Reports for Matches against Fettes
Belhaven Hill Match reports for games against Fettes College
Wednesday, 22nd February
Boys' Hockey
1st
After a good half term break, the boys in blue were back at it again on Wednesday as we welcomed a strong Fettes unit to Hallhill.
This was a game which I was very much looking forward to as I knew that it would be a good contest where the boys would be called upon to perform at their peak if they wanted to hold Fettes at bay.
We started with the hit-off and, unfortunately, made a bit of a hash of that and were immediately under pressure in our own circle with goalie, Harry having to make a save within the first minute of play. And that set the tone for the half.
Fettes attacked relentlessly with one of their boys, in particular, impressing with his skills and causing a constant headache for our midfield and defence. We managed to hold out for ten minutes but then, inevitably, they snuck one past Harry to take the lead.
We remained under pressure for the rest of the half but I was impressed by the boys’ scramble defence and determination which ensured that we went into the break only one goal down. Harry, in goal and Fin, Johnny & Tom (first 1st team cap) all worked hard and made a number of brave and good saves or tackles.
At half time I spoke to the boys about our passing, which was a real weakness as we repeatedly tried to pass through players or pass too softly, thereby gifting the ball to the opposition. We also spoke about movement off the ball and our midfield falling back in defence. Finally, we tasked Alfie with man-marking their key player, getting in his space and face and not giving him time to dictate play.
The boys launched into the second half with renewed vigour and immediately won the ball and surged into attack. A good bit of passing and moving led to the award of a short corner. Though it didn’t go exactly to plan, Alfie swooped on the ball as it bounced loose in the circle and swept it home for the equaliser.
And from then on the game was delicately poised with Belhaven, arguably, having the better of it with more forays into the Fettes final quarter. Tommy & Beetle moved well up front, getting themselves into space and Jamie carried well feeding the ball on to them. Johnnie depended well, breaking down a number of Fettes attacks and Fin mad some super breaks from defence up the left wing. And Alfie, well, he did his job very well indeed, frustrating their play-maker to the point that he swapped positions to try and get away from him.
Up until the 34th minute of the match, it could have gone any way and then... disaster! A great strike saw the ball into the back of our net and, still a bit shocked by that, another one went in a minute later. And two more followed in the next three minutes!
So, the final score certainly wasn’t flattering but it really did not reflect just how good and close the game was. I was impressed with much of how the boys played. We weren’t quite at 100% and had we been, I suspect the final outcome would have been very different but that is what sport is all about – we want to be tested and pushed.
Final Score: Belhaven Hill 1 - 5 Fettes
POTM: Alfie – for his goal and for working so hard in the second half marking their key player.
WT
2nd
This was a harsher result than the scoreline should have reflected. For long periods we held our own against Fettes but went in at half-time one goal down due to an unfortunate mistake from our ‘keeper. We were, however, well in the match albeit we needed to keep on fighting for every challenge and hope that the next goal went our way. We tested the opposition goalie a couple of times, but sadly Fettes got two more soft goals which killed the game off. At the end they finally pinched a good goal to complete the scoring before Archie made a superb triple save to keep the score at 4. Eck played well at the back but there was not enough link play between either full-back and wide half and with the best couple of players of the pitch who played with composure and edged the ball wide whenever they could, Fettes had the edge today.
I think 2-0 would have been fairer but some days it goes like this.
Final Result: Belhaven 0 - 4 Fettes
Man of the Match: Eck T. for another solid defensive display.
U11A
The rain cleared and the sun shone as we arrived at Fettes. The teams were evenly matched and the boys showed lots of excellent skills. Wilbur was passing the ball beautifully out wide to Charlie and Geordie. Both teams had to work their socks off and everyone put in a huge amount of effort. Hector and Ollie had a number of very close shots on goal and the ball skimmed the post a number of times. We had a few short corners and Wilbur took super strikes at goal. We need to be a bit quicker on the rebounds. Fettes got a very lucky goal as Harry got his goalie boot stuck and the ball sneaked past.
The second half was very similar and again the ball was equally up and down in both teams' Ds. Our defence had lots to do as Fettes had two very speedy forwards who would quickly run into space. Charlie had a super game and even dived on the floor to stop the ball entering the D but the man of the match is the hero, Harry Freeman in the goal. He made incredible saves and could clear the ball with a huge amount of power out of the D. I was really impressed with how the boys played and the definitely kept the spectators on their toes.
Man of the match: Harry F
U11B
Following on from their hard-fought victory against Longridge, the U11Bs felt that their chances against Fettes were good. I made Fergus captain, given his excellent recent work in training, and he noted just how important his role, and this match, was – the boys didn’t want to lose their winning streak. Only Fettes had a goalkeeper, and they would start with him, while we would have him in the second half. Scoring in the first half may be tricky.
The Fettes team looked organised and clinical, but Belhaven started with a strong sense of purpose and belief. Fergus, Noah and Jack linked up beautifully to allow Noah to score an early goal, squeezing the ball in past the ‘keeper from a tight angle. Arthur played some delicate moves down the wing which allowed Ouday to move into space and to press forward, and Noah scored another.
Fettes responded – they weren’t going to give up that easily – and managed to get past our defence. A half-time score of 2 - 1 was very pleasing, for we would have the goalkeeper in the second half.
The team talk focused on what was going well: passing, use of space and, most of all, communication. The boys were working together brilliantly.
Belhaven went out with renewed energy, Aubrey and Bertie keeping things controlled in the midfield. Lukas was strong in defence, and intercepted a number of accurate attempts on goal from Fettes.
