SEPTEMBER'99
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SCORERS
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We started the season off with great enthusiasm,
and perhaps just a little trepidation, for we had left the familiar
Leek Ladsandads behind, to play in the Cheadle U11's League. It was
very much a case of into the unknown for us.
Our opening match, on 12/9/00, was an away fixture
at Wolstanton Scorers Blue. We had fared very well against some of these
boys in a friendly, the previous season, but this was not so easy. At
half time, we knew we'd got a game on our hands, as we went into the
break trailing 2-1, with our first goal of the campaign having been
scored by Danny Gruic.
After a much-needed "kick up the backside"
team talk, one of many during the season, Blues
murdered Wolstanton in the second half, and comfortably took
the points, thanks to further goals from Gareth Allott (2), Danny Gruic,
again, and James Brough.
After a shaky start, Blues
ran out worthy winners, by 5-2.
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Danny Gruic (2)
Gareth Allott (2)
James Brough
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The following week, we entertained Alton & Waterhouses
who had lost their opening fixture 6-3. Again we didn't know quite what
to expect, despite their previous result, but we needn't have worried,
because we ran out easy winners at 12-2. One blip in our performance,
was the fact that once again we conceded two goals.
Final Score: - Blues
12-2 Alton
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Danny Gruic (2)
Gareth Allott (4)
James Brough (2)
Mitch Shenton (2)
Sam Corbett (2)
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On the 26th Sept. we travelled to the home of Cheadle
Utd, where we struggled for half the match, to come to terms with the
very small pitch. We went in at half time at 3-3, and again the half
time talk did the trick, as we scored another three goals without reply
in the second half, totally dominating the half.
Final Score: Cheadle Utd 3-6 Blues
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Danny Gruic (2)
Gareth Allott (2)
Sam Pearce
Mitch Shenton
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Thus we finished Sept. feeling very satisfied with
three wins out of three, (23 goals For, &
7Against). However, Endon Utd (3/3, F29,
A1) and our season-long rivals Milton Rangers
(3/3, F41, A3) had also both got maximum points. Even at this
early stage, the league was beginning to take on a familiar look, but
our goal tally was well below that of Milton and Endon. We had also
conceded more than them.
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OCTOBER'99
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Our first match of the new month saw us demolish
Cheadle Skill School, 16-0, a result which briefly put us top, as Endon
and Milton drew 1-1 with each other. Due to cup commitments, we only
held on to top spot for two weeks.
The only interesting facts to come out of this match,
were, firstly, that the half time score was 4-0, so we scored 12 times
in the second half! Secondly, Sam Hall made his debut for us, coming
on as a second half substitute, and promptly scored four times. Thirdly,
Gareth Allot scored his 12th goal in just four matches. Fourthly, this
was our first clean sheet of the season!
Final Score: - Blues
16-0 Cheadle Skill
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Danny Gruic (2)
Gareth Allott (4)
James Brough (2)
Mitch Shenton (2)
Sam Pearce
Sam Hall (4)
Matt Bayley
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On 10/10/99 we entertained Newcastle Town and we
made hard work of disposing of them. "Broughy" scored an early
goal, and Danny Gruic doubled the lead soon after. Towards of the first
half, Adam Wood "scored" his first goal for
Blues, only to see it ruled out. What had actually happened was
that the ball went through an "extra" hole in the net, and
the ref thought that it had missed the target. This disallowed goal
could have been very costly, as soon after, Newcastle converted from
the penalty spot to make the score 2-1 at the interval.
The second half saw Blues
go 4-1 up, but then Newcastle pulled back two goals, and suddenly we
looked jittery. However, Gareth Allott dispelled any fears we may have
had, by scoring number five, and then two more were added before the
end. Not a convincing performance by Junior
Blues, but it was three points nonetheless, and enough to keep
us top.
Final score: Blues
7-3 Newcastle
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Danny Gruic (2)
Gareth Allott (2)
James Brough (2)
Sam Hall
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The next match was the first of two successive Home
cup matches. First we played Smithpool Flyers in the 1st
Round of the League Cup, and we beat them comfortably 10-1.
Blues totally dominated
the game but were stunned when Flyers took the lead, completely against
the run of play. However, their joy was shortlived when Danny Gruic
equalised, which then opened the floodgates.
In the course of this game, Gareth Allott notched
up his third four-timer in six games, and his 18th in all. Danny Gruic
also scored a hat-trick, bringing his personal tally to 13 in six games.
