TAJFC at Riverside Fayre

Big thanks to 'Our Charlie' who put together a recruitment stall at Riverside Fayre on 20th June.

The recruitment drive was very successful and TAJFC will be registering a record number of junior players across all agegroups in the 2009-2010 season. We also used the event as an opportunity to present our annual cheque to Riverside by way of thanks for their support and facilities in 2008-2009. Thanks to all who helped out - Alan, Stephen, Lynne, Gordon and Sharon.

Friday Night Training - TAJFC Yellows - U11's

Thank you to all the parents and players who have been in touch to tell me about their plans over the next few weeks.
On the basis that numbers are likely to be low, we will be resting from Friday night training until the end of June 2009.
In the coming weeks I'll be telling you about the Yellow plans for 2009-2010. There are already important plans in place which will alleviate some of the main issues we had in 2008-09. We have had some strong interest from new players and enquiries from existing players with other local teams.
Also, I have planned a short Football Tour to take place in June 2010. Tadcaster Albion will be playing teams of the same age in locations based around the Almeria region in Spain. Parents are welcome to join this short tour (4 Days) that will take place during the half-term holiday in May/June 2010. The cost will be subsidised and the tour will be organised by a company who specialises in Junior Football Sports Tours (fully escorted).

If you have any queries please don't hesitate to get in touch at any time on 01937 832443 or 07778 993896.

Nick Brown
(Manager, Tadcaster Albion Yellow)

Presentations U11's - U15's

It's TAJFC Presentations Day/BBQ at the Tadcaster Albion ground on Saturday 6th June at 2pm. Cost of BBQ has been (heavily!) subsidised by TAJFC so please bring along a salad or dessert. We have a licenced bar and everyone from all agegroups is welcome.

Coming Soon - Mini Soccer BBQ Pictures

Watch this space..........;

It's Tad Tournament Time!

Burgers, Trophies, Apple Whips, Tomato Sauce, Bin-Bags, Tea-Bags, Hot Dogs, Crisps, Bacon Sandwiches & Chocolate Raisins........you name it we've got it.

See you down at Riverside School at 8:45am (your coach will have told you which day your agegroup is playing) - why not come both days? - weather forecast is sub tropical.......see you at our BIGGEST ever event!

TAJFC U11's win Ulleskelf Tournament

2nd year running for TAJFC Under 11's........! Great team effort - Full report to follow - TURN YOUR SPEAKERS UP.

U12's League and Cup Double.

TAJFC Under 12's coached by Mr Keith Sawden assisted by Mr Nick Heaton played and WON the Mitchell League Cup at The Albions Ground last night. TAJFC beat Thorpe 1:0 (but could have had a few more) in a very entertaining game. It was double celebration as TAJFC were also crowned League Champions for the season. This is a fantastic achievement and the first time it has happened for many years - well done lads. The team are moving to the Garforth League next year (as Keith also coaches our very successful U14's team)......by afraid.

*Very* Important Dates In May 2009

May is traditionally the busiest month in Junior Football, marking the season end, Cup Finals, Tournaments & Presentations.............2009 is busier than ever!

Firstly - we have the Under 12's Mitchell League Cup Final at Tadcaster Albion on Wednesday 6th May- kick off at 7:30. Plenty of support for these lads please! - one of our MOST successful teams by a wide margin.

Secondly - we have Ulleskelf Tournament on Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th May - check with your coaches which day your agegroup is appearing. It's usually "Odds" on the Saturday and "Evens" on the Sunday. Not everyone will be asked to play - managers will be as even-handed as possible. Registration in 8:45am to 9:45am - kick off 10:00am prompt.

Thirdly - we have the Mini Soccer Funday & BBQ on Sunday May 17th at Riverside School - 12noon until 4pm. This event promises "fun, games competitions and skills challenges for boys and girls aged 10 and under" (details below).

