First Team U13 v Heath Mount Edge Grove 1 Heath Mount 2
An agonising end to an entertaining match. Both teams showed their intent through hard tackles, good passing and close chances. Heath Mount did start as the more dangerous side with some good interlink play to create good opportunities but the Edge Grove defence of Luke, Dami and Isaac stayed strong, in particular Niky in goal with some fine saves. EG did come back into the game though and with the scores level at half time it was the home side who struck first after Nefe rounded the keeper with a good piece of skill. Throughout the game we played some lovely football through the midfield from Niccolo, Caitlin and Albert creating good counter attacking opportunities. Unfortunately with fatigue setting in both sides started to rely on long balls and breakaways, with HM able to level the scores. A frantic end to the game saw HM take the win with a scrappy goal in the last 30 seconds. A fine performance but we will need to look at how we control the game in the dying minutes in the future.
Second Team U13 v Heath Mount Edge Grove 3 Heath Mount 0 The 2nd team put in a much-improved performance this week, comfortably beating Heath Mount by 3 goals to nil. The first goal came after just six minutes, followed closely by the second just 4 minutes later. All aspects of the performance were commendable, with all players linking up and communicating effectively throughout the match. Oliver C put in a sturdy performance in defence, comfortably clearing any long or through ball played by Heath Mount. Henri H and Lir cooperated well in attack, causing problems for the away side throughout the game. In goal, Tobi was left with little to do (due to a strong defence) but was in total control, maintaining a clean sheet, thanks to a spectacular diving save in the closing moments of the game. The team will look to build on this performance next week, taking away what they have learnt in terms of communication. Third Team U13 v Heath Mount Edge Grove 1 Heath Mount 6
Although a disappointing final score there were many good things to pick out of the match against Heath Mount. The boys continued to dig deep throughout the match, not letting their heads go down and came back with a fantastic second half performance, actually winning the second half 1-0. Standout performances this week were Karsten for a fantastic goal that was finally achieved for our team after so many previous attempts! Secondly, Evan who made some great defensive clearances and got us out of a few tight spots and Arthur who showed great leadership, determination and resilience as captain. The focus next week will be on shooting making sure that this is powerful and on target.
Colts A v St Columba's Edge Grove 0 St Columba's 3
Edge Grove faced a tough game against a strong St Columba's team who moved the ball around nicely from the outset. We went behind 1-0 to a sharp finish and really applied ourselves well to get back into the game. Phoebe was strong in defence and matched up well against the opposition striker. Noam played well and was strong on the ball. Ben was resilient and never stopped trying. Marli made several timely interceptions and was great at the back. We created several chances but went a second goal down as St Columbas played an excellent through ball and one touch finish. In the end we switched off at a corner and allowed a third goal. Good game to see where we are at and several lessons learnt for the boys to improve in the future.
Colts B v St Columba's Edge Grove 4 St Columba’s 1
Another hat-trick for the Colts B with Zak M repeating the achievement this week however the entire team must again be congratulated on a great team effort and good game of football.
Colts C v St Columba's Edge Grove 1 St Columba’s 0
This was an excellent game of football with both teams passing the ball quickly and to players in space which created a number of goal scoring opportunities. All of the Edge Grove boys and girls worked extremely hard and made valued contributions. Robert C was excellent in goal with Brodie, Alex P and Natty being solid in defence. Natty did particularly well, reading the game well and making a number of crucial tackles. Harry B, Taylor, Darcey and Imeth were very strong in midfield and up front, passing the ball effectively and linking up really well. Well done to all.
Colts D v St Columba's Edge Grove 5 St Columba’s 0
The boys started off quickly and scored 3 goals in the first 10 minutes with Joseph and James linking well. The team all continued to play good football and ran out deserved winners.
Colts E v Heath Mount/ St Columba’s/ Edge Grove Football Festival Game 1 v St Columba’s 2’s Edge Grove 0 St Columba’s 2’s 0
The team started slowly, however in the 2nd half began putting together some passes and building a solid game structure. The defence was solid. Unfortunately they were not able to finish and the game ended in a draw.
Game 2 v St Columba’s 1’s Edge Grove 2 St Columba’s 1’s 0
The progress from game 1 could be immediately seen from the kick off. Defence was once again solid, the interplay between the players resulted in the back of the opposition net being found on two occasions. A really great team effort which was enthusiastically cheered on by the Edge Grove parents. Oliver and Aiden scored goals.
