Sunday 29th March - Junior Football League seasons terminated
It is with great disappointment that all Junior Leagues have been told to terminate their seasons with immediate effect. Following recommendation from the FA and in line with all Junior Leagues there is no option but to void the 2019/20 season. Accordingly there will be no promotions or relegations. This will be hugely disappointing for all the players, coaches, club volunteers, parents and the League who have all played their parts in facilitating grassroots football. However, people are dying at an alarming rate. In the grand scheme of things cancelling grassroots football is a mere inconvenience.
Thank you for your understanding. Stay Safe and we look forward to seeing you next season.
Monday 16th March - Junior Football Leagues posponed due to COVID-19 pandemic
After taking advice and following government recommendations it is with great regret that the Harrogate league will be postponed until further notice. The Garforth league have also made this decision, and we expect the York leagues to follow suit. This will continue to be reviewed and there will, of course, need to be discussions over the next stages. We expect to get formal communication from the various leagues in due course and this will be shared, via the age group managers, as we become aware.
Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th March
Coronavirus may have wiped out the Premier League and the Football League, but grass roots junior football goes on. Our girls teams got the weekend off to a fine start with three wins from three at Grange Park on Saturday. U12s Girls beat Wetherby 3-1 and U14s Girls beat league leaders Ripon 3-2. U15s Girls played Garforth Rangers in the semi final of the Cup. Despite being in the league below us it was Garforth who started the brighter, getting first to every 50-50 ball. But we defended well and took the lead with a fine breakaway goal. After that it was a real blood and thunder cup tie. Twenty minutes from time we scored a second, followed two minutes later by a thunderous third that settled the tie in our favour.
The following day was a mixed picture. U14s Boys remain at the foot of the table after a 1-0 defeat to Leyburn, a well fought match in which we managed to miss two open goals. U15s Boys beat Knaresborough 2-0, and U16s were held to a 4-4 draw by Bedale. An entertaining game in which we raced into a 2-0 lead, only to concede three goals from set pieces. Bedale took a 4-3 lead, we equalised immediately, then pressed unsuccessfully for a winner, to be denied by poor finishing and resolute defending.
Action from the U16s match against Bedale
Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th March
It is the end of the league season already for some of our teams. U7s signed off with three wins and a defeat at home against Beckwithshaw. U11s saved their best performance for last to convincingly beat Leyburn, ending the campaign with four wins, three draws and seven defeats, though we definitely improved in the second half of the season. U16s Saturday team took a 23rd minute lead away at Aberford, and despite looking the more likely team to score we conceded an equaliser five minutes from time. The draw gives us a fourth place finish in the table, one place higher than last year.
U8s won two, drew one and lost one against Pannal Sports, with some good goals and great saves from both of our teams. U10s were away at Bedale in the quarter final of the Cup. In the first set of matches we got a draw and a single goal defeat in a game where we dominated possession but couldn't score. Unfortunately the boys got frustrated, some heads dropped and we lost the next two games to go out of the Cup. U14s Girls got a 1-1 draw away at Clifford. U16s Sunday team beat Pannal Sports Predators 4-1 on the 3G pitch at St John Fisher's. Two wins from our remaining four games and the title is ours.
Action from the U16s match at Pannal Sports Predators
Saturday 29th February and Sunday 1st March
Another wet and windy weekend, courtesy of Storm Jorge. U10s played their first ever cup match, facing Beckwithshaw at Grange Park. We won three out of four games to progress to a quarter final tie against Bedale next weekend. U13s took an early lead away at Leyburn and held the advantage until just before half time, when we conceded an equaliser. An evenly fought second half was decided by a single goal; unfortunately it was Leyburn who scored it.
Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd February
After Storms Ciara and Dennis we saw more wind and rain this weekend wreaking havoc with the region's junior football programme. Fortunately the pitches at Grange Park drain well, meaning that we were able to play some football on our home ground, albeit with mixed results. U11s were expecting to play away at Otley, but a late postponement resulted in the match being moved to Grange Park. We made the most of our home advantage, recording a convincing win. U13s faced table-topping Leyburn in the Cup. We conceded an early goal against the run of play but got a goal back before half time to make it even at the break. A fantastic second half performance saw us run out 4-2 winners and take us into the quarter finals.
