Burpham B 1 Guildford Saints Blues 3 (aet)

The build up to this match had been quite intense with most of the players from both teams attending the same school so it was no surprise when the tackles started flying and the passions running high right from the first whistle... unfortunately for the Blues however it was Burpham that had the most fire in their bellies and for long periods of this match we were second best in the centre of the park. That being said we did have a number of chances in both halves and with better finishing we would and should have romped home!!

The first half was a bit of a frustrating affair for the Blues - a difficult surface combined with some poor decision making when in possession made us look particularly average. Chris Smith curled a beautiful shot just over the bar and Scott and Ed both had great chances to score but "fluffed their lines". At the other end Burpham had a lot of possession in our final third but created only one dangerous half chance when Nathan reacted superbly to stop a shot sneaking in at his near post.

In the second half we started poorly again and when Burpham were gifted a lead by an appallingly generous penalty award from the referee, we looked like we could be in trouble. Fortunately the character of the side started to show through and we began the slow battle back. Alex Oldland was massively impressive as we regained the midfield supremacy and Mike Bell began spreading balls all over the park. Ed was particularly lively up front and it looked like this was going to be our best chance of equalising but cometh the hour... cometh the man and it was Scott the looped and inch perfect lob over the goalkeeper to send us towards extra time. There was still time in the 80 minutes though for Nathan to make yet another seemingly impossible save from a speculative Burpham shot and for Tom Oldland to produce the tackle of the day on the big Burpham forward who reacted by pulling Tom to the ground and then storming off the pitch in an almighty temper tantrum leaving the referee's yellow card in his wake!!

In extra time there was only one team in it. Scott added a second with a shot almost identical to his first in the first period and he completed his hat trick shortly before the end to wrap the game up and take us through to the Quarter Finals.

This was a classic cup tie and I won't deny that it was a relief to me when the final whistle went. We've played better this season but credit to Burpham they were really up for it today and for long periods it was their passion rather than ability that caused us problems. I am pleased though that again we have shown great character and a determination to succeed and we've now gone 5 wins in a row which sees us top of the league and through to the Quarter Finals of the League Cup - excellent progress by the squad and I'm very pleased with them all. Well Done!

Man of the Match - Alex Oldland

Oxshott Royals 3 Guildford Saints 1

This year's County Cup run is over after defeat against a strong Oxshott side, but Saints went down giving a good account of themselves. The first half was pretty much even with both sides probing each other's defence and really it was Saints that just about edged it although Josh was in fine form making a couple of really smart saves, but their 'keeper played well too making a couple of outstanding saves from Tom. It was Tom who opened the scoring holding off a couple of defenders before shooting across the 'keeper and the build up was really good before hand too with Julien and Alex involved in some quick interchanges to create the space.

Matt Burton and Mike Donne were having great games and Seb offered width on the right. Unfortunately a couple of minutes after opening the scoring our back four went to sleep after standing firm all half and Josh was left with little chance as Oxshott levelled.

In the second half, and right from the off, we looked sluggish and Oxshott scored again quickly and, although we battled hard, we could not create any real openings. Eventually midway through the half we conceded again when a speculative shot went over Josh's head. Still we poured forward and we suddenly started to create good chances first with Nathan and then Tom who's shots twice the just stuck under the 'keepers body.

This was a game that could have gone either way and it was a good performance overall.

Man of the Match - Josh Betts

FOR PHOTOS FROM THIS MATCH CLICK ON THE FLICKR LINK ON THE RIGHT HAND MENU

Cup Draw

The Blues have been drawn away to Burpham B in the next round of the SPL League Cup. Match to be played on Sunday 13th December 2009. KO is 9.30am at Sutherland Park. Full draw can be found on the SPL website.

Latest League Table - Division Three

POS		P	W	D	L	F	A	PTS
1	Guildford Saints Blues U15	9	5	2	2	19	16	17
2	Grayshott U15	5	5	0	0	20	6	15
3	Perrywood Sports Jets U15	7	5	0	2	22	13	15
4	Claygate Royals U15	5	4	0	1	16	8	12
5	Farncombe Dynamos U15	6	3	1	2	9	12	10
6	Badshot Lea Blades U15	7	1	3	3	11	19	6
7	Staines Town Colts U15	6	1	2	3	15	15	5
8	St Francis Sports U15	7	1	2	4	8	19	5
9	Woking & Maybury	7	0	2	5	13	20	2
10	Guildford City Tigers	3	0	0	3	2	7	0

Guildford Saints Blues 3 Perrywood Sports Jets 2

One fine morning... one great performance... one fantastic result... one delighted manager!!!

The Blues went to the top of Division Three - maybe only for a short while but it still feels good! - with this excellent result. Weakened with the loss of three key players, it was a re-shaped midfield that took to the pitch with the Oldland brothers taking the centre midfield roles and Alex W & Ed on the wings. George returned to right back with Marcus slotting into the centre of defence with Jacob.

Perrywood started strongly attacking with speed and pace but our defence was really solid and any half chances that did get through were mopped up by the ever dependable Nathan. As we started to get a foot hold in the game we started to create some chances of our own but the Perrywood 'keeper was in fine form. The introduction of Ellis midway through the half gave Scott the opportunity to push forward slightly more and just before half time he got his reward when a fine breakaway was initially saved but the small striker followed up the rebound to smash home his first goal of the season.

In the second half we faced the inevitable onslaught but we defended extremely well from front to back. Just when we looked to have turned the tide Perrywood equalised with an extremely well taken goal. Heads didn't drop though and we continued to play some good football winning the ball higher up the pitch and counter attacking quickly. It was one such counter attack that saw Ed break clear and slot home our second, much to the delight of the watching parents. Moments later Chris Smith could have made it three as a superb shot hit the bar. Perrywood inevitably started to throw more players forward as they went in search of the equaliser and this created some more gaps at the back which we worked hard to expose and eventually Chris Clement marked a very assured debut with a well taken goal to give us a 3-1 lead. Minutes before the end however the young midfielder's joy turned to despair as a deep corner caught him on the back of the shoulder and dropped into our net to give Perrywood a glimmer of hope but we professionally closed out the match for a memorable victory over a very strong Perrywood side.

Today's performance made me very proud. We knew we were going to be up against it from the start. Perrywood are always very organised and physically very strong but even missing probably our three most consistent midfielders today we were able to match them and, at times, out play them today. Tom & Alex were magnificent in their commitment and energy (if not always in their decision making!). Jacob, Marcus, Chris & George also had excellent games with possibly our best defensive performance of the season so far. I was pleased also with the tracking back of Alex W and Ed, particularly in the first half and Chris Clement had a debut to remember and should be delighted with his first goal for the club. Special thanks also to Jack & Dominic who were "sacrificed" in the second half so that we could close out the match and so didn't get as much playing time as they should have. And finally well done to Scott for finally getting his first goal since returning to the club. Four wins in a row! Happy Days!!

Man of the Match - impossible to decide when the all round team performance was so good!!

