Boys U16 (2010) Major 1 - Suncroft

The lads travelled away to Suncroft on Saturday and delivered a 5-2 victory. While we faced a side sitting at the bottom of the table, we knew they would be scrapers, and the 70 minutes required us to maintain our focus. Despite a slightly delayed kick-off, the boys looked "switched on" after a sharp warm-up, and the intensity from the first whistle was exactly what we asked for.

We have been drumming into the lads the importance of being calm on the ball and using the full width of the pitch. It was brilliant to see Ryan Parletti taking on the training drills specifically, playing the way he was facing and recycling the ball backwards when he was under pressure rather than trying to force a turn. This maturity helped us keep possession and showed the progress we've been building in training.

Goals during the match came from Emmanuel Agbebi, Conor Black, and Ryan O'Rourke, with Ollie Lawlor netting twice. One of Ollie's came from a clinical penalty, while another was a superb team goal from open play that started right at the back: Oscar Fagan retrieved the ball near our own corner flag and played a smart ball up the line to Conor Black, who beat three men before squaring it for Ollie to finish. Ryan O'Rourke also showed fantastic predatory instincts again, nipping in to take the ball off the keeper.

Our "Three Non-Negotiables" remain the bedrock of this team: Listen, Full Effort, and Positivity. On the sideline, Emmanuel observed that I never criticise players. This is intentional. My philosophy is to "Catch them when they're good": calling out and rewarding the positive behaviours we want to see repeated.

While the lads stuck to the tactical plan, we did see some bunching and a drop in communication on the pitch. More importantly, we need to address the "chatter" with the referee. As we move forward, we want the lads to channel that passion and frustration into their pressing and tackling rather than directing it at officials, opponents, each other, or even themselves. When we play with composure and use our pace out wide, we are a match for anyone in this league. The next step is "70 minutes of talk": using our voices to help each other find space so we do not end up crowding the ball.