A mixed week with some great performances as the winter weather bites:
The U17 Girls had no game.
The U15 Girls beat Alexandra Park 3-0 at home. This was a great win for the Dragons who persevered against the fast-playing Alexandra Park. They held their nerve right to the end which paid dividends as they recorded a decisive win.
The U14 Girls lost to Barnet Nightingales away. The Dragons were three down by half time in a difficult away fixture but carried on fighting with the reward of a goal in the second half.
The U12 Girls had no game.
The new U11 Boys won a fantastic 4-2 victory against Ruislip Town at home. Ruislip are particularly physical and often show signs of disgraceful behaviour. The Dragons however refused to be cowed and pulled out all their footballing stops to give a top rate performance and come out the deserved winners.
The U12 Boys beat Pro FA 2-1 at home. The Dragons played well to get a comfortable 2-0 lead. Missed chances and a second half goal for Pro FA made the Dragons players and fans nervous as the match hurtled towards the end but they held on to win.
The U13 Boys Red lost 2-6 away to Ealing United. Another game this weekend where the scoreline did not reflect the closely contested and hard-fought game.
The U13 Boys White were awarded an automatic away win to Harrow St Marys who could not raise a side.
The U14 Boys beat Singh Sabha 6-0 at home. An emphatic victory – based on the score, the Manager declared, “Game, Set and Match!”
The U15 Boys lost 0-5 to Ealing United away with a scoreline that did not reflect the match. The Dragons were “all over Ealing”, to quote the Dragons Coach, but they simply could not score. Ealing were the better side in the first half scoring four goals but the Dragons tore into them after the break – hitting the post; having a goal disallowed; being denied a clear penalty etc – the problem was that they just could not score. One of the unsolved mysteries of life.
The U16 Boys had no game.
The U18 Boys drew 4-4 with North London Stars at home. This was mostly a great performance from the Dragons. When NLS drew quickly ahead by two goals the Dragons fans thought “Here we go, another wobble is on the cards” . The players however decided they had had enough of wobbling; gritted their teeth and forced their way back into contention. Despite injuries, absences, and a goalie playing outfield the Dragons pushed, pressed and pulverised and were very unlucky not to score the decisive winner.
The Firsts lost 1-3 to Larkspur away in the Premier Division Cup. A tough Cup loss for the Firsts, to a team that were very happy to win saying “We have better players!” But you win when you get things right. The Dragons on the day got a lot wrong which is disappointing when they know they can do so much right! Focus now returns to the League and accumulating points before Christmas.
The Blues lost at home to Townsmead. The Blues had periods of good play leading to two goals, but Townsmead who are vying for the top of the League were too strong. The Dragons are searching for their first three points and will surely make that their target before the break.
The Old Dragonians beat London Tigers 5-4 away. This was a gripping nine-goal thriller that mesmerised the massed fans. The Dragons were elated to come away with a victory against their old foes.
The U10 Boys trained in preparation for the League.