Season 2004-5 Reports

Under 14

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16th May 2005

MUSH League
Ramsgate U14's 3 v Kennington U14's 0

The U14's ended the season as they started, with a poor performance and a defeat. We went into the last game of the season against bogie side Ramsgate knowing that we needed a win to over take them and finish 3rd in the league. But the age old problem of not talking once again cost us a goal after 10 minutes.

We almost went and grabbed an equaliser straight away but a lack of composure on the ball and the snap shot went passed the post. On Ramsgate's next attack we fell further behind, again the defence could have easily cleared the ball if they had been focusing on their job.

That seemed to wake our boys up and we should have scored 3 or 4 goals in the final 15 minutes of the half. Adam Slegg ripped the Ramsgate defence apart time after time but the ball just wouldn't go in the net. Mainly due to us not being greedy or composed enough at the vital moment.

The 2nd half was very disappointing. We new we had to win but never got going and Ramsgate clinched the game half way in.

So for the first time ever the team failed to finish in the top 3.
Looking back it was the slow start that cost us when we lost half of the first 8 games of the season. It's been a frustrating season, one minute we look good enough to beat anyone and the next we
look very average.

It was a real shame to finish the season on such a low.
Still, there's always next season!

24th April 2005

MUSH League
Whitstable 0 v Kennington 3

We have, over the last few seasons, ran a rota system so all the boys get a fair chance to play football. This of course has caused a few problems, as we have not always been competitive enough compared with all the other sides in the league who play with a win at all costs policy and give the poor old sub 10 minutes at the end of the game.

This season was to be different but with injuries, sickness and trials getting in the way we once again found ourselves going down the 'give em all a game' track again.

So, when last seasons players, player of the year, keeper Alex Stevens was left out for his turn, a few eyebrows where raised to say the least.

Playing on Whitstable Towns kent league pitch was expected to be a tough game for the boys against a fired up junior side. And for the first 20 minutes Whitstable kept us on the back foot and could have easily gone 3 up if it wern't for some quite outstanding keeping from stand-in keeper Dan Rose, who normally plays in midfield. A point blank effort was pushed over ther bar, a bouncing ball heading into the far post was tipped round the post and another great save gave convidence to the players in front of him. And sure enough we started to get back into the game.

Chris Wyles, Jonathan Townsend, Sam Grant and Adam Slegg all had good chances to put us into the lead but none were scored and both teams went in level at half time.

10 minutes into the 2nd half Adam Slegg left the Whitstable defence for dead and saw his shot hit the bar and Chris Wyles followed up to head home and give us the lead.

Whitstable stormed back and only another great save from Dan Rose, who tipped a powerful shot over the bar as it was heading into the top corner kept us ahead.

But this was the last we saw from Whitstable as an attacking force, as Adam Sleggs pace once again left the Whitstable defence in his tracks and his superb cross was met by Matt Godden who powered a header home to increase our advantage. Soon after Chris Wyles scored his 2nd to give us a good 3 - 0 win

There were good performances from all of the team. Ben Jordan, Hussain Zafar, Sam Grant, Matt Harris all shone but the hero was Dan Rose, who totaly paid off Paul's decision in playing him goal with an impressive performance.

The bonus for the side today was, we probably already had the best keeper in the league in Alex Stevens, but now we probably have the 2nd best on standby as well

17th April 2005

MUSH League
Kennington U14's 1 v Ashford Town 1

We went into the local derby against Ashford hoping to finally to put a decent performance in, after previously putting in a couple of below par efforts in our earlier season meetings, despite gaining a win and a draw.

And on a hot day the team started like a train and totaly over ran an Ashford side who were left chasing shadows as Kennington dominated. But time after time chances came and went but it still looked that once the first goal came it would open up the floodgates.

Ashford had their first shot, that sailed over the bar, 5 minutes before halt time and then the unthinkable happened when a Ashford forward broke through the defence to toe poke in goal to stun the large crowd and give Ashford the lead.

The half time talk was easy to give to the Kennington boys, how can you tell such a dominant team to do anything other then just to carry on as they where playing.

The 2nd half followed the same pattern as the 1st with Kennington all over the hard working Ashford side. Adam Slegg and Sam Grant were putting in cross after cross but some how the ball just wouldn't go into the back of the net.

Kennington keeper Alex Stevens might as well gone home becuase apart from coming to gather the ball on 3 or 4 occassions he had nothing to do.

But although justice wasn't totaly done Sam Grant, on his comeback game after a 2 months with Gillingham, fired home an excellent equaliser 8 minutes from time. Kennington continued to power forward but failed to get the 3 points they richley deserved.

There's not a lot to say about a game like this. The boys did everything that was asked of them with no luck what so ever.
Matt Harris,Adam Slegg, Chris Wyles, Sam Grant and Ben Jordan all had tremendous games and were the pick of an excellent all round team peformance.

3rd April 2005

MUSH League
Kennington U14's 2 v Ramsgate 4

The boys went into this game against bogey side Ramsgate knowing it was vital to win and keep up any hopes of getting the runners up spot. But a terrible start led to mix up in the defence and Ramsgate got a really tame goal to put us on the back foot.

Credit to the team they raised their game and Adam Slegg finished a great run to put in Matt Godden for the equaliser.
Unfortunately we conceded another soft goal when keeper Alex Stevens mis-judged a free kick to let the ball fly into the net.
We soon bounced back when Adam Slegg once again left the Ramsgate defence in his shadows and crossed for Chris Wyles to score and take us into half time all square.

