YEAR 7 v WELLINGTON- 27 November

Current year 7 the “strongest year 7 rugby group CHS have seen in the last three years”

Tonight the year 7 rugby team started their high-school rugby career’s with a 10-10 draw in what was a well balanced game against Wellington.

It was a promising start to high school rugby for the year 7’s despite many of the students playing in what was their first ever game of rugby. Mr Cross said that this was the “strongest year 7 group CHS have seen in the last three years.” He added that if the side carried on from where they started then he would not be all surprised if five or six students did not end up playing at county level.

The man of the match award went to Tom Kennedy.

Rugby at Congleton High keeps going from strength to strength and if you want to be part of it then training is on a Tuesday night.

Written by Adam Bailey

YEAR 8 v LYMM- 27th November

Gutsy Performance from Year 8

The year 8 football team were knocked out of the Cheshire Cup by a very good Lymm side tonight.

It was a gutsy performance from CHS with Kai McCormack’s brace putting Congleton 2-0 up however Lymm eventually won 6-2. CHS continued to push hard, when going 3-2 down, which perhaps led to the slightly unflattering score line.

Written by Adam Bailey

UNDER 16 GIRLS v EATON BANK (CHESHIRE CUP)- 14th November

Under-16 girls triumph again

The under-16 girls football team progressed in another cup competition tonight (Friday 14^th November) as they went through to the next round of the Cheshire School’s Cup after beating arch-rivals, Eaton Bank 7-0.

Eaton Bank won the toss and decided to change sides, with CHS forced to attack a sodden goalmouth in the first half.

Congleton were on top from the opening minute when Hollie Massey picked the ball up just inside the Eaton Bank half. She ran forward towards the Eaton Bank defence and found herself in behind them. The Eaton Bank goalkeeper came out to collect her cross, if the goalkeeper hadn’t then CHS could have found themselves taking an early lead with a CHS player running in just behind the goalkeeper.

CHS had another chance to take the lead in the second minute. Lucy Wright played an excellent ball, from the right, to the left edge of the Eaton Bank area. Beth Jones hit it first time but she could not direct her shot goalwards.

Eaton Bank had to deal with continued Congleton pressure in the opening ten minutes with CHS creating a number of openings inside the Eaton Bank box. However, the conditions made it very difficult for CHS to be clinical in front of goal.

On eleven minutes, Eaton Bank’s goal kick went straight to Emma Nisbet, on the outside left edge of the area. Her cross found Zoe Tweats at the back post but she could not direct her shot goalwards, under pressure from the goalkeeper.

CHS finally broke the deadlock on fourteen minutes and deservedly so. Poppy Jones’ powerful shot from eight yards found the net and left Eaton Bank’s goalkeeper rooted to the spot. 1-0 CHS.

It took Congleton just three minutes to double their lead. Beth Jones picked the ball up on the left flank. She brilliantly went past Eaton Bank’s right-back on the left touchline. She then crossed the ball into the box and the ball fell to Zoe Tweats at the far post, who from an acute angle poked the ball into the net. 2-0 CHS.

CHS extended their lead four minutes after, Zoe Tweats played a ball into the Eaton Bank area from the right. Hollie Massey was waiting in the middle. She took a touch before firing the ball into the goal from ten yards out. 3-0 CHS.

Half-time- Congleton 3-0 Eaton Bank

It was a dominant first half performance from CHS, which saw Eaton Bank not having a single shot and Congleton’s defence spent most of the half on the halfway line.

Chloe Tatton donned the gloves in the second half for CHS, replacing Amy Rodgers in between the posts and Frankie Bibby replaced Hollie Massey also at half-time.

Congleton had their first chance in the second half after two minutes. Emma Nisbet picked the ball up just inside Eaton Bank’s half, she then ran towards the defence before taking on a defender. Her shot from outside the area was off-target.

Four minutes later, Nisbet caused Eaton Bank’s defence further problems. She again ran through the defence, her shot from inside the area was on-target but the goalkeeper blocked it.

Zoe Tweat’s effort from just outside the area went just over the crossbar, two minutes later, after some good play by CHS.

On 41 minutes, a good ball from Lucy Wright, from the right. A CHS player miss kicked the ball before another CHS player’s follow-up went wide.

It took Eaton Bank 45 minutes for them to record their first shot on target. However, Chloe Tatton pulled off a good save from a shot from just outside the area.

Amy Rodgers, who played in goal for Congleton in the first half, made an instant impact when she came onto the field in the 48th minute. A minute after coming on she added CHS’ fourth goal. A poor goal-kick fell to Rodgers in the hole between the midfield and defence, she saw the goalkeeper was off her line and coolly put the ball into the back of the net from 25 yards out.

Two minutes later, Rebecca Barlow extended CHS’ lead. Another poor goal kick from Eaton Bank, was picked up by Barlow. She cut inside on the left before finding the net from an acute angle. 5-0 CHS.

It only took another two minutes for Amy Rodgers to add her second goal of the game and CHS’ sixth. She clinically slotted home after running through on goal.

Rodgers then sealed her hat-trick with three minutes left. It all came about after brilliant work from Hollie Massey. She won the ball following a battle with two Eaton Bank players, fifteen yards inside her own half. She then turned around one of the Eaton Bank player’s before flicking it over the head of the other. She then ran with the ball down the right wing into Eaton Bank’s half before cutting inside. She turned around another player before laying off the ball. Amy Rodgers picked the ball up on the left, drove towards the goal before slotting it home from an acute angle for her hat-trick.

