Age Group Manager - Mark Alcock
Assistant Manager - Peter Frost
Belper Town Juniors Under 8 Gold Sox 2008/2009
Squad - Will Frost, George Hartshorn, Lewis Goddard, Oliver Crellin, Joe Bacon, Will Mart, Sam Bunting, Kyle Walker, Josh Cain, Sammy Bacon, Fergus Andrews.
Belper Town Juniors Under 8's would like to thank Buildbase, our sponsors for all their support.
With a couple of players away Gold Sox started with George Hartshorn in goals, Kyle Walker and Sammy Bacon in defence, Will Frost, Joe Bacon, Sam Bunting in midfield and this weeks Captain, Will Mart as the lone striker. The squad was completed with Lewis Goddard and Fergus Andrews ready on the side. The game started in a strong wind that assisted Mickleover in the first half. Both sides started well with them both getting forwards at every opportunity. Mickleover took the lead after 5 minutes when George unfortunately slipped when taking a goal kick and the kick went straight to a Mickleover forward whose first time shot just evaded Georges dive as he tried to get back to keep it out. Gold Sox looked to get back into the game and came close after a good move and shot from Will Mart. Mickleover then made it 2-0 when a hopeful, wind assisted long range effort evaded George in goals. Gold Sox really did well and came back strongly, battling very hard to get back into the game. Will Frost, Joe Bacon and Sam Bunting were working hard in midfield and Will Mart was looking composed and dangerous on the ball. Sammy Bacon and Kyle Walker were strong in defence with Kyle particularly working hard and even taking several knocks, he continued to compete very strongly. Gold Sox got their rewards just before half time when a good passing move found Joe Bacon who did really well and shot past the keeper to get his first goal of the season. Well done Joe!
After a positive team talk at half time, the second half saw Sammy Bacon replace George in goals and George stepped into defence with Kyle. Lewis Goddard came on to give Sam Bunting a rest who also took a couple of knocks in the first half. Gold Sox started very strongly and after a positive run, Lewis Goddard won a penalty when he was tripped up in the area. George Hartshorn stepped up to smash the penalty home and level the scores at 2-2. Mickleover continued to threaten but Sammy Bacon was doing well in goals holding onto everything that was thrown at him. Gold Sox grew in confidence as they started to pass the ball around and Lewis was a lively threat when running at their defence. Fergus Andrews came on to give Joe Bacon a rest in midfield and Sam Bunting came back on to give Kyle a rest for the last five minutes. Will Mart then got his rewards for some good skill when he made space in the penalty area and fired home to take Gold Sox into a 3-2 lead.
The last five minutes were a tight affair with Mickleover threatening several times but Gold Sox looked likely to hold out for the win. Unfortunately with a couple of minutes to go the ball broke in the penalty area and Mickleover’s dangerous striker smashed a first time shot that Sammy Bacon could do nothing about, 3-3!
Goalscorers –Joe Bacon, George Hartshorn (Pen), Will Mart
Man of the match - Kyle Walker for a strong and determined display that broke up Mickleover possession and drove Gold Sox forwards. Excellent commitment Kyle - well done!
Mickleover game – a really good effort and performance from the boys. After going 2 goals down quite early on, it was great to see the boys turn the game around and get into a 3-2 lead. The boys showed a lot of character, effort, commitment and really good football at times. I thought that we might have held out but a draw was probably a fair result for both sides.
We are really pleased with the boy’s improvements as they play more matches.
Keep it up Boys!
This game started very evenly but Littleover took a 1-0 lead with a strong shot that George Hartshorn just couldn’t keep out. It was a fairly tight game with Littleover having some better chances as they got beyond Gold Sox defence. Will Frost & Sam Bunting both took knocks, which meant that Lewis Goddard and Sammy Bacon replaced them. Gold Sox started to get back into the game and started to push forwards more. Ollie Crellin looked composed on the ball and got his rewards with a well taken shot to make it 1-1
Sammy Bacon volunteered to replace George in goals and George stepped into defence with Kyle. The game was still very even with both sides going close on several occasions. Littleover edged in front with 10 minutes to go with a good shot that just evaded Sammy Bacon in goals. Gold Sox kept on pressing but just couldn’t get an equaliser. The game ended with Littleover just running out winners but Gold Sox really deserved a draw.
Man of the match - Sammy Bacon for his strong defensive work in the 1st half and then volunteering to go in goals for the 2nd half and performing very well.
Ollie Crellin 7
Will Mart 4
George Hartshorn 2
Sammy Bacon 2
2 better performances from Gold Sox, which unfortunately only yielded a draw when they deserved more.
These early matches were always going to test the boys of whom the vast majority have not played organised games before. The boys are improving individually and will continue to improve collectively as a team as we progress through the season.
Keep it up Boys!
Gold Sox came up against Derby Panthers for their 3rd game. The game started with some end-to-end football and both defences had plenty of work to do. Possession was fairly equal with both sides having chances but Gold Sox had George Hartshorn in goals to thank for some good saves. Kyle Walker got Gold Sox forwards several times with some strong breaks from defence but Gold Sox couldn’t convert any chances. Derby Panthers took the lead with a good move and strong shot that George couldn’t keep out. This spurred Gold Sox on and with Lewis Goddard coming on started to take the game to Derby Panthers. The pressure paid off with Ollie Crellin finishing off a flowing move to make it 1-1. Ollie Crellin then took advantage of an error in Panthers defence to calmly grab his 2nd goal and take Gold Sox into a halftime lead.
