Sun 11/03/2007
REJOICE IN OUR SUFFERINGS
Sometimes I have difficult understanding exactly why things happen?
10am on Saturday morning, having lost 4 of my 14 man squad to injuries, was one of these moments of wonder. But God has his hand in everything and I always knew that He has His own purpose.
In Romans Ch5 v3-5 the Bible encourages us that we must ‘rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that our suffering produces perseverance, perseverance builds character and character gives us hope’.
It’s undisputed that we have ‘suffered’ this weekend. The 4 individuals who couldn’t play will testify to their personal suffering, both physically and mentally. – we all understand the torment when we want to play but an injury prevents us.
Having managed to field the bare 11, the team’s suffering started just ten minutes into yesterday’s game against Red Lion, when Adam twisted his knee badly and was added to the injury list.
The remaining 10 players put up a spirited fight but even though Seb ‘stood’ in goal for the last 30 minutes to level the numbers again, the damage had been done and we went down 3-0. Red Lion should consider themselves to be blessed that they met us on this afternoon. They were not the forward thrusting, dangerously attacking side of the past and in different circumstances we would have easily beaten them. This only adds to the hurt.
So what can we rejoice about? Well although defeated in this game of football, the ten players gave 100% and need to be congratulated for their never-say-die attitude. Stuart Batchelor and Andy Mills were stalwarts in the heart of midfield, Dominic ran his heart out, often alone, up front. The defence stood firm and competed magnificently. In the last 20 minutes, Red Lion hardly got near to our goal and Seb could almost have run the line as well as keep goal. It was a fine performance that pulled us all together. I’m certain of this…we are all stronger and wiser people for the experience of yesterday.
We have 4 games in ten days. With sidelined and unavailable players, I will need to give games to some new first-teamers and also expect regular men to play unfamiliar positions as Paul Ford and Seb did yesterday.
So don’t be down about this weekend, or any other, get your head up in the knowledge that next week you’ll be an even better player.
Posted by: bbfcmanager
Mon 19/03/2007
New Fixtures Added
The fixtures for the end of March are now in for both teams.
Please note the firsts have a Wednesday night game at Little Common at the beginning of April. Let us know of your availability asap for these games.
Posted by: Steve Mumford
Sun 18/03/2007
2nd team comments
We all felt the frustration of yesterday’s game, and rightly so. We should never find ourselves in the position of having scored seven goals at home and not win the match, especially with leading with only five minutes to go.
If you read the match report it will soon become clear where the problem lay. ‘Ball over the top’ was a phrase that I repeated and it was something we never dealt with, despite all the talk before the game and at half time. At times our defending was superb, with great challenges from all the back four and good saves from Tim. However we were not consistent in this and too often we were very flat at the back and kept too high a line. It was obvious (not that we didn’t know it to start with) that they had more pace upfront than we could deal with, yet we insisted on getting involved in foot races with their forwards, which we continually lost. If we had defended deeper, with one man attacking the ball and one man sweeping up, we may well have been in a better position to deal with the threats posed.
I am not saying all the goals were purely down to the back four. At times Rangers played their way too easily through our midfield and we did not keep the ball enough to ease the pressure. We had to work hard to score our goals and too often we gave away a cheap reply. We won’t always score so many and if we don’t sort things out defensively we will start losing games regularly again.
We were all bitterly disappointed in the changing rooms yesterday to lose by a single goal to a side higher up the division than us. That shows us how far we have come recently. We need to build on that winning mentality. While we take to the pitch to act as a witness to God we also go out there to win the game ahead out of us. We should never fall into thinking these two things cannot go hand-in-hard.
We have nine games left this season. We have played every team in the division already bar Orington who we play next week. I have seen nothing to suggest we can’t win every game left and add 27 points to our current total. We have goals throughout our side and providing we can keep it tight there is no reason we can’t do this.
