2008/2009 season

Noticeboard

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

 

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.