Flames v Calne Youth

Flames 5 Calne Youth 1 (HT Flames 1 Calne Youth 1)
Man Of Match: Josh C

A magnificent team performance against a very tough Calne team. The Flames gradually made their team effort pay after a hard fought first half ended with a Calne goal a minute before the break. The new 4-3-3 formation worked well for the team, and allowed the Flames to defend in Calne's half throughout the second period, offering lots of pressure and chances on goal.

Once again the Flames looked dangerous from corners, with Sam C twice hitting the bar and then a header cleared off the line. Time well spent on the practice ground, the boys are executing to the plan very well.

The players each said they wanted to 'Play Well' today and this was something which each one of them was able to take from a game of great effort, focus and commitment. Our best performance of the season, and one which was very uplifting for the Chris and myself. - Pride, Passion and Belief present in bucket fulls. Well done boys be proud of your performance.

Things to work on:-

• Continue to work off the ball, remember - more time spent off it than on it
• Getting goal-side after possession is lost
• Midfield to wait on the outside of the space behind the attack, don't get impatient and close
  

You were all 'Stars' this week - some notable performances:-

Ryan G
Commanded the defence with authority. Getting stronger each week. Good positioning and able to recover when the defence was broached. Made some key saving tackles, great sweeping.

Sam W
A good game in an unfamiliar position. Stood up well when joining the match at a time when Calne were pressurizing our defence. Kept things simple and clean, tackled well when needed.

Dan T
Looked confident at Right Wing back. Few opportunities to get forward during this game, but held his position well to keep the defence balanced. Supported Ryan as we moved the ball forward into the Calne half.

Sam C
A great game at the Centre of Midfield. Got up and down the pitch very well. Always in the thick of the play, carrying or passing the ball forward. A superb goal to open our account - a 20 yard curler into the top corner - goal of the season so far.

Adam D
Played strong defence in the first half and linked well with ED M and Chris L when playing up front during the second. A superb cross to lay on the best team goal we've scored this season.

Josh C
Worked hard down the left hand side of Midfield. Won tackles and stopped play. Drove forward with the ball when offered room to run. Scored two good goals and created huge danger with some excellent corner taking.

Flames v Trowbridge Wanderers

Flames 2 Trowbridge Wanderers 5 (HT Flames 1 Trowbridge Wanderers 4)
Man Of Match: Adam V

A disastrous first 10 minutes saw the Flames concede 3 quick goals. For the next 10 minutes the players gradually got back to their shape and regained their confidence. The remaining 40 minutes were evenly matched, with both sides gaining control for a time.

Things to work on:-

• Concentrate on the match, don't bring previous results to the game!
• Work off the ball, you spend more time off it, than on it
• Defend as a team, it can't be left to a few

Ed M
Really coming into form over the past few games. Made some great runs, coming back to retrieve the ball from midfield and constantly aware of being seen and being available.

Sam C
A good game in the centre of midfield, part of the 'spine' of the team. Very confident on the ball, offers time for others to run into space. Linked well with Ed. Great vision and improvisation to continue an attack by back-heeling the ball through a surprised pack of 'snapping' Trowbridge players.

Josh C
Held the Left wing-back position well, prevented Trowbridge from attacking down that flank. Looked very strong when playing in Left midfield, won the ball and made some telling runs. Corner taking improving each match, second game from which we have scored from this set-play.

Ryan G & George H
The other two in the 'spine'. Lots of running, keen to recover when the team had been 'out-flanked' down the wings. Good concentration to hold the centre-field and not to be tempted too far forward.

Adam D
Played in several positions. Always committed, always strong, always keen to play his position for the team.

Adam V
Wow, match of his football career to date. Stood up, went down, went side-ways! Good hands, good feet, good dives. Decision making when one-on-one was very good. A magnificent 'triple' save in the first half when we were 'not playing' gave us the heart to believe we could, and should, begin to play.

Flames v Melksham Park

Flames 15 Melksham Park 1 (HT Flames 5 Melksham Park 1)
Man Of Match: Dan T

A good game against weak opposition for the Flames, although I did feel the boys gave great respect to their opponents throughout the game, by continuing to play team football and not just battering through to goal. Melksham met us on very good form, and after holding onto a slim 3 goal deficit through the first 20 minutes, Melksham unfortunately collapsed under the weight of our full team attack as we defended progressively higher up the field.

Some notable performances from the boys was capped off by a brace from first time scorer, Ryan G, who enjoyed a welcome forage forward in the last 15 minutes.

Despite the game being led by the attack, 2 players; Sam C and Ed M scoring 5 a piece, the Man of Match award went to a defensive player, Dan T, who in his second game at right wing back, showed he is beginning to have a good understanding of when to defend and when to break forward to support the attack. Well done Dan.

We almost achieved the main objective for this game, which was not to concede a goal, but a slight loss of concentration after the third went in, saw this allude us today. The secondary objective of keeping a clean sheet in the second half was met. We'll look to improve in this area over the coming weeks, with a focus on Defending during our Sunday sessions.

Ed M and Sam C
Really confident attack play. Decisive running from the shoulder of the last man and positive, hard running with the ball to take it through to goal. Some chances missed, but always confident and never afraid to try and miss (you don't buy a ticket, you won't win the lottery). What I expect of our attack, a great game from both of you.

Josh W and Ali E
Good wide midfield play. Created an awful lot opportunities with killer through balls to our front two. Good vision, great execution.

