PRESENTATION EVENING 2018
On behalf of the Committee, many thanks to everyone, players, parents, relatives and friends, for attending our Presentation Evening on Sat 16th June. It was a fabulous evening, one of the best we've had said one manager, so well done to all those involved in organising it beforehand and running it throughout the evening. Also, a big thank you to all the parents who kindly volunteered to help with the bar - very much appreciated.
CLUB GROUP PHOTOS
Apologies we couldn't quite get the timing right for a whole Club photo - the first session finished half-an-hour earlier than expected, so we decided to split the Club into 2 groups : Rising Stars to U10s and U11s to U16s.
If you missed out being included, then we will do better next year, but you will be in the Team Photos for your age group.
Mark Toal
Apologies we couldn't quite get the timing right for a whole Club photo - the first session finished half-an-hour earlier than expected, so we decided to split the Club into 2 groups : Rising Stars to U10s and U11s to U16s.
If you missed out being included, then we will do better next year, but you will be in the Team Photos for your age group.
Mark Toal
CHAIRMAN’S REMARKS
It is my great pleasure, as Chairman, to introduce our Cholsey Bluebirds F.C. report for the 2017/18 season. We’re
thriving as a Club, with two new teams formed during the year, which means that we now have a full sweep of teams at all
age groups, from the Rising Stars to the Under 16s. As you will see from the Managers reports, it’s been a fantastic year,
with high drama, Tournament silverware, a League Champion and loads of passion and spirit on display across all our
teams. Our players are also constantly learning and progressing their skills and their team working ability and, every
week, are living up to our values of Fun, Fair and Friendly. So, a huge thank you to all of our players for their great
efforts this season.
Huge thanks also to parents and guardians for all your support to players and to the Club more widely – we couldn’t do this without you. We are also very grateful for the generous support of our many sponsors, both at team
level and at our special events. The Parish Council have also, once again, been extremely supportive of the Club
throughout the season and we are very grateful for their support and understanding, as well as the understanding of
village residents more widely, particularly on match days and at the Tournament. Final thanks also to the managers and
other members of the Bluebirds Committee, who are pillars of strength for the Club and who have done a superb job of
putting up with this Chairman, who is still learning the ropes!
Mark Toal
It is my great pleasure, as Chairman, to introduce our Cholsey Bluebirds F.C. report for the 2017/18 season. We’re
thriving as a Club, with two new teams formed during the year, which means that we now have a full sweep of teams at all
age groups, from the Rising Stars to the Under 16s. As you will see from the Managers reports, it’s been a fantastic year,
with high drama, Tournament silverware, a League Champion and loads of passion and spirit on display across all our
teams. Our players are also constantly learning and progressing their skills and their team working ability and, every
week, are living up to our values of Fun, Fair and Friendly. So, a huge thank you to all of our players for their great
efforts this season.
Huge thanks also to parents and guardians for all your support to players and to the Club more widely – we couldn’t do this without you. We are also very grateful for the generous support of our many sponsors, both at team
level and at our special events. The Parish Council have also, once again, been extremely supportive of the Club
throughout the season and we are very grateful for their support and understanding, as well as the understanding of
village residents more widely, particularly on match days and at the Tournament. Final thanks also to the managers and
other members of the Bluebirds Committee, who are pillars of strength for the Club and who have done a superb job of
putting up with this Chairman, who is still learning the ropes!
Mark Toal
RISING STARS
Once again, it has been a delight to conduct training with the Rising Stars each Saturday morning.
The children have been enthusiastic, well-behaved and followed instructions well. All of them have made progress with skills such as movement, ball-control and passing. They have also made progress in playing as a team during matches.
The older children will move up to form an U7s team next year (run by our volunteer new enthusiastic manager, Laura Spiller), whilst the youngsters will remain as Rising Stars for a further year. Training will start again on Saturday 8th September and we are looking for new 4 and 5 year-olds to join in with us.
Glenn Hawkins and Jermaine Webster
Once again, it has been a delight to conduct training with the Rising Stars each Saturday morning.
The children have been enthusiastic, well-behaved and followed instructions well. All of them have made progress with skills such as movement, ball-control and passing. They have also made progress in playing as a team during matches.
The older children will move up to form an U7s team next year (run by our volunteer new enthusiastic manager, Laura Spiller), whilst the youngsters will remain as Rising Stars for a further year. Training will start again on Saturday 8th September and we are looking for new 4 and 5 year-olds to join in with us.
