Category: 2013-14

Injury hit U18s lose away to Pinnstars

The U18’s lost away to Pinnstars 1-5 in a troublesome game. Train and tube problems combined with illness and injuries meant that the Dragons only had 10 men. Not deterred they put up a spirited fight and the Pinnstars opening goal was scored against the run of play before the Dragons came back very quickly with their own goal. The game was not allowed to flow however with several free kicks awarded to Pinnstars one of which resulted in their second goal just before half time. Back on the pitch the Dragons tried their best but the blazing sunshine gave no relief as Pinnstars regularly refreshed their players.

U18s hit 10 past Wealdstone

Kensington Dragons U18s 10 Vs 2 Wealdstone FC

Terrible weather has seen many games called off, and this one could have been as well. After the result Wealdstone were wishing it was.

The pitch was in no condition for fluent passing football, but that is the Dragon’s game, and they stuck to it. The swirling wind in their faces made it a necessity, but the stodgy mud held them back. With all the elements against them the Dragons started slowly but started to impose themselves and quickly went into a 3 nil lead. Oren was smooth up front, and Miley and Alex were dangerous out wide.

Unfortunately the Dragons started praising each other forgetting football is for 90 minutes and not 25. The midfield lost their shape in search of goals and allowed Wealdstone back into the game. The referee seemed to want to even things up and gave a series of sort free kicks against the home side, two of which ended up in the net. Wealdstone started to use the elements, and finished the half strongly. Despite being in the lead the Dragon’s left the field forlornly!

The midfield we’re reminded of their jobs, and the strikers were warned to be more clinical, and the second half saw a tenacious Dragon’s team put Wealdstone to the sword in dramatic, ruthless fashion! Miley went on a scoring spree which saw him grab 8 goals in the game.

Assisted by his team, he was strong, tricky, resilient and ruthless. The other goal scorers were Mo and Kevin, but despite such positive individual performances this was a team performance.

Having been out for so long, the team adapted quickly to the new players, and gave an outstanding performance. Also in the face of ridiculous provocation the team were very mature and extremely professional. A great performance delivered with a great maturity. Onwards and upwards.

U18s rescue a point away to LNER

The U18’s drew 2-2 with LNER away. The game started after many disruptions – no ref, LNER trying to play ‘ringers’, and a bad pitch with no corner flags! Once the game finally started, the Dragons coach wished it hadn’t as they were 0-1 down within 5 minutes. LNER were very aggressive as the Dragons tried to impose their passing game on the match. The equaliser came with a cross from the right as the striker beat the offside trap and the keeper with a cool composed finish. At this point the Dragons coach was confident of a rout. However the defence imploded! A hopeful punt was seized on by the LNER striker who was brought down in the box before converting the ensuing penalty. At this moment the Dragons coach was grateful for the lack of experience of the stand in ref who didn’t book the defender. The Dragons were now all over the place and deserved their half time ticking off. They started the second half completely out passing LNER but lacked the cutting edge to open up an organised defence. The Dragons coach then changed the formation which paid dividends 5 minutes later when great football saw a perfect through ball beat the keeper to equalise. The Dragons then looked like stealing the game when their midfielder struck from 30 yards, only to see LNER’s keeper make a great save. The Dragons played the better football throughout, but were out worked in the first half. They left the game with a point which is better than the last two weeks. The Coach was disappointed not to win but happy with one point instead of none.

Would you like to join Kensington Dragons?

Welcome to our website!

Kensington Dragons FC celebrates its 10th anniversary as a club. Entering 2013-14, we have 8 Youth sides and 2 Senior men’s teams. We’ve also recently started our U10s who train on a Saturday morning in St Mark’s Park and also our Girls section.

We are always open to new players and parents who would like to get involved with any age group.

If you would like more information about Kensington Dragons as a whole or any team in particular, please visit our contacts page.

Our Under 18s are currently offering an open trial to Goalkeepers with specialised coaching available from the coaching staff at QPR. Please email the manager at U18s@kensingtondragons.com for more information.

