Last game of the season...... and performances getting better - could we pull off a shock win against the 4th placed team in the league......? L.Dunlop - back from Florida was keen to impress up front. We started nice and lively, and not in awe of the team that beat us 4 nil last week. A nice bit of play on the left by J.Wilson gave us a good chance - he had a good shot, and L.Dunlop followed up on a goalie error - 1 nil to the Lions, game on. We were put under pressure by Whetstone, who put a good cross in the box - A.Burchell got there first as usual - but the ball slipped off his foot - and into his own goal - 1 all. The opposition were looking lively, but we were a good match for them, with A.Burchell, O.Neville, J.Wilson all working hard - and well supported in defence by T.May and A.Dodd. We lost pur man on the right, and a quick turn and shot meant we were 2-1 down, which quickly followed another - 3-1. Now - a few months back, this game would have been a 7 or 8 loss - but not now. J.Wilson took on a defender and put a Drogba like shot in - and blasted it into the net. 3-2 at the break - and we were in the game. The second half was very tight, one goal in it, and we gave a good performance. Well done boys - good MOM performances from M.Gauntlett and J.Wilson. Roll on next year - we are ready for it!

"The boys were refreshed from watching Kate n Wills a couple of days before, and were determined not to play like princesses! Whetstone were a strong side, having drawn and beat the top 2 teams in the league so far this season. We started strongly, with good neat passing in midfield, and E.Cooney wa running the midfield. In defence we looked solid, A.Burchell mopping up all loose balls, and looking like nothing would get passed him and T.May. Up front, M.Gauntlett was making a nuisance of himself, and getting good support from O.Neville and J.Wilson. We put pressure on, and suddenly we got a penalty...........handball! Up stepped M.Gaunlett, hit it well, but straight at the keeper........ Halftime whistle went - a good first half. So, we went in nil nil at half time, and T.Petty did not have any saves of note to make.... Having practiced our kick offs the day before, and nailed them, the big game got to us. It went wrong, they pressed and suddendly we are one down.............Man! The opposition filled with confidence tried a long ramge shot, it looped up, and now we are 2 down - all hard work undone.......... The boys rallied well, pressed - but got caught twice at the back. A good overall perfromance, and it could have been so different! MOM A.Burchell - superb all over performance, and did not put a foot wrong. Bring on last game of the season! "

Its quite amazing the difference 1 week makes in football. Sunday saw our worst performance all year, and today we had our best - the boys were brilliant. Omonia has beaten us 3 nil, and 4 - 2 - but I knew if we got it right, we could pull off an upset - especially as Omonia were in the top 4 of the league. The game started brightly, and I was so pleased with the commitment - we were right up for it, back to the Lions fighting spirit. All over the pitch we matches the Omonia team man for man - A.Burchell was immense at the back, mopping up all loose balls. In midfield, O.Neville worked tirelessly, and E.Cooney & L.Dunlop were working some great passes and creating chances. Nil nil at half time. Some changes at the back with H.Elliott getting stuck in, and T.Petty feeding the kicks to the left, to maximise the space. We worked a great shot by E.Cooney, goalie fumbled, and M.Gauntlett tapped it in - great work!! Well done boys, just shows what we can do………………………….!!

As a Luton fan I should be used to frustrating defeats. But I cant remember a more frustrating game than this one. I'm not sure if all the boys had late nights, but we really were not at the races today, in a game we should have won, or at least battled convincingly.. We turned up after a string of good results - beating Hadley home and away, a thrashing of the Under 8's 10-1, and a narrow loss to Panathinkios, who are third in the league. We started well enough, going one nil up in 5 minutes, with some good work on the left by J.Wilson, who put M.Gauntlett through, and he neatly slotted the ball home - we looked like we would win easily. However, we went asleep - maybe dreaming of our Mums on Mothers Day, but never seemed to get our usual tackles in, tracking back, control and passing. The opposition capitalised well enough - and put some decent corners in, and we conceded easily. 4 -1 down at half time. A direct team talk, and we started a little better - and won a penalty, but we missed - not our day! The opposition played well, but not brilliantly - and hit another couple. A.Burchell took his goal well, but too little too late. I know when we are up for it, we can give most teams a good game, and today we didnt! Back to the training ground for us, but the Lions being the Lions will bounce back............!!

