We met Tooting & Mitcham Juniors at home for the third match of preliminaries. A solid performance from the boys early in the first half staved off the advances from the opposition and for a moment the opposition was rattled. But then due to some luck for the visitors and some momentary lapses in concentration we were two down within minutes and Samba heads dropped. Late in the first half we had an opportunity to bring us back into the game from well-taken free kick by Akshay however, we failed to convert! By the end of the first half we were a respectable 0-2 down. The second half was all about damage limitation as we struggled to get the ball into their half. A super performance from Jamie in central back wasn't going to be enough stop the barrage of goals that followed. This was compounded by some lack-lustre tackles in the danger zone. Whilst some rudimentary errors handed 'goals on a plate' to the opposition. Overall, the boys were outplayed by a better team, but showed some individual sparks of brilliance inparticular Jamie and Yasin. The team showed that they can play well in spells and the future looks good and our first win could be on the horizon when we play Oakway F.C. on Sunday.

Final score Samba YFC 0, Tooting & Mitcham Juniors 10

Samba went into this game with high expectations that they could win their first game of the season. Unfortunately it was not going to be Samba’s day.Oakway started the better side and scored three goals in the first half. Callum was Samba’s best player in the first half and played his best game of the season and came close to scoring with a shot that just went wide. Jack’s goal kicking was excellent which helped Ryan, Callum and Akshay put pressure on the Oakways defence. Great tackling from Tom, Yasin and Jamie
kept the score down.

The second half was a different game, the team responded well to the half time team talk from the coach and the positional changes that he made. Jamie pushed up into midfield and passed the ball around and made some good probing runs. Kieran came on at half time and not to be outdone by his twin brother played his best game of the season. With the team pushing forward and gaining in confidence Rhys and Yasin had to be alert at the back and they put in some good goal saving tackles when Oakway broke quickly.

Samba’s top goal scorer Ryan popped up again with a few minutes to go to score his second goal of the season. The boys thoroughly deserved the goal and Jack and his defence stopped Oakway scoring in the second half.

After this second half performance it can only be a matter of time before we win our first game.

Samba Youth 1 - 3 Oakway F.C

One way traffic!

With a brilliant second half performance from their last game still ringing fresh in their ears our boys went into this match feeling very much the top dog! Having won the toss they elected to kickoff in the first half. From a well rehearsed drill we immediately put the monarchs under pressure as Jamie sent Akshay darting down the right wing resulting in a throw for us. Here on, the monarchs were unsettled as Jamie sent in great cross from Akshay's throw to Kieran in front of goal. But for a brilliant save from the monarchs keeper we would have been 1up in matter of minutes from a well taken shot by Kieran. We didn't have to wait long before Jamie latched on to a great ball from Ryan and shot first time from five yards outside the area and drove the ball low and hard between the two oncoming defenders into the bottom corner for his first ever Samba goal. Tom and Yasin had to be alert! Not to be out done the monarchs dug in and counter broke on several occasions. But an excellent performance from our man of the match Yasin, took it upon himself to sweep up everything in our half. An equally determined Tom made some great tackles taking out the steam of the monarchs runs down the right. Jack had little to do in the first half but helped his team by putting pressure on the opposition from his big goal kicks. A deserved first half score line was compounded by tremendous workrates from Ryan, Jamie and Akshay ensuring we retained our lead.

The second half saw some changes to the line up. Liam come on in attack in place of a great first half performance from Callum whilst Rhys replaced Tom in left back. Right from the whistle our boys carried on in very much the same vain as they did in the first half. Winning the ball from the kick off we immediately put the monarchs under pressure and nearly came close to going two up early in the second from great shot Liam hitting the post. Unsettled, by the pressure the monarchs gave away a number of free kicks and corners. Akshay provided some good quality balls form these but we were unlucky to convert into a goals. It wasn’t long before we scored the second when Samba’s top goal scorer Ryan picked up the ball close to the touch line and dribbled the ball towards the goal and then riffled the ball low and hard through the defenders, pass the goalkeeper to score the second. Ryans third of the Season. Samba kept up the pressure and were rewarded when the referee awarded Samba a penalty for hand ball against the Kingstonian defender. Akshay stepped up and he drove the ball low and hard towards the left of the goalkeeper but unfortunately it hit the post . The ball was hit with so much power that the ball rebounded towards Liam. Liam the favourite with the School Girls was quick to pounce on the rebound and buried the ball into the back of the net. The crowd went mad as Liam celebrated his goal by sliding across the pitch towards the away supporters. Then the crowd was silenced by the referees decision to disallow the goal for a Samba player being in the area at the time the penalty was taken. Liam responded like a true professional, he adjusted his hair and smiled at the girl on the side line and carried on to play his best ever game for Samba. Rhys and Yasin played well at the back and stopped any counter attacks that may have threatened the Samba’s goal. Jacked kept his first clean sheet and kept his concentration well through out the game. Samba’s deserved their first win of the Season and the way they are playing at the moment it won’t be long before they get their next win.

