Category: 2013-14

Results Round-Up 21 April 2013

All welcome to the Adults “Final” Cup Final v Broadfields this Saturday 27 April at Uxbridge FC’s superb ground at Honeycroft, Horton Road, West Drayton Middx UB7 8HX. Kick off 7.45.

The weather has finally turned with the sun making a very welcome return:

On Wednesday the Reserves drew 1-1 and then lost 1-3 in extra time in the Cup Final against Barnet. The Dragons arrived in great spirits and were well prepared despite having lost their key striker the previous night to injury. The Dragons created many scoring opportunities whilst Barnet created only one – but it was Barnet who went into half time 0-1 up. The Dragons again created chances and eventually were awarded a penalty. The ever reliable Dragon, having never missed a Dragons penalty, stepped up only for Barnet to irritatingly claim the ball had moved and it had to be reset; the taker changed his mind…. and frustratingly blasted over from 12 yards. The minutes agonisingly ticked away; the Dragons were awarded a free kick; the right back leapt acrobatically to bicycle kick into Barnet’s top corner to equalise. Minutes later Barnet were awarded a penalty which they also blasted over the net and it was into extra time. Through injury and substitutions the Dragons had now lost 3 experienced players and the average age was down to 19. Could they give one final push to win? Sadly no, the Cup was lost but What a Game! What Excitement! What Entertainment! It is now onto the last Cup Final – against Broadfields.

On Saturday the exhausted Reserves lost 0-4 away to probable League Champions Southall. The last thing the Dragons needed was an away game to the league leaders 65 hours after the galling Cup Final defeat with the whole team either carrying knocks or sore from the extra time. Southall, an excellent Combined Counties side, wanted blood from the off. However it took a dodgy penalty mid first half for them to take the lead and then just before HT they scored a very good goal from the left to make it 0-2. The Dragons fought hard and had their chances but as tiredness and more injuries set in Southall scored twice more in the closing stages to win comfortably and deservedly.

The Firsts beat Hillingdon Abbots 2-0 to maintain their promotion plans. This was not a great display by the Dragons against a relatively poor Hillingdon side but such is the quality of the Dragons that they kept a clean sheet as they scored twice.

The U17’s lost at Birbeck to Hillingdon 3-8 in their worst defeat in a long time. The Dragons were rusty as it had been some considerable time since their last game due to poor weather. With some notable absences and lack of concentration, the Dragons allowed Hillingdon to slot in easy goals. With the score 1-4 to Hillingdon at half-time it seemed the Dragons could still pull the game around. Despite most of the play now being in Hillingdon’s half, the Dragons were simply unable to capitalise on their opportunities with headers the wrong side of the cross-bar or just wide of the posts. It was not to be the Dragons day, and although their goals were superb, it was a question of too little too late.

The U15’s beat Harrow St Mary’s 2-0 away. The Dragons had a full chirpy squad as they gallivanted in the sun. The game proved to be a typical Dragons display with them demonstrating their skills whilst very occasionally scoring goals. The Dragons are on the cusp of being a great side – not quite there yet but not far away. They will be Middlesex Cup Winning contenders one day.

U14 Nighthawks drew 2-2 away with Ruislip Rangers in a exciting tense game.

The U14 Eagles beat Hillingdon at home 4-2 and then 6-1 in a double header to bag the second promotion spot. Hillingdon arrived confidently discussing already their hopes for promotion and they certainly started strongly, taking the lead from an impressive cross. The Dragons response was magnificent – the finest team goal we’ve seen this season and while Hillingdon pulled ahead again, this time it was against the run of play. the Dragons were forced to raise their game to new heights and to watch was the greatest pleasure. Hillingdon were ground down with power, subtlety, movement and imagination. Hillingdon took the first leg defeat hard and the second game was one way with a Dragons 6-1 victory that proved the hunger of each and every Eagle to perform to his very best. A landmark 50th goal for the Dragons tireless striker capped a display of genuine class from squad and coach alike. These Eagles have landed!

