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18/06/2011 - Bedlington Town FC 12 Burradon 0

A fantastic start to the Summer League for the Vipers with an outstanding score line and some excellent passing moves throughout the game.  

A bit of a slow and tentative start was short lived.  Jack France was on fire throughout the game. In his short spell up front he confidently slotted away five tasty goals.

Reece Edgar was an absolute menace down the left wing and demonstrated tremendous ball control whilst travelling at supersonic speeds. Solid defending throughout the match gave us the platform to carry on attacking. Indeed the defensive duo of James Kirby and Jack Langhorne got in on the act with a first ever goal for Jack following a pass from James! It was only the crossbar that stopped James adding to the score line late on! There was a great league debut from the pass master Ben Marley who rocked in with three goals himself.  The silky skills of Sam Richardson “the controller” really influenced the game not to mention a cheeky hat-trick to boot! A much deserved rest towards the end of the match on the subs bench only led to him being more vocal than the coaching staff! A great spirit, great attitude and a wonderful performance.... Nuff said...

Burradon played with a great attitude in their first game together and their heads never dropped. Parents and manager should be very proud of them.

MOM – Reece Edgar (Superhuman performance)

25/06/20011 - FC Cullercoats 2 Bedlington Town Vipers 2

Despite a somewhat slow start, and down 2-0 after 10 minutes, the boys then returned to form and played some great football. Our boys kept the Cullercoats keeper busy and he did well to ward off some fantastic shots. In the last 10 minutes of the first half, Cullercoats could not create any further chances, due to some dogged defending by the Vipers.
 
Into the second half and the game started as it finished, the Vipers pushed on and created a number of chances. The Vipers' first goal then came from a cracking 20 yarder from Jack France which was too powerful for the keeper to hold onto, 2-1 game on! The Vipers continued to push for an equaliser and from some great play down the wing by Owen and a lovely cut in, his shot fizzed into the corner to make it 2-2.
 
The last 10 minutes was dominated by the Vipers pushing for the winner, and in the last minute of the game came a clearance from his own half by defender James, which sailed to the Cullercoats goal, only to be stopped by the goal keeper's finger tips!
 
MOM - Sean Ord (Strong and confident)

02/07/2011 - Forest Hall Blues 3 Bedlington Town Vipers 1

The Vipers started the game brightly and created a number of chances in the opening 10 minutes; the boys were on fire, but luck was not on their side! Swailsey made some superb shots on goal but to no avail. Against the run of play, Forest Hall broke free and scored the opening goal.
 
1-0 down at half time, the second half was only 30 seconds in and from a great run by Sam and pass, Jack France tucked away the equaliser, game on! Moments later, hand ball in our box, penalty to Forest Hall; they took their chance and went 2-1 up. The Vipers battled on to the final whistle.
 
MOM - Ethan Poland (England’s future no.1)

04/07/2011 - Newcastle East End 1 Bedlington Town Vipers 1

A great start by the Vipers against the league leaders Newcastle East End; 10 minutes into the game and Owen lashes a shot from the wing which the keeper can't get near, 1-0 up!! The boys were demonstrating football at it's best; teamwork was the key.
  
Newcastle got their much needed equaliser. Goalie Polie was outstanding and made sure of no more. Despite a pitch invasion by a runaway "wolf" (German Shepherd) which stopped play for a number of minutes, the Vipers picked up where they left off - super striking, "mint" midfielding, WOW wingplay, dynamite defending and glorious goal keeping - what a game against the top side in this league!
 
MOM - Owen Holliday (Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant)

 

09/07/2011 - Bedlington Town Vipers 6 Forest Hall Reds 1

The Vipers met on Saturday looking to build on an excellent result against the league leaders earlier in the week, and it only took a couple of minute for the lads to take the lead following a great run and finish by Reece.  It didn’t stay 1-0 for long though as Reece was on fire, finishing off another great move to extend the Vipers lead.

