How did that happen?

Comberton vs Coton is always a good and tense match. Last Saturday it was the second match of a cup fixture and Coton travelled to Comberton with a 2-1 goal lead. The Comberton team was missing two good players and the odds were therefore with the Coton side.

Indeed Coton started very well. Excellent football. Pass and move. Comberton was boxed into their half for a large part of the first half of the game. However, Comberton were solid in defence and worked really hard, while the Coton side was producing elegant football, but unfortunately no goals.

The Coton good spell did not extend beyond the end of the first half. Comberton grew stronger and stronger and the Coton game broke down a bit, became scrappy, with more mistakes than in the first half, and at times predictable and naive. Loss of concentration? Tiredness? Maybe both.

I am happy to see that we can play really good football, even if for half of the match. We shall learn how to play well for longer and longer and the goals will certainly come back

Despite the "slight" decline in the quality of play, Coton retained its usual ability to defend and close down most spaces. Coton was not set up defensively at all. However sometimes it happens that a team just cannot knock it in or does not find a way to create chances. When that happens, a good team should be able not to concede goals. Given the way the team had been set up tactically, the game could and should have cruised to a final 0-0 that would have allowed Coton to go through in the cup.

In fact, despite Comberton continued to push, it was never too much of a threat. I really admire the resolve and determination of both teams. They fought hard and never gave up to frustration or tiredness.

Then towards the middle of the second half, Comberton had a free kick not far from the midfield line. Coton naively did not even attempt to make a wall. The ball skidded towards, and very surprisingly given the distance, past the Coton goalkeeper and the overall score was leveled. I know that sxxx happens, but one should not concede a goal like that! As Jose Mourigno once said when his team (Inter Milan) lost against Catania in a match where they did nothing right:"you only see these mistakes in children's football!!". He is wrong. I would say: "you should only see these mistakes in U8 football!"

A golden chance for each team in the final minutes and then an uneventful extra time, with both teams playing very cautiously.

The game went to a nail biting penalty shootout. The Comberton players kept a cool head and shot their penalties low and at moderate pace with the Coton goalkeeper unable to even attempt a save or dive. The first 3 Comberton penalties were scored. The Coton penalty takers were not as cool and shot hard and high. The first kick hit the crossbar and the other 2 were saved by the keeper. So at the end the team who was sharper won what was a very enjoyable and balanced couple of cup games.

It was good football, played in a friendly and sporting environment, between two nice teams that play fair and respect each other. What else do we want? I feel happy.................................until I think about that free kick!

Well done to both teams and thanks to parents and spectators for their kind support.

We win one, we lose one!!

The last two matches were really good. We played Comberton at home and Cambridge Celts away. Excellent youth football, with top marks to all the teams for attitude, fairness and effort. This is really what the sport should be.

The Comberton match was the first leg of a cup fixture and it was important to be cautious and not concede too many goals, especially away goals. Coton started strong and was a good match for the Comberton team who had its full complement of strong players on the pitch. Coton did not concede a lot in the first half and scored twice to go 2-0 up at the half time break. Maybe confidence in the changing room was too high at half time and the beginning of the second half was dominated by the away team who had lots of chances and was unlucky not to score more profusely. Coton lost momentum, conceded a goal and after that never really got on top of their game again. However, the match was won with a final score of 2-1 and this is an excellent result! We shall go to Comberton with a one goal advantage but with the slight burden of having conceded an away goal. The return match will be fun!

Cambridge Celts are a really strong team. And on the day we were not bad either! I am very happy of how much "my boys" are improving match after match. Really happy

I think that both teams played very well but the smarter and more clinical one won. In any match, in any sport and at any level chances are created. The team that capitalises on the other team's mistakes is the one that wins. For the first 20 minutes Coton played better than CC and was in control. However, we could not score. Perhaps due to the fact that we were a bit light in front? Or maybe because they have a really tough defence? Perhaps a bit of both. When I thought that we had them under control, their left winger had a shot despite he was double marked by two of our players and scored, with William that did not really move, perhaps not expecting the shot. The first half was tight and finished 1-0 for Cambridge Celts. The second half was a bit more open. We started to go forwards more and this opened us to their attacks. We created many chances (and so did they) but apart from one unlucky header we were clumsy when taking that final shot or attempting that final pass. Then another mistake of the whole of the defensive compartment, and they took their chance and scored. Basically the difference between the two teams was that they made the most of their chances and we did not. It happens in sport. Therefore the final score was 2-0 for them. Perhaps the best team won, but we shall try to do better next time we play them. Well done Coton and well done CC.

One of those days!!

Today was one of those days when things did not go well for us. You played well, but unfortunately we could not get a result against Gamlingay. The match also reinforced my views that Gamlingay is the stronger team that I have seen so far.

Maybe we played slightly too defensively for most of the game and I take responsibility for that. I thought that we could contain them and hit them with vertical passes to Oliver. We knew that they were very good at dribbling past us and therefore I was trying to keep two defensive lines in front of them. Unfortunately, they were excellent at stopping the delivery of those passes and we were not quick enough at getting that ball through to Ollie. Everything else you did well and I am happy with the way you played. I still think that it was the right way to play, because we did not concede a lot.

