HEYBRIDGE SWIFTS F.C. UNDER 16's - 2004/2005

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 *items last updated: 26-03-05

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Latest News*

	ABOUT US		MATCH REPORTS
	OUR 'TEAM' - 2004/2005		PLAYER PROFILES
	COACHING PROGRAMME		TOWERMASTER 'PLAYERS OF THE MONTH'
	EASTERN JUNIOR ALLIANCE - NORTHERN SECTION 2004/2005		HONOURS
	FIXTURES & RESULTS - 2004/2005*		NEWS FROM THE SPONSOR

         

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LATEST NEWS

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20th MARCH 2005 - For the second week running we managed to cram 9 goals into 90minutes of football as Heybridge complete a league double over old rivals Chemsford City! (Clarets 4 : Swifts 5)

13th March 2005 - After 3 weeks break, the Black and White's kick start the run in to the end of the season against lowly Bishops Stortford. With all the football and nine goals coming in the second half, Swifts awakened from a slow start to give a quality display, front to back. Two goals each from Carey and Cooch, plus one for Bone was supplemented by a quite oustanding hat trick from Craig Ashby (Bishops Stortford 1  : 8 Swifts)

13th FEBRUARY 2005 - despite a long injury list, including both recognised keepers, Swifts play their part in a tough encounter with the league leaders in difficult conditions ( Swifts 0 : 2 Cambridge)

30th JANUARY 2005 - Black and Whites bring the Woodpeckers recent unbeaten run to an end after a strong first half performance and shutting up shop for the second. (Swifts 2 : 1 Woodbridge)

23rd JANUARY 2005 - In a game best remembered for sound defensive play from both sides, rivals Town and Swifts cancelled each other out in this Chairman's Cup local derby (Heybridge Swifts 1 : 1 Maldon Town)

16th JANUARY 2005 - Despite a growing injury list, the squad put on an impressive display to go equal on points with 3rd placed Brentwood Town (Swifts 5 : 1 Brentwood)

9th JANUARY 2005 - U16's Kick off the New Year with a solid all round performance against Stanway Rovers. (Swifts 3 Rovers 1)

3rd JANUARY 2005 - Best wishes to the unlucky Drew Nixon who fractured his finger when joining in the first team warm up before the Cheshunt game!! - Drew is expected to be out for 6 weeks.

25th DECEMBER 2004 - Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to the players, parents and supporters of Heybridge Swifts U/16's

22nd  DECEMBER 2004 - Fixtures for the second half of the season now scheduled, click here

19th DECEMBER 2004 - A solid performance against Alliance opposition finishes off 2004 on a high note!!! (Grays 0 : 2 Swifts) Well, almost - Best Wishes to Adam Bone who fractured his right wrist in this game. We are told that he must avoid contact sport for 6 weeks but knowing Adam, we may well see him towards the end of January!!!

12th DECEMBER 2004 - Some attractive football and 5 stunning goals bring a welcome 3 points (Swifts 5 : 1 Bishops Stortford)

5th DECEMBER 2004 - 'A game of 2 halves' sees the Swifts County Cup campaign come to an end!! (Chelmsford 3 : 2 Swifts)

25th NOVEMBER 2004 - Congratulations to James Crozier  and Sam Wakefield for being selected to represent the Eastern Junior Alliance League

24th NOVEMBER 2004 - Fixtures for the 2nd half of the season now posted!!

21st NOVEMBER 2004- Swifts suffer heavy defeat at the hands of Cambridge City. The Blues moved the ball  around nicely against a lethargic Heybridge side although a two goal differential would have been a fairer reflection on the balance of play!!!(Cambridge 5 : 0 Swifts)

15th NOVEMBER 2004 - Fixture for the 28th November is confirmed, the Swifts will entertain Cambridge City at Scraley Road.

14th NOVEMBER 2004 - Despite some exciting attacking play and going two up early on, Swifts were unable to deal with the quality and resilience of an impressive Bury Town side over the 90 minutes. (Bury 3 : 2 Swifts).

10th NOVEMBER 2004 - Heybridge Swifts are delighted to announce a new sponsorship deal for it's U/16 Squad. Speedy Plant Hire have kindly offered to support the squad this season and their company logo will be added to the famous black and white striped shirts during the next few weeks.

8th NOVEMBER 2004 - The game against Woodbridge on the 28th November has been cancelled as the Woodpeckers now have other commitments. A replacement fixture will be confirmed ASAP.

