QE A vs New College Durham

Coaches Corner – Marshy’s View  (New College Durham – Home)

It was 5pm late afternoon, my fine self and Sam Read were relaxing on a couple of deck chairs with an exotic cocktail in hand enjoying the Los Angeles sunset after a stressful term at University. Out of the blue we received an unexpected phone call from an old friend ‘Mark Scott’ who explain he needed our advice and expertise for the final home game of the calendar year against New College Durham. Extremely excited by the opportunity Sam booked his private jet for the two of us to return to Tees Valley airport that same evening.

Wednesday 17th December 1.12pm (Managers Office, Abbey Road)

Scott hands over a piece of paper to Read which includes the QE Squad: (4-4-2) Melling, Bates, Bell, Nelson, Grocott, West (MOM), Clark, Wright, Lorimer, Edwards, Denny. Subs: Deacon, Middleton, Maddison.

After an inspirational pre match speech and a well-structured warm up the teams were on the field of play, with the visitors kicking first towards the Westbourne Grove End. The pitch was ‘sticky’ which saw little football being played and lots of tackles flying in. Robert West was a constant thorn in the side of the opposition with his extremely direct runs and pin point crosses. QE created a lot of chances in the first half, with some questionable finishing from the usually clinical forwards Edwards and Denny. It was a set piece that broke the deadlock, towering centre back Grocott striking the ball low and hard into the bottom corner leaving the keeper no chance.

What most impressed Sam Read was the performances of the first years who weren’t fazed by the many senior personalities present in the technical area. Both full backs looked extremely comfortable and young midfielder Lorimer covered a large distance in the middle of midfield. The game took a negative turn for QE when on 36 minutes forward Hal Denny who worked day and night to complete his Sport and Leisure coursework so he could play in the game, was sent off for what can only be described as GBH on the New College goalkeeper, recent reports suggest they have managed to reconnect his leg back to his body.

The second half began with the visitors still not threatening the QE goal, arguably due to the tactical wisdom of Read at half time. QE took a 2-0 lead when young defensive prospect Nelson who had previously worked under Read at Longfield smashed the ball in from 5 yards after showing great strikers instinct to be in the right place at the right time. Players started to tire being a man down so Scott made full use of the substitutes he had available. The third goal came after fine work by captain marvel Nathan Wright who played a cultured ball down the line for the young Maddison. As this ball was played Rob West made his way into the penalty area from the right flank and when the ball found him he made no mistake. His Shefki Kuqi celebration gaining a great reaction from the crowd.

The game ended 3-0 and I personally was very impressed with the QE team. A good blend of experienced professionals and exciting new prospects who should have no problems picking up results in the second half of the season under the guidance of Scott and Wright. Best of luck for the rest of the season gentleman.

Marsh

QE C vs Stockton Riverside

Sorry this match report is coming to you late but its difficult being an adolescent with vast academic potential who dabbles in the art of ballin’ on the side . Also apologise for the match reports I haven't done. If anyone else wants to do them you are more than welcome.

This game was a game we simply needed to win because basically they were rubbish and rock bottom of the league. The usual pre-match routine was carried out, Jack with the music and Luke with the terrible banter. We went out to warm up and Macca had a special warm up sorted with cones and bibs. Just a simple pass and move exercise that had roughly 23.8% intensity to it followed by shots at the keeper. They were running late so we had the pleasure of watching the B team getting their “bottoms” handed to them by a quality Gateshead side. Eventually they turned up and we were ready to go we lined up with Thompson in goal, Davo Connor and Nath in defence with Brad and Murph at wing backs and me Doug and Teddy in midfield and finally Jack and Luke up front. No Sam ‘Gshore’ Williams in the squad as he betrayed us yet again for the B team. Poor. We started extremely well with a nice root 1 ball that sent Jack clean through and a smart finish under the keeper. That allowed us to settle our nerves and play some good football which paid off not long after with a good cross from Jack down the right and a wonderful header from the edge of the box from Luke. 2-0 and cruising. However they did get on the scoresheet through some lets just call it ‘continental’ goalkeeping from Thompson, trying to beat his man on the edge of his box and failing. Despite this goal we continued to dominate and had several chances including a Birksy bicycle kick (alliteration) which was very amusing to watch. Nevertheless he put it wide. We scored our third from a corner which Nathan won the header and it fell to none other than Richmond Town’s finest Andy Davidson who smashed home the knock down. Just before half time we did concede a penalty from a very suspicious dive from their striker in which they scored. Half time 3-2.

Positive encourage from Macca at half time and a few changes which introduced Ali Bari New, Harry Raglan and bad boy Max Tennent who was banned from the B team. We picked up where we left off and not long after scored through Harry who looks remarkably like Scotty T, he took the ball from left to right and smashed his shot home from outside the box. As the game went on it started to get nasty as they knew the contest was slipping away from the them. Jack put one of their lads on the weights and the whole thing went up the air. As captain I calmed Jack and everyone down which was the sensible thing to do, not because I was scared of their team. We scored another 2 goals before the end of the game and I really can’t remember who scored them, sorry lads. Oh and Jack missed a penalty.

Full time 6-2, a quality win with some great goals.

Motm: NOT Sam Williams.

Harry played well when he came on and scored a great goal, also Ali Bari New made some great pacey runs but I would have to give it to Harry.

Cheers,Curtis.

Again sorry about not doing half the match reports but I'm dedicated to my A2 studies.

QE Girls vs Tyne Met

An away game to Tyne met was shared with the A Team, a different experience to say the least, with their choice of conversation and music. After dropping them off we finally arrived at our 3G pitch with only 11 players, again no goalkeeper. We started the game 4-5-1 with Kate as the lone striker and Tanisha starting the game in goal. The first 9 minutes we saw what we were up against with their striker getting two goals but we carried on fighting with some good attacking play. However, Amber jumped infront of a shot and with the rebound of her leg flying back hitting Kelsey in the face we were down to 10 whilst she recovered and also asked if her teeth were still in. The game continued and with a powerful strike from one of their players Tanisha after making a great save hurt her wrist and is now out for 3 weeks after going to hospital. Another injury. The list is now longer than our actual squad.

