Crosspool Junior Girls News

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noreply@blogger.com (Chris Littler) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:23:00 +0000

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Historic Summer

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Heald) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 20:00:00 +0000

Crosspool Juniors Girls U12s (2008/9) have won a historic 6 tournaments this summer. They also finished runners up in two other tournaments. The girls won the tournaments at Wickersley, Maltby, Shipley, Darfield, Brampton and the FA National Futsal Finals at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield. They were runners up at Brinsworth and Prestatyn.

Winning the FA National Futsal finals was undoubtedly the highlight of the summer and for many of the girls a moment they will treasure for the rest of their lives. 12 teams reached the U12s girls finals and they travelled from around the country to participate. Having won the group comfortably they almost messed it up by drawing 0-0 in the semi final, having dominated the game but been unable to score. The team have however been in a number of penalty shoot outs this summer and remained confident. They won the shoot out and progressed to the final in front of a large crowd at the EIS. The team played exceptionally well and won the final 1-0.

FA National Youth Futsal Festival Round Up

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Littler) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 20:36:00 +0000

12:53 PM, Tuesday, 30 June 09. FA Futsal Youth Festival

Nearly 80 junior Futsal teams were in Sheffield over the weekend for The FA National Youth Futsal Festival, which was a resounding success with some excellent Futsal being played in the full spirit of the game.
The FA National Youth Futsal Festival
Saturday 27 June and Sunday 28 June 2009
English Institute Of Sport, Sheffield

Teams from all over the country were at the English Institute Of Sport on both Saturday and Sunday for the Festival, with competitions for both boys and girls in the U10s, U12s, U14s and U16s age groups.

Double success was achieved from the Sheffield & Hallamshire FA region, with Barnsley Ladies taking the U10s Girls title, followed by Crosspool Juniors winning the U12s Girls.

The FA National Youth Futsal Festival was established to provide an event that could inspire young people to take-up and play Futsal on a regular-basis, the aims and intentions of the Festival are to not just provide a one-off Futsal event that young people enjoy and then forget, but to provide a goal to encourage schools, clubs and young people to play Futsal throughout the year with the climax being the opportunity to attend the National Futsal Festival.

Saturday saw the U10s and U12s in action, with the group fixtures starting just after 10.30am. With ten teams in each competition, the sides were separated into two groups of five with the top two from each group then meeting in a semi-final.

As can be expected, it was close in many cases, with penalties required in two of Saturday’s eight semi-final games, but the first winners at this year’s Festival were Westella & Willerby JFC who lifted the boys' U10 title with a 2-0 victory over KC Barsa, whilst Barnsley Ladies took the girls' U10 honours with a 4-1 win against Llanmynech Lemurs.

They were followed closely afterwards by Priory Sports College who beat Greenacre School by a single goal in the U12 boys Final before the U12 girls showpiece rounded off Saturday’s action with a win for Crosspool Juniors against South Cave JFC.

On Sunday, it was the turn of the U14 and U16 teams to do battle and these groups proved just as competitive with both the U14s girls and U16s boys Finals being settled by penalties.

A thrilling encounter in the U14 boys Final saw Canon Palmer Catholic School beat Benjamin Britten High School by 3-2.

There wasn’t quite as much goal action in the U14 girls Final though, where it finished 0-0 between Conyers School and Ashmole School , but it was Conyers who emerged victorious thanks to a 3-2 win on penalties.

At U16 level, Brentford FC Community Sports Trust and Oakengates shared a 1-1 draw in the boys final, with Oakengates running out 4-3 winners after kicks from the penalty spot in that one.

In the U16 girls Final, it was Lea Valley who were winners courtesy of a single goal victory over AFC Preston to round off the competition.

Whilst there could only be eight winners of each group, all 75 teams who attended contributed to an excellent two days of Futsal.

