With the Sharks coming off the back of 2 defeats, the boys where looking at stopping the rot and trying to chalk up another win and build the confidence for following week.  So this week we started the match with Jake in goal. Jack, Giacomo, Aidan, Caleb, Freddie and Liam on field and Josh, Dylan and Harry on from the bench. 
The Sharks are still trying to find a system that suits them that will encourage them to pass the ball as well as give them enough numbers to push on and score goals but also enable them to defend when needed. 
As the game started, it became clear that this was going to be a free scoring game, as within the first 2/3minutes the opposition broke up the field catching the Sharks lacking in defense to take the lead with a well taken goal.  But with this early set back the Sharks remained positive and began to get to grips with the new formation and the game in hand. 
With Jack and Giacomo doing some very good defensive work between them at the back, and with Freddie, Aidan and Laim also working hard in the midfield the Sharks managed to draw themselves level. This was through some dodged work from Caleb upfront and a good couple of passes in midfield to create the space for Freddie to break through and score his third goal of the season. 
The Sharks were hoping to kick on now, but once again they found themselves behind, this time through some excellent play from the opposition, breaking through the Sharks defense and scoring past an oncoming Jake that was keeping goal today.  I was always aware that the Sharks may concede more goals playing this system, but it is a learning process and it is something that we are going to stick to and try and learn from. 
With the Sharks trailing again, the boys had to pick themselves up, and try and find an equalizer, this dually came through Laim, working hard within midfield, not always sticking to the position he had been given but his effort and desire is always welcomed.  Liam managed to pick the ball up just in his own half, and have a shot from distance, as this might have caught the oppositions goal keeper napping as it managed to find its way into the bottom right had corner, but as they say they all count. 
With our tails now up and the momentum with the Sharks we managed to take the lead for the first time in the match. With some good play from Harry and Dylan freshening up the play and giving us some more energy, they managed to square the ball to Josh who controlled the ball well, and then he managed to play an excellent through ball to Freddie who raced onto it, controlled it and then fired the ball into the oppositions net, a very well worked goal and well deserved for the team’s efforts. 
But the scoring wasn’t done for the first half, putting fans and players alike through another twist as the opposition stole the ball high in the Sharks half surged towards our goal and managed to draw the game level before the half time whistle went. 
Giacomo volunteer to take the gloves from Jake, this is always a hard decision to make, as Giacomo brings lots of energy and goal threat to the Sharks midfield, but with Jake entering the field of play we might lose a little energy but he brings a massive goal threat as he has proven in the past. 
As the Second half got underway, the Sharks looked more comfortable and more likely to score, with Dylan coming in and playing in defense Jack was able to push up the field and carry the ball more.  This was the key to winning the midfield battle, with Laim and Aidan providing width and Jake making forward runs the Sharks managed to pin the opposition back restricting their chance.  With Jack’s new found freedom, he managed to pick the ball up and play a good ball down the line that Jake managed to control and then lash the ball into the back of the net giving the Sharks a slight advantage. 
This advantage doubled soon after, again from some brilliant play from Harry, Aidan, Jack and Liam.  The ball broke to Jack and with a little luck and some skill managed to play another good ball to Jake who wasn’t going to give up another chance in scoring, this time scoring at a tight angle giving the opposition keeper no chance, this was Jake’s second and third goals of the season and it was nice to see the smile back on his face. 
The Sharks had a number of chances to put the game to bed.  No better was the chance that fell to Freddie, with some good play from Josh again, playing the ball to Jake, who danced round a challenge and unselfishly squared the ball to Freddie, who unfortunately couldn’t sort his feet on time to tap the ball into an unguarded net. That would have been his third goal of the game but it wasn’t to be. 
With time running out, the opposition managed to make it very uncomfortable for the Sharks by pulling another goal back, but the Sharks managed to hold onto the win. It was a thrilling game to win, but if we learn to take our chances and manage the game better we will be able to win more games than we lose. 
So onto next week with the hope of building on this result and get another victory. 

This being the fourth league game that the Sharks have played this season, we were looking to build on our win from the previous week. So the starting lineup this week was Jake in goal, Jack, Elliott, Giacomo, Aidan, Dylan and Caleb, with Liam and Josh starting from the bench.
The game started positively for the Sharks, taking early control and possession of the football, with Giacomo, Caleb, Jack and Adian working well in the midfield, and Elloitt and Dylan defending stoutly, but with a lapse in concentration the opposition managed to take the lead against the run of play.  This was a wake-up call to the boys as they were now aware that they had to get themselves back into the game.  
 
With the Sharks regaining control of the ball, and applying pressure, the Sharks managed to haul themselves level through Giacomo again, (he is now becoming a regular scorer for the Sharks so well done to him). The chance came about through some good work from Jack and Liam that created the opening that Giacomo seized upon and drove through midfield and shot passed the opposition's goalkeeper.  As the game restarted the opposition stepped up their game and applied some decent pressure on the Sharks, and with that opposition managed to create a clear shot on goal and Jake managed to smother the ball before any real damage could be done.  Jake may not like it but I think he might have a future in goal, as he applied himself brilliantly in the first half, his blocking and distribution were very good, so watch this space it might just happen.
 
With the first half coming to a close, the Sharks managed to nudge in front through Elliott, with a surging run starting just inside his own half right though the middle of the park, leaving opposition players in his wake and slotting the ball home, a very good goal and a good one to open his account for the season.    
 
As the second half started Caleb took the gloves from Jake, a hard act to follow, but I knew he would give it everything.  The Sharks didn’t start the second half well, they seem to expect to score more goals and add to their winning margin.  Once again the Sharks seemed to forget how to pass the ball, with players being in good positions and not releasing the ball which would have created more scoring chances for the Sharks to extend their lead. 

The opposition took advantage of this, as the Sharks were over committing players forward but not retreating quickly enough to defend, sometimes leaving three attacking players against one defender, after a number of chances and some good goal keeping from Caleb and defending from Jack the opposition managed to draw level.  This prompted a positive response from the Sharks, as we managed to strike the cross bar twice and the post four more times, as well as drawing a great save from the opposition’s goal keeper.

It felt as if  the Sharks day was going to end in frustration, but credit to the boys who kept trying to the end, with chances falling to Jack, Josh, Giacomo and Jake, I believe if any of these chances would have gone in the Sharks would have run out winners with a comfortable score line. But it wasn’t meant to be as the opposition managed to score again, putting them in front and eventually winning the game, a bitter blow for the lads but the lessons are there for them to learn. 
 
So we move forward, put our lessons into practice in our next match and hope to come away with another victory to our names.