Coach Desk

First competitive match — played 30 of the 40 minutes in goal (moved outfield for the closing spell) and was excellent throughout. Real composure and shot-stopping quality for a first-ever league game, recognised as very good by the opposition coach. One of our standout performers on the day despite the result. Was initially given Man of the Match, but the coaches agreed afterwards that MoM should only go to a winning performance — so it was reversed, and Adam was instead named Captain for the next match. G Rating: 9/10.

Excellent in goal today, unbeaten in the penalty shootout, but showed some doubt and reluctance about going in goal before coming round to wanting to do it — worth keeping an eye on. During the outfield drill work was cheerful as always but a bit dispersed and not fully committed. Right-footed with okay left-foot skills.

Session 3. Similar to CJ on attention/focus — stays way back on the field, doesn't move forward. But went in goal for our team's mini-games and had a brilliant game, excellent shot-stopping. Mentioned some doubt about playing keeper, but he could be a real difference-maker there — worth encouraging him to commit to the position. Needs to keep developing game vision and communication with the rest of the team, but a very good first game in goal.

Session 2 (4-zone possession game). Star of the day. Excellent movement and positioning back and forth, great vision, some brilliant passes to Daire into space — not so much in tight areas but very good over crossing range and distance. Scored and set up a goal, worked really well with Daire. Strength and weakness both: tries to tackle every time, needs to learn to defend standing up rather than diving in. Very impressive session.

First session. Named our #1 goalkeeper (CJ backup) and keen to play there, as his dad was a goalkeeper. When he had a go outfield he camped high up near the opposition goal (no offside at U9, but that's the picture), so keeper looks the right fit. New to club football. Engaged and enthusiastic.

Scored a brilliant goal into the top corner from CJ's pass, and defended really well with strong ball protection for the first 20 minutes. Faded after that — got tired and struggled to track back into defense for the rest of the game. Needs to build up his fitness to sustain that level for the full match. G Rating: 7/10.

Played very well defensively alongside Isaac and Charlie in the 3v3, showing good ball retention and composure bringing it out from the back as part of a defensive trio that worked really well together and won convincingly. Struggled with the footwork drills earlier in the session, one of the three who found it hardest. Still needs to work on anticipation and being proactive rather than reactive, and general positioning. Right-footed, poor left foot.

Session 2 (4-zone possession game). Tends to hide by default and doesn't ask for the ball; stays behind the ball-holder so once he's passed he's almost out of the play. Needs to think a step ahead and know what's next rather than just being happy to get a touch. Very responsive to coaching and keen to improve — the work is on instinct and confidence.

First session. Defensive-midfield profile, very calm and quiet. Responds very well the moment he's called, but tends not to move until told, so the challenge is to do it instinctively and proactively. Also keep focused and listening in a group. Good lad. Engaged and enthusiastic.

Played in the defensive trio with Isaac and Arthur that worked very well together and won the 3v3 convincingly. Still easily loses concentration and needs to work on confidence. Footwork is behind the rest of the group — touch, passing and running with the ball on the wrong foot all need work technically, possibly worth some homework. Struggled in today's footwork drills, one of the three who found it hardest. Right-footed, very poor left foot.

Session 3. The passing drills seem to be paying off — was low-confidence passing last session, much better today. Very involved in the games and in defense, lots of effort — probably the biggest progress of anyone since last time. Still needs to work on communication with Isaac to move together defensively, but his performance in the matches was very promising.

Session 2 (4-zone possession game). Natural defender, similar pattern to Arthur — passes and exits the play, doesn't move up on possession, stays behind his defending partner which opens diagonal gaps. Very strong alongside Isaac defensively, but once the ball is won Isaac steps forward and Charlie doesn't. Passing out from the back is risky under pressure — not assertive or accurate enough, loses the ball in dangerous areas. Needs work on that, alongside his strength defending without diving into tackles.

First session. Natural defender, plays like a number 5, good strength. New to club football. Keep working on defending without the ball. Engaged and enthusiastic.

His best game since joining the Highlanders. Played the full 40 minutes, set up both goals with excellent passing, took the ball well off opponents on the floor, and was very good at corners. Covered goal for the closing 10 minutes while Adam went outfield and made one or two mistakes there that led to a goal — understandable given he hasn't trained as a keeper in months. G Rating: 7/10.

Just back from flu, understandably low energy and not fully switched on today. Right-footed with good left-foot skills too.

Session 3. Very good session, kept improving, listened well throughout. Some lapses in concentration during drills and occasionally forgets to track back to defend, but when he does track back he commits fully. Needs to hold the ball a beat longer and carry it forward instead of releasing it immediately.

