Shelfield United U12 2016/2017 Season Record FIXTURES & RESULTS - 2016/17 SEASON Date Venue Competition Opponent Result Goalscorers M.O.M 11/09/2016 Away League Magpies W 5-4 Harvey (2), George (2), Lewis Will 18/09/2016 Away League Wizards D 6-6 George (4), Harvey, Tom, Whole Team 25/09/2016 Home League Heath Hayes FC W 5-2 Harvey, George (2), Tom, Jez George 02/10/2016 Home Cup Castle Vale Town Stars W 7-4 George (3), Will (2), Harvey, Tom Jake 09/10/2016 Hiome League Lichfield Beacons FC W 6-2 George (4), Luke, Ethan George 06/11/2016 Away Bilston Floodlit Cup QF Trysull Tigers West L 0-9 Harvey 13/11/2016 Home League Chasetown FC Youth Colts L 1-4 Lewis Cameron 20/11/2016 Away League Four Oaks Falcons W 3-0 George (2), Tom Lewis 27/11/2016 Home League Wizards W 4-1 George (3). Will Reiss 11/12/2016 Home League Cup Burntwood Dragons W 3-0 Harvey, George, Jake Whole Team 18/12/2016 Home League Cup Sportsco Saints L 0-2 Reiss
08/01/2017 Home League Heath Hayes W 3-2 George, Jake (2) Jake 15/01/2017 Away League Heath Hayes W 2-0 Lewis, Jake 22/01/2017 Away League Heath Hayes D 2-2 Tom, Own Goal Jerimiah 05/02/2017 Home League Magpies L 0-1 Reiss 12/02/2017 Home League Lichfield Round Table Blues L 0-8 None Named 26/02/2017 Away League Lichfield City Spitfires W 2-1 George, Harvey TBC 05/03/2017 Away League Wizards L 0-4 None Named 12/03/2017 Home League Lea Hall W 7-1 Nathan (2) George (2), Tom, Jake, Harvey None Named 19/03/2017 Home League Lichfield City Spitfires W 4-1 Nathan (4) Nathan 26/03/2017 Away League Lea Hall D 2-2 Harvey, Jake None Named 09/04/2017 Home League Castle Vale W 2-1 Nathan, Own Goal Dontay 23/04/2017 Away League Magpies W 4-0 George, Harvey, Lewis, Jake Whole Team MATCH REPORTS - 2016/2017 SEASON Shelfield Utd U12 4 Magpies 0-23rd April 2017 Wow today was going to be a big day for both teams today as a win for each would either see Magpies secure their position in the league or Shelfield gain promotion into the championship. With a lot riding on the game the team talk was simple, enjoy yourselves & show your parents & each other what you can do. We are proud of what you have achieved no matter what the result. Right from the off Shelfield were on the front foot, covering & supporting each other well & showing a great team spirit that had wavered a few times in recent matches. This is the spirit that can make teams great & our boys were certainly that today. First break saw a through ball through to Nathan saw an opportunity & with him shrugging off the defender the keeper came out quick but Nathan was able to tap the ball through to George who was ever ready to finish. 1-0 & the boys looked good with some level headed play & great supporting chat throughout the first half. This saw the midfield boys of Jake, Will, Lewis & Harvey controlling the game & bossing things forward to provide wave after wave attack for only offside preventing another 2 within 10 minutes. On the rare occasion when the midfield was breached the superb Dontay & Luke were ready & waiting to clear anything that came their way & when they got caught then the ever improving Cameron took complete control of his box. Attack after attack the boys came with little offered in return by the opposition. Harvey & Nathan worked well on the right which resulted in a corner. Harvey whipped in a beautiful pass for the ever ready Jake to pop another in with his head. 2-0 & this is where the boys have been caught out in the past sitting deeper & deeper encouraging the opposition to attack, but not today. Jake & Will worked well in the centre of the field taking it in turns to press & hold. This gave us a different dimension throughout the match whereby we were at times playing 3 at the back but with the line high kept the pressure on the opposition. This also allowed Luke & Dontay to work their magic with some superb tackles & passes that saw the opposition get torn to shreds by Harvey & Lewis who looked every ready to take them on or pick out the perfect pass. First half draws to an end 2-0 up. Second half saw a similar pattern to the first but with Magpies showing the initial spark Shelfield held tight & Cameron took the kill out of the attack with a pure dominance in his box that saw Magpies taking more long ranged shots rather than trying to fight their way through for a one on one. Within 10 minutes Shelfields composure payed off with a counter attack that saw Nathan run down the right & pass the ball over to the left that saw Lewis in waiting to smash home a well taken half volley. This rattled the Magpies & niggles started to show within the team, which only encouraged Shelfield more & with a clear pass through to Will who passed to Nathan who passed to Harvey who smashed home an absolute corker to make it 4. This type of play is what we have been working on all season in training & it worked to a t, with elements of watching Barcelona. This was the scene for the rest of the match with
