10/03/2008 - Under 8's v Holsworthy

After a rather long mid-winter break, our Under 8s return to action at Holsworthy on Sunday 16th March, 11 a.m. kick-off. They will have a busy morning, with scheduled matches against Lifton, Southgate, Bideford Blues and Appledore. Please come along and support them; these are the players that will be keeping the Morwenstow flag flying at the senior level in ten years' time. And if that doesn't tempt you, it's worth noting that Holsworthy provide bacon butties par excellence!!

Dave Salisbury

25/11/2007 - Morwenstow v Lifton & Holsworthy

Today (25th November) our Under 8's made the trip to Lifton for another three-team tournament. We had a few of our regular players missing, so had just the bare seven needed. First up was a match against the hosts, Lifton, and our lads made a storming start. Within a couple of minutes, captain Ryan Thomas led by example and put us one up. Not to be outdone by his cousin, Bradley Thomas then used his electrifying pace to net another couple of goals. 3-0 up within six minutes and it looked like we were in for an embarrassingly easy victory. However, Lifton woke up and started to play some nice football. A goal just before half time showed they were going to make a game of it. The second half was fairly even, but then Callum Young had a "Scott Carson moment", the only mistake he made all day, and it was 3-2. Thankfully we hung on to the final whistle for a deserved victory.

Next up was Holsworthy, and we were determined to avenge our last meeting where we totally dominated but lost 1-0. But there was a definite deja vu feeling about the match as we just didn't seem to get the run of the ball. Almost inevitably, Holsworthy took the lead midway through the first half with a disputed goal. Our lads showed true spirit in the second half by pushing on for an equaliser. For a while it seemed that again it just wasn't going to happen, but with three minutes to go Bradley Thomas was put through for a one-on-one with the Holsworthy keeper and cooled slotted the ball in the corner of the net for a deserved equaliser. Our lads were very tired by now and 1-1 was probably a fair result.

The final match saw Lifton beat Holsworthy 2-1, the match being settled midway through the second half by a rather lucky goal for Lifton.

Callum Young, apart from the one mistake, had another good day's goalkeeping. The defence of Fraser Salisbury and Callum Vivian looked as solid as ever, with Callum again putting in an exceptional performance. Our midfield trio of Ryan Thomas, Bradley Thomas and Shaun Hoare are rightly feared whenever they play. Tough tackling, non-stop running and an eye for goal are what you look for, and these three have it in abundance. Kieran Jeffery, as our lone striker, improved throughout the day as he became more accustomed to playing in that position, and will get stronger as he gains confidence.

No more matches until the new year, but Tuesday nights' training sessions will continue. A special mention must also go to Ashley Harris who is doing a superb job in coaching the lads.

04/11/2007 - Morwenstow v Holsworthy and Bude

Sunday 4th November saw the second block of matches in this season's Kingsley Youth League for Under-8's at Holsworthy. Again the opponents were Holsworthy and Bude.

Our first match saw us totally dominate Holsworthy but we were unable score thanks, in part, to some excellent saves by the Holsworthy keeper. At the other end, the only thing our keeper, Callum Young, had to do was pick the ball out of the back of the net from a disputed free kick. So, a 1 - 0 defeat by Holsworthy was the crazy outcome to a game we should have won comfortably.

Next match was against Bude, and we knew that would be harder. Bude deservedly went in at half time one goal up, and it looked like it just wasn't going to be our day. However, the Morwenstow lads suddenly clicked in the second half and played the best football of their careers so far. With Callum Vivian and Fraser Salisbury looking very assured in defence, and cousins Ryan and Bradley Thomas prepared to run themselves into the ground, the game took a quite different shape. The late withdrawal of Henry Lumley and Jason Heard due to near exhaustion, and the introduction of Ben Meaker and Kieran Jeffery up front, reaped immediate benefits in enabling Ryan Thomas to go on one of his mesmerising runs, finished by thumping the ball into the net. 1 - 1 and we pushed hard for the winner in the last few minutes, but it was not to be.

In the final match, Bude did to Holsworthy what we should have done, and ran out 3 - 0 victors.

An excellent morning's football, and if we can build on that second half performance against Bude, then we can beat anybody!!!

All players who played on the day are mentioned in the report. Our captain was Ryan Thomas.

17/10/2007 - Morwenstow v Holsworthy and Bude

Last Sunday, our Under-8's team made their debut in the Kingsley Youth League. Three teams were involved - us, Holsworthy and Bude (late replacements for Southgate). The first match saw us play Holsworthy and goals from Ben Meaker and Ryan Thomas (2) gave us a comfortable 3 - 0 victory. Next up was Bude v. Holsworthy, and the 3 - 1 victory for Bude showed us they would be tougher opponents than in the friendly matches a few weeks ago.