Emma offered to go in goal and at this point the score was probably 5-0. Then goals 6, 7, 8 came just before half-time. The whistle blew and whilst we were down to 10 players the team were still having a laugh.

There were some good opportunities for attacking play for QE but with no outcome, the second half did prove extremely difficult but Beth and Eleisha offering to go in goal and some good saves from Beth we struggled on. All the team played very well due to the circumstances and the final score could have been more if we didn't go in for tackles and close the ball down.

Goals 9,
10,
11,
12,
13,
14,
15,
16
and finally 17 followed.

This proved a short match report due to the final score, however I would like to thank the girls for still going on even when we were getting beat. The haribos will be back for next weeks game. Get well soon Tanisha and I hope Gary had fun at hospital for the second week running.

Woman of the match is still pending.

QE A Team Vs Tyne Met

Another Wednesday another football match. The lads were really up for this one as it was at Tyne met. Meaning a decent trek listening to Denny informing us about the girls he's been grafting for this week. Although he looked rather happy when he seen the girls football team come on the bus.  Without our normal manger this week, we were eager to show him some 'barca style of play'. We finally got to the pitch after trek through the Tyne met beck! So the game kicked off and QE looked the better side, keeping the ball well and pressing Tyne met well. Which was rather unusual as we normally play the 'West Ham' way, or the as the gamers would say the 'Lb Y' spammer. The game went on we made some good crosses, but no one was there to convert. The Tyne met striker broke through our defence, took it round jamma, but he was there to quickly make the ground back up and pull of a good save keeping the score level. Apart from that we kept solid, and we're hard to break down. The second half started and the opposition looked much more threatening, with there winger showing off some of his pace. But nelly, with his shorts as high as his dignity, kept on his toes putting some good tackles in and blocking crossers. The game went on and josh out of know where placed a wonderful cross  which missed everyone out apart from pesty westy who wrapped the outside of his foot round the ball, which flew into the bottom corner giving the keeper No chance. Nathan and Jamie, in the middle of park caused a lot of bother to Tyne met by  putting some good tackles in and passing to both full backs( nelly and belly). the clock was clicking and eventually Qe got a corner where Nathan whipped a good ball in which bounced around for a bit. Until Denny shrugged of the centre back and powered it underneath the goalkeeper. So 2-0 to Qe, the looked over as we kept the ball well preventing Tyne met from touching it. Until the game turned, where Alex who had been solid missed kicked the ball which landed to there striker who curled a great shot passed jam, making him look like a 'fool and a waste of time'. With our heads down things got worse as they scored practically straight away levelling the score. Jose, aka PC, thought it was time to make a tactical change. So he brought on rickie nashers lambert, or brad as most people know him. We looked more lively putting Craig though a couple of times who made some horrific shots which didn't even hit the target. A couple of minutes later bugs bunny popper up from no where and smashed the ball into the back of net, putting Qe back ahead. The defence, which was made up of three gingers and a lamppost kept it tight, holding on to the three points. The whistle has went and it was all over, Qe had done it! Their first win in the league! So the lads had a smile on the face, which had nothing to do with the girls on the bus. The morale was high and the banter was flowing on the way home. As Denny was showing us why he should be on the xfactor, singing some Adele and Mike. Which was a good end to a good day!

QE A Team Vs Sunderland

Our big game had arrived, the second round of the national cup, and the boys travelled to Sunderland looking for revenge after their 3-1 victory over us previously. The banter on the bus was as usual, Denny and others telling stories from the weekend, with Denny himself sharing his classic! (If you want to here it find him behind Royal Mail). We arrived at our destination with our hopes up, although the weather put a slight downer on things. We went out to the referee telling us that we had to start right then and there, which gave us no time to warm up!
This lack of warm up was our downfall in the early minutes as Sunderland caught our defence on their heels and scored an early goal. As we got into the game our pace came through, with pretty boy Tom pushing through an injury. Our wingers were getting the better of their full backs and lead to us having some good chances! Cookson couldn't handle getting his hair wet for any longer so asked to be taken off, and was replaced by debutant Sam Mann, who started brightly with some great pressure from him and Aguero up top, and this pressure paid off as a free kick was won just outside their 18 yard box, with Alex G stepping up and putting the ball just infront of the keeper on a wet pitch which the keeper couldn't handle and just like that we were level! As the first half went on, we put a lot of pressure on them and could have scored from a number of chances! Our defence held firm in the first half with some good interceptions from full backs belly and nelson, and the centre backs clearing anything that came near them. The whistle went and we settled for level pegging at half time. Our usual team talk from Scotty got everybody pumped for the second half, which is becoming a frequent part of our team talks! This definitely gave us a boost as we went into the second half with more pressure onto their defence, which lead to another free kick won by our new striker Mann, who cleverly turned his man before getting snapped. This lead to another free kick for Alex G who was given instructions by captain Wrighty to hit the ball at the wall, with this looking a silly plan the ball ricocheted off the wall and past the keeper who had clearly been done by the deflection, and for the first time we lead! After this we started to defend a lot which was eventually our downfall, with Sam tracking back well but was to eager to get the ball and gave away a free kick. The free kick was put at Melling, who at first looked to have grasped the ball but lost it and the ball went through his legs and into the net. Straight away they won the ball again and sent it up field, winning a corner. The ball in was good and the header simple for their unmarked player to put in away, and our lead had been turned around. We needed to attack now, and mark took off belly after he started to cry after a horrible tackle from their winger, with his studs going into his knee. Batesy came on and was put on the right wing with a new look back three of nelson, alex and lorimer, but this proved to be too much for them to handle as they scored 3 goals in quick succession to kill off the game. We never stopped challenging though, and made a few good chances, but the game had already gone. The pitch had been suspect from the start with puddles on the pitch, and this got worse as the game went on, with the left hand side of the pitch being very hard to keep upright on. The game ended with us being defeated 6-2, although it wasn't a real showing of how the game could have ended up. A disappointment of today will have to go down to some players letting it down, although we can't name names... Maddison and Middleton have some explaining to do for their unavailability for the game. Man of the match had to go to alex for his goals, although both down to some misjudgements by their players.