Saints match postponed

The rain put pay to the Saints v Mayford match on Sunday morning

Guildford Saints Blues 2 Guildford City Tigers 0

The Blues cleverly managed to avoid a drenching in the rain on Sunday... by bringing their match forward to a sunny, but windy, Saturday morning!! With Dan missing through illness this match gave Mike Bell the opportunity to regain his place in the centre of midfield alongside the in form Alex O and the two of them excelled in a very dominant first half performance as the Blues surged into a 2-0 lead and could have had more save for the woodwork!

Mike Bell got the first as he turned cleverly in the six yard box to get in a great header. Minutes later it could have been two as a fine through ball found Ed clear but his first time (right foot!!) shot pinged back from the base of the post. Ed didn't take long to find the back of the net though as, with almost his next attack, he again took a first time shot - this time with his left - and the ball flew past the stranded City 'keeper.

Any attacks City did launch in the first half were comfortably dealt with by the Blues very solid looking defence and by half time we looked very comfortable with our lead.

In the second half and playing with the wind we didn't really dominate and eventually, as tiredness began to show amongst our players, City began to get more of the ball in midfield and began to find gaps behind our defence. However Nathan was in excellent form in goal and when a shot did finally beat him it also beat the outside of the far post. We had chances too. Chris went close with a free kick and Alex W had a chance that he put wide but to be fair City did have the lion's share of possession and quite often we were chasing to get the ball back rather than creating attacks ourselves.

This was a good performance and result from the boys - our third win in a row! Our defence was very good in the first half but tired in the second and that's a concern for me. The midfield worked very hard and it's testimony to their good performances that we didn't miss Dan at all today. Up front I was delighted with Ed's goal - it's taken some time for him to realise that he can get his shots off earlier but it works and today his finishing was excellent... and he was very unlucky with the shot that hit the post too! Next up is Perrywood - this will be the real test. If we can beat them then the boys can really believe that they could be up amongst the leaders at the end of the season and competing for the title!

Man of the Match - Mike Bell

Ottershaw Boys Vipers 1 Guildford Saints Blues 2 (aet)

While Simon was busy getting the Saints knocked out of the Senior Cup, Derek kept up his 100% record as Blues manager with a thrilling 2-1 extra time win at Ottershaw. In his usual short & succinct way here's Derek's view on the game;

"While other games were abandoned or called off, our game started with sunshine but then turned to the worst weather conditions that I have seen a match played in. Simon will be proud of you all (despite his nagging session on Thursday) because I feel that you all played (including the subs) as a team 100%, no matter what the weather threw at you. You dug in and got the result you so rightly deserved, against a team that should no way be in the 5^th division.

At one point I was thinking just what have we got to do to get the ball into the back of the net, as shots from Dan, Scott, Jack, Ed, and even Chris had one cleared off the line. Then up pops Ed and gets the first goal. After that we kept putting the pressure on Ottershaw but again just could not get the ball in the back of the net. It was then that our defence made the only real mistake of the match by giving Ottershaw’s "7ft tall" centre back too much room and we were punished as he headed the ball into our goal.

It was just before half-time when I had to make some adjustments as Mike P was clearly not well, so he had to be replaced by (super sub) Alex O, who came on and filled a hole in our tiring midfield. Shortly afterwards, Tom had to be replaced by Tyler, as he caught the ball exactly where you don’t want to catch the ball - first time I have known him to be completely speechless!

Second half was pretty much the same, but changes to the right wing and the right back by Joe and Ellis did produce some very good breakthrough opportunities. One even ended up in the back of the net but the linesman went against the ref’s decision and declared it offside (not so in my opinion).

It was in the second half of extra time (with just one minute left on the clock) and just when I was wondering who would have enough strength left in them to take penalties that young George (who not five minutes earlier had come on to replace a tired Ed) became the hero of the day, playing in a position he not normally plays in, he used his speed and a little shuffle to find himself through on goal and put the ball in the back of the net. I have never seen a team so happy to hear the whistle blow a minute later, and quite rightly so, for they thoroughly deserved the victory as the Ottershaw manager came over after the match and said so too.

I do not want leave out my praise for the defenders, and of course our captain Nathan, who all did exactly what was asked of them. To finish I personally would like to THANK ALL OF YOU BOY’S for the effort you put in today, it certainly made for a satisfying result."

Man of the Match - Alex Oldland

Milford Pumas 2-1 Guildford Saints

All the ingredients for a Cup giant killing were there. A struggling Division One team at home to an in form Premier Division side on a ropey old pitch in driving rain and gale force winds... and the Saints duly obliged with a lack lustre performance littered with errors and missed opportunities! To their credit Milford were very good today. They obviously lifted their game and right from the start were the dominant side putting Saints under pressure and breaking quickly exposing big gaps behind our defence. Josh made three outstanding saves before we even got a shot off today and despite the fact that we took the lead through Tommy R we never really looked like ever winning this match. We did have chances but they always seemed to be scrambled or mis-controlled where as Milford continued to break quickly and got off another couple of excellent shots that Josh performed miracles to keep out before the home team eventually did equalise in the fourth minute of added time in the first half.

In the second half Saints were the better team but the conditions were horrific and again any good approach work was generally followed by a misplaced ball or a poor shot. When Milford scored the second you could visibly see the Saints heads going down. Various formation changes were made to try and provide more attacking options but the ball failed to stick up front and by the time the final whistle went the team were out on their feet, freezing cold and very despondent.

In matches like this you need character as well as ability and today it was the character that was missing from our players. The ability is there but we were half hearted for too many periods of this game. The defence clearly forgot the basics and too often were caught square rather than covering for each other while we rarely worked the ball around the park in midfield like we do on our good days and as a result gave away possession too easily. Credit to Milford - they were really up for it and battled extremely well for their win. Lets hope that we can pull ourselves together when we return to league action next Sunday against Leatherhead.

Man of the Match - Josh Betts

SPL Cup Draw Details

The draw was made for the 1st Rounds of the SPL Senior & Junior Cups on Thursday evening. Both our teams drew away matches. Details are below. These matches will be played on Sunday 22nd November 2009;

SPL Senior Cup 1st Round - Milford Pumas v Guildford Saints

SPL Junior Cup 1st Round - Ottershaw Boys Vipers v Guildford Saints Blues

Milford are currently struggling in the lower reaches of Division One and won't be looking forward to the visit of high flying Saints but Ottershaw are flying high at the top of Division Five and will no doubt be rubbing their hands at the chance to pit themselves against the Blues on their own pitch. Good luck to both our teams in their matches.

County Cup 3rd Round - 6/12/09

After Sunday's fine win over West Wickham the Saints have been drawn AWAY to Surrey Youth League side Oxshott Royals Youth A. Oxshott currently prop up the Premier Elite Division but had a fine 7-1 victory in their second round match on Sunday.

This fixture is scheduled to be played on Sunday 6th December 2009

Woking & Maybury 1 Guildford Saints Blues 3

What a difference a week makes!! After some intense work with Kevin in training this week the Blues defence today was outstanding and provided the back bone for this excellent victory - our first for five games.

