Under 11’s win some and lose some in Epsom Croydon’s under 11’s arrived just in time to see the under 9’s finishing off their day and provide them with a tough act to follow. The under 11 squad consisted of just 2 girls with Elena and team captain Nicole, alongside 7 boys; Alfie, Antonio, Dominic, Adam, Zak, Jude and Joe. Croydon started against Cheam and after an early goal from Nicole the team produced a solid defensive display. If anything Croydon looked the more likely to score again but they got off to the perfect start with a 1-0 win. Next up were ‘junior giants’ Bec and the warning signs were there from the second the team heard who they were playing (“oh no, we’re going to lose!”). It was perhaps little surprise that with this attitude going into the game Croydon suffered a heavy defeat. Within seconds of the start a long ball found an unmarked attacker and Bec were a goal up. Things only got worse for Croydon who struggled against an organised opposition and seemed to forget how to pass, with Bec scoring twice more before the referee put Croydon out of their misery. Croydon needed to regroup, especially with their next opponents Nomads providing another tough task. Following instructions it was a better start and the team defended well for the first 5 minutes while their passing had also improved. It wasn’t to last however and Nomads found themselves a goal up. With the momentum in their favour it would finish 2-0 against Croydon with a fantastic long range effort the defence could do little about. After two difficult matches Croydon reverted to the same sections they had played in their first match and going up against the ‘Yellow Bees’ the team seemed far more confident they could get a result. This positive attitude reflected in the performance and after just a couple of minutes of play Adam delivered upon an earlier promise to score twice and Croydon found them selves 2-0 up. Another solid display in defence kept Croydon comfortable for the remainder and the day ended on a high note with a good win. All in all it was a mixed day for the under 11’s, with the right attitude and determination they proved they could defend resolutely and put the ball into the basket. However against organised teams the side struggled especially to find space and make good passes, something that they will have to work on. Thank you to everyone who played and well done! Report by Simon Mills Story by Anna | Updated by Andy · 15 years ago
