2007 2008 Under 9 Falcons

MANAGER:

Manager: Tony Griffiths
Assistant: Russell cole

PLAYERS:

Alexander Beaumont, Jack Birch, Charlie Cole, Jack Eaton, Jake England, Stephen Griffin, Charlie Griffiths, Jordan Ingles, Alex Withero.

NEWS:

Pre season training starts 9th September at Radlett Road

We are in the Watford Friendly League

FIXTURES:

RESULTS:

• 3th April Olympiacos 2-0 NWR Falcons
  20th April Hadley Rangers 1-0 NWR Falcons
  

  After weeks of inclement weather (to say the least) we were wondering if we would ever get to finish our final two games that were left of the season, a season which was to start off well, and fizzle out towards the end. We had chances to go top of the league in December and saw our form dip in February ending up with a third place finish! Sounds mighty familiar to another team I know and love.

  Anyway our final two games were against Olympiacos last week and Hadley Rangers today. Last week was a bad day at the office. We did not produce enough chances to win it and Olympiacos were the more determined side, to top it all, man of the match, Jack Birch injured his finger in goal -- a game I have forgotten. The end result was a 2-0 defeat.

  Today's match was a very different game with the boys showing glimpses of those pre February days when we looked in control of games, played some good football and lady luck smiled on us every now and again – today lady luck decided to go on her holidays as a Stephen Griffin shot spilled from the keepers hands and looked to have crossed the line but instead of the boys piling in to make sure the ball was over the line, they decided to wave their arms in the air and look at the ref, who I might add was smiling and apologised to me after the game saying he could not see it clear enough to give it, mmmmm.

  Charlie Griffiths took a swipe at the ball, and on another day might have hit the back of the net but today the keeper held onto it. Both Charlie and Stephen played very well showing plenty of determination. Jack Eaton produced a good midfield display keeping up his good form. Jack Birch played solidly in defence and came through unscathed. Alex Withero gave yet another consistent performance to earn him the man of the match and Jake England battled bravely as he has done all season.

  Then there was the tale of our three keepers! Alexander Beaumont (first-half) Charlie Cole (10mins second-half) Jordan Ingles (final 10 mins). Alexander gave a great first-half display which kept the score 0-0 at half-time and convinced me that on his day he is possibly the best in our division, or even the league. But he is not our top goalscorer for nothing and we changed keeper at half-time with Charlie Cole going in after having a good powerful first-half he was, lets say, less than enthusiastic to take the gloves (this has been the story of our season, on Saturday's during training we have nine hands in the air to go in goal on a Sunday everyone runs and hides) but like the good player he is he made a tremendous save to stop a certain goal when the Hadley attacker looked to have gone past Charlie only for him to dive at the boys feet to push the ball away, great stuff! Then the ever keen and enthusiastic Jordan Ingles finished off the game in goal after giving a good outfield performance covering every inch of the pitch. The game finished 1-0 to Hadley but it was a good game and we can take a lot of positives from it.

  The end of a good season for the Falcons, some memorable moments, some great support from the parents and plenty to build on for next season.

• Sunday 9th March
  NWR Falcons 2-2 Oxhey Utd Eagles
  Charlie Cole
  Alexander Beaumont
  

  A frustrating game to watch today for the Falcons management! After watching yesterdays training session we seemed to have the boys in good shape and ready to make up for last weeks disappointing 0-0 draw against Utd. Well that is what we thought; unfortunately the script turned out a little different, our first-half performance was poor and we went a goal down from a shot which took a wicked deflection and sneaked past Alexander Beaumont in goal -- half-time 0-1.

  The second-half started much like the first and we could not find any rhythm to our play or make any in roads, we gave away a corner which resulted in Oxhey's second goal from our slack marking, and at this point I could not see any way back. The boys proved me wrong and that goal seemed to wake them up they finally swung into action and Charlie Cole popped up to pull one back for the Falcons which got the home support going and spurred the boys on to look for the equaliser.

  Alex Withero was winning the ball and firing it forward, Jordan Ingles was putting in some good balls into the box, we had a few scrambles in the box where Charlie Griffiths came close to bundling one over the line, Jake England broke up the Oxhey attack well, Jack Eaton kept us moving forward with some good passes and Stephen Griffin was making some good runs only to be thwarted by the Oxhey goalkeeper who even made a good save from a shot by his own defender, the equaliser looked like it would never come. But just when all hope had gone the O's keeper took too many steps outside the box on a drop-kick and we were awarded a free-kick by the eagle eyed referee Brian Silver, who was refereeing his last Falcons game this season. Alexander Beaumont stepped up and not for the first time this season rifled home the equaliser and got the Man-of-the-match trophy.