Shelfield taking full control. 4-0 the final score & the boys not only made us, the club, & the parents proud but most importantly made themselves PROUD. WELL DONE BOYS! This is only the start of a team that can go all the way. 1 year together & they have gained promotion. THAT S HOW WE DO IT!!!!! Shelfield Utd U12 2 Castle Vale 1-9th April 2017 A nice sunny Sunday afternoon saw Shelfield needing a win to stay in the promotion race. The game started well with Shelfield doing some good passing moves but failing to break down a strong 3 man defence. Half way through the 1st half Nathan hit the net and this seemed to raise Vale's game and saw us back level at half time. The second half was just like the 1st with Shelfield having a lot of play but still couldn't turn possession into goals. With about 15 mins to go Harvey had a corner which he hit hard and low into Vales box it bounced of there defender straight into the net with us 2-1 up we stayed strong and finished the match with a valuable 3 points. Shelfield Utd U12 2 Lea Hall 2-26th March 2017 Turned up today with only 9 men and the lads thinking we had won the match before we had even kicked off. The 1st half was probably our worst display this season and saw us 1-0 down at half time. The second half started like the 1st and soon we was 2-0 down then we got a penalty for a hand ball that Harvey took but the goalie saved it but Harvey followed up and hit the back of the net. This seemed to wake us up a bit and soon jake soon got us back in the game to make it 2-2. We started looking like we might win the game till Dontay had a injury to his knee and at to go off and with no subs the game finished 2-2 Shelfield Utd U12 4 Lichfield City Spitfires 1-19th March 2017 Lichfield turned up today wanting to get revenge for a 2_1 home defeat 3weeks ago. After a scrappy start shelfield took the lead with a goal of Nathan but Lichfield hit back to make it level at half time.the second half started with both teams having chances then Nathan scored again.there was no stopping him then hitting another two to win us the game a good performance from all the lads Shelfield Utd U12 7 Lea Hall 1-12th March 2017 A good first half saw us reach half time 4-0 up with goals from Nathan, Jake, Tom, and George. Tthe second half we seemed to take our foot of the pedal a bit till George got the 5th goal. Then Nathan followed up with number 6. Lea Hall never stopped trying and got a late goal but Harvey replied with number 7 in the last minute well done lads nice to get back to winning ways! Shelfield Utd U12 0 Whittington Wizards 4-5th March 2017 Awaiting match report... Shelfield Utd U12 2 Lichfield City Spitfires 1-26th February 2017 So today saw our boys pitched against top of the league side Lichfield City Spitfires. With Sgelfield having 2 games in hand but being 5 points behind this was going to be a tough and challenging match. The boys started slow and sluggish showing signs of the previous matches that saw defeats come our way. With a number of players missing there was a team shift around which worked well the more the game went on. Within seconds Lichfield attacked forcing a great save from Cameron, this was then followed up eith attack after attack. This showed that the boys werent playing in normal roles and a few trade mark mistakes crept in. The ball not being cleared when the chance arose and lack of calling saw a number of our players takling each other. This only encouraged Lichfield to apply the pressure and take advantage with a cool lob from the right. Over the last couple of games this is where the boys let theur heads drop and allow the opposition to boss the game, but not today. This seemed to be the wake up call our boys needed and all of a sudden they started finding some of that fluidity that they had at the start of the season. Stronger and stronger they became with the defensive line holding strong and some excellent support work from Will, Tom and Harvey when needed. This caught the oposition by surprise who lost some of their spark and started panicking with clearances. Lichfield came at the boys and just as quick the attack happened it was turned
on its head and Shrlfield made them pay. A great through ball from Tom saw George ever ready and latching on to it to slot cooley past the keeper. 1-1 and the game was in full flow with Shelfield having the best of the last 10 minutes. Half time brief was short and to play how we know we can play. This saw the boys pick themselves up and starting working as a unit with a few passes coming into the game and a flood of attacks only for some good lastminute tackles or questionable decisions to prevent the inevitable. Jeramiah found himself with space and went on a surging run that we have seen him do so mabyntimes throughout the season. This saw him lay off to George who was pressured by thevdefence but managed to knock it to Harvey who slammed it home. The oposition didnt lie down though forcing a number of attacks and big kicks from the keeper which saw Cameron to do a great save knocking on to the cross