The Lions were right up for this one - especially seeing Assistant Coach Tony in the MIGHTY HATTERS shirt at training the previous day. He was only supposed to wear it for 5 minutes - but wore t for most of training - clearly loving every minute............ Match day - this was the Hadley Rangers who beat us 6 - 1 at their ground at Xmas, so good to see how we have improved. The first half was very even - the Lions having most of the possession, and forcing the Hadley defence into a few mistakes. This game was going to be close, and we demonstrated that we have improved no end. A really unfortunate handball - gave the opposition a penalty, and they slotted it home neatly. 1- nil against the run of play. We had a full squad, so a few changes gave a different slant to the game. However, we dug in deep, but the Hadley boys got another lucky goal. T..Petty must have made 6 / 7 crucial saves in the second half - and kept us going. A really great bit of passing from L.Dunlop, O.Neville and E.Cooney - and E.Cooney slotted it home - with brilliant dying ant celebrations from the whole team. 2- 1 with 5 to play - we pushed up, and nearly got the equaliser, so close. This left some gaps at the back, and we conceded another. However, another great perfromance, and great improvement. Well done to L.Dunlop, great energy, never stopped running - even if he said he was going to be sick!! Real commitment...........!

We played they Hadleywood Foxes - the same team we had our historic victory against 3 weeks ago. New boy J.Wilson started as captain - and slotted in nicely in left midfield. We started brightly, and M.Gauntlett was up for scoring more goals. The Lions were hungry for another win - and played some nice football in midfield. Hadley Wood had some big lads - and they caused some problems going forward. A.Burchell was superb as ever at the back, and O.Neville was causing problems down the wing. Then the goal came - E.Cooney took a quick throw, O.Neville beat 2 players, crossed it over for M.Gauntlett and bang - 1 - nil. The boys went mad, and heads were up. Hadleywood would not lie down though. They had one boy who was bigger than Tony (is that possible?) - and he was hitting the ball long to their nippy attack. Some fine saves from T.Petty kept us in the game, and they missed a sitter - so was it our day? M.Gauntlett fancied another - and a great piece of play was saved by their keeper - even though he did not know anything about it.........ih just hit him. We battled hard, and we deserved another great victory............. well done Lions!!! PS As Tony was not here to see the win - the boys thought it would be a good idea to make him wear the famous Hatters strip............. see it on Saturday at training...........!!!!

After the euphoria of the previous match win and seeing Mark don a Hornet shirt (as a result) it was business as usual and an away match at Borehamwood beckoned. A strangely muted Lions team turned up and match tactics discussed and practised in the warm up. It soon became evident what the Borehamwood tactics were about, but the Lions matched them with skill and tenacity and a very even first half existed with only one Borehamwood goal separating them. (1-0) The second half kicked off with the referee awarding numerous free kicks for Borehamwood foul play, their penalty area was busier than a "Luton goalkeeper at a Watford game" and a Cassiobury Lions equaliser was imminent. And then, a horror moment, a mix up in the Lions defence and an own goal is scored.......a let off for Borehamwood(2-0) Even two nil down the Lions pushed forward with A. Birchell making runs from defence into their penalty area, M. Allaway twice got into good positions but good goalkeeping denied her. L. Dunlop and E. Cooney pushed hard with T. May, T. Petty and A. Dodd defending hard. A. Manji was pushed up field. O. Nevilles knees had half the Borehamwood pitch on them. It was to no avail, pushing forward created the gaps which Borehamwood exploited and the game ended 4-0 The team captain, A. Birchell, was awarded the "Man of the match" award for a fine display and "particularly after stopping a fierce shot with his right cheek"