On a more positive note, I have a couple of personal thank yous to make. The first one is to Steve Chapman who put himself out to get to the game as soon as he could. Coming on at half time he received a pulled hamstring for his troubles but the commitment shown was admirable. The second is to David Ndunduma who agreed to play despite suffering from an ankle injury. He showed 110% throughout the game despite taking a further knock and could barely walk to the car from the changing rooms after the game. Again the effort level and desire he showed was commendable. My final thank you is to Zac and Joe, who were subs that did not get to play. They came along and ensured we were not short of players yet did not get to feature. Zac was especially unlucky as the injury to Steve forced my hand otherwise when I had planned to put him on but I want them to realise they are valued just as much as those that took to the field and it is my intention to reward them with a chance very soon.
I hope to see you all a training this week. We have much to work on if we are to improve to be consistently at the level we all know we are capable of.
Posted by: Steve Mumford
Sun 11/03/2007
MANAGER'S THOUGHTS
1-1 was probably a fair result yesterday all things considered. I was delighted that we stopped the defensive rot having conceded 12 goals in the previous 2 games. Stepping into the breach, Gary Wenham did a brilliant job organising the defence dispite having to contend with some nippy Magham Down attackers. He was greatly assisted by Paul Rook who is looking solid and assured now in central defence - learning the job game by game.
A disappointment was that our play didn't take advantantage of the wind and the sun in the first half. One week earlier we had Catsfield on the rack in similar conditions, transferring the ball from defence to attack quickly and forcing them backwards. With the sun in your eyes and the wind in your face it's difficult to defend effectively, as we found to our cost later in the game. Yesterday, we were trying to pass the ball around in our own half on the worst part of an unpredictable pitch. We should have been more direct in the first half.
Now I understand the temptation to want to play total football in the manner we often see on the tele, but I say let's get 3 goals up first. The surface at the rec is no 'Theatre of Dreams' and we have to adapt to it in the way we play.
One aspect of this was free kicks from the edge of the box. With the wind behind and a hardened 6 yard box, I might have expected one of the 3 opportunities to be fired in as hard as possible, taking care to hit the target. We have several players with the ability to strike the ball accurately with pace. Since I've been playing in goal, I appreciate how difficult it is to field this kind of a shot. None of our 3 eforts troubled their keeper but glided harmlessly over the bar.
Nevertheless, we played with great determination in the 2nd half and I thought we'd win as soon as we scored first. Andy Mills showed that you don't have to pick out a man with a clever threaded pass. As their defence tried to clear the ball, he just dinked the ball back into the danger area and Bryan did the rest, beating the keeper with a headed flick as they both jumped for the ball.
If we'd held the lead for another 5 or 10 minutes, we'd have gone on to win, possibly scoring again. Magham leveled within 3 minutes with a well-taken penalty, then sent on their secret weapon, surely to disrupt the whole game and make sure that we lost our composure. He did this with the efficiency of a well-rehearsed performer. The behaviour of our opponents was disgraceful and really doesn't belong in a public place and I'm also critical of the referee who didn't control the last 20 minutes well. Verbal abuse directed at an opponent deserves a yellow card.
Under extreme provocation our own behaviour was mostly dignified and controlled. We play under the banner of a christian organisation and we are representatives of that group of church members. No matter what we are faced with, it's the responsibility of every BBFC player not to respond in a way that brings disrepute on the team or the church.
There are many positives coming out of our games at the moment...the partnership between Bryan and Adam who both worked tirelessly...the freshness of Seb and Paul Rook who are now established in the squad. The availability and fitness of Stuart returning from injury.
We're now 2 wins away from achieving the first target of the season - that's the 22 points we need to secure our Div 3 status. Next week's visit to Red Lion is a good opportunity for 3 more points and another improved performance. Saturdays can't come fast enough for me at the moment.
Posted by: bbfcmanager
Sun 11/03/2007
CONGRATULATIONS PAUL FORD
Wonderful news came through today that Paul and Jenny Ford had their second child today.
Toby was born at the Conquest Hospital. 5 lb 11 oz.
All our best wishes go out to Paul and his family. No doubt Paul is still on cloud 9 ... we can only imagine his excitement!
Posted by: bbfcmanager
Sun 11/03/2007
2nds Fixture Change
Please note contrary to what it currently says elsewhere on this site, we are now at HOME to HASTINGS RANGERS III on Saturday after a change by the ESFL.
