Harrow Youth League Division 3

Yeading Wanderers 0 Vs 4 Kensington Dragons U15A

Scorers:  Korey, Dean & Pablo

MOM Filmon & Zak

It was quite apt for us to be playing Yeading Wanderers where we knew a win would clinch the Division as 4 seasons ago we played our first ever game against them as an U12s team. Over the years we seem never to have the rub of the green against them and team wise Mother’s day took its toll on the squad and we only took 13 players to the game. So we knew this would not be a walkover.

Yeading packed their defence early in the game with 8/9 men behind the ball which meant the early exchanges were tight but we eventually scored a freak goal as Dean took a free kick from the half way line which bounced inside YW’s penalty box and their keeper misjudged the bounce and the ball went over his head and nestled into the back of the net. We nearly doubled our lead as Bailey collected the ball on the edge of the area swivelled and hit a shot that looked destined for the top left hand corner of the goal until their keeper pulled off a great save. Then Armand fizzed in a shot from 25 yards out that went narrowly wide.

A goal mouth scramble saw the Dragons hit the bar 3 times with shots raining in on the Yeading net and our second goal was from a long clearance which a defender tried to flick back to their keeper Emmanuel anticipated this and got there before the keeper to slot the ball into the net. Another defensive mistake led to our third as a defender passed the ball to Korey inside the Yeading area who drove the ball into the bottom off the net. The YW bar was again rattled another couple of times this time from shots from Emmanuel and yet again from Armand to complete his hat trick of bar hits.

The icing on the cake was a superb headed goal from Pablo from a Bailey corner which crashed against the underside of the bar into the Yeading net to secure another victory which secured the Division title for the team. The final whistle was met with the obligatory champagne shower (well sparkling apple juice) and a team photo featuring crowns from a well know burger establishment. A much deserved reward for all the efforts Dean the Coach, Rob the Manager and players and parents have put in this season. Well done everyone!!

March 8^th 2015

Harrow Youth League Division 3

The Heath 2 Vs 3 Kensington Dragons U15A

Scorers:  Korey, Dean & Pablo

MOM Armand

Basically the divisional title was on the line with 1^st placed Heath who were 1 point ahead of the Dragons but we had 2 games in hand. We knew if we could avoid defeat we would keep our fate in our own hands. But we wanted to put down a marker and win as The Heath’s previous defeats had been through admin errors and this was actually a re-arranged fixture as previously the Ref and the Dragons had turned up at the venue as stated on the fixture info but The Heath had gone to another venue.

Team wise we were pretty much at full strength and had a full match day squad of 16 with Armand making his debut after impressing during training as both teams warmed up you could feel the tension rise. The game started cautiously with both teams probing the other but without wanting to concede an early goal. After 15 mins the Dragons gained the upper hand as Dean lashed a shot across the box which the Heath’s goalkeeper fumbled right into the path of the predatory Korey who passed the ball into the empty net. This rocked The Heath who were finding it hard to make headway through our midfield as Joel and Armand who were shielding our back four and when they did break through Danny, Filmon at centre half along with fullbacks Magnus and Ilyas snuffed out any danger.

The Dragons went further ahead on 30 mins as a great move down our right side of midfield lead to Bailey crossing a great ball into the path of Dean who hit the ball first time past the helpless Heath keeper. The Heath coach reacted and brought on an attacking sub and this replacement player would have a telling effect on the outcome of the match. With his pace he started causing us problems and created a couple of chances before he pulled a goal back in the last few mins of the half. Ironically the ref had played 45 min instead of the league rule of 40 mins for an U15 match.

Buoyed by their goal and coach’s team talk The Heath started the second half on the front foot and put us under early pressure although we still looked dangerous on the counter attack. However The Heath equalised through their sub and we could have been behind after a dubious penalty award as one of their midfielders was supposedly brought down in the area. The sub stepped up to take the penalty but a good save from Zak in our goal kept the scores level. This galvanised the Dragons to up their efforts and we saw out this period of pressure and began to press forward creating a couple of chances. We regained the lead from a corner as Pablo produced a piece of magic from a corner as he flicked the ball with his right foot passed their keeper.