QE Girls Vs East Durham College

With the weather as expected for the middle of November is was time for Amber and Charlotte to lighten the mood with a Domino's pizza and a packet of smurf haribos. Again due to injury we didn't have a named goalkeeper so Aimee Black offered to go in first half and because of the nice team we are playing only 9 player accommodate the lack of players the other side had. We lined up with a 3-4-1 formation with our star striker Kate being up top.

East Durham started the game strong and taking the lead quickly into the first half, but after some good play down the right hand side from Eleisha to Kate who then went down in the box from a bad tackle we were awarded a penalty. Who no-one was up for taking so Amber nominated Eleisha which proved a good choice considering she put it away nicely in the top corner. Some good defending from Beth, Kaye and Beth saw East Durham struggling to score, and after numerous chances we managed to get the ball back into their own half. Charlotte Conn running down the left hand side breaking in between the defence and had a chance to score shyly missed the near post to get us into the lead. Suddenly one of their girls made a miraculously recovery so we could play with 10 players now lining up 3-4-2 as manager Gary saw an opportunity for us to take the lead. Good midfield play from Amanda and Kelsey provided us with another opportunity but we with a good save from the keeper we were denied. With 10 minutes remaining a sudden loss of concentration made the opposition have a chance of scoring in which they used to their advantage. 2-1. Half time came and with a short team talk we were back on the pitch and ready to go with a change of keeper Tanisha went in.

We had built-up a small group of spectators on the sideline consisting of the rugby lads who were great supporters and with their encouragement and us being awarded a free-kick on the edge of the box Eleisha again scored for us in the top corner put us level with twenty minutes to go. The remaining minutes were battled out with some tackles flying in and missed opportunities from both sides. There were definite positives to be taken from the game and from an overall perspective the team played well.

QE A vs Hartlepool

The lads set off to Hartlepool FE, slightly disappointed by the lack of female companionship on the bus. However, buoyed by our excellent victory in the previous game against Wakefield, there was a good atmosphere in the dressing room despite Cookson’s poor choice of tunes. To further improve the mood- icon, leader and skipper Nathan Wright returned to the squad following his injury lay off the previous week. However he was kept out of the starting line up by our new midfield dynamo Hal Denny following an impressive display in the previous game. Mark named an unchanged XI in the hope we could build on our first victory of the season last week. We made an impressive start to the game and looked the superior side for the first 20 minutes; dangerous on the counter and the defence looked much more solid than in our previous league matches as a consequence of our clean sheet last week in the cup. Around the 20th minute mark, however, Hartlepool hit us with a quick counter down the left and it was finished well by their dangerous winger who was the main threat to us throughout the game. Despite this, we didn’t let our heads drop and Craig ‘Mop Head’ Edwards got through and continued his scoring streak with a quality left footed finish. But, disappointingly, we switched off again and Hartlepool scored from a quickly taken free kick which should have been cleared however goalkeeper Jacob Melling was disappointed to have not kept the fairly tame effort out. But to continue an enthralling first half, we scored once again! Josh Clark latched onto the end of an uncharacteristic killer through ball from centre half Alex Nelson and slotted calmly round their onrushing goalkeeper. On the brink of half time, pretty Yorkshire boy Tom Cookson appeared to pull his hamstring and limped off which meant Brad not so pretty Middleton had to be substituted on. Following his introduction he was presented with a couple of golden opportunities to give us an invaluable lead going into half time. However he struck them both straight at Hartlepool’s Craig Edwards look alike goalkeeper between the sticks, this earned him plenty of stick from the lads at half time (deservedly so). At half time, Mark Scott delivered his typically inspiring team talk and announced the Alex G would be replacing Batesy who’d had a difficult half dealing with their impressive winger in a hope that Nelly could move over and use his extra pace to nullify the threat. As usual, Mark’s team talk had the desired effect and we came out flying for the second half. The midfield, which contained Denny, Clark, Maddison and West, continued to work hard and they got their reward through Hal Denny himself. He burst through the Hartlepool defence and stayed on his feet despite their defender pulling his shirt and shorts on the way through to fire past Hartlepool’s very own mop head who’s positioning was very questionable. This further emphasised his impressive new lease of life as a central Midfielder following questions about his inclusion in the A team squad the previous week. He made sure Robyn was told about the goal on the way home. Following this goal Mark made a couple of changes, one of which was enforced as Nelly (who’d done a good job of marking their winger) hobbled off injured to be replaced by Batesy which meant we now had two injured gingers on the bench. The other change was to see the long awaited return of skipper Nath Wright in the hope of solidifying the midfield. However the changes didn’t really work and Hartlepool hit us with two quick goals to retake the lead for the first time in the second half. The first of which was as a result of a poor challenge from John Lorimer within the area, which meant they had a penalty which was placed right in the top corner. Following the penalty incident, Batesy had some kind words to say about the area of Hartlepool and was reprimanded by the referee. Unfortunately we lost our heads a bit and Hartlepool scored a well worked goal which meant the score was 4-3. The final 10 minutes were end to end and both sides looked like scoring. Following an extremely feisty period, John Lorimer went straight through the back of a Hartlepool midfielder and despite exclaiming how he was ‘so so so so so sorry’ and that ‘I didn’t mean it, promise’ the referee had no sympathy (probably because he’s ginger) and showed him a yellow card. John subsequently offered a handshake to their player however it was rejected and he was called ‘Ron Weasly’. From the resulting free kick, Jacob Melling pulled off an impressive double save to keep us in the game. Craig Edwards then scored past his counterpart at the other end which appeared to have levelled the game. However, the referee wrongly chalked it off and we failed to create any more chances in the last 5 minutes despite Matty Bell’s Iago Aspas esque corner. Consequently we went home with a disappointing result despite a decent performance in which we deserved at least a point and probably should have won. When asked to pick a man of the match, Hal Denny unsurprisingly picked his idol personal Robert West.

