Date: 13^th December 2008

Brampton Spartans U8’s  V’s Priory Parkside U8A . 

The “Samba Boys” of Brampton managed to pull together a side of 6 fit players for their trip to Priory.  The Management were up against it as it seemed that players were dropping by the wayside on a daily basis.

The “Assign,” Philip Gentles wore the Captain’s armband with pride today for the first time and strode to the toss up full of self-belief confidant that he would be victorious once the coin had been tossed.  Alas his confidence was misplaced as Priory came out on top at the toss.

Philip soon put this to one side as the match got underway.  As normal the Samba Boys set about their hosts with passion and vigour.  The pace was frenetic and soon produced a goal for Priory after 3 minutes.  This spurned the Samba Boys to face up to the challenge in front of them.  This had a profound effect on George “Whoosh” Grant as he was to produce a real contender for Goal of the Season.  As the ball approached him he was just in his own half.  He weighed up his options and decided to shoot first time, the ball took off from his boot and flew over all that laid before him.  The crowd held their breath as they contemplated the possibility of a goal.  They were not disappointed, as sure enough the goalkeeper was no match for the venom of the shot as it glided into the top left hand corner of the net.  He was elated with his effort that was made all the more spectacular as the shot was into a stiff head wind.  This levelled the score and all could see that there was a true battle of grit unfolding in front of them.   James “Bobby Charlton” Dean was in an unfamiliar role as lone striker.  He relished his new assignment and soon saw his valiant efforts rewarded with his first goal of the day.  Priory again bounced back and levelled the score once more.  The game was turning out to be a real classic; the crowds were treated to flowing end to end football with good passing and meaningful tackling by both teams.  Priory were unlucky not to be more ahead as they were denied a goal by James “Bobby Charlton” Dean as he made a brave headed goal line clearance.  Just before half time priory were gifted with an own goal to make the score

3 –2 to Priory at the whistle.    

The boys were obviously disappointed at the score but the coaching staff impressed on the Samba Boys that they should continue to battle and more goals would come.  Their defence had, by in large been solid and Priory were having to work very hard to break their way through it.  The advantage would fall to the Samba  Boys in the second half, as they would have the wind with them.

Back from illness Euan “The Flying Scotsman” Hamilton filled the midfield role ably and relished his return to form covering almost every blade of grass on the pitch.  It was obvious that he wanted to dispel some of the rumours that had been circulating concerning his heritage.  Ben “Vinnie Jones” Szczepanski knuckled down and spurred his teammates on to work as a team from his mid field position.  He continued to battle and close down his opposite number.  This was his time and place!  Unfortunately Brampton were subject to yet another own goal that widened the gap still further.  Philip was determined that the team should not come second under his leadership.  He persistently threaded balls through to the lone front man James “Bobby Charlton” Dean.  His persistence paid off as James duly obliged and redressed the balance with two more goals to notch up a well-deserved first hat trick of the season. Samuel “Frank Lampard” Pryor was also on form and threatened the Priory goal on a number of occasions, but to no avail.  He soon realised that this was not to be his day so he consolidated his efforts with some meaningful link up play with his teammates.  George “Whoosh” Grant continued to have the game of his life by making the second headed goal line clearance, ably complementing Euan “The Flying Scotsman” Hamilton in goal.  As the clock counted down towards full time it looked as if the honours would be shared for a well-deserved draw.  Alas there was to be one further twist of fate as Priory managed to score one more final goal one minute from time to make the score 5 – 4.  The Samba Boys tried with all their might to muster up a final onslaught on the Priory goal, but their tank was empty.  Their mud-clad boots could do no more. 

The final score was 5 – 4 to Priory.  Manager Andy “Sir Alex” Szczepanski said after the match that the boys had played very well and were unlucky to come away “empty handed”.  Further more he added that in his opinion a fair result would have been a draw.  Both teams battled hard under difficult conditions.  Interviewed after the game First team coach Martin “Sammy Lee” Dean said “the Samba Boys were under strength but put in a strong, credible performance against a strong Priory side”.

