Game Three - White Star Dandenong VS Chelsea FC

It was April 23rd and even though the morning was drizzly, the games were played in radiant sunshine. We were taking on White Star Dandenong, who had always given us trouble in the past. 

First Half

Chelsea opened the scoring after 4 minutes with a well-placed ball from Lachlan to the bottom left corner which went under the arms of the White Star goal keeper… Lachlan managing to play a quick one-two pass with Connor on the edge of the penalty box and coming out on top after he won a hard fought ball by beating a White Star defender and shooting cleanly.

Chelsea FC 1 – White Star Dandenong FC 0

It was the perfect start for the Chelsea boys to get the early boost they needed and to control the game. However, things didn’t go as planned. The Chelsea boys took a step back and concentration levels fell. It seemed as if they thouht it was going to be easy. This mindset is really frustrating to coaches and noplayer should slip into this comatose attitude! The midfielders were heavy on their feet and there was no communication from all over the park. Our midfielders were holding the ball for far too long as it started to become a battle of the midfield and White Star Dandenong started to see a lot more of the ball. The ball possession we were used to wasn’t there… White Star Dandenong started to play and grow with confidence. Chelsea forwards Sebastian and Lachlan weren’t getting the ball played out to the wings and our wide defenders were static - it was becoming frustrating to watch as Chelsea made life difficult for themselves. McCarthy was shown a silly yellow card for obstructing the free-kick awarded to White Star… although he wasn’t given the opportunity to move away as the ball was kicked into him.

Chelsea lost the ball in their defensive half and the opportunity was presented for White Star Dandenong to counter attack and it paid off… White Star Dandenong ran the ball up towards the goal and had a shot which bounced over our goalkeeper James as he dived towards the ball but off it went into the back of the net.

Chelsea FC 1 - White Star Dandenong 1 at half-way through the first half

The fighting spirit of the young Chelsea boys was what was needed – a quick response was the only way to turn things around and that’s exactly how Chelsea responded. Sebastian won the ball in the midfield and we had Dandenong White Star on the counter-attack… a great solo run by Sebastian through the middle of the park and fantastic movement from Connor off the ball allowed him to create space out wide, receive the ball from Seb and it made way for our second goal after 35’ by shooting it past the near post of the White Star Dandenong goal keeper and putting the Chelsea boys back in the lead. It was a really great goal!

Chelsea FC 2 – White Star Dandenong 1

The first half ended Chelsea FC 2 – White Star Dandenong 1

The half-time talk by Alex (coach) was simple: keep your formation, rotational movement in the middle of the park, continue to play out wide and press up front.

Second Half

The Chelsea boys knew what was required of them and took control of the game in the second half… Luke D. and Tom F. were great as they continued making runs out wide and moved the ball forward to create scoring chances. Lachlan and Sebastian seemed as if they were competing against each other - it was great football from the tow as they both tried to outrun their opponents by running rings out wide… the talent was evident and the boys were enjoying their football a lot more. The midfielders were making it look simple by playing first time passes and their communication was key - the boys started to have a lot more fun as we had our 'ball possession football' back, they let their ball work do most of the running as White Star Dandenong were being out played. 

Lucas and Adam were commanders in chief – they had a great relationship working together in the defence and were solid. Lucas was taking control of our defensive duties which allowed Adam to push and make a few runs up field and cause havoc as an extra man up front. They put their authority down and controlled the game from the back line – playing first time passes to the midfielders and out wide to the wings.

Our ball possession made way for Connor to get his double at 50’ minutes after the Chelsea bought the ball out wide from the right wing and played it into Connors feet… Connor turned and ripped his shot past through the White Star Dandenong goal keeper and through the nets. The Chelsea boys were clearly favourites and wanting to grow the goal difference.

Chelsea FC 3 – White Star Dandenong 1

The game play was working and the Chelsea boys were enjoying their responsibilities - Luke Dalessandro’s 54’ minute run on the left wing showed just how much the game had changed from the first half. Luke followed the ball as it moved forward through the midfield and was presented with the opportunity to be played into the penalty box – a quick one-two pass on the edge of the midfield and Luke ran through the defence and on to the ball and placed it in the bottom left corner.

Chelsea FC 4 – White Star Dandenong 1

It was time for the Seb and Lachy show again – their pace and tiki taka skills were being displayed throughout the game and it was their moment to be rewarded with their efforts. Lachlans runs on the right wings were proving dangerous – Lachlan played him-self through in to the forward half with a quick one-two pass with the midfielders as he ran towards the penalty box. Seb wanted a goal just as much as any other player on the field… Seb continued his run from the left-wing and cut into the penalty box and followed through to Lachlans hard cross in to the front post where Seb latched onto it and slotted it through the White Star Dandenong goal keeper and defenders on the 58’ minute

Chelsea FC 5 – White Star Dandenong 1

Alex – taking in to mind next week’s game against Baxter FC decided to take off McCarthy as he was on a yellow-card and was cautious about being down to 10 men as the referee did not give us a clear penalty when Seb was brought down from the back.

