Geoff Springhell Cup 2009

Wendover Juniors 1 Holtspur FC 0

Cup winners - at last - reward for a very tough season and for disappointment in the league cup against Prestwood. It only took 1 goal to seal the win but it was such a close game with a real battle on their hands the boys did exceptionally well.

The boys lined up before the game and a very professional set up at Burnham Football Club all made the pre match build up extremely tense.

The breakthrough came quite early on with a fantastic run from the half way line and yet again 1 on 1 with the keeper Josh finished calmly and sweetly into the bottom left hand corner.

Once the second half had started there were more chances for Wendover but Holtspur really did push on and try and equalise. One move by Holtspur started from the halfway line and ended up with complete chaos in defence luckily Jack pulled of a double save which even Premiership keepers would have struggled with.....this really was the save of the season..fantastic Jack!

Bournemouth 2009

Here we are again on Tour - Year 5 for this team - makes me feel old!

Two 11 a side teams entered making this a good opportunity to win some games - although looking at some of the teams we are up against it could be tricky. The teams were as follows;

TEAM A
Declan, Andrew, Josh, Ed, Ben S, Georgi, Jake, Rory, Brandon, Matthew, James H, James C.

TEAM B
Adam, Angus, Alex, Dan, Chris, Luke, Connor, Thomas P, Ben W, Robbie, Sam, Max

Team B 0 vs 0 Christchurch FC Youth
I think it was inevitable. A long drive down to Bournemouth, unpack, kids in arcade till goodness knows what hour, well fed and watered. The result just had to be. In fact its only highlight was the comment of the week from Nick - in fact the comment of the last 6 years of managing the team. Yes amazingly Nick said and i quote "well done ref" - i know its hard to believe but its true - he actually praised a ref - you could just tell he was on holiday.

Having said all of that Alex Collier was the highlight of the game - i think he was the only one who may have had an early night and Chris was superb in goal - nice job boys you carried the team in this game.

Learnings: Bore Draw - wake up boys!


TEAM A 0 vs 1 Redhill Rangers
OK. First game done by Team B, it was Team A's turn and they did not disappoint! The biggest disappointment was the opponents manager who was 3 yards on the pitch and seemed to give the decisions for the ref. The ref was intimidated all game and it took a controversial moment to win it. James C was in goal and was judged to have handled outside of the box - Graham Head was the linesman and clearly stated that James let go of the ball before it crossed the box but to no avail - free kick on the edge of the box! I must admit it was a great free kick and Redhill Rangers scored - 1 nil!!
Ed had a great game and teamed up well with Josh going forward, could have made it 1-1 but the keeper made a great save.

The highlight was yet to come. Man of the Match James Cronin was pulling off save after save, but after a foulin the box had to face the ultimate - a penalty - the goals were full size and although James is quite tall he just didnt look tall enough...........up stepped their No.7.....witha sly grin on his face. He struck the ball to James' left and James got down and SAVED IT!!!!!!

Learnings: Well done boys - great performance - unlucky - as Julie wrote in the notes - the ref was worse than Graham Poll (thats Poll not Cook).

TEAM B 2 vs 7 AFC Wimbledon
This was one of the games we were all looking forward to. The professional arm of AFC Wimbledon had just won promotion from the Conference South and every team below them within the club were winning trophies galour. Could we really expect a result here.....err no.

Within 1 minute AFC had scored and before long it was 2. Then a glimmer of hope - Angus on the edge of the box had a speculative shot and with some help from a defenders head got the ball into the top corner...could there be an upset - who knows? Sam was in goal and made some really good saves but this team were far too strong. Connor tried his hardest in defence but to no avail. Last attack of the game saw AFC get another after hitting the bar and following up calmly.

The second half saw as good a goal as i will ever see on tour unfortunately it was AFC that scored it. A volley edge of the box across the goal into the top corner, Sam had no chance. With that they turned on the style, 4-1, 5-1, 6-1, 7-1 was it ever going to stop. Yes - it was and Dan had the final word. A penalty after some fantastic work from Wendover - and such a sweet finish - nice goal Dan!!