Game 3 v Heath Mount Edge Grove 1 Heath Mount 0
The game against the host school was the best performance of the day. Xander and Koby were creative and a handful for the opposition defence. Oliver Fraser scored a wonderful team goal in the 2nd half.
Edge Grove remained the only unbeaten team, not conceding a single goal. Well led by Samuel.
Colts F v Heath Mount/ St Columba’s/ Edge Grove Football Festival Edge Grove 1 St Columba’s 0 Edge Grove 2 Heath Mount 1
The hard work the children have put in on the training pitch was put to good use in both our matches and resulted in two well deserved wins. Each player should be proud of their achievements on the pitch at Heath Mount. The boys were passing well and looking for space at the right times. They chased the ball when they lost possession and never gave the opposition time to breathe, always looking to press and find openings in the defence. Bolu, supported by the team, produced two goals and our captain Devan also scored with a freekick which James Ward-Prowse himself would be proud to have taken!
Colts G v Heath Mount/ St Columba’s/ Edge Grove Football Festival Edge Grove 2 St Columba’s 0 Edge Grove 0 Heath Mount 1
The boys played really well, demonstrating some skills in defence, goalkeeping and passing. The boys lost focus in the first half and started arguing with each other; however after a good half time team talk they played really well during the second half of the first match. For the second match against Heath Mount, their passing was much better and they had taken some initiative in terms of positions based on how they felt they had performed in the previous match. Heath Mount scored against them as they were really organised as a team, however, Edge Grove remained positive and played well.
U9 Football Festival (away) Mr Dippenaar v Heath Mount / Locker's Park / Westbrook Hay / Edge Grove Game 1 v Heath Mount Edge Grove 0 Heath Mount 1
Playing the host school, Edge Grove conceded an early goal against a very well organised opposition. However, Edge Grove quickly settled down and played some great football. John and Ishaq, supported by captain Freddie were solid in defence. The forwards had a couple of opportunities in the 2nd half, but were unable to equalise. Nathaniel demonstrated some great turns of speed on attack and defence. Keeper Oliver was outstanding.
Game 2 v Locker Park Edge Grove 4 Locker's Park 0
Edge Grove was on fire. The team played their best football of the season. Leading the charge was Tommaso who scored a superb hat-trick, with Nathaniel also finding the back of the net. The defence and keeper were once again solid, allowing the mid field and striker to build a solid foundation.
Game 3 v Westbrook Hay Edge Grove 1 Westbrook Hay 1
A very frustrating match. After the high of the previous game, Edge Grove were only able to achieve a draw. Tommaso scored a wonderful individual goal, with Ethan and Nathaniel unluckily missing out on numerous scoring opportunities.
In summary, Edge Grove showed tremendous improvement both as a team and as individuals. This season promises to be an exciting journey.
U9 Football Festival (away) Mrs Massey: Heath Mount / Locker's Park / Westbrook Hay / Edge Grove Edge Grove 0 Heath Mount 0 Edge Grove 5 Locker's Park 0 Edge Grove 1 Westbrook Hay 0
Edge Grove took a few minutes to get into the game but once they started to focus they made some great passes and worked well as a team. The top goal scorer was Daniel with three goals, one of which was particularly impressive. Henry, Elliott and Atlas also scored a goal each. Niam, Nathaniel, Ayush and Alex provided excellent support in their positions which varied throughout the matches to give the children a change. Overall, the boys played well and showed determination and enthusiasm.
U9 Football Festival (Home) Mr Wallis: Heath Mount / Lockers Park / Westbrook Hay / Edge Grove Edge Grove 0 Westbrook Hay 0 Edge Grove 3 Lockers Park 0 Edge Grove 5 Heath Mount 2
A lovely afternoon of football in the sunshine with a high quality of enjoyable football throughout. Edge Grove started a little passive in the first game as they got used to playing together with their teammates. Despite both teams getting more into the game later on and creating a number of chances the game ended goalless. The second game saw Edge Grove come alive with some lovely passes into space, creative skills to beat a defender and solid tackles when needed. Some impressive team goals saw a comfortable win. The last game started at a high pace with Heath Mount scoring very quickly. However we reacted brilliantly and quickly took the lead through some well worked team goals. Edge Grove never looked back from there and their continuous pressure and passing into space created some great goals.
