Cross Border Trophy

Our end of season 'Road Trip' was to Adelaide to compete in a Tournament being held at Cumberland United FC. We had been invited to play against both of their U10 sides and an Academy team of 9 - 12 year olds called 'Football Focus'.

We all travelled to Adelaide on Fri / Sat and had a light training session at the ground on Saturday afternoon. It was quite warm (28c) and the boys benefited from the quick session to stretch their legs. We then congregated at the Seacliff Beach Hotel for a team dinner. It was a fantastic balmy evening and we had prime position facing the foreshore. A great time was had by all and if not for the early start on Sunday I am sure a few of us would have happily kicked on.

Sunday's event was fantastic and Cumberland did a magnificent job in looking after everyone. The canteen was open for drinks and snacks and the committee rallied to cook up a storm with BBQ Kebabs and Sausages and a very tasty Lamb on the spit. The sit down lunch with a wide variety of salads was complimented well with the option of a beer or glass of wine from the bar. Hopefully one day Box Hill can enjoy members facilities such as these.

Each team played 3 games and the winner was decided on overall points. We got off to a good start and the lads were playing some of the best football we have seen this year. Our first match was against Football Focus and we were unlucky to end with a nil all draw. We had great chances with shots going just wide or over the bar. Had we have played with full sized goals I am sure we would have comfortably won this match.

The 2nd game was against Cumberland's U10 Foxes. It was a well played match with Box Hill being denied in the first half by some fantastic goal keeping. Once again we we moved the ball around nicely, but 1 lapse in concentration saw Cumberland break through to go 1 on 1 with the Keeper and convert. The game ended with a 1 nil victory to Cumberland.

Our last game was against the other Cumberland U10 side and we went on the attack from the first whistle. Jesse managed to work his way through the Cumberland defence, but was brought down in the 18 yard box. A penalty was awarded and he converted with a well struck kick. Not long after we scored a second goal after Sam volleyed in a cross. Cumberland worked hard in the 2nd half but the game finished with a 2 nil victory to us.

Overall we finished 2nd to Football Focus, who won the day with 2 draws and a win. All up there were only 4 goals scored all day, which gives you an idea of how closely matched the teams were. It was great for the boys to get some quality opposition and Cumberland need to be congratulated on how they prepare their teams.

We finished with presentations and a few speeches and you could have not asked for a more enjoyable day of football. I think everyone will agree that the trip was well worth the effort and it was a great experience for the boys. Well done to Panos from Cumberland for putting it all together and hopefully we can do something in Melbourne next year.

Once again thanks to everyone for participating and making it so easy. Special mention to Dave Stack for coaching the boys in Clifton's absence. It was a great way to finish a very successful season and it has been a year where the boys have really developed and bonded as a strong team.

Have a great Summer break and lets hope to see everyone back next year at Box Hill for the U11's !

Cheers,

AW

Castlefield Shield Day 2

Cold and windy conditions today with a strong breeze favouring the Southern end of the ground. Our 1st match was a Quarter Final against Riversdale. We had the wind behind us but only managed to convert 1 goal in the first half.

The second half saw Riversdale get an equaliser after we allowed a player to run down the wing unchallenged. The boys rallied and took control of the game, scoring another 2 goals against the wind. 3/1 at the final whistle put us into the semi final against Hampton.

We lost the toss in the semi final and Hampton kicked off with the benefit of the wind. However we managed to go 1 nil up after a brilliant series of passes allowed Carlo to go 1 on 1 with the Hampton Keeper.

We kept Hampton scoreless until 3 minutes from half time, when a looping ball was sent into the goal mouth. The wind played havoc and Marcel misjudged the bounce, although a defender should have cleared the ball before it got to him.

1 all at halftime and we now had the wind, but we failed to use it to our advantage. We had our chances but nothing was working for us and we went to the final whistle with 1 goal each. Extra time and Golden Goal now applied. We won the toss and had the wind, but Hampton pressed our defenders with long balls.

Hampton managed to get past our defence, which allowed them to go 1 on 1 with Marcel. An unfortunate way to go out of the Cup, especially when you consider that we were technically a much better side than Hampton.

The boys were gracious in defeat and we can be proud of their efforts during the 2 days. They certainly played some nice football and next year they will only continue to grow and develop their game.

Now it's off to Adelaide for some fun and celebration after a long and challenging season !

Castlefield Shield Day 1

A good start to our 2007 Castlefield Shield campaign at Sandringham today.

Match #1 vs East Bentleigh

The boys started well and had 2 goals disallowed in the 1st half, one of them was called off-side but it clearly was not. Once again this left a sour taste in our mouth, especially after the debacle at East Bentleigh's Memorial Day due to poor refereeing. A nil all draw gave us 1 point from this game, but we deserved 3 points without question.

