West Bromwich Albion Tournament - 30/01/25 (Pictures below)

On a bright, cold morning, Park Hall made their way to the West Brom Academy 4G Dome for a tournament. They were 1 of 12 teams and 3 groups of 4 would mean the top 2 of each group, plus the 2 best 3^rd placed teams would advance to the quarter finals so they went in to the group stage full of optimism.

They were brought quickly down to earth in the first game against Grove Vale as they went 1 down after just 3 minutes. The team re-grouped and began to pass it around and create some good chances but couldn’t quite find the equaliser. Eventually, after good pressure, Flynn tried his luck from long range and sent a screamer into the back of the net. Luke-Veer and Flynn continued to push forward and, as Ria and Aaron added support from defence pushing for a winner, the team were left a bit vulnerable at the back and were hit with a sucker punch from the last kick of the game.

After a quick toilet break, Park Hall took the field again with a change of formation for the game against Causeway Green. From the first kick, they were almost behind again but luckily Harley was alert and made a good save. Almost immediately after this, we took the lead as Flynn battled and wormed his way into the box from the right and poked it home. No sooner were we in front, than Causeway Green equalised. However, they didn’t let their heads drop and more good battling, this time from Mayan, led to his first goal for the school in what was proving to be a bit of an end to end game. Meghan and Ria defended well to keep it at 2-1 and Harley made a great save before a lovely sweeping move saw Luke-Veer break down the right and send a lovely cross in for Zayaan to score our 3^rd and put the result beyond doubt.

They took confidence from that win into the last group game against Ward End and came sprinting out of the blocks. Within 2 minutes, Zayaan had twice broken down the left to fire home to give us a 2 goal lead. A third followed soon after as Aaron jinked his way into the box and finished well. At 3-nil up, the team were full of confidence. Meghan and Ria were passing it out well from the back and lots more chances were created but Ward End defended well. Jovan went closest and was unlucky not to add our 4^th, only prevented by a goal line clearance. Flynn was also unlucky not to add to his tally when he hit the bar with a free kick right at the end of the game.

The win took Park Hall to 6 points with a goal difference of +4, which was exactly the same as Grove Vale going into their last game. It meant if Causeway Green could win the last game against Grove Vale then all 3 teams would end with 6 points but Park Hall would top the group on goal difference.

The team watched on as both teams showed their quality. To our team’s delight, Causeway Green took the lead and a nail biting last minute or two saw Grove Vale doing everything but score and in the end Causeway Green held on to win and leave Park Hall as the group winners.

QF –

As group winners, Park Hall earnt themselves a quarter final against one of the best 3^rd placed teams. Unfortunately for us, it meant a rematch against a very good Causeway Green who got their revenge from losing 3-1 in the group stages to win 2-0. Park Hall just never really got going and it could have been a heavier defeat had it not been for 2 stunning saves from Harley in the first few minutes. At 1-0 down, they kept on battling and Ria with a long range shot and Flynn late on with a shot from the left went close but Causeway Green broke away in the last minute to get their second and secure their place in the semi finals.

The team stayed on to watch the semi-finals, albeit frustratingly as none of the 4 teams were stand outs and we felt that we could have beaten any of them if we played to our best. Causeway Green even got to the final but lost out to St Matthews on penalties and it left the team wondering what could have been.

Despite the disappointing quarter final result, the team did so well to get there and each and every one of them should be proud of themselves. All of us at Park Hall certainly are – well done on winning the group!

Park Hall Junior Academy Team –

Y5 - Jovan C, Aaron L, Luke-Veer S, Harley W

Y6 - Zayaan A, Meghan G, Flynn H, Ria L, Mayan P

Game 1 – Grove Vale (1-2 defeat) Scorer(s) – Flynn

Game 2 – Causeway Green (3-1 win) Scorer(s) – Flynn, Mayan, Zayaan

Game 3 – Ward End (3-0 win) Scorer(s) – Zayaan x2, Aaron

League winners with 2 wins!

Team                        Played             Points           Goal Diff.

Park Hall                       3                     6                       +4

Grove Vale                    3                     6                       +3

Causeway Green          3                     6                       0

Ward End                     3                     0                       -7

Quarter Final – Causeway Green (0-2 defeat) Scorer(s) – n/a

EFL Kids Cup 24/25 Reports (Pictures below)

On Monday afternoon, 10 children represented Park Hall Junior Academy in the Kids Cup football tournament at The Poundland Bescot Stadium. The team, made up of Y5 and Y6 children, were in a league of 5 schools, where only the winning team would progress to the Final for the day (Quarter Final for the overall Walsall competition).

The team got off to a good start in the first match against Barcroft, passing the ball around nicely and trying to get opportunities to score. Ria, Meghan and Aaron all looked composed at the back as Flynn and Zayaan were busily trying to get chances to Ayaan up front. It was a tight affair with Harley making some good saves and Flynn, Zayaan and Luke-Veer all going close for Park Hall however, the game ended in disappointment as Barcroft nicked a late winner. 