The U13’s beat Kodak 3-1 away. The spring sunshine brought out the Dragons best display of the season. From the opening kick-off they dominated to put Kodak’s defence under early pressure which eventually lead to a fine passing movement and finish. Later failure to deal with a long kick saw the Kodak striker get behind the Dragons defence and equalise. The Dragons were not deterred as they continued to confidently pass the ball around and then striking along the flanks as space opened up; one such move released the Dragons right midfielder to drive into the box only to be brought down by Kodak’s rushing keeper. The Dragons centre half duly stepped up and placed the ball in the net. The Dragons continued to control the game and a third goal came from a fine run and finish from their striker to give the team a well deserved victory

The U11’s lost 2-8 away to Acton Ealing Whistlers. A full Dragons squad, confident from last week’s victory, started the game well only to concede an early goal. The Dragons fought well to stay in the game and the first half ended with them 0-3 down. The second half started with the Whistlers scoring a further goal to spark the Dragons into life as they scored a very well worked first goal. It just wasn’t however to be the Dragons day, the Whistlers scored again and the game was lost.

An increasing number of U10’s trained for their next match v Spain.

The Girls came out in force to train for their next tournament.

Results Round-Up 14 April 2013

All are encouraged to watch the Dragons Adults in their second Cup Final this Wednesday evening, 17 April, at 7.30pm at Feltham FC, The Orchard, Hatton Road, Bedfont TW14 9QT.

The sun shone too late for some:

The U11’s beat Parkfield 3-2 away. With not having played for weeks and with only 9 players this match was a huge mountain for the Dragons to climb. They started brightly however creating chances within minutes. Parkfield found it hard to break them down but used their 2 man advantage to create opportunities and were gifted an own goal from a strong corner. From the restart the Dragons put the pressure on and within minutes some great play down the right lead to a lob into the top left of Parkfield’s goal. Parkfield responded to lead at the half. As the second half started all knew that the next goal would be the most important and so it proved. A Parkfield attack broke down and the Dragons were off; a killer through ball straight between Parkfield’s central defenders opened up for the Dragons pacey striker to slot past the keeper to equalize. The Dragons were now on top and the winning goal came from some hard midfield work feeding the Dragons clinical striker for his second. With ten minutes to go Parkfield’s 2 man advantage began to show but the Dragons stand-in goalie made one stop with his leg and tipped another just round the post to hang on for the 3 points. A big well done to all.

The U13’s lost 0-5 to Hayes&Yeading. A force 10 gale greeted the Dragons on arrival and playing against the wind they quickly found themselves 0-3 down. As the half progressed the Dragons adapted and got more into the game but just before half time they received a hammer blow as H&Y made a run from halfway to unleash a rocket shot into the Dragons goal. After the break, with the wind in their favour, the Dragons hoped to pull back the four goal deficit but whilst they created chances they were unable to make them pay. Finally as the Dragons pushed their midfield forward their defence was left exposed and was caught on a counter attack to concede a fifth and last goal.

The U14 Eagles beat Kodak 7-0 away in a game of two halves. As the Siberian wind swept westwards the Eagles floundered, directionless, incapable of finding goal; or indeed the pitch which they had only located minutes before KO. Despite starting brightly to score crisply after 10 minutes, the ill chills of a sombre Sunday soon began spreading their gloom. Kodak laboured, their support harangued, their coaches moaned and soon the Dragons shoulders sagged. It’s the break that makes great managers and for the Dragons the sun began to shine. With spirits restored the Eagles spread their wings and the second half was theirs as they pulled ahead to four up before the sudden, welcome warmth began to slow them down. Shots were missed, passes skewed, but for once it didn’t matter. Kodak, still shrouded in clouds of displeasure from their unhappy management, had ceased to play. And three Dragons goals later so, thankfully, had we. To quote the Dragons Manager: ” There are many ways to lose. But play with your heads up and your hearts out, as we do now, and you’ll win. Whatever the score.”

The U14 Nighthawks match was called off due to a waterlogged pitch.

The U15’s match was called off due to a waterlogged pitch.

The U17’s match was called off due to a waterlogged pitch.

The Firsts beat NPL 2-1 on Wednesday in the Middlesex Cup as previously reported.

The Firsts lost 2 v 3 to ICOB in the League. Still in good spirits from their mid-week cup win it was down to the Dragons to pursue the season’s main objective of winning the league and promotion. A sloppy start had them a goal behind in the first ten minutes. A lack of quality in the wet on a soggy pitch stopped any kind of rhythm. It took two corners to drag the Dragons back into the game to lead at half-time. The second half was unfortunately more of the same with little testing of ICOB’s goalkeeper from open play which proved to be to the Dragons detriment as another two really bad errors would give ICOB their only real attacks of the second-half but both times they scored. The Dragons now have to refocus to ensure promotion.

