MATCH REPORT - SAT 2 JUNE

WESTMINSTER PARK 5 - 8 BEES

A great game where the score did not really reflect the quality of our play, especially in the first two quarters where we passed and moved and WP couldn't keep up.

Yazan (1) got us ahead before Samuel (2) nearly broke the net with another 'fox in the box' goal before following up with another cheeky goal line finish later in the match! Other quality goals came from Em (3), Ben (1) and Thomas (1).

We lost our way a little in the final 15 minutes as WP pressed the game and tackled harder. But we never looked in too much trouble and we could honestly have scored with every attack.

A great end to the season. We won our last 4 games which bodes well for next season.

MOTM went to Ben who rounded off a brilliant second half of the season with a brilliant performance in every position.

Our SEASON IN STATS;  

2017/18			GOALS         For and Against
WON	18		For	171
DRAW	1		Against	109
LOSS	13		GD	62
	32

MATCH REPORT - SAT 26 MAY

BEES 12 - 0 SAUGHALL BLACKS

The boys played really well, probably their best performance to date.  Everybody was looking to pass and support each other in going forward as well as tracking back to defend. 

There was some really nice switching of the play from one side to the other.  Saughall did not know what hit them.

 

Emlyn (4), Yazan (2), Isaac (1), Oliver (3), Henry (1), Samuel (1)

The boys certainly avenged the result from a few weeks back.

MOTM went to Thomas who really got stuck in, tracked runners and play intelligently.

MATCH REPORT - SAT 19 MAY

BEES 7 - 1 TARVIN STRIPES

A brilliant performance which showed the boys are learning to pass the ball forward, across and back to create the switch.

Some of the goals we scored were brilliant, especially liked the ones from crosses.

Goalscores we think Oliver (1), Em (3), Sam (1), Henry (1), Ben (1)...

MOTM went to James as we all felt he always looked to make the pass.

Well done boys. We are really playing well.

MATCH REPORT - SAT 12 MAY

BEES 4 - 3 SAUGHALL BLUES

This was a very high quality game with both teams trying to play good flowing football. It was end-to-end with the scoreline always close but Saughall never ahead.

At 3-3 with a hat-trick on Emlyn's return to the team and backed up by a strong Bees squad it looked like Saughall has done enough for the draw.

However, Oliver stunned the crowd with a direct corner to give take the victory with the last kick of the match!

MOTM went to Emlyn.

Well done boys. A pleasing result and performance against Saughall's A team.

MATCH REPORT - SAT 5 MAY

BEES 2 - 5 SAUGHALL BLACKS

 

An understrength Bees looked a little off the pace against a strong Saughall Blacks who had their best players available.

 

Samuel opened the scoring with a trade mark tap-in from a corner - bit a poacher our Samuel!

 

Thomas scored a good goal as well and the scoreline flattered Saughall but they did pass the ball very nicely.

 

We will have better days than this as we were missing a lot of players, but well done to those boys who played and battled to the end.

 

MATCH REPORT - SAT 28 APRIL

BEES 3 - 7 PRINCES VILLA

After turning up at 8am to clear the grass cuttings and even with the cavalry arriving, directed ably by Captain Ed who set the tone for grass clearing effort, we were still clearing up for 45 minutes! 

Whilst both teams and coaches cleared the playing area some of the PV parents watched on enjoying their vaping from the car park but the game eventually got under way with no warm-up for the Bees.

It was clear that PV did not take well to the 4-0 hammering a few weeks before as a few new faces and one lad from Liverpool academy proved a little too much.

In fairness we stood up well and scored 3 great goals through Ben (1), Oliver (1), Henry (1) to put some gloss onto what could have been a heavy defeat.

The boys really kept going so well done.

MOTM went to Ed for his grass clearing prowess. WOW!!!

MATCH REPORT - SAT 21 APRIL

BEES 6 - 3 HOPE FARM

Boys were brilliant today.

Hope farm turned up with 5 so the score reflects 2 of our boys all taking turns to play for them - 7 side!

Our players were their best!

Samuel scored a great goal to get us going.

James was voted MOTM for another blockbuster display!

 

 

MATCH REPORT - SAT 14 APRIL

BEES 3 - 8 ELLESMERE PORT

With a lot of the boys away just 6 brave souls took on Ellesmere Port on a very muddy pitch in what turned out to be a much more even match than the score suggests.

