Samford Rangers Football Club

When we arrived at Lyle Gray field for our match on Saturday morning it was cold, overcast and windy, but by kick-off it was sunny and fine. You can’t beat this weather, another great day for football.

The mighty Newcastle took on Mitchie Glory (aka Mitchie Giants), and there were some big boys in their team. I knew we were in trouble when my daughter pointed out that she knew a couple of the Mitchie boys from her school, but not from her grade 2 but from grade 3!!

But the match was quite a close run thing.  Connor, Jacob, Toby and Nick all had space to make some great runs in the first half. Connor also made some great crosses. Emily and Hannah once again displayed the team’s girl-power in mid-field with some cool moves. Corban, Mason and Sebastian continue to improve every week, while Joe was once again solid in goals. The whole team is getting better by the week and their enthusiasm grows with their efforts.

But despite some great play and several good attempts on goal, we went to half time goalless with Mitchie having netted a couple.

In the second half we were even better, but again we were unlucky to not score from several good opportunities. Hannah, Connor, Toby and some others had clean breaks but couldn’t capitalise as Mitchie’s defence closed in.

Toby had the ‘keeper’s gloves and pulled of at least half a dozen great saves, a truly sensation effort that earned worthy applause from the crowd. Two minutes from time he suffered a couple of bent fingers trying to stop an Exocet missile from a Mitchie penalty kick, but after a quick wiggle he bravely finished off the game.  As a side note, I saw these fingers the next day and they were still quite swollen – but they also impressively scaled the rock wall at the school fair so they couldn’t have hurt too much!

Player of the Week went to birthday boy Nick, who turned in another great performance, highlighted by a Messi like run down the right wing where his swerves, turns and fancy footwork bamboozled several defenders and received a big cheer from the fans. Great work Nick.

Great work Newcastle.

A very close game between two well matched teams, with the winning goal coming in the last minute. Great saves in goal by Michael in the first half and Seb Lindores in the second half. Very good defence from Spurs kept us scoreless in the first half. The boys continue to be rotated through different positions, to give them more experience and a  better understanding of the game.

Player of the week was Seb Woods.

Goal scorers:

Seb Woods

Harvey Mercer

We knew it was going to be a tough match coming up against a well drilled Samford Arsenal side.

Samford Spurs absorbed quite a deal of pressure in the first half.  Emelio pulled off some great saves and our defensive players were very effective.  Following some great lead-up work from Declan and Ben, Jack scored the only goal of the first half.

Samford Arsenal put us under even more pressure during the second half and scored two great goals ending the match as deserved 2-1 victors.

Player of the match was Declan who was assured on the ball and set up many attacking opportunities through his great passing game.  Well done Declan!

Our first away match at Mitchelton.

A great entertaining close game by both teams.

Congratulations to Isabella for having a fantastic first ever game. Sam proved to be an absolute superstar in goals in the second half. Christian & Jackson had a fantastic game proving to be crutial in attack and defense.

This weeks player of the week went to Brandon for once again showing his skills in the midfield.

Beautiful weather again for our first Samford derby of the season, against Arsenal.

A full complement of ten players and a crisp clear day meant all the signs were good for a great day’s football.

After last week’s performance where everyone picked their game up to new levels, it was going to be hard to replicate or better the performance. But Newcastle did just that. Arsenal had a couple of gun players – must have been the green boots – who scored a handful of goals between them in the first half, but the whole time Newcastle were right with them. The team is steadily improving and individual efforts are regularly surprising me. We didn’t get a goal in the first half but had several good chances. Connors work in goals was excellent against a considerable barrage.

Mason took the “gloves” in the second half after another sterling performance in the outfield, and made some amazing stops, putting his body on the line to counter some of the guided missiles being fired at him.

In the second half we played really well, outgunning Arsenal for periods which was a mighty effort, culminating in a cracking right foot drive that their ‘keeper couldn’t stop as it slammed into the bottom right corner for Emily’s first goal. Well done Emily. The photo shows Emily’s beaming smile just after she scored.

A great team effort. Great input and work rate from everyone.

Mason picked up the Player of the Week for outstanding goalkeeping and a series of excellent games.

What another great performance from the girls this week. The competition was a little harder this week, but the girls still managed to work really hard and defend their goals fearlessly.

It was great to have Prue back on board and true to form she had a ripper game with at least 18 tackles, some great clearing kicks and some good dribbling runs into our half. We spent alot of time defending our goal, particularly in the first half which was evident in Ashley's amazing effort of more than 9 saves in goal. Well done Ash, your courage in goal is amazing!