Fourthly - we have our biggest event of the season - The Tadcaster Albion JFC Tournament at Riverside School on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th May. Under 8's, 10's, 12's, 13's and Under 15's Girls play on Saturday with Under 7's, 9's, 11's, 14's, and 15's playing on the Sunday. Registration from 8:45am onwards - kick off at 9:30am. (Girls U15's registration from 13:30 - kick off at 2:00pm).

Please note - Under 11's Parents (Yellows & Blues) - we are down to do Teas & Coffees, Programmes and Litter Duty on the Saturday. I'll be hassling you in the coming days to pick your slot (thanks to all who have already volunteered.) We need as much help as possible from parents across all age groups on the Friday evening and the days that your son/daughter isn't playing. Some of the managers/coaches will be taking unpaid leave on the days either side of the Tournament, so please help out as much as you can - and hour here and there takes some of the pressure off.

If you have any queries about any of these upcoming events you can contact me on 07778 993896.

U12's and U14's - Division and Cup Winners!

Hearty congratulations to TAJFC Under 12's and Under 14's who have capped a fantastic season by comfortably winning their respective divisions. The Under 12's are in fact League Champions and should congratulate themselves on officially being The Best Team In York & Selby. The Under 14's were completely unbeaten all season (only drawing ONE game) and ended with a goal difference of +100. A point to bear in mind for all those about to move to 11-a-side is that these fantastic league positions are in tandem with some stunning performances in various cup competitions. The Under 12's won the Acaster Steel Cup by beating Thorpe in the final. Both of these teams are coached and managed by Keith Sawden who is also our hard-working Club Secretary - Difficult enough to get one team to the top of the table, but two(!?). Keith's Under 12's Team will be appearing in the Mitchell League Cup Final to be held at Tadcaster Albion on Wednesday 6th May - 7:30 kick off. We would like to see as many people as possible from all of the Tadcaster Albion teams (Mini & Junior) down there to give their support. If anyone needs a lift or needs dropping off - let me know and we'll sort it out nickbrown@btinternet.com . See you there!

Tadcaster Riverside Inter-Schools Tournament

Mrs Conway, Miss Pell and I enjoyed a fantastic afternoon of football (on your behalf) at Riverside School today. Years 5 and 6 took part in an Inter-Schools Tournament in perfect footballing conditions with the pitches beautifully marked out with our new (spray!) white-liner. The event was organised by Eileen Carter, Brian Brooks and Robin Bedford representing various areas of Selby District Council. The event was kindly hosted by Mr Yapp.
It was great to see lots of Tadcaster Albion players joining forces with their classmates from Tadcaster Magnets and playing against their club colleagues from other schools. The competition was played with 5-a-side rules with 6 minutes each way. Each team played each other in a thrilling prequel to the upcoming Tadcaster Tournament on 23rd/24th May. Results were as follows:-

Sixth place - Tadcaster East
Fifth place - Appleton Roebuck
Fourth place - Riverside B
Third place - Riverside A
Second place - Tockwith

Winners - St Josephs

The top-spot was won on goal difference with top scorer on the day being our own Joel Brown from St Josephs. We also had lots of interest from new players for the 2009-2010 season and will be happy to see them in the summer.

Tad Albion U9s 'v' Copmanthorpe (19th April)

'A' Team Match Reports

Companthorpe 1 – 1 Tadcaster Albion
Squad: Alfie, Ethan, George, Jack, James K, James O, Sam, Scott, Tom
Scorers: Tom

Tadcaster travelled to Companthorpe on a glorious April morning for their final league fixture of the season, knowing that a win or a draw would see the team climb up to mid table whereas a loss would condemn them to a bottom two finish.
Tadcaster rounded off the season with a terrific performance and came within a couple of minutes of winning a very closely fought game. Despite not having played for a month, Tadcaster got off to a great start winning the early battles for possession and stringing together some lovely passing exchanges. Cop’ fought back though and once or twice Tadcaster rode their luck as they were outnumbered at the back. Taddy were the first to score as Tom bravely got his head onto a wicked corner from James and it was no less than they deserved.
The second half was more of the same - total commitment from both teams, with some really entertaining football throughout. Copmanthorpe occasionally looked dangerous but without creating any clear cut chances .. until they brought on their super sub. He was about 2 foot 6 tall and looked about 5, but he broke out hearts as he hooked the ball in to level the match in the dying minutes.