Match #2 vs North Caulfield

Sandringham managed to whip this team 8/0 in the first match. By halftime we had only put 1 goal past their keeper. The 2nd half saw us convert another 3 well constructed goals. Caulfield were outclassed in this group, but kept fighting until the final whistle.

Match #3 vs Sandringham

We owed this team a lesson in Football after they beat us cheaply in the Memorial Day Tournament. The 1st half saw us dominate play and we went 2 nil up into the halftime break. Sandy came out blazing in the 2nd half and we allowed them to do this due to some very ordinary midfield efforts. Good goal keeping saved us from a few quality attacks. Finally we managed to push forward and we spent the last 5 minutes of the match attacking Sandy's goal.

2/0 was the final score and we had achieved our objective.

We now progress to the Quarter Finals against the 2nd place team in Group C. We have the ability to win this event, but the players need to work hard and really want it. Given that this is the last time that the boys can play in this annual Tournament, it would be nice to go out with a victory !

Undefeated !

Congratulations to the boys for going through the season undefeated. They had some tough matches during the season, but they never gave up and we can all be very proud of the style of football that they have played this year.

The lads kicked 63 goals and only conceded 7 goals, an average of 1 goal for every 9 goals kicked. We also consumed 360 litres of water and ate 240 Oranges during our 16 games !

But it's not over just yet, with the Castlefield Shield and the Adelaide trip still to come. Lets really finish the year strongly by doing our best in these upcoming events.

Round 16 - Bulleen

Our last game for the year was against Bulleen at Wembley Park. The ground was really in a bad condition after a full season of soccer, clumps of grass made the ball bounce all over the place. However it was a warm day and the lads were ready to finish off their season strongly.

It didn't take long before Box Hill opened the scoring, a neat cross from Aaron finding Jesse in the 18 yard box. The 2nd goal followed fairly quickly with a nice series of passes finding Jesse just outside the box, who played a well placed ball to send Charlie through. Bulleen managed to sneak a goal past Marcel after some scrappy play in the box.

2/1 at half time and Bulleen were not really challenging us. Clifton made some changes at half time and Hamish was put upfront, being the only boy not to have scored this season, everyone was keen to play him into the game.

Our 3rd goal was the result of a Bulleen clearance that Kosi managed to get a foot to, the ball spilling in front of Jordan who was on the edge of the box. A nice firm strike saw the Bulleen Keeper beaten and we were 3/1 up.

Bulleen had a couple of good chances in the 2nd half from long balls, but our defence managed to chase down any threats. Meanwhile at the other end Charlie converted his second for the day after it deflected off of a Bulleen defender.

So the lads finished with a 4/1 victory for their final game of the season. They have gone through undefeated, which is a great achievement for all of them. Now it's time to have a serious go at the Castlefield Shield and then finish the year with the trip to Adelaide.

Thanks to Andrew for taking this weeks photos.

Round 15 - Monash

What a great Spring Day for our Round 15 match against Monash. Today we played the team that is actually entered in our league, Monash's best U9 side who are playing up a year. Last time we played their #1 U10 side, who also play in the U11 comp.

The game was underway after some confusion about which ground we were on. The young Monash team were pushing hard and not afraid to go into battle for the ball. However it was evident from early on that Box Hill were controlling the game tempo. Good control through the midfield and the usual solid defence were combining well to create some nice passages of play.

Some early chances in front of goal went begging, composure on the ball would have seen those chances converted. A few corner kicks also whistled past the goal mouth, hoping for an outstretched leg or head. Eventually Aaron S made a long run (from the bench) to receive a pass from Jesse who was taking the corner kick. Aaron hit the ball sweetly and it curled into the back of the net.

Halftime and we had controlled most of the play so far. However our finishing was poor and we really squandered quite a few good scoring opportunities. Dave asked the boys to settle down and play the passing game. We had time on the ball but were rushing our decisions a bit. We just needed to calm down and make the most of our chances.

The 2nd half saw us play a lot better and we started to get numbers behind the ball. Monash to their credit continued to snap at out heels and they really deserved a goal, only to be denied by the post. It was great to see their young players having a real go and they look likely to be a very good team for the future.

Box Hill notched up another 3 goals in the 2nd half, courtesy of Kosi (2) and Nick (1). Nick's strike from inside the 18 yard box was especially hit with venom, leaving the keeper no chance. Once again we had plenty of chances that we missed, especially from corners. Our delivery into the box is very good, we just need to finish stronger and make the most of our chances.

So it's off to Springvale White Eagles on Wednesday night for a practice match. Hopefully it will be a good contest for the boys as they prepare for the Castlefield Shield and the Trip to Adelaide later in the month.