The Under 15s 2008/9
DIVISION 2 Runners Up

At the time of last year’s Presentation evening we were still waiting to hear how the League intended divvying up the points of Greenford Celtic’s home game against Isledon Wolves. It had been abandoned after the players began brawling on the pitch. If Greenford got all three we were heading for our second demotion on the bounce: first to third in two easy steps. As it was they shared them. We stayed up, along with old rivals Greenford and despite finishing runners up, Isledon Wolves disbanded.

With that wee scare behind us, it was nevertheless hard to know what to expect of the new season. Our league performance had been admittedly poor, but we had topped off the season with a good run in the Supplementary Cup. As we assembled for pre-season training we attracted some promising new recruits, not least a striker hungry to score goals and we put together a good run of friendlies including a 5-3 win over the then Division 2 Champions FC Roundwood.

But even once the season started messages were mixed. We began by crashing undeservedly out of the Harrow Cup, loosing 1-0 to Bedfont. We had all the chances, but they snuck a goal. We corrected this with a good win against AFC Ruislip thrashing them 6-1. Then, on a wet windswept morning, we again failed to score and went out of Middlesex Cup, allowing to FC Roundwood to avenge their summer defeat.

In the run up until Christmas we won five games out of six, dropping points only to the league leaders Pinnacle, in a tight hard fought game settled by a single goal. Along the way we had beaten teams like Hampstead and Lyndhurst who had enjoyed easy victories over us last season.

Unfortunately, the weather then broke our momentum making us wait until the last weekend of January for our first game of the year. Kitted out in new shirts sponsored by the Communications Worker’s Union (CWU), we little earned them, turning in a lacklustre performance to deservedly lose 3-1 away to LNER.

Snowbound February allowed us no league games at all. In March and April, we lost almost as many games as we won. We defeated LNER in the home fixture; completed the double over Greenford and Hampstead; lost narrowly to Pinnacle; were embarrassed by Actual Soccer and AFC Ruislip; inexplicably managed only a draw at Hanwell and for the first time ever won a game against Pitshanger.

All this time Actual Soccer had been quietly accumulating wins, gradually gaining on us until we could feel their hot breathe on our necks. With one game to go after the defeat by AFC Ruislip we still needed a point from the home fixtureagainst Pitshanger. But they were unable to field a team and the season ended in a whimper as they forfeited, giving us the points to confirm our position as League Runners-up.

1.Pinnacle
P18 W14 D02 L02 GD61 PTS44
2.Pinner Albion
P18 W12 D01 L05 GD29 PTS37
3.Actual Soccer
P18 W11 D01 L06 GD33 PTS34

It was perhaps just as well Pitshanger were unable to play. The condition of our main pitch, bad enough at the start of the season for the Bedfont coach to protest to the referee about it, is if anything worse. This despite the best efforts of coaches Dave, Charlie and some of the dads to fill the pot holes with soil and turf. Persuading Harrow Council to repair it or finding the means to do it ourselves has to be a priority over the summer break.

Talking of dads, once again we have been extremely well supported by the parents. The net team, John and Jackie O’;Dowd, Michael Stavrides and occasionally some of his relatives accomplished their task with such aplomb they did not mislay a tent peg. Michael and John regularly ran the line too, along with Andy Fox who also refereed a difficult away game against Actual Soccer on an Artic morning at the Scrubs. He then donated the fee Actual insisted on paying him to the club. While other teams have had to forfeit away games due to lack of transport, these same parents have ferried our players back and forth across north London. When Andrew Simmonette was left forgotten outside a pub, Tony McKee rang his wife Julia, told to her stop packing beach attire for their holiday and speed Andrew to the ground –; which she did arriving only ten minutes after kick off. Last, but not least, thanks to Doreen Fowlie, our regular Nell Gwynn who this year branched out into confectionary to distribute Jelly Babies along with the oranges at half time.

It has been a good season by and large, so it is a shame it ends on a sad note. Dave Hudson (R) and Charlie Brazil (L) have decided to hang up their tracksuits after five years of coaching the team. We would like to thank them for their hard work, dedication, knowledge and enthusiasm – it has been a pleasure gentlemen.

It was their trades union, the Communications Workers Union that sponsored our shirts. Thanks to them for that and the union too.

THE PLAYERS:
[NB: The player statistics after each individual report is accurate, unlike the team statistics at end - generated by the website, which inexplicably became increasingly inaccurate as the season wore on.]

