HGS USA 2014 v. HGS USA Representative XI - 26/07/14

Following on fast from Thursday's victory, our boys faced another stern test on Sunday morning in the form of a representative side of players who have been on past tours. Since the first trip in 1990, we have taken well over 200 students stateside. This meant that there was a very large & strong pool of players from which the Rep side could select their squad. The majority of the side was made up of boys who had been on the last tour (2009), but also included Andy Morris (the sole representative from the 1990 tour) as well as Coach Walton who switched his allegiances from playing for the 2014 squad on Thursday after his trip in 2005.

Again the HGS 2014 squad was slightly depleted due to working & other family commitments, with Harry Nunn again providing vocal support from the sidelines as he nurses his injury. The pleasing factor however being that across the 2 games this week, there has only been 1 touring player who has been unable to make an appearance. This commitment has been seen throughout the training schedule & has put our boys in a great position before we head out.

Before the game started, there was mass excitement amongst the boys as they entered the home changing room to find the tour kit bags were ready for them to collect. Unlike previous tours when the kit provided to the boys was minimal, we went all out this year to offer the boys a lot of high quality Adidas clothing both for on & off the field. We wanted the boys to not only have kit that matched their professional approach so far, but to allow us to perform to our best whilst out there in probably very high temperatures. Riffling through the bags, many of the boys took the opportunity to try on various items of the kit to check for sizes & styles (hopefully both were up to their satisfaction?!). We did insist on them switching back to their pre tour playing kit for the game though, in case of ruining any of the playing items before we even take off.

As with the previous game against Lyminge, the game started at a steady intensity with the Rep team offering some forward pressure with some good football. Josh McCue & Matt Biggs were pulling the strings in the middle of the field whilst Oscar Carty was making some probing runs behind our back 4 but to no avail.

After about 10 minutes the HGS 2014 squad then came in to the game strongly. Again all the possession work we have worked on proved important with Nathan Smith picking up the ball in the middle of the field before laying it down the line for Ethan Maffia to run on to. He then beat his defender before laying a pass to Jake Brazier on the edge of the box who calmly slotted it past Ben Burchell in the Rep team goal. This 1-0 lead was kept until the first break when Charlie Hancock was replaced in goal by James Roche & a slight formational change was made by Coach Walton, shortly before he was brought on by the Rep side.

Early in the 2nd period, Aaron James avoided a tackle from the Rep team left back before bearing down on goal. He took Brazier's calm approach with his finish to put the 2014 squad 2-0 up. By this time they had gained massive confidence in the football they were playing against a highly able Rep team who included players who play for Folkestone Invicta (past & present), Hawkinge Town as well as others who have represented their university teams.

This confidence perhaps got the better of them as Coach Walton was left unmarked in the box after a cross come shot from McCue to finish at the back post to make it 3 goals in 2 games (albeit for & against the 2014 squad). This goal seemed to give the Rep side some extra impetus as they carried on with extra pressure. Again this left gaps at the back that were exposed by Jake Hobbs' pace. He got in behind the defence & was brought down. He dusted himself down again & added another (really poorly struck) penalty to the one he scored on Thursday evening.

By now the Rep side were flagging from the heat (& the massive difference in fitness levels) & ended up with a very attacking looking 3-3-4 formation. This again allowed James to run down the right hand side in to a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper Burchell. This time he took coolness to another level by scooping the ball over his head in to the back of the net. By now the Rep side were willing for the final whistle to end their pain, something that Coach Stevenson provided (acting as referee for the morning).

Another fine display of not only fitness & strength from the 2014 squad, going toe to toe with a much older, stronger & more experienced team, but also for their footballing ability as at times they played the Rep side off the field.

With 3 more games to go before we head across the pond, it is now important to make sure that we keep up the effort & enthusiasm as well as the levels of performance.

SQUAD - Hancock, Roche, Hobbs, Brazier, James, Davison, Price, Donald, Maffia, Taylor, Smith, Ansell

Man of the Match - Josh Donald

Scorers - James (2), Hobbs, Brazier

HGS USA v. Lyminge - 22/07/14

Having started fitness work in late January & then ball work since Easter, Thursday saw the squad's first real opportunity to see all their hard work start to pay off.

