Season 2010 / 2011 Reports

Sunday, 21st November 2010
Stocksbridge Park Steels JFC U13 v Norton Lees JFC U13

Stocksbridge Park Steels JFC U13 2 - 6 Norton Lees JFC U13

We arrived at possibly the worst ground in Sheffield knowing that a good win could put us up to 6th in the league. We started the game with a few changes to the team with Liam Doran making his debut and Matthew Abbey and Jake Rodgers moving up to midfield. Straight from kick off though Norton looked the stronger side and enjoying most of the possession. It wasn't long before Josh Sugden put the away side in front, even though he had moved into left midfield for the game as well. Straight from the restart Norton were pressing again. It didn't take long until one of the many corners we had won payed off. Matt Herring corner finding Jake Rodgers who flicked a header on to the back post for Jack Martin to slot in. The game balanced out for a bit after that until Stocksbridge had their first shot of the game (a penalty) which found the net. That gave the Steels a bit of hope but it ran out when Josh Sugden notched his second straight from a corner to make it 3-1 to Norton.

Stocksbridge Park Steels JFC U13 1 - 3 Norton Lees JFC U13

The second half began Norton continuing where they left off by attacking and creating chances, a lot of them created by the tireless running and passing of Liam Doran. Stocksbridge improved but never really troubled the Norton Keeper Thomas Russell. Norton settled and Matthew Herring scored a brilliant goal to make it 4-1 to the away team and matters were compounded as Norton went further ahead with an incredible solo goal by Liam Doran, picking the ball up at half-way and working his way through the yellows' defence beforestroking the ball into the net. shortly after that that the lads made it 6-1 as Jack Martin slipped the ball neatly past the Steels goalie.

A brilliant game for us lifting us further up the table, and some brilliant football played even with the terrible condition of the pitch.

Supporters MOTM: Liam Doran
Managers MOTM: Jamie Pashley



Sunday, 15th November 2009
Bramley Sunnyside JFC U13 v Norton Lees JFC U13

Bramley Sunnyside JFC U13 1 - 0 Norton Lees JFC U13

We knew what to expect before kick-off as we had played Bramley the year before in the cup. But that day we were in C and they were doing well in A.

We had the upper-hand with in the first twenty minutes, with shots from Matthew Herring, Lewis Rodgers and Jack Martin. After that the game became more of an even contest with the Bramley attack threatening to hit us on the break. And it wasn’t long until one of those attacks paid off. A long ball through from their fullback, which was misjudged by one of the Norton defenders, led to their centre-forward escaping and he slotted it into the bottom right hand corner past Norton's keeper Thomas Russell. For the rest of the half it was almost even possession, but Norton having more chances, but still not finding the target.

The second half began and Norton Lees were still creating the better of the chances, but still not finding the net. Matthew Abbey had a stint on the right side of midfield while the rest of the team pushed up. As the game progressed Norton were became more and more desperate to find the equaliser. Daniel Loughlin pushed forward to left wing, leaving two defenders at the back, Tommy Ringrose and Owen White, who were making brilliant tackles whenever the dangerous Bramley attack were pressing. But still Norton could not find that elusive goal. The final whistle went and we were gutted after knowing we had the better of the game.

Supporters Man Of The Match: Jake Rodgers
Managers Man Of The Match: Jack Martin

PS. What a crap pitch - Ed.

Season 2009 / 2010 Reports

TUESDAY, 27 APRIL 2010
Darfield JFC U12 v Norton Lees JFC U12
Sunday, 25th April 2010
Darfield JFC U12 v Norton Lees JFC U12

Darfield JFC U12 0 - 10 Norton Lees JFC U12

Make or break time for the lads away at Darfield, a team that had always troubled us in the past. We wanted to finish this season’s journey, one that started almost eight months ago back in early September on a high.

The lads met and a party atmosphere was apparent. It needed Fabbers and Sandy to get the lads focussed and prepare mentally and physically for the job in hand. We knew Darfield were nobodies mugs and even though they had been relegated they still had a say in who could be promoted or not. Two minutes in and we had taken the lead. Further goals before half time followed and chances galore were created.

Driven on by Dan Loughlin, Lewis Rodgers and Ben Ainsworth we had 90% of the ball all the match. Five different scorers Cameron Weatherstone bagging a brace, Jake Rodgers, Owen White and hat-tricks for both Jack Martin and Josh Sugden. A strange game where we actually looked a division higher than our opponents in a season where every single game has been fiercely competitive. You have to be hard hearted not to feel some sympathy with the Darfield lads who looked on wistfully at our lads celebrating at the end of the match.

A great day for the boys, a happy ending to a U12 adventure and the sun shone all morning. Div B here we come!
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Laughton Boys FC U12 v Norton Lees JFC U12
Tuesday, 20th April 2010
Laughton Boys FC U12 v Norton Lees JFC U12

Laughton Boys FC U12 1 - 1 Norton Lees JFC U12

A bone hard pitch meant that football went out of the window. It was a really difficult surface to play on and the 1 in 5 slope didn’t help either. Once more we conceded a goal in the first half after a scramble on the penalty spot from a corner. And once more, we never let our heads drop and we competed and battled. Second half was all Norton with total and constant pressure on the Laughton back four. Strangely enough we did not get many shots away in the second half but we managed to equalize with Josh Sugden scrambling a goal in from a corner. Another excellent, battling performance with Jamie Pashley and Owen White both prominent and Thomas Russell coping with everything that came his way.
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Norton Lees JFC U12 v Greasbrough Youth FC U12
Sunday, 18th April 2010
Norton Lees JFC U12 v Greasbrough Youth FC U12

Norton Lees JFC U12 4 – 0 Greasbrough Youth FC U12

Standard fare – good performance, good result. The whole team played well and fashioned numerous chances putting four of them away. Promotion is within touching distance and a win at Laughton should seal it.
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Chesterfield Town FC U12 v Norton Lees JFC U12
Tuesday, 13th April 2010
Chesterfield Town FC U12 v Norton Lees JFC U12

Chesterfield Town FC U12 2 - 1 Norton Lees JFC U12

A really superb performance from the U12’s! We should have been three goals up before Chezzer went into overdrive and scored a great but unexpected goal against the run of play. And then, the cheeky bleeders added another shortly after! We changed in the second half and played more directly trying to hit the channels and to put pressure on a suspect defence and created a million opportunities each one skied, spooned over or sent wide. Jack Martin snatched one back but it was too little, too late. If you were present at the match I’ll tell you now that you will never see a game again where Norton Lees missed so many sitters! How we did not score ten of them I’ll never know.

No sweat though – the all round performance was that good I’m still buzzing now.
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Norton Lees JFC U12 v Chesterfield Town FC U12
Sunday, 4th April 2010
Norton Lees JFC U12 v Chesterfield Town FC U12

Norton Lees JFC U12 2 – 0 Chesterfield Town FC U12

Great performance, great result! We had been hanging onto the coat tails for Chezzer all season but never quite managing to get within touching distance. All the fallout from the week before had settled and the kids know what they had to do. With the wind behind them Chesterfield should have punished us and we knew it was going to be our day when they had a gilt-edged opportunity and spurned it. A free header allowed their forward to scamper clear but somehow Thomas Russell made the save and they hit the bar with the rebound.

Magnificent defending kept the score at 0-0 when they had the chances to score. It was completely Norton pressure in the second half with a good goal from Jack Martin to give us the advantage and a Josh Sugden header wrapped up the points. Every single player gave 101% and their work rate was faultless.
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Maltby Juniors FC U12 v Norton Lees JFC U12
Sunday, 11th April 2010
Maltby Juniors FC U12 v Norton Lees JFC U12

Maltby Juniors FC U12 2 - 3 Norton Lees JFC U12

Another away win where the home side started well and it took us a while to get going, by which time we were a goal behind. Ben Ainsworth equalized with a great strike and from then on we started to compete gamely, racking up chance after chance and finally going in at half time 2-1 up. Josh Sugden took it up to 3-1 for the Norton Lees in the second half and we still racked up chance upon chance but failed to capitalize. A few hairy moments in the second half after Maltby had pulled a goal back but all in all a very good game and a decent performance.
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Middlewood Rovers JFC U12 v Norton Lees JFC U12
Sunday, 28th March 2010
Middlewood Rovers JFC U12 v Norton Lees JFC U12

Middlewood Rovers JFC U12 4 - 0 Norton Lees JFC U12

Just a complete disaster! Nothing went for us all morning and it was a game to forget in more ways than one.
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Heeley Boys FC U12 v Norton Lees JFC U12
Sunday, 21st March 2010
Heeley Boys FC U12 v Norton Lees JFC U12

Heeley Boys FC U12 0 - 3 Norton Lees JFC U12

Terrible performance but a great result to keep this season’s 100% record up against our local rivals. And we won quite fortuitously too as we had a number of players off their game and the Heeley lads were up for it more that us. That, allied to some poor decision making kept the scores at 0-0. However, goals from Jack Martin, Jake Rodgers and Josh Sugden, saw us through a stiff test.
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Norton Lees JFC U12 v Charnock Ridgeway U12
Sunday, 14th March 2010
Norton Lees JFC U12 v Charnock Ridgeway U12

Norton Lees JFC U12 0 – 2 Charnock Ridgeway U12

Excellent performance but rubbish result. Similar to our game against them earlier in the season – we went a couple of goals down before half time while competing gamely. Second half was spent camped in their half and they never got out. We dominated so much that their big No.15 was moaning that ‘they’re murdering us and we can’t do anything about it’. We just couldn’t turn the screw enough to net one and stubborn defending by Charnock led to frustration. Surely if we had scored, then the flood gates may well have opened.
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MONDAY, 1 MARCH 2010
Sheffield Rangers FC U12 v Norton Lees JFC U12
Sunday, 28th February 2010
Sheffield Rangers FC U12 1 - 2 Norton Lees JFC U12

Potted history – similar to first game – got to put the chances away but we didn’t. Rangers punished us but and we went in 1-0 down at half time. A poor first half performance, with the defenders being the only lads deserving credit.
Far better in the second half with Norton really pressing hard and two goals for Josh Sugden after calamitous Rangers defending in both cases. Credit to the whole team yet again for taking the game by the scruff of the neck and getting a result.
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Norton Lees JFC U12 v Sheffield Rangers FC U12
Sunday, 14th February 2010
Norton Lees JFC U12 3 - 0 Sheffield Rangers FC U12

Potted history – could have been a couple of goals up in the first half as Norton pressed hard but did not manage to score. Opened scoring in the second half with a tap in from Josh Sugden. Two more goals from the irrepressible Jack Martin settled the game. A comfortable win and the result reflected the balance of the game.
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Eckington Boys FC U12 v Norton Lees JFC U12
Sunday, 7th February 2010
SDJSL 4 - 1 Norton Lees JFC U12

Sorry.....should read.....

Eckington Boys FC 4 - 1 Norton Lees JFC U12

Played with ten players and no keeper after the team manager had been told one thing by a league official then the club sectretary being told something completely to the contrary by the same individual, so as to cover the leagues position in relation to the rules. Take a bow, should be proud of yourself.

Ten players started with one hiding an injury from the coaches because he didn’t want to let his team mates down. Ecky scored and the boys equalized through Jack Martin and made it through to half time at 1-1. Two players carrying knocks and one feeling very unwell, all of them demanding to be allowed to carry on and play.

Second half, weathered the pressure and Eckington finally scored as the ball broke loose with ten minutes to go. Denied an equalizer thanks to one of our players down – not entirely the ref’s fault but fortuitous good luck for Eckington. Lads were out on their feet and the home team notched two more goals in the last two minutes.

Bad day at the office and junior football was the real loser that day but immensely proud of the boys!
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Dronfield Rangers U12 v Norton Lees JFC U12
Sunday, 24th January 2010
Dronfield Rangers U12 1 - 1 Norton Lees JFC U12

Potted history – poor game and the rustiness showed from six weeks of inaction. The boys battled hard and Ben Ainsworth’s wondergoal gave us the lead. Conceded a penalty in the last minute and that was that, 1-1.

FRIDAY, 11 DECEMBER 2009
Norton Lees JFC U12 v Maltby Juniors FC U12
Sunday, 6th December 2009
Norton Lees JFC U12 2 - 0 Maltby Juniors FC U12

WE EXPECTED ANOTHER PHYSICAL BATTLE AND WE GOT IT. A sunny afternoon after a rainy Saturday evening and Sunday morning meant that our pitch was a bit heavy in places, but with good spirit and determination the boys prevailed over a very dangerous Maltby team.

With goalie Thomas Russell using up all his ‘mistakes allowance’ during the warm up he gave an excellent, assured display between the sticks during the match. With the wind at their backs Maltby’s players looked ready to give a good account of themselves after a good win against Heeley the previous weekend. That said the first good chance was crafted by Daniel Loughlin whose left wing cross was met by Josh Sugden who stole into the danger area at the near post but failed to get a positive contact on the ball, the goalie making an easy save. The away No.8 looked a real player and the danger signs were there as he weaved through a couple of challenges only to be snuffed out by sheer weight of numbers. Shortly after this Thomas Russell pulled off a great top corner save from a long range shot to keep Norton in the game. Some iffy decision making saw us trying to shoot first time when maybe a first touch would have been better and shooting from distance when maybe a pass would have been better. It is easy for us to say it but these are eleven year old children who WILL learn from their errors.

Danger time! Maltby broke out and their No.8 dribbled through five or six tackles only to be upended by a desperate challenge for a cast iron penalty. Lucky for the player involved that the Maltby lad was not clean through and he the last defender! An injured Maltby player needed tending to and the long delay cannot have helped the penalty taker. That delay allied to the Norton keeper continually changing his standing position on the goal line served as enough to spoil the kickers aim as he ultimately shot high and wide. That was the real turning point of the game and the tide had turned as Norton did well to get through the remainder of the half comfortably with the Kallium Osborne, Matt Abbey and Owen White all defending superbly.

HALF TIME - Norton Lees JFC U12 0 - 0 Maltby Juniors FC U12

Into the second half and the wind had died down so we lost that little advantage, but right from the moment the whistle went Norton were on the front foot and pressured Maltby hard with aggressive challenging and running. Trying to play football, the pitch did not help us much as the end that we were attacking was rather churned up and quite soft underfoot in places.

