2008/2009 season

Noticeboard

The noticeboard consists of the home page updates where news, updates and announcements are posted.

 

July 21 2009

Congratulations to Juaniche Wanderers who, on the very last game of the season, completed the treble as they defeated Crestwood Church FC 6-0 in the final of the David Bloor Memorial Trophy. The website is now completed for the season and so this will be the last entry, and the new season's site will now become the focus. This will remain though in the archives, so it's there for posterity!

The trophy presentation information is now ready to access via the link on this page, so it's important that everyone has a look at that. The trophies will be ordered on Friday July 24 so any additions, alterations etc need to be with us by the Thursday.

All the very best to everyone that is in for the new season and we hope to see as many as possible for the presentation night in August.

July 14 2009

With all league games now completed we are winding down the season with the DBMT competition. But the teams still involved in the competition are doing anything but take it easy, and in the second semi-final it was a game that saw Crestwood Church FC rise to the occasion. In spite of the form book suggesting a win for St Matthew's Ravens (1 defeat in 20) it didn't go to plan.

A brace for Peter Madge took his total for the season to 59, but Crestwood's Craig Littley hit a hat-trick, which when backed up by a brace from Josh Owen and a goal from their man of the match Chris Jones, saw the final score as 6-2 to Crestwood. They now take on Juaniche Wanderers in the final next week, with Juaniche hoping to complete the treble.

 

July 7 2009

We are still waiting for the final votes to come in for the Fair Play Award. If the following teams could submit their votes asap, that would be appreciated: Juaniche Wanderers, Kingsway Lions and Marsh Lane CFC. It makes the organisational side of things so much harder when we have to keep chasing teams. In this case it's a simple e-mail that will take all of one minute to send!

We are still way below the minimum number of tickets that we need to sell to ensure that the presentation evening goes ahead. The date at which we need to make a decision whether to go ahead or cancel is this coming Monday (July 13). If the figure has not been reached, there will not be a presentation. So if you intend to be there, act now! It would be a shame to have no end-of-season event.

Finally, the football! In the last league game of the season, Crestwood Church FC failed to get the win they needed against Crestwood Cobras to secure the mini-league. With the game 0-0 right until the end, three goals scored went in the Cobras' favour and they ran out 2-1 winners. The result means that Kingsway Lions win the mini-league, so congratulations to them. In spite of being in the league since season two, this is actually their first honour.

June 30 2009

We are still waiting for 5 teams to vote for the Fair Play Award - Crestwood Cobras, Hilly House Adecco, Juaniche Wanderers, Kingsway Lions and Marsh Lane CFC. We need votes in from you as soon as possible please. It makes life harder when we have to keep chasing information. Also, the new season's website is now in full swing yet it's amazing how many team officials haven't even checked it yet - even though fixtures start next week!

Anyway, this week's football! Well done to St Matthew's Ravens who clinched second place with a convincing 6-2 victory against AFC Fatherless Barn. They are on a roll at the moment and will be looking forward to the new campaign, but in the meantime they also have the DBMT to play for.

Crestwood Cobras also hit 6 in their game with Marsh Lane CFC. And it's all set up for the very last league game of the season when they take on stable mates Crestwood Church FC in a game that the latter need to win to clinch the mini-league. They could have done it this week but in spite of a decent performance against Brandhall & Quinton FC, they lost 2-4.

An update on the presentation evening is that 16 tickets have gone. An improvement on last week's 4, but still short of the required 75 to ensure the event goes ahead!

June 23 2009

As the season draws to a close there are invariably lots of notices and announcements that will have to be made. Firstly, we need votes for the Fair Play Award trophy (details in last week's update which can be found on the noticeboard). In spite of it being on here for a week, only 1 team responded. We also need to reinforce the need to get tickets before the July deadline date so that the presentation can go ahead. And regarding trophies all teams will need to clear fines before the order is placed (details will be published soon). And finally the 2009/2010 site is now being updated regularly so keep checking that out.

And now for this week's football! St Matthew's Ravens are looking good for runners-up after they raised their game in the second half against Brandhall & quinton FC. A last minute winner from Peter Madge puts them in second place, replacing Tipton Family Church FC. But they both have identical goal differences (39) and should the Ravens lose in their final match, then Tipton will finish runners-up.

Kingsway Lions roared to the top of the mini-league as they hit the goal trail in their fixture with AFC Fatherless Barn, while there's no stopping Juaniche Wanderers, who ended the season in style as they left Hilly House Adecco reeling. This coming Monday sees most of the league fixtures completed, while The Summer Cup starts the week after!

June 17 2009

As we approach the end of the season there are several announcements to be made. Firstly we need votes for the Fair Play Award trophy. This is awarded to the team that gets the highest number. Each team is allowed 3 others to vote for and mark them out of 10, taking into account sportsmanship, attitude, language and conduct towards the referee. We need these in as soon as possible, so if you run a team can you send your votes to Stewart Bloor.

Secondly, although the announcement has been out a couple of weeks, we've only sold 2 tickets for the end-of-season presentation. Previous ones haven't been as well attended as we'd like and what generally happens is that people winning trophies come and those that haven't won anything don't. Therefore we need to either a) make it a viable event that people will attend in decent numbers or b) knock it on the head. We may then have no trophies at all, or if we do, teams can collect them boxed up and hand them out themselves.

Personally I think it would be a great shame to not have a presentation or have no trophies to play for, but at the end of the day you can't flog a dead 'oss! So it's up to you - and remember, you may not have trophies this year but you might next season or in the future. So that we all know where we are, a deadline has been set of 75 tickets minimum by July 13. In the event that we have to cancel, all ticket money will be returned.

Thirdly, the 2009/2010 season website has been running for a few weeks now so if you're entered in for the new season it's worthwhile getting into the habit of checking that. And finally, in this week's fixtures, St Matthew's Ravens got it right second time round as they hit AFC Fatherless Barn for 6 to storm into the DBMT semi-final. Whoever does get to the final itself will be up against Juaniche Wanderers, who narrowly beat Brandhall & Quinton FC 4-3. The only league game of the week saw Hilly House Adecco defeat Marsh Lane CFC 4-1.

June 9 2009

The league continues to provide us with twists and turns all the way, as Tipton Family Church's failure to beat Hilly House Adecco in their final game of the season gives St Matthew's Ravens the upper hand in the battle for second place. It was a close game and a last minute winner from Hilly House denied TFC the benefit of even a point to add to their tally. In the other game, Brandhall & Quinton FC ran out convincing winners against Marsh Lane CFC 4-1, helped along by a hat-trick from Ben Fowler.

The end-of-season presentation date has been set (see details elsewhere on the home page). It's important that we get a good turn-out, otherwise if these events aren't well supported, in future people will have to collect trophies in a box and distribute them themselves - and that's not really what we want. So even if you aren't collecting a trophy this time round, you might be next year! We've set tickets at just 50p so get them now. We will have them with us at the Leisure Centre every Monday evening. And don't leave it till the last minute or pay-on-the-door. We want to make sure that we have a good turn out well in advance, otherwise we will have no alternative but to cancel the event. And bring a friend or a WAG!

The website for next season is developing all the while, so take the time to check that out. We can't stress enough the importance of team officials in particular visiting the site and also the team officials forum that exists. With 12 teams in next time round, we will have to be even more on the ball from an administrative point of view. Teams that are not organised off the pitch will definitely fall behind - and we don't want that to happen at all.

And finally, if you're on facebook, add me as a friend. I often post SICM Sevens messages on there, so it's just another way to keep in touch and be aware of everything that is going on.

Stewart Bloor

June 2 2009

Although we are in the final weeks of the season, there is still plenty to play for. Second spot is wide open and both challenging teams now have their destiny in their own hands. Tipton Family Church FC's failure to beat Crestwood Cobras, as they drew 2-2, meant that a lifeline was handed to St Matthew's Ravens.

With their fixture being 0-0 at the break, it was going to be tense as the Ravens could not settle for anything less than a win. But they pushed on and a 2-1 victory gives them a good chance of becoming runners-up, which in their first season would be a fantastic achievement. The third match was also very close as AFC Fatherless Barn and Marsh Lane CFC shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw.

Don't forget to check next season's website, as that is being developed as we add more teams for the coming campaign. And a date will be announced very shortly for the end-of-season presentation.

May 20 2009

There was just the one league game this week, with Brandhall & Quinton FC beating Kingsway Lions 5-1. The result helps Crestwood Church FC in their attempt to win the mini-league. And their good end to the season continued as they edged past Tipton Family Church FC 3-2 in their DBMT quarter-final game. After suffering at the hands of Tipton for so long in key games, the Crestwood lads will certainly bask in the sunshine of the win.