Mark was away wining and dining his wife, so Assistant Coach Tony May stepped in. There was some pre - match banter from Mark, and he said...."Should the team win,I will wear a Watford shirt next training"........With this huge incentive to see Mark wearing the famous yellow, black and red, the team began playing in what can only be described as a mud bath of a pitch. The team spirit showed immediately with a ball crafted from the annuals of "Nigel Barnes" by E. Cooney and was met by M. Gauntlett who slammed in the resulting cross 1-0. The Lions could smell blood and M. Gauntlett again met a cross accurately after some fine wing play from O. Neville, 2-0. Hadley Wood tried to seize the initiative back when a cross/shot evaded everyone except the inside of the post and it ricocheted in, 2-1. Another attack, and the Hadley Wood star attacker skipped past 3 tackles and blasted the ball from outside the area into the back of the goal, 2-2 The Lions refused to buckle and with captain O. Neville leading by example, L. Dunlop ran a mazy run through the middle of their defence and with a left-footed blast put Cassiobury ahead. 3-2. Hadley were throwing everything at the Lions, a one on one was superbly saved by T. Petty, A. Birchell made last ditch tackles, a shot smashed against T. May, another save and then ANOTHER save, suddenly the ball was cleared to E. Cooney.........the Hadley defence had pushed too far forward, Goooooooaal a great effort 4-2 Half time rang and the Lions were bubbling with excitement Instructions were given and a slight change in formation, it was going to be a tough half with the conditions getting worse and Hadley will be pressing. The match kicked off and straight away a good worked goal by Hadley took the score to a tight 4-3. The Lions were not to be tamed.........a magnificent clearance by A. Birchell went to E. Cooney who passed to O. Neville who then supplied the cross to M. Gauntlett, a great goal! 5-3 Hat-Trick Hero L. Dunlop, with a free role in midfield now ruled supreme and soon scored another goal. 6-3 The Lions were now hunting the Hadley defenders...........The parents were having to calm themselves. Goal attempt after goal attempt followed there was no let up. Another goal by L. Dunlop 7-3. Hat-Trick Hero Lastly E. Cooney who ran his socks off made the final score 8-3 With the final whistle, the team cheered...the assistant coach kissed the floor and the parents slapped each other on the back. Who was going to be "Man of the Match"? The whole team of course. A magnificent performance and everyone should be proud of themselves That leaves just one thing left to say to our coach Mark, Watford away strip or Watford home kit?

"Step forward T.May. Our reserve, reserve keeper was called into action this week. The Watford Dads Tony and Derek had thoughts about the Watford glory goalies of the past..............(can't recall any myself) but maybe T.May could play for the H@rnets one day.......? He had his Watford kit on, and was ready to rumble. We started well, albeit under a bit of pressure. Some good defending by A..Burchell kept us out of trouble early on, and it was a tight first half. We conceded two goals - as we did not track back and help the defence - but we were well in the game. T.May played well, and even cleared one off the line........ The Polish Linesman Tony May did not give it (cough...) as from my view it looked like it had gone over. A.Manji had a free kick blaster blaze just over - and we were well in the game. Second half, and some changes. L.Dunlop went up front, and immediately caused problems with his no fear strength. We got caught on the break, and defence pushed too far up the pitch, and they got behind us - for 3 nil.. The Lions heads kept going - and L.Dunlop and E.Cooney had a great interchange, and L.Dunlop blasted in.......... The whole Lions team dived on top of him, great team passion! Confidence is a funny emotion in sport. We now knew we could score, and pushed up again - L.Dunlop had a great shot which hit the post........... Come on the Lions! However, we faded in the last 5 mins, and conceded 3 soft goals - as the defenders forgot they were defending........... ( i even saw one of them in the Centre forward position.......eek!). Nevermind, a good game, and for 10 mins of the match we could have turned it around into a result. Well done MOM T.May, closely followed by L.Dunlop - great stuff boys! "

A tough day for sport - with one highlight for the weekend. Andy Murray got thumped, England cricketers got smacked by the Aussies, and we got a real footballing lesson by Harvesters East - losing nine nil. The highlight of the day was ribbing the Watford Dads and kids - as the hornets lost one nil at home to the Brighton Seagulls. The scorer - step forward..... Barnes.... Tastes sweet. Anyway, back to the match. We came into the game full of heart, especially as we played our best all season last week. We were without 2 key players - but nevertheless, should have done better today. Not sure if it was the Watford style hard pitch, but we couldnt seem to string a pass together... We quickly went a couple down, and couldnt really recover. I couldnt fault the commitment, a A.Dodd, T.Petty and T.May had a tough job at the back, against a really good side. T.Petty made some good saves, put we couldnt hold the ball up - and it was wave after wave of attack. I always ask for us to try our best - and once again we did, so well done team. Keep our focus, and the faith - and our time will come..........