  I am not sure if we deserved the draw but I certainly feel that if we had played the whole game like we played in the last 10 minutes we would have collected three points instead of one, but we have done well this season and have competed in all our games to a level where we do keep going and we don't just give up.

  One name I have left till last is that of Jack Birch who was back in action today. Jack came on for 10 minutes in the first half and spent the second in goal where he made some good stops and it was great to have him back -- well done Jack.

• Sunday 2nd March
  Oxhey Utd 0-0 NWR Falcons
  

  No disrespect to Oxhey but the Falcons should have had this game wrapped up and put to bed, three points in the bag. How we never won this I will never know - well I do actually - we never took our chances! The boys lacked urgency today and when they did decide to up the pace they looked like they could have scored 3 or 4 but we never really hit those highs. No excuses the wind was against us in the first half but we still had chances to take the lead, in the second-half we were encamped in the Oxhey half and had a few clear cut chances which we should have buried but it was one of those days.

  As for performances we had Jack Eaton continuing his good form to win the Man-of-the-Match he was so unlucky not to have scored with a long range shot in the first-half.

  Charlie Cole gave a good battling performance and was unlucky not to have scored from a near post corner. Jordan Ingles was terrorising the Oxhey defence in the first-half but our usual issue of who should go in goal resulted in Jordan taking the green jersey - well done to Jordan and to Stephen Griffin who took the gloves in the first 20 minutes both boys had very little to do in goal and in hindsight both were wasted in goal when it was pace and urgency we needed and both boys have that in abundance.

  Stephen had an excellent chance to win the game with the best move of the match when Charlie Griffiths broke free on the left flank and crossed the ball to Stephen who was free in the box and as we all waited for the ball to break the net it smashed against the crossbar - unlucky Stephen. Alex Withero read the Oxhey attack well and made sure our defence was rarely troubled with some excellent clearances while Jake England pressed forward to help our attack. Alexander Beaumont had a couple of efforts on goal but it was not to be!

  Special mention for Jack Birch who has gone into hospital having had a problem with his broken arm, I am sure I speak for everyone involved with the Falcons from the management to the parents that we all wish Jack a speedy recovery!

• 24th February
  Olympiacos 0-2 NWR Falcons
  Charlie Cole
  Stephen Griffin
  

  A much needed win from the Falcons after two straight defeats and the manager's job on the line! A vote of confidence from the parents allowed the management team to breathe a sigh of relief and we put the boys through a heavy training schedule on Saturday morning which seemed to have paid off!

  It was not a great pitch to play on today and Olympiacos got stuck in making us work for everything, but the boys were more than up for this after last weeks disappointment and with Jake England getting in some great challenges and the calm head of Alex Withero clearing any dangerous attacks we looked good.

  Half time 0-0. We were under a bit of pressure in the second half and it took a terrific clearance off the line by Jack Eaton to stop us going a goal down. Jack had a superb match playing some lovely passes to the attack and getting back and defending it was a joy to watch -- well done Jack. We battled on and won a free kick which Alexander Beaumont took and saw Charlie Cole flick the ball into the net. Charlie normally is in goal during the first half of a match but we swapped some things around today and I am very pleased for Charlie, he has been a great team player and has performed well in and out of goal all season.

  With Alexander Beaumont tormenting the O's defence and breaking up their attacks down the flanks we looked like we could grab another goal and sure enough Stephen Griffin popped up and managed a shot-come-lob which looped over the keepers head, well done Stephen who did a sterling job today. Jordan Ingles produced some great touches and passes and was unlucky not to score himself but all-in-all it was a great game today and one I thoroughly enjoyed -- well done to all the boys today this is the kind of commitment we all expect.

  Special mention to Charlie Griffiths our goalkeeper today who showed true Falcons team spirit and offered to go in goal for the whole game today, Charlie made a couple of good stops, not sure if he will be our regular keeper but he certainly deserved his man-of-the-match award -- well done Charlie!

• Sunday 10th Feb
  NWR Falcons 1-3 St Albans Blue
  Stephen Griffin
  

  Football is a funny old game! Your team goes out and play their best football against the league leaders, you have shot after shot saved by their goalkeeper (to say he kept them in the game would be an understatement) they have two clear cut chances and score both, and to top it all they get a fluky third goal deflected into the net by one of your own players and you lose 1-3. It was one of those days!

  That was the game in a nutshell and I no longer wish to dwell on it, all I want to comment on is the fantastic football the boys managed to conjure up today and even though we lost the game some of the passing and movement from the lads was pretty impressive! All of them were excellent, relentless running from the likes of Jordan Ingles and Stephen Griffin (who scored the equalizer just after half-time). Some great defending from Alex Withero and Jake England, and good solid performances from Jack Eaton, Charlie Griffiths, Alexander Beaumont and our Man-of-the-Match Charlie Cole, they all did superb and I am extremely proud that we took the game to St Albans and I doubt they have had a tougher game. To quote our referee for the day Eric Tocher "We can walk away knowing we played the better football and the difference between the two sides was their goalkeeper". Big thanks to Eric and to Jack Birch turning up to support the team and to the fantastic Falcons supporters - the parents.

