Football

1ST XI The season kicked off with a friendly game against a very strong Hampton side. The difference in games played between the two sides was apparent but we were still able to show signs of things to come and the game provided a steep learning curve. This was reflected in the ensuing 7-1 away win against Colfe’s in the first round of the London cup with a hat trick from Olly Powell and an excellent finish from Jack Taylor. A strong performance provided the momentum to go into the weekend with a challenge to come in the form of Tonbridge. We endured heavy pressure from the Tonbridge side in the first half with goalkeeper Hyder Butt keeping us in the game with a series of impressive saves. The second half showed heart and an improvement in quality that saw us leave 2-0 winners with goals from Olly Powell and Daniel Monferrer catalysed by Ethan Demol’s substitution onto the pitch which helped us take control of the game.

The next match in the cup against RGS started with a frustrating first half in which we dominated possession but couldn’t generate chances. This dynamic continued into the second half, however greater intensity in the press allowed us to create more chances and win the game 2-0 again with goals from Sasha Shevchuk and Olly Powell.

A long coach journey to Abingdon followed. A relatively comfortable first half demonstrated the boys’ ability to avoid suffering the consequences of the journey as goals from Danny Shai and Kelechi Nwoko put us 2-0 ahead. A lapse of concentration unfortunately let Abingdon grow into the game and they were able to equalise in the last 5 minutes of the game resulting in a frustrating 2-2 draw. Despite frustration, the boys managed to rally up strength for the quarter final of the cup against Highgate. In a game notable for the huge support gathered to watch it, the team delivered a great performance with 4 goals in the second half. Jake Sinclair opened the scoring with a towering header and Olly Powell added another with Daniel Monferrer sealing ➦

the game with a final 2. A short two day break led to a disappointing loss to Epsom at home after being up at half-time with a goal from Sasha Gorin Delmas.

Again the boys showed an ability to bounce back and were able to come away 2-0 winners in a performance marked by an impressive defensive effort from our back four of Jake Sinclair, Jack Taylor, Freddie Saunders and Luca Vivian, aided by the huge effort of Gabe Treneman in midfield. Momentum built after another impressive win against St John’s Leatherhead and put us in a good position for the most important week of the season with a cup game and a league deciding game against Dulwich. Unfortunately, luck was not on our side and we were not able to display the best image of ourselves despite Kelechi Nwoko’s strong performance in the league game to help put the team in front in the first half.

Focus now shifted to preparing for the final game of the season away against Harrow. A friendly against Brentford midweek with Kaan Akyol, Ollie Thompson and Jake Bidwell showed the depth the team has to offer. The team rose to the occasion and members of the team including Sasha Shevchuk, Danny Shai, and Zak Haralambous put in their best performances of the season which were ultimately reflected in the 3-0 scoreline. This was an excellent way to wrap up the season and perhaps a sign of what might have been.

The whole team would love to thank Mr Warriner for his constant coaching and support throughout the season as well as ensuring our season was as special as possible. Thanks also to Mr Blake and Nico for ensuring that each and every one of us was always in the best condition we could be. We’d also like to thank Umbreen for capturing every special moment through her photography. We would also like to thank the St Paul’s community as a whole for how they have got behind the team this season and hope that the special momentum created this season can continue in years to come. ❚ Dan Monferrer and Jack Taylor Coach: Luke Warriner

2ND XI Our 2nd XI season started off with a solid pre-season tour playing the likes of Everton. We then had a pre-season game against Hampton before playing a tough Tonbridge side. In the first half, a goal from Bidwell 30 yards out due to some interesting keeping and a trademark finish from Ben Petter saw us 2-0 up, which made it even more disappointing when we collapsed to draw 2-2. We then beat a Colfes team 10-0 in the cup with hat tricks from Cameron Capper and Petter with Miller Willis being denied his third goal of the game due to their centre back tipping it over the bar.