The boys won the majority of the first balls in this period and worked hard to create chances, the Maltby lads breaking up our attacks and getting bodies in the way. Unfortunately all our set pieces and corners came to nothing and the Maltby goalie smartly stopped all goal bound shots. Good work by the midfield and forward line kept plenty of pressure on the away team as we tried to anticipate poor goal kicks and where the ball would drop. The tension cranked up as Josh Sugden, chased a ball down to the byline, saved it from going out and the goalie did well to prevent him from scoring, when a pass to a team mate was the better option.

At the other end Thomas Russell and the defenders remained alert to keep out the Maltby counter attacks which were swift and very direct with Jamie Pashley outstanding in combatting their winger. It was all one way traffic with Jake Rodgers and Ben Ainsworth pulling the strings. Jack Martin and Lewis Rodgers both went very close to putting Norton into the lead and Daniel Loughlin and Cameron Weatherstone worked tirelessly up and down the wings hassling our opponents. Finally with about twelve minutes to go and after a swift turn with his back to goal Josh Sugden got brought down in the area. The ref had no hesitation in pointing to the spot and from the resultant penalty the same player coolly slotted home and ran off to the corner flag in celebration. Straight from the kick off Maltby broke and their right winger danced through three challenges and crashed his shot against the foot of the post. The next five minutes was end to end stuff with chances at both ends with Daniel Loughlin crossing to James Pierce who controlled the ball well but slightly mis-hit his shot and the goalie saved and another curling effort by Josh Sugden that just went wide. At the other end another chance created by the Maltby winger was struck fiercely by their centre forward, saved superbly by Thomas Russell and the Norton lads managed to smother the follow up shot and break out. Great credit goes to the four defenders for holding firm in this topsy turvy five minutes. Another goal this time from Lew Rodgers trusty right foot at the inside right position looked like a simple save but the Maltby keeper fluffed his lines and the ball went straight through him and trickled over the line. Shame for the keeper, but that’s football. Game over and our first clean sheet of the season, to boot!

FULL TIME - Norton Lees JFC U12 2 - 0 Maltby Juniors FC U12

Strange thing football – we aren’t passing the ball as well as last season (my opinion not Fabbers) but we are a better, stronger, more physical team, we have spirit in abundance and this is helping us in some very adverse situations. Last year we would have lost that game. This year though, we are scoring goals and taking points from all those teams around us. The really pleasing thing about this game was that the boys grafted so hard for this win after missing a game the weekend previously. You can’t teach graft and work rate – you can only ask the boys to carry on where they left off it and we got graft and work rate by the bucket load.

Managers Man of the Match: Cameron Weatherstone
Supporters Man of the Match: Thomas Russell
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TUESDAY, 24 NOVEMBER 2009
Norton Lees JFC U12 v Eckington Boys FC U12
Sunday, 22nd November 2009
Norton Lees JFC U12 5 - 2 Eckington Boys FC U12

A COUPLE OF SEASONS SINCE WE PLAYED ECKYTHUMP….. They were a set of lads who were ‘up for it’ back in the U10’s and nothing has changed, they were still ‘up for it’ now. Sometimes teams change over a couple of seasons but experience of playing this particular set of lads in years past meant that we knew Craig Siddall’s lads would come and battle with the best of them.

On a pitch that was about as good as you were ever going to see after torrential rain over the preceding few days we expected some good football to entertain the parents and we were not disappointed. With the wind at their backs Eckington took the game to us and signalled their intent as one of their lads crashed a header against the bar from an early corner. It was not the greatest corner but we had not challenged the player and the ball had gone past the first man without him getting a head on it. Norton retailiated with a Jack Martin effort that went close. Both teams were playing some good stuff without really creating gilt edged opportunities. The visitors went in front with a well taken goal by their leading scorer. The lofted ball caught out the Norton defender who lost his man and the opposition left winger crossed for their lad to sweep the ball home from about twelve yards. Norton did not look too flustered by this and pressured hard and ultimately drew level. Great pressure by Cameron Weatherstone and Jack Martin resulted in Norton gaining possession in the final third of the pitch and the ball eventually popped out to Daniel Loughlin who squeezed his shot home inside the near post. Queue more pressure and good efforts by Lewis Rodgers, Ben Ainsworth and Josh Sugden who all went close. Norton had to be vigilant because the movement of the Eckington No.9 was exceptional but some classy defending by Matt Abbey, Kallium Osborne and Owen White kept their lads out and we competed hard in both the tackling and heading stakes to win the midfield battle. That said, we came unstuck as a skewed clearance sat up just nicely for the Eckington No.4 to take a touch and smash it home into the far corner. The visitors again went close just after with a shot that went narrowly wide. Again we responded and our closest effort was a thumping Jake Rodgers volley from the edge of the area that dipped sharply and bounced just in front of the keeper, who actually seemed to save it with his face and the Ecky Thump lads then managed to clear the danger.

Now for a big praise for an Eckington lad (don’t know which one it was) who, when tackled, in the box stayed on his feet and got his pass away to a team mate. The boy could have gone down but I’ve got to say a big well done for doing the right thing. In these times of Premiership divers and cheats it is very refreshing to see a lad not follow the rubbish examples set by those ‘superstars’.

HALF TIME - Norton Lees JFC U12 1 - 2 Eckington Boys FC U12

Okay then, into the second half and we looked to use the width of the pitch well with both Daniel Loughlin and Cameron Weathersone ready to mix things up either sending in early crosses or driving towards the touchline. Norton started on the front foot pressurising hard with skipper Jake Rodgers holding things together well in midfield with some imperious headers and setting the creative lads on their way. An early break through saw Jack Martin pounce to equalise, by driving across the box, and swivelling to shoot low down into the opposite far corner. Seeing the goalie unable to stop Jack's shot sent the lads into raptures and that set the tone for the rest of the game. Norton pressed forward to try and take the lead with Ben Ainsworth and Lewis Rodgers pulling the strings with Jack Martin covering every blade of grass further up the field. A clever little through ball saw Josh Sugden race through but the goalie did well to save the shot and the same player also had a smart finish correctly ruled out for offside. Norton went in front with the best move of the match when Cameron Weathersone set an end to end move off by breaking out at right back to send Ben Ainsworth scampering away down the inside right channel. Ben looked up and spotted Josh Sugden pointing to where he wanted the ball played and selflessly set him up. The Eckington goalie spotted it too but was no match with the Norton player in the foot race to the ball – Josh got there first, rounded the keeper and squared it for Daniel Loughlin to tap home from close range. End to end without an Eckington player touching it except to pick it out of the back of the net. What a goal that was to go 3-2 up!

Nothing much else could cap that and although Eckington tried hard to get back into the game Jamie Pashley, Matt Abbey, Kallium Osborne and Owen White held firm and from the moment we took the lead it looked like there was only going to be one winner. However, that was not the end of matters as more Norton pressure led to another goal, well set up by Ben Ainsworth. His low cross from the right fizzed across and was turned into the Eckington net by the Eckington defender although Josh Sugden claimed that he had got the merest of touches prior to the defender. Finally another goal, right out of the blue as Jack Martin smacked one in straight from a corner and that was that.

FULL TIME - Norton Lees JFC U12 5 - 2 Eckington Boys FC U12

A really excellent result for the boys and well done to both teams. I reckon it was one of the best football matches on display anywhere in Britain (maybe even better to watch than the Spurs v Wigan 9-1 game).

Managers Man of the Match: Lewis Rodgers
Supporters Man of the Match: Owen White
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Bramley Sunnyside JFC U12 v Norton Lees JFC U12
Sunday, 15th November 2009
Bramley Sunnyside JFC U12 5 - 2 Norton Lees JFC U12

2nd ROUND OF THE CUP AWAY AT A SUNNY ROTHERHAM…This is what happened.

A quite bobbly, rutted pitch was the scene for our duel with these Div A. lads. Ten minutes in and both teams were probing but without creating much in the way of real goal mouth chances. Fabbers had made a change of formation to try and stifle Bramley’s attack minded players but as so often seen in junior football when you play against teams from a higher league, you see that your players have to cope with the fear factor. Not so today, as we competed gamely. The home side took the lead with a smart lobbed finish from their striker who took advantage of some indecision at close quarters. That said, we had played well with the defence and midfield working very hard to combat two very good Bramley players. Norton rallied and Jack Martin, Lewis Rodgers and Daniel Loughlin caused problems with their tireless running and work rate. Ongoing good work by the Norton midfield saw the scores levelled when the Bramley centre back was caught flat footed and Josh Sugden adjusted his body well to crash a left foot volley into the bottom corner to the right of a static keeper. Bramley looked a little stunned by our response and within five minutes Daniel Loughlin had given Norton the lead. Norton striker Josh Sugden received the ball with his back to goal, held off a challenge and sent a pass through between defenders for Dan who had raced up into the inside left position to whack the ball home from eighteen yards. Credit Bramley who did not roll over and they roared back into the game to level the scores to 2-2 with neat incisive football. Unfortunately, it can be a cruel game sometimes, this football malarkey as the home side pressed and took the lead before half time to deflate the lads. We were gutted to say the least.

HALF TIME – Bramley Sunnyside JFC U12 3 - 2 Norton Lees JFC U12

After a great effort by Norton in the first half, Bramley suddenly remembered that they were Division A and turned the screw. No matter how hard we tried to create and no matter how hard we worked, they continually managed to snuff us out. Bramley pressed hard and we seemed to have forgotten how to clear the ball as we continually fluffed our lines it by either taking our eye off the ball or worrying about the onrushing player. Once the home team had won possession they kept the ball moving and kept on coming forward in waves and although Norton held out manfully with good keeping and stout defending the game was slipping away from us. Two late goals for Bramley put the tie to bed.

FULL TIME - Bramley Sunnyside JFC U12 5 - 2 Norton Lees JFC U12

In terms of the teams respective standings in the league and on the balance of play it was probably a fair result. We had held on for fifty minutes with a chance of snatching an equaliser to make it 3-3 but had not managed to overcome our opponents. It was a good test for the lads and I reckon both teams were fairly well matched but they had just one or two better individuals – and that told in the end.

Managers Man of the Match: Jake Rodgers
Supporters Man of the Match: Matt Abbey
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Norton Lees JFC U12 v Laughton Boys FC U12
Sunday, 8th November 2009
Norton Lees JFC U12 2 - 1 Laughton Boys FC U12

FIRST TIME PLAYING THESE LADS WHO DROPPED OUT OF DIVISION B. A calm afternoon after a morning of torrential rain, allied to a shocking pitch did not help us play to our maximum.

It all gets a bit fuzzy as we have played another match since writing this report but in the first half we gave the Laughton lads a fair old thumping going in at the break 2-0 up with goals from the trusty twosome of Daniel Loughlin and Josh Sugden. Norton looked the biz with some really good stuff but we failed to add to the score, the tall Laugthton defender playing really well to snuff out danger and keep his team in the match. Special mention goes to Kallium Osborne who seemed to grow a foot in stature and in self belief as the game went on – the lad never put a foot wrong all the match.

HALF TIME - Norton Lees JFC U12 2 - 0 Laughton Boys FC U12

Laughton must have had one heck of a team talk as they were out of the blocks like Linford flipping Christie and it was their turn to give us some cosh. However, Norton’s goalie made some good, competent stops and the defence coped very well with the Laughton forward play. That said, they did get one back when we presented them with a clear opportunity, which Laughton’s Ric Flair lookalike lashed home low into the net. The lads held firm after that and took the three points.

FULL TIME - Norton Lees JFC U12 2 - 1 Laughton Boys FC U12

A good three points and Laughton should be praised also for taking the game to us when they could have capitulated completely in the second half.

Managers Man of the Match: Kallium Osborne
Supporters Man of the Match: Thomas Russell
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TUESDAY, 3 NOVEMBER 2009
Norton Lees JFC U12 v Dronfield Rangers JFC U12
Sunday, 1st November 2009
Norton Lees JFC U12 2 - 2 Dronfield Rangers JFC U12

ANOTHER TALE OF TWO HALVES. A gusting wind greeted the lads who gave another decent account of themselves to extend our unbeaten run to four matches in spite of the weather destroying the game.

A confident start saw both teams trying to play football in spite of the conditions and it was clear that last seasons Division ‘D’ Champions could play a bit. Both teams were evenly matched and Norton’s defence led by the magnificent Owen White coped well. Norton were first to create a shooting opportunity with Jack Martin narrowly shooting over. Norton continued to work hard and the affair was very even Steven until after about fifteen minutes a Norton error allowed the Dronfield winger to gain possession and he evaded a challenge to look up and cross and the onrushing midfielder swept the ball home from about twelve yards out low past the keepers right hand. ‘Okay! No problem!’ we thought and we continued pressing until and surprisingly (to the majority watching, I am sure) we conceded another goal. The Dronny No.8 picked the ball up out wide and put a corker of a shot into the far corner with some wind assisted bend on it. Great goal and well finished off. The lads again rallied and although a bit glum looking kept on plugging away until the ref blew for half time. Quite strange to compete against the wind so well and come off the pitch two down.

HALF TIME - Norton Lees JFC U12 0 - 2 Dronfield Rangers JFC U12

In the second half took the game to Dronfield and battered them, trying to keep things simple, using the wind to our advantage and they just could not get out of their half. That said, we could not carve out many gilt edged chances without defenders getting in the way and when we did have the opportunity to shoot we took a touch too many and made their defenders look brilliant. Just before the half way mark in the second half we pulled a goal back after Jake Rodgers cleared the ball from midfield and it broke on the right side of the area and Josh Sugden took the chance early and toe pegged the ball low into the far bottom corner to chalk up his twelfth of the season. Still seventeen minutes to go and we battled hard but created little. For a while we stopped passing the ball with care and the match descended into ricochet football and we did not keep the ball well enough at all. This allowed Dronfield some possession and some breathing space but our defenders coped very well indeed. Every time their right winger got the ball we made sure that he was mobbed by two or three players. Into the last few minutes and time to throw caution to the winds and more bodies into their box. Nerves were frayed and nails were bitten when in the last minute after a lengthy stoppage for an injured Dronfield player, Ben Ainsworth got the ball on the deck and crossed it from the right for Lew Rodgers to thump his header home at the near post past the despairing keeper. Fifteen seconds after the restart the ref blew for full time.