U18s win at home to Hillingdon

Kensington Dragons U18s 4 v 1 Hillingdon Borough

Despite having a depleted squad and still no goalkeeper the manager was confident of a positive result. This was despite losing to the same side heavily last season. The under 18’s have been in good form and today was another opportunity to continue that.

Injuries meant some players were able to get their first start of the season, so there was a lot to prove.

The passing was very rusty and Hillingdon had plenty of the ball, but did not know what to do with it and opted to hit it long. The Dragons defence have been performing well and were very solid and easily dealt with the threat. However the Dragons were struggling to create chances of their own. Mid way through the first half the Dragons won a corner, which arrowed to the near post, Mo (one of the smallest players on the pitch) got a flick which nestled into the back of the net. Without doing much the Dragons were a goal up.

Hillingdon were shell shocked and tried to raise the aggression stakes, which saw both teams conceding free kicks in dangerous areas. Oren, the Dragons keeper was alert and dealt with everything Hillingdon had, and the Dragon’s were able to score. Another set piece was expertly headed home by Miley. He is in top goal scoring form and has scored 4 in 3 games.

The Dragons were leading at half time without doing much. As a result of injuries there were 6 defenders on the pitch, so the Dragons had to shuffle their formation. However there was not a problem with creativity. Emmanuel was proving a thorn in the side of the Hillingdon team, with his trickery and dribbling skills, and he was now starting to dominate the game. The Dragons looked at their most dangerous with him on the ball, and he got his reward, after a fine attacking run from Mo the ball was squared for a tap in from 8 yards.

The Dragons were in complete control all over the pitch and Hillingdon had no answer to their organisation and energy. The final nail was hammered in 15 minutes from time when a good ball by Max saw Miley beat the keeper and pass it into the net from a tight angle. With the ball moving slowly, and the threat of a defender clearing it off the line, Mo made sure it was a goal with a tap in from 2 yards.

The Dragons were ruthless and organised, and thoroughly deserved their victory. It was very much a team result, but Emmanuel was the stand out player, with Oren, despite being an outfield player, was so assured in the goal keeping department and thoroughly deserved the clean sheet he kept.

Goals: Mo 2, Miley 1 and Emmanuel 1

Assists: Max 2, Miley 1 and Mo 1

U18’s beat Enfield Colts 3-0 away

Enfield Colts 0 v 3 Kensington Dragons U18s

The U18’s beat Enfield Colts 3-0 away in the Middlesex County Cup. The game started with the Dragons attacking up hill against a very strong wind struggling to get it out of their half. As the Dragons started to move the ball around and move into Enfield’s half they looked dangerous. The Dragons withstood more pressure conceding corners and free kicks but defended well. Then a breakthrough – a perfect pass to the Dragons running striker was netted past the on rushing keeper. The Dragons were reminded at half time to put pressure on the ball and keep things simple. Five minutes into the second half a deep free kick caught Enfield out and it was 2-0. Enfield’s discipline started to break down resulting in a sending off. With the bit between their teeth the Dragons’ domination was becoming more and more apparent and it was 3-0 before the final whistle. To quote the Coach “The team played very well and it was an accomplished performance. What was pleasing was the way the goals were take. But also how well the team defended!”

Kensington Dragons Girls Squad Photo 2013

KD Girls Football

We are starting girls football for 9-12 and 13-16 year olds.

Every Friday from 11th January – July 2013
From 5.30 to 7.00pm
On half the newly refurbished full sized astro pitch at:
Westway Sports Centre, 1 Crowthorne Rd (Off St Helens Gardens) W10 6RP

For more information, please contact the Head Coach at: girlsfootball@kensingtondragons.com

Results Round-Up 05 May 2013

With this long season nearly over many teams had no games:

The U10’s beat Spain 2-1 in their first international. The Dragons kept shape whilst Spain jigged and danced with the ball only to be met by a ruthless defence before the Dragons broke away to score to the consternation of the packed Spanish stand. Spain pulled a goal back as the tempo of play and spectators increased. Indeed such was the aggressive excitement of the Spanish south west stand that the first time referee had to calm certain parents down. The play darted from end to end but it was the Dragons who were sharper and the vital winning goal came minutes from the end. A tremendous Dragons win.

