With the 2025/26 Season upon us, we’re sharing some reviews of the season just completed, U14 Purple.
Written by: Andy Walker
Well, this was season was the steepest of learning curves! Our first season playing 11v11, and we made the move to the Oxfordshire league to play some new teams and visit different places – half of these new places were in Berkshire and one in Buckinghamshire!
I think it’s fair to say results didn’t really go our way. We won many halves of football but could only once convert that in to a full 70 minutes, an incredibly cold, wet and windy afternoon at Moredon, where the coaches and parents froze on the touchline, but our players played their best game, believed in themselves and defied the elements, Jagoda lobbed the keeper from the edge of the box for a hard fought 1-0 win.
Other highlights included coming from 3-0 down at half time against the division winners to pull it back to 3-2 after absolutely battering them in the second half, and we were pushing so hard at the end for an equalizer, but ran out of time. In our final game of the season, we scored 4 goals in the second half to pull ourselves back in to the game.
A huge positive this season has been new players joining us. At the start of the season, Harry B and JP brought infectious enthusiasm and tricksy wing play, and Abdoulie and Musa have been strong and adaptable with a great attitude in training. Half way through the season more players joined. Jayden has brought pace and determined tackling, and a fantastic work ethic. Morgan has given us a physical presence both in defence and attack combined with goals, a voice on the pitch, and a confidence to bring his ideas to the coaches. Jagoda, exemplary in training, tenacious and hard working in games, with some great goals, and really pleasingly shown the confidence to ask if she could play in a different position. Last but definitely not least, Dom stepped up to be our goalkeeper, the hardest job in football, and we’re really excited at the potential he has!
Also an addition to the coaching team! Already doing a great job running the line for us, Mark has joined us as a coach working mainly with Dom, and we see the results in every training session and match.
Sadly we have lost a few people as well. Jonathan, one of our longest serving players has moved to Ferndale at the end of this season, Will our goalkeeper has moved to Lydiard Millicent and JP left after completing the season due to a relocation – we are really sad to see them go, but wish them all the best with their new teams next season.
Also a huge thank you to the parents, for their support through a long season where we have travelled a lot of miles and experienced a lot of wind rain and cold!
We have all learned a lot this season, which will help us through the upcoming season, which we’re all really excited about – back in the North Wilts league, renewing rivalries and seeing some familiar faces. The squad have learned new positions, some have found their voices on the pitch, some have learned new techniques on the ball, or developed their physicality in games, and all are learning more about the game we love. Despite the results and the long drives, the team kept playing right through to the end of every match, and were back in training every week, enthusiastic and ready to go – we couldn’t ask for much more.
The new season can’t come quickly enough!
