Academy Matchday Report

Our academy sides travelled to Caernarfon Town on the weekend for some great matches against competitive competition. Was great to see more improvement and the lads enjoying their football.

U9s

Cefn Druids played away against a well drilled Caernarfon Town team. Two Druids teams faced off against Caernarfon. Both games started well, with Cefn Druids taking the lead in the first 15 minutes. There was some excellent passing and link up play from the back. We saw the benefits of good pressing throughout the two games resulting in the goals we scored. With dedication and hard work the U9s will continue to go from strength to strength and come away with more wins. Coaches man of the matches were Ali Jones – Great passing and link up play. Alfie Saunders – Excellent pressing and work rate.

U12s

It wasn’t the result we wanted, we started strong within the first 15 minutes and from then we lost concentration and confidence going forward. We had little spells throughout the game where we looked dangerous but couldn’t get it together. We can take some positives from the game. We were working hard and pressing them high and we will look to the next challenge ahead.

U13s

The result didn’t reflect the performance, we played very well. The lads worked as a team and attacked the opposition from the start to the end. If we had combined our passes more, we could have capitalised and created more chances from the combinations. We had a period of play where we were in the game but sadly we switched off at the wrong times. Onto the next game. Overall the lads played well and the result doesn’t reflect how we played, but we will look to the next challenge ahead.

U14s

A hard-earned 1-1 draw against Caernarfon Town. A dominant first half performance saw us take the lead after a well worked goal between Harrison & Stanley. We dealt with Caernarfon well on the counter attack and could have entered the half time break with a healthier lead if we took our chances. The opposition inevitably came out stronger in the second half but we quickly adjusted and matched them in many areas of the pitch. We then conceded from a set piece, a frustratingly common scenario for us at the moment. We did have a few other very good chances to win the game but couldn’t find our clinical touch and had to settle for a draw. Disappointing not to take all 3 points but after losing 2-0 to Caernarfon in October, today shows how far we have come as a team and the development we have enjoyed together in that time. MOTM – Josh Smith

U15s

Tough game for Druids today against a strong Caernarfon team who worked hard and took their chances. Druids fought hard and tried their best as they did really well first half to move the ball and switch it from side to side to create gaps to penetrate. We defended well as a team and didn’t really give them anything until they just nicked a free kick to put them 1 up before the break. Second half they scored another free kick to put them 2 up and that seemed to be the blow we did not need as our heads dropped as we slowly started to lose the battle. Playing against top of the league was always going to be a hard one but it’s a lesson this young team needed to learn, which should put a fire in their belly come the next challenge. I don’t mind losing to a better team but I’ve told players we can’t have people giving up as we must remain a team as there is always a chance to rise again. Caernarfon scored 4 great goals from free kicks so we will have to work on that but we will keep pushing on and be ready for next game. Well done to everyone that battled to the end, we dust ourselves off and go again as a team!!

Overall, some competitive matches for Druids and experiences that will improve the lads going forward. Great to see everyone giving their all for the club and we look forward to their next set of fixtures soon!

More than just a football club.