FULL TIME - Norton Lees JFC U12 2 - 2 Dronfield Rangers JFC U12

Shame we had not equalised earlier as maybe we may have gone on to win the tie but overall it was a fair result. The lads got out of jail in this match and after a nights sleep, no matter how frustrated we get on the sidelines we need to realise this was a decent result against a good footballing side and our lads are a bunch of players that are a million miles from being the finished article. So far we are (inc Cup) P7 W4 D1 L2 in 3rd place – a hell of a lot better than this time last season, which was P7 W1 D1 L5 languishing somewhere near the foot of the table.

Lastly, a praise to the referee who had some frustrated players to deal with during the game and some pretty irate Dronny parents grumping at him after the game. Thought the old lad did well.

Managers Man of the Match: Owen White
Supporters Man of the Match: Owen White
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Greasbrough Youth FC U12 v Norton Lees JFC U12
Sunday, 25th October 2009
Greasbrough Youth FC U12 2 - 7 Norton Lees JFC U12

AWAY DAY IN ROTHERHAM…good performance and an excellent result. This is what happened on a very early Sunday morning.

1-0 up after one minute with a slick build up involving Cameron Weatherstone and Jack Martin which saw Josh Sugden slip through into space pass the ball firmly into the corner of the net past a static keeper. The Norton lads bossed the first half winning numerous corners and went further in front through a clean finish from Lewis Rodgers header to make it a comfortable scoreline. The trouble is though that when young lads sense a team is there for the taking they all charge forward and want to get on the scoresheet, losing their shape and their discipline. From this kick up the jacksey Greasbrough rallied and tried hard to pressure Norton and they won a couple of corners of their own. At the end of the half the ball popped out from one of these corners and Norton committed a foul out wide near the touchline. Greasbrough’s player used the wind to his advantage and launched a free kick high into the box and the ball whizzed in just under the bar. Norton goalie Jack Russell can just about jump and touch the bar in three quarter size nets but when we are in adult eight foot high nets it’s a bit of a different story and this fact came back to haunt Greasbrough in the second half with a couple of goals.

HALF TIME – Greasbrough Youth FC U12 1 - 2 Norton Lees JFC U12

It is all a bit hazy now but Norton restored their two goal advantage and rapidly built a huge 7-1 lead with goals from Jack Martin (2), Ben Ainsworth and Josh Sugden (2). Credit goes to the whole team though especially the defence of Kallium Osborne, Jamie Pashley, Matt Abbey and Jake Rodgers who cleaned up nicely, the midfield of Cameron Weathersone, Daniel Loughlin (who almost scored with a trademark cross), Lew Rodgers and Ben Ainsworth who all remained strong in spite of some stiff challenges and finally a big shout for James Pierce who excelled in the second half by remaining disciplined and mopping up all the loose balls that popped out of Greasbrough’s penalty area to set up more attacks. Also a shout to Jack and Josh for taking their chances well. Now, time for a reminder that they are still eleven years old and not fully fledged professionals as the lads allowed Greasbrough to claim a comedy goal as consolation by managing to give the home side plenty of assistance in scoring. Well, that’s football.

FULL TIME - Greasbrough Youth FC U12 2 - 7 Norton Lees JFC U12

Managers Man of the Match: Cameron Weatherstone
Supporters Man of the Match: Jack Martin
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MONDAY, 19 OCTOBER 2009
Heeley Boys FC U12 v Norton Lees JFC U12
Sunday, 19th October 2009
Heeley Boys FC U12 1 - 3 Norton Lees JFC U12

LEAGUE CUP 1st ROUND… away at local lads, Heeley Boys. This is what happened on a chilly Sunday afternoon.

The game got underway with both teams looking to make early progress and the match seemed a tense affair for quite a while with both sides trying to impose themselves on the game. It was a real battle and both teams were up for it to win the bragging rights at school. Norton coped well with Heeley’s play with Thomas Russell looking confident in net and Matt Abbey keeping Heeley’s number 7 under tabs and we built pressure on our opponents using the flanks well with Daniel Loughlin and Jack Martin probing down both sides and Jake Rodgers and Lewis Rodgers pulling the old midfield strings. The dangerous Heeley forwards showed their worth as they hustled Norton’s defenders into making mistakes and pounced on our defensive lapse to go 1-0 up as we could not manage to make an effective clearance. Norton roared back into the match and had opportunities to draw level when Josh Sugden raced clear with the ball but shot a little early (when maybe taking it a dot further may have been possible), the goalie making a comfy save and Daniel Loughlin smacked the bar from distance with an immense effort. Norton were on top for the remainder of the half but we had a couple of scares when Heeley broke at speed and really should have put the game beyond us but for a world class tackle by Owen White, some poor finishing and some good goalkeeping. The half ended at 1-0 but it was impossible to be negative when the lads had played as well as they had done in all departments on the pitch.

HALF TIME – Heeley Boys FC U12 1 - 0 Norton Lees JFC U12

We made a change of formation and the half got started with Norton seeing much more of the ball and Heeley were prepared to defend in numbers leaving five or six at the back. Time ticked by with Heeley weathering the storm and looking dangerous on the break but great play with an interception here and a tackle there meant that we stayed well and truly in control. Lots of good play by both teams meant chances at both ends and Heeley’s attacking set piece play, to be fair, was excellent. However, neither team managed to score and we had to have a rethink on how to get back into the game and snatch a goal. The lads threw themselves forward and we were on the front foot, attacking both flanks with purpose and creating some big pressure on our opponents with James Pierce and Ben Ainsworth using the ball really well. Matt Tyas and Owen White kept guard with great composure at the back in the last few minutes and calmed the game down giving us a great platform to launch attacks. Still, the home team stood firm and we went into the last minute of added time. Queue Jack Martin to knock in our umpteenth corner - and queue Josh Sugden to rise at the near post and head home to scenes of complete and utter pandemonium with both players and parents! I have never seen a goal celebrated so wildly at a junior match. The moment Heeley restarted, the ref blew for the end of normal play.

FULL TIME - Heeley Boys FC U12 1 - 1 Norton Lees JFC U12

Into extra time and our lads were right up for it and we looked like the only team that was going to win the tie. Another corner and as the ball was cleared James Pierce popped up just inside the box to hit a sweet right foot volley into the Heeley net to give us a vital lead. Our opponents were visibly deflated and that was that. Into the second half of extra time and we made the tie comfortable as Josh Sugden cut inside and lashed a right foot shot home from about twelve yards out. Job done. It was a bit harsh on Heeley Boys as they had contributed magnificently to a great match and their players were a credit.

AFTER EXTRA TIME - Heeley Boys FC U12 1 - 3 Norton Lees JFC U12

What a game! Like I said a few weeks ago, it makes you immensely proud when the lads show great team spirit, keep battling for each other, keep believing in themselves and give 100%.
Pash, KaOs, Cam, Lew, Jakey, O, MattT, MattA, Superjack, Tots, Dan, Bennyboy, James and Josh – you were all excellent!


Managers Man of the Match: Josh Sugden

Supporters Man of the Match: Thomas Russell
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TUESDAY, 13 OCTOBER 2009
Norton Lees JFC U12 v Darfield JFC U12
Sunday, 11th October 2009
Norton Lees JFC U12 6 - 1 Darfield JFC U12

A TALE OF TWO HALVES. Back after the previous week’s fixture was postponed. A bright sunny day with a fresh, gusty wind and a tale of two contrasting halves and two contrasting performances.

FRUSTRATION
Kicking into the wind we knew it would be a very tough half and the game started off with Norton still half asleep and second to every ball and lacking any swagger and genuine desire. In truth we were second to everything all over the pitch and as the half wore on the lads were clearly becoming a tad frustrated. Once or twice we showed flashes of our normal sharpness when on the attack with some good interpassing and movement down the flanks and but for great defending by Darfield we would have taken the lead when the Norton striker nipped in to head the ball over the onrushing goalie but their sweeper made a telling tackle to clear the danger. Some top performances at the back were the reason Norton held firm but we didn’t half huff and puff to do anything positive with the ball and make progress. Darfield had simply competed harder than we did and the fact that the visitors took the lead when their sweeper cleared the ball and it bounced once and over goalie Thomas Russell and into the net just summed the half up. It did not improve the mood of the players or coaches and apart from one or two performances we were miles below our best.

HALF TIME - Norton Lees JFC U12 0 - 1 Darfield JFC U12

ELATION
Cue Fabbers and some home truths about desire, about spirit, about caring about our passing, about battling and about what winners do as a matter of habit. The second half got under way and with the wind at our backs we took the battle to Darfield and started to be first to the ball and to the second ball too. Norton drew level after a Josh Sugden run ended in a penalty and the same player converted low to the goalies left. Five minutes later Darfield went behind and this goal really knocked the stuffing out of them. Daniel Loughlin fizzed in a pin-point cross / shot (only Dan knows if it was a shot) that flew over the Darfield keeper into the far corner to make it 2-1. Now it was all one way Norton traffic with the back four of Matt Abbey, Jamie Pashley, Owen White and Kallium Osborne mopping up any Darfield forays and midfielders Ben Ainsworth, Lewis Rodgers, Jake Rodgers and Dan Loughlin having a strangle hold on the game. So dominant were we in the second half Thomas Russell had only one save to produce. The pick of the goals came when Josh Sugden chased the ball down, beating the goalie to it, turned, looked up and crossed for Jack Martin to leap as clean as a whistle between two much taller players and head home. Another goal quickly followed when Josh Sugden jumped higher than the keeper to head home and the Darfield defender dived to prevent the goal but could not stop it crossing the line. Daniel Loughlin cracked in another carbon copy of his first goal to make it 5-1 and round off an award winning display. In eight years involvement in junior football I have never seen that done twice in the same game – literally amazing. The rout was complete when Josh Sugden turned, swiveled and smacked home a loose ball from Lewis Rodgers corner.

FULL TIME - Norton Lees JFC U12 6 - 1 Darfield JFC U12

After a night’s sleep it seems clear that some stout defending in the first half laid the foundations for a comprehensive win. We’ve got to get these lads to give 100% from minute 1 to minute 60 if they want to get anywhere in this league – that is our job and it isn’t going to be easy.

Managers Player of the Month: Matt Abbey
Managers Man of the Match: Jamie Pashley
Supporters Man of the Match: Daniel Loughlin
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TUESDAY, 6 OCTOBER 2009
Charnock Ridgeway JFC U12 v Norton Lees JFC U12
Sunday, 27th September 2009
Charnock Ridgeway JFC U12 4 - 2 Norton Lees JFC U12

OUR FIRST AWAY TRIP OF THE SEASON…..on a warm and sunny morning. A good performance and a result that was a lot closer than the scoreline suggests.

The pitch was noticably smaller than many of the pitches that we expect to be playing on this season and many visiting teams will be caught out going there. Starting off like a train we snapped into every challenge and tackle with gusto and looked like the team most likely to win the match, with Ben Ainsworth in particular leading by example. The home side had done absolutely nothing to warrant their status as the divisions top team and Norton were equal to them. The size of the pitch caused a good deal of congestion and Charnock used the pitch very well, playing very deep so that they always had men in front of their keeper in spite of Norton’s large amount of possession. Norton went ahead through Daniel Loughlin’s trusty left foot after Norton attacker Josh Sugden had hit the bar with a shot from outside the area. Two Norton players followed the effort in and Dan was first to react to stab the ball home. This woke the home side up a bit and the home side drew level after Jake Rodgers challenged the attacker and the correct result should have been a goal kick. Stage entrance centre for the ref to incorrectly give Charnock a joke corner. No problem, we thought as, we generally defend corners well. This time we fluffed our lines and after some head tennis the ball ended up in the Norton goal to make it 1-1. Charnock then VERY UNDESERVEDLY (depending on how you look at it) went ahead when their left back evaded a challenge by cutting inside onto his right foot and shot low into the bottom far corner from the edge of the area. We had been well and truly mugged.

HALF TIME – Charnock Ridgeway JFC U12 2 - 1 Norton Lees JFC U12

The lads were a bit glum in spite of an excellent first half performance where every player did their bit. The second half was a bit more even steven with some early home team pressure that we coped with pretty well. Charnock took another step towards three points when, from a corner, poor decision making and a basic error saw the ball evade all but one Charnock lad who tapped home. The home side had clear daylight and Norton’s lads were absolutely gutted. That said we kept on battling and trying to make progress but Charnock had the wind in their sails and defended well. Another goal for the home team a rebound tap in in spite of a great block by Thomas Russell saw us go 4-1 down with twenty minutes still to play. The lads kept going and deservedly pulled a goal back when Josh Sugden lobbed the keeper to make it 4-2 and in spite of some one way traffic it was the home team that took the points. A good performance and from an effort point of view a draw would have been a fair. However, footy is about goals and from a football perspective we got punished for making three errors.

FULL TIME - Charnock Ridgeway JFC U12 4 - 2 Norton Lees JFC U12

One of the things that makes managers and coaches immensely proud is when the lads keep battling for each other, keep believing in themselves and give 100% when they are under pressure or the the chips are down. All the lads performed today and let’s remember they are still eleven, not mini adults. Today we were very proud of the boys in spite of the result.

Managers Man of the Match: Owen White

Supporters Man of the Match: Ben Ainsworth
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MONDAY, 21 SEPTEMBER 2009
Norton Lees JFC U12 v Middlewood Rovers JFC U12
Sunday, 20th September 2009
Norton Lees JFC U12 0 - 2 Middlewood Rovers JFC U12

ANOTHER HOME MATCH AND CONFIDENCE WAS HIGH. Our players did the double last season but Rovers best performance for ages (according to their parents) combined with our most lifeless performance for ages gave us an afternoon to forget.

