Dear all

There will be no training next week Sunday Nov 25th as the coaches are away. However, we shall return the following Sunday. Please note the dates of our winter schedule:

Sun Nov 25th no training

Sun Dec 2nd training 10-11.30am

Sun Dec 9th training 10-11.30am

Sun Dec 16th training 10-11.30am

Sun Dec 23rd no training - Xmas Break

Sun Dec 30th no training - Xmas Break

2008

Sun Jan 6th training 10-11.30am

Hampstead 6-1 Recreativo Juniors
Nov 23rd (Goal : Wakefield)

Football has taken a real battering this week. With England failing to qualify for Euro 2008, those of us involved in grass roots football have had to take a step back and assess the way we teach the game to tomorrow’s generation. There are 12 potential future professional footballers in our team. And if their football is to flourish, if their potential is to be realised, we really do have to stop worrying about our league position and ditch the winning at all costs mentality. All of us, players, parents and supporters have to look at the positives, have got to enjoy our time in this league. Let’s make every Recreativo game at Market Road a party!

This evening we take quite a hammering from a well drilled and strong Hampstead side. Yet every one of our players, like usual, gives 100%. Sam came off the bench and played one of his best matches so far. Our goal comes from a beautiful weighted pass down the left from Ollie, which George latched onto and slotted the ball home. Despite the introduction of Jaden in the second half who seemed to bring an added determination to the Juniors attack, the game this evening is beyond us. We will be back. We won’t be written off. We are Recreativo Juniors Football Club and we are already counting down the days, the hours and minutes to the next game.

Team (all played) : Benji Barbour Ricketts, Zeki Bolat, Jaye Paul, Harry Butcher, Ollie Goldblatt, Storm Gregory-Hickling, Louis Dillon, George Wakefield, Lara Tollington, Sam Abdullah-Kirton, Jaden Stephenson.

Recreativo Roma 1-1 Recreativo Real Madrid 29th Oct
(Goals : Wakefield, Dillon)

With Islington Youth failing to turn up for this game, we used the pitch and allotted match time as a training match for our squad. With one half pulling on the deep red Roma-like shirts and the other half the merengue-white strip of Real Madrid, the team was sent out onto the astro-turf with a simple message; to all give 100%, to play the match as if it was a league game. And that they did. The parents and supporters, stood in the chilly evening, were warmed by the exciting and competitive nature of the game. Goals from Louis and couisin George added to the well fought out game. Despite the non-show of our league opposition, tonight’s game was a valuable lesson in the team’s footballing education and a highly enjoyable exercise for all involved.

Recreativo 1-1 Harbour Nov 2nd
(Goal: Dillon)

After Lara’s solid performance in our training game earlier in the week, she was given the captain’s armband for tonight’s encounter with the Harbour. Straight from the whistle Recreativo charged forward to win possession of the ball, confidence with the growing experience begin to ooze throughout the team. The floodlights, the screaming supporters, the highly charged atmosphere of Market Road doesn’t seem so daunting now.
Storm performed solidly between the sticks, at one point diving full stretch to push a hard low shot around his left post. Fantastic stuff! Louis began to take charge of the left flank, darting runs, great one-twos with George, resulting in a sweet left foot shot which crashed into the back of the Harbour goal. We came in at half time 1-0 up, but knew we had a lot of work to do in the second half.
Ollie came on for the second half and seem to give the Harbour defence the runaround, using the width of pitch to his advantage. Only dodgy tackling and shoving could stop him!
A Harbour goal levelled the game at 1-1. Jaden’s edge of the box shot smashed into the Harbour goal half way through the second half, but the referee disallowed for hand-ball. So a decent draw for Recreativo, handshakes all round and applause for the whole team as we came off at the final whistle. The fireworks exploding across the sky in this part of north London tonight seemed a fitting end to what had been an exhillirating evening of junior football.

Team (all played both games) : Storm Gregory-Hickling, Sam Abdullah-Kirton, Jaye Paul, Lara Tollington, Louis Dillon, George Wakefiekld, Benji Barbour-Ricketts, Jaden Stephenson, Daniel Garcia-Fernandez, Harry Butcher, Zeki Bolat, Ollie Goldblatt.