Learnings: Beaten by a very good side - learn and move on - "NEXT!!"

Team A 1 vs 5 Leigh Ramblers
5 minutes into the start and Team A are 1-0 down it was a very good goal, an overhead kick which had everyone beaten.

A cracking move and goal by Team A made this a great game to watch. Ben S after loads of work put in a great ball to Ed who, with his right foot caught a sweet half volley and it flew into the net - 1-1!!

Unfotunately heroic defending and some great saves again by James C, especially one that was tipped over the bar could not keep out the goals. Soon enough it was 2-1 and after 3 more goals it was beyond repair.

TEAM B 2 vs 2 Hughenden Valley
What a great game this turned out to be. Robbies debut on tour in goal. Well at last a goal to us - yes to us........we are in the lead thanks to Angus with a great assist from Ben W. Hughenden had an attack almost immediately and with a hard shot the ball just skidded underneath Robbie...so unlucky 1-1. Just before half time they had another attack and this time they took the lead. Half time - 2-1 down in a game that should be ours!!! Robbie had to work hard in the second half and pulled off some excellent saves and Max had such a great game that there was always hope.....and hope indeed there was - 3 minutes to go Max was being chased by a defender and crash down he went in the box...PENALTY! Dan after such a sweet penalty in the previous game stepped up again - surely he couldnt do it again - OH YES HE COULD - 2-2!!!

TEAM A 1 vs 4 Sheen Lions
James Cronin yet again had to try and pull off some saves in this game to keep us in it and Josh up front could have had a hat full of goals. Before you could blink Sheen were 3 nil up - and even there keeper seemed to have been drinking Red Bull because he certainly had wings when Josh went through 1 on 1 and the keeper saved it again!!!! After they went 4 nil up surely a break through was on its way - we didnt deserve to not score - and then Josh finally got a goal but not any old goal no - this was a strike straight from the Ronaldo book of goal scoring - right in the top corner - as Andy Gray would say "TAKE A BOW SON!!"

TEAM B 2 VS 1 Sandbach United
Sorry did i just type that 2 -1 to US ..... did i? I did!!!!
Chris Howarth yet again went in goal and did a sterling job. Ben hit the side netting after great runs from Dan and Max and it all looked as if this was another game that was going to slip from grasp. Well Max - you couldnt score an easier goal.....Angus crossed the ball for Max to tap in 1 nil!! Max really was on fire in this game and was the difference between us winning and losing!! Before we knew it Max scored again with a great shot over the keepers head - superb. 2-0!!!

Sandbach scored at the end but it was too little too late - Wendover had won a game!!
Well done boys - you deserved that one.

TEAM A 1 vs 0 Boscombe Albion
I am going to say it again - ready.................WE WON ANOTHER GAME!!!!
This was a great game of backs against the wall - Man of the Match Declan cleared off the line twice and all of the back 4 did such a great job. Finally Ben S scored and put the game to bed......... WELL DONE GUYS GOOD JOB!

TEAM B 0 vs 6 Coventry Sphinx
Well a team affiliated with Coventry FC - could we get a result - unfortunately not....quite a tough affair thsi one seeing a few injuries - Adam received a nice stud scar for his efforts as well as a dead leg!! Angus went in goal for the first half and Chris H for the second. Max did well clearing over the bar with a header - well done Max - this was Team B's last game ...now some of the parents could relax!

TEAM A 1 VS 2 Atherstone Rangers
It didnt take long and Team A were losing - 1-0 down it didnt look good but then some good work from Josh and Ed ended up with a great goal from Ed..nice one ED!!! 1-1. James again was performing heroics and made some great saves. Jake was so unlucky conceding an own goal just before half time this combined with Andrew being injured it really did look as though this game was destined for a defeat. The second half carried on in much the same vein....an injury...Josh took a knock and it all looked as though the inevitable was going to happen when the last attack of the game Matthew had a shot which came flying off the crossbar...Brandon followed up with a great shot but it just went over.........with that the final whistle went! Unlucky boys.

