We kicked off our 9v9 journey with a strong performance, despite facing a side from the division below who certainly held their own in Division 1. In fact, in our 7v7 meetings with them this season, we recorded two wins and one loss—our last encounter being a hard-fought 2-1 cup victory.

We arrived without Ernie but were grateful to have Harrison stepping in to help the squad. Unfortunately, a late illness ruled out our other central midfielder, Jett, leaving us with just one substitute on a scorching day.

This forced us into some last-minute reshuffling, with Isaac and Henry forming an unfamiliar midfield partnership. But from the first whistle, the boys were switched on. Isaac and Henry dominated the middle, Emmanuel ran tirelessly up front, Josh was a constant threat down the right, and Theo caused havoc on the left. Underwood were stunned by our intensity.

Theo opened the scoring after a flowing move involving Henry and Emmanuel. Soon after, Henry doubled the lead with a calm finish from a clever Theo through ball.

Underwood started to find their feet, testing our back three—Noah, Oz, and Archie—who all made some crucial tackles. Josh later dropped into defence and helped solidify things even further. We looked strong and composed at the back.

Theo added his second and our third after latching onto another Henry pass, and Isaac—playing back in his usual striker position—found himself in the box to finish off a brilliant cross from Archie, who showed great pace to beat the offside trap.

Just before halftime, Jesse was finally beaten by a well-taken Underwood free-kick, making it 4–1 at the break.

After halftime, we took the opportunity to let the boys try new positions. They all adapted brilliantly, stuck to instructions, and remained tactically disciplined throughout—a real highlight of the performance.

We added four more goals in the second half: Harrison marked his debut with a stunning bicycle kick from a Theo corner—goal of the day. Theo completed his hat-trick with another cool finish from a Henry assist. Noah confidently converted a penalty after being brought down, and Emmanuel rounded off the scoring after following up a Theo shot. There was even time for Isaac to take a late penalty, which just missed the target.

All in all, I’m incredibly proud of the boys today. They delivered tactically, showed great adaptability, and gave everything in tough conditions. I couldn’t have asked for more.

Wishing Ernie a brilliant holiday and hoping Jett feels better soon. Huge thanks to Dave for refereeing, and to Chris and Andy for running the line—greatly appreciated as always!