Blues: - Blues
10-1 Flyers
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Danny Gruic (3)
Gareth Allott (4)
James Brough
Mitch Shenton
Sam Hall
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Round 1 in the Challenge Cup
saw Blues take on Wolstanton Scorers Red,
and were never troubled, winning 13-0.
Highlights in this game, were four-timers for Danny
Gruic and Ben Venables. Gareth only scored twice!
On the negative side of things, Milton took the
opportunity of byes in both cups to pick up more league points, and
go back to the top of the table, where they stayed until their final
match of the season, when they lost to Blues.
Final Score: - Blues
13-0 Scorers Red
The final match in October, saw Wolstanton Scorers
Blue come to Westwood, and once again Junior Blues
picked up the three points. Wolstanton came having won four in
a row, with their only reversal, so far, being at the hands of Blues
in the first match of the season, but for 30 minutes they had no answer
to a superb Leek Town side.
The first half saw Junior
Blues in outstanding form. They played brilliantly, their passing
and movement was superb. They crowned this with goals from Sam Hall
and Mitch Shenton.
Unfortunately, they didn't maintain this in the
second period, where team work went out of the window, as individualism
took over. Nevertheless, the defence stood firm and they kept a clean
sheet, and Blues won 2-0. With a maximum
18pts, Blues remained tight on the heels
of Milton and Endon.
The league table now had Milton
top (P7, W6, D1, L0, F69, A10, Pts19), with Endon second,(P7, W6, D1,
L0, F45, A9, Pts19). Junior Blues
were in third place with maximum points from six
games (P6, W6, D0, F48, A10, Pts18).
It looked, at this stage that the league would be
between these three sides.
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Danny Gruic (4)
Gareth Allott (2)
James Brough
Sam Pearce
Sam Hall
Ben Venables (4)
Sam Hall
Mitch Shenton
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NOVEMBER'99
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7/11/99 saw us take a rare trip away from Westwood,
when we took on Windmill Warriors. This was never a contest as a rampant
Blues won 12-0.
The highlights of this game were a Ben Venables
hattrick, after coming on as a second half substitute, and a rare goal
for Jim Brunt.
Final Score: - Warriors 0-12 Blues
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James Brough (2)
Gareth Allott (2)
Jim Brunt
Matt Bayley
Ben Venables (3)
Sam Pearce (2)
Mitch Shenton
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A week later the 12-0 scoreline was repeated, but
this time against Wolstanton Scorers Red.
Blues never really
exerted themselves, despite the scoreline. All you could say was they
did what they had to, and got three points.
Apart from a "Broughy" hat-trick, this
match owed its other highlight to the management team, who subbed three
boys at the break, but only brought two on! During the ten minutes it
took to spot this, Blues scored TWICE!! Good managerial tactics perhaps?
I can't see Kevin Keegan trying it, though!
Final Score: - Blues 12-0
Scorers Red
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Gareth Allott (2)
Sam Corbett
Ben Venables
Mitch Shenton (2)
Sam Pearce (2)
James Brough (3)
Sam Hall
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21/11/99 took us to Brookhouse Bombers where Blues
disposed of them 6-0.
Blues were 2-0 at the
interval, with goals from Sam Hall and Sam Pearce, and they were never
in any real trouble. However, they were on the end of one or two unsavoury
fouls, one of which resulted in a penalty.
At the end of the day, though, this win gave Junior
Blues their 11th straight victory in league and cup.
Final Score: - Bombers 0-6 Blues
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Sam Hall
Sam Pearce
Mitch Shenton (2)
Matt Bayley (Pen)
Gareth Allott
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The final match in November saw Blues'
100% record come to an end, but they still remained unbeaten, after
a 2-2 home draw with Endon Utd.
Blues took on local
rivals Endon and played their worst football of the season. Having trailed
0-2 at half time, Blues fought back in
the second period and managed to snatch a point, despite missing a penalty.
This penalty decision, allegedly, led to some unpleasantness
between some parents, and even the ref became involved.
When the two teams met later in the season, there
was not a hint of trouble - let's hope that it doesn't happen again.
Throughout both matches, both teams behaved impeccably, it has to be
said.
The dropping of two points in this game, was made
sweeter by the news that Milton had been beaten by Cheadle Utd.
Final Score: - Blues 2-2
Endon
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Ben Venables
Gareth Allott
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November was not a good month for Milton, who apart
from the defeat by Cheadle Utd, also struggled to beat Newcastle Town.
