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Nottinghamshire Schools’ Football Association Annual Report for Season 2008 / 2009

Honorary Secretary’s Report

Each season begins with the thought that surely Nottinghamshire’s Schools cannot be as successful on the national stage as they were the previous year, but again and again they continue to delight us with great performances which retain Nottinghamshire’s position as a prominent force in the English Schools’ Football Association.

Three National titles this season is the best return in the Association’s history – West Bridgford Under 13 Boys, by winning the ESFA / Minute Maid Cup, meant a Nottinghamshire side had won the trophy for a second consecutive year following Trinity’s success last season. North Leverton’s Under 11 squad triumphed at Wembley Stadium in the ESFA ‘Soccer Sevens’ Schools Cup and on the same afternoon, Abbey Road Under 11 Girls (playing in their third final in four years) shared the Individual Schools 7-a-side title with St Paul’s School from Buckinghamshire.

Below are the accounts of how these three school’s remarkable achievements made them all Champions of England!

West Bridgford School (Nottinghamshire) 2 v 1 Queens’ School (Hertfordshire)

A team from Nottinghamshire won the national English Schools’ F.A. Minute Maid Cup for the second successive season as West Bridgford School defeated Queens’ School (Hertfordshire) 2-1 in the final played at Doncaster Rovers Keepmoat Stadium on Tuesday 19 May.

Both sides had early chances as the dangerous Danny Elliot put in a fine low cross which just missed two onrushing players and then Matthew Glossop did the same for Queens’ at the other end. West Bridgford began to take control with Elliot causing the Queens’ problems with his pace down the left of their defence and Taylor and Krafts also prominent. The Nottinghamshire side took the lead in the 17th minute when a fine corner from the right by Will Krafts was met with a towering header from Pierce Bramley.

A minute later, West Bridgford scored a second when another cross from Krafts had goalkeeper Dan Wilkes back-pedalling and as he dropped the ball, it was bundled home by Joe Harbottle. Elliott hit the bar from another corner but Queens’ should have pulled a goal back when Matthew Lipman fell in the act of shooting with the goal at his mercy and as he desperately tried to force the ball in while lying on the ground, it was scrambled away from the line three times by the Bridgford defence. The woodwork saved Queens’ yet again when Nitin Mishra, later to be named ‘Man of the Match’, hit a superb 30 yard drive which left the keeper helpless just before half-time.

Bridgford never quite regained their rhythm after the interval as Queens’ fought back well with the aid of several substitutions, one of whom, Charlie Wharton, was prominent in midfield. West Bridgford seemed to sit back with a big gap developing between their strikers and midfield and Queens’ improved passing caused considerable problems for a Bridgford defence in which White and Bramley were outstanding.

They gained deserved reward when, after the Bridgford defence had cleared a promising Queens’ attack, the ball fell to captain Nathan Osaji who rifled in a shot similar to Mishra’s in the first half and it left keeper Arron Dilhe helpless. Queens’ continued to put pressure on the Bridgford defence but apart from a shot by Louie Covello which was well saved by Dilhe, could not produce the threat that their pressure suggested and despite five minutes of added time, West Bridgford held out.

West Bridgford Team Manager, Tim Preston, despite being initially lost for words, said ‘What an absolutely fantastic achievement to be National Champions! The boys have done themselves and the School proud and thoroughly deserve this accolade. They have been brilliant to work with and given me great enjoyment’. He also paid tribute to the support from the school, staff and pupils alike which he described as ‘amazing’.

North Leverton 2 v 1 The British School (Gloucestershire)

The young footballers of North Leverton in Bassetlaw completed the fairy tale on Saturday 13 June when they defeated the curiously named British School of Gloucestershire 2-1 in the final of the English Schools’ ‘Soccer Sevens’ Cup for smaller primary schools on the hallowed turf of Wembley Stadium to earn the title of National Champions.

The four qualifying schools met on Friday at the superb facilities of Watford FC’s Training Ground to play a round robin series of games to decide who would play in the final at Wembley and who would play off for third and fourth places.

In their first game against the Northern champions, Pleasant Street of Liverpool, they took an early lead when Toby Sims won possession, made a brilliant run down the right wing and crossed for the ever-alert Owen Gamble to convert.

The rest of the game was shared territorially with the Leverton goalkeeper, Mark Hazel, having to make two excellent saves while Matthew Baddiley marshalled the defence to give Leverton an early win in the group matches.

