Towards the end of the season, our Academy teams continued to find time for some matches, despite their busy schedules due to lots of re-arranged club games.
Year 4 vs Sylvans –
As they head closer towards the BWCI tournament, the Academy U9s have had regular matches to keep them working and improving as a group. Another test was against the Sylvans U10s who gave them a competitive 7-a-side match on the 3G pitch at the KGV. The match was close all the way to the end, and both teams had strong spells that could have led to the result going either way.
Year 4 vs Saints –
A month later the group headed for an ‘away fixture’ up at Blanche Pierre Lane against St. Martins. The Academy side took a solid lead in the first half (played over two quarters), but Saints fought back in the second half to keep the score close. The Academy 4s stepped up their game again late on, but will have to learn to be wary of the momentum that other teams can gain when they step off their game slightly.
5s vs Vale Rec –
The Academy U10s also had an away day fixture, travelling to the Corbet Field to play Vale Rec U11s. This was played as a 9-a-side match, as opposed to the 7-a-side that they played earlier in the year. The group will step up to 9-a-side next season with their club and for Academy/Island representation, so it was an opportunity to give them a taste of this format early on.
The team performed extremely well given their lack of experience in the shape and positions that they were required to take on a much larger pitch. Vale Rec came away with the victory, but the game was extremely close, and our group would have gained a lot from the experience in this test.
6s vs Rovers -
After a successful Muratti win and an Easter break, the U11s returned to the KGV to once again take on Rovers U12s. The U11s had certainly made some improvements in the previous months, and buoyed by a win over Jersey, they started the game full of confidence, hitting the woodwork twice in the early stages. Rovers still posed a threat at the other end, and after missing a couple of good chances, won a penalty and took a 1-0 lead. The Academy side continued to stay positive however, and after pushing for an equaliser in the second half, they managed to not only do that, but go on and score a second goal to take a 2-1 win. Despite Rovers resting some players late on, this was a fantastic performance given that Rovers would go on to win the Corbet Cup a few weeks later.
7s vs Rangers –
The U12s took on an U13 Rangers side in April, hoping to translate some of the hard work from training into a match situation. The Academy side came up against a very determined Rangers team who played some attractive football. Rangers had some success down their right flank and eventually made their pressure tell with a well worked goal. The Academy side were also playing some nice football, but just couldn’t put away their key chances and the game finished 1-0.
7s vs Sylvans -
In April, the Year 7’s once again had the chance to step up against an U13 club side. This time they travelled up to St. Peters to take on a Sylvans side, fresh off a cup victory. The game started at an intense pace, with both teams battling for dominance in midfield. The game went back and forth and both teams regularly carved out decent opportunities to score. Sylvans had a narrow lead in the second half and had their goalkeeper to thank for a number of excellent saves to keep the Academy side out. The pressure began to tell however, and a quickfire double gave the GFA side a lead which they held through to the end. There was even time for an Academy outfield player to go in goal and make a terrific point blank save.
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