We have just had an afternoon of all Year 3 and 4 in matches with Stroud; reports to follow next week.
Tomorrow we play Salisbury Cathedral School, a new school to add to our list and one which I hope will become well-established. We also play another new school, Yateley Manor, at 5ths.
On Saturday, every pupil in Year 4 and up plays in our busiest fixture day so far. We will be fielding eight senior teams together with all of Years 6 (Colts), 5 (Foals) and 4 (Under 9).
Next Tuesday, Years 3 and 4 again have a fixture – with Salisbury Cathedral School.
Team
|
Opposition
|
Venue Details
|
Start Time
|
Return Time
|
Wednesday 27 September 2023
|
1st XI
|
Salisbury Cathedral School
|
Away
|
14:15
|
17:30
|
2nd XI
|
Salisbury Cathedral School
|
Home | Bailey
|
14:30
|
16:30
|
3rd IX
|
Salisbury Cathedral School
|
Home | Bailey
|
14:30
|
16:30
|
4th IX
|
Salisbury Cathedral School
|
Away
|
14:30
|
17:30
|
5th IX
|
Yateley Manor School
|
Away | Yateley Manor School
|
14:30
|
17:30
|
Senior Games Group
|
GAMES - Coaching
|
Home | New Piece
|
14:00
|
15:15
|
Colts A VII
|
Salisbury Cathedral School
|
Home | Wolvesey
|
14:30
|
16:30
|
Colts B VII
|
Salisbury Cathedral School
|
Home | Wolvesey
|
14:30
|
16:30
|
Colts C VII
|
Salisbury Cathedral School
|
Home | Wolvesey
|
14:30
|
16:30
|
Colts City VII
|
Salisbury Cathedral School
|
Home | Wolvesey
|
14:30
|
16:30
|
Foals A VII
|
Salisbury Cathedral School
|
Away
|
14:30
|
17:30
|
Foals B VII
|
Salisbury Cathedral School
|
Away
|
14:30
|
17:30
|
Foals C VII
|
Salisbury Cathedral School
|
Away
|
14:30
|
17:30
|
U9 Games Group
|
GAMES - All U9
|
Home | Grid
|
13:45
|
15:15
|
Sailing
|
Sailing at SWAC
|
Neutral | SWAC, Southampton SO14 3FL
|
14:30
|
17:30
|
Saturday 30 September 2023
|
|
|
|
1st XI
|
Cothill House
|
Home | Bailey
|
14:30
|
17:30
|
2nd XI
|
Cothill House
|
Away
|
14:30
|
17:30
|
3rd IX
|
Cothill House
|
Away
|
14:30
|
17:30
|
4th IX
|
Cothill House
|
Home | New Piece
|
14:30
|
17:30
|
5th IX
|
Cothill House
|
Away
|
14:30
|
17:30
|
6th IX
|
Cothill House
|
Home | at a Winchester College pitch TBC
|
14:30
|
17:30
|
7th IX
|
Cothill House
|
Away
|
14:30
|
17:30
|
8th IX
|
Cothill House
|
Away
|
14:30
|
17:30
|
Colts A VII
|
Cothill House
|
Home | Wolvesey
|
14:30
|
17:30
|
Colts B VII
|
Cothill House
|
Home | Wolvesey
|
14:30
|
17:30
|
Colts C VII
|
Cothill House
|
Home | Middle
|
14:30
|
17:30
|
Colts City VII
|
Cothill House
|
Home | Middle
|
14:30
|
17:30
|
Colts United VII
|
Cothill House
|
Home | Middle
|
14:30
|
17:30
|
Foals A VII
|
Cothill House
|
Away
|
14:30
|
17:30
|
Foals B VII
|
Cothill House
|
Away
|
14:30
|
17:30
|
Foals C VII
|
Cothill House
|
Away
|
14:30
|
17:30
|
U9 A VII
|
Stroud U9 Football Tournament
|
Away | Stroud School Romsey, SO51 9ZH
|
13:30
|
16:30
|
U9 B VII
|
Stroud U9 Football Tournament
|
Away | Stroud School Romsey, SO51 9ZH
|
13:30
|
16:30
|
U9 C VII
|
Cothill House
|
Away
|
14:30
|
17:30
|
Tuesday 03 October 2023
|
|
|
|
All U9
|
Salisbury Cathedral School
|
Home
|
14:10
|
15:30
|
All U8
|
Salisbury Cathedral School
|
Away
|
14:10
|
16:40
|
Match Reports
Wednesday 20 September
1st XI vs Sevenoaks – ISFA Cup Round 1
Lost
2-1 AET (Neil C)
A mammoth effort from Pilgrims' and a true away cup fixture! A two hour drive to the venue and Pilgrims' could be forgiven for being slightly slow to start. However this was not the case! It was Pilgrims' on the front foot in the early stages and a missed penalty saw our chance to take the lead go missing. Sevenoaks then took the lead against the run of play, but Pilgrims' stayed composed. Neil C showed real class; driving from midfield his efforts were rewarded with a fine goal. 1-1. Into extra time. The rain came down, making conditions tricky. George S made some excellent saves and Barnaby D marshalled the defence well. Pilgrims' always looked a threat going forward with Tobi O unfortunate not to find the net. A rather contentious refereeing decision lead to an unjust winner for the opposition, meaning Pilgrims' had to limp home, cold and wet for 3 hours on the minibus! Spirits were high in the team however, with some fabulous sing-songs to pass the time! Well done chaps! JB
2nd XI vs Westbourne House
Lost 2-1 (William S)
This was an exciting match – as the small travelling faithful can testify. It was even and, as a result, thoroughly entertaining. Both teams threatened to take the honours. Pilgrims’ took the lead with a great strike from William. Shortly after, Westbourne hit the crossbar, not once, but twice. They then scored before the end of the half, to level.