58’ minute - Substitution for Chelsea FC – Alex pushed Connor in to the midfield replacing McCarthy and brought on Travis as the striker to replace Connor.

McCarthy off and Travis on

Travis came on hungry for a goal but could not make the most of his opportunities. The opportunities were there for Chelsea to capitalise on their goal difference but the composure and rushed passes in the final third made it a game of turnovers.

63’ minute - Substitution for Chelsea FC – Alex pushed Luke D to right back and brought on Deni to replace Tom F. as left-back. And replaced Lachlan on the wing with Kurtis.

Tom F. off and Denni on

Lachlan off and Kurtis on

Chelsea FC continued to play their game and it was the left-backs who did exceptionally well with both managing to get their name on the score-card. Their forward runs and one-two passing with the midfielders and strikers put them in scoring positions. It was at the 75’ minute when Deni ran up on the left-wing and rewarded himself with a cracking shot in to the top right corner of the White Star Dandenong goals. It was an absolute pearler!!!!

Kurtis continued from where Lachlan left off and was causing frustration for the White Star Dandenong defenders. He played well with Denni at left-back and pushed up, whipping crosses in to the penalty area for the forwards.

Chelsea FC 6 – White Star Dandenong 1

90’ minute final whistle and Chelsea FC with the 3 points!

It was a victory needed to showcase the players' commitment and belief and continue their winning mentality after four rounds of games. Chelsea currently sit in 3^rd place with a total of 7 points (2W and 1D) and a game in hand due to the BYE system.

Chelsea Football Club’s win over White Star Dandenong FC on Saturday afternoon 23/04/2016 was a morale boost for club, coaches, managers and players. Now we look to start over and plan for the mouth-watering fixture involving the top of the table Baxter FC.

Chelsea Reserves

The game started off by the reserves setting the tone for the day! Our starting 11 was Calum, Rod and Christian, Jack and Daniel, Mattias and Dipper and Nate with our forwards being Jordan, Jimmy and Adam. Its a very strong team team on paper. 

But Chelsea FC had a slow start to the game taking as long as 15’ minutes to settle their nerves and play possession style football. It was our midfielder Nate who took charge in the middle of the park with his forward runs and he started the scoring with a superb strike at the 15’ minute  from outside the 18-yard box to place it in the back of the net.

Chelsea FC 1 – White Star Dandenong 0

Adam had a few digs at goal but couldn’t get his aim on target. Jordan was working well on the wings but his first touches let him down and caused frustration for himself. Jimmy was holding the ball well and playing it out wide and back to the midfielders.

Dipper, as always calm and collected on the ball, worked hard in the midfield. His experience showing through as he took over by letting the ball do the running.

The next half of the game was quiet as the Chelsea boys allowed White Star Dandenong to get possession and have spells in front of goal having one of their shots called offside and disallowed. Alex (Coach) was frustrated as the midfielders were holding the ball for far too long and losing possession. White Star Dandenong regained their confidence but it was again Nate who stepped up to the plate – Nate played his way through to the final third and had the goals in front of him as he placed the ball into the bottom right-corner and put Chelsea FC 2-0 up on the 43’ minute mark.

Chelsea FC 2 – White Star Dandenong 0

The first half ended Chelsea FC 2 – White Star Dandenong 0

The half-time talk by Alex (coach) was a frustrated one: don’t hold the ball on your feet, play it first time out to the wings and follow through your run.

Second half

It felt like Chelsea FC didn’t want to win enough because we let Dandenong White Star into the game by allowing them to score. It was messy defense and its always frustrating to let teams in on our errors or lack of structure. 

Chelsea FC 2 – White Star Dandenong 1

Daniel Vella came on for Jimmy, Adam became the 9 and Daniel Vella played the 7. Daniel Vella had a great game and he was rewarded with a goal at the 67th minute mark. 

Chelsea FC 3 – White Star Dandenong 1

At the 63rd minute mark Lawrence came in for Jordan and immediately had an impact. At the same time Dipper went to Centreback and Christian went to left back. Maurizio came on and he took control of the midfield. AT the 69th minute Aaron came on to replace a tiring Mattias and give us much needed speed. However, it was Lawrence who scored a Goal at the 75 Minute mark when a ball was played through the left wing. A defender tried to clear but was unable to do so and Lawrence pounced on his opportunity by ripping a great shot past the keeper. 

