It was the older boys and girls’ youth teams that lead the way this week:
The Under 17 Boys beat Highgate and Muswell Hill 4-2 on penalties at home in the Middlesex Cup. The Dragons conceded early but, following their Coaches’ instructions, started to use their speed against Muswell’s slow backline. Two goals were the reward, but a late Highgate equaliser made it 2 apiece and it was on to nerve-racking penalties. One miss by Muswell and another brilliant save by the Dragons keeper means deserved progression.
The U16 Boys beat Hillingdon Abbots 5-2 away to lead the division. The Dragons played the match a furious pace which just very occasionally left them exposed at the back. The next challenge for the Dragons is to learn how to slow the match down, without losing possession, to create opportunities before pouncing to score.
The Under 15 Boys had no game.
The Under 14 Boys thumped Pitshanger 9-2 at home. The Dragons played a blinder in their biggest win of the season. The crowds were ecstatic, leaving Pitshanger to return home along the A40 with their tail between their footballing legs.
The Under 13 Boys lost away to undefeated league leaders Pitshanger. This was a much better performance from the Dragons who held Pitshanger for much of the match. Pitshanger’s continuing success is down to having a team the same standard as the Dragons but with the added ingredient of two huge, fast, skilful strikers who bounded around the pitch trying to score at will. The more diminutive Dragons mostly succeeded in holding them and indeed scored their second goal towards the end.
The Under 12 Boys beat Pinnstars 6-3 at home. This squad’s incredible streak continues as the Dragons recorded their seventh victory in a row. It is true to say that the Dragons was complacent and were losing 1-2 at halftime before the Coaches woke them up for the second half.
The new Under 11 Boys were beaten 1-5 away at Bessingby Park Rangers. The young Dragons were taught a very valuable lesson in not letting heads drop when going behind. It was even at the break but a lapse in concentration made it 1-2, and once their heads dropped it quickly became more.
The Under 17 Girls won 6-3 against Actonians away. After a slow start for the Dragons, they found themselves 1-3 down at the half. A formation and personnel change made all the difference as the Dragons scored 5 goals in the second half to win.
The Under 15 Girls won 3-1 away to Broomwood. A great performance with lots of energy, the Dragons set the tempo from the start and shut down all Broomwood’s chances. The Dragons played fantastically as a team, communicating well.
The Under 14 Girls had no game.
The Under 13 Girls were beaten 1-4 at home by Ruislip Rangers. Despite the result, this was a strong game for the Dragons who came out to score the first goal against the league favourites. The eventual score line was not reflective of the Dragons gargantuan efforts.
The Under 12 Girls were beaten away at Alexandra Park. It turned out to be a difficult week for the Dragons who were short on players. Despite starting with 8 on field the Dragons gave 100% right to the end.
The Firsts were narrowly beaten 2-3 by Larkspur Rovers at home. Hard work on the Dragons defensive shape was working well before an individual error gave Larkspur the lead. The Dragons struggled to get back into the game but did pull back a goal before being awarded a late penalty but alas the final whistle then blew.
The Blues just lost 3-4 away to West London Wanderers. In another multi-goal game, the Blues drove hard to explore the weaknesses of their local rivals. The hard work in training paid off but there remain challenges for the Dragons to address.
The Old Dragonians lost 5-7 to London Samurai Rovers away an incredible, thriller of a match which may be a league record. The Dragons found themselves 0- 3 down in the first 20 mins and then as the game progressed 2-4 down. They showed great fighting spirit to bring the game back to 5-5 with 15 mins left, only to be beaten by 2 well-taken set pieces by Samurai.
The Under 10s trained in preparation for entering the League.