Match report : AFC Totton v Christchurch U18’s
16th November 2008

Result 1-3
scorers J Bernard, K White, L Horder.

In only our 2nd league game of the season Xchurch recorded a fine 3-1 victory after a goalless 1st half.
We started the game with a crisp flowing 5 man movement straight from the kick off which left Sam Griffin through on the keeper but his shot was safely gathered by the Stags keeper.
Totton then forced 2 good openings one of which resulted in an excellent save from the impressive Joe Prodomo.
In a game that was going from end to end we went very close to opening the scoring with good efforts from Lewis Horder & Elliot Peck who were giving Totton’s backline a torrid time with their pace and power.
Joe Proctor then tested the keeper with a rasping drive and a towering header in the 41st minute.

HT 0-0

We again opened the half with us pressing hard to open the scoring and our persistence paid off when after 3 goal bound shots had been blocked in quick succession we won a corner from which Jacques Bernard scored curling the ball into the net after Harry Jeffries distracted the keeper with a near post dart!
We then added a 2nd goal with Kingsley White finishing from 6 yards after a sweeping move which involved 7 players in the build up play.
Sensing a rout Lewis Horder then finished with aplomb after Ben Dickenson had hit the bar from 25 yards.
Totton however, to their credit refused to lie down and were rewarded with a goal from a good passage of play.
Both teams continued to play good attacking football without either side adding to the final score line.

FT AFC Totton 1 Christchurch 3

Sunday 30th March
AFC Portchester U18’s v Christchurch U18’s Reserves


Manager’s Tony Bernard & Neil Magookin selected the following line up…

James Collins, Karl James, Harry Jeffries, Joe Proctor, Frank Rollins, Callum Palfrey, Jacques Bernard, Kieran Goldrick, Lewis Horder, Dean Robertson, Elliot Peck

We arrived at AFC Portchester after three weeks without a game to try and strengthen our position for runners up in the league. As we made our way towards the changing rooms we could see that the pitch was clearly unplayable, with masses of water and mud filling much of the pitch. After more than a thirty-minute delay, the referee and managers had decided that the parks pitch opposite was the only solution to being able to play our match. Eventually we got underway, and in the 1st minute Harry Jeffries had a header cleared off the line from a Karl James corner. Christchurch then put a lot of pressure onto the Portchester goal and had another header cleared off the line, this time Lewis Horder was the unlucky player. It was surely only a matter of time before Christchurch took the lead, and in the 9th minute Elliot Peck took on two players and slotted the ball past the goalkeeper into the bottom left hand corner. The game was still being played at a high tempo and each team had their fair share of possession. Jeffries and Frank Rollins both had free kicks, the keeper touching one over the bar and the following going well wide. Then in the 20th minute AFC Portchester, with basically their first chance scored from a free kick just outside the box which James Collins could only palm into the net. The game was all level and soon afterwards Horder had a goal disallowed for a foul. Christchurch had the best of the half, but to no avail.

Half time: AFC Portchester U18 1 – 1 Christchurch Reserves U18

In the second half Christchurch came out strong, looking for the goal to take the lead, and in the opening few minutes of the half Jacques Bernard went close with two shots over the bar, and Peck also with a shot over. Peck again hit a right-footed shot over the bar, and at this point Christchurch couldn’t turn their dominance into a goal. Bernard connected with a Jeffries free kick but headed a yard wide of the goal, and from another Jeffries free kick Horder volleyed over from close range. Just as it seemed as though it wasn’t going to be Christchurch’s day Horder collected the ball on the edge of the area and on the turn drilled the ball into the right hand corner of the net to make it 2-1 Christchurch!! The relief on the Christchurch players’ faces was clear to see as they had made that break through. The game had calmed down now as Christchurch eased off the pressure, but with the game still in the balance AFC Portchester were only one goal away from an equaliser. So when Peck linked onto a through ball, took the ball around the goalkeeper and walked the ball into the empty net, it seemed as though, with 10 minutes to go the game had been tied up. Christchurch squandered another couple of chances in the next five minutes, but in the 85th minute, from a Jeffries back pass, James Collins hesitance to clear the ball lead to the Portchester player to intercept the ball and touch the ball into the net. Portchester grew in confidence from this opportunity to snatch a point from the game and missed a good chance from a header a minute later. Dean Robertson then went close, until Horder put the game to bed in the 89th minute after a goalmouth scramble, when the ball popped out to Horder just to touch the ball into the net. The full time whistle went and Christchurch were delighted with their hard fought victory and their chances of runners up are still very strong with a game to go!