Later that week, the same venue hosted some of the best Futsal teams in the country, as the Finals of The FA Futsal Cup took place at the Institute.

u 13 vs Abbey Lane

noreply@blogger.com (steph young) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 14:13:00 +0000

It was a beautiful morning and the prospect of a trip to Abbey Lane didn't spoil it. They have a lovely flat pitch, slightly narrow (there's about a yard between the edge of the box and the sideline) with no parking. They topped their division last year and so we weren't expecting it to be easy, and it wasn't. Both teams were keen from the whistle, with some great passing play from the Crosspool girls. AL scored first with a overhead ball which sliced the defense open and they took full advantage of the break. Crosspool equalised through a screamer from Lucy, a full on kick from way out on the lefthand side, into the top right corner, a fabulous goal. Play was clean and skilful on both sides, Crosspool having more of the possession and more chances on goal, with AL making snappy breaks through the middle. Tal was tireless on the wing, going infor, and winning some crunching tackles, 'the bigger they are the harder they fall' seems to be her motto,Cari, Eleanor, Leonie and Ellie were working hard to clear their lines and keep the ball down the other half. On the next attack, Kate bounced the ball of the back of one of their players to take Xpool into the lead, only for AL to equalise with another swift goal, ref judged the player to have been played onside, I'm not sure. Alaya had a good game, working hard in mid-field, supporting the forwards and yet not afraid to go up herself, she used her speed to pass the defense and then was aware of others on her team and passed the ball onwards effectively. Tyler took the ball up to the goal several times, through several waves of defensive players but was unable to convert today. Rebecca and Yas worked well together in the box to scored from the right and AL equalised again. Lucy scored her second goal in similar style to take Crosspool ahead. She had really found her form and had 4 more shots which the keeper would not have saved, but they went agonisingly wide. Hannah was quick to get the ball out of her area, responding to shouts from her team, or screams from RM !!! Finishing score line 4-3.

A good team effort again this week, well done everyone.

noreply@blogger.com (steph young) — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 21:39:00 +0000

u13s get off to a rip roaring start

noreply@blogger.com (steph young) — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 16:17:00 +0000

An impressive start to the season by the u13 girls, 9-0 against Worksop town. The Crosspool girls were on form, pushed forward from the whistle and dominated the play for the whole match. 10 minutes in the WT girls were getting a tad frustrated and a defender brought the ball down with her arm in the box. Lucy stepped up to the spot and slotted it away. You might say we gained a psychological advantage from that first goal, but I don’t think it really made a difference, the writing was on the wall already. Rebecca Miles took a beautiful last touch on the right side of goal to finish a run of passes starting at the mid-field. There were several other shots on goal saved by their keeper, and a few off-target ones ! Cari, Hannah(in goal), Eleanor and Leonie were not troubled too often, attacks were broken up, pushed off the sideline or the ball tackled away. Ellie had an ongoing tussle with a WT player, both were determined on the ball and it escalated to full-on barging, both giving as good as they got. Ellie side-lined many WT attacks with her shoulders.
The second half started with a 6 touch, 10 second goal, the first of Tyler’s hat-trick, embarrassingly easy; excellent football; great result. There were goals from Yas, Lucy, Tyler, then another penalty, handball in the area again, Hannah came out of goal to score that one, then there was another one from Tyler, and one from Yas. I seem to have missed a goalscorer, sorry, you’ll have to mail me and tell me who it was !
I think the keen start is due to the flurry of friendlies they played at the end of the summer and the fitness training they have obviously been doing. Keep it up Crosspool girls.

Crosspool u10s versus Manchester City

noreply@blogger.com (steph young) — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 13:29:00 +0000

Manchester City U10s 3 Crosspool JFC U10s 2

noreply@blogger.com (steph young) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 16:52:00 +0000

Crosspool JFC Girls Under 10s continued their preparations for their forthcoming Cup Final against Worksop Girls with a trip to Manchester to take on Manchester City Ladies’ Under 10s side. The game was agreed to be played in three 20 minute spells.

The City girls, like the Crosspool girls, are at the top of their own league, unbeaten and 3 points clear with a few games left to play, and have just won the Manchester 2008 Easter Tournament without conceding a goal, so we knew we were going to face a stern test. So it proved, as the match kicked off with Crosspool a little off the pace and the Manchester girls threatening to roll over us, with pace, power and technical ability throughout the side, combined with a fierce competitiveness. Some strong tackles from Ayesha Khan and Laura Ridal at the back and a couple of great saves by Crosspool’s Under 9s keeper Sophie Tomlinson (on loan for the evening to cover for the unavailability of the Under 10s’ regular keepers) steadied Crosspool’s nerves and allowed the midfield to start to win some possession and work the ball forward themselves.

