Under 10 Lions taste success

Having been successful in the regular season of the Mid Solent Coleman’s U10 League – during which the Crofton Saints Lion’s U10s played 11 matches and only lost two - they then went on to lift the Mid Solent League U10 Plate, beating Gosport FC Bullets 5-0 in the Final at Seafield Park. During that period the squad consistently improved under the coaching of Chris Smart and Gary Fox. At that time we had a relatively small squad of just nine players.

Chris has rotated the squad regularly during the past season and the boys have responded well wherever they have played. Most pleasing, however, is that all of the boys have, at some stage, taken their place in goal and, without exception, have shown consistency and ability in taking on this onerous task.

At the end of the regular season the squad consisted of: Adam Hatton, Baran Sener, Benjamin Lolljowaheer, Euan Smart, Harry O’Malley, James Beadell, Joe O’Mahony, Josh Fox and Kai Sterne (an additional player was added post season, Tommy Milchard). The leading goal-scorer was Kai Sterne with 28 goals followed by Harry O’Malley with 15 goals and Adam Hatton on 10. However, every player’s has chipped in with at least one goal. The boys scored 90 goals in 17 league and cup matches conceding only 17 – a very impressive record.

The improvement was carried over into the six-a-side tournaments kicking off at Warsash Wasps on Saturday May 12th. On that day they successfully negotiated the group stages – winning five matches and drawing two, keeping seven clean-sheets. The quarter final match, against Pace B. (Totton) was won on a penalty shoot-out before beating our old adversaries Gosport Borough in the semi-finals 2-0. The Lion’s met Pace A. in the final beating them 2-0, lifting a very impressive cup in the process.

On Saturday May 26th the Lion’s took part in their next tournament hosted by Bishops Waltham Dynamos. Again the boys successfully negotiated the group stages and only conceded one goal in the process. They met Crofton Saints Puma’s in the quarter finals, duly dispatching them 5-0, before beating the host club 3-0 in the semis. In the final the Lion’s played Sarisbury Sparks Amber. In a close intense match the Crofton Saints Lion’s ran out 2-0 winners.