7th NOVEMBER 2004 - Heybridge progress to the 3rd Round of the County Cup after a confident performance and playing some quality football against a sporting Collier Row Juniors side (Swifts 6 : 1 Collier Row)

31st OCTOBER 2004 - The Swifts grind out a vital home win against old adversaries Woodbridge Town!!! (Heybridge 3 : 2 Woodbridge)

24th OCTOBER 2004 - Brentwood 5 : 2 Swifts. A game of two halfs!!! - Despite conceding a soft goal after only 45 seconds  Swifts competed well and thoroughly deserved the equaliser by Dan Cooch after good work from James Crozier. Heybridge played some of their best football of the season for 45 minutes and were unfortunate to go in 2:1 down at the break. However the only highlight of the second half was a cracking Mark Wilson goal as Swifts once again fail to maintain their focus!!

17th OCTOBER 2004 - Daggers take the points after a potential 2 :1 Heybridge lead is cancelled out by one foul swoop of the Assistant Refs. flag!!!

16th OCTOBER 2004 - U/16's goalkeeper Drew Nixon is to spend a few weeks with the U/18 squad whilst their regular keeper, Jamie Bowyer recovers from a broken foot. Good news on our own injury front as Sam Groves makes his return and will be available for selection as from this weekend. Update on Luke Nihill's and Niall Carey's fitness to follow in the near future.

16th OCTOBER 2004 - Our Chairmans Cup tie vs Dagenham & Redbridge has now been reversed and will be played at Scraley Road!!!

10th OCTOBER 2004 - The Swifts lacked desire in a disappointing performance and lost by the odd goal.against local rivals Maldon Town. The Town thoroughly deserved their win although the unseemly touchline behaviour by some of their supporters was unnecessary to say the least!!

3rd OCTOBER 2004 - A below par Heybridge crash out of the League Cup at the first hurdle! Full credit to the lads from Ilford as they get sweet revenge and turn the tables on Heybridge with a 2 : 0 home win.

26th SEPTEMBER 2004 - Injury Update - Today saw the return of Tom Pitt and Michael Still after missing the start of the season with a back and knee injury respectively. Sam Groves is still struggling with achilles problems and Luke Nihill has a knee injury, both players are now only about a fortnight away from starting to train. Not such good news is from todays game at Baddow as Niall Carey suffers a nasty ankle injury which we will be keeping an eye on as the week proceeds.

26th SEPTEMBER 2004 -  Baddow Spartak v Heybridge Swifts. Despite some inconsistent form throughout the 90 minutes, Heybridge maintained a clean sheet in this competive friendly whilst finding the net 3 times in reply.

19th SEPTEMBER 2004 - The B & W play some attractive football in 6:0 win over Ilford in the Chairmans Cup!!

12th SEPTEMBER 2004 - Heybridge kick their league programme off with a sound performance and 3 points against their old rivals Chelmsford City!

5th SEPTEMBER 2004- In the final friendly before the season gets under way, Swifts give a slightly improved display but suffer a narrow defeat by an impressive Billiericay side (Heybridge Swifts 2 Billericay Town 3).

4th SEPTEMBER 2004 - U16's Chairmans Cup groups (initial stages are played on a league basis) announced with the Swifts matched against Dagenham and Redbridge, Woodbridge Town, Maldon Town and Ilford FC. The competition gets under way on 19th September with a home game against Ilford.

25th AUGUST - Swifts lose out after a disappointing performance at the seaside!! (Southend Manor 2 Heybridge Swifts 0)

20th AUGUST - Swifts entertain East Thurrock in a competitive pre-season friendly!! (Heybridge Swifts 4 East Thurrock 2)

30th JULY - Swifts Under 16 Squad for 2004/5 is finalised:-

CRAIG ASHBY	SAM GROVES	NICK PARKER
SHAUN BIDDULPH	SHAYNE HILL	TOM PITT
ADAM BONE	BRETT JEWITT	NEIL PRESTRIDGE
NIALL CAREY	SAM LILLEY	TOM ROGERS
SCOTT COLTART	LUKE NIHILL	MICHAEL STILL
DANIEL COOCH	DREW NIXON	SAM WAKEFIELD
JAMES CROZIER	LLOYD OWERS	MARK WILSON

23rd/26th JUNE - Trial training sessions and matches are held to select the squad to represent Heybridge Swifts at Under 16 level in 2004/5

18th JUNE- Presentation Night sees a total of 7 trophies presented to the Under 15's!!!!