OTHER PICS FROM THE WEEKEND

Tom was great - he put on another one of his BBQ's you know
the one where he sits drinking Red Wine while Rob and I
do all the cooking!!!


You know what i mean Harry!!


And see if you can spot in the pic below something the ref didnt see!!

Well done boys - great tour - great weather - great weekend!

SPECIAL THANKS TO:-
Nick Collier - Manager that likes refs and sometimes chases the pretty ones! (see photo)
Nick Seaton - Manager of team A and top drinker!
Tim Norton - Super helper
Martin Burnell - Healing hands getting Josh back on the pitch
Graham Head - Flag master
Nick Piper - Flag master 2
Julie East - Those pants
The Howarths - That Seagull fight! (oh and the wine)
Tom Kerr - that great BBQ!
My Wife - for making notes when i was watching Reading lose again
oh and THE BOYS!

Wendover 3 Prestwood Colts 4 (LEAGUE CUP FINAL)

Well here we are Chesham United Football Club for the League Cup Final against Prestwood. Since the under 6's Prestwood have always been the team to beat and the boys all did so well in this final. The line up was only missing Max and all the boys were pumped up for this game. It was all so professional and the welcome from the staff at Chesham was fantastic and such a life experience for all of the boys. The roar from the many Wendover fans when the boys emerged from the dressing room was incredible and could only have been so loud because many of the colts boys and families turned up to watch so many thanks for that boys - you certainly cheered on your friends!!! Nick Collier looked nervous before the game but everyone had a hidden confidence of achieving in what would be a very hard final.

Adam and Georgi took up their positions on the bench and it was then game on!

From the start both teams were ready for their usual battle. It couldnt have started any worse, within 2 minutes Prestwood take the lead from a corner which Jack had no chance of saving, 0-1. The boys just dont put their heads down when they lose a goal they seem to gain a fire in their bellies that could make any team stand back in fear. A few minutes after conceding Ed managed to get the ball from a great knock from Ben S and shoot with inch perfect precision beating the keeper to his left. Then followed a good 20 minutes with no score - the midfield Ben W, Dan, Alex, Ed doing such a sterling job - with Ed covering up and down his line and being involved in everything that was good about Wendovers play.

The second half started exactly the same as the first. Within 2 minutes of the start a harsh penalty was given against Wendover and Prestwood JUST got the ball in with Jack making a fantastic attempt of saving it. 1-2. Yet again within minutes Wendover were level, and another superb move got its rewards. Ed won the ball on the right and after beating one player passed a long ball down the line to land at Ben S feet. After beating the defender, looked up and saw Josh running in as ever but before it got to Josh the defender put in his own net - it was bad luck for the Prestwood boy but no more than Wendover deserved. 2-2.

It wasnt long after this that Prestwood came back at us again, with a very quick attack, the defenders beaten. The Prestwood striker shot across the keeper and Jack was great stretching full length and pushing the ball wide, only to see Prestwood follow up and put the ball in the back of the net. 2-3. Jack was extremely lucky - after a collision in the box with our brave keeper going for a ball only to meet a set of studs coming the other way. St Johns Ambulance were on in a flash and after a bit of a check Jack got up and carried on - so brave - well done Jack! How possibly could Wendover lift their heads up for a 3rd time and draw level, well, lift their heads up they did. Adam put in a tackle winning the ball and knocking to Dan who played a superb pass into Josh who found himself 1 on 1 with the keeper and shot beautifully into the net. 3-3. EVERY player on the pitch was playing a part and surely after 58 minutes of an exhilerating game nothing else could happen?!? Unfortunately it did!! A tired Wendover heroically tried to keep the ball out of a goal mouth scramble but Prestwood got the last touch and with 2 minutes to go they scored. 3-4!

After all of the hard work and effort it was Prestwood who ended up victors! The performance by the boys was beyond belief and all of us as parents can be so proud of such a game. All of the boys committed themselves for the full 60 minutes and on another day would have won. We have so many learnings from this game that we can now take on to our next cup final in 2 weeks.
SQUAD & LEARNINGS

Jack - solid, strong and brave

Adam - consistent, stood up well

Brandon - kept the midfield of Prestwood out, good job!

