PRIZE PRESENTATIONS
For full details of this years end of season presentations, please go to the Social Events tab (its on the left hand side of the screen as you look at it).
MAY 5
WARREN EVANS LEAVES CITY
Warren Evans has decided to step down from his position of Gloucester City Under 18 coach. Kenny Blackburn, City's Youth Development Director said ' Warren has done a great job for Gloucester City over the years during which time our Under 18 squad have won several trophies and brought some great players not only into the City First Team but also into the top local sides as well. I would like to thank him for all that he has done over the years and wish him every success with Hardwicke'. A decision on the Under 18 Coaching set up for the 2008 / 09 season will be made during the close season, but for the remainder of this season Kenny will be joined by Under 16 Coach Fred Gittings and Tim Hall.
MAY 4
RESULT
The U16s put up a fine performance yesterday but it was not enough to beat Sutton Coldfield who were crowned Leage Champions.
MAY 2
SORRY!
My apologies for the delay in getting the site updated - its been one of those weeks!
WELL DONE TO THE UNDER 12s
Many congratulations are due to the players, parents and officials on the Under 12 squad who finished in 2nd spot in the Midland Junior Premier League. Lets not forget, this is one of the most competitive youth leagues in the Midlands, if not further afield, so second spot is a great achievement. A lot of credit must also go to rookie Coach Shayne Bradley who has been able to share a lot of what he learnt as a young player in the Premiership with his young charges. You should all be very proud of what you have achieved. I would just mention that Bradley Vanstone finished in the top 10 leading scorers chart as well.
OTHER LEAGUE TABLES
As the prize presentations take place I plan to write a bit more about each team and highlight the great work the players, coaches and officials have done. By way of a taster. The Under 13s finished a very creditable 6th in what turned out to be a strong and competitive league. Joe Parker finished in the top 10 scorers list. The Under 14 squad have been getting stronger as the season progressed and play a good brand of passing football, so good in fact it has attracted interest from a Premiership team. The lads finished in 5th spot with Greg Rutsch finishing third in the highest scorer charts. The Under 15s did themselves proud in their first season laying together reaching a cup semi final and finishing in 5th spot with Mark Ford being the fourth highest scorer in the League with a superb goals per game ratio. While the Under 16s still have a game to play they will also finish in 5th spot to add to their cup semi final. With a game still to go Bradley Gravenell is sixth in the top scorers chart but determined to climb higher!
RESULTS
Two matches to tell you about this week. The first was at The Causeway where a last minute goal saw City secure a 2-1 win against Pershore. Meanwhile the U16 players, parents and Coach Fred Gittings traveled up to Romulus and put up a brave display to go down 3-2. These lads have been playing a lot of football recently, probably too much, and are due a lot of credit for their determination and application. The other midweek U16 game against Sutton Coldfield that would have wrapped up our Midland Junior Premier season was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch. This will now be played on May 3rd at Hartpury and it promises to be a superb match. Sutton Coldfield need to win to secure the Championship but I know from conversations I have had with a few of our lads, they are determined to finish on a high and take the points themselves. Good luck lads.
CALLUM
Hopefully you all saw the feature on Under 15 player Callum Preece in The Citizen this week. If not it is reproduced below.
Callum Preece has become the youngest player ever to play for Gloucester City Football Club when he turned out against Cheshunt aged 15 years and four weeks.It has been a staggering transformation for the promising youngster, from playing in his Under-15 side at Gloucester to breaking into the first team - something the likes of Wayne Rooney did not manage (albeit in the Premiership) until the age of 16. The youngster has been bombarded with praise from everyone willing to pass comment on him, including youth development officer of Gloucester City Kenny Blackburn.
"He's done well coming through the age groups - he's a very strong player who is aware, works hard and really wants it," said Blackburn. "It's good for the club as well, because you always want to see players coming through the age groups. "It sends the right messages out from us."
Preece has been working with Under-15s coach Kevin Willetts for a while, as the pair were both previously at Cheltenham together. As one moved, the other joined, and they have teamed up again.
"He's (Callum) done really well," said Willetts. People have got to realise how mature he is for his age, to step up to this level and intensity of football both mentally and physically.
His levels of maturity are spot on. He's a 15-year-old with an 18-year-old head on his shoulders, and his attitude to life and football is exemplary."
Willetts was keen to point out that, despite the massive and clear potential, Preece is only 15 and sure to improve. It's important to realise he is still only 15 and like anyone he's got work to do, but this has given him a good taste for it and he'll go on from here."
Callum is not just gaining admiration from those working with him in a football sense, his proud father Jeff is just as impressed. He's buzzing at the moment, but not overly, he's very disciplined, if he knows he's playing he'll be in bed early and that sort of thing. His work ethic is tremendous," said Preece. "He always says how much he enjoys the challenge and that he relishes it, and to be fair he always rises to it. He is staying realistic, and his education does come first, but he's doing ok with that too and has been predicted 10 successful GCSEs. But he wants to play at the highest possible level, and ultimately make his living by playing football. He is still a 15-year-old lad with an untidy room and a bit of an attitude. but that's good to see because it means he's still Cal."
Callum has a twin brother Brandon, who is similarly promising but has suffered some misfortune with injuries and missed months of football. Cal's twin brother Brandon is as good, but unfortunately has suffered some set backs injury wise," added Preece. He broke his ankle which was awful for him and ruled him out for a while, and recently he's broken a couple bones in his hand. So he's a season behind Callum because of that. He's lightning quick and runs the 100m in just over 11 seconds, so he has a lot of promise as well."
The boys are causing a bit of a stir locally, with them both doing tremendously well, and the prospect of them playing together in the first team remains alive.