The Reserve’s match was called off due to a waterlogged pitch.

Results Round-Up 10 April 2013

Fellow Cup Winners

The Firsts WON the Middlesex County Cup on Wednesday night under floodlights by beating NPL 2-1. A fantastic achievement. The first half was tentative and tough with the Dragons giving away an own goal before the break. The second half was a different affair with the Dragons playing good controlled competitive football in the rain to go one up via a penalty and then 15 minutes from the end a tremendous shot from the right 25 yards out sealed the win. We are simply the best.

At the weekend the sun finally shone to cheer up the irrepressible Dragons:

The Reserves drew 0-0 with table toppers Stedfast before going on to win 3-2 on penalties to reach the MCFL Junior Open Cup Final on April 27th. With a solid spine through the centre the Dragons started superbly and created opportunities but at half time it was still 0-0. The second half was an even affair and often end to end. As the clock ticked it seemed inevitable that it would be Extra Time and indeed it was. It was clear that Stedfast were physically spent and the Dragons dominated the extra 30 minutes but again could not score and it was onto penalties. As events unfolded it dawned on the Dragons that the result was down to the Dragons keeper being left to face 2 pens and take his own! With the Dragons nerves shredded the goalie put his gloves back on, returned to the goal and leaped majestically left to palm away the last penalty and the celebrations began. The Dragons had won and were through to the Final on 27 April having already reached another Cup Final on 17 April!

The Firsts drew 2-2 with Hillingdon away and then generously lost in extra time against Hillingdon as they prepared for the Cup Final on Wednesday

The U17’s had no game

The U15’s beat Brunswick away 2-0 in the first leg of a double header and then drew 1-1 in the second leg. With a reduced squad the Dragons played their customary game of good passing football without actually slamming the ball in the opposition’s net quite as much as they deserved. Calm ruthlessness in front of goal is all that is needed to turn the side into League and Cup winners.

The U14 Eagles beat St Joseph’s 5-2 at St Marks. Only as the Premier League entered its post-Easter climax were the Eagles finally able to re-start their own campaign after poor weather and the Easter break. St Joseph’s were not going to let the Dragons ease back into their stride – they were well-organised and proved even stronger than the last time the sides met. This was just the kind of challenge the Dragons needed. It was a performance from the top-drawer, with every Eagle pulling together to provide the platform for another man-of-the-match hat-trick from their tireless striker, not to mention two eye-catching strikes from their jinking midfield maestro whose dazzling footwork kept the crowd heartily entertained. To quote the Manager “our appetite is back!” The Dragons are hungry for more but will the weather, and all the other vagaries of this frustrating season, let us satisfy it?”

The U14 Nighthawks had no game

The U13’s at St Marks lost 1 to “quite a lot” against the run away league leaders Pinner United. It all started so well with the Dragons looking like they were the ones who should have been top of the table. They took the lead with the Dragons left midfielder weaving passed three defenders, passing to his midfield chum who had made the right run to calmly control the ball before smashing it into the net. Pinner then made the Dragons pay and with some defensive and keeper errors they clinically punished the home side. Pinner simply proved to be too good on the day.

The U11’s were awarded 6 points as Brentham Colts defaulted in the scheduled double header

The U10’s started training again after the Easter break and look forward to their match against the Spanish School

The Girls started training again after the Easter break looking forward to more tournament success

Results Round-Up 24 March 2013

Fellow Despondent Dragons

As the snow and sleet swept over the country all the Dragons games were called off. The historically minded might be surprised to find that, whilst the weather has generally been fine at this time of year, we did have a similar upset in 2008. Looking back at the same weekend:

2012: A glorious weekend saw: The First Team beat Sandgate 3-0 at home…..

2011: A typical spring weekend saw some regret with the clocks going forward: The U18’s beat Chelsea Elite 3-2 at St Marks ……

2010: A pleasant day saw much excitement. The U12’s beat Pinner Albion 3-2 and then 3-0 in a double header at St Marks……..

2009: It was wonderful to be alive in the brilliant sunshine with a miserable winter behind us: The First Team beat Hillingdon FC 3-2 in the Semi Final of the MCFL Semi Final……….

2008: After a pleasant Saturday Dragons everywhere settled down for the night looking forward to a full slate of matches secure in the knowledge that the weather forecasts were wrong. Sunday morning revealed a world covered in snow and smug forecasters…………..

