Fans Friendly: England Vs Estonia

The England supporters team had a point to prove against Estonia having suffered a heavy defeat in Tallinn back in November 2014. With a valid excuse to swerve out of work early on a Friday afternoon a good sized squad had registered for the home fixture which was held within earshot of Wembley  at Stonebridge Pavillion.

The Estonian team also had a large squad of around 35 players and were really well backed by their travelling support. The Estonian fans certainly made their voice heard during a rousing rendition of ‘Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm’ – which translates as: ‘My Fatherland, My Happiness and Joy’. The England team look rather sheepish in comparison when the Estonian anthem was promptly followed on by a version of the Hakka!– a twenty second YouTube advert rudely interrupting ‘God save the Queen’.

England Team from top left: Ben Knapper, Dave Rhodes, Graham Taylor, James Clarke, Mel Kenny, Dane Cloke(C), Gary Shanihan, Ed Rhodes (Manager), Barrie Tullis, Dave Oakley, Aiden Willis, Craig Tullis, Eden Shelley, Alex Moore.

With the comedy moment aside, referee Dave Beverley got proceedings under way and it was England, in all white, who started like the All Blacks; being firm into the tackle and driving Estonia back into their own half. England looked confident and were having a lot of joy from wide positions with new recruits Eden and Aiden both impressing on their full debuts. Around ten minutes into the half England made their pressure pay by latching onto to a mistake from the Estonian centre-back. James Clarke crossed to striker Gary Shanahan whose shot was parried by the keeper only to be neatly turned in to the net by Craig Tullis.

England continued to dominate the opening 20mins with only mild flashes of brilliance from the Estonian no.7 on the left wing threatening the England defence. It was Alex Moore who was able to extend England’s managing to control a defensive clearance on his knee and the hitting delicious volley from 25 years which cannoned in off the left hand upright.

England’s James Clarke battles for the ball against the lively Estonian Ronaldo…

At 2-0 down the Estonian team made use of their plentiful substituted and started to cause England problems with two youthful but very quick centre-forwards running at the England defence. Keeper Mel Kenny was forced into several saves before Estonia put themselves back in the game making it 2-1.

Estonia had come back into the game towards the end of the first half but even the neutral support (not that there were any!) would have to say England had edged it going into half time. Five minutes into the second half, England were able to extend their lead when Craig Tullis pounced on a stray backpass and rounded the last defended to slot past the keeper to chalk up his brace.

What had been an entertaining game up until this point then took several twists. Firstly, England left-back Dave Oakley limped off with a hamstring injury. Then a bizarre incident saw Craig Tullis skip past the last defender and through on goal to complete his hat-trik – only to hear the referee blow-up for an earlier infringement from the Estonian full-back. With shades of Gareth Bale’s goal against Barcelonia, referee Dave Beverley had done well to spot the infringement but had underestimated Tullis’s pace and blown up rather than playing the advantage.

The Estonian keeper denies Craig Tullis from 12yds out. Excellent last ditch save

Estonia used their subs to good effect in the second half and their high pressing game paid off when they made it 3-2 on around the 60 minute mark. England’s luck didn’t get any better when Craig Tullis was bundled over in the box. Referee Dave Beverly took a good long look but decided it was just a tangle of legs and waived away the penalty shouts.

As England tired, Estonia again made good use of their subs and ran at England’s weary midfield – both the number 3 and 7 in particular looking dangerous in possession. With only 5 minutes to go Estonia equalised much to the delight of their travelling support. With the match poised at 3-3 the game really could have gone either way. Despite being on the back-foot, England used their sole striker as an outlet-ball to good effect and looked dangerous on the counter. This time it was Barrie Tullis this time who unlocked the Estonian defence to put son Craig Tullis through on goal. For the second time in half an hour, England’s centre forward was hauled down inside the box and this time Mr.Beverley had no choice but to point to the spot and award a penalty.

On a hat-trik and with just over three minutes on the clock, Craig Tullis brushed himself down and lined up to take the kick. The penalty was stuck cleanly but without any real venom. The Estonian keeper launched himself to his left hand side and pulled off an excellent last-gasp save.