What really determined the result was the fact that we conceded a soft goal and that they scored a second goal that, in my opinion, was flawed. William told me that he had the ball kicked away from his hands and what he said confirmed the impression that I had from my viewpoint on the touchline. That should have been a free kick for us. But the ref did not see it and therefore ........that is life and we have to accept it. This put us two goals behind with a mountain to climb and also determined the way we had to play the last five minutes of the game when we conceded 2 more goal. As I said, we had a 2-0 "mountain" in front of us and so we started to climb with effort and determination

We managed to score in the second half and go 2-1. If it had happened a bit earlier in the game we would have kept our shape and would have patiently tried to get another one. But so late in the match, as decided together at half time, we had to have a desperate attempt and commit everybody forwards. And they got us on the break twice, also due to our tired legs. They had 4 subs and we had only 1, and this makes a huge difference in the late part of a fast match like today.

So 2-1 or 4-1 does not really matter and makes no difference. What matters is that we are improving all the time

Well done to you all and to the Gamlingay team.

Coton - Gamilgay A 1-1. A well fought match and a well deserved draw

Today it was tough. Players, coaches, parents and the whole of Coton FC should feel pleased and proud.

Gamlingay A are one of the best teams that we have ever played. They were fast, skilfull, well organised, big and strong and with an incredibly sturdy defence and a quick midfield ready to get in first on every ball.

After a few minutes it looked as if Gamlingay were going to dominate and we got a bit squashed into our half. Getting out of defence was a struggle, and they started to be a bit too dangerous for my liking. Our defence did what they could to counteract their action, but at times were not assisted by the midfield that was letting far too much through. After Gamlingay had a few chances that were brilliantly saved by William, Coton woke up and the remaining 15 minutes of the first half were very well fought and well balanced. I think that the problem in the first 15 minutes was that the pace of the game was too high. Owen and I suggested to slow it down a bit and the team responded well. Coton managed to move the game more towards midfield, the double marking started to work better and we were filtering their game not exposing the defenders too much, but instead allowing them to mop up whatever was coming through. So, as we said many times, and reiterated before the match, the pressure at midfield does the trick against strong teams. Coton also started to play the ball with more confidence and to go forwards and have some chances. This was not easy because the other team was conceding little space and virtually no time on the ball. The rest of the first half was nice to watch and really balanced. The first half ended 0-0.

After the break the game started at a slow pace. Nice for us, since they had 5 subs and we only had one! We were the better team for the first 5-7 minutes and then we tried to go forwards too much. We left a slight gap in midfield and they started to get in again! Gamlingay scored a fantastic goal that arrived like a cold shower, but was somewhat expected because in that particular moment of the game we were conceding too much space and time. And when I say too much space and time I mean a foot and a fraction of a second. Against such fast teams that is too much.

After the goal Coton was brilliant. The boys kept their heads up and never stopped to believe that the could get back into the game. This reaction made me and Owen really happy, regardless of the result. It showed character, self belief and willingness to fight to the end. Coton started to create chances and we had a shot that went just wide from close distance and a through ball that could not be put in the back of the net because their GK came out very quickly and closed the angle. A few more chances and then....................... a perfect corner. The cross came into the box soft and high and, after some good team movement in the box, a Coton head brilliantly met it and ........the net bulged! The team really deserved it. That goal was a team achievement like the rest of the performance.

After the goal Gamlingay started to hammer us again. But the only dangerous balls were coming from corners that were actually well defended and from long shots that are no problem for Will who was flying right and left to stop and deflect everything that came his way no matter how hard or angled the balls were.

In the last 10 minutes we managed to keep Gamlingay away from Will in the middle and push the game wide. The only thing that we need to avoid is letting the other team have shots, even from long distance, because there is always that unlucky deflection that can fool any GK. So we need to concentrate more on the blocks at rear midfield.

The final whistle sealed the game and was probably welcomed by both teams. It could have gone either way and neither team really deserved to lose it in the last few minutes. Both teams played strongly but fairly. Gamlingay were perhaps faster at getting the ball, but Coton was solid in all compartments. Conceding only one goal to such a strong opposition required a real team effort. Everybody worked for the team to the best of his current fitness and ability and we got a good result. Also, I hope that we learnt one or two things.................some of which perhaps had already been mentioned in training a "few" times.

Enjoy your win. You were great. But remember, you have the potential to get a lot better and this makes training interesting, even when the drills seem to be boring. See you all at training.

Comberton 0 Coton Cosmos 1. A good away victory after a well fought match

A good match today. Players and coaches really enjoyed it and I hope that Comberton had a good time too. We started the match with only 7 players, one less than the Comberton team due to the absence of Josh and Charlie who could not play on the day. We knew it would be rather hard, because Comberton are a good team.

