The good news is that this was the first time the Dragons have ever had THREE girls’ teams in action. The not so good news is that we let in rather more goals last weekend than is altogether necessary to keep up the morale of our opponents:
The First Team beat Hampton Locomotive 1-3 away in the Cup. The biggest challenge was finding the pitch, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Once there the Dragons controlled the game to lead 2-0 at the half. The second half was almost a stroll in the footballing park but, despite creating fantastic chances, the Dragons only scored once more, before conceding a few minutes before the final whistle
The Reserves lost 2-4 to Hillingdon Abbots at home. This was not a great performance from the Dragons who could have done much better
The U17 Reds beat St Joseph’s 4-1 away. The first Dragons goal came after 5 minutes from a penalty. St Joseph’s then scored from a cross, finding a spare man at the back post and so it was 1-1 at the half. The Dragons picked up speed to score twice before defending well under pressure, allowing a last goal with 5 minutes left. A solid away win.
The U17 Whites lost at home 0-4 to Hendon. The Dragons were hampered by a lack of key personnel which contributed to a lack lustre display, making them unrecognisable from their spirited performance last time out against the league leaders. As the Manager said: “One to put behind us and move on”
The U16s lost 2-7 to Pitshanger at home. The Dragons should have done better against a team they would normally deal with happily. The only brightness came from the extraordinary skills of their new signing who showed great deal of promise for the season to come.
The U14 Boys lost to the formidable Wealdstone in the League Cup. With 6 players off this was always going to be a tough ask for the Dragons. A combination of two soft goals by Wealdstone and two missed opportunities created a 0-3 half time deficit. The Dragons responded with a stronger second half but conceded one more goal on a penalty. Both teams face off again next week in a league match – so an opportunity for revenge is still on offer.
The U14 Girls lost to KInja playing on the new home pitch at St Marks for the first time. This was a better performance from the Dragons who scored a cracker of a goal early on but then dwindled before the end
The U13s lost away in the League Cup to Sintra AFA. The appointed Referee disappeared so a Sintra parent did the honours, making some poor decisions. The Dragons opened the scoring but Sintra soon equalised and then, before the average Dragon could blink, Sintra were 1-3 up before the Dragons made it 2-3 just before half time. The second half saw the Dragons take control and it became very exciting with an absolute corker of a Dragons goal. The joyous excitement was short lived as the Dragons tired, allowing Sintra to keep on scoring.
The U12 Girls beat Omonia 5-3 away in their first match. The Dragons were eager to start with a bang and scored early on from good precise passing. This was soon followed by a second goal into the left corner of Omnia’s net. Despite the Dragons relaxed attitude they scored another two fantastic goals in quick succession. A defensive mistake saw Omnia score their first goal to make it 4-1 to the Dragons at the half. The second half saw the Dragons score the goal of the match. Onwards and upwards!
The U12 Boys lost at home to Premiership London Tigers in the League Cup. This was a David vs Goliath battle in the Dragons first ever cup match. With several players away the Dragons had a difficult start, especially with a makeshift backline. Four goals were conceded in the opening minutes before the Dragons gained their composure to pull a goal back and restrict the Tigers to just three goals to half time. The Dragons then pressed on, never giving up, nor making things easy for the side two divisions above. Inevitably, more away goals followed, but the plucky young Dragons took heart from the fact that they let in less goals in the second half than the first. The final score will be a useful motivator for next week’s league match
The U11 Girls lost to Ruislip Rangers at home in their first ever match. Understandably it took the Dragons some time to find their footballing feet but there were signs of brilliance and the resilience will grow over the coming weeks as they improve
The Boys U11s season has yet to start
The U10s trained as they prepare to be entered in the League