We followed this with a comfortable 2-0 win against Guildford in the cup and a comeback win 2-1 versus Abingdon. We carried this momentum through half-term: straight after the break we overcame Epsom 1-0 with half a team and then we beat St Edward’s 3-2 AET in the semis with Kelechi Nwoko scoring the winner and subsequently ‘hitting the griddy’ in front of the whole Sixth Form. Then we travelled to Berkhamsted ➦

where we played Berkhamsted in the league and beat them 1-0, despite having only about 4 2nd XI starters. This was largely due to the introduction of 3rd XI players such as Joey Boutros, Will Cronshaw, Victor Mikheev, Seb Vanger and Harry Turner. Seb even claimed MOTM and Harry Turner lobbed the keeper with a fluky goal that secured the win.

We then had a substandard 0-0 draw against St John’s and a disappointing loss to Dulwich, which ended our chance to win the league. Yet when we went to the league leaders Harrow, a thumping header from Cameron Capper and a 25-yard goal from Miller Willis saw us take home a thoroughly deserved 2-0 victory. The cup final was up next and although we gave it our all, City of London scored a few goals in the last quarter of the game to end our cup journey.

The season was a great success finishing 2nd in the league and getting to the cup semi final. The attack was brilliant all season with numerous options such as Ollie Thompson, Miller Willis, Kaan Akyol, Ben Petter and Cameron Capper. The midfield was also key in controlling many games with players like Rigan Sun, Max Melton, Jake Bidwell, Felix Johnston and Louis Ezra. The defence kept a huge seven clean sheets all season and consisted of players such as Lukas Klein-Wassink, Harry Hickles, Felix Kachingwe, Max Manoff, Seb Elliot, and Ben Von-Bismarck. Finally, I would like to thank Mr Allen and Mr Clarke on behalf of the team for taking us and leading us to the successes we had this season. ❚ Alex Perkins Coaches: Jack Allen and Ben Clarke

3RD XI Despite a couple of unlucky losses to Hampton and Tonbridge at the start of the season and multiple reshufflings of the team, the 3rd XI results greatly improved throughout the season at the hands of Mr Troen. Our first win came at Abingdon where goals from Seb Vanger and Harry Turner helped us finish the game 2-1. In difficult away circumstances, a last minute ‘offside’ call from Mr Troen gave us our first win. With this stride in our step, we managed to beat Epsom 5-0 with goals from Harry Turner, Lysander Kahane, and Yonni Kobrin. Although we had some special new players from the 1st XI, we failed to beat UCS and this was followed by a thrilling 6-4 loss to Berkhamsted. Our next away day took us to St John’s, where Jake Bidwell joined us after a 5k run having failed to turn up to the right pitch. A long, halfway-line freekick from Sami Williams chipped the keeper to secure a 6-3 win after being replaced by Carlo

Garzarelli in goal, who should probably stick to being a right back. Consistently great performances from Zac Stablow, Nikolas Boyd-Carpenter and Senan Bottomley in the midfield helped us to win the ball back in most games and defensive performances from Will Cronshaw and Joey Boutros prevented our earlier fixtures being far worse. Excluding the two unlucky results at Harrodian and Dulwich, we ended the season with a glorious 6-1 win at Harrow with Harry Turner improving his tally and the defence of Matthew Bird, Arav Patel, and Mattie Wrench only conceding a Maradona-esque goal. With what was probably the only actual turnout of our best team, Troball (route one) paved the way for Harry to win his golden boot. ❚ Matthew Bird Coach: Nicholas Troen

4TH XI The return of St Paul’s football meant the return of the 4th XI, who before this season were known for very little. This was soon to change. A mixed start to the season consisting of confident wins and tight losses was made possible by a mixture of ‘Tiki-Taka’ in the midfield carried out by the light feet of Seb Chohhan as well as relentless long balls enabled by Charlie Kafton’s talent in holding up the ball and his spirited conversations with referees. The resilience shown by the attacking masterclasses that led to two last-minute winners fails to praise the performance of the defence throughout the season.