The game was by no means one way traffic, although City had more of the possession and more shots. Nevertheless, it was Crosspool who took the lead in the second period through a good attacking move.

The City players were a handful in every department, and all the Crosspool players really had to step up a gear from what they have been used to in their own league. None of the players played badly, but several performed exceptionally well. Ayesha Khan was one who really answered the challenge laid down by City. An absolute warrior in defence and at the back of the midfield, she tackled bravely, distributed the ball well, and on several occasions made excellent recovery runs half the length of the pitch to shut down a break by the City girls. Well done, Ayesha! The rest of the Crosspool defence also stepped up to the mark, with captain Laura Ridal the usual rock at the back, frequently tackling girls twice her size with excellent timing, and Sophie Tomlinson in goal facing up bravely and competently to some intimidatingly powerful attacks. Eve Sharman in the centre of the pitch played excellently, and for a lot of the time kept City’s main threat under control. Eve was also a threat herself on the attack, linking up well with the wide players and with forward India Thompson-Carr. The wide players (Caty Murray, Lucy Cousins, Lucia Wood-Bonelli and Ellie Bird) all played well too, facing the toughest of combinations – pace, power and skill. Ellie in particular was very combative and played perhaps her best game yet for Crosspool. Up front, India faced for the first time defenders who could match her pace and also put in strong well-timed tackles. Nevertheless, India was always a threat and combined well with Eve especially to work paths through the Manchester defence. The City defence were fantastic, and it is hugely to the Crosspool attackers’ credit that they were able not only to score two goals but also to stretch them repeatedly, although in the end the sky blues’ defence was mostly up to the task. I firmly believe they knew they’d been in a serious contest by the end, though!

The opening goal came from quick Crosspool passing in the City goal-mouth, which saw India playing the ball to Caty, who dummied the ball through to Eve. Eve took the ball round the City keeper and stabbed it home.

Manchester City equalised late in the second period through their captain, a girl who was a constant threat while ever she was on the pitch not just because of her size and strength (she was probably twice the size of most of our girls) but also because of her technical ability and will to win.

A 1-1 result after two periods would have been a result to be proud of for Crosspool, but there was a third period to be played and unfortunately as Crosspool tired the City captain broke through twice more. At 3-1 behind, it looked again as though the floodgates might open, but India had other ideas. A corner was taken short by Ellie to Eve, who beat her marker and put in a strong cross, which was met by India with a cleanly taken volley into the City goal that brought the score to 3-2 and a respectable result for all. Player of the Match for Crosspool was a difficult decision, as all the Crosspool players had to play above themselves, and all played well. Overall, though, Ayesha’s contribution and attitude of absolute determination to compete for the team was second to none, and she gets the award this time.

Our thanks go to the Manchester City parents and manager for a warm welcome and an excellent game of football, and also to the referee provided by the home side, who was great.

Team: Sophie Tomlinson, Laura Ridal (captain), Ayesha Khan, Eve Sharman, India Thompson-Carr, Ellie Bird, Lucy Cousins, Lucia Wood-Bonelli, Caty Murray

Girls on Tour

noreply@blogger.com (steph young) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 20:01:00 +0000

You put your left foot in...

Two u12 girls teams went to Holland over the Easter Weekend, photos are availble on photobox, e-mail steph for the link.
The girls were playing in an under 13 tournament and came a creditable 8th and 16th, against some much bigger girls.

Under 9s vs Millmoor

noreply@blogger.com (steph young) — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 21:53:00 +0000

Team
Sophie Tomlinson
Charlotte Keir
Jessica Grant
Jeannie Banks
Lydia McCormack
Evie Herbert