The U15’s beat Springfield 6-0 and then inexplicably drew 1-1 in a double header at St Marks. For once the Dragons combined sublime passing football with application in front of goal to romp home 6-0 in the first leg. The second leg was an altogether different affair – Springfield came out determined to play football, put up a spirited fight and were rewarded by a marginal penalty to go one up. The Dragons woke up, pulverised Springfield to draw level but then could never quite score again to win – fun but irritating as the Dragons could, and should, have won the second leg.

The U17’s beat Pitshanger away 1-0 on Sunday. The Dragons preparations were not ideal with rescue parties having to be dispatched to scour Ealing mopping up stray players searching for elusive bus stops. With the seconds ticking by the last stray Dragon was finally scooped up and the team deposited on the pitch as the starting whistle blew. The Dragons were without a goalie due to injury but their tremendous team effort protected the relief goalie to leave the score at 0-0 five minutes from the end. The Dragons never gave up and finally a smooth pass to their striker was slotted home beautifully. A devastating blow to Pitshanger but elation for the Dragons as they had won the game.

The U17’s on Monday lost 1-2 and then won 4-2 in a double header away against Headstone Manor. The Dragons were again without a keeper but played good football to arrive at half time 1-0 up. Back on the pitch they seemed to be asleep and heartless Headstone took advantage to score twice. The Dragons woke up with a start but too late to recover. It was onto the second leg; the Dragons came out fighting and played excellent football to reach half time 3-1 up. Headstone were sure they could pull the match around and fought back with everything they had but when the final whistle blew the score was 4-2 to the Dragons and a very well deserved win.

The Firsts beat Marsh Rangers 3-2 away. In the opening thirty minutes it was one-way traffic with the Dragons launching wave after wave of attacks and doing everything but score. Finally a goal came near the break to give the Dragons an underwhelming lead at the half. The Rangers then capitalised on a slow Dragons restart to equalise. The Dragons woke up and scored twice. Rangers continued to push and their determined attitude brought them a goal five minutes from time. A less than comfortable win for the Dragons.

The Reserves lost 1-4 away to St Lawrence. For the second time this season the Dragons arrived looking forward to play bottom of table St Lawrence only to find their first team game had been cancelled allowing them to fill their side with Div 1 players. With numerous injuries after 2 cup runs the Dragons fielded four 17 year old debutants and had an average age of just 18. The key man however proved to be the referee who was in a world of his own. Being assessed from the sidelines he decided to take a headmasterly approach from the off and made error after error to leave St Lawrence up at the half. The second half was a dour and niggly affair with the referee punishing the youthful Dragons at every opportunity and booking three players in the process who were struggling to keep quiet in the face of dreadful officiating. Even the home management were apologetic. Still the weather was nice and it is on to the last few games.

Kensington Dragons MCFL Junior Open Cup Champions 2012-13

Results Round-Up 28 April 2013

Fellow Cup Winning Dragons

The Reserves BEAT Broadfields 1-0 to WIN the MCFL CUP at Uxbridge FC in front of packed stands. The Dragons had a plan – playing a 3-5-2 formation to surprise Broadfields and support their recent faltering attack. Would the youthful Dragons, with the occasional veteran, remember the cunning plan? Certainly the Dragons created scoring opportunities whilst limiting Broadfields to long pot shots before near disaster struck as the Dragons lost their midfield captain through injury to leave it 0-0 at half time. On 60 minutes a lung bursting run lead to a square ball back to the onrushing Dragon veteran striker who finished calmly to make it 1-0. A great team goal but could the Dragons take it to the end? The game was now frenetic and then unbelievably the Dragons lost another key player with a nasty ankle turn. Despite the Dragons back 3 now being all under 19 they coped brilliantly with their superb goalie mopping up behind. As Broadfields pushed on the Dragons were looking sharp on the break but Broadfields just kept coming, desperate to equalise. Into injury time and it was now kitchen sink o’clock for Broadfields as they endlessly won cheap free kicks. In the final 10 seconds the biggest aerial goal mouth scramble ensued with the whistle in the referee’s mouth. The Dragons keeper half cleared with a punch, the out of position Broadfield’s keeper headed it back, another scuffed clearance and the ball headed for the net until it was hooked clear one final time. The referee pursed his young lips and the Dragons were MCFL Cup Champions – if just by the skin of their collective teeth. The players were exhausted; the fans more so.

