Our Year 9s were in action this week, and what a challenge, to start against the mighty Hoo! A school around ten times bigger than ours, with a much larger pool of pupils to select from.
But that certainly didn’t faze the Waterfront boys!
Considering this was the first time the team had ever played together, they were outstanding throughout. For large parts of the match, you genuinely wouldn’t have known they were a brand-new team.
We spent much of the first half attacking the Hoo goal and creating chances, but just before half-time, Hoo broke forward and scored with one of their first real attacks. Heads could easily have dropped, but not this group! The boys knew they were playing well, kept pushing forward and deservedly got themselves back into the game.
Half-time: 1-1.
At the break, we knew exactly what we needed to do. We mixed things up slightly and went back out ready for the second half. What followed was a fantastic end-to-end game. Waterfront scored, Hoo responded, and the action continued right until the final whistle.
🏁 FULL-TIME: WATERFRONT 3-3 HOO
The boys should be incredibly proud of their performance, particularly for their first game together. There may be a little disappointment that we didn't come away with the win considering the number of chances we created, but there were so many positives to take forward.
👏 Huge shout-out to Gabriel, who stepped up and took on the responsibility of captaining the team.
🧤 Massive credit to Declan, who volunteered to go in goal after we started the day without a goalkeeper!
It was also fantastic to see several players representing the school for the first time, with some even experiencing their first proper competitive football match. Hopefully, it will be the first of many!
🏆 Players’ Player: Bailey
A 3-3 draw, plenty of chances, great teamwork and a fantastic first performance together.
More fixtures to come, most likely in Term 4. A very positive start for the Waterfront Year 9s! 💙⚽