Joukkueet

Manager's Report - 2020/2021 Season

What a season for the Southside Lions U11s, definitely a season of 2 halves!

We started the season in the top league following a very successful season 2019/2020. However, the transition to 9-a-side and losing Ollie Durrant to Cheltenham Town meant that we had to onboard 4 new players and we really struggled. In fact, we got battered. Lots. Ollie is a very talented player and it became apparent that we were reliant on his ability to hold the ball in midfield, as well as his goal tally and we really suffered.

However, one of the things that Colin and I started to work on at the end of the season 2019/20 was morale, and this carried through to the start of the new season. Despite losing every week, the boys heads did not drop, in fact they seemed happier even though we weren’t winning. This made training and matches much easier to coach. The boys listened during training and we worked hard on the weaknesses and exploiting our strengths.

The focus was to stop conceding goals, so we started with the keeper and defensive line. Ilias, Joe, Max and Zach really took onboard what was asked of them, shutting down attacks and moving as unit. We finally ground out a draw against the Pumas (a really good side.) and it was the start of our revival.

Over the following months, we focussed on breaking as a unit through midfield and strikers. After, being relegated to the second division we started winning again. The team were playing some lovey football and worked really hard for each other. As we headed towards the end of the season, team morale was high, and we came third in the league and second in the Charton Rovers tournament.

One of the things I have been saying to the boys during the team talk before matches, is that they are better than they think they are. So, it was great to see the boys finally realising their potential. Although losing in the tournament final was heart-breaking, it was the best I’ve seen them play as a team. The passing and movement through the team was very strong and a couple of the matches, it looked like we were coasting.

Team Awards...

1. Clubman – Max Green
2. Player’s Player – Leo Hancock
3. Most Improved – Zach Phillips
4. Manager’s Player – Raffy White
5. Golden Boot – Finley Martin

Well done Lions, I look forward to next season!