U15s Girls faced top of the table Guiseley in very windy conditions on Saturday. We dominated the first half but failed to convert our chances, including a missed penalty, and went behind to a breakaway goal. Defensive errors cost us dearly in the second half, and we went down to a 4-2 defeat. U16s Saturday team faced second placed Monk Fryston, who already put 13 goals past us in the two previous encounters this season. With the wind behind us in the first half we scored after 7 and 27 minutes, and looked good value for our 2-0 lead at the break. Playing into the wind in the second half we conceded four times, but contrived to miss a few sitters that should have been converted. The final score was 4-2 to Monk Fryston, but it was definitely a massive improvement on the previous games.
Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th February
Another weekend, another storm. This combined with the school half term holidays meant that only one of our teams played this weekend, and in the manner of Storm Dennis the U12s blew away Thorpe United in their Barkston Ash Cup semi final. Totally dominating the game, we were 4-0 up at half time, 8-0 at the final whistle. Our opponents in the final will be Garforth Villa, the match to be played at Selby Town's Fairfax Plant Hire Stadium on Sunday 26th April.
Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th February
Storm Ciara washed out and blew away Sunday's fixtures, but some of our sides managed to play matches on Saturday. U15s Girls travelled to Ilkley Town, who had already beaten us twice this season, though on both occasions we were not able to field our strongest side. It looked like a case of deja vu when we found ourselves down to ten fit players on the morning of the game, but thankfully one of the girls got up from her sick bed to play in goal. The game got off to a flying start; we hit the crossbar after just fifteen seconds, only to see Ilkley score twice inside the first seven minutes. Our girls responded brilliantly to this setback, playing some excellent free flowing football and scoring six goals before half time. Ilkley scored a third before the break, and another in the second half, but we valiantly protected the lead to record a welcome and deserved 6-4 win.
Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd February
U8s welcomed another debutante to the team for their encounter with Wigton Moor. We had 17 players available (last season there were times when just six players turned up regularly for training), meaning that we played nine games rather than the usual four, with Wigton Moor just about coming out ahead. U9s played their last league fixture of the season away at Knaresborough with a pleasing performance that saw us get two wins, a draw and a defeat. U11s lost by a single goal to Pannal Ash Blues, a match that we felt we deserved to draw at the very least.
The girls teams matches on Saturday were all badly affected by strong winds. U12s Girls played well at Knaresborough but were undone by three lapses in concentration that cost us dearly. The final score was 4-0 to Knaresborough. U15s Girls played a good passing game in their Cup quarter final against Rothwell Town, strolling to a 5-0 half time lead. It could have been more but the Rothwell keeper pulled off a number of sensational saves. A closer second half saw both teams score a goal each to give us a 6-1 victory.
U14s game against Pannal Sports Tigers was a meeting between bottom (us) and top (them). A single penalty goal decided the match, unfortunately for us it was in Pannal's favour. U16s Saturday team took the lead inside two minutes against table topping Oulton, and so it stayed until half time. We conceded the equaliser within five minutes of the restart, after which both sides missed chances. Just as the game was looking like a draw we were hit twice on the break. Final score 3-1 to Oulton. U16s Sunday team bounced back after losing their 100% record last week with a 6-2 win against Wigton Moor.
Action from the U16s match v Wigton Moor
Friday 24th to Sunday 26th January
U7s trip to Ripon resulted in two wins, a draw and a defeat. U9s got four wins out of four away at Pannal Sports, including what was probably the best goal this team has scored to date, a six player passing move from keeper to striker. U10s played against Killinghall at Grange Park. In four very close games we drew one and lost three, though the margin of victory was just a single goal in a couple of games, and it was only our finishing in front of goal that let us down today. U11s had a busy weekend - a gala at Harrogate Town's CNG Stadium on Friday night where we won two, drew one and lost one, followed by an excellent draw at Pannal Sports Lions on Sunday, a very strong team who are probably the best in our league.
Last season U12s Girls were hammered by Killinghall. One year on we were confident, disciplined and controlled the game to get a 3-0 win. U13s played away at a very muddy Beckwithshaw. Despite playing reasonably well in the first half we found ourselves 3-0 down at the break. We had all the possession in the second half but failed to convert our dominance into goals. Beckwithshaw had three attempts on goal and scored from all three. Final score 6-0 to Beckwithshaw.