Glenn Hawkins and Jermaine Webster
U7s
Having been involved in helping Glenn with the Rising stars for the last two years, myself and Adie Lee took charge of the Under 7 team for the 2017/18 season. We originally had 9 signed on who all came through from Rising Stars. We started off excellently in the local league system, winning all 6 matches with some great wins. Notably 5-2 at Berinsfield and 6-0 against a good St Edmunds team.
We qualified for the A league after reaching the semi-finals at Oxford City. At this stage our squad grew to 13 players. We struggled initially in the A league, our village kids were a little intimidated coming up against the Oxford teams. We found our feet though, and won 5 in a row before losing the semi-final to the eventual winners. We finished in 4th place which was an excellent performance in our first season.
We would like the thank the committee for being so welcoming, Laurence and Belinda at Thames Construction who sponsor us, and all the parents that help week in week out. It’s been a great first year and looking forward to many more.
Nick Gesner
Having been involved in helping Glenn with the Rising stars for the last two years, myself and Adie Lee took charge of the Under 7 team for the 2017/18 season. We originally had 9 signed on who all came through from Rising Stars. We started off excellently in the local league system, winning all 6 matches with some great wins. Notably 5-2 at Berinsfield and 6-0 against a good St Edmunds team.
We qualified for the A league after reaching the semi-finals at Oxford City. At this stage our squad grew to 13 players. We struggled initially in the A league, our village kids were a little intimidated coming up against the Oxford teams. We found our feet though, and won 5 in a row before losing the semi-final to the eventual winners. We finished in 4th place which was an excellent performance in our first season.
We would like the thank the committee for being so welcoming, Laurence and Belinda at Thames Construction who sponsor us, and all the parents that help week in week out. It’s been a great first year and looking forward to many more.
Nick Gesner
U8s
The U8’s team started midway through the season in December 2017 and we were entered into the OYFL G League. We had 14 players signed up for the season, with each child playing a mixture of competitive matches and training games.
Our league form was fairly mixed to start with, as we found our feet and understood the relative ability of the children. Our introduction to cup football came against Oxford Blackbirds who were in the E League and we beat them 7-2. Our cup journey started over the following 2 weekends, where we ended up winning our first silverware. Most teams we played were 3 leagues above us.
Towards the end of the season we played in the Trophy event and following a draw earlier in the season against Florence Park Boys, we beat them in the semi-final to set up another final at the Oxford City 3G pitches, which we won against Horspath Youth.
Overall the G league was a very good standard with some challenging fixtures across the county - we scored 108 goals and the Golden Boot for the season was Harry Carter with 38 Goals.
Finally, many thanks to our season Kit Sponsor, Barry Robson at RCM Solutions.
Paul Neil & Neil Carter
The U8’s team started midway through the season in December 2017 and we were entered into the OYFL G League. We had 14 players signed up for the season, with each child playing a mixture of competitive matches and training games.
Our league form was fairly mixed to start with, as we found our feet and understood the relative ability of the children. Our introduction to cup football came against Oxford Blackbirds who were in the E League and we beat them 7-2. Our cup journey started over the following 2 weekends, where we ended up winning our first silverware. Most teams we played were 3 leagues above us.
Towards the end of the season we played in the Trophy event and following a draw earlier in the season against Florence Park Boys, we beat them in the semi-final to set up another final at the Oxford City 3G pitches, which we won against Horspath Youth.
Overall the G league was a very good standard with some challenging fixtures across the county - we scored 108 goals and the Golden Boot for the season was Harry Carter with 38 Goals.
Finally, many thanks to our season Kit Sponsor, Barry Robson at RCM Solutions.
Paul Neil & Neil Carter
U8s GIRLS
Formed only in October 2017, the girls team have shown a willingness to learn and a desire to improve every week. We entered our first festival in December at Witney. The results did not go our way, but the girls all walked off with big smiles on their faces.
We continued to train hard and entered festivals in both Reading and Oxford, as well as playing in a few friendly fixtures throughout the season. All the hard work and dedication paid off in May, when the girls attended their first competitive Oxford Mail Girls Football League Festival - they went on to win all 5 games and be crowned Champions.
It has been great to see the team grow in confidence and the new additions to the team have also added some invaluable experience. We are very much looking forward to the challenges of 7 aside next season on a bigger pitch and seeing the girls progress even more.
Thank you to our sponsor Zoe Barrington Groves Hairdressing & Beauty for the kit and to all the parents for their support during every game and training session. Most of all, thank you to the girls for their dedication and enthusiasm every week - making coaching them so enjoyable
Jermaine Webster
Formed only in October 2017, the girls team have shown a willingness to learn and a desire to improve every week. We entered our first festival in December at Witney. The results did not go our way, but the girls all walked off with big smiles on their faces.