bar and then catch it on the way down. With a matter of minutes left Jeramiah went on another surging run only to be pulled down in the box but the penalty to be waved off as he had a couple of chances to pull the trigger but didnt take them. Strange reason but the final score was a fair result and these decisions shouldnt detract away from the end to end game that we witnessed with some great play from both teams. We will be meeting Lichfield again in a couple of weeks which could be a league decider. Shelfield Utd U12 0 Lichfield Round Table 8-12th February 2017 A more spirited performance today with plenty to work on. We were pitched in the quarter finals of the league cup against one of the strongest teams in the Lichfield league. Right from the off Lichfield showed us what they can do with attack after attack. Shelfield stood strong for the first 15 minutes and then lichfield snuffed out a chance and made the most of it. Slamming home a well taken goal. 1-0 and the visitors turned on the style and whilst our boys faught back the furst half finished 4-0. Second half showed alot more potential with shelfield having a big part if the posession. Our defencesive line being pushed up and tightened saw a number of lichfields attacks being caught offside. This didnt deter the visitors who used counter attacking to perfection slamming home another 4 on the break. Whilst there was alot more spirit today and some good signs from the team, we were caught napping again. This is something we will be working on next week. Shelfield Utd U12 0 Magpies 1-5th February 2016 Well not the game we expected and not the best performance the boys have produced. After some fantastic results against some of the best teams expectations were high but right from the kick off we were second to everything and lacked that killer instinct that the boys have shown previously. There were moments when Jeramiah and rhys showed great team spirit leading from the front but sadly this wasn't matched by the rest of the team. Some harsh words were said after the match as the boys showed complacency throughout the game. First loss of the season which has now opened the league up for 3 other teams. Don't want to take anything away from our competitors they turned up and showed Shelfield what to do. Shelfield Utd U12 2 Heath Hayes 2-22nd January 2017 Today saw us face our good friends Heath Hayes for the third time in 3 weeks. Whilst our boys have had the better of the previous 2 games we knew that this wasn t going to be an easy match. The brief was to attack right from the off & to make the killer blow in the first half. With the boys all worked up & ready to go the game kicked off. Right from the off we knew that we were in for a very tough battle, Heath Hayes had been doing their homework & looked like a different side to the previous 2 matches. Some slick passing, hassling Shelfield from the off we saw Heath Hayes take the match to our boys. Shelfield just didn t seem switched on with some lazy passes & being second to the ball on most occasions, causing us a number of problems. This only saw Heath Hayes rise to the challenge & with most of the play being in Heath Hayes half saw a quick ball played to their number 6 who went charging at our defence & to make the first shot of the game. This saw Cameron come into action making a superb save only for the ball to fall to another ever ready Heath Hayes lad to slot home. 1-0 down & the boys started to realise that this was going to be a battle until the end. At the end of the first half some strong words were said & reality hit home to the boys. 1-0 down & everything to play for, the boys came out fighting. Now taking the game to Heath Hayes, the boys started working their magic. Will man marked their number 6 which limited the amount of play that came into the Shelfield half & freed the rest of the team up to allow things to flow. Dontay come on to right back which tightened things up & allowed for further changes around the pitch. Through a counter attack the ball got played to Tom who saw his chance & slotted the ball home for what will probably be the goal of the season (even better than Rooneys yesterday). 1-1 & the game was evenly matched with Shelfield just edging it. Both sides had chances but these were either blocked or hit the wood work. With every player on the pitch playing their part today the game was very much played in the middle of the field with counter attacks being the key to the next goal. This came from Heath Hayes who from our corner broke with a clean ball to their main man who attacked our defence riding the tackle from Luke & will & then to cleanly slot the ball past Cameron. 2-1 down & the shackles were taken off. Will had been tied to man marking & was now free to do what he does best, chasing & harassing everyone. Jeramiah came on to give us the energy we needed to turn the game around & Rhys was introduced on the right replacing Nathan who made his first appearance today & done a fantastic job.