The boys were good value for 2-0. Ethan was confident and vocal in goal, the defence of James and Langhy, were snuffing out any break away by Forest Hall and the midfield trio were protecting the goal well whilst also supporting and prompting Swailsey in attack, It was from one of these supporting runs from Owen that he set Jack Swailes free and Jack duly obliged with a great finish past the keeper : 3-0 to the Vipers.

And the boys were not finished there – another goal from Jack Swailes, alongside yet another another for hatrick hero Reece meant the lads were winning 5-0. Just before halftime, however, Forest Hall got one back to leave the half time score 5-1.

With a tournament in the afternoon to look forward to, the lads took their foot off the gas in the second half. Thanks to some stout defending from Lewis and in particular Jack France, the midfield continued to press Forest Hall. Sam set off on a jinky run but was fouled outside the box. Ben took the free kick and smashed it into the back off the net : 6-1 to the Vipers!

The game ended 6-1, which rounded off a fantastic week of summer league football for the Vipers – well done fellas!!

MOM - Jack France (Class act)

11/07/2011 - Whitley Bay Boys Club Rovers 0 Bedlington Town Vipers 5

Monday night saw a real 6 pointer as the Vipers took on Whitley Bay. There were some nerves in the management team as victory for the lads would mean they would leapfrog their opponents into 3^rd place in the league.

The Vipers started strongly. Owen made a good run and some early pressure from the Vipers resulted in a shot from Reece which the Whitley Bay defence did well to block. The Whitley Bay defence were having difficulty dealing with Owens strength and skill down the wing and from one of these runs he was fouled. Jack France took the resulting free kick and cracked a shot just wide of the Whitley Bay goal. In the next move Sam and Reece interchanged passes and set up Jack France but his shot was well held by the keeper.

The lads were really on the front foot and any Whitley Bay attacks were expertly repelled by Langhy and James. Midway through the first half, Owen set off on another mazy run down the right, beating the defender and sending over a brilliant cross, which Reece controlled and set up Swailsey, who held off a defender to finish well – he just doesn’t miss from there : 1-0 to the Vipers and it was nothing less than they deserved. Shortly after the goal, the lads extended their lead : a break down the left was cleared by Whitley Bay. Sam controlled the ball and smashed a shot from outside the box over the head of the keeper: 2-0. Not long after it was 3-0 with an almost identical goal from outside the box from Sam and this was how the half finished.

The second half got underway and Whitley Bay started strongly looking for an early goal to get back into the game. Some great defensive heading by Sam, alongside some dogged defensive play from Sean on the wing limited how much success Whitley Bay had. Even when they threatened, the defence of Jack France, Langhy and James, alongside “safe hands” Ethan stopped them in their tracks. The Vipers had a couple of good chances following excellent corners from Jack Swailes, including a bullet header from Sam, but the ball just wouldn’t go in the net.

Following a Whitley Bay attack, the defence cleared the ball to Sean, who in turn passed to Swailsey. Jack was strong and picked out Sam who duly completed his hat-trick: 4-0 to the Vipers. Reece finished the scoring with an excellent dribble down the left wing, followed by a strong finish into the bottom corner.

There was still time for Whitley Bay to threaten one more time but a combination of bar, post, Ethan pulling off an excellent save and Jack France clearing off the line kept a well deserved clean sheet intact.

An excellent performance by everyone but a special mention goes to the midfield pairing of Sam and Owen who were at the heart of some simply exquisite moves. The opposition looked to play a strong physical game but the Vipers were too. A really pleasing result which is testament to all of the hard work the lads have put in. 

MOM - Sam Richardson (a Premiership performance from a Premiership player)

16/07/2011 - KYPC Pumas 0 Bedlington Town Vipers 8

Saturday saw an unusual afternoon kick off – alongside some unseasonal heavy rain – as the Vipers lined up against KYPC Pumas.

