_________________________________________________________________________

* Wednesday 30th November 2011 *

Well, I have not done and update for a few weeks, so here goes. My team Woodley Albion are flying high at the moment, played 12, won 12!

We have had some cracking games so far this season. I think I have played well up to now and done my job.
I'm not scoring the 15 or 16 goals this season, this is due to us now having a couple of new strikers that can finish and I'm playing a supporting
role with the passes and crosses more this season.

I scored against Chinley United last week which was nice to pop one in and I'm sure I will stick a few more in this season.

I had a great game Hale United a few weeks ago where I was awarded Man of the match. It was said my passing was inch perfect.
I created 4 of our 6 goals from direct passes onto our flying strikers so I'm pleased with that. I actually went into that game to win the MOTM!

Also our team website is looking great which my Dad does for us. Loads on there including some great photos of the team etc.
www.wajfc.co.uk

More next week
Nathan #7

_________________________________________________________________________

* Tuesday 4th October 2011 *

Had a great game away to Bramhall on Sunday 2nd October.

I played out of my skin in that game, nearly every chance we had to score came from my hard work on the wing, cutting in and getting
killer crosses across the 6 yard box, unfortunately our strikers just couldn't finish them off, a little of the pace to get into the box ready for my pass.

I missed a couple of chances hitting wide and I was trying not to be greedy, laying little passes on for the strikers, But looking back I should have
just had a crack at scoring them myself!

From the start I had every intention of playing my best and grabbing Man of the match, to be honest I felt very disappointed not to be given it,
I thought I did enough for the best player on the day and a few spectators thought so too, but it's the Managers choice at the end of the day.
We managed to win the game in the last 15 minutes 3 - 1.

  I intend to be a little more greedy in the box and take some chances myself while our main strikers have dipped in for a little..

The team are still doing very well at the moment, Played 4, Won 4 and scored 21 goals and keeps us top of the division.

More next week when we have a tough game against Hattersley...
 
Nathan #7

_________________________________________________________________________

* Tuesday 13th September 2011 *

Had my first league game of the season with Woodley Albion on Sunday.
We had a great game as a team against Chinley. To be honest it was a run out!
We won the game quite comfortably 8 - 0.

Our manager actually counted our goal chances which was 52! So to be honest we should have scored more. however,
it was the first game of the season and still finding our feet with a few new players.

The weather wasn't nice, heavy rain throughout the game but we played brilliant.
I was more than happy with my game, setting up a few goals, giving their left back a nightmare every time I ran at him
and I got my season goal tally underway with probably the best goal I have scored to date.
I picked up the ball coming in from the right wing, left the defender and cut across into the 18 yard box, at 15 yards out with the
ball rolling nicely in front of me, I unleashed an angled shot which flew past the keeper into his right hand corner of the net..
I enjoyed that goal a lot to say the least!

More next week...
 
Nathan #7

_________________________________________________________________________

* Thursday 8th September 2011 *

We have been training throughout the off season at Woodley Sports and finally have a couple of friendly games under our belts.
First friendly was against my old club Reddish North End, we lost the game 2 - 0. We didn't play well at all this game but it
was a good game for us to put our new side together for a run out in a competitive match.
Reddish were the better team and deserved their win.

Our second friendly was against Hazel Grove United. Terrible weather conditions, wind, rain and cold made the pitch very heavy.
We had a better game this time round and fair to say we dominated most of the game. We looked more like the team we know
from our training sessions and our passing and communication was far better that against Reddish.
We won the game 3 - 1. It could have been more if our strikers had been on the end of a couple of killer passes I made across the
6 yard box but overall very happy and got my scoring off the mark with a great finish after beating the left back and keeper to curl it in.

This Sunday our first league game kicks off at home against Chinley FC so more on that at the weekend..

Finally, check out the photos on the photo page.. I now have an official photographer taking pro shots throughout the season.
Nathan #7

_________________________________________________________________________

* Wednesday 22nd June 2011 *

Dave and Alan have now left the coaching staff at Woodley. We were all a bit worried about the future of the team but we have
a new coach coming in. His name is Mike and with his 18 year old Son who has played academy football at Macclesfield Town and
Manchester United, will be taking over. We may also be getting our own team website and team merchandise this season.

We will also be continuing our training at Woodley Sports' stadium which is fantastic.
Now me and all the lads are really looking forward to this season where I'm sure with the team we have, we will do really well.

For me, this summer sees me training with Pete Glyn over at Man city, my private coaching from Kevin Thomson and of course with Man United
at their summer soccer school facilities in Staffordshire.
Nathan #7

_________________________________________________________________________

* Wednesday 4th May 2011 *

Played our last game of the season today against Apollo Juniors. We were rampant today!
We dominated the match and won 5 - 1. A great end to our season.
Strange thing is, the Metro league have not posted our result or altered our league position from the win!
This added to the fact they awarded wins twice this season to our opponents in games we did not play instead of rearranging the games,
- just takes the Mickey in my opinion, we had this problem with my last club! They cannot seem to get it right.

The only downside is news that our coaches Alan and Dave are retiring before the 2011/12 season starts.
We are hoping a new coaching team can be found or the team will have to fold and I will be looking for a new club for next season!

I will keep updating my website on this issue throughout the off season as we are still training every Wednesday at our training facility.
Nathan #7

_________________________________________________________________________

* SUNDAY 3rd April 2011 *

Played against Stockport Junior Blues today at home. Good game of football.
I was pleased with my overall performance. I had a few chances on goal and set up two of our goals.

We also made our landmark of 100 goals scored this season which is a great achievement from all our lads.

Nice to be winning a game and well deserved going off our previous results.

