​This weekend the Sharks were looking to get back to winning ways against strong opposition who hadn’t tasted defeat as of yet this season. Now the Sharks had all their players back from international duty it only left two players remaining in the treatment room. We wish them a speedy recovery so that they can join up with the mighty Sharks next week. 
So we started the game with Dylan in goal, Jack, Elliott, Liam, Aidan, Caleb and Freddie with Harry and Josh both starting from the bench.  Even from KO it appeared that this was going to be an even game.  With the opposition having three good football players within their ranks, so it was going to be an interesting test for the Sharks being devoid of both their main goal threats. 
I changed positions of a few players to try and get some energy into the middle of field, swapping Elliott with Jack from being the last man in defense to a central midfield role to provide energy and carry some goal threat. This was challenging enough as this was asking the lads to do something that they haven’t done before. 
Aidan and Liam provided good width which made the team look solid though little light upfront.  With Freddie coming back from international duty he looked a little out of sync with the team, but I have no fear that this won’t last too long. 
The game ebbed and flowed, with neither team managing to take control, but the opposition were looking the most likely to score.  Against the run of play the Sharks managed to score a goal out of nowhere. Elliot, working in midfield role this time, broke the play deep into the opposition’s half and the ball somehow made its way out to the left hand side to Liam, who drove past one player and took his shot early as he was being closed down by ongoing defenders. This early shot took the opposition goalkeeper by surprise as it went into the bottom hand corner to give us the lead. 
With few chances for both teams, the defense and midfield battles were hotting up and challenges were coming thick and fast.  It was again, in all honesty, the opposition that was on top, as the Sharks were not able to get up the field to relieve the pressure that was mounting. Dylan had been brave a number of times already, diving at on coming player’s feet to claim the ball and pull off some good saves too. 
Elliott, Harry and Jack stood tall at the back and defended well limiting the opposition to only a few clear chances that they pasted up thankfully. 
So the first half came to the close and the Sharks were holding on, but only just.  We had something to protect and I attended to ensure that were going to try do everything to keep it. 
In our pep talk we managed to relay the positions again and what we expected so the second half got underway with the Sharks looking to protect and maybe extend our lead.
Josh and Harry both starting growing in the second half of this challenging game.  Josh had his best game to date, managed to chase most balls and even hurried forward and had a decent shot on goal as well, so a massive well done to him. Harry found his feet and learned his positional play, getting involved and making some important challenge’s to break up the play.  
The first chance again fell to the opposition, with a looping shot that appeared to have beaten Dylan but was cleared off the line by a stunning defensive header preserving our lead for the time being. 
The opposition pushed the Sharks back and tried to break us down but we stood firm and defended in numbers making it as hard as possible for them to get a clear shot on goal. 
By this time both Elliott and Jack has resumed their natural positions, and were aided by Aidan, Liam, Freddie and Caleb all working very hard to break up field to try and extend our lead and make life a little more comfortable. 
This nearly came with a rare venture up field; Elliott once again provided the injection of energy needed to break through the opposition’s defensive line, and passed the ball to Freddie who controlled the ball well, created a little bit of space and took a shot.  The keeper saved it but never managed to collect it, so Freddie was able to have another go, this time it came back off the post. This bounced straight to Elliott who was steaming into the box. He struck the ball well but the keeper, once again, made a fantastic save, and the chance was over.
The game continued in the same fashion, the opposition pushing forward and the Sharks defending stoutly, with the whole team doing extremely well they deserved the lead that they had been protecting for nearly the whole game. 
As the game was about to finish, the boys were tired, because the pitch was heavy and they had worked so hard in this game, the opposition got one final chance, they broke down our left hard side, and had a decent shot on goal, which Dylan denied brilliantly and Sharks survived another scare. 
So the full time whistle blew, and the Sharks had managed to see out the game and protect the one goal that they had scored.  A massive well done to all the boys, not the free scoring games that we are used to but happy with the clean sheet and how the boys dug in and protected this lead. 
So onto next week, and we will look to build on this result.

