It was another positive matchday for the many teams of community grassroots club Omonia Youth FC, sponsored by Spector, Constant & Williams, Vas Barbers and V Jewellers.
Mario Yiasemi’s Under 15 Gold played away in what was described as a typical game of two halves!
In the first half, the boys were brilliant showing good passing and some good pressing which led to them scoring some wonderful goals. They went into the half time break 3-1 up. This continued early in the second half as they pressed home their advantage to go 5-2 up before fatigue and sloppiness almost denied them the win. At 5-4 the opposition missed a penalty as the Under 15 Gold held on for victory. It has been a good start to season with the boys winning three out of three so far. Scorers were Man of the Match Muzzammil (2) Angelos, Musawwir and Dhiren.
U14s Gold
Robert Protei and George Constantinou’s Under 14 Gold were also victorious. After two weeks of hard work they were back to their best and won 8-1. The boys all played well together as a team with good pressing and passing and moving. Seems that they have woken up after the summer! Man of the Match was Giggis. Goals were scored by Pablo (4), Giggis, Jospeh, Micah and Anthony.
In a Challenge Cup game, Kerem Denizer and Paul Pavlou’s Under 12 Green suffered defeat against a team in a higher division. It was great to see Luca pick up the Man of the Match for his fantastic effort. Both coaches were happy to see Anastasi goalscorer Zac Frangou share the team’s most contribution trophy for their efforts.
Savva Zavros and David Poncia’s Under 16 Gold had a tough match. Missing nine players certainly did not help as they were defeated 5-1. The team know that things they have to improve on if they want to have a good season.
Myri Demetriou and Kyri Eleftheriou’s Under 13 White were 5-2 winners in the League Cup. After a poor performance last week, the boys looked a little bit nervous, and may be lacking a bit of confidence. However, all that was asked of them was 100% effort and to try and work the ball wide and switch the play better. The first half was a bit scrappy, but they had plenty of half chances despite not playing their best, but spurned them all. They were punished by the opposition with one of their few opportunities and went 1-0 down. This though gave the boys the ‘kick’ that they needed, and they upped their game immediately. They were rewarded with an opportunistic goal from Leo to go into half time at 1-1. At this point they were probably playing at about 60% of their capabilities. It was emphasised to them the need to remain calm, win the ball back quicker and punish the opposition by transitioning through the ball quicker. Second half they dominated, went 3-1 up. Game became very tight after that and opposition got one back but the Under 13 White regained their composure and scored a couple more goals to put the game to bed. Both coaches couldn’t fault the effort put in by all of the team. Man of Match was awarded to debutant Tasin who gave a very composed and selfless display.
Mike Koumi, Pany Panayiotou and Adam Broomfeld’s Under 14 White started the game in dominant form scoring early and producing countless chances with fast flowing football. Unfortunately, the game then turned due to unfortunate negative interference. The fuss and delay impacted the team and they never really found their form again. Chris got both goals with George B, the goalkeeper named Man of the Match for a consistent display.
The Under 12 Girls (Falcons and Eagles) both had matches and both saw the efforts of pre-season friendlies pay off with both teams showing an intensity about them and were both competitive from the start of their respective games.
The Falcons showed patience and real intelligence, particularly when going forwards with Ifigenia, Elize and Aanya impressing up front with some slick interplay. The defence of Georgia and Andreana was organised brilliantly by their captain Elysia who as always led by example.
The girls had some good chances in the first half with Aanya putting the girls in in the lead, just rewards for her determined performance. Then Elize added goals in the second half to secure a well-deserved victory.
As for the Eagles, they too showed 100% commitment. The girls fought hard and came away with a well deserved draw. Player of the Match Ruby thoroughly deserved the accolade for her performance, however a big well done to the rest of the team too. Big congratulations to Sophia for scoring the first goal of the season. Coach Abdullai wanted gave a special mention to Marina Shiamishis who organises everything for both teams and both teams dedicated their performances to Mary Tryphona and wish her a speedy recovery after her injury.
George Sammoutis and Harry Theodorou’s Under 10 silvers showed plenty of positives as they never gave up and with a couple of tweaks the boys pulled back a couple of goals and put a smile back on their faces.
The Under 9 Green and White had their very own North London Derby on Sunday, but it certainly wasn’t a one sided affair! Green played White, and it was a really fun game, enjoyed by children, parents and coaches alike. There was plenty of talent on show with positive team spirit and friendship across both teams. Plenty of improvement needed for all players across the teams, but it is great to see the players starting to understand positional play. Ball mastery remains the absolute key at this stage.
Should you feel enthused and want to know more about Omonia Youth FC, you can contact the club at [email protected], via the contact page on the club’s website www.omoniayouthfc.com as well as following the club on twitter @OmoniaYouthFC and Instagram @omoniayouthfc1994.