Victor Mikheev always provided a confident base from which long balls, clearances and miskicks would incite chances up the pitch. These chances were regularly supported by the one-footed wonder Eashan Shah, as well as Giancarlo Ramirez who provided attacking wizardry or defensive strength, depending on where he wanted to play that day. Zain Jelassi never failed to impress in his CAM position, frequently pin-pointing passes to Kush Gupta, who sometimes worked tirelessly up his flank, flooding the box with crosses and stray shots, always displaying revered performances. The talents of Andre Saldanha-Blackwood made an injury-ridden 4th XI team look like a 15/16 Leicester side. The best strike of the season from Sidd Bailhache was ruled out on the goal line. When Max Iskandar’s talents were scouted after endlessly sifting through 5th XI players, his Cannavoro-esque style proved size isn’t everything. JJ Lim-Fagihi always provided a physical presence. His role was made easy when playing alongside Charlie Pearce, who worked up and down his flank tirelessly. Whilst only occasionally, every time Gib Khan stepped on the field he mesmerised a few spectators. Sadly there was never a mainstay keeper in the team, so hats off to Joe, Kasra, Jamie, Leo, and Kush.

It was an unforgettable season, which, without Mr Schmitt (a tactical mastermind as well as an economics teacher), would have been impossible. To whoever gets the pleasure of captaining this team next season, know it is more than a group of 11 players, 2-3 substitutes, and a coach: it is the team that beat the 3rd XI. ❚ Jamie Fielding Coach: Sam Schmidt

5TH XI The 5th XI enjoyed an incredible season. We started the season off with a disappointing 5-1 loss to Tonbridge at home, where a late goal from Ridley showed what was to come for the season. After this first game, our original manager Mr Parris had to leave us and we knew that we had to reassess our game. That’s when we were saved by the one and only Mr Slaney coming in as our new gaffer. With Slaney at the wheel we won our next game against Epsom 3-0, with Buckland opening the scoring, stepping up to bang a top corner penalty. Our victory was also aided by Jan KW, the Swiss Chicharito, stepping onto the pitch and firing electricity into the team. We then played UCS, where they managed to hold us to a frustrating 3-3 draw after we took an early lead with a goal from Dylan Staveley, redeeming his underwhelming start to the season. Solid performances from Myles Howorth and Max Adams in midfield also helped us stay level. After taking this result to heart, we triumphed over a strong Dulwich side 5-0, in which the attack played with a hunger I’d never seen before. This clean sheet was all thanks to great defensive performances from Julien Abbosh, JJ Lim-Faghihi, Royal Sule, Victor Moreno and Aris Stephanakis in the back line. However, it was also due to yet another outstanding performance from Victor Lazkani between the sticks. Finally, we had arrived at the final game of the season: Harrow away. We started the game strong, with two outrageous goals from striker Timour “Moey” Ramzan, but in the end we were disappointed to finish with a 2-2 draw. Overall, the season was very positive, with 5 games played, 2 wins, 2 draws and one loss. We had a magnificent run under Mr Slaney, scoring 13 goals and conceding only 5. Player of the season goes to full-back Victor Moreno, while young prospect Timour Ramzan claims the golden boot. On behalf of the team, we would like to thank mastermind tactician Mr Slaney, and his unparalleled managerial ability, for our success. ❚ Nick Ridley Coach: Peter Slaney

6TH XI The 6th XI, led by Mr Orr, started the season off rough, but finished it as a well-oiled machine. We weren’t given the easiest start, with a tough fixture at home to Tonbridge (who had the benefit of a few matches under their belts) whilst we had no training sessions to prepare, which ultimately resulted in a 4-2 loss – the difference in match fitness costing St Paul’s. Despite this, there were still solid foundations, with goals from Farazi and Kafton, the latter of which earned a call up to the 5ths.

We then romped to a 9-0 victory vs Epsom, despite them forfeiting with 30 minutes still left to play. Grimstone stunningly got a 15 minute hat trick, Hill slotted a penalty, as well as braces from Vujnovic and Baig, with Pavell grabbing the ninth. It was something of a brutal victory, especially with the switch to a 3 at the back from Orr at 6-0 up. Epsom were denied chances to score, with key members of the defence including Hunt and Jones.