Our opposition were Lyminge FC, a strong local Sunday morning team who have a rich recent history of success in their respective competitions. They also were starting their pre-season preparations, so they were looking forward to getting back together as a squad & seeing at what stage they are at.

Arriving at the ground, our boys were shocked to see that it had a (good) layer of grass, with the lines & markings being produced not with paint but with a simple mowed strip. Firstly it was a nice reminder for them that our opposition are from a small country village, but more importantly it was a massive wake up call & test for our boys who may have been slightly privileged up until now with the playing surfaces they have played on in their footballing past. They were reminded that "good players can play on anything. . ."

As it was a first game for both sides, it was agreed that the game would be split in to 3 periods of 35 minutes, giving both team's coaches plenty of opportunity to have some time with their squads to change ideas, players or simply allow the players time to recover & rehydrate, as despite the 7pm kick off, the temperatures were still in the high 20s (another nice reminder of the challenges our boys will be facing in 3 weeks, as they will be hoping for the temperatures to be in the high 20s whilst they are playing, compared to the mid to high 30s!!).

A steady start from both sides saw little in the form of clear cut chances. Realistically, both teams were simply getting used to the (very) long, sticky grass as many passes were short or cut out or players were getting the ball stuck under their feet & lost possession easily.

Sam Ansell had a tough job, playing the target man role up on his own against 2 taller & older defenders. however Sam didn't let this stop his efforts, as he chased down many lost causes & challenged the balls forward with great strength & endeavour. This often opened up opportunities for the 3 behind him (Ethan Maffia, Callum Hearmon & Ryan Taylor) to pick up the ball & look for a route forward. Many times in the opening 25 minutes we managed to get to the edge of their box, but maybe a combination of the sticky surface & taking too many touches, cost us as we lost the ball without testing their keeper. We learnt from this however with 10 minutes of the opening period to go when Hearmon & Maffia interchanged passes allowing Ethan a ran at goal, all be it from a rather tight angle. A lovely finish from Ethan saw the HGS USA team go in to the first break 1-0 up.

As was the plan before the game, a rotation of players happened at the break, allowing Coaches Walton, Stevenson & Chamberlain the opportunity to see different players & players playing in different positions & roles. What they hadn't bargained for was the need for all 3 of them to play some part in the game. Walton was the first to make his mark from the bench, coming on to allow Josh Donald a period of recovery from his midfield role. Having done very little for the first 10 minutes of being on, Walton then (from somewhere even he doesn't know) unleashed a left footed volley from all of 30 yards. The strike (maybe lucky) was one that as soon as it left his boot everyone knew it was a goal. Only made better by the keeper diving full length & still being unable to stop it.

From this point onwards, you could see our boys grow in confidence, now playing the ball a lot more intently along the floor, keeping possession but also looking threatening at the right times. Something that was a pleasure to see, as it has been a major part of our sessions so far.

2 more goals before the 2nd break (another unbelievable strike from Walton (literally no one could believe it!!) & a great curling finish from Ryan Taylor) meant that going into the 3rd period, we had a 4-0 lead & the opportunity for some more rotations & further changes of play. The aim of the last period was to keep the clean sheet & simply enjoy the game, whilst also making sure that everyone gets sufficient amount of time off the field to get rehydrated. A slight positional change saw Jake Hobbs pushed further forward into a right midfield role with immediate "impact" as he was taken out in the box by their defender. Brushing himself, he stepped up & slotted the penalty home. I say slotted. It was a poor penalty that the goalkeeper did his best to let go underneath him. In the centre of the goal. Trickling towards him. This would be the end of the scoring, with the final 10 minutes played out in a casual, relaxed manner, with both teams now struggling because of the heat.

A 5-0 victory against a solid outfit is a great start to our pre tour game schedule, but with games coming thick & fast before we leave on August 15th, our boys need to make sure they are carefully & mindful of their activities & adventures so as not to go too hard too soon. Our next game will be this Sunday against a representative XI of players of former tours. As this is the 25th anniversary tour, we had many boys from which to select, meaning that the opposition will be of a very good standard.

SQUAD - Roche, Hobbs, James, Davison, Brazier, Donald, Nelhams, Maffia, Hearmon, Taylor, Ansell, Walton, Stevenson, Chamberlain.

Man of the Match - Callum Hearmon

Scorers - Walton (2), Hobbs, Maffia, Taylor