30th MAY - Under 15's have their End of Season Bash, all players and their families welcome!! - Contact Derek for details

23rd MAY - League Champions Heybridge lose their unbeaten league record in a bad tempered contest at Woodbridge!!

16th MAY - CHAMPIONS!!! - The Under 15's completed the final phase of a quite outstanding treble as 3 points against Gt Bradfords secured the league championship

15th May - A top class performance from the Under15's saw them take their second knock out trophy in a week with a 3 : 0 win over Woodbridge Town in the CDYL League Cup.

9th MAY - The Under 15's became the first side from the club to reach the final let alone win the CYDL Open Cup!!! Despite  not being at their best and conceding a goal on the stroke of half time, the lads showed tremendous character to fight back and take the honours with goals from Wakefield (43 min penalty) and Ashby (67 mins) in a 2 : 1 win over an impressive Stowmarket Town.

14th MARCH - Heybridge narrowly miss out on a place in the County Cup Final in a 2:1 defeat at the hands of Senrab Youth

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U/16's

ABOUT US

                                

A number of our players have been with the club since the age of 5, when Eddie Low took them under his 'wing' in 1994. The following season saw the age group formed as a squad in its own right under Mark Wilkinson, when the boys played a number of 11-a-side friendlies against local teams.

The subsequent introduction of Mini-Soccer at U9 then led to the group sub-dividing into two squads, known as the 'Swallows' and the 'Magpies'. In both cases our teams were runners up in their respective Blackwater and Dengie Divisions, with the Swallows also picking up a special award for sportsmanship from the League and winning the HBFC 5-a-side tournament.

We progressed to competitive 11-a-side football in 1998 as U10's but despite being unbeaten in our seeding group we had a disappointing season in the Chelmsford League. Highlights of the season were reaching the semi-finals of the Essex and Suffolk Cup, our second successive HBFC five-a-side win and an excellent post season tour to Holland where we faced opposition from all over Europe.

Our U11 campaign got off to a flying start by winning the White Notley pre-season tournament but yet again our league form did not reflect the true ability of the squad.

Having switched to the Colchester and District Youth League, our U12 season proved to be a turning point. Unbeaten at home and with 108 league goals for and only 34 against, the squad performed tremendously all season, ending up worthy champions.

Our second season in the Colchester League saw a strengthened U13 squad repeat the domination of it's Division. Winning the League Championship for a second consecutive year was supplemented by good runs in both the League and Open Cup competitions. During the season, the lads made impressive progress both as individuals and as a squad.

Our first season in the Colchester 'A' League saw our U14 squad once again make massive strides in its development. Whilst the trophy shelf ended up a little bare, the side finished in a creditable 2nd/3rd place in the league and progressed to the Semi-Final of the Colchester League Cup and the Quarter Final of the Essex County Cup (in each case losing narrowly to the eventual winners of the competition).

We had long planned for our U15 season to be the pinnacle of our time in local youth football having introduced new players and  developed the squad each year. This progressive development paid off as the squad went on to become Colchester and District Youth League Champions, and Winners of both the Colchester and District Open Cup and the Colchester and District League Cup. The lads were only narrowly defeated in the Semi Final of the Essex County Football Association Cup, losing 2 :1 to eventual winners Senrab Youth.

We look forward to representing Heybridge Swifts in our first season of football as U16 in the Eastern Junior Alliance League.

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OUR 'TEAM'

Coaching sessions will be organised during the season to cover a wide range of aspects of the game including skills, techniques and tactics. Main topics will be dealt with on a 'theme' basis, with each theme developed over a four or five week period, gradually increasing in difficulty/complexity. The sequence of themes and the introduction of new ideas will be finalised as a result of any particular strengths or weaknesses becoming apparent during training or match play. Towards the end of each theme, small sided games and/or practice sessions in front of goal will take place to relate the technique to a game situation. Themes to be covered are shown in the table below and are in blue if currently being worked on by the boys

Individual ball work, including: Ball manipulation and feinting, dribbling with change of pace and direction

Short range passing movements, including: Passing in pairs, laying the ball off using the inside and outside of the foot, wall pass, working in triangles, possession play and how defenders should deal with this