Chelsea FC 4 – White Star Dandenong 1

The score was looking far more respectable now but Chelsea FC were not finished yet when Adam struck a ball from outside the 18 yard box from a free kick. It was the 88  minute mark and the reserves had grafted hard and finished stronger than White Star. We will need to do better next week as we take on the unbeaten Baxter at their home palace!

We want everyone at training Tuesday and Thursday as we go through some new structure drills. 

The Panthers Versus Chelsea.

It was April 9, and the end of the regular season was drawing to a close in the A league. However, things were just getting underway in the FFV winter season as the Chelsea senior teams kicked off their second game of the season against the Casey Panthers.
Alex was in solo charge of the reserves who were sporting a very strong side. The Panthers came out full of running and had a couple of players who were very capable. However, as the Chelsea boys got into a rhythm, the defense started to control the game. With Calum, Rod, Lucas taking care of anything central, Jack and Daniel made repeated runs up the outside to put the ball into scoring positions. Maurizio and Mattias were sharing possession in the middle with Christian and we locked up the ball in our attacking third. With three quality strikers up front, the dividends came thick and fast. The first goal was scored by big Jimmy H and he was soon joined in the foray by Adam Alford. Jordan was also running well and the ball was put into the key area many many times in the half. We witnessed some great goals including an absolute cracker by Maurizio which deserved to be on video replay such was the quality. Players dream of that kind of shot!
The Panthers had no answer and before 20 minutes of the game had passed, we had scored 4 goals to zero. Everyone from defense was playing well and the panthers were shell-shocked. However, we became a little complacent after four goals went in, as individuals started to stop playing team football and started to try to do things on their own, or folks just started to run in 3rd gear.
We had many many real great chances but disappointingly came away at the half with only 6-0 being the score. The game was over but we asked for more intensity.
Alex directed the boys to play more as a team and be more clinical up front. Chelsea continued to dominate the game in the second half as the game pulled out to 10 goals before we somehow allowed Casey to score a goal. We still need to play better as we will come up against some top teams. 10-1 seems a domination but there is so much more there for improvement.
Goalscorers were as follows - Adam Alford, Jimmy H, Maurizio, .....???
The senior squad for this week had two new inclusions in Deni and Dale - with Matty Kurta missing with a bad ankle sprain.
Casey started well and had some extremely good players who could hold the ball well and they almost got through a couple of times. We had some great efforts to get the ball into the net but it seemed as if we were going to have the same problem as last week when we just could not score.
We hit a crossbar and shot wide. Finally Luke Dal, playing at left back, made a terrific run down the wing and launched a great cross which was beautifully headed home by captain Michael McCarthy! We hoped that this would signal the start of more goals and before long Luke Dal was at it again, running the ball beautifully down and seemingly untouched got near the 18 before passing the ball to Seb who put through our second.When Seb scores, he has to be the most excited player I have ever seen.
We had deserved to be further in front, but as we got to a 2-0 lead the sharpness went out of our game. For the second week in a row we gave the opposition a goal that clearly was a simple clearance. Two weeks in a row!The opposition scoring seemed to rattle us and we started getting desperate and cleared the ball with no structure. We looked tired and jaded and I think folks were happy for the half time whistle.
I was not happy. We were steaming along nicely only to kill our own momentum again. I ripped into some folks at the half, and to their credit the players came out and lifted their play. The midfield became more dominant with Dale and Tucci doing a great job. Tom F and Lachy were really starting to impose themselves on the game. Having such pace around the game was great. We made some changes with Curtis and Deni coming in and having the extra speed up front made us far more dangerous. We started to ambush Casey and with Adam K, Tom F and Curtis playing strongly in defense we decided to add Luke P to settle the defense down and lead with his experience. McCarthy and Lachy and Tucci were being brilliant as we shifted Connor to the 9. He missed some easy opportunities but also managed to give Deni a couple of great chances.
Dale showed absolute class and put through two goals as Deni neatly finished two as well. We missed a number of 1 V 1s and the score could have been 8 or 9 but we had to settle for a 6-1 score. I felt the team gelled better in the last 30 minutes as we completely over ran the panthers. They had little answers for a Chelsea team which is playing better each time they get out on the park. Best players were Luke D, Tucci, Dale, Michael Mc, Tom Flavelle, Adam K and Lachy. Goals - Dale 2, Deni 2, Michael 1 and Seb 1.