W & M were lively from the start and showed great determination in their challenges and lightning pace on their wings but Luke, Tom O, Jacob & Lawrence were impeccable as they maintained good shape, covered for each other and battled strongly and with good common sense to win the important tackles. Jacob and Tom especially were totally dominant in the first half snuffing out any threat down the centre of the park and limiting W & M to hopeful long balls to their speedy right winger who, in turn, was marshaled superbly by Lawrence. The midfield today also played their part working back well to form a second line of four in front of our defence, closing the gaps that Grayshott had exploited so well last week and providing good protection for the defence.

This defensive backbone allowed us plenty of opportunity to counter attack and it was from one of these attacks that Mike B put us ahead, breaking through and sliding the ball past the Woking 'keeper. In a pretty even game it was the Blues who looked most threatening as Alex, Ed, Jack & Mike B regularly broke quickly thanks to excellent work from Dan & Mike P in the centre of the park who looked to put the W & M midfield under pressure at every opportunity and in doing so were able to win good possession high up the pitch.

W & M did eventually equalise from a corner when their striker reacted quicker than us to a low driven corner which he flicked past the returning Nathan. It only took a few minutes though for the Blues to regain the lead as somewhat fortunately a W & M clearance ricocheted of the advancing Mike B and crawled over the goal line past a despairing 'keeper.

In the second half our defence had less to cope with but still handled everything thrown at them with comfort. Marcus replaced Luke at right back at half time and it was he who put in a superb cross, fabulously headed in by Dan, for the Blues third midway through the second half. We still continued to create chances after this and could have added more but for a couple of close offside decisions and some poor finishing. In the final moments Chris S took a tremendous free kick that just passed the far post but the game was clearly already won by this point.

Overall an excellent team performance - with the emphasis on team. The 'keeper and defence provided a fantastic foundation while the efforts and energy of our midfield and strikers meant that we always looked threatening when we had the ball and pretty secure when we didn't. The standards have been set now though and we need to maintain this form and consistency week in week out if we are to get something positive from this season. Special mentions today for Jacob, Tom O, Lawrence, Dan and Mike B who all had massively improved games today. Well done to all the boys that took part though as it was the all round contributions from everyone that achieved us this victory.

Finally, I must say a quick word of thanks to Kevin for helping identify and resolve some of the defensive problems in our recent matches. The boys worked hard with him on Saturday and the results were obvious for all to see in Sunday's performance. Cheers Kev.

Man of the Match - Mike Bell

Guildford Saints 3 West Wickham 1

A great win for the Saints sees them through to the 3rd Round of this season's Surrey County Cup. Here's Kevin's match report;

"A cold, early kick off for Saints's foray into the County Cup saw them pitched against West Wickham from the Tandridge League. From the off Saints took complete control of the game and it was a joy to watch the sublime football we played. The starting line up was Josh, Chris, Ben, Martin, Ross, Jamie, Alex, Matt, Julien, Mike and Tom and it was Tom who nearly finished off an early flowing move only to see his shot go the wrong side of the post. Still he didn't have long to wait to open his account. Another sweet flowing attack and Tom was sent through and this time he finished across the 'keeper and into the net. Wickham tried to raise their game but just could not get time or space on the ball as Saints continued to dominate and after 15 minutes Saints went two up when Tom finished off another move dinking the ball over the 'keeper from a tight angle. We really should have pushed on and got a third but Julien hit the post, Jamie tried to set Tom for his hat trick when he had the time and space for himself and Matt was close from a free kick. Poor old Josh in our goal was just getting cold having virtual nothing to do. What was really pleasing today was that our defence was snuffing any attack out on the half way line with Chris and Ross playing particularly well.

Half time saw five changes - as we are allowed to do in the County Cup. Ollie replaced Ross who moved into Julien's position, Joe replaced Chris, Connor replaced Matt, Seb replaced Jamie and Nathan replaced Mike and again we just played the ball around showing great possession but, unfortunately, without the same penetration and purpose as the first half but the guys were all playing well. Ross should have scored when through but slipped, Connor was busy all over the park and Seb looked threatening with his pace so it was a huge surprise when Wickham scored. Ollie held up the play well but the ball was eventually played back in and Ross just got his head to it but only managed to flick on to the Wickham forward whose powerful shot came off Josh's arm and into the net... even his pink gloves that his mum had given him failed to keep the ball out!!!

The passage of play midway through the second half saw little action in either goal mouth and with just a one goal lead there was always a chance that extra time would be required. Julien was put back in the game in place of Ross - who had had a great game - and within a few minutes his run and cross was turned into his own net by a Wickham defender to secure the match. It was really no more than Saints deserved and we really should have gone on and scored more with Joe and Seb linking up well late in the game but we were unable to convert. Still full time 3-1 winners - job done!! Well done boys.

This was a really good passing and move display today. We just need to be a little more clinical in future.

Man of the Match - Alex Mattock

Guildford Saints Blues 3 Grayshott 5

The Blues entertained league leaders Grayshott in appalling weather conditions at the Varsity on Sunday. In driving rain and gale force winds it was the Blues who took the game to their opponents and Ed should have scored early on when a great kick by Alex O got carried over the Grayshott defence by the wind. Unfortunately he took a touch too many and ran the ball into the 'keepers arms. Assisted by the wind the Blues totally dominated the early stages with chances falling for Dan, Scott, Mike P and Alex W but the away team goal led a charmed life until midway through the half a speculative effort from Alex W was fumbled by the 'keeper and the Blues took a deserved lead. Grayshott rallied a little but never looked like scoring until a harshly awarded free kick somehow found it's way passed Alex O for the equaliser.

In the second half and playing into the wind we came under far more pressure and Grayshott took full advantage using their pacy and skillful forward to excellent effect with long balls over the top of our defence. Two quick goals saw them take a 3-1 lead before Jack & Scott combined well to bring us back into the game with Craggie's first goal for two seasons. Minutes later we were level when the hard working Dan Price was rewarded for his efforts with a fine goal from distance that left the goalkeeper helpless. With over 25 minutes left Grayshott threw everything at us and, as we tired, gaps began to appear all over the field - particularly in our defence - and almost inevitably in the end one of Grayshott's many attacks led to their fourth and eventually their fifth goals.

Our overall team performance was good today in very trying conditions and against a good side but, as much as I have praised them in the past, I must say that our defending today was extremely disappointing. George unfortunately got injured quite early in the game and that very much effected his mobility and he was caught flat footed too often. Also, as good as he was two weeks ago, Marcus was poor today. Little or no attempt at tackling and very poor concentration often left us exposed to the pace of the opposition strikers. Jacob too was often caught wrong side of the ball and he also was guilty of poor concentration allowing our opponents plenty of time to control the ball during their attacks. Finally, Chris - as Derek & I regularly remind him - needs to improve on the strength of his challenges and tackling. Our opponents were not finding it difficult enough to get down our left flank and quite often were able to get telling balls into our area from there. All four players allowed the opposition too much time on the ball and because they were good players they were able to punish us. It may be a question of fitness, or alertness, but all four must improve on the speed and strength needed to close opponents down or, even better, win the ball before it reaches them! On the other hand our attack play was good today - the finishing could have been better and a big lead at half time wouldn't have been undeserved. The midfield were excellent with Tom & Dan, in particular, putting in excellent shifts. Despite my harsh words there were lots of good things on the pitch today and if we can stop conceding goals so easily there's still time to get something out of this season.

