29 September 2015

 

The first month of the 2015-2016 season has been completed and it has been a mixed bag for the club.

New first team manager Steve Clayton got his first league campaign underway on the 13th as his side took on Sporting Manchester. After going behind Holmes struck an equaliser and the team pushed for a winner to get the campaign off to a winning start. Unfortunately a free kick sailed straight into the back if the net with 10 minutes to go and Village were unable to regain parity before the final whistle blew.

 

Next up were last season’s runners-up, Manchester Maccabi 1, and the opposition showed that they are still a force to be reckoned with as they recorded a 5-1 victory. A positive for Village was the fact that new boy Bartlett grabbed his first goal for the club.

 

The month was completed with another 2-1 defeat as the team lost out to Saints. The opposition took a two goal lead before Holmes halved the deficit with a stooping header. Village were unlucky to not get anything out of the game as both Holmes and Wilson hit the bar.

The team may not have got any points out of the games but the performance in the third game showed a lot of promise and inventiveness and, with a bit more luck, would have given Clayton a deserved first three points.

October see the first team come up against Miam Miam, South Manchester and, last year’s champions, AFC Flixton in the League and a new opposition for us, Turnpike Pirates, in the County Cup. 

The second team had one league game in September – an away trip to the capital to face London Titans. The game was played in nice sunny conditions but the pitch was anything but nice with a number of divots and bumps. This affected the quality of the game as players from both sides were continually bamboozled by the unpredictable bounce of the ball.

Titans broke the deadlock first as they lashed home a poor clearance from the edge of the box. Holmes restored parity as he dispatched a ball over the top. The hosts restored their lead as their right winger picked out an unmarked striker in the box and the forward made no mistake as he lashed home.

It is a poor first half from the team – with the pitch only partly to blame. However the second half was much better with a number of good moves put together. Holmes and Edwards both found the back of the net in the second period as Village opened their league campaign with a hard fought victory.

The second team face London Leftfooters in the league and Mersey Marauders in the cup in October. 

The club also took part in the Leicester Wildecats tournament at the start of the month and did well to reach the Quarter Finals with a stretched squad. In the group stage they earned a 2-1 victory v Romans Emperors, a 1-0 win v Nottingham Aslan and a 2-0 win v Soho. 0-0 draws were recorded v Leicester Helsinki and Kolektivo Victoria whilst their only loss was 0-2 scoreline v Newcastle Panthers. The Quarter Final was just one game too far as Yorkshire Terriers earned a 3-0 victory. 

The results may have been mixed but it was great to see positive performances which bode well for the upcoming games. It was also nice to see a number of players make their debuts for the club – namely Williams, Sykes, Bartlett and McGregor.