Straight from the kick off, Dunstable showed no signs of any travel sickness as they created an early chance – only to be parried out by the South Leicester (SL) keeper for a corner kick.

Throughout most of the early stages, the game was played in SL’s half and the persistence from Dunstable paid off with a nice team move leading to a Ryan Ellingham tap in after some good footwork by Martin Collins. The goal seemed to kick start SL and soon enough, they created their first opening after a jinking run from their left winger into the box bringing out a tidy save from Tk. Just as the game started to even out a little bit more, a combination of skilful play by Aaron Morgan and accurate crossing from Jake Bewley led to Ryan Ellingham’s unchallenged back post header into the top corner doubling Dunstable’s advantage. The game started to get sour and heated with some tough tackling and ungentlemanly conduct which misled the thoughts of Dunstable’s defence leading to a calm finish from the SL right back minutes before the half time break after sloppy defending from Dunstable.

The second half came and with that, a better start from SL. With Dunstable weary of their one goal lead, they dropped deeper and deeper with more pressure mounting from SL. A defensive error led to the opening SL were looking for but luck was on Dunstable’s side as the lobbed effort just clicked the crossbar. More pressure mounted but Dunstable’s keeper handled everything that came his way with consummate ease. Playing on the counter attack, Dunstable still managed to create 3 very good chances with one saved by the SL keeper, the other needing a defender to clear the ball of the line and the third an open goal miss by current top goal scorer Ryan Ellingham. After more solid defending, Dunstable finally got the goal to kill the game off through a Jake Bewley strike. With SL losing hope, the game dwindled out and the referee put SL out of the misery with the final whistle with Dunstable carrying on with their 100 percent unbeaten start to the season.

All the build up to the game was focused on how impressive Nicholas Breakspear’s, NB for future references, defence was, on the merit that they had only conceded 9 goals in 12 matches. This only motivated the Dunstable college player’s to want to prove to the rest of the league that NB’s defence are not anything special but their efforts were dealt a huge blow with NB taking an early lead from sloppy defending in the Dunstable College defence. Approximately 2 minutes after the opener, Dunstable equalised through a deflected Aidan Murray tap in. From then on, the game was pretty sloppy with both teams giving away possession very easily and neither keeper really being tested. Nicholas Breakspear did go into the half time break with a 2-1 lead after an atrocious decision by the referee overruling his linesman and allowing the goal to stand. A stern team talk and words of wisdom from manager Colin Sharpe ensured Dunstable came out with a zest and buzz about their performance which led to Aidan Murray’s second goal of the game. A nice finish from a tight angle. Although Dunstable dominated most of the second half, NB once again took the lead only to be cancelled out by another Aidan Murray goal completing his debatable hat trick. Attempt after attempt, shocking decision after shocking decision, Dunstable finally got the goal they deserved via the head of Kylrn Brooks-Lynch with a ‘Bullet’ header after intricate footwork on the wing by Aaron Morgan. Rugged defending and good handling from the keeper meant Dunstable were victorious continuing their unbeaten run since the 11^th of November 2008.

Complacency was an instant feature in Dunstable’s opening first half against the team they had beat 7-0 previously before. The play was pretty poor on a lovely football pitch but the opening goal was a majestically worked team goal which was finished by Isaac Richardson rounding the keeper and scoring. The whole half was dominated by Dunstable with their goalkeeper not having to make one single save. The second half began with Thames valley looking like they have been given a harsh talking to as they hassled and hurried the Dunstable players which led to some defensive errors, but for the calm and collective organisation of their goalkeeper. The turning point in the game arrived when Thames valley hit the cross bar with a free kick which bounced on the line with the linesman flagging to signal that it went in but the referee overruled him. Thames valleys were reeling with anger from the decision. Dunstable quickly took advantage of their loss of focus and received their just rewards with a second goal scored by Monday’s unusual goal hero, Phil Mathews. The third goal for Dunstable came straight after with Kylrn Brooks-Lynch sneaking into the box unmarked for a simple side foot finish to kill the game off. The game ended 3-0 with the Dunstable players feeling rather tired only to find out there was a scout there and judging by their reactions you could tell they had not played to the best of their ability with quotes like “ If I would have known, I’d have tried harder”.