Man of the Match - Dan Price

Latest League Table - Premier Division

POS		P	W	D	L	F	A	PTS
1	Staines Town Juniors U15	4	4	0	0	15	7	12
2	Guildford Saints U15	5	3	1	1	18	10	10
3	Farnham United Flyers U15	5	3	0	2	18	15	9
4	Guildford City Lions U15	4	2	1	1	11	7	7
5	Mayford Athletic Oaks U15	4	1	2	1	8	13	5
6	Knaphill Wanderers Lions U15	2	1	1	0	6	3	4
7	Staines Albion A U15	5	1	1	3	9	14	4
8	Ascot United U15	5	0	2	3	9	18	2
9	Leatherhead Predators U15	2	0	1	1	4	6	1
10	Burpham Juniors A U15	4	0	1	3	7	12	1

Guildford Saints 5 Guildford City Lions 2

A great win for the boys today as they beat our local rivals at Guildford City. In a match we always knew was going to "difficult" the boys put in an excellent performance and a delighted Kevin had this to say afterwards;

"The boys were lucky with the weather as the later kick off meant that the heavy rain had abated and we only had the wind to contend with. Saints kicked off playing with the wind and within five minutes we had gone ahead with a free flowing move which Tom finished with a emphatic shot into the roof off the net. Ten minutes later and it was 2-0 with Tom and Julien combining to "lay it on a plate" for Alex M to finish off. We then seemed to relax a bit too much and City hit the post and Josh pulled off a couple of smart saves. Saying that we should have increased our lead but instead of taking the shots on we tried to walk it in too often. Our defense though was fantastic with Matt, Ben and Chris playing extremely well. Mike D was having a good game and Tom was extremely lively up front.

Second half and with Nathan and Ollie coming on we continued to take the game to City, but it was City who pulled a goal back when Ben, in attempting to clear a corner, flicked a header passed Josh. Still we surged forward and, with Ross receiving treatment for a nose bleed, Matt stepped up and, against the wind, buried a free kick into the roof of the net. City came back at us strongly and again hit the post and then weak defending allowed a City forward to fire past Josh for 3-2. City looked to have their tails up but Tom had other ideas as he raced up field and from a narrow angle scorched a shot past the 'keeper. Things started to get a little fractious with City players diving and their crowd continually disputing the referees decisions but the boys stayed focused and eventually, from a Matt Burton corner, the ball was turned into his own net by a City player to give a final score of 5-2.

There were some great performances today from a number of lads. Josh, Ben, Chris, Matt, Mike, Tom and Connor all caught the eye and our football at times was a joy to behold. When we play like this there are not many teams that can live with us. Unfortunately the match was soured for me by the actions of the City assistant manager who aggressively accosted me as I left the field to walk over to another game insisting that the referee was "biased" and "a cheat" and that we had "taken the mickey" out of his players. His tone when he said "you wait 'til you come to our place" was extremely aggressive and concerning but is only what we have come to expect from this particular City team over the years. Fortunately as a team we rose above this intimidatory behaviour today and we beat City by playing the better football and by taking the chances when they arose."

Man of the Match - Tom Richards

Goodbye & Thank You

Sadly we've said "Goodbye" to a couple of Blues players this week. Kane has decided to try his luck down the road at Guildford City and James B is making the even shorter trip over to Burpham to play his football for the rest of the season. We thank both players very much for all their efforts over the past few seasons and genuinely wish them well with their new clubs... except when they're playing us, of course!!

Also massive thanks to Dads Gareth (goalkeeper coaching) and Chris (referee) who have both contributed a lot of their own time to assist the Age Group and will both be missed. We wish them all the best too.

Farnham Utd 1 Guildford Saints 3

A late afternoon kick off saw Saints at Farnham with a squad of 13 as Ross had gone sick. The ever reliable Matt Burton filled in at left back and Seb started on the right with Jamie moving inside... and right from the start Saints were up for this!! As early as the 5th minute Tom Richards burst into the Farnham area and got his shot away which was parried by the 'keeper but Mike D was following up and tapped home for the lead. Saints looked really in control of the game with Christian, Martin, Matt and Ben not really having much to do as the midfield of Alex M, Seb, Jamie, Julien and Mike controlled the middle of the park. Tom was really lively up front and we nearly had a second when he burst through but pulled his shot and moments later when Seb just couldn't finish a fine run. However we suffered a lapse in concentration in defence and got square instead of being staggered and as a consequences a ball over the top caught us out just before the break. 1-1 at half time.

The second half saw Joe R come on for Julien and Connor replacing Jamie We pushed on up the hill and started again brightly and both Seb and Alex storming through only to be thwarted by last ditch tackling. In goal Josh had little to do but was safe with everything he did have and Josh's kicking was extremely good today. Ben suffered an injury when making a tackle and we need a shift in positions to cover. Matt went into the middle and Joe went into left back. Almost immediately after this Tom was released after a neat interchange and again put the ball away with ease. Saints then had another couple of chances with Tom getting chopped but carrying on only for the 'keeper to save with his foot. With time running out Tom made a great run down the left where he crossed and Julien rose and headed home.1-3 and game over.

A really good display today although we must try and sort out the defensive errors.

Man of the Match - Mike Donne

Farncombe Youth 1 Guildford Saints Blues 1

Looking back on this match we actually played bloody well!! Keith, the Farncombe manager, shook my hand at the end of the match and mumbled something about "another rubbish performance" from his team but I think he does them a disservice... we actually didn't let them play for large periods and - for once - we kept possession well... and what a difference it made!

Starting with a 4-4-2 formation the Blues took the game to Farncombe right from the first whistle. Ellis looked lively in a little "hole" behind main striker Alex W, and Mike P and Tom tackled tigerishly to win back possession on many occasions. Early on a flu-ridden Jack was replaced by Joe and he had an excellent match tracking back to support George as well as joining the attacks. In defence we were very strong. Marcus attacked the ball with much more confidence and Jacob was his usual commanding self. George and Chris both played well, covering when required and winning vital tackles regularly.

Just before half time Alex W put us into a well earned lead after a period of intense pressure on the Farncombe goal. Ellis in particular was a constant threat. Moments later though Alex O saved superbly so that we remained ahead at the interval.

A number of substitutions around the half time break seemed to disrupt the balance and momentum of the side and Farncombe came back into the game a bit more. Midway through the half they equalised when a corner was completely missed by Alex O and poked into his own net by Mike B but after this it was all one way traffic as the Blues laid siege to the Farncombe goal with Ed & Mike B, in particular, surging forward at every opportunity. Unfortunately, despite numerous chances, we were unable to score what would have been a deserved winner.

Farncombe resorted to a couple of very crude challenges towards the end but I was pleased that we rose above this and continued to play the better football - it's a sign of the progress we've made this weekend that I'm a little bit disappointed at the final result when we would have taken a draw with both hands before this match!!