Attack after attack came Shelfield throwing everything at Heath Hayes who rode their luck on many occasions. Shelfield were certainly back & gaining control of an evenly balanced match. Heath Hayes dug in but eventually couldn t deny the inevitable, with the ball being pinged around the box & im sure with all 18 players having a touch the Shelfield pressure payed off with an own goal making things 2-2. For the rest of the game both teams had the chance to grab the win but both teams dug deep & through everything on the line preventing a win. 2-2 was the final score & whilst there are many things to learn from this match I don t think either side can be criticised for the spirit & heart they showed throughout the match. Cameron was again his solid self, taking control of his box & making some superb judgement g=calls diving at the feet of their big number 6. With Rhys & Luke in the first half holding strong the introduction of Dontay at right back gave another dimension to the team. Nathan played a big part in todays match hassling at every opportunity & showing signs of a great player. Jake, Will & Tom ever present in midfield again showed great signs of being the perfect midfielders. Discipline in this area is something we will work on going forward as this can be a turning point in a game. Harvey started at right midfield initially but slotted into the forward position as the game went on. Applying pressure when he could, showed superb support for his team & his skill created a lot of problems for their defence. Lewis was again superb, putting pressure on the defence when needed & chasing everything down he could. Jeramiah whilst a rare appearance for the striker was hugely inspirational in the second half. His speed & determination changed the face of the game & was a pleasure to see. This gave the boys the spirit they were searching for. Shelfield Utd U12 2 Heath Hayes 0-15th January 2017 So today the boys played the team they met last week in the final game of the cup. Last week s win was well deserved with boys digging in but it also gave us a lot to think about for this match. Right from the off the boys dug in chasing everything down and not giving Heath Hayes the chance to counter attack as they did last week. The first 10 minutes they dictated the game keeping Heath Hayes penned in their half. Time after time Shelfield attacked only for Heath Hayes to defend in numbers & clear the danger. With a long ball clearance from the Heath Hayes defence the ball fell to Luke s feet who cooley kicked a long ball up to Lewis who controlled it beautifully and set himself up for a smooth finish. 1 0 and the boys looked in control. Heath Hayes made a change within 5 minutes of the goal which saw their man mountain number 6 appear. Last week he caused us a number of issues using his strength to his advantage & giving our 2 giants in midfield Jake & Will something to think about. This week his presence was felt but the boys were ready for his physical strength & matched him stride for stride. With the boys still in control, the game now become more evenly matched, tackle after tackle & pass after pass, saw the majority of the play being kept in the centre of the park. When the ball did break through there was the ever ready Dontay & Luke to hand to clear up & force the ball forward again. Another attack saw the ball get forced out for a corner. The ever ready Tom looked set on delivering the killer ball for someone to slot home. With the boys looking determined Tom pinged one in which saw Jake get on the end of it & the ball roll over the line. 2-0 and the game was being comfortably led by the boys. Half time & the brief was simple play our game & not get into a tit for tat match with their midfield. The second half started well with some lovely passing across the pitch & chance after chance for the boys to push. With the weather playing a big part in today s match the ball kept getting stuck which prevented Harvey from being as slick as he normally is on the right. His quick feet were restricted but this didn t deter the little winger as he tried hard to force the ball across to Lewis & Rhys up front. Unfortunately we couldn t get one more but the boys dug in well with everyone playing an important part in the result. Cameron who didn t have much to do today was inspirational again doing what he does when it s called upon, even putting everything on the line when he dived & took the ball right off their players feet. Dontay & Luke working well together & supporting each other as & when needed. Some great skill saw Luke deal with the water logged pitch in the first half well & then using the firm side of the pitch well to play some lovely through balls to Tom up the left. Harvey, Will, Jake & Tom ruling the midfield & closing out any opportunities that the Heath Hayes team had of getting an equaliser. Some lovely covering & support play saw our boys win the midfield battle. Jake & Will battled hard in the centre putting their bodies on the line when needed. Tom looking ever ready always kept himself in a position whereby an out ball was always possible Lewis & Rhys upfront gave the Heath Hayes defenders something to think about. Time after time they applied the pressure & if it wasn t for the weather I m sure