AND OF A SIMILAR SUBJECT
I am told that the two young men who left us last season to join League clubs have both had successful seasons. Niall Wellington, who now plays for West Bromwich Albion and Matt Rees at Swindon Town have both made good impressions at their new clubs. Good luck lads.
END OF SEASON PRESENTATIONS
I was talking to Colly tonight and he tells me The Spa has had a bit of a makeover with new furniture, paint the works. With over 50 people scheduled to attend the Under 12's presentation, nest Friday promises to be a great night. Details of the events for your age group are covered elsewhere on the site.
APRIL 27
RESULTS
The missing results for Saturday are now in and pride of place must go to Keith Hardcastle's Under 13 squad who finished the season with a fine 2-1 away win at Bromsgrove Rovers. The Under 15s lost 3-0 to Almondsbury and the Under 16's went down 7-0 to Tamworth.
APRIL 26
RESULTS
News is a bit thin on the ground at the moment, though I can confirm that City U14 beat Almondsbury 2-1 today thanks to goals from Greg Rutsch and Andrei Trouchan. I have not been told any other scores. The first team wrapped up their British Gas Business Southern League campaign with a 4-1 away win at Cirencester Town. Goals were scored by Jack Pitcher, Will Morford (2) and Jody Bevan.
UNDER 18 CHANGE OF VENUE
The match on Monday will now be played that the Causeway. Harrow Hill are putting on a fixture for Lydney Town on Monday night now. Once again thanks are due to Cinderford and Ashley Saunders their Chairman for getting us out of a tight spot.
U14 MATCH REPORT THANKS TO SUE HAVERS
Gloucester City started strongly with much of the play, showing some good team football with both Greg Rutsch and Andre Truchan running on well to forward balls from the midfield of Liam Downer, Jake Morgan and Callum Francis.
With almost all the play City looked the stronger team and after about 20 minutes were rewarded with their first goal when Downer passed the ball to Rutsch, who tapped the ball slowly over the line, as the Almondsbury goalie and defender collided after both going for the ball. Despite Brad Poole in the City goal, along with the defence of Elliot Westcarr, Martin Smith, Josh Westcarr and Taylor Macey having a relatively quiet game, they remained solid and reliable when needed. Ben Wasley cleared some good balls from the centre and the team as a whole remained strong for the remainder of the first half. Just before half time Truchan sent in a corner which slipped through the Almondsbury keepers hands for City's second, leaving a half time score of 2 - 0 to Gloucester.
The second half saw Pete Havers, Ben Tunnicliffe and Zahed Fetfah coming on to replace Morgan, Truchan and Smith. All three settled in to the game well and Havers was unlucky not to see some good control and passing, from the left wing, lead to a goal when Macey was flagged offside.
Soon after this Smith came back on for Downer and was unlucky when no-one was there to run onto his pass across the goal mouth. A lovely 'one - two' between Rutsch and Havers then onto Macey, saw him shoot across goal, but as Smith ran on to it the keeper got there too and just tipped the ball round the post. Just five minutes before time Almondsbury made a break and took a great shot into the top of the City net. It was a good goal but couldn't take away from a good City performance and a well deserved 2 - 1 win, for their last game of the season.
SQUAD: Bradley Poole, Ben Wasley, Martin Smith,
Elliot Westcarr, Callum Francis, Jake Morgan, Andre Truchan, Zahed Fetfah, Greg Rutsch, Pete Havers, Liam Downer, Josh Westcarr, Taylor Macey, Benjamin Tunnicliffe,
Grateful thanks go to Darren who as manager / coach etc has put in so much effort this season and seen the boys progress well. Also to Nick who joined as his assistant later on in the season. Training etc must be just a little easier with two!
APRIL 25
ATTENTION UNDER 18s
Directions for Harrow Hill FC are now up on this site. Go to the directions tab which is on the left of the screen as you look at it.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY KERRY!
On behalf of everybody at Gloucester City, can I wish Kerry a happy birthday. Kerry is Secretary of the U14's. There is no escape if you appear in the Citizen!
RESULTS
The 16s recorded a good win against Nuneaton in the week. The first half was an even contest and finished at 0-0 with neither team threatening to score Gloucester City scored soon after the break after Brad Gravenell broke through the Nuneaton defence and fed the ball through for George Lane to score. Nuneaton responded well and equalized mid way through the second half with a well taken goal by Dalton Fairbrother. The intensity of the game really picked up. George Lane scored the decisive goal for Gloucester ten minutes before the end. This set up an exciting finish to the game with chances at both ends of the pitch however Nuneaton could not break down a solid Gloucester defence.
The 14s secured a good 2-0 away win at Almondsbury. With most of the team going on a 'scenic tour' of Bristol in the rush hour before finally finding the venue, kick off was delayed by almost an hour. City had no subs and the goalkeeper was unavailable, however the boys still managed to get straight in to the game and started playing some good ,passing football.
Ben Wasley who stood in as keeper in the City goal was solid and reliable throughout the match and saved a well taken shot after just quarter of an hour. Play continued well and City were soon rewarded when their first goal came from some great team work. Pete Havers took the ball on the left wing, passed it to Taylor Macey who sent a cross for Greg Rutsch to pass forward for Kai Johnson to run on to and shoot the ball home into the far corner.
The 2nd half continued well for City though Almondsbury looked dangerous at times and some good defending was required by Elliot Westcarr, Rob Brooker Josh Westcarr and Macey. A second goal for City looked almost certain but a well taken free kick from Rutsch hit the cross bar. Macey then went on a great run down the wing and despite being tackled got the ball in the box before Almondsbury eventually cleared it.
Light was now fading quickly but both teams fought hard. It was vital that the City midfield including Josh Davis, Callum Francis, Jake Morgan and Havers worked hard to keep the ball forward and prevent a late equalizer. In fact it was City who got a late goal, with just a few minutes to go, when Brooker sent a free kick forward for Rutsch to lob over the keeper.