Final score : Woodley Albion 5 Stockport Junior Blues 3
Nathan #7

_________________________________________________________________________

* SUNDAY 27th March 2011 *

Played against Spurley Hey FC today. We scored first, dominated the match, could of scored a handful but their keeper was fantastic!

No official league referee cost us the 2 points, we had one of the Spurley Hey coaches as ref and he awarded a penalty for handball which
was not handball, our defender tried to stop the ball hitting him full in the face from  5 yards, and it hit his chin!

Throughout the game the Ref made some terrible decisions but this will happen without a proper referee to control the match.

Another game we deserved to win by a long way and came away with a point.

Final score : Woodley Albion 1 Spurley Hey 1
Nathan #7

_________________________________________________________________________

* SUNDAY 20th March 2011 *

Not much to say about todays game at New Mills. We fought hard against a very strong team on a heavy pitch.
I came off at half time with a hamstring pull from a hard tackle off one of their defenders.

My team mate Brandon battled on despite having an injury and most of our team were feeling the effects of the heavy pitch.
The pitch is small which didn't suit our play. We should have played New Mills at home a few weeks ago but we had too many
players out to make the game so the league gave them the points. It would be interesting to see how we do against them on our ground.

We scored first in the game and it was a battle to keep the score down. New mills have one great player who scored 5 of their 6 goals!

Our defenders just couldn't cope with him, simple as that, he won the game for them.. great player.

Next week i should be fit to play Spurley Hey. Not played them yet so lets see what happens there!

  Final score : Woodley Albion 3 New Mills 6
Nathan #7

_________________________________________________________________________

* SUNDAY 13th March 2011 *

Woodley Albion, my team, played against was of the divisions top sides today, Didsbury Juniors.
They came to our ground expecting to beat us easily, like they did at their ground when we had 10 men.

But as always, at our ground we give teams a hard match. Didsbury are a very physical side, big players and tend to out muscle teams.
Today we held our own and played football around them to avoid them "pushing us about" again. We had a few chances on goal but the
games was 0 - 0 at half time. Second half Didsbury scored 10 minutes into the half, but we fought back as we always do and equalised.
We had more chances forcing great saves from their keeper. As the game went on Didsbury's size and weight began to show
in midfield, they really are a strong team. They scored again, 2 - 1. We battled hard to try and come back.
To be fair we had the last 10 minutes of the match, creating the more chances. They were there for the taking.

I made a killer of a pass from the right side, across the box to our striker who hit a shot which the keeper saved.
The deflection came to me but just behind me, I had to hit a shot on the turn but aimed high, it looked like a goal but the keeper made a great save!
Everyone wondered how he managed to save it, he grew a few inches to make that save. If our striker just passed the ball back across to me
in the first place instead of hitting and hoping, I would have finished it, I was on my own with the keeper in no mans land, I was very annoyed with him to say the least. Last few minutes again I turned their defender to run through the middle, I made another great pass slicing open their defence
to our striker who was clear on goal but hit wide!

All in all my game was ok (ish) my touches were off, I was marked closely by a huge defender but my passing was in good order.
Didsbury were lucky to get the points today.

New Mills away next... another tough game and we need the points after falling away in the table with the league giving 4 points
to our opposition in the last 3 weeks for games we didn't play.

Final score : Woodley Albion 1 Didsbury Juniors 2
Nathan #7

_________________________________________________________________________

* SUNDAY 6th March 2011 *

Well we have not had a game for the past 3 weeks, this was due to players being out with injury and holidays so we did not have
enough players to make the team up. Stockport Metro league decided to give the points to our opposition because of this!

So we find ourselves played 17 games (really 15) and a possible 4 points adrift which has left us mid table following other teams results.

We did play today, a tough game against the league leaders Stockport Dynamoes. They beat us earlier in the season 5 - 2 at their ground.
As usual its a different story when teams come to our ground. Its much wider and suits our play and today Dynamoes were lucky to take
the points in a very tight match which ended 6 - 5 to Dynamoes.

Today I scored another 2 goals to add to my season tally. The new players brought in before the transfer deadline window have settled in
nicely and we are starting to put it together after losing a couple of key players a few weeks ago.

Lest hope we can continue to play well and get to the end of the season where we can regroup and prepare for next season with a full squad.

Next week at home again in another tough fixture - Didsbury juniors!

Final score : Woodley Albion 5 Stockport Dynamoes 6
Nathan #7

_________________________________________________________________________

* SUNDAY 6th Feb 2011 *

Today my team Woodley Albion played at home against Apollo Juniors.
We lost last week which was a bad blow because we had Three players leave us earlier in the week!
All the lads were very disappointed and during the game against Didsbury Juniors we were down to 10 men because we had no subs
when one of the lads picked up an injury!

Just before the January transfer window closed on Monday night, we managed to sign 3 new players.
We now have strength at the back with our new centre back and also a new left midfielder and new striker.

Our first game with the new players today and everything went well. I struggled in the first half with a pulled hamstring but the second
half was too much so I asked to be subbed to be on the safe side. I will be nursing it now until next weekend.
Great game today and back to winning ways with another great scoring game for us and another 2 point on the board!

 Final score : Woodley Albion 10 Apollo Juniors 0
Nathan #7

_________________________________________________________________________

* SUNDAY 16th Jan 2011 *

Today I played at Home for Woodley against Juno United, one of our divisions top sides.
I missed the last game against Juno when I was on holiday, and nearly missed this one because I have had a bad cold for the past 3 days!

