Some Changes To SheenLions.com

Since its launch in 2008 SheenLions.com has be hosted on by 1&1 and is built using 1&1 proprietary WebsiteBuilder tool. We have had four good years but it is time to move on.

In summer 2012 SheenLions.com will move moved to a new software platform and a new host. We hope that SheenLions.com users will hardly notice the change, we will be at the same address. You will see the same information but the page appearance will be slightly different. In particular you will see a new menu structure which we hope will make it easier for you to locate information that you need quickly.

Google is by far the main search engine that people use to route to SheenLions.com. It may take Google a little while to learn about the new site and rank it well, however its links to the old site will continue to land on the appropriate new pages.

New Sheen Lions news will not be posted here from now on. Please go to http://sheenlions.com/category/current/.

As always, if you have any problems with SheenLions.com contact the webmasters, webmaster@sheenlions.org

Boots For Africa Charity Appeal

Once again Sheen Lions FC is to contribute to the following charity.

www.bootsforafrica.org

Maia Dickson ( U14s) has very kindly said she will help me coordinate collection and delivery.

The timing is good as it is the end of the season, tournaments have been played and old boots will be replaced for new ready for the forthcoming season.

The aim is that every registered Sheen Lions boy donates a minimum of one pair of boots.

Of course you can donate more.

I'm sure if you ask family and friends they will have old boots lying around in porches, under the stairs, and in garages too.

Collect what you can, give them a clean and take them to:

Maia Dickson

maia@sheenlions.org

We'll do the rest.

Many thanks for your support.

Sarah Street

Club Secretary - Sheen Lions FC

Sheen Lions Win The Toshiba Rose Bowl

Sheen Lions are delighted to have been awarded the Toshiba Rose Bowl as the club with the best sportsmanship marks in the Surrey Youth League last season 2011-12.

The award was presented to our Secretary Sarah Street at the Surrey Youth League AGM on 11th June.

Sarah congratulated the managers, players and parents at Sheen Lions; she said that it was "a fine testament to you all".

Also congratulations to U15 Pride who won the Sportsmanship Shield for the U15 age group.

Our Chairman Geoff Parmiter and Secretary Sarah Street
with the Toshiba Rose Bowl

Team of The Season 2011-12

Voting is now closed.

Here is how it has finished.


Congratulations to U12 Pride who have easily topped the pole but also to U9 Lions who were the "neutrals" choice.


Here are the SheenLions.com candidates for Team of The Season.

• U9 Lions - beat Meadow Sports in their last game of the season to win Division 1
• U10 Lions - a third place finish in the Premier division
• U11 Pride - a third place finish in Division 1
• U12 Lions - a third place finish in the Championship division and topping the Sheen Lions Club table with 44 points
• U12 Pride - a third place finish in Division 3, Invitation Cup quarters.
• U14 Lions -  a third place finish in Division 2,  Invitation Cup semi finalist.  Second in the Sheen Lions Club table with 42 points. A goal difference in the League of 63 and adding in cup games an overall GD of 90. 
• U15 Lions - County Cup finalists
• U16 Lions - Runners up Division 2
• U16 Pride - League Cup finalists
• U18 Lions -  Runners up Division 1

U13 Recruitment For Season 2012-13

Our U13 Sheen Lions Pride football team has had a great season. We have a few spaces left for those boys that would like to join us to play competitive football next season in the Surrey Youth League.

To play at U13 next season you must be born between 1st September 1999 & 31st Aug 2000.

Contact:
Bernie Segal 07968 185049, bernie@SheenLions.org

Sheen Lions have teams from U7 all the way up to U18. For more details and information about all our other age groups visit www.sheenlions.com

Sheen Lions are an FA Charter Standard youth football club in the Sheen, Richmond, Kew, Roehampton area of South-West London. We are affiliated to the Surrey County FA and we provide coaching and organised match programmes for around 300 children from the age of 6 to 18 years. 


For the 2011-12 season we have twenty boys football teams representing the Club at all levels in the Surrey Youth League. The demand for organised youth football continues to grow in our local area and Sheen Lions will continue to develop to meet this demand. 


As part of our long term plan we became a Registered Charity in May 2008. In December 2009 we were awarded Charter Standard Club status by The FA. By taking these steps we will have more resources available to offer the best possible youth football experience in our local community whilst making sure we are fully in tune with The FA's youth football requirements. 


Most recently we have entered into a partnership agreement with Queens Park Rangers providing further benefits to Sheen Lions players, coaches and parents. This initiative is one of several marking the Club's 25-year anniversary in 2011.