It was a good team performance by City who fully deserved the 2 - 0 victory.
Squad. Ben Wasley, Rob Brooker, Elliot Westcarr, Callum Francis, Jake Morgan, Josh Davis, Greg Rutsch, Kai Johnson, Pete Havers, Josh Westcarr, Taylor Macey,
The 13s lost at Redditch and the U18 game was postponed.
APRIL 22
DID YOU SEE THAT BEAUTIFUL YOUNG LADY
Did you see the lovely picture of Felicity Bradley in the Citizen today, the beautiful new arrival for Shayne and Claire. Many congratulations to the whole family from everybody at Gloucester City.
LEAGUE AGM
Kenny, Andy Peyton, Kev and David met up at Plock Court last night to discuss the proposed rule changes for the Midland Junior Premier League prior to the AGM in May. There was plenty to talk about and for Andy to feed back to the League. Many thanks to the gang of 4 who attended and to all those officials in the other age groups who could not attend in person but fed their comments in via email.
18s FINISH OFF UP THE HILL
It has been confirmed that after this weeks match at Cinderford Town, the U18s will go over to Harrow Hill to finish off their season (the groundsman wants to start work on The Causeway hence the move). Many thanks to all at Harrow Hill for allowing us to come over.
APRIL 20
MATCH REPORT FROM THE U14s v SUTTON COLDFIELD YESTERDAY
Thanks are due to Sue Havers for the following:
CITY U14's v SUTTON COLDFIELD
With Sutton at the top of the table this was always going to be a hard match for City. An extremely strong wind made conditions difficult for both teams with the ball swerving suddenly mid- flight. However with City having the wind to their advantage in the first half they really needed to make the most of it.
Sutton were strong from the outset though and City struggled to be first to the ball at times but never gave up. Greg Rutsch was unlucky not to score for City when he ran on to a forward ball only to just miss-kick the ball as the wind took it at the last moment. Overall the first half saw Sutton with more possession and shots at goal, and were also unlucky not to get a goal when a shot went straight across the goal mouth.
With the half time score at 0 - 0 and the wind now in Sutton's favour the action was all in the City goal mouth, but a break by Liam Downer on the wing saw him unlucky to see his cross go just out of play. Changes in the second half saw Kai Johnson replace Andre Truchan and Pete Havers replace Liam Downer. A few minutes of frantic action at both ends saw Sutton and City hit just over the cross bar and a header by Ben Tunnicliffe for City go just wide. Sutton still had more possession and it was almost inevitable that they would score. With only about 8 mins left the goal came and City found themselves 1 - 0 down. Literally just before the final whistle Sutton scored a second from a great shot and unfortunately for Glos City, the final result was 2 - 0.
SQUAD: Bradley Poole, Ben Wasley, Martin Smith,
Elliot Westcarr, Callum Francis, Andre Truchan, Greg Rutsch, Kai Johnson, Pete Havers, Liam Downer, Josh Westcarr, Taylor Macey, Benjamin Tunnicliffe,
APRIL 19
CHECK OUT THE NON LEAGUE PAPER
The paper are running a piece this weekend (we think, if not next) on the Cheshunt game and the fact that our bench contained both the oldest and youngest players to have ever represented the club; Adie Harris and Callum Preece.
RESULTS
Another dull and boring performance by the Under 16s today - not. The lads beat Burton Albion 7-3! This was no walkover, in fact the total opposite as the lads had to come back from a goal behind on three occasions.
Elsewhere, the Under 12s secured a superb 5-1 away win at Almondsbury. The 13s drew 1-1 at home to Almondsbury. Joe Parker was on target for City. The 14s lost 2-0 to high flyers Sutton Coldfield while the 15s drew 1-1 against Brackley Town.
Meanwhile the First team rounded off their home campaign with a 1-1 draw against Kings Lynn. It was great to see players, parents and coaches from every one of the with sides at the match.
COUNTY CUP FINAL REPORT
Thanks are due to Simon Clark for his excellent report of this match which appeared in The Citizen today.
Filton College 5 GLOUCESTER CITY 3City Manager Kenny Blackburn (pictured) praised City's attitude as they came out second best to a very strong Filton College outfit in the final of the County Youth Shield. The contest, played at Oaklands Park, started very tensely with neither side wanting to take the initiative. As the game progressed however, Filton began to take control with Lewis Clare and Rhys Farmer both having chances.
Against the run of play, City had the ball in the back of the net through Alex Cuthbert; however, the assistant referee disallowed the goal due to a correct offside decision. Filton took the lead in the 36th minute when David Chataca headed in from close range. City did well to restrict a very well organised Filton team to a single goal at half-time.
As the second half began, City scored almost straight away when Matt Sysum headed home from a Jack Overthrow corner. City failed to take advantage from this goal and Filton regained the lead when Nick Rummer was played through and slotted home from the edge of the area. Five minutes later an identical move to the second goal ensued when David Chataca played Rummer through again to set up a two-goal lead for the College side. Filton began to assert their Bristol Rovers Youth academy credentials and took an unassailable three-goal lead after the impressive Will Felix hammered home a free-kick from outside the box.
City kept fighting and received just reward after a shove in the area. Sysum stepped up and scored the resulting penalty. As the final whistle, loomed Filton scored their fifth goal when Rummer was played through again to stylishly slot the ball home for his hat-trick. The goals were not finished yet as Sysum popped up again to score his third goal with a thunderbolt header from a James Bennett corner but this was no more than a consolation.
Considering the college side train five nights a week and were very well organised the City boys were not embarrassed and did Gloucester proud in what has been a difficult season for all concerned at Gloucester City.
