Les Misérables no more - Coach Harris' perspective
The previous four matches had been spent in Wales and the games themselves were quite frankly relatively sad affairs. The weather (as always in Wales) was, as Jean Valjean would say, “Les Misérables”. A response was very much needed and the boys worked hard in training on Friday to bring more control and possession to their game.
The morning of the game started nicely. There was a crispness to the air and frost on the pitch. I arrived at the ground to find that everything had pretty much been done already, thanks to the help of some ‘lovely’ volunteers. This gave me time to pop back out and get the prizes for last week’s tour. Buying baskets of Chocolate and getting funny looks from everyone looking at me, I thought ‘What have I done' buying all this sugar? Then I remembered that the kids would be given back to their parents with all that sugar....so all was good.
Arriving back at Longlevens, you could see in the sky that a team from Wales was soon to be entering the county and dark clouds congregated over our heads. No sooner than the first Welsh contingent arrived, the heavens decided to open somewhat. ‘I dreamed a dream’ that this was not going to ruin what was likely to be a well-contested game.
With people now buying raffle tickets, programmes, baps and coffees from our very own ‘Lovely Ladies’, the boys all got changed - back into our traditional Yellow and headed out to the pitch. Everything seemed normal except for one detail. Our goalkeeper no longer looked like our Right Winger. He actually looked somewhat like a B team defender from 2017-18. Ansermoz was making his debut for the mighty B team because ‘At the end of the day’ GBalkwill had decided that he would damage his finger - all for a few weeks off.
The game kicked off at 10:33am and this time, so did Gloucester. Unlike the previous few games, the boys were in it from the beginning and without ‘Confrontation’ showed their assertiveness on the ball. The coaches dreamt of that ‘Castle on a cloud’ and thought this game was here for the taking. Shots from Ball and Badham had tested the Welsh back line early, but it was Little Harris who played a great ball upfield for Ball to run onto, take the ball around the closing keeper and slot home from the edge of the area - giving the Yellows an early lead.
Another chance for Ball was saved well by the keeper after good work from DBalkwill switched play to Badham who crossed in. Pressure soon told and Gloucester were awarded two free kicks. Burr’s effort deflected for a corner, but Fogg’s effort was driven low and hard into the bottom corner just before half time.
Gloucester came out in the second half stronger than the first. Their play in possession was the best they had achieved for some time, if not the best. They were beginning to look like the ‘Stars’ we knew they could be. An Afan Nedd corner was defended well and Butcher picked up the ball on the edge of the area and pushed it into the space for Ball to run on to. Similar to the first goal, Ball showed great determination to beat the defender to the ball and dribbled around the keeper to finish neatly again.
A bit of a solo effort saw Badham with the ball about 20 yards away from their goal. He somehow managed to weave his way into the only bit of space around and unleashed a beautiful lob over the keeper to make it four to the good.
As Moroney was having one of his most accomplished and composed games of the season so far, Wixey and I decided to leave him at CB and put Evans back on at the right side of defence. Little did we know that this was going to show us one of the surprising moments of the season so far. Evans picked the ball up just behind the half way line and went on a brilliant run down the wing - bobbing and weaving past defenders whilst fighting off the inevitable nose bleed. A brilliant ball into the box found its way to Young who hit the ball first time into the bottom left of the goal, making it 5-0 with 10 minutes to go.
The home team and supporters with them were in great spirits. I turned to Wixey and said ‘Look how happy everyone is…..’Do you hear the people sing?’’
I spoke to soon and Afan Nedd managed to get a goal back before Butcher then added his second goal in two games. Great work and tidy feet meant that he could finish neatly into the top right of the goal.
What happened after that was a bit of of a ‘Plumet attack’. Gloucester took their foot off the gas, made less passes, won less tackles and as always at this level, Afan Nedd took advantage. Two goals from them meant that the final score was Gloucester 6-3 Afan Nedd.
This game left me feeling very encouraged. ‘One day more’ on the training exercise we did last week and this will improve again. The possessional play was (as said before) possibly way better than I’ve seen so far this season. Their composure on the ball was to be commended - even bringing in the goal keeper to keep possession. For 50 minutes, we won more tackles than they did and had a desire that we have lacked so far. Not one player let themselves or their team down and as I pondered ‘On my own’, ‘A little fall of rain’ reminded me that despite the weather, these days can be and will still be worth it.
The boys entered the eating room and chocolates galore was given out as their DREAM marks from tour had been finally calculated. Every boy went away with a few prizes and rightly so - they were so well behaved. With the chocolates taken and the Sausages and Chips eaten, the eating room was left with ‘Empty chairs at empty tables’ ready for the next bunch of brilliant nutters and bringing a non-Les Misérables morning of football to an end.