I decided to have a go and see if I could at least get the first half in. As it happens I played the full game and it was one of my
best performances for the club and I was happy the Manager also said it was after the game.
Juno United are a quality side and no mistake, the first game against them was close and we dominated for spells in that match.
Today we dominated almost all of the game. Conditions were terrible, muddy, wet and chilly. The goal mouths were mud baths!
the ball just stopped dead in the penalty area, but this made for a brilliant game.
Juno scored first in 15 minutes against the run of play and on the break but we just kept on the constant pressure to get back in the game.
The right wing was mine today, we have a wide pitch which suits me perfectly, running the line, cutting in and causing their defenders all sorts of problems. It wasn't long before we broke the Juno defence down to get our well deserved equalizer. For the rest of the first half it was all Woodley.

Second half Juno came out and give us a go for 5 minutes but after that we outplayed them, they only had 2 or 3 chances on goal, and only
from a break when we lost the ball in their penalty area. We had chance after chance, we peppered them, we worn them down and we should have won the game, the chances on goal were unbelievable, but every time we hit a shot it was on the post, the bar or simply the ball stopped dead in the mud in the box, I had at least 5 or 6 clear chances on goal but the condition of the goal mouth stumped me every time and their keeper made a brilliant save from my shot that was heading in. My manager even said, on a different day on a dry pitch I would have stuck 5 goals in, and that's on top of the other chances we had from the other lads. It was a point dropped for us today, if the score was 5 or 6 - 1 it would have been a fair result.
Our all players were exceptional today and Juno were very lucky to go home with a point.

As for my performance, I'm very happy, after not playing great last week and on the back of a bad cold I couldn't have played a better game.
It was a brilliant game to play in, I had loads of the ball, created havoc, created chances and could have scored 5 or 6 goals.

Next week I play away at Lisbon St Anthony's who earlier in the season beat us by one goal in another close game we didn't deserve to lose,
the lads and the managers are hoping for a repeat of the way we played today and we do they will be in for a terrorising time!

 Final score : Woodley Albion 1 Juno United 1
Nathan #7

  
_________________________________________________________________________

* SUNDAY 9th Jan 2011 *

It was good to be back at training this week after the Christmas break. I think all the lads were lacking in stamina but
we trained hard and worked on our fitness in this session.

We played Whaley Bridge today at their ground and what a difference from the game we played at home at the start of the season.
We won that game 10 - 3 very easily, today was a different story!

Whaley bridge played some fantastic football, they must have learned from our first meeting because they kept Callum, our left winger
 and me on the right closely marked. As soon as we were on the ball we were closed down quickly.
We went a goal up 15 minutes in from a penalty and against the run of play! Whaley were playing very well had the better chances.
Whaley soon equalised, 1 - 1. Whaley went ahead 2 -1. We equalised 2 - 2 before half time. A very tight first half!

Second half I thought I may have been subbed because I was not having a good game at all, but the manager had confidence in me so I kept
trying to get into the game. This half started as the first finished, very even, but after about 15 minutes we started to dominate and had most of the play, but Whaley scored and we were 3 - 2 down. We fought back and scored again 3 - 3.
10 minutes to go and I was still having no luck on the wing so I moved up front. We peppered their goal with chance after chance
but couldn't get the luck we needed or the run of the ball. 5 minutes before the end we continued to press forward.
Franco, my team mate passed the ball right in front of me outside the box, the keeper came out fast, I was going to hit it but I could see James coming in from the left who was in a better goal scoring position and he was on his hat-trick, so I made a killer of a pass to leave the keeper stranded, James finished with a great shot for his third goal.
That one pass made up for a disappointing game on my part and won us the match so I'm really pleased for the Manager and the team.

To finish them off we scored again in the last minute. Although not my best game by far, it was a great game to play in,
end to end stuff and some heart stopping moments! A nice way to start the season again and all the lads will be lifted from this game.
We are doing ok considering we still have our right back Jake in goal and he made some brilliant saves today.
Finally, well done to Whaley bridge, they gave us one hell of a game!

  Final score : Woodley Albion 5 Whaley Bridge 3
Nathan #7

_________________________________________________________________________

* SUNDAY 12th Dec 2010 *

This was our first game since November and we haven't trained for 3 weeks due to the weather.
We played league leaders Stockport Dynamoes away.
We had a few first team players out for this game which made it hard for us.
I was also not well enough to play really due to having a touch of flu but I did manage to see the first half out.
I didn't really get into the game today, one or two chances running into the box but my pace was off and I struggled.

Dynamoes scored first, half way through the first half, we equalized 10 minutes before the break, although we were not upto full strength
we actually dominated the last 10 minutes of the half, Dynamoe heads went down after our goal, I think we were a bit tougher than
they expected and were hoping for an easy game against us.

The second half I had to come off, I was too sick to continue so we had to juggle the team about a bit.
Dynamoes scored early after the break but we again fought back to equalize at 2 - 2.
Our lads battled as hard as they could but Dynamoes were just too strong and scored another 3 goals.
We had enough chances to get a draw out of the game but we couldn't finish, a bit of luck may have changed things.

The team did well against the unbeated league leaders who were given a game from us today, they have destroyed there opposition
so far this season with big goal tally's, but even our slightly weakened side had a good go to keep it respectable.

Hopefully we will have a game next week if the weather is ok, finally playing at home against Junior Blues.
All being well we might get a training session in this week, weather permitting and I should be back to full fitness.

More next week
Nathan #7

_________________________________________________________________________

* SUNDAY 21st Nov 2010 *

We played Sale Dynamoes in the cup this morning. As mentioned last week, they are in the top flight in Division one, and what
a good team they are. Their players are all tall, strong and quick!
For the first 15 minutes we held our own, creating a few chances, hitting the bar and forcing saves from their keeper.
However Sale just seemed to click! They were masters of not giving you time on the ball, they were on us in a second.
The score was 6 - 0 to Sale but as the referee said, it was not a true reflection of the game because we had no goalkeeper again today!
Our right back Jake had to go in goal for us. The Sale goals were a bit poor and sloppy apart from one clean finish.
Our stand-in keeper fumbled 3 of their goals, another 2 were crosses which just seemed to deflect in, but he is a right back not a goal keeper
so well done to Jake for stepping up and volunteering to go in net and he did make some great saves aswell.