Filton College: A. Bowering, B Brown (M. Smit 86), D. Moore (M. Allen 43), B. Bowles, R. Farmer, R. Moore, D. Chataca (G. Brimson 81), K. Thomas, L. Clare, N. Rummer, W. Felix. Subs not Used: D. O'Brien, T. Dunne.
Gloucester City: O. Hall, J. Hemper, A. Hughes (A. Morgan 83), M. Sysum, R. Toomey, C. Truchan (S. Hoskins 75), L. Nicholls, D. Wixey, A. Cuthbert, J. Bennett, J. Overthrow. Subs not Used: D. Gittings, S. Ellis, S. Goodhall.
Star Man: Matt Sysum (Gloucester City).
Attendance: 102
APRIL 18
HISTORY MADE V CHESHUNT
History was made at the First Team match v Cheshunt in the week when GCAFCYD player Callum Preece became the youngest ever player to play for Gloucester City. Callum came on as a substitute late in the second half. This is a great achievement for Callum and everybody at GCAFCYD will I am sure join me in offering our congratulations. Callum became the fourth member of the GCAFCYD squads to join up with the First Team this season, indeed he was joined by Matt Sysum who was also involved in the Cheshunt match.
RESULTS
It has been a hectic week, in my own case three games in four days, hence the delays in getting details onto the site. The 18s played twice this week, both at The Causeway. On Monday night we beat Hereford United 3-2 and on Thursday night we lost 3-1 to Wellington. On Tuesday night the Under 16 squad lost 2-0 to Alvechurch. We had a double header on Wednesday night. Our friends at Gala Wilton entertained the Under 13 squad who I think lost 2-1 to Stroud / Shortwood (though I may be wrong about the score). Meanwhile Abbeymead Rovers did the Under 14 squad proud with our lads beating a strong Stourport Swifts 3-2 in a hugely entertaining match - the first match I have watched in 38 years as a regular supporter where I ended up standing in a river to fetch a ball!
With these matches coming so quickly on top of each other, please spare a thought for the Coaches and Secretaries, many of whom have been out every day this week making sure games go on - Kenny Blackburn in particular has been coaching or otherwise representing GCAFCYD at matches every day. His loyalty and enthusiasm is priceless
Apologies for the typos in the above, but the website needed updating and the only slot was before breakfast! Will try to tidy it up later.
APRIL 13
UNDER 14 VENUE - THIS WEEK
The match against Stourport Swifts will be played at the Abbeydale Community Centre, home of Abbeymead Rovers. Details of kick off times will be given by Darren and Kerry in due course. Details on where to find the ground are given below
UNDER 18s MONDAY
The match on Monday will be played at The Causeway, home of Cinderford Town FC. Kick off is 7.30
DIRECTION TO ABBEYDALE COMMUNITY CENTRE
Please follow the links http://www.guide-information.org.uk/guidelist.aspx?recid=G8386
APRIL 12
RESULTS
Sometimes in football the result of a match does not tell the whole story. If you looked at the Under 18 result on Thursday night you would think we took a bit of a beating, 5-2 at home. However, what the score line does not tell you is that the City side was 95% made up of members on the U16 squad who were playing 2 years above their age group. The lads actually performed very well, played some great football and were competitive for much of the match. In fact, despite the scoreline, there were many more positives coming out of the night than negatives. This experience will be of great benefit to the lads who if they keep working at their game, will be a strong Under 18 side in the years to come. Our congratulations go to Bewdley who were worthy winners on the night.
Much credit is due to the Under 12 squad who drew 2-2 away at league leaders Kidderminster Harriers today. I am told the lads were in the lead deep into the second half. Kiddy have proven themselves to be a very strong outfit and this draw is really a good result for the players. Well done lads.
The Under 15 squad secured a wonderful 5-1 home win against Yate today despite injuries meaning we had to play part of the game with only 10 men. These are the same lads I mentioned at the top of this paragraph. Well done lads - you are doing the club proud.
TIGERS ON TOUR
The U13 parents decided to get to together and arrange an overnight stay for their match today away at Histon. It's the first time a GCAFCYD squad have taken this approach and all credit to Lin and the parents for making it happen, and looking after the welfare of the players. The journey was not without reward, albeit the final score was 0-0.
MATT SYSUM STARTS FOR THE FIRST TEAM AGAIN
Under 18 squad member Matt Sysum was in the starting line up for the First Team again today in the top of the table clash against Team Bath at Twerton Park. City lost in the end 4-2 with both goals being scored by ex youth team player Lee Smith. Others in the squad this afternoon who have played for GCAFCYD include Tom Webb, Jamie Reid and Jody Bevan.
VENUES
It has been hard work this season making sure we have pitches for all our home matches and its great that some of the local clubs have rallied around to help us out. At the time of writing I still do not have a firm venue for the U14 match on Wednesday night. I have some calls in and as soon as something is known it will be fed back to Kerry. The U18 scheduled match on 24th April will now not be at Harrow Hill as they are hosting Lydney Town. Again, calls have been put into some other venues and once we have something sorted it will be posted on here.
APRIL 8
RESULTS
It's only Tuesday and we have already played two games this week! The U18 lost 5-3 at Bromyard on Monday and the Under 16s beat Nuneaton 3-1 away tonight. This was a great performance given we went 1-0 down very early on in the match. Well done lads and also to the Coaches and the Mums and Dads who travelled to support their lads.
APRIL 6
RESULTS
There was only 1 youth side in action yesterday with the U13 squad loosing 4-1 at home to league leaders Redditch United. Ben Simmonds scored for City. The First Team were in action beating Clevedon Town 2-1 thanks to a brace from ex Clevedon player Jack Pitcher.