Ella had a great defensive game with her clearing kicks really starting to have some power. She also had a skillful run up the sideline with the ball at one stage. Mia worked tirelessly this game, with a number of parents commenting on her hard work. She seemed to be everywhere and cleared the ball on many occasions when the opposition were looking dangerous. Bella again improved on her great effort last week and is really starting to look more confident when going in for a tackle. It's great to see her in a pack with legs swinging, trying to clear the ball and often achieving a good kick out in the clear.

Ollie had a strong defensive game again this week and as always, was someone you could count on to work hard in defense. There were a few good battles against the boys in which she came out on top. Libby had a persistant game, working really hard in all areas. She topped the clearing kicks tally and also had some great runs clear of the pack, controlling the ball into our half. She also managed two good shots at goal this game.

Liv received "Player of the Match" with a strong game all round. She scored well on tackles, dribbling and clearing kick on the tally board even though she spent the second half in goals. She also managed more than 6 saves in goal, showing great confidence and skill.  

Manchester United met Mitchelton Thunder on their home ground at Teralba Park. The numerous spectators from both teams had polarised themselves into opposite sides of the field for what was to be terrific game of Under 9 football.

The guys were beginning to demonstrate many more of their new skills and played much more cohesively as a team. There were moments of brilliance when Manchester United's passing left Mitchelton Thunder stretched but Mitchelton's attacks were to prove too numerous in what was mostly a defensive game for Manchester United while our back line including Dan, Conor, Flynn and Bailey kept them in check.

Zackary,  Harrison and Lincoln covered the mid field where a number of Manchester attacks began with swift passes forward to Mitcheltons goal that resulted in some nail biting shots at their goal by Ben and Jesse.

Matthew started the game as goal keeper and saw some spectacular saves and in the second half, in attack, he capitalised on a pass from Ben to find the back of Mitchelton's net.  Conor kept goals in the second half and made some terrific saves and dives onto the ball.

Unfortunately, the final score was not representative of the valiant game played by our guys and as our teamwork, passing and striking improves we'll likely see more on the board this season.

 For his strong defensive game, Ben was awarded "player of the match" and for a powerful and energetic game Flynn was awarded the "player of most encouragement".

Man of the match - Ben Mortensen

Team Photo - Players wearing a pink ribon for "Remember Kate Day" (thanks to all)

Player of most encouragement is Flynn Scott at far right (back row)

A very close game. Great defence from Pine Hills Hearts made scoring goals difficult. The boys all played in unfamiliar positions at times as part of the plan to give them all experience across the field. 

Goal Scorers:

Sid Adams (1)

Michael Hietala (1)

This weekend we faced a very strong team in Pine Hills Rangers.  Even though we recorded our first loss for the season (2-4) the team played very well and should be proud of their efforts.

Emelio contined his red hot form in front of goals scoring twice. Jonte had another great game in goals, repelling many shots and throwing himself about.  Ben had a great game split between attack and midfield.  Declan was assured in defence as was Matthew.  Teague took many great corner kicks and was tireless in his efforts around the ground.  Jack showed some nice touches, always looking to pass to someone in a better position. Ryan was industrious around the field.

Josie was named player of the match for her tireless efforts and willingness to compete. Well done Josie!

Ray did it again; killing a drop off from the goalie for the 1:0. Michael followed with a nice shot after a great switch across the box for the 2:0 half time score.

Defence nailed it with Simon's powerful kick for the 3:0 after being motivated by a kick to his legs.

Well done all.

Another crackingly beautiful day for football on Saturday as Newcastle took on Mitchie Fury.

With last weeks’ Player of the Week Sebastian out with illness we had nine players fit, ready and keen for action.

Toby had the ‘keepers’ gloves for the first half and kept another clean sheet with help from ‘keeping coach Chris.

Everyone was on form in this game and comments were made on the continuing improvement of the team.

Emily continued her excellent cover defending, Hannah ran forward and back in defence until her face was as red as her half-time watermelon. Corban and Joe tied down midfield while Mason – who had his best game so far – ventured more into midfield as well as his usual defensive role. Up front, Nick, Connor and Jacob where everywhere and once again showed off their skills with Jacob’s goal the only score at the break.

In the second half Joe took on the ‘keepers’ bib and once again did a great job.

Our only score in the second half was a poached goal from Toby when the Mitchie ‘keeper placed the ball to kick it clear but Toby got to it first and put it in the goal. He nearly did it again but the ‘keeper was on to him by then.

Another close game and great to watch. Most importantly the team continues to have fun and get better every week.

Player of the week was Toby for listening to instructions and scoring a goal. Mason deserves high-recommendation for a huge improvement and will surely win the Player of the week before long.

Well done team!

Next week we have our first home derby against Samford Arsenal which we are all looking forward to.

Last week's game saw the girls looking like a real team. Their determination and skill levels have definitely improved and it showed in the outcome of the game.