We did well and did create a few chances but couldn't put them away. 
I had a quiet game, I just couldn't get going, every time I got the ball, 2 or 3 players were on me so quickly I could not get a run
on them. We could not believe the size of these guys and they can play aswell, all credit to Sale, what a team they have there.
Disappointing but a great experience for us, a bit like Scunthorpe against Man United in an FA cup tie! We can learn from games like that.

Back to the league next week, away to New Mills
 
Nathan #7

_________________________________________________________________________

* SUNDAY 14th Nov 2010 *

Well what a game today! After arriving a couple of minutes late due to road closures I spent the first 10 minutes on the touchline.
Droylsden are a tough team, I dont mean that tough as in hard to play against, more tough as in they are very physical.
Some big players in their midfield. I came on and straight onto the right wing. All the play was running down the centre of
the pitch and we were finding it hard to get through, my coaches said to get out wide, take the play and their defenders with me.
I did just that and within a minute I was clean through with only the goalie to beat but he came out fast and the ball
dropped into a dip on the pitch and I couldn't make a clean contact, almost a goal with my first touch.

I soon found my pace after 2 weeks of not playing and as soon as I started to make runs down the wing, their players took
me out all the time, they couldn't keep with me so they simply fouled me!

Second half I was finding that extra yard and getting crosses into the box, setting up 2 well taken goals from our strikers and
creating more space for our lads to regain control in the middle of the pitch and more goals were being scored again.
Our goal record is fantastic at the moment - In 8 games,
Goals scored 61. Goals conceded 14.
I'm still averaging 1 goal per game which I'm very happy with from the right wing and setting up plenty of goals for my team mates.

More next week when we have a very hard cup game against Sale Dynamoes, who are currently fourth place in the First division!!
We have already knocked out Stockport Vikings who are a division above us so this will be a good test for us against very strong opposition.

Final score : Woodley Albion 10 Droylsden Juniors 1
Nathan #7

_________________________________________________________________________

* MONDAY 8th Nov 2010 *

Well I'm back from my holiday abroad. My team Woodley Albion played Juno United while I was away.
Unfortunately we were beaten 2 - 1 in a closely fought game.
Juno are an excellent side with lots of big players so the lads did very well against them.
My team mate Franco scored our goal after going 2 - 0 down and we were unlucky not to get the draw out of this game.
We had most of the play and the chances in the last 20 minutes. It just shows the team spirit and desire to win when
we play like that against the top teams.

The Manager said I was missed in this game which is a great boost for me, knowing I'm regarded as an important part of the team.
Our match against Apollo Juniors was cancelled this weekend (7th Nov)
due to all the recent bad weather, which is no bad thing for me. I had a 17 hour delay in our flight home so I
wouldn't have made the game on Sunday as I was still in Gran Canarias!

Back to training on Wednesday and hopefully a game on Sunday.. Cant wait.
Nathan #7

_________________________________________________________________________

* WEDNESDAY 27th Oct 2010 *

Brilliant training tonight, we were concentrating on quick touch control in small areas.
 Our stadium training ground looks awesome in the floodlights.

Short videos from our training session

     
Nathan #7

_________________________________________________________________________

* SUNDAY 17th Oct 2010 *

My team Woodley Albion played at home against Bramhall North. I have played against this team before for my last club
Reddish North End where we beat them 7 -1 and 6 - 0.
We also played them at their ground earlier in the season and won 9 - 1 so I knew we should do ok today.

The first ten minutes we were finding our feet and creating all the chances. Bramhall did ok for this period, then we
scored our first goal, a great strike from Callum. I had a few chances to score but the keeper did well keeping me out and other chances from
my team mates. I did get on the score sheet just before half time, running through one on one with the defender I slotted home.
By the end of the first half we were 5 - 0 up.

Second half we had all the play and goals were being scored from all over the pitch, James, Bradley, Franco, Chris, Callum, Mathew and Tom,
all got on the score sheet, in fact there were probably more but I can't remember - there were that many goals going in!
Bramhall did get a goal late on though. Our keeper Alex was having a nap (he had nothing to do all day) when
Bramhall jumped on a lose ball and their striker finished well to end the game 16 - 1.

I didn't think I played that well today although I did my job, ran the line, came in to find the game and set up a few goals for our lads.
My finishing was off a little bit and could have scored 3 or 4 goals but the Manager said he was more than happy with my performance
so that's good enough for me.

Quite an easy game but we have a tough one next week against Juno United away.
Unfortunately I wont be playing because I will be on holiday in Gran Canaria but I hope the lads do well and go on to win the game.

Final score : Woodley Albion 16. Bramhall North 1
More in 2 weeks time when I'm back.


Nathan #7

_________________________________________________________________________

* WEDNESDAY 20th Oct 2010 *

Brilliant training session tonight, nice weather and we had our tea in the Clubs Cafe as a treat from the coaches for winning our Cup game.

Short video from our training session

 
Nathan #7

_________________________________________________________________________

* SUNDAY 17th Oct 2010 *

We played Stockport Vikings today in the League cup. Vikings are a division above us so we knew it would be a hard game.
Right from the kick off we attacked and broke forward, the ball was played out left for Callum to cross a great ball into the box,
I was there to finish cleanly with one touch.. 1 - 0 in the first 20 seconds of the game.
To be fair Vikings came at us and battled hard and put pressure on us.
Halfway through the first half we scored again though, 2 - 0 half time.