2007: No doubt there are teams out there who will beat the Dragons but they have been a bit quiet for the last few weeks:………..

2006: A good week: U14’s gain promotion; U12’s finish undefeated in their division………………..

2005: Another splendid week: The U11’s beat League leaders Pitshanger 8-0 away……………………

Yours Dragonally

Chris
Hon. Sec.

Results Round-Up 10 March 2013

Spring opened the door and then firmly shut it again to allow the wind, wet and cold back in:

The Firsts beat LPOSSA 2-1 away in a mouth watering head to head intense match between the division leaders. The Dragons opened the scoring from twenty yards and then had LPOSSA pinned back in their own half to score again to make it two nil. As the interval drew nearer LPOSSA launched a long ball to catch the Dragons off guard to score and make it 1-2 at the break. LPOSSA came back out determined to claw their way back into the game and launched wave after wave of attacks. The Dragons held firm and were glad that three match officials had been appointed for such an important match when they judged correctly that an LPOSSA shot had not crossed the goal line and the win was sealed.

The Reserves drew 1-1 with Hillingdon. Unbeaten in 10 games the Reserves arrived confident of finally beating Hillingdon having lost to them in their last 5 encounters. The Dragons started superbly winning everything in the air and pressing high up the pitch. However in typical “football” style Hillingdon were first to net on the break when they scored from a tackled clearance. The Dragons responded well and finally, just before half time, equalised via a penalty. The second half was one way traffic with the Dragons creating the opportunities only to be thwarted at the last gasp to leave the final score a draw.

The U17’s lost 0-4 away to FC Kensington at Wormwood Scrubs in the local Derby. With a late 1.30pm kick-off the already inclement weather, with a strong biting north-easterly wind combined with the churned up wet muddy pitch, proved to be totally the wrong conditions for the Dragons. After having most of the first half possession the Dragons conceded a goal the only time FCK ventured from their own half. There was all to play for in the second half but, despite very skilful play from the dogged Dragons, they were rewarded with hits on the cross-bar and near misses whilst FCK went on to score run away goals. An odd result with the only redeeming feature being able to escape the cold and get home.

The U15’s lost 0-3 away to C.B.Hounslow on a dank dark muddy pitch in a most peculiar game. The Dragons played on occasion almost sublime passing football but were incapable of actually scoring. Time after time superb passing moves moved the ball up to Hounslow’s end but then nothing much happening when it arrived there. “Goals win Games”, not displays of brilliance which are better left to synchronized swimmers.

The U14 Nighthawks lost 0-2 then won 4-1 in a double header vs Princess Park B at the freezing Wormwood Scrubs. The Dragons could have won the first game but missed too many opportunities. In the second match the Dragons dominated from the beginning to win. Statisticians noted how the same teams playing on the same pitch produced two completely different matches where both teams deserved their victory.

The U13’s had no game.

The U11’s lost away 2-7 to Watling in a freezing cold Sunday in Burnt Oak on a pitch more suited for mud wrestling. The Dragons started with explosive style scoring a quality early goal and it looked like they were on fire. Watling had other ideas and started to ease their way back into the game. As the match turned from football to ‘stuck in the mud’ the Dragons sat back, lost their rhythm and conceded a hand full of goals to lose the game 7-2. A game not to be remembered.

The U10’s training was called off as the pitch was closed. Next Saturday they have the return leg with South Ealing Saints and the week after a match with the Spanish school

The Girls training was also called off due to the weather but will be on again this Friday.

KD Seniors MCFA Cup final dates

It is with great pride that we can announce, both our Senior teams are through to their respective County Cup finals. Put the dates in the diary and come and support the teams. More details will follow shortly. Contact seniors@kensingtondragons for more information.

MCFA Junior Cup Final

Kensington Dragons FC (First) VS NPL Saturday F.C (First)

10/04/2013

KO 7.30pm

Ground: Bedfont Sports Club
Hatton Road
Bedfont
Middlesex
TW14 9QS

MCFA Junior Trophy Final

Barnet Municipal Officers FC (First) VS Kensington Dragons FC (Reserves)

17/04/2013

KO 7.30pm

Ground: Feltham FC
The Orchard
Hatton Road
Bedfont
Middlesex
TW14 9QT

 

Results Round-Up 03 March 2013

Spring is looking suspiciously close as the Adult Dragons booked their way into their second Cup Final:

The Firsts beat Cricklewood Wanderers 3-1 at home in the semi final of the Middlesex County Cup to continue their winning ways. The Final will be played on 10 April against NPL FC at Bedfont FC, Hatton Rd, Bedfont, Middx TW14 9QS. Kick off 7.30pm – all welcome.