APRIL 4
A GREAT EFFORT BY THE UNDER 18s
The Under 18's put in a superb effort in the County Cup against a strong Filton College / Bristol Rovers squad. Despite 3 goals from Matt Sysum, the Tigers went down 5-3. Although we did not win the cup, the lads left Almondsbury with heads held high after a battling performance which saw us creating goal scoring opportunities right up to the final whistle. We would like to congratulate Filton who were worthy winners of the match and thank all those at the GFA who put the match on last night. A thank you is also due to all those who down to watch the lads last night, including a few regular first teams fans.
THANKS TO OUR FRIENDS FROM THE FOREST
Thanks are also due to Cinderford Town FC and Harrow Hill FC who have agreed to host our remaining Under 18 matches this season. Thanks are also due to Gala Wilton who are looking after our Under 13 squad now The Spa is getting geared up for the cricket season.
TRIVIA
The answer to the question posed earlier in the week. The world famous football manager who opened a block of flats in London Road about 20 years ago was Sir Matt Busby who opened Charlton Court which is just off Heathville Road.
APRIL 2
FIRST TEAM WIN INCLUDES YOUTH TEAM STARS
City beat Merthyr Tydfil 3-1 at home last night. One of the goal scorers was ex youth team player Lee Smith while current youth teamer Matt Sysum played again in defence.
MARCH 29 2008
RESULTS
Our only winners today were the Under 12s who put in a good performance to beat a talented Racing Club Warwick side 3-2 at Abbeymead. City goals were scored by Niall Morgan (2) and Jordi Sheen. The Under 14 squad lost 1-0 to Worcester City and the Under 15s lost 3-0 away at Kidderminster Harriers. The Under 16 game scheduled for Friday night was postponed
1000 UP!
If you check the counter on this page you may find you are our 1000th visitor since the site was opened last month.
JUST FOR FUN
Can you tell me which football legend - and I mean one of the biggest names in the game, opened a block of flats in London Road about 20 years ago? Answer to follow later in the week.
MARCH 28 2008
5 GOALS PER GAME
City First Team beat Swindon Supermarine 5-1 in the British Gas Business Southern League Premier division last night. City's scoreres included ex youth team player Jamie Reid while current Under 18 player Matt Sysum was in the starting line up. Meanwhile over at The Causeway a young Under 18 side, many of whom are still able to play Under 16 football, lost 5-1 to a good Alvechurch side.
MARCH 24 2008
FIRST TEAM RESULT
The First team were at Chippenham Town today in the British Gas Business Southern Football League. The final score was Chippenham 4 City `1
COUNTY CUP OPPONENTS KNOWN
We now know who we will be facing in the final of the Under 18 County Shield. Filton College beat Cirencester Town 2-1.
MARCH 22 2008
RESULTS
First up this week the club would like to say a big thank you to Gala Wilton for hosting the Under 13s match against Burton Albion. I am told club officials were preparing the pitch at 07.00 in the morning in the bitter cold and with snow falling. The pitch looked superb and would not look out of place in the British Gas Business Southern League. They also stepped in at the last minute to help with a kit clash, both sides playing in yellow.
The game itself was hugely entertaining and its to the credit of both sides that they played so well in a howling wind, snow and despite the sunshine, bitter cold. It was Burton who took the lead after only a few seconds seizing on a mix up in the City defence. The equalizer was a strike of the highest quality. At full speed and with a defender to beat as well as the keeper, Joe Parker shot from distance. At the angle he was at the keeper would have expected a shot to go to the far post but the forward went for the near post and hit the net with some style. The second half started with the Burton side, including some tall, strong lads, looking to make use of the wind, but it was City who struck twice thanks to Joe Parker again and Josh Watts. A lot of credit also should go to Callum Thomas. A talented outfield player, Callum played in goal as the usual City keeper was injured. Despite the early set back when Burton scored, Callum had a solid display between the sticks.
Meanwhile the Under 16 squad secured a greet 2-1 away derby win against Shortwood United / Stroud. The Under 14s won 2-0 away at Alvechurch. A match report for this game is given below thanks to Sue Havers. The 12s made the long journey to Stamford and came away with a point in a 0-0 draw. The Under 15 match was postponed.
CITY U14s v ALVECHURCH MATCH REPORT
.Both teams started quite strongly despite the awful weather conditions of high winds and occasional snow blizzards. Alvechurch had the first chance of a goal after about 10 minutes when Martin Smith made a great tackle in the box to clear the ball for City. An instant response from City almost saw them score but a great shot from Andre Truchan was well saved by the Alvechurch keeper.
This was followed by another good shot, this time from Taylor Macey, but this too was saved and the score remained at 0-0. Kai Johnson was replaced by Zac Nutting following a leg injury, and good team play continued. Bradley Poole in the City goal was called on to make a superb save after an initial shot had been cleared by the defence, only for the ball to be kicked back in strongly for what looked like a certain goal. Time was nearly up in the first half when City got the ball down to Greg Rutsch who slotted the ball home giving City a 1 - 0 advantage at half time.
Liam Downer had come on for the injured Elliot Westcarr just before half time, and was now joined on the pitch by Ben Tunnicliffe and Pete Havers who came on for Callum Francis and Andre Truchan. City continued to work well as a team with Josh Westcarr, Josh Davis and Jake Morgan making some good passes forward and this soon produced the second goal when Macey crossed the ball to Nutting, who found Downer in a good position to shoot and make the score 2 - 0 to City.
Alvechurch continued to press forward and were unlucky when a shot went just over. Havers tackled well on the edge of the box when Alvechurch got forward again, and made a good run back down the wing to get the ball out of danger.
A good team performance in difficult conditions resulted in a well deserved 2 - 0 win to City.
SQUAD: Bradley Poole, Martin Smith, Taylor Macey, Elliot Westcarr, Callum Francis, Jake Morgan, Josh Davis, Greg Rutsch, Kai Johnson, Pete Havers, Liam Downer, Andre Truchan, Josh Westcarr, Ben Tunnicliffe
Alex Fearson, Zac Nutting.