Dead ball techniques, corners and free kicks, including: Striking the ball, defending, heading, attacking the ball, goal 'poaching' and defending against these situations

Long range passing and crossing, including: Chipping, curling the ball, running with the ball and crossing, plus the timing of runs to receive and/or finish, defending against the pass

Throw ins, including: Throwing techniques and the speed of decisions, receiving, shielding and controlling the ball, laying the ball off 'first time' and defending against throws

Winning and retaining the ball, including: Closing down the man in possession, pressure play, winning the ball and retaining composure, decisive/quick distribution, Positional defensive play

Attacking play, movement and finishing, including: Quick, short passing movements, flick ons, running on to the ball, shooting from short range and narrow angles, the 'follow up' and defending against these moves.

Turning and shielding the ball, including: Adopting the correct body shape, control, dropping a shoulder, holding the ball up, changing direction and acceleration, defending against these tactics.

Shooting at goal, including: Shooting after a half turn, striking the ball first time from a lay-off, Running with the ball and finishing from distance, volleying

Goalkeeping: A 60 min. session will normally be provided each week with a specialist coach, plus the 'keeper's' role will be integrated with the themes where appropriate.

EASTERN JUNIOR ALLIANCE LEAGUE    

    U16'S - NORTHERN SECTION - 2004/2005

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U16'S - CHAIRMANS CUP - 2004/2005

Eastern Junior Alliance- Northern Section - 21 November2004 Cambridge City 5 : 0 Heybridge Swifts FC Match Report by Steve Bone With the match played on the best surface seen this season and the top being nice and greasy the first half was a very entertaining display. Both sides moved the ball quickly and several chances evolved at each end. For Heybridge Carey and Crozier were combining well going forwards with further support coming from the rest. Defensively the Swifts back four were working hard to contain City's attacks, most of which were built around good movement and crisp passing. On 35 mins Heybridge came closest to opening the scoring when a weighted pass by Cooch was met by Carey. It was only the speed of the keeper coming out that caused Carey to stretch for the shot resulting in the ball drifting just wide. Just 2 mins later City responded with another attack but this time they had a spare man coming into the box on the right. A well placed driven pass picked him out and a good strike gave Hill no chance in the Swifts goal. With Heybridge still rocked from this City almost doubled the lead straightaway with a fine shot on the turn that was only denied by the bar. Half time score: Cambridge City 1 : 0 Heybridge Swifts In the first minute after the restart Ashby had the first attempt of the half and it looked as if Heybridge had broken the habit of starting second halves slowly. Unfortunately this wasn't to be the case. A good City strike on 3 mins was tipped over by Hill. The resulting corner came out to a City player unmarked at the edge of the box who picked his spot in the goal to double their lead. Heybridge were struggling to keep their attacks going whilst City continued their dangerous advances. Just 11mins into the half and City were 3- 0 ahead courtesy of a firmly struck low drive that zipped off the surface and under the diving Hill. A minute later City almost replicated the move but this time Hill saved well. The Swifts settled a little and put together a couple of half chances. On 58 mins Groves was forced to limp off to be replaced by Scott Coultard. 69 mins gone and the manager shuffled it around a bit when Bone came on for Ashby. City continued to look to exploit any gaps in the Swifts defence and added a fourth after Hill had saved the first shot well only to see the ball rebound to the striker who shoot again into an open net. With 79 mins gone Owers replaced Biddaulph at right back. To rub salt into the wounds City were awarded a penalty late on that was duly converted in the 85th min to inflict the worse defeat of the Season on the Swifts.