  Well done lads onwards and upwards, COME ON YOU FALCONS!

• Sunday 3rd Feb
  NWR Falcons 2-1 Hadley Wood Foxes
  Jake England, Alex Withero
  

  With a blustery cold wind blowing it made conditions difficult today but that said we were not at our best and although we had a good first half the boys used up their get out of jail card today as we came from a goal down to win 2-1. Hadley Wood Foxes came with a good disciplined side which dealt with conditions better and defended well, although they were lucky to have not been 2-0 down in the first half when Alexander Beaumont hit the post and Stephen Griffin was clean through only to see his shot go the wrong side of the post. Alexander had a superb first-half and was involved in everything but needs must and he had to do goalkeeping duties in the second-half where he made a couple of great stops, but I must confess when Hadley went 0-1 up I feared it would not be our day and that we were being punished for our earlier missed chances.

  Stephen Griffin was doing his best to bring us back into the game with some good runs into the box but the ball bobbled and Hadley got last ditch challenges in as Charlie Griffiths and Jordan Ingles battled in the box to grab the loose ball, but Hadley always seemed to clear it and we were caught on the back foot with too many of the boys forward. Having said that Charlie G had a short stint in defence and did well throughout the game while Jordan battled hard to keep the attacks going, and just when I thought it was turning into one of those days, up popped Jake England who hit the ball from the edge of the box (after it had bobbled about in the Hadley area) as the keeper got down to it the ball crept over the line, and at that point you could sense the boys just might have enough in them to snatch the points! The second goal came from an unusual source, our "Mr Reliable" in defence Alex Withero took it upon himself to race forward, take up a good position on the edge of the box and as the ball did its usual bobbling about and just about everybody trying to get a boot on it, Alex collected it and his shot hit the back of the net. He certainly deserves his goal with the performances he has put in this season -- well done to Alex and Jake it's nice to see the defence winning the game for us!

  Jack Eaton was our man of the match today with some good intelligent passing in such a frantic game -- well done Jack! Charlie Cole came out of goal in the second-half after keeping a clean sheet in the first and did a sound job for the team breaking up the Hadley attacks, and as both teams battled hard towards the end and the cold wind blew hard it was a relief to hear the final whistle blow! Another win and a top of the table clash next week!

  Special mentions today for Jack Birch who came to support the boys today and to Brian "the ref" Silver who will be off to Australia later this week and who left his mark today on the game, especially the boy on the Hadley team he fell on, but a big thank you to Brian from all the Falcons and the management, have a great time down under.

• Sunday 27th January
  Sun Postal 0-5 NWR Falcons
  Jack Eaton
  Stephen Griffin (2)
  Jordan Ingles
  Alexander Beaumont
  

  The Falcons were on top form today, even though the week leading up to the game began with the news that Jack Birch had broken his arm and may be out for the rest of the season! Our second disappointment was Charlie Cole who has been ill all week and it was touch and go whether he would be fit for the match, but Charlie turned up and had a great game with a solid first half goalkeeping performance and a good second half display where he put in some good challenges. Well done Charlie!

  The game itself was one of our best performances this season, and our style of play had a variety about it which was a joy to watch, we played with a lot of confidence - sometimes a bit casual - and although at times the challenges from Sun Postal were coming in thick and fast we kept going and played our game. Stephen Griffin was in impressive form today, not only did he bag two goals but made some excellent runs down the wing causing all kinds of trouble for Sun Postal, and then to top off his man-of-the-match winning performance he went in goal for the second-half giving up his chance of a hat-trick, well done to Stephen!

  Both Russell and I could not see who got the first goal Charlie Griffiths knocked it on towards the goal and it went in, but Oliver Beaumont informed me later it was Jack Eaton who got the last touch - well done to Jack who put in some good work today and is finding some good form of late. Charlie was unlucky not to have had a couple of goals himself, but both boys did well out there! Jordan Ingles did some good running at the SP defence and rounded off his first-half performance with a lovely goal and at 4-0 up at half-time it could not get much better.

  By the time Alexander Beaumont had scored goal number 5 in the second-half we were sitting pretty and looking comfortable, Alexander had hit the bar earlier and you felt it would not be long before he scored. There were times in the second-half when we were exposed at the back with only Alex Withero and Jake England to stop the SP attack but Alex was more than capable of dealing with it and so was Jake, who began making runs into the SP half which caught them unawares on a number of occasions. Alex has marshalled the defence well this season it is to his credit and Jake's fearsome challenges that we have not let in many goals.