Very pleased with the team as a whole. Alex O again did very well in goal as cover for Nathan and Ellis, Mike P and Tom all played very well today. The defence looked much more secure as well - and what a difference it made to see Marcus going for and winning his headers plus getting some strong ball winning tackles in too. We have a weeks break now but I hope the boys can come back with the same determination and effort when we play Grayshott in two weeks time.

Man of the Match - Marcus Taylor

Additional Blues Squad Numbers

We can confirm that additional squad numbers have been issued to the following players;

19 Dominic Dubois 20 Ellis Wilcox
21 Chris Clement 22 Tyler Owen
23 Rob Butter

These players all remain Wild Cards at the moment. The next squad review is in November 2009.

Guildford Saints Blues 1 Claygate Royals 4

Back down to earth with a bump as Claygate rattled four goals passed us in what can only be described as a disappointing Blues performance. With a couple of changes forced on the side through injuries Alex stepped into goal and Mike B returned to midfield. The Blues however started really poorly in drizzly rain at the Varsity and were 3-0 down after 20 minutes. Going forward Ed was the primary threat but, as usual, his control was poor and it was Alex W who had the only shot of any real note.

In the second half we made two changes with Ellis making his debut and Dominic replacing Jack. Unfortunately within a minute of the restart Claygate went four up after some good strong running from their striker and a quality finish from an angle. After this, in the centre of midfield, Mike Petri "woke up" and Tom O began to dominate and the Blues started to look more threatening. Blues won a penalty when Mike P made a great run but had his legs taken from him as he drove into the box. Typical of his performance and the Blues' day though, Ed blasted it over. Shortly after Alex W replaced Ed and Ellis moved up front to join him with Jack rejoining the game on the wing. There were periods after this change where we played some good football but our end result was poor until some great interchange between Ellis and Alex W put Dominic through to score a well worked goal.

I was very disappointed that we didn't give Claygate more of a game. We were effectively out of the game within the first twenty minutes and this made for a long and frustrating afternoon. In the second half we played better but still we showed only glimpses of our real potential. Ellis & Dominic both made positive impacts today and Tom O and (in the second half) Mike Petri both played well. Up front we only really looked threatening in the final quarter as Ed was stranded up there on his own for much of the match. We face a very tough game next Sunday at Farncombe and we are going to have to improve a lot on today's efforts to even get close to a result there!

Man of the Match - Tom Oldland

Guildford Saints 1 Burpham 1

Saints salvaged local pride when they grabbed a last gasp equaliser against Burpham. In a game that the Saints dominated it was only what they deserved in a match that saw Burpham only trouble Josh twice. Kevin's match report is below;

"Although we were pretty disjointed today we bossed the game for much of the time. The only shot on target, other than the goal, Josh saved well, so when you think that we restricted the opposition to only two shots on target over 80 minutes that's not too bad. What was evident, however, is that once again we were running down blind alleys and not playing the simple ball like we did last week.

Saints thought they had taken the lead when the ref shouted "play on" and Mike D crossed for Tom to power a header past the 'keeper, but the linesman had his flag up and after consultation the referee inexplicably reversed his decision and awarded a free kick to Burpham - this was incredibly disheartening and, even when the referee tried to explain why he had changed his mind at half time, that just puzzled me even more!! Although we went close a couple times we could not find the back of the net. We might not have found the net... but Burpham certainly did when a speculative shot from outside the box skidded out of Josh's hands and into the goal shortly before the interval.

In the second half Saints tried to step up a gear but, to their growing frustration the referee again ruled out a legitimate goal when Tom R's free kick squirmed under the 'keeper only for Mike D to be judged offside despite the fact that he was running back towards our goal. Even though I tried to change things around nothing seemed to be working and it was not until the last minute that Julien crossed the ball and Mike D volleyed home against his former club. This was nothing more than Saints deserved - although I view this as two points dropped rather than one gained!

We really need to play to our strengths which is to keep it simple and play at pace. If we do that then we can outplay most sides, but we also need to realise that we need to win our personal battles throughout the 80 minutes to achieve positive results."

Man of the Match - Mike Donne

Badshot Lea Blades 1 Guildford Saints Blues 1

The Blues were at best disjointed today but still deserved to come away from this game with the points against a resolute Badshot side. Having being beaten 8-1 last weekend it was no surprise that Badshot came into their first home league match of the season with a determination not to concede and for much of the first half the Blues found themselves under pressure in possession and forced into rushed passes and silly mistakes. It made for a scrappy game and, admittedly, it was against the run of play when a Badshot defensive error left Alex W one on one with the 'keeper and he coolly lobbed him for the Blues to take the lead.

In the second half it was a much better and more open game. The match swung end to end with both goalkeepers in fine form. Badshot thought they'd found a way passed the excellent Nathan but Jack was back on the line to clear only for the Blues to then break superbly for Jack to loop his left foot shot over the 'keeper who somehow got his fingers on to it and push it on to the bar. Ed also found the Badshot 'keeper in excellent form with two trademark breakaway runs and shots that were both superbly saved. Eventually the Blues defence, marshalled brilliantly by Jacob & Marcus, was breached with a fine Badshot equaliser. There was still time for Saints to mount a counter attack as Jack skipped passed the right back, whipped a cross in to Luke whose pass left Alex W with the goal at his mercy. Again though the Badshot Lea 'keeper made a fine save and in the end a 1-1 draw was a fair result.

There were some good performances today from the Blues. At times we looked like the Keystone Cops but our battling spirit and determination often got us out of difficult situations... plus the fact that we have the best goalkeeper in the division playing for us (although his "title" certainly came under threat from the Badshot 'keeper today!!). Mentions today also for Alex W who was a continual attacking threat, Luke who put in a much better defensive performance and Tommy O in the centre of the park who competed strongly throughout even when things weren't going our way. Mike P also had an improved performance.

Man of the Match - Nathan Wells

Guildford Saints 5 Ascot Utd 1

A much better result for the Saints this weekend. Kevin's match report follows;

"An early morning kick off saw Saints at Ascot for their second league game and Saints stormed into lead as early as the first minute with Tom Richards firing in after a neat interchange. Saints had to wait until the 25th minute for the second which saw Ross Pearn, who had moved to the left of midfield after replacing Julien, intercept a ball, carry past two players and then square the ball to Tom for his second. Saints did come under pressure from Ascot but this week the defending from set plays was much better with posts marked and every Ascot player picked up. 2-0 half time.

Immediately from the kick off Saints continued to take the game to Ascot and Tom R was able to turn provider as he cut a ball back for Jamie to muscle his way past the two centre backs and fire home. 3-0 Saints. Tom then completed his hat trick by finishing another flowing move involving Alex, Nathan, Connor and Ross. Midway through the half Tom added a fourth when he again burst through and rifled a shot home. Ascot came back and a little lax defending allowed their striker to run through and shoot past Josh, who had otherwise been impeccable, for a consolation.

This was a much better performance from Saints full of passing and movement, commitment and energy. What was really pleasing was the amount of communication going on between the players, including the subs who came on. Substitutions today were Ollie for Christian, Joe for Julien, Connor for Mike D and Nathan for Ross.

