September 19th 2026. u11 Boys end with a win.

The two friendlies our u11 Boys played this morning against Erdington and Aston, provided valuable opportunities for our players to experience representative football and to continue to develop as a team.We generally find that teams from Erdington tend to be very difficult to play against and so it proved. Wolverhampton showed some good passages of play, but our new look team struggled to test the opposition and ultimately were well beaten, although the 4-0 scoreline is perhaps a little harsh. We are still to find our feet at this level and the more changes we made the more difficult it became to find the consistency and rhythm needed.There were plenty of small details for the players to learn from, and these were discussed with the boys during the break.

The previous game provided valuable lessons that the team could take forward and our performance in the following game against Aston was much improved. The boys showed

great character and deservedly went ahead when Zach delivered an excellent finish. At that point we were beginning to put together some excellent phases of play but Aston responded with an equaliser, and the match was once again in the balance.

The Wolverhampton players continued to work hard and refused to give up, however, and with the game heading towards its conclusion, they were rewarded for their persistence when an own goal gave us a 2–1 victory. It was a great way to finish the morning and, more importantly, showed the determination and resilience within the group.

A special mention must go to Ethan for an outstanding goalkeeping performance.He made a

number of excellent saves throughout the two games and played a major part in keeping the scores respectable. Without his contribution, the scorelines in both matches could well have been very different. Overall, it was another useful morning for the U11 squad. There were good performances in parts of both games, but the boys are still learning how to play effectively as a team.

With the standard of opposition being so high, having as many players available as possible is important and regular attendance will obviously give the team more opportunity to develop understanding, consistency and team spirit ahead of the challenges to come.Well done lads

for all your efforts today. We were impressed by the character shown in coming back to win the second game.The focus now is on continuing to work hard, learning from today’s experiences and building towards the National Cup fixture on 3 October.