We then had a month’s break before our next game, at home to a physical Dulwich side, but that didn’t stop us from marching to a 3-0 win. Beating them at their own game, we dominated with goals coming once again from Grimstone who got two, as well as an insurance goal from Cina Rabin. Man of the match went to Gundersen-Bailey, our box to box midfielder, who paired with Corry Traynor.

Our final match was away to Harrow: a tough fixture. Despite this, we romped to a 5-1 win. MVP went to Jacob Leigh, who scored a stunning hat trick off the bench, having been subbed on at 1-1. Grimstone once again got our opener, with Traynor grabbing a 5th with the last kick of the season.

After a rocky start, the 6th team, in Mr Orr’s maiden season as manager, racked up a win rate of 75%, scoring 19 goals in the process. Special mention goes to Jamie Grimstone, who, as a goalkeeper in his Sunday league squad, bagged 6 goals and 5 assists. Traynor and Gunderson-Bailey also deserve a mention for bossing the midfield with technical and physical displays, hardly putting a foot wrong. ❚ Teddy Hill Coach: Tom Orr

U16A Coming off the back end of an enjoyable tour to St George’s park, the team felt optimistic about a successful season full of wins. Unfortunately this was not to happen and the boys saw a successive run of losses against schools such as Hampton, Fulham Boys and Epsom. Despite very often being the more dominant team, we struggled to find a way to score goals which may have been due to the large number of injuries that we had, along with the inexperience of playing together. We managed to achieve our first win against Abingdon with a strong performance by centre back Arun Gayner, along with a wonder strike from Lorenzo Massi. With the return of our striker Aris Alexandridis for the last couple of games, our attack really began to flow, culminating in a draw against Dulwich and then a magnificent win against Harrow where we fought back to 3-1 after going 1 down early on in the game. Kyan Mentesh, Alexey Klevkovkin, and Yianni Goulandris all had strong performances in these games, linking up to deliver goal after goal. Overall, even throughout the losses, we ended the season on a high, setting us up for what’s to come next year. Many thanks to Mr Nilsson for making the season both enjoyable and competitive. ❚ Nick Tredre Coach: Hugo Nilsson U16B Our season started with a fantastic tour to St George’s Park to help us prepare for the upcoming season. The spring term then started, as did our GCSE mocks, which left us going into our first two games with zero training sessions as a team. As a result of this, we suffered a frustrating loss to Hampton at home and a sobering 4-0 loss away to Tonbridge. Despite Davide Forni picking up an injury during the next week, we bounced back and picked up a confident 3-0 win vs UCS with 2 goals from Andreas Hadjiloizou and 1 from Hoffman. Finn Carter got his first clean sheet of the season in goal with the help of Thomas’ goal-line clearance.

Unfortunately, we could not continue this form into the next week, as we lost 4-1 to Abingdon. On the 6th February, we headed to Epsom and picked up a 1-1 draw just before half term thanks to Alex Wadwhani’s second half equaliser. In the first match back after half term, we unfortunately let a late 2-1 lead go as we conceded two late goals and lost 3-2 to Berkhamsted. Seven days later, the boys returned to pitch 3 at SPS, ready to bounce back against a St John’s side who thought it would be an easier game than it transpired to be and we started well through a free kick scored by myself. St John’s then found an equaliser before the lead was imminently restored by Andreas when he netted his third goal of the season. St John’s again found an equaliser and the team was forced to find another response. Goals from Alex and I, as well as fantastic second half performances from Elliot Gaudaire and James Wilson, made sure that we added a win to the record at the final whistle. The next week saw a 2-1 loss to Dulwich in the penultimate game of the season.

As the team headed into the last game of the season, we were determined to finish the season well against a high-performing Harrow side. After a weary first half which ended 0-0, Mr Lawrence reminded us how we would’ve liked to end the season, motivating us to grab 3 second half goals – two from Hoffman and one from Alex –giving us a well-deserved 3-0 win in the final game of the season. ❚ Gabriel Hoffman Coach: Steve Lawrence

U16C Our season started against Fulham Boys on the 3G. Despite having a makeshift squad and it being our first time ever playing with each other, we started off well. We created lots of chances, however, by half time we found ourselves 2-0 down. After some inspiring words from Mr Lyster we started the second half with a free kick from our current captain Westye being bundled over the line by Harry. Despite his awful finishing that day, soon after our striker scored another: celebrating with a glorious knee slide into the pitch-invading crowd. The joy was quickly diminished after our opponents scored two in quick succession. An injury time goal provided some consolation as the game finished 4-3.

