Championes, Championes...Ole Ole Ole!
This afternoon, it was the boys’ turn to head up to St George’s for a 7-a-side football competition. The children were VERY excited to step out onto the pitch in glorious sunshine and spend the afternoon playing football in an attempt to win a cup that Southill had never won before…
We began the competition with five group-stage matches. Here’s how we got on…
Game 1 – St George’s FC 0-4 Southill
Goals: Archie x1, Finn x1, Arlo x2
A slow start, but once Southill found their rhythm, the children began to play some tidy football and never looked back.
Game 2 – Southill 3-0 St John’s
Goals: Bryce x1, Archie x1, Jossy x1
After five minutes, it seemed as if it was going to be “one of those games” where the team did everything but score. Arlo hit the crossbar, while Jossy and Stanley both dragged shots narrowly wide of the post. However, once the first goal went in, we relaxed and played some fantastic football. A solid start to the group stages!
Game 3 – Southill 3-2 Bincombe
Goals: OG, Jossy x1, Archie x1
A game that should have been comfortable ended up being rather nail-biting! A commanding start saw us race into a 2-0 lead before Bincombe pulled one back after a back pass found its way into our own net.
Southill restored the two-goal cushion after Finn was fouled in the box and Jossy confidently smashed the penalty high into the roof of the net. In the dying embers of the game, a long toe-punt from the Bincombe defender sailed over everyone and into the back of the net. Thankfully, the whistle blew moments later and we held on for the win thanks to some solid defending from Harry, Bryce, Toby and Luca.
Game 4 – Southill 0-0 St Nics
Our bogey team! We made an extremely positive start and piled on the pressure, creating plenty of chances, but St Nics defended bravely throughout. Still, we remained undefeated.
Game 5 – Southill 8-0 St Augustine’s
Goals: Jossy x2, Finn x2, Arlo x2, Archie x1, Zac x1
We were faultless. Great passing and movement allowed Southill to zip the ball around the pitch with real flair and confidence, and this time we buried every chance that came our way! A fantastic way to end the group stages.
After a quick look at the standings, it turned out that the goals scored in the final match were extremely important. With both Southill and St Nics finishing on four wins and one draw, our superior goal difference meant we earned a bye into the semi-finals, skipping the quarter-finals altogether…
After the quarter-finals were completed, we were paired with Bincombe once again following their surprise victory over Radipole. Having conceded two goals to them earlier in the afternoon, we knew there was no room for error and that we needed to remain fully focused.
It was a very cagey game. Southill dictated possession brilliantly and created chance after chance. Bryce struck the crossbar from the halfway line, Toby’s long-range effort drifted narrowly wide, and Arlo’s fierce shot was spilled by the goalkeeper. FINALLY, one of our chances fell kindly to Archie, who reacted quickest to poke the ball home underneath the keeper.
Every goal-kick from Bincombe was launched long up the pitch and, unfortunately, one managed to sail all the way in. Extra time was needed…
We knew we were the better team and, through resilience and teamwork, the boys were determined to avoid penalties. A bit of luck in the final few minutes saw Finn’s quick corner deflect off a Bincombe defender and into the back of the net. With brave defending in the closing stages, particularly from Harry at the back, Southill held on to reach THE FINAL — the first time we had ever achieved this!
Our opponents in the final were St George’s United, and we knew it would be a tough contest.
After only a few minutes, Southill’s luck struck again. A shot from Jossy near the halfway line deflected off a defender’s head, wrong-footing the goalkeeper, and suddenly we found ourselves 1-0 up!
Just 30 seconds later, our goalkeeper produced a phenomenal save, diving full stretch to tip a blistering shot around the post.
Unfortunately, we lacked a little composure during the closing minutes. While trying to keep possession, St George’s won the ball near our penalty area and their striker calmly slotted into the bottom corner to make it 1-1.
Emotions were running high and the game was on a knife edge.
With one minute remaining, Luca’s free-kick from our own half caused chaos and confusion in the St George’s defence. The ball ricocheted off a defender’s leg and the goalkeeper had no time to react as Southill regained the lead at 2-1!
The final minute seemed to last an eternity but, EVENTUALLY, the final whistle blew and #TheMightySPS were crowned St George’s Cup champions!
A huge thank you to Rich and Alan from St George’s for organising such a fun and enjoyable competition.
Thank you as well to Claire, Chelsi and Laura for kindly transporting the children over to St George’s.
A special thanks to Steph for her brilliant note-taking, which made it possible to write such a detailed report on the children’s tournament success
A massive thank you to every parent and grandparent who came along to cheer on the team today. Your passion and support meant the world to the children, and it was wonderful to see them lifting the trophy in front of you all.
Finally, thank you to the team for every tackle, cross, shot, pass and sprint. Your determination, teamwork and effort ensured that we returned home from Portland with another trophy to add to the cabinet!
Tom
St George's Cup - Boys