Session 2 (4-zone possession game, dead zone in the middle). Did okay but calls for the ball from too far away and teammates don't tend to find him there. Also drifts out of line with his partner and doesn't look for space. Good attitude. Focus: ask for the ball where it can actually reach him, and stay connected with his partner / find space.

First session. Offensive-midfield profile, backup keeper to Adam. Hard-working at home but easily distracted around the other kids. Asks for the ball from anywhere but doesn't move to help, poor positioning, passes then switches off ('pass and watch'). The challenge is to keep focused and listening when in a group. Work on positioning and off-the-ball movement. Engaged and enthusiastic.

Very good again in the first 10-15 minutes — sharp movement, good passing, scored the opening goal. After that, reverted to the pattern flagged in training: struggled to hold his position (unbalancing the team) and kept shooting himself even when better-placed teammates were on for the pass, rather than laying it off. Also drifted out of position and had to be called back several times. Strong start, disappointing overall. G Rating: 5/10.

Attitude is a real concern — the most technically gifted and quickest player in the squad, but plays selfishly and drifts out of position chasing the ball rather than holding his line, leaving his area open. Only locks in and does drills properly when he's interested or told off. Other players are starting to copy his style, which is great technically but spreads the same attitude issue. Right-footed, very poor left foot.

Session 3 (first on our own pitch, mini-games vs another Highlanders team). Excellent on the ball — scored in one of the mixed games, very sharp in the passing exercise, great control. Attitude was the issue: kept sitting down on the floor whenever he didn't have the ball, and got frustrated during a disagreement about who should go in goal — another coach on the pitch picked him up on how he reacted towards the coaches and told him to calm down. Needs his positional discipline tightened (staying in his own perimeter); would have been an easy substitution today if we'd had the numbers. Good session on the ball, but this is the one to watch.

Session 2 (4-zone possession game). Energetic, like a free radical — struggles to hold his position because he doesn't want to wait for the ball, he wants to go and get it. Lots of effort. A couple of rough tackles, including one on Verity that needs addressing. Played really well combining with Adam — good crossing and movement between them. Wants to shine and it sometimes comes at the cost of hiding his teammates; the growth area is making others better, not just himself.

First session (Daire, pronounced 'Dara'). Most technical and one of the fastest, an offensive profile. Can be selfish, so work on team play and holding a strict position. Ex-Kirkheaton, where his dad was the coach. Engaged and enthusiastic.

Very good defensively, especially in the opening spell. Picked up a knock during the game and had to come off the pitch a couple of times, which cut into his minutes (26 of 40) — he didn't make a fuss about it, so worth checking in on directly rather than waiting for him to say something. Defended really well whenever he was out there. G Rating: 6/10.

Back to his best after a flat session 3 — fully switched on today. Excellent all round and comfortable on both feet, currently shooting with his left and passing with his right, worth building on. Anchored the defensive trio with Arthur and Charlie which worked together really well and won the 3v3 convincingly; the one improvement point is pushing up with his teammates to keep the defensive line aligned rather than sitting deeper than them. Needs to keep taking ownership of the back line and getting his teammates to move with him vocally, not just by example.

Session 3. Arrived late with little energy or enthusiasm, seemed fed up and tired from the moment he got there — not clear if it was football-related. Hard to get anything out of him for most of the session. Picked up a bit during the mini-games but overall an off day on energy and effort.

Session 2 (4-zone possession game). Strong shooting and strong defensively. Needs to think in a pair and call out his partner so they move together, plus work on transition speed. Big and powerful, a touch slow — work on explosivity and communication; he should be organising the back line. Took a fall late in the session and kept playing; parent confirmed he was okay afterwards, worth keeping an eye on.

First session. Big lad for his age, quiet and reserved. Strong defensive profile, one of our best at the back. Ex-Kirkheaton. Engaged and enthusiastic.

Started on the bench. Once on, her positioning alongside Daire unbalanced the defense — both drifting off their line made the team hard to organise. Technically below par with the ball: kept her head down, didn't scan before playing, and lost possession several times. Great attitude and energy as always, always listening and working hard, but not her best game on the ball. G Rating: 5/10.

Biggest gap in the squad between physical ability and technical level — huge engine, pace and strength, wins physically against everyone, but ball skills lag well behind on touch, passing and shooting. Struggled in today's footwork work, one of the three who found it hardest. Right-footed, very poor left foot.

Session 2 (4-zone possession game). Very fast, lots of effort, tracks back well to defend. In the attacking zone without the ball she doesn't look for space and tends to go alone rather than look for the pass. Needs to get her head up before deciding what to do next. Good attitude.

First session. Endurance queen, very fast, fearless, strong in the tackle ('a bull'). Great offensive asset who also puts in the effort tracking back. Quiet. Needs work on ball skills and is not yet agile with the ball at her feet. Engaged and enthusiastic.