Early pressure saw Middlewood take the lead in the first couple of minutes and that set the pattern for the game. Our lads just seemed to lose the plot. Allowing the opposition to be first to the ball and also to pick up the second ball was a recipe for disaster. A second Middlewood goal on around the 25 minute mark led to players starting to blame each other for the poor performance and in truth Middlewood should have been four or five up at half time.

HALF TIME - Norton Lees JFC U12 0 - 2 Middlewood Rovers JFC U12

Fabbers really ripped into the lads at half time but they simply could not manage to raise the bar in the second half. No matter how we huffed and puffed we made no headway and sloppy play, poor decision making and a lack of application led to frustration on the pitch and the sidelines.

FULL TIME - Norton Lees JFC U12 0 - 2 Middlewood Rovers JFC U12

A performance to remember NOT! and we move on to next week away against Charnock Ridgeway.

Managers/Coaches Man of the Match: James Pierce
Supporters Man of the Match: James Pierce
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MONDAY, 14 SEPTEMBER 2009
Norton Lees JFC U12 v Heeley Boys FC U12
Sunday, 13th September 2009
Norton Lees JFC U12 4 - 1 Heeley Boys FC U12

THE FIRST MATCH OF THE SEASON AND A LOCAL DERBY TOO! Players at their new schools had been getting it in the neck from the Heeley lads about how Heeley were going to do this and Heeley were going to do that! This is what happened.

The game started with Norton having the best of the exchanges and dominated play for the first ten minutes without seriously troubling the keeper. Heeley came into the game and took a grip for the second ten minutes and it all got a bit nip and tuck. Heeley started to build a head of steam and it seemed difficult sometimes to clear the ball well as we added to our problems. Norton’s keeper made a smart save, tipping over the shot after the visitors won a free kick on the edge of the box. Heeley took the lead from a corner, their number three pouncing on a loose ball for a simple tap in. A few minutes before half time good defending saw the ball break to Jack Martin who sent Josh Sugden racing clear to lob the advancing keeper and make it one apiece. Credit to the players for not letting their heads drop and for some good defending.

HALF TIME - Norton Lees JFC U12 1 - 1 Heeley Boys FC U12

A decent talk from Fabbers Capello at half time about desire to win gave the lads a determined edge to their game in the second half and Heeley could not really live with us although they did look a threat on the break. Matt Abbey and Ben Ainsworth both working hard to stay close and get good tackles in on the tricky Heeley winger ably aided and abetted the hardworking back four and midfield. Norton took the lead with another goal from Josh Sugden who hit the net and wheeled away just a bit pleased about it. Daniel Loughlin quickly scored a third goal with a crisp shot as the visitors lost their shape and although they tried hard to get back into the match they left space all over the pitch for Norton to exploit. The Heeley keeper made three of four top drawer saves and if we had been a bit sharper and a little more clinical in front of goal we could have had six or seven, the little Heeley right back having a storming game. The visitors huffed and puffed but there was no way back and Lewis Rodgers killed them off with another nicely taken goal to emphasize his all action display.

FULL TIME - Norton Lees JFC U12 4 - 1 Heeley Boys FC U12

A great effort by all the players and hopefully some good things to come for the rest of the season!

After the match Fabbers Capello imparted some of his words of wisdom - ‘the a Heeley manager, he was a supremamente confidente toooday befora thee match, but I say to heem I no lika da players to haf de WAGS atta de matches. We are a here to winna da promotione notta for de holiday so we are a gonna beet yoo handsa down!’

Managers/Coaches Man of the Match: Lewis Rodgers

Supporters Man of the Match: Daniel Loughlin

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Season 2008 / 09 Reports

MONDAY, 6 APRIL 2009
Norton Lees JFC U11 v Charnock Ridgeway JFC U11
Sunday, 5th April 2009
Norton Lees JFC U11 v Charnock Ridgeway JFC U11

Norton Lees JFC U11 1 - 1 Charnock Ridgeway JFC U11

THE FINAL MATCH OF THE SEASON AND A GAME WHERE PRIDE WAS AT STAKE. A nice warm day, a decent game and a tale of two halves as it was when we met earlier in the season.

Charnock were at us from the first whistle and for the majority of the half we were second best. Excellent challenges and plenty of physical play saw Norton stem the flow with Owen White and Matt Tyas at the heart of defence working very hard indeed. The huge kicks from Charnock’s keeper meant that we were under a constant barrage and we needed to be at our most resilient - it was easy to see why our opponents had been able take some creditable scalps over the season. Our normal passing game had not clicked into gear and the lads could not seem to get going, some players looking a bit tired and leggy. Good stops and safe hands from Thomas Russell also helped keep the game scoreless while at the other end of the pitch some unusual decisions meant that we did not exploit the opportunities that we created. Charnock eventually scored just before half time as we gave away a corner and then did not defend it particularly well with their player pouncing from about ten yards out to break the deadlock. The lads came in at half time looking very long faced even though they had battled superbly.

HALF TIME - Norton Lees JFC U11 0 - 1 Charnock Ridgeway JFC U11

A brisk team talk from Fabbers Capello emphasising just how well they had actually done gave the players fresh heart. The second half was the total opposite to the first. We started getting to the first and second ball quicker and we were far more physical. We bullied our opponents around the pitch and with the extra effort the players gave we won much more possession in the middle of the park and created more going forward with Dan Loughlin, James Pierce and Jake Rodgers all passing the ball well. Chances were at a premium and Josh Sugden hit a low shot with his left peg that was a bit too close to the keeper, this being the only chance of note early on. That said Ben Ainsworth managed to terrorise the Charnock right back every time he got hold of the ball and put in some dangerous crosses. Norton looked a threat every time we went forward and but for some last ditch defending we could possibly have had a couple of goals. The defence had to remain alert and keep concentrating because the goalies kicks were landing deep in our half. Norton pressure finally told as the equaliser came from a Ben Ainsworth inspired effort, his cross being too hot for the keeper to handle and both Lewis Rodgers and Josh Sugden followed the effort in, the latter being the first to react to stab the ball home and poach his 25th goal of the season. Minutes later Ben Ainsworth again crossed for Josh Sugden to find himself in space and his first time volley went agonisingly over the crossbar much to the relief of our opponents. The referee eventually blew and that was signal for the season to finish with the lads giving Charnock Ridgeway a Three Cheers.

FULL TIME - Norton Lees JFC U11 1 - 1 Charnock Ridgeway JFC U11

Good game to watch and a very creditable performance against a very big, physical Charnock side and apart from one total tool on the sidelines that just wanted to have a fight after Norton equalised the result was just about fair.

Managers/Coaches Man of the Match: James Pierce

Supporters Man of the Match: Thomas Russell

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WEDNESDAY, 1 APRIL 2009
Worksop Boys FC U11 v Norton Lees JFC U11
Sunday, 29th March 2009
Worksop Boys FC U11 v Norton Lees JFC U11

Worksop Boys FC U11 6 - 2 Norton Lees JFC U11

OUR LAST AWAY TRIP OF THE SEASON…..away at a sunny Worksop, the land where time literally stood still (certainly in the first half). But for a few basic errors we would have run them much closer.

Kicking up the slope in the first half we were penned back in our half and manfully defended wave after wave of Worksop attacks and pressure. Both teams worked very hard but we certainly edged them out in the resilience and grafting stakes. Chances were few and far between and although we defended manfully we could not make much attacking headway. Norton’s spirited defence bossed the Worksop attackers and restricted them to very few opportunities that were either defended well or mopped up by the keeper – with two excellent stops by Thomas Russell and another excellent stop by the top of the crossbar. As the home team got more and more frustrated they went 1-0 up with a scrappy goal. Cue Norton getting some fluent passing going and we spent a good while up in the Worksop area. Norton equalized with Lewis Rodgers netting from close range to bring it back to 1-1 from Ben Ainsworths corner. A minute later after a hefty challenge on the edge of our box the Worksop defender saw his free kick saved very well by the unsighted Norton keeper. In the 39th minute of the first half a free kick was awarded to the home team near our corner flag and from this free kick sloppy defending allowed Worksop to regain the lead at the near post with a scrambled goal.

HALF TIME – Worksop Boys FC U11 2 - 1 Norton Lees JFC U11

Norton cranked up the pressure in the second half but Worksop weathered the early barrage and the game settled into Norton having territorial advantage and Worksop having some dangerous breaks. As we were chasing the game we needed to commit players forward thus leaving a few holes in the midfield and from this Worksop broke and went 3-1 up. Attitudes stayed positive and Fabbers Capello on the touchline made sure that the team still believed in their ability to get something out of this game. We got back to 3-2 after good midfield work and some very physical forward play where Josh Sugden raced with the ball from the centre circle and shrugged off challenges from two defenders to break down the left side of the area hitting his shot into the roof of the net. Fresh belief and a change to 4-3-3 to try and get a result allowed Worksop the opportunity to break frequently and but for some decent challenges and great goalkeeping the game remained evenly balanced. Worksop went 4-2 in front after being awarded a penalty which their No.9 converted calmly. They added another two goals in the last couple of minutes as our lads were completely drained after a gutsy and competitive performance.

FULL TIME - Worksop Boys FC U11 6 - 2 Norton Lees JFC U11

Credit goes to the whole team for their endeavour and work rate in a match that was a lot closer than the final score suggests. Even their players, talking amongst themselves, admitted it was a very close match. A special goes to mention to Kallium Osborne who just oozed confidence after slotting into the left back position where his pace nullified Worksop’s right sided midfielder.

Managers Man of the Match: Kallium Osborne

Supporters Man of the Match: Thomas Russell

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MONDAY, 16 MARCH 2009
Throstles JFC U11 v Norton Lees JFC U11
Sunday, 15th March 2009
Throstles JFC U11 v Norton Lees JFC U11

Throstles JFC U11 0 - 6 Norton Lees JFC U11

WELL, WE DID KEEP A CLEAN SHEET…… We were down to a bare eleven for the short trip to the Throstles.

We got stuck into The Throstles straight away. We huffed and puffed a little and struggled with the offside trap a bit too much for our liking. However, we went in at the break three goals to the good with efforts from Daniel Loughlin, Ben Ainsworth and Lewis Rodgers hitting the net. We also missed a few good chances to really underline our dominance with a bit of wayward finishing.

HALF TIME – Throstles JFC U11 0 - 3 Norton Lees JFC U11

The second half seemed to be a story of ‘lets all go and try and score a goal’. Good play from our defenders (due to the absence of discipline from some of our players) saw Matt Tyas, Owen White and Matt Abbey cover any Throstles breaks comfortably. Norton decided to start passing again and fired in three quick goals with Ben Ainsworth, Owen White and Josh Sugden all netting. Thomas Russell deserves a mention too. Thomas had little to do but watch for the vast majority of the game and when needed he pulled off a fine save low down to his right late on to keep the clean sheet.

FULL TIME - Throstles JFC U11 0 - 6 Norton Lees JFC U11

There is not really too much you can do when the team senses some easy pickings. You ask for disciplined performances and nine times out of ten you get them – when you do not then you sometimes need to take a view on the result.

Managers Man of the Match: Matt Abbey
Supporters Man of the Match: Ben Ainsworth

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WEDNESDAY, 11 MARCH 2009
Darfield JFC U11 v Norton Lees JFC U11
Sunday, 8th March 2009
Darfield JFC U11 v Norton Lees JFC U11

Darfield JFC U11 1 - 4 Norton Lees JFC U11

ONE WAY TRAFFIC! Another windy rainy day out in the wilderness that is Barnsley.

It seemed that the players were at sixes and sevens and were in a silly frame of mind during a sloppy warm up. A few sharp words put paid to that though and they got to grips with the fact that they were about to play a match.

The boys were looking to erase the memory of the first match, a 5-1 defeat, where the adults tactics lost the game. We scented blood and we were on top of Darfield like a pack of junkyard dogs straight from the first whistle. Playing with a 4-4-2 formation that had plenty of width we probed both left and right with James Pierce and Daniel Loughlin making telling contributions. The back four of Matt Abbey, Matt Tyas, Owen White and Kieran Morgan kept a tight reign on the Darfield forwards although they needed a prod now and again to maintain their concentration. Norton were so far on top Darfield were forced further and further back and had to play from the edge of their penalty area. The Norton forwards of Ben Ainsworth and Josh Sugden were constantly troubling Darfield with their pace and aggressive running but some decent defending and goalkeeping kept us at bay. It looked like it was going to be one of those games where we would be battering on the door and get nothing for our efforts. Lew Rodgers was buzzing around the pitch creating trouble for Darfield all over the place and skipper Jake Rodgers used his barnet and kept everything simple. But for some missed opportunities when the ball should have been released earlier one or two instances of poor shape we cannot really complain about the quality of our play.

HALF TIME – Darfield JFC U11 0 - 0 Norton Lees JFC U11

After a fantastic team talk where every player was made to feel ten feet tall we got straight into them again. Less than five minutes into the second half though, disaster struck – kicking up the slope Darfield broke smartly and although outnumbered the Darfield striker was allowed to run unchallenged into the box and shoot across the keeper for a smartly taken goal to put the home side 1-0 up. From the kick off Norton pummeled the home side, missing chance after chance with deflections, the keeper and the bar saving Darfield. A double substitution with Kallium Osborne and Abdul Khan on for James Pierce and Matt Tyas saw us make a formation change and go with three at the back and an extra forward. After a few minutes the change paid off when Abdul Khan saw the keeper fluff an easy save and and his shot brought us level. This was the signal for Norton to turn the screw and apply more pressure and the referee ruled out a neat finish by Josh Sugden for offside after being put through with a super pass by Daniel Loughlin - a very tight decision. With Daniel Loughlin and Ben Ainsworth rampaging down the left and right respectively and Jake Rodgers marshalling all the players well the ball broke to Lewis Rodgers in the area who put us in front to spark wild scenes on the pitch. Queue two more goals with Josh Sugden and his trusty left foot shooting in from the edge of the D and Owen White lashing home the loose ball from a corner with another trusty left foot. 4-1 Job done – defeat avenged.

FULL TIME - Darfield JFC U11 1 - 4 Norton Lees JFC U11

Four goals in the last fifteen minutes! The players were so supportive to each other and gave each other 100%. Spare a thought too for poor old Thomas who nearly froze to death in the second half. These kids don’t half entertain you - what a game to watch. Anyone who says that the Premiership is more exciting, more entertaining or more action packed than junior football needs their heads looking at. Now for the Throstles match where the biggest danger for Norton will be complacency.