The Reserves beat British Airways 2-1 away at the Concorde Stadium in the Middlesex League Cup quarter final. Despite the beautiful pitch and strong squad the Dragons started slowly but still managed to take the lead on 10 minutes via an unusual penalty – BA’s keeper saved well only for the ball to be smashed again but again the keeper made a brilliant stop only to be thwarted as the Dragons eventually found the net. With the ref seemingly trying to even things up BA were awarded their own penalty and it was 1-1 into the break. A stern talking to lead the Dragons to pick up speed to pull ahead to 2-1. BA almost pulled level but a superb Dragons full stretch save literally saved the day to leave the Dragons winners. The Reserves have already booked a County Cup final v Barnet Municipal Officers FC on 17 April at Feltham FC, The Orchard, Hatton Road, Bedfont, Middx TW14 9QT. KO 7.30. All welcome

The U17’s beat Ariana 3-1 away. The Dragons were missing key defenders and the game promised to be a challenge. All was well with the world however as the sun shone on a reasonable pitch with the Dragons pleased to play football. Despite creating chances it was not until the dying minutes of the first half that the Dragons went one up. Back on the pitch the Dragons scored again but then began to rest whilst scoring from another tap in before a late surge by Ariana gave them their own goal.

The U15’s drew with league leaders LNER 1-1 away. With the goalie and others released from duty to take part in DofE it was a potentially shaky Dragons squad who travelled to the depths of North Wembley. With the Dragons early retired striker stepping in as goalie without a tracksuit, coldness, indecision and lack of experience gifted LNER the first goal and the situation looked grim. The Dragons took a deep breath, dug in and fought back to 1-1 before the excitable referee gave LNER a penalty. The hapless Dragons goalie looked forlorn as the confident LNER striker strode up to whack the ball hard and low to the side. The Dragons goalie leapt into action and pulled off a remarkable save. The drama was not over as the even more excitable referee then sent off a Dragon. The Dragons however refused to give in and played as if they had 11 players and were unlucky not to score to win.

The U14 Nighthawks lost 2-3 at home to Pinner. The Dragons found themselves 1-0 up at the half but in an exciting second half could not quite win.

The U14 Eagles match against Pinnstars was cancelled in the unusual circumstance of the Pinnstars manager being very ill.

The U13’s beat Hillingdon 4-3 away with the Dragons having virtually a full squad. The game was a classic – swinging to and fro. Hillingdon scored first via a penalty but the Dragons responded with their midfield inter passing to the striker to score. The Dragons then took the lead with another well worked move from midfield. Hillingdon came straight back and won a penalty which went wide only for the ref to order the penalty to be taken again. Their 2nd effort was then well saved by the Dragons keeper leaving them 2-1 up at half time. The second half started badly with Hillingdon being gifted a goal before they then took the lead. It was now that the Dragons rotation of subs played a crucial role as relatively fresh players came on to attack and draw level. With the game in the balance the ball fell to the Dragon midfielder to unleash a wonder strike which ripped into Hillingdon’s net to give the Dragons a hard fought win.

The U11’s lost 0-4 to AFC Wembley away

The U10’s continue to train at St Marks on Saturday mornings from 10 to 11.30am in preparation for their game on March 16th against South Ealing Saints.

The Girls continue to train on Friday evenings on the big pick at the Westway from 5.30-7.00pm.

Results Round-Up 24 February 2013

Winter is still with us as our new Girls Team lead the way by winning their first ever Tournament:

The new Girls team won the Golden Girls Hackney Tournament by beating Hackney Community Club 3-1 then 2-0 before carrying on to beat Hackney Laces 4-2 on aggregate. A terrific achievement in the biting cold playing away from home against experienced sides with questionable refereeing. A fantastic effort.

The Firsts beat Chiswick 3-1 away. Despite dominating the Dragons found themselves behind as a slip at the back lead to Chiswick’s clinical finish. The Dragons refused to panic however and pulled back before half time. With a changed Dragons set up Chiswick were pinned back from the restart as the Dragons attacked in waves but as hard as they tried they just could not score. Finally on 75 minutes the Dragons made substitutions whilst remaining calm and with six minutes left a swift move down the left lead to the Dragons taking the lead before hammering the points home with another goal from yet another move from the left.