Omonia White away. Sounds like a washing detergent. We go there, and it was a makeshift pitch - and was the biggest pitch we have played on. As we had no subs, and they had 23 players.... or it felt like it - I knew we had to work hard. A.Manji was back from his Winter break cruising with Michael Winner, Simon Cowell and David Beckham in the west Indies, raring to go - so I put him up front. We started really well, winning good tackles, and making the ball do the work. I could see early on that we had a real chance in this game. Some good play from O.Neville, E Cooney and A.Manji broke down the defence - and they cleared it away with a last minute thump. Nil nil at half time - and we were on top. Same again in the second half, and we looked steady, and good for at least a point. But...... they got a lucky break, and forced the goal in . as we pushed for the equaliser - we got caught twice at the back. 3 nil loss - but probably our best game. Well done boys!

The Derby Weekend. Liverpool v Everton. Newcastle v Sunderland. Birmingham v Villa. But as O.Neville was explaining they do not get any bigger than Croxley v Cassiobury......... We lost 7-nil last time, so were keen to improve. We only had 7 players, so we knew we were in for a tough game, especially as Croxley were top of the league, unbeaten. Back in the team were M.Allaway and T.May - and M.Gauntlett had to play in goal. He texted him in the week , yes texted me - and told me he had a new goalkeeper DVD for Xmas, and was planning to put this to good use, the more shots the better he said.........well, he got that! We started a little cold, but got some good passing togther with O.Neville feeding E.Cooney for some neat one twos. But 10 mins in, Croxley got their first goal, with a lucky deflection. We did not worry, and it did not effect us. A.Burchell was superb at the back, nothing got past him all game - and his pace was telling. Without him today - it would have been 10, so well done A.Burchell!! Three nil down at half time, but i felt we were not outclassed - but maybe a little out muscled. The usual "its nil nil chat" at half time went doen well with the team, and we played a lot better in the second half, tracking back a lot better -and making some good tackles. I was very pleasd with O.Nevilles work rate, M.Allaway's effort, and H.Elliotts leadership as captain was great. Can't beat our effort, as always E.Cooney was our talisman, and we went down fighting as ever to the final whistle. This was our best performance since the ceding games - and i am confident that we will get our first win soon. If not, the Cassiobury Board may meet and sack me!!!!! Omonia White away, next week............bring them on, and Keep the Faith!!

Turkey, selection boxes, mince pies were all clearly showing this week..........and that was just me, a couple of waist sizes bigger after the Xmasfest. The boys were keen to get stuck in, and the usual Lions confidence was there before the match, having already decided the goal celebrations - a forward roll followed by a dying fly leg kick - nice. The pitch was frozen - and made the usual Luton style passing game hard. We has to revert to some Watford kick and rush (Watford parents note...!) - and it nearly got us off to a cracking start, with a goal being cleared off their line. I thought this team were there for the taking, but a couple of errors allowed pressure to build, and we conceded a soft goal. Heads up, we started again - A.Burchell was quick at the back, making some great tackles - and O.Neville working hard in midfield. The boys tried to work on the plan - and E.Cooney was electric on the wing, and made a handful of chances - but it seemed that there was a magnetic field on their goal line - as the ball would not go in, and their keeper was superb. A breakaway gave them a second goal, and we lost some shape at the back, with some boys out of position - and we were three down at the break. Second half, T.Petty was excellent as ever, and H.Elliott was making a nuisance of himself in midfield. Same problems as the first half, as we did not track back, and we went conceded three soft goals. However, we could have had 8 goals ourselves - so lots of positives. The next bit of action, I could have sold tickets for...... the ball broke outside the penalty area, and E.Cooney belted it, it span up and lobbed the keeper .........(a 40 yarder.....sort of..) - the boys went wild, and the whole team chased E.Cooney all over the pitch, as if they had won the league / the fa cup / Champions league all in one........ then, they all did a forward roll, and legs in the air.............!! This is what football is all about.....!! Great stuff boys, bring on Croxley next week......... we are scared of nobody!!!!

