| In the event Storm Goretti proved rather a damp squib in London but a freezing Saturday night led to frozen pitches making some unplayable:
The Firsts lost 2-4 away to Sporting Duet. The Dragons became victims of the festive break where their momentum, rhythm and confidence was disrupted. The lack of playing time clearly lost them a game they should have won.
The Blues drew 2-2 to West London Wanderers, theoretically away but played at the Den. The Wanderers, like the Blues, have only lost one game all season – the stakes were high! The Dragons created numerous scoring opportunities and could have easily been double digits ahead but poor finishing allowed the Wanderers to stay in the game. Two sloppy moments let them take the lead twice against the run of play. The Dragons scored to equalise but the Dragons’ overall performance deserved a different score line.
The Old Dragonians beat Chiswick Celtic Reserves 6-0 at home. An excellent start to the New Year for the Old Ds who now sit at the top of the League. It will be a welcome feeling, and with just under half of the season to go, the Dragons hope they can keep their perch.
The New U10 Boys beat Gunnersbury Eagles 2-0 at home. Back to a great start in the New Year. Excellent ball movement and again good teamwork. No matter what position they were put in, every Dragon gave their best and showed a very positive attitude towards the game.
The U11 Boys’ home game against the Eight was postponed due to a frozen pitch.
The U12 Boys beat Foxes 6-0 at home. The Dragons returned refreshed after the Christmas break to face a team they had not met before. Both sides started slowly, but the Dragons used the blustery January wind to their advantage. They dominated early, and despite several dubious offside calls, went into half time leading 3–0. The second half saw more fouls and further offside decisions, yet the disciplined Dragons stayed focused. A stunning fifth goal from just inside the box sealed a convincing victory.
The U13 Boys beat LNER 4-2 at home. The Dragons may have laid one hand on the trophy after beating their rivals. The stage was set on a classically English winter pitch and the Dragons battled for every ball in a game riddled with difficulty as far as dribbling and passing was concerned.
The U14 Boys Red drew 2-2 at home with Celtic. The Dragons started off well and were winning only to then lose their heads. Plainly put by the Coach, ‘Premiership football in the first half – Conference North football in the second‘ – if only they could channel Macclesfield rather than the average.
The U14 Boys White had no game.
The U15 Boys’ home game to Southall Athletic was postponed due to a frozen pitch.
The U16 Boys lost 3-6 at home to London Capital. This was the most frustrating of matches. The Dragons spent most of the match hammering away at LC’s goal without scoring, only for LC to score from break aways against the run of play. Towards the end the Dragons wilted whilst LC grew in confidence with the inevitable result.
The U17 Boys beat Pitshanger 3-1 away. As the Dragons look to finish the season strongly, the pitch conditions offered a different sort of hurdle. With constant pressure from start to finish it was obvious that the Dragons would win. One more should be enough to secure a second-place finish in the League – fortune favours the bold.
The U16 Girls drew 3-3 away at Impact FC. This was a proverbial game of 2 halves. The Dragons were not good in the first but very good in the second. Trailing 0-1 at half time strong words were needed to galvanise the players into action. A very positive reaction saw the Dragons then dominate. Two fortuitous goals for Impact gave them a draw but the Dragons’ performance in the second period was, as a parent was quoted, ‘the best this team has played in years.’
The U15 Girls did not play.
The U13 Girls lost 1-4 at home to Broomwood. Although the Dragons were beaten by a better team on an extremely cold and bitter morning, the squad once again showed great spirit, never giving in and playing to the final whistle – which paid dividends as they scored in the dying seconds to end on a high.
The new U11 Girls trained in preparation to start the League. |