there would have been 2 or 3 more. A great team spirit today resulted in another great win for the boys. Looking forward to next week when we meet our friends again in another league match. Shelfield Utd U12 3 Heath Hayes 2-8th January 2017 So today saw us face one of the strongest teams in our league but in a cup match. A win today would see our boys through to the quarter finals & they didn t disappoint. IT was a tough physical match that was well fought. Right from the off Heath Hayes were attacking us with their centre midfield using his physical strength to his advantage. Our ever ready centre midfield of Jake & will got caught out slightly as he came first clashing straight into Jake & then into Will. This gave the boys something to think about & over time they took his advantage away. Getting caught out with the counter attack Heath Hayes broke & made the most of it. 1-0 down and the boys dug in forcing Heath Hayes back in their half. With the slope of the pitch in Heath Hayes favour our defence had to be on their toes watching the run & the bounce of the ball ensuring everything was cleaned up & turned into our advantage. The introduction of George (who wasn t 100%) saw a little forward create a lot of problems for the Heath Hayes defence
being terrified by his pace. Within 5 minutes he made his presence known slotting cooley pass the keeper. 1-1 saw the game really swing in our favour with everything getting sniffed out. However one killer ball saw caught our midfield up to high & the defence a little too deep. Heath Hayes s number 6 made his physical presence known to our defence clattering into Luke for what seemed to be a free kick. With the ref allowing play to continue he gave Cameron no chance smashing it past him at close range. Half time & the brief was simple don t be afraid & work hard as a team. Second half saw a different story. With Will & Jake now standing tall in midfield giving their number 6 little chance & matching strength for strength Shelfield had a majority of the play. With the slope of the pitch & the majority of the play Shelfield slowly dropped their passing game & resorted to a more direct long ball approach which created problems for Heath Hayes but also limited chances for themselves. With every long ball being a 50/50 it saw the ball come back as often as it did go forward. When the boys did result back to the passing they looked smooth & in control. A break down the right saw Lewis cross a lovely ball into Jake who controlled it beautifully & followed it up with a left foot volley. 2-2 and the game was all Shelfield with attack after attack. This was encouraging for the boys but at time they lost their composure & tried to force the ball rather than stretch the opposition & pass it around. After 5 minutes of the second goal Lewis again broke slotting the ball beautifully for Jake who didn t need a second invite. A right foot power shot saw Sheffield 3-2 up & in full control. There was moments in the game when Heath Hayes broke but these were quickly sniffed out by Dontay & Luke who then turned defence into attack. 3-2 the game finished again with everyone playing a big part in the game. Cameron pulled of some lovely saves, Dontay & Luke worked well again with Dontay being the number 6 s nemesis during the latter part of the match. Harvey, Rhys, Will, Jake & Tom were inspirational again in midfield supporting & covering when needed. Discipline needs to be kept in this area though as moments we lost our passing game & tried to force play. Lewis & George done all they could upfront putting pressure on their defence & keeper at every given opportunity. Shelfield Utd U12 3 Burntwood Dragons 0-11th December 2016 Right from the off the boys were applying pressure all over the pitch. The battle was mainly in the midfield with both teams having an equal share of possesion. within the first 10 minutes Burntwood had created a few chances forcing some good saves from Cameron and some smooth defending from luke and Reiss. Following this though Shelfield grew stronger as a team and worked really well covering and supporting each other. If one of the team got pulled out of position there was another there to cover. The old annalogy of defend together and attack together was a perfect summary of the game. As the boys applied pressure on the oposition the ball fell nicely to Tom who saw an opportunity to strike, forcing the keeper to knock the ball onto the cross bar, as the ball hit the ground George was following up, chasing everything he could. This caused the keeper to pounce at his feet only forcing the ball to Jake who calmly slotted the ball home. 1-0 was nothing more than the boys deserved. This only gave them more determination to rise to the challenge of beeting one of the best teams they have played all season. Time after time they attacked forcing corner after corner. The ball broke down the right to Lewis who went on an amazing run that would of given goal of the month if it hadnt been for their keeper pulling of the save of the century. Second half was much of the same. Superb goal keeping and defending from Cameron, luke, Reiss and Dontay, awesome display of discipline from midfield from Tom, Will, Jake and Harvey, and not stop effort up front with George and Lewis. This effort paid off within 7 minutes when the ball broke nicely for Harveybwho left the keeper with no chance. 