Boys’ Football

U12’s

The U12As have had a fantastic first season playing football for KESW. The side have gone from strength to strength as the term has developed and pupils have contested for their place in the squad. A mixture of 11 a-side and 9 a-side games have given the boys varied experiences to develop their understanding and tactical knowledge. The boys were unlucky not to extend their ESFA Cup run beyond the 3rd round after a hard-fought game against Sherfield. Tommy Copping and Tehila Adjepong have stood out individually whilst Max Ground and Daniel Nott were consistently selected to represent the U13As during their exciting ISFA Cup run. There is definitely more to come as this group progress through the school, the foundations are there for a strong team in the coming years.

The U12B’s have had a busy season, with lots of fixtures and tournaments. The standout players have been Roqeeb Owolewa and Sam Pugh, both showing real composure on the ball and displaying outstanding energy and footballing knowledge. The defence has always looked solid with Ben Cook at the heart of it. The team has seen a lot of changes with players moving up to the U12A team but whoever has come into the B’s, have slotted in with ease and have worked tirelessly.

U13’s

The U13A side have had an exciting term of football, which have seen the boy’s compete in four cup competitions and a staggering 19 fixtures. An excellent start to the term, with some superb football, saw the side go unbeaten in 10 games. They managed to secure an excellent win in the 6 a side Bedales Prep School Tournament. Harry Hastie, Noah Johnson and Joe Swift have displayed fluid football in the middle of the park, whilst Brandon Obiozo and Harry Shelton have kept opposition strikers at bay. A highlight of the football term was the highly anticipated trip to Millfield in the ISFA Cup, which was a superb experience for the group and lead to the narrowest of defeats and many compliments being given to the team by our hosts. 1st Formers Daniel Nott, Max Ground, Elliot Joyce and Archie Gilmour have also found themselves in and around the U13A squad, which has boosted their knowledge and supported them in their personal development. A special mention to Jesse Nwanang, who has been fierce in front of goal, and has deservedly been awarded top goal scorer throughout the school; a great achievement for a very talented individual.

The U13B have been the unsung heroes in football this season. Their skills have shown progression throughout ranging from work rate off the ball to man marking. They have had some notable performances all from applying tactical skills they have trained and putting them into practise. Due to all of this there have been noteworthy movements between the A and B team showing the strength in depth the U13s have. A player that epitomises what the U13Bs are about has been Tim Samuel-Metseagharun who is always willing to put his body on the line for the team and will work tirelessly to put his team in the lead and keep it that way.

U14’s

The U14 A’s have shown outstanding improvement throughout the season. With five new introductions into the team this year, the boys took a little while to get used to playing together. However, side have grown into an exceptional footballing team. Cillian Shally and Bobby Drury have been excellent in the heart of the defence, showing incredible composure on the ball and allowing the team to play free flowing football. Henry Haine sitting in front of them, provides the perfect balance to allow Will Jackosn and Will Cook to express themselves freely, with their impressive technical ability. James Nott and Sandro Lomtadze have caused chaos to defences in every game they have played and have scored and assisted crucial goals for the team. Tom Harrison has excelled in a more forward role this year and is a vital part to the teams forward press. The transformation over the season has been mightily impressive and one all the squad should be proud of.

The U14Bs have got better and better as the season has gone on, learning the value of getting the ball out wide. Whilst the team has always had a secure defence, scoring goals had proved difficult and cost us in the early games. However, a 2-1 win and 3-2 win in our final two games of term showed what is possible for a developing team and leaves looking forward to next season with relish.

U15’s

The U15A footballers have had another excellent season and will look to continue their winning ways after Christmas as they move into the Last 16 of the ISFA National Shield. The boys have only lost 2 games all season, against very strong schools in the cup competitions. Defensively, we are looking more secure each game and have kept a number of clean sheets throughout the season. Going forward, the boys have scored 43 goals in 10 games, with Austin, Callum and Jack being the top goal scorers.

The U15B side started slowly in their first couple of games but, after some excellent dedication to training sessions, the team really got going. It is a great shame the season finished when it did whilst the boys were on a roll. The final game of the season saw them defeat John Lyon 6-0, a game which a year previous had resulted in a tight 4-3 victory, therefore demonstrating the progression made by the pupils. Stand out performers were Tom Vautier, Peter Gombera and Jude Thompson.

The U15C side continued their great results from 3rd form and carried them into 4th form with the team losing just one game all season, and that came in a narrow defeat to a school A team. They have seen players move up and represent the B team in fixtures recently, demonstrating their progression as footballers. A notable performer being Jacob Mills.

U16

The U16A team have played some amazing football throughout the term. With some noticeable performances from Cam Shields, Hayden Eaglestone and Jordan Njipap to name a few. We have seen them progress to the 3rd round of the national cup and, at the time of writing, currently they are in the 2nd round of the county cup two wins away from a quarter final.
The senior footballers enjoyed several exciting games this season with notable victories against Wellington and Lord Wandsworth. Excellent performances were delivered by Harry Capel, Tom Clarke and William Bensley.

KESW Sport Department