QE A Team vs Wakefield

It was a cold, wet day over at our home known as abbey road. The rain was on and off all day and the lads were disheartened by the absence of their idolised skipper. With this tragic loss the A team lads pulled together and decided to put in a good shift to make the skipper proud. Rob West supplied some good crack before the game putting on some up beat songs along the lines of 30 seconds of summer with John Lorimer suggesting to put fire on to get the lads up and mentally prepared for the big game ahead. Once out the team was led by substitute captain Rob West taking charge as Hal Denny and Craig Edwards turned down the role. The Wakefield lads came out to warm up in their full gear looking like a premier league side. This made QE nervous before the game. But, another great team talk from the gaffa Mark Scott pulled the lads together once more and off onto the pitch they went. The home side were put under serious amounts of pressure in the first 10 minutes as the lads tried to adapt to their new roles with Hal 'maestro' Denny in the central midfield and John Lorimer filling in at centre back. With Nelson giving away a penalty moments into the game heads were dropping. Out of no where Jacob Melling pulled a save that easily dealt with for the well struck penalty placed into the bottom corner. The game went at a furious pace after the save with Jamie Maddison, Josh Clarke, Craig Edwards and Tom Cookson all pressing to get a goal. Tom then broke the line of defence and was 1 on 1, the keeper pulled off a good save to deny Tom. The ball fell to Craig Edwards as he slotted the ball home to make the score 1-0. After a few more minutes of play the ball got put on a plate by Westy for Tom Cookson and he magically turned the defender and put it past the keeper to make it 2-0. The lads were thoroughly pleased with the performance, as was skipper who was watching them from the side taking notes for improvements in future games. Suddenly a burst of pace from Josh Clarke down the left side made the oppositions defence weary and he played the ball down to pretty boy Tom Cookson who tested the keeper and he reacted with a good save, only to fall to Josh Clarke who controlled the ball then went for power from the edge of the box. The ball pinged past the keeper who happened to be out of position and smashed the net to make the score 3-0. The lads went in at half time over the moon and the morale was through the roof. Another cracking team talk from Scotty made the lads realise that the opposition might get back into the game. The second half was a long and arduous one. The lads were holding the back line with exceptional discipline with Matty Bell putting in another shift to keep their strong winger at bay. The winger was also scared of Matty with his intimidation throughout the game. Brad Middleton replaced Josh Clarke to get some fresh legs down the left side. Brad was running up and down the left flank to keep the lead making some important defensive tackles along with some outstanding dribbles whilst doing so. The last 15 minutes of the game finally came and the score was kept at 3-0. Wakefield applied a period of high pressure putting the defence on edge, Alex Nelson was making some fantastic interceptions to keep them out. The home team conceded a free kick and their striker managed to get there before Melling, but like all good defenders Callum Bates anticipated the worst case scenario and cleared the ball off the line in a great fashion. Once again the A teams morale was replenished and they held it out till the end of the match with Alex Grocott replacing Jamie Maddison in the central midfield, ensuring our victory was secure with some decisive interceptions. Unfortunately, our newcomer Cameron Edgar didn't get on but did a good job of warming the bench. The final whistle went and the lads were overwhelmed with their massive victory! PC came on and led the pitch invasion with Marc Scott closely following, it was a quality performance from all of the lads and everyone made the college and Nath proud. MOM Jacob Melling

QE Girls VS New College Durham Girls

On what was a cold Wednesday afternoon we set off to play New College on 3G with only 10 players. A drop-out from our goalkeeper also meant that we would need to change up half way through which we knew could be a big problem for us. After arriving we only had 5 minutes until kick-off, whilst Amber bought her pre-match crisps the team was ready to have a little jog over to the other side of the pitch as a warm-up, great start.

We lined with a 4-4-1 formation with Kelsey being the lone striker, we found in hard in the first ten minutes having the one less player and after giving away a free-kick on the edge of the penalty area New College were 1-0 up. Straight from the kick off from some good play out wide to Kate Merryweather we managed to get a throw-in near to their box. Kate threw the ball to Amber, and with a great showboat, backheeling it between two defenders back to Kate and with an outstanding strike from outside the box she lobbed the keeper, we were back in it. However, straight from kick-off down their right hand side their winger got the ball and scored in the box. Half time 2-1 down.

Gary changed the keeper and Emma went in goal, we then put Kate upfront and Kelsey on the wing. The main aim “just get the ball to Kate” as quoted from the manager. Which is what we did. After some good play by the midfield and ball through from Amber to Kate she took a shot with 3 players around her in which the keeper parried it into her own net. 2-2.

Amber broke away with a good ball from Eleisha but as the sun was beaming in her eyes she couldn’t see and with a great save from the keeper she was prevented what would have been the vital winner. Good defending throughout the game from Beth, Kaye, Aimee and Amanda made sure New College were denied the winner.

5 minutes later and with only a few minutes left Kate broke again down the right hand side after good play from Charlotte Firth, Kate managed to get round 4 players one after the other and score the winner. A great team performance and a well-deserved win going into the next game. Haribos all round next week!

(wo)man of the match –Kate Merryweather

Beth Edgar

Aimee Black

Kaye Deighton

Amanda Ormston

Emma Tummelty

Charlotte Firth

Kelsey Holmes

Kate Merryweather (3)

Amber Hemming (C)

Eliesha Singh

QE A Team Vs Sunderland

On a pleasant, but cold early November afternoon, we welcomed the visit of Sunderland college. Skipper wrighty led the warm up as Mark flicked through his iPad for one last time before the game. We started with our familiar 4-3-3 formation, and this didn't really come off in the first half with Sunderland gaining the upper hand and scoring 2 very easy goals on our behalf. At half time, mark made a couple of changes, bringing on the pretty boy pairing of Maddo and Cookson, and changed the formation to 4-4-2, and we played a more direct style of football. Finally in the game we were starting to click and play some very good football, when all of a sudden Grocott decided to tangle legs in our penalty area with their striker and a penalty was conceded. Jamma got a strong right hand to it, however it wasn't strong enough and the score went to 3-0.
Grocott then made up for this 5 minutes later when he played an outrageous through ball to Mophead Edwards up front, who ran onto it and slotted it past the keeper. Denny compared him to Thierry Henry in his prime but I wasn't so sure on the idea. This goal sparked us into life and all of a sudden we were winning every ball in midfield through JL and NW, and in turn, creating lots of openings. Craig hit one straight at the keeper from 2 yards, justifying my disagreement with Hal, and Hutchinson just failed to get on the end of a very good ball in from Wrighty. Despite all of the pressure, we just couldn't score.

Final score QE 1-3 Sunderland.