We continued to train hard and entered festivals in both Reading and Oxford, as well as playing in a few friendly fixtures throughout the season. All the hard work and dedication paid off in May, when the girls attended their first competitive Oxford Mail Girls Football League Festival - they went on to win all 5 games and be crowned Champions.
It has been great to see the team grow in confidence and the new additions to the team have also added some invaluable experience. We are very much looking forward to the challenges of 7 aside next season on a bigger pitch and seeing the girls progress even more.
Thank you to our sponsor Zoe Barrington Groves Hairdressing & Beauty for the kit and to all the parents for their support during every game and training session. Most of all, thank you to the girls for their dedication and enthusiasm every week - making coaching them so enjoyable
Jermaine Webster
U9s
Well, where do I start?
This season brought a number of changes which the boys adapted to well: moving onto a larger pitch, the introduction of two additional players, and slightly longer game duration. We had some really tough fixtures this season (our third year running in the A League) with many of our opponents fielding academy players. Our boys matched them with positive passing and teamwork and showed progression in the positions given to them.
After finishing 5th this year, I’m sure the boys are more than ready to give the A League another crack next season and hopefully, those games we lost by a single goal, we can turn around in our favour as they continue to develop as a team !
The summer brings tournaments, and we entered three. The boys worked really hard and were rewarded with us narrowly losing out on penalties in the semi- finals of the plate competition in two of them, and of course our first silverware as a team was won at Crowmarsh, where we won the main competition (with two more penalty shoot outs, which I was unable to watch !!) A massive achievement for the whole squad !!
The boys have been (on most occasions) brilliant this season and Duncan and I are very proud of how they have progressed as a team and hope this will continue next season. We would like to thank the boys for their hard work, all the parents for the support and assistance, especially Gordon & Chris for their coaching duties, Freddie for his ref duties and of course our WONDERFUL wives, for putting up with the high & lows of football management !!
Mark Reeves & Duncan Coleman
Well, where do I start?
This season brought a number of changes which the boys adapted to well: moving onto a larger pitch, the introduction of two additional players, and slightly longer game duration. We had some really tough fixtures this season (our third year running in the A League) with many of our opponents fielding academy players. Our boys matched them with positive passing and teamwork and showed progression in the positions given to them.
After finishing 5th this year, I’m sure the boys are more than ready to give the A League another crack next season and hopefully, those games we lost by a single goal, we can turn around in our favour as they continue to develop as a team !
The summer brings tournaments, and we entered three. The boys worked really hard and were rewarded with us narrowly losing out on penalties in the semi- finals of the plate competition in two of them, and of course our first silverware as a team was won at Crowmarsh, where we won the main competition (with two more penalty shoot outs, which I was unable to watch !!) A massive achievement for the whole squad !!
The boys have been (on most occasions) brilliant this season and Duncan and I are very proud of how they have progressed as a team and hope this will continue next season. We would like to thank the boys for their hard work, all the parents for the support and assistance, especially Gordon & Chris for their coaching duties, Freddie for his ref duties and of course our WONDERFUL wives, for putting up with the high & lows of football management !!
Mark Reeves & Duncan Coleman
U10s
Another year under the belt for 10 of the 12 squad players who have been with us since Rising Stars.
A challenging first half of the full season, being narrowly relegated from Division B. However, the boys have rallied in the second half of the season, and a win in the final game of the league season against our old rivals from the Crowmarsh first team may just have allowed us to clinch a promotion straight back up again. We’ll just have to wait until next season’s allocations have been made until we know for sure.
Some notable highlights from the last 9 months include scoring within the first 7 seconds from kick-off, notching up a 5-0 win in an 8 minute tournament game, scoring a thunderbolt from inside our own half and being the highest-finishing Cholsey Bluebirds team (ahem) in our own annual tournament having made it all the way to the semi-final – only beaten by a team that then went on to win.
We’ll be welcoming another FA Licensed Coach to the squad as we start next season, with Garry now sitting his Level 1 at evening classes. Given his day job as a PE teacher this’ll make him the most qualified coach in the squad, so Tom’s already ready for bibs & cone responsibilities and Rich’ll be doing the tea runs (white, no sugar please).
See you all again in September when we’ll be welcoming a couple of new players in readiness for 9-a-side. Have a fantastic summer.
Tom Barker, Rich & Garry
Another year under the belt for 10 of the 12 squad players who have been with us since Rising Stars.