On a high from their 9-0 demolition of Luton 6^th form, the Dunstable college team were on a high going into their reverse fixture at home against oxford utd. The match in itself got off to a slow, lethargic start with both teams looking like they were feeling the effects of an early 10:30 kick off. The play being vastly poor, it took a free kick from Jake Bewley which the oxford keeper parried out with a brilliant one handed save for Phil Mathews to score the opening goal. When the media team came out, it was like a trigger because both teams started playing good football and if it wasn’t for a brilliant couple of saves from Tk Marevesa, Oxford could have easily equalised. Oxford eventually scored just before half time to level the scores. After an encouraging team talk, Dunstable came out all guns blazing in the second half as they piled on the pressure which led to Aidan Murray’s acute finish with his right foot to make it 2-1. Oxford had an opportunity to equalise immediately but for a good penalty save from Dunstable’s goalkeeper. Dunstable dominated the play from then on with chance after chance, but oxford were still in it with their long ball play. They equalised through a bizarre on goal, but Dunstable restored their lead through a Lewis Osborne winning goal after a fabulous cross from Aaron Morgan. The game ended with a huge cheer from the crowd that had accumulated during the game and Dunstable were pretty pleased with their performance.

The football development program hosted its first trials of the year during the February half term week at the Kingsland Skills Institute Campus.  30 young students attended the trials from various schools from across the county and were put through their paces by the coaches at the College.

The students that attended experienced a typical session which consisted of a warm up, technical work, small sided games and 11v11 games.  They also had their speed and agility analysed by the fitness analyst at the College.  This type of testing has been introduced this year as the College now benefits from having the staff in place to effectively deliver it.  Players studying on the course will have their components of fitness analysed on a regular basis to make sure that they are improving and developing throughout the course.

Congratulations to:

Martin Collins, Barfield South Academy 10.7 seconds

George Higley, Lea Manor High School – 11.0 seconds

For the fastest “T” test time.

Also congratulations to:

Nathan Burrows, Barnfield West Academy – 20.0 seconds

Ryan Ellingham, Lealands High School - 20.5 seconds

For the fastest “Illionois Test” time

The purpose of the trials is to give the new students an insight into College life, especially the Football Development Programme and the types of training that they will be taking part in on the programme.  The types of training they will receive on the course will be:

• Technical work
• Functions
• Phases of play
• Small sided games
• 8v8 games
• 11v11 games
• Fitness testing

The trials are also very beneficial for the staff on the program because they can gain an  insight into the ability of players that they will be working with in September, and also allows the Football Development Manager to place the College teams into the appropriate leagues to help the players develop and reach their potential.

The next trials will be on Wednesday 27^th May at 12-2pm.

Everyone is welcome to attend even if you have not been interviewed.  All players are expected to attend TWO trials.

Football students at Dunstable College were put through their paces this week by Bob Hill, former Youth Development Officer at Luton Town FC and current academy coach at one of the richest clubs in the country, Queens Park Rangers.  Bob will continue working with the students for the next couple of weeks too.

Bob was invited in by new Dunstable College coach, the former Hatters under 16 coach, Noel Blackwell, who is the brother of Kevin Blackwell, manager of Championship side Sheffield Utd. The purpose of the sessions is to give the players an insight to what it takes to make it as a professional player in the world of football.  Bob delivered two practical sessions to the players and then spoke to the boys and answered any questions that the young players had. 

One student Aaron Morgan commented, “It’s great to have all of these highly experienced coaches come in and coach us here at the College. The coaches that are already here have taken us a long way but Bob is massively experienced in the professional game which will only benefit us”.

Football Development Manager, Colin Sharpe, commented, “Newly appointed College coaches Noel Blackwell and Danny Roberts bring a wealth of experience in the pro, semi-professional and grassroots games to the College and along with the current staff in place the programme will only go from strength to strength. We try to bring in players and coaches from the pro game at least once a year to give the players a different kind of experience. They can share their knowledge and experiences and it all helps with the players’ development in the game, which is very important to us on the programme. 

Previous players and coaches that have visited the College include: Gary Doherty, currently at Norwich City and former Ireland international; Chris Cummings, former head coach at Luton Town reserves and Under 18s and now assistant 1^st team coach at Toronto FC; Tony Galvin, former Tottenham Hotspurs & Ireland International player; Kevin Blackwell, Sheffield Utd manager and now Bob Hill of Queens Park Rangers”.