Every one of the boys worked really hard to play the ball from the back and pass to players in space. Our only weakness was our goalie performances which were more Joe Hart than David de Gea and at least 4 goals would have been stopped by a full-time goalie (we are still looking!!). Typically, at the other end their goalie had a blinder!

At 0-4 down at half time (after two 0-2 quarters) the boys came out on fire in the 3rd quarter and scored two brilliant goals and George also hit the post from a free-kick. We won the quarter 2-1 to show that we could raise our game and match Ellesmere Port.  

Although it was a defeat in the end the boys were a credit to themselves. From a coaches point of view it was great to see us trying to play football, even at 8-3 down!

Bearing in mind the players we had away the result was further proof that we can get a result against Ellesmere Port when at full strength. We will arrange another game before the season end.

Our goals came from Thomas (2) and Henry (1). MOTM was shared between Henry, George and Sam.   

MATCH REPORT - SAT 7 APRIL

BEES 7 - 2 CHESTER NOMADS

Nomads brought a strong team, mixed of their 3 teams and this made for a really good match with some excellent passing football from both teams.

The boys confidence, after the tournament, was very high today and our decision making and holding of positions was excellent. This gave us lots of space in attacking positions and with us moving to the bigger pitch it looks good for next season and 7-side.

The most pleasing thing about today's performance was it was a real team effort and every player played to the maximum of their ability and had an impact on the game and the result.

There was some brilliant goals and assists and we scored 3 or 4 goals from balls out of defence, down the wing and crosses or through balls. This is the type of football we want to encourage - not only because we will score goals but also because it looks cool!

The quarters and scorers are as follows:

Q1  2-1  Henry & James
Q2  2-1  Henry x 2
Q3  2-0  Henry & Emlyn
Q4  1-0  George

MOTM went to Henry who was back to his best. There were a few really top performances and the key to that was better decision making to pass or run and trusting our team mates by holding our positions to receive the ball in space.

Our link up play was superb for a team of 7-year olds.

One other thing to mention is that the boys attitudes today were spot on. They listed to Chris and I and took the ideas into the match. We asked players to stay wide, cut in and shoot, not to overplay, to look after the ball...and they did it brilliantly.

Well done boys, its really coming together. 

BLACON TOURNAMENT - SAT 31 MARCH

QUARTER FINALISTS - EUROPA LEAGUE

The boys did brilliantly at the tournament to finish 3rd in our group and go into the Europa league quarter finals.

Our 'Group A' was a tough drawer against Upton A, Saughall A, Vauxhall  B and an academy side Atletico. It was clear that the games against Saughall and Vauxhall were going to be key!

Our first game started with the ref giving a penalty against us as the talented Upton no.7 fell inside the box. He then scored another two although the Bees did have a couple of clear opportunities at the other end. It ended as a 3-0 loss.

The second game against Vauxhall was very even and remarkably ended 3-2 with Oliver scoring the first followed by two from Emlyn, as the game went 1-0, 1-1, 2-1, 2-2, 3-2 ! A brilliant game which was literally end to end against a good opposition.

The third and most crucial game we played was against Saughall and we went ahead through Yazan and then 2-0 up with Emlyn before we conceded a late consolation. Everyone was involved and we looked pretty solid and were the better team.

The final game of the group against Atletico would decide if the lads finished 2nd or 3rd so it was unfortunate that the young referee missed a blatant hand-ball to set-up the only game of the game. Without the use of the VAR system, we felt a bit robbed to lose 0-1 but these things happen in tournament football - ask Frank Lampard!

So we progressed in 3rd place to the quarter finals where we were unluckily drawn against Christleton Newscene who play in the A league and are regarded as one of the best teams in Chester. The boys fought brilliantly and the game was extremely close. The lack of normal retreat rule meant we gave away a couple of soft goals but each time we fought back and equalised.

Newscene scored a screamer which we thought would be the winner before Emlyn picked up the ball and hit his own thunderbolt into the roof of the net just as the final whistle blew.

PENALTIES!

Of the 9 boys only 2 did not fancy taking a pen, so we had 7 brave souls to choose from. We switched Emlyn in goal and picked Emlyn and Oliver to take the first two and then it came down to a coin toss between Thomas and Henry to take the dreaded third.