​With the sharks looking to continue the winning streak and add a third victory in a row we were positive that this could be accomplished even with the squad having a number of players still to return from the international break and a player that was injured receiving treatment.
So the Sharks started with Dylan in goal, Jack, Giacomo, Aidan, Caleb, Harry and Liam with no subs due to Elliott, Jake, Josh and Freddie not being available. 
The game started positively enough, with lots of energy and running from the boys. Giacomo and Jack were particularly busy, with Giacomo battling for the ball in the center of midfield trying to make an impacted and looking to control the speed of the game. 
But it was the opposition that managed to take the lead, against the run of play to be honest.  After some stout defending and a number of corners later, the opposition took another corner and there was a small scramble in the box, the ball then broke to an opposition player on the edge of the box who had a pop shot at goal, I can only say that it took everyone by surprise as no one reacted and the ball dribbled into our net. 
I was fearing the worst, but the Sharks proved once again that they are tough and managed to fight their way back into the game.  The Sharks kept pushing trying to find a way to draw themselves level in game that they were more than capable of winning even with the reduced amount of players. 
After 5 minutes of being behind, the Sharks managed to draw themselves level.  This came about via an own goal from the opposition defender, but I can still hear Jack trying to claim that he should be credited with the goal as he was the last person that touched the ball for the Sharks.  With Liam and Aidan looking at running the channels and getting the space that they needed, and Caleb closing down and applying pressure where possible, the Sharks managed to get a corner, not for the first time in the game, but this was the most important. 
Jack took a wonderful corner, lofting the ball towards the penalty spot where Aidan had placed himself. As the ball dropped into the box Aidan applied pressure, the ball cannoned off a defender into the net.  It was well deserved for the effort that the lads had been putting in. 
The Sharks, continued to press for another try to take the lead for the first time, with Giacomo fast becoming an important player for the Sharks.  He had a couple of really good chances, but was guilty of snatching at his shots sometimes or over running them, something that we will be working on. But credit must be given to the oppositions goal keeper, as he did manage to save a few that I thought he shouldn’t have been given a chance to. 
As the first half was coming to a close, the Sharks fell behind again, this time to a sloppy goal that we would normal not concede. Dylan tried his best but was not able to stop the shot. So the Sharks had to find a way of getting themselves back into the game again. 
This duly came through a solo effort from Giacomo, he collected the ball high up the pitch rode a challenge, and was then clear on goal.  He lined up his shot and managed to smash the ball past the stranded opposition goal keeper.  So with the score level the first half finished level. 
Caleb bravely took over in goal allowing Dylan to have a half on the pitch.  As the second half got underway it was much of the same. All the lads were working extremely hard, to try and find a way to score a goal and take the lead.  This even lead to the boys tackling each other to get the ball. This is something that needs to stop because we had a number of promising attacks break down because of this. 
Jack was remaining a threat at the back, being composed on the ball and always looking to make that telling pass, even to the point that he was taking risks that were not needed, and as it turned out this lead to the opposition taking the lead once again through one of these risks. 
Jack was trying to play out from the back, trying to make the difference, but was caught with the ball, this then gave the opposition a clear run on goal which they took gleefully. This meant that once again the Sharks had to pick themselves up and try and draw level. 
As the second half was half way complete, the Sharks managed to bite back and draw level once again, showing great amounts of character and belief that they could win this game.  Giacomo once again was the goal scorer, making him the leading scorer for Sharks this season so far. He collected the ball and drove at goal holding off a number of challenge’s before striking the ball home to pull the Sharks level. 
On the balance of play, I felt that the Sharks had enough now to go on and win the game, but the boys were now beginning to tire and stopped tracking back and defending as they should and this gave the opposition the opportunity to take the lead again. Which they promptly did. 
With more chances wasted from the Sharks the game finished in defeat, but with lots of positives from every boy and that is the most important thing. I wouldn’t normal highlight for each boy but I thought it only right in this occasion. 
 Liam battled very well and showed good control and touch.  Giacomo showed loads of energy as normal and carried a goal threat.  Jack showed good composure, and ball play, and defended very well.   Caleb showed good energy closing the opposition down, and willingness to play in goal.   Aidan was composed on the ball, and looked a threat when given a chance to go forward. Harry showed his defensive skill, and willingness to close the ball down. And Dylan showed he should perhaps be the Shark’s goal keeper as he had some good saves. 
Well done boys, and thanks for the support of all the parents as this team wouldn’t be anything without you. 