Next week, after a week of squad changes, we played Abingdon who had too much class for us as we lost 3-1 without much of a fight. After that we faced off against Epsom (A) on the side of a mountain for a pitch. Alex Tully scored a screamer from the edge of the box to put us 1-0 up, but it wasn’t to be as we conceded early in the second half to draw 1-1. A positive from the match was that we had found two incredibly solid defenders in Dan Lam and Yuvraj Chahal. Next week our captain Westye had left us for the Bs and so Harry was put in charge in our game against Berkhamsted and led us to an eventful 0-0 draw with ➦

a promising debut from Khem Dhillon. Again our captain Harry left us for the B’s as our match with Dulwich approached. A new captain came in leading the team to our first win of the season with a convincing scoreline of 5-1 despite theatrics from opposition players. Xander got one whilst Rory Walter scored a hat trick of half volleys, supplied with a lovely long ball from Dan Lam for his third. Next game we played rivals Harrow winning 1-0 in a close game with a generous penalty separating the two sides. Our defence was very solid and Jack Kanareck showed great fight in our final game of the season. Many thanks to the entire team and especially Mr Lyster for an incredible Season. ❚ Bobby Sice Coach: Tom Lyster U16D The general tone for this season was one of overwhelming positivity. Although our fixture list was cut short on numerous occasions due to cancellations, when we were given the chance to play, the team always gave their all. Our season consisted of four games: one loss, one draw, and two wins. In terms of goal scorers, Yannis Zelalem was always ready to rise to the occasion, scoring in three out of the four games and taking the D team Puskás award with a 35-yard equaliser against a tough Dulwich side. Goals were also scored by Niko Dahl, who was the driving force behind our 4-1 win against Harrow, and Rory Walter, our ex-goalkeeper turned striker who converted a brace against Epsom. A common factor of all of our games was the formidable nature of our defence: John, Mevan, Alex, and Isiah formed one of the strongest back fours known to mankind. Although this should not detract from the hard work of Enzo, Shyam, Ollie, and Leo as they controlled the midfield and had an involvement in almost all of our goals. In terms of our MVPs it would have to be a trio of players: Yannis for his attacking threat, Enzo for his hard work in the middle, and Alex for his defensive solidity. However, this should not detract from all the others’ valiant contributions. Overall, I think we can comfortably say we had a great season. Ben Bedford Coach: Tristan Parris

U15A Our first football season together was definitely one to remember. We went out to Tonbridge in high spirits for the first game of the season, with the team only having just been assembled. An early Tonbridge goal hit us by surprise, but we weren’t prepared to give up and Kam Baghai’s volley which hit the bottom corner was just the start. In the next five minutes, Matteo Salford curled one into the top left corner and Raiyaan scored a composed chip, which gave us the lead going into halftime. Two more goals from Danny Isaac and Joaquin Birts secured the win for us. The next two games against Epsom and Abingdon didn’t go as planned, but after a short half-term break, we were back to our finest form.

Our domination against a physical St Johns side led to a 3-0 win, with both Tommaso’s and Joaquin’s finishes competing for the goal of the season. We went into the next game against Harrow as one of the top teams in our league – full of confidence and determined to make sure that they were not to leave with a win on Pauline soil. A great performance from the whole team ensured a 3-1 victory against a solid Harrow side and set us up well for our final game of the season against the leaders Dulwich. It was to be our toughest game: on paper, Dulwich were the strongest in our league, having won most of their games. Nevertheless, we were prepared to put up a fight. Ten minutes into the game, Dulwich were ahead as their swiftly taken freekick had caught us unprepared. We kept pushing throughout the second half, trying desperately to find a way through their 10-man defence. Yet despite our 80% possession and the crowd cheering us on from the sidelines, we were unable to find that needed goal. As the final whistle blew, the team was in low spirits, but we were proud of what we had accomplished together in such a short, but special season.