Eastern Junior Alliance- Northern Section - 14 November 2004 Bury Town 3 : 2 Heybridge Swifts FC Match Report by Steve Bone Bury deserve praise for coming back from 2 goals down with ten men and Heybridge must be kicking themselves for not killing off the game when they had their chance. With their first possession the Swifts played Carey in and he was able to drive Through Bury's defence and into the box. With only the keeper to beat Carey was brought down from behind to earn the Swifts a penalty with only 45seconds gone. The referee had no choice but to dismiss the culprit and with Wakefield calmly converting the penalty, Heybridge were one up and 11 v 10. For the next twenty minutes it was all Heybridge and they capitalised on their numerical supremacy by scoring a second with just 12 minutes gone. Crozier crossed from the left and with a dummy by Carey committing the defence it was left to Wakefield to fire home. 20 minutes gone and 2-0 up plus the extra man should have been enough for the Swifts to rap up the game, perhaps if just one more of their many chances had gone in it might indeed have gone the Swifts way. Bury though were coming to terms with 10 v 11 and by working harder and defending higher up the pitch they were starting to come into the game. With 25 minutes gone Bury reacted quickest as the ball rebounded out from a speculative effort and with the help of the inside of the post the gap narrowed to just one goal. Up until half time, apart from a couple of Heybridge corners, all the attacking came from Bury as the Swifts struggled to maintain their shape and consistently gave the ball away. With 37mins gone another Bury attack concluded with a precision pass through the Swifts defence and a well placed finish into the bottom corner to level the score. Half time Score: Bury Town 2 : 2 Heybridge Swifts For the first few minutes of the second half it looked as if Heybridge had managed to regroup and they came close to scoring when Bone set the ball back to Crozier but the shot went just wide. Bury though, got back on their game plan and Heybridge collected a couple of yellow cards as they struggled to contain Bury's dribbling runs. 18 minutes into the half, Bury concluded their comeback as Hill wasn't quite quick enough coming out for the speed of Town's striker who capitalised on reaching the ball first to slot home the winner. With Bury tiring Heybridge had a couple of chances the get back on level terms. On 67 minutes Crozier headed against the bar from an Ashby free kick and right at the death a Heybridge corner almost resulted in an equaliser. Still came on after 81 minutes for Wilson and Cooch replaced Bone on 85 minutes.

Eastern Junior Alliance - Northern Section - 31st October 2004 Heybridge Swifts FC 3 : 2 Woodbridge Town FC Match Report by Steve Bone The Swifts returned to winning ways this week but it was far from easy. If the Team thought last weeks game against Brentwood was a physical test, I'm sure they now realise it gets a lot tougher than that. It has been a criticism of Heybridge in recent games that they have not competed enough so it was doubly encouraging to see them with their "sleeves rolled up" and working hard against a Woodbridge team that would concede no quarter throughout the game. The first 20mins saw Woodbridge enjoying the better chances; they had looked certain to open the scoring in the 11th min after some good approach play but somehow the final shot went wide. Then on 24mins a good ball from Ashby started Crozier off on a strong run towards the box down the left hand side. At the 18 yard line he unselfishly squared the ball for Wakefield who with a good finish gave the Swifts the lead. Woodbridge responded with more effort, one challenge containing a little too much for the referee after 31 mins, meriting the first caution of the game. A minute later Heybridge paid the price after failing for the first time in the match to compete for the ball in the middle of the park. The ball was allowed to bounce which was all Woodbridge needed to nip in and seize possession. A good run off the ball was met with an equal pass and the final shot over Hill in goal was a worthy equaliser. Heybridge learnt from their mistake and for the next 10 minutes neither side backed off. 1-1 was looking to be the interval score until the 42nd minute when a Swifts error conceded possession which Woodbridge quickly moved out wide with a diagonal ball. As the cross came in the first Woodbridge player intelligently stepped over the ball committing the defence and allowing his team mate the space to bury the cross for a 2-1 lead. Just on half time Woodbridge had a second player cautioned after a foul too many on Crozier. Half time score: Heybridge Swifts FC 1:2 Woodbridge Town Woodbridge started the second half the stronger, a bit too strong on 51 mins when a late challenge on Wilson earned them a third caution. This left Wilson unable to continue and he was replaced by Carey. The Swifts upped their game and now started to dominate. Parker, showing too much exuberance in the challenge, collected a caution for Heybridge after 58 mins. With the team continuing to believe in themselves the deserved equaliser came on 72 mins when a long free kick was flicked on goalwards by Carey and buried by Crozier. 2 mins later it was Parker`s turn to limp off, to be replaced by Still. Heybridge continued the pressure on the Woodbridge goal and were quick to shut down any potential Woodbridge attacks. In the 80th minute Owers, unable to run off an earlier knock, came off with Biddulph switching to right back, Pitt to left back and Bone coming on in left midfield. Just 2 minutes later a well weighted pass from Still put Crozier 1 on 1 with the keeper and a cool finish earned him his second of the game and gave a deserved victory to the Swifts.

