Strong Starts for U14 & U15 Football Teams

It’s been a spirited start to the season for our junior football teams.

The U14A and U14B boys' teams proudly represented the school for the first time, showing great promise. Despite limited preparation time due to Foundation Fortnight, the U14A team demonstrated remarkable resilience in their debut match, while the U14Bs battled to a tightly contested draw. Meanwhile, the U15A team also travelled to Manchester Grammar School last week and picked up where they left off last season, securing a confident away win that highlighted both individual brilliance and strong teamwork. In Wednesday’s fixture, three players from the U14A team stepped up to play for the U15s in the first round of the ISFA U15 Boys' Cup and earned themselves a place in the second round. These early performances suggest an exciting season ahead for our Junior teams. See below for match reports. 

U14A - Shrewsbury School v MGS 

This was the first time this team had played a competitive fixture with little training time due to Foundation Fortnight.  They were thrown into the deep end against a very strong MGS side. The boys competed incredibly well and more than matched the opposition in every facet of the game. After a nervous start they fought back to be level 1-1 at half time. Their play developed further in the second half and with three minutes to go they were leading 3-2. MGS scored a late equaliser and so the final score was 3-3; Jasper H (S) was hugely impressive in midfield and scored twice with Leo S (SH) picking up the third. This is an excellent start and there are already signs that they have the potential to be a force to reckon with as they move through the school. 

U14B - Shrewsbury School v MGS 

Considering the boys hadn’t played together before, the U14B team delivered a fantastic performance in their debut fixture. It was a thrilling game, with end-to-end action and valiant individual efforts complemented by strong teamwork. The 1–1 draw was a fair reflection of the match, with both sides showing true grit and technique. According to U14B coach Steve Biggins, it was “an impressive start and it will only get better”-  a promising outlook for the season ahead. 

U15A - Shrewsbury School v MGS 

Looking to back up last year’s away win, the U15As travelled to MGS and managed to find a break in the weather to play in sunny, if not blustery conditions. After going behind to a well taken goal, Jack S (Rt) restored parity with a commanding header at the back post from a corner ball delivery from Fin M (SH). Fin then provided further assistance by winning a penalty having been put through on goal. Whilst Alex D (I) had his penalty saved, he turned in the rebound for a 2-1 lead. Just before half time Robert L (S) showed determination in driving to the byline, for Jiro I (Rt) to pick out Hari A (SH) to tap in. Whilst a clean sheet was achieved in the second half, there were a few additional goals that went begging, highlighting a need to work on finishing when we reconvene. All 13 boys worked tirelessly for each other, with perhaps Fin M (SH), James L (I) and Robert L (S) getting the nod for MVPs this time round. 

U15 - Shrewsbury School v Ellesmere College (ISFA Round 1) 

The U15 A began their ISFA Cup adventure away against a strong Ellesmere College side. The first half was a slightly cagey affair with the boys gradually playing themselves into the game and ending the half 1-0 to the good. The second half saw the team play some outstanding football moving the ball swiftly, making intelligent use of space and playing to their strengths. They finished the game 8-2.  Hari A (SH) scored an impressive hat trick with Alex D (I) and Finn M (SH) each scoring 2 goals. Tristan H (Rt), along with Yu Shin T (Ch) and Eli G (Ch) played up from the U14A side and Tristan got his name on the score sheet too. This was a strong start to what we hope will be a good cup run.