All the boys hit fantastic penalties, all on target, with our last one being saved which meant Newscene could proceed if they scored their final pen. It was hit hard to the top corner to send us home...but with our heads held high as we had punched above our weight and without Ben who has been one of our best players this season.

 
Well done boys. This is great experience and we played very well all day. More tournaments to come in June!

MATCH REPORT - SAT 24 MARCH

BEES 4 - 0 PRINCES VILLA

Yes that is...

BEES 4 - 0 PRINCES VILLA !!

Wow, what a performance. The boys were on fire this morning as we took apart a full strength PV team and gained our first win in two years over them and our 12th win of this campaign (scoring 119 goals so far).

Right from the off we got into the match with George and Isaac fighting for possession and Henry, Ben, Emlyn and Yazan giving us a forward threat. Ben got us ahead with a cool finish before Emlyn put us 2-0 up at half time.

With the work rate of James coming onto the pitch, Samuels tackling and Thomas giving us a target up front the boys went 3-0 up after Tom finished from an Emlyn cross.

After Yazan had a tussle with two PV players he bravely came back onto the pitch to score the final goal hitting it hard and low to the corner.

The boys deserve great credit for this team performance. We defended brilliantly and PV really struggled to match us. It was a game where every player won their own battle so we cannot ask for more than that.

This is a huge confidence builder ahead of the tournament next weekend.

MOTM went to the whole team.

MATCH REPORT - SAT 17 MARCH

BEES 2 - 3 PRINCES VILLA

Following 5 great performances (4 wins and 1 draw) against tough opposition we played possibly the best team from our league, Princes Villa, who we have always had very close games ending in draw or defeat.

This match followed the same script and both sets of coaches agreed that both teams had progressed hugely over the last 3 months as each team had good passing moves from the back and through the thirds.

The boys went 0-2 down first from a corner on the stroke of a very even first quarter, and then from a speculative shot from 20 yards which we thought was going wide but crept in.

From that point the game developed into a great contest and Emlyn poked home from two yards to give some hope. At 1-2 we had good chances to level and the boys, especially Ben, were looking to play with more control.

Some of the boys can still be a bit calmer and match their endeavour in getting to the ball and tackling by getting heads up and trying a pass to a team mate rather than hoof it up field or run into trouble. But overall we can be happy how we played. 

Princes Villa caught us on the break and scored before Emlyn set up a grand-stand finish with a left foot screamer which smashed in off the underside of the cross-bar - a contender for goal of the season. 

The Bees finished the game on top and camped in the PV half but we ran out of time. We play them again next weekend so a chance to improve the result.  

MOTM went to Ben who played really well and was the player who set up most of our moves with intelligent passing of the ball. 
   

MATCH REPORT - SAT 10 MARCH

BEES 4 – 4 ELLESMERE PORT

With Ellesmere Port’s pitches being waterlogged, we were lucky to have a game this week and ended up on the Waverton Primary pitches.

After an evening of heavy rain, there was concern that our pitches might not be up the job, but after surveying the entire field, a suitable area was found - ok it might have been a little on the small side, but then again we were playing 6 a side.

Following a last minute team change, due to a couple of late arrivals (Reminder to please arrive at least 20 mins before KO), we were underway and it was not long before Ellesmere Port’s early pressure paid off and they found themselves 1-0 up.  George had been making some good saves and was unlucky t have one dribble into the goal – but well done George for his honesty in advising it was a goal (I could not see from where I standing).  It was not long before EP doubled their lead with a truly wonderful strike into the top corner – George had no chance.

Having struggled with EP’s physicality in the first quarter and being 0-2 down, the boys dug deep and worked hard from then on and were unlucky not to score in the 2^nd quarter, with a few chances going begging in front of goal.  The boys were trying to play football and looked good at times.

The 3^rd quarter is where the Bees really came into their own and showed what they were capable of. They upped the intensity and pressure even further and were rewarded by 3 excellent goals.  Henry with the first with a good strike into the bottom corner. James then converted from a corner before Emlyn rounded it off by cutting inside from the right to fire home with his favoured left foot.

3-2

Waverton were on the up!! Or so we thought…

Unfortunately, things did not continue as planned and the boys were very much on the back foot struggling to clear their lines at the back and it was only a matter of time before EP pulled one back, and then took the lead. Thankfully, Pablo was able to rescue the draw with a well taken goal.