A second win against South of England champions, St. Paul’s of Swanley in Kent was an easier affair and Connor Paine, Owen Gamble and Toby Sims were all on target in a comfortable 3-0 victory.

Other results showed that both Leverton and their third opponents, The British School, were already assured of a final place, making the match a dead rubber but allowing the Leverton substitutes Oliver Sims, Themi Bacon and Carl Whittaker an opportunity to take part. The final result of 1-0 to The British School was unimportant in terms of the championship but served as a useful wake-up call for the Leverton boys and an opportunity to assess their final opponents.

On Saturday on the Wembley Stadium turf it was a different story completely. With captain Toby Sims dominating the midfield and Tyler Wilson, Daniel Smalley and Connor Paine working tirelessly, Leverton ended the first half with a one-goal lead when Owen Gamble finished off a slick move involving Connor Paine and Toby Sims.

After the interval The British Schools took advantage of their one clear opportunity to equalise and the game seemed to heading for a draw and a shared title.

However, with only two minutes remaining an inch perfect through ball from Toby Sims saw Owen Gamble, who had been ill all week and had at one stage looked unlikely to play, outpace the opposition defence, draw the goalkeeper and slip the ball through the narrowest of angles to hit the inside of the post while players and supporters alike watched it roll halfway across the line until the spin changed its direction as it nestled firmly in the back of the net.

The trophy denoting that North Leverton were National Champions was presented to Toby Sims by the Chairman of the English Schools FA, Stuart Inger and brought to an end a campaign which started last November and was a credit to the hard work of a talented set of boys, gave Team Manager, Jack Tarr, the distinction of taking two different schools to the national title and above all was reward to Headmaster, Kevin Bacon, for the many hours of organisation and enthusiasm he had put into the school to create such a successful sporting culture into a such a small school.

RoadPrimary Schoolfrom West Bridgford continued their remarkable record in the English Schools' F.A. Under 11 Girls' 7-a-side Cup by sharing the national title at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 13 June. Their record is unsurpassed in any of the E.S.F.A. Primary competitions as in the last four seasons, they have reached the final stages three times, winning the title outright, finishing runners-up after extra time in the final and this season sharing the Trophy with St. Paul's School from Buckinghamshire after a 0-0 draw.

Abbey Road School 0 v 0 St Paul’s School (Buckinghamshire)

Abbey Road Primary School from West Bridgford continued their remarkable record in the English Schools' F.A. Under 11 Girls' 7-a-side Cup by sharing the national title at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 13 June. Their record is unsurpassed in any of the E.S.F.A. Primary competitions as in the last four seasons, they have reached the final stages three times, winning the title outright, finishing runners-up after extra time in the final and this season sharing the Trophy with St. Paul's School from Buckinghamshire after a 0-0 draw.

They competed as one of the four Regional winners (from the North, Midlands, South West and South East) at the Watford F.C. training ground on the Friday afternoon, opening with a 3-1 win against the Northern champions, Maltby Lillyhall School from Rotherham thanks to goals from Katie Rogers, goalkeeper Elise Hutton who scored direct from a kick from her own hands when clearing the ball and Charlotte McLennaghan.

Their second game resulted in a 1-0 defeat at the hands of St. Paul's School from Buckinghamshire, leaving them needing a victory in their last game against BluecoatSchool, the South-West champions to qualify for Saturday's final at Wembley Stadium. An own goal by the Gloucestershire team set Abbey Road on their way before a Katie Rogers effort clinched their second place in the league and thus qualification for the final at Wembley.

After a night's stay in the London area, they travelled to a very sunny, but also very warm Wembley Stadium where they again met St.Paul's School and this time, in an entertaining match where both sides missed chances, Abbey Road did not concede a goal and with no extra time possible because of the tight programme prior to the England v. France Under 18 Schools’ International game, shared the National Title with their Buckinghamshire opponents.

A remarkable number of other County teams progressed through to the later stages of national competitions. Trinity Under 12 Girls 5-a-side squad, having won the Midlands title, qualified to take part in the ESFA Finals Day held at the JJB Soccer Dome in Derby. The day began with the teams playing in two groups of four teams in a round robin format and Trinity topped their group to put them into the semi-final against Monkwearmouth School from Sunderland. They despatched their North Eastern opponents 4 – 1 but then came up against a very good Maiden Erlegh side with the Reading school running away with the title in the Final.