A draw was enough to lift Taddy up to 5th place, whilst Copmanthorpe’s point was enough to give them 3rd place. Final league table here.

Terrific effort again from the whole team with Scott and George outstanding at the back and in goal Alfie proved once again how valuable he is to the team. The performance of the day though was from Tom who won countless tackles as well scoring the Taddy goal.
Man of the Match: Tom.

2nd Game report
Companthorpe 4 – 0 Tadcaster Albion
Squad: Alfie, Ethan, George, Jack, James K, James O, Sam, Scott, Tom

A much more relaxed atmosphere to the second fixture and one or two real comedy moments – including deputy goal keeper Ethan heading the ball into his own net.
Copmanthorpe ran out convincing winners, but throughout the game, the Tadcaster team all played with a smile on their faces – none more so that Sam who took away the man of the match trophy for his efforts.
Man of the Match: Sam.

F A Respect Campaign

Under 11's Division 2

Congratulations to Osbaldwick who have been named as Division 2 Champions and will be duly promoted to 'The Premiership' next season.

It couldn't be closer between Brooklyn and Tad Magnets with 1 goal separating the two teams and 2 matches to go (one of them being against each other on 19th April).

Tadcaster Albion JFC have 2 remaining fixtures - both at home - the first being this Sunday against Osbaldwick and the second against York Cubs on the 19th April (there is a break for Easter in between) We need at least 2 points to go past Pickering Town and need to neutralise York Cubs who are coming up fast behind, to finish a respectable 4th. Please can we have as many bodies down to training as possible - we will be training in daylight (hurrah!) and will also be looking to pull together our squads for the Ulleskelf and Tadcaster Tournaments. Let's give Osbaldwick a memorable send off into Division One.

Under 11's Yellows & Blues 2008/2009

Tadcaster Albion vs Tadcaster Magnets

"Played Their Hearts Out" is an overused cliche, but like tomato ketchup with chips, pork scratchings with cider and Sir Alex with his Wrigleys - Tadcaster Albion Under 11's and 'playing with passion' have gone hand in hand in the last 2 weeks. On both occasions Nick have been unable to fault the level of determination put in by Tadcaster Albion's players and supporters.
Taken in tandem with the fact that The Lads have produced two of the most entertaining games of football seen all season, this is especially rewarding.........;
An 11 man squad faced a Magnets squad of 14 and completely dominated the first half. On the rare occasions that a Magnets player broke into the Tad half he was quickly neutralised by Hazza, Sam or Adam.
Early in the second half TAJFC made a couple of errors that lead to a soft goal being scored against them. TAJFC battled relentlessly, but with no substitutes to call on, inequitably there were some tired legs. Magnets made a couple of substitutions and TAJFC soon answered with a goal made by Joel and finished by Josh Jackson. Our scorer took a nasty knock in the last 8 mins and TAJFC were down to 10 men with Josh being carried off the pitch.
Despite our best efforts TAJFC failed to equalize and Magnets eventually went home with a 1-2 victory. Fantastic efforts from John, Hazza, Sam, George, Joel, Matty, Josh J, Josh Macca, Joe S, Paul and Adam. Man of the Match was a close run thing between Josh Macca, Sam and Hazza - with Hazza Hardy taking the award. Great day despite the scoreline. The referee took the time to speak to the team at the end and was very complimentary about our performance and attitude.

The game against York Cubs scheduled for the 29th March has been moved to 19th April and will be our last league game of the season.
5th April we play Osbaldwick at the Ings, 12th April is Easter and 19th April is as detailed above.
Tournaments in May - further details to follow.

Dunnington 0 - TAJFC 3 (U10's Div 1)

Excellent result from our Under 10's A Team who are in the top half of the highly competitive First Division of the Mitchell League. (Click To Enlarge).