Well done Samba‘s!

Best performance yet!

Despite an unforgiving score line our under 8 team had their best performance to date! With a renewed confidence and fresh from their first win of the season our boys put a respectable opponent under pressure right from the whistle. A superb joint effort from every team member ensured the score remained at 4 nil.

Jack didn't keep a clean sheet this week but, made some excellent reflex saves whilst his goal kicks and long kick ensured we got into their half as often as possible. Our defence made up of Yasin and Tom (in first half) and Rhys (in the second) proved tough opponents for the opposition and made some beautiful counter acting clearances. Our midfield and centre positions where patrolled by Jamie and Ryan and they worked together tremendously pushing deep into the oppositions half at every opportunity, whilst recovering well to help out at the back on the counter acts. Our wingers' Callum,Kieren,Liam (down the left)and Akshay (on the right) made some excellent runs down the wings twisting and turning their opponents getting the better of them to provide some wonderful crosses.

In all a performance to be truly proud of - I am sure a winning run isn't far away!

A McDonalds Happy Meal too far.

It was always going to be hard game against Epsom Eagles away. However with all the rain we have had over the past week and the team beginning to play well we thought that this could be the day for upsets.

The Samba Manager started his pre-match talk by trying to bribe his team with McDonalds if they could win or draw the game. This seemed to work as the boys started to cheer as they ran onto the pitch. The mood of the boy's suddenly changed when the boys saw all the wet sticky mud in the goal. The Samba Manager hopes sunk when he heard one of the boys believed to be the
goalkeeper say, "I'm not diving in all that mud".

The game started with Epsom Eagles putting pressure on the Samba goal from the kick off. It wasn't long before we went behind. By half time we were trailing by several goals.

At half time the Manager tried his best to rally the boys, but you could see that he was missing the coach for inspiration. The last ditch attempt he asked the boys to go out and play for pride and forget the score and show the Eagles that we can play football.

The boys went on in the second half and started to show some character. Yasin the 'man of match' leading by example tackled everything in a blue shirt and sometimes a yellow one if one got in the way. Jack tried to make a brave save by diving at the forward's feet and injured himself and the ball trickled in. Jack recovered and the Samba Manger ordered the team to tackle the opposition forwards and to look after Jack. This seemed to be the turning point of the game. The boys began to start playing football, Yasin broke out of defence and ran the whole length of the pitch only to be tackled outside the opposition penalty area, but won the corner. Callum drove the ball low and hard across the goalmouth and Jamie curled the ball first time into the bottom left hand corner to score his second goal of the season to the delight of the Samba Supporters.

Jamie celebrated the goal by running past the Samba supporters with his hand in the air with the rest of the team following like a yellow and blue snake.

The Eagles supporters where stunned and comments of " how long to go ref." and "did you add on time for the stoppage" were heard. Had we rattled the Eagles!

The team battled and stopped the Eagles from scoring for a while, but the Eagles were too strong and their superior passing game finished with several more goals in the last five minutes.

The Final score was Epsom Eagles 12 v Samba Youth 1. Not the result we wanted but we had played one of the best teams in the league.

Keep trying boys things will be better once we go into the new league at the end of November.

Three cheers for our caretaker keeper - Liam!

A last minute let down by our usual keeper saw Liam Parsons step into the role like a true professional and a big grin! Despite the obvious absence at the back and up front in Ryan Mitchell Samba fought as hard as they could against a strong Wangas team. Pre-match jitters and a little confusion in the first two minutes lead to an easy goal for the opposition and Samba heads dropped. But not for long as the cheerleaders lead by Shelly Hardwick lifted the spirits of the boys to a chorus of "There's only one Liam Parson" -school girls favourite! Spotting our obvious weaknesses the opposition took full advantage and quickly broke to add several more goals before half-time.