The great bonus of having new shirts is that at last every player has a unique number. So taking advantage of this:

1. David Fox - Goalkeeper
Nothing improves a goalkeeper’;s averages like a good defence. Last season David had to work too hard, attempting to save too many balls that should never have reached him for too little reward. This season, with a confident back four in front of him he has not only helped to drastically bring down the number of goals conceded, he has been able to develop other aspects of his game. He has always been commanding organising a wall or preparing to defend a corner, but this season he has increasing used his vantage point at the top of the pitch to boss, encourage and warn his defenders of danger. This has done much to improve their overall performance. He has also shown great courage and tenacity in his determination to continue playing to the very end of the season despite nursing a niggling back injury.

League Statistics: App 15 Sub 0 Goals 0 Assists 0 POM 1

2. David McGregor - Full Back/Striker
David is fast – very fast indeed – very likely one of the fastest players in the league and being built like a bull he is capable of barging into an opposition’;s box to treat it like a china shop. It is a useful attribute as he proved coming on as a sub to score against LNER. In defence he’;s tough and fast enough to chase down any forward impertinent enough to get passed him. He was POM playing at the back against Greenford Celtic A, keeping us in the game early in the second half with a couple of goal line clearances. If he has a failing it is his tendency to mourn an error with full honours. He would do well to remember the most important touch of the ball is always the next one. Mind you, one or two others in the squad could bear that in mind too.

League Statistics: App 7 Sub 4 Goals 2 Assists 2 POM 1

3. Andrew Simmonette - Centre Half
Last year Andrew was voted Player’s Player and this year, working in partnership with Adam Stavrides he has put together another series of consistently good performances. As if to demonstrate this, he won POM in our dreadful away game to LNER, being as about the only player bothered enough to put in full blooded performance for a whole 80 minutes. It has been an extraordinary turn around. Two years ago he struggled to get a place, now it is hard to imagine the team without him and he was only held back on the bench for a few weeks while he recovered after injuring his coccyx. What is more he is a good sport. When we were forced to play Hanwell on a weekend David Fox was absent, Andrew took his place in goal – when that was, we belatedly remembered to fetch him.

League Statistics: App 12 Sub 3 Goals 0 Assists 1 POM 1

4. Rahaul Pawar - Full Back
Rahaul is the consummate defender, good whether he on the left, right or the centre of defence. And he has done all three this season. He was twice POM helping to secure our first clean sheet of the season against Greenford Celtic A and for battling ceaselessly in the miserable defeat in a blizzard against Actual Soccer at the Scrubs. “;He’;s just brilliant,”; said coach Dave Hudson, “;our best reader of the game.”;
Need we say more?

League Statistics: App 14 Sub 1 Goals 0 Assists 0 POM 2

5. Adam Stavrides - Centre Half/Centre Mid
Ironically, by the end of last season Adam had been shoehorned into playing in defence though he saw himself more as a midfielder. And for the first few months of this season he stayed there, teamed with Andrew and did such a good job, the coaches were perversely tempted to remind themselves of what he could do further up the pitch. A good deal as it happens, not least when he blasted in a long range shot to break the deadlock in our vital home game against LNER. On top of this he twice won POM. All his good work however, pales against the memory of what he did on a sunny Sunday morning in Regent’;s Park against Hampstead. He struck an amazing bullet of a free kick that surprised everyone not least Hampstead’;s defenders on the goal line as it shot over their heads into the top corner. The game was already won, but that moment was the cherry on top.

League Statistics: App 16 Sub 0 Goals 3 Assists 1 POM 2

6. Blake Antwi - Full Back
There is no doubting Blake’s commitment to the team – if nothing else he has to travel miles to get to training. And unlike every other player in the squad he can get himself to an away game too. This self-reliance and determination comes out in his attitude on the pitch and when he trains. In fact he is one of the few Saturday jokers with the maturity to know the jest is only really funny if you are working hard as well. He has profited from this, being the only player to move up from likely sub to regular starter. He was the hero at Lyndhurst, battling to the end with a bloody nose to come off POM. He has made the right back spot virtually his own.

League Statistics: App 9 Sub 3 Goals 0 Assists 0 POM 1

7. Maten Zazai [Vice-Captain] - Central Midfielder
Mr Dependable, it is a wonder he has not been named POM once this season. Almost everything that was written about him last year could be mentioned again: his vision and ability to pass accurately making him a holding midfielder who can distribute the ball well. If anything since Christmas he has improved on last season. He was particularly good in the tight home game against Pinnacle. Also he has a great attitude. Able to play in defence as well as midfield, since the introduction of rolling subs he has proved the ideal player to bring on and take off as the game develops. He never forgets he is vice captain and encourages the players on the pitch and from the sidelines.