Finally, I want to thank Mr Stewart for the coaching and dedication he has offered to the team. We can’t wait for next year! ❚ Tommaso Beber Coach: Alexander Stewart

U15B The U15B team had a remarkable season (we were the only team in the whole school to go unbeaten) and narrowly missed out on the league title by just one point to a very strong Dulwich side. We started off the season with comfortable victories against Tonbridge and a friendly against UCS, but then slipped up against a very beatable Abingdon side, where missed chances led to us only taking home a point. This setback spurred us on to win all of our remaining games until the big titledecider against Dulwich. Unfortunately, we drew 2-2, which meant that we did not win the league. It was a brilliant end to end game between two very good sides and we can be proud of ourselves for the great character shown in that game. Other highlights were a 6-0 trouncing of St John’s and a 3-0 victory over a strong Harrow side.

Balancing commitments to other sports such as skiing, keeper Gus Jacobson was consistently a brick wall in goal with only seven conceded for the whole season. This defensive record was supported by Levi Cadman and Louis Besson, who were a dynamic defensive duo at the back. The fullback pair consisted of Seb Jones, bringing crunching challenges, and Vice-Captain Rory McConnon,with some outstanding freekicks. We developed a very quick counter attack using the pace of Tim Hinkis (who was our top goalscorer with 9 goals) paired with intense pressing from Dara Daneshvar. Linkups produced some wonderful team goals such as one against Epsom. The ball was won with ease in the middle from the tenacious duo Ethan Howard and Skipper Rishi Shukla. Nutmegs were always brought by Oli Bloch. Alongside him stood a measured and cool-headed Julius Dyble. Nico Weeks delivered remarkable step overs and the talented Moyo Lawani would wreak havoc. Cameron McConnon, although his season was cut short due to a broken arm, was sensational in the middle and in the ‘twinverted winger’ pair. We started with a very large squad that was meticulously narrowed down, but Sameer, Arvin, and Alex Pelling all contributed significantly to the season.

A big thank you must go to Dr McDonnell for always keeping us pushing regardless of the conditions at lunchtime training, as well as bringing his mathematical expertise to calculate the slope of the pitch and predict the angle of the sun to give us advantages. We ended the season with a stunning record: unbeaten with thirty goals scored and seven conceded. Huge congratulations go to all the boys who had the privilege to play in the Mighty B’s. We can’t wait until next season. ❚ Rishi Shukla Coach: Ian McDonnell

U15C The U15Cs had a great season, playing 8 games and winning 6, drawing 1, and losing 1. The team spirit was astonishing; we never let our heads drop and always kept a positive attitude. We lost and gained a few players here and there but the team chemistry was unmatched, with our captain Matteo Shidrawi leading from the front, encouraging us all the way. By far the most important and influential man on the team was our gaffer, Mr Harris, who never left us and was always by our side. Overall, we scored 28 goals, and conceded 10 throughout the season.

Now onto the players. Throughout the whole season, the Cs saw 4 different players in between the sticks but our main two keepers were Kavin Swain and Kanishk Srivastava, who made some match-saving saves and always tried their hardest. Our fullbacks consisted of Seb Jones, Hamish Escolme, Archie Rowland, Raph GD, Arvin Sahota, and Timothee Brian, who all put their bodies on the line for the mighty Cs. Our centre backs were Mayowa Odewale, Kanyin Ishmael, Sameer Shukla, and Louis Besson – not letting anyone pass and sometimes making runs that created great chances. Our midfield included Matteo Shidrawi, Ethan Howard, and Aidan Malhotra who played delectable balls through to the attack and controlled the midfield. Our wingers saw the likes of Alex Meyohas, Henrique Sa Couto Lince De Faria, Amir Dudhia, and Kian Khoubehi who crossed, shot, and scored consistently. Our attackers were Dara Daneshva, Luca Frontini, Nico Weeks, and Alex Pelling, who always scored and were a nuisance for the opposing defence.