Tom, Yasin and Jamie had to be on their toes! A good advancing Wandgas team ensured the pressure was on at all times. Our man of the match Yasin, for the third time - made sure it wasn't going to be a complete "walk-in-park" as he covered the full width of our half helping out both Jamie and Tom in difficult spots. Jamie struggled to get into his usual stride in this game - more to do with a lack of communication with Yasin. Our forwards Akshay, Rhys, Kieran and Callum made some good tackles and advances but, on the whole were not allowed to play by a good side. Later in the first half we managed to break the Wandgas back line with Yasin charging from the back beating three players and laying on Akshay, who shot first time to have it momentarily stopped by the keeper before Jamie managed to follow through only for the ball to rebound off their keeper across the face of goal to Kieran who narrowly put a shot wide of the goal.

The second half was indifferent as we struggled to keep shape and it soon became a damage limitation exercise with all hands to the deck - including our cheerleaders!

In all a good effort from all the boys especially Liam, against a good team! I am sure on another day with a full squad the score line would have reflected our true capabilities.

Samba YFC 0, Wandgas 13.

End to End!

The last game of the prelims was played away to Tooting & Mitcham Terrors. For a game of high expectations we were quickly brought down to earth by a team resembling our own. The referee blew his whistle and we immediately advanced pushing deep into their half. The opposition dug in and their defenders ensured they stopped us in our tracks. From here on in, the mood had been set for a closely fought contest. What was to follow next was a game with high excitement as the ball moved from 'End to End'. The coach saw this as an opportunity to play some of the team in positions they were unaccustomed too under the concept of 'Total Football' following his renewed vigour after attending a FA Coaching Course the day before...

The dead lock was broken by the home team mid way through the first half when one of their players barely caught the ball and sliced it causing it to rocket sky high (one could have mistaken it for a rugby game) eventually lobbing Jack - he had no chance! Not long after Samba broke away from a defensive clearance by Yasin and Jamie. The ball hurtled towards Kieren down the left, who ran at their defenders and shot. Unfortunately, it was deflected by a defender only for it to land in front of Akshay who shot first time. The ball was struck low and hard through a forest of legs and on target - it was sure to be Akshay's first goal of the season! The supporters started their celebrations early going crazy with excitement. But then a dark cloud descended over their celebrations as some how the keeper managed to stop the ball in between his legs right on the line! The first half finished with the home side 1 nil up.

The second half followed on where the first one had left off...Tooting & Mitcham went ahead with a clearance to a lone striker deep into our half mid way through the second. Jack pulled out a great save to take the pace out of a well struck ball but, unfortunately he slipped allowing their striker an easy poke in goal - 2 nil. The manager, coach and supporters alike couldn't believe what was unfolding before their eyes! Suddenly, our boys stepped up the pace and Jamie broke forward forcing a free kick just outside the area. Akshay stepped up to the cries of the coach "take your time and lift the ball!" The boys positioned themselves in the goal area, the supporters waited rooted to the ground willing Akshay on. The referee blew his whistle and Akshay approached the ball. With a beautifully weighted strike he lifted the ball clean over the keeper and into the back of the net. The crowd went crazy! Akshay turned in true premiership fashion towards the supporters and ran the length of the pitch closely followed by all his team mates - his first of the season! 1 - 2. The great come back was on, but time was running out fast! Could the boys level the game? With minutes remaining Jack had to be substituted and in stepped Liam who had another brilliant spell on goal. In a last minute attempt all the boys pushed forward in the hope of levelling the game. The anticipation and mood of the supporters was at fever pitch. Then in the final moments, the home side broke and the lone striker struck again as he pushed the ball past Liam.

A great performance from all the boys who were unlucky not to come away with a draw!

Molesey Juniors (B) 3 - Samba Youth 1

First game of the new league

Samba Management went into the game feeling confident that they could win this game following last week's great effort against Surbiton Wizards.

However, the boys like true seven and eight year olds forgot to read the script and started the game as if they were still asleep. There was a thought that the half time oranges should be exchanged for some warm bedding and a ban imposed on cheering so not to wake the team up. Maybe the boys had their minds on the big game against the Mums on the 19th December 04.

Molesey Juniors started the game the stronger side and put Samba under pressure from the start. It wasn't long before Molesey scored after a mix up in defence and soon scored another one shortly afterwards.

