Liam Costello Woolton Tournament 2010

Diamonds enjoyed a busy weekend at the Liam Costello Woolton Tournament by participating in the under 13 eleven a side competition over two full days on Saturday and Sunday and also the under 12 section on the Monday morning and into the early part of the afternoon. The under 13 section was a tough physical test for the lads but as anticipated they coped really well and although there were some quality teams in their group including Northfield and Halewood they finished 3rd in the group and 5th overall in the tournament. It was a fantastic performance especially considering that the one year age difference appears to be significant in terms of height and strength at this stage of the lads physical development but it was not surprising to anyone familiar with the Diamonds team. They started off in great form with a 5-0 win against French team AS Fontonne but then had difficult matches against Halewood and Northfield. Halewood have won the league and cup double at their age group in the M&HJFL but

Diamonds gave an excellent account of themselves before going down 2-1 after playing the latter part of the match with a makeshift keeper and conceding a late penalty. They also acquitted themselves well against Northfield, who were the best footballing team that Diamonds met in the tournament and who went on to win the competition, before succumbing to a 2-0 defeat. Diamonds lost their final game of the first day by a 2-1 scoreline, after leading 1-0, to Woolton Riverside but they had little left in the tank after some tough matches.

The lads recharged their batteries overnight and came back on the Sunday morning with all guns blazing and in their final group match blew apart a ten man Glenavon team by a resounding 8-0 scorline. This put the lads in a creditable third place in their group, behind Northfield and Halewood, which meant that they had qualified for the battle for 5th to 8th place. The next match was another tough physical battle against an aggressive Stork team who had a number of players spoken to by the referee, were given two yellow cards and were fortunate to have a full compliment of players left on the pitch at the end of the match. Their behaviour was inappropriate but unfortunately it is probably a sign of how things will be as the lads get older. Despite provocation and intimidation by the opposition Diamonds let their football do the talking and were good value for their 3-0 win. They were then matched against their original opponents AS Fontonne in the battle for fifth place overall. Although Diamonds were not as impressive as in the first meeting they ran out 2-1 winners in a match that was more comfortable than the scoreline suggests but they were starting to feel the pace again after two long days both playing and waiting in between matches.

The lads split into two separate teams for the under 12 six a side competition on the Monday which turned out to be a quickfire tournament with several ten minute matches within a fairly short time period. Apart from the two Diamonds teams there were also two strong teams from Naylorsfield which both included players from our old adversaries AFC Liverpool. Both Diamonds teams performed well but suffered the occasional slip up and each finished second in their respective group and qualified for the last eight. Both won their quarter final matches and were paired with each of the Naylorsfield teams in the semi finals. One team lost 2-0 with the other finishing 1-1 in a match which they should really have won in normal time. They managed to hold their nerve to win in the lottery of a penalty shoot out to claim a place in the final. The final finished in a goalless draw but Diamonds lost 3-0 in the penalty shoot out - not surprising really given that Naylorsfield had an Everton FC keeper and Diamonds had a novice in goal! Both Diamonds teams performed well and played some excellent football at times and the lads must have been exhausted after playing all weekend. Well done boys - you put on some great displays. Congratulations to Naylorsfield on their tournament success.

The tournament provided an opportunity for Charlie Rice and Liam Roberts to play their first competitive matches for Diamonds with Charlie taking part on all three days and scoring a goal in each of the age groups and Liam being available, although not 100% fit, on the Sunday and Monday. Liam announced his arrival by scoring six goals in three matches in the under 13 section and added a few more on the Monday. Both appeared to settle in well and like all of the boys can be proud of their performances. Well done to all the lads - enjoy your well deserved break.

A big thank you goes to Danny Murphy and Michael Harrision who stood in as goalkeepers at short notice. Danny played the last two matches on the Saturday and all the games on Sunday and Michael played for one of the teams in all the matches on Monday. Both acquitted themselves really well and hopefully they enjoyed the experience. Their efforts were appreciated by the management team, players and parents alike. Thanks boys.

Thanks also to the tournament organisers and helpers who gave up a lot of their time to ensure that things operated smoothly so that the players could enjoy themselves. It is never possible to please everyone but the vast majority really appreciate your efforts.

Finally thanks to Kingy and Burkey who not only took on their team management duties with great enthusiasm, as usual, but also helped out with the running of the tournament and in the case of Kingy also transport and landlord duties. You are seriously crazy but make being part of Diamonds set up quite special. Thanks to you both.

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