The boys started the game with Ethan in goal, birthday boy and Captain Jack Langhorne in defence alongside Jack France, a midfield trio of Reece, Sam and Owen with Jack Swailes up front. The Pumas kicked off the first half and it was apparent from the early stages of the match that the weather would have an impact throughout the game – the playing surface was greasy, which meant both sides taking a little bit of time to get to grips with the conditions.

The Vipers pressed the Pumas defence down the wings with both Reece and Owen having opportunities to show their strength and skill. Owen created the first chance, with a great run and cross but Swailsey was unlucky and, due to the playing conditions, just couldn’t convert the chance. The lads continued to cause the Pumas defence problems and create chances but a combination of the greasy playing surface, some good goalkeeping and the woodwork – including a chance for Owen, where he hit both posts in one go!! – kept the score at nil nil as the game approached the mid point of the first half.

Continued pressure on the Pumas goal resulted in a series of corners and it was from these that the boys took – and then extended – the lead. Jack France swung over a fantastic corner and Sam timed his run to perfection to power a header into the Puma’s net : 1-0. This seemed to strengthen the lads resolve to make sure their pressure counted and from the next attack they forced another corner. Jack Jack France has been practicing his corners and he hit another delightful ball into the box which caused panic in the Pumas defence, allowing Sam to nip in and make it 2-0 to the Vipers at half time.

Straight from the kick off, the boys demonstrated their ruthless streak to make it 3-0; Owen controlled a pass direct from the kick off, strode forward with purpose and as he approached the corner of the Pumas box, struck a fanstastic shot into the bottom corner of the net.

The Pumas were now under constant pressure but continued to battle well. When they did manage to make inroads into Vipers territory, the expertise of Langhy and James snuffed out any threat. As a result, Ethan was having a very quiet afternoon but, despite the lack of action and the terrible weather, continued to show good concentration.

Following good work by Reece, Sam took an opportunity to drive into the box and completed his hat trick to make it 4-0. Lewis, Owen and Reece were making good progress down the wings and Lewis combined well with Sam to set up Jack France for 5-0. Jack wasn’t finished there and got his second – and the Vipers sixth – a couple of minutes later.

A couple of tactical changes from the management team saw Swailsey appear on the left wing. Jack demonstrated his strength and skill to ride a couple of challenges and sent a rocket of a shot into the top corner of the net, giving the keeper no chance: 7-0. As the game drew to a close, the lads continued to attack and, after winning tackle outside the  Puma’s box, Sam dribbled passed a couple of challenges to score his fourth and extend the Vipers lead to 8-0 at the end of the match.

MOM - Jack Swailes (for goal of the season - wow!)

18/07/2011 - Bedlington Town Vipers 2 Whitley Bay BC United 4

The Vipers lined up on Monday evening looking to build on a run of 3 straight victories with a game against unbeaten WBBC United. The weather was kinder than the downpour on Saturday but the pitch was still greasy after some earlier rain.

Both sides started strongly, neither side wanting to give away anything to the other side. The first chance of the match fell to the Vipers – Owen played a ball into the box and one of the Whitley Bay defenders handled, giving the Vipers a penalty. Reece strode up and hit the penalty firm and low but the keeper was equal to it and pulled off a good save. Whitley Bay broke quickly from the keepers kick and only an excellent flying save from Ethan, pushing the ball onto the bar, kept the score at nil – nil.

The boys were showing good strength against a robust Whitley Bay team and created a few chances – Sam, Swailsey, Reece and Owen having opportunities to test the keeper but all being unlucky not to be able to force the ball home. James and Jack France were solid in defence, limiting Whitley Bay’s chances, including some excellent heading from James. When the Whitley bay attack did manage to get past the Vipers defence, they found Ethan in majestic form, showing good handling skills and great bravery, diving at the feet of the on-rushing centre forward.