After about 10 minutes the Samba team suddenly woke up and played the best 5 minutes of the season with some great passing from Rhys, Akshay and Jamie, which enabled the team to threaten the Molesey goal. The team was beginning to look more like the team from last week.

Finally, Samba scored from a great passage of play. Rhys who played his best game of the season passed the ball up the wing to Jamie. Jamie crossed the ball into the path of Ryan who finished the move off by beating the goalkeeper. The team now looked like they could now go on and win the game!

Our defenders Tom and Yasin had to make some great tackles to stop the Molesey forwards from scoring. But then in great move a Molesey forward broke through the Samba defence with seconds to go in the first half threatening the goal. Jack rushed off his line and dived at the forward's feet and pulled of the save of the half.

In the second half Samba went off the boil a little and let Molesey back into the game. Liam and Kieran had some good spells of football, but in the main were starved of the ball. The coach was delighted to see them working hard with their movement and communication drawing the opposition players wide opening up the midfield. Samba conceded a third goal shortly after from a build up of pressure from Molesey.

Jack was given the man of the match for the second week running after making a number of great saves that kept the score respectable.

Next week the Samba's play at home against Tooting Mitcham Terrors in the league. Hopefully the team will turn up awake and ready to play football from the start of the game.

Molesey Juniors (B) 3 - Samba Youth 1

First game of the new league.

Samba Management went into the game feeling confident that they could win this game following last week's great effort against Surbiton Wizards.

However, the boys like true seven and eight year olds forgot to read the script and started the game as if they were still asleep. There was a thought that the half time oranges should be exchanged for some warm bedding and a ban imposed on cheering so as not to wake the team up. Maybe the boys had their minds on the big game against the Mums on the 19th December 04.

Molesey Juniors started the game the stronger side and put Samba under pressure from the start. It wasn't long before Molesey scored after a mix up in defence and soon scored another one shortly afterwards.

After about 10 minutes the Samba team suddenly woke up and played the best 5 minutes of the season with some great passing from Rhys, Akshay and Jamie, which enabled the team to threaten the Molesey goal. The team was beginning to look more like the team from last week.

Finally, Samba scored from a great passage of play. Rhys who played his best game of the season passed the ball up the wing to Jamie. Jamie crossed the ball into the path of Ryan who finished the move off by beating the goalkeeper. The team now looked like they could go on and win the game!

Our defenders Tom and Yasin had to make some great tackles to stop the Molesey forwards from scoring. But then in a great move a Molesey forward broke through the Samba defence with seconds to go in the first half threatening the goal. Jack rushed off his line and dived at the forward's feet and pulled of the save of the half.

In the second half Samba went off the boil a little and let Molesey back into the game. Liam and Kieran had some good spells of football, but in the main were starved of the ball. The coach was delighted to see them working hard with their movement and communication drawing the opposition players wide opening up the midfield. Samba conceded a third goal shortly after from a build up of pressure by Molesey.

Jack was given the man of the match for the second week running after making a number of great saves that kept the score respectable.

Next week the Samba's play at home against Tooting Mitcham Terrors in the league. Hopefully the team will turn up awake and ready to play football from the start of the game.

Tooting & Mitcham Terrors 4 - Samba Youth 0

Best first half performance this season!

Our second game of the new league was played at home on a fresh crisp winter morning. This was the second time we were playing against T&M Terrors. The last time we met was in the preliminaries, in a highly competitive match...They won then and had also won their first game of the new league campaign and were "up for it" to retain their lead against our boys. We knew this match would be closely fought going by our past encounter. The coach went out on a positive mood and played Akshay and Jamie together up front for the first time following on from some beautiful link up play in training. This proved to be a pivotal decision for as soon as the whistle blew, both proved instrumental in breaking down the T&M midfield. Some excellent passing and movement off the ball enabled us to push deep into the T&M half. Akshay played his best all season and showed a glimpse of his true potential. Kieran was first to have ago on goal from a great passing move involving Rhys, Jamie and Akshay, but was save by the keeper. Rhys played out of his sink in this game working the down the left side. Tom played well in right back and proved a difficult opponent for the T&M forwards. Yasin worked very hard in left back and stood firm against the on coming T&M forwards. Jack pulled out some excellent saves yet again to keep us in the game. A great half time score of nil, nil raised all our hopes for our first win!