Second half we went for the win and finish them off, again Vikings attacked well but our defenders did a great job at the back.
We scored again from Callum on our left wing who hit a cracking shot high into the net.
A few minutes later I picked up the ball in our own half, knocked it on and beat their midfield and defenders to run the whole
half pitch into their box, I crossed to David who hit home over the keeper, 4 - 0.
Vikings did score late on from a corner kick that seemed to just go in straight from the corner, if it was meant, it was a fantastic goal.

The Vikings keeper was outstanding, he saved another 4 from my efforts and loads more from our players, a superb shot stopper.
A great win against a good team one division higher than us which gave all our lads great confidence for our future games.

Final score : Woodley Albion 4. Stockport Vikings 1
More next week.
Nathan #7

_________________________________________________________________________

* SUNDAY 10th Oct 2010 *

We played Stockport Junior Blues, the game we should have played last week but was cancelled due to the wet weather.

We played well today, back to our usual form and dominated the game.
Stockport Junior blues did very well though, they had a few chances and scored 2 goals.

We won the game quite comfortably scoring 9 goals! I scored another Hat-trick to add another 3 goals on my tally.

What a great team we have developing here at Woodley. 4 games, 3 wins, 1 draw.

  Final score : Woodley Albion 9. Stockport Junior blues 2


 
Nathan #7

_________________________________________________________________________

* SUNDAY 3rd Oct 2010 *

Our game against Stockport Junior Blues was called off today.
We turned up at the ground this morning only to find the Referee had called it off because of the waterlogged pitch.

We were all fired up for this match and really wanted to play because of the disappointment last week.

We trained hard this week and I put everything into my finishing, all the lads wanted to put it all together on the pitch.

More next week.
Nathan #7

_________________________________________________________________________

* SUNDAY 26th SEPT 2010 *

We played at home today against Lisbon St Anthony's, a very good team.
Very disappointed and frustrated with the result, we went a goal down half way through the first half against the run of play.
We had most of the chances, in fact about 10 but the Lisbon keeper kept us out.
 Half time 1 - 0 Lisbon.

Second half Lisbon scored within a minute! we were all shocked but after the restart we were straight back in it.
We totally dominated the game and scored a well deserved goal. Again, chance after chance fell to us, Lisbon didn't get a look in
as we peppered their goal with shots. We scored again with 10 minutes to go to make it 2 - 2 and we knew we could win this game.

But it wasn't to be, Lisbon had a corner and it was knocked in from a deflection off our defender and the post to trickle over the line.
We didn't give up and again had all the play until the final whistle.

We didn't deserve to lose this match, we outplayed Lisbon, the difference was they had 3 chances and scored them,
we had 20 odd chances and scored 2. That's the way it goes, (Look at Man U today against Bolton!)
We don't expect to win every game by 9 or 10 goals against the top teams.
 Our stand-in goalie is doing a good job for us while Alex is out injured but I think it will make all the difference when he is back.
The Lisbon keeper won the game for them, he was given Man of the match by everyone, he was outstanding.
Well done to our team, we were brilliant and outplayed a very tough team in Lisbon.
Our Manager couldn't say a bad word on our performance and the game was a good test for us against one of the strongest sides in our division.

Final score : Woodley Albion 2. Lisbon St Anthony's 3
 
Nathan #7

_________________________________________________________________________

* SUNDAY 19th SEPT 2010 *

Another great game for us today. The weather was awful with rain and a heavy pitch, but we did very well
in the conditions. The goals were flying in again today against Bramhall, we won the game 9 - 1.

Bramhall came at us in the first 10 minutes and looked to control the game. We settled in and Callum, our left winger
hit home to put us 1 - 0 up. Bramhall came back at us and scored within a few minutes to make it 1 - 1.
We settled again and took charge of the game, I then hit home to make it 2 - 1. Half time we were 4 - 1 up.

Second half we dominated the game, I scored again to make it 5 - 1 and then we had chance after chance.
The Bramhall goalie had a great game, he kept us out with great saves to keep the score down.

Very happy with my performance, the wing was mine and I supplied plenty of crosses for our lads to score off them and create
good chances. I scored 2 goals with 4 or 5 more chances so I really enjoyed the game despite the weather.

Well done all our lads in the team today.

Final score : Woodley Albion 9. Bramhall 1


Nathan #7

_________________________________________________________________________

* SUNDAY 12th SEPT 2010 *

My new team Woodley Albion FC had our first league game today.
We were at home to a great side, Whaley Bridge Juniors. I have played against these lads before with my last
team Reddish North End so I knew they were a decent team, they beat us twice in the 08/09 season.

Today I had plenty of chances on goal but, the Whaley Bridge keeper kept me out 5 times with good saves!
and defenders with goal line clearances, I don't know how I didn't score at least 3 today!
I'm happy with my performance overall and did my job as a winger.
I used my pace to beat their defenders and get crosses and passes into the danger area for our strikers to create havoc,
and we did just that, we won the game 10 - 3.
 
All our team were excellent today and to be honest if their keeper wasn't as good as he was, we could have scored a lot more.
 All in all very happy and it's great to play along side great players in our squad.