And so it proved. A very even match was tipped in favour of Bude when they opened the scoring in the first half. The second half saw Morwenstow push hard for the equalizer, but several good chances were missed or saved by Bude's excellent goalkeeper, and so the score remained 1 - 0 to Bude at the final whistle. We certainly felt hard done by, but there will be opportunities for revenge in a few weeks' time.

A special mention must go to one of the finds of the season so far. Callum Vivian came on as sub against Holsworthy, and very quickly demonstrated outstanding defensive qualities. He's a year younger than most of the lads and is one of our smaller players, but more than makes up for it with his tenacity and good ball sense.

The full squad for these matches was:

Ryan Thomas (capt.)
Bradley Thomas
Shaun Hoare
Fraser Salisbury
Callum Young
Henry Lumley
Matthew Cleave
James Cross
Kieran Jeffery
Ben Meaker
Callum Vivian

07/10/2007 - Fixtures

Fixtures:

Sunday 14 October – 10.30 a.m. kick-off – at Morwenstow

v. Holsworthy,      v. Southgate

·  be at the ground by 10.00 a.m.

·  shirts and shorts provided

·  you will need boots, socks, shin guards, a jacket and a drink

Sunday 4 November – at Holsworthy

v. Holsworthy,      v. Appledore,      v. Bude

Sunday 21 November – at Bude

v. Appledore,      v. Bude,               v. Bideford Blues

Further fixtures will be arranged in the New Year.

Notes:

·  Match subs will be £1.00 per player per session.

·  Washing of the kit will be organised on a rota basis.

07/10/2007 - Code of Conduct

Parents & spectators

09/09/2007 - Morwenstow v Bude

Our Under-8’s team started their football career in sensational fashion. In front of a crowd larger than the senior first team normally attract, they played two friendly matches against Bude on 9th September.

The first match started rather haphazardly with everybody chasing the ball everywhere!! Nevertheless Morwenstow gradually stamped their authority on the game and were rewarded when Henry Lumley hammered in a free kick off the post. Further goals from Ryan Thomas (2) and Kieran Jeffery enabled us to run out 4–1 winners.

A few changes were made for the second game, and this one was rather more in the balance. Nevertheless, some excellent goalkeeping from Callum Young and two further goals from ‘goal machine’ Ryan Thomas put us firmly in the driving seat. The final goal by Bradley Thomas was probably the most deserved of the day. Bradley had run himself into the ground all morning and a goal was just reward for his efforts. Final score was 3-1.

Both teams will doubtless improve for the experience, and Bude will be stronger next time, as they had a few players missing. Nevertheless Morwenstow are blessed with a number of talented footballers in this age group and when they learn to play more as a team and develop tactically, they will be no-one’s pushovers.

The full squad:
Matthew Cleave
James Cross
Jason Heard
Shaun Hoare
Kieran Jeffery
Ross Lloyd (did not play – injured in the warm-up)
Ben Meaker
George Poole (did not play – unavailable)
Fraser Salisbury
Bradley Thomas
Ryan Thomas (captain)
Callum Young

06/09/2007 - Under 8's First ever match

The Under-8's are playing their first ever match on Sunday (9th Sept) morning in a friendly against Bude. Great things are expected, especially from the blonde midfield general who has the surname Salisbury !!!!

Thanks for the update from Mr D Salisbury - I wonder who the midfield general may be then!

02/08/2007 - Under 8's - 2007/08

This will be our entry-level team in the Kingsley Youth League next season. We think we have just about enough players to put in a team, and one or two of them will definitely develop into very competent footballers.

02/08/2007 - 2007/08 - General Juniors Update

Unfortunately, it is rare for Morwenstow’s youth teams to emulate the success of the senior teams. Quite simply there aren’t enough kids in the parish, at any particular age group, to sustain a challenge to our larger neighbours, primarily Bude and Holsworthy. Nevertheless, our excellent facilities, committed coaching staff and renowned community spirit, mean that we attract many children from neighbouring villages. Our philosophy is to provide a safe, healthy and friendly environment within which the children can play football and develop their skills. Winning is nice, and we do occasionally, but that is very much secondary to the kids enjoying themselves. We are proud to be an FA Charter Standard Club and fully endorse the FA’s Child Protection and Equality policies. Anyone wanting to find out more should phone the Youth Section Co-ordinator, Dave Salisbury, on 01288 331212, or contact him by e-mail on daveforce9{at}aol.com.