We decided to keep the team very short and to keep the game at midfield. We had played one man down before this season and we had failed to do so. But today it was pure perfection. Well done my boys! You were a great bunch. We created chances from the very beginning and it appeared as if Comberton were not too much of a worry for William's goal. We kept our shape and discipline and eventually we scored a fantastic goal. This shook Comberton, but our disciplined defending and our speed at closing down, double marking and tackling contained the Comberton attacks. So we cruised through the rest of the first half safely. It was interesting to see that we were double marking and playing with a sweeper (good Italian style!) despite we were one man down. This is due to the improving level of fitness and all the boring drills that we do in training

As I always tell you, the first ten minutes of the second half are usually the most dangerous time, when the other team is good and they are just one goal behind. This is the time when they have had a chat with their coach, they have had a rest and they will throw at you everything they have. Comberton also made a clever tactical move. They swapped goalkeepers and put Harry in defense on the left with the view of him pushing forwards on Paolo's and Nick's side. So they could use the extra man and attack us on the right with Sam and on the left with Harry and with their other winger thus trying to open up our defense in the middle. Our countermeasures proved to be appropriate and we managed to contain them for a good spell of the second half. Then Harry unfortunately got injured towards the middle of the second half and we went 7 against 7. For a moment Comberton became even more dangerous (or maybe we all relaxed a bit too much!), but then the game balanced out again and both teams enjoyed the rest of the game. Coton had lots of chances and we were unlucky not to score another couple of goals. Comberton had a couple of chances too, but William, who managed to stay awake despite the inactivity was ready for them. At the end of the match Will came to me and said that for him it was a good game "to watch". Maybe he did not appreaciate how important he was at some crucial moments.

So well done everybody. Enjoy your win and thanks for a great day of youth football. Let's hope we have a full team next week.

Aztecs-Coton 0-4. We won, and we had good spells but we need to play a bit better

Aztecs are a very good and fast team and gave us a good game.

I do not have much to say about Coton's performance today. It looked as if we were watching the Italian national team. They do not always play well, but they win because they are well organised. We looked a bit slow and determination was not always there. Too many mistakes, no moving the ball around, insufficient communication etc.

There were good spells too and we need to concentrate on what we did well and do it for longer.

Enjoy the win. I cannot say that it was fully deserved, but everybody can have a difficult day. When this still yields a good score, then one must not complain too much.

We did what we could, but could we have done it a bit better?

Today we played against a very good, fast and fair Hundon side with only 7 of our players. We lost 3-1 which is not a disaster score given the circumstances and quality of the opposition.

This match was rescheduled by the Minileague who gave us short notice (within the rules though) and a series of circumstances conjured against us. In fact, Ryan was away for family reasons and Josh was not well and unable to play on the day. It also became clear that some muscular problems were troubling Bobby who could only play at half pace and could not kick the ball efficiently. So we basically played with 6 1/2 of our players.

We decided to play the match anyway and to try to enjoy it. The plan was to keep the team even shorter than usual and to reduce the space between players. Unfortunately, we did not do this well at all. Instead, we tried to stretch too much and occupy the whole pitch. Oliver was forced to stretch too much forwards (thus big gap in central midfield). Paolo had to take the goal kicks because of Bobby's leg problems (leaving a big gap in right midfield). Therefore, when we had the ball, our players were always isolated and could not do much with it. Hundon could easily double mark. Also, our defending was out of shape and really poor. I do not mean the defenders, I mean the whole process of defending and getting on the ball first. Basically, we were letting the other team win the ball and then we were trying to do something about it. WRONG! This can work against slower teams who pause when they get the ball and do not play it well thus losing it to us promptly. Hundon were quick and skilfull and every time they won the ball they had us chasing all over the pitch. We discussed this during the last season, and again today, so it WILL NOT happen again. I appreciate the difficult situation on the pitch, but I wished we had tried a bit better. I am sure that this was just fault of tired legs and not having time to get our breath back. I hope that it was not due to us being too soft and not determined enough. If determination is lacking, we may all quit football and take up a slow paced game, like chess for example.

In the first half we conceded a very soft goal on a corner that none of us even attempted to head away. Believe me, if we do not head it quick, and just watch the ball and wait, the other team will put it in the back of the net every time. And so they did. This was followed by another soft goal, where ball-watching was the favourite past time of the Coton players. After that, many more chances followed and William was a star.

The beginning of the second half was better, but we were still letting them get onto the ball first and we were watching too much. It is that split second that makes the difference. If you get in first, you gain possession and play it. If they get in first, they gain possession and if they can play the ball like Hundon did extremely well, we chase and chase and chase. We scored a good goal and we had a few more chances. Maybe we could have equalised and a few chances were missed. But legs were getting tired by then. Their third goal sort of killed it.

It could have been possible to do better with the score if we had not conceded those 3 soft goals. But, as I said the score was not bad at all given the circumstances and you did well on the day. What we could have done better was to keep our shape and have a lot more determination.

So, what is my conclusion? I am happy that we had a match from which we can learn a lot. The situation was impossible and, although we did not manage it the best we could, we still had a decent outcome. It was a very good experience. Difficult situations forge great men (and great boys). So, after all, well done my young tigers. I hope you enjoyed playing and we shall have lots of fun next week. But please.............................get in first and.....................head it away when defending corner kicks!! This is what you will practice in training for several weeks from now.