Jake - a captains part played, very strong performance

Luke - solid at the back, great headers to clear

Rory - great performance, great forward moves

Alex - great forward runs, excellent passing

Ed - best 1st half of football he has played, tracking everywhere

Ben W - Everywhere - worked his socks off! Strong and solid!

Dan - covered a lot of ground excellent passing great tackles

Georgi - quick, worked well on the left, played some great balls forward

Josh - as ever, reliable, QUICK!, so good in front of goal

Ben S - tricky and NEVER gave up - worked so hard

WELL DONE BOYS! LETS GO INTO THE GEOFF SPRINGHALL CUP AT BURNHAM NOW AND TAKE A TROPHY HOME!!!!

TO ALL PARENTS WHEN YOU GET TO THE GAME REMEMBER;

BE LOUD BE PROUD AND BACK THE BOYS AND MAKE SOME NOISE

Wendover 4 Marlow 4

How many times are we going to have huge scoring games!!! This was a great game and Wendover yet again found themselves 0-1 down very early on. It seemed as though a our players were on holiday for the first 10 minutes in fact they may as well have stayed in the dressing room as we went down 0-3 very quickly. If it wasnt again for some great work by Jack we could have been 5 or 6 down. At 0-3 you still could not write off Wendover and being realistic they did not deserve to be in this position but we all now know never to write them off because it soon changed. The first goal for Wendover came from a complete scramble in the box with almost everyone, with the exception of the parents and the ref, in the Marlow box with eventually Max getting to the ball and getting it over the line. The second was the start of some serious controversy, Andrew Howarth was the ref and I must say no-one could ever believe he was 14 years old. He made such a strong and correct decision that could have really changed Wendovers fortunes. The parent who was linesman for Marlow decided to flag anything that moved and Ben S was 5 yards offside but as Ben W played the ball through the centre to Josh he was onside and as you expect from him he buried it, no keeper could have stopped that. Andrew then overruled the linesmans decision and gave the goal. 2-3. The game was soon level with a great assist from Ben W and an equally great finish by Ben S. 3-3. Marlow started coming back at us and very close to the end of the game and took advantage of a slip by Jack and made it 3-4. BUT never count Wendover out - Ben S (MAN OF THE MATCH) was outstanding. He ran from the half way line towards the goal dodging past many a player and finally putting in a shot which was saved but bounced out towards the touchline. Ben S never gives up and won the ball back and with a tricky flick of the feet beat the keeper and sent the ball into the net to make it a very well deserved 4-4!!! WELL DONE BOYS

Penn 1 Wendover 2

Another Victory, although this one was much harder fought than our previous game. Penn were strong and really wanted the game from the start. Their pressure and fight paid off and they took an early lead! Wendover have certainly become the team that know how to comeback from being a goal or two behind! Jack was also a key player in this game making some first class saves that David James would have been proud of. One save was so good that i believe it turned the game for us and was similar to the on on the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXlHS5v-NEA. Luckily Wendover started to realise that they needed to work harder and soon enough the hard work paid off. Ben W took the ball from the midfield and went wide beating 3 players and eventually putting a great cross in for Josh to attack the ball and slot it past the keeper. 1-1. The second half was still a really tough game but the chances if they had been put away could have sealed it much earlier. Max worked extremely hard in the middle and a lovely flick on saw Josh just put the ball wide. Josh again worked so hard and a beuatiful solo effort won the game - fantastic stuff. The defenders played a huge part in the fame and Rory was superb winning every tackle and pushing forward when needed a great all round battle. This game was all about the defence and everyone played their part in a hard fought victory.

Risborough 0 Wendover Junior 6

Unfortunately I was unable to attend this but thankfully Lesley Coggins managed to get in some video footage which you can see. It shows the talk by Martin and Nick after the game and from what a hear a very well deserved Man of the Match for Max Wilkinson. WELL DONE BOYS!

Wendover 5 Aylesbury Town 4

OK its cliche time! A game of two halves. Its at this moment i feel like Tony Blair - knowing that in this report there is no need for sound bites although like him i do feel the hand of history on our shoulders!!!

