Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st May
U15s Girls played in the Cup Final against runaway Division One champions Wiggington. We played well and in the words of their coach, we gave them a good game, but quality told in the end and we were beaten 5-0. Despite this we take pride in the fact that this was the best season ever for this team - League champions and Cup runners-up.
The other big event of the weekend was the U9s Gala at Grange Park. We entered two teams. Despite losing just one game from four, one of our sides finished third in their group. The other team won three and lost one of their group matches to finish second and progress to the semi final against Wetherby. We dominated the match, hit the bar but couldn't score, and after extra time it went to penalties. Heartbreak for our players; we scored just one of our spot kicks, and Wetherby made it to the final where they lost to Killinghall. You can see more details and pictures on our Facebook pages below:
U8s took part in a tournament at Tadcaster Grammar School. After a slow start we got going, played very well, won a couple of games, drew a couple and had a thoroughly enjoyable day out.
Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd April
U15s Girls got into their stride early in the game against second in the table Skipton, applying lots of pressure and making some good plays. We took an early lead, were three up by half time, and finished with a 5-0 win. Just one more win needed from three matches to clinch first place in the division. U13s drew 1-1 away at Catterick. A good result against the team currently second in the league, but we felt a little disappointed having led until five minutes from the end. Not such a good result for the U12s, going down 5-0 away at Pannal Sports. A thumping win for the U11s against Wetherby, helped no doubt by our opposition recently losing a couple of their stronger players. U10s won one, drew one and lost two against Killinghall. Last games of the season for the U9s, winning one and losing three against Ripon.
Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th April
U16s had only eleven players available for the trip to Catterick. We went in to the break goalless, having missed a couple of good chances to take the lead in the first half. Early in the second half we gifted them a goal through sloppy defending, followed by a second to put us 2-0 behind. At this point we started playing some good football. A well worked team goal pulled back the arrears, then a fantastic header from a free kick brought us level. We pushed for a winner but ran out of time, so it ended honours even at 2-2. Last game of the season for U15s Boys against Wigton Moor at Grange Park. Like the U16s we had just eleven available players, and despite trying our hardest we lost 4-0, with the boys absolutely shattered by the final whistle. U15s Girls were involved in a yo-yo match away at Scotton. We took the lead, they equalised. We got a second, they levelled, We got a third, only for Scotton to level once again. It finished 3-3, and we remain at the top of the table. U12s started preparing for next season with a full size pitch 11 a side friendly against Clifford. The game finished 3-3, so we had a penalty shoot-out to decide the winner, and unfortunately we missed four of our penalties making Clifford the victors. U10s won two and lost two against Beckwithshaw. One of the defeats was a bizarre game where we hit the woodwork ten times, while Beckwithshaw couldn't stop scoring.
Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd April
U8s played against Leeds United's U8s at the Thorp Arch training complex. We lost both games but the boys thoroughly enjoyed their day out.
Wednesday 29th March
A midweek match for the U15s Girls against Wetherby at Grange Park. We came away disappointed after a 2-2 draw in the away fixture, so the girls were in the mood to make amends. We led 5-1 at half time, 8-1 at the end. We go into the Easter break top of the table with the next three games against our closest rivals in the division.
Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th March
U16s played high flying Wetherby in the Cup semi final. If the boys were daunted by the prospect of a match against a team with a goal difference of +70 it didn't show, and we fought hard for a 0-0 draw after full time. Unfortunately we didn't perform so well in the penalty shoot-out, scoring just once to Wetherby's three converted spot kicks. Match photos in our Facebook post below:
U15s Girls had an early start to the day with a trip to Bedale, but this didn't inhibit the girls, who ran out 3-0 winers to stay top of the league. U13s trailed three times against Wetherby but never gave up, and ran out 5-3 winners. U12s went down to a 3-2 defeat at Pannal Ash, a somewhat flat display on the back of two great performances in our previous games. A tough game for the U11s on a narrow, very boggy pitch at Wigton Moor. We trailed, we levelled, we led, then let the game slip and it ended in defeat, but we can't fault the team's attitude, workrate and resilience.
Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th March
U13s lost 4-3 to Pannal Sports, a tight match which we led, made a couple of errors that led to goals for Pannal, and conceded the winner in the last minute. U12s played Collingham for the second time in a week. After last week's 3-0 win we played even better this weekend, battling hard for each other and scoring two great goals without reply. U11s recorded a good win against Killinghall, and could have scored more if players had passed to their team mates instead of shooting from distance. A win, a draw and two defeats for the U10s away at Ripon.