Joining them in the draw will be Juaniche Wanderers who crushed Crestwood Cobras 9-0. Top scorer of the week, Andy King, hit the net three times. Juaniche are on target for the double, having already won the league title.

St Matthew's Ravens and AFC Fatherless Barn are going to a replay as they drew 1-1. The Barn equalised with a free kick, which was literally the last action of the game. The draw for the semi-final will be made over the weekend and put on YouTube.

The website for 2009 / 2010 is now taking shape. The deadline for entries for current teams has now expired and so it's open to all. As it happens, several of the present teams have until June 1 to get their entries in, plus a couple of new teams have either applied or are on the list. If they all come through, it means we have just one place remaining.

 

May 12 2009

Whilst the title is in Juaniche Wanderers' bag, the race for second place is still very open. Both teams chasing the honour scored five goals to keep the pressure on the other this week. Tipton Family Church FC beat AFC Fatherless Barn 5-3 while St Matthew's Ravens continued their excellent run of form by defeating Crestwood Church FC 5-1.

The defeat for Crestwood, combined with Kingsway LIons' victory over Marsh Lane CFC means that the mini-league is also a two-horse race and could go either way. As with the league, whoever does get their nose in front come the end of the season will have deservedly done so.

Brandhall & Quinton FC became the first semi-finalists in the DBMT as they edged through 4-2 in their match with Hilly House Adecco.

Deadline date looms ever closer for current teams to apply for entry to next season's campaign. At the time of writing (May 12) we have had four applications, but once we hit May 18 it will be open to allcomers on a strictly first-come, first-served basis. There will be a maximum of 12 teams, and there are 2 already on the 'promised' list.

May 6 2009

In a cracking game on Tuesday evening, Tipton Family Church soaked up the pressure from Brandhall & Quinton FC, eventually running out 2-0 winners. TFC are now firmly in the driving seat for second spot, but there are still plenty of twists and turns, that's for sure.

But there's no such indecision as far as the league title is concerned, as Juaniche Wanderers mathematically sealed the crown as they came from behind to beat Crestwood Church FC 7-2. Well done Juaniche, with 20 wins out of 25 games you deserve it.

The new website for the 2009/2010 season has been launched and you can access that from this homepage. Current teams have until May 18 to guarantee their place, after that it will be first-come first-served. Fines also need to be cleared before we can even consider applications.

Also next season, due to Tuesday limitations, there will definitely be restrictions on competitions that teams can play in if they cannot do Tuesdays. This will depend on who enters and eligibility, but to ensure entry into all three will require at least one Tuesday a month.

April 29 2009

Tipton Family Church FC are still in the driving seat for second place, as they beat a very determined Hilly House Adecco 2-1. In a close game, Hilly House will feel disappointed that they ended up with no points, but also encouraged that the magic that won them the title a few season's back hasn't deserted them.

St Matthew's Ravens are determined to push TFC all the way though, as they hit seven goals past Kingsway Lions to keep the pressure on the boys in green. But the title is all but won as Juaniche Wanderers now need just 2 points to clinch their second championship. They only scraped through though, 5-4 versus AFC Fatherless Barn.

Brandhall & Quinton FC are looking out of the race for second spot as they drew 2-2 with Crestwood Church FC, while in the other game Marsh Lane got a win to end a dismal run of results as they defeated Crestwood Cobras 5-3.

Well done to the Sevens' goal machines - Ryan Southall and Pete Madge - who both found the net four times this week. The new website for the 2009/2010 season has been launched and you can access that from this homepage. Current teams have until May 18 to guarantee their place, after that it will be first-come first-served. Fines also need to be cleared before we can even consider applications.

Also next season, due to Tuesday limitations, there will definitely be restrictions on competitions that teams can play in if they cannot do Tuesdays. This will depend on who enters and eligibility, but to ensure entry into all three will require at least one Tuesday a month.

April 22 2009

The race for second place proved interesting this week. Brandhall & Quinton FC lost ground as they conceded the points to Hilly House Adecco, who themselves move into 6th place in the table.

But the other two teams contesting the runners-up position - St Matthew's Ravens and Tipton Family Church FC - both won convincingly, scoring 8 goals each in the process. And for a period of 24 hours until TFC played on the Tuesday, the Ravens occupied number two slot.

At the other end of the table, Crestwood Church FC beat Kingsway Lions 3-0 to leapfrog them in the mini-league table. The final game of the week saw the conclusion of the DBMT group games. The narrow 4-3 Juaniche Wanderers over AFC Fatherless Barn saw them head the group. The result means that the quarter-finals are now sorted and the fixtures have been published to the list.

And finally, congratulations this week to Matt Hickman, who scored 6 of the Ravens goals in their 8-1 win. Other big scorers were Craig Eccleston who got 4 in TFC's victory and Edward Ross who hit a hat-trick for the Barn.

April 15 2009

A cancelled game this week, plus the Bank Holiday Monday, meant that we ended up with just one fixture played. Having wobbled in recent weeks, Tipton Family Church FC put in a battling performance to get the points from an equally determined Crestwood Church FC.

Although the game ended 3-1, it was a lot closer than the score suggests and with the second half being 2-1 for a long period of time, it could have gone either way. But full credit to both teams who gave their all in search of the three points.

We are three weeks behind due to the snow bound winter we have just come through, and so instead of finishing in May, it will be June before we are all done and dusted. In the meantime information will be released for entry into the 2009/2010 season, so team officials it's important that you keep in touch with stuff via the forum that exists for you.

April 8 2009

The finishing line is just one win away as Juaniche Wanderers continued their excellent run of results as Brandhall & Quinton FC became their latest victims. Although the chasing pack have games in hand, Juaniche have a massive 19 point lead and assuming others win every one of their remaining matches, all Juaniche need is 3 points from 5 games.

It all looks very interesting in the chase for runners-up though, as just 2 points separate 3 teams, as you can see from the league table. But with football being full of twists and turns, it would be a brave man that would make predictions at this stage.

Well done to AFC Fatherless Barn, who confirmed their qualification for the knock-out stages of the DBMT, as they edged through 1-0 in their group stage match with Tipton Family Church FC. The May fixture list will be developed as we know the final placings. Ordinarily we would have had everything wrapped up by the end of May, but due to 3 weeks of cancelled games because of snow, that has extended things into June.

April 1 2009

***** IMPORTANT NOTICE*****

It has just been brought to our attention that Juaniche Wanderers have been fielding 2 players that never signed their registration sheets. Although they filled them in, they were never signed, which means that according to the rules, each game means a 1 point deduction. Unfortunately this comes to a total of 17 games, but rules are rules. As some are cup games it also means that The Summer Cup will have to be looked at as well. The tables will be updated beyond the normal updates that take place today. We'll keep you informed. If you need to make contact do so here e-mail.

**********

*Noon update*

No names mentioned but quite a number of you forgot to look at today's date!

***********

The title race is all but over now as Juaniche Wanderers beat Tipton Family Church FC on Tuesday evening. Although it is still mathematically possible that they will be caught, it is highly unlikely. But the challenge for second spot is definitely heating up. With Tipton losing 3 out of the last 4 league games, Brandhall & Quinton FC are now favourites to finish behind Juaniche. But they left it late in their game with AFC Fatherless Barn, losing 1-0 with 10 minutes to go, before finding the net 3 times to clinch the points.

Also in the pot is St Matthew's Ravens who are currently enjoying good form. In Liam Watkins, Peter Madge and Matthew Hickman they had three hat-trick heros as they soundly defeated Marsh Lane CFC. It looks like being an exciting run-in to the end of the season.

And the mini-league also looks very open and competitive. Crestwood Church FC dropped to second as they slumped to Hilly House Adecco, whilst Kingsway Lions took pole position courtesy of a win in their fixture with Crestwood Cobras.

March 25 2009

Juaniche Wanderers look certain to take their 2nd league title, as a 17-2 victory over Marsh Lane CFC gives them a massive 13 point lead at the top with just 8 games to go. The goal machines Ryan Southall and Danny Knight found the net 8 and 7 times respectively.

Tipton Family Church FC are back in second spot after a 4-2 Tuesday win over Kingsway Lions. The Lions played better than they have done in recent weeks and will be disappointed to suffer another defeat. But if they continue to play well, then the mini-league is going to be a very realistic target.

Heading up that though at the moment is Crestwood Church FC, who put an end to the run of good results enjoyed by AFC Fatherless Barn. Crestwood ran out 5-1 winners. Crestwood Cobras, on the other hand, again failed to spark as they went down 3-1 to Hilly House Adecco. In the only DBMT game of the week, a 1-1 draw between Brandhall & Quinton FC and St Matthew's Ravens saw the former as Group A winners.