The Dragons then frustrated The Heath so much that their sub went high on Alberto and the ref sent him of for dangerous play Alberto had to be subbed. The Dragons needed to see out the last 15 mins and with our front players Korey, Bailey, Dean, Ali and Emmanual all tirelessly working to close down The Heath when they had possession at the back. With Noah and Daniel who had come on to re-enforce our Midfield we held out to put us within one victory of clinching the Division.

Harrow Youth League Division 3

Gibbon Wrecker 1 vs 2 Kensington Dragons U15A

Scorers:  Korey, & Dean

MOM Ilyas

Our two previous meetings against the Wreckers had been tough games firstly in the cup game we won 4-3 AET (after being 3-0 down at halftime) and our home league game where we drew 3-3. This third encounter turned out to be the same but should in truth have been a comfortable win for us.

The first 15 mins saw us playing some decent football but without creating any clear cut chances but we looked in control of the game and duly took the lead as Dean outpaced their right back and put in a great cross into the box where it was met by Korey who stroked the ball into the net. It looked as though we would win this game comfortably as Dean again went on a run reminiscent of a slalom skier as he weaved past four defenders into the box and poked the ball into the net. However we started over playing the ball in the midfield and got caught in possession too often and even though the Wreckers’ counter attacks were snuffed out by our back four of Magnus, Filmon, Danny & Ilyas who was playing at left back for only the 3^rd time had an outstanding game snuffing out the Wreckers best outfield player so much so they changed his position in the 2^nd half.

After this period of Wrecker pressure we regained the ascendancy and we created a number off chances but Dean, Pablo, Josh JD and Korey all saw their shots saved by the Wreckers’ keeper who was outstanding during the course of the game and stopped us running away with the game. The Wreckers’ coach gave their team the hairdryer treatment during his half time talk much to the amusement of the Dragons. The second half was a bit of a slug fest with the pitch becoming heavy in the middle we again created good chances but we were either thwarted by the keeper or the linesman’s flag. The Wreckers only chances came from a series of corners helped by a strong wind, curling the ball dangerously into our 6 yard box but these were dealt with by Tom our keeper and his defenders. However the Dragons were given a warning though as a 30 yard shot rattled our crossbar.

This warning was not heeded as a Wrecker midfielder scored shortly after from a curling shot which nestled into the top left hand side of our goal. The Dragons went on the offense to try and restore our two goal lead and created several chances with Magnus overlapping on the right from his right back position which opened up spaces for our midfield to get into the box but we were wasteful in front of goal and when the shots were on target their keeper was again there to stop them. But we saw out the remaining minutes to secure another victory.

Harrow Youth League Division 3

Kensington Dragons U15A 6 Vs 2 LNER B

Scorers:  Pablo X 2, Danny, Korey, Bailey & Dean

MOM ZAK

We meet LNER B on a stodgy but playable pitch at Linford Christie. The first half saw the Dragons put in a controlled first half performance with us playing some good possession football with Joel and Ali pulling the strings in midfield. The only worrying thing was we only took a 1 – 0 lead into halftime with our goal being scored by Danny our centre half up for a corner kick showing great technique collecting the clearance on the edge of the box and hitting a first time volley that gave the LNER B keeper no chance. We nearly added to that as Dean swivelled in the box and his snap shot just went past the post. LNER B offered little with GK Zak and his defence sweeping up any of LNER B’s raids.

Right from the start of the second half we upped our tempo and went for the jugular and in the 2^nd minute of the half Korey ran through their defence like a knife through butter and slotted the ball easily past their advancing keeper. Our third followed shortly after with Joel playing a glorious through ball which Dean collected and coolly rounded the keeper and passed the ball into the net. At this point we were playing some of our best football of the season with some crisp passing and intelligent movement that had our opposition chasing shadows.