Final score 4-4, which is our best result against them to date, and probably a fair result for both teams having played well throughout. This was our 5th straight positive result (4 wins and 1 draw) so great form.

Man of the Match was shared by George and Emlyn.

 

MATCH REPORT - SAT 17 FEBRUARY

Bees 3 – 1 Tarvin Blues

What a game…What a result…What a performance!!!

With it being half-term, and without an ‘official’ fixture in place, Rob arranged a little bit of a test game against the Tarvin Blues who play in the league above us (same league as the Wasps) and for all intents and purposes this was an opportunity for us to see how the boys would fair at the higher level… Based on that performance, I would say, they more than held their own… 

Having not got off to the best of starts and going 1-0 down within the first 5 minutes, it looked like the writing was on the wall. Thankfully, that was not to be the case and the Bees were level shortly after, thanks to a well taken goal by Thomas.  Tarvin continued to press and were unlucky on a couple of occasions not to retake the lead.

The whistle signalling the end of the first quarter came as a welcome relief, and we had a lot of work to do. The boys needed to increase their intensity levels, sharpen up their tackling and increase their passing, if they were going to be competitive. They all responded well to what was being asked of them, and were duly rewarded in the second quarter, when Yazan powered home, following a nice through ball by James.

The third quarter continued very much in the same way, and with Tarvin pressing for the equaliser, the boys had to keep working hard, hold their positions and maintain their discipline – something they did exceptionally well throughout.  It was really nice to see the boys getting stuck in, making goal stopping challenges and looking to play their way out of danger from defence rather than just kicking it up field.  As a result of them focusing on these fundamentals, the game really began to flow and was a real pleasure to watch, culminating in George breaking through from midfield to unleash a Thunderbolt of a shot into the roof of the net.

Every single player had given 100% and played out of their socks - could they hold out for another 10 minutes?  Did they have the mental and physical strength to see the job through to the end?  Albeit for a few nervous moments and some last ditch defending, YES… they did!!  And what a well-deserved win it was.  That was the most determined and high intensity display we have seen from them so far.  They (and us) should feel very proud of what they achieved in this game.

It would seem the Bees are well suited to 7 a side, and are all starting to naturally play in position, making ball distribution and tackling a lot easier.
The boys were AMAZING and thoroughly deserved the win.

MOTM - goes to the entire team.
 

MATCH REPORT - SAT 10 FEBRUARY

Bees 5 - 2 Westminster Park

Whilst Rob and Sam were sunning themselves on the French ski slopes the rest of the team were warming up to face previous opponents Westminster Park. Having come out worthy winners against the Upton Jaguars the week before, the Bees were enjoying playing 7 a-side and looking to extend their winning ways.

It was clear from the off that Westminster Park had been training hard and this was going to be a tougher game than originally anticipated. That said the Bees took an early lead through a nicely worked goal, when Emlyn fired home his first goal of the day. Other opportunities came and went, and we found it difficult to get through the Westminster Park defence.

Westminster Park’s determined approach continued into the 2^nd quarter, and paid off when they were rewarded with an equaliser.  The Bees struggled to respond and were fortunate to only concede the one goal within the period.

Following a rousing half time team talk, and coach Robbie taking over the refereeing duties, the boys responded well and started playing some nice free-flowing passing football, resulting in a further three goals by Emlyn (including 1 with his right foot) and another by Oliver. In all fairness we could have had at least another couple had it not been for some good saves by their goalkeeper. This attacking play was complimented by some great tackling in all positions and we were unlucky to concede a consolation goal at the end of the quarter.

The final period was well contested by both teams, with opportunities at both ends.  Even with some positive tackling and ball distribution throughout the park, neither team was able to break the deadlock and the final quarter finished goalless.

FT 5-2

Another Win (albeit slightly closer than anticipated)

This was a rare treat for Robbie to watch the boys in a real game scenario and I think we / they can all be proud of their performance.

A big well done to everyone. MOTM went to James for his effort levels and consistent tackling throughout the game.

MATCH REPORT - SAT 3 FEBRUARY

BEES 6 - 2 UPTON JAGS

Being back on the grass and playing a proper 60x40 pitch, 48 minute match (!!)and 7-side format meant for lots of space and a pulsating match which was competitively fought.