 

March 18 2009

Juaniche Wanderers qualified for the DBMT quarter-finals with a convincing 12-2 win over Marsh Lane CFC. The group is an interesting one in the sense that with just 3 games to go it's still very open. AFC Fatherless Barn, currently in 3rd spot, can win the group or they can finish bottom and fail to qualify. They can also lose both of their matches and still make it. Sounds confusing? Check the table and it will make sense.

St Matthew's Ravens went 2-0 up, were pegged back to 2-2 and then hit a late winner in their game with Tipton Family Church FC. That's two league defeats on the trot now for TFC. But it puts the Ravens back in the race for runners-up.

Brandhall & Quinton FC scored 10 in their DBMT match with Crestwood Church FC, which gives them a head-to-head this coming week with the Ravens. It's winner takes all, with the group winners as the prize. One of the most improved teams in recent weeks has to be AFC Fatherless Barn and they put in another good performance as they drew 1-1 with Crestwood Cobra.

Information will be published soon concerning next season. One of the things we are going to address though is the absolute importance of those running teams to take their responsibility seriously. All teams from now on will have to apply as opposed to the past where they have just entered. Things such as communication, organisation, keeping up to date with fines, ensuring correct kit and so on are not optional extras.

March 11 2009

Brandhall & Quinton made it a hat-trick by adding Crestwood Cobras to the list, as they defeated the top three teams in consecutive weeks. The win also sees them move into second spot in the league. Although it's only on goal difference, and Tipton Family Church FC have a game in hand, it's still a psychological boost for B&Q. They are certainly the in-form team at the moment and whilst the title is probably beyond them, they will certainly fancy their chances at ending their first season in second place.

But with a big league once more restored, it's going to be hard to catch Juaniche Wanderers. A convincing 13-0 victory over Kingsway Lions puts them 13 points ahead of the nearest challengers. But don't discount Tipton Family Church FC, who with 2 games in hand, can narrow the gap to 7 points.

This week TFC were in action against Hilly House Adecco in the DBMT, and became the first team from group b to qualify for the last 8, courtesy of a 3-0 win. Combined with an excellent 3-1 victory for AFC Fatherless Barn versus Marsh Lane CFC, the other 3 qualifying places are wide open. All 4 chasing teams have the same number of points so it looks like being a really exciting finish in that group.

The other group was all done and dusted a couple of weeks back though, as Kingsway Lions lost all 4 of their games. But there's still position to play for though, plus the seeded draw in the first stage of the knockout games. St Matthew's Ravens head the group on 9 point as they inflicted the first defeat on Crestwood Church FC.

 

March 4 2009

After defeating league leaders Juaniche Wanderers last week, Brandhall & Quinton beat second placed Tipton Family Church FC this time round. The two victories have really opened up the challenge for second place in the table, with four teams having a realistic chance of snatching the runners-up spot. And having said that, the title isn't won yet, although Juaniche's ten point lead does give them a very strong hand.

After a wobbly spell, Juaniche hit Hilly House for six as they regained the confidence that they had early on in the season. A Danny Knight hat-trick takes him to 33 goals for the season so far. But the leading goalscorer this week was Craig Beresford of St Matthew's Ravens, who doubled his previous tally of 5 to make it 10 for the campaign.

His goals came in the DBMT group a match versus Kingsway Lions and the 6-2 victory puts the Ravens at the head of the group. The other game of the week saw Marsh Lane CFC and Crestwood Church FC share the points in a 2-2 draw.

February 25 2009

They have been playing well in recent weeks, so it shouldn't be that much of a shock, but it was enough to definitely get the result of the week accolade, as Brandhall & Quinton beat league leaders Juaniche Wanderers 4-1. The result opens up the title race once more, and in addition it puts Brandhall back into the mix. With a third of the season still to go, it's looking like being an exciting finish.

Tipton Family Church FC played in their new kit for the first time, and although 13 is considered and unlucky number, there was nothing negative about the result as they demolished a 5 man Marsh Lane CFC 13-1. It was a DBMT game and the result puts TFC at the head of the group with 4 points from their opening 2 games. The Tipton victory included hat-tricks for Jez Jeavons, Craig Eccleston and Craig Donaldson.

Another team that has been playing well of late has been AFC Fatherless Barn, and it was only a last minute goal that stopped them from grabbing all 3 points in their game with Hilly House Adecco. The late goal saw the match end 3-3. The final two games were DBMT and a defeat for Kingsway Lions versus Crestwood Church FC sees them fail to qualify for the knockout stage, with the other 4 teams now only playing for position in the group. Crestwood Cobras lost 3-5 to St Matthew's Ravens with Matthew Hickman netting 3 times for the Ravens.

Check out the facebook group, there's an interesting thread called 'Best set of players'. We're up to 60 members in the group, so if you're associated with the Sevens in any way and not on there, why not join in? It would be great to see you.

February 18 2009

After two weeks of cancelled games due to the weather, we finally get back on track. Although the snow has gone from the area, there was still a considerable amount at the leisure centre on Monday this week. Fortunately though it was behind the goals and the playing area was not affected. You can see the snow on the video of this week's games.

All four results this week saw the winning teams enter 5 goals. We say enter, because Tipton Family Church FC didn't actually play, but gained the win courtesy of Marsh Lane CFC forfeiting yet again. It's not ideal and understandably chasing teams feel aggrieved when their rivals get automatic wins from games that would otherwise go either way. But it is a situation that is in hand and being dealt with.

A couple of shocks looked on the cards as Crestwood Church FC led Juaniche Wanderers 2-0 and AFC Fatherless Barn were ahead 3-1 in their game with St Matthew's Ravens. But both teams came back and got the points. The other game was more straightforward though as Brandhall & Quinton beat Kingsway Lions 5-0. It's still quite open at the top, certainly as far as runners-up spot is concerned with four teams still in with a good chance.

In spite of reminders over the past month, several teams are still in arrears. All the details are on the team officials forum. As we hit the 2/3 stage of the league, details will be released soon for next season, and so it's important that people take time to do more than just turn up, play and fill out a match sheet, otherwise you'll get left behind.

January 29 2009

We're starting this week's update with another reminder to teams to clear fines. Even if it's only a small amount each week, it's a step in the right direction. The three teams that are at the top of the outstanding league are Marsh Lane CFC, Juaniche Wanderers and Kingsway Lions, and details can be found in the team officials forum, which is updated every week.

It's difficult to choose a result of the week, but Kingsway Lions' convincing 7-0 defeat of Crestwood Church FC must be one of the contenders. Kingsway played well and they will be hoping that this is the kick that they need to begin to climb the table. They have finished 4th in every season so far and if they could achieve that again, that in itself would be a result at this stage.

AFC Fatherless Barn's hopes of a turnaround in fortunes were well and truly dashed as they were beaten 8-0 by Tipton Family Church FC. The only hat-trick of the week was scored by TFC's Jez Jeavons. Tipton put in a solid performance underpinned by another clean sheet, and see their 2nd place position strengthened.

But hot on their heels come Crestwood Cobras, who registered their first win of the year with a very impressive 2-1 result as they beat St Matthew's Ravens, who themselves could have gone into 3rd if they had won. Brandhall & Quinton continue to impress as they beat Hilly House Adecco 4-0, while Marsh Lane again failed to fulfil a fixture. The same thing cost them a semi-final place in The Summer Cup and as the table is at the moment, they would probably be in 2nd place instead of 6th.

January 23 2009

This week's home page update starts with an appeal to clubs to pay off fines owed. Four clubs are either clear or just one week's kit fine, but that leaves six who are behind. And of the six, only one has been making an effort in recent weeks to reduce the figure. So if you are one of the other five that have outstanding fines going back over many weeks, can you please start to put extra in the bag each week. Thanks.

Now to the football. Result of the week has to go to AFC Fatherless Barn, who ended a miserable run of straight defeats by earning a well deserved point in a 1-1 draw with Crestwood Cobras. Although the results have looked bad on paper, the reality has been that the Barn haven't been playing badly at all, with late goals conceded distorting the true picture.

From being safely in second place as we went into the Christmas break, just one point since has sent the Cobras into third spot. Tipton Family Church FC have taken full advantage and a 4-2 win over Brandhall & Quinton sees them pull clear by two points - plus they have two games in hand. And with just a seven point gap between them and Juaniche Wanderers, the title race still has some mileage in it.