They did win, though, by the narrow margin of 5-4. Had the Milton bubble
burst?
Endon also had a disasterous month. They lost successive
games to Wolstanton Scorers Blue (5-1) and Newcastle (7-3), and then
they drew with Junior Blues in the last
match of the month (2-2), effectively putting them out of the running.
Meanwhile, Wolstanton Scorers Blue and Cheadle Utd
started to come into the reckoning.
Cheadle had had 5 straight wins, including the vital
victory over Milton (3-2). Their only defeat of
the season being at the hands of Junior
Blues.
Wolstanton Scorers Blue also had had a good run,
with only two defeats - both by Blues, but
they slipped up with a bad draw with Alton & Waterhouses.
Junior Blues had now
won 9/10 with the other game drawn. Having conceded ten in their first
five games, they kept four successive clean
sheets - their run coming to an end against Endon. They were also now
beginning to improve their inferior goal difference.
The league positions at the end of November were:
(1)Milton
P11, W9, D1, L1, F93, A17,
Pts28
(2)Junior Blues
P10, W9, D1, L0, F80, A12, Pts28
(3)Wolstanton Scorers Blue
P11, W8, D1, L2, F72, A23,
Pts25
(4)Cheadle Utd
P10, W8, D1, L1, F61, A31,
Pts25
(5)Endon Utd
P11, W7, D2, L2, F54, A23,
Pts23
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DECEMBER'99
Blues only
had one game in the whole of December, due to both the Christmas break
and the weather.
This was a home game against Windmill Warriors,
who they had no trouble in turning them over 11-1.
Both Mitch Shenton and Gareth Allott scored hattricks.
This was also Sam Corbett's last match for us for
12 months, as his family have temporarily moved to New Zealand. We wish
him and his family well, and look forward to their safe return.
Final Score: - Blues
11-1 Warriors
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Gareth Allott (3)
Matt Bayley (Pen)
James Brough
Mitch Shenton (3)
Sam Corbett
Sam Hall (2)
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While Blues only played
the one match in December, Milton took advantage at the top by playing
twice, winning one, and drawing the other (3-3 against Wolstanton Blue),
This was enough to give them a one point lead at the top of the league,
at the start of the new millennium. Wolstanton Scorers Blue only played
that one game, but Cheadle kept the pressure on with a 7-3 win over
local rivals, Cheadle Skill School. Endon stayed close with a 4-1 victory
over Smithpool Flyers.
So as we went into the new Millennium, the position
at the top of the league was thus: -
(1) Milton
P13, W10, D2, L1, F104, A20, Pts
32
(2) Blues
P11, W10, D1, L0, F91, A13, Pts
31
(3) Cheadle Utd
P11, W9, D1, L1, F68, A34, Pts 28
Wolstanton Scorers Blue (4th)and
Endon (5th) then followed, both with 26 points.
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JANUARY 2000
Blues started
The New Year with two cup matches.
On 9/1/00 They entertained Alton & Waterhouses
in the League Cup Quarter-final. Having
already beaten them easily, in the league, no doubt Blues
were expecting another easy game. But it was not to be, and,
particularly in the first half, Alton & Waterhouses gave as good
as they got.
Blues looked as though
they were suffering from the long period of inaction (one game since
28/11/99), and they went in at the interval with a slender two goal
lead, thanks to Gareth Allott and Danny Gruic. After the break, they
did score more, but they were never convincing. Still, they progressed
to the semi-final, where they would meet Windmill Warriors.
Final score: Blues
7-1 Alton & Waterhouses
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Gareth Allott
Danny Gruic (2)
Mitch Shenton
Matt Bayley (Pen)
Sam Pearce
James Brough
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The following Sunday, Blues
were in action in the other cup competition, The
Challenge Cup. They were up against their great rivals, Milton
for what ended up being the first of FOUR clashes.
As expected the first half was very tight, with
neither side wanting to give anything away, and it turned into a midfield
battle. Chances were scarce, but Blues
came closest when Sam Hall hit the base of the post.
Blues got an early
goal in the second period through Gareth Allott and went on to dominate
the rest of the game. They scored another when a Milton defender unfortunately
headed into his own goal.
This was an excellent win for Blues,
in which the defence were resolute throughout, not allowing Milton a
clear-cut effort in the whole game.
They then met Cheadle Utd, later, in the semi-final.
Round one, of four to Junior
Blues.