Our 9th win of the season was really pleasing as the opening moments were very even before the combative nature of George and Sam began to win us more and more ball which we were able to feed to Emlyn and Ben. Just as we had asked, Emlyn scored twice from the left wing to take us in 2-0 after 12 minutes. Big shout to Thomas for his performance which was his best to date with solid tackles and playing the ball early down the left.

The next 24 minutes the boys bossed the game and we benefitted from high pressure particularly on the Upton goal kicks. There were two highlights; first was Oliver taking the ball down, getting it out of his feet and slamming it to the top corner from 20 yards! Second was George saving a certain goal by catching the ball between his knees - something surely Ed must have taught him!

Emlyn completed his hat-trick with another 3 goals to take his tally to 5!

In Q4 Rob and Sam had to leave and we fell apart! Only joking Chris ha ha! Upton got something out of the game in the final 12 minutes to end the game 6-2.

Our play was really pleasing as this will be the format we play for the next two years, so its good to see that we can step up. It looks like the extra space will suit us.

MOTM was shared between Emlyn and George!

Well done to everyone. All the individual performances were brilliant.

MATCH REPORT - SAT 27 JANUARY

BEES 9 - 1 TARVIN

After two really competitive and evenly matched games we showed our progression this morning with a convincing win over a team who regularly beat us at u7s.

The boys came off the back of a really good training session where they were learning to look for space and pass backwards as well as forwards - to 'go back to go forward'?!? Confusing I know!

We certainly used the space much better than Tarvin and we held great positions and shape which then allowed us to break forward with multiple options and outlets - either through  the middle or going wide and getting crosses in. Our tackling in the 1st, 3rd and 4th quarters was very intense but we need all the boys to follow each others example in getting to the ball quickly.

The boys scored 9 terrific goals - Emlyn (4), Ben (2), Pablo (1), Sam (1) plus a Tarvin own goal. To be honest it could have been many more.

Overall, as we transition to bigger pitches and 7-side we are in a really good place as a team. We will now work on using the bigger spaces and keeping our shape. As we do this we can work on how we want to play in terms of style - it seems we have players who are nippy and fast (and not the biggest) so perhaps we can think more about quickly pressing, breaking the play and then most importantly becoming calm yet quick in speed of thought to go forward. Think Liverpool, think City....forget Man Utd!  

MOTM was shared between Sam and Emlyn - who both bring different yet important qualities to the overall team and result.

Well done boys - good performance all round.

MATCH REPORT - SAT 20 JANUARY

SAUGHALL 6 - 5 BEES

Thanks to Coach Chris for the detailed report (short novel) - a second career in journalism awaits....

After a narrow defeat against a good Princess Villa side the week before, the team were keen to return to winning ways.  Unfortunately, on another rainy morning in Saughall it was not to be the case.  In fairness we were lucky to be playing at all, the Saughall pitches had been unplayable for weeks and the pitch was under attack from a grass eating grub of some sort.

The game was very close throughout and the teams were well matched – great game to watch !!

Waverton took the early lead.  James had initially made a great run down the right-hand touchline before being dispossessed while trying to cut inside.  James did not give up the fight however and was on hand to pounce when the ball broke for him inside the box – teeing himself up with the outside of the right foot past the defender before putting his laces through the ball (textbook finish).

We were looking solid all over the park, with Isaac in particular doing a great job of marking their centre forward pretty much out of the quarter (I think he actually quite enjoys that position). Everyone was putting lots of effort in and as we (well I did anyway) begin to ponder the possibilities of knocking 2 or 3 past Saughall for no reply, we immediately conceded off the restart – very frustrating, however a well taken goal by Saughall.

Level at the break, Saughall upped their intensity, and began an aerial assault on our penalty area.  Route One had clearly been the message from the bench and it worked – Saughall were 3-1 up.  Had it not been for a couple of good saves by Thomas, including one destined for the roof of the net (I even heard their coach say – great goal, before Thomas parried it away for a corner), it could have been a lot worse.  At the other end, Saughall’s defence was holding tight, before James went on another run down the right beating his man to reach the by-line and rather than shooting himself, looked up and passed the ball across goal, splitting the defender and keeper for Pablo to tap into (It is all about being in the right place at the right time).