Juaniche were in action, but in the DBMT, as they defeated Hilly House Adecco 4-1 to leapfrog them in group B. The final game of the week was a likely draw on paper, but the mini-revival at St Matthew's continued as the Ravens beat Kingsway Lions 3-1 to close the gap on 4th placed Marsh Lane CFC to just one point.

January 15 2009

After last week's cancelled games due to the weather, everyone was raring to go this time round. It looked like Tipton Family Church FC were suffering from the post-Christmas blues as they fell behind 3-0 to Hilly House Adecco, who were quick off the mark and took early control of the game. However, TFC hit back and thanks to a Craig Eccleston brace they clawed back to finish the match 3-3.

The point proved vital to TFC, and rather than 2 lost it was definitely 1 gained, as it saw them move into second spot in the league table. And with Crestwood Cobras losing 3-2 to St Matthew's the following evening, TFC are not only ahead of the Cobras, but they have 2 games in hand as well.

Marsh Lane CFC continue to stake their claim for the runners-up position though and a 4-1 victory over AFC Fatherless Barn keeps everything very open-ended at the top. But it's still Juaniche Wanderers who lead the way, and their 5-2 win against Crestwood Church FC gives them a 10 point cushion.

The only non-league game of the week saw Brandhall & Quinton become the first team to qualify for the quarter-finals of the David Bloor Memorial Trophy as they edged through 2-0 in their clash with Kingsway Lions. Although it's mathematically possible for the latter to qualify, it's an uphill struggle.

We may be just into the New Year but before we know it we'll be publishing information for next season. With only a short break planned, we'll be playing The Summer Cup before you know it. Therefore, it's important for all teams to a) start talking about whether you are going to enter next season so that you are ready once details are published and b) begin reducing fines. The two teams that are the most behind with fines are Juaniche Wanderers and Kingsway Lions, details can be found in the team officials forum.

December 29 2008

In the final games of 2008 we witnessed a tremendous comeback from Marsh Lane CFC. Trailing 6-1 at the break they eventually win 9-7 in their fixture with Brandhall and Quinton. The result sees the teams swap places as Marsh Lane move into 4th place. The only consolation for B&Q's Phil Knox was that he was the week's top marksman with five goals.

The other league game saw Crestwood Church FC and St Matthew's Ravens share the points in a ten goal thriller. Both teams have been inconsistent of late and a draw wasn't a surprise.

Juaniche Wanderers may be the top dogs but they once more failed to beat their bogey team, Tipton Family Church FC. The game ended 2-2 which means that in six meetings so far this season, Juaniche have only won once. Will there be a title challenge from TFC as we enter 2009? Craig Donaldson has the honour of scoring the last ever goal in 2008 though, so more of those and who knows.

Hilly House Adecco sent AFC Fatherless Barn away once more with a defeat as they won through in their DBMT fixture 7-4. It was a close game though and in one spell where the Barn scored twice in seconds, they threatened to dominate the match. But when you're at the bottom, that quality that is known as 'luck' never seems to be in abundance and Hilly House came good in the end.

Join us on facebook, at the time of writing we have 41 members on the SICM Sevens group. That includes players, WAGS and friends of the league. Wouldn't it be great to see 100 people on-board? And more importantly, posting regularly. Too many groups on facebook don't see any action, let's make sure that ours is as busy as the referee was marking the goals in the Brandhall v Marsh Lane match this week. See you in 2009!

December 18 2008

Juaniche Wanderers beat St Matthew's Ravens by the narrowest of margins as they edged the game 4-3. The Ravens hit the wooodwork as well with the last kick of the match so it was very close to being a tremendous result for the Tipton team. Instead they left the pitch empty-handed.

But the other Tipton team continued their fine form as they beat Kingsway Lions 7-3. The win puts Tipton Family Church FC in a strong position as far as challenging for second spot is concerned, as they are now just one point behind Crestwood Cobras, but with two games in hand. Craig Eccleston was the week's top marksman as he found the net four times.

In the third league game, the bottom two before the fixtures kicked off went head-to-head, and with Crestwood Church FC leading AFC Fatherless Barn 1-0 at the break, there was still everything to play for. But Crestwood edged the second half and eventually ran out comfortable 6-0 winners.

This week we also began the David Bloor Memorial Trophy and with five games being played for the first time ever, we saw two fixtures being fulfilled. Marsh Lane CFC head group B after a 6-2 victory, while Brandhall & Quinton sit at the head of group A courtesy of a 5-3 win against Crestwood Cobras. Has the Cobras' bubble burst or will they bounce back next week?

Finally, if you have Facebook, we've started a group. Type in 'SICM Sevens' and away you go. And the first discussion thread is about the Cobras' bubble!

December 10 2008

Juaniche Wanderers suffered their first defeat this week as they lost 3-1 to Tipton Family Church FC. It was always going to take something special to inflict the taste of defeat on Juaniche and TFC rose to the challenge. The gap between the two teams is now down to 8 points, plus Tipton have a game in hand.

Crestwood Cobras find themselves still in second place in the league as they won 1-0 in their church derby clash with Crestwood Church FC. It was a well contested affair that unfortunately fizzled out due to a nasty looking injury to Dan Spear. However it looked worse than it was and there were no problems beyond the night. On a dismal run of defeats at the moment, Crestwood take on the team below them at the bottom of the league in their next game.

And with AFC Fatherless Barn conceding the game 0-5 to Hilly House Adecco and having two points deducted, they will certainly need the points themselves if they are to put a respectable tally together this season. But a mid-season revival could see them challenging for the mini-league, so there's always something to play for.

In a 16-goal thriller, Brandhall & Quinton moved into 4th place as they beat Marsh Lane CFC 10-6. They are now 10 points off Juaniche, but with a game in hand, so there's still a title to be won at this stage, that's for sure. It will be interesting to see how the table looks when we take the Christmas break in a couple of weeks.

There was a problem this week with the second Tuesday pitch that we had booked for the first time. A full explanation of the situation has been given to the team officials on their forum, so see your manager for details. From next week, the second Tuesday game will begin at 9.30pm, so check the fixture list!

December 8 2008

The Summer Cup finally found a home as Juaniche Wanderers turned on the style big-time and hit 7 goals past Tipton Family Church FC. With the first trophy of the season now theirs and with such a big lead at the top of the league, what odds would you get on the treble?

Marsh Lane CFC scored double-figure goals as they beat Crestwood Church FC 10-3 to move into 4th place in the table. Crestwood certainly have the players but they don't seem to be able to put the results together at the moment. But with a church derby match next for them, what better incentive than to take the points from Crestwood Cobras?

The Cobras tightened their grip on 2nd place with a 5-0 win courtesy of a cancelled game from Hilly House Adecco. If they can still be there at the Christmas break then they will have thoroughly deserved to be in that position. At this precise moment in time it would be impossible for anyone to argue with the statement that Crestwood Cobras are the most improved team in the league.

Brandhall & Quinton move into 5th in the league as they defeated Kingsway Lions 6-3. In the last 3 seasons Kingsway have finished 4th / 4th / 3rd but they have a massive job at the moment to improve on last season's placing. In many ways though that is because of the strength of the other teams rather than the Lions' weakness.

If you run a team don't forget to check the team officials forum. We say this regularly but it's quite clear that some officials are not going on at all. Fines are building up for a number of teams and if teams want to collect trophies and enter next season then all fines will have to be paid.

November 26 2008

Crestwood Cobras continue to shine, and following their latest victory (a 6-3 win against AFC Fatherless Barn), they are now in second spot in the league. They may have played more games than the teams immediately below them, but it's preferable to have the points than games in hand, and particularly so when you consider how close the league is this season. Alex Hughes was the week's top goalscorer, finding the net 4 times as he helped the Cobras to their victory. Spare a thought for the Barn though, who are on a dismal run of defeats at the moment.

Just one point behind the Cobras, and with two games in hand, are Tipton Family Church FC. In the Tipton church derby with St Matthew's Ravens, they went into the break 4-0 up. Although the Ravens did hit a consolation goal, it was nothing more than that, as TFC ran out 7-1 winners. Craig Eccleston's 3 goals for Tipton made him the only other hat-trick player of the week. The Ravens are blowing hot and cold at the moment, but even though they are in fourth, their game in hand would take them above the Cobras. That's how close everything is at the top.

Well not quite close at the top if you take the very top, as the Juaniche Wanderers juggernaut continued to roll as they brushed aside Kingsway Lions 8-3. They have a healthy 10 point lead over second place but December looks to be an interesting month. In 3 games so far this season they have failed to beat Tipton Family Church FC, and during the festive month they go head-to-head a further 3 times. Some interesting football coming up, that's for sure.