The team talk in the dressing room was clean crisp and to the point, with the occasional interruption from a keen Kristian determined to hand out his sweets whilst his Dad delivered the talk to what looked like a quiet, uninterested, sleepy squad.

Had the 1 hour lack of sleep due to the clocks changing affected our players?

First half started well and within a few minutes its was 1-0 with Ben W (Man of the Match) shooting a looping shot from distance. The 2nd goal came from Ben S and almost immediately after Ben W was on the score sheet again. It could have been so different if Ben W had actually listened to Nick to drop deeper but Ben being Ben didnt listen and luckily the ball landed at his feet for him to neatly finish. At 3-0 it seemed as though Wendover could go on and score many more, but a mix up of huge proportions lead to Ayelsbury watching a shot dribble past 2 defenders and a keeper to pull the game back to 3-1.

Whilst the half continued the opportunites were coming and we needed to get on the end of some superb through balls by Dan to finish this game!

On 18 minutes Adam and Georgi were on for Alex and Rory. Josh had a great chance to score after a run which saw him skip by 3 Aylesbury defenders to see his shot finally saved by the keeper.

Jack was looking as strong as ever with many a kick out of his hands clearing the half way line. Ben W headed the ball backwards for Ben S to follow up on but only to see his shot just fly wide of the goal - so unlucky! Goal 4 came soon after with Ben S passing the ball inch perfect through the middle of the Aylesbury defence like a hot knife through butter, Josh finished sweetly. Aylesbury were not offering much and it was felt that another AFC scoreline could be on the cards when Ben W completed his hat-trick with the goal of the game. A huge clearance by Jack saw the ball bounce twice for Ben W to volley into the right side of the net. 5-1.

Second Half - WHAT A CONTRAST

After being in control - all seemed to go pear shaped. Aylesbury scored 2 very quick goals after the restart both with through balls through the middle of defence cutting us apart and making it 5-3 with 25 minutes still on the clock!!! Aylesbury took control, Wendover looked out of shape and the midfield had all but vanished. This was also made worse when a one on one with Jack ended up in a studs up challenge leaving Jack injured on the ground and it could have been so much worse than thankfully it was! The Aylesbury player was quick to apologise and the ref (who had a great game) had a quiet word and that was that.

Wendover did have their chances whith Ben W putting a great ball through to Josh who hit it just wide - i think he had more time but after such a great performance it's harsh to criticise. Brandon worked exceptionally hard in the game with some solid defensive work and ensuring that his position was solid. Adam had a speculative shot which went wide and then went in for a challenge on the Aylesbury player that had previously hurt Jack this time leaving the opposition on the floor in pain! At 5-3 all were starting to get worried about the potential outcome which was going to be in Aylesburys favour as our performance in the second half didnt warrant a result. One break forward lead to a goal making it 6-3, a fantastic cross from Georgi on the left to see Ben S delicately finish, the shock came when the linesman raised his flag for offside, which according to the mums near the linesman it was a very dodgy decision!!! It remains 5-3 and the panic is starting!!! Aylesbury scored again to make it 5-4 but this proved just too late with the final whistle going almost immediately after the goal was scored.

Some learnings from this game. We need to play better if we want to stay in the division and Nicks point of it being 3-0 in the second half to Aylesbury was a strong one - we must learn and play better. Nevertheless it was 3 points and some great performances - WELL DONE BOYS!

AFC Lightning 0 Wendover 12 (officially 10)