Final Score: - Blues
2-0 Milton
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Gareth Allott
O.G.
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23/1/00 saw them back in league action against Newcastle
Town.
This was arguably Blues'
best performance of the season, as they demolished a good Newcastle
side 12-0. It was not just the score, but the manner in which they beat
strong opposition. Previously, Blues beat
them 7-3, in a rather unconvincing victory, and Newcastle showed that
they were not a bad side by winning their next game 15-0!
However, on the day everything went right for Blues.
A Newcastle official thanked us for embarrassing them, which is about
the biggest compliment they could give. To give a measure of how good
the win was, Newcastle's next worst defeat of the season was 7-3, by
Endon and Blues!
Highlights were a first half hat-trick for "Broughy"
and another foursome for Gareth Allott.
Junior Blues were awesome
that day!
Final Score: Newcastle 0-12
Blues
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Gareth Allott (4)
Mitch Shenton
James Brough (3)
Matt Bayley
Sam Hall (2)
Jonathan Goodier
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30/1/00
The last game in Janaury saw Junior
Blues entertain Smithpool Flyers. Prior
to this game, Flyers had lost 12 of their 15 matches, so Blues
were never really going to be up against it.
After having had a couple of good, early chances,
Blues took the lead in the fourth minute
through a Matt Bayley penalty after a Flyers' defender needlessly handled
the ball.
From then on, it was just a matter of how many.
4-0 at half time, became 9-0 at full time, and Flyers were grateful
for the heroic goalkeeping of Alex Leese in their goal, to keep the
score below double figures.
Once again Gareth Allott was amonst the goals -
this time he bagged just the FIVE!
Although Blues never
reached the heights of the previous two weeks, they nonetheless won
comfortably.
Final Score: - Blues
9-0 Flyers
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Matt Bayley (Pen)
Gareth Allott (5)
Danny Gruic
Ben Venables
Sam Pearce
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With Milton winning both their games in January,
the league positions at the end of the month, at the top, now read thus:
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(1)Milton
P15, W12, D2, L1, F119, A20,
Pts38
(2)Junior Blues
P13, W12, D1, L0, F113, A13, Pts37
(3)Wolstanton Scorers Blue
P14, W10, D2, L2, F89, A29,
Pts32
(4)Cheadle Utd
P12, W10, D1, L1, F78, A34,
Pts31
Two successive 8-0 defeats, in January,
by Milton and Wolstanton Scorers Blue, finally put paid to Endon's distant
title aspirations.
In the meantime, Junior
Blues still remained one point behind Milton with two games in
hand.
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FEBRUARY'00
The first game in February took
us to Cheadle, where we played Skill School. Back in October we beat
them 16-0, so we knew Blues would not be
stretched.
Once again, Blues
totally dominated the game, and in successive matches, only the 'keeper,
again, had prevented Blues from scoring
double figures. This time it was the form of Andy Booth that thwarted
them.
Following incessant Blues'
pressure, Danny Gruic scored the opener, and we thought that the floodgates
would open, but Cheadle Skill School stuck to their task and refused
to buckle, and to their credit, they battled throughout.
Before the interval, Danny Gruic added another,
a spectacular 25 metre shot, which was almost matched by a Sam Hall
goal, but from slightly closer.
4-0 at half time, became 9-0 at full time, Danny
Gruic completing his hat-trick. However, although they scored nine,
again, Blues were never at their best.
With Milton still to play twice, things needed to improve.
Final Score: Cheadle Skill 0-9 Blues
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Danny Gruic (3)
James Brough
Ben Venables
Sam Hall (2)
Adam Wood
Gareth Allott
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The week after, Blues
entertained Brookhouse Bombers, who but for the excellent work by their
'keeper, would have gone home with a record defeat. For the third successive
game, the opposition was the man-of-the-match. This time it was the
turn of Nathan Heaney.
Incredible as it was, Junior
Blues had to wait until half way through the first half before
they opened their account. When the goal did come it was an own goal,
but this spurred Blues into action, and
they scored SEVEN more in the next 15 minutes.
The second half was a carbon copy of the first,
with Bombers under continual pressure, and eventually they conceded
an unlucky 13.
Gareth Allott notched up yet another hat-trick,
and Sam Pearce went one better with four.
Final Score: Blues
13-0 Bombers
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Gareth Allott (3)
Sam Pearce (4)
Sam Hall
Danny Gruic
James Brough
Matt Bayley
Mitch Shenton
O.G.
