What a busy half-term it has been for our football team. Two action packed tournaments and two league matches. 

Towards the end of October, a team of 8 children visited Newport Velodrome to participate in the EFL Football Cup run by County in the Community. Being the first tournament of the year, and with 15 schools in attendance, it was set to be a great day. 

The team got off to a good start with a 1-0 win over Maindee Primary School. After a short break, the team found themselves up against St Michael’s Primary. With their precise passing and strong defence, the team quickly gained the lead which they managed to maintain for the duration of the match. The final score was 3-0!

Their next match was against a strong and well structured Clytha Primary. Within minutes Clytha scored and the team found themselves having to work together more than ever to have any chance of winning the match. Through determination and skill, we not only managed to score but went on to win the match 3-1. Mr Jones was particularly proud of this performance. Da iawn tîm!

The team were certainly gaining momentum as they progressed through the tournament and their confidence grew. This was clearly evident as they went on to beat St Joseph’s Primary School 4-0 in their last fixture before stopping for lunch. 

Rested and fed, the team were eager to play their next match against St Mary’s Primary School. This match was closely contested and both teams had many opportunities to score. Just before the final whistle, the team constructed a well worked goal from their defence through to their midfield before Tony found the back of the net with a brilliant shot on goal! The final score was 1-0.

The last game of the group stages was against Gaer Primary. This was another school who had also been playing very well and had won their previous matches. Despite many shots on goal and brilliant tackling, the team were unable to secure a win and the match ended 2-0 to Gaer Primary. 

Due to the team’s fantastic performance, they progressed to the Semi-finals where they would play Langstone Primary. Despite their best efforts and even extra time, the team narrowly missed out on a spot in the finals as they lost 5-4 in penalties.

However, as they had played so fantastically throughout the day, the team qualified for a second tournament which was held in a very cold and frosty Cwmbran Stadium on December 8th. The team played brilliantly and even though they weren’t quite as successful in this tournament, they can still be extremely proud of their performance.

Newport League News

The first league fixture of this half-term was against Ringland Primary School. It was a home fixture, well attended by parents from both schools. To keep our spectators warm Mr Mansfield very kindly provided everyone with hot chocolate. 

It was an action packed match which saw both teams hit the posts on more than one occasion. Our large school field allows wide, open play football resulting in everyone being involved. 

Just before the end of the first half, St Julian’s scored a fantastic goal which gave the team the lift they needed. 

St Julian’s started the second half well and had most of the possession. However in the last few minutes of the match and with the sun setting, Ringland scored a brilliant equaliser from a corner resulting with the match ending 1-1. 

The last fixture of this year was against Crindau Primary School. Again, a home fixture and frustrated with not securing a win in their previous match, the team were determined to win. The team performed brilliantly and worked really well together. The match ended 6-0 to St Julian’s. Da iawn pawb!

The team currently have 4 points out of a possible 9. If you’d like to keep updated with the league or want to see how other schools are getting on, more information can be found here – shorturl.at/OWZ19 

Mr Jones would like to thank all the children who attend the football club for their dedication and hard work. He would also like to thank parents who support the team and come to watch our fixtures. We have plenty more matches arranged for the New Year and look forward to seeing you then! Merry Christmas!