Presentation of the plaque to the Estonian team

It had been an end-to-end game played in good spirit throughout. Although it was a friendly, the remaining few minutes were extremely tense. Just when you thought there couldn’t be any more drama, the Estonian team carved out one last opportunity – the number 7 was instrumental again, slotting the ball through to the Estonian striker who then squared to his team-mate to slot home past keeper Mel Kenny. The Estonian players reeled off to celebrate with the fans with what was almost the last kick of the game. With more than a suspicion of off-side England could have felt slightly hard-done by but congratulations must also go to the Estonian who kept going to the end and finishing the stronger of the two teams.

A special thanks goes out to Mari from the Estonian fans association for making the game possible and to our Estonian guests for a great game good time in the Torch pub afterwards.

A full set of pictures from the game are available courtesy of the official Estonian photographer ‘Brit Maria T’: https://flic.kr/s/aHskiuoVnS

If you would like to get involved in the Fans Friendly initiative please email your name, age and preferred playing position to fanfriendly@mac1.net

Ljubljana Fans Friendly: Slovenia Vs England

There were a few sore heads when England met at 9:30am at the Central City Hotel in Ljubljana en-route to the fans friendly with Slovenia. The team were greeted by a Slovenian guide, Marusha, who took us on a specially chartered bus to the stadium for the match. The game was held to the North of the City on a ground that was part of the Slovenian FA’s (NZS) training facilities

England went into the game with a strong squad of 17 players and faced up against a scratch team of Slovenians who had not played together before. The NZS had selected the players from the Slovenian supporters associations Facebook page following a campaign to promote the game in a national daily sports magazine.

England Team from Top Left: Dave Beverly (referee), Dave Clarke, Barrie Tullis, Dane Cloke (Captain), Ben Knapper, Gary Shanahan, Graham Taylor, Paul Newstead, Des Ireland, Simon Price, Phil McLaughlin, Ed Rhodes (Gaffer), James Clarke, Alex Moore, Will Flack, Rupert Maher, Tim Hort, George Flack, Jim Gay (FA)

After a heavy defeat in Dublin, England headed into the game with a few more of their regulars in the side, including Graham Taylor who was able to reform his strong centre-back partnership with Captain Dane Cloke. With a combined age of 100 it may be fair to say that Dane and Graham aren’t the quickest defenders in the world, but they certainly make up for that with their experience, especially the way they read the game. Overall though there was a more youthful look to the squad, with several of the younger players who made their debut in Turin coming back into the team after missing the Dublin friendly. Dave Clarke, Phil McLaughlin, Will Flack and Rupert Maher all filled the wide positions around the spine of the team made up from regulars.

Ben Knapper puts challenges the Slovenian centre half

Despite the early kick-off time of 11am, the temperature on pitch-side was in the high 20’s and that was reflected in the initial exchanges as the game opened at a fairly leisurely pace. The Slovenians had the majority of possession in the first 20 minutes but weren’t able to pose a serious threat to England’s goalkeeper Des Ireland. England looked best when they got the ball out wide and had a limited amount of joy down the right hand side with some neat combinations between Will Flack and Rupert Maher. The problem for England was getting decent quality balls up to the attackers – several times balls were worked up to either Paul Newstead or Alex Moore in attack but the midfield struggled to get up to support. Whether it was the heat, the hangovers, or the size of the pitch (which was much bigger than what most of us were playing on) England were struggling to move up and down as a unit and found themselves surrendering possession to Slovenia. By the end of the first half Slovenia must have had well over 65% possession and on the 40 minute mark they were able to make this statistic count. The Slovenian number 18 pounced on a loose ball just inside the area, swivelled on the spot and dispatched a precision half volley into the England net giving the home team a 1-0 lead going into the break.

At half time both teams were addressed by the Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Slovenia, Mr Jamie Hilton who gave a short speech to thank our hosts and demonstrate the support of the Embassy for initiatives such as the fans friendly events which bring fans together through football.

Captain Dane Cloke puts his body on the line

The second half was a little more open than the first and saw chances at both ends. Slovenia wasted a great opportunity to extend their lead when their number 9 was put through on goal only to slide his shot wide past the advancing Des Ireland. Goalkeeper Des was kept on his toes throughout the game and was pivotal in keeping the scoreline at 1-0. England manager Ed Rhodes rang the changes in the second half as the heat took its toll. It was two of the substitutes who carved out England’s best chance of the second half, with Simon Price latching on to Gary Shanahan’s cross, only to steer the ball wide of the post.