A challenging first half of the full season, being narrowly relegated from Division B. However, the boys have rallied in the second half of the season, and a win in the final game of the league season against our old rivals from the Crowmarsh first team may just have allowed us to clinch a promotion straight back up again. We’ll just have to wait until next season’s allocations have been made until we know for sure.
Some notable highlights from the last 9 months include scoring within the first 7 seconds from kick-off, notching up a 5-0 win in an 8 minute tournament game, scoring a thunderbolt from inside our own half and being the highest-finishing Cholsey Bluebirds team (ahem) in our own annual tournament having made it all the way to the semi-final – only beaten by a team that then went on to win.
We’ll be welcoming another FA Licensed Coach to the squad as we start next season, with Garry now sitting his Level 1 at evening classes. Given his day job as a PE teacher this’ll make him the most qualified coach in the squad, so Tom’s already ready for bibs & cone responsibilities and Rich’ll be doing the tea runs (white, no sugar please).
See you all again in September when we’ll be welcoming a couple of new players in readiness for 9-a-side. Have a fantastic summer.
Tom Barker, Rich & Garry
U11s
Well, we knew it was going to be another tough year in the A league and so it proved to be ! We have come on leaps and bounds with getting to grips with the change to 9 a side this year and the boys have been making huge strides in their understanding of the game as it develops towards the 11 a side game.
We started pretty slowly this year but continued to get better in the autumn league. We stayed up by the skin of our teeth but knew that next term we would find it hard.
The winter league started with the addition of some newly formed teams freshly promoted from the B league who we welcomed in our first game. We were unlucky to lose but that’s football. Then came a run of a few games where we suffered from injuries and illness. This led to us needing to get 7 points from our last 3 games to stay up.
We managed to win the first two (7-0 and 5-4 respectively) but we came unstuck in the final game of the season to the other new team, Banbury. So alas it looks like we may be going to the B league.
I don’t imagine that it will be for long as our squad is great and we have proven that we have what it takes in the A league to beat anyone on our day.
What we are looking for next year is to play with a bit of confidence again and grab ourselves a hatful or goals and clean sheets.
Mike Collins
Well, we knew it was going to be another tough year in the A league and so it proved to be ! We have come on leaps and bounds with getting to grips with the change to 9 a side this year and the boys have been making huge strides in their understanding of the game as it develops towards the 11 a side game.
We started pretty slowly this year but continued to get better in the autumn league. We stayed up by the skin of our teeth but knew that next term we would find it hard.
The winter league started with the addition of some newly formed teams freshly promoted from the B league who we welcomed in our first game. We were unlucky to lose but that’s football. Then came a run of a few games where we suffered from injuries and illness. This led to us needing to get 7 points from our last 3 games to stay up.
We managed to win the first two (7-0 and 5-4 respectively) but we came unstuck in the final game of the season to the other new team, Banbury. So alas it looks like we may be going to the B league.
I don’t imagine that it will be for long as our squad is great and we have proven that we have what it takes in the A league to beat anyone on our day.
What we are looking for next year is to play with a bit of confidence again and grab ourselves a hatful or goals and clean sheets.
Mike Collins
U12s
The Autumn league saw us finishing Third behind 2 newcomers to the league. Our defence has tightened up and with good ability going forward, we had high hopes for the coming Spring league.
We had a great start winning the first four games - then came our first defeat, a poor performance overall saw us go down 2 v 1 to Botley, followed by a 1-1 draw against Grove. A dogged 1-0 victory on a windy night in Barton saw us going 3 points clear into our last game against Goring.
With many possible outcomes in other games, we could still miss out on promotion. Unfortunately due to bad weather and games being cancelled, I was unable to attend the game due to a golf tour on the bank holiday weekend - but coverage by text read something like this : 2-0 down followed by 2-3 down, then 3-3, soon after 4-3 to us, then again 5-3, smiles all over my face, but wow, 5-4, sweat tricked done my forehead . . . and . . . finally . . . All over ! YES Division “C” Champions. Who cared that I just missed a 10 inch putt !
Baz and I are really pleased with the team’s effort and believe they still have more to give in our quest to hold our own in Div B.
Many thanks to our Sponsors Oxford Spires and Behind Closed Doors, and to all our footballing families for their wonderful support throughout the year.
Dave Miners & Barry Primmer
The Autumn league saw us finishing Third behind 2 newcomers to the league. Our defence has tightened up and with good ability going forward, we had high hopes for the coming Spring league.
We had a great start winning the first four games - then came our first defeat, a poor performance overall saw us go down 2 v 1 to Botley, followed by a 1-1 draw against Grove. A dogged 1-0 victory on a windy night in Barton saw us going 3 points clear into our last game against Goring.