We went into the 2nd half still with great hopes of gaining the all important win but the boys never performed to any where
near the standard that is expected from them. 2 more bad mistakes led to 2 more goals for our opponents and when we were awarded a penalty and the chance to get back into the game the shot didn't test the keeper as it went wide of the post.

Ramsgate also missed a penalty soon after but it didn't matter as the match was already out of reach.

Its such a shame that our team on their day are as good as anyone in the league, but some times they lack the passion and the will needed when they face a determined side like today's opponents

27 March 2005

M.U.S.H League
Kennington 8 v Milton 2

It started off as a bad day, as one by one, players started to drop out of the game against bottom of the league side Milton. And after signing on a new player, Sam Conlon, he got injured after 20 minutes and had to come off leaving us with 10 men.

Just before that Adam Slegg had scored to put us in the lead but whilst trying to reshuffle the team, a much changed Milton side equalised. That seemed to spur on Milton but for all the wrong reasons. After every tackle was made they only wanted to square up to our players and cause as much trouble as possible. This wasn't helped by some of the threatening comments from the sideline aimed directly at our players (particularly skipper Matt Harris) from spectators and their management. It also didn't help the young girl who was refereeing after the appointed ref fail to turn up.

A change of formation in the 2nd half and Matt Harris moving into midfield paid off straight away when Matt ran from inside his own half and coolly slotted home to put us back in front.

Matt Godden, Adam Slegg and Liam Brenchley with his first league goal of season put us in control, before a break away from Milton resulted in their 2nd of the afternoon.

This was disappointing, to let them score 1 goal was bad enough, but for them to get 2 when they had only scored 6 all season just wasn't good enough.

Sam Conlon then came back on the pitch for the last 10 minutes to put us back up to eleven players and Chris Wyles then knocked in our 6th. Matt Godden got his 2nd and Sam Conlon also got one to give us the win by 8 - 2.

20 March 2005

M.U.S.H League
Kennington 2 v Whitstable Town 1

A very physical Whitstable Town were the visitors for Kennington's U14 MUSH League side. And after an even 1st quarter Adam Slegg, continued his recent fine goalscoring form, when he smashed the ball into the net to put the home side in the lead.

Kennington then grew in confidence and it was no suprise when Chris Wyles latched on to a great through ball from Matt Godden and finished superbly.

The game looked like it was over until a Whitstable player stole the ball off a defender, who was trying to dribble the ball out of his penalty area, and knocked in low to the keeper right to make it 2 - 1.

From that moment on the stand-in Conference League ref showed his class when he controlled in what was becoming a very tough match. But Kennington held on with little threat to their defence and finished winners by 2 - 1.

It was a good performance from the team who showed they wern't going to be rolled over when the game got a bit nasty.

It also showed the boys they need to battle for every point they get as no team is going to lie down without a fight. And although Whitstable are in the lower half of the table they are a match for any side on their day.

So well done boys

13 March 2005

M.U.S.H League
Kennington 0 v Chatam Town 1

Kennington's U14 travelled to top of the table Chatham Town in the MUSH League and dominated the first 15 minutes.
But a couple of great saves and some poor finishing meant it remained scoreless at half time. In the 2nd half Chatham came back into the game more but never troubled Kenningtons keeper Alex Stevens, who never had a save to make during the whole game.

The match looked like it was going to end in stalemate until a Chatham forward missed his kick when trying a rare shot at goal, the ball sliced behind the defence to one of his own players, who also fluffed his shot and wrong footed the keeper to give Chatham the lead.

Try as they might Kennington couldn't manage to get a much deserved equaliser but they wern't helped by a over keen linesman who broke down virtually all attacks as the pressure mounted on the champions elect Chatham Town.
Is unfortunate though the linesman wanted to influence the game so much because If we had won it would have opened the league up.

It now looks that the best we can hope for now is to finish 3rd in the league, with only a faint hope of gaining the runners up spot.

Star of the show for Kennington was the ever impressive Matt Harris who was easily the best player on show in a game of many talented players.

19 February 2005

M.U.S.H League
Kennington 7 v Dover Athletic 1

The U14's MUSH league side were at home against a Dover Athletic side who had previously beaten us 2 - 0 in the beginning of the season. We had since gained revenge on their ground with a good performance and a 4 - 0 win.

So we went into the game not knowing what to expect, and for the first 15 minutes it was a very scrappy affair as neither side got going. That was until leading goal scorer Adam Slegg put us into the lead. We then got on top and on 22 minutes an OG was the start of a '4 goal in 10 minutes blitz'.

Chris Wyles knocked in a fine strike low to the keepers left, Jonathan Townsend scored with his fist touch and another finish from Adam Slegg sent us into a 5 - 0 half time lead.
We started off the 2nd half like a bomb when Chris Wyles scored twice inside the first 3 minutes to complete a great hatrick. The boys then seemed to take their foot off the gas and although never under much pressure, apart from 2 or 3 efforts, never looked like adding to the total.

Disappointingly the ref gave Dover a penalty which even the puzzled the Dover officials, and justice seemed to be done when keeper Alex Steven produced a great save only for the kick ordered to be re-taken. This time the converted the spot kick and the match finished with us running out winners by 7 - 1
The boys can feel proud of their performance today with Matt Harris, Chris Wyles, Adam Slegg and Dan Rose all having excellent games.

Well done Lads!

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