U15s Boys remain top of the league despite going down to a 4-2 defeat away at Garforth in a contentious game that would have benefitted from VAR. U15s Girls also lost 4-2 in a frustrating performance against Ilkley. The Ilkley keeper saved four one-on-one chances before we conceded an own goal when trying to clear from a corner. Ilkley's first shot on goal then doubled their lead. We got a goal back before half time via an own goal from a corner, and equalised after the break, only to concede twice more through poor defending. Playing against Aberford at home U16s Saturday team took an early lead through a penalty. Aberford got the equaliser soon after, and they got off to a better start to the second half, scoring twice from long balls. We pulled one back with ten minutes to go but were unable to grab a goal to level the game. Final score 3-2 to Aberford. U16s Sunday team dropped their first points of the season in an entertaining 2-2 draw at home against Beckwithshaw Saints Blues. We were without both of our strikers and it showed, missing a host of chances that might otherwise have hit the back of the net. In spite of that we remain well clear at the top of the table.
Action from the U16s match v Beckwithshaw Saints Blues
Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th January
U9s won three and lost one away at Clifford, and we still can't believe how we lost the fourth game. U11s came from behind for the first time this season to get a win away at Wigton Moor. Having already seen the game postponed twice, U12s finally played their Barkston Ash Cup quarter final tie at Clifford. It was a game we controlled totally but rather like Leeds United we currently seem unable to convert possession into goals. We won the tie 2-1, with Clifford's consolation goal coming in the last minute. U13s were also in cup action, facing Pannal Ash in the League Cup on a muddy Stray. We started slowly and conceded an early goal, but fought back to go into the break 2-1 up. An exceptional second half saw us hit six without reply, for a final score of 8-1.
U15s Boys dropped their first points of the season in a 3-3 draw away at Menston. U15s Girls hosted Brighouse, who beat us 6-0 at their ground and look certainties for the league title this season. We changed our formation and frustrated Brighouse in a goalless first half. A mishit shot looped over our keeper early in the second half to give Brighouse the lead, and we later conceded a couple more goals to speculative shots that went high into the net - a consequence of 14 year olds playing in full size goals. U16s Saturday team lost 5-0 to a Methley side that was defensively tight and direct and to the point in attack.
Friday 10th to Sunday 12th January
U7s played away at Pannal Sports, emphatically winning all four games, displaying some good passing and dribbling, and scoring some great goals. U8s fielded a couple of debutants against Pannal Ash. We lost the first two games, after which the sides were evened out and we got a win and a draw. U9s got two wins and two defeats against Beckwithshaw. U10s played a local derby against Wetherby on the Ings, coming away with three gutsy draws and a defeat.
U12s Boys were by far the better team against Clifford but despite struggling to make the most of their superiority eventually won the game 3-1. U12s Girls played Ilkley for the third time this season. In a very close game we went into the break a goal behind. A change of formation after the interval from 4-3-1 to 3-4-1 saw us take more control of the game. We had more of the play, scored an equaliser but subsequently failed to convert any of our many chances, and were indebted to our goalkeeper for a great save near the end to prevent Ilkley snatching the three points. Final score 1-1, and we remain second in the table. U13s welcomed three players back from injury, giving the team a better balance. We took command of the game early on, taking the lead midway through the first half following a period of sustained pressure. The score remained at 1-0 until the last few minutes of the match, when a lovely through ball and finish resulted in our second goal. Final score 2-0. U14s Girls went down 3-0 to Ilkley, the scoreline a harsh reflection of a game we didn't deserve to lose.
A day after five of our players represented the West Riding league in a match against Wanderers Australia (click for match report), U15s Girls travelled to Bradford City on Friday evening. We played well in the first half and took the lead, only for a couple of defensive slips to allow Bradford to score twice. We conceded a third early in the second half but fought back to make it 3-2. A sensational 25 yard half volley restored Bradford's two goal advantage, and each side scored again before the end to make the final score 5-3 to Bradford. Mixed fortunes for our U16s teams. U16s Saturday team was away at Monk Fryston, who are probably the best team in the league. We started brightly and had a number of shots on goal but failed to convert our chances. Fryston then scored three before half time from quick counter attacks, and after the break picked up where they left off, scoring four more goals to win the game 7-0. U16s Sunday team romped to a 10-0 win over Wigton Moor on a squidgy Soldiers Field, to maintain their 100% record in the league this season.
Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th January
A number of our teams returned to action this weekend following the festive break. U11s enjoyed the majority of possession against Ripon, and had plenty of shots on goal but were unable to capitalise, going down to a narrow defeat. U13s were still on holiday during the first half against Beckwithshaw, and went in 4-0 down at half time. Despite a much improved showing in the second half we lost the game 6-1. U14s showed great commitment in beating Ripon 3-1. U15s Boys also beat Ripon 3-1 to open up a five point gap at the top of the table. In the toughest game of the season so far we started without our injured top scorer, and lost two more players to injury within the first ten minutes. The boys battled hard against physically strong opposition, with our keeper producing his best performance of the season to pull off two outstanding saves and attract the attention of scouts from Leeds United. Despite being without their top scorer due to illness U15s Girls went top of the league after a 4-1 win over Wigton Moor. The score was level at 1-1 at the break but we played much better in the second half, scoring three without reply.
Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th December
The last weekend of junior football before the Christmas and New Year break saw the U7s travel to Otley, where they won two, drew one and lost one. Due to illness U9s needed to call upon the services of a couple of U8 players for their trip to Ripon, the younger boys stepping up admirably. Results matched those of the U7s: two wins, a draw and a defeat. U11s got their long awaited first win of the season against Wigton Moor, though it was a little nervy towards the end as we almost surrendered a three goal lead.
U12s Girls played Bedale at a cold, wet and windy Grange Park. A tough game in which Bedale took a two goal lead; we responded and went into the interval 3-2 down. In a closely fought match with little to separate the sides we got the equaliser from a breakaway for a 3-3 draw. U15s Girls travelled to Hemsworth to face West End Terriers. For fifteen minutes the match was evenly balanced at 1-1, then the hailstorm arrived and our girls stepped up a gear. With the score at 8-1 at half time both teams declared the contest over, and we then played the second half as a friendly. U16s Saturday team lost 4-2 at home to Oulton, a game in which they took their chances and we didn't take ours.
Monday 9th December
A rare Monday night fixture for the U15s Girls, who played at Harrogate Town Academy under the floodlights at the CNG Stadium. Harrogate play a nice passing game but we had more chances. Just as the match was heading for a 2-2 draw we scored with the last kick of the game to come home with a 3-2 win.
Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th December
On Saturday U7s travelled to Wigton Moor and came away with two wins, a draw and a defeat. The next day saw the arrival of Storm Atiyah, with wild, wet and windy weather affecting all of our matches. U8s played at Knaresborough Celtic, winning one and drawing one of the opening two games. The two subsequent games were both abandoned as the weather conditions worsened. U11s fell to a narrow defeat away at Pannal Sports - a pleasing outcome given that the same opponents beat us soundly earlier in the season.
U12s faced Ripon at Grange Park. We lost two players to illness on the morning of the game, then two more succumbed to injuries after just two and four minutes from the start. Despite these setbacks we dominated the match and totally outplayed our opponents. Unfortunately we couldn't find the back of the net. Ripon had two chances, took them both and won the game 2-0. U14s played some good football and led Leeds Maccabi 4-2 with five minutes of the game remaining. We then went to sleep and gifted Maccabi a couple of soft goals, final score 4-4. U16s Saturday team led Knottingley 2-0 after ten minutes, only to concede three in five minutes. Another Knottingley goal gave them a 4-2 lead at half time. We came out strongly after the break and scored in the first minute. Despite numerous attempts on goal we just couldn't get the ball over the line, and got caught out by a counter attack with ten minutes to go. Final score 5-3 to Knottingley.
U16s Sunday team maintained their 100% record in the league with a 9-0 win over Menston. We have our goalkeeper to thank for a couple of fine saves to keep a clean sheet, but other than that it was a convincing result, marred only by a red card for each team.