Final score : Woodley Albion 10. Whaley Bridge Juniors 3

Nathan #7

_________________________________________________________________________

* TUESDAY 7th SEPT 2010 *

I played in another friendly game tonight with my new team Woodley Albion FC.
We played Signol Athletic FC at our home ground. A great game of football and a good run out before we face Whaley Bridge on Sunday
for our first league game. We beat Signol Athletic 10 - 2 in the end and I scored a hat-trick.
Our team are doing very well and working hard for each other.
We also received our new kit tonight and I was over the moon when Alan our coach handed me the Number 7 shirt.
I'm feeling more and more confident in this squad, the ball is passed out wide to both wingers to spread the play and create chances
at every opportunity. Our coaches Dave and Alan are fantastic and show support and encouragement all the time, even when we make mistakes.
Lovin' it at Woodley..... 5 goals in my first 2 games for the club.


Nathan #7

_________________________________________________________________________

* SUNDAY 5th SEPT 2010 *

Today I played my first competitive game for Woodley Albion FC.
The squad has been picked and there are some great players been brought in from other teams.

Today we played Hazel Grove United in a friendly game before the season starts next week. It gave all the players a chance to
work as a team against good opposition, I know all about Hazel Grove United because I have played a few times against them when I played in the
Metro league 2 seasons ago. I have scored against them in the past but never managed to be on the winning side.

Today we went a goal down early on in the game, we were still finding our feet as a new team and they scored a good goal.
They played very well to be honest, just as I thought they would from past experiences.

We started to gel together and sorted out our positional play and we started to look more comfortable.

Half way through the first half I grabbed my chance, pounced on a loose ball and ran at their defenders, found a bit of space
and hit home into the left corner, 1 - 1 half time.

Second half we started to dominate the game and I was finding more and more chances of using my pace to cut into the box.
It wasn't long before I scored my second goal, 2 - 1 to us. I had a chance of a Hat-trick when we were given a penalty, my team mates wanted me to take it as I was on a hat-trick, admittedly I'm not the best penalty taker but had a crack anyway, unfortunately I went high and it went over the bar. Even after the miss all the lads, parents and coaches applauded the effort which made me feel better.
We went on to win the game 5 - 1.

All in all a great first game, I'm still finding my feet obviously but really pleased with my performance and my first 2 goals for the club.
All the team played brilliant, and we have started on the right foot. Cant wait until next week!

 
Nathan #7
_________________________________________________________________________

* JULY 2010 - LATEST NEWS *

Warming up before our 1.5 hour training session


Nathan #7

_________________________________________________________________________

* JUNE 2010 - LATEST NEWS *

I'M STILL TRAINING AT WOODLEY SPORTS FOOTBALL CLUB (UniBond League) WITH WOODLEY ALBION.
THINGS ARE GOING WELL AND I REALLY ENJOY PLAYING WITH THE TEAM, THEY HAVE SOME GREAT PLAYERS IN THIS SQUAD.


Nathan #7

_________________________________________________________________________

* MAY 2010 - LATEST NEWS *

I'M CURRENTLY TRAINING AT WOODLEY SPORTS FOOTBALL CLUB (UniBond League)

I'm having a great time training with Woodley Albion - this season's Under 12's champions.
 
They have probably the best facilities in the Junior football league as you can see in the photo's!
My coaches Dave & Alan are fantastic. This team also play using both wingers at every opportunity, so their game is perfect for my playing style.
After only a few hours training I knew this was the case.
The ball was passed to me constantly where I could use my pace, beat players, get crosses in and score goals.

Woodley's coaches and players are very happy with me and I'm very happy with Woodley,
So lets see what develops...


Nathan #7

__________________________________________________________________________

* APRIL 2010 - LATEST NEWS *

I HAVE NOW LEFT REDDISH NORTH END FC TO ENHANCE MY GAME, SEEK NEW CHALLENGES AND PROGRESS WITH MY FUTURE FOOTBALL CAREER

FURTHER NEWS ON THIS ISSUE WILL APPEAR HERE VERY SOON AS I AM CURRENTLY DECIDING ON OFFERS FROM TWO OTHER CLUBS
Nathan #7

_________________________________________________________________________

* PREVIOUS NEWS UPDATES *

Saturday 2nd May 2009
6 a side football tournament at Altrincham Football Club. I will be there playing for my club,
Reddish North End FC. I will update here on how the tournament goes after the weekend.

Update
We played five, 15 minute games, with 6 a side.
First game we dominated, we hit the bar and forced saves from their keeper, but the game ended 0 - 0.
 
Second game - this one was an even contest but we had most of the chances but it ended in a 0 - 0 draw.

Third game - we were under pressure for most of it against a good side, we held it well but they scored a goal in the
last few minutes. We lost 1 - 0.
 
Fourth game - We were the better side and pressed forward and our passing was much better.
We were awarded a penalty for handball and my team mate, Jake hit it home, 1 - 0.
We pressed forward after the restart and five minutes before the end we scored again. Our first win, 2 - 0.

Our last game - we were confident we could get the points in this game but our opposition scored 2 great goals
from their left footed striker, both goals were from distance and hit with power.
We did play some good football and had a few chances but in a 15 minute game there is not a lot of time to comeback.
Won 1. Lost 2. Drawn 2.

Nathan #7

__________________________________________________________________________

Saturday 9th May 2009
I played for Reddish North End again today in a friendly match against a good side - Stockport Junior blues.
This team beat us last season in a tournament so we knew they were good.
Today our Manager played around with team, looking at a couple of new players that have come for trials and working on getting our squad ready for next season.
   
I sat out the first half, looking at the game. We were 3 - 3 at half time. I came on for the second half wearing a number 9 away shirt because my team mate Jake had picked up the number 7. I didn't mind as it was a friendly.



I thought I had a good game, running at their defence on the right wing, getting behind them to the by-line and putting crosses in the box, one of my crosses set up our next goal, 4 - 3.
With 10 minutes to go I again ran round their defence after hearing my manager shouting to use my pace.
I got into the penalty area and had a shot aiming high, the keeper got his fingers to it but it dropped behind him and into the net. We won the game 5 - 3.