Gold Sox made some changes at halftime and Kyle Walker went in goals allowing George Hartshorn to take his place in defence. The 2nd half continued with Gold Sox dominating possession and Gold Sox got their rewards when Sammy Bacon got forward and smashed a shot into the net to give Gold Sox a 3-1 lead. Both goalkeepers were kept busy as chances were created at each end. Lewis Goddard continued to look a threat and was supported well by Joe Bacon, Will Mart and Will Frost in midfield. Josh Cain came on and was soon involved, getting a dangerous ball into Panthers area that they managed to scramble away. Derby Panthers increased the tempo in the last 10 minutes and pushed Gold Sox back, going close a couple of times before grabbing 2 late goals from close range that Kyle Walker could do nothing to keep out.
Man of the match - Kyle Walker for excellent outfield play in the 1st half, followed by some good goalkeeping in the 2nd.
Gold Sox had a free 2nd week after their great start against Ashbourne Aztecs. Their next fixture on the 28th was Chesapeake who would be much more difficult opposition. The game started at a fast pace and Chesapeake looked a very good side. Gold Sox had to spend a lot of time defending and found it hard to contain Chesapeake. Chesapeake had plenty of possession and chances but Gold Sox competed well and had George Hartshorn in goals to thank for many excellent saves. Gold Sox did get forwards a few times but never really tested Chesapeakes goalkeeper. Chesapeake finally got a break in the area and scored their 1st goal a few minutes before half time.
Gold Sox made some changes at halftime bringing on Sammy Bacon and Josh Cain to keep with the player rotation policy. George Hartshorn was due to come out of goals for the 2nd half but bravely agreed to stay for the good of the squad. Chesapeake continued to dominate the game and they started to score more goals, finally ending up with 7. Gold Sox kept trying but struggled to compete against a very committed and skilful Chesapeake squad, of whom most had played competitively last season. The scoreline flattered them a bit as a few goals had a little luck involved, with one rebounding in off George’s back after he had made a good save against the post first.
This match was always going to be a tough test and although Gold Sox found it very hard they kept on going and competed without letting their heads go down. Lets learn from Chesapeake’s attitude and movement and get our heads up for the next game!
Man of the match - George Hartshorn for some excellent saves and keeping Chesapeake at bay for so long.
Ollie Crellin 4
Will Mart 4
George Hartshorn 2
Sammy Bacon 1
Gold Sox started their fixtures against Ashbourne Aztecs. Gold Sox over ran Ashbourne going into a 5-goal lead after only 10 minutes. Gold Sox pressed and hassled Ashbourne into errors in and around their penalty area and capitalised with goals. Ashbourne broke away and pulled a goal back before Gold Sox added another 2 before half time. Goalscorers in the 1st half were Ollie Crellin who grabbed himself 3 and Will Mart who slotted in 4.
Gold Sox made some changes at halftime bringing on Lewis Goddard, Sammy Bacon and Josh Cain. George Hartshorn came back into defence as Kyle Walker replaced him in goals. Ashbourne came out better organised but Gold Sox continued to dominate although the chances were not as frequent as the 1st half. Sammy Bacon got the 8th goal as he smashed a shot home into the roof of the net from a tight angle. Ashbourne got forwards a little more and did pick up a 2nd goal after a quick break caught Gold Sox’s defence napping. Ollie Crellin wrapped up a very good individual performance with his 4th and Gold Sox 9th goal.
A good performance from the squad who all competed very well. All the boys put a lot of effort in with strong showings from Ollie Crellin, Will Mart, George Hartshorn and Joe Bacon
Man of the match - Ollie Crellin for a skilful performance and 4 goals (very closely run by Will Marts 4 goals)
Goalscorers – Ollie Crellin 4, Will Mart 4, Sammy Bacon 1
Gold Sox warmed up for their season against a good Duffield side. Gold Sox started slowly and Duffield were much the stronger side. Duffield had plenty of chances but were thwarted by many good saves from George Hartshorn who started in goals. Gold Sox woke up after 15 mins or so and started to compete and get into the game. Duffield kept pressing and eventually took the lead.
Gold Sox came back strong and won a penalty when a long-range shot from George Hartshorn, who moved out into defence, was handled in the area. George stepped up and smashed the penalty home to level the scores at 1-1. Both sides kept up the pressure and Duffield came close several times but where denied by the change goalkeepers of Kyle Walker and Joe Bacon. Gold Sox sneaked the win in the last 5 minutes when Billy Alcock broke through and beat the last defender before slotting a shot into the bottom corner.
This was a good, close game that could have easily gone either way. Both sides played well in parts and should be proud of themselves as it was the 1st ever match for most of the players on both sides.
Thanks to Dave, Guv and their Duffield boys for a great game and wish them all the best for the season ahead.
Goalscorers – George Hartshorn 1, Billy Alcock (guesting from Black Sox) 1
Ollie Crellin 4
Will Mart 4
George Hartshorn 2
Sammy Bacon 1