2-0 and the boys wanted more. Turning defence into attack time after time only for Burntwood to show strength in defending and showing again why they are one of the best teams in the league. The pressure though from Shelfield paid off within 15 minutes, with George latching onto a through ball and doing what he does best, slotting it past the keeper. 3-0 and with the game won the boys enjoyed themselves showing good composure but this let Burntwood show their strengths and abilities as they continued pressing for a goal. But with our boys in the form they were in it would of taken an army to break them down today. Fantastic win which puts us in a good position for qualification of the cup. Shelfield Utd U12 4 Wizards 1-27th November 2016 Another fantastic result 4-1. Today we played one of the strongest teams in our league and one that put 6 past us on our last meeting. The game started slowly fir us with some good moves but no end result. Time and time again the boys applied pressure but every time this was matched by either strong resilience from the oposition, some great goal keeping or by some snap shot tgat saw the ball go wide or over. The first half was evenly matched with alot of the ball being played in the midfield but the longer the half went on the more Whittington took control. Slowly we lost our discipline which resulted in our midfield being caught to far up the pitch and with one through ball saw the wizzard striker slot cooley past our super keeper. Second half brief was simple -keep the ball, apply pressure and be the first to the ball. This saw a game changing attitude with the boys doing what they do best, bossing the game. Within minutes the boys pressed with some smooth passing only to for the ball to go wide. This didnt deter the boys and with George realising he had the legs on their defence he timed his run to perfection slotting cooley past the keeper. 1-1 and the boys had the bit between their teeth. Everything that has been worked in training came into play. Luke and dontay holding strong at the back jake and will covering each other superbly talking and taking it in turns to press and hold. When they did get caught out of position Tom and Harvey were on hand showing superb discipline and huge spirit resisting the temptation to chase the ball. Lewis and George started some slick passing which resuted in a quick 1-2 another gpal. 2-1 and the boys again kept their discipline and maximised on a good clearance from Luke to see the wizzards defence out of posution and George on hand again for number 3.
With the thought of what happened lastweek where the boys got a bit "fiffa" happy in our minds, the boys done us proud today. Holding their positions and passing the ball smoothly which inturn resulted in Will getting into the action, finding himself in a great position he made the most of it and slotted the ball in the bottom left. In fairness to Whittington they faught right to the end but the boys stood strong and blocked everything thrown at them. Callum was again superb stopping a number of great shots and keeping the boys in the game. Man of the match today though was Reiss. He played a number of positions again today and never let the team down. When being placed in midfield to replace Harvey who had put in a good shift and showed great team spirit but took a knock in doing so, he quickly switched onto the danger and started throwing his body in the mix time and time again. Supporting the defence and clearing what was a perfect goal scoring oportunity for the Wizards. He done everything today!! Shelfield Utd U12 3 Four Oaks Falcons 0-20th November 2016 And they are back. The boys had a tough day yesterday at training and after a good chat and a rest they started today like the team of old. Bright, sharp and a good team spirit showed from the moment we turned up and continued throughout the match. We were playing a team that put 4 past us when we met earlier in the year in a cup match and have been placed in our league. Right from the off George and Harvey pressed the opositions defence causing all sorts of issues and mistakes. Within 5 minutes the boys found their rhythm and a nice through ball saw George latch onto it and finish coolly. This was the followed up by our own Gareth Bayle, Tom who slotted one straight into the top right hand corner. 2-0 and the boys were crusing creating chance after chance. Good clearing from Luke and Rhys kept the motivation ging forward. Excellent support from the midfield of Jake, Will, Tom and Bray meant that any chance the Castle Vale team had was soon sniffed out and turned into a quick counter attack. The boys showed some slick moves throughout the first half and tried hard to maintain posutions. Unfortunately following the second goal there were moments where the boys started to get a little goal happy and lost there composure, trying to force the ball through big runs rather than playing the through ball that we have been working on in training. Half time saw the boys take full control of the match and Castle Vale being pinned in their half for most of the game. Within minutes George latched onto another good ball and