We take the positives and move onto a massive game against Wakefield in the National Cup. Come on the lads in pinky purple!

Man of the match; John Lorimer and Nathan Joint

QE C vs Sunderland 3rds

Our third game of the season saw us away to the C team ‘big timers’ if that makes any sense. A tough game against a team that trains about 6 hours a day and still only managed to get in their third team. With the squad looking weakened due to the departure of the rock polishers on the geography trip (Davo, Connor and Tomo) we needed to bring in some new players to bolster the squad. We brought in Lewis Maguire who was exceptional between the sticks, Nathan Deacon who was solid at the back and Rocco Violetta which PC claimed to have signed from Serie B. With Max forgetting his speaker for the journey, the bus was a banter free zone. However we got there on time this week which makes a change. After we got changed we went onto the pitch to see their team going through a very tactical warm up led by their coach ‘Paulo Di Paul’ as PC described him. We went through our own warm up which was 90% taking free kicks and 10% stretching. PC drilled us on what he wanted out of us. We lined us as follows; Lewis, Max, Deacon, Adam, Sam, Me(C), Doug, Tom, Murphy, Jack and Harry up top.

As per usual we started sloppy and failed to make our mark on the game, we were under constant pressure due to them keeping the ball extremely well which frustrated us. Also when we got it we were failing to keep it. They were playing three in the middle who were stringing the ball from left to right leaving me and Doug virtually useless. After around 10 minutes a cross from their quick winger found the head of the striker called Curtis (great name) and we were 1-0 down. We needed a quick change of tactics and formation so we decided to go 3-5-2 with tom dropping in the middle with us. This did not however improve our game as we still continued to play poorly and in particular me who was having a shocker with my second touch being a tackle every time I got the ball. Nevertheless against the run of play we scored with a lovely back post volley from Sam. With only minutes to go in the first half we tried to hold on to a draw and this seemed likely with some great acrobatics by Lewis who was excellent. However he could do nothing to prevent their second goal which was a lovely curling effort from outside the box. Half time and we were 2-1 down.

At half time we expected a grilling from PC as we were poor, and that is what we got. All I’m saying is he told us to up our game and the rest is censored. Half time saw a massive improvement from the lads with tackles flying in and some good football being played. Also some excellent defending from Deacon, Max and Adam. Our hard work paid off soon after when a great move down the right found Sam who megged the keeper (cheeky) and then placed it in the net. 2-2. for the majority of the second half it was dull as we tried to secure a point. As the game wore on we looked as if we could nick it when we gained a free kick right on the edge in which Rocco the Italian superstar fancied but Jack claimed it for himself. “Three points to Wigan” is all I have to say about the free kick. With 5 minutes left they grabbed a lucky goal against the run of play and then went on to get a fourth at the end of the game. A terrible first half performance but a much improved effort second half well done boys.

Final result:

Sunderland 4 – QE 2  

MOM:

Sam Williams (again) 

QE A Team vs Darlo College A

On a very dull Wednesday afternoon, we travelled across town via minibus due to the poor driving standards of our lads, once transport was sorted we turned up to the ground full of optimism for the big derby. In the changing room Mark rightly pointed out that there is no banter once Denny stops talking. so after the lads got changed we went outside to warm up. A simple warm up was organised by skipper Wrighty and at 1:45 we were ready for kick off. The lineup was Jacob, Batesy, Nelly, Grocott, Bell, Maddo, Wright, Pest, Bradders, soft lad and Clarky. We dominated the opening exchanges and were clearly the more technical side and this was illustrated as Bradders turned well inside the box and finished smartly to put the Q.E boys in front. Sadly this was as good as it got and we lost control of the game after this goal and Wrighty was clocked by a cowardly off the ball incident, however he made the most of it by going down instead of fighting back and then retiring from the game, poor. They received a very controversial penalty decision for a handball incident although Belly would have done well to have got his arm out the way, just before the handball however a very late challenge was put in on Nicholson (Wrighty's replacement) however the referee did not see fit to give this a foul which mystified Mark, however the decision was made and they scored their penalty. Shortly before half time they went ahead from a sloppy corner, however that's football and you can never be happy about conceding from a set piece. Half time subs saw Westy and Batesy come off for Cookson and Hutchinson respectively, after some smart tactical changes we looked sharp again and got in a few times before Craig saw his rifling shot massively deflected by a defender to deceive their rookie looking keeper. they went on to score just after and then another two before the games end which left the score at 5-2.In the midst of these goals Grocott had to come off with concusion after another damaging elbow saw us lose another of our men, his concussion not only meant a gap in the defence but also an irritation for the subs as he repeatedly asked the score which led to decent crack on the bus back by Wrighty and Pest in particular. This concluded a disappointing day at the office but we move on and recover for the next game which hopefully isn't as physical, as the sides were well matched but aggression saw the the opposition prevail. 

Man of the match Maddo good display of skill and stamina in the centre of the park.

Cheers Denny.

QE Girls vs Tyne Met Girls

This was our first game of the season, preparation had been made the week before with Gary “GShore” Hogg showing us his attacking and defending strategies. We needed maximum preparation for the biggest game of the season against Tyne Met as this result last year ended in a 14-0 defeat and the reverse was 11-0.

Everyone was up for the game with a quick team selfie, not so quick when you have Gary trying to work the camera, and a warm-up we then lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, Gary’s managerial tactics coming to light, and with a sudden transfer of Alex Friskney in as goal keeper the night before we didn’t know how this game was going to end up.

The game started off very even with both teams having equal possession, which was surprising for us considering previous results, with just their number 10 playing a free role providing us with a challenge. She wasn’t afraid to shoot from 21 yards out but with nothing to show for it. They had a few good chances but with an excellent save from Alex to block the shot into the top right corner we knew we had to up the pace. Great play from Emma on the left hand side put a great through ball for Kelsey who had a good chance to put us 1-0 up when she broke through the defence beating the opposition for pace and striking the ball just wide of the right post.

The end of the first half was near and both teams had had equal opportunities to score with possession around 52%-48% to us, obviously. With an inspirational 5 minute team talk from Gaz we were ready for the second half. We lined-up with the same formation and straight away broke away onto goal from the right hand side with Charlotte Feather getting through the gap in the defence. The strike was saved by the keeper and we were awarded a corner, something in which the manager had be prioritising in training the week before for a good 40 minutes, so we knew we had a chance to put his theory to the test. The short corner was taken and a good cross in from Kate provided a chance for Charlotte Firth to have a shot on goal but was deflected by their defender.