Crestwood Church FC are now bottom but one as they crashed to Hilly House Adecco 6-1. Hilly House are playing some good solid football at the moment and they are up to 6th place in the table. Are the glory days of their 2005/2006 title winning season about to return? And let's not forget either that they are the present runners-up as well.

November 19 2008

Crestwood Cobras are the in-form team at the moment, and they reinforced that by beating Tipton Family Church FC 3-1. A win would have put Tipton clear in second place with a game in hand, but instead they remain in 4th. Although the Cobras put in a very solid team performance, their keeper Ben Owen produced a string of world class saves that without doubt influenced the result.

Juaniche Wanderers took advantage of defeats for the three teams below them as they proved that there is nothing unlucky about the number 13. That's how many times they found the net as they crushed AFC Fatherless Barn, although their opponents did manage to score three times themselves. Danny Knight and Ryan Southall both scored four goals and that takes Ryan to 32 for the season, nine ahead of Peter Madge of St Matthew's Ravens.

The Ravens stumbled in their game versus Hilly House Adecco, ending up 0-2. However, with Marsh Lane CFC forfeiting their fixture with Crestwood Church FC, the two-point deduction sees the Ravens move into second place. It's all very close, and if you take away Juaniche at the top and the Barn at the bottom, just five points divide the other eight teams. Any team that puts a decent run together is looking at second place. But with Juaniche ten points clear of the pack they are going to take some catching.

November 13 2008

League leaders Juaniche Wanderers were pushed to the limit by second-from-bottom Hilly House as they fell 2-0 behind. But it was groundhog day for Juaniche, as they replicated the events of last week's game v TFC, and fought back to level the score at 2-2. They were two late goals, but it enforces the fact that when you are up against Juaniche, it's never over until that final whistle blows. Whilst some teams may drop heads, they never do, and anyone that can stop them will fully deserve the result. The point sees Hilly House climb one place.

The Crestwood Church derby saw the Cobras grab the points, and the bragging rights, as they beat Crestwood Church FC 5-2, helped along by a hat trick from Rob Moss. The defeat sees Crestwood Church drop into the bottom two, while the win puts the Cobras in 7th, just four points off second place. If you take away the top and bottom teams and level up the games in hand, there would just be six points difference between the teams. We have just passed the one-third stage this week, but it's still a very open league. String a few wins together and any team will be in the driving seat.

Brandhall & Quinton maintained their challenge for honours as they beat AFC Fatherless Barn 8-2. Hat tricks for Paul Hewitson and Dave Clarke sent the Barn home again with another defeat to their name, having now lost eight times in ten matches. And with their next game against Juaniche, they will have a battle on their hands if they are to reverse their current slide.

One team that is doing well though is Tipton Family Church FC, who have only lost twice since they began their season in June. Up against a much improved Kingsway Lions side, they went into the break 4-0 up, and even though Kingsway scored in the second half it was nothing more than a consolation goal. You can check out the video of all this week's game by clicking here. Enjoy!

November 7 2008

The game of the week was obviously The Summer Cup final between Juaniche Wanderers and Tipton FC. The former are the in-form team at the moment, as the league table indicates, but it was the latter who domnated early play to take a 2-0 lead, thanks to Rich Nettleton and Simon Westwood. A cracking goal from Dan Zare though pulled it back to 2-1 at the break, and an equally superb free kick levelled things in the second half, giving Dan a well deserved brace of goals.

The teams will now replay in December, and with other fixtures allocated to them during the month, in case of another draw the second (or third!) replay can go ahead if necessary. Tipton are proving to be a hard nut for Juaniche to crack and in three games so far this season, they have failed to beat them, with two out of the three games ending in stalemate.

The result of the week though goes to Crestwood Cobras who hit Brandhall & Quinton for six in their league game. The score of 6-1 sees the Cobras as the only upward movers in the table, as they climb a couple of places to 7th. Marsh Lane CFC closed the gap on Juaniche at the top as they hit ten past Kingsway Lions, conceding six in the process, with Moyen Addin grabbing a double hat-trick.

St Matthew's Ravens are hot on their tail though as they held to 3rd place courtesy of a 3-1 win against Crestwood Church FC. The defeat puts Crestwood in the bottom three. You can view videos of this week's game by clicking here. As well as the weekly review there is one dedicated to The Summer Cup final.

October 29 2008

Perhaps the highlight of the latest batch of games is that Tipton FC and Crestwood Church FC took to the pitch in conditions more akin to the middle of February. Ice and snow are not what you expect in October, but that's the beauty of the English weather - you never know what to expect. The game itself was a typically close run affair as we have come to expect when these teams compete with each other, but Tipton ran out 1-0 winners, indicating that although there's not much between them they do have the slight edge at the moment. Tipton are in 5th place, two points off 2nd and with a game in hand. And although Crestwood are 7th, their two games in hand could also take them into the runners-up position if they win them.

Including Crestwood, the bottom four all lost this week with Crestwood Cobras putting in a brave performance against Juaniche Wanderers that should have seen them score more, although the eventual result of 7-1 would not have been affected as far as the points were concerned. Juaniche are going great guns at the moment and are the first team to pass the 20-point tally in the league.

In spite of losing 4 times this season so far, Kingsway Lions are into 3rd place, courtesy of a 6-0 win over bottom team AFC Fatherless Barn. Things are not going right for the Barn at the moment, but they will inevitably hit a good run of form where they will string a few results together and put some points on the board. Confidence plays a big part in football and it's amazing how a season can turn round with just one good result.

The result of the week this time round though goes to St Matthew's Ravens as they defeated Hilly House Adecco 5-1. Coming on the back of 4 straight defeats, this was an excellent 3 points for the Ravens and it puts them in 3rd place in the table. Check out this week's video clip by clicking here and there is an announcement on the team officials forum regarding December matches, so make sure you check that out if you run a team.

October 22 2008

After what had the potential to become a marathon, Tipton Family Church FC finally drew closure on the semi-final tie with Crestwood Church FC, by winning the replay 1-0. The goal was scored in the opening seconds as the Crestwood defence was caught napping. This is the second season on the trot that Crestwood have been denied a final place by Tipton and no doubt they will do their utmost to ensure that if ever the situation arises again, that it won't be a hat-trick of denials. But absolute credit to the Crestwood lads, after the game they showed great attitude and character and wished Tipton the best in the final.

Juaniche Wanderers continued their great form as they brushed aside AFC Fatherless Barn 8-0 in a top v bottom clash. With 44 goals from 7 games so far they are definitely living up to their pre-season title favourites tag, and were helped on their way with hat-tricks from Baz Zare and Dan Knight. The Sevens' current top goalscorer, Ryan Southall, netted twice to take his tally for the season to 28.

In a game that on paper at least had the makings of a draw, Kingsway Lions hit St Matthew's Ravens for 6, as they moved from the bottom two to the chasing pack. The Ravens also find themselves in a difficult patch as they have now lost 4 on the trot in all competitions. In the final game of the week, Hilly House Adecco swapped places with Crestwood Cobras as they earned a 5-2 victory. It's still very tight, and assuming games in hand are won, there would be just 4 points between second and second-from-bottom. You can catch up with this week's video clip here and don't forget team officials you need to check the forum regularly otherwise you will miss out on important stuff.

October 15 2008

Marsh Lane CFC inflicted the first league defeat of the season on Tipton Family Church FC and in the process strengthened their hold on second place. Tipton are in 5th place, although a win would have seen them in second, so it shows just how close the league is. You cannot take away from Marsh Lane at all though but Tipton got off to a disastrous start and were punished by conceding three goals in the first ten minutes. The game ended 4-1.

Crestwood Cobras gave notice that their recent run of form has been no flash in the pan as they battled well against Kingsway Lions to come away with a 2-1 result. And although they are fourth from bottom, if they win their two games in hand they go to within a point of Marsh Lane.

It was a clean sweep for the Crestwood teams this week as Crestwood Church FC compounded Hilly House Adecco's misery as they edged through 3-2. Hilly House were runners-up last season and two campaigns before that they were league winners, but if they are to mount a challenge this time round they will need to put some points on the board over the next few weeks.

Another five-goal thriller saw Brandhall & Quinton sneak a late goal to take the points from St Matthew's Ravens. The win puts Brandhall in third place and St Matt's drop down to fourth.

Check out this week's video, which is a new format featuring all the games played. You can view it by clicking here, hope you like it.

October 8 2008

The top two teams met on Tuesday evening with Juaniche Wanderers running out 7-2 winners against Marsh Lane CFC. It didn't have the feel of a top game and was scrappy at times, but Juaniche won't be complaining about that as they now extend their lead at the head of the table to 5 points. It's early days yet, and teams behind them have games in hand, but Juaniche can feel confident having dropped only 2 points so far this season.