No need for the special powers of gummy bear here. The AFC lightning team have had a good few heavy beatings this season and, to be frank, the game looked up before kick-off. Our boys looked athletic and bristling with confidence, theirs slump-shouldered and reluctant. On the sidelines, there were more Wendover supporters than AFC, which says a lot about the unfortunate state of their team. I would add that we were much better looking, as well as being far more savvy than them. Nonetheless, we enjoyed a threat and controversy free game, which is more than could be said for recent games against yobbish opposition and previous games against AFC.
To some, especially the usual Wendover groupies, the highlight was most probably the ref., who sported a pair of tight shorts from the late 70’s and thus revealed a good pair of thighs and appropriate tackle. Joking apart, he was actually a very good arbiter of the rules, my son commenting with no provocation that ‘he was really nice.’ And that’s important, in fact. So top marks for the ref, who did get it all right, in my opinion. And top marks for the AFC supporters and coaches who were very nice.
The match quickly reverted to type, with Wendover playing down hill. We had pace and quality (as Mr Seaton would correctly have it) all over the pitch, whilst they had nothing much to offer except a willing goalie who kept the score down to sensible numbers. Josh scored 3 or 4, Max scored 3 (one a header, reminiscent of two years ago), Ben S. scored 2 (I think) Ben W. scored 1 or 2, Ed scored 1 (goal of the match, of course) and I think that was it as far as goals were concerned. There was such a cavalcade that it was difficult to keep up.
Max was man of the match, which is fair enough. He scored 3 and his work-rate was 110% (no football report would be complete without it). They were all pretty good or better. Jack was again very confident, although he was probably the only cold player on the pitch, as he didn’t have that much to do. Rory was very good again, showing skills beyond that of a normal full back. Jake seemed back to his imperious best, with his outstanding reading of the play in front of him. Must be his best position. Luke was fantastic, again. Heads, kicks with both feet, good pace… Brandon, brilliantly effective as usual. Stretchy legs in the tackle and good passing out of defence. Dan was mobile, passed into space, tackled beyond his weight. Typical Dan. Ben W, destructive and increasingly constructive. Fantastic stamina and scoring goals again. Ed was absolutely brilliant, as ever. Plays ‘heads-up’ football , mixed with the ability to dribble at pace. And has the best-looking dad on the sidelines. Lines are now open for guessing who is writing this report. Georgi was unfortunately hampered by a repeat injury on that inflicted by the savages of Widmer End. Nonetheless, he supplied a couple of good crosses and was millimetres away form a goal of his own. Ben S. was typically tenacious and finished with venom any chance that came his way. Let’s hear it for Tony Oxley’s legendary Samba team, from which both Ben and Ed graduated. Josh was electric. His pace put the fear of god up the defence and his finishing was immaculate.
So it’s Aylesbury next weekend. We need to win that one. We should do, but the league seems to have become much less predictable.
P.S. If anybody knows any ‘bruisers’, could they bring them along to the Widmer away game. It would be nice to see if they are quite as excitable if we could drum up a couple of ‘Martin Johnsons.’ And that reminds me…..Irish absolutely lucky to win the grand-slam! Cheers !
Any comments on this report welcome, but they will be ignored.

Wendover 3 Widmer 1 (Cup Semi Final)

Not only did the boys endure the hard work of 2 Cup semi-finals in 2 days but they also had the amazing musical inspiration of Gummy Bear to spur them on. Widmer had a game plan according to what can only be described as "passionate" parents from the side (with a few threats of violence and some swearing thrown in).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z47EUaIFrdQ
This was a game very similar to the Prestwood game of last week. It required concentration, focus and a real determination and fight to win! The first 15 minutes was a real typical midfield FA Cup type battle. The game was tense and really could have gone either way, Wendover just had slightly more possession which then worked in their favour. Ben S had a great game linking up with Josh extremely well and on 20 minutes could have put us 1 up only to see his shot headed off of the line by a Widmer defender. Ben S then worked with Josh playing a perfectly weighted pass into Josh's feet 1 on 1 with the keeper but this time the keeper saved it! The opener was yet another great strike from Ed straight from the Paul Scholes school of shooting. It reminded me of his goal against Tunisia in the World Cup 98!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8-HY2V__DU
The second half started in much the same vain as the first with Wendover working their socks off and eventually coming up with the reward. Jack who looks more and more solid in goal with every game delivered a huge goal kick for Josh to control perfectly and get in his favourite position of 1 on 1 with the keeper. What a clean finish putting Wendover 2-0 up and looking good for it. Widmer pulled one back with a looping shot on goal that went just over Jacks head making it 2-1.
The defence really did play their part in this match. Jack had a great game but the boys in front of him worked especially hard with Rory (man of the match) coming on as sub and making some excellent interceptions. Ben W also contributed so much to the middle of the park and the defence helping the back four make sure that Widmer had no way through! Georgi took a nasty knock to the ankle which kept him out of the rest of the game.
5 minutes before the end Wendover finished the game off perfectly Ed played another one of his speciality passes (one of half a dozen in the game) straight into the path of Josh who found Alex who calmly finished with a simple shot in off the inside of the post. The best thing about the goal was watching Nick leap like a gazelle!! I dont know whether it was because his beloved Alex had scored or that Wendover were in the FINAL!!!!!!!