The second half was another story and a different Samba team altogether! T&M came out fighting and seemed to have pulled on some extra reserves. We were immediately put under pressure and lost possession as the T&M midfield pushed past our defence and within seconds scored. Here on our boys lost heart after a great first half and struggled to find their feet again. Jamie took the lead and tried his best to revive a flagging Samba side and took the man of the match for his efforts. Samba conceded another three goals. Final score T&M Terrors 4 Samba Youth 0.

The boys have grown in their abilities and displayed a great first half performance playing some of their best football - possibly the best first half this season. Despite an awkward second half they proved they had improved as a unit and I am sure a win is around the corner!

Samba Youth 0 V Rocks Lane Rovers 8.

Unfortunately the game started like so many games this season with the boys half asleep and having problems listening.

With Christmas soon upon us the boys decided to give some early Christmas cheer and present to Rocks Lane in the way of some early goals. At half time Samba trailed 4-0 and showing no signs of a recovery.

The second half started the same way as the first with Samba lacking concentration and the desire to win. Rocks Lane scored from the kick off and went on to score another 3 goals.

The game finished Samba 0 Rocks Lane Rovers 8. The highlight of the game for Sambas was Tom receiving his first "man of the match" with his tackling and battling in defence.

Samba play their final league game of the year away to Kingstonian Monarchs on the 12th December at Tolworth Juniors School.

Samba beat Kingstonian Monarchs away early in the year with a 2-0 win and are hoping that they can repeat the result.

Kingstonian Monarchs have started the new league with 2 wins and will be difficult to beat.

The following week the Samba's will play their hardest game of the year when they take on the Samba Mums for the Christmas Cup.

New approach!!

Following some half-hearted performances costing us the last three games, it was plane to see the team had lost its competitive spirit and teamsmanship particularly, on match days. As this was our last game of before the Christmas break the management took the opportunity to lay down the law on the back of high expectation for our first win of the season against Kingstonian Monarchs. This seemed to have had an impact on the boys as they started the game with a renewed vigour.

The coach continued to develop Jamie and Akshay in the midfield whilst Rhys and Ryan were played in new positions out on the wings. Tom and Yasin formed the defence and Jack in goal finished the starting line up. Having won the toss of the coin we elected to kick-off. Unfortunately, our set piece was intercepted by one of the opposition's new signing from the whistle. Who then went on to weave in and out of ours boys and set up a goal for the opposition within minutes of the start. We hadn't banked on how different the opposition looked from our last encounter in which we dominated the game. From here on the game became one-sided as we were out played despite a strongly fought contest from both teams. The first half finished 3 nil to Kingstonian's.

The second half line up saw both Kieran and Callum team up on opposing wings and Liam playing out in front. The second half started on a level plane as the Kingstonian's super signing had been subbed which lead to some exciting football. For a while the ball moved from end to end without goals, but then the dead lock was broken by the opposition from a fumbled goal in our area - 4 nil Kingstonian M.

Shorlty after our boys reponded with the best move of the game!! In response a moment of brilliance from an excellent build up of play starting from Yasin's clearance to Jamie in midfield. Jamie then passed the ball out to Kieran on the left wing. Kieran then passed the ball to Callum. Callum returned the ball to Jamie whom had advanced to just outside the area. With the ball at his fit and the opposition midfield behind him, Jamie pushed deep into their goal area and was tackle by a defender but then the defender passed back to the keeper and we won a direct free-kick. Jamie took a beautiful free kick in front of goal and tucked the ball away into the bottom right corner for his third goal of the season.
The game finished Kingstonian Monarchs 6, Samba Youth 1.

There was no man of the match in the game as there were spells of brilliance from every member contributing to a good rounded performance from all the team. Despite a loss of concentration in previous games, which have cost us dear the boys proved in this game they can play some excellent football when they put their minds to the task and more importantly they can as a team.

COME ON BOYS - LETS PLAY MORE AS A TEAM AND LESS AS INDIVIDUALS!!

Samba Mums 12 - 12 Samba U8's

The Christmas Cup "Judgement Day"

The day had finally come for the biggest game of the season. There had been a lot of talk and hype from both sides. The bookies had trouble deciding this one. Who would be favourite to win this titanic battle? In the bookies eyes it would be the Mums who would just edge it, but their fitness could be the deciding factor.

The game started at pace and the boys soon stormed into the lead.