Dukeries Community College also had a tremendous run in the national ESFA / RAF Individual Schools Cup for Under 16 Girls. They reached the last four in the country before being narrowly beaten 1 - 0 by St Wilfrid’s School from Lancashire. The Under 15 Boys of Joseph Whitaker School at Rainworth went out in the national quarter-finals, losing 3 – 2 to Lancaster School from Leicester after extra time having been 2 – 1 in front at one stage. The Under 16 Boys of their near neighbours, Manor School from Mansfield Woodhouse, also reached the last eight in the ESFA / RAF Cup, this time to be beaten by the odd goal in seven by Carre’s Grammar School from Sleaford in what was, like the Joseph Whitaker match, a cliff hanger of a match.

Another very disappointing departure in the quarter-finals of a national competition was that of the Nottinghamshire Under 16 Girls side who travelled to Ossett Town FC twice in a week (the first game was called off at the last minute due to a flooded pitch) only to lose on penalties to the eventual winners of the ESFA title. The other three representative squads unfortunately failed to qualify for any of the Midlands semi-finals. The Under 18s, with two very good draws away to Humberside and Lincolnshire and a narrow 2 – 1 defeat by Lincolnshire needed to beat Humberside at home in their last match to qualify for the Midlands play-off game but sadly they slipped to a heavy defeat. The Under 16’s never really fulfilled the promise that they had shown the season before and the Under 15’s, under the new management of Tim Preston and Brian Newson, remained unbeaten in the Eastern Section of the Midlands Group but it was not enough to capture a top two place and qualify for the semi-finals.

Four more sides reached the last 16 in their respective national competitions – the Under 18 Girls of West Bridgford School lost to Hull College, Dukeries Community College Under 18 Boys went down to Carre’s Grammar School who went on to reach the final, Nottingham Schools’ FA narrowly lost 2 – 1 to Kingston upon Hull in the newly introduced Trophy competition for Under 13 sides and Rushcliffe School’s Under 13 Girls were controversially beaten 2- 1 away at South Holderness College on Humberside in the ESFA/Minute Maid Schools Cup.

With Mansfield again unable to find the volunteers to run district representative teams it was Nottingham, South Notts and Worksop & Retford who contested the County Cups at the different age groups. Honours were more or less even with South Notts winning the Under 15 Cobbin Cup at Meadow Lane, Worksop & Retford the Norris Trophy at Under 14 and Nottingham the newly introduced Under 12 County Cup both played at the Nottingham Forest Academy ground. Nottingham and South Notts shared the Intermediate Cup and Pavis Shield that were played as a double header at Meadow Lane.

Nottingham and Bassetlaw were the only two Primary Districts to run regular representative teams although Gedling played in all of the small sided tournaments and took two of the four honours available – both the boys and girls outdoor 7-a-side titles. Bassetlaw won both of the indoor 5-a-side tournaments. Nottingham produced a convincing performance in the eleven-a-side County Primary Cup beating Bassetlaw 3 – 1 at the Nottingham Forest Academy ground.

The three Primary Individual Schools small sided tournaments were once again excellent mornings of football. Abbey Road and North Leverton’s stories have already been recorded leaving Hillside Primary from Hucknall as the only winner not mentioned. They took the Boys Individual Schools title at Highfields against Radcliffe on Trent but unfortunately could not progress any further when it came to the Midland Regional tournament held at Grove Farm.

As is the norm all of the County Individual Schools Finals were excellent affairs played in good spirit and putting the kind of football on show that was a credit to their schools and themselves. It is always difficult to pick out matches that were just that bit more special than the rest but the Under 16 Hawkins Final at Collingham between George Spencer and Manor was one of those with George Spencer finishing as 2 – 0 winners, Stanhope School’s Under 11 Girls were 1 – 0 winners against Lowes Wong from Southwell in a game that showcased all that is good in girls’ football and West Bridgford’s 4 – 3 win in the Under 14 Chaplin Shield at Burton Joyce was a gripping affair with some fantastic goals including one from the half way line! Committee Member support at the finals was again disappointing as was the parental support at many of the games – noticeably down on previous seasons even though all the finals were 5.30 or 6.00pm kick-offs to give them a chance of getting to the venues.