Eastern Junior Alliance - Northern Section - 24th October 2004 Brentwood Town FC 5 : 2 Heybridge Swifts FC Match Report by Steve Bone This defeat for the Swifts provides a classic example of how any of the teams in this league will punish you if you switch off. This is what Heybridge did for a 20 minute period and that was when Brentwood took advantage to add 4 goals. The harshness of this is more apparent because if this period could be discounted then for the remainder the Swifts were the better side but all 90 minutes count so the 5-2 final score is duly recorded as a big victory for Brentwood. Brentwood got off to a flyer with a well worked move involving five quick passes to pick out a spare man on the left. His cross found another unmarked player who slotted home to give them the lead before two minutes had elapsed. Despite this, Heybridge responded well and it was no surprise when a Crozier cross from the left on 19 mins found Cooch clear of his marker to slot home the equaliser. Brentwood showed they had the spirit for a contest and this led to Ashby collecting a needless caution for retaliation just 2mins later. With the tempo raised Heybridge where only just showing as the better side. With half time close another good passing move from Brentwood needed a good save from Hill to turn the ball away. At the time they needed to be most alert to preserve the score for the interval Heybridge chose to switch off. As a team they failed to defend the subsequent corner properly allowing Brentwood to score with almost the last touch of the half, to go into the break with the lead. Half time score : Brentwood 2 :1 Heybridge Swifts Brentwood restarted as they had left off and with the Swifts failing to regroup during the break it was no surprise Brentwood increased their lead after some non existent marking. 3 mins later they should have scored again and two minutes after that they made no mistake as Lewis was allowed to run with the ball unchallenged into the Swifts box. He finished well, shooting over Hill for his second and Brentwood's fourth. Brentwood collected an unnecessary booking for what appeared to be foul language. Just three mins later Brentwood showed what to do when you are allowed an unchallenged header from a free kick, taking their tally up to 5. With the whole team playing badly the decision for the Manager was not who to bring on but who was to come off. In the end tactics prevailed, a striker was sacrificed to add another badly needed body in midfield as Cooch was replaced by Wilson. Brentwood may have backed off a bit but Heybridge had at last started to wake up. Parker's fresh legs came on 4 mins later for Wakefield to further stimulate the midfield. The extra competition in the middle resulted in a second needless caution for Brentwood, this time for retaliation. Prestridge made way for Rodgers for the last 9 mins at centreback. The highlight for Heybridge came on 84 mins with some fine individual work by Wilson, beating two players before curling his shot into the top right hand corner to make the score a little more respectable.

Eastern Junior Alliance - Northern Section - 10th October 2004 Heybridge Swifts FC 1 : 2 Maldon Town Match Report by Steve Bone In a first half which saw Heybridge have 8 attempts on goal and Maldon have 11 it would seem surprising that the score at the interval remained 0-0. The reality was that most of the attempts were from distance and accuracy was the problem. Town's keeper was only called into action once and because of good positioning had little more to do than catch a header from a corner. Similarly with Town's "shoot on sight" policy Shane Hill also enjoyed a fairly quiet half, only being required to make one, straightforward for him, stop down to his side and another slightly harder save jumping up to tip away a header. In the blustery conditions both sides could have benefited from better build up play, moving the ball along the floor rather than keep chancing the long passes. Despite it being a local Derby and twelve free kicks being awarded, the half remained virtually free of bad tackles. The only name entering the referee's book belonging to a Town player and this not coming until the 37th minute. Half time score: Heybridge Swifts FC 0 : 0 Maldon Town Heybridge got their second half off to a perfect start when James Crozier broke free down the right to put in a low cross that was turned against the post by Adam Bone. With a strikers instinct Dan Cooch was following in and at the second attempt scored the first goal of the game. The next 14 minutes saw the game revert to type with each side having two long range attempts that did little to trouble either goalkeeper. Tom Pitt received the only the only other caution of the game coming after 59 minutes. Just a minute later through Heybridge squandered possession in the middle and with the Swifts not picking up a Town player on Maldon's right it did not bode well. Unsure whether his defender would get back in time or whether he would have to come out, Shane was beaten by a well judged lob that levelled the score. Mark Wilson was introduced on 63 mins as a straight swap for Nick Parker. Just 2 mins later though Maldon took the lead after again taking advantage of some slack marking, this time near the centre of the box. The subsequent shot left Shane no chance. Mike Still came on for Craig Ashby 8 mins later and although Heybridge were now pushing on more than Maldon, too few of the subsequent chances troubled the Maldon keeper. Neil Prestridge came on for Tom Rodgers at centreback with 7 mins left on the watch.