The highlight of the weekend however was a day to remember for the U10s and U12s at the Harrogate Town match, where they led out the teams and got to play a game on the pitch at half time.
Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th March
Congratulation to our U15s Girls, who overcame Scotton in a Cup semi final penalty shoot-out. A thrilling 3-3 draw in which we led twice, then found ourselves 3-2 down but pressed hard and scored the equaliser with eight minutes left. Scotton missed three of their penalties in the shoot-out, we failed to convert just one of ours. Wiggington await in the final.
U15s Boys Beat Horsforth 2-1, controlling the game for the most part but conceding late on and enduring a jittery last few minutes before the final whistle sounded. A fine 3-0 win for the U12s against Collingham, all the more pleasing considering that they beat us 4-1 just a couple of weeks ago. U11s beat Pannal Sports at Grange Park.
Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th March
A pleasing trip to Pannal for the U10s, coming home with three wins and a draw.
Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th February
U16s were at home against high flying Wetherby Lions. We started badly and proceded to get worse, losing 7-0 and never once looking like scoring ourselves. U13s battered Pannal and could have scored ten, but a failure to take our chances meant that we lost 3-2. U10s worked incredibly hard against a well organised Ilkley team, but neither of ours sides managed a win. Two draws, a heavy defeat, and a second loss, to the last kick of the game.
Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th January
U15s Boys played at Horsforth's impressive new facilities. We were obviously in awe early on and gave away a soft goal despite being well in control. We struck back with three goals, conceded again but held our nerve to win 4-3. Heavy rain at Grange Park meant that U15s Girls match against Beckwithshaw was in doubt right up to kick off, and even then it was decided to reduce the game to 30 minutes each way. A scrappy contest due to the conditions. We scored in the first half and kept Beckwithshaw quiet for the rest of the match. Final score 1-0. U13s drew 2-2 with league leaders Collingham but feel that we should have won if it were not for giving away two soft goals. An interesting game for the U12s at Leeds Maccabi. Three penalties of dubious provenance to the opposition, only one of which was converted. We won the game 3-2, the winner coming in the final minute following a free kick drilled into the Maccabi penalty area and converted, to much joy and celebration among our boys. A good win for the U11s in the derby against Wetherby, but the opposite outcome for the U10s against the same opposition, winning one and losing three.
Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th November
Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th November
On Remembrance Weekend we stand together to remember those who gave their lives in time of war
Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th November
U16s were away against Knaresborough A, the unbeaten league leaders. We held our own in a game we had little hope for, and at times played some impressive football, though as has been the case often this season, we failed to trouble the opposition goalkeeper. We went down to a 3-0 defeat, but each goal was a consequence of KDR errors. U10s won two and lost two against Clifford at Grange Park. U7s also played host to Clifford, winning three and losing three. U8s Lions played a friendly at Killinghall, winning one, drawing one and losing two.
Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th October
U16s started brightly at Pannal Sports, controlling the early stages of the match but unable to make the advantage count. We defended well, limiting Pannal to two shots on target in the first half, but typically one of those found the back of the net. Despite dominating possession after the break we conceded a second against the run of the play. We managed to pull a goal back, but ran out of time in our quest for an equaliser. U12s lost 2-1 at Pannal Sports. U11s A hosted previously unbeaten Wigton Moor. We started brightly, played good football, took the lead and hit the woodwork three times before getting back into the scoring rhythm. In the end an emphatic win. Pictures below:
Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd October
Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th October
U15s Girls slumped to a shock 11-0 defeat away at Pannal Ash. U12s had three first team players missing for the trip to Ripon, and it showed in a 2-2 draw, which saw the opposition get their first point of the season. U10s got a win, a draw and two defeats against Wetherby.
Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th October
U16s got off to a slow start at home to Beckwithshaw Saints and could easily have found ourselves two goals down within the first ten minutes. We managed to weather the storm and started to get a foothold in the game, only to concede first, but managed to equalise before the break. Saints keeper pulled off a couple of brilliant saves to prevent us taking the lead, then they hit three goals without reply, the game finishing with a 4-1 defeat.
Playing against Chapeltown at home U15 Boys failed to capitalise on their chances in the first half and went into half time level at 1-1. We had the lion's share of possession in the second half but didn't manage to add to the score until five minutes from time, when we scored twice for a 3-1 win. U15s Girls got off to a good start against Scotton, racing into a 2-0 lead within ten minutes of kick off. We conceded a goal before half time, but stepped up a gear in the second half, mounting wave after wave of attacks, to record a 6-3 win. Despite playing some of the best passing football this team has ever played, U12s were let down by their finishing, and went down to a 3-1 defeat at Killinghall.