Their left full back and winger were linking up well but with excellent defending from Bethany Dean it proved difficult for them to cross the ball in. They then had to try and go down the middle where Eliesha was strong and put in some good tackles to win us back the ball. From a defending perspective we were very strong with everyone putting in a great effort and closing down the ball to limit the shots. However, as we focused too much on defending we had no-one upfront to get us the goal to put us in front. We cleared the ball, which was given to their right-winger, she attempted to cut inside but with an excellent tackle from Kaye it went out for a corner.

In the final minutes of the game we knew we had to stay tight and mark our players. The ball was crossed in but with a good header they managed to get it into the top left corner, if I was a few inches taller I could have cleared the ball off the line.

With an all-round good performance and managing to concede 13 goals less than last year Gary was very happy with the result.

Attendance: 4

(Wo)Man of the Match: Bethany Dean.

Team: Alex Friskney, Bethany Dean, Bethany Edgar, Aimee Black, Kaye Deighton, Eliesha Singh, Amber Hemming (capt), Emma Tummelty, Charlotte Firth, Charlotte Feather, Kate Merryweather.

Subs: Tanisha Waters, Kelsey Holmes, Tiff Butler and Amanda Ormston.

QE C vs Hartlepool B

With a disappointing result first game of the season against the Boro, we were all keen to get our first win of the season under our belts. The bus journey was fairly eventful with the tunes of Davo and Conner Underwood (who looks remarkably like Stephen Quinn from Hull city). However the good atmosphere on the bus was not to last due to our bus driver, who was completely clueless when it comes to directions, got us completely lost. This meant we had to get changed on the bus which is always a struggle. Arriving for a 2 o’clock kick off at quarter past was not the best preparation for the game. After a quick warm up of about 3 minutes PC informed us of what he wanted out of the team and he tried to implement his pass and move tactics onto a baller friendly pitch which we were playing on. Suited me right down to the ground.

We lined up as follows:

GK: Tomo

RB: Sam ‘the rock’ Williams

CB: Davo

CB: Conner

LB: Josh

RM: Tom

CM: Curtis (skipper)

CM: Doug ‘the gazelle’

LM: Murphy

ST: Jack

ST: Harry

We started well with some good possession football, especially playing out from the back. However they started to get on top and in their main man who was playing a free role started picking the ball up and driving at our defence. We started giving away sloppy free kicks in dangerous areas and Tomo was pulling off some decent saves (for once). Ten Minutes later we were let off the hook when a corner came and the ball had appeared to have crossed the line but the ref didn’t give it, it was miles over the line if I’m being truthfully honest. However we began to create some chances of our own and we got a lucky chance when their keeper miss kicked his clearance that fell to Murphy who was roughly about 30 yards from the goal, he unleashed his shot and it flew into the Hartlepool goal. Look up the word ‘worldy’ in the dictionary and there is a picture of that goal. After the goal however we started to play poorly and spent the rest of the first half trying to get the ball into their half of the pitch. We were defending excellently with Sam playing exceptional at right back. Going into half time one up but on the back foot, PC gave some inspirational words and we went back out for the second half. However the second half was not much better than the first, we were giving away too many free kicks which fortunately for us, their guy that was taking them couldn’t hit a barn door with a banjo. We did concede shortly after due to a refereeing error in which the ball had gone out of play from the corner, literally it was out of the cage before the wind brought it back in. Nevertheless they scored from it. A classic case of the old saying ‘play to the whistle’ in which PC loved saying to us all game. With the introduction of Ali with 20 minutes to go we started to push forward and create chances but failed to finish.

Final Score:

Hartlepool 1 – QE 1

MOM:

Sam Williams

Although Ali was excellent when he was brought on

Attendance:

6 (including PC and subs)

QE B Team vs Redcar and Cleveland College

Team Lineup: Josh Bancroft, Hamish Campbell, Iain Atherton, Liam Brown, Sam Henderson, Josh Dowson, Harry McGuire, Christian Aither (c), Jordan Fogg, Cameron Edgar, Sam Mann

Substitutes: Lewis Malcolm, Jamie Barron, Max Tennant, Lewis Timms

After what felt like forever sitting on the bus on the way to Redcar & Cleveland college we got ready and were ready to kick off within 10 minutes. After losing the toss and their captain choosing to kick off the first half we soon realised it was going to be a game where we spent the majority defending and trying to keep our shape as a team. They began strongly and were stroking the ball around quickly and always making space for each other to try and find a way through our solid back line. The three central midfielders of Dowson, McGuire and Aither had their work cut out as their number 10 and 4 were linking up nicely and bringing the rest of their team into the game. From the start Brown and Henderson were really solid at the back halting every attack that came their way. However, with the centre backs constantly under pressure from balls through the defence it wasn’t long before one of their passes came off and their striker was able to round Bancroft, who was unlucky to not be able to get his hand to the ball, and make it 1-0 to them. With them having a lot of the ball early on and them taking a fairly early lead we could have given up and let the goals flood in but we stuck together as a team and kept battling on. It also didn’t help us with the fact that every 50/50 decision was being given their way by the referee and at times felt like it was 12 against 11.We knew we could match them physically and Dowson and the two centre backs were challenging well to win our side the ball and Aither and McGuire were doing well to try and get the ball to the wide men of Fogg and Edgar who were when they could getting past their full back and trying to get a ball in to Sam Mann who was looking lively. After the majority of the first half being played in the middle of the park Sam Mann was unlucky that the ball over the top by Bancroft just went through to the goalkeeper before he could meet it. We went into half time 1-0 down after defending well and preventing the opposition from opening up a bigger lead.