Managers Man of the Match: Abdul Khan – Supersub indeed!

Supporters Man of the Match: Lewis Rodgers

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MONDAY, 23 FEBRUARY 2009
Heeley Boys FC U11 v Norton Lees JFC U11
Sunday, 22nd February 2009
Heeley Boys FC U11 v Norton Lees JFC U11

Heeley Boys FC U11 0 - 4 Norton Lees JFC U11

THE LADS WERE UP FOR IT AND EARNED A CREDITABLE RESULT! A gusty day with some top notch shooting gave us a win over our local rivals who were not happy chappies at the end.

Keenly contested, the match started ‘nip and tuck’ with the better possession and better play belonging to Norton Lees but we were unable to press home our advantage. Norton looked very threatening with Daniel Loughlin looking to make progress down the left at every opportunity. Kieran Morgan had a big fat assist in breaking the deadlock as he won the ball under pressure and played the ball forward for Josh Sugden to crash a volley high into the net from the edge of the area. Every player was giving 100% with Matt Abbey and James Pierce charging around like nutters, snapping into the tackle at every opportunity down the right flank. Norton were nearly caught out with a high line leaving acres behind for Heeley to launch a ball over the top and the Heeley attacker was hustled and his hurried shot was deflected wide by the outstanding Owen White.

HALF TIME - Heeley Boys FC U11 0 - 1 Norton Lees JFC U11

The second period started with much of the same – Norton possession but with some missed chances to kill Heeley off. Our opponents were making a game of it and it was evident the second goal would be crucial. Ten minutes in and the goal came in the shape of Ben Ainsworth who cracked home a left foot shot leaving the goalie with no chance. Queue every Norton player bar the four defenders, Matt Abbey, Matt Tyas, Owen White and Kieran Morgan, wanting to get in on the act and score. The wind had turned into a gale but we still persevered with our passing to create some good openings. Good combination play from Lewis and Jake Rodgers set up Lewis Rodgers who took his shot and Heeley’s goalie just could not reach the ball. The shot was about to go just wide when Josh Sugden, who had followed the shot in, popped up to steer it home to make the scoreline 3-0 to Norton amid Heeley claims for offside. Norton were looking rampant with Daniel Loughlin, James Pierce, Lewis Rodgers, Abdul Khan all threatening. Norton were a little indisciplined with their shape, leaving gaps in the midfield for Heeley to exploit but there was only ever going to be one winner. Heeley finally forced a good save from keeper Thomas Russell close to the end as he pushed a shot around the post. The result was underlined with the final goal by Ben Ainsworth, a long range shot from the right corner of the penalty area which flew into the top of the Heeley net.

FULL TIME - Heeley Boys FC U11 0 - 4 Norton Lees JFC U11

We can forgive the players some indiscipline yesterday simply by virtue of the scalp we have taken and the desire to win and the commitment for each other that was evident when the lads stepped onto the pitch. It has been a funny month with only two matches played but we are where we are. Three weeks since our last match and we are stuck in mid-table, unable to win promotion but safe from relegation. A big thank you goes to Paul who has stepped into the breach to help out at a crucial time and served up some important words of praise and encouragement to the players as a group and individually.

Managers Man of the Match: Jake Rodgers

Supporters Man of the Match: Ben Ainsworth

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TUESDAY, 10 FEBRUARY 2009
Norton Lees JFC U11 v Beighton Magpies JFC U11
Sunday, 1st February 2009
Norton Lees JFC U11 v Beighton Magpies JFC U11

Norton Lees JFC U11 2 - 4 Beighton Magpies JFC U11

EXCELLENT TEAM PERFORMANCE, GREAT GAME TO WATCH, THE RESULT DID NOT MATTER! The boys were up for it after the riot act had been duly read concerning the fiasco at Rawmarsh the week before.

Norton had to go 3-5-2 as we had learned just before the game that we would be without our very capable right back Matt Abbey. Magpies probably thought it was going to be target practice but shortly found out that they were in a for a real tussle as our lads hustled and harried from the off. Owen White and Matt Tyas were instructed to snap into the tackle as soon as the ball got anywhere near Magpies centre forward George Jones. The game was a pretty even affair with both sides working hard, Magpies creating some openings and Norton being unable to make too much attacking headway to create real goal scoring chances. The three defenders and goalie kept all the Beighton efforts out until the chance to clear the ball was spurned and Mags forced the ball in from close range to go 1-0 up. The lads were still up for it and stuck to the task and we began to turn the screw on the league leaders, their goalie denying Josh Sugden’s right footer with his legs. Carbon copy equaliser arrived with Lewis Rodgers getting the vital touch from close range after Beighton could not clear Norton’s corner to level the scores.

HALF TIME - Norton Lees JFC U11 1- 1 Beighton Magpies JFC U11

The second period started with both teams going at it full pelt. The visitors went ahead with a softish goal but we were always competing with our opponents and levelled again after Josh Sugden pounced on a poor goal kick, rounded the keeper and finished neatly midway into the half. The defenders had kept the Beighton forwards on a tight leash so much so that their big centre forward started to drop deep into midfield away from Owen White’s bone crunching challenges and matt Tyas’s intellingent reading of the game. That said the lad started to pull the strings for their team and they still had two quick lads up front trying to break free whenever possible and they quickly restored their one goal lead with a goal where the Magpie forward evaded a challenge and had time to tee up his shot into the bottom far corner. That felt like a real kick in the unmentionables as it left us another mountain to climb to get the win the lads wanted. Again every Norton player battled hard all over the park but we could not get anything better than half chances on Beighton’s goal. A couple of minutes from time they wrapped it up with a quality goal worked down their right and the forward met the ball and his shot hit the net with Thomas Russell being unable to do much about it.

FULL TIME - Norton Lees JFC U11 2 - 4 Beighton Magpies JFC U11

Great performance, great game – could have been six goals apiece! A big thank you to the lads for their tireless work ethic today and for their support for each other. We really are not far away from being a VERY good team capable of being closer to the top three spots and winning promotion – if only we had picked up some blinking points earlier in the season.

Managers/Coaches Man of the Match: Owen White

Supporters Man of the Match: Matt Tyas

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Rawmarsh St Josephs JFC U11 v Norton Lees JFC U11
Sunday, 25th January 2009
Rawmarsh St Josephs JFC U11 v Norton Lees JFC U11

Rawmarsh St Josephs JFC U11’s 7- 0 Norton Lees JFC U11’s

ANOTHER AWAY DAY AT ROTHERHAM! According to five separate contributors the theme of the match was as follows:

It’s cold.

HALF TIME - Rawmarsh St Josephs JFC U11’s 4- 0 Norton Lees JFC U11’s

It’s still cold.

FULL TIME - Rawmarsh St Josephs JFC U11’s 7- 0 Norton Lees JFC U11’s

I’m too cold to type a summary of the game.

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Norton Lees JFC U11 v Middlewood Rovers JFC U11
Sunday, 18th January 2009
Norton Lees JFC U11 v Middlewood Rovers JFC U11

Norton Lees JFC U11 1 - 0 Middlewood Rovers JFC U11

DODGY PERFORMANCE, SCRAPPY GAME! A good pitch on a warmish day by January’s standards did not produce a classic.

Norton started okay, full of aggression and spirit and were duly rewarded with a goal in the first half when the Middlewood keeper could not hold on to Josh Sugden’s shot across the face of goal and midfielders Lewis Rodgers and James Pierce had followed up well and James was the first to react and poke the ball home to make it 1-0 to the home side. The away side was awarded a penalty with the Middlewood player hitting the ball wide of Thomas Russell’s right hand post – the player that missed threw a right paddy and went purple. I thought he was going to kipper it! That was about it for the first half, to be fair.

HALF TIME - Norton Lees JFC U11 1 - 0 Middlewood Rovers JFC U11

The second period was a story of sloppy passing, too much dribbling and being dispossessed, giving the ball away on the cheap, players being out of position and both teams generally looking short of quality.

FULL TIME - Norton Lees JFC U11 1 - 0 Middlewood Rovers JFC U11

Not much to say other than thanks to the lads for battling hard especially for the defenders and the goalie, without whom we would surely have not gained the full three points.

Managers/Coaches Man of the Match: James Pierce

Supporters Man of the Match: Thomas Russell

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MONDAY, 12 JANUARY 2009
Ecclesfield Red Rose JFC U11 v Norton Lees JFC U11
Sunday, 11th January 2009
Ecclesfield Red Rose JFC U11 v Norton Lees JFC U11

Ecclesfield Red Rose U11 1 – 5 Norton Lees JFC U11

QUAGMIRE! A heavily churned up pitch awaited us so it looked like passing football would have to take a back seat but strangely enough we still managed to pass the ball well and give a decent account of ourselves.

As soon Ecclesfield kicked off they went straight through and into our area and forced keeper Thomas Russell to pull off a smart save low down. From then on it was pretty much one way traffic with Norton trying to keep the ball out of the mud and use the flanks whenever possible. Ecclesfield’s keeper was on his toes and off his line sharply to collect a number of times as the ball broke in the box. However, he could do nothing, when Daniel Loughlin hit a left footed shot that the goalie could not hold and two Norton players reacted quickly to bundle the ball over the line, Daniel Loughlin getting the last touch to make it 1-0 to The Lions. Still more good stuff to come as Norton pressured hard but Ecclesfield defended stoutly. Shortly after, Norton doubled their lead when Josh Sugden burst into the area and hit a shot that the keeper got a hand to but could not stop going into the net. This was followed minutes later by Lewis Rodgers who cut in from the left onto his right foot and hit a low accurate shot into the bottom far corner beyond the reach of the keeper to make it 3-0 at a canter. Norton also saw a free kick by Ben Ainsworth go unnecessarily wide. Late into the half Ecclesfield started to pressure harder in midfield and their forward players started to challenge our defenders when we had the ball so that made for a very difficult five minute spell where we could not get the ball out of our half. Fortunately this pressure did not result in any significant shooting opportunities at our goal and the referee duly blew for half time.

HALF TIME - Ecclesfield Red Rose U11 0 – 3 Norton Lees JFC U11

The second half started with Norton kicking towards the worse of the two penalty areas and again we sought to use the wings to good effect. However, it was Ecclesfield who struck back with a goal direct from a corner that Matt Abbey on the back stick could not quite keep out and the referee awarded the goal. Good defending by the Norton wall saw the lads block a very good shooting opportunity for Ecclesfield (even though they all turned their backs on the ball). Ecclesfield’s challenge petered out as we played with a lot of determination going forward because of the bog of a pitch with the midfield of James Pierce, Jake Rodgers, Daniel Loughlin and Lewis Rodgers working hard, trying to pass the ball with care and making effective forward runs. Norton grabbed another goal when Josh Sugden pounced on a poor goal kick, charged into the area and coolly slid the ball past the keeper’s right hand. Ten minutes later he completed his hat-trick, collecting the ball in our half, shrugging off the defenders challenges and calmly beating the keeper. No more drama to speak of and full time arrived.

FULL TIME - Ecclesfield Red Rose U11 1 – 5 Norton Lees JFC U11

It was a battling performance from every single player and we were very proud of the lads for that. We knew beforehand that it was going to be hard kicking a ball caked with mud and carrying a kilo of sludge on each boot for sixty minutes but they were great. It was a very satisfying result on a bad pitch.

Managers/Coaches Man of the Match: Daniel Loughlin – an all action performance for the full sixty minutes.

Supporters Man of the Match: Jake Rodgers – stuck out like a sore thumb as the most composed player on the pitch and played some intelligent football.

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MONDAY, 5 JANUARY 2009
Norton Lees JFC U11 v Maltby Juniors FC U11
Sunday, 4th January 2009
Norton Lees JFC U11 v Maltby Juniors FC U11

Norton Lees JFC U11 2 – 2 Maltby Juniors FC U11

TOO MUCH TURKEY AND MINCE PIES! Happy New Year! We hoped the boys would be in good shape so read on to find out what happened.

From the off Maltby were upon us pressurising us all over the pitch forcing errors and also bringing a decent early save from keeper Thomas Russell. Fortunately the tricky little Maltby number 18 had not been allowed off his keyring so he didn’t seem to cause us half as much trouble as he did earlier in the season. We found our feet in the game and our lads started to impose themselves and began winning the ball more. Good work from the midfield lads, James Pierce, Daniel Loughlin, Lew Rodgers and Jake Rodgers saw Norton have the majority of possession without really having a cutting edge although Shabba Hubbard had a couple of opportunities saved by the Maltby keeper. The balance of play had firmly tipped in our favour and we went ahead when the ball was crossed in from the right and Daniel Loughlin stroked the ball home to make it 1-0 to Norton. A few more openings were available but we did not manage to make them count. In added time at the end of the first half Maltby drew level their free kick evading everyone and the unsighted keeper diving but unable to keep the ball out. A poor goal to concede.

HALF TIME - Norton Lees JFC U11 1 – 1 Maltby Juniors FC U11

We set off well in the second period but Maltby are not in the top four without good cause and battled harder to get back into the game. That said, we went ahead again after ten minutes when Josh Sugden took a quick throw in and some neat play between Daniel Loughlin and Kieran Morgan saw the left back cross into the box and Lewis Rodgers was first to the ball to net the second goal. Queue Maltby pressure for a solid ten minutes and some last ditch defending saving Norton conceding. Maltby had forced their way back into the game as we could neither clear the ball effectively nor keep possession and this helped them enormously. Wide on the left the Maltby player rounded the left back and crossed for the Maltby forward to nod home a simple chance. The Norton boys then got some discipline back and started to chase the game again. The last ten minutes was end to end stuff with both teams going for the killer goal, Norton creating the best chances notably with Lewis Rodgers lunging in to make contact with the ball from another left wing cross and we all held our breath and watched as his effort just went agonisingly over the crossbar. The referee blew for full time and the Maltby manager asked us to cause a few upsets in the next few weeks to help them out a bit – I guess it’s one way of saying that we are a decent team.