After their first defeat against SWFC, title winning complacency had crept in with the girls. How would they respond to tougher training sessions? Can they get back to winning ways against the divisions in-form side?
All this looked impossible when the news filtered through that we had got only 6 players 6 vs 7, no subs and without their prolific goalscorer, Kira?
Go out, enjoy it and pass the ball were the instructions from the sidelines. The girls started with a 2-2-1 formation. The opening half was tense. Crosspool dominated with some great passing and movement but Millmoor looked dangerous on the break.
In the early exchanges Charlotte and Jessica showed how strong their defensive partnership has become. Tackle after tackle came in and they showed real maturity with clearances aimed at their forward players rather than just hoofing it up the pitch.
Evie was the the lone striker, always running into space and linking well with the industrious midfielders, Jeannie and Lydia.
2 well worked corners from Jeannie forced some early saves from the Millmoor keeper and Lydia and Evie went close with some long range shots.
Sophie in goal showed her value when she came well of her line to thwart 2 Millmoor breaks.
Half time 0-0
In the second half, being a player down showed for a few minutes with Crosspool looking tired. Sophie again protected the goal well with some great saves and an understanding of when to come off her line. Evie and Lydia linked up well as Crosspool broke and Lydia slotted a great through ball between two defenders and Evie scored low into the bottom left corner. The next 5 minutes were tense but the girls demonstrated a great understanding of the game by passing out of defence well and running into the corners to relieve the pressure. Jeannie broke with a forceful run and she shot low and hard across the keeper, the keeper saved but Evie followed up for her 2nd goal of the game with a great finish from the rebound. 2-0 Crosspool. With 6 minutes left Lydia was rewarded for her efforts with a great solo goal, running through tackles and finishing with power and accuracy to make it 3-0.
Jessica and Charlotte were like the great Milan partnership of Baresi and Costacurta in defence, their positioning and reading of the game were a joy to watch. Jeannie and Lydia had a 2nd half of total domination in midfield (Lampard and Gerrard could have learnt from their display). Evie was Rooney like up front, running tirelessly in the lone striker role.
This was the best performance of the season and the girls now look back on track. If they continue to play like this and keep listening to James and Mark at training then the league and cup double is possible and after last season that would be such a great achievement.

Tense Cup double over Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Randal) — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 14:47:00 +0000

The Crosspool Girls Under 9s and Under 10s pulled off a great double-headed cup quarter-final win over the Sheffield Wednesday girls.

In the first match, the Under 10s faced the Owls girls for the first time without the benefit of inspirational former captain Sam Tierney (now at the FA’s Centre of Excellence and unavailable for Crosspool matches), and that certainly allowed Wednesday to put Crosspool under much more pressure than ever before this season – the league fixtures were both wins for Crosspool, 4-2 and then 6-0. The game was very tight, with neither side scoring until well in the second half. After some early Crosspool threat, it was Wednesday who dominated the first half, with Crosspool continuing to look dangerous on the break, but it was the defences and the two goalkeepers who had the better of it.

The deadlock was broken by Eve Sharman for Crosspool, and top scorer India Thompson-Carr followed a few minutes later to give the home side a bit of a cushion. Even at 2-0 the Crosspool girls could not relax as, although the second half was much more even than the first, the Wednesday girls still looked very much capable of getting back into the game. The result reflected a game in which both sides played very good football, and Wednesday probably had the balance of the play, but Crosspool converted two of their chances whereas Wednesday failed to do so.

An excellent performance by the Crosspool team, and although the team shape was a little out in the first half, all the Crosspool players played well. There were some individual performances that stood out above even the general good standard. Greta Barber-Stones in goal made a number of vital saves and had a very good game. New captain Laura Ridal put in a towering performance in defence, especially in the siege conditions that prevailed for much of the first half. Eve Sharman was fantastic both attacking and defending in the middle of the pitch. However, all the players did well and this week “player of the match” was shared amongst all of them. Well done, girls!

Straight after this match had finished, it looked as though the same fixture was being replayed immediately, as the Crosspool and Sheffield Wednesday Under 9s took the field for their own Cup quarter final. The first half was much more in Crosspool’s favour than the first half of the Under 10s match had been, with Crosspool dominating, but Wednesday looking very dangerous on the break. Mind you, at least one excellent save from the Crosspool goalie was required to keep the sides level to half time.

Second half, the Wednesday girls pushed forward a bit more and things were fairly even, and it was Wednesday who broke the deadlock with a goal from a corner. It was then a case of all out attack from Crosspool, who had to get an equaliser to take the game to extra time. Fortunately the required goal was scored by Lydia in the last minute or so of normal time, much to the relief of the watching Crosspool parents.

1-1 at full time, and 5 minutes extra time each way, to be followed if necessary by penalties! The first period went by goal-less, and it was only a couple of minutes away from penalties when top scorer Kira Roberts rescued the Crosspool parents with a very well taken winning goal. 2-1 to Crosspool after extra time, and very much a fair result on balance, as both teams played very good football but Crosspool had the bulk of the attacking possession and generally a very solid defensive line. Player of the Match was Lydia, although again there were good performances throughout the team.