Welcome to 2016 Chelsea FC Seniors Blog

The first game for the 2016 season is done and dusted and the results were mixed. After a tight first half, the Chelsea Reserves overcame a slow sluggish start to completely over run Old Mentonians in the second half at a game played at Kingston Heath. We seemed to have problems with the artificial surface and, at first, our structure was all wrong. At the half, we made some changes both with personnel and positions and this seemed to do the trick. We could not start two of our players due to not being registered properly and this is unforgivable.
We looked at sea in the first half, but after a half time roasting the boys came out and played with purpose. The passing improved and as a result we held possession far more and put OM under a lot of pressure. Adam Alford scored a good goal placing it past the keeper, and that goal was followed by a great team goal that ended up being put in by Dale Scmidt. The third goal was excellent too - an L1 - which was placed beautifully by Nate Fogarty. We had some other close shaves but won convincingly by a score of 3-0. Best players were Lucas Tobar, Dale Schmidt, Maurizio, James the keeper, Rod and Jack Kearney. Lawrence played a strong second half and when Aaron went on he fought hard alongside of Adam. Mattias insured a bit of class and composure and all contributed for a strong second half.
The seniors for this week were pumped for their first game and we completely dominated the first half. It was 13 shots at goal compared to two in the first half but we could not score - crossbars, uprights, just over or just scuffing the ball and not getting a good shot on. Literally, we could have been 5-0 up at the half. Our defense was excellent creating many opportunities but it was absolutely frustrating. We made the keeper look like a champion and at the half we were deadlocked at 0-0. Luke Dal, Connor Lewis, Adam K were all dominating defense, and Tucci, Tom F, Seb, Lachy, Matty K, Michael M and Travis were getting plenty of the ball - but we were spraying shots in desperation. We possessed the ball well but just could not get the ball in the back of the net. Clearly we were not playing as a team up front, but instead we were trying to win it off individual boots. There were many times we had the ability to make a simple pass to make the shot easier but failed to take that opportunity. There were plenty of times when we could have taken half a second to set ourselves but we just threw the boot at it. We had opportunity to score but on many occasions had a poor touch at the critical moment.
I was obviously frustrated and at the half we made some changes and demands. The wind had really picked up and was favouring OM and our job was going to be difficult. We still possessed the ball well but our passes were starting to slip - however we still had the ball more than OM. Then an unfortunate mistake - a really poor pass directly to an OM player in front of goal and they - unlike us - made the most of their only serious chance! They were 1-0 up and it was robbery!
OM started to slow the game, waste time, make slow changes, and we looked as if we had been slapped in the face.Things looked bleak and it was deadly quiet on the pitch.
With 15 minutes to go we started to lift - led by Tucci in the middle who was the only one I could hear talking and encouraging, and he was getting assistance from Lachy, Kurtis, and Luke outside. We moved Connor up to striker as we sought a person who would control the ball and set himself. With about 12 minutes left,  Tucci threaded the ball outside, as his toughness really shone through, and he found Connor on a cross - he took his time, settled and blasted the ball past the keeper to score. It was 1-1.

We finally picked up belief and shook off the frustration. The relief of scoring made everyone dig deep and OM were on their heels. We lost Luke D with an injury so we were reduced to 10 men for the last 10 minutes as Luke P took charge in a three back D - but we kept swarming OM. We played some great possession football, making passes and redirecting. With about 1 minute left we had a brilliant opportunity via Matty K who won a hard ball and ran past two players to be 1 V 1 with the keeper. He shot but the keeper made a top save and then Matty tried to chip the keeper off the rebound only to see the keeper jump up and tip it over the bar.
The whistle blew and we had to settle for a 1-1 draw. We had played all over them but walked away disappointed. That is the game - that is the beauty of it.
Best players for Chelsea were Tucci, Luke D, Connor L, Matty K
We need to rebound this week. We need to all be at training and support each other. We may have two injuries but we hope those guys recover quickly.
To all players - each week over the course of season we will give every player votes out of 20. The highest cumulative average vote getter will be the Best and Fairest.

Finally, I must say this clearly!

If you perform in the reserves, you will be given opportunity in the firsts - this is reality everywhere in all sports. In the past, Chelsea seniors, have had a bit of a slack attitude because we have not had depth. It was an attitude that really hurt the progress of the team and the club. This year, we have depth and on Saturday, I believe, I put on the park, the strongest team Chelsea FC has ever fielded. We have lost Santi all year and Deni did not even get to play. We still had a very strong team and in the reserves two folks played standout games. We need every reserves player to try their hardest to get into the firsts - put pressure on the firsts team to perform. Everytime you step out onto the park play with COMMITMENT.
That is the attitude we want from ALL players - regardless of where you play - give 100%. Dont think  or say that you are better than other players - SHOW it! Dont get disappointed - get more determined!
Go Chelsea FC! Here are some pictures from Saturday. I would love each team to get a photographer taking shots each week. Let me know if you can assist.