FULL TIME - Norton Lees JFC U11 2 – 2 Maltby Juniors FC U11

It was strange day – you hope for the lads to be in good condition but deep down you know that a couple of weeks off does them no favours. In this game we lacked the consistent discipline and quality that we needed to retain the ball, boss the game totally and open teams up a little better. On the plus side we battled against a team that looked huge in comparison to our lads and that played a very physical game. Nothing wrong with that and we think that in the majority of areas we matched them and gave as good as we got so that was the most pleasing aspect of the performance. There were parts of the game in which we looked in total control (with the exception of a ten to fifteen minute spell in which time they had equalized.) Better positional discipline and better passing would have made a world of difference to the game and I reckon it was a better point for them than it was for us.

Managers/Coaches Man of the Match: Lewis Rodgers – had a decent game, scored a nice tap in and when the going got tough he kept on battling away.

Supporters Man of the Match: Owen White – yet again! What more can we say that hasn’t already been said before?



MONDAY, 15 DECEMBER 2008
Norton Lees JFC U11 v Killamarsh Dynamos JFC U11
Sunday, 14th December 2008
Norton Lees JFC U11 v Killamarsh Dynamos JFC U11

Norton Lees JFC U11 3 – 0 Killamarsh Dynamos JFC U11

GOOD PERFORMANCE AND A COMPREHENSIVE WIN! Another fixture that we expected our lads to perform well in and the lads did not disappoint us.

We got off to a flying start and laid siege to the Killamarsh goal, playing at a high tempo winning the majority of first and second balls all over the pitch. Passing was incisive, tackling was aggressive and players used the ball intelligently. The central midfield of James Pierce and Jake Rodgers worked hard to win the ball and used the width of the pitch at every opportunity with Daniel Loughlin and Lewis Rodgers rampaging down the flanks. Norton created chance after chance, won corner after corner but could not get the ball past the Dynamos keeper who managed to pull off some fine stops - high saves, saves low down, flying saves, close range saves. The lad had an excellent half. The Norton defence was dominant and had been warned to pay special attention to the Dynamos number 11 and make sure he did not turn with the ball and run at the defence. They followed these instructions to the T and the lad never had a sniff, the defence led by the outstanding Owen White who read the game well and either intercepted comfortably or closed down, tackled and distributed the ball well. It was one-way traffic and the goalie was keeping the Dynamos in the match single handed. With five minutes to go the ball broke in the box and there was only going to be one outcome as Lewis Rodgers popped up to smash the ball hard into the Killamarsh net from a distance of twelve yards. Queue half time and a simple team talk.

HALF TIME - Norton Lees JFC U11 1 – 0 Killamarsh Dynamos JFC U11

At half time we let the lads have a couple of minutes alone to discuss the half amongst themselves. They were all up for it and the coaches did not need to say too much. The second half started where the first had left off, namely pressure, pressure, pressure on all their players all over the pitch, first ball and second ball being won and pressure on their goal. Killamarsh tried hard to get back into the match but the defence was in no mood for any of that nonsense biznis, mopping up any danger. One of the Killamarsh forwards managed to get a shot away that Thomas Russell saved comfortably. It remained at 1-0 in spite of Norton opening up the Killamarsh defence seemingly at will but their keeper had an even better half than the first saving very well from, Jake Rodgers, James Pierce, Dan Loughlin, Josh Sugden, Lewis Rodgers and Ben Ainsworth. With about five minutes to go Killamarsh had pushed up but Norton won possession in the middle third and James Pierce sent Josh Sugden racing through the middle to smash the ball high into the net from the edge of the area past the advancing keeper to make it 2-0. With a couple of minute to go the victory was sealed with a goal that this lad’s performance deserved. James Pierce played intelligently all game taking up sensible, disciplined positions and was in the right place at the right time as the ball came loose at the edge of the area and he stroked it accurately into the top corner, giving the keeper no chance to make the scoreline reflect the balance of the game.

FULL TIME - Norton Lees JFC U11 3 – 0 Killamarsh Dynamos JFC U11

In summary it was a really good performance, passes were to feet, movement was good, angles were good, heads were up to see what options were on and the ball was used intelligently. We could not really have asked for much more other than taking our shooting opportunities a tad earlier. During the match one of the coaches said ‘There is no way we are going to give the kids a rollicking today even if we lose – they’ve done everything we’ve asked’. Too right they did!

Managers/Coaches Man of the Match – this was a tough one with a number of players in the frame. Daniel Loughlin, Jake Rodgers and Owen White all had storming matches but the award went to a lad who has been a little out of sorts recently but today played an outstanding match – James Pierce

Supporters Man of the Match: Owen White – hard to beat, committed, athletic. Just watching him sprint back into defence from attacking set plays and corners shows his great attitude to the game. Even the referee said he that stuck out like a sore thumb as the best player out of the twenty two on the park.

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FRIDAY, 5 DECEMBER 2008
Charnock Ridgeway JFC U11 v Norton Lees JFC U11
Sunday, 30th November 2008
Charnock Ridgeway JFC U11 v Norton Lees JFC

Charnock Ridgeway JFC U11 2 – 1 Norton Lees JFC U11

IT WAS FLIPPING FREEZING! Looking at this fixture the teams seemed evenly matched and this was a game that we felt we could get something out of. Relegated from the B to the C, Charnock have had a steady campaign so far so and we were optimistic of a win or a draw. This is what happened.

For two weeks now the weather has been bitterly cold but this was something else. The match started fairly even with both teams probing but not creating much. As the half wore on Charnock began to dominate by being first to the ball and good defensive work by Norton kept them at bay. The deadlock was broken by Charnock when a diagonal pass inside the right back found its way to their tiny left winger who steadied himself and slotted the ball home. Excellent defending, the back four being led by Owen White, continued to keep Charnock out and goalie Thomas Russell made some competent saves, one particularly down at his left hand post. We were still defending gamely but kept conceding possession and looked increasingly ragged when just before half time our opponents had a huge slice of luck when an attempted clearance was sliced and the Charnock player lashed the volley home from about fifteen yards.

HALF TIME - Charnock Ridgeway JFC U11 2 – 0 Norton Lees JFC U11

At half time the lads really got it in the neck. What a turnaround in the second half though - everything was 100% better than the first half. A couple of well created chances at the start of the second half showed our intent but we failed to really test the goalie. We got into them physically and started challenging better, winning the majority of the first and second balls. Jake Rodgers was very effective and started the majority of Norton’s good play, passing the ball well and sensibly. Charnock played very deep and when there was an opportunity to shoot we seemed to take one touch too many and Charnock’s defenders closed players down quickly in order to protect their goal. Good work on the left by Daniel Loughlin led to Norton pulling a goal back. Dan evaded a soft challenge and crossed the ball to Shabba Hubbard whose volley was parried superbly by the Charnock keeper and Josh Sugden followed up and knocked home the rebound into the opposite corner of the net. Still fifteen minutes to go and we threw everything but the kitchen sink at them but we could not get a clear chance or shooting opportunity without having a Charnock defender there to pressure us. Such was the turnaround in the second period that Thomas Russell did not have a shot to save and the defence, marshalled superbly by Owen White rendered the Charnock forwards ineffective. Anyway, full time was blown for and the Charnock lads went home happy. We, however, did not.

FULL TIME - Charnock Ridgeway JFC U11 2 – 1 Norton Lees JFC U11

On reflection the result was fair so no complaints about that from me. If the lads had played the first half as they did the second we could have won or drawn. Consistency is something that we can work on and the kids should learn lessons from this match. Some players need to take a close look at themselves because ‘Attitude is Everything’.

Managers/Coaches Man of the Match and also the Supporters Man of the Match: Owen White – led the team by example, always looks confident, always hard to beat, always competitive, never gives up - this player is a real winner and deservedly took the award.

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TUESDAY, 25 NOVEMBER 2008
Norton Lees JFC U11 v Throstles JFC U11
Sunday, 23rd November 2008
Norton Lees JFC U11 v Throstles JFC U11

Norton Lees JFC U11 9 – 0 Throstles JFC U11

NO COMPLAINTS THIS WEEK! You can only beat the teams that are put in front of you and we wanted to see a strong performance to erase the memory of the game against Beighton Magpies.

Bitterly cold weather greeted us and the signs were not good as two players were carrying ‘over use’ injuries into the warm up, one player, Ben Ainsworth, being unable to take the field. Because of this all the lads went across before the start to commiserate with him over his unfortunate injury and tell him they would do their best to win the game especially for him. A bright start saw Norton dominating all areas of the pitch and playing some decent stuff. A couple of well worked openings were created by Daniel Loughlin, both opportunities being spurned with Josh Sugden firing wide of the target. Throstles either worked their offside trap very well or Norton were over eager to get forward and strayed offside too many times for our liking. I tend to think the latter to be true so we had to give some players a rollicking at half time. We could see that our opponents were going to be on the back foot for the majority of the game and we hit a couple of quick fire goals. Good work again by Daniel Loughlin again released Josh Sugden who this time squared the ball for Lewis Rodgers to tap home. Minutes later Shabba Hubbard broke his duck to hit the back of the net. Just before half time a deep cross from the left saw a group of Norton players queuing up to score with Lewis Rodgers heading home from close range.

HALF TIME - Norton Lees JFC U11 3 – 0 Throstles JFC U11

At half time the coaches emphasised the need for a disciplined second half without any silly gung ho nonsense and the lads did just that (with only one exception that I can recall where we had too many players forward). The second half started as the first had ended, namely Norton dominance. That said, Throstles had one or two speedy defenders who helped thwart Norton for a good ten minutes and their goalkeeper was having a good game in net too. Goals duly arrived in the second half for Daniel Loughlin, James Pierce, and Abdul Khan all with excellent strikes and again for Lewis Rodgers and Shabba Hubbard who both completed their hat-tricks. All the goals were scored in the opposition eighteen yard box or from close range. Owen White, Daniel Loughlin, Jake Rodgers and Josh Sugden all went close with efforts too. Six goals in the second half and we could have had six more but for some good goalkeeping allied with indifferent finishing. The lads have made a big dent in the goal difference and that was a very pleasing aspect of the match indeed. This one is for you Ben!


FULL TIME - Norton Lees JFC U11 9 – 0 Throstles JFC U11

In summary it was a fair performance sprinkled with some decent work from set plays and some good passing and if we learn to stay disciplined then we can become a more consistent team. At the Beighton match a couple of weeks ago we asked the players to reflect on their own performances in light of the heavy defeat and I hope that this match put some of the self doubt in the players to rest. As there is, unfortunately, no room for sentiment due to our league position and the chase for points we know that have to put weaker teams to the sword whenever we can because every point and goal difference could be crucial to our season. We have so much to do to get back up there and get close to the leaders but I know the lads will do all they can in every game we play.

Managers/Coaches Man of the Match: Jake Rodgers – led the team as a captain should and showed a great deal of maturity in his play.

Supporters Man of the Match: Shabba Hubbard – broke his duck in style and could have had a couple more but for good work by the Throstles goalie.

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MONDAY, 10 NOVEMBER 2008
Beighton Magpies JFC U11 v Norton Lees JFC U11
Sunday, 9th November 2008
Beighton Magpies JFC U11 v Norton Lees JFC U11

Beighton Magpies JFC U11 8 – 1 Norton Lees JFC U11

BACK DOWN TO EARTH WITH A BUMP! We went into this match looking for a real ‘up and at ’em’ performance and this is what happened.

The wind was blowing hard and we started off well, passing the ball crisply and using the width of the pitch, penning Beighton back into their half for the first fifteen minutes. We were all over them like a rash, such was the confidence gained from last weeks result and the Magpies, I guess, must have been quite surprised at our commitment and the quality of our football. We duly went ahead when Ben Ainsworth was brought down in the box and Josh Sugden stepped up to convert the resultant penalty. That said, as soon as we had scored, Beighton stepped it up and started to get a foothold into the game, the Norton players, standing off and allowing our opponents to play. We got our just desserts when the ball broke in the area and Beighton’s centre forward drove the ball home low and hard into the corner. The goal restored some balance to the game and Magpies scored two more goals close to half time that were effectively the result of Norton being pulled out of shape, poor recovery, poor challenges and not closing players down. From 1-0 up to 3-1 down - and Beighton had got back into the game because we had allowed them back into it.

HALF TIME - Beighton Magpies JFC U11 3 – 1 Norton Lees JFC U11

The second half saw us time and time again being second to the ball, not showing resolve, good decision making or the positional discipline that is needed to win games against teams that are at the top of the table. We were so ineffective going forward in the second period that we could not muster one attempt at the Beighton goal that I can recall. Beighton were allowed to play freely (while we stood off them), dominate physically and overrun us in midfield and out wide. Because of this they scored / were gifted five unanswered goals, to round off a very, very disappointing result. Adding injury to insult, Ben Ainsworth had to be carried off the pitch mid-way through the second half after taking a few beefy challenges during the game.

FULL TIME - Beighton Magpies JFC U11 8 – 1 Norton Lees JFC U11

In summary we could not say much at the end other than to ask the players to reflect on their own performances and ask themselves if they could have done better. There were many things that can be improved on if the players listen but to lie down and let Beighton roll us over like that was not in keeping with the norm. I have no doubt that we will comfortably stay in this division but we want better than that - and the lads can perform so much better, as we saw in the first fifteen to twenty minutes when we were the dominating team -but they have to do it for sixty minutes, week in, week out. Looking at the bigger picture, three points out of six is a fair return against the two top sides in the division so let’s not get too grumpy, shall we? Ho, hum – back to the drawing board on Wednesday night!

Managers/Coaches Man of the Match: Shabba Hubbard – did exactly what was asked of him by being physical and hard to beat.

Supporters Man of the Match: Ben Ainsworth – never gave up the fight until he got crocked.