So a very good day at Coldwell Lane in the end (the Under 11s had started the day well, with a heavy league defeat of Whiston Wildcats before the Cup matches started), but one which has probably shaved years off the lifespans of many middle aged local residents (the Crosspool parents). There was obvious relief at the end of both matches – something that has not been the case generally this season for either team.

U9s Champions

noreply@blogger.com (Randal) — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 08:33:00 +0000

With a 3-0 win over Wickersley, the Crosspool Girls Under 9s secured the A division Championship for this season. Who would have thought, this time last season when this team’s record stood at played 11 won 1 lost 10 with a goal difference of -70, that they would so dominate the following year?

The young Wickersley players stood up well to the early Crosspool attacks and made some forward moves of their own, especially through a promising-looking new player in the No.8 shirt, and in particular the Wickersley keeper had an outstanding match, but Crosspool broke through late in the first half and went in 2-0 up, with two from Crosspool’s prolific top scorer Kira Roberts. A third goal in the second half from Evie Herbert finished things off, and Crosspool’s player of the match was Hannah Barnes.

The result gives the girls statistics of: played 12 drawn 1 lost none, goal difference +40, and puts them beyond the reach of challengers Sheffield Wednesday and Millmoor, with four matches still to play. Congratulations to all the girls, who have shown that they can cope equally well with both continuous defeats last season and repeated wins this time round, and enjoy their football throughout. Congratulations also to Team Manager James Barnes and Coach Mark Herbert, and everyone else involved with the team.

Sheffield Wednesday in the Cup on Saturday - a match to look forward to, after two very narrow wins for Crosspool over the Wednesday girls in the League.

Squad: Jeannie Banks, Hannah Barnes, Charlotte Keer, Lydia McCormac, Kira Roberts, Anna Grugel-Smith, Evie Herbert, Jessica Grant, Sophie Tomlinson, Betsy Middleton

U10s girls Champions again

noreply@blogger.com (steph young) — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 19:02:00 +0000

Crosspool JFC Girls Under 10s secured the A division championship today for the third season in succession, with a 6-0 away defeat of Dronfield Town A.
Even if second place Worksop Girls win all their remaining six fixtures and Crosspool lose all theirs, they can only draw level on points, and Crosspool have the better goal difference by 56 goals - while it's not technically mathematical, it's good enough for us. Four goals from team captain Sam Tierney, and one each from top scoring striker India Thompson-Carr and Emmily Antcliffe made up the result, with Crosspool's player of the match performance coming from Ellie Bird on the wing. Dronfield put up a good fight, and were unlucky to go behind after 10 minutes, to a penalty for handball in the area. Crosspool, though, were not to be denied a win today, even though they were made to work for it.

This team's record is very impressive - Under 9 double winners for two years in succession, and now league champions for the third year. So far this season the girls' league record stands at: played 13, won 13, scored 77, conceded 8. They are also still in the cup this season, and this record is just the most recent part of an unbeaten run in full length competitive matches that stretches back nearly two full seasons. The team's last defeat was at the hands of Under 9 cup and league runners up Wickersley Youth, who beat the Crosspool girls 3-1 on 4th February 2006. In fact the team's last competitive draw was also against Wickersley, on 25th March 2006.

During the course of this winning run, the team have lost two players already to the Centre of Excellence (Eleanor Goodwin and Megan Crehan), and their current captain Sam Tierney is also now being trialled for the CoE team. It may well be, therefore, that the remaining Crosspool girls will have to work harder if they want to extend their golden spell any further.

2005-6 season Girls U9s A division Champions Played 16 Won 14 Drawn 1 Lost 1 Scored 79 Conceded 14 Cup Winners

2006-7 season Girls U9s A division Champions Played 18 Won 18 Scored 138 Conceded 11 Cup Winners

2007-8 season (so far) Girls U10s A division Champions Played 13 Won 13 Scored 77 Conceded 8
Cup: Quarter Final -v- Sheffield Wednesday 19th January 2008

Squad:
Sam Tierney (Captain), Greta Barber-Stones, Laura Ridal, Eve Sharman, Ayesha Khan, Ellie Bird, Lucy Cousins, Alex Mair, Caty Murray, India Thompson-Carr, Lucia Wood-Bonelli, Emmily Antcliffe

girls u12s blown out of the cup

noreply@blogger.com (steph young) — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 17:38:00 +0000

