Junior League cup, Group 1 - Match 1: Herons 2-1 Kings Langley

Today's game was the first in the defence of the title that Herons won last season, and Archie was determined to get the team off to winning ways in the junior league cup. The boys took delivery of their new 'Joma' kit for the season. So, instead of turning out in a shabby ten year old kit as they have been so far, they looked the part. I was assigned as the match delegate for today. The first thing I thought I'd do was make sure that their number 15 was in fact a 10/11 year old and not some 15 year old ringer! Sure enough he was legit. And sure enough his job was to mark Archie! Great.

The game got under way and after the first 5 minutes, Archie was having a hard time shrugging off the giant sat on his shoulders. He had a look over to me and mouthed the words 'have you seen the size of him?' whilst rolling his eye balls!. 'Keep plugging away Arch, you'll be OK', was my reply. Archie didn't really get much, but you could see glimpses of him at his best (as he was last week). The first half was the tightest game I'd see Herons play and we went in just as the game had started, 0-0.

Herons had a lot more to offer during the second half, as did Archie who was playing a blinder and proving to be a handful for the young Arnold Schwarzenegger who was marking him. Fifteen minutes into the second half we finally broke the deadlock. Connor P and Archie beat the offside trap, the easiest pass out of the two was directed at Connor who smashed the ball home. 1-0. Kings Langley pressed a bit more than they had been and were awarded a free-kick on the edge of the Herons box. The kick was converted brilliantly straight passed CC in goal. 1-1. Game on. Our captain, Liam, rallied the boys up, urging them to keep their heads up, and that's exactly what they did. Archie was unlucky on two occasions not to put us ahead again. The first was a volley from the edge of the area which went narrowly wide. The second even closer. He beat his defender and smashed the ball past the keeper, only for it to hit the side of the post, it bounce back onto the keeper who was quick enough to pounce on it just before it crossed the line... or did it?!?. The boys were in disarray and almost conceded on the counter attack. The game got a bit heated off the field with the Kings Langley assistant questioning every decision but the boys didn't let it faze them and with 2 minutes left on the clock we got the winner. Archie new best mate, James S placed the ball into the bottom right hand corner. It was the most I'd celebrated a Herons goal. It was very important that we got the 3 points as we have a very tough group. The other match saw Hemel Aces Diamonds beat Harpenden Colts Cobras 0-5.

Well done to the boys and well done to Archie who was awarded the 'Man of the Match' accolade. Next weekend we are away to Kings Langley for a league game... should be interesting.

Junior League Cup group results & tables 07/11

Group 1:
Harpenden Colts Cobras 0-5 Hemel Aces Diamonds
Herons 2-1 Kings Langley




Group 2:
Berkhamstead Raiders White 2-3 Tring Albion
Hemel Town Youth 1-4 Evergreen Juniors



Group 3:
Comets Cougars 6-0 St. Albans City West
Harpenden Colts Tigers 5-2 Echoes



Group 4:
Chorleywood Leopards 8-3 Leverstock Green Cedars
Harpenden Colts Panthers 10-0 Evergreen Colts

County cup round 1: Tring United 7-0 Herons

An early game for the Archie and the boys this morning. Myself, Archie and Charlie were in the car and on our way to Tring Cricket Club, 16 miles away, at 09:00 for 10:00 kick off. I pre-warned Archie that it was going to be a very difficult match against a team currently sitting 2nd in the top division.

As you can see from the scoreline, you would have thought that it wasn't a successful day at the office, but, to be fair to the lads, they played a pretty good game. The only flaw being that they weren't winning the 50/50 tackles and were rarely first to the loose ball. The whole team gave it their all and was particularly impressed with the way in which Archie played, along with Harry (who was awarded our man of the match), Franky, Liam, Ric and Elliot. The first half seemed like a very evenly fought out contest. Archie had a couple of darting runs on the left flank beating several defenders and also took part in some wonderful one touch football with his team mates. We went in at half time only 2-0 down.