Special mention to all the players today for a fantastic effort: Shadmehr for his effort in the goal, Orion for his defensive ferocity, Rafael for his outstanding fitness and strength throughout the day, Aydin for his key passing, Arksh for his impressive skills and passing into space and Monte and Jamaal for their tireless attacking presence which created a number of goals.
U8 v Heath Mount
We took all our Year 3 footballers across to Heath Mount for our first match of the season. It was a great afternoon of football although it was obvious that Heath Mount had played a fixture the week before as all of their teams got into the games a lot quicker than the Edge Grove teams. We grew in confidence as the matches wore on and our passing and positional play did improve which was the most important thing. Heath Mount did prove to be a bit too strong for us and won all of the matches however we did learn a lot and we will hopefully take this into our next matches.
U11A v Heath Mount Edge Grove 3 Heath Mount 0
The U11A were matched up against Heath Mount and played exceedingly well. This was present upon the day Wednesday 28th September 2022. Due to player availability EG A team were playing against Heath Mount A team in one half of the match and against their B team in the second half. Heath Mount A team got the better of us in the first half, scoring 2 goals. Roma was amazing in goal, stopping numerous shots on goal.
It was a different story in the second half, Edge Grove won 3-0 and also gained an extra goal in the third quarter but Heath Mount also scored a lucky shot just at the end of the third quarter with about two minutes to spare. In the last quarter our score was boosted up by one, winning 5-1!
Everyone was exhausted especially when considering they had four teams and we only had two. The teachers were astonished looking in awe at our wonderful girls playing. These girls have worked so hard to win both of their matches so they were rewarded with sausage rolls or fruit with a drink as their well deserved match tea.
Well done Edge Grove! Good luck in your next match!
U11B v Heath Mount
We played four 10 minute quarters in this match as Heath Mount had two teams. In the first quarter we came out very strong and scored 3 strong goals. Our second we were struggling to get the ball out to our wings which meant that Heath Mount were able to intercept the ball quickly and score a goal. In the third and fourth quarter despite Edge Grove getting tired we worked well as a team and were finding space on the pitch meaning we scored a further four goals. Heath Mount were able to break through our defence a number of times and scored a further 2 goals in the last quarter. A good game from us but we need to be using our wings a lot more and finding more space on the pitch.
U10A v Heath Mount
The team came out strong and played with energy and determination against a strong Heath Mount side. They used the space on the pitch well and held their positions providing many opportunities for passing. The team took full advantage of having no goalies and made several attempts on goal, most of which were successful. This, coupled with excellent defending meant a high scoring game with no goals scored against us.
The players were adaptable and responded well to switching positions, strengthening their ability to play anywhere on the pitch. Congratulations to the whole team who worked tirelessly and flexibly all match.
U10B v Heath Mount
For the first game of the season, the team showed their hockey potential of good skills throughout the game. Although the game started slow, the girls really worked hard together as a team to find space and clear passes. They continued to develop their skills and team tactics after each quarter that provided the opportunity of a few goal chances and 0-0 in the final quarter. A positive start for the team and one to improve for matches to come.
U9 A + B v Heath Mount The girls faced a very strong opposition today. It was a tough match which they fought well, improving steadily throughout the afternoon, responding well to coaching from the sidelines and not letting their heads drop when scored against. There was lots to learn, most notably going in for tackles and doing so strongly, sticks down, knees bent. Also, getting our bodies between the opposition and the goal in order to be facing the right way and be able to distribute the ball out wide quickly without having to get our feet round. A productive afternoon, not in goal scoring but learning what we can do to improve in certain areas.
U9 C + D v Heath Mount The girls all played a fantastic game in the sunshine this afternoon. Although Heath Mount proved to be a strong opposition, the teams worked hard on improving the accuracy of their passing, as well as the effectiveness of their marking. The team played with high spirits and although they did not win every match, they certainly learnt new skills. The D team in particular must be commended for how maturely they took on advice and used it to further improve their play.
The year 3 girls were extremely lucky to play a mini 5 a side tournament v Heath Mount on Thursday. With spirits high all three of our teams went out with high enthusiasm and played their first match of the season. With great movement and determination the three teams played well and listened to each other. I look forward to reflecting on what worked well and what we need to progress on during our next hockey lesson. Well done girls.