There was no reason to lose this match. Wickersley are 10 points below us in the league and we have beaten them 3-1 and 4-1 before drawing 0-0 last week. I didn't see the first 10 minutes, but when I got there to find Crosspool losing 1-0, I expected the Crosspool girls to be fired up and pushing for the equaliser, they weren't. It was cold and windy, but that's the same for both teams. All I can say is that Wickersly were more determined; they chased every ball, went for 50/50 balls as if they would win them, challenged players with the ball and put pressure on. Some Crosspool players had moments of skill, some runs with good passing,each one showing that they have the skills to play much better football, if only they would believe it. When this team play at their best, Wickersley would be no match for them, yesterday, they deserved the win.

goal scoring kick

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Littler) — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 09:23:00 +0000

we was robbed

noreply@blogger.com (steph young) — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 15:43:00 +0000

Crosspool Juniors 1 - 2 Sheffield United

Crosspool started well and had early possession but failed to take advantage of some good chances, with Tyler having a good chance blocked by some good Sheffield United defending. Rebbeca almost made the possession count just before half time but a well taken shot was saved by the goalkeeper.

Crosspool started the second half as they ended the first and made the breakthrough when Yaz capped of a wonderful solo run with a great strike into the roof of the net.

Sheffield United took the game to Crosspool , taking advantage of the sloped pitch. Crosspool almost hung on after some rugged defending, however a deflected shot from just outside the area brought the equaliser.

That seemed to inspire Sheffield United and minutes later brought a good save from Bex, which was in vain as the clearance fell to Sheffield United player who floated the ball over everyone into the net.

Crosspool tried to get back into the game and had a few half chances from yaz and Alaya but just couldn’t find a way through as Crosspool fell to a harsh defeat.

4 - 2 win over Killamarsh

noreply@blogger.com (steph young) — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 15:38:00 +0000

Crosspool U11s went to Killamarsh with a clear message that they should not expect to win easily like they did in the first game of the season. And what happened, well, 2 minutes into the game, Killamarsh were winning 1-0 as the Crosspool girls were second to the ball and a long shot caught Emma slightly out of position having just taken the goal kick.

However, this was so early in the game, that it appeared to fire up the Crosspool girls and after a few minutes they began to dominate. Jessica had too much pace for the sluggish Killamarsh defence and broke clear only to hit the side netting. Before long she was clear of the last defender again and this time she scored. 1-1.

With Lucy still ill and Fionnuala somehow lost and not yet arrived (I must buy Keith an A-Z), Ellie started at the back and had a good game making the clearance when necessary.

Angel won numerous challenges in front of Ellie and Ann Marie after a dodgy start was again commanding in central midfield. The front three of Hannah, Chelsea and Jessica were spreading the ball across the pitch and stretching the Killamarsh defence. Jessica got a second and then a good pass gave Chelsea a clear view of goal and she hammered the ball into the net.

Killamarsh had some good possession and had a girl with a very long throw in which troubled our defence. Emma came and claimed the ball a number of times from throw ins and corners to remove the danger.

3-1 at half time and Crosspool were in the driving seat. In the second half, there were a number of other chances whereby the girls failed to play the final ball to the player running free towards goal, but the crucial thing is we are getting into those positions, the final pass will soon get there.

The girls adopted the corner routine we have been practising in training. One corner from Jessica was played back out towards her and she drove it back in from the edge of the box and it went straight into the corner of the net. 4-1 and game over. Killamarsh kept going well and scored a late goal as they were allowed another free shot at goal.