Full-time- Congleton 7-0 Eaton Bank

Despite scoring three goals in the first half, their manager Mr Naylor was not happy with the girls’ first half performance “we were poor in the first half, we did not get going in the first half at all. Against stronger teams we need to get out of the blocks better. But, it was much better in the second half.”

The girls are also through to the last-32 of the Premier League under-16 School’s Cup and face a home tie against Helsby High School in round five.

Written by Adam Bailey

YEAR 7 v SANDBACH (ESFA CUP)- 11th November

Year 7 suffer first defeat

Year 7 were knocked out of the under-12 Playstation 9-a-side schools’ cup tonight (Tuesday 11^th November) against an impressive Sandbach side.

Congleton rarely got out of their half in the first half and they didn’t really threaten the Sandbach goalkeeper except for two successive corners in the fifth minute of the match.

It was Sandbach who had the first chance of the match but they saw their striker’s curling shot, from the edge of the area, go over the crossbar. CHS’ goalkeeper Jacob Heard had to be alert to deny Sandbach from taking the lead minutes later, blocking a shot from close range with his foot.

It took Sandbach ten minutes to break the deadlock, when they were awarded a free-kick, on the right edge of the Congleton area, following a handball. Jacob Heard could not prevent the free-kick from opening the scoring, despite getting his fingertips too it.

Sandbach doubled their lead just three minutes later. A run from Sandbach’s striker saw him through the CHS defence and he was now bearing down on the CHS goal. Goalkeeper Heard made himself big, but the striker powered the ball home to Heard’s left. 2-0 Sandbach.

Half-time- Congleton 0-2 Sandbach

CHS started the second half much better and were in fact the brighter team in the opening exchanges.

CHS’ winger picked the ball up on the right, drove into the box and perhaps should have had a go at goal himself but instead his cross was too high for the CHS players waiting in the area.

Sandbach had to wait until ten minutes into the second half to have their first real chance of the half and it came out of nothing. Sandbach’s midfielder picked up the ball outside of the box before seeing his effort strike the inside of the post before being cleared by the CHS defence.

Moments later, Sandbach extended their lead. Another run from Sandbach’s striker saw him through on goal. He fired a shot from the left of the area across the CHS goalkeeper and into the right side of the net. 3-0 Sandbach.

Mr Holmes, the CHS manager, encouraged his player’s saying that there were still fifteen minutes left for Congleton to get back into the game. However, their task to get back into the game got even greater, two minutes later, when Sandbach added their fourth goal.

Sandbach’s player rising half-volley, from the edge of the area, was just beyond the reach of goalkeeper, Jacob Heard, who had to pick the ball out of the back of the net for the fourth time in the match.

The fourth goal seemed to take the sting out of CHS but they still kept on fighting and they came close to having the ball in the back of the net on seventeen minutes. Mikey Lennon found space in Sandbach’s half; he advanced with the ball before playing a great through ball to Matthew Owen on the left side of the area. Owen took a touch before shooting. His shot struck the inside of the far post before a defender cleared the danger.
Sandbach raced down the other end and their winger slotted the ball past the on-rushing CHS goalkeeper to make it Congleton 0, Sandbach 5.

Jacob Heard was then forced into making two good saves including one from a shot from distance, which he did well to stop. However, he was unable to stop Sandbach extending their lead further despite getting his hands to a long range shot he could not prevent the ball from finding the goal.

Sandbach had enough time to add a seventh goal and it was a great all round goal. Their defence broke up a CHS attack before playing the ball to their left-back, who passed the ball to Sandbach’s winger. He then raced down the right flank before playing the ball inside, the Sandbach player crossed the ball to the back post, where the waiting striker fired the ball into the roof of the net.

Full-time- Congleton 0-7 Sandbach

The result was year 7’s first defeat since joining Congleton High School, despite the scoreline you cannot fault the work ethic of CHS as they kept on fighting until the end. However, Sandbach were the stronger team and had too much for Congleton.

Mr Holmes said after the match that Sandbach definitely deserved to win as they were the “much stronger side, with many talented players” but he says that it bodes well for the future with this only Congleton’s first defeat in six games.

The under-16 girls remain Congleton’s only hope now on the national stage and they will face either Helsby High School or Ellesmore Port Catholic High School at home in the last-32. However, before that they face Eaton Bank at home this Friday in the Cheshire Cup.

Written by Adam Bailey

UNDER 16 GIRLS v ANTHONY GELL SCHOOL- 5th November

Under-16 Girls Stroll into the Next Round

This week saw the combined year 10 and 11 girls’ football team reach the last 32 of the Premier League under-16 schools’ cup with ease after an emphatic 6-0 victory against Anthony Gell School from Amber Valley.

Two goals from Rebecca Barlow and goals from Poppy Jones, Hollie Massey and Beth Jones saw CHS in total control of the match at half-time and it would have taken a major comeback for Anthony Gell to deny CHS reaching the last 32 for the second successive year.

CHS could only add a single goal, to their five, in the second half, with Hollie Massey adding to her first half strike.

It was a fantastic team performance and the result saw CHS record their first clean sheet of the competition and took their goals scored to seventeen. CHS will have to wait to discover who they will face in the next round.

The year 7 boys are the only other CHS team to have reached round three and they face a difficult home tie against Sandbach School next Tuesday- Sandbach have scored 23 goals in just two games so far, conceding just two.

The girls are also back in action next Friday, with another big game, when they entertain Eaton Bank in the Cheshire Cup. It would be great to get a decent crowd to cheer the girls on.

Written by Adam Bailey