Presentation Evening 2009
We had our team end of season presentation last night as well, held at Power league in
Stockport. We had a couple of games on the five a side pitches, a disco and all the trophies were handed out.
We were presented with our player trophy and I also got the seasons leading goal scorer trophy. Photos Here >>

Nathan #7
__________________________________________________________________________

Saturday 16th May 2009
We played another friendly match against Hazel Grove United.
We had 2 great games against Hazel Grove's B team in the league this season, both times they beat us by 1 goal.

Today we took on their A team and it was a good game. The first half we were a bit all over the place and couldn't
get our passing going. We went a goal down from a great free kick that went over our keeper.
We kept pushing forward and I picked up the ball on the right, beat the defender and took it to the by-line, cut in and
hit a shot with the outside of the boot and it curled in rolling along the ground, 1 - 1.
Hazel grove put us under pressure again and scored, 2 - 1 at half time.

Second half we played much better, we pulled another goal back from my team mate Kyle, he picked up a loose ball in the box and hit home, 2 - 2.
It wasn't long before we were a goal down again, Hazel grove came at us and scored another, 3 -2.

With only a couple of minutes remaining we got a corner, it came in and I ran at the ball, not sure whether to head it as it came in waist high, so I hit it first time using my knee and it thundered in to the net, 3 - 3.

We deserved the draw out of this game from our second half performance and 2 more goals to my off season tally.




And to finish off a great day, Man United won the premiership title again.
 
Nathan #7
__________________________________________________________________________

Wednesday 10th June 2009
Well there is not much to add to the latest news at this point in the off season.
At the moment I'm training with my team Reddish North End once a week and out playing football at every opportunity.
Our coaches are still playing with the team and looking at the new players brought in to find the right squad of 16 players for next season.
We are also moving into a different district league next season rather than the current Stockport Metro league.

During the summer break I will be going to train at Manchester City's academy with FA soccer skills coach Pete Glynn -
So something to look forward to until the new season starts again.
That's all for now.
Nathan #7
__________________________________________________________________________

Saturday 11th July 2009
We played a friendly 4 team tournament today at High Lane.
It wasn't our best performance although it was our first competitive game in over 2 months.

I had a couple of good games and a couple of bad ones. I was clear on goal in one game and was brought down in the box, the Ref gave a penalty and my Manager gave me the penalty kick as he thought I deserved it from my performance in the game. I aimed for the right corner but my foot went under the ball and it went just over the bar, I was gutted!
But that's football. That's it for now, more updates soon.


Nathan #7
__________________________________________________________________________

Saturday 5th September 2009
I played for my team today, Reddish North End FC, our first game of the new season.
All I can say is, we were terrible. Our defence were under pressure all through the match and I found myself having to play much deeper than usual to help at the back, this obviously affected me in getting back into my right wing position to make a decent run at their defenders.
Our midfield passing was off today and I wasn't getting much of the ball, I did have one or two runs at their defence and got round the back to get crosses in the box. We lost the game 8-1, well done to our opposition, they took every chance they had on goal and their strikers finished well every time.
A very frustrating and disappointing match because I ran my socks off trying to get something out of the game.

It was far from our best performance but I'm sure we will pick ourselves up from this defeat.

That's it for now, more updates soon.
Nathan #7
__________________________________________________________________________

Saturday 13th September 2009
A game for Reddish North End FC yesterday, our second game of the new season.
I played on left wing instead of the right as a tactical move from the manager.
I had a great game and really enjoyed it. Passes were coming to me all day which meant once I had the ball at my feet I could run at the opposition defenders every chance I had, constantly harassing them and getting the ball into the box.

I got my season goal tally off the mark today aswell.
I hit a shot on the half volley from inside the penalty box, I lobbed it over the keeper into the right corner.
A good day all in all and pleased with the result, we won 4 - 0.
I had a knock on the knee last week in training and have nursing it all week, It did me well to rest it as I had
no problems during the game. That's it for now.
Nathan #7
__________________________________________________________________________

Saturday 19th September 2009
I didn't play this weekend due to a swollen knee, after picking up a knock last week.
My coach has given me a full week to rest and recover, ready for next Saturdays game.

My team Reddish North End played today against Chadderton. I watched the match from the touchline.
I thought we did well, although there was no direct replacement for me on the right wing so we were a little
short on pace. We lost 6 - 2 which is disappointing because the lads played really well in the second half.
I'm back at training on Thursday and I'm very confident that I will be fit and ready for next weekend.


Nathan #7
__________________________________________________________________________

Saturday 26th September 2009
Well, I was back playing again today. No problems with the knee injury at all.

Oddly enough I played in a Number 9 Shirt today due to a mix up, I cant let that happen to often!
Anyway, we had a good game. First half my Manager asked me to play left wing just to mix things up a little and see what develops, it wasn't too bad, I got a few crosses in and generally attacked their left defenders.
Second half I played back on the right wing. Much better playing my usual role.
I really enjoyed it, at every opportunity getting past and round the defence.
I had 2 chances of goals, cutting in from the right wing. First one hit the post and my second into the side net.

No goals today but a very enjoyable game coming back from missing last weeks game.
More next week.
 
Nathan #7
__________________________________________________________________________

Saturday 10th October 2009
I had a great game today for Reddish North End.
We played against Hollingworth JFC in the league. First half I was asked to play up front as striker.
It wasn't long before I was on the score sheet, one on one with the keeper I hit a shot to the keepers right, he did get
a touch on it but not enough to stop it. I did have another chance first half when the ball came across the goal mouth,
I came in for it but mistimed the bounce and it went over my foot.