With many possible outcomes in other games, we could still miss out on promotion. Unfortunately due to bad weather and games being cancelled, I was unable to attend the game due to a golf tour on the bank holiday weekend - but coverage by text read something like this : 2-0 down followed by 2-3 down, then 3-3, soon after 4-3 to us, then again 5-3, smiles all over my face, but wow, 5-4, sweat tricked done my forehead . . . and . . . finally . . . All over ! YES Division “C” Champions. Who cared that I just missed a 10 inch putt !
Baz and I are really pleased with the team’s effort and believe they still have more to give in our quest to hold our own in Div B.
Many thanks to our Sponsors Oxford Spires and Behind Closed Doors, and to all our footballing families for their wonderful support throughout the year.
Dave Miners & Barry Primmer
U13s
2017/18 was always going to be an interesting year, our best player left in the summer and that meant the lads now had to learn how to play as a team, no longer could they rely on Zak to score 5 goals a game for them.
The Autumn campaign went fairly well, we won 4, drew 1 and lost 2 which left us in fourth place. However, had we won just one more game we would have finished second.
We started the second half of the season in January with a cup game against Goring from the league above and we proceeded to get smashed 10-1. The signs were not good but that result seemed to galvanise the lads and we finished the Spring campaign in second place earning promotion, with our final stats being Won 6, Drawn 3 and Lost 0.
What was most pleasing, was we only conceded 8 goals in those 9 games. At any level of football, conceding less than a goal a game is impressive. By the way the side that won the division won every game except the draw they got when they played us !
Football is a team game and it is often hard to find the balance between competitiveness and giving everyone a fair share of minutes on the pitch. I like to think I give all the boys a fair crack and I have to say, every single player has given his all this season. They have all improved and most importantly, we have become a better team.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Ben Davies, my assistant, sounding board and most importantly friend, who has helped me run the team the last few seasons. He is always there to help with the goals and equipment, he runs the line and he generally calms me down when I’m losing my head, so well done my Phil Neal !!
Lastly, just a big thank you to the best group of parents I could have, you are all a credit to the club and the lads.
We will continue to train throughout the summer every Wednesday 6-7pm (pitch just behind the mound and before the concrete bridge) new players are most welcome to come along and join in.
Pete McAlister
2017/18 was always going to be an interesting year, our best player left in the summer and that meant the lads now had to learn how to play as a team, no longer could they rely on Zak to score 5 goals a game for them.
The Autumn campaign went fairly well, we won 4, drew 1 and lost 2 which left us in fourth place. However, had we won just one more game we would have finished second.
We started the second half of the season in January with a cup game against Goring from the league above and we proceeded to get smashed 10-1. The signs were not good but that result seemed to galvanise the lads and we finished the Spring campaign in second place earning promotion, with our final stats being Won 6, Drawn 3 and Lost 0.
What was most pleasing, was we only conceded 8 goals in those 9 games. At any level of football, conceding less than a goal a game is impressive. By the way the side that won the division won every game except the draw they got when they played us !
Football is a team game and it is often hard to find the balance between competitiveness and giving everyone a fair share of minutes on the pitch. I like to think I give all the boys a fair crack and I have to say, every single player has given his all this season. They have all improved and most importantly, we have become a better team.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Ben Davies, my assistant, sounding board and most importantly friend, who has helped me run the team the last few seasons. He is always there to help with the goals and equipment, he runs the line and he generally calms me down when I’m losing my head, so well done my Phil Neal !!
Lastly, just a big thank you to the best group of parents I could have, you are all a credit to the club and the lads.
We will continue to train throughout the summer every Wednesday 6-7pm (pitch just behind the mound and before the concrete bridge) new players are most welcome to come along and join in.
Pete McAlister
U14s
After our promotion last season back up to the “C” League, expectations were high. Sadly though, due to a number of issues, we lost our first 8 league games. As is usual in football in these cases, an emergency board meeting was called, resulting, as is usual in these cases, a unanimous “vote of confidence” in the manager. And we all knew what that meant.
Once into 2018, however, things began to turn around. The squad clearly didn’t want their beloved and aged manager (well past his sell-by-date) to get the “push” and they started to play “as a team”, displaying great enthusiasm, dogged determination and a fair amount of skill too. The consequences were: in the League we won 2, drew 2 & lost 2.
With luck, and we didn’t have any – sitters went-a-begging, bobbling balls, the woodwork, opposition keepers having a blinder, you name it, we missed it – we could easily have had another 15 goals and 9 more points. Even though we had improved, we still ended up second from bottom in the League and our fate now rests with the League Secretary as to which division we will be playing in come September. We hope to stay in the “C” League as we have recruited 4, possibly 5, skilful players from a Berkshire club that has folded.
