The Chronicle, Summer 2019

44 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

Football By Nic Bond, Master i/c Football

The 2019 season was a positive one for the Football Club. Senior football is always a bit of a lottery and we were happy to be able to field four strong teams week in and week out. All teams, from 1st to 4th, enjoyed some success throughout the season, with pupil engagement and enjoyment at the heart of the Club’s spirit. The 1st XI had a competitive season, winning half their fixtures. Under the leadership of Jimi Feather, a stalwart of the 1st XI in the 2018 season, Teddies immediately looked to press on from the highs at the end of the previous campaign. The season started with a pre-season camp at St Edward’s with some basic skill development and team bonding sessions. This was followed by a highly competitive triangular with Abingdon and Malvern where we acquitted ourselves well, but were undone by two squads that had played many more games together. The start of the school term brought the first competitive fixture in the form of an away day at Bromsgrove. The physicality of the game came as somewhat of a shock to some of the newer members of the XI. We were a little lackadaisical going forward and occasionally

loose at the back, resulting in a 4-1 loss, which didn’t really do us justice. There were positives to be taken and clear signs of a competitive team moving forward. As the XI moved through the season they moved from strength to strength, working hard in training sessions to develop their passing, communication and utilisation of width. The first signs of the hard work paying off were at Bedford School, a highly competitive fixture, where the 1st XI came back from 2-1 down to take the draw 2-2. This game showed the first signs of the fighting spirit that the team had been needing and left the coaching staff with new hope for the forthcoming fixtures. From there we moved into the next gear, showing that we could put the ball in the net with a convincing 5-1 win vs Kingham Hill. With goals coming from both forward players, this was a good performance on a tricky pitch. The positive approach of the 1st XI continued through the season, with the group of players becoming more aware of each other’s strengths, using the speed of Roman Bricusse and the strength of Ollie Paymaster-Billington to work past some impressive defence. This was until Teddies came up against a strong

MCS who were allowed to cruise to a 5-0 victory. With Radley next in line it would take something special to come back from a heavy defeat like that; and special it was. In some of the best football we have seen on Avenue Field St Edward’s worked tirelessly, a new formation let the 1st XI really attack from the moment the whistle blew, an early disallowed goal only adding fuel to the fire, with St Edward’s coming in 1-0 up at the break. The second half showed some fight from Radley bringing the score line back to 1-1 but a second half brace from Roman Bricusse, to complete his hat-trick, sealed the game 3-1. A fantastic game for the 1st XI, who finally understood how good they could be when working collaboratively. The second half of the season saw more wins for the team, seeing off Cheltenham 3-1 and Burford School 3-1 with minor blips versus Shiplake and Marlborough. A return leg versus MCS concluded the season. After losing heavily to them previously it was a fitting tribute to the team and the work that they have put in to win this final game 4-3. The season can go down as a successful one for the 1st XI, with some strong foundations set for the team and Club moving forward. Award winners were: Top Goal Scorer, Roman Bricusse; Coaches’ Player, Tom Wyles and Players’ Player, Jimi Feather. As is often the case in life, looking at the numbers will only tell part of the story. The 2nd XI had a new coaching combo and a number of new recruits when they first met up in January. The Lower Sixth, who had patiently waited three years, finally had their chance to represent their School with the spherical ball and showed a committed approach to training from the outset, taking the lead from an experienced core of Upper Sixth. After a shaky start to the season (conceding 14 goals in 2 matches), a match that will live long in the memory saw a stunning display versus Bedford. A re-shuffled back four, a new keeper and a change in formation, played in challenging conditions against an evenly matched side made for a fantastically exciting tussle. With Teddies 2-0 up within 20 minutes and all looking rosy,

Felix Burton dribbles through the Marlborough midfield