Team:  Samuel Pryor, George Grant, James Dean, Philip Gentles (Cpt), Ben Szczepanski, Euan Hamilton.

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29th November 2008

Brampton Spartans U8’s  V’s Yaxley Juniors .

The long anticipated match between the two in form teams of the season was upon us on Saturday.  “The Samba Boys” welcomed the all-conquering Yaxley Juniors to the Memorial Field for what turned out to be an epic battle between two evenly matched teams.  The match lived up to everyone’s expectations, only to be tainted by the very cold conditions the boys endured.

Captain for the day, Euan “The Flying Scotsman” Hamilton got the day off to a good start by winning the toss.  The “Samba Boys” started in their characteristic style giving their all.  Yaxley were slightly taken aback at first as within a few minutes Jordan “Little Rooney” Lock broke through the Yaxley defence ably supported by Marcus “The Magician” Read.  The Magician mesmerised his opponents and skilfully guided a through ball through to “Little Rooney” who was quick to seize his opportunity to open his account for the day.  Yaxley came back at the “Samba Boys” with some excellent football.  The first half ebbed and flowed with the “Samba Boys” being very thankful to their skipper Euan “The Flying Scottsman” Hamilton who was under consistent pressure in the Brampton goal.  He pulled off a number of top draw saves to keep the “Samba Boys” well and truly in the game.  Unfortunately despite Euan’s valiant efforts he was beaten three times in the first half.  This was uncharted waters for the “Samba Boys” as they had never been put under such a barrage of sustained pressure before.  Yaxley were proving to be formidable opponents as their reputation had predicted.

Despite all this the goal machine “Little Rooney” found the back of the Yaxley net a further three times in the first half. Ben “Vinnie Jones” Szczepanski tried his best to fight off the effects of the cold, but was losing the battle.  It was true to say he was not at his enthusiastic best, but contributed with some piercing runs down the right wing.  As the whistle blew for half time the score stood at 4 – 3 to the Samba Boys.  This had proved to be their toughest challenge so far in their short, but illustrious careers.  Out came the blankets, gloves, scarves, and overcoats as the Manager started his Half Time team talk. Andy “Sir Alex” Szczepanski urged more of the same and congratulated the boys on their “first class” performance of the first half.  He went on to add that if they continued to play as they had in the first half they could re write the formbooks.

The second half got underway with a slight change to the “Samba Boys” formation.   The Manager had taken the view to consolidate their position.  This being the case he opted for a 2, 2 formation hoping to protect the fragile 4 – 3 lead.  Unfortunately the gamble failed to pay off as soon after the re start Yaxley drew level.  George “Whoosh” Grant was also struggling to come to terms with the extreme cold and only occasionally showed his true talent that he usually exuded.  James “Bobby Charlton” Dean did his best to stem the onslaught from Yaxley.  However not even he could turn the tide that was mounting up against the Samba Boys.  As Yaxley began to stamp their authority on the match Samuel “Frank Lampard” Pryor attempted to make a solo attack on the Yaxley goal.  He put his all into the run, but alas he too was thwarted, there seemed to be no way through the well-disciplined Yaxley defence, as there was in the first half.  The crowd tried their hardest to raise the spirits and temperature of the “Samba Boys” but as the half went on so did the Yaxley score line.

The whistle blew to bring the curtain down on a memorable game. 

Interviewed after the match the Manager of Yaxley paid tribute to the “Samba Boys” calling them a “truly strong side”.  In addition to this he said this was the closest game they had encountered this season.  In reply Andy “Sir Alex” Szczepanski said that the right team had won.   He went on to praise James and Jordan for their outstanding performances, playing the whole of the 40 minutes. First team coach Martin “Sammy Lee” Dean said he was proud of the way the boys played.  “We always knew this would be our biggest test so far this season.  Lessons will be learnt and we will all come back stronger as a result of today’s game.” 