The game became more open as the second half went on. Barrie Tullis who had set his sights with a couple of long range shots in the first half saw a left foot shot from outside the box fizz over the bar. But it was Slovenia who finished the game the strongest, being able to overrun the English midfield despite the industry of Tim Hort and Alex Moore who must have covered more ground than anyone else on the pitch. After several close chances the hosts eventually made their superiority count when their number 10 stabbed home from 3 yards out following a goal mouth scramble.

After the game: Slovenia & England teams at the Sports Park Kodeljevo, Ljubljana

At the final whistle the English players presented some gifts (courtesy of the FA) to the Slovenian players and were then treated to a traditional Slovenian lunch at a nearby restaurant. A huge thank you goes out to Nejc Fistrovic, who made the game possible. Not only did Nejc ensure everything ran like clockwork on the day he also starred in the winning Slovenian team – playing in goal for the first half and then coming on to centre-midfield in the second half!

If you would like to be involved in future fans friendly matches please email fanfriendly@mac1.net with your full name, England Supporters Club number, age and preferred playing position. A full set of pictures from the game is available here: https://flic.kr/s/aHskaEkoLm

Fans Friendly: Italy Vs England, Turin 2015

The England Fans Friendly against Italy had been arranged for early afternoon on match-day and was played at the Turin AFC Club located West of the City Centre. The club has strong links with Torino and hosts many of Toniro FCs youth training session and Academy games.

The Italian team captain, Andrea De Benedetti met the England team in the Piazza Castello and escorted the team to the stadium by bus. The England changing room was awash with new faces many of whom are new to the Supporters Club, having signed up to for the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign and finals. Alongside the new faces, the England starting line-up included some more established names which included a strong centre-back pairing of John Lunt and Graham Taylor. David Rhodes was restored at right back after missing the trip to Tallin and the spine of the team continued with Barrie Tullis and (Captain) Dane Cloke partnering in centre-midfield and Craig Tullis keeping his place up front.

England Team Squad Photo: The game took place at A.S.D. Cit Turin Football Club

After the team photos, Italy got the match underway and immediately took the game to England. The Italians looked good technically and despite being direct with their approach play, kept the ball on the floor rather than playing balls over the top. Both teams had good spells during the opening exchanges but it was Italy who raced to a 2-0 lead within 20 minutes of kick-off. Despite being well organised at the back, the English defence struggled to contain the lively Italian no.10 who had bags of pace and looked to run at the defence at every opportunity.

AT 2-0 down, England didn’t panic and soon got back into the game courtesy of a neat finish from Craig Tullis after a well worked one-two with father Barrie! The celebrations were fairly short lived though as Italy restored their two goal lead within minutes following a great counter attacking move; the No.10 stealing the ball on the half way line and breaking through the English defence to provide an easy finish for his Italian strike partner.

Kick Off: England’s Craig Tullis poses for a pre-match photo with Italian midfielder Roberto Siclari

Despite temperatures of 25c on pitch-side, the pace of the game didn’t drop. Much like the Italians, the English side was made up of a mixture of youth and veterans and with 25mins gone, England began to make good use of their ‘roll-on roll-off’ substitutes, giving debuts to several younger members of the squad. Louis Minter replaced Chris Brook in attack and quickly made an impression, combining well with Alex Moore to win a penalty which he converted before half time, making the score 3-2 going into the break.

As is often the case, a goal before half time gave England the impetus going in to the second-half and it wasn’t long before the equaliser came. Chris Brook had been reintroduced as part of a three man attack and calmly slotted home from 10 yards out from a Craig Tullis’s cross.

As the Italians began to tire, the pace of Craig Tullis caused all sorts of problems and he put England 4-3 up about mid-way into the second half, this time being put through by Louis Minter. Italy continued to play some good football and were still creating chances – Jon Lunt making a crucial interception inside the box when Italy were odds-on to score.