Action from the U16s match v Menston Rovers
Saturday 30th November and Sunday 1st December
Despite the efforts of the renowned Siberian international Jack Frost our teams managed to get some matches played this weekend. U7s took on Killinghall and won four games out of four. U12s Girls sported their new away kit at Bedale. Twice in the first half we took the lead, only to see Bedale equalise, so it was 2-2 at the break. We made full use of our four subs to allow players to take a brief rest and recharge their batteries, and were repaid when our main striker came back on to the field for the last fifteen minutes and completed her hat trick to give us our first win of the season.
U12s Boys were in fourth round County Cup action against a physical Featherstone team. We went 2-0 down before we woke up and got a goal back before half time. After a Churchillian team talk during the break from the coaching staff the boys battled hard in the second half, equalising soon after the restart, then scoring twice more to take a 4-2 lead. A soft goal conceded in the last minute made the final score 4-3, but that minor glitch didn't prevent us from progressing to the next round. U13s were missing four good players for their visit to Clifford, and it showed. Struggling for most of the game we went down 9-1. U14s outplayed Pannal Sports but were let down by an inability to convert possession into goals. Final score 3-1 to Pannal. U15s faced a previously unbeaten Menston side at Grange Park. We took the lead after two minutes with a headed goal following a searing run down the right wing. We scored four more excellent goals but conceded twice to win the game 5-2.
Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th November
No problem with muddy pitches for the U16s, who played Leeds Maccabi on the 3G surface at Leeds Grammar School. A tight first half saw us score twice from direct free kicks with Maccabi replying from the penalty spot. The game was more open after the interval. We gradually took control of the contest and ran out 6-2 victors. The result means we have seven wins from seven, with a goal difference of 42-3.
Action from the U16s match at Leeds Maccabi
Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th November
U9s last home game of the season was played on a sticky Grange Park surface against a physically stronger Wigton Moor side, drawing one and losing three. U10s welcomed league newcomers Harrogate Railway to Grange Park. Playing on the larger 7 a side pitches for the first time it took some of the boys a time to adjust to the bigger playing surface, but we finished with two wins, a draw and a defeat. U11s squad was hit by a stomach bug, and we were fortunate to find 9 fit players to face Ripon. Despite a great effort by the team we lost the match by one goal.
U12s Girls could have been forgiven for feeling a little apprehensive ahead of their Cup tie against Ilkley. The same opponents had beaten us 7-3 in the league earlier this season, and we lost two players to illness on the morning of the game, including our regular goalkeeper. The team was duly rejigged - we settled on a new formation of 4-3-1, with some of the girls playing in unfamiliar positions, and somehow it all worked out for us. Every time Ilkley took the lead we fought back. 3-3 at half time, 4-4 at full time, and so to penalties. At this point we played a tactical masterstoke, substituting our stand-in goalkeeper (who had performed superbly throughout the match) and replacing her in goal with our tallest outfield player. It worked - we won the penalty shoot out to progress to the next round. U14s Girls were also in Cup Quarter Final action, but were unable to repeat the feats of the U12s. We lost a tight game against Clifford 2-1. Their goalkeeper was outstanding, and Clifford scored the winner from their only chance in the second half.
U15s were up against a fast and physical Pannal Sports Panthers team after having lost two players overnight due to illness, and quickly found themselves two goals down within the first ten minutes. All season this team has shown that through adversity comes strength, and a gutsy performance saw us quickly get back level before scoring again to lead 3-2 at half time. We continued to play well after the break, deservedly running out 6-4 winners to cement our place at the top of the table with five wins out of five so far this season. U16s Saturday team faced Menston, a side that hammered us last season. However we are a much improved team this year - we had the better of the first half and went into the break a goal up, Menston were better after the interval and got a deserved equaliser. The 1-1 final score was a fair reflection of the game. U18s continue to frustrate, losing 3-1 to against Tadcaster Magnet in a well contested game.
Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th November
On Remembrance weekend all of our teams honoured those who gave their lives in time of war with a minute's silence before kick-off. The pictures below show the U8s and U16s paying their respects.
And so to matters on the football field. U7s and U8s both faced teams from Pannal Sports. U7s won two, drew one and lost one. U8s game was a contest between two fairly evenly matched teams, which was reflected in the close scorelines in all four games. We won one game and lost three. U10s faced Clifford, the strongest team in the league and a good test for the boys, who played really well, winning one and going down to three close defeats.