Gloucester B: G.Balkwill, J.Moroney, C.Evans, R.Burr, J.Young, D.Balkwill, G.Ball, J.Fogg, L.Badham, H.Butcher, J.Harris
The morning of the game started nicely. There was a crispness to the air and frost on the pitch. I arrived at the ground to find that everything had pretty much been done already, thanks to the help of some ‘lovely’ volunteers. This gave me time to pop back out and get the prizes for last week’s tour. Buying baskets of Chocolate and getting funny looks from everyone looking at me, I thought ‘What have I done' buying all this sugar? Then I remembered that the kids would be given back to their parents with all that sugar....so all was good.
Arriving back at Longlevens, you could see in the sky that a team from Wales was soon to be entering the county and dark clouds congregated over our heads. No sooner than the first Welsh contingent arrived, the heavens decided to open somewhat. ‘I dreamed a dream’ that this was not going to ruin what was likely to be a well-contested game.
With people now buying raffle tickets, programmes, baps and coffees from our very own ‘Lovely Ladies’, the boys all got changed - back into our traditional Yellow and headed out to the pitch. Everything seemed normal except for one detail. Our goalkeeper no longer looked like our Right Winger. He actually looked somewhat like a B team defender from 2017-18. Ansermoz was making his debut for the mighty B team because ‘At the end of the day’ GBalkwill had decided that he would damage his finger - all for a few weeks off.
The game kicked off at 10:33am and this time, so did Gloucester. Unlike the previous few games, the boys were in it from the beginning and without ‘Confrontation’ showed their assertiveness on the ball. The coaches dreamt of that ‘Castle on a cloud’ and thought this game was here for the taking. Shots from Ball and Badham had tested the Welsh back line early, but it was Little Harris who played a great ball upfield for Ball to run onto, take the ball around the closing keeper and slot home from the edge of the area - giving the Yellows an early lead.
Another chance for Ball was saved well by the keeper after good work from DBalkwill switched play to Badham who crossed in. Pressure soon told and Gloucester were awarded two free kicks. Burr’s effort deflected for a corner, but Fogg’s effort was driven low and hard into the bottom corner just before half time.
Gloucester came out in the second half stronger than the first. Their play in possession was the best they had achieved for some time, if not the best. They were beginning to look like the ‘Stars’ we knew they could be. An Afan Nedd corner was defended well and Butcher picked up the ball on the edge of the area and pushed it into the space for Ball to run on to. Similar to the first goal, Ball showed great determination to beat the defender to the ball and dribbled around the keeper to finish neatly again.
A bit of a solo effort saw Badham with the ball about 20 yards away from their goal. He somehow managed to weave his way into the only bit of space around and unleashed a beautiful lob over the keeper to make it four to the good.
As Moroney was having one of his most accomplished and composed games of the season so far, Wixey and I decided to leave him at CB and put Evans back on at the right side of defence. Little did we know that this was going to show us one of the surprising moments of the season so far. Evans picked the ball up just behind the half way line and went on a brilliant run down the wing - bobbing and weaving past defenders whilst fighting off the inevitable nose bleed. A brilliant ball into the box found its way to Young who hit the ball first time into the bottom left of the goal, making it 5-0 with 10 minutes to go.
The home team and supporters with them were in great spirits. I turned to Wixey and said ‘Look how happy everyone is…..’Do you hear the people sing?’’
I spoke to soon and Afan Nedd managed to get a goal back before Butcher then added his second goal in two games. Great work and tidy feet meant that he could finish neatly into the top right of the goal.
What happened after that was a bit of of a ‘Plumet attack’. Gloucester took their foot off the gas, made less passes, won less tackles and as always at this level, Afan Nedd took advantage. Two goals from them meant that the final score was Gloucester 6-3 Afan Nedd.
This game left me feeling very encouraged. ‘One day more’ on the training exercise we did last week and this will improve again. The possessional play was (as said before) possibly way better than I’ve seen so far this season. Their composure on the ball was to be commended - even bringing in the goal keeper to keep possession. For 50 minutes, we won more tackles than they did and had a desire that we have lacked so far. Not one player let themselves or their team down and as I pondered ‘On my own’, ‘A little fall of rain’ reminded me that despite the weather, these days can be and will still be worth it.
The boys entered the eating room and chocolates galore was given out as their DREAM marks from tour had been finally calculated. Every boy went away with a few prizes and rightly so - they were so well behaved. With the chocolates taken and the Sausages and Chips eaten, the eating room was left with ‘Empty chairs at empty tables’ ready for the next bunch of brilliant nutters and bringing a non-Les Misérables morning of football to an end.
Gloucester B: G.Balkwill, J.Moroney, C.Evans, R.Burr, J.Young, D.Balkwill, G.Ball, J.Fogg, L.Badham, H.Butcher, J.Harris