As the game approached half time, Whitley Bay took advantage of some good fortune to take the lead. The Whitley Bay striker challenged James for the ball, which spun up and hit James in the face, bursting his lip. The ball fell nicely for the Whitley Bay striker who struck a powerful shot which Ethan got a hand to but just couldn’t stop: 1-0 to Whitley Bay.

Langhy replace James in defence and carried on the good defensive work with some excellent clearances and intelligent play to let the ball run out of play and take the pressure off the Vipers defence. Whitley Bay broke down the right wing and played the ball to their striker. It looked like he had over ran the ball in the Vipers box, but then managed to get a foot onto the ball to make it 2-0 to Whitley Bay at half time.

The lads started the second half as strongly as they’d started the first, attacking with pace and keeping the Whitley Bay midfield and defence busy. Whitley Bay were fortunate to extend their lead when the Vipers were unable to clear an attack and a snapshot caught Ethan unsighted and sneaked into the net: 3-0 to Whitley Bay.

This was not a true reflection of the game and lesser teams would have given up at this stage but the lads rolled their sleeves up and got back into the game with Ben, Reece and Owen linking up well in midfield to pressurise the Whitley Bay defence. From one of these attacks, the ball fell to Sam, who hit a right foot shot which beat the keeper: 3-1, game on.

The game continued to be end to end. In defence, Jack France, Sean and James were continuing to contain the Whitley Bay attack well. Any chances that Whitley Bay did create were expertly dealt with by “Safe Hands” Poland. However, the Vipers failed to clear the ball following a corner and it fell to an oncoming Whitley Bay midfielder who hit a powerful shot, giving Ethan no chance, to make it 4:1. Again the lads battled well and they reduced the deficit with almost the last kick of the game – Sam picked up the ball midway inside the Whitley Bay half, dribbled past a couple of Whitley Bay players into the box and managed to beat the keeper from a tight angle to make the final score 4-2.

On another day and with a better rub of the green, the score line could have been very different. The Vipers performance itself was testament to how far they have developed over the season. It was a disappointing result but there were plenty of positives to take from the game. This Vipers team has a tremendous spirit and WILL bounce back. 

MOM - Ethan Poland (a real credit to his team and club - outstanding)

23/07/2011 - Bedlington Town Vipers 10 – 0 KYPC Wolves Blues

Saturday brought an opportunity for the Vipers to put the disappointment of the result against Whitley Bay behind them with a morning match against the KYPC Wolves Blues.

The boys lined up for the first half with Eth in goal, Langhy and James in defence, a midfield trio of Reece, Owen and Sam with Swailsey up front. The boys attacked right from the off and had several chances to take the lead but found the Wolves keeper in fantastic form, pulling off excellent reaction saves from Swailsey, Owen, Reece and Sam. The midfield and defence were protecting Ethan’s goal extremely well with James and Langhy playing with commitment and intelligence.

The pressure on the Wolves goal continued throughout the first part of the half and it finally paid off when Lewis – on as a substitute – powered the ball into the net. The lead was soon extended to 2-0 when Lewis pressurised the Wolves defence and forced the ball over the line. Owen made the half time score 3-0 with a fantastically strong run and finish, despite some robust challenges from the KYPC defenders.

The second half started as the first had ended – the Vipers were placing the Wolves goal under tremendous pressure looking to exploit the pace and skill of Reece and Owen on the wings and, following a lovely dribble into the box from Sam, Swailsey nipped in to prod the ball home for 4-0. Trying to better his goal from last week, Swailsey then decided to score direct from a corner to make it 5-0!

Ethan was having a quiet morning but remained alert to any danger, dealing with it effortlessly. The goals were flowing by now: Sam added himself a couple, Owen got another (followed by a fantastic celebration, even by his standards!!)  and Lewis grabbed another brace to take his total to 4, including a great glancing header to make the final score 10-0 to the Vipers.

MOM - Lewis Purdue (the kid was on fire!)