U12s performed poorly against Knaresborough but still managed to win 2-0 to stay top of the league. In an entertaining game against Boroughbridge U12s Girls missed two clear chances to score and paid the price, going 2-0 down. To their credit they recovered from this setback and salvaged a 3-3 draw. U13s got off to an impressive start against Killinghall. We led 2-1 at the break, and continued to play well in the second half, eventually running out 5-2 winners. U17s Girls played well away at Bishopthorpe, coming home with a 2-2 draw.
Cup action for two of our teams. U15s Girls were missing three key players for their trip to Ilkley. We started well, hitting the post twice and missing a couple of good chances before we took the lead. We then made the error of switching off, allowing Ilkley to equalise. A fantastic burst from defence and an inch perfect through ball saw us retake the lead, only for Ilkley to level once more. In the second half we scored again, Ilkley equalised again, and then as our players tired, Ilkley added two more to take the tie 5-3. U16s faced Pannal Sports Lions in a rearranged cup tie away at Pannal's impressive new ground. We lost 6-0, though four of the goals conceded were poor from our perspective, and we hit the woodwork twice.
Action from the U16s match at Pannal Sports Lions
Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd November
U7s opponents Pannal Ash turned up with just eight players, so we lent them a couple of our boys to even up the sides, and proceeded to win all four games. U11s lost to Clifford. As has been the case in a number of games this season, we started well but fell away in the second half. U14s game with Otley Town was a close affair between two well matched teams. At 2-1 down we were pressing for an equaliser, only for Otley to score a third in the last few minutes and put the game out of reach. U15s Girls played Garforth Rangers in the pouring rain. 1-0 up at half time, we took control of the match in the second half to finish 5-1, with four different girls on the scoresheet.
A couple of our sides were in action in the third round of the County Cup. Despite dominating the first half U12s led Queensbury by just one goal at the break - we had about twenty attempts on goal and scored three, Queensbury converted two of their three chances. We gave away a penalty early in the second half, and were grateful to our keeper who made a fabulous one handed save to deny our opponents the equaliser. After this the boys stepped up their game, scoring twice without reply to win the tie 5-2. U18s ended their involvement in the Cup, convincingly beaten 8-1 by a much more physical Thackley team. U16s game at Pannal Sports Lions fell victim to a waterlogged pitch.
Action from the U14s match v Otley Town
Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th October
U8s were away at Otley who have a large squad, so we played six games rather than the usual four. We produced some good football to come home with a very comfortable aggregate score in our favour. U9s produced some of their best ever football against Wetherby, winning three games and drawing one. U10s travelled to Bedale, where we won two and lost two, with the overall aggregate score even for the third time this season. The improvements in the team are quite noticeable since the start of the season. U11s lost to Pannal Ash Sports by a single goal. We had chances to equalise, but were also indebted to our keeper who played incredibly well to prevent any more goals.
U12s Boys failed to make the most of their first half chances and as a consequence went into the break level at 1-1. A totally different story in the second half; the goals flowed, and we ran out 5-1 winners to go top of the league. U12s Girls introduced a couple of new players in a friendly against Scotton, rested some regular key players and tried others in unfamiliar positions. We ended up winning a very entertaining game 8-6. U13s got off to a great start against Guiseley, racing into a 2-0 lead. Unfortunately we then managed to concede an own goal just before half time, and then let in another goal just after the break. Final score 2-2. U15s Girls produced their worst performance in some years to go down 6-0 against Brighouse. We were outplayed in every position on the park, a very disappointing day. U15s Boys won 7-3 for the second weekend running, Wigton Moor were our opponents this time. Credit to three of our players who shrugged off illness and injury to take part in the game. This result makes it four wins from four matches so far this season.
The last time U16s Saturday team played against Knottingley it ended as a 4-4 draw. This time we changed our formation to 4-5-1 and won the midfield battle, and even when Knottingley broke through the defence was resolute. We took an early lead from a free kick, adding a second ten minutes from the end. A good win, final score 2-0. U16s Sunday team lost 7-3 to Garforth Rangers in the Barkston Ash Cup. We were missing a couple of key players today, but the game was closer than the scoreline would suggest.
Action from the U16s match v Garforth Rangers
Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th October
On a damp and muddy morning at Clifford the U7s got two wins, a draw and a defeat, our first loss of the season. U11s suffered a heavy defeat away at Pannal Blues. One goal separated the teams at half time, but we faded badly in the second half.
