Fellow Dragons
A triumph at last for our new Under 15s who have had to endure forming a new team in the face of fierce competition. This Sunday the underlying talent showed through and they won triumphantly:
The 1st Team lost 0-2 to Sporting Hackney at home after their tremendous cup win last week. Hackney scored two very quick goals and then the Dragons missed a penalty. In truth this game was a scrappy affair with little quality from both sides.
The Reserves just lost 0-1 away to high flying Stonewall. The Dragons had a full squad with their goalie returning after a long sabbatical. The sluggish Dragons concede a goal after 20 minutes but the remainder of the half was an even affair with neither side creating clear cut chances. A stern half time talk saw the galvanised Dragons on the offensive but, despite good possession, were unable to create the opportunities their superiority deserved. In the final 10 minutes the Dragons squandered two gilt edge opportunities to win.
The U18s lost 2-1 away to Spartans in the League Challenge Cup. The Dragons performed splendidly with only 10 players available and no keeper. Their plan was to frustrate & unsettle the Spartans whilst looking for opportunities to counter attack. In the event the Dragons delivered one of the best performances that their manager had ever witnessed against the well organised Spartans who were left fuming at the end of the game at the close result.
The U17s lost by more than planned to Harrow St Marys in the third round of the Middx Cup. Harrow St Mary’s played a blinder and pressed the Dragons to death for the whole 90 mins and were clinical with their finishing. To quote the manager “They say you learn more in defeat than you do in victory and we definitely got taught a lesson today”. It is on to the League Cup quarter final v Kodak next Sunday
The new U15s heroically BEAT Larkspur Rovers 4-1 at home. The Dragons had a bare 11 players with a stand in goalkeeper but dominated the match, showing resilience and skill with many players having to play out of position. The team showed great determination and attitude. There remains much work to do but the team is on the way to being great after a difficult start to the season.
The U14As drew 1-1 at half time to top of the Premiership AFC Wembley only to let in five goals in the second to be knocked out of the League Challenge Cup. The eventual score line did not truly reflect the Dragons performance as they really did step up their overall game against a very good premiership side. The Dragons now know how well they can perform and will focus on finishing top of the League.
The U14Bs had no game.
The U13s beat Hanwell Town 3-1 at home. Glowering clouds and freezing conditions set the backdrop for a really tough match. The Dragons went ahead very quickly and then scored another before half time. Hanwell came back to make it 2-1. Again and again they stormed the Dragons goal and if it wasn’t for goal keeping genius it would have been 2-2. Five anxious minutes of end to end action then saw the Dragons score another great goal to end a tough match 3-1 up.
The U12s drew 1-1 at full time and then lost on penalties to Hanwell in the League Cup. The Dragonstook a while to settle down and find a smooth flow whilst losing concentration to let Hanwell score first. Hanwell thought they had the match in the bag but a few minutes before the end of the second half the Dragons scored a crucial, beauty of a goal. It was on to extra time with the Dragons pulverising Hanwell who were content to defend to leave it 1-1 at the end. It was on to penalties. The Dragons missed the first one, scored second, missed third one, scored fourth one and then missed the last penalty! The game was over and it was 3-4 to Hanwell! There was hardly a dry eye in the stands. How cruel.
The new U11s lost to Vencermos at home in an odd match. The Dragons are starting to come together as a team and scored to set up what looked like being a win only to wobble disastrously, leak goals and then get together again charging at Vencermos’s gaol. The team is getting there but even its most ardent fans admit that it is not yet the finished article.
The new U10s continue to train in preparation to joining the League.