League Statistics: App 10 Sub 6 Goals 0 Assists 4 POM 0

8. Najib Zalmai - Winger
Najib is one of the surprisingly good recruits we attracted in the summer break. With players like David Mc and Robbie already in the squad, we have always been a fairly quick team, but this season we were one of the fastest teams in the Division and it is new players like Najib and Henry with bundles of pace who have given us that. Since winning POM in our early home game against Actual Soccer, Najib has established himself as our regular right winger, his fifteen starts testifying to this. Although a fairly quiet player off the pitch, he does have a tendency to loose his temper when playing, something he will have to watch as he gets older and referees become more inclined to show a red or yellow card. That said, his restraint in the face of some deliberately unpleasant racial abuse at Lyndhurst last November, should not be forgotten.

League Statistics: App 15 Sub 1 Goals 1 Assists 0 POM 1

9. Robbie Fowlie - Winger/Striker
Strictly speaking, that should be attacking midfielder. There are few greater pleasures than watching Robbie sweep in on a defence and after a weave and a touch split them open with a well judged pass. Less pleasurably, if nothing comes of it, he then meanders back, pretending not to hear coach Dave shouting: “Robbie get back and defend!” It is almost a chant. The irony is, on those occasions when he does get back and help out he has enough pace to catch most forwards and enough guile to at least jockey them into an error. Unquestionably, his best game was the home match against LNER. He was resilient, aggressively in command of his talent, took a penalty with aplomb and worked up and down the wing exactly as he is always asked. If he does not want to be substituted towards the end of matches, when the team needs to be defensive, he needs to do that more often.

League Statistics: App 12 Sub 1 Goals 9 Assists 5 POM 1

10. Tom O’Dowd - Central Midfielder/Striker
If Forrest Gump’s mother liked football, she would probably say Tom was like a box of chocolates – you never know which one you are going to get. Because Tom lives a life full of peril. He is accosted by growth spurts that strain his muscles and waylaid by curb stones that stub his toes. But if you are lucky, you get a fully fit Tom, a player the others are measured against. He can play anywhere and will chase down any ball. For years we played him in midfield, because he did it so well. Then, facing a goal shortage, we pushed him up front and he scored enough to win Golden Boot. This year while trying Adam in the midfield, we put him in defence and he fitted in well there. He is our second highest scorer with the second highest number of assists. It is good to get the one you want.

League Statistics: App 12 Sub 3 Goals 13 Assists 8 POM 0

11. Luke Brazil - Central Midfielder
Until a few weeks ago there was a danger this would read like a repeat of last years report, commiserating with Luke for a season plagued by injury, illness and bad luck. Then, in late March he enjoyed a few good training sessions and started in the away game against Hampstead. Positioned in the midfield, he played to his strengths. Although he is not among the faster players, he used his experience to hold his position and unlike some actually stayed put so he was there to block attacks and clear the ball with his big left footed kick. Since then he has sustained this form both at training and most noticeably in our last win against Pitshanger. Long though the season was, Luke would probably have preferred it to have lasted longer still.

League Statistics: App 4 Sub 3 Goals 0 Assists 0 POM 0

12. Kieran Francis - Central Midfielder
Strictly speaking Kieran is a midfielder, but he is always keen to put the needs of the team first and has played up front and in defence too. He has a lot of pace, nice skills and is long recognised as one of the best tacklers in the team. All in all he is a handy player to have. Yet as his stats show, he starts as often on the bench as he does out on the pitch. He knows why, and will likely shrug and laugh now it is mentioned again: a lack of end product. He will beat two or three players and instead of passing the ball and finding space will be tempted to take on one or two more until in the end he gets boxed in. With so some much ability and such a great squad spirit, it is enough of a waste to be criminal.

League Statistics: App 8 Sub 8 Goals 2 Assists 2 POM 0

14. Khoury Taylor - Striker
We have been keeping an eye out for a striker for years. Had Khoury joined a couple of seasons ago he might well have played more. As it is he joined at the start of this season and came up against Matty and Tom who, especially before Christmas, were on blistering form. Nevertheless, he has still managed to tuck away five handy goals. When he puts his mind to it and works hard he can add potency to any attack as he demonstrated in the away game against Pitshanger. Coming on for the last ten, he used his size and strength to intimidate their tired defence and provided the assist that led to the winner. However, if he wants to play more regularly, he needs to work harder and to develop a greater sense of squad spirit.