Who would have thought that 'Hilly House Adecco' and 'bottom of the table clash' would be used in the same sentence, but that's what we had on Monday as they played AFC Fatherless Barn, with both teams rooted in the basement. The game ended 2-2 and the point sees Hilly House climb one place in the league.

The only other upward movers were Tipton Family Church FC, who courtesy of a 3-0 victory over Crestwood Cobras went from 6th to 4th. It was all-square at the break with Crestwood continuing to be stubborn and hard to break down. But Tipton had a good second half and the league's only other unbeaten record - after Juaniche - remains intact.

The final game was also a draw, with Crestwood Church sharing an eight goal thriller with Brandhall & Quinton. The latter did well to come back, being 4-1 down at one stage. What this and the other results confirm to us though is that we are going to have a very open season. The gap between second and bottom placed teams is just seven points. Any team that puts a run together at this stage will find themselves in the top two.

Finally, we have just been made aware that a slot has become available on Monday evenings. At the moment it could be a 9pm one, in which case there will be no problems. But that depends on others wanting to move, in which case it will be a 7.30pm start. What we need to know asap from teams (not individuals) is whether the earlier slot is suitable. It means that there will be no resting each week and we can all play more football! So team officials can you let us know as quickly as possible via the team officials forum please?

September 30 2008

Juaniche Wanderers repeated their win from last week against St Matthew's Ravens, as they stormed into the final of The Summer Cup scoring five goals in the process. However their opponents won't be known for at least another three weeks as Tipton Family Church FC registered their 5th consecutive draw as they shared two goals with Crestwood Church FC.

Two teams who took advantage of The Summer Cup games as far as the league is concerned were Marsh Lane CFC and Kingsway Lions. The former scraped through 3-2 against Hilly House Adecco after being behind in the game while the Lions also won by the odd goal as they beat Crestwood Cobras 2-1. With the score 0-0 at the break, it was a much more open second half and both teams had their chances. Marsh Lane are now in second place while Kingsway are the big climbers, moving into 4th place.

 

You can watch the Tipton v Crestwood game here and if anyone is interested in football programmes contact Stewart Bloor who has numerous bundles of 100 for sale at £10. That's just 10p each - what a bargain! And with all the proceeds going to SICM's work in Africa you can help a good cause at the same time. Just let him know you want a bundle and he will bring them to the Leisure Centre so you don't even have to pay any postage!

September 24 2008

With two unbeaten starts to the season being laid on the line, it looked like Juaniche Wanderers would be the ones to concede as St Matthew's Ravens stormed into a 3-0 lead. But the league champions from two seasons ago hit back and at the break it was all square. Dominating the second half though they eventually ran out 7-3 winners, leaving the Ravens to rue over what should have been a table-topping victory for them. The four goals from Ryan Southall puts him in the current golden boot place with 24 so far this season.

Mid-table but with the only other unbeaten start, Tipton Family Church FC took on Crestwood Church FC in Tuesday's game. A win by more than two goals would have taken Tipton into third spot but for the fourth game on the trot they shared the points. There are two ways of looking at it, you can say that you aren't winning or you can see yourselves as hard to beat, and Tipton will definitely be taking the latter stand, particularly as their start to the season is now just one defeat in 10 games.

It's the way the fixtures work out of course, but both the above games were also rehearsals for next Monday's The Summer Cup semi-finals. But back to this week and arguably the result of the batch was Crestwood Cobras' 2-0 defeat of Brandhall & Quinton. The Cobras battled really well and showed a determination that well and truly leaves their poor start to the season as just a distant memory.

In the final game, four goals from Matt Baker saw Kingsway LIons record their first win of the season as they beat AFC Fatherless Barn 5-2, who themselves now slip to the foot of the pile. You can watch the video of the Tipton v Crestwood game here and if anyone is interested in football programmes contact Stewart Bloor who has numerous bundles of 100 for sale at £10. That's just 10p each - what a bargain! And with all the proceeds going to SICM's work in Africa you can help a good cause at the same time. Just let him know you want a bundle and he will bring them to the Leisure Centre so you don't even have to pay any postage!

September 17 2008

The league leaders, Juaniche Wanderers, tightened their grip at the top of the table with an emphatic 8-2 victory over Crestwood Cobras, who suffered their first defeat in the league this season. Going into the game on the back of a three match unbeaten run, the Cobras were enjoying a successful spell. But five goals from Ryan Southall ensured that this was one game that they weren't going to get anything from. The defeat sends them to bottom but one in the table.

Hot on the tail of Juaniche though is St Matthew's Ravens, who also have ten points from four games. Although they ran out 8-4 winners over AFC Fatherless Barn, they were made to scrap for the points. But Peter Madge again did the business, this time finding the net with a double hat-trick. Both the Ravens and Juaniche have only dropped two points, both in draws versus Tipton Family Church, who had a free week this time round.

And that was taken advantage of by Marsh Lane CFC who moved into third spot in the table, seeing off Hilly House Adecco 3-1. Marsh Lane are going really well at the moment and if they continue with this vein of form will definitely be a match for anyone. As we keep saying, this is going to be  really close season and it would be a brave man at the moment who would put his shirt on any team.

Tuesday's fixture saw a bottom of the table clash - and who would ever have thought that - between Crestwood Church FC and Kingsway Lions, with Crestwood winning 5-3, helped along by a Josh Owen hat-trick. And after four games who would have predicted Kingsway to be rooted at the bottom of the pile?

September 10 2008

The Summer Cup went right to the wire, with 3 teams all looking to qualify for the remaining two semi-final places. In spite of being favourites to edge into the last four, Hilly House Adecco were beaten 4-3 by Crestwood Cobras in Monday's game. The result meant that St Matthew's Ravens were the third qualifying team.

But Hilly House still had a lifeline - it all depended on how Tuesday's Marsh Lane CFC v Crestwood Church FC fixture went as to whether they too would proceed. It was that complicated that even a defeat for Crestwood, depending on the result, would ensure that they qualified. As it was, Marsh Lane ran out 3-1 winners, which meant that Crestwood and Hilly House finished on identical statistics.

The deciding factor was that in their particular fixture in the competition group stage, Crestwood had won 7-4, meaning they snatched the place. So it literally did go to the last kick of the game, as a fourth goal from Marsh Lane on the night would have handed the place to Hilly House.

In this week's league games, Brandhall & Quinton powered into 2nd place courtesy of an 11-2 thrashing of AFC Fatherless Barn. Tipton Family Church FC remained in 4th as they extended their excellent start to the season to just one defeat in nine games, as they shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw with St Matthew's Ravens.

There is no doubt that this is going to be the closest campaign that we have ever had. At this stage and on current form, more than half the teams have a realistic chance of actually winning the league. It's all early days yet but it looks like an exciting time ahead.

September 3 2008

The Summer Cup is still wide open and with just two games to go, three teams are still vying for the two available semi-final slots. The passion of a local derby saw Crestwood Cobras raise their game against their stable mates Crestwood Church FC and the result was a 2-2 draw. After a four match run of defeats it also means that the Cobras have turned that around, albeit with two draws.

It's going to be tense this coming week with both Crestwood Church FC and Hilly House Adecco looking for wins to secure their place in the last four. The frustration is that Marsh Lane CFC could also be in that position, but points deductions for not signing players before the game has meant that they are out of contention, otherwise they would have had their destiny in their own hands.

But they are doing well in the league, currently sitting in 3rd place courtesy of a 9-2 win over AFC Fatherless Barn. The other team that climbed the table was Brandhall & Quinton who are up to 5th place thanks to their first win of the season, a 5-0 victory against Hilly House Adecco.

It's all early days yet but it's better to be at the top than the bottom regardless of how many games have been played. And the pole position is held by Juaniche Wanderers who shared the points in a six-goal thriller with Tipton Family Church FC. Leading 3-1 at the break, the odds were in Juaniche's favour but TFC are having an excellent season so far and they battled back to earn a well deserved point, which keeps them in fourth place.

August 20 2008

Although we are down to the last 3 games in The Summer Cup there is still plenty to play for. A cancelled game from Juaniche Wanderers opens it up even more, although that's not what we want of course. The two points that they lost plus the 5-0 result awarded to Hilly House Adecco means that the latter are now firmly in the driving seat as far as qualifying for the semi-finals is concerned. The fixture list and current form puts Crestwood Church FC as the team to join them, but there will be twists and turns along the way. And it's still mathematically possible - although extremely unlikey - that Juaniche could end up in 5th spot.