30/07/2011 - Bedlington Town Vipers 0 – 2 KYPC Wolves

Summer holidays were having an impact on the both sides on Saturday - the Vipers only had 8 players available and the kick off was delayed by 10 minutes as the Wolves waited for their 7^th player to arrive.

The Vipers got the game underway with Swailsey passing to Ben, who went on a marauding run up the left wing, catching the Wolves defence cold – only the alertness of the Wolves keeper stopped a certain goal. From the keepers kick, James cleared the ball to Jack Swailes. With an excellent turn, Jack sprayed the ball into the path of Reece on the right wing. Reece advanced into the space behind the Wolves defence, delivered a lovely through ball back to Swailsey – who was unlucky to see his snapshot from the edge of the box come back off the foot off the post with the keeper beaten.

The Wolves midfield and strikers were showing some slick passing, which was being well dealt with by James and Langhy. On the odd occasion they did breach the Vipers defence, they found Ethan in great form. The lads continued to pressure and after some confusion in the Wolves defence resulted in a week clearance, Sam was unlucky to see his long range drive go just wide.

A long kick from the opposition keeper was controlled by a Wolves midfielder, who then ran directly towards the Vipers defence and picked out the unmarked striker on the edge of the box and, despite his valiant efforts, Ethan couldn’t stop the attacker making it 1-0 to the Wolves at half time.

In the second half, the game continued to be end to end. Ethan again showed what a great shot stopper he is; Sean, Langhy and James were robust in defence, making the Wolves attackers work hard for every half chance. Swailsey was strong on the right wing, whilst Sam was doing a great job of ensuring the Wolves keepers kicks were sent straight back into the Wolves hale with some brave heading. Reece was skilful, fast and direct on the left wing and Ben was such a threat upfront that the Wolves took to marking him with 3 defenders!

As the Vipers pushed for an equaliser, the ball broke to the Wolves attacker who angled a low shot into the bottom corner of the  net, increasing their lead to 2-0 and, despite a couple of half chances for the lads, they couldn’t claw back a consolation goal before the final whistle.

Special mention to Reece Edgar who put in the miles and got stuck in with some strong play.

Man of the Match - Ethan Poland (the best keeper in Northumberland - fact)

06/08/2011 - Bedlington Town Vipers 3 – 0 New Fordley Panthers

The Viper’s usual reporter Mr Richardson wasn’t present this week (phone tapping allegations have been muted) so apologies for this shorter recap of the match!

The Vipers looked to bounce back after last week’s game and they did just that in a business like fashion. The boys all turned up in positive spirits and raring to go! As a result the management team felt confident from the outset. With only seven players each one of the boys knew they had a 40 minute job to do in this crucial six pointer.   The heavens opened just before kick-off and didn’t let up for the duration of the game. The conditions didn’t affect the players as they were all clearly in the zone.

The game kicked off with the Vipers looking to make their mark from the start. Following a 5 minute spell of good play from the Vipers,  New Fordley started to apply their own pressure and were by no means going to give us an easy ride. James and Langhy at the back were on top form stopping every chance expertly with very strong tackling, clearances and intelligent positional play. Swailesy started in a new position of central midfield and again proved to us that he is a great player wherever he is positioned.  Safe hand Ethan (my player of the summer league) never faltered and even though the conditions made the ball slippery he still pulled out some outstanding saves.

The Vipers battling doggedness paid off with first blood going to the Toon. A neat move down the right released the ruthless Jack France at the edge of the box who expertly finished off in to the bottom corner. The keeper had no chance.  Credit to New Fordley they still battled and their heads did not drop.  Once again our defence was equal to their efforts. The Vipers determination didn’t reside to see out the first half maintaining the lead and a clean sheet: 1-0.

The second half started off as the first with the Vipers believing in themselves.  Reece continued to play the game in top form - he attacked and defended with great strength. Ben put in a great performance demonstrating expertly how to run with the ball whilst keeping your head up, and looking for the pass. His great midfield balance caused New Fordley problems and helped our attackers find space.