At half time dave got the hairdryer out and made two changes replacing McGuire and Fogg with Tennant and Timms. He also gave Christian the task of trying to stop their number 10 from dictating the game like he did for most of the first half. After halftime we came out much more confident and were seeing much more of the ball with their most influential players quiet because of the high energy of the whole side. We began stretching their back line with Edgar and Timms running beyond their fullbacks and causing their back line problems with some good crossing with Mann making the defenders know of his presence pushing their two centre backs about. Our effort was eventually awarded when Max Tennant did well to win the ball and play it into Mann who sent Timms down the right hand side who did well to get a cross in and find Dowson on the edge of the six yard box who guided the ball past their goalkeeper and got us level. Shortly after that Dave made his third substitution bringing off Aither and replacing him with Malcolm to try and get another goal to win the game. However, shortly after they got the ball into a dangerous area and for the first time all game a usually solid back four were let down by a lack of communication between each other and their striker was able to nick the ball away from Campbell and smash the ball past the helpless Bancroft. With the game very much end to end and chances coming at each end it was Redcar who nearly doubled their lead when their winger cut in and ran through the middle and forced a very good save from Bancroft who saved and held well to his right.

With around 20 minutes to go we started dominating the game creating chance after chance with the two wingers putting in some very good crosses we were just unable to get that equalising goal. Malcolm then had a blocked shot from the edge of the box after making space for himself well. Now that we had the momentum Redcar couldn’t handle the pace and strength of Sam Mann and his commitment paid off when a ball through the defence meant it was a race to the ball between Mann and the goalkeeper where Mann came on top and slid the ball underneath the keeper into the bottom left corner. After this Dave made his last change bringing on the solid Jamie Barron in place of Dowson and put Sam Henderson up front and moved Malcolm into centre mid to try and push on to get the winning goal.

Once we got that equalising goal it was clear who wanted the win more out of the two teams with Mann firstly unlucky rattling the post from close range before trying to get the ball across the goal to Malcolm where the goalkeeper was able to collect the ball. With minutes to go Sam Henderson went through on goal and many of us thought Sam Henderson was going to win us the game but the versatile front man got caught in two minds and ended up dinking the ball straight into the goalkeeper's hands. With the game coming towards the end Sam Henderson was played over the top and the whistle was shockingly blown. This summed up the game to be honest as an excellent battling performance against a very good side was made even harder by some of the refereeing decisions given against us. But all in all this was a very good point for us and shows how strong our whole squad is.

Man of the Match: Liam Brown - Came up against very good strikers which he dealt with well all game and never panicked when on the ball and helped link the defence with the midfield very well. Even though he is the only first year in our back four, he controlled the back line well with Henderson and if it wasn’t for him and his centre back partner we wouldn’t have came away with a draw.

QE C Team vs Middlesbrough

QE vs Middlesbruuuuhhh College

 

First game of the season was always going to prove difficult with most of the lads not having played together before, also due to the late drop out of Doug Birks. Nevertheless we started positively enjoying most of the early possession and winning our individual battles. After 10 minutes our hard work paid off with a throw down the left from Murphy that split the Boro defence and Jack capitalised and placed his shot into the bottom corner. After going one up we switched off and conceded not long after. We continued to create chances but couldn’t take these chances, and shortly after we paid the price when one of the Boro lads struck a shot from 20 yards that managed to lob all 6 foot and 8 inches of our goalkeeper. Not long after this, Boro scored again with a smart move down the right hand side. Going into half time 3-1 down we knew we had to up our game. With the introduction of Davo at half time the game entered a stage of aggression with Davo deciding to wire their entire team, because he got them all fired up I ended up getting absolutely levelled by their centre half (I plan to get him back in the reverse fixture). After everyone calmed down they increased their lead to 4-1 after a through ball and low shot from their striker that Tomo would have saved if he had not went down like a sack of potatoes. However he did produce a good goal kick that sent Harry clean through who squared it to Jack who grabbed his second goal. However literally from the kick off we conceded again and the score remained at 5-3 with the last 15 minutes being the most boring 15 minutes of my life. Probably due to the real ginger Pirlo being brought off during this time.

 

Final Score:

QE 3 – Boro 5

Motm:

Jack Adams

QE B Team vs Tyne Met

After the long awaited and anticipated first game of the season Dave Scott called us all in to give the first motivating team talk of the year and prepared us for the kick off. He selected the team with a simple 4-4-2 with Lewis Maguire in goal, a back four of me, Sam Henderson, Liam Brown and Iain Atherton, the midfield was Cameron Edgar, Christian Aither, Harry McGuire and Jordan Fogg then the strikers was Sam Mann and Liam Foster.

After a nervy start we were soon on top dominating the game keeping a solid back four whilst the midfield were controlling and winning everything in the middle. The chances were being created by both the two wingers (Cameron Edgar and Jordan Fogg) whilst the two strikers were getting into the great positions but were just unlucky. We started very energetically and were soon rewarded with the first goal of the game and made it 1-0 with a brilliant finish from Sam Mann right in the bottom corner which gave the keeper no chance. After the game kicked off again we carried on dominating the game and putting the Tyne Met defence under pressure which they couldn’t handle. We were then able to capitalise on the possession when a beautifully whipped ball was floated in and Liam Foster was on hand to guide it into the bottom corner with a wonderful header. We were now 2-0 up and looked solid. The defence was tight with Sam Henderson and Liam Brown putting a great shifts in whilst we were still creating chances up top. We were then rewarded a free kick on the half way line which Iain Atherton whipped in with his wonderful left foot into a dangerous area but we were unable to win the header. The ball then came out towards the edge of the area where I was standing, I was able majestically leap in the air and was able to fire a bullet header into the top corner of the net from 18 yards out which broke the net it was so powerful. No keeper in the world would have been able to save it. This meant we were cruising at 3-0 however Tyne Met were able to break through our defence for the first time of the whole game through the luckiest of balls over top which we were unable to clear and they were able to pull one back. We were now winning 3-1 but we were then quickly able to make it 4-1 after another great cross from Cameron Edgar was converted in by one of the Tyne Met defenders. The half was coming to an end but Tyne Met were able to get another goal just before to make it 4-2.