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20/2/00
Despite heavy rain, and an overnight frost, the
away fixture still went ahead. Endon were the only team to have so far
stopped Blues taking maximum points, and
it was in that game where we experienced parental problems. So it was
with some uncertainty, that we approached the game.
We needn't have worried, though, as there were no
problems, either on or off the pitch.
Once again, Blues were
superb, as they hit Endon with a first half blitz. They stormed to a
five goal lead, which was kept as low as it was, due to excellent saves
by Philip Bruce in the Endon goal. Amongst the goals in the first half,
was a debut goal for Oliver Edwards.
Having seen the difference between the two teams,
here, it was staggering to think that Blues
had dropped points to them, a few weeks earlier.
Just before the interval, Endon were awarded a penalty
which was brilliantly saved by Philip Tomczak, but the referee, harshly
in my humble opinion, deemed that he had moved forwards in making his
save. The kick was retaken and Endon made no mistake with their second
effort.
H/T: - Endon 1-5 Blues
The second half saw the mud take over, and both
teams failed to come to terms with it. The one high point was a long
range chip by Sam Hall.
Fortunately, there was no recurrence of the previous
trouble, and the match was played in excellent spirit by both teams.
Perhaps an object lesson to the parents, that it supposed to be about
boys' football. NOTHING ELSE!!
Final Score: - Endon 1-6 Blues
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Gareth Allott (2)
Danny Gruic
Oliver Edwards
Sam Hall (2)
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27/2/00
Our final match of February had us entertain title
contenders, Cheadle Utd. Had Cheadle won, they would have been 6 points
behind Blues, but with a game in hand.
Strong cross-winds, and second half rain spoiled
the entertainment, but it did not deter a rampant
Junior Blues side.
The first half was memorable for a Sam Hall hat-trick,
and a goal for Cheadle by Ashley Birchall, which was the first league
goal that Blues had conceded since 12/12/99. At this level of football,
this was an incredible achievement.
Blues pulverised Cheadle
in the second half, scoring five more, including a stunning 20 metre
Sam Pearce volley, before Rory Maxwell pulled one back for the visitors.
However, this was just a consolation goal, as James Brough stooped to
head home a corner for number eight.
This was Sam Hall's best game for Blues
so far - he scored three, and made three more. Gareth Allott
also matched Sam's goals, with a second half hat-trick.
For Cheadle Utd, barring any unlikely hiccups by
Blues or Milton, this ended their title
challenge. It was now a two horse race.
Final Score: - Blues
8-2 Cheadle Utd
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Sam Hall (3)
Gareth Allott (3)
Sam Pearce
James Brough
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The race for the title was now beginning to be more
clear-cut. Milton and Junior Blues both
won all four of their games, whereas Cheadle crucially lost to both
their title rivals, Junior Blues, and Milton
(4-2). Wolstanton Scorers Blue remained in third place, as they too,
picked up maximum points in February. However, they were still five
points behind Blues, having played a game
more.
Junior Blues goal
tally surpassed that of Milton for the first time, and the other interesting
fact to emerge this month concerned Cheadle Utd, who although they lost
those two crucial games, annihilated Scorers Red (18-1) and Smithpool
Flyers (15-1). Significantly, perhaps, both these huge scores were played
at home, on their very small pitch.
Just two weeks to go now, until the long-awaited
clash with leaders Milton Rangers.
(1)Milton
P19, W16, D2, L1, F147, A24,
Pts50
(2)Junior Blues
P17, W16, D1, L0, F149, A16, Pts49
(3)Wolstanton Scorers Blue
P18, W14, D2, L2, F116, A34,
Pts44
(4)Cheadle Utd
P16, W12, D1, L3, F115, A48,
Pts37
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MARCH'00
5/3/00
The first match in March saw Blues
travel to Fenton, the home of Smithpool Flyers. Earlier in the
season, Blues put nine past them and they
repeated the score-line, now.
Despite conceding nine, again, Alex Leese in the
Flyers' goal, was again the star of the show, as he continued his fine
form of the previous match between these sides.
However, he was powerless in stopping Gareth Allott
help himself to another first half hat-trick.
In the second half, Gareth added another to his
total, and "Broughy" scored a hat-trick too, including a thumping
near post header, from a corner. Sam Hall and Sam Pearce also got on
the score sheet. But for Alex in the Flyers' goal and some glaring misses,
the score would have been at least doubled.