Team: Marcus Read, Samuel Pryor, George Grant, James Dean, Jordan Lock, Ben Szczepanski, Euan Hamilton (Cpt)

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22^nd November 2008

Brampton Spartans U8’s  V’s Bluntisham Blasters (White).

The “Samba Boys” of Brampton returned home to the Memorial Field today intent on proving the critics wrong following their shock defeat the previous weekend at the hands of Godmanchester Rovers.

Pumped up and eager to tread the hallowed turf of the Memorial field the “Samba Boys” got off to a bad start with their skipper for the day George “Whoosh” Grant losing the toss.

Prior to the start the manager had impressed on the boys that shape and discipline were to be the order of the day.  The “Samba Boys” must get back to their fluid, energetic style of football to embark on their next unbeaten run of matches.  Straight from the kick off it was evident the boys were still smarting from the unfamiliar experience of the previous week.  They soon set siege on the Bluntisham goal and were soon rewarded with the first goal of the day.  Ben “Vinnie Jones” Szczepanski finished off a marvellous manoeuvre after only four minutes by slotting the ball past the Bluntisham goalkeeper.  With this Ben turned to the manager, clenched his fist and thrust it aloft to signal him and the crowd that normal service was to be resumed.  The manager Andy “Sir Alex” Szczepanski was seen jumping for joy on the touchline.  The Blasters battled well but struggled to get to grips with the rejuvenated “Samba Boys” of Brampton.  Jordan “Little Rooney” Locke was basking in the team’s newly found confidence.  Passes were coming fast and furiously to the little midfielder, who duly obliged with a couple of mature skilful goals that put is goal drought to an end.  Samuel “Frank Lampard” Pryor also tormented the Bluntisham defence and managed to get his name on the score sheet.  He too had remembered the passing drills that had formed the foundation of the previous training session.  He was jubilant as he celebrated his goal with the crowd.  The big surprise of the day was to be served up by none other than Phillip “The Assassin” Gentles.  Phillip took possession of the ball mid way into the Bluntisham half and set off on a solo run bound for the Blaster’s goal.  He dodged and weaved his way into the area and managed to squirt the ball past an astonished Bluntisham goalkeeper just before the whistle blew to mark the end of the first half.  The crowd went wild, and so did the “Assassin” the bookies wept as they slashed his odds on becoming the season’s top scorer. Marcus “The Magician” Read again lived up to his reputation and was the main instigator of the precision passes to reach the front men.  If it was not for his cool composure under pressure the half time score would not have been so flattering.

The manager was helped to his feet following the last goal and proceeded to heap praise onto the “Samba Boys”.  They had responded well to the challenge and showed their resilience and given them a firm foundation to start the second half at 5 – 0.

Unfortunately following a triumphant first half, Euan “The Flying Scotsman” Hamilton could take no further part in proceedings as the team took the field for the second half.  He was suffering from flu like symptoms and was instructed to take an early bath.  Interviewed after the match his father was concerned that his true Scottish blood had become thin as a result of to many years in the south.

The Blasters came out after the break with renewed vigour and started to set about the “Samba Boys.”  However they were not prepared for James “Bobby Charlton” Dean.  James was determined that the clean sheet of the first half was to be repeated in the second.  He was truly in his “zone” and was determined that no one would get past him.  He was also unsuccessful on a couple of solo runs that proved fruitless.      Confidant that they were back in their winning ways the “Samba Boys” proceeded to feed Jordan “Little Rooney” Locke who soon notched up his hat trick, and finished with a tally of 5.  Skipper, George “Whoosh” Grant was very unlucky not to get on the score sheet while playing up front.  However he was more than a match for the Bluntisham forwards when he played an outstanding spell in goal.  He was strong and made himself big and imposing to snuff out any Bluntisham attempt on goal.  Samual “Frank Lampard” Pryor also notched up another goal in the second half to bring his tally for the day to two.  Finally to put the icing on the cake Ben “Vinnie Jones” Szczepanski stepped up to claim his second of the day.  At the final whistle the score board read 10 – 0 to the Samba Boys of Brampton.