Friendly Match - 26th September 2004 Baddow Spartak FC 0 : 3 Heybridge Swifts  FC Match Report by Steve Bone The contest could not have started any better for the Swifts, netting after just 31 seconds. A fine move it was too with James Crozier getting down the right almost to the by-line and with a choice of two players bursting through from midfield, picked out Craig Ashby for an easy tap in. The pattern was set for the next 15 minutes, the play barely out of Baddow's half and a lot of Heybridge pressure on their goal. Here though, the first half changed. Pushing for a second, Heybridge tried to force the play. In so doing though they often they gave the ball away too cheaply. In contrast Baddow raised their game and really pressurised the Swifts, more than once needing Drew Nixon to do his stuff in goal to protect the clean sheet. On 41mins Mike Still in his first game after injury was replaced by Nick Parker. Half time arrived with Baddow a little unlucky to be behind and I'm sure some of their supporters felt they had done enough to be ahead. Half time score: Baddow Spartak 0 : 1 Heybridge Swifts Shayne Hill started the second half in goal for Drew Nixon. Whatever was said to the Swifts at the break did the trick as from the restart a lot more quality was present in their passing and moving. Tom Pitt, also back from injury, was replaced by Shaun Biddulph on 51mins. The Swifts continued the pressure and I'm unsure how the lead wasn't doubled on 54mins! Niall Carey came on for Mark Wilson on 58mins lifting the tempo further until forced to come off himself with a nasty injury. On 63mins Tom Rogers and Sam Wakefield were given the opportunity, on for Neil Prestridge and Dan Cooch. Inspired timing again by the Manager just like last week with a sub, this time it was Sam, scoring with his first touch of the game. He was played in by Scott Coltart with an attacking contribution to add to his fine defensive heading earlier in the game. On 68minutes Wakefield got his second after the sharpest piece of attacking play from Heybridge. In this half the swifts restricted their opponents to just one corner coming six minutes from the end. The only time Shane Hill was called into action came late on when he needed some neat footwork running backwards to parry an excellent Baddow lob. The front line need to take care though as the eleven offsides in this half took too much pressure off of the Baddow defence.

Eastern Junior Alliance - Chairmans Cup - 19th September 2004 Heybridge Swifts  FC  6 : 0  Ilford FC Match Report by Steve Bone A fine performance saw the team off to a flying start in the league format of this competition. The result though owes as much to the defence as it does to the goal scorers with clean sheets not easy to achieve at this level. Ilford are by no means a poor team and their fast break attacking in particular will reap them dividends should they come up against any complacency in their oppositions defence. The opening exchanges saw chances at each end until on 15 minutes the ball came out from a Heybridge corner to Craig Ashby who from some 28 yards drove the ball low in to the bottom corner of the net wide of the diving keeper. Further opportunities were created at both ends with Ilford threatening with some dead ball strikes just of target and some fast breaks. Ilford came closest to scoring on 23 minutes with an excellent strike from the edge of the box only being denied by the crossbar. Heybridge continued to threaten, also earning several corners. From one of these in the 40th minute the ball came out to Sam Wakefield on the edge of the box who scored the Swifts' second in a similar manner to their first. Half time score : Heybridge Swifts 2 : 0 Ilford FC Both teams started the second half in much the same way as they had left the first with Heybridge having the better chances but with Ilford still threatening. On 53 minutes Heybridge brought on Mark Wilson for Nick Parker who had got through a lot of fetching and carrying in the centre of midfield. Similarly, James Crozier was replaced by Dan Cooch after leading the line tirelessly for 64 minutes. With his first touch of the ball, just a minute later, Cooch slotted home past an advancing keeper for the home team's third after running onto a defence splitting pass. Ilford weren't finished yet and the Swifts needed a little bit of good fortune to clear from a mêlée in front of their goal shortly after the restart. Sam Lilley was brought on after 74 minutes for Lloyd Owers who had played an important part in particular the curtailing of some of Ilford's breaks down the Heybridge right hand side. The fourth came with Niall Carey anticipating a pass across Ilford's back line, nipping in to intercept before finishing neatly out of the keeper's reach. With a half volley from a ball played back across the goal, Cooch scored his second after 80 minutes. His hat-trick came just 2 minutes later when with a well timed run he sprung the offside trap latching onto a finely weighted through ball.

