Hereward House School

Match report First XI vs. Arnold House
30th September 2011

Arnold House 1-0 Hereward House

A defensively solid performance against Arnold House put the First XI in with every chance of defeating their opposition for the third time of the season. The back-line was far more disciplined than in the match against Chigwell, resulting in the assistant referee’s flag being raised on more than one occasion. Campbell, Ross and Oscar Noble were all well organised and Markos Manolopoulos was particularly excellent at finding space to exploit at right-back. As usual, the boys passed the ball around beautifully and worked hard to create time and space for each other. The movement of Harker, Lloyd-Williams and Greaves in the centre of the park was as slick as usual, with Martin and Burton providing much needed width. Despite creating multiple chances, Hereward could not score and it was down to Elijah Abela to keep us in the game with a superb diving stop.

Early through the second half, Arnold House scored from a very good cross that resulted in an unstoppable header. The introduction of Isadore and Cousans, and a slight change in formation, left the home side with their backs against the wall but they were able to survive a late Hereward bombardment to claim victory in an even contest.

Match report IAPS regional 6-a-side at Rokeby
Saturday 8th October 2011

Group matches
Hereward House 1 – 0 Westminster Under School
Hereward House 1 – 1 Cumnor House
Hereward House 1 – 0 Marlborough House
Hereward House 0 – 2 St. Martin’s School

Quarter-final
Hereward House 0 – 3 Parkside

Congratulations to the First VI for a fantastic performance this year in the IAPS regional 6-a-side tournament and Hereward House’s most successful tournament to date.

Drawn in a tricky group, the boys started well by moving the ball into space and working the wings against Westminster Under School. A speculative long-range effort by Theo Noble was enough to claim three points, no less than the boys deserved.

Cumnor House proved to be very physical opponents and Hereward’s second group match was played at a fantastic pace. Having gone 1-0 down to a well-taken Cumnor goal, the boys did not let their heads drop, and rapidly moved the ball up the pitch to equalise soon after. Strong performances from Oscar Noble and Elijah Abela kept a talented forward line at bay and allowed the team to grind out a draw.

Tired legs and minds were evident against Marlborough House. Oliver Lloyd-Williams and Freddie Campbell showed some nice touches, but the team could not break down an organised defence. However, late in the match an excellent run from Archie Harker set Timon Greaves up to slide in a very close match.

With qualification already sealed, the boys performed well against St. Martin’s, but could not quite do enough and lost their only match in the group stages.

Hereward House were drawn against two-time national champions Parkside in the quarter finals and injected as much effort as possible when playing against a technically adept side. Having gone 1-0 down in the first half, the whole team worked as a unit to create chances in the Parkside area by driving the ball ahead of the play and picking out what little space there was in the opposition’s defence. Despite their best efforts and a spirited performance, Hereward House were eventually defeated by three goals to nil.

Well done to all the boys for playing their part in several brilliant team performances against some very good sides. They can all be proud of the efforts they made in October and I hope that this spirit will be carried forward after half-term.

Match report First XI vs. Chigwell School 1st round Investec ISFA national cup 20th September 2011

Chigwell 5-2 Hereward House

Buoyed by their victory at the Canon’s Park tournament, the First XI performed very well in a tough match against Chigwell School. Throughout the match, the midfield of Lukas Martin, Oliver Lloyd-Williams, Timon Greaves, Archie Harker and Oliver Burton (replaced by Leo Isadore in the second half) worked tirelessly to create chances and win the ball.

Having gone 1-0 down in the first half, despite some very good passing, the boys kept stroking the ball around the pitch and were rewarded with two well-taken goals early in the second half, from Theo Noble and Archie Harker.

For a good portion of the second half, Hereward were on top. With Captain Freddie Campbell, Josh Cousans, Benji Ross and Markos Manolopoulos battling a tide of Chigwell attacking play, even a heavy challenge on Luke Dunne in goal did not dampen the team’s spirits. However, eventually the boys were worn down and conceded four goals without reply.

All in all, I was very pleased with the effort of the whole team. There are a few tweaks to be made on the training pitch, but I am sure the boys will address these as they have approached their football thus far this season: as one. Once again, all boys played a role in what turned out to be a thrilling cup tie.

Match report First XI vs. Trevor Roberts
21st October 2011

Hereward House 3-0 Trevor Roberts

Hereward House defeated local rivals Trevor Roberts School by three goals to end the first half term of Games with a victory.

Hereward House dominated possession in the first half, with some excellent passing through the midfield, but were unable to create many clear goal-scoring opportunities. The back four of Cousans, Ross, Oscar Noble and Manolopoulos were once again impressive and Archie Harker worked hard to negate the opposition’s main threat from midfield. However, Trevor Roberts were winning the physical contest on the pitch and Timon Greaves’ close range finish, from a move started by Lukas Martin, just before the break certainly settled some nerves.

After the half-time team talk, Hereward House were a more combative unit. With Leo Isadore particularly impressing at left-back, the boys began to make their dominance pay. The team gave very little away in the air and were far more eager to retrieve loose balls, with Theo Noble running the channels well up front and Oliver Burton burning up the wing. Oliver Lloyd-Williams converted two good passing moves with neat finishes and Freddie Campbell’s introduction up front added an extra dimension to the attack. First XI debutant James Robinson came close to capping a promising first appearance for the side with a goal, showing the depth of talent available in under-13 squads. Towards the end of the match, confusion in the Hereward defence left the Trevor Roberts forward unmarked in the six-yard box, but Will Fryer pulled off an excellent save to his right to maintain the team’s clean sheet and ensure the score reflected the team’s performance.