#Harley was mase to point out

[judas-isariot]

Harley x Ivy is the best idea DC had honestly.

[lrtsilverknights]

Coleshill Town vs Silver Knights: 11/11/2017

A November morning in Coleshill dawned for the Silver Knights' latest away fixture. It was a foggy and damp day and not to mention the earlier start, so that’s why they all had tired little faces and that was just the parents! The Silver Knights all stood proud, looking professional in their black tracksuits and rocking up with their new initialled bags / suitcases which I bet a few of the lads could quite easily fit inside! The Gaffer arrived (last) just saying Ha,Ha and off they went to get changed whilst the Bisto Kid, yes you guessed it Jamie Westley, sniffed out the bacon sarnies which he was soon tucking into in preparation for his turn as linesman.

A minute's silence was to be held ahead of Remembrance Sunday and how proud we all were of both teams paying their respects to our fallen soldiers (well done boys!)

Today’s game saw us missing Theo who was doing the county proud in his cross country and also a poorly Jonty at home (get well soon) and Archie still recovering but fingers crossed back soon, hence the wide open hole in centre mid and an even bigger hole in goals. A few players were forced to play in different positions from usual, especially our new Peter Shilton, cool as a cucumber Mason.

We started on the front foot and soon were moving forward with a quick burst as a cleared ball by Sam soon fell to Harley on the right wing with a cross to Charlie which was cleared across the line. This was exactly the start we wanted. It soon became clear that the pitch wasn’t the best and that balls weren't finding their way to their intended targets. There were a few early chances for us but we couldn’t get the ball to do what we wanted it to do: Will & Charlie were trying to move the ball forward but somehow we couldn’t get the shots away. The back three of Ollie, Jack and Harry were certainly in control: Jack had them lined up like soldiers and they kept catching the opposition off-side. Sam was sitting just in front, rising like a salmon to win every header and Gabe and Josh were looking lively in the centre but the opposition were making it difficult with the constant high balls being deployed into no-mans land. Any long balls being played over our defence, Mason had covered.

Great play by Fez on the wing saw him ping a fantastic ball through to Will which just run out of play for a goal kick. Two quick changes followed (Reagan for Ollie and Jasper for Josh). Jasper immediately showed the opposition his blistering pace to get to the ball first. At this point Mason had very little to do but made sure that any through balls which came to him were well and truly covered. A quick switch saw Harley on the left and Fez on the right with Reagan clearing the ball which their player couldn’t get under control. As it squirted out for a throw in, Harley reacted quickly to send the ball like a missile into Will's path who turned onto it beautifully, spotted Charlie charging in and slipped it over to him. We all thought the ball had gone too far wide but Charlie, doing the impossible, managed to get his body around the ball and bang it into the back of the net ! 1-0, much to the delight of the Gaffer.

Much to Harley’s disappointment as he fancied his half in goal, it was decided that the new Peter Shilton would stay in for the 2nd half! We started strongly again but the game soon became very scrappy, without the usual finesse and passing game we love to watch. The ball (or "balls" should I say ", after the 8th one came onto the pitch from being launched and lost in the bramble bush!) was being kicked around more and more and it was like watching a tennis match. At one point the ball was headed six times before it finally hit the floor! When we could get the ball wide Charlie was running their defender ragged but we still couldn’t get the ball into the net. A rare burst into our half saw Mason stand to attention, ready to launch, but a slide tackle deployed by our player took one of their players down just inside the box. Penalty! At this point the Lichfield Round Table ball bag was almost booted into the bramble bush to join the other eight but the Gaffer's right foot couldn’t get the right angle so it ended up down the ditch instead! 1-1 and the game now became a battle for both teams. Who wanted it the most? Who would have the final say? It was looking pretty even, then all of a sudden Jack took a goal kick and yelled out straight away and he was carted off to the sidelines with what seemed to be a groin strain. "How long,Ref?" one of the players asked ... 8 minutes. It was getting more and more like a battle to get the ball out of each other’s half and then a scramble in the box saw the Coleshill defenders failing to clear the ball and Fez was there to knock it into the back of the net: 2-1. Straight from their kick off the ball was again hoofed out which led to another launch of a throw and Charlie took a gamble which paid off as he beat the keeper to stroke it into the unguarded net: 3-1. Two goals in as many minutes and the battle had gone the Silvers' way! Not pretty by any means but the final score was 3-1. On reflection we had three players missing, Mase assumed the goalkeeping duties brilliantly but we still missed our midfielders. However, a win is a win and no battle is ever won without a fight.

With thanks to Sharon Barlow for her debut match report - mainly because Des sloped off to work to avoid having to write it!!

[lrtsilverknights]