The Reserves beat Sloane FC 2-1 at Osterley. With key First and Reserve team players unavailable the Dragons had a weakened squad with 4 players carrying knocks that on another day would have kept them at home. The match started badly with a Sloane long throw confusing the Dragons to score first. The Dragons composed themselves and were rewarded with an equaliser direct from a corner before half time. With the Dragons now effectively reduced to 10 men through cramp the game was drifting to a close when a late gamble plucked a Dragons defender into attack to try to avoid another home draw. Finally in injury time a shot was smashed with the outside of a Dragons boot straight into Sloane’s right hand corner of the net as the Dragons celebrated. The Reserves are now unbeaten in 9 games with 8 wins to boot.

The U17’s beat Ariana 3-2 at Birbeck. In the opening minutes Ariana scored from a penalty but their enthusiasm was blunted when the Dragons took advantage of Ariana’s goalie misjudging his advance to score. Ariana then became increasingly fractious as the Dragons were awarded a penalty for a desperate challenge to take them 2-1 up at the break. Ariana refused to give in and drew level 2-2 giving them renewed vigour as their nasty challenges and holding onto Dragon players made for a messy game. Virtue was finally rewarded in the dying minutes as the ref awarded a free kick to the Dragons and a great kick sent the ball sailing into the top right hand corner of the net to give the Dragons a well-deserved win.

The U15’s beat Kodak 3-1 at Wormwood Scrubs. Football has many delightful aspects but playing at Wormwood Scrubs in the winter is not one of them – many a Dragon’s dream has been crushed at this bleak venue. The Dragon players however ignored the biting wind and rutted pitch to hammer in 3 goals in double quick time and then fiddled around allowing Kodak one consolation goal for turning up in the cold.

The U14 Nighthawks lost to Pinner United 0-5 with a weakened squad due to players being away for half term.

The U14 Eagles beat Kodak 11-0. At the post match press conference the Dragons manager said “We returned to a crisp St Mark’s with the pitch looking good. Bad news for our opponents, promising for those who bolted their Sunday lunch hoping for a feast of February football. Our boys did not disappoint with Kodak simply overwhelmed by our movement, spirit and imagination. It took a while to warm up but after the first goal went in on 18 minutes these Dragons were breathing fire. Plucky Kodak were left exposed in all areas as six separate Eagles found the net including one of our indefatigable centre backs whose rasping penalty-box drive proved less of a goal than an industrial stress-test for RBKC’s fresh nets. But amid the feints and twists, the flicks and dribbles, what really caught the eye was the graft, the teamwork, the relentless application until the final whistle.”

The U13’s drew 1-1 with Kodak. The focused Dragons controlled the first half with neat passing and penetrating runs from their wide players but could not score. Kodak rarely threatened and the Dragons keeper was more in danger of developing Hyperthermia than conceding a goal so the half ended goalless. The second half developed into more of a battle but the game became bogged down in midfield with the Dragon players forgetting how successful they had been passing the ball as they now tried to beat Kodak on their own. Disaster struck and a soft free kick somehow found its way passed the Dragons wall into goal. The Dragons responded well but it was a familiar story with great crosses not being met or just being a whisker away from equalising. Just as the management team were about to accept another good performance without getting a just reward the Dragons were awarded a free kick which was fumbled by Kodak’s keeper and like a flash the Dragons pounced to equalise.

The U11’s beat Parkfield 5-1. Conceding an early goal the Dragons regained their composure to play some super slick football to end the first half 1 – 1.  The second half started with the Dragons passing the ball around the field and breaking down the Parkfield defence to score a beautiful second goal.  Parkfield then struggled to get back into the game and the Dragons dominated to play their best football of the season including some fantastic individual goals to win handsomely.

The U10’s continued to train for their return match against South Ealing Saints.

Results Round-Up 10 February 2012

A wet week dribbled into a damp weekend and many games were called off:

The Firsts beat C.B Hounslow 6-1 at home in the Quarter Final of the Middlesex County Cup.

The Reserves drew 3-3 at home to Sporting Hackney. With a weakened squad the Dragons needed to produce their best and the early signs were they would rise to the challenge. A frantic first half began with the Dragons pulling ahead to 2-0 only to make errors and concede before then scoring again to make it 3-2 at halftime. The Dragons dominated the second half before the sucker punch came from a loose pass from defence being miss controlled and Hackney pounced to make it 3-3 which is where the score stayed despite the Dragons best efforts.

