S&L Juniors U11 Whites - Laleham FL

Brilliant away friendly against Laleham FC on their grass pitch. Choppy weather but stayed nice and dry. Ended in a 2-3 loss.

Really excellent game to watch. Biggest one for us coaches was even when we went behind the effort didn't drop, we always felt we could win it and we walked away with smiles on our faces.

The ref commented about how friendly we are as a group - real testament to our players and supporters. You are a lovely bunch! Just how football should be played.

We never looked out of this one. New trialled 3-4-1 formation seemed to add good cover for the defence. At one stage I heard oppo saying "do they have four at the back". Great teamwork and coordination between the two CMs. The gaps on oppo breaks didn't seem to be there today, meaning we had a good game in the centre of the pitch.

I did note throws and corners seemed much more effective - especially throws. Keep this up for attacking advantages!

The passing move between Erick, Legrand and Jack at the end was a highlight. So slick! Exactly like your inner Mbappe!

As always, and to be the best, there were a couple of minor improvement notes:

We could look around us more before receiving the ball to advise best next possession move or player marking position. In attack this may have told us to let the ball run rather than taking a touch - this may have created a through run on goal. In defence we could call for team mates for unmarked oppo players.

Some dribbles were held for a tad too long and we often tried to take on the oppo. Mix it up with more pass and move or a One-two.

Great GK saves throughout, but kicking and distribution could have been better first half for more possession. Much much better in second.

The ball stayed in our box for a while longer than we would have liked. Get it clear asap with a big kick!

Keep the pressure high on loose balls, we're fast and fit so we'll force more mistakes and add more chances. Sometimes we stood off and let oppo regain control of ball.

As we said in post game briefing, there were so many great performances all over the pitch. One guy stood out for a brilliantly controlled CM and def performance. Maintained control of the game and cleared the ball brilliantly when there was danger. Dexter, you was our Player of the Match!