The second half cranked up a gear in intensity and the 2nds were more than equal to the physical battle. Birthday boy Bryan threatened down the right and the territory see-sawed, quidditch-like, from end to end. Chenhan proved masterful in goal, making several crucial saves, but Westbourne managed to engineer a winner as a looping shot from the left went – it can only be described as ‘top bins’. The team was disappointed to lose, but they played well and with great spirit throughout. AJS
![](/_site/data/files/images/auto_upload/810165E11AE000508169F6483CE8C255.jpeg)
Bryan lines up a free-kick in the hope of a last-minute equaliser.
3rd XI vs Westbourne House
Won 5-3 (James P 3, Dami O 2)
This was an absolute belter! Despite the weather’s best efforts to put pay to this fixture, the match went ahead in frankly atrocious conditions. Sodden, but not cowed, the teams faced each other – Westbourne with 9, to our squad of 12, meaning the squad rotation, rolling subs and positional discipline with boys coming on and off at regular intervals, meant the boys had to be switched on throughout.
The early exchanges suggested there was not a huge amount between the two teams, with both sides looking particularly dangerous on the break. Dami O and James P looked threatening every time they got on the ball, with both boys prepared to run directly at the opposition. Rian D looked composed at the back, and despite going a goal down after 10 mins, heads didn’t drop, sleeves were rolled up, and we went level through a calmly taken James P penalty after a handball in the Westbourne area. A lack of composure in our own penalty area meant that we went in at half time 2-1.
However, we started the second half brightly and deservedly got back on level terms through a well taken Tobi O strike. A rash Westbourne challenge shortly after led to a second Pilgrims’ penalty, which James P despatched again, sending the keeper the wrong way, and from that moment, we never looked back. Orlando S had a brilliant game playing out of position at left back, and a keenly contested running dual with his opposite number allowed him to clear his lines, fed Ennis Z who was brought down on the edge of the area. Then, for some magic: in a move that wouldn’t have looked out of place at Anfield, a free kick routine, conjured up by James P and Dami, dropped the jaws of all who witnessed it. James P, looking to go top right, dummied the ball, allowing Dami to run up, wrong foot the keeper and send the ball up and over the wall and sailing serenely into the top left corner. It was a moment of genuine class and was duly wildly celebrated.
Westbourne, to their credit, kept at it, but we were good value for the victory, and we ran out 5-3 victors at the final whistle. It was lovely that so many parents braved the deluge to come and support us, and it was fantastic that we were able to reward them with what was a genuinely excellent game of football. Well done to all – a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon. WD
![](/_site/data/files/images/auto_upload/15D95066A64E4248CA72437464DDE556.jpeg)
4th IX vs Westbourne House
Lost 1-0
A tight game for the 4th XI in some ‘character building’ weather! The first half was played mostly in Pilgrims’ half as Westbourne’s strong offensive players made gaining any field position as difficult as catching a golden snitch! Hugo C was particularly consistent in defence, making it extremely difficult for the Westbourne strikers throughout the match. Coupled with some impressive keeping by Leo L, the boys managed to hold off the attack, letting in only one goal just before going into half-time.