The second half soon began after a few changes were made from the gaffer. On came Josh Dowson to replace Christian and on came Sam Fields. The second half kicked off and we carried on from where we left with both substitutes making an early impression on the game. Josh Dowson was making himself known by bullying the Tyne Met midfielders with his size and mopping everything up. Dave brought some fresh faces on to mix the game up and on came Jamie Barron, Max Tennant, Lewis Malcolm and Lewis Timms. We were creating some great chances up the other end to put the game away however two quick goals from Tyne Met meant the score was 4-3. Tyne Met were able to get another goal which saw their striker go one on one with Lewis and was able to slide it under the Lewis. While attempting to smother ball Lewis sustained a terrible injury which meant he had to be stretchered off with a possible broken leg, wish you the best and a speedy recovery. We were able to quickly give Matthew Bancroft the quickest call up ever from the QE league. He had a good start until he got lobbed by one of Tyne Met players. Tyne Met was able to take the lead for the first time. The game started to settle until the Tyne Met keeper messed up which meant that Lewis Malcolm was able to score a two yard tap in which he couldn’t have missed. This mistake rewarded him with his first goal for the B team after an interesting season last year to say the least. This meant that the score was levelled with the last fifteen to go. We were able to dominate the last ten minutes creating chances with Timms causing havoc down the wing but we weren’t able to capitalise on however another day they would have been straight in the back of the net.

Overall it was a very good performance from the lads and was unlucky not to get a win but plenty of positives to take out of it. Everyone put a good shift in and things can only get better.

Man of the match: Sam Mann was the man of the match after a superb performance from the striker.

QE A Team vs Gateshead

The A team travelled to Gateshead for the first game of the season, accompanied by both the netball sides which brought a smile to Robert Wests Face. The squad consisted off 12 new faces from last year with 10 very eager first years who couldn't wait to get going. Mark decided to go with a 4-3-3 formation with Denny leading the line. The game started with Gateshead having lots of possession but not causing us many problems. Craig (Worst hair cut) Edwards was a clear threat to the opposition on the right hand side beating there left back on several occasions. The first half finished with Gateshead been 1-0 up scoring just before the break. Scotty was pleased with the performance at this point, seen as in they have trained every day for 6 hours since the beginning of August. Mark made several changes at the break hoping that we could find an equaliser in the second half. These included the two pretty boys Jamie Maddison and Tom Cookson. A few opportunities came our way, with Hal Denny and Craig Edwards having clear chances. Robert (Pest) West was denied a clear goal scoring opportunity mid way through the second half with the goalkeeper handling the ball outside his box. The game was very even throughout the second half, but with 5 minutes to go Gateshead doubled their lead meaning the game finished 2-0 to the home side. This was a very good performance from us which will hopefully carry on for the rest of the season!


Team: Melling, Hutchinson (Bates), Grocott, Nelson, Bell (West), Wright (Nicholson), Lorimer (Maddison), Clark, Edwards, Denny, Middleton (Cookson).


Attendance : 250

QE v Darlington College

30th April

Squad: (4-4-2 Diamond)
K.Thompson
S.Read (3) (MOM)
H.Spence
J.Marshall (1)
J.Clark
A.Grocott
N.Wright
P.New
L.Kershaw (Number 10)
C.Edwards (3)
D.Wardale (1)

Subs:
H. Herraghty

The venue for this particular game was Darlington Rugby Club, and the players made their own way to the game. Sam Read took first year prodigies Clark and Nath in his silver corsa. Marshall in the 1.6 Astra (with GB sticker) was accompanied by Wardale, Spence and Edwards who enjoyed Florida Georgia Line's newest album. Kershy then picked up the stragglers. The pre match music was supplied by Sam Read on his Ipad, a mixture of house and techno.

QE started the game slow with the home team breaking the offside trap however Thompson saved well in the one v one situation. The opening goal of the game was scored by Edwards who used his blistering pace to leave the tech central defenders before finishing around the keeper. The home team equalised after after a short kick by Thompson put QE under pressure before a fine finesse finish from the edge of the box. Edwards scored his second of the afternoon and a rebound from a Read shot fell to the poacher.

Marshall Goal: Qe corner, the ball is floated into a dangerous area of the box. With the assistance of Wardale, Marshall loses his marker and makes a powerful run toward the ball. Rising the highest Marshall powerfully headed the ball towards the far corner leaving the stranded keeper with no chance. Marshall, Read and Kershy celebrated in the corner by completing the Julia 'Pogo' celebration. This turned out to be the winning goal. 

HT 3-1

The second half began with a crossfield switch being brought down by gaffer Scott on the inside of the left foot and being kept up repeatedly. The in form Edwards completed his hat trick after miscontrolling a wonderfully whipped cross from Jordi Alba.

Goal - Darlington College Penalty (Given away by either Grocott/Kershaw or Thompson) I am unsure.

I now hand over to Northern League Sam Read to talk through his first hat-trick for the famous purple and black. 

"After receiving some harsh words from Mark "just pass" Scott at half time I knew myself we weren't at the races today and were playing very poor. We were fortunate to be in leading at half time and knew we had to up our game. This Martin Gray side were well drilled and playing the Martin Gray way: hit the channels, don't contemplate passing out of trouble and if in doubt make an over zealous challenge. It was the 54th minute and the ball was switched from H Spence looking ever the more Phillip Mexes-esc as the game went on to myself in the right full back position. Spence was playing in his 73rd derby fixture between the two teams however this is expected to be his last after finally wrangling together enough UCAS points from unknown sources to go to university. A sharp intelligent run from first year Craig Edwards utilized the space in behind the Darlington defence. Using my nach personality feeling the need to achieve something from this game I continued my run to just inside the box where the ball was played back at perfect weight for me to slot in the corner. The second goal again came from a switch utilising the space we had out wide where the ball was played into the box only for myself to turn and volley the ball left footed Zidane- esc. The final goal came from a run down the wing from Harry Herraghty who was fouled and after attending Dolphin Centre Gym and circuits with QE's answer to Ronnie Coleman Paul New it was clear know one was going to argue with myself. The penalty was scored and the hatrick completed. However I would like to use this moment to publicise the fact that I still haven't received match ball from the day and can only assume that it is being sorted as we type. 

The home side converted another penalty which was given away by highly experienced veteran Spence. The tackle could only be described as a Pascal Cygan swooping lunge. The final goal of the game came from top scorer Wardale who cut in of the wing to finish expertly in the bottom corner.

Final Score: 8-3
Attendance: 987

Footnote: Match ball to be posted to P.Carroll (Room 181)