WELL DONE BOYS (oh and thanks to Gummy Bear)

Downley Dynamos 1 Wendover 2 (CUP SEMI FINAL)

On paper this could have been mistaken for an easy fixture against a 2nd division side who have not had the best run of form recently. How wrong can you be! Downley worked hard from the first minute and battled for every ball making it extremely difficult for Wendover to settle into their game. In the first few minutes Downley could have taken the lead only to see their close range effort go over the bar. On a slope of a pitch and with a strong wind pushing down the hill Wendover missed opportunities to go ahead with Max hitting the bar on 15 minutes, Josh having a great strike just go over the bar and again Josh having his shot cleared off the line. Adam had a rare strike from 20 yards only to see the ball that was flying into the top corner come of the head of Ben W. Just after the 25 minute mark of the first half some persistance from Ed and Ben W paid off. A free kick inbetween the half way line and the edge of the box. Ed lined up the free kick and with the eye of Ronaldo buried the ball in the back of the net to make it 0-1 just before half time. Ed's free kick was similar to Ronaldos against Portsmouth!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8vVOz9XAU0
The second half continued with a real battle through the midfield and Downley again working really hard to try and get something from the game. Alex C worked extremely hard on the right hand side after coming back on as a sub. Initially Alex lost the ball only to be back in amongst the players tackling hard to win the ball back and play an inch perfect pass into the feet of Josh who 1 on 1 with the keeper there can be only one outcome - 0 -2 Wendover.
The last few minutes became a nervy affair with Downley pulling a goal back just before the end meaning the pressure was on. Number 18 for Downley was their strongest player and luckily Luke (Man of the Match) and Brandon did just enough to keep him at bay.
WELL DONE BOYS - THE FINAL HERE WE COME!

Wendover Juniors 5 Prestwood Colts 4

My heart has just started beating again after such a nail biter!! This is why we watch football!!

The new concept of leaving the dressing room to music seemed to have had an impact. The man of the match at the last home game chooses a song to run out to. Adam was man of the match and chose AC DC Rock 'n' Roll Train!!

After numerous attacks on goal after the first few minutes the belief was there but as soon as we started to believe the hammer blow came. Prestwood take the lead with their first attack of the game - typical!!! This is a side that certainly know how to finish and true to form went two up. All this time we were playing well and it was really hard to believe we were losing.

Just before half time Josh was away, on his run towards the right side of the goal his heels were clipped and realising John was the ref and that we had no chance of getting a penalty he stayed on his feet to drive the ball home and take us into the break with a chance. 1-2 down!

The second half started brightly but within 1 minute of the start it was back to the same old Prestwood who had their first attack on goal and scored making it 1-3. The boys heads went down but due to a great turn out from the parents, loads of encouragement, the AC DC song ringing in their ears, the belief on their faces and the desire to get into the next round the game turned a corner. Almost direct from the kick off Ben W used his strength and skill, twisting and turning before drilling the ball bast the keeper. (2-3).

Ben W's goal really did turn the match and not long after this Ed (man of the match) ran in with the ball from the left hand side and blasted it past the keeper making it 3-3 and now a completely different game. We just needed to get our noses in front. WJFC kept pushing forward trying to get a result from the game. Ben W took a throw from just inside their half which Dan controlled beautifully before looking up and like Waynes Rooneys goal vs Newcastle gave the keeper absolutely no chance (click on the link to see a carbon copy of Dans Goal http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6wO3HhOu6Y).

