A tough result to take today. There was no lack of effort from anyone, with several strong individual performances. Joey, in particular, produced a couple of 5–10 minute spells where he was simply unplayable.

We went into the game missing Ernie, who picked up an injury yesterday, and Jett, who had to withdraw early this morning through illness. We hope you’re both doing well and back with us next week.

These absences forced a change in formation, with Isaac spending most of the game in an unfamiliar midfield role alongside Henry.

Before kick-off, we spoke to the boys about getting more support in and around the forwards by pushing the defence higher and quicker when attacking. Noah was tasked with managing this and did an excellent job of taking it on board.

We started brightly, enjoying plenty of possession on a muddy, slippery pitch. Early chances were limited for both sides, but the Reds looked the more likely to score. Against the run of play, Priory took the lead with their first breakaway, a likely mis-hit shot looping over Jesse and into the net.

Ravenshead responded well in search of an equaliser. Isaac had two speculative long-range efforts, one drifting wide and another spilled by the goalkeeper for a corner. The pressure continued, with a Henry long throw flicked on by Isaac into Emmanuel’s path, but the finish just wouldn’t come.

Just before half-time, the breakthrough arrived. Emmanuel who had worked tirelessly did well to hold the ball up and played a perfectly weighted pass into the path of the onrushing Joey, who calmly guided the ball into the bottom corner to make it 1–1. That goal sparked a dominant spell from eventual MOM Joey, who then caused Priory constant problems up to the interval.

At half-time we made a slight tweak to the formation to give more support to lone striker Emmanuel. It had the desired effect, with the Reds pushing higher up the pitch and looking increasingly likely to take the lead. Joey continued to be a handful, Josh worked tirelessly in midfield, and the defensive pairing of Oz and Noah were steady as ever. Sam was strong in the tackle, Henry began to impose himself by dominating the midfield, and Archie worked really hard up and down the right getting into both boxes.

Unfortunately, Priory struck again against the run of play with only their second real breakaway of the game, this time finishing well to retake the lead. The Reds pressed and probed but couldn’t find a way through. Late on, Priory broke once more, but Jesse made a good save after what had otherwise been a very quiet morning for him, 1 good save and 2 Priory shots he had no chance with.

Full time: Priory 2, Reds 1.

A frustrating defeat, particularly against a team I genuinely believe we had more quality than on the day. Every single boy put in a good individual performance and worked hard. While a bit of fortune maybe favoured Priory, we also need to take responsibility for turning strong individual efforts into a more cohesive team performance.

At the moment, that’s an area where we’re just a little short, possibly affected by confidence from the spring season. Now that we’re playing on bigger pitches with the offside rule, we need a better understanding of how positioning and roles can benefit the team as a whole. We’ll be working on this, along with being a little less direct and not rushing the ball forward too often as a default.

Overall, not a poor performance—just a frustrating one for coaches and perhaps parents. The boys gave us everything we ask for in terms of effort, and on that front, they can’t be faulted.