The Firsts beat Saracens 3-1 at Osterley to further their prospects of promotion to the premiership. There are now a handful of tough games left which will decide who goes up …..and who stays put.

The U17’s beat Bessingby Park Rangers 3-2 at Birbeck. Courtesy and good manners are not the first words that spring to mind when considering Bessingby. The Dragons toiled under the sun gifting the disgruntled Bessingby a couple of goals to leave the scores level at half-time. Despite injury to the Dragons goalie it looked like the Dragons were going to pull away as they scored an early goal. Bessingby however raised their game to equalise but it was to be the Dragons day as they pummelled home their third and winning goal. Bessingby sulked their way off the pitch back to wherever such behaviour is the norm.

The U15’s beat Belmont 4-1 at Birbeck. This was another typical Dragons game – except that it was not raining. The Dragons had a full squad of talented players with a welcome sprinkling of parents watching them play exhibition football without actually scoring much. As Belmont’s coach showed signs of increasing bad temper the Dragons passed, twirled and practiced their kick ups against the hard working Belmont side. Finally one of the more gifted, but often laid back, Dragons players was allowed on the pitch to demonstrate how goals are actually scored at the end of controlled build ups – by ruthless calm precision in front of goal to convincingly win the match.

The U14 Nighthawks lost 1-4 to Forest United, the second bottom team in the division. The Dragons played well with just 1 sub but Forest were hungrier and had 5 subs. Some have commentated that the Anno Horribilis continues but others would suggest that learning to lose is the first step in developing the resilience to win except their Latin is rusty.

The U14 Eagles had no match but watched reruns of their top 100 goals instead.

The U13’s lost 0-2 to Hillingdon. The Dragons were forced into making several positional changes due to players being unavailable and a re-arranged defence was caught out in the first 5 minutes as a Hillingdon midfielder got to the by line and crossed the ball low; the Dragons keeper tried to cut it out but could only parry the ball into the path of a Hillingdon striker who converted. The Dragons began to control the game midway through the first half as their passing game began to excel and they created a couple of good chances but failed to convert. Only the cross bar prevented the Dragons from equalising from a great shot from their striker. The second half was much of the same with the Dragons having the possession for most of the half except a Hillingdon counter attack caught out the Dragons defence to lead to a 1 on 1 with the keeper and a goal to clinch the win for Hillingdon.

The U11’s lost 2-4 to Wealdstone. The full squad of Dragons were raring to go on the beautiful Sunday morning at St Marks. The game started at a fast pace with Wealdstone on the attack and the Dragons on the back foot giving Wealdstone an early goal. The Dragons regained their competitiveness and started to play some exciting football, moving the ball around the pitch with precision passing but were caught by a Wealdstone counter attack to go down 0-2. The Dragons then had two goals disallowed, one from a poor refereeing decision. The Dragons refused to be downhearted and kept up the pressure to make it 1-2 at half time. Wealdstone then scored a further two early goals prompting the Dragons coaches to make the three substitutions which had an immediate impact with a superbly executed goal. The Dragons were now finding their feet but alas time was against them and they were caught by the final whistle.

An ever increasing number of cheerful U10’s trained.

The Girls had their biggest turn out to date at their Friday training session.