Following the game, the manager Andy “Sir Alex” Szczepanski said he was very proud of the team, and they had showed true grit to prove the critics wrong.  This Bluntisham side was the best side we have come up against so far.  I was particularly pleased with “The Assassin’s” performance he said.  The first team coach Martin “Sammy Lee” Dean was quoted as saying, “The boys had bounced back from their previous defeat.  This is the start of another solid run for the Samba Boys and the next challenge is Yaxley”  The Manager of Bluntisham also complemented the Samba Boys saying he was surprised at the commitment they had showed the entire game as they battled the whole game and never let up the pressure. 

Squad: Marcus Read, Samuel Pryor, George Grant (Capt), James Dean, Jordan Lock, Ben Szczepanski, Euan Hamilton, Phillip Gentles.

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15/11/08

Brampton Spartans U8’s  V’s Godmanchester Rovers(away).

It seems that there is no escape from the effect of the now all to familiar phenomenon of global warming.  The latest victim of this was the “Samba Boys” of Brampton; gone were the flamboyant, fluid passing routines and the all too familiar South American sunshine style of football we had all come to expect.  The sun had certainly been obscured…

The “Samba Boys” travelled to Hinchingbrooke full of confidence bolstered by their unbeaten run of 12 matches.  This was to be a new experience for the “Samba Boys” as they were to play on a new and unfamiliar surface, 3^rd generation astro turf no less.  Coupled with this the pitch was to be the largest they had played on to date.  In addition to this, the Manager Andy “Sir Alex” Szczepanski had called into question the thickness of the paint on the goal posts.

Captain for the day Jordan “Little Rooney” Lock marshalled his troops and prepared the boys for an epic endurance challenge, the like of which they had not experienced before.  The “Samba Boys” started well and soon had the crowd taking a sharp intake of breath as the first of many chances glanced the post, only to produce a goal kick.  The first half was a closely fought battle of possession, ebbing, like the tide to and fro.  After consulting the statistician it was confirmed that the “Samba Boys” had the majority of possession.  Marcus “The Magician” Read again came up with the goods to tantalise the opposition conjuring up some more magical moments to outwit his adversary on the field.  Ben “Vinnie Jones” Szczepanski battled honourably as usual with a number of valiant attempts on the Godmanchester goal.  All to no avail, again the goal post frustrated the “Samba Boys”.  Jordan “Little Rooney” Lock began to despair as not one, but three legitimate attempts on goal proved fruitless.  Up stepped James “Bobby Charlton” Dean to the plate.  He had watched with anguish from defence as his team mates attempts on goal had proved fruitless in spite of sustained goalmouth action.  With this he set off on a solo run three-quarters the length of the pitch to be frustrated yet again by the cross bar with a thunderbolt of a shot.  As the whistle blew for half time the score was 0 – 0 that left the Godmanchester goal battered and bruised following sustained exploitation by the “Samba Boys”

The Manager pumped the boys up with confidence and reassured them they should have been ahead by at lease five goals at half time.  Following a well-deserved breather and confidant that they could redress the balance and make certain the scor'er could put pen to paper they rejoined the field.

Godmanchester then pulled their masterstroke and took full advantage of the large squad.  All five players were substituted at half time allowing them a great advantage over the “Samba Boys”.  From the kick off the “Samba Boys” set off again with purposeful vigour towards the “holy grail” of a vacant goal.   Samuel “Frank Lampard” Pryor took the bull by the horns and went on a rampage towards the “grail”; he also was frustrated.  Euan “The Flying Scottsman” Hamilton stoked himself up to a full head of steam to put his name forward to break the deadlock.  Like all that had gone before him, he also was left disappointed.