The highlight of the year though, was undoubtedly beating Goring Robins 3-2 in our Cup Quarter-Final match, and that’s after they beat us 8-1 in our first game of the season back in September. It had everything – last ditch tackles, superb goals, hitting the woodwork, brilliant saves – you name it, it had it ! Despite the same level of effort and commitment in our S-F against Cumnor, we were beaten by the better team on the day 3-1.
Some good news is that Julian Walley at WINTERBROOK Estate Agents, who have sponsored our kit for the past 2 seasons, has generously agreed to do so for another 2 years – our grateful thanks to him.
I can’t thank the team enough for their faith in me and must also mention what a great group of supportive parents I have – THANK YOU ALL – you make an old man very happy.
Dave Evans
After our promotion last season back up to the “C” League, expectations were high. Sadly though, due to a number of issues, we lost our first 8 league games. As is usual in football in these cases, an emergency board meeting was called, resulting, as is usual in these cases, a unanimous “vote of confidence” in the manager. And we all knew what that meant.
Once into 2018, however, things began to turn around. The squad clearly didn’t want their beloved and aged manager (well past his sell-by-date) to get the “push” and they started to play “as a team”, displaying great enthusiasm, dogged determination and a fair amount of skill too. The consequences were: in the League we won 2, drew 2 & lost 2.
With luck, and we didn’t have any – sitters went-a-begging, bobbling balls, the woodwork, opposition keepers having a blinder, you name it, we missed it – we could easily have had another 15 goals and 9 more points. Even though we had improved, we still ended up second from bottom in the League and our fate now rests with the League Secretary as to which division we will be playing in come September. We hope to stay in the “C” League as we have recruited 4, possibly 5, skilful players from a Berkshire club that has folded.
The highlight of the year though, was undoubtedly beating Goring Robins 3-2 in our Cup Quarter-Final match, and that’s after they beat us 8-1 in our first game of the season back in September. It had everything – last ditch tackles, superb goals, hitting the woodwork, brilliant saves – you name it, it had it ! Despite the same level of effort and commitment in our S-F against Cumnor, we were beaten by the better team on the day 3-1.
Some good news is that Julian Walley at WINTERBROOK Estate Agents, who have sponsored our kit for the past 2 seasons, has generously agreed to do so for another 2 years – our grateful thanks to him.
I can’t thank the team enough for their faith in me and must also mention what a great group of supportive parents I have – THANK YOU ALL – you make an old man very happy.
Dave Evans
U15s
The Under 15’s season started with a couple of challenging games against strong teams where we played with the bare minimum number and suffered a couple of early losses. tiring in the latter part of both games. We then welcomed Lukas, Charlie, Ethan and Max to the team, who injected a great level of energy and have been a pleasure to have in the team.
Over the following weeks we slowly climbed up the table winning game after game. This winning run continued in the cup competitions as we beat teams in the league above us as well as putting away local rivals Brightwell on a couple of occasions, getting bragging rights at School the next day.
On a great run we then faced runaway leaders Ardington but this game had to be abandoned due to an unfortunate incident. We were later to be awarded the points and our run continued. Ardington kept winning so we were realistically playing for second against 3 other teams, we beat Bardwell and Brightwell again and all that was left was a couple of tough games against Grove to overcome.
Depleted with a few players absent we found ourselves 3-1 down away but with barely 3 minutes to play our character, which has been evident throughout the season, came through. Jack scored to make it 3-2, then in the last minute after pouring forward, we won a free-kick which Archie curled in from about 25 yards. At the end of the season this result proved pivotal as we finished in second place just 3 points ahead of Grove.
Unfortunately, our cup runs finished in the quarter finals and semi-finals in the respective competitions but not without a great effort and some exciting football.
What was impressive though, was that we finished the season with 60 goals from our 14 league matches. We had two ever-present players in Jacob and Connor and most players only missing 1 or 2 matches which was a fantastic commitment. We also coped with 3 broken arms and a couple of serious ankle injuries but everyone stepped up, the positive attitude and consistently great team spirit carried us through. We had Archie, Reggie, Ethan and Connor all in the top 12 league goal scorers and Jack and Charlie making the top 20. Archie was 2nd with 18 goals, Reggie joint 4th with 14 and Ethan 7th with 10 goals - A great example of the football being played with a true team effort.
In defence we were outstanding conceding just 26, with 11 of those in the first two matches when short of players. Joe & Jacob have been fantastic again with great support from Searley and others.