At half time the boys were told in no uncertain terms that they had to be more physical. A couple of the boys did well not to lose face as the deficit grew. Archie was subbed along with Ric and Liam but they got put back on the field and finished the game. Towards the end of the game we were unlucky not to get a consolation goal, which we more than deserved, but the home teams defence was very difficult to penetrate (as the 1st division league table confirms, they have kept 3 clean sheets in 5 games).

Even though we got beat 7-0, Archie was upbeat with his performance on the way back home, i thought it was the best I'd seen him play without scoring. Next week Herons begin their defence of the Junior League Cup with a home match against Kings Langley.

Hertfordshire County Cup round 1 results 31/10

Aldenham Jnrs 11-0 St. Albans City West
Bovingdon H-H Watford Ladies
BSFC 4-1 St. Albans City East
Comets Cougars H-H Wodson Park
Echoes 2-5 Barnet Azzuri
Evergreen Colts A-A London Macabbi Lions
Flamsted Youth A-A Garston Boys
Harpenden Colts Cobras 1-3 Cuffley Youth
Harpenden Colts Pirates 6-2 Chorleywood Lions
Hemel Aces Diamonds 3-5 Royston
Hemel Aces Yellows 11-2 Cassiobury Rangers
Hemel Panthers 1-6 Little Gaddesden
Hemel Town Youth 1-2 Ware Youth
John Warner Youth 4-7 Rickmansworth Rebels
King George FC 6-0 Comets Lions
Kings Langley 1-3 Baldock Town
Knebworth 2-7 Tring Albion
Leverstock Green Willows 2-1 Broxbourne
Panshanger FC 7-0 Leverstock Green Cedars
St. Albans City North 9-0 Evergreen Juniors
St. Albans City South H-H Harpenden Colts Panthers
Tring United 7-0 Herons

Division 2 results & league table 24/10

Comets Lions 3-7 Kings Langley
Hemel Town Youth 0-5 Hemel Aces Diamonds
Herons 4-5 Evergreen Juniors

League: Herons 4-5 Evergreen Juniors

Evergreen Juniors. Archie's old club. He's scored past them on a few occasions. He's scored for them too, last season. But, he's never won a game against them... and that unfortunately is a fact that remains. Both myself and Arch had been looking forward to this one as soon as we learned that EJ were going to be in the same league as us. A beautiful day for a game of football too. When we arrived at the Harebreaks and saw EJ warming up, we only recognised 4 or 5 of the players and also recognised a couple that have recently moved from Comets Lions to join EJ. They looked like a dangerous outfit who last weekend thumped Harpenden Colts Cobra 9-2!!

Archie started the game upfront alongside Kian. The match kicked off and the boys attacked the goal very early on and within 3 minutes we were 1-0 up. There was a goal mouth scramble and Archie managed to stroke the ball into the back of the net. A very soft goal to concede. Two minutes later and we had doubled our score. Archie battled for the ball and laid it off for Kian to slot home. 2-0. The EJ coaches were furious with the sleepy team. They responded with a really well taken finish to make it 2-1 and moments later had crafted an equalizer. 2-2. Both teams were fighting really hard in the middle of the field and the were called upon a couple of times too. Archie put us 3-2 up just before half time. A lovely ball was threaded through, Archie beat his man to the ball, opened his body up and placed the ball past the keeper. Great goal. Half time.

The second half was just as end to end as the first. The boys won a corner, and from that came our 4th goal. Riccardo whipped in a fantastic cross and the ball was headed in by an Evergreen player. 4-2. For some reason, the boys stepped off the gas and conceded 3 goals in quick succession. Archie was subbed and didn't return.

Today's match was very even, Evergreen had the edge but we look forward to going to South way to beat them on their ground. Next week we play 1st division side Tring United in the County Cup.

SUNDAY'S GAME