Well done girls. Barugh next, then we have Wednesday twice.

u12 11-a-side

noreply@blogger.com (steph young) — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 19:59:00 +0000

Sheffield 1 – Crosspool 2
Both teams had 11 players, just the right amount, some might say; I would prefer to start with a couple of spares and counting the players on the pitch became a feature of the game.
The teams were evenly matched, every ball was fought over and it took ingenuity to scrape the ball out of pockets of feet.
About 20 minutes into the first half, Yaz broke free from the pack and the keeper came out to block her off, she did her usual ‘ball one way – Yaz the other’ and was past the keeper with an open goal just yards away, she scored.
Crosspool had a few more chances in the first half which SU had managed to cut off with some desperate hacking in the box. Bex wasn’t troubled too much; Cari, Ellie and Sally did a fab job of clearing the ball or playing the off-side trap; when the ball did come to her, she took it confidently and fed it out to get Crosspool back on the attack. One scramble in the box saw the ball bounce up and hit Rebecca on the arm, a few minutes later (I know it's a difficult job) the ref decided that handball had occurred in the box and gave a penalty. We all held our breath, Bex got herself ready and went for the ball but it was high and hit the crossbar, there was a scramble to clear it and then it was back down the other end. The score stayed 1-0 ‘till half-time.
A bit uncomfortable for us; very uncomfortable for them.
Crosspool’s second goal came soon into the second half, from a lovely set of passes, mid-field through to Yaz, she outran a defender and went for goal, just as another defender was closing her down, she looked up and passed wide to Hannah; a couple of touches and GOAL!!!!
By now the SU girls and supporters were a bit fed-up. Cari cleared the ball down the line and then had her legs taken out from under her, she got up and stood indignantly, hands on hips, shouting ‘foul’ at the ref; luckily he agreed with her and the free kick was given.
SU snuck a goal, not sure how and then the battle really broke out. Both sets of girls were also brushing off injures to stay on the pitch if at all possible, a SU player got a ball in the face at close quarters, but she refused to leave the pitch, Sally made a tackle which stopped a SU attacker in full flow, unfortunately the player stood on her ankle and she had to come off. She went back on a few minutes later, brave girl.
I think it was 15 or 20 minutes from the end…. but they were up to the challenge and had several more chances, looking more likely to score again than united. A great match to watch with skilfull play and hard work on both sides.

u11 win puts them through to last 16 of cup

noreply@blogger.com (steph young) — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 19:56:00 +0000

Crosspool U11s got back to winning ways in the first round of the cup with a comfortable victory away against Division B Handsworth.
A 4-0 score-line did not entirely reflect the match, 7-3 would have been more realistic. Crosspool created a hatful of chances, but Handsworth have a very good goalkeeper who made some excellent saves. It was interesting to play a team at the bottom of Division B who have not yet won a game – it can only be a matter of time before they do as they played well as a team and were very unlucky not to score against us as there players ran at our girls and far too often got past them!
After 2 consecutive defeats, it was important the Crosspool girls got a good start to this game to regain their confidence and they did exactly that. After less than a minute a quickly taken throw in by Hannah allowed Jessica to run in behind the Handsworth defence. The ball was played across goal where Chelsea, all alone, buried it in the net, 1-0 to Crosspool. There was a clear chance for second within another minute as Jessica ran through the defence but then shot wide.
Handsworth slowly came back into the game and began to show their league position is unrealistic. Lucy produced some excellent clearances to stop Handsworth breaking through, but she was often left alone against Handsworth attackers and Emma was called upon to make a couple of good saves as the defence/midfield went walk about and when Handsworth did get past Emma they hit the outside of the post.
During these breakaways Crosspool had steadied the ship with a second goal direct from a corner by Hannah. So it was 2-0 at half time.
In the second half the game remained open with chances at both ends. The Crosspool girls need to improve their finishing and defending for next weeks game against Brampton. The pitch was quite large which helped some of Crosspool’s passing, but it also took its toll on the girl’s energy, with Hannah, Jessica and Chelsea all putting everything into the game and it was vital that we had one sub today to enable these players to be rotated round.
Two further goals in the second half, one from Jessica and then a second from Chelsea resulted in a 4-0 scoreline.
A good win, some good football and we are in the last 16 of the cup. Let’s hope for a favourable draw in the second round.

Handsworth again

noreply@blogger.com (steph young) — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 10:43:00 +0000

The score-line of 7-2 doesn't reflect the balance of the game. There was fairly even possesion, Crosspool showed some lovely passing, quick-thinking and sheer determination. However Handsworth capitalised on their chances and any slips in defending, whereas we were not able to covert. For example, Yas was unlucky to hit the far post, Lucy struck the re-bound which the keeper swept away, on the third attempt, the keeper caught the ball. The Crosspool girls showed their true fight, their heads stayed up throughout the match, if anything they stepped up a gear and really gave H a battle. Rebecca had on-going tussle with a tall H player, and as the pictures show, size is no object to winning the ball!!