  A special mention for Jack Birch and I would like to take the opportunity to thank Jack for the sterling performances he has put in this season outfield as well as in goal, we will certainly miss his solid defending and it was a real joy to see him turn up today to support the team he exemplifies the words "team player".

  Well done to the boys, an excellent game and an excellent performance from everyone!

• Nascot Wood Rangers - Falcons 2-0 St Albans Rangers Red
  Alexander Beaumont (2)
  

  I struggled to get this game switched to St Albans - due to our pitch being waterlogged. It was not until late in the second-half of a dull Arsenal v Birmingham game at the Emirates, that Steve Dunn (Reds manager) called me to say he could do it - many thanks to Steve and St Albans for helping us out.

  The game itself was a tale of two half's! With the wind against us we found the going hard and soaked up a lot of St Alban's pressure and there were times in the first 10-15 minutes that we did not seem to be able to get out of our own half. Charlie Griffiths got a nasty ball in the face and although he wanted to stay on he came off. He reappeared in the second-half and battled really hard - well done Charlie! Alex Withero kept the defence in order, after not being very well last week Alex was back to his reliable self and is one of the reasons we have had so much success this season.

  As I have said in the first-half we were up against it but what a turn-around in the second. Jack Eaton was beginning to have a big effect on the match in the second-half with his passing and running, and he could have scored if not for some good goalkeeping and defending from St Alban's. Alexander Beaumont was a different prospect for the St Albans team and after scoring the first goal the Falcons brimmed with confidence, so much so that Alex Withero was our last line of defence sometimes much to Russell's and my frustration, it seems no amount of shouting can stop them all charging forward once we score and when Alexander scored his second shortly after I was quite relieved, at 1-0 St Albans looked like they might get back into the game especially when they hit the post, but we were not troubled too much after that.

  One player who seems to have boundless energy is Jake England whose terrier like chasing of the opposition and quick running and shooting have caused problems for the opposition as well as many other teams in this league this season. Jordan Ingles made some good runs and gave their defence lots to worry about, he is always eager to get to the ball and run at defenders and was unlucky not to have scored, Jordan is another player who has had a big impact on our season. Stephen Griffin made plenty of inroads and was another who should have been on the score-sheet he was unlucky not to have got a goal from a shot by Alexander Beaumont which hit the post and Stephen just missed the rebound.

  Jack Birch has taken on the job of second-half goalkeeper and did really well today making a couple of saves and clearing the ball from danger, but Jack also did well in defence today and is becoming a rock at the back as not many get past him. Charlie Cole was in goal for the first-half and I have said many times that he is another reason why we have done so well, when he came out in the second-half he could so easily have scored a couple of goals. Well done to Charlie, a deserving Man of the Match.

  Well done to Alexander on his two goals and to everyone today, it was a big effort from all involved especially the parents whose commitment to the team has been magnificent all season!

• Sunday 6th Jan
  NWR Falcons 1-0 Hadley Rangers
  Own goal
  

  It seems like a lifetime ago since the disappointment of losing 1-0 to St Albans Blue in December's top of the table clash, and today we faced third in the table Hadley Rangers with some apprehension. Hadley is a very good side and in my humble opinion one of the best teams we have played so far in this division, both teams were evenly matched and chances were few and far between. The first half especially was a tight affair but the boys were playing well, in particular Jack Eaton who put together a string of good passes and certainly shined in midfield. Charlie Cole, who was relieved of goalkeeping duties today, was unlucky not to latch on to a through ball which the Hadley keeper just snatched away from him! Jordan Ingles was lively and did very well to carve out a couple of chances for himself and along with Stephen Griffin tearing up and down the pitch they were proving to be quite a handful for Hadley. Alex Withero has been in fine form for us this season and even though he was not very well today his determination to play has to be admired and shows his commitment to the team!

  Alexander Beaumont was in goal for the first-half and made some good stops and in the second-half it was from his corner that the goal came off the defender and was deflected in the goal with the keeper unlucky not to have kept it out! At 1-0 I felt it would take something special for Hadley to score as the game had been such a close one, and when Charlie Griffiths latched onto the ball just on the edge of the area only to see his shot beat the keeper and agonisingly hit the post, we looked in control. But all credit to Hadley they put us under pressure towards the end looking for an equaliser and it was certainly a back's to the wall game in the last few minutes for the Falcons, Jake England put in some magnificent tackles, clearing and running with the ball from defence to ease the pressure, and some brave goalkeeping from Jack Birch, our second-half keeper who smothered the ball twice from the feet of the Hadley attackers, thoroughly deserving his man-of-the-match trophy.

  A good game and a good way to kick-off the New Year, we managed to keep another clean sheet and gain 3 points to keep the pressure on St Albans Blue.