Corby Warriors vs Silver Knights: 05/10/2019

Silver Knights: sponsored by: Pocket Rocket Marketing; The Laurels Motor Company and BWT – Best Water Treatment. An early rise for the Silvers as another away day beckoned, off down the A14 to Corby. Well most of the players ended up in Corby whilst Mase and Alfie were embarking on a magical mystery tour, courtesy of Sat Nav Rob. Fortunately, they made it just before kick off. A great venue with a cabbage patch pitch was going to make playing simple football difficult. It was an uneven surface with more clovers on it than I’ve ever seen before and to top it all we had a referee with more charisma than Mr Tumble from CBeebies! A minute into the game and a quick break away from the Warriors culminated in an early shot at goal and an unpredicted early lead for our opposition. The boys looked a bit shell shocked but the Silvers shook off the disappointment and started to play with some midfield magic from Josh, Theo and Archie pinging the ball into Will’s path to try to get a break away. The Warriors’ stronghold defence was hard to crack but when Will showed his speed a nice little tug at the shirt brought our striker down for a penalty. Reagan stepped into position and banged us in an equaliser and another goal under his belt - at this rate he will be top goal scorer this season with all these penalties! The Warriors keeper had a strong kick and was locating their number 7 every time. Gabe and Harley had to try and contain him and box him in but, just to make his presence felt, Hong Kong Phooey Gabe clattered him to the floor, earning himself a yellow card from Mr Tumble in the process. Speaking of the ref, the saying of the game was “eyes on the prize.” Every time the ball was in the air came the same comment: “Eyes on the prize!” Needless to say, Sam won a hell of a lot of prizes - it was like the Generation Game for him as he kept on winning the star prize. Jack was captaining the team well and ensuring the line was high and catching the Warriors out with offsides. The first half came to a close with a near miss in front of goal for the Silvers after a lovely through ball from Harley landed at Will’s feet but he just couldn’t get the necessary touch. The Silvers had to work hard especially with the pitch’s condition and the fact that we were playing up hill in the second half. Jonty was making some sublime saves and keeping us in the game - whatever the Warriors threw at him, Jonty was there to react. Chaz was owning the wing and battling hard and always wanting that goal. It eventually came when Will slotted a cracking ball through to Chaz who in turn poked it past the Warriors’ keeper for a 2-1 Silvers’ lead. The Warriors now knew that they had to turn up the tempo but they hadn’t gambled on Ollie “Terminator” Thomas who, with a glint in his eye and a smile on his face, karate chopped the Warriors’ striker to the deck! He was duly summoned over to Mr Tumble and in spite of his best “butter wouldn’t melt” look, he was promptly issued with his first ever yellow card and no pocket money for a month! The Silvers had their fair share of chances to score but the icing on the cake came when Archie rose highest to flick the ball to Will who obliged with his first of the game and a 3-1 lead. There followed a few heated moments from both sides but all in all it was a really good game and another top performance by the Silvers, winning 3-1 for four out of four wins. As the Gaffer pointed out, today saw outstanding commitment on a horrible pitch, against a tough opposition. Great determination, as ever, from the Silvers. Thank you to the ref for the morning’s entertainment and as he said: “Keep your eyes on the prize!” Up the Silvers!!!!!!!!

[lrtsilverknights]

Silver Knights vs Shifnal Harriers: 23/02/2019

February forecasts are usually wet, windy and freezing cold but as the Silver Knights took on their opponents today, the Shifnal Harriers Juniors brought with them blue skies and glorious sunshine.

Another full squad today for the Silvers as the injury list seems to have subsided (fingers crossed) and the boys were all back to form and fitness.

The Silvers started off on fire and their passing game was a joy to watch as the ball was passed around the field, backwards and forwards, with calmness and confidence, showing our finesse to the Shifnal boys. It was clear that the outstanding play had continued from last week’s superb win against the 16th placed team and we were showing the same sparkle against this team who were currently holding 15th place.

Our midfield boys Archie, Theo, Mase and Josh were in total control of the game and although Archie felt sick all four of them covered the ground like a spirograph, providing a real incentive to the other lads to follow suit. The work rate from the forwards, Will and Chaz, was superb, showing the Shifnal boys what they were up against time and time again with attacks towards the Shifnal keeper: he was certainly kept on his toes. The wingers, Jasper, Gabe and Harley came into their own, working their magic to feed the ball into the danger area for shots to be fired and the defence of Jack, Sam, Harry, Ollie and Reagan was a complete wall and they made their job look simple with masses of confidence. Jonty was the back voice commanding his men to a fine tune whilst watching on as the Silvers continued to batter the Shifnal boys off the park.

After a silly free kick was given to us and the Ref had given their forward a reading of the rights, Reagan stepped up and the ball just travelled high over the bar. The parents were getting a bit edgy at this point as we knew from previous games that we have had the game in our grasp only to end up going into half time 1-0 down! But not today. Some fine play again through defence to midfield meant that the ball arrived to Will who turned and placed the ball to Harley out wide. As Harley lined up his cross, Will was hurtling into the box and he met the ball as sweet as a nut and buried it into the back of the net. The relief was palpable, the cheers were raucous and it was brilliant to watch the boys’ faces as they celebrated in style. The half time whistle blew and the Shifnal managers and players were shell shocked at the display the Silvers had put on and they knew that they were lucky not to be three or four down. I can only imagine that the half time team talk for the Silvers was full of praise as the boys came out for the second half with a spring in their step and started off the passing routine again. Every boy on the pitch was giving their everything and they had a real calmness about them today: the Silvers were in command and weren’t giving this one up for love nor money.

The Shifnal long balls were being shot up field but the defence was talking and putting their name to the ball as there was no confusion over the clearance. Jonty was coming out as last man which was brave and he did his job with precision.

Time was ticking and the boys did ease off the gas slightly (but no wonder as the work rate was sublime), so the Shifnal boys got into our half a bit more but we were indebted to the quick thinking of Sam who scurried to collect a long ball before firing it back down the right wing into the running shoes of Jasper who delightfully spun past the Shifnal defence to chip the keeper who was well off his line. Time stood still as the ball seemed to slow down and the Shifnal defender seemed to get quicker but the Gaffer gave a little “yessssss!” which we heard from afar, so we take it he had the perfect view and we all cheered in delight as the ball trickled over the line.

The Silvers were leading by two goals to nil and the Shifnal boys couldn’t do a thing about it. Today was definitely our day as the final whistle blew and the Silvers had put the game to bed at 2-0.

The sun shone with us today like every Knight on the pitch. This was a performance to be proud of and up the ladder we go. Keep the faith, boys, it’s paying dividends.

Up the Silvers!!!!!!