In a tight contest between two well matched teams U13s lost 1-0 away at Wetherby Tigers. Despite striking the post and the bar each side of half time, we failed to take advantage and score. Unfortunately, late on we conceded following a goal mouth scramble. A great game to watch and although we lost the boys put in a real shift and played extremely well. U15s Girls drew 4-4 with last season's runaway champions Bradford City. City are now a foundation club ready to become an academy and having poached the best players from a couple of clubs in our league are even stronger than last season. An even first 20 minutes became uneven when Bradford scored twice. We pulled a goal back before half time, then got an equaliser thirty minutes from the end following a slip in the Bradford defence. Then it was our turn to self-implode, conceding an own goal and then our failure to clear led to Bradford taking a 4-2 lead. The girls kept going though and scored a great goal to reduce the deficit with five minutes to play. And then joyously we toe poked an equaliser in the last 90 seconds.
U16s Saturday team played a Cup game at home to Altofts. Despite the fact that we are two divisions below our opponents it was a good game and fairly even. Altofts scored twice from corners early in the second half, we got one back only to concede a third. Final score 1-3. U16s Sunday team faced their first real test of the campaign against Leeds Maccabi at Grange Park. We led 1-0 at the break following a tight first half, then worked really hard to control the second half. We scored a couple more and hit the post twice. Our record so far this season reads six wins from six games, and a goal difference of 36-1. It was a great start to the season for U17s Girls, with a 6-3 against Scotton. U18s won 4-2 away at Helperby.
Action from the U16s match v Leeds Maccabi
Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th October
U7s second outing of the season was a home match against Wetherby Athletic. A great effort from all of the boys to maintain our unbeaten record, coming away with three wins and a draw. U10s put up a good fight against a very strong Ripon side, but were defeated in all four games.
A number of teams were in County Cup action this weekend. U12s faced Oakworth of Keighley, the reigning Craven and District League champions, and our toughest challenge to date. Oakworth took the lead after twenty minutes, only for us to equalise five minutes later from a corner. Our second half performance was the best we have produced since the team first got together seven years ago. Some wonderful pass and move football coupled with solid defending and ruthless attcking saw us score a second, and with five minutes remaining we scored a third to put the tie out of reach. U14s faced Leeds Juniors from Pudsey, who play in the first division of the Huddersfield League and have a season's more experience of 11 a side football than our boys. We put up a good fight, but went down 10-0 to a much better side.
U15s Girls should have played against Wigton Moor in the Cup this weekend, but our opponents forfeited the game. Fortunately we were able to rearrange a league fixture with Farsley Celtic. A pretty even start to the first half saw us miss lots of chances early on. We finally broke the deadlock on the half hour with a super strike, followed by two more goals before half time. We were much better in the second half, scoring twice more without reply for a 5-0 win. U16s Saturday team played against Methley at Grange Park. It was a hard fought encounter settled by a single goal in the second half. Final score 1-0 to us. A less difficult test for the U16s Sunday team, who recorded an 11-0 win away at Menston, to make it five wins out of five, 33 goals scored and only one conceded.
Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th September
A mixed weekend of weather (bright sunshine on Saturday, heavy rain on Sunday) and a mixed set of results for our teams. U8s game at Bedale was a contest between two good evenly matched sides. We lost the first two games but got our act together to win the next two. Having played against Pannal Sports Lions last weekend, U10s welcomed Pannal Sports Tigers to Grange Park on Sunday. We won three games and lost one, with the same aggregate score as last week. U11s played their best football of the season so far in a draw with Clifford.
Despite some good performances from a number of players U12s Girls lost to a very good Knaresborough side. U14s Girls were able to field a strong team for their first game of the season against Pannal Ash. 3-0 up by half time, we went on to win 4-2. U15s Girls started slowly against West End Terriers and went a goal down. This spurred the girls into action, and we hit back with six goals before half time. A less explosive second half; final score 9-2. U15s Boys beat Wetherby Wharfe Valley 4-0, a very pleasing score given that we were missing three defenders through injury. The U16s teams had almost diametrically opposite results; the Saturday team went down 6-0 at Monk Fryston, while the Sunday team continued their excellent start to the season with a 7-0 win at Bedale. U18s lost 4-1 away at Ilkley.
Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd September
U10s played Pannal Sports Lions at Grange Park, winning two and losing two. U11s found themselves well behind at half time to a clinical Leyburn team, having struggled against a high pressing team. A better performance after the break saw us have the better of the second half, but the result went Leyburn's way.
U12s picked up where they left off last week with a second successive 5-0 win, this time against Beckwithshaw at Grange Park. Some fabulous football, and if not for some wayward finishing the score could have been higher. The first league game of the season for U15s Girls was a two hour round trip to Silsden. The girls played beautifully to triumph 6-2. The U16s Saturday team started well away at Oulton, only to concede from a counter attack. We got one back before the break, only to let in three more in the second half as a result of poor clearing from corners and getting caught on the counter. Final score 4-1 to Oulton. In contrast the U16s Sunday squad continued their winning start to the season with a comprehensive 7-1 victory over Pannal Sports Predators, to give us three wins from three matches, 15 goals scored and just one conceded. U18s beat Wigton Moor 10-4 in an action packed game.
Action from the U16s match v Pannal Sports Predators
Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th September
A good day for the U8s who overcame the loss of two players at the last minute, beating Wigton Moor in three games and unluckily losing the fourth. Some good performances in all areas of the pitch, with a couple of players scoring their first KDR goals. In contrast it was a mixed day for the U9s at Killinghall, winning two and losing two. U10s started their season with a home fixture against Pannal Ash Reds, winning one and losing three matches. U11s suffered a comprehensive defeat to an excellent Pannal side.
U12s played their first ever Barkston Ash Cup tie away at Wetherby Tigers, coming away with a comfortable 4-1 win and a trip to Sherburn in the next round. In their first game of the season U12s Girls featured three new players away at Ilkley. We were asleep for the first half and were 5-0 down at the break. We improved in the second half but lost the game 7-3. U14s have moved up to 11 a side this season, and also blooded some new players away at Otley. The first half was a bit messy, but they got into their rhythm in the second half and played some really good football. The end result was a 1-1 draw, though the boys saw it as a missed opportunity.
U15s faced a strong, skillful and pacy Ripon team at home in their their match of the season. We started slowly, going a goal behind after just two minutes. Despite three excellent chances, one of which was a miss in front of an open goal we were 3-0 down at half time. The boys analysed their performance during the break and we changed the second half formation to 4-5-1. We dug in, battled hard and scored four goals without reply, though it needed a last minute goal line clearance to seal the win for us.
U16s Saturday team played Knottingley at home. We played some good football in the first half, but did not convert our many chances. Knottingley were not so goal shy, and we found ourselves 4-0 behind at half time. The second half saw more good football from both sides in an end to end encounter. This time however we put our chances away and kept the opposition at bay, battling back to save the game with a 4-4 draw. The U16s Sunday team were away at Lawnswood, producing a great all round performance to win 4-0 for the second consecutive week. U18s were only able to field 10 players against Ripon, with the regular left back playing in goal. It didn't appear to cause too many problems, the outcome being a comfortable 4-1 victory.
Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th September
U7s played their first ever match away at Pannal Ash Reds, coming home with four good wins out of four. U11s first game at 9 a side ended in a draw against Otley Town Orange. A closely fought game that could have gone our way had we converted more of our chances.
Playing away at Killinghall U12s came away with a magnificent 5-0 win. A strong first half performance saw us 2-0 up at half time, with our goalie superbly saving a Killinghall penalty. We upped the tempo in the second half, adding three goals as we completely controlled the game. Both U16s teams were strengthened by the arrival of a number of new players over the summer. The Selby League team kicked off the new season on Saturday with a 1-0 win in a very competitive game away at Aberford Albion. The Harrogate League team faced league newcomers Horsforth St Margarets Chargers on Sunday at Grange Park. After a goalless first half we hit our stride in the second half, taking a deserved lead courtesy of a near post diving header. An own goal followed, then a couple more as we ran out 4-0 winners. U18s beat Tadcaster Magnet 5-1. We were 2-0 up at half time, though Tad could have felt a little hard done by having hit the bar four times in the first half. We completely dominated after the break, and only some tired finishing prevented us from winning by a higher margin.
Action from the U16s match v Horsforth