YOU HEAR A LOT ABOUT PARENTS AT JUNIOR FOOTBALL.......
and a lot of it is not very positive. Stories about abuse towards officials and getting on players backs abound. Today, I had the pleasure of spending some time with the U13 squad Mums and Dads. What was so striking was the amount of support they gave the lads of both teams. People were getting hot drinks, selling raffle tickets, preparing players food and above all enjoying the match and enjoying each others company. The atmosphere was everything junior football should be. I know for a fact that I would have found the same if I had visited any of our other GCAFCYD squads today. Folk are quick to point out the negative side of youth football and so sometimes it's worth reflecting on the positive as well.
MATCH REPORT FROM LAST WEEK - CITY V ROMULUS (U14)
Many thanks to Sue Havers for the following report
Gloucester City started well gaining the majority of the play, but after 15mins Romulus broke away down the right wing and passed the ball across goal for their forward to slot home, giving them a 1 - 0 lead.
Following this City appeared slow to the ball and unable to produce their good team football of the last few weeks. Zac Nutting returned from injury and came on to replace Zahed Fetfah who soon after came back on to replace the injured Ben Wasley. City's only real chance of the first half came from a Jake Morgan corner kick, but despite the ball being attacked in the goal mouth by various City heads and feet, the ball was eventually cleared and the opportunity to equalise was missed. Another substitution for City saw Elliot Westcarr replace Martin Smith but the rest of the first half remained quiet with no real chances for either team.
Weather conditions worsened in the second half and the slippy pitch didn't help either team, but Taylor Macey gave hope to City when he went on a good run down the wing, only to lose the ball at the last moment. Within the first quarter of an hour City saw more changes as Liam Downer replaced Jake Morgan, Kai Johnson came on for Alex Fearson, Pete Havers replaced Andre Truchan and Ben Wasley returned to the pitch in place of Josh Davis.
City had a few more chances after this as Havers sent a good ball forward to Macey who was unlucky to see his great shot go just over the crossbar. This was almsot immediately followed by a free kick for Romulus which produced a fine save from Bradley Poole in the City goal.
City had two furthur free kicks- one taken by Rob Brooker which was only partially cleared, but unfortunately the return shot by Brooker was kicked just wide. The second taken by Greg Rutsch hit the top of the cross bar and went out.
The last quarter of an hour had perhaps seen City's best chances of the match..
SQUAD: Bradley Poole, Ben Wasley, Rob Brooker , Martin Smith,
Elliot Westcarr, Callum Francis, Jak e Morgan, Josh Davis, Andre Truchan, Zahed Fetfah, Greg Rutsch, Kai Johnson, Pete Havers, Liam Downer,
Alex Fearson, Zak Nutting, Taylor Macey,
MARCH 21 2008
WONDERFUL NEWS
Gloucester City Supporters Trust have confirmed that they will be continuing their sponsorship of GCAFCYD next season. Youth Development Co-ordinator David Miller said ' this is wonderful news. The Trust have been great supporters over the years and without their help in the past we may very well not be around today.' The funds will primarily be used to support the Under 18 squad who play in the Midland Floodlit League and who represent a major link between the youth set up and First Team. At the moment we have nowhere to play next season and we are working hard to try and secure a ground share with a local club. Knowing that we
UNDER 14s IN MIDWEEK ACTION
In a rare midweek away fixture the U14s traveled to Redditch United and lost 3-2. City's goals were both scored by Greg Reutch
MARCH 20 2008
UNDER 18s OFF
Tonights match v Bromyard at The Causeway has been postponed
MARCH 11 2008
FIRST TEAM RESULT
City lost 2-1 away at Halesowen Town tonight. City's goal was scored by Alex Sykes.
MARCH 10 2008
UNDER 18 RESULT
A very young Under 18 squad, the majority of which are still eligible to play Under 16 football, lost 6-0 away at Bromsgrove Rovers tonight. Next up, weather allowing, are Malvern Town on Wednesday. The match will be played at Hartpury College. Kick off is to be confirmed but will be between 19.00 and 19.30.
NEW VENUE FOR THE UNDER 13 SQUAD
With The Spa now getting ready for the cricket season, the Under 13 squad are pleased to be able to confirm that they will be playing out the rest of this season at Gala Wilton. Our thanks are due to Gala Wilton for allowing us to use their excellent facilities.
NEW IN THE GALLERY
A photo from Saturdays top of the table Under 15 match has been added to the gallery.
THANKS TO MR PEYTON
Thanks are due to Andy Peyton who braved the storms last night to attend the Midland Junior Premier League meeting yesterday.
STOP PRESS!!
We are delighted to have received a further sponsorship cheque from the Gloucester City Supporters Trust. Youth Development Co-ordinator David Miller said ' Once again the Trust have shown their support for the work we are doing with the youth development squads. This payment will allow us to cover the costs of our remaining home Under 18 fixtures. The loss of Meadow Park has hit us hard and while we are extremely grateful for the help given to us by Hartpury College, Cinderford Town and Slimbridge, not having a permanent home increases costs and reduces income. The Trusts sponsorship is therefore very important indeed'
MARCH 8 2008
A GOOD DAY IN THE OFFICE FOR THE YOUTH SIDES
It was another full house for the youth sides tonight. Perhaps the best result of the day was at Worcester City where the Under 15's won 4-2. Worcester had already beaten us in both the cup and league and this result means we are still in with a chance of taking the league title. The Under 13s beat Hinkley at The Spa thanks to goals from Joe Parker and Josh Watts. The Under 14s won 3-1 at Yate Town and the Under 16s won 3-1 at Bedworth. The Under 12s did not have a game.