slot cooley past the keeper at the near post. A few changes saw Bray come on up front pressing the deffence when possible and coming close to scoring his first of the season. Our man train Dontay was back on form scaring the living daylights out of anyone he was chasing down. The pressure built on the Castle Vale side who done well to prevent more goals been scored. Credit must go to their keeper who become more and more influential throughout the match producing some superb and brave saves. Shelfield Utd U12 1 Chasetown Colts 4-13th November 2016 After a poor 1st half which saw us 3-0 down we came out second half like a new team. Will and Jake started to control mid field with tom and Harvey doing some good runs on the wing Luke and Reiss looked solid at the back with Cameron picking up the loose balls that came into his area. Lewis scored a great goal after Jez drew the keeper of the line leaving llwis to hit the back of the net. George came back on to do a great run but the ball just went past the outside of the post. Chasetown scored another but still we kept pressing and nearly got back into it with a header from Jake just going over the bar. A good game with and would like to thank both teams for the respect they showed in the minute silence Shelfield Utd U12 0 Trysull Tigers 9-6th November 2016 Our first game in the Bilston cup saw us lose 9-0. Some times I go on about players effort but today I blame myself. I should have not mentioned about what league the other team was in as I think this had an effect on the way we started the match and were 1-0 down after a minute. The lads kept battling but we never really looked like coming back into it. Shelfield Utd U12 6 Lichfield Beacons 2-9th October 2016 After a good start to the season we went into this game with some off the team thinking we had one it before a ball was kicked. After 2 mins Lichfield scored and still kept pressing for the second it took about 20 mins for us to get in the game then a goal from Luke got us back level at half time the second half saw Lichfield take the lead again but Ethan scored straight after to level it again this seemed to spark George into action after his hatrick last week scoring 4 in the last 20 mins. Shelfield Utd U12 7 Castle Vale Town Stars 4-2nd October 2016 Wow, another great match. This time our opponents were Castle Vale Town Stars who happen to be in a league above us. Right from the kick off the boys were chasing the ball down well & really hastling their players. Attack after attack came Shelfield with shot after shot. A couple of good chances went missing & some suspicious off sides kept Castle Vale still in with a shout. The boys never gave up piling on the pressure with some slick moves and good firm challenges keeping them in the driving seat. With Will hanging around in the box supporting George & Lewis it was only time until he latched onto a through ball, which he did with great composure making it 1-0. This then only encouraged the boys more and again some magnificent play led to our super striker finish again. 2-0 up leading to half time and the boys playing well as a unit. Nothing got past our midfield again showing teams how it should be done, with Jake & Will working the middle well, covering each other when needed. With strong support coming in from the sides from Tom & Harvey Castle Vale never had a chance at breaking the midfield down
as the covering from these 2 was immense. On the rare occasion Castle Vale did manage to get pass the midfield they were greeted by the awesomeness of our defence Luke & Reiss. These 2 boys stood proud & strong keeping their composure when needed, knowing that any slip up would be covered by Ricky who made some important & crucial saves. As half time approached though & 2-0 up the boys seemed to get a bit to attack happy & got sucked out of position only for Castle Vale to take advantage in what was a one sided game, with a slick finish to end the half 2-1. Second half started well, but we drifted off slightly in the middle to leave a gap between our midfield & defence that got exposed with a great finish leaving our second half keeper Ethan no chance.2-2 and the game was evenly matched for 5 minutes until Jake tried his look breaking down the right again with excellent support from Harvey, only to be taken out before the trigger was pulled. Great discipline from the boys seen them take up natural positions in & around the box & our David Beckham Tom step up to slot home the coolest free kick we have seen all season. 3-2 and the boys got a little excited again pushing for more but leaving out defence open on the break. Another well taken goal made 3-3. Another second half change made with Bray coming on at right back chasing down their big wingers time after time he tracked back and never came second best. The ball then was being played down the left again with Luke & Tom dominant, the threat was sniffed out quickly. A good through ball to Lewis saw the cool headed striker take it in his stride and slot through to George for 4-3. This was then followed up quickly with another smooth finish from the ever ready Harvey after a few blocked. 