Man of the Match - Tom Richards

Action from Blues v Staines Town

Pictures from Sunday's match uploaded to Flicker now - link is on the Right Hand Side of this page. Many thanks to Phil Bicknell (Karen's brother) for these excellent shots.

Saints featured in the Surrey Advertiser

This weekend's edition of the Surrey Advertiser (3/4 Oct) features match reports and a squad picture of the Saints

Weekend Preview - 4/10/09

For the Blues Alex Oldland will step in for the injured Dan Price (shin splints). Marcus Taylor returns to the back four. Mike Bell replaces Mike Petri in midfield and Ed Davis takes over from Chris Smith on the left. Kane makes his first start of the season up front.

For the Saints Ollie Tilley returns to the squad replacing the unavailable Seb Edwards. Changes are likely as Kevin looks to shore up the defence after last Sunday's disappointing defeat.

Saints kick off at 10.30am at Ascot Utd and the Blues play Badshot Lea Blades kicking off at 12.30pm.

Good luck to both our sides this weekend

Guildford Saints Blues 3 Staines Town 2

Blues recovered well to win their first home match of the season against Staines at the Varsity Centre. In beautiful September sunshine the Blues stormed to an early two goal lead with Tom Oldland latching on to an excellent Dan Price free kick and Ed Davis nipping in to nick a goal almost out of the goalkeeper's hands. When Dan & Ed were taken off 15 minutes before half time to rest them for the second period the Blues seemed to implode. Massive holes appeared in the centre of the park and Staines took advantage of this to score two good goals of their own. At half time it was 2-2 and the Blues were on the back foot.

A re-jig at half time saw George move to centre back and Tom to his more familiar role in holding midfield. Jack and Kane came on to reasonably good effect and with Mike Bell getting more of the ball the Blues started to rally. When Dan re-entered the frey with 25 minutes to go we posed much more threat going forward. Fittingly it was Dan who capped of a hugely impressive display with an inch perfect free kick 12 minutes before time. There was still time however for Nathan to pull off a miraculous one handed save to secure three points for Blues.

This has been a good start to the season for the Blues. Dan pulled all the strings for the side today which leaves me a little concerned about what will happen when he eventually returns to the Saints squad, but in previous matches I have seen enough of what the two Mikes can do to know that on our day we can be a force in this division this season. Defensively we need some work as we still get caught too flat footed and are vulnerable to the ball over the top but we know this and we can work on this in training. Good result today. Well done to those involved.

Man of the Match - Dan Price

Guildford Saints 4 Staines Albion 5

The Saints threw away a good start against a determined Staines Albion side today and fell to a frustrating home defeat. A clearly disappointed Kevin had some very strong words to say in his match report;

"After a bright start Saints stormed into a two goal lead with Alex Mattock converting a fine run by Matt Burton and Tom hitting home a rebound from his own shot. However following this fine start Saints sank into a defensive abyss with too many players playing below their usual standards, in fact such was the ineptitude from the midfield and defence, that even when two unmarked Staines players were pointed out at a corner we still failed to mark them and suffered the inevitable consequence. 2-1 half time.

Even after this wake up call we did not sort ourselves out in the second half and only because of Josh did we not fall behind. In fact Saints went 3-1ahead through Tom R but Staines eventually levelled as our defensive weakness was cruelly exposed. We had a glimmer of hope when some poor goalkeeping gifted Tom his hat trick but again we failed to secure the game and Staines were able to take advantage of our errors to first equalise and then to score the winning goal.

With each corner today we looked pathetic and overall our defensive play was poor. It's obvious to me that some of today's players need to look at themselves and ask themselves questions about their attitude and focus. Too many players went missing and there was far too much casualness in our play. At this level any sloppy play gets punished and we can not afford to let ourselves down like this again if we want to mount a sustained challenge this season.

I am going to single four players for whom this is not a problem. Matt Burton, Tom Richards, Josh Betts and Christian Shaw - the other displays today were, I'm afraid, dismal!

Man of the Match - Matt Burton

St Francis Sports 0 Guildford Saints Blues 2

With Simon away, Derek took the Blues first match of the season and they stormed to a great win over local rivals St Francis. This was Derek's take on the game;

"In the first half, despite some strong attacks from St Francis’s forwards, our defence stood up to everything they had to throw at us. When the odd shot did get through Nathan took command and made some great saves, at the other end we had some good chances but didn’t manage to convert them into goals, so at half time the score remained 0-0.

After a quick team talk at half time we came out and we were the better of the two sides. We used the wings more and it wasn’t long before a ball was slotted through to Ed and we went 1-0 up. We had several more shots on goal, and one disallowed, where the linesman flagged Dan offside (I was standing next to him at the time and he got it so wrong!!). After that subs had to be made due to tired legs and some bad knocks, but we didn’t stop going forward and causing them problems.

Alex Wells came back on after a rest and after some good passing play was sent through on goal and he scored our (official!) second goal. We then went on to have another goal disallowed when Kane was judged to be offside, so the end result was 2-0.

Today, in my match report, I haven’t picked out any individual names for praise, because I feel the squad all deserve praise - today they played as a team and you won as a team. WELL DONE BOYS!"

Man of the Match - George Collett

Mayford Athletic Oaks 2 Guildford Saints 1

In Kevin's absence this weekend Chris Mattock stepped into the breech for this hastily arranged friendly. This was his view on the match;

"First pre-season defeat for the Saints! After a tough warm-up and a tactical team talk from the stand in manager, the boys had their own meeting and decided how they would actually play!! Missing Martin and Ben at the back, Matt and Joe R slipped comfortably into the role of centre backs and the team soon settled down with Alex going close from range early on but with Saints missing a couple of half chances, some sloppy defending from a Mayford corner allowed the home team to take the lead.

Good defending, particularly from Matt and Christian, absorbed some further Mayford pressure. And then from a long free kick Matt found Seb who sent the ever chasing Tom Richards on a run down the right - he superbly crossed for Julian to coolly slot away the equaliser.

In an open end to end game both teams had chances with Josh in goal making a couple of fine saves, with one brilliant tip over the bar from a free kick. Mike and Ollie came on as subs replacing an impressive and attacking Christian and Conor. The midfield, especially Mike D battled hard, but created little for Tom upfront.

Half time came and the stand in manager decided to change things around with Julian injured, he pushed Ross and Jo forward... but this unfortunately backfired, with ten man Mayford drilling a chance home, giving Josh no chance! Having re organised AGAIN(!), Jamie - on his birthday - working well with Seb, flashed a shot just past the post. From a corner Mike had a bullet header cruelly blocked on the line and despite five last minutes of frantic pressure, Saints failed to find the equaliser.

A 2 - 1 loss, with the stand in boss making some odd tactical changes; but overall a good warm up for the season proper which starts next weekend."

Man of the Match - Christian Shaw

"P.S. The boys will look forward to the return of Kevin Jose Mourinho next week."