Reserves triumph in MCFL Open Cup final

Kensington Dragons Reserves 1 v 0 Broadfields Reserves

The Reserves beat Broadfields United 1-0 at Uxbridge Football Club to win the first Reserves silverware since the club began!

Having lost a cup final last week, been hammered by Southall in the league on saturday and facing a team they had lost to on their previous six meetings, the Dragons backs were firmly against the wall. After a roller coaster of a season the question was could they raise themselves one last time to get a second 2013 club trophy in the bank? With a bus load of Dragons fans they certainly knew the whole club was behind them.

The answer would only come in injury time but with a strong looking squad the pre-game feelings were all very positive having learned some key lessons in their final defeat last week. The management decided to switch to a 3-5-2 to spring a surprise on Broadfields while giving more support to a faltering attack of late. After a few minutes settling into the new shape, they began to slowly open up the Broadfields defence. James Shirley, at the central point of the 3 at the back was leading by example and with Luke Giles and Adam Finch controlling things in midfield the two wing backs were pushing on and causing havoc. Jack Lyons, responding to some heavy criticism in recent weeks, was cutting Broadfields apart down the right. He fed striker Jon Laycock after 20 minutes who in turn put in his new striking partner Steve Cahill. He drove into the box but the keeper saved his well hit effort superbly. Ethan Meyers, on the left flank was also pushing on and linking with Giles beautifully. But the second chance again fell to Cahill, taking a lovely touch with his back to goal and firing a swivelled shot that the keeper again saved well. However, after losing key players in last weeks final again they lost a key man in captain Dean Humphrey who was just starting to take control in the hole. Reiss Corr came on and the team needed a performance out of one of their youngest Dragons. A couple of half chances came and went but at half time it was 0-0, Broadfields being limited only to long pot shots at the excellent, as always, Joseph Muyanja.

The management team were happy with the performance, Tony Smith and Miguel De Souza only asking a few extra tactical additions as well as to be brave and push on for the goal. After a poor opening 5 minutes suddenly they burst into life, Giles and Finch dominating in midfield and putting in crunching tackles along with great build up play. On 60 minutes finally they got the break through. Finch laid the ball off to Laycock who span and released Corr down the left. His lung bursting run took him into the box and then showed immense composure to square the ball back to the onrushing Laycock who opened up his body to finish calmly into the far corner, the out of form striker’s first goal in 8 games. A great team goal but could they take it to the end or grab the killer second? The fans were driving them on, incredibly loud and passionate songs heard by all the players. The game was now end to end, and then unbelievably the Dragons lost another key player in the superb James Shirley. His nasty ankle turn brought another 18 year old on in Shegun Beckley. The back 3, all under 19 now, were reshuffled and they were coping brilliantly with Muyanja mopping up everything when needed. As Broadfields pushed on the Dragons were now looking sharp on the break. Laycock fed Cahill in behind but again found the keeper saving well. Lyons then drifted a beautiful cross in for Laycock at the far post but he headed tamely to the keeper with the goal at his mercy. Into the last 15 minutes and the Dragons began to sit deeper and deeper. Finch was now in full flow and all over the pitch while communicating superbly to his younger team mates around him. But Broadfields kept coming, and the back three in Will Conway , Meyers and Ade Akeredolu had to be at their very best to restrain the opposition forward line, Akerdolu standing out while marking the Broadfields excellent winger. Director of Football Smith then went to a 4-4-2, allowing a bit more defensive shape…. could they hold on?

Into injury time and it was now kitchen sink o’clock for the opposition, endlessly winning cheap free kicks. The keeper was now up for set pieces and in the final 10 seconds the biggest aerial goal mouth scramble ensued with the whistle in the referees mouth. Muyanja half cleared with a punch, the United keeper returning it with his head, another scuffed clearance and the ball headed for the net until Man of the Match Finch hooked it clear one final time. The referee pursed his young lips and The Dragons were MCFL county Champions, if just by the skin of their teeth.

Kensington Dragons Reserves, 2013 MCFL Junior Open Cup Champions!