Meanwhile, Milton were putting paid to Wolstanton
Blue's faint title hopes, as they beat them 3-0. So to next week - Milton
away. As the season drew to a climax, Blues still
remained one point behind Milton, but with two games in hand.
Effectively, a draw would suffice for Junior
Blues, but nothing short of victory would do for Milton in both
their remaining fixtures, both against Junior
Blues.
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Gareth Allott (4)
James Brough (3)
Sam Hall
Sam Pearce
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12/3/00
This was the big one! The first league encounter
with title rivals, Milton, and what a humdinger of a match it was.
Blues went 2-0 up within
five minutes, thanks to fine goals from Sam Hall and Danny Gruic, and
the Leek fans were thinking of double figures! However, from then on
Blues totally lost the plot, and in the
end they were more than a little grateful to get the draw.
For the rest of the first half, Milton put Blues
under constant pressure, but they failed to trouble Philip Tomczak
in the Leek goal. But with just seconds of the first half left on the
referee's watch, "Broughy" unfortunately headed a corner into
his own net. "It's a funny old game" isn't it? Last week he
scored an absolute peach of a header, this week his header went in the
wrong net.
H/T: - Milton 1-2 Blues
Milton piled on the pressure in the second half,
and it came as no surprise when Danny Arrowsmith equalised for the home
side. But Blues still had something to
offer, and they retook the lead, against the run of play. "Broughy"
making up for his earlier mishap.
Milton thought that they had equalised when they
put the ball in the back of the Blues'
net, but only to see it disallowed. Their linesman, had spotted an infringement,
and rightly, and very sportingly, he kept his flag up.
Parity was once again restored, when a dreadful
mistake in the Blues six-yard box, gave
Nathan Grice an unmissable chance.
There were no further goals in the game, despite
more chances at both ends.
Final Score: - Milton 3-3 Blues
This result meant that Milton remained one point
clear at the top, with one game (against Blues)
left to play. Blues still had to play Milton
at home, but they also had another two games remaining, against Scorers
Red and Alton. Although nothing is ever certain in football, one could
confidently say that Blues would pick up
six points from these last two games, so whatever happened in the next
clash with Milton, Junior Blues should
win the league.
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Sam Hall
Danny Gruic
James Brough
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19/3/00
The following week, Blues
returned to cup action, when they entertained Windmill Warriors in the
League Cup semi-final.
In the two league matches between the two sides,
Blues had come out on top, comfortably,
on both occasions, and this third meeting was no different.
Blues scored three
times inside eight minutes to knock the stuffing out of Warriors, and
added another four before the interval. "Broughy", Gareth
Allott and Jonathan Goodier all scored a couple, and Sam Hall the other,
H/T: - Blues 7-0 Warriors
Incredibly, there was no further addition to the
score in the second half, as Blues (unusually
for them) lost their discipline, in search of personal glory, and many
chances were wasted. Nevertheless, they won the game, and so now they
got to the final, where they would play Milton for a fourth time, at
Northwood.
Final Score: - Blues
7-0 Warriors.
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James Brough (2)
Gareth Allott (2)
Jonathan Goodier (2)
Sam Hall
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26/3/00
Milton - AGAIN!
On an unusually sunny morning, Blues
entertained Milton, with the pressure off them. Although they
obviously wanted to win, they could have afforded to lose. For Milton,
however,it was a different story, they needed a win to guarantee runner-up
spot (assuming Blues were to win their
other two matches).
Blues just about shaded
the first half, and things looked good for them when Oliver Edwards
gave them the lead. However, the lead only lasted seven minutes until
Sam Cheadle equalised.
H/T: - Blues 1-1 Milton
The second half mainly belonged to Blues,
and they deservedly retook the lead when Oliver Edwards bravely headed
past the advancing Milton 'keeper.
Milton thought that they had equalised when some
parents, standing on the half-way line, thought that the ball had crossed
the line. The referee, adamant that it hadn't, waved play on and in
the heat of the moment, some unpleasantries were exchanged.
Fortunately, when all the fuss had died down, some
Milton parents, who WERE in a position to see clearly, admitted that
the ball did NOT cross the line. We had
made good friends with both the parents and boys of Milton, and so it
would have been sad to have ended the match with such ill feeling. But
now when we play against them in the future, we both know that we didn't
cheat.
Just before the end of the match, "Broughy"
scored the third to make sure of victory.
Final Score: -Blues
3-1 Milton
This win meant that Leek
Town Junior Blues were now confirmed as League Champions.