The Association extends grateful thanks to all the clubs that provided grounds for all it’s finals and particularly to David List, the groundsman at The Poplars Sports Ground in Burton Joyce, where seven of the finals were staged. The pitches he prepares are second to none and David is a always a cheery and fantastically helpful support. Other grounds used were Collingham, Notts County’s Meadow Lane Stadium, the City Ground and the Nottingham Forest Academy pitches.

The Association this season staged all four of the Midland Regional Small Sided Primary Finals for the ESFA – the Inter District and the Small Schools ‘Soccer Sevens’ at Grove Farm and the two Boys and Girls Individual Schools tournaments at Highfields the following week. Teams from as far afield as the East Riding of Yorkshire and Telford in Shropshire gathered to battle for the titles that would leave them one step from Wembley! These were both very successful events blessed with some excellent weather with Solihull from the West Midlands winning the District title for the second year running, Canon Maggs from Warwickshire the Boys, Abbey Road the Girls and North Leverton the ‘Soccer Sevens’.

The Association hopes that schools will continue to increase their use of the Association web site to keep up to date with the Nottinghamshire Cup competitions and use it to arrange their future matches in the competitions by contacting their own opponents rather than waiting to be informed by the Competition Secretaries. Development of the web site this year now provides schools with the option of submitting their results directly to the Secretary via the web site with a very quick and very easy to use facility. The Association would like to continue to encourage schools and particularly districts to use the web site as a publicity and information vehicle for match reports, cup draws and as an events diary.

The Nottinghamshire Schools Council for Sport continues to play a vital part in the procuring financial support for all schools’ sport including football and thanks to the tireless work of Gerry Mills, the Secretary and Peter Sanders, the Treasurer, help from the Nottinghamshire and Nottingham Childrens’ Services Departments continues to be much more generous than in neighbouring counties.

As always, the Association offers its sincere thanks to the following organisations and individuals:

  • Reprotec for their continued invaluable support and financial assistance.
  • The volunteer referees who give so much of their time and commitment to the Association and Schools Football in general.
  • Private individuals who support the Association financially.
  • All the schools and clubs that make their facilities available to the Association and offer such a warm welcome.
  • Nottingham Forest and Notts County who are always keen to help out whenever they can, particularly Jane Carnelly and Nick Marshall at Forest and Tony Cuthbert at County.
  • The Nottinghamshire Football Association with whom the Association continues to enjoy an excellent relationship.
  • The City and County Councils who continue to give the Association much needed financial support through the Nottinghamshire Schools Council for Sport.
  • All the personnel – teachers, ex-teachers, non-teachers, parents and supporters who together combine to offer the pupils of Nottinghamshire and Nottingham schools a wide and varied programme of football competition.

This year it has been the Individual Schools teams that have continued to ensure that Nottinghamshire has maintained it’s position as one of the leading County Associations in the country and we must do our upmost to see that all the County and City teams receive the backing and support which they deserve and hope that the wonderful successes of recent seasons can be continued.

John Williamson – Honorary Secretary

Secondary Competition Results 2008 – 2009

U15 Cobbin Cup South Notts 6 v 1 Nottingham
U14 Norris Trophy Worksop & Retford 3 v 1 Nottingham
U13 Intermediate Cup South Notts 2 v 2 Nottingham
U13 Pavis Trophy Nottingham 2 v 2 South Notts
U14 Gordon Mills Cup Col Frank Seely (Calverton) 2 v 1 Ellis Guilford (Nottm)
U15 Forest Bowl Bluecoat (Nottm) 2 v 1 George Spencer (Stapleford)
U14 Forest Vase Trinity (Nottm) 2 v 1 Wheldon (Gedling)
U19 John Fox Cup Valley (Worksop) 2 v 0 Becket (Wilford)
U16 Hawkins Cup George Spencer (Stapleford) 2 v 0 Manor (Mansfield)
U16 Girls Hilary Swinn Cup Dukeries (Ollerton) 6 v 0 Dayncourt (Radcliffe on Trent)
U15 Netz Shield Bluecoat (Nottm) 3 v 2 Manor (Mansfield)
U14 Chaplin Shield West Bridgford 4 v 3 Trinity (Nottm)
U14 Girls Active Sports Trophy Valley (Worksop) 1 v 0 Rushcliffe
U13 Graham Cordell Cup West Bridgford 2 v 0 Toot Hill (Bingham)
U13 Girls Fred Riddell Shield Rushcliffe 2 v 0 Redhill (Arnold)
U12 Reprotec Cup West Bridgford 5 v 2 Portland (Worksop)
U12 Girls West Bridgford Colts Shield Dayncourt (Radcliffe on Trent) 1 v 0 Arnold Hill