As the “Samba Boys” began to flag, Godmanchester crafted a goal out of nothing to put them ahead.  Jordan “Little Rooney” did his best to rally his troops and urged them to dig deep.  Unfortunately exhaustion was beginning to take hold; not even the antics of George “Whoosh” Grant and the encouragement of the crowd could rouse the “Samba Boys”.  George tried his hardest to slip that one telling pass through to the front men to redress the balance, but to no avail.  It was only a matter of time until the final nail was mercilessly hammered in to put the game beyond the “Samba Boys” as Godmanchester’s fresh legs made it 2 – 0.

Soon after the second goal the whistle blew for full time.  Deflated and exhausted the “Samba Boys” winning streak had come to an end.  In essence they had lost to two teams, one in the first half, and one in the second half.  

08/11/08

Brampton Spartans U8’s  V’s Alconbury Reds (away).

The “Samba Boys” of Brampton were away on their travels this week to a very muddy Alconbury nee, “Glastonbury” trying to spread a little sunshine to their northern neighbours.  The wind and the rain could do little to dampen the “Samba Boys” spirits following their previous dominance of last week over Buckden.

The honour of wearing the Skipper’s armband for today’s match was eagerly accepted by Marcus “The Magician” Read.  Unfortunately he could not cast a spell at the toss up, losing the toss to the hosts.  He need not have worried, as this was to be the last time the “Samba Boys” would be behind for the day.  True to form Jordan “Little Rooney” Locke broke the stalemate after 8 minutes.  With a trade mark goal that has seen many a goalkeeper shaking with trepidation he calmly slotted away the first goal of the day.  This prompted the Manager Andy “Sir Alex” Szczepanski  to break from convention and swap all players in all positions.  In deploying this radical tactic he succeeded in bamboozling his opposite number who looked overwhelmed and astonished that the “Samba Boys” were so adaptable.  James “Bobby Charlton” Dean was very unlucky to hit the cross bar following a set piece free kick from just inside the Alconbury half.  The skipper Marcus “The Magician” Read held the opposition spellbound with his trickery as he urged his team forward.  The whistle blew to mark the end of the first half with the score at 1 – 0 to the “Samba Boys”

After an inspired half time team talk, where the Manager urged more of the same, play resumed.  Samuel “Frank Lampard” Pryor rejoined the field of play with renewed vigour and was first to put is name on the score sheet after 1 minute of the restart.  The loyal supporters were elated that the long trek up the A1 was going to be worth the travel.  Third to get his name on the score sheet was George “Whoosh” Grant.  Following excellent movement off the ball George played to the crowed to reaffirm his nickname; “Whoosh” went the crowd as he outwitted the goalkeeper to open his account.  4 minutes passed as the supporters got in their stride and chanted the now familiar chant of “Whoosh” from the sidelines.  Inspired by the terraces chant Ben “Vinnie Jones” Szczepanski broke away from his marker and side footed the ball clean past the goalkeeper adding to his impressive 8 goals so far this season.  Ben was not the only one to be inspired as James “Bobby Charlton” Dean unleashed a venomous shot that the keeper deflected over the bar with the side of his head.  Fortunately no injuries were reported.  Following yet more changes of positions George “Whoosh” Grant pounced on a fifty fifty ball to come out the victor and increase his tally for the day to 2 goals.  Euan “The Flying Scotsman” Hamilton pulled off a couple of outstanding saves during his stint in goal to thwart Alconbury’s front men.  James “Bobby Charlton” Dean seemed to be getting frustrated, and wondered what he needed to do to get a goal.  He need not have worried as in the 19^th minute he managed to get his name on the score sheet.  Deep into stoppage time James doubled his tally for the day with a trademark blasted goal.  Unfortunately Phillip “The Assassin” Gentles could not get his name on the score sheet this week but valiantly chased down countless balls.  

