Soccer Scene                   

April 2010

TRIBUTE TO DEREK SMITH

Former Head Teacher of Trent Bridge Junior School and committee member of Nottingham Schools’ Football Association, Derek Smith, died on March 17th.

Derek was elected to the NSFA committee in 1952 and played a very active part in the association’s activities for the next twelve seasons. After only two years Derek took on the position of Honorary Assistant Secretary and the following season he became Honorary Assistant Treasurer, a job which included the organisation of the annual trip to Wembley for the Schoolboy International. He held this post until the start of the 1958-59 season, when he led the Association as its Chairman. In the 1962, Derek took on the Association’s senior post of Honorary Secretary until he left the committee in 1964.

Derek Smith was also heavily involved in Notts branch of the National Playing Fields Association, (now known as Fields in Trust). He also worked tirelessly for the City’s Methodist Church community and was a former magistrate. Derek and his wife, Winifred also found time to raise two children, adopt two more and foster more than 60 others.

Derek Smith was a remarkable person, who will be sadly missed by his friends in schools’ football.

                
                              Derek Smith with Nottingham U14s - 1958-59
                           He is flanked by Alan Birchenall and David Pleat


CITY SECONDARY TEAM REVIEW

CITY BOYS REACH TWO FINALS

On the final Saturday in March, Nottingham Schools’ U15s and U12s were both successful in semi-final matches. The City U15s were playing their South Notts counterparts at Rushcliffe Leisure Centre, while the U12s travelled north to take on Sheffield.

In the semi-final of the English Schools’ F.A. Area D Simmonds Plate competition for U15 Boys, Kamal Hayles scored for the City after only 7 minutes and Kyle Dixon added a second before half-time. Nottingham continued to dominate possession and Hayles soon added a third goal. The home side replied within a minute to make it 3-1, but just before the end, Kamran Khan (Djanogly) completed a comfortable 4-1 victory.  Nottingham’s opponents in the final will be Derby Boys.

In the first half of the U12 Michael Dale Trophy semi-final against Sheffield, both teams were very evenly matched and both squandered early goal scoring chances. As the game progressed, the pace and strength of the Nottingham forwards began to tell and five minutes from half-time Bobby Hawkins (Nottingham Academy) gave Nottingham the lead.  After the interval, the Nottingham forwards continued to trouble the Sheffield defence and two more goals from Immaan Samuels and Hawkins secured a 3-0 victory. The City U12s now await the result of the other semi-final between York and Derby. Nottingham U12s have also played three Junior Star league fixtures during March. They drew 2-2 with York, travelled to Warrington to win 4-2 and lost 3-2 to South Notts. The City Boys will be hoping to avenge this defeat when they meet South Notts in the County Cup Final at the Forest Academy on April 28th.

The U15s started and finished the month with wins over South Notts, but in between they suffered two defeats. They lost 6-3 to East Riding in the ESFA Area D league and 4-1 to Worksop and Retford in the semi-final of the County “Cobbin” Cup.

The City U14s have played South Notts in an ESFA Area D league fixture with Reuben Fraser-Stewart scoring a goal in each half to give his side a 2-0 victory. Unfortunately the following Saturday, they lost three league points, when they were beaten 1-0 at home by East Riding. Nottingham U14s will take on South Notts again on May 5th in the final of the County “Norris” Cup at the Forest Academy.

The City U13s travelled to Mansfield for their Area D league match and were 1-0 down after ten minutes. However, two goals by Mckenna Parton and third from Joe Ellis gave Nottingham a 3-1 lead at half-time. Ten minutes after the break, Ellis scored again and shortly afterwards Mansfield made it 4-2. The City team’s victory was confirmed, when Ryan Charles knocked in his side’s fifth goal. In their East Midlands league fixture two weeks later, the City Boys could only manage a 1-1 draw with South Notts at Highfields. The visitors scored first, but the City team equalised just before the break, when Oscar Ossue-Murphy rounded the keeper to knock the ball into an empty net. Nottingham and South Notts will meet again in the final of the County U13 Intermediate Cup at the Forest Academy on May 5th.