Primary Competition Results 2008 – 2009

U11 Reprotec Primary Cup Nottingham 3 v 1 Bassetlaw
U11 Inter Association 7-a-side Gedling
U11 Inter Association 5-a-side Bassetlaw
U11 Girls Inter Association 7-a-side Gedling
U11 Girls Inter Association 5-a-side Bassetlaw
U11 Boys Individual Schools 5-a-side Mornington (Broxtowe)
U11 Girls Individual Schools 5-a-side St Augustine’s (Worksop)
U11 Majestic Trophies Shield Fernwood (Nottm) 2 v 1 Stanhope (Gedling)
U11 George Abbott Shield North Leverton (Retford) 10 v 0 Lambley
U11 Reprotec Girls Shield Stanhope (Gedling) 1 v 0 Lowes Wong (Southwell)
U11 Boys Individual Schools 7-a-side Hillside (Hucknall)
U11 Girls Individual Schools 7-a-side Abbey Road (West Bridgford)
U11 Small Schools 6-a-side North Leverton (Retford)

Honorary Treasurer's Report 2008-2009

The Association provides a great deal of varied activity for the benefit of pupils in our schools. Once more, the successes of teams at national level reflect the quality of the whole membership. Schools football goes further than providing games. It sets high standards based on sound educational principles. It is important in personal development and young people can enjoy the game more! All of the above depend upon a sound financial base

Financially, we have just about broken even. Our agreement with Collingham Football Club has seen us benefit but, to balance this, the cost of travel is becoming a real burden. There are biennial fluctuations of representative fixtures which cause variations whilst the timing of the Annual Referees’ Evening sometimes puts the finances into a different financial year.

At one time in the season we seemed to be leaking money and Mr Micawber was very concerned. However, the wonderful support given in the form of grant aid has come to the rescue. However, Mr Scrooge may yet have to give us advice!

We would certainly have a much smaller programme without the continued help of the City of Nottingham and Nottinghamshire County Councils. It means that our member Associations and the teachers working voluntarily for them have a sounder base. The co-operation between City and County is an example to many other authorities. The Nottinghamshire Schools Council for Sport is responsible for the grant's administration and for other supportive measures. Thanks are again given to them on behalf of all school sport. ESFA payments under grant aid have also significantly helped, whilst The Nottinghamshire Football Association continue to give valuable support with specific initiatives, notably in girls’ football.

Our friends in Reprotec have increased their valuable support and they do it in such a friendly fashion. Individuals, such as David Cobbin and Jim Hawkins, also make contributions to the long term events named after their generosity. We hope that increased use of the website will result in decreased costs elsewhere.

Mike Simmonds, as Development Officer, nurtures partnerships, whilst John Williamson works hard to keep the Association running. Other Committee Members, such as Bob Young and Barry Shackley also give freely of their time. No-one must be taken for granted for they perform valued tasks.

Long live schools football and the standards it promotes.

P C Smith 20/5/09Financial Accounts 2008-2009

Development Officer’s Report

The work of the Development Officer has been severely curtailed because of personal problems during the past year but he has continued to maintain links with the professional clubs in the County and to tackle the few problems which have occurred. Nottingham Forest have again provided kit sponsorship for which Nottingham, South Notts and the County Schools’ F.A. are extremely grateful, while both Clubs have been generous in the provision of their grounds for some of their major events. Mention must particularly be made of Nick Marshall, the Academy Director, Sean England, the Education Officer and Jane Carnelly and Alan Bexon on the administrative side of Nottingham Forest while at Notts County, Tony Cuthbert has, as usual, been extremely supportive as have the Stadium Manager and ground staff.

Several meetings have been held with the Competition Managers in Nottinghamshire and these have been useful in developing certain Central Venue Leagues. The Development team at the Nottinghamshire F.A. is also keen to put more of their resources into schools. Both Kathyrn Lacey, the Head Competition Manager and Ricky Stevenson, the County Development Manager are anxious for their organisations to be involved more with the Local and County Associations, particularly in areas where football is less strong in schools but the complexity of the organisation of schools’ football in the County has slowed down this process and talks will no doubt be on-going in the next few months. It has been disappointing to learn recently that Association Football and Athletics are the only two sports where the pathway that the Youth Sports Trust has agreed with its Competition Managers is not being followed and thus funding will not be available for the them to put towards developments in local schools’ football. It is unfortunate that the E.S.F.A. seems be moving away from this pathway of Local, County, Regional and National events except in the Primary field and two Secondary competitions.

