Season 3 round-up
As we finish up on our third season of Thursday night football, we once again say congratulations to the boys of Crowninthians FC who have completed a very impressive treble.
It looked ominous for the rest of the competition when they not only retained most of their squad from last year but also added some better players into the mix, and with one of their closest competitors, Olden But Golden, deciding not to field a team this year it was wide open for them to hold onto their title.
Ben Thomas has had a remarkable season, netting an incredible 30+ goals and picks up the top scorer and player of the season award. Congratulations Fish, great effort. Chris Lewis, Morgan Thomas and Paul Evans have been typically lethal in front of goal, too, with the team scoring over 20 more goals than each of their previous 2 title wins, really stamping their authority on the league.
The Park Arabs looked like strong competition again but have failed to maintain their push for the top after a couple of losses saw their turnout lessen with each week. Still, they have provided some great entertainment as usual with Nathan Whelan, Lewis Kingdon, Kurt Vincent and others showing some great skills at times. The Park are their own worst enemy at times, and should try to focus their energy on the game rather than arguing among themselves, they certainly have the ability.
FC Maesteg turned out to be the surprise package. Having started quite poorly they picked it up just before the half way mark and continued to rack up the points. They’ve scored some cracking goals too, with players like Geraint Ward, Thomas Williams and Jack Lewis scoring some screamers, while Jamie Wooton wound the ref up and scored goals in equal measure. Dan Smith also put in some cracking performances in goal when called upon.
Honey Badger FC improved slightly on last season with much the same squad. They can boast one of the meanest defences in the league, with Rhodri Thomas keeping a few clean sheets which is not easy to accomplish in 8 a side football. Lloyd Jenkins has been their main threat in attack and he could have done with a little more support in the form of goals from the rest of the team as they once again struggled to score many. Dylan Llewellyn scored a hatful in one match but they didn’t see enough of him to really benefit.
FC Snorkel made a blistering start, and with Nathan Smith banging the goals in early on it seemed they could be pushing for a top 3 place. But injuries, holidays and other things got in the way and their low turnout and often scrambled together team meant they faded badly down the stretch. Nathan Carter was once again impressive in goal and lead from the back with his constant shouting and instructions. Luke Howells pulled the strings as usual in midfield when available and Gareth Linderburn was a constant threat throughout.
Borussia Teeth have become a really good team as the season has progressed. Starting slowly, they came close a few times to getting an upset victory, most notably against Crowninthians FC in week 2. Despite the early losses, they were very difficult to beat throughout, putting up some very tough defensive displays, and with Connor Thomas on fire up front, they started to get the wins their effort deserved. Scott Davies worked hard in midfield as always and both Ieuan Thomas and Sean Selway provided a good wall at the back. Much improved on season 1.
The Vaders once again never really got going. With a leaky defence and a lack of firepower going forward the results were as you’d expect and save for a couple of performances, they were poor throughout. Joe Gallafant carried the biggest threat and picked up a league-leading 4 man of the match awards along with teammate Richard Boydell, but with increasingly poor turnout and a team often thrown together, they are lucky not to finish last. With a full team each week, the may have made some waves near the top of the league but you gotta show up to have any chance.
Last but not least, Scouting for Goals will be very disappointed with their decline from the first 2 seasons. They struggled throughout with numbers, and some serious injuries meant they were weakened even further. They deserve some credit for seeing the season through after a handful of regulars had to face a tough task each week to compete with a depleted squad. Still tough to beat as they continue to be fiercely competitive but lacked the firepower to make any mark on the league this year.
Thank you
I’d like to take this opportunity to once again thank all the teams and their players for their effort, commitment and sportsmanship this year. I’ve made some great friends, teammates and adversaries 🙂 through football over the years, and starting this league has been one of the best things I’ve done as it’s brought so many top blokes and footballers together.
Thanks of course to my brother, Rob, for his help and efforts in running the league – I think his reffing has improved since last year (although Lewi, Gump and Edgar, among others, may argue differently). I didn’t really approach this year with as much enthusiasm as I should have but hopefully we can keep it going and make it even better next year.
With that in mind, please take the time to read the following and more importantly give your vote so we can decide on what to do next year. I know it’s a while away yet, but if we go ahead with this idea it will take some time to plan and set up.
Click here to read: Next Season >
Cheers everyone.