5-3 and again the boys were dominant pressing, supporting & passing well as a team. Another change saw Dontay our Man Train come on & Bray pushing up on the right. Their winger didn t know what happened when Dontay came roaring across like a steam train in full flow to chase him down, clearing with ease on every break they had. One last push they had & with us struggling to clear the ball in the box they managed to slot a cool finish home to make it 5-4. Another attack saw Bray having his shot blocked only for Will to capitalise on poor clearing making a nice & well deserved 6-4. This only spurred the boys on more pressing & pushing with every opportunity. Again some great discipline from the boys saw some rough tackles get brushed off and the focus remaining on the game. Everything was in Castle Vales half but their strikers ever on the look for that through ball, but again the Midfield & defence held firm with some great clearances from Luke & Don t, which were followed up with some slick passing in midfield leading to another goal for George 7-4 & no turning back. Will tried hard to get his hatrick but he kept his cool & tried not to get sucked out of position in the process. Another great team effort from start to finish. Shelfield Utd U12 5 Heath Hayes 2-25th September 2016 Our 1st home game this season saw the visit of Heath Hayes. We started off very poor with some players more worried about fall outs in training and after 12 mins found ourselves 2-0 down slowly we started to play as a team and goals from Harvey and George pulled it back to 2-2 at half time. After a strong half time talk we started playing like we have in the last two games and took the lead with another goal from George. Still pushing for the 4th goal Tom had a free kick with the goal in sight went for it beating the wall and the keeper for number 4. With 2 mins left Jez got the 5th a great performance from all the lads and proving we have the abillity to give any one a game when our heads our on football. Shelfield Utd U12 6 Four Oaks Falcons 6-18th September 2016 Wow. What a game. So many twists & turns. The boys started well with some lovely passing moves that they have been working hard on during practice. Frist goal was a great pass from Harvey to the cool headed George who smashed it pass the keeper. This was then followed again with some great passing & support play & which lead to a great ball from Will to George who gave the keeper no chance. The boys were all over their opposition and played some superb football passing it around and when the chance came the through ball over to Harvey who again left the keeper standing. 3-0 up and the boys were cruising. Credit to our opposition today they never gave up and came back at us with force. They followed up with 2 very lucky goals & 1 fantastic free kick that would have left the best of keepers standing in admiration. At the stage our boys were battling back but got broke down and were punished by again a great strike. First half finished and we were 4-3 down. Second half started well with a few changes to the team. Everyone pulled together which gave Tom the chance to get on the score sheet to level things. Again the boys had a lot of the possession but were punished on the break with another lucky strike to make it 5-4. At this stage the boys again picked their heads up and thundered forward with a little flick from Lewis that was cleverly flicked by George over the keeper which everyone thought would have made 5-5 but a suspicious off side call was given. This only spurred the boys on further and George latched onto another through ball to Cooley finish and leaving the keeper in no man s land. At this stage the match was even throughout with attack after attack coming from both sides. Ethan pulled off the save of the day to push the ball wide, but unfortunately not long after they attacked again with a good goal to make it 6-5. As if things couldn t get any tenser the boys kept their composure & played the opposition off the park which created another chance for our super striker George to make it 6-6. From this point onwards the boys had a majority of the run of play forcing some goal mouth panicked clearances. Attack after attack came the boys but unfortunately we just couldn t quite get the final goal. A fantastic match with so many positives from the game. The boys all worked as a team and would be a match for anyone. Man of the match was a hard one today as everyone stood out at some point of the game, with Ricky & Ethan playing a big part in goal with some great saves, Luke, Bray & Dont holding strong in defence, Harvey, Jake, Will & Tom working well in midfield & covering each other as & when needed, Reiss, Lewis & George creating & taking
chances as they came. So it was decided that due to the spirit & discipline showed throughout that man of the match went to the team. Well done boys!!!!! Shelfield Utd U12 5 Whittington Magpies 4-11th September 2016 A great start for Shelfield! An early goal from Harvey then Whittington game back to make it 1-1. Then a goal from George for us to take the lead again. Whittington hit back again then another to put us 3-2 down at half time. Second half saw a great goal from Lewis but Whittington hit back again 4-3 down. Harvey gets his second goal then George gets the winner with 5 mins to go. Well done to all the players. Man of the match Will