  Special mention and a well overdue thank you to Brian "the ref" Silver who travels from "sunny" Stoke Newington to ref these matches and who's refereeing is always fair and unbiased but really needs to improve on how to tie-up football boot laces.

• St Albans Blue 1-0 Nascot Wood Rangers - Falcons
  

  The top of the table clash with St Albans saw us possibly play one of our better games and we came away with nothing to show for it! There was some slick passing moves from all the boys, some lovely forward play and as I think back at this game St Albans will know they were fortunate to have scraped a 1-0 win. But, being the better team does not always mean you should automatically win and we wasted too many opportunities to score which is never a good thing.

  St Albans started positively and put us under pressure but we were steady in defence with superb defending from Alex Withero, who is putting in consistent performances every week for the Falcons and with him at the back not many teams get through us. If they do pass Alex we have the mighty Jack Birch to step in with some tremendous tackles and not to mention his second half heroics in goal where he saved a one on one while the score was still 0-0 well done both Alex and Jack! Charlie Cole was our first-half keeper again and made a couple of good stops; when he played outfield in the second-half he was instrumental in a lot of our attacks. Jake England was fully committed to the cause today and another excellent display from him, at one stage in the dying minutes he raced into the area and was thwarted by a defender just as he was about to unleash a shot which I felt sure would have been the equaliser.

  Once we went a goal down we came into our own and I don't remember St Albans really threatening us after that, we had shots from Alexander Beaumont whistling past the post -- a good all round performance from him today to earn the man of the match, well done Alexander. Jack Eaton was so unlucky today having a shot which went inches passed the post and a ball which came through from the right to find Jack alone in the area and with the slightest of touches it could have been a goal but the keeper did enough to put Jack off - keep it up Jack the goals will soon come! Jordan Ingles was desperately unlucky, like Jack, a number of times he raced into the area but the final ball never came off due to some good defending from St Albans and a great save from their defender who went to ground in the penalty area, grabbed the ball with both hands let go of it and kicked it away -- shortly after the same thing happened again outside the box and there were certainly decisions going against us all through the match, but I suppose that is a credit to the way we have been playing recently, last season we would cave in after going a goal down – this season we come back fighting.

  Stephen Griffin was a menace in the first half and constantly troubled the St Albans defence he made some chances for himself and others, Charlie Griffiths linked up well with Stephen and made some good passes to Jordan and Stephen to open up their defence and between them and Alex Beaumont we were seeing some great moves out there.

  Special mention to all the boys - Thank you for giving us an excellent start to the season we will bounce back from this defeat and if we keep playing the way we do, and one or two decisions go our way (unlike today) we could be smiling a the end of the season. Well done boys -- Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

• December 2nd 2007
  Harvesters East 0-4 Nascot Wood Rangers – Falcons
  Jordan Ingles
  Jake England
  Alexander Beaumont
  Charlie Griffiths
  

  A marvellous effort from the Falcons today in weather conditions which were atrocious to say the least, the boys showed us all that whatever the conditions they were more than prepared to have a go, and that is exactly what they did! Jordan Ingles was on good form today he got the opener with a shot which everyone thought the keeper had caught only for it to slip out of his hands and into the net, one-nil to the Falcons. Our second goal was from Jake England, who has been in impressive form over the last few weeks and got the man of the match trophy, with his tenacious tackling and his storming runs into the oppositions half he more than deserved his award. We were two nil up at half-time having played some very good football, putting together some good passes and we looked comfortable.

  Charlie Cole had very little to do in his first-half stint as goalkeeper having to stand in a pool of water and yet again I praise Charlie for the confidence he gives the boys and what an excellent team player he really is. Charlie came out of goal in the second-half and played very well. Jack Birch had a good first-half and put himself forward to take the green jersey when no-one else would. It showed me what an excellent team player he is and it was great to see him pull off a couple of good saves. At this stage we began to leave holes at the back which at times left Alex Withero as our last line of defence and Alex coped with this admirably making challenge after challenge and clearing the ball from danger on numerous occasions. All this was largely down to the rest of the boys going for glory! Alexander Beaumont had charged the ball down twice to put himself clean through and with three other Falcons chasing into the box his shot beat the keeper and put us three nil up.

  With all the boys giving their all in such terrible conditions I could only feel proud at the way we played today, everyone played their part, Jack Eaton kept winning tackles in midfield and constantly got the ball forward to the marauding Stephen Griffin who had a terrific game opening up the Harvesters defence and managing to get in a few shots at goal, but it was not until the final minutes that Charlie Griffiths, who had missed a couple of good chances early on, ran onto the ball in the penalty area and coolly slotted the ball past the keeper giving the Falcons their first ever 0-4 win in the WFL and an extremely proud management team.

  Well done boys!