Going 4-3 up made the game more and more tense we now had to either push on or sustain untold amounts of pressure! Luckily we pushed on Alex delivered the pass of the game to Josh who shot so hard that the keeper could only push the ball out to Ben S who was there to tap home and make it 5-3!!!!

At this point we were still creating chances and only the Prestwood keeper stopped us increasing the score, Ed went extremely close with the keeper pushing the ball wide with his finger tips. Ed again scored but only to see a very dubious linesmans flag go up!!!

Prestwood pulled one back to make it 5-4!!! HOW TENSE CAN YOU GET!!!

Now we had 8 minutes to hold on and hold on we did. Jack made some unbelievable saves including one in the last second of the game to ensure that we reach our second cup semi-final of the season!!!! The defence did such an outstanding job Luke got his first ever assist and headed the ball out of defence beautifully to keep the pressure back on the away side. Brandon did a heroic job on the Prestwood Number 9 who was their key striker ensuring that he was closed out of any attacks. Georgi worked so hard, being rewarded with an assist and really putting the effort in in Midfield and Adam and Rory did a super job in controlling the right back position. Rory looked good up front too!! Jake was a great captain and did a cracking job of getting the guys going!!

This was a game not for the faint hearted and would have been the opening game on Match of the Day if it was filmed!!!

WELL DONE BOYS - SEMI FINAL HERE WE COME!!

Ed chooses the song for the next home game and lets hope it brings us the same luck as ACDC!

Marlow Youth 6 Wendover Junior FC 5

What a difference compared to the cup game agains Marlow. Wendover yet again proved that they scored goals but unfortunately Marlow scored more. At one point Wendover were 2-1 up but a great strike by an unmarked player pulled it level. Marlow then gained momentum and before we knew it were 5-2 up. There were still performances of note. Josh created 2 and scored 1 himself, Max was hungry for a goal and got his reward, Jake grabbed a goal and Alex set 1 up and scored another. Ben W (man of the match) gave a strong performance and whilst he was on the pitch there was always a chance. At 6-3 you could have thought it was all over but in the last 6 minutes of the game WJFC scored twice but just ran out of time to get the draw. A dissappointing result after such a spirited come back - but watch out the next team we play!!

Thanks to John for running the line again.

Wendover 6 Marlow Youth 1

UNBELIEVEABLE PERFORMANCE!!! SEMI FINAL AWAITS!!!

The pitch was wet, muddy and we would never had predicted the game that we had. Luckily the pitch didn't cut up and we managed to play some super football.

This was the game of the season, with so many outstanding performances. Every thing was right in every department. Jack had yet another solid performance in goal and his back four had yet another great game. Adam (man of the match) made Marlow know he was there with some great defending, clearing one off the line. Josh proved again why he is so clinical in front of goal with a hat-trick. Assists from Alex, Dan, Jake and 2 from Ben S showed that Wendover had every inch of grass covered. Ed worked hard in the game with intelligent balls through the defence and finally got reward with a goal. Ben W scored direct from a free kick which really inspired the boys to keep working hard! Alex proved that the right wing position really suits him with some excellent balls across the goal and some solid tackles to back up Adam. Rory, Brandon, Georgi and Luke worked well together at the back to make sure that Marlow had no way through. Finally, Max finished the game off after coming on as sub with a typical simple finish.

Thanks to Aiden and Steve R for running the line and thanks to John again for refereeing, even though the stone-wall penalty slipped from view!!!!

WELL DONE BOYS!

Wendover 3 Tring Tornadoes 1

The day started with a team talk from the Manager Nick and was then followed by a warm up which Nick S took and got the boys in good shape before the game. Jack made sure he let all his goals in during the warm up.

A league cup victory against a very tough opposition. Strength at the back and some clever play in midfield was key to this win. Dan (man of the match) made 3 goal line clearances and was key to the teams win. Goals from Ben S, Ben W and Josh finished the game in our favour. Luke had a very strong first half clearing everything up and Jack in goal made the difference.

The parents even got involved with warming up.

Dave ran the line and John was (newly qualified) team ref again - thanks John.

Well done boys!