Home

End of season round ups

Wymondley Park's Under-11s finished a stunning season on May 25, lifting the Royston Crow Division 3 trophy after a playoff against Fairlands Youth. They won the match in fine style and it was fine style that marked so much of their first season as an 11-a-side team. Under the guidance of Mick and John, the squad also fought their way to the quarter finals of the League Cup, only being knocked out by the team that won the cup and topped division 1. Along the way, WPFC knocked out second division Stotfold and, in one of the most exciting games of the season, first division Bedwell. The County Cup saw our Under-11s get to the fourth round, an achievement in itself. The end of the run came on cold, rain-sodden pitch in Watford where the opposing team displayed all that can be wrong with youth football. Indeed, another source of pride for our players and supporters should be the team's self respect and the respect they show to their opponents. This is something others could learn from. The quality of play developed noticeably during the season. The defence grew in dependability and discipline. As the season's end approached and the possibility of promotion starting teasing, spectators just knew Big Will was going to head that long ball on to our midfield, that Sean would catch the forward who had a five yard start on him, that the oncoming winger just was not going to get beyond Sam. Craig tamed his urge to push too far upfield and that made the difference in two very big matches of the season - the last game against Austen Arrowheads where their danger men were rendered useless and the cup final when Fairlands got through Wymondley's back four on precisely one occasion. Leon's strength blunted many an attack and later in the season he developed the confidence to push forward and link up with the midfield. Alex, our stalwart goal keeper, impressed everyone with his courage, particularly earlier in the season when the team was settling into positions and getting used to playing 11-a-side. Then, it was often Alex who bailed us out of trouble. The midfield's passing improved considerably through the season with the centre pairing distributing to right, left and forward. Ellis and Robert grew in strength and stamina. Marley built on his speed and skill down the left wing and was developing his cross as the year progressed. Tom on the other wing also used his pace to scare defences and his snap crosses made many a goal but the real development in his game was a mean corner that the rest of the team is now capitalising on. A positive goal difference of 52 says a lot about the regular front pairing of Malik and River. Both have speed and slipperiness that has had defenders tearing their hair out with frustration. Malik's trademark is the poached goal while River' coolness and slide rule accuracy when he slips his marker can be breathtaking. Kyle has come on in leaps and bounds during the season, becoming a great utility player who Mick and John can rely on to bolster the team in defence, midfield or attack (he used to play in goal as well!). His determination  made the difference in several key matches. Another player who showed his versatility was Jayden who proved himself both in central defence and in central midfield. A note of thanks to Philip who is no longer with the team but who played his part in the season's successes - not least being one of the first to exploit Tom's corners, knocking one in against Baldock. Of course, not every game was a classic - a few were awful. It may be true that the sign of a good team is grinding out a result on an off day. That does not make the away match to Bishop's Stortford less of a nightmare or the narrow win over Melbourn in April anything but horrible! But there were some matches that were just magical - Bedwell in the cup, one of the games against Baldock, the first victory over Fairlands, the beating of Stotfold when the boys suddenly realised what they were capable of. For the statistically minded, the team played 22 league games, winning 16 - more than any other team - drawing 4 and so losing just 2. The losses were to Fairlands (2-0) and a drubbing from Arrowheads (5-1). That means the average number of points won per game was 2.36 - for comparison of sorts, Man U managed 2.29 this season. Last but not least, congratulations to the team and to Mick and John. Thanks to Maria for all her work, without which nothing much would get done. And also much appreciation to all the supporters, especially those who have run the line (Lewis in particular) and reffed (special mention for Sam's dad). Roll on the tournaments and next season.