Murphy Our Reading Dog’s Blog 28 February 2019

Last Thursday afternoon, I had the privilege of witnessing a group of Year 5 & 6 boys come together as a team and produce some of the most exciting and determined football I have ever seen in all my time at Calmore.

 

With parents in attendance, the eight boys put on a show of determination, teamwork, energy and skill to win two of their three matches. It was a joy to watch. The football was slick and quick moving with fantastic interplay between all the players. At the back, Michael and Liam set out a resolute defensive wall that helped keep two clean sheets; Michael reading the play brilliantly and Liam even making sliding tackles to keep the opposition out. In goal, Alex proved to be almost unbeatable, diving full length to deny 4 of 5 otherwise certain goals but topped it off with his one handed penalty save that deflected the ball onto the bar and away to safety. In midfield, George, Olly and Jake displayed a range of passing that regularly dissected the other teams and led to two sublime goals – the match winning volley in game 3 that Olly scored after some clever flicks inside the box courtesy of George’s quick thinking was out of this world! Up front, Jayden R led the line brilliantly and his understanding of the game and how to get into dangerous positions grew in each match and nearly culminated in a fine goal at the end. Throughout all this though, the team were led superbly by Jeyden S. Given the responsibility of organising and encouraging the team throughout, he spoke to the team before, during and after each match in order to sort positions and roles. While his football was commanding, his leadership throughout was the best performance I have seen in my time working with all footballers at Calmore. Amazing!

 

I was very happy that the boys won two games, but the manner in which they achieved these was far more pleasing. Life skills that can take them far…