Some of the most special and significant moments of the season must be remembered: Kian’s perfect hat trick against Berkhamsted, Moyo’s two goals and two assists against Tonbridge, Pelling’s hat trick against St John’s, and Henrique’s four goal contributions against Abingdon. To round up the season of the mighty Cs, on behalf of the whole team we would like to thank all the coaches and especially Mr Harris for all their hard work and commitment to the team. Almost Clean Sheet FC will never be forgotten! ❚ Aidan Malhotra Coach: Edward Harris

U15D The might of the U15D team was clearly shown during the season, with a very solid record of 5 wins, 2 losses and a draw against other D teams and with an excellent record of 2 draws and a loss against the C team, although some penalty misses contributed to us not having a win.

We started the season against a strong Hampton side, with a 2-2 draw being reflective of the flow of the game, although the side looked very different, with key players being in the development squad and captain Rohan still playing sevens. For our second match, a lacklustre Tonbridge side was dispatched 5-0, with the highlight of the match being a solid penalty by George. Onto the next week, with a ‘friendly’ against the UCS U14B team. Although this was the first loss of the season, it should be noted that the C team played the majority of the match, and as a result it was completely their fault. In the lead up to the Abingdon match, mass squad changes took place, and after Abingdon heard of the new centre-back pairing, they quickly cancelled the match – one must assume out of fear. Onto Epsom away, the players made the trek down south in high spirits, and this was reflected in the 6-0 win that followed.

After that scorching performance, complacency set in, and we quickly found ourselves crashing down to earth with our first proper loss, a 4-3 defeat to Berkhamsted. While the defence was poor, our xG was at least 12, so overall we had rather rotten luck. We did not need any more words of encouragement before our next game, a home match against Harrow, and the players, spurred on by the events of the week before, responded in good fashion, with a routine 6-0 win. Finally, the season defining game against Dulwich arrived. After we went 1-0 down quickly, Haran Maruthainar equalised with a stunning strike, and the tide of the match shifted completely, with the players putting 6 on a team that were the best we’d faced.

All in all, a good season. The midfield was well orchestrated by Sanil and Nico and our attack was lethal. Many thanks to Mr Jack for taking charge of us, and well done to everybody involved. ❚ Rohan George (Captain) Ben Mendelsohn (Vice-captain)

U14A The U14A’s endured a thrilling season of ups and downs procuring a mixed record at the end of the season: 1-1-2. Without a doubt, there were major improvements across the board as the team members became more familiar with each other.

The first match of the season was against Berkhamsted. This was our first real test as a team and due to the predominantly drill-based exercises in training, we had to be adaptive in our play styles in order to form combinations. It was only towards the end of the match when we started to improve our game and put together some promising chances, but it was too little too late. The match ended in a 4-0 loss: not the ideal way to start, but it did provide plenty of learning opportunities. Despite this, our dominant spell in the latter stages of the game gave us confidence for the rest of the season and we knew we had built a strong team, especially once we brought in Theo who provided some much needed height to the team for aerial battles.

Our next match against St Johns was a much better performance from the team. Playing on our home turf, we were much more confident going into this game. Our practice match against the B team in training had also given our players more match experience which we would need for the coming fixture. The match started well as we managed to open the scoring with a goal from Tom Falconer from a corner. But, shortly after, St John’s equalised. A goal from Oscar Suarez then put the Paulines back into the lead before half time. In the second half, the Paulines conceded to make it 2-2. A second goal from Oscar Suarez then put the Paulines in the lead for the “third time lucky”: 3-2. Sam Francombe scores to make it 4-2. But as the Paulines started to get complacent, we found ourselves at 4-3. Sam Francombe then put another one in the net to secure the victory 5-4.

Dulwich was the game where we played our best football. This was one of those games where the scoreline does not tell the whole story. The final score was 2-1 to Dulwich leaving Paulines deserving more.

The last match of the season was a home game against Harrow. The weather was a huge factor as the horizontal wind affected the overall ball speed. Harrow went 1-0 up in the first half and then St Paul’s equalised to make it 1-1 going into half time. Harrow then went up 2-1 in the second half, but their lead was shut down by the Paulines with a penalty conversion to make it 2-2. The game displayed defensive excellence from St Paul’s but we did not finish enough chances offensively.