We went into a comfortable 4-0 lead when Pablo received the ball at the right edge of the area, controlled it and then put in a composed finish. It was Pablo who also scored the 5^th from the penalty spot after he was brought down after a jinking run which was only stopped by an outstretched defender’s leg. To their credit LNER B fought back and pulled one goal back and could have made the last 20 mins tricky for us but for a fine save from Zak from a free kick. We responded and scored our 6^th as Bailey showed great work rate in closing down a defensive clearance which rebounded off him back into the net. LNER B got a consolation goal from a great free kick. But the Dragons went home happy with another 3 point successfully in the bag.

Kensington Dragons U15A 2 Vs 1 Harrow St Marys

Scorers:  Korey & Dean

MOM Korey

We expected another tough game and this became a reality as two well matched teams who both play a passing game played out a hard fought match at Linford Christie. Coach Dean set the team up in a 4-2-3-1 formation to add a bit of defensive protection, which we have used previously when playing the better teams in the division.

The opening exchanges went the way of the Dragons as we kept decent possession of the ball in the face of HSM’s pressing defence but without creating much in the way of goal scoring opportunities apart from a couple of long shots which were just off target. But we were also guilty of not moving the ball fast enough and occasionally getting caught on possession in our own half but our defence snuffed out any chance of counterattacks. The deadlock was broken midway through the first half as Korey found himself free on the right edge of the penalty box and hit a great shot past their keeper. We increased our lead shortly after with another fine finish from Dean Jr. At this stage we looked pretty comfortable and went into the half time break 2-0 up

The second half started quietly with both sides showing great resilience in defence. We went close a couple of times as good through balls were only just cut out by HSM’s defenders and a great shot by Dean was just saved by their keeper. But the Dragons for the 2^nd week running started to get sloppy with the ball and started giving the ball away and allowed HSM’s to apply some consistent pressure pinning us back in our own half and with 20 mins to go our defence finally cracked and conceded a goal. At 2-1 and with HSM’s having the momentum they went searching for the equaliser but unlike last week the Dragons kept them at bay with some resolute defending, to secure a valuable win.

Harrow Youth League Division 3

Kensington Dragons U15A 3 Vs 3 Gibbon Wreckers

Scorers:  Korey, Dean & Bailey

MOM Alberto

The team’s first game back after a month long seasonal break for Christmas and New Year and also the first of 3 successive games against teams currently in the division’s top 4. We were also without 3 players who are re-covering from long term injuries but hopefully should be back by the end of the month. Gibbon Wreckers our opponents who we had played in a cup game and had found ourselves 0-3 down at half-time only to recover and run out 4-3 winners so we knew we would need to be at our best to get the 3 pts.

The opening minutes of the game found the Dragons in good touch with no sign of ring rust as we put the Wreckers under some early pressure and had a few attempts but did not trouble their keeper. We continued playing the better football but we found it hard going as the Wreckers closed down the space in the midfield.  Despite this the Dragons still passed the ball efficiently until they finally broke down the Wreckers rear-guard when a long pass found Korey in space and he drove into the box and finished well to give us the lead, We increased our lead 10 mins later as Dean was put through into the box and he converted the chance.

The Wreckers tried to mount a comeback but were generally held in check by good defending by Magnus and Alberto. However, 5 minutes before half-time we gave GW a lifeline as we conceded a penalty which was converted and cut our lead to 2-1 at the half. The second half started fairly evenly until Bailey received the ball outside the Wreckers box and unleashed a shot which whistled into the net to restore our two goal advantage. The Dragons then wasted a couple of golden opportunities which would have put the game outside of GW’s reach. These misses spurred them on and they were awarded another penalty. This one a bit dubious but the pen was converted to cut our lead to 3-2.

The Wreckers were now on top and were awarded their third penalty of the game. This one however was saved by Zak but eventually their pressure told and a great equalising volley was score by the wreckers’ striker. The Dragons responded but we were unable to get the winner and had to settle for a hard fought point.