James the Mum's team manager thought that this would be the time to bring on his super subs. On they came the Ugly Sisters on loan from panto. The Ugly Sisters went straight into defence to strengthen things up a little.

The Mums soon began to get on top and started to score some goals. Nicky, Dawn, Bhavna and Cathy up front worked hard to create some good openings. With some dodgy refereeing the score at halftime was 6-5 in favour of the Mums.

In the second half the boys came out attacking and put the Mums under pressure straight away. Good defending by Shelley kept the score down for the Mums. With 10 minutes to go the game was evenly poised and could go either way.

Mandy was making some great runs down the wing and causing the boys trouble in defence. Bhavana was having a great battle with Akshay down the wing. Katy and Sasha the younger members of the team by miles played very well and showed their brothers how to play good football at times.

Ryan showed his silky skills and took the ball around the Mums and carried on running into the corner. Unfortunately for Ryan he didn't look up and crashed into the wall headfirst. To be fair to Ryan you don't get many brick walls on football pitches on Sundays. Ryan was okay only his pride dented not his head, which was the main thing.

At this stage of the game it looked like the Mums had changed tactics and decided to rough up the boys a little. With the football pitch now resembling a battlefield with a large number of boys lying on the floor injured the game had to be stopped. After a few minutes the game resumed after the medical staff tended the injured.

The Mums had now given there all and were now beginning to tire. With the score tied 12 -12 with a few minutes to go and even with the help from the Ugly Sisters it looked as if the boys would over run them in the last couple of minutes.

To make things worse the fat Ugly Sister kicked the ball out of defence straight into the face of the Mum's best attacking player Mandy. A little dazed Mandy carried on.

There was also concern with the Mums that one of the Ugly Sisters was a double agent and that she or he might throw the game after watching him pass the ball to his son on a number of occasions.

The boys pushed forward with the belief that they could now win and with victory in sight, the boys fired the ball at the goal but were denied by Karen the Mums super goalkeeper.

The referee's whistle blew and the game finished a draw.

A fair result in the minds of the neutral supporters.

Both teams shook hands at the end of the game and showed great respect for each other.

Shelley and Mandy were awarded "Mums players of the Match".

A Few Thank Yous

We would like to thank the referee Divyan for giving up his afternoon to referee the game. The good news is that Father Christmas will be bringing him a pair of glasses for Christmas.

Also we would like to thank Father Christmas for dropping in and spending a little time with the children at such a busy time of the year for him.

The biggest thank you goes out to all the parents who spent time preparing food for the party and helping make the party run smoothly.

Thank you again on behalf of Samba Youth Football Club for all the support and time that you have given the club over the year.

The results have not gone the way we have wanted them to but we hope that everyone has still enjoyed the experience of mini football at Samba.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Alan and Sunil.

See you all in the New Year.

Rocks Lane Colts 1 Samba Youth 0

The game started with few wobbly moments from the defence but after that the Sambas took control of the game and looked like they were going to score with the best chance falling to Kieran whose shot just went wide. Kieran was disappointed he missed the goal, but he should take heart that he got himself into the scoring position. The team carried on making chances but failed to score.

There was some great tackling and determination from Jamie (Man of the Match) who seemed to be popping up everywhere and making some big challenges on their bigger players.

Jack kept his composure and made some very impressive drop kicks. And unusually a quiet game for Jack with little to do saves wise.

Tom and Rhyes worked hard in defence and made some good strong tackles.

Callum and Ryan worked hard and tried their best to make some openings for the team.

With five minutes to go in the first half a little mix up in our defence led to a tap in goal for Rocks Lane.

At half time Liam and Yasin came on and worked hard with some good tackling and some good touches.

The second half the boys battled hard and came close to scoring an equaliser on several occasions from Ryan, Jamie and Akshay. The best chance fell to Akshay when he hit a low hard shot against the post with seconds to go.

Rocks Lane must have left the game thinking that Christmas had come again, but to be fair to Rocks Lane they scored the goal and they worked hard to hold on to win, their first game of the season.

It was a good performance and we are now starting to feel that we are beginning to move in the right direction. The boys are now passing the ball more which is encouraging.

First Home Game of the New Year! - Samba Youth 2, Oakway Hollymount 6.

Congratulations to both Callum and Liam for making the starting line up in this week's game against Oakway Hollymount. Both put in good performances in the opening game of the New Year against Rocks Lane Colts on a cold crisp morning and both impressed in training - well done keep it up!