Final score: AFC Portchester U18 2 - 4 Christchurch U18 Reserves 4

Report by Jacques Bernard

CHURCH UNDER 18’s IN CUP FINAL AS TOTTON SELF-DESTRUCT
10th February 2008


On a warm still afternoon with Hurn Bridge bathed in spring sunshine the Under 18s and their counterparts from AFC Totton met for a place in the Hampshire FA County Cup final to be held on 30th March 2008 at Fareham FC. Totton playing in their away kit of mellow pink were no doubt still smarting from their league defeat by Church seven days before and were in no mood to play second fiddle and began the game at a terrific pace. Totton were consistently first to every ball and every second ball and Church was decidedly second best. Built round the muscular uncompromising defence with both power and pace in midfield and speed and guile upfront Totton spent the first half giving a footballing lesson in passing and movement with Church chasing shadows. Clear cut chances were few and came all from Totton as the Church defence repelled wave after wave of attack. Totton were in no mood to give an inch in midfield and their raw and physical approach for a time unsettled the Church team. A dreadfully late tackle saw Harry Rolph hobble off just before half time with a serious ankle injury to take no further part in the game and the referee allowed a number of cynical lunges from both sides to go unpunished. No score at half time flattered Church and they were grateful to go in at the break on even terms. Nothing in the first half however prepared the decent crowd for the incident packed second half.

Whatever magical managerial words were said by Andy and Tim at half time clearly had no effect as within ten minutes of the restart Church fell behind to a well worked goal. Totton passed and developed the play down the left-hand side and a deep cross eluded the Church defence to fall at the feet of the Totton number 7 who tapped in from four yards. Cue scenes of Totton joy as they no doubt sensed they would go on and win the match. Worse was to follow as Totton continued to dominate and Adam Costello left the game with a recurrence of a rib injury. With twenty minutes to go there seemed no way back for Church who had no answer to the speed, tempo and combative Totton style. Totton attacked at will and only a combination of last ditch defending and wasteful chances kept the score to one. Totton were not pretty but were effective.

With fifteen minutes to go at last Church produced a move of quality, which had been so lacking up to that point. A long angled clearance from Chris Dillon found Russell Cooke’s head and his deft flick into the path of Tom Price and beyond the last defender allowed Tom to close in on goal and coolly finish low past the goalie to bring the scores level.

Totton’s concentration and discipline faltered and they began to argue with the referee whose patience to that point with the most disgraceful language directed at him from Totton players seemed endless. They began to argue with each other and argue with their management team and once their concentration began to falter their play suddenly began to look ragged and the passing movements which were so effective in the first half started to go astray. Church sensed that the tide was beginning to turn in their favour.

Church pressed forward and a series of corners put Totton under pressure. From one such corner the assistant referee spotted illegal holding in the area and called the referee over. After a short deliberation the referee pointed to the spot for a Church penalty.

Whatever semblance of discipline and self-control Totton had immediately evaporated into a tirade of disgraceful abuse towards the match officials. Players crowded round the referee and assistant referee in a disgraceful display. The management team of Totton exacerbated the problem by abusing the match officials and the referee was called over on two occasions to the Totton dug out to try and restore calm. The delay between the penalty award and the spot kick being taken was a disgraceful ten minutes of uproar. The referee to his credit remained calm and could easily have shown several red cards given the totally unacceptable conduct. Managers have a responsibility to control their players and to exercise discipline but the Totton management team seemed unwilling or unable to exert any influence over their players.

Eventually, ten minutes later, the calmest player on the pitch, Dan, put the ball on the spot and despite as much gamesmanship as Totton could muster struck the ball high to the goalkeeper’s right to give Church the lead. The kick off immediately showed that the Totton players had lost the plot and all discipline and concentration on the game had gone. Totton’s quality passing football gave way to long aimless route one football interspersed with a succession of crude fouls and yellow cards. Church did not need to play Totton any more as Totton were clearly beating themselves with their lack of discipline and concentration. A long diagonal ball into the Totton box saw Jamie jump with the goalkeeper and as the ball squirmed out of the keeper’s hands it dropped at Jamie’s feet to tap in from two yards. Totton cried foul on the goalkeeper but the assistant referee and referee waved away the further abusive protests and the goal stood.