Presentation: England Manager Ed Rhodes presents Andrea De Benedetti with ‘fans friendly’ plaq

With about 10 minutes remaining England extended their lead. A cynical handball on the edge of the D resulted in a free kick from around 25 yards out – up stepped Captain Dane Cloke who hammered home a wondergoal following a clever lay-off from Barrie Tullis. The icing on the cake was delivered by Craig Tullis who completed his hat-trik in style, running from his own half and beating two players before finishing past the Italian keeper.

The afternoon finished off with a short presentation to thank our Italian hosts for a great game of football, their excellent sportsmanship and superb hospitality which concluded with a post-match beer (or two) in the club house.

If you would like to get involved in the fan-friendly activities please email your name, age and preferred playing position to: fanfriendly@mac1.net

Pictures: https://flic.kr/s/aHsk6hP4nj

Fans Friendly: Estonia Vs England, Tallinn 2014

The England fans-friendly in Tallinn was organised on match-day in conjunction with the Estonian fans association (Jalgpallihaigla), the British Council and the British Embassy. The direct translation of Jalgpallihaigla is ‘Football Hospital’ and the organisation is both a charity and football team which is made up of supporters of the Estonian National Team.

Our hosts were extremely welcoming with the England team being escorted to the stadium from Freedom Square in the centre of town to our pitch which was directly outside Le Coq Arena where England would play their UEFA qualifier later on that evening. On arrival, England fans and supporters were gifted with a couple of crates of cold beer – not exactly the best preparation for the game but greatly received all the same!

National Anthem time….

After the national anthems, the game kicked-off at a fast pace with the Estonian team looking to capitalise on a few sore heads within the England team. A combination of a late night and early morning kick off looked to have effected some of the England players and allowed Estonia to take a firm grip on the game, opening the scoring within the first five minutes. A long, angled-drive from outside the box looked to be dipping over the stand-in English keeper until his outstretched arm tipped the ball on to the underside of the crossbar. The the ball bounced kindly for Estonia, sitting in the middle of the goal and leaving the Estonian striker with a simple tap-in to make it 1-0.

When Estonia made it 2-0 it looked as if England could be facing a tough day at the office. However, the English lads dug-in and started to gain good possession in midfield, getting good penetration down the left side from full-back Ben Knapper. After some decent possession, England started to look a little more stable at the back, with Dane Cloke and John Lunt reforming a partnership that worked well during the World Cup qualifying campaign.

Barrie Tullis and Glen Thornton start to work some good possession in midfield

The danger for England was always on the counter attack and despite good possession, Estonia looked very dangerous – the main threat coming from their pacey number 11 and the 9, who was constantly looking to run in behind the England defense. With the next goal vital, England plugged away – with Craig Tullis hitting the angle of the crossbar from a ambitions shot wide to the right of the Estonian box. But it was Estonia who got the third goal, extending their lead with around ten minutes until half time. With some weary legs on the pitch, England made a double substitution; Tim Hort and Graham Goodge replacing James Ransden and Ben Knapper, the latter appearing to be feeling the effects of the previous evenings entertainment (rumoured to have finished at 6am!). From the substitutions it was Tim who was able to make an immediate impact on the game, being put through on goal by the English midfield and supplying a neat finish past the Estonian keeper. The half time whistle blew with England in the ascendancy – buoyed by their goal and still (just about) in the game at 3-1 down.

British Ambassador Chris Holtby is interviewed by Estonian TV

After the half time refreshments and some interviews with the local media it was back out for the second half. A weary England team didn’t look to be at the races at all and the Estonian team started to control the game. Despite some resolute defensive performances throughout the England team, the quality, pace and fitness of the Estonian team started to show as they dominated the second half. England weren’t without chances and Craig Tullis came close when he lofted a deft chip over the keeper, only to see it go narrowly past the right hand post when put through on goal. In order to stay compact, England were playing a high line at the back and were having relative success catching the Estonian forwards offside. However, it was only a matter of time until the offside trap was beaten and Estonia added goals number four and five in quick succession.

Craig Tullis through on goal

England were stuck a couple of harsh injury blows in the second half with the influential Richard Barnwell limping off with what looked to be a serious hamstring tear. It meant that the last twenty minutes or so were a real struggle for the English boys and credit to the team for digging their heals in and giving it everything until the last minute. Sadly it wasn’t enough to keep the Estonians at bay and by the full time whistle England were in ‘damage limitation mode’ and did well to keep the score to 7-1.