  Special mention today goes to all the parents who have given the team tremendous support this season, as well as last, and in all weathers - long may it continue.

• Nascot Wood Rangers Flacons 1-0 Cassiobury Panthers
  Stephen Griffin
  

  The Falcons impressive league form continued in today's match with the Panthers! Although the result looked a close game on reflection we were rarely threatened at the back, this was mainly due to the brilliance of our defence, Alex Withero our man of the match (for the second week running) who hardly put a foot wrong all through the game and Jake England who scored last week and was certainly eager to get forward making darting runs towards the Cassiobury defence. Our goalkeepers today were the excellent Charlie Cole, reliable as ever in the first half and in the second half a solid performance from Jack Birch. It was nice to see us get a clean sheet again after a couple of games where we were punished for our slack defending. Charlie C has been a massive boost for the team going in goal and our confidence has grown because of him, as for Jack B he has become a reliable and important defender for us and is a real team player by volunteering to go in goal so Charlie could play outfield in the second-half, in fact many of the boys have developed a team spirit that has impressed us all.

  We had our chances to break the deadlock in the early stages of the game but it was not until the second-half that we got our goal, it started off with Jake running down the wing and putting the ball into the box, there was a scramble in the goal mouth the ball fell to Charlie Griffiths, who was unlucky with a couple of chances during the game, and his shot-come pass fell to Stephen Griffin, always looking dangerous, and he tucked the ball into the empty net well done Stephen! Alexander Beaumont had

  a few chances to score and worked extremely hard in defence as well. Jack Eaton was winning the ball for us in mid-field and getting in some good positions in attack and defence while Jordan Ingles was always a threat to the Cassiobury defence and ran his socks off for the team covering every blade of grass.

  It seemed every time Cassiobury won the ball we would win it straight back which troubled their defence throughout the game. If we had been a little more patient in front of goal we may have had a couple more, but as an Arsenal supporter who spent a lot of years watching some famous 1-0 wins this will do me fine!

  Well done the Falcons!

  Special mention to the Falcons new sponsor Phil Waller of Bodymaster GB who was watching his first game today and thankfully saw us win!

• St Albans Rangers Red 2-3 Nascot Wood Rangers Falcons
  Charlie Griffiths, Jake England, Alexander Beaumont
  

  With over half the team turning up for the game having been to parties or sleepovers or both! The Falcons management team will be looking at curfews on Saturday night to tighten up on discipline! We managed to kick-off on time (just) and it was clear to see in the opening few minutes we were not looking as sharp as we have been when St Albans had their first shot at goal and scored, but we kept going and when Charlie Griffiths came on as substitute he scored the equaliser with virtually his first kick of the game and normal service was resumed! With the St Albans keeper electing to kick the ball away from danger most of the clearances fell to our midfield and joy of joys the lads were looking up and passing to one another and it looked pretty good as we cut through the St Albans defence creating chances, with Alexander Beaumont, Charlie G, Jordan Ingles and Jack Eaton, and just when you thought it might be one of those games up popped Jake England with a clever run into the box and a crisp shot which beat the keeper and gave Jake his first ever goal for the Falcons and well deserved it was to.

  We led 1-2 at half-time and had to replace Charlie Cole in goal with Jack Birch, Charlie has been in fine form in goal over recent weeks and when he played outfield in the second half he looked very assured making some great interceptions and passes, Jack B had a good match where he made some good tackles and did well in goal where he made some vital clearances, both of them were terrific!

  Alexander Beaumont, who has been playing well this season, scored our third goal with a super strike, and at 1-3 we were home and dry, or so I thought, but St Albans had other ideas and pulled one back. We did our best to get forward but left gaps at the back where Jack Eaton tirelessly ran to help out defence and made some important tackles and clearances, Jordan Ingles constantly ran at the St Albans defence and got a few shots in, while our man of the match Alex Withero, who celebrates his birthday on Monday – happy birthday Alex, put in a storming performance at the back and never neglected his defensive duties even when he ran the length of the pitch in the dying seconds of the game only to see his shot saved he raced straight back to defence again – well done Alex and well done to all the boys it was a very good team performance, maybe parties and sleepovers are not a bad idea after all.

  Special mention for Stephen Griffin who was away this weekend so missed today’s game and we all look forward to seeing Stephen back next weekend!

• NWR U9 Falcons 2-2 Harvesters East
  Jordan Ingles
  Alexander Beaumont
  

  An enjoyable yet frustrating game today, both teams had observed a minutes silence and three minutes later we went 1-0 up through Jordan Ingles, who is certainly making a name for himself since joining the Falcons he took his goal extremely well! Although the boys were applying lots of pressure on the opposition somehow we allowed Harvesters to get back in and with their first shot of the game they scored. At 1-1 we continued to go forward and created chance after chance and just when we were wondering who would put us back in the lead Harvesters had their second shot at goal and went 1-2 up and we were all in total disbelief.