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WEDNESDAY, 5 NOVEMBER 2008
Norton Lees JFC U11 v Rawmarsh St. Joseph’s FC U11
Sunday, 2nd November 2008
Norton Lees JFC U11 v Rawmarsh St. Joseph’s FC U11

Norton Lees JFC U11 5 - 3 Rawmarsh St. Josephs FC U11

STEADY PROGRESS! I have an issue with complete accuracy of the match report seeing as I did not see that much of it. If you find it a little disjointed then I apologise as it is something of a jumble of snippets from people who saw the full game. For the record we had no goalie as he was in hospital after having an operation on Saturday, one player was unavailable through illness, one player was away on holiday and we were down to a bare eleven yet again on grotty, windy, cold and rainy day against a table topping, free scoring Rawmarsh team that had seen off everyone that they had played so far.

During the first fifteen minutes Norton Lees found it difficult to contain a very swift, attack minded Rawmarsh team and we failed to pass the ball with care or keep our shape effectively. The half started in disastrous fashion with stand in goalie Josh Sugden coming out of his goal mouth too early in the first couple of minutes and conceding a cheap goal. Things got worse upon ten minutes with an own goal with centre back, Matt Tyas, unable to divert the ball away from goal and hitting the net. At 0-2 after ten minutes you might have thought that it was all over and we should have packed up there and then – but our team has plenty of spirit and we knew we could still get something out of the game. Rawmarsh looked to exploit their advantage at every opportunity. They are no mugs and will clearly be up there at the end of the season. Shortly after the second goal Norton eventually found some rhythm and started to pass the ball around and were able to spread play and stretch Rawmarsh. From a corner that was earned by good play from Daniel Loughlin on the left, Lewis Rodgers pounced to hit the net and start the Norton revival. The goal gave Norton hopes of getting back into the game. Shortly after this, Norton managed to let their physical and aggressive presence show by winning the majority of the first and second balls in the middle third with good work by the defensive unit and by the midfield. This led to some smooth football yet again and the boys played in the same fashion that they had played last season, zipping the ball around the pitch. Norton again played some nice passing football and managed to get Daniel Loughlin in on goal and he coolly put it past the goalkeeper to finish the half at 2-2.

HALF TIME - Norton Lees JFC U11 2 - 2 Rawmarsh St. Josephs FC U11

The freezing cold and steady rain did nothing to dampen the lads desire to win the game. The second half started well for Norton as they knew what to expect from a very well organized, well equipped Rawmarsh team. Our opponents were trying to take advantage by pressurising Norton into mistakes and this they managed to do on a few occasions as Norton lost possession due to sloppy decision making, thus giving the ball away in the defensive third. This led to a few close encounters where the Norton goalkeeper, was called upon to make some outstanding saves. He had a good game and made a big contribution. Not having a proper goalkeeper was a real problem prior to the game but the stand-in keeper added steel to the Norton defence as he claimed the ball competently or saved well. As Norton began to settle into the game again they played some simple but attractive football, passing with reassurance to one another. Goals duly arrived as Norton played the ball forward and down the wings twice which lead to Daniel Loughlin scoring his second and third goals of the game (a well deserved hat-trick too!). The performance was topped off with a great goal scored by Lewis Rodgers from the tightest of angles as he drove the ball into the top corner to make it 5-2 to the home team.
Rawmarsh managed to claw the game back to 5-3 with an excellent turn and finish by the Rawmarsh striker that even David James would not have stopped but Norton managed to see the game out with great resilience and maturity.

FULL TIME - Norton Lees JFC U11 5 - 3 Rawmarsh St. Josephs FC U11

A 10/10 performance with a 10/10 result. In the words of one of the parents,‘Just awesome yesterday, attitude, effort, performance……a real TEAM effort….’. That’s the benchmark that the lads have set themselves now and one that we have to emulate consistently in the future. Now for a special mention for Owen White who was still sat on a plane at Heathrow at 10.30 p.m. on Saturday night and travelled the majority of the night to get back to Sheffield. Owen showed no ill effects from the journey and made his presence felt alongside his partner Matt Tyas. Well done lad!

From the coaches - you made us very proud today and we want to say a massive thank you for your hard work. You really showed your true mettle.

Managers/Coaches Man of the Match: Josh Sugden – a real team player and played a magnificent game in net.
Supporters Man of the Match: Every single player played a great game – a fantastic effort by all.

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SUNDAY, 26 OCTOBER 2008
Middlewood Rovers JFC U11 v Norton Lees JFC U11
Sunday, 26th October 2008
Middlewood Rovers JFC U11 v Norton Lees JFC U11

Middlewood Rovers JFC U11 1 - 4 Norton Lees JFC U11

THINGS MIGHT BE COMING TOGETHER! What a difference a week makes - the players realise there is no need to go around fearing teams that are in our division and so they got a result that they deserved. Once again we were down to playing personnel in different positions due to the half term holidays with three people unavailable to play.

The first half started brightly with both teams battling hard but showing little in the way of quality. That said, the desire of our team was there for all to see and although we did not really create too much going forward we never looked like conceding with the defensive unit playing a super 'delay and defend' strategy with the full backs Matt Abbey and Kallium Osborne forcing players wide and away from goal when needed and the central pairing mopping up any other attacks. Norton took the initiative and hit Middlewood on the counter with some swift play, albeit a little too direct if we have to tell the truth. Norton duly took the lead from a Ben Ainsworth corner emphatically headed in at the near post by Lewis Rodgers who had escaped his marker. A flurry of Middlewood corners from ex-Norton player Adam Geelan were dealt with superbly by Matt Tyas who was the first player to the ball every time. I cannot say enough how well the defence did today - they really were excellent! We could see that the players were really up for it as they were giving 100% and we saw the half out comfortably.

HALF TIME - Middlewood Rovers JFC U11 0 - 1 Norton Lees JFC U11.

A change of formation at the second half saw us turn from a physical and aggressive team into a team that looked low on confidence and out of sorts. Time after time, positional indiscipline meant that we put ourselves under pressure in midfield and allied to giving away possession cheaply we had a few moments where it was a bit 'heart in mouth'. Norton were soaking up the pressure and hit Middlewood with two quick goals on the break with Josh Sugden netting after being set up well by Shabba Hubbard and a great solo effort by Lewis Rodgers who beat three players and then the goalie to get his second goal and make it 0 - 3. Thomas Russell kept goal well and showed great calmness when required to stop Middlewood scoring. Middlewood took advantage of sloppy passing and pulled one back to make it 1 - 3 after catching us out in midfield again. The game was wrapped up when Shabba Hubbard hit a low shot that the Middlewood keeper could not hold and Josh Sugden pounced on the rebound and stroked the ball into an empty net from 18 yards out to make it 4-1 to Norton.

This was a strange game where it seemed that we were super comfy in the first half and coped well with the Middlewood players having plenty of possession. The second half showed our soft underbelly with sloppy passing and lack of discipline leading to losing possession too often. We are starting to get more physical and more aggressive and that will bring more confidence to the players. The players know they can do so much better - and when we do play to our best some team out there will get battered. The upshot of this match is that we have to congratulate the players for their efforts in winning the game (as one parent said , '....they ran around like nutters for sixty minutes....'). That is absolutely right - so well done today guys. Three points is fine and we'll take every win with pleasure but you must also be honest and truthful to the team and tell them when a performance can be better.

The most important factor the U11 coaches look at is actually the performance and not the result - and we know and the players know too that they can play more cohesively, with more discipline and with better penetration. Looking forward to next week now and I am sure that we will give Rawmarsh a tough game.

Managers/Coaches Man of the Match: Lewis Rodgers – well done Lew, a gutsy performance and a brace of goals.
Supporters Man of the Match: Matt Abbey – another calm and steady game with good tackling, good decision making and playing with a big smile on his face. We are going to miss him next week against Rawmarsh.

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MONDAY, 20 OCTOBER 2008
Norton Lees JFC U11 v Handsworth Boys FC U11
Sunday, 19th October 2008
Norton Lees JFC U11 v Handsworth Boys FC U11

Norton Lees JFC U11 0 - 9 Handsworth BoysFC U11

CUPTASTIC! Possibly the worst draw that any team in the A, B or C could have got and with two key defensive players missing from the line up we had to make changes with the team shape. Although there is not too much content in the match report this is how it went.

In the first half we got battered.

HALF TIME - Norton Lees JFC U11 0 - 4 Handsworth Boys FC U11

In the second half we got battered.


In summary a very difficult tie to play even when at full strength. Handsworth are not top of Division A, with a 100% record and a +22 goal difference for nothing. They are an example that our players should look to emulate in terms of physical agression, desire and commitment. Off to Middlewood Rovers next week with expectations that we will bounce back strongly.

Managers/Coaches Man of the Match: Daniel Loughlin – great attiude and set a great example all match of how a captain should play.
Supporters Man of the Match: Thomas Russell – it was like the Alamo and he made some really fine saves.

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MONDAY, 13 OCTOBER 2008
Norton Lees JFC U11 v Ecclesfield Red Rose JFC U11
Sunday, 12th October 2008
Norton Lees JFC U11 v Ecclesfield Red Rose JFC U11

Norton Lees JFC U11 3 - 2 Ecclesfield Red Rose JFC U11

A LAST GASP WIN! What goes around comes around – it happened to us last week at Maltby and we meted out the same punishment this week to our visitors, Ecclesfield Red Rose on a beautiful, warm October day.

We were back up to something that resembled a full strength squad with a couple of subs but minus the presence of Tegan Allen-Warwick, who had been in hospital all week. We set about the task in hand and played plenty of attractive stuff making some good openings that were let down by a bit of wayward finishing. From a pinpoint corner the ball was met at close range by James Pierce heading agonizingly just over the bar. With more good work down the left hand side by Dan Loughlin his cross was met on the volley by Shabba Hubbard who narrowly missed. Norton were really turning the screw, playing the ball around and getting into good areas but without decisively punishing Ecclesfield. Our goalie really had nothing to do for 15 minutes (and when I say he had nothing to do I mean it) except come off his line once to make a simple claim when we were hit by a real sucker punch on the counter. A quick Ecclesfield break saw their inside left find a little space in the area and hit a bobbling shot down low and inside Thomas Russell’s left hand post to make it 1-0 to the visitors. Flipping Nora! We couldn’t believe it and neither could the players. However, the boys reacted well and levelled shortly after with Josh Sugden hitting a crisp shot across the goalie to make it 1-1. We still created more chances to go in front, each one being spurned. As often happens when you are dominating but not scoring you concede a goal. This is what happened, a cross from the Ecclesfield midfielder being deflected into the corner of the net past our keeper. Strange stuff indeed – they had been in our penalty area four times in the whole half and had notched up two goals and also hit a post, whereas we had been camped in their half, had too many efforts to remember and had a one goal return!

HALF TIME - Norton Lees JFC U11 1 - 2 Ecclesfield Red Rose JFC U11

Back into action and straight from the off Norton created a decent chance but failed to hit the target with Josh Sugden shooting a couple of feet low down past the wrong side of the post. Once again we had started to dominate the game but when this happens, players think it is going to be easy and start to act as individuals rather than a team, trying to beat too many players with their dribbling skills and not doing what the coaches ask them to do, namely passing and laying off, letting the ball do the work. Different week, same nonsense - except there were more players doing it! Because we were being caught in possession in advanced positions and making poor recovery runs the Ecclesfield lads had gained heart and found the impetus they needed to compete better and try and catch us on the break. They were not troubling us too much going forward because of excellent defend and delay work from the full backs Matt Abbey and Kieran Morgan allied with good positioning and challenges from our two centre backs Matt Tyas and Jake Rodgers. What was really pleasing was seeing all four of the defenders staying on their feet at important times – these being the little details that help win games for you and they deserve as much credit as the guys who make or score goals. Credit should go to the two Ecclesfield defenders who recovered and forced Josh sugden to hit the post after rounding the goalie twelve yards out. We pressurised a great deal and bombarded the Ecclesfield goal with corner after corner but they put bodies everywhere, bravely challenging and clearing everything in spite of our efforts. With ten minutes to go we eventually got our grip back on the match with a ball breaking loose in the box to Lewis Rodgers who lashed it home from close range to make it 2-2. Cue Norton pressure for a solid period with the odd foray from Ecclesfield into our half and when the ball was won back the Ecclesfield players were first to the ball on too many occasions for the coaches to accept. Last couple of minutes and after a flurry of Norton corners with just about everyone in the area we finally scored from one with Josh Sugden poking the ball home into the corner of the net to make it 3-2. A shame for the Ecclesfield players who must have been hoping for a point but like the Maltby coach said last week – ‘that’s football’. A minute or so later the referee blew for time.

This was another weird game where if possession and chances created count then we should have buried the opposition. Positional play in midfield needs a bit of work as the lads always want to go forward and it’s not always the right decision. The decision making and work ethic of the forwards needs addressing because we were often second to the ball. In general we need to be more physical and more aggressive but that will come. Overall, being critical, I’d say we can and should have played better but on the plus side the ‘never say die’ spirit shown by the players was excellent. Well done to all the players.

Managers/Coaches Man of the Match: Matt Abbey – great decision making and never put a foot wrong all match.
Supporters Man of the Match: Kieran Morgan – stuck to his job really well and learned lessons from the match against Maltby the previous week.

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MONDAY, 6 OCTOBER 2008
Maltby Juniors FC U11 v Norton Lees JFC U11
Sunday, 5th October 2008
Maltby Juniors FC U11 v Norton Lees JFC U11

Maltby Juniors FC U11’s 6 - 5 Norton Lees JFC U11’s

AWAY DAY AT ROTHERHAM! Our first trip to Rotherham and a daunting trip to high flying Maltby Juniors, 5-1 winners away the previous week at Darfield JFC. A thrilling game on a perfect pitch, chock full of goals with a sting in the tail. We came into this match hungry for points and this is what happened.