Eastern Junior Alliance - Northern Section - 12th September 2004 Heybridge Swifts FC 3 : 0 Chelmsford City FC Match Report by Steve Bone Settling into a solid performance after a hesitant first 20 minutes, the team have got their league campaign off to the best possible start. It is of course only the first game of the season but it is encouraging to see some of the fine work done in pre-season start to appear in competitive football. I'm sure with continued efforts in training they will be able to extend the periods of dominant play for even longer during matches to follow. Heybridge started well with a long range free kick from Craig Ashby only being denied by the post. Overall there probably was not much between the two teams in possession of the football during the first half. The difference though was in the end product. Niall Carey had headers from a Brett Jewitt corner and an Ashby free kick plus a long range effort all stopped by the City goalkeeper. Another good ball in from Jewitt saw Adam Bone unable to direct his header wide of the keeper. Heybridge also produced further efforts that went just wide. The visitors were restricted to just three long-range efforts that did little to trouble Drew Nixon in goal. This was a reflection of good work by the Heybridge back four in containing the opposition's advances. City's No10 in particular looked to have the potential to trouble a less attentive defence. On 35minutes Ashby attracted the attention of the referee once too often and his name entered the book. To his credit though, he was able to maintain a strong influence in the middle of the park for the remainder of the match without incurring any further repremand. Just before half time Heybridge achieved the break-through their efforts deserved when with some quick shutting down Adam Bone was able to catch City's Left Back in possession and put the ball into the back of the net high and wide of the keeper. Half Time Score:  Heybridge Swifts 1 : 0 Chelmsford City The first 5minutes of the second half saw City in the ascendancy but without being able to create a significant attempt on goal. On 51minutes though a positive drive by Heybridge saw the ball set back off of Adam Bone to Niall Carey who with a powerful strike from 25yards sent the ball into the back of the net well clear of their diving keeper. With City still reeling Heybridge quickly regained possession following the kick-off and some good approach play down the right side saw James Crozier have a shot saved by their keeper. Further Heybridge pressure continued and on 54minutes a quality ball across from James picked out Brett Jewitt arriving in the box from the right hand side, who duly chested the ball down and placed his shot in the back of the net wide of their advancing keeper. In order to add some fresh legs, Heybridge introduced Lloyd Owers coming on for Tom Pitt on 58minutes, Sam Wakefield for Adam Bone on 67minutes, and Tom Rogers for Scott Coltart on 77minutes. As expected with a strong squad, all three subs gave good performances after coming on, emphasising that for all the players, hard work in training will be required to gain selection for each match with no places guaranteed. With the second half playing out to a conclusion Heybridge enjoyed further attempts at goal the best of which saw both strikers having headers saved in quick succession and Sam Wakefield shooting just wide following a good interchange of short passes. Heybridge were reminded of the need to keep possession when in command by a City side always looking for an opportunity. Again this half City were mostly restricted to long range attempts and a couple of shots wide from corners. In the 90th minute Drew Nixon needed the best save of the game to keep a clean sheet pushing away a firm drive from the edge of the area.

Our 2004/05 squad, comprises of players attending 11 different schools living in 14 different towns spanning from Colchester down to Canvey Island and from Braintree across to Burnham on Crouch. CLICK ON THE NAME FOR A PROFILE OF THE PLAYER The Website and Child Protection policies adopted by Heybridge Boys Football Club prevents the publication of portrait photographs of our Under 16 Players.
CRAIG ASHBY	SAM GROVES	NICK PARKER
SHAUN BIDDULPH	SHAYNE HILL	TOM PITT
ADAM BONE	BRETT JEWITT	NEIL PRESTRIDGE
NIALL CAREY	SAM LILLEY	TOM ROGERS
SCOTT COLTART	LUKE NIHILL	MICHAEL STILL
DANIEL COOCH	DREW NIXON	SAM WAKEFIELD
JAMES CROZIER	LLOYD OWERS	MARK WILSON

TOWERMASTER PLAYERS OF THE MONTH

Each month the 'TOWERMASTER PLAYER OF THE MONTH' trophy is presented to the player showing the best combination of attitude, effort and performance on match days and at training sessions.The winner, second and third placed boys also receive a certificate in acknowledgement of his efforts.

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