Just giving you guys regular updates on our pre-season friendlies. No need to reply on these missives, I want to keep you informed, that's all.
My U15s played our club's own Youth team today. "Youth" means U18s here, but we played the second-best team and we won 4-1. I had to cut two boys from the side afterwards, they were triallists and have been with us for the past few weeks. It was very hard to do. Both lads accepted it with good grace and maturity, but to have kept them in the side in what looks like it's going to be a very hard division woiuldn't have been fair to them.
Some parents can be very cutting and vindictive in their remarks, and they would have attracted criticism from their teammates too, because the side is slowly getting a very good idea of its own potential.
Really enjoyed today, and after weeks of searching I finally got a goalie signed up - a good one too, I'm paying for him to be trained by Jason Kearton who used to play with Everton (but big Neville Southall kept him out of the side for ages). He'll got to Jason's clinic on Tuesdays and come to team training on Thursdays.
No sooner had I signed up that goalie than a six foot four South African 14 year-old arrived at the club. He plays in goal too. The goalie drought seems to have broken.