Sickness ran through the squad this week - with only 6 boys available. Only a last minute fitness test passed by E.Cooney meant we had 7 players - but no subs. It was a frosty morning - and I took a tip from Dave Biggs of the Pumas to play on the smaller pitch - as it might suit our game. Having lost a few at home, I thought I would give it go, nothing ventured and all that. You could tell early on, that it helped. We were much more compact, and harder to break down. A.Burchell slotted in well at right back, and his good pace was mopping all up. O.Neville was excellent in the middle of the park - and I dont think he missed a tackle all game. The opposition were very physical, and Tony our ref had to deal with a lot of unprofessional goings on, but the boys were not phased, as ever. A neat bit of pace from E.Cooney on the right, created a good chance for M.Gauntlett, and he banged it in, to take the lead. We played well, and could have been 2 up at half time, but gave away a scrappy goal at the break. M.Gauntlett told me at half time that it was his own goal, and seemed quite pleased to have scored two........mmmmmmmmmm. So all to play for, and both teams were very evenly matched. They pushed us back, and scored a goal, which we should have cleared - but again, a scrappy goal. We did not let this effect us - and some magical football between E.Cooney, O.Neville and A.Burchell created a great effort, which E.Cooney put just wide. Just as we were pushing on for the equaliser, we got caught napping - and went 3 - 1 down. But again, the effort from the team was superb. H.Elliott had a fine display up front, winning lots of hard tackles, and he had a shot which the keeper saved - and M.Gauntlett put it away.......2 mins left........M.Gauntlett hat-trick???? He certainly celebrated like it, and got told off by his Dad after the match for his Adebeyor celebrations in front of the Borehamwood parents.....!!! We pushed hard for the equaliser, but it was too late. A great game, top saves by T.Petty, and superb effort........ our first win is not far away......................... Well done boys!!

Today we played the league leaders - but in typical Lions style, the boys had no care for reputations - they just wanted to give their all. Actually, they were not too interested in the pre-match team talk - but only seemed to care that the "Jaffa Cake man" aka my Dad was not there. How would they get their jaffa cakes? Only then I explained that i was now the honoury "JCM" this week, they settled down. In the first 10 minutes, we matched Borehamwood easily - and get were getting in good tackles, and feeding some good balls up to E.Cooney, and L..Dunlop We conceded a goal, probably against the run of play - and our shaped was lost a little. T.Petty made some brilliant saves, and we seemed to stand off the tackle to much, allowing shots to come in. So, 4 nil down at half time - and we were up against it. I knew we could play better, and a Luton team talk seemed to work. We were giving it our all - had a few chances, and seemed to settle down. Only one goal conceded was a good second half, against a team who could play a bit. Special mention goes to A.Burchell who seemed very pleased to score his first goal for the Lions - except it was in his own net............! I think this is the character we have in the Lions - boys (and Meg) who give it their all - do their best - and do it with a smile on their faces.........!! T.Petty was a well deserved MOM...... pity Rob Green can replicate his form!! Bring on next week..................

We went into this match with high hopes, following last weeks good performance. When we arrived, it was clear that this was going to be a tough gig - as there was no grass on the pitch, and it was all stickly mud. Plus it was raining hard, so would effect our passing game. The warm up was interesting - L.Dunlop thought it was fun to slide face first in the mud, an usual way of getting limbered up for the match. I said to the boys that we will have to play like Watford today, not like the usual slick Luton kind of passing game - and probably get our foot on it, and get it up front, long ball style. This breaks my heart, but when in Watford......... Anyway, traffic played a part and 2 of our boys only just made it on time, which was great. We seemed a little sluggish today, and did not start as fast as we normally do. We concede a sloppy goal in the first 5 minutes, and seemed not to be as quick to the tackle as normal. 4 nil down at halftime, but the boys were in good spirits and we changed things around. Wow - what a turnaround, no goals - but we could have had at least 6 - with 3 missed from the line, that probably even i could have scored. Well maybe. At full time, there were no clean kits, caked mud, soaking wet - but a bunch of happy boys, and a coach who was thinking of what could have been............. Roll on next week!!