Another game where we were down to a bare eleven due to holidays, ineligibility and a very late arrival. The first half started well enough and the match seemed pretty close the difference being the tiny Maltby number 18 who often showed great touches of skill. A slow starting Norton team were not competing well enough to be first to the ball and the match started to follow a worryingly familiar pattern, i.e.: poor decision + positional indiscipline + insufficient physical challenging = loss of possession (and / or) goal conceded. In this manner we went a goal down to a cross from the right finished well by the Maltby forward following up after his first effort rebounded off the post. However, the players did respond well and gave us a reaction but battling and defending well is not really enough. Once more we were caught cold with a simple ball over the top and the Maltby player lobbed the advancing keeper well to make it 2-0 to the home side. A reaction came in the shape of Ben Ainsworth winning the ball in the midfield with a couple of meaty challenges and then seeing the pass through the Maltby defence. The Norton players swarmed forward to make it a 3 v 2 situation and Josh Sugden raced on to the pass. Shaping to shoot with his right foot, he fooled the covering defender by cutting back onto his left peg and hit a curling shot into the far top corner. 2-1 to Maltby but the goal gave the boys fresh heart and we drew level after good work again from the midfield ended with Daniel Loughlin notching his second goal of the season with a crisp finish the ball evading the lunge of the Maltby keeper to make it 2-2. Maltby surged back into the game and they hit both posts in quick succession and with great work by the defenders and goalie we saw the half out well. That said Norton also had chances to take the lead but the Maltby goalie saved well on two occasions.

HALF TIME – Maltby Juniors FC U11’s 2 – 2 Norton Lees Juniors FC U11’s

The coaches recognized that there were still things that needed tightening up and we discussed this with the team at half time. From the kick off we passed straight through the Maltby lads who were soundly asleep and created a simple chance that was tucked away by Josh Sugden to make it 3 – 2 to Norton Lees. Norton pressure followed and within 10 minutes we had increased our lead to 4-2 with a ball breaking loose in the box from a corner and Ben Ainsworth hitting a beauty from about 15 yards out on the angle into the roof of the net. Maltby were stunned but roared back into life. A wayward tackle saw a free kick conceded on the halfway line and when it was taken the ball had just cleared our back four and the Maltby player found himself alone in the box to convert an easy chance to make it 4-3. All of a sudden we were on the back foot with Maltby gaining fresh hope. We were making the error of losing possession in our own half by dribbling with the ball far too much as opposed to passing the flipping thing or taking the opportunity to clear it, then giving away free kicks cheaply. A swift break saw a great opportunity to increase the lead go begging. A superb forward pass released Josh Sugden who turned quickly, rounded the keeper and squared the ball only for the unmarked Norton player to take his eye off the ball and miss his kick completely from three yards out! Again and again we put ourselves into trouble by dribbling the ball in our own half and not being physical enough in the challenge. Because of this the home team was camped in our half and found a route back into the match and made it 4-4 with ten minutes remaining. With five minutes to go they retook the lead and we looked down and out at 5-4. That said, we had defended stoutly for the majority of the second half and had it not been for the efforts of our defence and goalkeeper we could have been a couple of goals worse off. Nevertheless, our spirit was rewarded three minutes from time when the ball broke in the box to Josh Sugden who finished off his hat-trick neatly to make it 5-5. Into added time now and an opportunity clear the ball was missed and a free kick given for the mistimed challenge wide on our left. The disorganised defensive wall did not deter the free kick taker sufficiently who pinged the ball into the box with a lot of pace. Our defender tried to flick the ball away but diverted it past our keeper to send the Maltby contingent into raptures. Seconds after the restart the ref blew up for full time. What a crazy, crazy game!

What can you say to players who really deserved a share of the points but got a big fat zero? Not a lot! We were all completely gutted and it showed in our discussion at the end. The lads looked like they had found a tuppence and had lost a tenner! That’s football though – it went against us yesterday but next time it could go for us. Now we have to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves down and start again. The coaches know what is missing from our game and we are working darned hard to rectify it. With new players available and players returning from holiday, next weeks match against Ecclesfield can’t come soon enough.

Managers/Coaches Man of the Match: Ben Ainsworth
Supporters Man of the Match: Josh Sugden

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MONDAY, 29 SEPTEMBER 2008
Norton Lees JFC U11 v Heeley Boys FC U11
Sunday, 28th September 2008
Norton Lees JFC U11 v Heeley Boys FC U11

Norton Lees JFC U11’s 2 - 2 Heeley Boys FC U11’s

LOCAL DERBY TIME! Our local rivals had wanted to know what we were made of and had sent a scout to watch us the week before. Not sure what he made of us or reported back to their manager but this is what happened.

On the day, regrettably, we could not muster a Norton parent to volunteer to run the line so we had one linesman from Heeley and their mistrust meant that their manager refused to allow one of our coaches to run the opposing line. This was a really disappointing aspect of the match.

Norton had a debutant with Lewis Rodgers taking his place in the midfield and with Norton down to a bare eleven and Heeley being the only team with subs we knew it would not be easy. The first chance came from a bizarre indirect free kick to Heeley given for a back pass and I have to admit that the thought ‘…here we go again…just our luck’ went through my mind. The Heeley players lined the ball up twelve yards out and got ready to blast in what appeared to be an unmissable opportunity. However, the Norton players camped just off the goal line defended the shot at goal magnificently getting bodies out quick to charge the effort down. Both teams started with maximum effort and lots of determined tackling. Norton were playing well and building up through the middle of the pitch with neat passing and having a bit of success down the left in particular. Both teams were doing their best to win the midfield battle and it was a finely balanced affair. Worthy of note were the lads in the defence, Matt Abbey, Matt Tyas, Jake Rodgers and Kieran Morgan, who headed clear everything that came their way. Chances came and went to both teams with Thomas Russell quick off his line to deny the Heeley forwards. Daniel Loughlin was combining very well with the Norton forwards and he released Josh Sugden more than once, the Heeley goalie being equal to the task and making a couple of decent saves. Norton started to get on top and went ahead with a peach of a inswinging corner from Ben Ainsworth hanging just under the crossbar and going straight in. Heeley grasped the initiative and bossed the midfield for spell and within five minutes had drawn level and we were back at square one. Heads did not drop though and we created further good shooting chances for but they were wasted with players in good positions twice shooting over.

HALF TIME – Norton Lees JFC U11’s 1 - 1 Heeley Boys FC U11’s

Three highly irritated coaches let the lads have both barrels during the team talk as we had played better than Heeley and should have been a couple of goals to the good instead of letting them back into the game. Making a tactical switch at half time we played the majority of the remainder of the game in the Heeley half but were thwarted by their goalie who was off his line like lighting to smother forward balls well. This half was a more evenly balanced affair with Heeley coming back into the game and it started getting a bit cat and mouse but with the best opportunities falling to Norton. Finally Norton made the breakthrough again and with a ball bouncing into the box it was a race between the Heeley goalie and Josh Sugden to the ball with the Norton player nipping in to head the ball over the goalie and in off the post, with the recovering defender unable to keep the ball out. The joy was again short lived as we conceded possession and then defended poorly to gift Heeley a chance to claim an undeserved equaliser to make it 2-2. As we sought to create chances and win the match we were over eager to shoot and made some poor decisions when better options were available. On the same theme, on a number of occasions we were we were guilty of very poor ball control in excellent scoring areas. Finally the referee blew for time and that was that.

It was a better result for Heeley than it was for us but getting our first point of the season is nice. The lads really wanted to beat Heeley and the disappointment of not doing so was etched on their faces. We are improving week by week in this very tough division and it was another decent performance. When we have the full team available I have no doubt that we will soon be competing with teams immediately above us because we have the players to do so. Another good point is that we are actually creating some decent chances and that is crucial. That single point has lifted us up the table so that is a pleasant boost. Thanks a lot to all the parents who came and supported all the players and lastly thanks to all the players for giving us 100% yesterday.

Yesterday evening one of the coaches won the much coveted title of European Cartwheeling Champion because we got our first point of the season - see the News section for more info. (If we had got three points he might have attempted the world record.)

Managers/Coaches Man of the Match: Lewis Rodgers
Supporters Man of the Match: Thomas Russell

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Norton Lees JFC U11 v Worksop Boys FC U11
Sunday, 21st September 2008
Norton Lees JFC U11 v Worksop Boys FC U11

Norton Lees JFC U11’s 2 - 4 Worksop Boys FC U11’s

We came into this match against a high flying Worksop with a slightly depleted team with a couple of the lads unable to play and newly registered players ineligible.

Worksop started brightly and took the game to Norton. The Worksop lads are a very well organized and skilful team, getting the ball down on the floor and playing some neat stuff. The Worksop team played a system that had three lightning fast forwards, backed up by capable midfielders swarming everywhere and they were physical with it too. Norton battled well but the breakthrough went in favour of Worksop midway into the first period. We looked for a reaction from the boys and they were battling gamely but were restricted to shots from outside the box. A great deal of credit in this half goes to the Norton keeper, Thomas Russell, who was off his line very quickly to deny the very speedy Worksop forwards. Sloppy play from Norton saw us lose possession on the left side and with an ineffective recovery tackle the Worksop winger crossed in to two players stood in what appeared to be offside positions and the first player to the ball converted easily to make it 0-2. Norton continued grafting and pulled a goal back before half time with neat build up from midfield and Josh Sugden burst into the area and hit a shot inside the top nearpost corner with the getting goalie just getting his fingertips to it.

HALF TIME – Norton Lees JFC U11’s 1 - 2 Worksop Boys FC U11’s

Norton started the second half on top and were competing well both physically and in terms of playing some good stuff. We looked to be getting the upper hand and our players sensed this too. Maybe Worksop had stepped off the gas but they did weather the storm and hit Norton again with two skillfully created quick fire goals to make it a very disappointing scoreline of 1-4. We again competed gamely for the rest of the match and managed to notch another goal with a few minutes to go, James Pierce smacking one in, the Worksop keeper being unable to do anything to stop the effort. Full time 2-4. :-(

We have been really unfortunate with some of the decisions this season but we will not gripe too much, especially when we have been beaten fair and square by a really good footballing side, we simply have to tighten up on the individual errors. This was a pretty good, battling performance by the lads and a win is not too far away. Jumping up into Division C has been a real baptism of fire so far and the standard is very, very good and each team has some really excellent players. Our players know that just turning up in body only gets you nowhere. You have to be there in both body and mind for the full 60 minutes. We discussed the fact that in Division Z you can have five good minutes here and five good minutes there and can get away with it, but in our league you have got to put all the pieces of the jigsaw together week in, week out. Our lads are being tested to the full every week and they will learn more about this fantastic game of football, more about what it takes to succeed and more about themselves. Any team can score goals for fun in Division Z but when it comes to being tested and playing well in all departments for 60 minutes there are very few teams that can do that.

Thanks also to a very good, well drilled and very physical Worksop team that played the game as it should be.

Managers/Coaches Man of the Match: Daniel Loughlin
Supporters Man of the Match: Daniel Loughlin

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MONDAY, 15 SEPTEMBER 2008
Killamarsh Dynamos JFC U11 v Norton Lees JFC U11
Sunday, 14th September 2008
Killamarsh Dynamos JFC U11 v Norton Lees JFC U11

Killamarsh Dynamos JFC U11’s 4 - 3 Norton Lees JFC U11’s

After the disappointment of the Darfield match we were up against Killamarsh Dynamos, a team we have never played before. We expected a better showing and although we got it we did not get the result that we wanted. (At least we aren’t bottom of the table!)The first half started brightly we were competing well in midfield and defence for the first and second ball. The players got on with the task in hand and we weathered some pressure through good defensive challenges and the goalie concentrating well to come off his line and claim the ball when necessary. Norton missed a decent chance when Josh Sugden found space in the area but his shot was straight at the keeper who saved very well. Both teams tried hard to pass the ball around on the deck and create chances but without creating clear opportunities until a chance well created (by one or all of the following explanations - the linesman’s shocking eyesight / the linesman’s sudden loss of strength in his right arm / the linesman’s flag gaining 50 kilos in weight) saw the Killamarsh forward receive the ball in an offside position, run on into the area and finish well, into the bottom corner of the net. Norton responded with some attractive passing and should have equalized when a meaty tackle in the area took the Norton attackers legs from under him and not the ball. Dan Loughlin stepped up to take the resultant penalty but the goalie kept his eye on the ball and made a very comfortable save. That said our heads did not drop.

HALF TIME – Killamarsh Dynamos JFC U11’s 1 - 0 Norton Lees JFC U11’s

The coaches felt that we were not getting 100% from all the players and some were having to work harder to compensate for a lack of effort from others. After a stiff talking to at the break the players responded pretty well and ten minutes into the half we equalized from a corner the ball coming through both sets of players to Tegan Allen-Warwick who was unable to direct the ball into the net and Josh Sugden was first to react and knock the ball home. That said as soon as we had scored we stopped concentrating and let in two goals in as many minutes. One thing we emphasize to the team is that we never give up and after going 4-1 down we refused to feel sorry for ourselves. We responded well with Josh Sugden netting again from open play and from a penalty to complete his hat-trick in the last couple of minutes.

All the nice words from the Killamarsh manager and coach about what a good team we are and how unlucky we were yesterday mean very little when we return home empty handed again. If we can eradicate the individual errors then we can build success. However, if players do not listen or concentrate at training or during matches it will continue to cost the team points.

Managers/Coaches Man of the Match: Josh Sugden
Supporters Man of the Match: Jake Rodgers

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MONDAY, 8 SEPTEMBER 2008
Norton Lees JFC U11 v Darfield JFC U11
Sunday, 7th September 2008
Norton Lees JFC U11 v Darfield JFC U11

Norton Lees JFC U11’s 1 - 5 Darfield JFC U11’s

The new season saw us go into the first match of our campaign in Division C against Darfield JFC a team that was promoted along with us last year. This is how it went.

In the first half we were pants! ‘Nuff said.

HALF TIME – Norton Lees 0 – 4 Darfield

The second half started and ended on a more even footing and we competed far better although we found it hard to create clear cut chances. Darfield also were restricted to a few chances with the defence well marshalled and working hard to keep the Darfield lads at bay. That said we shipped another goal to make it 0-5 but managed to pull one back when their goalie could only push a Norton Lees free kick onto the post and Daniel Loughlin was the fastest to react to hit the rebound, unopposed into the net to give the lads and .

In spite of a relatively decent summer of friendly matches and tournaments we were given a harsh lesson in having the desire to win and being physically competitive. The coaches and players have a lot of work to do in the next couple of weeks to rectify this result but we know that with the lads showing the right attitude then we can go into the next game and pick up points.

Managers/Coaches Man of the Match: Jake Rodgers
Supporters Man of the Match: Thomas Russell