But Tuesday night's 2-2 draw between Tipton Family Church FC and St Matthew's Ravens confirms the former as the group winners. With two games in hand, providing they scored enough goals, Crestwood Church FC could have snatched the honour courtesy of goal difference if Tipton had lost. But well done to Tipton Family Church FC.

After a dismal start to the season consisting of 4 straight defeats, Crestwood Cobras opened their league account with a point in their game against Marsh Lane CFC, the result being 2-2. Combined with a 4-2 defeat for Crestwood Church FC, the league table shows the latter rooted at the bottom, so no doubt the next week or so will see plenty of banter flying around Crestwood Church!

It was AFC Fatherless Barn who swapped places with Crestwood Church FC and the 3 points takes them into 5th place in the league. It's going to be a really tight season and although Juaniche Wanderers remain firm favourites to edge ahead of the pack, it's going to be a really open campaign, that's for sure.

August 12 2008

The Summer Cup is beginning to sort itself out in terms of who qualifies for the semi-finals and who plays who. Juaniche Wanderers continued their fine form with a convincing 9-2 victory over St Matthew's Ravens, courtesy of a hat-trick from Baz Zare and four from Ryan Southall. Juaniche head the group stage table, albeit courtesy of scoring more goals than Tipton Family Church FC who are hot on their tail.

Tipton themselves got the three points in a very good game of football versus Crestwood Church FC. It was always going to be close and at the break no-one had broken the deadlock. Then on the back of some excellent football, Crestwood took the lead. But Tipton are proving to be a major force so far this season, with five wins from six games, and they ended up 3-1 victors. It was hard for Crestwood though, and if ever the phrase 'a draw would have been a fair result' was coined for a match then this one fitted the bill.

The Summer Cup now has Juaniche and Tipton qualifying for the semi-finals and as both are guaranteed the top two slots then they will also avoid each other in the draw. The other two places up for grabs are being contested by St Matthew's Ravens, Crestwood Church FC and Hilly House Adecco. The fixture list indicates that the first two are favourites but there's still plenty of football to be played yet and with everyone giving their all it promises to go right to the wire.

July 31 2008

In spite of atrocious conditions on Monday evening, the pitches were fine, and apart from players getting very wet, the games went ahead with no problems at all. The rain was torrential but even that was gone by half-time, and with the pitches responding well to all that the heavens poured out on them, there were no issues. It's weather like that that separates the men from the boys!

Hilly House Adecco went to the top of the league table, courtesy of an 8-2 victory over Kingsway Lions. The scoreline was certainly a surprise - Hilly House have had a poor start to the season and have an uphill struggle to even make the cut for The Summer Cup last four, whilst Kingway are certainly up there amongst the pack that have a chance of winning the title. But that's football for you and the general feeling this time round is that anyone is capable of beating all-comers on the night.

The one team that is going to be extremely hard to defeat though is Juaniche Wanderers. And just as Tipton Family Church FC were knocked off the top of the league on goal difference by the Hilly House victory, the same also applied to The Summer Cup as Juaniche hit Marsh Lane CFC for six. The 0-6 result sees the latter all but eliminated from the trophy. It's still mathematically possible for them to progress in the competition though, so as long as there's hope it's worth fighting for.

Can we remind all teams that a yellow card is an automatic one-match ban. The team officials are notified of bans on their forum, but as there is a penalty involved for players that play when they should be banned, we'd like to mention this. You can check on the cards issued in the 'Results' section.

July 26 2008

With no draws so far this season, this week's games were like the proverbial bus; you wait around for ages and then two turn up together. And that's what we saw - two draws. Opening their account this season Kingsway Lions took on Marsh Lane CFC and the game ended all-square at 2-2. This was a league game and although it is obviously very early days yet, the points see the teams occupy third and fourth slot in the table. In the next few weeks we will no doubt see lots of movement in the league as a win will see teams leapfrogging several others. Come September though it will start to settle, although the feeling this year is that this could be one of the closest seasons yet.

The second drawn game was a Summer Cup fixture between Hilly House Adecco and St Matthew's Ravens, which saw the sides share eight goals. The point was precious for the Ravens in terms of qualifying for the semi-finals and although no-one is mathematically written off yet, it is looking good for the current top four teams as they all seek a cushion of at least three teams below them. The Current top goalscorer, Ravens' Pete Madge, netted again to take his tally to 11 for the season.

Following their opening game defeat versus Tipton Family Church FC, Juaniche Wanderers are now living up to their tag of pre-season favourites. This week they inflicted the first loss of the campaign on Crestwood Church FC, running out 5-3 victors. The points see them swap places with Crestwood as they edge into third place in The Summer Cup group stage table.

Last season's finances have now been completed. After we paid pitch hire, referees and trophies the total amount raised for SICM's work in Africa was £2,169.41. If you have been to a end-of-season event before you will be aware of the charitable work that we do and the short presentation is always well received. SICM Sevens gives the opportunity to not only play football in a positive environment (well most of the time anyway...) but also to support a good cause while doing so. Can't be bad!

 

July 15 2008

The league has kicked off this week with two games being played. Tipton Family Church FC find themselves not only top of The Summer Cup group stage but also the league table as well. They were made to work hard though by a determined AFC Fatherless Barn who were playing their first game of the season. In fact they punished some early sloppy play by Tipton and took a two-goal lead, although Tipton came back to win the game 6-3. But with a three-week break from competitive matches (ten teams and three fixtures mean that we don't get fully on track until September) the opportunities are now there for others to take pole positions.

A brace from the current SICM Sevens top goalscorer, Pete Madge, ensured that St Matthew's Ravens move into second spot in the league, meaning that the two Tipton teams are at the top. It was a close game, with the Ravens edging out new boys Brandhall & Quinton by the odd goal in a seven-goal thriller. Both teams will be thereabouts though come the end of the season. In fact, without making any predictions as to specific teams, this current campaign looks like being one of the closest yet. Let's hope so!

In the third game, Hilly House Adecco recorded their first win of the season by defeating Marsh Lane CFC 4-2 in The Summer Cup. The win gives them a lifeline as they look towards the fourth qualifying place for the semi-finals.

There is information missing from certain team sheets (see results section) this week. We need those details to ensure that all statistics are correct, and with trophies for goals and motm at the end of the season, it's only fair that the right people get the awards. As team officials are aware this season, failure to submit full information and to keep up-to-date with fines will mean that teams will be rested from fixtures until they get organised. So don't say you weren't warned!

 

July 8 2008

The solid start that Tipton Family Church FC have had to the season came to an abrupt end when they were defeated 4-2 by Marsh Lane CFC. Although TFC took the lead, Marsh lane did not let their heads drop and ended up deserving the win. Unfortunately though, as you can see from the table, the win hasn't done them much good as the points have been cancelled due to fielding unsigned players. We cannot stress the importance of following all the rules, but particularly when points are at stake. We know we bang the drum about being organised but this is why. We don't want to penalise anyone but in the ever-increasing litigious society that we live in, we can't afford to have players on the pitch that we don't have signed forms for.

The Summer Cup competition is certainly looking wide open at the moment and St Matthew's Ravens took a step towards the semi-finals with  a 7-2 win over Crestwood Cobras, who have had a disappointing start to the season results-wise. Five goals from Pete Madge ensured the points for the Ravens and also takes him to pole position in the goals table, with eight so far.

Hot on the Ravens' tail though is Crestwood Church FC, who added to Hilly House Adecco's poor start in The Summer Cup, by recording a 7-4 victory. Josh Owen bagged a hat-trick, which gives him four goals so far. Starting amongst the favourites to get in the last four, Hilly House now have a battle on their hands to make the cut. Their next game, which is against Marsh Lane, is a crucial one for both teams as equally they need the points if they are to progress in the competition.

 

July 1 2008

Tipton Family Church FC continued their solid start to the season with a 5-2 win over Hilly House Adecco. They now have a commanding lead at the top of The Summer Cup competition and with the top quartet of teams qualifying for the semi-finals, will now be strong favourites to get into the last four. But there are still matches to go and no-one will be taking anything for granted, that's for sure. Craig Eccleston took his goal tally for the season to seven, as he bagged four of the TFC goals.

Hot on the tails of TFC though are Juaniche Wanderers, who following their opening game defeat in The Summer Cup, bounced back with the biggest score of the season so far as they defeated Crestwood Cobras 9-0. With every team now having played in the competition, the table is beginning to take shape. Although there are just six qualifying games, there will be something to chase right down to the wire and we predict some cracking games still to come.