The half-time debrief saw the boys come to a consensus on how they would counterattack to enable more offensive play and better field position. By finding space, the midfielders turned the tide on Westbourne by enabling opportunities for the strikers, who got very close to scoring on multiple occasions. Shout-out to George S who had an excellent shot on goal which was only just saved by some excellent keeping. Overall, a solid performance from the 4ths - well done lads! MMG
5th IX vs Westbourne House
To follow…
6th IX vs Westbourne House
To follow…
Foals A VII vs Westbourne House
Drew 1-1 (Charlie L)
A really good game this. The Westbourne boys were bigger and faster than our boys, but they didn’t have the skill or the commitment, so it was a real clash of styles. In the first half, we controlled the ball well, and showed real dogged fight to win it back whenever it was lost. Our dominance was rewarded when an excellent chip through from Rio C was latched on to by Charlie L and lashed into the bottom corner. Unfortunately, the boys just couldn’t get the second goal, despite trying hard, and we did begin to noticeably tire. Westbourne came again and began to get on top the longer the second half went on, and with five minutes to go a goal was scored. This gave them encouragement, and we had to hold on a bit for the last few minutes. Pretty harsh on the balance of play overall, but we were pleased to come out with a draw. A very good performance. ASD
Foals B VII vs Westbourne House
Lost 5-0
To follow…
Foals C VII vs Westbourne House
To follow…
Thursday 21 September
U9 A VII v Prince's Mead
Lost
11-3
Pilgrims' faced a talented team with plenty of experience and unfortunately found it tricky to contain them in the early stages of the match, falling 3 goals behind. Pilgrims’ did have their moments in the match. Three well-worked goals were rightly celebrated with enthusiasm, despite the 1-sided scoreline. Pilgrims' had smiles on their faces and were pleased with a fun afternoon of football. JB
U9 B VII v Prince's Mead
Lost 11-0
Thursday afternoon's match was a display of pure determination in the face of a tough competitor and the continuous effort put in is to be highly commended. Throughout the match, there were several great set-ups between Angelos and Daniel, who were tirelessly whizzing up and down the pitch. Rupert was a fabulous goalkeeper and saved a record number of shots - a superstar of the match. Throughout the match, Scipio also made a number of committed tackles in defence and kept Prince’s Mead still fighting for their goals. William also kept up the enthusiasm towards the end by being the most supportive and encouraging sub with his expert cheering. I hope the boys are proud of all they have put into the match, as I know I am. Keep it up, Pilgrims! EOD
U9 C VII v Prince's Mead
To follow…
U8 A VII v Prince's Mead
Our first game of two for the afternoon was against Twyford. We made a decent start and had a couple of good moments on the ball. However, before too long, Twyford were in the ascendancy, and our penalty box became busier than Kings Cross station. We were plucky in our defence, with notable mentions to Dev and Tristan tracking back to win the ball. At the end, the score was 5-0, which although looks grim on paper, didn’t reflect the tenacity and heart shown by the boys. I think the boys can take some positives from the game, and hopefully, they have learned lessons about clearing the ball from their own box much more quickly. All the boys had fun, and it was great to see fair play and team spirit on display all round.
Our second game was against Princes' Mead. Another strong team who gave Twyford a good match in their second game. We came out much stronger and had learnt some lessons from our previous match. We were tighter in defence and were passing more fluidly. The final score was 3 – 1 to Prince's Mead but again, that didn’t truly reflect the great effort on show. I must mention the Wizard of the Dribble, Tristan. Our goal game from a mazy run from inside his own half leaving the opposition spellbound, before unleashing a fire-bolt into the goal. What a run! What a finish! Some excellent football on show by both teams. I can see this team getting some good results this season when they begin to click! SXT
U8 B VII v Prince's Mead
The U8 B team faced tough opposition in the form of Twyford and Princes Mead on Thursday afternoon. In our first match we face a strong Twyford team who confidently passed the ball down the pitch. Teddy W produced some magical saves to keep the scoreline down, whilst Isaac M bewitched the opposition defence with some mazy runs. Unfortunately, we were unable to penetrate Twyford’s defence, and they ran out 4 – 0 winners.
Our second match against Prince's Mead was a more even match. The game was end-to-end and played at a whirlwind pace. We seemed to be cursed in front of goal, as we were unable to capitalise on the amount of attacking possession we had. Theo N and Alexander L always looked a threat, whilst Teddy J and Oliver E each performed well during their time in goal. Unfortunately, Prince’s Mead were able to unlock our defence on a couple of occasions and ran out 2-0 winner.
Well done boys for an enjoyable afternoon packed full of effort from all. TMH
U8 C VII v Prince's Mead
Our first game on Thursday afternoon and the boys lined up against Twyford. It was a very tight game with some great defence from both sides. Finn M showed some great composure with lots of attacking pressure coming from Twyford for most of the game. Kabir may as well have been on a broomstick with how quickly he was flying down the field towards our goal. The Twyford defence was strong and all our attempts at goal were shut down. The game was very even and ended 0 all.
The next game was against Prince's Mead. It got off to a flaming start with Prince’s Mead scoring two goals within the first two minutes. Pilgrims' had to work hard to tighten up on the defence. This was achieved through Darcy and Charlie's great tackling and putting pressure on the attackers. As well as Xavier and Samuel through their strong leads forward, we were able to start advancing towards our goal. However, after some great tries at goal, we were not able to finish, and Prince’s Mead won 2-0. We have lots of great areas to work on during training and are ready to face off with both teams later this season. EKS
Andrew Short
Director of Sport