End Of The Season

Sheen Lions finished the 2011-12 season with our Presentation evenings on the 17th May for the older teams and 23rd May for the younger age groups. This year 548 people came to the events and we gave out 370 trophies.

Football is a team game and each player depends on his team mates but for fun we do give out some special awards to boys in each team and you can see the Special Player Awards List here.

The Presentation evening is the one event in the year when the Club comes together and as always the Club showed its appreciation for the huge amount of time and effort that our Secretary Sarah Street puts in to enable so many children to play football.

Afterwards Sarah said:
"I also want to thank you all for you kind words and gifts. Wine, champagne, chocolates, flowers and jewellery in abundance. They are genuinely appreciated. I think I must be the luckiest Club Secretary in the League to have such a great bunch of people to work with.


Your support and help over the season and particularly in recent times has been terrific. Thank you. There's a lot to do right now in preparation for next season but I know with us all working hard and pulling in the same direction, the work will get done and we can look forward to another terrific season in 2012/13.


Lastly, I want to thank Geoff for everything he has done. I couldn't have a better right hand man working alongside me, and I know we are all sending our love and best wishes to Jane and the family and wishing Geoff the very speediest of recoveries. I'm certain we'll have him back on the touchline, where he belongs, in no time."


SheenLions.com would particularly like to echo Sarah's thoughts for Geoff. He has written most our our weekly News bulletins this season and this is only one of the many things he does to help build our Club and support all the people at Sheen Lions.

A particular Congratulations to our teams that collected League medals today at Imber Court.

• Nidal Ramini's U9 Lions
• Brian Robertson's U16 Lions
• John O'Brien's U18 Lions 

Just for fun here are the SheenLions.com candidates for Team of The Season.

• U9 Lions - beat Meadow Sports in their last game of the season to win Division 1
• U10 Lions - a third place finish in the Premier division
• U11 Pride - a third place finish in Division 1
• U12 Lions - a third place finish in the Championship division and topping the Sheen Lions Club table with 44 points
• U12 Pride - a third place finish in Division 3, Invitation Cup quarters.
• U14 Lions -  a third place finish in Division 2,  Invitation Cup semi finalist.  Second in the Sheen Lions Club table with 42 points. A goal difference in the League of 63 and adding in cup games an overall GD of 90. 
• U15 Lions - County Cup finalists
• U16 Lions - Runners up Division 2
• U16 Pride - League Cup finalists
• U18 Lions -  Runners up Division 1

If you want to pick a team you can vote here.

Recruitment For Season 2012-13

Sheen Lions are an FA Charter Standard youth football club in the Sheen, Richmond, Kew, Roehampton area of South-West London. We are affiliated to the Surrey County FA and we provide coaching and organised match programmes for around 300 children from the ages of 6 to 18 years.

For the 2011-12 season we had twenty boys football teams representing the Club at all levels in the Surrey Youth League and this will increase in the 2012-13 season. The Sheen Lions Club is run by volunteers enthusiastic about youth football and all our teams have qualified coaches some up to UEFA level 3. This season we are very proud to have been nominated by the Surrey Youth League for a National Respect and Fairplay award.

On Sunday mornings during the season our home at Palewell Park is a fantastic sight with three mini pitches, one 9v9 and three 11-a-side pitches all available to host league games under the control of qualified referees. Our excellent organisation and great coaches have made us one of the largest clubs playing in the Surrey Youth League.

Demand to play football at Sheen Lions always exceeds capacity but, as we finish one season we begin to prepare for the next.

• We are very keen to bring players who want to learn to play competitive football into our our younger age groups
• Our older age groups are always prepared to meet good players who could enhance the team. Most of our older teams train through the Summer term and play competitively in summer five or six a-side tournaments and this gives us a good  opportunity to introduce new players.

We would encourage boys who are interested to contact us sooner rather than later. Squads for next season are largely decided by the end of June.

