SUMMER 2012 ISSUE No. 150 - Shrewsbury School

School News
Sandbach School under attack from a corner
scoring chances. BUT to concede 48 goals in 25 games is not
going to win any prizes! We did not have any huge problems
defensively but we always had a mistake in our game – sometimes
more than one. The goalkeeping situation was an obvious problem,
for though few mistakes were made – when a goalkeeper does
make a mistake it is rare that they get away with it and it usually
ends up as a goal against. Perhaps the back four were
uncomfortable with different goalkeepers behind them and it made
them nervous. There were times when the back four did panic with
their clearances and they took chances in our defensive third that
they wouldn’t normally do. Of the ten matches lost, only four were
lost by more than one goal which suggests we were unlucky. We
never really got into our stride, our longest winning streak (if you can
call it that) being three games. As soon as we got a winning run
together, we slipped up and each defeat took a lot out of us.
Our first match of the new term was against Shrewsbury Town
Youth. Six of the tour party were unavailable due to the 1st XI Cricket
team playing in a deferred National 20:20 Final at Arundel, but I think
we surprised STFC and went into the break leading 2-0, courtesy of
a Max Pragnell brace. They made changes at half time and we
eventually lost 2-3; a good performance in a match which was
played at a tempo we were not to encounter again during the
season.
A 2-2 draw against Liverpool Ramblers was followed by two good
wins against Codsall Community College (3-0) and Hulme
Grammar (2-0). Confidence was high, so did we become a little
over-confident when King’s Chester came to Shrewsbury? We lost
2-3. They played very well, we had to do a lot of chasing the ball
and the game, and we eventually ran out of ideas and energy.
Our first outing in the Boodles ISFA Cup was a very tense affair at
Grange Grammar School, Cheshire. We eventually won 2-1 but it
was a battle. Are we preparing ourselves for these tight matches
where the opposition work very hard physically and give us very little
time on the ball? We have to relish the challenge and outwork the
opposition. Once that has been done we will then have the
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opportunity to play our neat attractive passing game. There are
times when players just don’t roll up their sleeves, do the physical
work and win their individual confrontations.
The Old Salopians came and enjoyed a deserved 2-1 win. It was
a very good game of football where the School side worked hard
and enjoyed the opportunity to play against a fit and well-organised
men’s team – the defeat was nothing to be ashamed of. An easy
ESFA Cup win against Abraham Darby School primed us for the
next round of the Boodles. It did not however work out in our favour.
We travelled to Winchester College, where conditions were good
but the pitch was a little narrow. We struggled to come to terms with
their “kick it and rush after it” style of play and lost 1-2 after extra
time. It was not a pretty game of football, but once again we were
not allowed the time to control the ball and pick out a pass. We did,
however, make too many wrong decisions as to whether we should
pass/shoot/run with the ball etc. We failed to test their goalkeeper
often enough and we conceded two poor goals. It was a long and
quiet journey home.
We were looking for a quick fix to get us back to a positive frame
of mind. It was not to be, as Bradfield made the long journey from
near Reading and won 3-2. We worked hard but Bradfield had a
very useful young and mobile midfield who kept possession well.
We gave the ball away too frequently and struggled to win it back,
but the next two games did boost our confidence. We travelled to St
Bede’s Manchester, and I was not sure how we would perform after
two demoralising defeats. It was hard work, but we stuck to the
game plan and won 3-1. This was followed by a 5-1 ESFA Cup win
against Codsall Community High School. Some confidence had
been restored as we headed to Millfield for the final match before
half term. This was not the test we needed at this stage of the
season. They were far too good for us on the day, although the
mistakes we made were inexcusable. We handed them a 2-0 lead
and they grew in stature. We found it very difficult but still created
chances. Had we scored in the first half we would have had a
lifeline and we could have been more positive in the second half,