With Christmas approaching, the games become a bit more thin on the ground.
The last grassroots game before the Christmas break was away against the top of the league. But, for the morning before that, a friendly had been squeezed in for the City Schools team. As it was a friendly (instead of a handful of players missing out due to squad rotation) the whole squad were involved. The other keeper was unable to get there for the kick off time, so laddo was asked to play the first half.
The fixture was arranged to be played at our home ground, so him playing half the game, as opposed to the usual setup of the two keepers playing a full game each, didn’t seem too bad. We got there in plenty of time, with him looking smart in his trousers, shoes, shirt and tie. As I parked the car, it started spitting with rain. A cold, December morning with rain falling – perfect weather for keepers…
I was talking to a few of the other dads as the lads warmed up. Just the usual stuff – asking if they’d got a game tomorrow? who against? I looked across to where the lads were warming up. The keeper looked frozen to the bone (as the lads ‘warming him up’ smashed balls past him into the top corners). We made our way round the edge of the pitch to the side line as they got ready to kick off.
As tends to be the way, our lads were kicking towards the top goal in the first half. There’s a very slight slope up towards the top goal but today, kicking uphill wouldn’t be my lad’s main worry. The wind and rain were blowing straight down the pitch and into his face. The conditions were the sort where the opposition will have been told to shoot whenever they had chance. The wind assisted shots combined with the cold and wet, had the potential to make the keeper’s morning a busy one.
Straight from kick off, the opposition were on the front foot. They looked more up for it and were winning most of the loose balls. They were also keeping possession better than the hosts. Our lads gradually grew into the game but their keeper was a bystander. Our’s though, was being kept busy.
To start with, most of his involvement was communicating with his defenders, defending corners and taking goal kicks. Surprisingly, the opposition were trying to work shooting opportunities inside the box but thankfully the defence were holding firm, putting tackles in and blocking shots. As the minutes went by and without having troubled the keeper too much, they began to try their luck more and more from outside the area.
The opposition were given a free kick just inside our half. Apart from the taker, one defender and their keeper, all their lads were just outside our area. The taker hit it long and high towards the box. The wind caught hold of it. A couple of our lads dropped a few yards deeper. One of them swung a boot to half volley it clear but it zipped off the wet surface and he only managed to slice it towards goal. The keeper took a quick step to his left and then he flung himself. He got a hand on the ball and it changed direction. It flew up and hit the cross bar. It showed really quick reactions. To get to the ball was good but to keep it out was amazing.
They kept pressing. Another effort bounced just in front of him. He’d got his body behind the ball but couldn’t hold it. An attacker had done his job and followed it in. My lad managed to get himself half to his feet and narrow the gap between himself and the ball and spread himself, as the attacked connected. The spread was textbook and the ball bounced away to safety.
After holding them off until now, our lads had two decent attacks and all of a sudden we were winning 2-0. They got a goal back that he thought he should have done better with but was beaten by the pace of the ball after a snowstorm had given the pitch even more of a soaking. Another goal to the home team shortly afterwards made it 3-1 at half time. He’d done his bit.
Apart from his saves, his kicking both out of his hands and dead balls (into the wind) had been very good. In general, a very good half of football for him.
Bizarrely, in the second half the wind dropped and the sun came out. Our lads added another 5 goals without reply in the second half. Another time, I’m sure their keeper would have done better with a few of our goals but on this particular day, he suffered. I don’t know the lad but I felt for him. It was one of those days where everything went for our forwards – and went against him. To be part of the goalkeeper’s union is to know how he felt. We’ve all been there at one time or another.
As we made our way home in the car, my lad said at one point the other keeper had been in tears. He told me without any kind of mocking or smirk on his face. Like I said, we’ve all been there.
The following day’s grassroots game came round, away at the league leaders. Having already played them once and drawn 2-2, we fancied our chances of getting a win and closing the gap on them. Unfortunately, that morning three of our lads had a sickness bug, so we only had one sub. Two of the unavailable lads were the captain and one of his stand ins. The manager decided to give the keeper the armband. He’s only ever been captain twice before, both with his previous team.
The game was fairly scrappy from start to finish. The captain dealt well with some high balls in the first half and apart from us going 1-0 up and having a blatant penalty turned down, there wasn’t much to talk about. That is, I didn’t hear the other thing that happened during the first half. I was told about it after the match. If I’d heard it during the game, I think I’d have reacted.
One of my lad’s goal kicks wasn’t the best. It still went about 30 yards and it still went to one of our lads. But one of the opposition parents or supporters jumped on it. Apparently the bloke in question was very vocal on more than one occasion about the fact that he thought the keeper couldn’t kick a ball. As I said, I never heard him criticising my lad but I’m also hard pushed to remember any one time in the past where any parent, from either team, has singled out a player to verbally criticise them.
I know some supporters who watch professionals play, think that because they’ve paid their hard earned money for the privilege, it gives them the right to shout anything they want at whoever they want. Whatever your view on that, it’s a bit different to trying to unnerve an u14’s keeper who’s playing his football for enjoyment.
As it turned out, the goal kick in question was his worst of the game. I actually thought how well he’d done with his kicks on a heavy pitch. The majority of his kicks where he was going for distance were reaching the centre circle. Both the opposition keepers’ (they had a different keeper in each half) kicking was weaker than my lad but at no point did it cross my mind to shout about it. That’s for our forwards to realise and to capitalise on.
The second half was in contrast to the first. Their lads looked more up for it than ours. They kept the ball better than us and we continued to give away too many needless corners. From one of these corners they equalised. My lad shouted, came for the ball and under pressure, instead of claiming it as he quite often does, he opted to punch. Instead of a firm contact to take the ball away from danger, he only managed a glancing blow to take it towards his own goal. Immediately, he stood there (as the home team celebrated around him) looking dejected, as if he wanted the ground to swallow him up.
Again, we’ve all been there.
Captain for the day and up until that point, dependable, vocal and reliable. Now he, and the rest of the team needed to steady the ship. For the next few minutes they needed to be solid, keep possession and take the sting out of the game. The keeper needed time to come round more than any of them. As it turned out, about 90 seconds later they were trailing 2-1. Nobody wanted the ball, all scared to make a mistake. Every pass was sideways or backwards, inviting the opposition on.
Deep down I don’t know whether the comments had any effect on my lad or contributed to his mistake – they won’t have helped. As the game went on, their confidence came back a little and they looked a bit more like their usual selves, the keeper included.
I’m sure the bloke who was criticising him will have gone away pleased with his morning’s work, happy in the knowledge that he might have played a small part in their team’s victory with no thought for the lad he was singling out. As that lad gets older, playing in the most difficult position on the pitch, needing the most mental strength out of all his team mates, it’ll probably only get worse. For him and for us.
The rest of the day neither his Mum or me could settle.
We know how good a goalie he is and the example of the previous day when he told me about the other keeper being in tears, just proved (if proof were needed) what his character is like. During the following week he had training for the County Schools team and if selected, one final game before Christmas, again for the County Schools team. (For the record, he did play). I’d like to bet the bloke in question never got close to the standard that my lad’s playing at.
If the comments happen again, who knows if I’ll be able to ignore it? But one thing’s for sure, in my lad, I’ll keep the faith.
Keeper of the faith 