The major problem of schools’ football remains one of person-power and while it has so far been relatively easy for the Association to fill vacancies for Team Managers, the administration and organisation in the County Schools’ F.A. is largely in the hands of the same four people who have been involved in this aspect for more years than they may care to remember. It is not exaggerating the situation to say that unless others step forward, the programme of the Association may have to be severely cut in the near future. If you can help, even in a small way, please contact us.

In conclusion, I wish to convey my particular thanks to John Williamson for taking on so much additional work from myself during the past season. His work-load was already extremely onerous and became even more so as I had to reduce my involvement in the Association’s activities.

County Under 18 Team Report

The management of the Nottinghamshire Under 18 side took on a whole new look for 2008/2009 with Richard Walmsley taking over as manager from Chris Hallas, who continued to be associated with the squad as the convenor and Simon Coleman joining Richard as Assistant Manager after a spell working with the County Under 16 squad.

With several players returning from last season or moving up from the Under 16 squad, it was pleasing to see a more healthy turn out for the first trial held at Clipstone FC in early October. A fairly large squad was selected to play the Clipstone Welfare Under 19 side. Despite a sending off on the stroke of half time, two goals from Shaun Lynk and another from Lewis Bingham wrapped up a good display.

With only three teams in the eastern half of the Midlands competition it meant that Humberside and Lincolnshire would be the opponents at home and away. The first competitive match was away to Humberside at Pocklington FC, east of York. Goals from Lewis Bingham and Carlo Rocco earned a 2- 2 draw although there was some disappointment as the Humberside equaliser came in the last minute of the game. A narrow 2 – 1 home defeat by Lincolnshire followed by a very creditable 0 – 0 return encounter in Lincoln meant a win in their last match against Humberside would see the squad qualify for the Midlands semi-final. Sadly though, Nottinghamshire found the visitors strikers on top form and they crashed to a heavy defeat that did not really reflect the balance of the play which was much more even than the score suggested.

With many of the side only in Year 12 it is hoped that they will be able to return for the 2009 / 2010 season and form the nucleus of a side that can challenge for honours.

Managers – Richard Walmsley / Simon Coleman

Squad:

DALE GILLIATT GARIBALDI ALEX TROUGHTON MANOR
LEWIS BINGHAM DUKERIES DANNY PLUMBE GARIBALDI 
CARLO ROCCO HIGH PAVEMENT SAM STRETTON DUKERIES
EMMET EDWARDS TRINITY PERRY JONES GARIBALDI
DANIEL SHORT MANOR LUCA ROOCO TRINITY
JOEL GOODACRE GREENWOOD TINO KUPERA MANOR
SHAUN RICE BRAMCOTE HILLS BRANDON SHAW DUKERIES
SEAN LYNK ASHFIELD ROSS STALLWORTHY VALLEY

Results:

Clipstone Welfare 3 – 1 Shaun Lynk (2) Lewis Bingham

Humberside 2 – 2 Lewis Bingham Carlo Rocco

Lincolnshire 1 – 2 Alex Troughton

Lincolnshire 0 – 0

Humberside 1 – 5 Lewis Bingham

County Under 16 Team Report

What had promised, with early friendlies and results from last year, to be a successful time for the Under 16s turned out to be a very disappointing season. Although pre-season trials were held, the squad was basically the one that finished the 2007 – 2008 campaign with one or two additions. Three good performances were produced in early friendly games with a 3 – 0 win against a strong Thoresby Colliery side, a narrow 1 – 0 defeat at the hands of South Yorkshire and a 1 – 1 draw with West Yorkshire.

Goals from Scott Rodgers and Richard Fletcher in the first competitive match gained a 2 – 2 draw with Lincolnshire at Boston Town FC although in truth the game should have been comfortably wrapped up before half time. A 3 – 0 defeat at the hands of Leicestershire on a frozen Collingham pitch meant that Nottinghamshire had to win both of their remaining matches to qualify for the Midlands semi-finals. This plan was blown away on a truly awful night at Moorways Sports Centre in Derby. With the rain coming in horizontally making the pitch almost unplayable and on a bitterly cold night Nottinghamshire could not match the finishing power of their Derbyshire opponents and went down 4 – 1. Unfortunately, the last match of the group had to be called off the day before the game as Nottinghamshire found themselves down to seven fit and available players.