HT: 3-2

Going into the 3^rd quarter, all was to play for.  We were only 1 goal down and still very much in the game.  Ben was making some good saves in goal and Henry was sticking to his striker at the back.  That said, Saughall’s pressure paid off mid-way through the quarter and they had doubled their lead.  The boys heads did not go down and the Bees dug deep and exerted pressure of their own resulting in a goal by Oliver (first of the season) with the outside of his foot into the bottom corner.  Pablo then hit the post directly from a corner and Isaac was really unlucky not to score on the back post having got himself into a great position. Meanwhile, another Saughall attack had rewarded them with another goal, an unlocky deflection off Henry.

Being 2 goals down, you could have thought the game over, but as we are learning about the Bees, they don’t give up without a fight... After going another goal down (6-3 to Saughall), they worked their socks off and made every tackle count before running at the Saughall defence and interchanging passes between themselves – Oliver on the left, Ben in the middle and Henry on the right.  They were playing the ball to feet, into space, in behind the defenders and were duly rewarded when Ben beat 2 players before getting his shot off early and firing home Waverton’s 4^th.  This was shortly followed by another goal by Oliver striking the ball first time into the roof of the net, following a poor corner clearance by Saughall.  Henry was finding space down the right and was unlucky not score himself on a couple of occasions.

With George and Pablo keeping things tight at the back, we really thought we were going to get that illusive equaliser… sadly not!

FT: 6-5

Man of the Match goes to James for his hard work in all areas of the pitch, some clever dribbling, scoring a great goal and his team awareness when passing to Pablo for his goal.

In addition, I have to say how impressed I was with all the boys’ resilience, desire and effort during the game, everyone worked really hard for one and other and there were moments of brilliance (both individual and collective).  I was particularly pleased with the way players are now thinking about what they are going to do with the ball before they get it; how they now look up for each other to pass to, as well as knowing what they need to do when they don’t have the ball – Mark-up.

Really promising stuff on display !!

MATCH REPORT - SAT 13 JANUARY

BEES 2 - 4 PRINCES VILLA

A really upbeat and pleasing performance. If we were able to score the match on clear chances created and the standard of the goals we'd be celebrating tonight!

Each time we play Princes Villa we show we have improved and have got closer to them. This was something noticed by their coaches who said only us and Ellesmere Port give them a good game - so to be just a whisker away from this 'A' team, who have a massive catchment area, is all credit to the boys!

We went 0-1 down in the first quarter before Yazan poked home from a really good move. At 1-1 we conceded a really unlucky goal right at the end of the quarter as a shot deflected off a Samuel challenge to the bottom corner - nothing we can do about those ones. 1-2 after 10 minutes.

In the second quarter, as seems each time we play PV, the wheels came off for a few minutes as they went 4-1 up through a combination of misfortune and a few weird defensive decisions to throw backwards from throw-ins (thanks Robbie for that one in training!!) and square balls back to defenders who were 3 yards from our goal (nice idea, great football, and thanks again Robbie for teaching them that!!). Only joking!!! :-)

Chris and I share the blame (mostly me to be fair) for these 5 minutes as we went too attacking and didn't think enough about experienced cover at the back. I've obviously been watching too much Liverpool these last few weeks!

At 1-4 down and for the next two quarters the game was very even and we created more clear cut chances as Emlyn in particular was able to attack, shoot and play creatively in search of goals. George was everywhere as usual and overall our shape looked decent as the game went end-to-end with both teams playing good and committed football.

The boys scored a great second with Henry picking up the ball out wide and firing low from an acute angel to set up a grandstand finish at 2-4.  

MOTM went to Emlyn who throughout the game looked up, passed when he could or went on runs at the right time. Good decision making now backing up his talent.  


Princes Villa have invited us to a 4-team mini-tournament with Ellesmere Port and their other team so that will be something to look forward to and we can aim to get even closer to them and EP next time. Certainly we learn far more playing in tougher matches. 

Overall, we've got to be pleased with the effort levels and how we played, so well done boys. 

MATCH REPORT - SAT 6 JANUARY

BEES 9 - 3 UPTON

This was the perfect start to the New Year as the boys put in a terrific performance on the 5-side cages at Goals to revenge our poor performance and loss to Upton's weaker team (!!) in November.

We also thank Upton for bringing their team at short notice as Hope Farm cancelled.

The boys from both sides quickly got used to the non-stop format and walls of the 5-side cages and the game developed into a really fun match. After going 3-1 down the boys suddenly worked out we could pass back to the keeper when under pressure, use the walls to '1-2' our opponents and to shoot from distance at the wider goals.