Overall it’s been a brilliant, very entertaining season and having celebrated promotion at the league awards, we’re looking forward to going again next season.
Andy Chapman
The Under 15’s season started with a couple of challenging games against strong teams where we played with the bare minimum number and suffered a couple of early losses. tiring in the latter part of both games. We then welcomed Lukas, Charlie, Ethan and Max to the team, who injected a great level of energy and have been a pleasure to have in the team.
Over the following weeks we slowly climbed up the table winning game after game. This winning run continued in the cup competitions as we beat teams in the league above us as well as putting away local rivals Brightwell on a couple of occasions, getting bragging rights at School the next day.
On a great run we then faced runaway leaders Ardington but this game had to be abandoned due to an unfortunate incident. We were later to be awarded the points and our run continued. Ardington kept winning so we were realistically playing for second against 3 other teams, we beat Bardwell and Brightwell again and all that was left was a couple of tough games against Grove to overcome.
Depleted with a few players absent we found ourselves 3-1 down away but with barely 3 minutes to play our character, which has been evident throughout the season, came through. Jack scored to make it 3-2, then in the last minute after pouring forward, we won a free-kick which Archie curled in from about 25 yards. At the end of the season this result proved pivotal as we finished in second place just 3 points ahead of Grove.
Unfortunately, our cup runs finished in the quarter finals and semi-finals in the respective competitions but not without a great effort and some exciting football.
What was impressive though, was that we finished the season with 60 goals from our 14 league matches. We had two ever-present players in Jacob and Connor and most players only missing 1 or 2 matches which was a fantastic commitment. We also coped with 3 broken arms and a couple of serious ankle injuries but everyone stepped up, the positive attitude and consistently great team spirit carried us through. We had Archie, Reggie, Ethan and Connor all in the top 12 league goal scorers and Jack and Charlie making the top 20. Archie was 2nd with 18 goals, Reggie joint 4th with 14 and Ethan 7th with 10 goals - A great example of the football being played with a true team effort.
In defence we were outstanding conceding just 26, with 11 of those in the first two matches when short of players. Joe & Jacob have been fantastic again with great support from Searley and others.
Overall it’s been a brilliant, very entertaining season and having celebrated promotion at the league awards, we’re looking forward to going again next season.
Andy Chapman
U16s
The under 16’s this season finished a very creditable third in the league, which considering we only had 13 signed on players for the whole season, was fantastic. You often hear the phrase “what they lack in ability they make up in enthusiasm”, well it was the complete reverse.
This team are a very talented group of young players, who if they really wanted to, could have challenged seriously for the title. But due to many games with either the bare eleven, and sometimes just 10, we dropped a few more points than we should have. Overall though, we believe it was a successful last season and we are very proud of their achievements . . . sad it has come to an end.
Steve Wilkinson & Mat Beecham
The under 16’s this season finished a very creditable third in the league, which considering we only had 13 signed on players for the whole season, was fantastic. You often hear the phrase “what they lack in ability they make up in enthusiasm”, well it was the complete reverse.
This team are a very talented group of young players, who if they really wanted to, could have challenged seriously for the title. But due to many games with either the bare eleven, and sometimes just 10, we dropped a few more points than we should have. Overall though, we believe it was a successful last season and we are very proud of their achievements . . . sad it has come to an end.
Steve Wilkinson & Mat Beecham
2018 TOURNAMENT
Our 2018 six-a-side Tournament, on May 26th and 27th , was one of our busiest and most successful ever. We drew in over 180 teams from across the region and beyond and even had a visiting team from Guernsey! The threatened thunder & lighting held off, which led to a weekend full of great football, with teams playing over 700 matches between them.
Big thanks again to everyone involved in preparing for and running the Tournament - whether you helped set up and take
down goals, pick up litter, help with the parking or serve endless portions of chips, we can’t thank you enough for making our 2018 Tournament such a triumph. We’re already looking forward to next years!
Glenn Hawkins
Our 2018 six-a-side Tournament, on May 26th and 27th , was one of our busiest and most successful ever. We drew in over 180 teams from across the region and beyond and even had a visiting team from Guernsey! The threatened thunder & lighting held off, which led to a weekend full of great football, with teams playing over 700 matches between them.
Big thanks again to everyone involved in preparing for and running the Tournament - whether you helped set up and take
down goals, pick up litter, help with the parking or serve endless portions of chips, we can’t thank you enough for making our 2018 Tournament such a triumph. We’re already looking forward to next years!
