Fellow Dragons
Perk up! It’s not that cold as the Dragons plough on regardless whilst others continue to falter:
The First Team beat the previously unbeaten Enfield Borough 2-1 at home in round 1 of the Middlesex Cup. After a bright start the Dragons eventually lead 1-0 at the half. Enfield made a change bringing on a winger who played the ball around the Dragons full back to gain a dubious corner which was rather messily converted to equalise. Both teams knew that whoever scored next would go on to win. The key moment came after 25 minutes of extra time when the ball was picked up on the left to be struck right footed and deflected into Enfield’s goal. The Dragons had beaten a previously unbeaten side many divisions higher.
The Reserves lost 0-2 away to Pitshanger. The Dragons were not able to dominate but showed great team spirit and character but conceded the first goal which forced the Dragons to give 110% effort as they attempted to pull back. Unfortunately Pitshanger were very solid and scored their second goal just before the final whistle.
The new U11s drew 1-1 away to Bessingby in a hard fought match. Gradually the Dragons are learning to cope with the pressure of playing in the league against teams who have been playing together for many years. This was another improving performance.
The U12s beat London Eagles 3-1 at home. The Dragons were potentially disconcerted by not having their usual keepers but the stand in made superb saves and communicated brilliantly with his fantastic defenders. The Dragons lead 1-0 at the half and after the break went up the gears becoming stronger and more physical to press on the attack and score a dazzling goal. The Dragons kept attacking but on a counter-attack the Eagles scored to make it 2-1 before a few minutes from the end the Dragon scored again.
The U13s beat Old Actonians 5-2 at home. This was a particularly sweet victory as the OAs had beaten the Dragons in both legs last year. The win was based on passing and upfront domination. A really impressive and exciting performance.
The U14Bs beat Ickenham 5-0 away. After a frustrating first half that saw Ickenham with a single goal lead the Dragons upped the tempo and turned it on in the second period. A change of formation yielded four more goals to make the score line a lot more respectable.
The U14As lost 1-3 to the current premier league runners up AFC Wembley in the Middlesex Cup in a spectacular show of courage and determination. The Dragons knew Wembley were tough opponents so set up accordingly, ready to utilise their defensive strengths and quick counter attacking football. The Dragons gave everything and managed to hold Wembley to a 1-1 draw at full time and it was on to extra time. The Dragons created nail biting opportunities but could not keep up with Wembley’s fitness levels and conceded 2 sloppy goals in the last 7 mins of extra time to lose 3-1.
The U15 team has no game.
The U17s had no game.
The U18s lost at home 2-4 in the Middlesex Cup to Pro Football. The match was 2-2 going into the last 10 minutes but then the Dragons conceded a scrappy goal from a corner to make it 2-3 and then in the last minute Pro Football hit the Dragons on the break to score a 4th. This was a brave Dragons effort despite missing key players and losing their Centre-back in the first 15 minutes of the game.
The new U10s continue to train in preparation to joining the League.