Once again we pulled in some spare players (thanks to Jimmy and Kye), but with the girls all performing so well it was quite a while into the first half before Pat wanted to call anyone off for a break. Arsenal's ability to defend and challenge the opposition was evident in Liverpool's low score. Ella started the game in goals and saved around half a dozen goals, then Mia moved in for the second half and also did a great job with more than 3 saves. They also contributed well to the game when out of goal, with both of them having a good tackle and clearing kicks tally.

Libby had a great game all round topping the tally for dribbling and kicks for goal, but most impressive was her high tackle tally at more than 15, with Ashley also doing a great job in defense following closely behind with 9 tackles. Liv also had a great game particularly in defense and had an enormous amount of 14 clearing kicks for the game. She also topped the board for passes which is a skill the girls seem to strugle to use during the games, so it was great to see her use the ball in such a positive way.

It was great to see Bella improve so much this game, as she put her body on the line numerous times and made a good score on the tackle count. She also had some fantastic clearing kicks this game, which shows her determination is there. Oli once again seemed to be everywhere, which showed with her consistant result on the tally board. She managed a good shot at goal, as did Liv, Ella and Libby, but unfortunately none landing a result (keep trying girls, you will get one eventually).

The excitement was overwhelming at times on the sideline, but never more than when Ash found the net with a great goal in the second half and the team erupted with joy. It was great to see Ashley's continutal hard work finally pay off and she was also awarded "Player of the Match".

Great job girls, your parents were very proud of you all!

Manchester United took to the field with confidence this week encouraged from the sidelines by the team's new cheer-leading squad. 

Defense was good, particularly during the first half which saw Manchester concede only a single goal. Flynn took to keeping in the first half and withstood numerous attacks from Westside and showed great courage throughout. Other defense worth noting came from Bailey who displayed strong tackles and some massive clearing kicks that saw the ball sent out of our half. His efforts were rewarded with Player of the Match.

Lincoln and Zac played a great game defending our goal and helped with our advances on Westside. Harry was getting amongst it with the boys, while Jesse and Ben had a few attempts at goal between them but unfortunately fell short of the mark. Most improved player was Dan, being recognised for putting his body on the line time after time and providing several clearing kicks when most needed. He also led an attack that saw his run challenged by three Westside players.

Much of the second half was spent in our goal end with Westside sending a barrage of goal attempts our way. Connor who played goalie during the second half defended remarkably well given the onslaught and showed great courage by going out to meet the ball.

Manchester United worked together as a team and created their own opportunities on the field by passing the ball. One particular play that comes to mind saw Connor in goals kick to Ben who was placed just short of half way, who after a short run kicked the ball down the line to Jess who was waiting in the wings. Jess then continued the run with the ball to just outside the goal box and took a shot at goal. While a goal was not forthcoming, this demonstrates how their game is evolving - working as a team and passing the ball.

Well done boys!

Bailey Viner - player of the match

Daniel Dawes - awarded for player of most encouragement

Another good effort from the boys. Teamwork is improiving each week in both attack and defence and Mark continues to rotate the players through positions to give them experience across the field.

Goal scorers:

Michael Hietala 2

Seb Woods 3

Harvey Mercer 1

Following a washout and a bye, it was great to see the U10 Spurs run out against Samford Blackburn.

As many players from the two teams are friends the game was played in a fantastic spirit.

Leading 3-0 at half time, Spurs tired in the heat somewhat in the second half but still finished the game comfortable 6-1 winners.

Emelio opened the scoring for Spurs and finished the game with a hat trick.  Ben scored two near post goals and Jack slotted one into the roof of the net.

Declan had another very strong game in defence.  Jonte and Matthew had half a game in defence and goals each.  Josie was enthusiastic in midfield and Teague had another strong all round game.

Emelio was rewarded for his three goals and tireless effort and was named player of the match.  Well done Emelio!

Unlucky not to win this round 4 encounter. Strong running from Elija and Zac in the first half gave us many opportunities, which unfortunatley we were unable to capilise on. We were pinged far too many times for off-side, something we need to get better at. We also struggled a bit in goal without Dean, though Velvet and Connel did well in an unfamiliar position. 1st half score was 2-1 to NP. The backs again played strongly, particularly Leo and Madi, with Harry putting in a good effort in the 2nd half. Connel again was very solid in the 1st half. With 5 min to go and 4-2 down all looked lost, then Elija ran onto the ball nicely and slotted one in the corner, to give him 3 for the match. From the kickoff we got it down their end for a corner and Madi was fouled in the box for a penalty. Madi then put it away for a 'get out of jail' 4-4 draw.