That concluded the season with a 1-1-2 record. Given the short amount of practice throughout the term, this season could be considered satisfactory. Hopefully, with more growth, experience, and practice as a team, we will come back stronger next year in the Fifth Form. ❚ Oscar Suarez U14B The U14B football team had highs and lows in their first football season representing the school. Our first match was away to Berkhamsted, which was a tough challenge for a new team. In the first half, they were the better team as they threw themselves into every challenge and controlled possession and shots. As we went into half-time 1-0 down, we were far from defeated and were still in high spirits. We scored our first goal of the season after the break, but fell to a disappointing 2-1 defeat. Kobi Langleben was my man of the match as he put in many blocks and clearances at centre back.

Our second game of the season was against St John’s Leatherhead. We were all desperate to win after the defeat to Berkhamsted. The nerves were eliminated as we took an early lead, and by half-time we were 3-0 up. Some incredible pace and finishing saw Kai Petersen take a first half hat trick. He soon followed it up with a 4th goal after the break. Afterwards, they got a lucky goal from a corner, but we made it 5 late on when Marcus Wisden headed into the top corner.

Dulwich were the strongest team we faced all season as we fell to a 4-0 defeat away from home. They had many more chances than us and they controlled the second half. They scored two early goals and two late goals to secure a solid victory.

In the last game of our season, we faced Harrow. Even though we were beaten comfortably by Dulwich, heads didn’t drop, as we scored very early on to take the lead. The rest of the first half was controlled by us, although we couldn’t convert any more chances. Early in the second half, we were awarded a penalty, only for myself to scuff it straight down the middle. Directly after that they equalised and then scored the winner moments later. It was a game we should have won, but overall it was a successful and enjoyable season. The 3 players of the season for me were Marcus Wisden who controlled the right wing, and finally Dan Jansen and Owen Seton-Rodgers for putting in challenge after challenge as they formed a solid midfield duo. A huge thank you goes to Dr. Holmes for inspiring us to great performances. Hopefully more wins will follow in 2023! ❚ Tom Ritchie Coach: Simon Holmes

U14C We had a tough start to the season facing many strong teams. Despite these conditions, we managed to make the opposition struggle. We may have lost all our games but we were the better side in a few, using lots of techniques and scoring very nice goals. We kept a strong defence and had a sharp attack. I would like to congratulate Gabriel for being our top goal scorer, shooting a rocket of a shot from nearly halfway out into the back of the net to finish off our season. We always had sight of victory throughout our games.

I would like to thank our coach, Dr Shammas, for helping us improve and believing in us at every step of the way, and I would also like to thank the rest of my team for never giving up and always playing to the best of their ability. We fully became a strong team by the end of the season, and we worked together very well, and it was clear that we all enjoyed every moment of every game that we played. It is unfortunate that the season has come to an end so quickly so I am longingly looking forward to next year where we will hopefully thrive in more of our games. ❚ Deniz Yesilkaya Coach: Camille Shammas U14D We have had a very tough season coming up against some superb teams, although there were some good team performances. Our first match was away against Berkhamsted who had already trained a lot and beat us 4-0, despite us having some good chances.

Our second game was very important, prior to it we were fired up as we were coming off a 1-0 victory against the Cs. However, the home side Dulwich were very strong and had won all of their matches but one. They were full of technical quality and we gave them a very entertaining match including own goals, open goal misses and screamers, but in the end we conceded late and lost 3-2. Our final match was away against Harrow, who beat us 5-0, and even though we had lost many players due to other commitments, the entire team still kept the morale and spirit throughout.

It was a short but sweet season, with some great memories. Thank you to the whole team and especially our coach, Mr Pirrie, who devised strategies which worked well with our playstyle as we were instructed to play the ball upfield for our pacey strikers to run onto and put lots of pressure on the opposing team’s defence, keeping our shape narrow in our diamond 4-1-2-1-2: and, most importantly, to always keep running. ❚ Tybalt Lamy and Dariush Ghaffapour Coach: Daniel Pirrie