene and Leon Nowicki.

It is a pleasure to manage this team and we are looking forward to more success in the new year and beyond.

Matches and scores are below:

MSM 3 vs 0 Dixon’s Trinity Chapeltown
MSM 4 vs 2 Cockburn John Charles
MSM 6 vs 1 Co-op Academy
MSM 1 vs 4 Cockburn

MSM 2 vs 0 Morley Academy
MSM 7 vs 1 Leeds Trinity

Mr Coombes