Harrow Youth League Division 3

Kensington Dragons U15A 14 v 0 London Athletic B

Scorers : Ilays x 4, Korey x 2, Magnus x 2, Alberto x 1, Josh x 1, Joel x 1, Danny (Pen) x 1, Emmanuel x 1,  Shaq x 1

MOM Magnus

We only had 11 as we turned up at LCS due to 4 of the team being out with injuries. A couple of calls later and Joel and Alberto managed to get their plans changed (well their parents actually) and managed to get to LCS during the 1^st half to boost the squad.

The team put in a dominant performance from 1^st to last as we took control of the game from the opening kick-off and camped ourselves around the LAB’s penalty area the only thing missing was a goal. However this was not long in coming as Josh received the ball on the edge of the penalty box and placed the ball into the net. Ilyas then scored the first of his four goals with a tap in and a Beckham-esc free kick from Joel from 25 yards out left the keeper with no chance. LAB’s only real chance of the game was a free kick which was calmly saved by Zak. Alberto then added the fourth just before half time with a shot from inside the penalty area to take us to half time with a comfortable lead.

The second half saw the team play some of their best football of the season so far where over the last few games we have overplayed and not taken full advantage of our chances. This half our passing was crisp and accurate, our free kicks and corners were of the highest order. Our runs were direct taking several defenders out of the game and our chances were clinically finished.

Goals were scored at regular intervals during the second half with Ilyas completing his well-deserved hat-trick, Danny expertly tucked away a penalty into the bottom left of the net, Magnus scoring 2 goals in 2 minutes, a great corner from Bailey was met in the 6 yard box by Corey who, unmarked, headed the ball in the net for his first of 2 goals. Bailey then grabbed a goal of his own and Shaq then scored the best goal of the game with 30 yard screamer. Emmanuel’s hard work and mazy runs were rewarded with a goal. The only 2 outfield players not to score were Filly and Noah our centre halves who provided expert cover at the back and earned the team a well-earned clean sheet to cap a great team performance.

Harrow Youth League Division 3

Concorde Rangers 3 v 6 Kensington Dragons U15A

Scorers Pablo x 2, Dean x 2 , Korey, Joel (Pen)

MOM Filmon

We arrived at QPR’s training ground at Harlington and having negotiated our way past the security man and a Columbian TV crew I thought they were waiting for us but turns out Columbia’s national team were training there that morning. After changing and walking over to the pitch the Columbian team coach arrived with James Rodriguez and crew. A few players went hunting for selfies but I think drew a blank.

The first half against Concorde Rangers saw a lot of our players still being star struck and their heads were not in the game. We started ok but were guilty of not taking our chances as players chose the wrong options or failed to get off telling shots and the R’s keeper was largely untested. We were also guilty of losing the ball in midfield and were punished as the R’s counter attacked from one such opportunity and got behind our defence and scored from a deflected shot.

The Dragons equalised when Dean’s persistence paid off as he won a couple of challenges and slotted home the equaliser. The R’s responded and regained the lead with a penalty when their attacker was tripped by our defender in the box and a good penalty just beat our keeper Zac into the bottom left hand corner. The R’s hung onto the lead until the half time break.

The old saying of football is a game of two half applied to the Dragons on this occasion as the introduction of Joel at halftime changed the game as his short sharp passing kept the ball moving and good team possession began to tire the opposition midfield (they only had one sub) and opened up space for Korey, Bailey and Pablo to exploit. We were soon level as a great through ball from Bailey found Pablo in the box and he unleashed an unstoppable shot into the roof of the net.

The Dragons were now in charge and took the lead with another great finish from Korey and a second for Dean as he headed in from a corner. Our fifth goal was another powerful shot from Pablo which found the back of the net. At this point we were attacking in waves with Magnus marauding forward from left back and Emmanuel also nearly getting on the score sheet. The R’s responded and made it 5-3 as an attacker took full advantage of a lucky deflection to cut our lead. It could have been a nail biting final 10 mins but for 2 great saves from Zak and cool, composed defending by Filmon stopped our lead being further eaten into. The Dragons went 6-3 ahead when Josh JD was tripped in the box and Joel stepped up and converted the spot kick to seal the victory.