Even though many games were cancelled last weekend due to the poor weather, there were still some games that went ahead for community grassroots club Omonia Youth FC, sponsored by Diamond Corp. Ltd, not least two girls’ teams who had stunning results.
Sophia Karanicholas and Samuel Arthur’s Under 15 Girls endured the pouring rain to put in a brilliant performance to come away with another win. In what was described as a ‘reliable performance from the girls’, the margin of victory exemplified why working together, playing to their strengths and being brave on the ball can yield positive results. There were two key takeaways from the game which coach Sophia wanted to highlight: The team were supporting the FA’s ‘Silent Weekend’ initiative which advised supporters and coaches to only applaud from the side-lines. This meant that the girls were forced to communicate more and to organise themselves and it worked a treat! They were much more vocal on the pitch and were trusted to make their own decisions. Secondly even at Under 15, both Sophia and Samuel believe in rotation and this is something that is constantly being communicated to the team in training and on match day. The intention is for each player to be comfortable to be able to play on more than position on the pitch Last week more than half the squad played in a position that was against their preferred during the game today. Finally, Sophia wanted to publicly thank the parents for their endless support, especially in the pouring rain last week! Player of the Match was awarded to Shekhinah who brought outstanding energy to the game and was clinical in front of goal
Sophia was very busy last weekend as she also took charge of the Under 12 Green Girls match. The girls played outstandingly as a team and brought tremendous energy to the game. The rain did not stop them and there were loads of runs back to defend and to support in attack. The girls also showed their battling qualities winning many 50:50 balls. In the second half the girls were set a target to have a least sevon shots in the second half but they bettered this. Their link-up play was also joy to watch. They won the match 6-3 thanks to goals from Melina (3) and Esme (3). Player of the Match was Esme who scored a fantastic hat trick with shots on target from outside of the box. She also gave brilliant defensive performance with many runs back to support her team.
Michael Pieri and Harry Theodorou’s Under 18 White suffered Middlesex Cup defeat against a team in a higher division. While they controlled many parts of the game possession wise, they did not create enough clear-cut opportunities to score enough and didn’t test the position goalkeeper and were duly punished late on when they conceded and lost 2-1. The boys will learn from this game and understand that positional discipline and the need to be braver on the ball is important in tight games. Billy Annett-Cook scored their only goal. Noel Allen was named Man of the Match for his all-round display. A special mention too to goalkeeper Stefanos Pieri who saved a first half penalty.
With Savva Zavros and David Poncia’s absent, coach Fano Shiamishis took charge of the Under 18 Gold and even though they were defeated 5-2, Fano “…walked away proudly from this tie with the opposition complimentary on the team’s ability and style of football”. To put it into perspective, their opponents were last years Echo League champions and are currently unbeaten in league campaign this season. Footballing-wise, the boys kept going despite having no substitutes. They matched their one v one battles well and took a bold risk to play a high line in the second half to try and reverse the 4-0 half time score-line. They did go on to score twice but ultimately lost the tie.
Chris Gregoriou’s Men’s Team, who are sponsored by Crown Mobile Tyres and CMB Partners were also in cup action against a team in a division above them but the acquitted themselves well to go through to the next round thanks to a 5-3 win. The team started the game well and quickly managed to get a grip of the game in difficult conditions. They scored three quick goals thanks to great finishes to go in at half-time 4-1 up. The second half saw the opposition start the better; they showed more hunger and managed to capitalise on defensive errors to pull it back to 4-3. With the tension building fresh legs were needed and it managed to do the trick when a fifth and decisive goal was scored.
Goals were scored by Demitris Christodoulou (2), Emmanuel Ejembi, Daniel Philippou and Chris Constantinou. Man of the Match was awarded to Armen Gashi who was a rock in defence.
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.