Contact:
U7 01-Sep-05  to  31-Aug-06 Sarah Street, tel 07941157410, sarah@sheenlions.org
U8 01-Sep-04  to  31-Aug-05 Simon Fanthorpe, tel 07802330542, simon@sheenlions.org
U9 01-Sep-03  to  31-Aug-04 Julian Groves, tel 07795807660, groves@sheenlions.org
U10 01-Sep-02  to  31-Aug-03 Nidal Ramini, tel 07958473614, nidal@sheenlions.org
U11 01-Sep-01  to  31-Aug-02 Martin Conway, tel 07915403649, conway@sheenlions.org
U12 01-Sep-00  to  31-Aug-01 Jon Darlison, tel 07500890547, darlison@sheenlions.org
U13 01-Sep-99  to  31-Aug-00 Bernie Segal, tel 07968185049, bernie@sheenlions.org
U14 01-Sep-98  to  31-Aug-99 Terry Buckland, tel 07973158214, terry@SheenLions.org
U15 01-Sep-97  to  31-Aug-98 Rick Mills, tel 07958967243, mills@sheenlions.org
U16 01-Sep-96  to  31-Aug-97 Gordon Campbell, tel 07722838499, gordon@sheenlions.org
U18 01-Sep-94  to  31-Aug-96 John O'Brien, tel 07932657423, o-brien@sheenlions.org

For more more details visit http://www.sheenlions.com/howtojoin.html

Download to print a flyer

Team Of The Week and Presentation Evening Photos

There is no Sheen Lions football to report today. We only had one Sheen Lions match scheduled, for U15 Lions and it did not take place as our opponents told us that they could not field a side.

There is now only one Sheen Lions match left this season so good luck to our U12 Lions who will play on the last day of the season.

The Senior Presentation evening will be on Thursday 17th May and the Junior on Wednesday 23rd May, both at the Bank of England Sports Club. We would like to display photos of each team from the season. If you have any photos you would like to contribute please contact webmaster@sheenlions.org.

Team of the week are the U16 Pride for making their League Cup final a very close game.

U16 Pride
Team Of The Week

U14 Recruitment For Season 2012-13

Our U13 boys football teams have had a solid season with mid table finishes for both our teams in the Surrey Youth League Divisions two and three respectively.

During May and June we will organise the teams for the 2012-13 season where they will again play competitive football as U14s in the Surrey Youth League and there is an opportunity for boys of a good standard to join the squads.

We will have training sessions throughout the Summer term and play competitively in five or six a-side tournaments. This gives us a good  opportunity to introduce new players.We encourage boys who are interested to contact us sooner rather than later. Squads for next season are largely decided by the end of June.

To play at U14 next season you must be born between 1st September 1998 & 31st Aug 1999.

Contact:
Terry Buckland, tel 07973158214, terry@SheenLions.org
Russell Hardy, tel 07768875826, russell@SheenLions.org


Sheen Lions have teams from U7 all the way up to U18. For more details and information about all our other age groups visit www.sheenlions.com

Sheen Lions are an FA Charter Standard youth football club in the Sheen, Richmond, Kew, Roehampton area of South-West London. We are affiliated to the Surrey County FA and we provide coaching and organised match programmes for around 300 children from the age of 6 to 18 years. 


For the 2011-12 season we have twenty boys football teams representing the Club at all levels in the Surrey Youth League. The demand for organised youth football continues to grow in our local area and Sheen Lions will continue to develop to meet this demand.


As part of our long term plan we became a Registered Charity in May 2008. In December 2009 we were awarded Charter Standard Club status by The FA. By taking these steps we will have more resources available to offer the best possible youth football experience in our local community whilst making sure we are fully in tune with The FA's youth football requirements.


Most recently we have entered into a partnership agreement with Queens Park Rangers providing further benefits to Sheen Lions players, coaches and parents. This initiative is one of several marking the Club's 25-year anniversary in 2011.

League Cup Final - U16 Pride

Kingston Juniors claim the League Cup beating our U16 Pride in a very tight game at Carsholton Athletic on Tuesday evening.

Sheen conceded an early goal when a good cross in from the left allowed an easy header. The game remained tight from then on with few chances at either end until Kingston scored again with almost the last kick of the game to win the cup 0-2.

A full match report will follow.

Sheen Photos from the Game

Kingston Photos

Kingston Juniors
Score Early

U16 League Cup Today - CHANGE OF VENUE!!

Good luck to our U16 Pride  playing Kingston Juniors in the League Cup final with 19:30 kick off at Carshalton Athletic FC, Colston Avenue, Carshalton SM5 2PW today,  Tuesday 1st May.

U15 Surrey Cup Final - Match Report

U15 Surrey Cup Final - Sunday, 29 April 2012

Sheen Lions v. Sutton United

Full Match Report: Sheen Lions stage sensational come-back from 4-0 down but lose 5-4 to a Sutton goal in the dying seconds of injury time.

This was not only a greatly anticipated football match by all at Sheen Lions FC but also the first County Cup final appearance by a Sheen team since the then U14 Lions won the Middlesex County Cup back in 1998.