For Milton, though, they had the agonising wait
for Cheadle Utd to play their remaining games. If Cheadle won their
last four matches, it would have been they, and not Milton, who would
be runners-up.This would have been very harsh on Milton, who had been
top for most of the season, and undoubtedly the hardest side that Blues
met all season.
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Oliver Edwards (2)
James Brough
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The top of the table at the
end of March 2000, now looked like this:
(1)Junior Blues -Champions
P20, W18, D2, L0, F163, A20, Pts56
(2)Milton
P22, W17, D3, L2, F154, A30,
Pts54
(3)Wolstanton Scorers Blue
P21, W15, D2, L4, F124, A43,
Pts47
(4)Cheadle Utd
P19, W15, D1, L3, F128, A50,
Pts46
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APRIL'00
2/4/00 - Now knowing that they were confirmed as
Champions, Junior Blues still had both
cups to play for. Already in the final of the League Cup, they now faced
Cheadle Utd in the semi-final of the Challenge
Cup.
Once again, Blues seemed
to fail to come to terms with the small Cheadle pitch, but nevertheless,
despite the closeness of the score, they were worthy winners.
However, it was Ashley Birchall (again!) of Cheadle
who opened the scoring with a long range effort, and stunned Blues.
Even though Blues created many chances,
they were all missed or saved, or as on three occasions, hit the woodwork.
No matter what they did, it looked like just one
of those days when the ball won't run for you. But then with half time
looming, Danny Gruic drilled his shot into the bottom corner to level
the scores, and less than a minute later, Gareth Allott popped up with
a close volley to give Blues a
half time lead.
H/T: - Cheadle 1-2 Blues
Things improved in the second half, and when Gareth
Allott scored number three, it looked all over. But with just a few
minutes remaining, Rory Maxwell (again!) put away a free kick to leave
Blues hanging on for the final whistle.
Blues had more than
enough chances to put the game beyond Cheadle, but it was "one
of those days".
Final Score: -Cheadle Utd 2-3 Blues
This result meant that Blues
would now meet Wolstanton Scorers Blue in the Challenge Cup Final
at Norton.
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Danny Gruic
Gareth Allott (2)
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9/4/00 - Blues travelled
to Wolstanton to take on Scorers Red. In their two previous encounters,
Blues had scored 25 times without reply,
so another high score was expected.
But, much to Blues'
embarrassment the half time score was only 2-0, despite dominating proceedings.
Oliver Edwards got the first, and two minutes before the break, Gareth
Allott added a second.
H/T: - Scorers Red 0-2 Blues
However, in the second half the goals came, and
Blues found the back of the net ten times.
Oliver Edwards completed his hat-trick and Matt Bayley scored two, including
a penalty. Danny Gruic also netted twice and other contributions came
from Sam Pearce, Mitch Shenton and Ben Venables to make it eleven.
The final goal, and indeed the most
popular and memorable of the season, in which Blues
have incredibly netted 175 times in 21 league matches, came when a Scorers
defender made the best save of the day to tip the ball over the bar.
Philip Tomczak left the Town goal to drive the
ball home from the ensuing spot-kick. A fitting reward for a young man
who had spent most of the season in splendid isolation in the
Junior Blues' goal, as the goals piled in at the other end.
Just one more league match to go now, for Blues
to preserve their unbeaten record.
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Oliver Edwards (3)
Gareth Allott
Matt Bayley (2, 1 Pen)
Danny Gruic (2)
Sam Pearce
Mitch Shenton
Ben Venables
Philip Tomczak
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MAY'00
2/5/00
Blues travelled the
short journey to Waterhouses for their final league game of the season.
Although never in any trouble, they did go a goal down, as usual, before
they got themselves sorted.
Jacob Laurie made the most of poor Blues'
defending to open the scoring for Alton & Waterhouses, before
Gareth Allott pulled things back level.
Blues never played
to their true capabilities, despite scoring six times, and they, not
surprisingly with the League already won, almost treated it as a friendly,
with both cup finals just around the corner.
There was only one highlight in this match!!! -
another Gareth Allott hat-trick, in what was probably their worst performance
of the season.
Final Score: Alton & W. 1-6
Blues
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Gareth Allott
(3)
James Brough (2)
Oliver Edwards
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7/5/00
Challenge Cup Final ( at
Norton F.C.)
Blues 3-0 Wolstanton Scorers Blue
Having just witnessed one of their worst matches
of the season, Blues now played one of
the best.