  The game was beginning to drift away from us, Stephen Griffin came close a couple of times, Jake England had one cleared off the line, Charlie Griffiths had a couple of chances while Alex Withero had a terrific game at the back along with Jack Birch both players won lots of tackles and kept us going forward, while Charlie Cole was again showing everyone what a good keeper he is, although he did not have much to do he gives the team a lot of confidence. It was beginning to look like our first league defeat of the season until in the dying seconds we were awarded a free kick outside the box and up stepped Alexander Beaumont, our man of the match, who had already seen a couple of his long range shots go wide but this time his shot was perfection and gave the keeper no chance.

  Well done boys a great fight back and well deserved!

  Special mention for Jack Eaton who was watching Man Utd for his birthday treat -- Happy birthday Jack!

• Challenge Cup Round 1
  Oxhey Jets U9 Yellows 2-0 Nascot Wood U9 Falcons
  

  I was impressed with the boys today we looked comfortable and defensively strong I could only see extra time and penalties looming, Oxhey hit the bar admittedly but we were never in serious trouble, then, just as I was working out my penalty takers we gifted Oxhey with a bizarre own goal, we then pressed for the equaliser and conceded a second!

  All the boys were committed to the cause today and I am really pleased with the way they are progressing, they deserved more from their efforts but football is like that.

  Jack Eaton was man-of-the-match today but it was a good all round performance from all the boys, keep it up lads.

  Team: Alexander Beaumont, Jack Birch, Charlie Cole, Jack Eaton, Jake England, Stephen Griffin, Charlie Griffiths, Jordan Ingles, Alex Withero

• NWR U9 Falcons 3 Sun Postal 0
  Charlie Griffiths
  Stephen Griffin
  Jordan Ingles
  

  A great result for the Falcons which gave us our first home win at our new ground; another display of true grit from the team against a Sun Postal team who put up a great fight on the pitch and one parent who wanted to fight off it - luckily I took most of the abuse for that but lets not be bitter after all we won!

  It was Charlie Griffiths who got the opener for the Falcons, Charlie should have had a second but was denied by the Sun Postal goalkeeper from point blank range! Charlie Cole had made a great save earlier to deny Sun Postal and I have to give a lot of credit and a big thank you to Charlie Cole because ever since he stepped up and went in goal we have looked a different team, not only have we kept two clean sheets but Charlie shouts at the defence and keeps everyone alert - well done yet again Charlie! We had so many good performances out there I could go on forever.

  Stephen Griffin scored a lovely goal to give the Falcons our third, he linked well with the attack made some good passes and is becoming a constant threat teams. Alex Withero was superb today he showed his ability to take on defenders, joining up with the attack and getting back to defend; Jack Eaton made some great tackles winning the ball and charging forward and broke up a lot of Sun Postal's play. Alexander Beaumont is beginning to control our midfield and not many players get past him he worked hard for the team today. Jack (Beefy) Birch had one of his best games today and seems to improve with every game he plays, a terrific performance, and then there was Jake England who is the rock of our team and gives no less than 100% during a match and in tackles.

  Special mention today for our new signing Jordan Ingles who scored on his debut, and what a good goal it was too which gave us a 2-0 lead at half-time, he has already made a big impact on the team, well done to Jordan who also picked up the man-of -the-match trophy. Well done to all the boys let's keep it going!

  Team: Alexander Beaumont, Jack Birch, Charlie Cole, Jack Eaton, Jake England, Stephen Griffin, Charlie Griffiths, Jordan Ingles, Alex Withero.

• Hadley Wood U9 Foxes 0-1 Nascot Wood Rangers U9 Falcons
  Alexander Beaumont
  

  A gritty and determined performance from the boys today, good teamwork and plenty of effort were in abundance as the Falcons notched up their first win of the season.

  The match was a more evenly balanced game then in previous ones with both teams playing hard but fair. Charlie Cole went in goal today and certainly gave us a new dimension with his huge kicks which gave Hadley Wood lots of problems in defence, Charlie was superb today charging out of his goal to clear the ball from danger - well done Charlie you look good in green!

  Alex Withero, who played admirably in defence and attack, had an early effort from outside the box go just wide. Jack Birch was very brave today going in for a crunching tackle where he came off the worst, but he was soon back on the pitch again to help out the team and still managed to get a shot in at goal - this was the effort and commitment that was all around on the pitch today. Jake England was supreme in his tackling winning the ball getting forward to have a shot getting back again he was a joy to watch. Stephen Griffin was, as usual, giving lots of energy and was involved in most of the attacks and was unlucky with a couple of efforts and did some great crosses as well. Charlie Griffiths linked up well with Stephen and both of them were a constant threat, Charlie kept going right to the last chasing lost causes, winning some of them and he was unlucky not to have scored.