The U15 Lions’ road to the final couldn’t have been any better: Five wins, 18 goals for and nil against. Perfect. And good reason for quiet optimism. This Sheen team have been knocking on the door for a while. Last year they lost the SYL League Cup final to AFC Wimbledon (the undefeated English U14 champions and also Surrey County Cup winners).

For those spectators brave enough to battle the atrocious weather the reward was a spectacular nine-goal thriller decided in the end by a scrambled Sutton goal in the 5th minute of added injury time.

But let’s take a deep breath here: Sutton’s front men demonstrated pace and close control in abundance and ruthlessly exploited Sheen’s early defensive wobbles. On balance, given the number of high-quality chances and attempts, Sutton probably shaded it on the day. But only by the thinnest of margins. So many congratulations to Sutton United for winning the U15 County Cup!

No less congratulations to our Sheen boys for representing us so well and demonstrating massive character and verve in clawing their way back into the game after finding themselves in an abyss after 34 minutes when Sutton had put their fourth unanswered goal on the scoreboard. Above all Sheen played a beautiful passing game from start to finish. Impressive stuff.


Sheen Lions formation: (4-4-2 when attacking; 4-5-1 when defending)

Due to an earlier U14 County Cup final going to extra time our game was pushed back half an hour. Thankfully the Chipstead FC club house provided cosy shelter from the elements. This reporter took the opportunity to sample the football grub on offer and I have to agree with the girl behind the counter that the Chipstead burger is “pretty good” indeed. (Which reminds me that the worst ‘football burger’ I have ever sampled was at Loftus Road a couple of years ago. I trust that our recent affiliation to QPR has not been based on their culinary offering...). Anyway, let’s thank Chipstead FC for their hospitality as well as everyone else staging this event.

The late start turned out to be a blessing as the rain had virtually stopped when the referee, Steve Worsley, opened proceedings at 12.59 with Sheen kicking off into a gusty wind blowing along the pitch. Steve and his fellow match officials put in a good performance on the day.

Straight out of the gate Sutton started in a higher gear with their wingers probing the Sheen defence. On 5 minutes, with the Sheen back four trying to hold their line high up the pitch, Sutton floated a ball in behind the Sheen defence in the right channel for one of Sutton’s speed merchants to latch onto. He duly placed the ball in the bottom right corner leaving George no chance. One nil, Sutton.

Sutton continued to press and on 7 minutes Sheen failed to clear the ball properly. It landed at the feet of an unmarked Sutton midfielder who let rip from just outside the area pumping the ball, boosted by the wind, into the top right corner. Again George had no chance and one sensed that he was not overly happy with his defence. Two nil, Sutton.


Definitely not the start we all had hoped for but Sheen kept their cool and started to gain more possession, passing the ball on the deck. After a quarter of an hour Sheen started to create more and on 18 minutes Sheen fed the ball down the outside right channel. The ensuing low cross eluded the Sutton defence as did it the two Sheen players sprinting into the box. A great opportunity to get on the board. But the boys were starting to show creativity and testing the Sutton defence. Promising.

Sheen continued to work hard and on 27 minutes Charlie had a long range pop from outside the area but the ball blasted over the bar. The Sutton keeper was not the tallest player on the pitch and one would think that Sheen had the intention of testing his ability to deal with high balls as part of the tactical plan. But Sutton hadn’t allowed Sheen much room to maneuver in the final third up to this point. Hitherto the Sheen formation had been 4-5-1 with Ben H as the lone striker as a result of the Sutton dominance.

With half an hour gone and Sheen looking good in possession and quick to close down Sutton’s midfielders the Sheen defence, under no particular pressure, gave away another ball on the edge. A Sutton player gladly took possession and resolutely sent the ball sailing in under the crossbar. Again leaving George no chance. Full credit to Sutton for taking their chances with poise. Three nil, Sutton.

Arguably proceedings so far had not materialised according to the script but as a Sheen supporter you have to give full credit to our U15s for not getting ‘verbal’ with each other let alone dropping their heads. In truth one or two Sheen supporter heads in the main stand had started to drop around where I was sitting (in the ‘away directors’ seats...very posh). But the boys? No!

On 34 minutes the first corner of the match was awarded to Sutton. The ball landed on the edge of the six-yard box and following an almighty scramble with the ball pinballing around a Sutton player managed to knock it over the line. Four nil, Sutton.