GSFC Saints Squad Numbers - Season 2009-10

This season's Saints squad numbers are as follows;

1 Josh Betts, 2 Christian Shaw, 3 Ross Pearn, 4 Matt Burton, 5 Martin Peters, 6 Ben Turner, 7 Alex Mattock (capt), 8 Connor Duke, 9 Seb Edwards, 10 Tom Richards, 11 Julien Amoruso, 12 Ollie Tilley, 13 Nathan Barnes, 14 Jamie Henderson, 15 Joe Richards & 16 Mike Donne

GSFC Blues Squad Numbers - Season 2009-10

This season's Blues squad numbers are as follows;

1 Nathan Wells (capt.) 2 George Collett

3 Joe Barras 4 Tom Oldland

5 Marcus Taylor 6 Jacob Rudman (vice capt.)

7 Jack Craig 8 Mike Bell

9 Ed Davis 10 Dan Price

11 Chris Smith 12 Mike Petri

13 Lawrence Bird 14 Kane Nash

15 Alex Oldland 16 Luke Holloway

17 Alex Wells 18 James Busby

Wild Cards - Tyler Owen, Dominic Dubois & Rob Butter

Pre Season Friendlies

Matches arranged so far are;

Sun 6th September - Esher 4-3 Blues

Sun 6th September - Knaphill Wanderers 2-5 Saints

Tues 8th September - Guildford City 1-0 Blues

Thur 10th September - Lower Green 0-2 Saints

Sun 13th September - Blues 1-2 Woking & Maybury

Sun 13th September - Ascot Utd 4-7 Saints

Guildford Saints Blues 1 Woking & Maybury 2

In truth we should have been out of sight in this game before half time and how we then went on to lose it absolutely baffles me!!

The Blues started very brightly. There was good energy and improved attacking intent. Jack and Chris supported Ed well up front and we totally dominated early proceedings. Midway through the half (unbelievably!) Ed missed a penalty though and Woking were given some encouragement. However we continued to create chances and eventually Mike B scored a well deserved goal to put as ahead at half time.

In the second half Woking changed a couple of players around  and they looked a lot more lively, particularly up front where they suddenly found some pace... and, unfortunately, plenty of space! That being said it was still against the run of play when they equalised after some poor Blues defending when we seemed unable to clear our lines properly. Blues pushed onto equalise but were caught out at the back late in the game and Woking stole a late winner to seal the match 2-1. 

On an individual basis there were good performances from Marcus, George and Mike B. Some improvement too from Jack, Chris and Alex W. But as a team we were guilty of poor concentration and organisation, particularly in the second half. We must be able to keep our shape defensively even when we are striving for a winner. Too often the gap between midfield and defence catches us out. Let's hope that we can put this right before the season starts next weekend!

Man of the Match - George Collet

Ascot Utd 4 Guildford Saints 7

This is Kevin's match report...

"Playing against our divisional opponents, Saints were right on it from the start with Tom looking really sharp flashing a shot wide within the first couple of minutes. Then a nice flowing move, started by Jamie and with a couple of 1-2's between Julien and Tom, saw Tom flash a shot past the 'keeper. However Ascot hit back after a nice possession piece of football and the right winger flashed a shot passed Josh into the top left hand corner of the net. Julien then restored the lead - after missing an easier header moments earlier - lashing home a right foot shot. Still Ascot came back but really the goal should never have happened... a bit of indecision allowed the Ascot forward in and Josh clipped his foot to bring him down for a penalty. Josh nearly made amends by getting a hand to it but in it went.

A couple of changes were made with Seb, Matt and Joe R coming on and almost immediately Matt and Seb combined and Tom finished. Still more goals to come with Josh parrying a shot only for another Ascot player stroked it home, half time 3-3.

The second half saw the Saints take better control of the midfield and playing the ball quickly and simply. Seb capped a fine display with a fine run down the right and a cracking shot into the top corner of the net to put Saints 4-3 up. Still another comedy of errors at the back saw the ball not being cleared and Alex M, when trying to clear, lashed the ball against Josh and into the net. Saints though stepped up a gear and Tom completed a hat trick before then adding a fourth with a chip over the 'keeper. Julien returned to action to round off the scoring just before the end.

Overall a much better, controlled performance with everyone getting used to playing together. The players today should be pleased with themselves but, as today saw, we now have strength in depth for every position and I will use each of the players at different times as conditions and opponents dictate. We have a higher tempo to our play and pace throughout the side. Football is a squad game and everyone has a part to play this coming season.

Mentions; Jamie H - showed good control and better commitment, Seb - impressive debut, Joe R - full of running and craft, Matt - again another top display in midfield and defence, Ross - another raiding performance and solid defence, Connor - a much more disciplined display.

Man of the Match - Tom Richards

Lower Green 0 Guildford Saints 2

Apart from one of the finest refereeing performances ever seen on Thursday evening... I thought the Saints played quite well too!! Here's Kevin's take on the game;

"This turned out to be a stern test for Saints against a very hard working Lower Green side. Matt Burton filled in for us at centre back and turned in an excellent performance along side Ben. Saints started brightly but lacked any real cutting edge to their attacks even though Tom R was looking for space and any half yard in his usual style. Our midfield still has not gelled and the boys need to be a bit more disciplined and learn how, and when, to go and when to stay - that being said the hard work was there. Josh made a couple of comfortable saves and Lower Green hit the woodwork twice but other than that he had little else to do.

Nathan Barnes came on midway through the first half and started to pull the midfield together and we gradually came back into the match. Defensively though we need to be a touch sharper defending corners and long throws. Tom R hit the bar with a lovely curling shot but 0-0 half time.

The second half was much better from the Saints perspective with the ball being moved quicker and simpler and we began to open up the Lower Green defence with Tom starting to get his shots off - and it was from fine Tom run and shot that we took the lead. The 'keeper did well to parry but Joe was following up and tapped into the net. Not much later and Saints were two up when Tom was sent through by Connor - who was by now starting to play with his head - only to be crudely felled as he was about to turn and shoot. Alex M stepped up and converted the spot kick.

I think all things considered we were good value for the win and it was pleasing to see the boys continue to work hard when things were not coming off and trying to play football."

Men of the Match - Ross Pearn & Matt Burton

Guildford City Tigers 1 Guildford Saints Blues 0

City won the Guildford derby thanks to a well taken goal midway through the second half in what was a very even match. Division Two new boys City  started on the back foot as the Blues attacked with pace and energy but missed the chance to go ahead when Chris blasted a penalty over the bar. Alex W and Tom O looked to spray passes around and Jack & Chris linked up well with them to give the team good width in the early stages. Jamie & James both caused problems for the City defence with their pace and it was pretty much one way traffic in the early stages. City, however, took advantage of the disruption caused by large scale Blues changes midway through the half and started to come into the game more forcing Joe and Luke, in particular, into some last gasp challenges and Nathan into a series of brave saves.

Nathan was called into even more action in the second half as big gaps between the Blues midfield and defence allowed City a series of good scoring opportunities. Eventually Nathan was beaten after a quick City break was superbly converted. Following this the Blues took the remainder of the game to their neighbours with Dan P especially impressing with his driving runs and excellent work rate. Ed had a great chance late in the game as he beat the defence but failed to pull the ball back to his onrushing team mates and shot wide of the goal.