The season, therefore, ended very unsatisfactorily for all concerned especially after the initial high expectations for a successful campaign.

Managers – Neville Silcock and Chris Fisher

Squad:

TOM DALLISON KIRKBY ADAM COLTON VALLEY
SAM SPENCER MANOR AARON LOWDER SERLBY PARK 
JOE PALMER VALLEY KAMAU DAVIS GREENWOOD
RICHARD FLETCHER ARNOLD HILL JOSH BRENTNALL MEDEN
LUCAS JAMES DJANOGLY JOEL SMITH ASHFIELD
SCOTT BINGLEY GARIBALDI PETER STAFFORD VALLEY
RYAN SPENCER MANOR GEORGE BACON DJANOGLY
SCOTT ROGERS MANOR

Results:

Thoresby Colliery 3 – 0 Lucas James Kamau Davis Richard Fletcher

South Yorkshire 0 – 1

West Yorkshire 1 – 1 own goal

Lincolnshire 2 – 2 Scott Rodgers Richard Fletcher

Leicestershire 0 – 3

Derbyshire 1 – 4 Kamau Davis

County Under 16 Girls Team Report

With eight of the previous season’s squad returning to school, another good season was anticipated. A trialling process saw over 60 girls involved from all over the County which included a selection and coaching session at the Nottingham Forest Ladies Centre of Excellence for 30 of them ensured that the squad selected was a fair reflection of the talent in the Nottinghamshire.

Despite this, there was great disappointment for those girls from 2007-08, several of whom had played thirteen or fourteen games for the squad, won 12 of them and drawn the other two and yet did not win the national title they deserved. Last season, Nottinghamshire were knocked out of the English Schools’ F.A. County Championship on penalties at the semi-final stage; this year, they lost to West Yorkshire, the eventual winners, in the last eight in the same way. The first trip to Wakefield proved abortive as the game was called off when the squad and supporters arrived at the ground and three days later, Nottinghamshire took the lead, were pulled back to 1-1 and again failed with the penalties.

Despite this, the squad was again successful in taking the Midlands title for the second successive season with one game to spare and the trophy was presented at the final Midlands League match of the season when the squad met Derbyshire at Meadow Lane, winning 3-0. The buffet presentation which followed for players and supporters produced a marvellous atmosphere and illustrated the quality of the squad not only from the playing point of view but as personalities. Their loyalty, punctuality and behaviour throughout the season were a great credit to them and they can be proud of their achievements.

Two of the squad, Mary Earps and Eleanor Clarke represented England during the season but while congratulating them, it is the squad performance on which attention should be focused. The Association is most grateful to the Nottinghamshire Football Association, without whose financial support the squad could not have functioned and to the Nottingham Forest Centre of Excellence and its Director, Steve Pritchard. The work of the Team Managers, Ian Fidler and Faye Wignall has been a major factor in the success of the squad and the team spirit which has
characterised the last two years. We are sorry that Faye feels unable to continue because of her extra commitments at school and the Association sends its good wishes to her on her forthcoming marriage.

Managers – Ian Fidler / Faye Wignall

Squad:

MARY EARPS BECKET NATALIE GIBSON DUKERIES
ALIX NEWTON FARNBOROUGH PAIGE CROSSMAN ELIZABETHAN
EMMA CONNINGTON DUKERIES MEG HORREY GREENWOOD
HANNAH LAWRENCE GREENWOOD ALEXIA SMITH WEST BRIDGFORD
HANNAH DORAN REDHILL KATIE WADDELL ARNOLD HILL
ELEANOR CLARKE SUTTON MEG HOWARD DUKERIES
BETH WITHAM COL FRANK SEELY DREW PHILLIPS VALLEY
AMBER WILDGUST REDHILL CHELSEA SMART GEDLING
Stand-by players:
AMY DAWSON SERLBY PARK HAYLEY DOWNES BECKET 
PAIGE WILSON ORCHARD HOUSE AIMEE JOHNSON VALLEY
RACHAEL MURRAY GARIBALDI

Results:

Leicestershire 3 – 1 Paige Crossman Meg Horrey (2)

Lincolnshire 8 – 0 Meg Horrey (3) Megan Howard (3) Chelsea Smart (2)

Shropshire 4 – 1 Meg Horrey (2) Megan Howard (2)