Glenn Hawkins
SET OF ENLARGED TEAM PHOTOS
Posted 20th June 2018
Dave Evans & Whole Committee
Dave Evans & Whole Committee
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Invite to all players, parents, relatives, friends & sponsors from the Cholsey Bluebirds FC Committee, to:
THE 2018 CHOLSEY BLUEBIRDS PRESENTATION EVENING
You are cordially invited to the annual Cholsey Bluebirds Presentation Evening, at the
Cholsey Pavilion, on Station Road (OX10 9PT), on SAT 16th June, 2018. Doors open 5.30pm.
It’s an event that we all look forward to because it allows us to bring the whole Club together – players, parents & guardians, managers and friends - to celebrate another fantastic season of football. See below for practical details. Do note that we’ll need a hand from parents to staff the bar as it’s a sociable occasion ! Rota for helpers below.
We would be grateful for everyone associated with Session 1 or Session 2 to arrive for the start of that session and to stay to the end of that session if at all possible.
Also, this year, we’ll be doing a WHOLE CLUB PHOTO at 7.00, so we’d be grateful if everyone could be at the Pavilion for that time with players either in their full kit (not boots) or at least their Bluebirds shirt.
5.30pm – Doors open & bar opens
Session 1 – Timings for presentations
5.45 – Welcome from Mark Toal
6.00 – Rising Stars
6.10 – Under 7s
6.20 – Under 8s
6.30 – Under 8 Girls
6.40 – Under 9s
6.50 – Under 10s
7.00 – PLAYERS & MANAGERS OF ALL AGE GROUPS TOGETHER FOR BLUEBIRDS FAMILY PHOTO
Session 2 – Timings for presentations
7.20 – Welcome to session 2 from Mark Toal, Bluebirds Chairman
7.30 – Under 16s
7.40 – Under 11s
7.50 – Under 12s
8.00 – Under 13s
8.10 – Under 14s
8.20 – Under 15s
8.30-9.00 – ANY HELP WITH CLEARING UP IS GREATLY APPRECIATED!
BAR ROTA
5.30-6.00 – Managers/Committee/friends
6.00-6.30 – Under 8 Girls, Under 9 & Under 10 parents
6.30-7.00 – Under 7 & Under 8 parents
7.00-7.30 – Under 16 & Under 13 parents
7.30-8.00 – Under 14 & Under 15 parents
8.00-8.30 – Under 12 & Under 11 parents
We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible for this special Evening.
THE 2018 CHOLSEY BLUEBIRDS PRESENTATION EVENING
You are cordially invited to the annual Cholsey Bluebirds Presentation Evening, at the
Cholsey Pavilion, on Station Road (OX10 9PT), on SAT 16th June, 2018. Doors open 5.30pm.
It’s an event that we all look forward to because it allows us to bring the whole Club together – players, parents & guardians, managers and friends - to celebrate another fantastic season of football. See below for practical details. Do note that we’ll need a hand from parents to staff the bar as it’s a sociable occasion ! Rota for helpers below.
We would be grateful for everyone associated with Session 1 or Session 2 to arrive for the start of that session and to stay to the end of that session if at all possible.
Also, this year, we’ll be doing a WHOLE CLUB PHOTO at 7.00, so we’d be grateful if everyone could be at the Pavilion for that time with players either in their full kit (not boots) or at least their Bluebirds shirt.
5.30pm – Doors open & bar opens
Session 1 – Timings for presentations
5.45 – Welcome from Mark Toal
6.00 – Rising Stars
6.10 – Under 7s
6.20 – Under 8s
6.30 – Under 8 Girls
6.40 – Under 9s
6.50 – Under 10s
7.00 – PLAYERS & MANAGERS OF ALL AGE GROUPS TOGETHER FOR BLUEBIRDS FAMILY PHOTO
Session 2 – Timings for presentations
7.20 – Welcome to session 2 from Mark Toal, Bluebirds Chairman
7.30 – Under 16s
7.40 – Under 11s
7.50 – Under 12s
8.00 – Under 13s
8.10 – Under 14s
8.20 – Under 15s
8.30-9.00 – ANY HELP WITH CLEARING UP IS GREATLY APPRECIATED!
BAR ROTA
5.30-6.00 – Managers/Committee/friends
6.00-6.30 – Under 8 Girls, Under 9 & Under 10 parents
6.30-7.00 – Under 7 & Under 8 parents
7.00-7.30 – Under 16 & Under 13 parents
7.30-8.00 – Under 14 & Under 15 parents
8.00-8.30 – Under 12 & Under 11 parents
We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible for this special Evening.
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Mark Toal Chairman Cholsey Bluebirds FC |
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