It was touch and go whether the matches would proceed in the face of the earlier torrential rain but it was, almost surprisingly, all systems go:
The Old Dragonians just lost 2-3 at home to Eight Stags. The match was marked by good competitive football despite the torrential outbursts of rain. A fairer result would have been a draw as the Dragons missed two open gaols to gift the Stags a win.
The U18 Boys beat Football Samurai 5-2 away. With a depleted squad, the Dragons went to a very wet Acton. They dominated possession but wasted chances in open play. Fortunately, their set pieces were fantastic and they went into half time 3-0 up and in control. The 2nd half saw the Dragons get off to the worst possible start as they conceded within 6 seconds. Samurai quickly added a second. The Dragons dug deep and scored twice in the last 5 minutes. A well-deserved victory but the Dragons must not be so charitable
The U17 Boys beat Harrow St Marys 3-0 at home. This was a match destined to be a slip up for the Dragons with key players forced to take a mini break from football. The responsibility to secure a win was left to a bare eleven doughty players, some of whom had hardly recovered from injury and illness. The Dragons were up to the challenge and dug in to the very end – even managing to miss scoring opportunities on the way, whilst charitably overlooking some blatant HSM offsides. A good day’s work.
The U16 Boys just lost 3-4 away at London Athletic. The Dragons were 0-4 down at half time and not quite awake after the early start and a near-2 hour journey. After a good talking to, the Dragons perked up to score 3 goals. Despite two open goal chances however they couldn’t the score to secure a draw before the final whistle intervened.
The U15 Boys drew 3-3 to Celtic at home. Celtic managed to hold the Dragons on their own turf on a dreary morning. Back to the training pitch to understand the lessons learnt.
The U14 Boys were narrowly beaten 4-5 by Belmont Bees away. The Dragons fans deserved medals for keeping, mostly, cheerful in the torrential rain. Their team was 3-0 up at half time and then somehow they let the lead slip to eventually lose. Fans everywhere were somewhat bewildered at the eventual outcome after such a good start. There is now the home leg to look forward to.
The U13 Boys drew 2-2 away at Singh Sabha. A first draw in many months. The Dragons were not up to their usual standard with an injured goalkeeper who was bravely replaced by an outfield player.
The U12 Boys Reds drew 1-1 at home to London Athletic. What a great battle! The Dragons stayed composed and a marvellous penalty save from their goalkeeper helped them hold on to a draw.
The U12 Boys White beat Brook House 5-0 at home. A resounding, triumphant win for the Dragons who showed their maturity in front of goal and kept a clean sheet at the back.
The new U11 Boys drew 1-1 at home to SYS. This was a close fought match with the Dragons’ increasing maturity showing through to capitalise on a penalty and win themselves a point.
The Under 10s trained
The U13 Girls lost to Hinton and Finchley away in the Cup. A difficult game for the Dragons in the Cup but the team will find their form again which brought so much triumph and joy last season.
All the other Girls’ Teams had no scheduled matches.
The Firsts and Blues had no matches