As the second half continued, the goals came thick and fast, including an excellent shot from Fergus from the edge of the D. Belhaven displayed an excellent awareness of space, and used the width of the pitch well. Fettes managed to get two more past the ‘keeper, but Belhaven came out on top. It was our finest display, and was a masterclass in teamwork. Well done, boys!
Final Score: Belhaven 5 - 3 Fettes
3rds
Fettes started the game strongly on this unusually warm February afternoon. Warm maybe a stretch too far, but considering the usual conditions at Hall Hill, it was practically tropical.
Fettes took an early lead, passing the ball confidently around the pitch and using the width to their advantage. Whilst a little shell-shocked from the ease in which the Fettes took their lead, the Belhaven boys rallied together to produce a much strong end to the first half. We started to see the first chinks in the Fettes armour when Rafe, Adam and William pressed well at the top end of the pitch, putting the Fettes defence under pressure. Whilst encouraging, we went into the break 4 - 0 down.
The second half was a much more even affair. Whilst this was undoubtedly aided by the Fettes goalkeeper helping in the Belhaven net, there was certainly more contest in the middle of the pitch too. Ivan was fantastic at the back and Blake too was having a solid game in the midfield. The pressure from the Belhaven attack paid off, with Monty scoring a much-deserved team goal and William bagging the second. His goal and general persistence on the pitch resulted in him being awarded ‘man of the match’ by the Fettes team. I agree with their selection, but must also say that Ivan is worthy of a special mention for another fantastic performance at the back.
Final Result: Belhaven 2 - 8 Fettes
Goals: Monty, William
Man of the Match: William
U9
We had two evenly mixed teams for the fixture against Fettes; played fifteen-minute halves and swapped the teams over for the second half. I was umpiring one match but understand the other team, captained by Archie, did very well, drawing their first half 0 -0 and winning their second half 0 - 1. I am assured by the boys that they kept to their positions, allowing the ball player to pass to teammates who were in space. We have been doing a lot of work on this so it was good to hear.
The game I umpired we had Oak as captain. It was a frenetic couple of halves and the best parts of the game were when we managed to get the ball to players on the wings who were in space where they could run with the ball. This led to a couple of nice goals when the ball was passed back in to someone in front of the goal who was able to score. Too often though we were bunching up around the ball preventing anyone from playing in space and lots of clashes of sticks and running into walls of players. We kept up our effort though but lost both halves – 2 - 1 and 3 - 1. We still have plenty to work on!
Girls' Netball
1st
The girls finally enjoyed a home fixture this afternoon and having warmed up, Alice and the team were ready to go. From the start of the game, Belhaven soon took control of the ball and with a great centre pass and quickly moving the ball between Izzi and Sophie, Lily was in a great position, although at a distance from the goal, to score the first of the match. Having broken the centre pass, the girls repeated this and scored again, very quickly. Fettes took the next centre and with some quick passes, the ball was soon in their circle for a goal. Ottie defended the ball brilliantly in the end third, linking up well with Louisa. With the ball back in our attacking third, some forced passes into the circle gave way to some dropped balls and easy interceptions for the Fettes defence. By the end of the first quarter Fettes were two goals ahead of us. Belhaven 2 – Fettes 4.
The second quarter began in the same way as the first and with a well rehearsed drill, the ball was again in the steady hands of Lily and through the goal. Willow worked well in defence and intercepted the ball when it came near, limiting the numbers of shots Fettes had a goal. A very even quarter with two goals for each team. Belhaven 4 – Fettes 6
During the third quarter, Bea swapped in to give Izzi a rest and proved to be a great attacking link on the court. We let our guard down a little in this quarter and despite some good interceptions from Willow and Lottie, Fettes took advantage with some of their players being unmarked. Belhaven 5 – Fettes 9
In the final quarter of the girls, I reminded the girls to play steadily, slow the game and think about their passes. Any pass that was intercepted, they needed to gain straight back and they did. Once again, Lily and Sophie worked well in the attacking circle, creating space and using Izzi and Alice well as back up. Their centre passes worked brilliantly, as did their back line passes. Louisa and Ottie intercepted some of their centre passes and the ball spent the majority of this quarter in the Belhaven attacking circle. Belhaven 8 – Fettes 11
A great game today and very even throughout. We knew Fettes would be a strong team and the aim was to limit the opportunities they would have to score by marking closely and looking to intercept their passes. The ball was in the Belhaven attacking circle for a large amount of the game and Sophie was very unlucky with some of her shots at goal. Great to have Campbell perform the drum salute at the end of the match.
Final Result: Belhaven 8 - 11 Fettes
Three stars from today
Great pressure from Alice on her opponent
Super shooting from Lily in the circle
Great use of set pieces
My wish for next match
Continue to stick to your opponents when marking and no ‘aeroplane arms’!
Girl of the match: Lily
U9
It was just one match for the girls this week as our second away match took us to Fettes. It was an interesting test for our players this week as we were to ply on a full size court with shorter nets. This would mean space would be ample and shooting that little bit easier. It did not take long for Belhaven to make the most of the conditions with Holly shooting well and taking Belhaven into a 3-0 lead after six minutes.
The second quarter was much tighter with Fettes defending far better and Belhaven dropping their intensity slightly. This same to-and-fro continued into the third quarter and Fettes slowly worked away at Belhaven’s lead scoring two goals of their own.
Going into the last quarter the game was now in the balance with Belhaven leading 3-2. The target was set to increase the speed of our movement and this immediately paid off with Sophia defending brilliantly, Isabella controlling the midfield, and Holly again shooting really well.
The final score was Belhaven 8 - 3 Fettes and it was so pleasing to see the team take the game by the scruff of the neck and improve their performance levels. The team have one game left in the season and hopefully this great performance will continue next time round.
Player of the match: Holly
