Our match correspondents have been slow this week to submit their reports – mostly through shyness at magnificent results:
The Girls beat Hearts of Tedlothian 4-1 away in the depths of Twickenham. The success of the Dragons was down to having a rock solid defence behind the strikers who pummelled the ball into Hearts’s net.
The Firsts beat Cricklewood Wanderers 1-0 at home in the 2nd round of the County Cup. The Dragons fielded a changed side and were lucky not to concede in the first half as the Wanderers forced the Dragons keeper to make four great saves. It was 0-0 at half time. With tactical changes the Dragons pulverised the Wanderers box and finally the ball was played wide and a great delivery into the box was suitably dispatched.
The Reserves lost 1-3 to Speedy United away. The Dragons started well but after 20 minutes their centre back was injured and almost immediately Speedy scored. The Dragons attacked but alas Speedy counter attacked to score from an offside position. The Dragons kept missing goal scoring opportunities before conceding yet another goal but then finally scored in recompense
The U18s lost 2-5 at home in the Premiership to league leaders Harrow St Marys. This was always going to be a tough match against the league leaders and so it proved. The match was competitive and not without it excitements but it was Harrow who ultimately had the better of the encounter.
The U15As beat Celtic 5-2 away. For the first time in 2 weeks the Dragons could finally choose from a full squad and it showed as they took an early lead which they kept until half time. Back on the pitch Celtic were awarded a dubious penalty to equalise before scoring another to take the lead. After a few substitutions the Dragons regrouped and scored 4 goals in quick succession to win convincingly.
The U15Bs beat Hillingdon Youth 7-1 away. The Dragons were on fire on the 5th November. They played some lovely football and scored 7 great goals and it could have been a lot more. An all-round great performance.
The U14’s cruised to a 7-1 victory over W4 Youth. The Dragons had a full turn out resulting in an unstoppable force that swept poor W4 Youth aside.
The U13s beat Larkspur Rovers 4-2 away. The challenge was whether the Dragons could perform away from home, minus 4 regular players. A defensive clearance let the Dragons down to gift Larkspur a goal. Within a minute the Dragons drew level and then compressed the space between the lines, making superb passes to outperform Larkspur. The Dragons were not as clinical in the second half but defended well to secure another magnificent victory.
The U12s beat Hanwell Town 3-2 away in a fantastic game. The Dragons showed great spirit and resilience to pull though after having been behind. With no referee appointed the Dragons manager selflessly offered to officiate leaving his team almost rudderless as their coach was away. With limited time at the break the Dragons manager had to stiffen resolve and sharpen tactics to great effectiveness as the team went back on the field to secure an epic victory.
The U11s drew 1-1 away against Totteridge on a hill doubling up as a football pitch. With the sun in the Dragons’ eyes and Totteridge swooping down the slope it was surprising that the Dragons were only one goal down at half time. The Dragons scored a wonderful high goal to equalise. It was then fast and furious football until 10 seconds from the end when the Dragons midfielder dribbled through defenders to mesmerise Totteridge’s goalkeeper who proceeded to cruelly hack him down. A clear penalty! The pleasant, but young, ref wilted at the responsibility of effectively awarding the Dragons the match and kept his whistle too firmly in his pocket.