NOT SUCH A GOOD DAY FOR THE FIRST TEAM
The lads lost 2-0 at home to play off rivals Bashley.
QUIZ NIGHT
The eagle eyed amongst you might have noticed that the website has grown over the weekend. Please could you take a look at the new Social Events tab which includes details of the Supporters Trust quiz night. The Trust are major sponsors of the youth set up and it would be great if every squad could enter a team. The Under 15's and Under 18's have already agreed to raise teams
MATCH REPORT CITY V YATE
City started strongly despite the elements being against them. Strong winds and driving rain couldn't stop City producing some good football from the start, and it wasn't long before some good passing play down the right led to Jake Morgan getting City's first.
City continued strongly with Taylor Macey in defence and Andre Truchan on the wing tackling well to keep the ball forward. However Yate managed to break through, against the run of play, and a good forward pass was then lobbed over Brad Poole in the City goal to equalise the score after 20mins of play.Within 5 minutes, City had responded and a goal mouth scuffle may have denied Alex Fearson the chance to get a clear shot, but the half cleared ball was shot back in by Greg Rutsch to put City back in the lead, and it was Rutsch who also got City's third when a great cross in from Martin Smith was put in the net to make the half time score 3 -1.
Yate came back very strongly in the second half, and after a good run down the wing, the ball was crossed in only for it to be shot just wide. Liam Downer and Pete Havers replaced Morgan and Truchan in the second half and soon got into the game, as City responded to the stronger Yate team. Ben Wasley, Josh Westcarr ,Josh Davis and Macey remained solid in defence keeping the ball forward despite the determined Yate forwards, whilst Callum Francis helped push it through the midfield. A throw in to City was cleared from the Yate goal but Macey put a great shot back in which was well saved by the Yate keeper.Morgan came back on to replace Francis and Truchan replaced the injured Fearson half way through the second half. City remained solid with some strong pressure being applied by Havers on the wing and more shots by Rutsch, Macey and Smith all just going wide. With the final few minutes Smith went on a great run and following a lovely one / two with Truchan shot for goal, only to see it be saved by the keeper.
FOREST OF DEAN RADIO
Kenny Blackburn was interviewed yesterday on Forest of Dean Radio. In a 10 min slot, Ken gave the audience an insight to the youth set up, how the sides have done and how some lads have made the step up to the first team. The interview also touched on the First Teams push up the league table and gave credit to Hartpury and Cinderford Town who have been so helpful to our 'homeless' Under 18 squad this season, as have Slimbridge.
This was great PR for the club and it was good to hear the positive comments made by the presenters encouraging the Forresters to come up and watch City youth next time we are at The Causeway.
Thanks are due to Kenny and all those at Forest of Dean Radio who made this possible. All in all this was a great local sports programme. It plays at 6.00 on Friday evenings and 11.00 on Sat morning. Google FOD radio and you can listen on line.
MARCH 7 2008
TIGERS ON THE RADIO!
Kenny Blackburn was interviewed today on Forest of Dean Radio. The show will go 'on air' at 16.00 and again at 11.00 on March 8. To listen on line to Kenny talking about Gloucester City Youth Development go to http://www.fodradio.org/.
DISSAPOINTING RESULT FOR THE UNDER 18s
Despite going in at half time with a 1-0 lead, City slipped to a 3-1 home defeat at The Causeway yesterday. Once again the club would like to thank all at Cinderford Town, in particular Ashley Saunders for their warm welcome.
TOP MATCH AT THE NEW LAWN ON SATURDAY
Play off rivals City and Bashley go head to head in the British Gas Business Southern League Premier tomorrow. Full details are given on the First Team fixtures tab. The match on Tuesday night was superbly entertaining. The Tigers are well worth watching and you can be sure of a warm welcome.
TRIVIA QUESTION
The winner was Tim Clark who correctly spotted that ex City manager Brian Godfrey captained Villa against Spurs in the League Cup final. The Spurs captain that day was no less a player than the great Alan Mullery.
MARCH 6 2008
UNDER 18s TODAY
City are in action tonight when we entertain Bishops Cleeve at The Causeway, Cinderford. Kick off is 7.30
UNDER 18 PLAYERS FOOD
Are there any Under 18 parents who are able to help provide players food for home games? At the moment this job, and the cost, is being covered by one club official. With so many home games coming up it would be a great help in the load could be spread over a number of people. Please speak to David or Kenny if you can help, or use the contact us link.
FIRST TEAM WIN AGAIN
The First team beat Tiverton Town on Tuesday night to keep the pressure up on the League leaders. City goals were scored by Marcus Palmer, Alex Sykes and Jack Pitcher (2).
ATTENTION 12,13 AND 14s
We need a representative of each side to come to the Abbeydale Community Centre at 6.30 next Wednesday to walk through the facilities and make sure we are prepared for our future matches at this venue. It is very important that each side is represented. Please contact David Miller or go via the Contact Us Link. This is very important .
MIDLAND JUNIOR PREMIER LEAGUE MEETING
The monthly meeting takes place this Sunday and will be attended by Andy Peyton. If any Officials has points to raise please contact Andy directly. If players or parents have issues they would like to raise please could they go via their Match Day Secretary in the first instance.
MARCH 3 2008
UNDER 18s THIS WEEK
The Under 18s take on Bishops Cleeve on Thursday in the Midland Floodlit League. The match, which will be played at The Causeway home of Cinderford Town FC, will kick off at 19.30.
COUNTY CUP OPPONENTS
We will not know who we have got in the final until next week. Filton and Cirencester Town are, I believe, scheduled to play on Sunday.