The game finished with a joint team photo and a presentation to say thanks to our wonderful hosts who were so accomodating – we look forward to welcoming Jalgpallihaigla back to Wembley next October. A quick word from the England team manager – next time the team will have a strict curfew! Next up…… Scotland.

Group Team Photo

A full set of pictures from the game are available: https://flic.kr/s/aHsk4J3VFF

If you would like to get involved in the Fans Friendly initiative please email your name, age and preferred playing position to fanfriendly@mac1.net

 

 

Fans Friendly: São Paolo

São Paolo is Brazils largest city and hosted England’s second group match against Uruguay. On the morning of the match the England fans team met up in the East of the City for our fans friendly match against a local Brazilian side from Vila Madelina. The game had been organised with the help of friendly ex-pat Vince, who had liased with the municipal government to organise and pay for the pitch. The game had also been sponsored by Beats Audio, the headphones brand masterminded by Doctor Dre himself. Beats provided refreshments for the game along with free t-shirts featuring either Danny Sturridge or Neymar.

With a strong squad of around twenty players to choose from, the England team had a different look from the side that started in Manaus and opened the game brightly. The opposition team had come from a local favela and were a relatively young looking team. Thankfully the conditions were more favourable for England than the temperature and humidity experienced in the Jungle – a temp of around 17c and light drizzle meant the English were definitely made to feel at home.

The game started off at a high tempo with both teams competing for every ball. England were keen to show their Brazilian counterparts they could play and maintained some good spells of posession in the opening period. Its was clear that the Brazilian team were technically very good with both their centre back and central midfielders showing great footwork and close control when under pressure. However, this was a strong England team who were comfortable in possession and were able to stretch their opposition with some slick passing.

Competitive till the end...

The first goal came from some excellent link-up play on the right hand side between Sam Overnall and right back David Rhodes. Just as it looked like the Brazilian left back had intercepted a slick one-two, Rhodes managed to extend a long leg and whip in a cross which looped over the keeper and nicely onto the head of striker Ashley Deekes who made no mistake, heading home from five yards out.

From the restart Brazil were straight back into the game, playing out from the back and creating some good chances down the left hand side. England remained confident in possession and looked dangerous on the counter attack, with Derek Atkinson breaking away and putting a delicate lob inches over the bar. It was Brazil who scored next, making their pressure pay with an excellent move down the left hand side, the pacey striker latching onto a through ball and finishing neatly past England goalkeeper Dickens Richards.

Brazil close control

Before half time England manager Ed Rhodes began to show his hand, introducing brothers Daniel & Joe Simmons into midfield and Glen Thornton at centre back. The revised team kept a tight line and despite some dangerous attacks from Brazil, the teams went into the half time break at one-a-peice. Half time saw further changes to the England lineup with both Jo Friar and Brett Ackroyd making an impact from the bench. It was Brazil though who started off the brighter in the second half, with their pacey striker again showing a clean set of heels to the English defence and slotting and excellent finish in-off-the-post past England’s goalkeeper for the second half, Andrew Fryer.

Overnall heads for goal

Brazil further extended their lead around 30mins into the second half as their striker claimed a well deserved hat-trick. Trailing by two goals and with only 15mins left on the clock it would have been quite easy for the visiting team to capitulate.  However, the English team stuck to their game, being tough in the tackle and showing good forward movement when in possession. From the substitutes it was perhaps Thornton who had the biggest impact, with some astute defending supplimented with accurate deliveries into the box from set peices. And it was from a set peice that England equalised – referee Dave Beverley blewing up for a free kick 25 yards outside the box, from which Thornton smashed an upstoppable shot into the bottom left of the net.

Referee Dave Beverley blows for full time

With five minutes remaining it was clear that the game would go right to the wire. It was England who were applying all the pressure with several corners being put in from the right hand side. Brazil had replaced their keeper with Vince (our host) and after successfully defending three corners in a row, England were finally able to make their pressure count. A great delivery into the far post was met by Sam Overnall who headed towards the top left corner of the net. Just when it looked as though the equaliser had arrived, Vince sprang into action making an unbelievable save to his right hand side. Unfortunately for Brazil, the save of the match meant nothing as England were able to pick up the second ball and scramble it over the line to celebrate a scrapy but well deserved equaliser.