It wasn’t long before the lads got their second goal following a truly beautiful move between Jack France, Reece Edgar and, polished off by Swailesy hitting the back of the net: 2-0!

Even at 2 up the New Fordley team didn’t stop pushing for a goal and were only stopped by some heroic defending from Captain James and the Langster. The midfield also played their part defensively.

The Vipers had their flow and their self belief continued to grow. Reece popped up with about 5 mins left to play with a well deserved goal to round off a fantastic team performance: 3-0.

Every player played their part today in a great team display against a good attacking team.   THE VIPERS ARE BACK!

Man of the Match - Jack Langhorne (Really wanted a clean sheet and made sure he got one!)

 

13/08/2011 - Bedlington Town Vipers 8 – 0 New Fordley Pumas

It’s fair to say David and Allan entered this match already very proud of what the boys have achieved in this summer league.  During the summer season they have played some great football. They have ended the summer a better side than the one at the start and that is a credit to their attitude and willingness to improve. 

The match started slowly, as the Vipers looked to suss out the opposition.  Lewis started his last Vipers match as Captain as a fitting thank you from us for his help in the summer league.  He is a real credit to the Scorpions.  James started the game up front looking to get his first goal of the summer campaign.

New Fordley looked to play a strong game from the start and were not going to let us have all of our own way.  Eventually after some continuous pressure the Vipers broke the deadlock with a neat finish from Jack France following good build up play in midfield. The boys started to relax in to the game now but were still met with stubborn resistance. James was looking lively up front and a made some good openings.  Following one of these goal mouth tussles the ball broke to Jack Swailes who had made a run from central midfield and smashed the ball in to the roof of the net. 2-0 Vipers.

The Vipers had a very good hold on the game and Langhy sat back as our sole defender mopping up on the rare occasions New Fordley penetrated our midfield. Ethan was having a quiet game so was able to keep a few of his wonder saves for a later date. Then it happened.... The moment the Kirby family were waiting for.  After a season of stopping people scoring James continued to pressure and harass the New Fordley goal.  From midfield the ball was played in to James who took a touch and competently hit the back of the net. A deserved goal for our battling defender. 3-0 Vipers. Swailsey was controlling midfield well now with the support of Jack France and Reece our class and quality was starting to show.  Half Time.

The second half started with a rare trip out of nets for Ethan. The classy goalie turned in to a classy striker demonstrating some lovely left foot touches to spread the play around. Swailsey was now out on the right wing and again showing us how versatile he is. Lewis volunteered to go in goal and made some accomplished saves. James now dropped back to his rightful position of defender and played an outstanding half as our only defender.  Tackle after tackle was made. His clearances were turning defence in to attack. Langhy now had a bit more freedom to play midfield and attack and got involved in adding to our attacking pressure. Jack Swailes added to tally when a cross come shot looped in to the net making it 4-0.

Reece added to the score line after some good play throughout the match. 5-0 to the Vipers. He was like a terrier up and down the wing. In addition he was quick to battle back to help James out when needed. Swailesy’s next goal was a screamer.  The ball broke to him outside the box and he hit a jaw dropping bullet in to the back of the net.  He has scored some great goals for us but that was a belter! 6-0 Vipers and hattrick to Swailesy. He wasn’t settling for that though and got his fourth capping of a great midfield demonstration.  7-0.

I have left a goal out til last because it seems fitting to close the report with a goal from the Summer League Player of the Season - Ethan Poland. Out of nets he looked calm and skilful and brought great balance to the team with his left foot. When the ball broke to him it was inevitable that he would score his first goal for the Vipers after stopping so many other players from scoring passed us.  8-0 and yet another great team display with only 7 players.

The Summer League is over and it has been a great experience. 53 goals and loads of continuous improvement.  NEXT UP THE NMSL – BRING IT ON!

Man of the Match - James Kirby (A rock at the back and scored too!!)