TAJFC Under 11's - Lionhearts In The Sun

Tadcaster Albion JFC Under 11's had a fantastic Sunday morning at Poppleton on 15th March....;

For various reasons (including an ongoing foot injury for Matty 'Tevez' Orr) - TAJFC had to field a team of 10 against a Poppleton squad of 13. Unfortunately, Joel had taken a nasty knock to the head and was sporting a lovely purple/blue welt on his forehead. Fortunately he is genetically preprogrammed to reject the word 'quitter' and played the full 66 minutes.

TAJFC had a hesitant start and took a while to find their shape - however the breakthrough came when Joel slotted one home on 19mins. Cracking goals followed from Josh Macca, and Joe 'Are You Looking At Me?' Simon. The standard of play became better and more fluid as the minutes ticked by. Exceptional midfield and defensive play coming from 'in form' Ollie Patrick, Sam 'Ironman' Cheetham, and Big Hazza Hardy. Adam 'Raw Meat' Brammar was (again) exceptional in the middle of the park in both halves.

Into the second half and the excellent linking play between Josh Macca and Joel 'Headrush' Brown resulted in further goals from Joel, Josh Macca, 2 from Paul 'Tattyhead' Hick and a final one from Joe Simon who nicked it off the toes of Our Georgie. For once, John Broadley had little to do (phew!) but, as ever, aquitted himself admirably. A really entertaining game - Poppleton (despite the scoreline) were a good side who made few mistakes. Great all-around team performance from the lads who turned out. Man Of The Match - Adam Brammar.

Poppleton 0 - TAJFC 8 It'll soon be Tournament Time!

HOUSEKEEPING - please bring your own drinks to the last 3 games of the season and please pass on the names and details of any players you think may be interested in joining TAJFC as we progress into 2009-2010. Also, the County FA have banned nicknames in match reports so we'll have to revert to less poetic style in future....... ;-)

TAJFC Under 11's - True Grit.

A much depleted TAJFC turned out in the bitter cold, wind and occasional sleet at Pickering Town's new location at Carr Lane in Middleton.

Unfortunately, for the second fixture in sucession, Tadcaster had a pool of 9 players only to face Pickering's squad of 14.

Despite the mis-matched odds, the available players took on board Mick & Nicks' words of encouragement (with very vocal support from the travelling fans) and came out fighting.

For the first 20 mins of the first period play hardly moved out of the Pickering half, with 2 goals in quick succession coming from "Mr Dynamite" - Joseph Von Simon.

A clearly rattled Pickering battled back hard against Tad and superb defensive play from Harry, Adam and goalkeeper "JB" kept the sheet clean.

Pickering managed to pull a goal back just before half-time and the score remained in Tad's favour until the last 15 mins of the second half.

An exhausted Tadcaster side conceded goals in quick succession (with one goal at least resulting from a questionable tackle on John Broadley) Final score 4 - 2.

Mick & Nick felt unable to question Tadcaster's performance in any way. The players who attended gave 110% and on any given Sunday, with a full squad in attendance, the result would have been significantly different. Man Of The Match to Harry - with Adam coming in a close second.

Tad Albion U9s 'v' Heworth (8st March)

'A' Team Match Reports

Heworth 1 – 0 Tadcaster Albion
Squad: Alfie, Ethan, George, Jack, James, Scott, Tom

Tadcaster travelled to Heworth on a bitterly cold March morning and endured the most difficult conditions so far this season. Fierce winds and an extremely heavy pitch did not bode well for an entertaining match; however both teams can be rightly proud of their efforts.
Tadcaster played the first half with the wind at their backs and used that to their advantage as they spent long periods in Heworth’s half of the pitch. Heworth were strong well organized though and Tadcaster couldn’t find an opening other than with a couple of long range efforts.
Tadcaster went into the second half knowing that if they were to get anything from the game it was going to be real backs to the wall stuff. Credit to the boys though, they were playing to win the match and certainly heeded the coach's warning to keep the ball on the ground. Yes, they spent a lot of time defending, but they also played some lovely football on the break – causing Heworth plenty of problems. In the end luck was with Heworth as they broke the deadlock midway through the half and try as they might there was no way back for Tadcaster.
This was a fantastic performance from everyone today, especially considering the weather conditions. There was very little to choose between the teams and possibly the biggest compliment today was to hear the relief in the shouts from Heworth players and supporters as the referee’s final whistle went.
Man of the Match: James.