MARCH 2 2008 BREAKING NEWS
The Under 18 squad reached the final of the Gloucestershire FA Youth Shield (the Country Cup) this afternoon thanks to a superb 4-1 away win at Longwell Green. Goals were scored by James Bennett, Alex Cuthbert and Matt Sysum (2). It's the 3rd time in 4 years that the18's have reached the final which is a massive achievement for all the players involved as well as Kenny and Warren. Well done lads. The Final will be played at Almondsbury on Thursday April 3rd between us and either Filton College or Cirencester Town
MARCH 2 2008
HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!
The club would like to wish all our hard working Mums a Happy Mothers Day. Without our team of Mums it would be very hard to kep the show on the road. Have a great day
TRIVIA
On the back of Spurs League Cuo win last night, here is a question for you. Which ex Gloucester City manager captained a team at Wembley in a League Cup Final against Spurs. No prizes but a name check for anybody that knows the answer. Please use the Contact Us link. The answer will follow on here shortly.
MARCH 1 2008
RESULTS
It was not the best day for our teams in the Midland Junior Premier League AMROS cup semi finals. In very blustery conditions the Under 15 squad fell behind to two early goals and despite their best endeavours the lads were unable to catch up, so its Worcester City that go into the final. At the same time on another part of the Newlands complex, the Under 16s lost 2-0 to Alvechurch. Reports from the game suggest that City created their fair share of chances but it turned out to be one of those days!
On behalf of Gloucester City Youth Development please may I say thank you to Alison Peyton for all her hard work at today’s cup semi finals at Bishops Cleeve. Please could I also convey our thanks to the officials of Stroud FC who I understand set the pitches up for both semi finals very early this morning. Thank you all.
We would also like to offer our best wishes to Worcester City and Alvechurch in the 15s and 16s finals.
Back in the League the results were much better. The Under 12s were given the opportunity to play on the main Brackley Town pitch and came away with a fine 2-1 victory to keep the pressure up on the league leaders. The Under 14s were at The Spa and beat Histon 2-1. A full report of the game, thanks to Sue Havers, is given below.
Neither the Under 13s nor the First Team had matches today.
IMPORTANT PRESS RELEASE
Gloucester City have secured a ground share agreement with Cirencester Town to play at their Corinium Stadium next season.
City, who have been based at Forest Green Rovers New Lawn ground since the devastating summer floods are currently in negotiations with several parties to secure a new ground, but have agreed this deal in order to secure their league status for next season. Chairman Dave Phillips commented "we have been hugely grateful for the continuing help and support of Forest Green Rovers this season, and we will continue to strive to be model tenants through to the end of the season. Cirencester's ground has the necessary facilities to allow promotion should we achieve that, and will be an easier ground for us to run on match-days given our smaller crowds. As this season, we will do all we can to help fans get to games in this period before we move back to the city.
On the subject of the new permanent home for The Tigers Dave Phillips reports that progress is being made; "progress with such matters is always a seemingly slow process from the outside, but negotiations continue, and we are satisfied with the way they are progressing at the moment. We are grateful for the continued support of our MP (Parmjit Dhanda) and Council, and hope to be able to make more substantive announcements in the coming weeks and months. We are confident that we will be in a new ground sooner rather than later, and continue to drive that intention forward, but in the mean time we look forward to working with Cirencester to make that deal a successful one".
The groundshare deal is for a two year period, to give the club some stability in planning. Dave Phillips commented, "we would expect to have a new ground agreed and built within that time period, but are delighted to have secured this deal - the fans can now rest assured that whatever happens we have secured the clubs immediate future at this or the next level, which allows us to plan with clarity.
PUBLICITY
There are so many good things happening at Gloucester City Youth these days that it is a shame we do not get more coverage in The Citizen. The paper are already sponsors of our Under 16 squad and I know from conversations with the Editor, are happy to print our match reports and other news. We could really do with somebody to take the role as Press Officer to help co-ordinate match reports and other news. With our existing officers already very busy, is there anybody that would like to take up this role? If you can help please either get in touch with David Miller or use the Contact Us link. Thanks.
CITY V HISTON MATCH REPORT
The game started badly for City when Ben Wasley was injured in a tackle in the first 5 minutes. Whilst he was still on the ground Histon broke through the defence to score the opener. Wasley had to leave the pitch and was replaced by Kai Johnson, but a couple of minutes later Zahed Fetfah also had to go off when he too was injured and had to be replaced by Josh Westcarr.
City responded well and fought hard to get back in the game, with both Elliot Westcarr and Jake Morgan proving strong in midfield. They managed to get the ball forward for Greg Rutsch to shoot across goal but Johnson couldn't quite get to it and the ball went just past the post.
City kept the pressure on and good football was seen from both teams, but it was City who got forward again and a handball by the Histon defender led to a penalty for City. Andre Truchan stepped forward to take it and was there to slot home the rebound when the initial shot was saved. The 1-1 scoreline remained until half time.
Alex Fearson and Liam Downer replaced Kai Johnson and Josh Davis at the start of the second half and within 10 minutes a City corner in from Truchan was only half cleared by Histon allowing Martin Smith to head the ball home. Pete Havers replaced Smith and made some good forward passes down the wing, as Bradley Poole in the City goal was called upon to protect City's lead. Rob Brooker and Callum Francis broke through to help keep the ball forward and prevent Histon gaining advantage from this close match. City had the opportunity to go another goal ahead when a tackle inside the area led to their second penalty, but unfortunately Truchan just skimmed it past the outside of the post
Both teams continued to play some good football with chances at both ends but City managed to keep the scoreline at 2 - 1 and record a very good win for the team.
END OF SEASON ‘DO’
While it is still a long way off, the time has come to start making preparations for the end of season presentations. Plans are still at a very early stage, but we do know that we would like a volunteer from the Under 12, 13 and 14 squads (ie 3 people) to help put the evening together. If you can help please either get in touch with David Miller or use the Contact Us link. Thanks.