Having thrown away the game in the first half of our last encounter, by some loss of concentration and some poor performances by some of the stronger players, the boys had something to prove. With a renewed approach and a repackaged team the management felt confident of a great performance from the boys.

We were not let down as the spectators and management were treated to some excellent football. There wasn't an outright clearer winner in this game despite Oakway taking the 3pts from this encounter. Both teams fought hard to win the ball but in the end the visitors had the edge in two talented players who were able to break down the midfield and exploit our losses in concentration at the back. Later in an interview with the manager said…

"This was the best game of football the boys have played all season."

The coach added…

" It was a delight to see the boys finally, applying the passing drills practiced in training. This opened up the game and the movement off the ball was great! We created chance like no other game in the past - this shows the boys can play as a team and we are now moving away from certain team members hogging the play for too long. "

Man of the match went to Akshay for the first time this season! Still reeling from a cold and with a temperature (by rights he shouldn't have played - but you can't take football out of the man) he dominated the play and partnered well with both the midfield and attackers. He made some great probing runs down the wings and managed to get the ball over in front of the goal on more than a one occasion. He was rewarded for his efforts with a beautifully taken goal in the second half. The Manager added

"Akshay is slowly getting back the confidence he has lacked for a long time. This game was proof of that. This was the best performance Akshay has had all season and thoroughly deserves the man of the match- superb, keep it up!"

Strong consistent performances from Jack, Jamie, Rhys, Tom, Ryan, Liam, Callum, Kieran and Yasin completed a great team performance.

The jury was out…Late in the second half, from yet another a great ball from Akshay in front of goal came a super shot from Jamie that was saved by the keeper, only for it to rebound back into the goal off their defender. After great deliberation and much discussion the goal was awarded to Jamie to take his tally to 4 goals for the season putting him level with top goal scorer Ryan.

Final word from the management…

"It's not about winning, it's about improvement. The boys played well and are now displaying a level of maturity and confidence about their game. Keep it up, you will be rewarded for your efforts."

Take Two! Oakway Hollymount 3, Samba Youth 1

Well done Ryan and Yasin for making the starting line up in the away leg against Oakway Hollymount - keep it up!

The messages from the Oakway Camp, was one of victory in the week with Oakway about to dish out a pasting of the Samba team in the away leg! The mood was set for a tough game as the Samba team prepare to dig in deep.

With last week's man of the match Akshay, on the bench the line up saw Jamie moved up the field, in a central forward midfield position and Yasin starting the game in centre back to add strength and stability in defence.

The game started with Samba put under immediate pressure from a confident Oakway team still reeling from last week's victory. Samba dug in deep as promised and fought hard, but conceded a corner. This was taken quickly along the ground to the near post and stopped by Rhys, but not cleared. A scrappy clearance effort took place and an Oakway forward managed to fire the ball across the goal month. In all the confusion we conceded an own goal by Tom (unlucky!)

Not to be outdone Samba dug in deeper still and were soon rewarded for the grit and determination they showed when Yasin broke away and found himself running past their left back and fire in a shoot. The keeper fumbled the ball and the ball ended up in the back of the net for Yasin's first goal for the club - well done!

The game began to slip away as Samba lost shape and concentration. The management felt the half time whistle couldn't come sooner. Before to long Oakway scored two more goals. Samba finished the first half 3 - 1 down.

Some hard half time words from the coach seemed to have kicked a flagging team into shape and a change in the line up saw Kieran replace his brother as lone striker.

In a better second half performance Samba managed to stop the advances from Oakway whilst, creating are their own chances and were very unlucky to convert. The manger added:

"The team played with great passion and heart especially in
the second half and were unlucky not to level the game - well done!"

Man of the match went to a collective team whom never gave up the fight and despite of their opponent's confidence took the game to them. The coach said:

"This was a big contrast on last week as the boys made hard work of this game! I was disappointed there wasn't a single example of any of the basics covered in training like "heads up", "passing build up", "talking to your team mates","no bunching" and "poor marking!" On a positive the team display a great willingness to battle when the chips are down. This attitude did them credit in the second half as Oakway struggle to break through. A just, score line reflected the oppositions edged over us."

Final word from the management…

"The score doesn't really matter as we have always maintained. What does is that the boys improve!"