U9s finish the season on a high

U9 Match Report

On an overcast day at Moulton the Mighty Nines regrouped en masse for the much awaited final fixture of the season. With so much support from the players, we entered 2 full teams into the contest: the Saints (white) and the Lions (black).

With the unexpected loss of Emma due to illness on the day (get well soon Emma!) the Saints took to the field one player short for their first game against Rubgy. With Ben padded up in goal, this left 5 outfield players to challenge a full complement of opponents. This would be a daunting prospect against any opposition, however, with Rugby’s reputation for fielding strong and skillful teams, this presented a significant challenge for the Saints. The commitment and effort shown by the Saints players in both attack and defence in the face of this seemingly uphill task was exemplary – quickly closing down the opposition, strong in the tackle, and supporting each other on the counter attack. Rugby did eventually put home a chance and despite some desperately near misses by the Saints, they could not quite level the score.

Lions first match saw them line up against Wellingborough. With a special guest appearance by club ‘man-of-legend’ Rhys (who had already played in the U13 and U11 tournaments earlier in the day… and before anyone suspects I fielded a ‘ringer’ he is genuinely an U9!!) confidence was high and the game set of with frenetic pace. Both teams showed great commitment in the midfield and managed to break through on goal on a couple of occasions, but with Rhys leading from the back and distributing play well, the Wellingborough attacks soon ran out of steam. Our own attacking play was equally well defended but after some great interplay between the midfield and the forwards, William was finally able to round the keeper and give us victory by the slimmest of margins.

For the second game, the opposition was reversed. Saints took on Wellingborough, whilst the Lions faced Rugby. With both action packed games running simultaneously it was at times impossible to keep up with play on both pitches. Lions roared into action against Rugby and allowed them precious little time and space to target our goal, whilst at the other end William and Max were each unlucky to have attempts go just wide of the mark before William finally closed out the game in our favour with a great strike from distance. Meanwhile on the other pitch the tireless work being done by Saints midfield was finally rewarded when Jack put on his shooting boots and scored twice within a couple of minutes. The only dampener on another great performance was the late consolation goal for the Wellingborough squad, which they celebrated in unique style.

No sooner had the games ended, than we were straight into the final fixture – Saints v Lions. A Northampton head-to-head! Coming into the game Lions had played 2, won 2 Saints played 2 won 1 lost 1. With Saints fielding only 6 players, Rhys graciously stepped aside to even up the numbers leaving only a difference in formation separating the teams: Saints 5 outfield players + Ben in goal. Lions, 6 outfield players, no goalie….

… a tumultuous battle ensued with each side fantastically supported from the sidelines. The players jousting mano-a-mano for control of the midfield but the in the end the dogged Lions defence proved no match for the awesome display of strength, speed and skill from the Saints players who managed to claim local bragging rights with a relentless barrage of firepower.

Final Results:

Saints 0 Rugby 1

Saints 2 Wellingborough 1

Lions 1 Wellingorough 0

Lions 1 Rugby 0

Saints 7 Lions 0

Overall Tourmanent standing

Saints – winners

Lions – runner up

After the tournament results and (distribution of sticky buns!) we concluded the day without our annual awards to celebrate the achievements of the group this year.

Winners were:

Coaches award: Ben Powell

Coaches award (in absentia): Trinity Phipps

Best Newcomer:Jack Owen

Most Improved Player: Mia Evans

Best attendance/Highest goalscorer: Ewan Hughes-Rowlands

Those that didn’t receive awards should not feel downhearted however, as we have a host of great players in the squad and they all bring an enthusiasm and determination to play which is a credit to them and extremely rewarding to be a part of.

Thanks must be expressed to the club coaches, for their tireless efforts passing on their skills and enthusiasm to the players, to Lara Gwinn for brilliantly rising to the challenge of keeping us all organized this season, and to Robyn Wright, Dave Kelly, the club Junior umpires and all those who succeeded in putting on another great tournament to finish off our playing season.

Finally, I’ve been through the old match reports and my notes and gathered some rough stats to re-inforce how well we have done this season:

Number of club players representing the Mighty Nines this season: 18

Number of tournaments played (won): 6 (3)

Games breakdown

Total games Played : 18

Won: 12

Drawn: 3

Lost: 3

Thanks finally to all the parents for supporting our club.

See you next season.

Phil