It’s either pouring or a perfect summer’s day at the moment, and this week we were lucky enough to have the latter for our round 4 clash with Dayboro Gold at Samford Parklands’ field #4.

With only Connor missing due to illness we had nine players just bristling to get on the pitch. So much so that a tooth – albeit an already loose one – was knocked out by an elbow in the warm-up. A sign of things to come ......

Nick took the ‘keepers gloves for the first half and showed some natural talent in that role maintaining a clean sheet in the first half.

Unfortunately Dayboro also kept a clean sheet in the first half as the closest tussle I’ve seen in a small sided game was scoreless at the break. Both sides were playing well and creating opportunities and it was a joy to watch. Once again Emily, Mason, Corban and Joe were fabulous in defence, Emily’s positional work in cover defence worthy of note, and all backed up and pushed into mid-field, where Sebastian showed his superb balance and never-say-die attitude.

Jacob, Toby and Hannah made up the front third for most of the first period and many opportunities were made but none converted.

At half time the team once again impressed me with their ability to consume oranges – well above their age/weight!!

In the second half Mason took the ‘keepers gloves, and with some great direction from dad Chris, also kept a clean sheet for the team.

Nick, released from the goal square, ran amok with several runs from end-to-end opening up Dayboro and creating chances as the game opened up and became an end-to-end battle.

Sebastian’s forehead was on the receiving end of a well struck drive from Dayboro and needed to come off to recover. Meanwhile, one of Jacob’s many challenges on goal resulted in the Dayboro ‘keeper’s hand accidentally being stood on, and the ‘keeper had to sub’ed. As Dayboro were out of subs, Sebastian bravely offered to play for the other team but his services were eventually not required as the Dayboro ‘keeper returned to the field.

While the mid-field was being guarded by Corban, Emily, Sebastian and Joe, Jacob took advantage of the game opening up and scored the only goal of the match with a cracking left-foot shot.

Hannah, Toby and Nick all had good chances also in a heart-stopping final few minutes. Toby particularly had several shot go either side of goal.

Sebastian took the Player of the Week award for his sportsmanship in offering to play for the opposition even though injured, and returning to the field to help his team. Nice work.

Great game from both sides, and good to see Newcastle hold its nerve and continue to play great football in a close match. The team enjoyed the applause at full-time.

Manchester United finally played, bathed in brilliant sunshine, and had an outstanding game all round. Without any reserves Ella Bennett from Arsenal U9's helped in the first half of the game returning the favour when our Bailey helped her teammates in the game prior to out match so he should sleep well tonight (good on you Bailey)

The game started off locked, with each side ‘feeling’ out the opposition’s strengths and weaknesses.  It wasn’t until near half time that Mitchelton Slingers found some gaps. 

Up front Jessie & Lincoln was on fire with both good tackling and passing of the ball. Jessie had several shots at goal and scored a great goal and unofficially spectators of the field reported another one went in over the line but not counted.

There was great field position improvement for all of the team. Bailey from a defensive position near his own goal got the ball out to the side and  passed up the field by Lincoln along the side line to a waiting Jessie and then back into the oppositions goal area. That's how it done boys.

Cover defence was excellent by Dan and Connor putting in a big effort diffusing a lot of potential strikes around our own goal. Connor also put in a lot of tackles and passes in the midfield to his teammates which helped greatly in our attack. A big thanks to Dan for getting the ball cleared around our goal on many occasions.

Zac played almost everywhere on the field and helped all of the team and did lots of good passing and as well as tackles and never got caught with the ball something that the coach Bruce has been preaching and the players have obviously been listening to. Harry worked mainly in the midfield and had several touches of the ball with a renewed interest in the game even doing a few tackles and passes, good work Harry.

The highest tackle count went to Connor, Bailey, Dan & Lincoln

The best offensive player with attacks on goal was Jessie supported by Connor and Zac.

The most improved player this week went to Lincoln Whitehead and was very determined to show what he was made of.

The player of the match who has not yet been mentioned is Mathew Chui who played as goalie.  Matthew kept Mitchelton’s score lower and gave all he had to stop the ball finding the back of the net.  Very impressive stuff.

Well done Manchester United for putting in such a big effort and a big thanks to the coach.

Many thanks to Lisa Hay for her input in this match report

A much closer game than the score indicates with Fulham superb in defence, particularly in the first half, but the Arsenal boys were able to convert their opportunities better in the second half. The focus on teamwork at training is certainly starting to pay off with some great passing to team mates in a better position being one of the highlights.

Goal scorers for Arsenal were:

Michael Hietala 4

Sebastian Woods 3

Morgan Pond 2

Player of the week award went to Morgan Pond who, along with Seb Lindores, excelled in their first attempt at playing forward in the second half.