At that point Totton were a totally different team to the slick impressive outfit that had started the game. They now kicked the ball forwards aimlessly at every opportunity and tried to press in the twelve minutes of added on time allowed by the referee for the penalty stoppage.

All Church had to do was to keep their head, retain their discipline and carry on playing and a place in the Cup Final was theirs. As gaps developed at the back for Totton another pinpoint accurate cross-field ball was played into Tom Price’s path and he skipped past the lunge of the defender to coolly slot home his second goal and Church’s fourth of the afternoon.

The real irony of the game was that Totton were by far the better team up to the equaliser and could, and probably should, have gone on to win the tie if they had kept their head and concentrated on playing football. It was so disappointing to see a total lack of discipline on the pitch destroy their chances on a day when Church were below par but had the team spirit to never give up.

The Totton management and players felt aggrieved that decisions made by the match officials had cost them the game but they were wrong. What cost them the game was their own lack of discipline, lack of team spirit, lack of concentration, lack of respect to the match officials and ultimately the players’ lack of respect for their managers. What cost them the game was their attitude.

By contrast Church weathered a number of setbacks, used the excellent team spirit that had been built up by Andy and Tim over more than one season and gritted their teeth and carried on playing even when they were far from at their best. Even when the goal went in the boys encouraged each other and increased their effort to try and get back into the game. They listen and take on board what they are told by their managers and they concentrate on playing football even when decisions go against them. I know which team I would prefer to be associated with.

The Under 18s now move for the first time into the Hampshire FA County Cup Final on 30th March 2008 at Fareham Town and I hope that everybody associated with the club will turn out to cheer the boys on in what for many of them will be their final season at Under 18 level.

Final score: Christchurch 4 – AFC Totton 1

Dorset County Youth League Division 1

Sunday 26th August 2007

Westland Sports v Christchurch

After a poor 1st game to the season, it was important to see us bounce back and start playing football. Ok we are a new team, but still, being on the end of a 5-0 thumping doesn’t do your confidence any good.

So Bank holiday weekend and we travel to Yeovil!! We got stuck in traffic, so our warm-up was limited. Nether the less it took us 17mins to net our first goal of the season. Alex Mason (playing in a new striker role) muscled his way through to slot past the keeper. Our lead didn’t last long as within a minute they had a free kick that caught us napping for them to equalise.

With about 5mins to go in the first half, the ball got passed through their defence to the on-running Max, who was shut down and clattered by their keeper (fairly done in the eyes of the Ref). He could take no further part, so was replaced by Dom.

Half-time 1-1

The second half started promisingly with James Wright (on his debut) causing their defence trouble down the wing, and it only took us 8mins of the second half to take the lead. Again muscling his way past the defence, Alex manage to slot his no.2 past the approaching keeper, much to the anger of their defence. However he was soon caught up in a tussle, which saw him booked, then in another where he was lucky not to be sent off. I decided to take him off and bring on out other sub.

Chances then came and went, with Olly proving to be too much for their defenders, and kept winning free kicks.

We tested our nerve constantly throughout the 2nd half, only for our skipper Dan to come to the rescue whenever called upon.

However it was with 6mins to go, the drama started. James whipped in a corner to be met by the head of Brad which found its way into the back of the net to make it 3-1! Two minutes later, they clawed one back after we failed to clear the ball.

But in injury time, James beat the left back to provide a cross that was met by Olly who (in the style of Thierry Henry), neatly slotted into the bottom corner with a tidy flick.

So on this tiring bank holiday journey, the coach trip home would be a happy one, coming away with 3 well-deserved points!! Our season has begun!!!!

Man of the Match: Dan Houghton

Final Score: Westland Sports 2 – 4 Christchurch

Match report by Pete Old

Dorset County Youth League Division 1

Sunday 19th August 2007

Bournemouth Poppies v Christchurch

Well, an early start to the season....   more »