2nd Game report
Heworth 0 – 1 Tadcaster Albion
Squad: Alfie, Ethan, George, Jack, James, Scott, Tom
Scorers: Tom

As some of the Heworth players correctly pointed out, “second game doesn’t count”, but boy did they hate losing!
The lack of substitutes meant that Tadcaster fielded an unchanged side – with one or two of the boys hobbling on at the start of the game following their efforts in the first match.
Once again Tadcaster played the first half with the wind at their backs and once again they used that to their advantage. This time though they got the goal they deserved as Tom crashed the ball in from close range.
The second half saw Tadcaster doing a lot of defending highlighted by Jack’s goal saving tackle in the area and a cracking save from Ethan to tip a shot just over the bar. It certainly wasn’t all Heworth though and some great passing play created chances for Alfie who rattled the post and for George who raced clear only to have hit his shot well saved by the ‘keeper.
There will be a few bruises on the legs of the Taddy players tomorrow morning, but beating Heworth will make it seem worth it.
Man of the Match: Jack.

Tad Albion U9s 'v' York Cubs (1st March)

'A' Team Match Reports

York Cubs 2 – 1 Tadcaster Albion
Squad: Alfie, Ethan, George, Jack, James, Sam, Scott, Tom
Scorers: James

A bright, sunny and mild (for the Knavesmire) March morning saw Tadcaster travel to York Cubs.
Tadcaster got off to a great start with James and Tom fashioning a scoring opportunity straight from the kick off. The Taddy players were obviously up for the contest and the opening few minutes saw some good football from both sides. As the first half developed though, the Cubs slowly started to get a grip on the game as they began to dominate possession. Tadcaster were camped out in their own half, but as usual some great defending by the back two kept the scores level. Then, on a rare break out of their half, Tadcaster got the bit of luck they have lacked over the last couple of weeks. A speculative shot from James took a deflection off a defender which in turn deceived the Cubs ‘keeper and somehow crept into the back of the net. Tadcaster saw out the rest of the half to go into the break one nil to the good.
The second half was a real battle. Once again, for all their effort tackling, Tadcaster struggled to keep hold of the ball and as the tackles became more desperate, it looked increasingly likely that the Cubs would strike back. That’s just what happened, as Scott and George were both dragged out wide, the midfield were too slow to cover the penalty area leaving a Cubs forward unmarked and poor Alfie with no chance. Things got worse soon after when a sliced clearance from the Taddy defence ended up in the back of their own goal. Full credit to the boys though, because despite their heads going down initially, they got stuck in straight away and gave everything they had to try and level the game. It wasn’t to be though as Tadcaster slipped to their first defeat of the competitive fixtures.
Overall, this was a great effort today from Tadcaster and once again we’ve given one of the better sides in the league a real run for their money. Today was proof however that possession of the ball is vital and if you don’t keep your fair share, it makes it very difficult to win matches.
Man of the Match: Jack.

2nd Game report
York Cubs 4 – 2 Tadcaster Albion
Squad: Alfie, Ethan, George, Jack, James K, James O, Louis, Tom
Scorers: Alfie, Scott

The Cubs got off to a flying start and poor Tom had picked the ball out of the net twice inside the first couple of minutes. Tadcaster stuck back though with a fine goal from Scott and after another Cub’s goal, a cracking finish from Alfie saw the half finish 3-2 to York Cubs.
The second half was entertaining stuff and it was a wonder that there was only one more goal. George especially can count himself really unlucky not to have scored as he hit the target 4 or 5 times throughout the match but the keeper saved every time.
Man of the Match: George.

U11's TAJFC Directions to Pickering Town

Pickering Town no longer play at Flamingoland, they are at Carr Lane which just outside of Pickering in Middleton.