At the final whistle the score board showed Brampton Spartans 7 – Alconbury 0.  Yes the Samba Boys had notched up yet another convincing win away from home.  Interviewed after the match the Manager said, “Alconbury had improved since the last time we played them.  They had me worried in the first half at 1 – 0.”  As if by magic, as the teams walked off the pitch the sun came out and shone bright on the Samba Boys for their return home.  

Team: Marcus Read (Capt), Philip Gentles, Samuel Pryor, George Grant,

james Dean, Jordan Lock, Ben Szczepanski, Euan Hamilton

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01/11/08

Brampton Spartans Under 8’s V’s Buckden Under 8’s Black

A near capacity crowd turned out to today to see the home coming of the “Samba Boys” in spite of the threat of inclement weather for the eagerly anticipated local Derby match against the Buckden Under 8’s Black team.  At one point the match officials were in consultation with the local constabulary and were contemplating delaying the kick off to allow the vast numbers of travelling away fans to get access to the ground. There had been much hype surrounding the match in the local media in the days leading up to the match. Reports that Jordan “Little Rooney’s” bin had been rifled through for evidence that he had recovered from his injury that had kept him out of the previous game could not be confirmed.  The Management Team had also come under scrutiny this week as they had both been linked to the vacant position at Portsmouth.  Speaking to Andy Hay from Skype Sports Martin “Sammy Lee” Dean said “Andy and myself are fully committed to the Spartans and neither of us want to live at the seaside”

Skippered today by Samuel “Frank Lampard” Pryor the Spartans set at a frenetic pace after they had lost the toss and Buckden had taken the kick off.  It was not long before the “Samba Boys” had got back into their stride and Jordan “Little Rooney” Locke bust through the Buckden defence and opened his account for the day.  The crowed suspected that they could be in for a memorable day of football.   They were not disappointed as at half time the score was Jordan “Little Rooney “ 9 – Buckden 0.

Following the restart Ben “Vinnie Jones” Szczepanski got in on the act with a trade mark bullet of a shot.  The Spartans continued their good performance of their last game against K C Cougars and proceeded to dominate the second half as they had done in the first.  Eager to get some of the action, James “Bobby Charlton” Dean decided it was time to produce some of his trade mark solo runs down the wing.  With his knowing  “smile” he received the ball, stopped, looked up, looked his opponent in the eye, then burst through him en route to goal.  Unfortunately having beaten the goal keeper he was thwarted by the cross bar, but the crowd were happy that no one had got in the way of the “missile shot”

George “Woosh”Grant was instrumental in the goal fest as he unselfishly threaded a number of precision passes through to the front men putting them on goal.  If it was not for George’s teamwork and persistence the final score line would not have been so impressive.    

Samuel “Frank Lampard” Pryor also wanted a part of the goal fest to make this a memorable birthday.  The birthday boy then proceeded to notch up his first hat trick of the season.  Marcus “The Magician” Read had the crowed spellbound by his skills and showmanship.  He also saw one of his “Merlin” moments end up in the back of the net.  To complete the day Jordan “Little Rooney” Locke managed to break into double figures with his tenth of the day.  In the last dying moments of the match, Phillip “The Assassin” Gentles realised he also should appear on the score sheet.  Unfortunately following a valiant attempt he was thwarted by the goal keeper, who was left poleaxed on the ground.

At the final whistle the score ended up at Brampton Spartans 15 – Buckden 0.  The large crowed soon dispersed content that they had glimpsed a ray of sunshine on this dreary November day from the “Samba Boys” of Brampton.

Asked to comment on the days performance Andy “Alex” Szczepanski said “the boys were a different class out there”   He also went on to add that Euan “The flying Scotsman” Hamilton would be playing in the next game.

Team:

Samuel Pryor (Capt), Ben Szczepanski, James Dean, Jordan Locke, George Grant, Marcus Read, Phillip Gentles.

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