The second game gave the chance for Park Hall to build confidence and they ended up comfortable 6-0 winners when really it could have been double figures. Flynn and Zayaan led the way with some really well taken goals early on and then a number of others (Ria, Aaron, Haris and Jovan) had plenty of shots on goal but just couldn’t quite get any more goals. Sustained pressure led to Flynn and Zayaan managing to get another one each before Luke-Veer got himself a well-deserved goal too. A really good team performance was wrapped up as Flynn completed his hat-trick.

Park Hall took this confidence into the third game against Croft Academy. It was another tight game and a change in formation, meant more options going forward. Park Hall had the better chances and Haris, in goal, didn’t have much to do. Ria and Aaron in defence were able to get up and help push for a goal but despite some good chances for Luke-Veer, Jovan, Flynn and Zayaan, it just wouldn’t go in. Substitutes Ayaan and Harley came on to try and change things and just as it looked like it might end 0-0, which would have all but ended any hopes of winning the group, Zayaan popped up with a vital winner.

Park Hall went into the last game knowing that a win would give them a chance of winning the group if Barcroft lost any more points, having drawn their first game against our final opponents, Pelsall Village. Again, it was a close encounter but Park Hall had the better chances. Unfortunately, they were not able to add any finishing touches to good attacking play. Eventually their perseverance paid off and Jovan broke the deadlock with his first goal of the tournament. This was shortly followed by the best move of the afternoon by Park Hall – Ria, Zayaan and Flynn worked well together in midfield to win the ball and move up the pitch before Flynn fed a glorious through ball to Luke who calmly slotted it home to give Park Hall a 2 goal lead. It was a good job the second goal arrived because Pelsall Village got one back shortly after and then searched for an equaliser but the midfield of Aaron, Flynn and Zayaan stayed deep to support Ria and Meghan protect Haris’s goal and the whole team were relieved when the final whistle blew and signalled a 2-1 win.

The team quickly made their way to the other pitch to check on the progress of Barcroft, who were still playing, and to their delight found out that they had been held to a second draw by Croft Academy, meaning Park Hall ended up group winners with 9 points over Barcroft’s 8 points.

A short wait while the other group finished and a chance to watch our Final opponents - Manor. They looked big and strong but Park Hall weren’t deterred and continued playing some lovely, passing football with Ria, Meghan, Jovan, Aaron, Flynn and Zayaan all displaying some great touches. Luke-Veer was busy up front and for the first 5 minutes, Park Hall were the better team and could have taken the lead. However, Manor’s strength and quality ended up shining through and 2 really good goals meant they won the game 2-0. It could have been a few more but for some stunning saves from Harley and some tenacious defending by Ria; their star player, the number 12, was really up against it for the majority of the match as Ria gave him hardly any chances.

Park Hall had done tremendously to get to the final and went so close to winning and progressing to the semi-finals but it wasn’t quite to be. All 10 of the squad can hold their heads high – they did Park Hall proud – well done all of you!

Park Hall Junior Academy Team –

Y5 - Luke-Veer S, Aaron L, Harley W, Jovan C

Y6 - Flynn H, Zayaan A, Ayaan A, Haris H, Meghan G, Ria L

Game 1 - Barcroft (0-1 defeat) Scorer(s) – n/a

Game 2 - Butts (6-0 win) Scorer(s) – Flynn x3, Zayaan x2, Luke

Game 3 – Croft Academy (1-0 win) Scorer(s) – Zayaan

Game 4 – Pelsall Village (2-1 win) Scorer(s) – Jovan, Luke

Quarter Final - Manor (0-2 defeat) Scorer(s) – n/a

League winners with 3 wins and 1 defeat!

EFL Kids Cup 2024

On Monday afternoon, 9 children braved the elements to represent Park Hall Junior Academy in the Kids Cup football tournament at The Poundland Bescot Stadium. Looking very smart in their brand new kit, the team were in a group of 6 schools, where only the winning team would progress to a Quarter Final match.

After a nervy start, they went 1 down to a long shot from Whitehall but soon found their feet and recovered to win 6-2 with 4 different goalscorers. A tight second game followed against St Giles, which they managed to win 2-1, before a game against the team that proved to be the best of the group by some distance - St Michael's. The children came up with a good game plan to try to make it difficult for them but despite a fully committed display, they ended up losing 2-0. They bounced back with two 3-0 wins against Caldmore and Old Park to end up coming second in the group.

The children showed some great skill on the day, both in attack and defence, with some amazing goals scored and some terrific saves made by the keeper. All of the children should be proud of their performance - well done boys!

Park Hall Junior Academy Team - Jeevan S, Sartaj C, Shaylan P, Bachittar B, Jayden M, Nihal G, Flynn H, Zayaan A and Angath S

Game 1 - Whitehall (6-2 win) Scorers - Nihal 2, Jayden 2, Zayaan, Flynn

Game 2 - St Giles (2-1 win) Scorers - Angath, o.g.

Game 3 - St Michael's (2-0 defeat)

Game 4 - Caldmore (3-0 win) Scorers - Nihal 2, Jayden

Game 5 - Old Park (3-0 win) Scorers - Nihal 2, Angath

2nd place with 4 wins and 1 defeat!