Oli P
The engine returned once he was moved into centre midfield, releasing him to get up and down the pitch well. Won lots of ball and prevented attacks down the middle. Distributed the ball to the wide players well.

Ashley W
Never troubled at left wing back. Took up good positions both defensively and when we had the ball.

Josh C
Worked hard both in defense and midfield. Shone when given the opportunity to take corners. Unfortunate to have a great goal from one corner wiped out due to off-side.

Flames v Pewsey Vale

Pewsey Vale 2 Flames 4 (HT Pewsey Vale 1 Flames 3)
Man Of Match: Adam V

Having agreed with the referee and opposition to cone off a fallen tree that now encroached onto a small portion of the pitch, the Pewsey officials made a mockery of my negotiation skills by sawing off the offending branches! Surely a candidate for bizarre event of the season?

Onto the game. First match in four weeks, third week of no football, and I felt it showed. We did look slightly rusty, not as sharp with control, a little slow of thought and out of sorts with our unit positioning. By the start of the second half we were finding our pace and form, and at times played some nice football. Great credit has to go to both midfield wing units, with Josh C and Josh W on the left, and Dan T and Ali E on the right all having outstanding second halves.

I felt the 4-4-2 formation worked for the Flames, although it did mean some players were finding the new positions, and adjacent team-mate, a little strange at first. We'll look to persevere with the formation though as it offers better attacking options as we develop.

A game played in great spirit, I think there was one foul committed in the whole game, and one in which both teams competed, on the whole, in a very even way.

Things to work on as a team:

• Commitment to win the ball when not in possession
• Defend as a team, establish more organized defensive 'lines'
  
• Retain shape at the back and midfield as we attack

Adam V
Generally a quiet game but some crucial saves and interceptions made at vital times. His performance was key to us holding on to the lead.

Josh C
Some strong running to catch, close and intercept attackers who broke through our generally weak back-line.

Josh W
After a slow start showed great application, skill and commitment holding and attacking from the left of midfield. Demonstrated some great personal skills, one great inside hook to leave the shadowing defender for dead springs to mind as one example.

Ed M
Had a strong performance in the second half whilst leading the attacking line. Always looked dangerous holding on-side waiting to pounce on the through ball. Good finishing when offered the opportunity

Ali E
Nice performance in an unfamiliar right midfield role. Got up and down well, won lots of ball. A stunning individual goal in the second half, good positive run beating players, made room and pulled the trigger - my favourite of the season this far.

Dan T
Looked very comfortable working with Ali E down the right hand side. Made some key tackles, cleared the ball well when under pressure, and started to gain confidence to run forward occasionally when given the space.

Monday Evening Training

The option to attend Monday night training is back.

Evening training for the Heat, Flames and Fire continues this Monday, January 10th at John Bentley from 7.15pm to 8.30 pm.

The training takes place on the tennis courts and therefore trainers must be warn, as well as suitable warm and waterproof clothing. No shorts please, long sleeve tops and trousers are a must with gloves, hats and waterproofs advisable, even if the weather appears mild.

The sessions are an optional extra for those who wish to play during the week and are charged at £2 per session payable on the night. Please pay the relevant coach in charge.

Derry Hill United News

DHUFC U-10 Girls
The under-10s resumed their Wilts County Womens and Girls League fixtures after a long break with a trip to our local rivals FC Chippenham at Stanley Park this morning. It was a foul morning, and we wondered if the game would survive, but it did, and apart from the strong wind, in the end it was a reasonably pleasant morning, at least no rain.

Team: Alison Witts, Sara Lambourne, Hazel Alabaster, Hannah Bishop, Katie Sykes, Katie Hamilton, Ellena Tipping, Melody Hargreaves & India Bayliss.

We decided that without Elsie today we would go with a different formation with 2 at the back (the 2 Katies), and 3 in midfield to support Alison up front. In the 1st half, Ellena, Hazel and Sara played across the middle, with Mel and India replacing Elly and Sara during the half. The change seemed to work quite well, with Katie and Katie dealing with all the threats from Chippenham who were reduced to a few long range shots. Alison scored three goals and we were cruising at 3-0 just before half-time, before FC Chippenham pulled one back through Holly Provis.

Half-time: FC Chippenham 1 DHUFC 3

In the 2nd half, Sara reverted to goalkeeper allowing Hannah to play in midfield, with Hazel and Elly. Later in the half Mel and India came on as subs again for Elly and Katie S. The second half was more even, though we still had the majority of the play. Chippenham had one great chance to pull a goal back after a terrific goal mouth scramble that resulted in them unluckily hitting the post. The jitters set in a bit, but were settled when Alison scored her 4th to settle the nerves with about 5 minutes to go.

Full-time: FC Chippenham 1 DHUFC 4

This wasn't the greatest performance, the extremely windy conditions did not make for good football, with the smaller girls finding it tough to get in decent passes, but the girls battled well and were in determined mood. It was nice to get back to winning ways after 3 defeats on the trot. This result should put us back into 3rd in the League if other results go with form.

Can't wish for a better day really, after winnig at skittles last night 10-0, then watching the under-12s win 8-1 against Keynsham, and topped off by Saints winning (albeit against Northampton). Hope Elsie enjoyed watching Exeter hold Man U to a famous 0-0 victory!!!

Next Sunday, away to Swindon Town, 2pm kick-off.

Well done girls.