This weekend saw several games postponed as clubs negotiated the weather and illness, leaving the Firsts to dominate the headlines:
The Firsts beat NW London 1 – 0 at home in the quarter final of the Divisional Cup in an immense performance. In their previous encounters NW London had won with the Dragons missing their goalkeeper. This Saturday the Dragons fielded a full team and, to the shock of NW London, scored the only goal to secure a place in the semi-finals.
The Blues had no game.
The Old Dragonians narrowly lost 0-2 away to Hanworth Sports. It was another good performance by the Old Ds on a wet Sunday but again the result did not go the Dragons way. Still, the Old Ds are a hardy bunch of optimists who hope that the New Year will see them get the results that their performance deserves.
The U16 Girls thrashed Alexandra Park 8-1 away. The Dragons came out firing and pressed hard from the start. As a testament to the squad’s improving football intelligence, they pressed high on the halfway line, defended strongly and were expertly clinical in front of goal, trapping AP in their own half. The coach commended on the “Dragons poetic passing and tremendous teamwork”.
The U14 Girls game was postponed.
The U13 Girls drew 3-3 at home in a friendly against Kinja. It was a very tight game, on a wonderful Saturday morning. The Dragons had ample chances to put the game to bed but Kinja repeatedly came back from behind as their striker scored as the opportunities arose. The lack of pressure in a Friendly may have lead the Dragons to relax a little too much.
The U12 Girls were beaten at home by Pitshanger. Up on the windy Scrubs, the Dragons were resilient throughout the entire game. Against a superior side, the Dragons dug deep and, channelling their inner Tony Adams, made magnificent last-ditch tackles and courageous blocks. All in all, they can be very proud of their display.
The U11 Girls had their game called off due to a waterlogged pitch.
The U11 Boys match was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch
The U12 Boys match was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch
The U13 Boys were award a home win as Princes Park couldn’t raise a side.
The U14 Boys home game against Hillingdon Abbots was cancelled as the Abbots could not raise a team, citing Covid. The League will decide whether the match is rescheduled.
The U15 Boys just lost 2-3 to Acton Ealing Whistlers at home. The Dragons were not at their collective best during the first half but were magnificent in the second and extremely unlucky not to have won, or at least equalised. This was a competitive match marred only by the obnoxious behaviour of AEW’s number 7, backed up but an equally obnoxious coach – the referee was forced on several occasions to take the offenders to one side. Having said that, AEW played well. Winning a division is a marathon, not a sprint, so there will be many twists and turns to come.
The U16 Boys narrowly lost 0-1 to Hanwell Town away. A waterlogged pitch made for a slow day at Hanwell. The Dragons had much of the possession and 75% of shots on goal, but Hanwell reacted well to a rebound, against the run of play, to poke in the only goal of the match. A tough result but not reflective of the squad’s ability.
The U18 Boys were beaten by Harrow Club away. In a tough fixture for the Dragons, who have not played a lot of football together this season, it was always going to be a big ask. However, the squad turned up ready to put in a shift and so they did. The Dragons will only come back stronger in the New Year.
The U10 Boys trained.