One disappointing aspect of the game saw Alex O booked for dissent. As a referee myself I am determined that my players should play the game in the correct manner win, lose or draw - and be respectful to all officials and opposition at all times. As such Alex will miss the next match and any other players getting cautioned for dissent in the Blues this season will be taken off in that particular game and suspended for the next match as, hopefully, a deterrent.

The overall team performance was good. As with the match on Sunday the boys effort was good but again poor fitness showed particularly in the second half. The players need to take responsibility for this themselves and be working on their fitness in their own time. We need players that can last 80 minutes not 40 particularly if we are going to maintain a sustained challenge this season.

Man of the Match - Nathan Wells 

Esher 4 Guildford Saints Blues 3

The Blues took a pretty much full strength squad to Esher including three new players and the long awaited return of former Saints captain Dan Price and it was the Blues that looked the more lively from the kick off as James B and Jamie H linked up superbly in the early minutes but were unable to convert the chance. Esher rallied after this and the defence came under a bit of pressure. Against the run of play slightly the Blues took the lead though when a "diamond" pass from Chris put Jamie through to slot passed the 'keeper.

The game was very end to end after this. Esher came close on a couple of occasions with Alex O pulling off one particularly acrobatic save to keep them out. We also created a number of chances with Jamie looking a constant threat up front. Esher eventually equalised though when our defenders were very slow to close their opponents down in the penalty area. A quick reshuffle was required shortly after this when Mike B went off injured allowing Joe B to make his debut in a slightly unfamiliar centre midfield role. An Esher free kick saw some disastrous defending and appalling decision making and as a result the inevitable Esher goal!

Dan P entered the fray for the final 10 minutes of the half and was the catalyst for some late Blues pressure capped off just before half time when James toed in the equaliser for the Blues.

The second half followed the pattern of the first really but Blues created less chances and seemed under more pressure not helped by a number of substitutions that disrupted the shape of the side. Esher scored twice in the second period and towards the end some tenacious work by Tom O saw his shot deflected past the stranded Esher 'keeper for a final score of 4-3.

Generally pleased with the effort of our players. There are certainly some big fitness issues out their with Chris, the two Mikes and Jack all needing to work on this a bit more this pre-season. Good to see Dan back and very pleased with George, Joe & Luke who all played well on their debuts. I want to see more attacking play this season and there were good signs in the first half that we can do this but we can never underestimate the work our defence do week in week out and again today they did a grand job against awkward opponents. Jacob again stood out with his strong, committed approach and Tom O, George & Lawrence had good games.

Man of the Match - Jacob Rudman  

Knaphill Wanderers 2 Guildford Saints 5

This was Kevin's report from Sunday...

"A nice bright morning saw the Saints travel to Knaphill for their first friendly of the season. With an enlarged squad following numerous additions it was a chance to see how the new guys fitted in with the rest of last years squad. Keeping the same formation we started with Josh, Joe R, Ben, Martin and Ross at the back with Julien, Mike Donne, Connor Duke, Alex M and Ollie in the middle with Tom up front. It took a while to get going but we soon settled and a crunching tackle by Ross fed the ball to Tom who in turn sent Julien through and it was 1-0 Saints. Whilst it was still 1-0 Knaphill had a couple of half chances but Josh kept them out. A few changes saw Matt Burton, Alex Wells, Nathan Barnes and Christian come on. Minutes later Alex W deftly flicked in a corner to make it 2-0. But credit to Knaphill they came back at us and scored a well taken goal that gave Josh no chance. Still Saints took charge again and another well worked passing move between Julien and Tom R soon restored the two goal advantage with Tom burying his shot past the 'keeper. This then led to the worst passage of defending I have ever seen from a Saints team when they allowed Knaphill from the kick off to run on to goal and put his shot past Josh. Not one Saints player tried to make a tackle and this must not ever happen again!!

The second half was a little less frantic with substitutions from both sides disturbing the game but Saints looked in control and Josh only had to make two saves of note. Our defending was a little tighter but a couple of players are still diving in instead of staying on their feet. The new lads showed up well as I changed their positions and it was Joe R who finished a neat move down the left again started by Ross. Not to be outdone Tom R came back on and outdid his brother by slotting his second and Saints fifth.

Not a bad first match, but we need to be a touch quicker with our passing, being aware of what our team mates are doing and taking responsibility for covering or tracking back. The new lads, Connor, Mike D, Joe R, Matt & Alex W all did well - Mike Donne really impressed. The regular squad players did what I know they are capable of and just need to maintain this level and that includes Nathan Barnes who again looked like he has never been away. However my man of the match was Ross Pearn... with a tan he could be our Ashley Cole!!!" (Ed's note - and that's supposed to be a compliment???)

Blues 2 Frimley Green Leopards 6

Blues started their pre-season campaign with a hard fought match against Frimley in very warm conditions at Shalford. The boys looked very "ring rusty" and started very slowly against the lively and very bright Leopards. Josh was kept very busy in goal as Division Two side Frimley attacked in waves, winning the 50/50s and breaking quickly. The visitors stormed into a four goal lead as time after time Blues defence allowed their opponents too often to get behind them with weak challenges and powder puff tackles making it all the more easy for Frimley. The introduction of Saints players Tom Richards and Conor Duke helped shore up the match a little as half time approached and it was a rare Blues attack that saw Joe Richards mark his first appearance for the side with a well taken goal. 

The second half saw a slightly improved performance from the boys but there were still too many lazy and light weight efforts from too many of our players and Frimley rattled in a couple more goals as they bombarded the Blues goal with efforts from all areas of the pitch. A consolation goal for the Blues came in the final minutes when Tom Richards converted superbly.

This match was an improvement on our first pre-season match last season when we were hammered 9-1 at Knaphill but the fact is it wasn't until the Saints players joined the side showing energy, commitment & good movement that we began to look a little more like a football side. Our fitness levels were massively second rate compared with our opponents and the energy and desire to win that we need if we are to compete this season were visibly lacking. Concentration seems to be the most difficult thing for the boys to understand - half are in their own little world until the ball passes them by then they suddenly come alive but it's too late by then!"Dozy" would be the best word to describe today's effort from the Blues boys. There were good efforts from our new boys Joe R, Joe B and Luke but some of our existing players are really going to have to up their game this season if they want to play regularly - no longer can we just turn up on the day and expect to play and win. We have a much bigger squad this season and players will now have to perform well regularly in order to get a place in the side. Once they've "got the shirt" they will need to show the right application, effort... and concentration to keep it. Hopefully this was a little wake up call for the boys and they can now start to focus on the tough challenges ahead this coming season.

Awake (Good Effort) - Josh, Ross, Joe B, Joe R, Mike B, Tom 

Asleep (Need to do better) - Jack, Dominic, James, Ed, Marcus 

Pre Season Training

Pre Season Training starts on Wednesday 5th August 2009 at Sutherland Park, Burpham from 6-7pm. New players are always welcome. In September we move to two sessions a week on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and from Thursday 24th September we move venue to the RGS, Guildford when we revert back to once a week again.