Second half I was back on the right wing and really enjoyed the game.
I ripped their defenders all the time, and a good few times beat four or five players to get into the 6 yard box to lay it on for our strikers. My best game of the season so far. My team mate Lewis got a well deserved Man of the match, he
was great in the centre of midfield laying on passes to me on the wing and battled really hard.
But I was happy to see the referee gave me 'player of the match' on the leagues website match statistics.
We won the game 2 - 1


Nathan #7

__________________________________________________________________________

Saturday 17th October 2009
Another great game today for Reddish North End.
We played Hollingworth JFC again, a home fixture brought forward.
Last week we beat them 2 - 1, today we won 4 - 1.

I scored my first hat trick of the season and tots up my goal tally to 5.
5 games played and 5 goals scored, I'm really pleased with that.

I played left side in the first half linking up with my team mate at left back, Connor who
gave me some great passes down the line.

I scored 2 goals in the first half. Second half I started on the left and switched to the right, I then
scored my third which was the best of the 3. I ran 20 yards at full pace to take the ball off their defender,
carried it into the box and struck my shot into the bottom right corner.



I was awarded Man of the match by my manager today so I was very happy.

See a short video of one of my goals - Click Here
Nathan #7

__________________________________________________________________________

Saturday 14th November 2009
I played another league game for Reddish North End against Denton Phoenix away at their ground.

I missed last weeks game due to being on holiday, so I was looking forward to playing again today.

A few of my school friends play for Denton Phoenix so I had a bit of stick at school, mainly that they were going
to beat us etc. However, they did play well but not as well as us!
We were the better team on the day and won the game 3 - 1.
They scored first within the first 5 minutes but I responded with an equaliser within a minute later!
A great pass from my team mate Charlie set me up running in one on one with the keeper.

It was all square first half. Second half we dominated the game and went on to score 2 more.
A great game it was and another goal on my tally which is now 6 out of 9 games.
3 games I didn't play in, so I'm averaging a goal a game.
More next week

Nathan #7

__________________________________________________________________________

Saturday 6th February 2010
At last we had our first game in over 2 Months!
With all the bad weather after the Christmas break, lots of games have been cancelled.
It was good to get back today although it could have been better for me...
Midweek I picked up a knock in the groin area and its been quite sore, I missed training on Thursday
but decided to play today. I was off pace but just trying to work my way back into things steadily, with the long
break and the injury it was best to be careful.

I gradually picked up my pace in the first half and had a few runs on the wing, beating players without too much problem, I was having a fairly good game until an opposition player stood on my right foot!
It twisted and was very sore. My manager quickly took me off in the first half to see if I could run it off.

Second half I went back on and took things easy and just enjoyed passing and making the odd quick run.

I had a chance to score this half, running into the box with one defender to my left and only the keeper to beat,
I carried the ball too far and couldn't turn in. To be expected after such a long break but pretty sure
my sharpness will improve over the next couple of games.

All our lads did well today, we won the game 3 - 0 quite comfortably in the end and my mate Lewis got the
Man of the match award, he was great today in centre Midfield, we both came off with 10 minutes to go
so our coach could give everyone a run out in the game.
Finally, Kevin Thompson (Ex Man City and now sports reporter) came to see me this afternoon after the game
More on that soon.....
 
Nathan #7
 
__________________________________________________________________________

Saturday 13th February 2010
We played Denton Phoenix again today, at home.
It wasn't a great game for us, we were all off our game today. We lost 5 - 1.
We tended to get stuck playing in the middle of the park so nothing was getting out to me on the right wing or my team mate Connor playing on the left wing!
If the ball is not getting out to me I cant do my job, attacking defenders and getting the ball in the box!
I knew I had the pace on their defenders if I could get a run going. I did get a one or two good runs but I was also off my game today, indecisions of whether to run the line or pass early. Very frustrating.

In the second half I had my only decent play, the ball was finally coming out to me, Lewis our midfielder gave me the pass, I ran round the left back and put a cross in, our Striker Kaylem scored our only goal.

I had a chance late on when the ball fell loose and heading to the by-line, I got it and hit it back across the goal line but no one was there, really I should have stopped it and tapped it passed the keeper, I had more time than I thought!
Nathan #7

 
__________________________________________________________________________

Saturday 20th February 2010
Away to Clayton Villa with Reddish North End.
Not a good game I'm afraid, we lost 6 - 1. To be fair, Clayton won the game in the first half.
They scored 5 goals in the first 25 minutes! We were asleep.
The ball just wasn't getting out to me on the right wing or to our Left winger for that matter, and when it did I was battling against 2 very quick defenders tight marking me, well done to them, they did a good job. I did manage to get
through and round on a few occasions though to get some crosses into the box.

Our Midfield were closed down very quickly by Clayton, they didn't give us a second on the ball.
Second half was a bit better, we got a penalty but the first half performance let us down and the game was sealed.

Hopefully my form will return for next week!
 
Nathan #7
 
__________________________________________________________________________

Saturday 27th February 2010
Home to Heyside Juniors with Reddish North End.
Much better game today, we were more relaxed and our passing was a lot better.
I feel my form is returning and I grew more confident with more runs and chances on goal as the game went on.
In fact I could have scored 4 today, I did finish one very well but the keeper did well a couple of times to stop me.
He saved one with an outstretched right leg with my shot going into the bottom corner.
Another chance I had, I ran the right wing destroying their defenders, got into the box but our strikers were offside so I had to hit it, I chipped the keeper but the ball hit the bar!

Another goal to my season tally so happy with that.
All in all though, a good game and looking forward to next weekend. I will be practicing and training hard this week,
at home and at training, my confidence is back up and I'm raring to go!
More next week....

Nathan #7

__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________