Both U11s teams were at home this weekend. The 'A' team took the lead against Pannal Ash, who are probably the strongest side in the league. The visitors got back on top on the stroke of half time, and extended their lead in the second half. The 'B' team lost against Pannal Sports. We played some nice football but just didn't take our chances. U10s were away at Beckwithshaw, some great teamwork resulting in three wins and a draw. Two good wins from two for the U7s against Ripon.
Action from the U16s match v Beckwithshaw
Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd October
U16s faced Horbury Town in the First Round of the County Cup. Despite having the lion's share of the possession and chances in the first half we failed to get on the score sheet and went in 0-0 at half time. The second half followed a similar pattern. Disappointingly we gave away a cheap free kick allowing Horbury to pump the ball into the box and they scored from a stunning overhead kick. In an effort to get back in the game we went to three at the back. Ten mins from time we conceded a second goal which took the wind out of our sails and it was all over.
We very rarely see a goalless match in junior football, but despite an entertaining contest against Pannal Ash, U15s Boys were held to their first 0-0 draw in ten years of competitive football. U15s Girls had just 12 players available for their game at Bedale, due to injury, sickness, and prior engagements. Forced to play with a winger at full back and a midfielder in goal, the omens were not good, but a determined performance in the first half saw us go into the break with a 1-0 lead. More hard work in the second half paid off. Our persistence and attacking football led to four more goals, and some excellent saves from our stand-in keeper kept our goal unbreached. Final score 5-0.
U11s recovered after conceding an early goal against the run of play to get a good win away at Beckwithshaw. U10s match with Wigton Moor was a close, evenly matched contest, with one win, two draws and a defeat.
Action from the U13s match v Collingham
Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th September
U15s Girls were missing two key players due to injury for our home match v Clifford. On a typically breezy Grange Park morning we took a one goal lead into half time, and almost witnessed our keeper adding a wind-assisted second. It was a different story after the break. We struggled attacking into the wind, and Clifford scored three without reply. The opposite scoreline for the U12s, recording a 3-1 win against Ripon. We got off to the worst possible start, conceding after just 20 seconds, and it took us almost half an hour to start playing with any sense of urgency. We equalised before the break, then after a strong half time team talk played much better in the second half, scoring twice more.
Contrasting fortunes for our U11s teams. The 'a group' team got a convincing win at Collingham; in contrast the Blues lost heavily at Killinghall. U10s won their first two games against Pannal Sports with some excellent football, but then went to sleep for the next two games, drawing one and losing the other. U7s visited Pannal Sports for their first ever matches against another team. A positive start, winning three and losing three, and all of the players enjoyed themselves.
Action from the U15s Girls match v Clifford
Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th September
The season finally got under way this weekend, a week later than originally scheduled, with all of our teams observing a minute's silence ahead of kick off as a mark of respect for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The picture below shows the U8s before their game with Castleford.
U17s had an exciting home match against Nidd. Seven goals (all in the first half), three penalties, two of which were saved, four yellow cards - all you could want on a Sunday morning apart from the final result, a 4-3 defeat. U16s were away at Leeds Maccabi on an uneven Soldiers Field pitch at Roundhay Park. Missing a few key players and kicking up hill in the first half, we struggled for the first ten minutes to get going but then hit our stride and went into half time with a slim 1-0 lead. After the break the lads really stepped up and the second half was a joy to watch as they put together some fabulous football scoring another three goals to run out 4-0 winners. We did get a slice of luck when Maccabi missed a penalty to keep our clean sheet intact.
U15s Boys were away at Wortley. A hard fought game which we lost 2-1, but overall it was the right result. U15s Girls were away at local rivals Wetherby. After a poor first half with not much quality football from either side, the second period was a lot better. We scored an early goal from a corner and then added a second later in the game for a 2-0 win. U12s kicked the season off with a trip to Garforth Rangers in the BML Sports Cup. We came away with a very comfortable 6-2 win and could have scored more - we missed a penalty, saw numerous shots hit the post and squandered two open goals.
Action from the U17s match v Nidd
Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th September
Following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the 8th of September, all English football fixtures this weekend were postponed, from grassroots football to the Premier League. During training at Grange Park on Saturday morning, players, parent and carers, managers and coaches observed a minute of silence and reflection to honour the life and devoted service of Her Majesty.