Penalty Shoot out after 3-3 draw

After a closely contested match, the man in black blew up for full time and signalled for a penalty shoot out. As the players swapped shirts and the crowd gathered towards one end of the pitch, five brave English players put their names forward to attempt break England’s duck by winning a World Cup penalty shoot out for the first time.

It was Glen Thornton who stepped up to taks the first pen, again smashing the ball into the net past the Brazilian keeper. Brazil missed their first penalty and England capitalised by scoring their second to make it 2-0. Brazil scored their second penalty to make it 2-1 and then it was England’s turn to miss, dragging their third past the left hand post. Brazil equilized with their third penalty to make it 2-2 but England extended their lead to 3-2 with their fourth. The fourth Brazilian penalty was uncharacteristically blazed over the bar and England’s victory was complete as their fifth penalty was converted to secure a 4-2 win. 

Presentation of the trophy

The match was followed with a short presentation in which our hosts thanked the English players for a great game and told us that it meant a lot to them that the English fans had made the effort to come an visit their community. We were lucky to have a visit from the municipal Mayor, who via our translator Vince, agreed that the fans friendly iniatitive is what the Wolrd Cup is really all about; meeting new people and learning about different cultures through football.

We would like to express a huge thanks to our hosts who showed us such a warm welcome and the Mayor who showed a real interest in the match and provided the pitch. A massive thanks also goes out to Vince and and Mark Perryman for all their work arranging the match.

A full set of pictures are available here: https://flic.kr/s/aHsjYYtPio

Fans Friendly: Manaus

A lot of the talk in the build up to England´s World Cup opener in Manaus has been whether the English will be able to cope with the heat and humidity in the Jungle. We decided to put that theory to the test with a fans friendly match against a local Brazilian side. The game had been arranged by Mark Perryman from the England Supporters Club with the help of a local expat, Adrian Barnett, who had sourced the opposition and a pitch at a sports and social club.

Kick off was set for 2pm and the England team was bolstered by a guest appearance from the British Ambassador, Alex Ellis, who started at centre back. With several ´fans-friendly´ regulars also making the starting lineup, England had a strong team and started the game off on the front foot, taking the game to our Brazilian hosts. In the opening minutes England looked assured in possession and kept the ball well, with midfielders Barrie Tullis and Sam Ovenall linking up well on the left flank.

Unfortunately for England, a momentary lapse of concentration at the back meant they were trailing the game after only 10minutes as the Brazilian striker capitalised on a defensive mix up and finished from a low angle on the left.

Despite being a goal down, England were still very much in the game at the mid point of the first half but the heat – 32c started to take its toll as Brazil defended well and hit England on the counter. Several changes were made to allow players to take a breather and take much needed water. The result was the England lost their shape and it wasn´t long before Brazil took advantage, this time by a freak goal as a deflected shot looped high over the excellent Steve Exeley in goal and into the back of the net.

At 2-0 down and playing in temperatures well outside their confort zone it would have been easy for England to captulate but they stuck at the task in hand and pulled a goal back through EnglandFans team regular, Lee Pendrey. Going into half time at just a goal down would have left England in a good position but Brazil didn´t let up and their pressure high up the pitch resulted in a third goal just before half time.

After the break Brazil used the heat to their advantage and started to dominate possession. Only assured perfomances at the back from Graham Taylor and JB prevented the goal tally increasing, as did some excellent saves from Mel who was in nets second half. Brazil hit the cross bar with an absolutely scorching drive and came close on several occasions before increasing their lead to 4-1 about ten minutes into the second half. England puffed and panted their way over the line and it was a relief to get into the bar with a respectable scoreline in tact and in much need of refreshments.

A special thanks goes out to Adrian for putting on such a great day out and to Dave Beverley, the man in the black who reffed the game to his usual high standard. Thanks also to our Brazilian hosts for the excellent food and hospitality + a winning performance on the pitch.  Next step, Arena Amazonas for the real thing…. bring on Italy!

A full set of pictures for the fans friendly game can be found here: https://flic.kr/s/aHsjYWxvyC