League Statistics: App 3 Sub 8 Goals 5 Assists 1 POM 0

15. Matty Fforde - Striker
Matty’s arrival at the end of last season seemed to almost immediately signal an upturn in our fortunes. Here was a striker who not only wished to score goals, but had a hunger and the ability to match. We got proof of this on the second Saturday he came training. We had agreed to round off with a practice match against our Premiership topping Under 16s. They were a little blasé. We kicked off, going on the attack with Matty to the fore. He got into the box and shot. The goalie parried the ball only for Matty to dash in and determinedly blasted it between the posts. Although the Under 16s did eventually win the game, they took us a lot more seriously after that, just as our own Division were forced to do this season. In the run up to Christmas, often paired with Tom, Matty went on a fantastic run, creating a new club record when got to three hat tricks in three consecutive league games. Naturally reserved, he is quiet off and on the pitch, our “;silent assassin” as Dave calls him and although he has not scored quite as regularly since the new year he has still run out winner of the Golden Boot. What is more, he also had the most assists.

League Statistics: App 14 Sub 1 Goals 17 Assists 9 POM 1

16. Shamarr Green - Striker & Central Midfielder
Last year while lamenting his season, we noted: “;It is hard not to like and admire Shamarr; he is brave and enthusiastic often making a tackle others might have shied away from.”; And some things do not change. He has still got a great attitude and as a reward for his persistence his season got better as it went on. Over the years Shamarr has played everywhere, up front down the middle even volunteering for goal Until recently he had been playing at the back and looking increasing uncomfortable there, so we tried him back up front. With his usual tenacity, he had been scoring in training, almost drowning in a puddle to get one and was often only a whisker away from tucking the ball away during a match. His best performance however, was as a holding midfielder in our recent away draw against Hanwell when he picked up POM. Perhaps that is the place to start next season.

League Statistics: App 1 Sub 8 Goals 0 Assists 0 POM 1

17. Tiago Campos [Captain] - Central Midfielder
Tiago is a first class captain who takes the job of motivating the team very seriously. Never more so than before our home game against LNER. They had beaten us badly on their home ground in the first game of the New Year and were threatening to take the second spot from us. The night before the match Tiago searched the internet for photographs of sporting champions, some celebrating victory, some despairing in defeat. He printed them up and in the huddle before kick off gave them out to the players asking, “What do you want to feel at the end of the game?” We won 4-1 and LNER manager congratulated us on an outstanding team performance. Not a bad captain then, and a pretty good player too. He is a determined tackler and passes neatly. In fact, as the season has gone on his play matured and he has become a better distributor of the ball. Although he is not keen on playing in defence, he has done and when we needed a stand in goalie for ten minutes it was Tiago who stepped forward keeping a clean sheet too. If he is looking to improve, as captain he might be more vocal during matches and as a player not to be so hesitant about shooting when near the box. There is also the question of his penalties…;but, we do not want to spoil his evening…

League Statistics: App 15 Sub 1 Goals 2 Assists 7 POM 2

20. Henry McKee - Defender & Striker
Henry was only signed up a few weeks before Christmas. Despite coming highly recommended and being an obvious athlete (he apparently plays a mean game of tennis) there was a timidity about him in practice matches that had us hesitating to sign him. Thank goodness we were persuaded to change our minds. Almost as soon he signed up he began playing with greater gusto and was soon getting regular starts. Although he professes to be a striker he has, putting the needs of the team first, played mostly at the back. Henry is tall and imposing, fast enough to chase down and jockey, although he could be a harder tackler, and has a hefty kick that can send a clearance high and far. He can score too. He brought the ball down the wing to get a great individual effort in the friendly against St Joseph’s A and he is also responsible for our two jammiest league goals of the season: he struck a thunderbolt from out side the box that AFC Ruislip’s goalie initially caught, then dropped and let roll over the line; and against Hampstead, after he kicked the ball high in the air, it landed just in front of their goalie, bounced up over his head beyond arms reach and bobbled into the goal. Hey, they all count.

League Statistics: App 8 Sub 2 Goals 2 Assists 1 POM 0

The team photo was taken on 26th January 2009 before our first match in our new CWU shirts - the away defeat against LNER.
Back Row L-R: Andrew Simmonette; Najib Zalmai; Tiago Campos(Captain); Tom O’Dowd; David Fox; Henry McKee; Rahaul Pawar; Khoury Taylor. Front Row L-R: Blake Antwi; Shamarr Green; Maten Zazai; Adam Stavrides; Kieran Francis; David McGregor; Matty Fforde. Luke Brazil & Robbie Fowlie were injured.