There is a new link added to the home page called 'The season in pictures'. It's self-explanatory and there are no captions needed, so just enjoy the visual insight into the season as it develops. Tipton Family Church FC record all their games and you can see the match v Hilly House Adecco here.

 

June 23 2008

Tipton Family Church FC continued their solid start to the season with an excellent performance against Juaniche Wanderers in The Summer Cup. The scoreline of 4-2 does not give the true picture of how close the game was though. Juaniche were league champions two seasons ago and after taking a break for a year, they have not lost any of their edge as they threw everything at a determined and well-organised Tipton side.

Obviously we all want our respective teams to win every game, but from the perspective of the Sevens itself, results like that are good. If that is an indicator of what is to come this season then it promises to be a very open and entertaining campaign indeed. If any team does run away with the league then they will deserve to, but from our angle it would be great to see a few teams all battling away at the top right until the end.

In the other TSC game, St Matthew's Ravens registered their first win of the competition when they defeated Marsh Lane CFC 5-2. It's early days yet of course, but the win puts them into third place, which at the very least being in the qualifying places is a psychological boost. Marsh Lane are going to have an uphill battle on their hands to make the semi-finals though as they now have a minus points tally, courtesy of fielding two unsigned players. We constantly stress how important it is for teams to be well-organised and to keep switched on to what is happening, particularly via the team officials forum.

 

June 17 2008

It hardly seems like five minutes since we kicked the last ball of the season and here we are again. The new campaign started this week with a couple of fixtures in the new competition, The Summer Cup. Tipton Family Church FC got off to a solid start with a well-earned 5-0 victory against Crestwood Cobras. It was all over by half-time with a 4-0 scoreline and although the Cobras came back in the second half, they couldn't break down Tipton's defence.

The other Crestwood church team - Crestwood Church FC - took on new boys St Matthew's Ravens in what proved to be a fourteen goal thriller. And it was Crestwood who had the upper hand, winning by 8-6. We don't get many scores like that and once the Ravens settle and begin to play then they certainly won't be on the end of eight conceded goals, that's for sure. It can be a tough period when you enter the league for the first time. Look at Crestwood Church FC, although they are now well bedded in, their debut game last season ended in a 0-7 drubbing.

The June and July fixtures are now on-line and the August ones will be published soon. There is a deadline date for requests for free weeks on the team officials forum, so if teams are unable to play certain dates in the future then they are gladly exempted. But once fixtures are published, they must be played.

There are a number of videos on the discussion board including the presentation. We had a great night with over 80 people present. Details on how to access the board can be found in the 'General information' section on the home page.

 

June 9 2008

The entry for The Summer Cup was higher than expected, with seven teams registering their interest. Therefore we have looked at the format and changed it slightly. With an initial expectation of perhaps four teams, the plan was to play each other three times with the top two battling it out in the final.

But to keep everyone's interest in the competition going for as long as possible, the new format is for the top four to go into the semi-finals. And to acknowledge the placings in the league, the team in first place will play fourth.

For more details on the competition plus trophy information, check out the 'General information' link. The most important thing is that it is giving the opportunity to do what most of us want to, and that is to play football every week. The initial fixtures for June 16 have been published but due to the extra interest from teams we are going to try and put three games in per Monday as opposed to the original two. Once we confirm pitch and referee the remaining fixtures for June will be added.

We can't stress enough how important it is for team officials to not only check the site (and that includes the previous postings via 'Noticeboard' but also to register for On-lineFC to gain access to the officials-only forum. We are always striving to raise the bar as far as the organisation of SICM Sevens is concerned and so it's crucial that information is taken on board regularly, otherwise teams will lose out and get left behind.

 

June 4 2008

The deadline for teams to enter The Summer Cup is this coming Sunday, June 8. The fixtures for the remainder of the month will then be published, with games beginning June 16. Further details can be found on The Summer Cup link, but bear in mind that if you do enter, whist initial games are on Mondays, once the league begins in July, Tuesday fixtures will be used. We currently have three teams entered.

On the subject of fixtures, due to the extended league and the fact that we will be playing 27 games per team, we need to know what option teams would like to go for. For example, if you would like to compete in the DBMT then you need to play at least one game in July. The July fixtures will be published on June 17 so we need to get feedback by then otherwise we will assume it will be league-only.

There are numerous team officials (the names on the entry form) that still need to have access to the specific forum. We can't stress how important this is otherwise you will get left behind and you won't be aware of what's going on. One team has already failed to make the league due to not reading the site and acting on the published information. Details of how to get on board can be found in previous postings via the noticeboard. If you are having trouble then contact us.

 

May 30 2008

We now have the full complement of teams on board for the new season, with last year's AC21 FC entering under the new name of Marsh Lane CFC. Marsh Lane AOG in West Bromwich is the church that manager and goalkeeper Des Crawford attends.

With ten teams on board it will be the most that we have had in the Sevens since we began in 2004. We get requests every season to extend the league or even sometimes to introduce a second division, but administratively that would be very difficult. So as it stands at present, this is the limit. But with nine other teams to play it creates more variety than ever before. In our first season, with just six teams, we played each other five times.

A new trophy has been introduced for those that want to begin their season earlier. This will be on a league basis with the top two going into a final. It might be harsh for a team if they run away with the league only to lose in the final, but the other side of the coin is that it will keep interest alive if teams are chasing second place. It has the title of 'The Summer Cup'. If anyone wants to sponsor it, contact us. The draw will be made on June 8.

There are numerous team officials (the names on the entry form) that still need to have access to the specific forum. We can't stress how important this is otherwise you will get left behind and you won't be aware of what's going on. Details of how to get on board can be found in previous postings via the noticeboard. If you are having trouble then contact us.

 

May 28 2008

 

May 21 2008

 

May 14 2008

 

Although we have only received entry forms from two teams, the other seven places have now been applied for. The fairest way of handling the entry application is to give teams ten days to return their entry forms. This also avoids confusion, as a definite cut-off date lets everyone know where they stand.

All the details of the teams that have applied can be viewed on the specific thread on the forum and can be accessed here. Once we get teams officially on-board they will be announced and then we will be contacting team officials about the start date for the new season. General feedback is that many want an early start, and so we are looking for an end of June kick-off. Teams that want the traditional August start won't be penalised though.

 

May 6 2008

As expected, we have started to get a rush (relatively speaking) of teams making enquiries about the coming season. A number of forms have been sent out already, and so that we all know exactly where we stand we're going to operate a ten day hold. In other words, once a form has been sent out, we will reserve a place for that period of time only.

The list of teams entered, and those in the process of doing so, can be viewed in the SICM forums. You can find the link to these via 'General information' on the left of this page.

The Fair Play Award for 2007/2008 has again been won by AFC Fatherless Barn, but it was a very close run affair indeed. With each team being allowed to vote for three others, the Barn got 48 votes, with Tipton Family Church FC just a shade behind with 47. Well done to both teams!

 

April 28 2008

The deadline date has arrived for last season's teams to enter and with just Tipton Family Church applying so far, it is now open to all. The first team to respond has been St Matthew's Ravens, based at the church of the same name in Tipton. It's great to have them on board with us and they will definitely be putting in a strong challenge next season for trophies.

More of the links on the home page are now active including 'Archives', which contains not only the website from 2007/2008, but also information on previous seasons.

The trophies page (click here) has been published and that needs to be checked by teams. In addition, we are still waiting for three teams to cast their votes for the Fair Play Award (click here).

 

April 24 2008

The last ball has been kicked in the 2007/2008 season and so we are now focusing on the next one. The only team that has actually registered so far is Tipton Family Church FC. If you want an entry form then e-mail us and we'll get one to you. You will need to read the 'General information' stuff on the left of the page and also get everything to us by April 28.

Teams will still be accepted after that date of course, that's just the deadline for holding places for present teams. But once we pass the deadline it will be strictly on a first-come, first-served basis. Word of mouth is that most teams are looking to enter again, but verbals count for nothing. It's forms and money that we want!

The trophies page (click here) has been published and that needs to be checked by teams. In addition, we are still waiting for four teams to cast their votes for the Fair Play Award (click here).

 

April 15 2008

Welcome to the new look website for the 2008/2009 season. None of the links on the left-hand side are active yet, but as teams come on board over the next few weeks then information and details will be added.

The first team to register has been Tipton Family Church FC and so with a maximum of nine places up for grabs it will be on a first-come, first-served basis that we allocate the remaining places. With two new teams already showing definite interest we have held places for them, and together with the teams from last season, we will give everyone until April 28 before we throw applications open to anyone else.

So if you intend to enter then act now! Information on entering a team can be found on the 2007/2008 website and the e-mail address for an entry form is there too.