Derbyshire 3 – 0 Megan Howard Meg Horrey Paige Crossman

West Yorkshire 3 – 5 Meg Horrey

County Under 15 Team Report

Following a most frustrating period of several weeks when the southern trial was postponed at least five times because of the weather a squad was eventually put together. The delay in selecting the squad meant that it was not possible to play any warm-up games but a game between players chosen at the northern and southern trials proved to be sufficient to select the boys to play in the first game against Derbyshire at Collingham. Both Counties fielded a fairly large number of players as they both had several difficult decisions to make over the final few places in their squads. A goal in each half, firstly to Notts and then to Derbyshire, left honours even in the first of the Midland Federation eastern group games.

Two more 1 – 1 draws followed in the next two games – away to Northamptonshire at Daventry FC, where the game was held up for 30 minutes by a particularly badly broken leg to one of the Northants players and then at Aylestone FC against a strong Leicestershire side. Although unbeaten, the side could not qualify for the Midlands semi-finals and so unfortunately their short season was brought to an abrupt end.

Manager Tim Preston commented –

“The players attitude, ability and approach to every single trial and competitive match played during the season and the manner in which they listened, prepared and played the game was impressive and the progress the squad made was most encouraging.

We really enjoyed our first experience of managing a County squad, although it was a shame that the weather hampered our preparation. We were very impressed with the overall standard
of our football and think we were extremely unlucky not to progress further. However, this leads us to be very optimistic about next year and we are already looking forward to working with the squad again. “

Managers - Tim Preston and Brian Newson

Squad:

DAVID LARGERBERG JOSEPH WHITAKER DAN STEVENSON JOSEPH WHITAKER
LUKE CUTTS WHELDON MALAKY ESHELBY WHELDON
GREG TEMPEST CHRIST THE KING FELIX HOGG CHRIST THE KING
MATT MOLYNEUX COL FRANK SEELY PAUL MORRIS KIMBERLEY
JO WRIGHT ASHFIELD JAKE NICOLETTI KIMBERLEY
ADAM BROWNE VALLEY BEN LAKE BLUECOAT
LIAM KENNEDY HOLGATE ARRON SCOTNEY CHRIST THE KING
BRETT LANGSDALE ARNOLD HILL HARLEY MARSHALL JOSEPH WHITAKER

Results:

v Derbyshire 1 – 1 Felix Hogg

v Northamptonshire 1 – 1 Liam Kennedy

v Leicestershire 1 – 1 Paul Morris

AGM Minutes 2009

Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on 13 July 2009 at Stanhope Primary School at 6.30pm

Present

R Donnison, J Waterall, R Shipman, R Walmsley, G Mills, J McPherson, R Young, P Smith, M Simmonds, J Tarr, B Shackley, J Williamson

1. Apologies

S Abbott, P Sanders, J Reynolds, C Hallas, R Hirst

2. Minutes of the last meeting

The minutes of the last meeting were read and approved

3. Matters arising

There were no matters arising

4. Correspondence

There was no correspondence

5. Annual Report

The Secretary was thanked for a most comprehensive report

There was some discussion arising out of an item in the Report regarding the appointment of referees for national inter county / individual school games. The Referees Secretary was concerned that referees from Nottinghamshire that he did not consider merited high profile appointments had been used without his knowledge and he felt that for Assistants and Fourth Officials the ESFA should approach the person who had supplied a list of referees initially rather that leaving it to the Referee to appoint his own.

6. Treasurer’s Report

The Treasurer presented the accounts and reported that the financial situation had improved significantly compared to the figures from the middle of the season.

The Treasurer also said he was considering bringing forward the date to mark the end of the financial year.

The Treasurer was thanked for his excellent work and the financial statement was accepted unanimously by the meeting.

7. Elections of Officers

The Chairman proposed and was seconded by Bob Donnison that the Executive Council Officers be elected as per the Agenda paper – this was carried unanimously.

8. Election of Members

The Chairman proposed and was seconded by Bob Donnison that the Executive Council Members be elected as per the Agenda paper – this was carried unanimously.

9. Expenses

The Treasurer proposed and was seconded by the Chairman that expense payments should remain at last year’s level – this was carried unanimously.

10. Affiliations

The Treasurer proposed and was seconded by the Chairman that affiliations for Local Associations should remain at last season’s level – this was carried unanimously.

The meeting closed at 7.10pm

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