Posted by: Steve Mumford
Sun 11/03/2007
FIRST TEAM DESERVED MORE
A brilliant team effort yesterday - we had Division 3 leaders Catsfield on the rocks until the 80th minute.
A headed opener by Dave Mills followed by a hat-trick from striker Adam Johnson secured a 4-2 lead with 20 minutes to go, until plucky Catsfield came back to take the lead for the first time in the game and steal the points with a winning penalty kick.
The immense relief was apparent in the actions of a couple of Catsfield players who let themselves down a bit and forgot their usual friendly Sportsmanship, but this doesn't detract from the fact that this was a brilliant game of football and an enjoyable spectacle for everyone involved.
There are many positives for us to take from this game, including the new strike parnership of Bryan and Adam who seemed to complement each other well, and the performance of Seb at left midfield, who played with confidence and skill above his years. Now that the weather looks like it will allow us to play regularly again, we can look forward to building on this performance.
Without the 4 gifted goals (perhaps a bit over-friendly that...), Catsfield would have been left high and dry. But camped in our own half for the last 20 minutes and defending too deeply in case of a ball over the defence, we invited trouble. - We must learn from this and work harder (in games AND at training) to protect possession and keep the ball off our opponents. They won't score if we have the ball, it's simple.
We're now exactly half way through the League programme having played each team in our Division once - that means no double headers or 6-point games - great news. Less good is the fact that there are only 9 Saturdays left to play 11 games...we can look forward to some evening games in April...and don't forget to build brownie points and give warning that we have a fixture on Easter Monday (9th April).
Posted by: bbfcmanager
Thur 08/03/2007
VARIOUS NEWS ITEMS
1. Ruth Rymell is away for this Saturday's game against Catsfield.
Anyone one wants to wash the 1st team kit for a fee of £10 please contact Gary Walsh.
2. On Saturday morning, I'll be delivering the order for BBFC Gear to Wisdens. If you ordered something and don't want it anymore you have until Sat to let me know and cancel. I'll then start to collect the money.
All gear will have the players initials on - let me know if you DON'T want this.
3. The next PLAYERS' BREAKFAST is planned for Saturday 14th April at the Manor House (next to the Chapel on Mount Street). Put it in your diary - everyone is welcome so why not bring a friend.
4. 3rd Team...we discussed the possibility of a 3rd team at our Committee meeting on Monday. The result is not encouraging. We intend to flood the matter in prayer over the next month before making the final decision at our next meeting on 2nd April.
I encourage everyone to pray about this and let your views be heard by members of the committee, especially through your players' representative Richard Ahsam. The feeling at the moment is that we don't have sufficient resources/players to proceed. Now is NOT the time to stay silent if you have a view on this matter.
A big THANK YOU to all those who returned their Questionnaire by 28th February.
Posted by: bbfcmanager
Sun 04/03/2007
CONGRATULATIONS TO ATHLETICO
Athletico have made it to the Final of the Sussex County FA Junior Cup, no mean achievement for a Division 2 side.
It's very unusual for an East Sussex League side to get to the final of the Sussex Cup because it stretches up as far as Crawley and West to the Brighton Leagues - very stiff competition.
We've always considered entering this Cup but decided not to because of the travelling and the tough opposition encountered. As Forest Gump would say...'You never know what you're gonna get'.
The Final is against another local team, Polegate at The Saffrons, Eastbourne on Tues. 3rd April. It sounds like a good excuse for a BBFC Social Night Out.
Let me know if you fancy going and we'll try and organise something.
Posted by: bbfcmanager
Sat 03/03/2007
BOTH 1sts and 2nds GAMES OFF TODAY
Instead we'll be meeting at Claverham (outdoors) to play football on the tennis courts. (The Sports Hall in booked up this afternoon).
START : 3PM
Everybody is welcome...we'll defy the weather and play some football!!!!
Reminders:
1. Steve and I cannot pick you for games next week if you haven't paid your annual membership fee of £10.
2. Get your Questionnaire completed and send it off to Richard Ahsam in the stamped addressed envelope provided. This is really important in terms of the possibility of a 3rd team next year. We hope to discuss the results at the Committee Meeting on Monday.
Posted by: bbfcmanager