Under 12 Performance vs AFC Stoneham Girls

JPL Warriors Cup U12

Our U12 Performance team faced a difficult afternoon in the JPL Warriors Cup today, falling to a 10-0 defeat against a strong AFC Stoneham side who currently play in the league above.

Going into the game, we knew it would be a substantial challenge. A depleted squad due to external commitments meant several players were asked to step into unfamiliar roles, and we welcomed two new players who stepped up to join the group.

From the first whistle, there was an unfortunate lack of self-belief evident among the girls. Despite constant encouragement to be brave in 1v1 duels and to work hard for the team, the squad struggled to match the intensity of the opposition. Stoneham soon took the lead, and their confidence was visibly high.

With a number of players playing in unusual positions, we often left crucial gaps in central areas, which Stoneham ruthlessly exploited. A key difference was the intensity of the press: while the opposition pressed aggressively, we often showed far too much respect to them. We went into the half-time break trailing 5-0.

The half-time team talk focused on adopting a more positive approach and trying to play higher up the pitch. Following some positional changes, the team started the second half with renewed vigour and enjoyed a spell of dominance where they looked likely to pull a goal or two back.

Unfortunately, we were unable to convert any of these chances while on top. This allowed Stoneham to maintain their comfortable lead and they soon began to extend it once more towards the final part of the second half. As the game wore on, we continued to leave too many gaps for the opposition to exploit and lacked the creative spark needed in the attacking third of the pitch, leading to the final 10-0 scoreline.

It was a disappointing result against a side we believe we should be capable of competing with. The girls have plenty of learning points to take away from this match, particularly around maintaining self-belief, increasing intensity, and understanding the importance of central positioning.

The one huge positive on the day was the outstanding performance of Isla S. Her never-say-die attitude and relentless workrate were an example to the rest of the team and fully deserved the Player of the Match accolade.