George's energy dragged us back into the game and we scored 8 goals without reply from George (3), Ben (1), Henry (1), Thomas (1), Pablo (2) and Yazan (1).

The rolling subs and fluid positions worked great on a cold morning, and the format seemed to suit our quick skilful players better than the bigger lads from Upton who relied more on power than passing.  

MOTM deservedly went to George for a blockbuster performance. Special mention also to Samuel who naturally defended throughout the game and understood (without being asked) the importance of marking runners and not getting drawn by the ball.

Brilliant performance and great fun for all.

MATCH REPORT - SAT 16 DECEMBER

ELLESMERE PORT RANGERS 4 - 0 BEES

With so many players away, including some of our stronger boys, we did well to get a team out and give a debut to James.

Chris was really pleased how the boys played as EP are an organised and strong out-fit who win most of the their games.

The first and last quarters were 0-0 so the lads started brilliantly and finished really well. James was enjoying his first game and got stuck in and Ben was the Bees outstanding player today with good runs and effort levels. The boys managed some good positions and shots but we probably lacked a little bit of tackling intent and firepower.

Overall this was a decent effort against a good team, so we can take positives that for 20 minutes we were organised and kept clean sheets. Well done.   

MATCH REPORT - SAT 2 DECEMBER

BEES 14 - 1 NOMADS AMBERS

After a narrow and frustrating loss to Nomads in October the boys were fired up and ready to go this morning. The warm-up was great, they listened well and we sensed a good high-tempo performance was on the cards.

After the 8th goal went in the Nomads coach checked that he was playing the same team from just 6 weeks ago! This wasn't surprising as we had morphed into Barcelona! We played brilliantly and probably exceeded the levels we'd hit against Tarvin.

Nomads are well organised and play two at the back, with a big lad up front, so to score 14 goals is a great achievement. The goals were spread across Ben (2), Henry (2), Oliver (1), Thomas (3), Emlyn (4) and Yazan (2).

MOTM went to all the players but special mention to Oliver whose first touch to take the ball away from danger, running into advanced positions and shooting was a real bonus for us today and going forward.

Well done boys - great performance.

MATCH REPORT - SAT 25 NOVEMBER

WESTMINSTER PARK 2 - 12 BEES

Wow, what a glorious morning in the freezing snow and sleet on a pitch holding water like an Olympic swimming pool.

We think we were the only game in Chester played today and we love playing against Westminster Park as their coaches are good fun and, like us, they want to play whatever the weather! BUT seriously this was not football, it was a new sport crossed between football, skim ball, and tough mudder!

To say our boys handled the conditions better is a bit of an understatement while playing but standing our for 10 minutes sub did take its toll on a couple! Samuel and George got about their usual tackling and breaking up and Emlyn showed his class to score 6 goals from all different positions.

We scored 12 great goals and bearing in mind the conditions we moved the ball better than the previous week on the perfect 4G. Scorers were Emlyn (6), Samuel (1), Henry (1), George (1), Pablo (1), Isaac (1).

MOTM was jointly awarded to George and Emlyn. Emlyn's for his goals and George for his 10,000% effort and desire to stand up to the challenge.

WELL DONE players and parents. A really great morning which we will all remember for a long time.

MATCH REPORT - SAT 18 NOVEMBER

BEES 3 - 5 UPTON JAGUARS

Coming off our best performance last week this result and performance on the 4G illustrated how its important to keep consistent and to try to play as a team and move the football forward quickly.  

Upton were delighted with their first win of the season but we made it far too easy for them...before we woke up in the final quarter with Rob and Chris deciding to play those boys who seemed half awake!

After scoring first through Samuel's volley from a corner we let Upton back into the match with some generous defending and not clearing our lines. We got pinned into our half too often and panicked. Some of the  half hearted 'hanging leg' tackles were also back which we had hoped we'd got rid of.

So after two pretty frustrating middle quarters we started to play at the levels we've reached in recent weeks with Samuel shoring the defence and four attackers in Ben, Henry, Emlyn and George ahead. We scored two good goals through Henry and Emlyn but we ran out of time with the boys well on top and looking like we'd score with every attack.

Lessons to be learnt are that we have to do the simple things well and tackle and work hard for each other. Great comeback though in the final 10 minutes!