"We were right up for this game, and the boys / girl were keen to put into practice what we did in training on Saturday. The Coach laid down some Saturday night rules - No X Factor, No Sleepovers, Bed by 6.30 pm (mmmmmm) - and we were very bright in the first 10 minutes as always. New formation kicked in, with the Blonde Bomber L.Dunlop slipping back into central defence to assist the usual defence of T.May and A.Dodd. Playing 3 at the back means we will have to soak up pressure - which we did brilliantly - defending probably 10 corners excellently. Our pacey attack was there as usual - and A.Burchell slipped a brilliant pass to M.Gauntlett who buried it in the net - 1 -0 at half time. Next week, i have decided not to give any team talks. Period. Read on to see why. They kicked off and walked through the defence, and tapped it in. mmmmmmmmm 1-1. we started to make a couple of mistakes which we would normally never make, and we were 2-1 down. I was pleased with our reaction. We really worked hard, made great challenges, won good ball, and started to get on top. They broke away however, and made it 3 -1. A great characteristic of this this team is that we never give up. O.Neville moved to the bac won every tackle, A.Burchell was immense, M.Allaway get in tackles to gain pocession. A.Maji was his tricky self, and we got our mojo back. The ball broke to ""Billy Whizz"" Cooney, who skinned them - and finished expertly - game on. 3-2. We pushed on again, and suddenly the ball is cut across from E.Cooney and somehow, the ball trickles on the goal line - and we cannot finish. They pushed on and grabbed a late goal, and to cap the drama off we miss a penalty.......... Overall, we deserved to get something out of this game, and confidence is high, well done to O.Neville who did not put a foot wrong, and bring the next team on !!!!! "

With a couple of calls on Sunday morning with illness for A.Burchell and H.Elliott, meant we had to take one sub to Harvesters. I was really pleased with the first 10 minutes - and we have always started our games brightly all season. We scored quickly, with E.Cooney working the ball well on the wing, cutting in, and finishing expertly. Amazing how confidence works in football - and from the kick off, we really went for Harvesters again - and pressure from M.Allaway, L.Dunlop and piece of luck gave E.Cooney a second goal. With our tails up, we pushed too far forward, and Harvesters quickly pulled a goal back. In the meantime, M.Gauntlett was playing well standing in for T.Petty - and some good saves. The opposition pushed on, and some good tackles from A.Dodd and T.May kept us in the game.. A wonder thump gave the opposition the equaliser - and they pushed forward for the third - and got it - 3 - 2 at half time. Now, regular readers of this report will know we seem to either do the following in the second half:-...........take your pick? 1 Think we are still asleep - too many Sleepovers? 2 Think we are playing Club Penguin 3 Give the Coach a heart spasm 4 Run out of steam We probably went for options 3 and 4 this week - as we conceded 5 goals without reply! However, as always i was really pleased with teams heart, commitment and sense of fun - as we gelling as a team - and the work we put into training will start to come good............ (or I will be sacked!!) Roll on next week - No Sleepovers or X-Factor please boys!

I cannot believe Croxley should be in our league! I have heard that they lost all their ceding games on purpose - so they have a good season...........mmmm. Maybe just my sour grapes......! Bring on the Away game! Anyway - we started the game well, with some good movement in midfield between M.Allaway, L.Dunlop and O.Neville. It was clear early on that Croxley had a team of very skillful players - who were pretty strong and quick. L.Dunlop was his usual powerful self in the centre of midfield, winning balls that he shouldn't, and some great defending headers. When we got the ball up to M.Gauntlett, he worked the defence well - but we just didn't get the breaks this game. Our defence was working hard, with T.May and A.Dodd working hard, and A.Burchell supporting both attack and defence diligently. We came unstuck with a good quick goal - and T.Petty made a string of good saves, as ever. The goals went in, our heads dropped a little, but we were not intimidated - a great feature of all our games. In the second half - the master blaster T.May smashed a great free kick, and the goalie only just got his hands to it - A.Burchell almost put it in, but it was not to be in this game. I need to have a word with my Dad the "Jaffa Cake Man" - as the boys/girl were more interested in his magic bag than my after match team talk - no contest I suppose......... Roll on the next match.......