  Finally, Alexander Beaumont was our match-winner today with a superb dipping shot early on in the second half which caught the HW keeper on his back foot and he failed to stop it going in the net. Alexander had been feeling unwell as of yesterday and yet again this underlines the commitment and effort the team put in today. Well done to Alexander a great performance from both him and the team, let's keep it going boys.

  A special mention for Jack Eaton, who was unable to make the match today, we look forward to him coming back for next Sunday's game.

  Team: Alexander Beaumont, Jack Birch, Charlie Cole, Jake England, Stephen Griffin, Charlie Griffiths, Alex Withero.

• NWR U9 Falcons 0 Chorleywood Common U9 Lions 8
  

  I would rather not dwell too much on the game just to say that the last 10 minutes of this match was a joy, we had looked down and out at half-time but we were a different side in the second, we battled hard and finally took the game towards Chorleywood towards the end. The way the boys kept going towards the end made me really proud of them and we were unlucky not to have got a consolation goal when the ball looked like it crossed the line.

  Well done lads we need to keep the effort going throughout the game and I am positive the results will come our way!

  Team: Alex Beaumont, Jack Birch, Charlie Cole, Jack Eaton, Jake England, Stephen Griffin, Charlie Griffiths, Alex Withero.

• NWR U9 Falcons 0-9 Whetstone Pumas
  

  A difficult match for the boys, if the Falcons had not battled so hard it could have been a lot more than 9 goals from Whetstone (who finished second in the top division last year). Still, we showed a lot of team spirit, I was very pleased with the way the boys kept going and we can be confident we won't be playing a team of this quality every week. I am glad these matches are over and we can now move on and concentrate on the league.

  Team: Alex Beaumont, Jack Birch, Charlie Cole, Jack Eaton, Jake England, Stephen Griffin, Charlie Griffiths, Alex Withero

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• NWR Falcons 0 Oxhey Jets Yellow 3
  

  A disappointing result today, in what was our first ever home match at Radlett Cricket Club, against a well organised Oxhey Jets.

  Alex Beaumont spent the first half in goal and did well making a fine couple of stops but unfortunately we made some bad defensive mistakes and seemed to be unable to clear the ball from danger and before we knew it we were 0-3 down at half-time. In the second half Charlie Griffiths, who made a couple of good runs during his time outfield went in goal and made and a great clearance off the line!

  We began to apply a bit of pressure on the Oxhey defence which was very well organised and Stephen Griffin went in goal for the last 10 mins after covering a lot of the pitch in defence and attack and worked hard all through the game, as did the other boys, Alex Withero got in some dangerous crosses from the wing, Charlie Cole and Jack Eaton made some fine interceptions and set up attacks, Jack Birch and Jake England were hard working in defence, and all-in-all we produced a much better second half performance and I am very proud of the way the boys lifted their game and showed lots of effort.

  Man of the Match: Stephen Griffin

  Special mention to Callum Hamlett who has informed me he would not be playing for the Falcons for the foreseeable future and I would like to take this opportunity to wish him well and hope he has a change of mind and let him know that the team will miss him.

  Team: Alex Beaumont, Jack Birch, Charlie Cole, Jack Eaton, Jake England, Stephen Griffin, Charlie Griffiths, Alex Withero.

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• B.Y.F.C. 3 NWR Falcons 2
  Goals: Jack Eaton, Charlie Cole. Man of the match: Charlie Cole.
  

  A good first half performance and goals from Jack Eaton and Charlie Cole saw us finish 2-1 up, unfortunately, despite Charlie Griffiths hitting the bar from outside the box, the Falcons lost their way in the second-half and somehow the match. Although there was some silly defensive errors I felt there was some encouraging signs for the season ahead, Jack Eaton was making some clever runs down the wings and getting the ball over into the box on a number of occasions which saw one cross deflect off a Bushey Youth defender and into the net. Charlie Cole ran into the box and slotted home our second, while Stephen Griffin was running the midfield, creating openings for himself and should have been on the score sheet. Our defence did well in the first half with Jack Birch putting up with some argy-bargy from Bushey attackers, Alex Withero made some timely interceptions, Jake England was in good form making challenge after challenge in mid-field and defence, whilst Callum Hamlett swapped places with Charlie Griffiths in goal for the second-half and produced a brilliant triple save.

  Room for improvement - lots to work on in training, a pleasing performance and a good effort from all the boys!
  Team: Jack Birch, Charlie Cole, Jack Eaton, Jake England, Stephen Griffin, Charlie Griffiths, Callum Hamlett, Alex Withero.
  Special mention for Alex Beaumont who had to miss the game today and we all look forward to his return next week!

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