Head off the A64 on the Malton Road A169 - hit the roundabout in the middle of Pickering - turn left on to the A170 - head towards Middleton and you will arrive at the left turning onto Carr Lane (I'm told you can see the goalposts from the road). Maps enclosed - their manager is Richard Archer on 07730 672083

March Fixtures for U11's Yellows & Blues

Click to Enlarge

Heads Up!......Bargain Boot Alert.

The recently launched Adidas "ADI NOVA" is currently for sale in JJB.

This new boot is made from leather (that's a novelty in itself) and is available with screw-in and moulded studs.

JJB currently have them priced at £25 for the screw-in stud version (sizes up 5.5)......the corresponding senior size boot is £85...........

U15's Girls League Cup

Tockwith 2 v Tadcaster Albion 4 U15 Girls League Cup
Prelim Round

On a drizzly Saturday morning Tadcaster took on Tockwith of the North Division of the League
Tadcaster started by conceeding an early goal from a goalmouth scaramble leaving the keeper flaked out on the floor. Shortly after Tadcaster struck back with a goal from Katy Falkingham soon to be followed by a second. Tockwith piled on the pressure and scored a second into the top right corner of the net. Pressure was back on Tadcaster and Katy Falkingham stepped up a gear and put a third past the Tockwith keeper for a hat-trick 3 - 2 at half time. At the start of the second half Tockwith brought the game on to Tadcaster and threatened several times keeping Kathryn busy and on her toes, until Bex's Illingworth went on a one player campain starting from her own goal mouth dribbling past 3-4 players letting rip with scorching midway shot and scoring the goal of the match.
Tadcaster win 4-2
Player of the match Bex's Illingworth

Tad Albion U9s 'v' Poppleton (22nd February)

'A' Team Match Reports

Tadcaster Albion 0 – 0 Poppleton
Squad: Alfie, Charlie, Ethan, George, Jack, James, Louis, Scott, Tom

Tadcaster entertained title hopefuls Poppleton on a breezy but mild February morning at Riverside School.
The home team lined up knowing that in order to get anything out of this game they would need a top performance; and that’s exactly what they delivered with a great overall display.
Right from the first whistle, Tadcaster were up for the contest and they battled and scrapped for the whole 30 minutes. The midfield trio of Ethan, Jack and James along with Tom up front put in their best overall display of the post-Christmas matches and in particular, there were definite signs of improvement when in possession. Although the execution wasn’t always great, the intent was there to try and pass the ball to players in better positions. If that continues to improve, the goals will come.
In summary, this was a terrific game between two closely matched teams and it’s a credit to the players that they have managed to hold their own against one of the strongest sides in the league. The stand-out performances once again were from George and Scott in defence who dealt with virtually Poppleton had to offer. A mention also for Alfie who, despite having very little to do for the most part, kept his concentration well to pull of two great saves.
Man of the Match: Scott

2nd Game report
Tadcaster Albion 0 – 3 Poppleton
Squad: Alfie, Charlie, Ethan, George, Jack, James, Louis, Scott, Tom

This was another really close game that was won by Poppleton with 3 goals in the first 5 minutes of the second half. Tadcaster had several good chances, particularly on the break, but the ball just didn’t roll kindly for them today and then ended goal-less.
Man of the Match: Tom

Under 11's - Yellows - Division 2

Have had an email from Brian Drew the League Secretary instructing us about fixtures (or lack of) on the following dates:

"1 Mar no game

8 Mar away to Pickering T

15 Mar away to Popp Lions

22 Mar home to Tad Mag

Will allocate outstanding games after above early in March"

We will keep you posted on any further developments.

U11's Trip To Elland Rd - Rugby League World Cup

Nick Devine and Joe Furness's Grandad are planning a trip to watch Leeds Rhinos play in the Rugby League World Club Championship on Sunday 1st March at Elland Road (nice pies in that Family Stand). If you are interested in attending please get in touch with Nick Devine on 01937 832331 or 07949 274762.

Directions to York Cubs (Under 11's - Yellows)