We travelled some 50 miles for this match in the County Cup. We knew very little about the opposition, Royston Town Youth FC. I had a chat with their Coach who told me they were unbeaten in 10 games, and had a squad of 18 boys to choose from….mmmmmmmm! When we kicked off, it was clear that the opposition were going to be a tough side - with some neat passing, and great technical skill. We were pushed back straight away - and some tough defending was needed. H.Elliott made his debut, and made some good interceptions. M.Gauntlett was brilliant between the sticks, standing in for the injured T.Petty - and made some superb saves. To go in at half time 2 nil down, was a good achievement. I think i need to change my half time talks - because our second halves haven't been great - and Royston pushed on hard - and our heads started to drop, as the goals went in. Nevertheless, E.Cooney scored the goal of the game with a 40 yarder lob (so it felt) - which reminded me of the Beckham Halfway Line goal - and the boys went wild! We can hold our heads up here - and as they say, now concentrate on the league!

Well done team - very proud of you, and Man of the Match A.Burchell - a fantastic debut!!

MOM was T.Petty with some great saves - but I think L.Dunlop, A.Dodd and T.May were not far behind.

We travelled to Enfield Rangers - who probably have the worst pitch i have ever seen - hard, uneven surface - which was very difficult to play on. We started brightly, with some neat passing at times - especially in our midfield. Enfield were a tough team - who pushed us back into our own half for the first ten minutes - but Captain M.Gauntlett and T.May cleared their lines very well - feeding L.Dunlop and M.Allaway well. O.Neville was his tenacious self - with simple clever passes. It was one of these passes that fed L.Dunlop who had a good surge into the opposition half, when he was fouled just outside the box. Up stepped T.May who drove a 35 yarder (or so it felt) into the bottom corner. 1 - nil, and confidence was high. Again, neat passing, feeding M.Allaway on the left lead to our our second goal just before half time. She passed well to E.Cooney, who as usual buried it in the net - 2 - nil. My half time chat was more of the same please!! Maybe i jinxed the team - but Enfield pressed hard, and some great saves from T.Petty were superb. Enfield got a goal back with a defensive lapse, and their tails were up. They pressed on, and a good cross hit one of their players on the knee and it fired into the net - a fluke goal - but the equaliser. As we had no subs, we were tiring a little - and poor marking in the box left an attacker who tapped in their winner............ So - we learned a lot from this game - a match is not won at half time, and you need to keep going until the end. But - so many more positives..........and this sets us up for a really exciting season........!

Second half, we started brightly - and again, a chance fell - and we hit the bar!! 5 minutes to go, Borehamwood have a corner - and they push the keeper up to help out. No worries here - we win possession , push it out to M. Allaway who feeds A. Manji - who puts it into an empty net - 3 -nil. Borehamwood cant believe it, but they get a consolation goal from a free kick. 3 - 1. Final whistle. I was so proud of the team - we played out of our skins, and every boy / girl should be so pleased of their effort...........so much so, i could not separate them - and all deserved Man of The Match! "

This was always going to be a tough match - playing against a team that were in the top division last year - and it was! Nevertheless, we put in a performance that any Coach would be proud of - real commitment, desire and passion. The game was played mainly in our half - with the defence under constant pressure - but T.May and L.Dunlop did a brilliant job - getting blocks in, and important tackles. The midfield of M.Allaway, O.Neville and M.Gauntlett got really involved - supporting the defence. For the first 10 mins we held them - but quickly went 2 goals down, when the pressure told. However, E.Cooney always looked dangerous on the break, and great work with M.Allaway and E. Cooney produced a fine goal - 2 - 1 at halftime. We changed it around a little in the second half, but ended up losing with real fighting spirit. If we can continue our passion all season - we will have a great year........... well done all!

This was the first game of the season - and a new look Lions team ran out at the Greek giants stadium (park..!) in Enfield, as we were playing Olypiacos. We though we would be up against it, as we only had 6 players due to holidays - but we were relieved to see the opposition with 6 too! We had A. Dodd making his Cassiobury debut, and T. May & O. Neville making their Lions debut. We started off quick out the blocks - and the strategy to feed E. "hotshot" Cooney certainly worked - going 4 nil up at half time. At half time, we were tired - but we wanted to do more of the same. We did, and won outright 5 - 1, a brilliant performance. Superb performances all over the pitch - A. Dodd and Captain T. May did not put a foot wrong in defence, O. Neville and M. Allaway worked tirelessly in midfield, and E. Cooney did want he does best - scoring goals. Special mention to T. Petty who made 5-6 brilliant saves to keep us in the match. So.........a great start to the season, Hatrick from E. Cooney, 2 from M. Allaway (and she hit the bar....!) - bring on the next team!