The U17’s beat Hillingdon Borough 6-3 theoretically away but actually at Birbeck. Despite the biting wind and horizontal rain the Dragons opened the play with a lovely early goal slotted in by the right wing which was soon followed by a converted penalty. With Hillingdon becoming increasingly frustrated in the heavy rain they conceded another penalty before pulling back a goal to make it 3-1 at half time. Back on the pitch the weather had deteriorated even further and it was difficult to move about the pitch and the ball stuck when kicked. Not deterred the Dragons spirits remained high and they scored again and then again. Hillingdon plugged away to score twice but were finally thwarted by the final Dragons goal to leave it 6-3.

The U15’s lost 3-4 to Belmont away whilst playing magnificently. Finally the Dragons began to show what they are capable of and controlled the game playing thrilling football on a muddy pitch. With the Dragons deservedly winning 3-1 Belmont were effectively given the game when the Dragons goalie collided with their striker and had to leave the pitch. Belmont showed no compassion and quickly scored twice before the Dragons goalie returned. The Dragons were awarded a penalty to win the match minutes from the end but in sporting gesture booted the ball over the cross bar and then let Belmont score to win. Life is cruel and football crueller.

The U14 Eagles drew 1-1 with Heathrow. To quote “It was a day of what ifs and might-have-beens: what if just one of our many rasping shots had hit home? What if our defender had not slipped in the mud to gift them an early goal? What if our mighty captain’s last second header had struck the inside rather than the outside of the post? And what if the Dragons management had called the game off instead of forging bravely ahead on that cold, wet, fateful February morning? For such is the fine finesse of our game nowadays that a dodgy pitch will always favour our opponents and hit us hardest. We equalised soon after Heathrow’s surprise opener, and for the rest of the game we pushed and passed and ran and trudged and even, in one stunning passage of free-flowing improvisation, recalled the penalty-box ballet of George Best’s famous strike for the San Jose Earthquakes back in 1981 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2HWUbFGHMU). Except of course that our finish cleared the bar. And the only trembling here was from the spectators as the quagmire did its best to suck all quality from the game. With ten minutes to go the ball burst and along with it, our hopes. So when, with the whistle in the referee’s lips, that final rising header skinned the post we all knew which way the ball would fall. It is true we needed to take our chances. But we also need to take some heart: for the roaring cheer from the away support, management and players that exploded at the final whistle spoke volumes for our growing reputation. Heathrow had stolen a point from the mighty Eagles. For us it was two valuable points lost, but a whole lot of mighty pride maintained.”

All other games were called off due to waterlogged pitches

The U17s celebrate a win worth waiting for

Hillingdon Borough 3 v 6 Kensington Dragons U17s

The U17s were playing Hillingdon Borough away but due to their home pitch being water-logged, the game was switched to our home ground.  A full strength Dragons were keen for a game not having had one since mid-December.  The weather was not kind and with a biting wind and horizontal rain, the ref tentatively kicked off proceedings.  He had warned beforehand that with the conditions as they were, he would take a look at how it progressed, and would not hesitate to call off the game if the play was not proceeding appropriately.  The Dragons opened the play with a lovely early goal slotted in by Emmanuel Mtimba on the right wing.  This was followed by a foul on Carjez Best-Bryan in the penalty area, with a score to the Dragons from the ensuing penalty – 0:2 to the Dragons.  With the opposition becoming increasingly frustrated by the lack of anything on their scoreline and with the heavy rain, another bad tackle this time on Miley Casey, meant a further penalty slotted home by the Dragons.  The opposition managed to pull back a goal before the half time whistle with a messy goal from a goal-mouth scramble and the score stood at 1:3 to the Dragons.

Back on the pitch, the weather had deteriorated even further and it was difficult for the boys to move about the pitch and the ball did not respond when kicked.  However, spirits remained high and the Dragons scored again, from a header from Jacob Hargreaves from a corner.  A further goal,  this time off Miley Casey’s boot, left the score at 1:5.  But the opposition did not give up and scenting the Dragons flagging legs from the long break, they fought long and hard to get further scores on the board.  They succeeded with 2 more goals, pulling the score back to 3:6.  Despite the conditions, the Dragons managed a further goal not long before the final whistle, leaving the final score at 6:3 to the Dragons.  Despite the heavy driving rain, the Dragons were glad they had turned out.