Despite playing on such a large and very bumpy pitch,
Blues were worthy winners. They dominated
a first half in which they scored three times, without reply, and should
have had more to show for their efforts.
After the break, Scorers had a five minute spell,
and had Philip Tomczak not pulled off an excellent blocking save, it
would have been a different game.
As it was, this miss knocked the stuffing out of
the tired Scorers' legs, and they never really offered any more resistance.
Blues had several efforts in the second
period, but they wasted them by shooting from distance.
However, they deserved their win, and they now had
won the "Double", with one more Cup Final to come.
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Sam Hall
Sam Pearce
James Brough
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10/5/00
League Cup Final ( at Northwood.)
Blues Beat Milton 3-2 on Penalties
(a.e.t. the score was 2-2).
Last match of the season!!!
With the "double" safely
tucked away, it was the "treble" that was now at stake.
Again, the match was played on a
huge pitch, with turf that could do with cutting. One has got to question
the sense in playing an Under 11 game on such a large pitch. Fair enough,
it would be difficult to alter the length, but surely the width could
have been brought in at least 10 metres. These
lads are only 11 years of age! If not, despite the splendour of the
Northwood Stadium, could not an alternative venue been found? Both sides
clearly found it hard to play on the big pitch, so it was a testament
to them that they produced such an exciting match.
Anyway back to the match - Blues
dominated the first half, creating enough chances to win the
game, but yet again a defensive error cost them an early goal. Against
teams of the ability of Milton, they will find themselves in trouble
next season if they carry on this habit.
Blues
came back from their early hiccup to go in at half time, deservedly
leading 2-1, thanks to goals from Broughy and Oliver Edwards.
After the break, Milton came back into the match,
and they pulled things back level, after Philip Tomczak dropped the
ball, and Alex Berrisford gratefully tucked the ball away.
There was no further scoring in the rest of normal
time, although Gareth Allott put a glorious chance wide, in the closing
moments of normal time, which would have won the game without going
through the agony of the dreaded penalty shoot-out.
Five minutes each way of extra time rapidly came
and went, without either side being able to get in their stride, and
so we had the drama of penalties.
Last year, the boys lost a cup final in similar
fashion, so having experienced defeat in this manner, they did not want
a repeat, and when they take time to reflect on this "win",
they can genuinely sympathise with everyone at Milton, having already
"been there".
Milton took the first penalty, and although it was
very well struck, it was saved superbly by Philip Tomczak, making up
for his earlier error. This was a devasting blow to Milton, from which
they never recovered. Matt Bayley scored for Leek to go 1-0 up, and
then both sides converted one each, Mitch Shenton on target for Blues.
(2-1).
There was then another crucial miss by Milton, and
their heads visibly sank. Oliver Edwards then scored his penalty to
put Blues 3-1 up. With just two penalties
left for each team, Milton needed to score their fourth to stay in the
competition, which they duly did. Blues now had two chances for victory,
but they missed with the first.
This was just the lifeline Milton desperately required,
but unfortunately (for them) they failed to capitalise, as they missed
their final penalty to hand the game to Blues,
3-2, without the needing their last kick.
Although (arguably!) exciting, this is a sad way
for any team to have to win (or lose) at any level, but until the powers
that be come up with a better solution, it's the best we've got. OK,
so they could have shared the trophy, but I don't think that's the answer.
(I didn't last year either.)
For Blues, this means
that they have remained unbeaten in all matches, this season. They have
deservedly won all three trophies on offer, and have unarguably, been
the best team in their age group.
This success reflects all the hard work that not
just the boys have put into the season, but also all the people behind
the scenes, without whose (usually) thankless efforts, no club would
be able to manage.
The success far exceeded pre-season expectations,
and winning all three trophies was a real bonus.
The mark of a good side, is one that can build on
its success, and this is what everyone at Leek
must strive to do. there is no doubt about it, that it will be harder
to win anything next year. Not only will the new teams pose unknown
threat to us, but also existing teams, especially Milton will be gunning
for us.
A final word. Sadly we're losing Sam Pearce, Danny
Gilman and possibly Sam Hall, who are leaving to play for other teams.
They are all very good players, and, more importantly, smashing lads.
We wish them all the very best in the future, (unless they're playing
Leek Town!!!) -and hopefully they will keep in touch.
CONGRATULATIONS
BOYS!
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Scorers in normal time
James Brough
Oliver Edwards
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