Academy Fixtures Report

Another busy weekend for Druids as our academy sides were back in action. Again, some great matches and performances to report on!

U9s

A very entertaining match to start us off, it ended Druids 7-6 Colwyn Bay. The lads started off excellently, scoring 4 very quickly. However we began to get a bit greedy as everyone wanted a goal when we should have been sticking to our passing style. Something to work on in training. But very pleased overall. MOM goes to Mason Davey, outstanding at the back all game, his passing and communication was brilliant.

U10s

The boys worked extremely hard and the performance was much improved from last week’s result. We were 2-1 up but conceded 2 on the bounce in the last few minutes. Each player gave their all and battled hard until the end. It’s a hard one to take as we were on top the majority of the game, but with things still to improve on, we move on to a week of training. It was impossible for us to give a MOTM due to how hard each individual worked.

U11s

A tough match for the lads that ended Druids 1-5 Colwyn Bay. First period we started really well and played some good football, forcing Colwyn Bay to sit deep which allowed us to get some shots off, however the goalkeeper made some good saves. Then one counter attack we had. 3v2 which Luca could have played either side but he decided to go and shoot himself which caught the keeper off guard to put us 1-0 up going into the break. 2nd Period Colwyn Bay started off with a high press which put us on the back foot and they won a corner straight away, we didn’t mark our opposition properly which allowed the ball to bounce straight into the middle of the box which they scored from. We had numerous chances where we created overloads but didn’t release the ball quick enough, which allowed Colwyn Bay to counter on us and score again. We then had another chance to score after we earned a penalty. However was unfortunately saved well by the opposition keeper. Final 3rd – Colwyn Bay punished our mistakes at the end and grabbed another 3 goals. If we could have played like we did in the 1st period then it was a winnable game for us but unfortunately we lost. Plenty to take to the training ground and lots to work on. MOTM: Solomon

U12s

A much better performance compared to last week’s defeat. Game started really well for us with some good work by Adam down the left wing who delivered a perfect cross which was tucked away by Rhys. Adam then scored through a left footed effort. We then scored through a set piece delivered by Dylan finished off by Lucas. Colwyn Bay scored just before half time to make it 3-1. We built on our strong first half by adding goals through Louie (x2), Rhys getting a second and Oliver who scored a great goal from outside the box. Was really good to see the lads smiling again after a great result and performance. MOTM: Lucas Jenkins

U13s

Druids 3-3 Colwyn Bay. The lads started really strong, looking after the ball and looked comfortable in possession. Scored early through JJ who got on the end of a cross at the back post. Colwyn Bay then scored against the run of play just before half time to make it 1-1. Second half again we started strong and looked by far the better team. Scored a goal through Theo after some really good work by Harri down the right hand side. However we conceded again after a counter attack from our corner. We scored immediately from the restart through a great finish by Luke. However Colwyn Bay scored a freak goal from their own half as Max got lost under the ball. Game turned sour after 2 red cards and subsequently players started to lose their heads. Attitude can be an issue with this group, something we will continue to work on. MOTM Sam Ibbetson.

U14s

Druids 3-0 Colwyn Bay. A much improved performance from the team today after a disappointing result last week. We controlled the entire game from start to finish and when Colwyn Bay did try to give us trouble on the counter attack, we counter pressed really well allowing us to control the tempo of the game. We scored 2 goals in the second half from set piece routines we have been working on, along with a stunning long range strike from Harrison. A dominant performance but more quality & composure in the final third could have seen us win by a larger margin – so there are still things to improve on to keep progressing. MOM – Harrison Hindley

U15s

An 8-4 win for Druids. After a difficult few weeks, the lads showed a real desire and work ethic from the start. Pressed high and got our rewards. Some lovely flowing football with some very good team goals and also some individual brilliance. Huw Edward with 4, Kyan Moss 1, Rhys Underhill 1, Rhys Evans 1 and Olly Hughes 1. We were guilty of missing a lot of clear cut chances 2nd half, which we will be working on this week. Harry Davies in goal pulled off 3 outstanding saves at crucial times throughout the game. Huw Edwards was the star with 4 goals, but Charlie Manning at left back was Man of the Match, outstanding all round performance.

U16s

5-4 win for Druids. Brilliant reaction from last week. Missing key players, a few 15’s stepped up and played their part in an excellent display. For 65 minutes we controlled the game, played out from the back well and limited Colwyn Bay to long range shots. Harry Richardson was a real threat throughout the game, caused the Bay back line all kinds of problems which resulted in his 2 goals. Charlie Edwards with 2 and Will Cooke with 1. We were 5-1 up with 15 minutes to go, a lot of tired legs, conceded 3, a bit of luck from them and a few errors from us let them back into game. But we all dug in for the last few minutes to get a valuable 3 points, which was hugely deserved. Performance of the season so far. Charlie Edwards didn’t put a foot wrong in defence but Harry Richardson was Man of the Match with 2 goals and a brilliant performance all round. Hopefully we can build on this throughout the week.

U19s

Druids 1-1 Newtown. A very good, disciplined performance that unfortunately ended in a draw. The young Druids created lots of goal scoring opportunities but couldn’t take their chances. Newtown defended well as a defensive unit. The last 2 weeks the lads have been very unlucky not to get 4 points out of the 2 games, however luck will change as the lads are putting in the hard work in training and games to improve results. The performances are there, we just need to finish our chances off. MOTM was captain Vinnie Cooke, he was excellent and set the standard that all the lads followed.

Overall some great performances and results from all our academy sides. Great to see the lads improve week on week. We look forward for their next round of fixtures soon!

More than just a football club.