Hannah's goal for the Under 12s

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Littler) — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 13:10:00 +0000

u12s home v Wickersley Youth

A fine Autumn morning, both squads at 11, no subs. Final result 4 -1 to Crosspool, goals from Hannah, Leonie and Lucy and, unfortunately an own goal. Their goal was from a penalty, we thought it was a bit harsh, ball to hand rather than intentional hand-ball. Bexs dived across the goal but it slipped in past her outstretched hands.A cracking game, with skilful players on both teams. A full report from Mark later.

u9s celebrating a 5-2 win over Millmoor

noreply@blogger.com (steph young) — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 10:52:00 +0000

A brace of braces for Yas

noreply@blogger.com (steph young) — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 08:07:00 +0000

Dronfield away
A 4-1 win over Dronfield has the Crosspool girls back on winning form. Yaz score 4 this week, well done to her for decisive finishing.I think it was the team talk before the match that did it !

" and as for you, get up there and put the ball away"

not the result we wanted

noreply@blogger.com (steph young) — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 16:04:00 +0000

Crosspool vs Handsworth

Squad : Beccs, Tal, Cari, Lucy, Hannah, Sally, Ellie, Eleanor, Rebecca, Yas, Alaya, Kate.
The American football final is called the superbowl. The pitch at High Storrs is a bowl but it is certainly not ‘super’. As last year’s u13s will testify, it is far from ideal. Anyway, enough grumbling about that, onto the match.
There were 2 girls making their debut for Crosspool today, Rebecca and Sally, and the team haven’t played together in this format before. As you can see, I’m getting the excuses in first.
Handsworth started well and scored the first within 2 minutes. To be fair, most of the Crosspool girls were watching to see where Rebecca’s boot would land, as it had come off when she cleared the ball from the box.
Ian (who was reffing) had to have a word with a H player who pushed the ball back into play, even though she was a sub at the time !!. The next goal was a long shot into the box which Beccs had covered, but it bounced and went over her head. As Xpool were attacking, Yas thought the ball had gone out of play and picked it up to take a quick throw-in. unfortunately, the ball had just crossed the side-line of the keeper’s box and a free-kick was given. The next free-kick was for a H player who trapped the ball with both forearms across her chest, I totally understand why…but a free-kick was given. Handsworth earned themselves a corner and the 12th xpool player came into play, ‘she’ blocked the ball and prevented the cross…unfortunately a tree is not allowed to play and so the corner had to be taken again lol. Very soon H scored another goal, can’t tell you how, I was busy buying a raffle ticket…. that reminds me… who won?
Crosspool did show some of their skills, there a few runs of good passes, Lucy to Cari forward to Kate across the width of the pitch, Sally and Hannah were up and the H keeper had to make a save. A little later Tal put Yas through the H defence, but she was off-side. Ian blew his whistle and then the H supporters told him that she was off-side, quite loudly and pointlessly, since play had been stopped. Kate had some nice runs up the wing. Eleanor did her usual trick of pushing players wide until the ball went off the pitch and Ellie was clearing the line. Xpool had a shot which went wide, and they found a bit of confidence. Ian was having a difficult time, supporters trying to tell him his job, having to run up and down, eventually it all got too much for him and he lay down on the pitch for a kip. Well, ok, he fell over backwards and got a round of applause. Beccs made a fab save just before the end of the first half, she was running to the right to cover a ball when a shot went past her, it would have gone in but she stuck out a leg and pushed it wide. Going into half-time 4-0 was not really in the game plan, we wanted to see the girls working together and showing off more of their skill and talents, what ever was said had some effect as soon into the second half, Tal made a fab pass to put Alaya through the defensive line, she pushed the ball forward and ran after it, the H defenders looked like they were glued to the floor as she scampered pass them, just the goalie to beat….. and she kept her cool to slot the ball home HOORAY.
H scored 2 more. Then Alaya had another go at out running the opposition, she did the same thing, but unfortunately her shot went wide.
Rebecca scored on her debut for the club, there was a goal-mouth scuffle and the ball came back to Rebecca, who shot through the forest of legs past the unsighted keeper HOORAY again.
H scored 2 more and then the post match talking started……..

Under 12s smiling despite an 8 - 2 defeat

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Littler) — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 12:40:00 +0000