With the boys approaching this game off the back of a good win, we are looking to continue this with another victory. 
We started the game with Jake in Goal, Jack, Elliott, Giacomo, Liam, Caleb, Aidan and Harry. Dylan and Josh starting from the bench. With the boys winning with the formation 1-4-1 I made the decision to stick with this. It is proving effective and with Jack and Elliott providing a solid defence it is enabling the rest of the boys to push on and express themselves. 
 
As the game started, the Sharks were able to push the opposition back into their own half and take the game to them. The boys were holding their shape much better and were putting pressure on the ball quicker and controlling the pace of the game too, maybe the training sessions were starting to pay off.  
 
With Jake becoming effectively a spectator in the Sharks goal we manged to take the lead through Liam, with some good running from Dylan, Caleb, and Josh all making a telling contribution to creating space for Liam. VAR might have been needed to check if the ball managed to cross the line, but they all count, and Liam was a happy boy. 
 
Giacomo’s energy in the middle of midfield, and Aidan providing good width, the Sharks managed to extend their lead again through Liam, this time working extremely hard at winning the ball back in the middle of the park playing the ball wide to Aidan, who is slowly finding his feet for the Sharks managed to square the ball back and Liam managed to collect the ball first and strike the ball that managed to find its way into the back of the net. So the Sharks now had a comfortable advantage that enabled them to express themselves more. The pleasing thing more than the goals that had been scored, but the way the boys are slowly understanding how to keep the shape that I would like them too. 
 
Giacomo had a handful of chances to score a goal, but some effects were wide and other efforts were saved or blocked by the defenders. He just had to keep plugging away and trying to find the back of the net. 
 
With the Sharks being so dominant Jake was basically a by-stander for most if not all of the 1st half. So the half finished with the Sharks in a strong position. 
 
Dylan, put his hand up to play the second half in goal, releasing Jake from goalkeeping and a chance to add to his 4 goals this season.
 
The second half started as the first half finished.  The Sharks were controlling the game and both Elliott and Jack were both playing well and defending extremely well passing the ball, and pressing the ball when needed.  
 
Harry was also making an impression in midfield, tackling hard, making decent runs for the team and filling in when needed, showing the same level of effort that got him the most improved player last year. 
 
As the second half was about 10 minutes old Elliott made a powerful run through the midfield, splitting the opposition and driving through towards the goal, keeping the ball under control before lashing the ball into the back of the net.
 
The opposition was now left deflated and they had a mountain to climb if they were to get anything from this game, but on the other hand it was a good chance for the boys to score a few more goals and really build on the new found confidence on a bigger pitch. 
 
As expected, Dylan was also a spectator in goal but remained focused even though he wasn’t called into action much. 
Josh, Liam, Harry, Aidan and Caleb were all working hard, trying to restrict the opposition as best as they could, and creating a few chances too. Jake was a thorn in the opposition’s side, making great runs down the wings and feeding the ball into the middle of the park for on coming attackers to attempt to score another goal. 
 
By this time Giacomo was becoming frustrated with himself for not scoring, as he was getting plenty of chances but wasn’t manging to score until he managed to do so late into the second half.  Some good work from Jack breaking from a deep lying midfield position taking on a player and crossing the ball to Giacomo or Jake who were both waiting in the oppositions box, it was Giacomo that controlled the ball and placed a great shot past the stranded goalkeeper.  
 
The thing that impressed me the most was the desire to keep pushing for more goals. And one more due came. 
 
This time with some great effort and good tackling from Caleb he managed to find himself in plenty of space that he took full advantage of, controlled the ball drove towards goal and managed to score his first goal for the Sharks, it was well deserved and his just reward for always trying and giving 100% every time that he is on the field of play.      
 
So with the final whistle blowing, the Sharks had managed to keep another clean sheet and score a number of goals, it was a great performance from everybody. So, a massive well done to Liam, Josh, Jake, Jack, Giacomo, Aidan, Caleb, Dylan, Elliott and Harry. 
 
So we look forward to a weekend off and returning the following weekend fresh and raring to go. 
Well done Sharks and a massive thank you to the parents also for their impressive support.