The College is currently recruiting for this year’s programme and will be conducting trials in May and June for this September, simply visit the new website for more information on how to join this course www.centralbeds.ac.uk/football.

The College’s next game will be against Oxford Utd.

It was a friendly game on paper but both sides fielded their first team squads to allow them to get games under their belt due to the recent bad weather, in preparation for their respective leagues.

The first half was relatively close with Dunstable going in at the break 2-0 up thanks to goals from Lewis Osbourne and a penalty from Jordan Riley late in the half.  Not happy with the performance Dunstable was given a harsh half-time tea talk from their manager and was sent out early for the second half.  When the game started the players went out all guns blazing and finished the game off early in the second half playing some exceptional one two touch football in the process.  The rest of the goals came from Lewis Osbourne again, Jordan Riley, Aiden Murray x2, Aaron Morgan, Isaac Richardson and man of the match Kyrln Brooks-Lynch.  Dunstable College’s next fixture is against Oxford Utd. 

The College is currently recruiting for the next academic year, for more information simply visit www.centralbeds.ac.uk/football.

Students from the Sport department at Dunstable College will be heading over to America this summer to work at various Camps. The students, Ryan Mulford, Phil Feakes, Lisa McCabe and Dan Chaplen will be based at different camps around America including Pennsylvania and the Great Lakes of Michigan.

All of the students have been studying Sports Exercise Science at Dunstable College, and feel that their studies have made them more confident and provided them with the skills and experience to excel in their postings. Ryan commented, “The course has given me great opportunities outside College, including gaining extra coaching qualifications, working for Arsenal Soccer Schools, as well as heading back to the states for the second year!”.

Football Development Tutor, Colin Sharpe added, “This is a fantastic opportunity for our students. They follow in the foot-steps of Daniel Barker and Danny Howson who last year achieved four year football scholarships at Universities in America. It’s very rewarding to see our students achieve so much”.

For further information on Sports courses contact enquiries@centralbeds.ac.uk 0845 355 2525.

Students on the Football Development programme at Dunstable College are delivering multi-sport activities to local school children. Dunstable College has set up a relationship with Hawthorn Lower School, whereby the students deliver sporting activities to their students in years 1 to 6. This includes multi-sport lunchtime activities and curriculum based activities.

This scheme is attracting external trainers who are keen to develop coaching skills within the community. On Friday 4th April the students received a masterclass from Daniel Walker who runs Brazilian Soccer Schools. This masterclass enabled the students to learn from the best, and to deliver improved coaching to local children. The excellent skills shown by the students has led to one of the Higher Education students being offered a job working for Daniel; and two of the Further Education students currently completing trials to gain employment.

Football Development Manager, Colin Sharpe commented, “the relationship we’ve developed with Hawthorns Lower school provides the school children with a variety of sporting activities, and enables our students to gain practical coaching experience”.

Former Dunstable College student, James Chisholm, beat off stiff competition from around the country to win a place on a new TV show, Wayne Rooney’s Street Striker, broadcast on Sky One.

In the programme, England and Manchester United striker Rooney and his fellow judges, football consultant Andy Ansah and Leeds and England forward Sue Smith, whittle down 24 budding football stars, (22 boys and two girls), through a host of astonishing street challenges. These challenges test the contestants’ all-round abilities, from freestyle acrobatics to solid footballing techniques. Once the judges have selected the final five, they will compete head-to-head to win the ultimate prize: a place at the 2009 summer ‘Coke Zero’ football camp in Brazil.

James, aged 19 from Chalton, had to participate in trials in London during the summer, in front of the camera, to secure his place on the programme. Episode one was broadcast on November 30 and it saw James progress through to the last 12. The next instalment in James’ story will be aired next Sunday.

James successfully completed a BTEC National Award in Sport while at Dunstable College and would like to progress on to a career in football or coaching.
He states that he “found the programme a really good experience”, but that we will have to keep watching to find out how he did. One of the highlights of taking part for James was meeting Wayne Rooney himself.

Wayne Rooney has publicly stated that playing on the streets of Liverpool when he was young helped him develop his skills sufficiently well to get him into the Everton first team.

James is hoping that this programme will act as a springboard for his football career.