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Writer's pictureR.Oakes

New Mills Juniors Tournament. - 20/05/23 Under 9’s Eagles

New Mills Juniors Tournament

Under 9’s Eagles - 20/05/23


The sun was shining, the kids were all buzzing and once they entered the grounds of Church Lane the one thing on their minds was who do we play first!!!

The effort that has been put in by all those involved has been nothing short of phenomenal to make this tournament what it is and to make it work like clockwork.

Fixtures were collected, and after an early morning team talk the Eagles were off first against Bollington Jaguars. 

A team that we know nothing about so it was all new to every one of the team. Maybe that had a negative effect as the Eagles seemed nervous and came out losing 3-0. That score line didn’t look as bad as it was, as chances were created but missed.

Captain - Francesca

Match finished 0-3. 


So we decided go over a few things in the 10 minute interval and this seemed to be the catalyst for the remainder of the tournament. Whereby the Eagles were no walkover and made things tough for every opponent we came up against afterwards. 


Match two was against an old friend in Chapel blues. A team that we struggle to break down but games are quite close matches. This was no exception but we came out losing  by the odd goal. 

Captain - Nathan

Match finished 0-1. 


Match three was one that a few of the Eagles were looking forward to. Over the last few months a few of the team have been heading to High Lane for extra training sessions. So they know the boys from High Lane Galaxy very well.

Both teams were very evenly matched and some great saves from both keepers kept the score to 0-0. As the game progressed some excellent play by Hayden fed Sami in and Sami scored the Eagles first goal with a low finish into the left corner of the High Lane net. High Lane pushed forward towards the latter stages of the game and Giorgio equalised for the Galaxy. The Eagles were unlucky after Brooke hit a shot that hit the inside netting of the goal but the referee didn’t see it and therefore couldn’t award the goal. 

Captain - Sami

Match finished 1-1.


Next up was a derby against our friends from the Falcons. The Falcons are no strangers and we both know each others strengths and weaknesses. Both teams cancelled each other out but it wasn’t a drab affair as it was played at a fast pace. Both teams tried but neither could get the breakthrough.

Captain - Oliver 

Match finished 0-0.


Match five was against one of my favourite opposition, Whaley Bridge. I have a huge amount of respect for Whaley Bridge as they have great coaches and such a fantastic team. Again both teams are evenly matched and games are always close matches and this was no difference. Both teams had chances to win the game but it ended up another stalemate. 

Captain - Robbie 

Match finished 0-0. 


Match six and we were up against another very tough opponent in Hayfield. Another team we struggle against but because the game time is only ten minutes we knew that if we could score then we may just get the better of them. We couldn’t find a goal during the match but the defence held firm and the game finished goalless again. A very good result under the circumstances. 

Captain - Zac

Match finished 0-0. 


Match seven against Marple Athletic and this was our last game of the day as we already knew we couldn’t qualify for the latter stages of the tournament this year. Again this was a new team for us all and we knew it wouldn’t be easy. Chances were created from both teams but none taken and the match ended goalless for the third match in a row. 

Captain - Hayden

Match finished 0-0. 


So after seven matches we had a record of…..

Won 0

Drew 4

Lost 2

But we had chances in every match and we could have turned a couple of those draws into wins. Especially the High Lane match.


This team played superbly under the searing heat at Church Lane and we were extremely proud of them as coaches. 

Zac in goal was superb again and he didn’t stand a chance with any of the goals that went past him.

The defence of Hayden and Nathan were at times unbeatable as the consecutive 0-0 draws shows against some strong opposition.

Midfield of Oliver and Frankie were constantly digging in and at times Oliver was unplayable.

The forwards of Sami and Robbie chasing every ball, with Sami scoring the Eagles only goal.

And a very consistent extra of Brooke who never stopped running and gave her all in every match she played. Her excellent play should have been awarded but the ref seen differently. 

Our player of the tournament went to Frankie. She was a constant threat and didn’t stop running despite the hot conditions. She gave absolutely everything out on the pitch. 


Overall a great day and our other friends from High Lane Cosmos (featuring Archie Rowland) ended up going one better than last year by winning the tournament.

Congratulations to Archie and High Lane. 

The final word has to go to the numerous volunteers who put this tournament on for everyone’s enjoyment. And what a tournament!!

So much that I had a couple of coaches say to me…”New Mills certainly know how to do tournaments” and “it’s what we try to copy”.

So congratulations to all involved that made it what it is. 

Thank you all from the Eagles 🦅  💛🖤⚽️



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