At three nil down you are on the edge of the abyss. At four nil down you are IN the abyss. Truth be told, at that moment this reporter could see no realistic prospect of a recovery. None whatsoever. I mean, the Liverpool v Milan miracle in Istanbul in 2005 surely can only happen once in a lifetime? But that’s because I didn’t know much about the resolve of Ben H, the team captain and leader of the line. One minute later I were to learn!

Within a minute of the restart, on 35 minutes, Max made an over-weighted pass down the right for Ben H to chase diagonally into the channel. The moment the pass was made it looked like a lost cause to everyone. In a split second Ben H managed to grimace slightly at Max but carried on pursuing the ball at full throttle regardless. Simultaneously the Sutton keeper came galloping out of the box to his left to intervene. The Sutton defender, who initially had two yards on Ben H, relaxed (big mistake) as the Sutton keeper was shielding the ball to let it run out for a goal kick. But our captain was having none of that. He kept going and powerfully dispossessed the keeper literally on the byline, turned the keeper, dribbled around three Sutton players and whipped in a perfect low cross which Luke H first-timed into the open net from six yards even though he was sandwiched between two Sutton defenders. A fantastic move and goal. And a fantastic captain’s effort. Four one, Sutton. Could there be hope?

The goal had clearly released any remaining nervous energy and Sheen were now playing higher up the pitch. On 38 minutes Ben H drove the ball into the Sutton box but was tackled by an opposition player who brought down our number 9. Murmurings calling for a penalty were heard.

Sutton were not sitting back enjoying their big lead and on 40 minutes another attack down the Sutton right, involving their excellent and dangerous number 10, resulted in a cross to the far post but to Sheen’s relief the Sutton forward headed the ball into the side netting. Half time.


Half time score: Sutton 4 - 1 Sheen.

You are down 4-1 at half time and have all of two attempts to show for your efforts over forty minutes (believe me, I can count all the way up to two). Although one such did result in a beautiful goal. Anyway, what do you do? Deliver the team talk of the century, of course. So that’s what everyone in the stand hoped Michael would do.

In the ‘away director seats’ all Sheen supporters (including our own UEFA qualified coach and Fulham manager in waiting, Trevor) spent the fourteen minute break going into game analysis overdrive. The conclusion was unanimous: We have to close down Sutton’s number 10. Plain and simple.

Michael and Mark kept the boys in the dugout on the far side during the break whereas Sutton took to the changing room. The brain wave from the spectator stand must have registered on the management radar because Michael switched Max from right midfield to left back to mark the Sutton number 10. Also, during the break Sean and Ethan were coming off and Aodan and Jay coming on. If nothing else, Michael’s half time adjustments briefly gave rise to a few self congratulatory remarks and made everyone in the ‘away director seats’ feel like, err, directors.

At 13.55 Sutton kicked off the second half and immediately hit the groove: On 44 minutes Sutton had a shot off target; on 46 minutes a low Sutton cross from deep left was deflected by Sheen over their own bar; on 48 minutes a Sutton free kick floated into the area with a Sutton forward first to the ball but heading over the bar. In short, Sutton were on top for the first ten minutes of the half. But Sheen didn’t look shaky or rattled at all.

On 50 minutes a Sheen midfielder delivered a cute pass splitting the Sutton central defence and Luke H managed to outpace the defenders chasing the ball but the Sutton keeper was quick to come out and grab the ball at his feet.

On 53 minutes a Sutton cross from the left deep in the Sheen final third flew over George attempting a leap to catch the ball but the Sheen defense cleared the ball. The ball dropped to a Sutton player but his shot went wide.

The next ten minutes offered little in the way of great excitement at either end but on 63 minutes a Sutton free kick from deep right sent the ball into the Sheen box where, yet again, a Sutton player is first to head it. But this time into the arms of George. So far so good in terms of composure but Michael’s half time pep talk had yet to boost the Sheen attacking play. Exactly sixty seconds later that all changed.

With 64 minutes on the clock and Sheen trailing by three goals Michael’s half time tonic finally reached the parts other team talks could not reach. Sheen were awarded a free kick on the left touchline deep in the Sutton half. Our number 9, Ben H, went out to take the kick with plenty of Sheen players lining up in the goal area. Ben H made the perfect curler which (with a tinsy winsy bit of help from the wind) floated beautifully into the top right corner. Goal! Everybody anticipated a ball for our tall guys to try to latch onto. But Ben H instead decided to test the Sutton keeper. And he came up short. Literally. Perfect. Four two, Sutton.

During the next ten-minute spell Sheen were flying as if on broomsticks in a Quidditch match. On 66 minutes Sheen’s first and only corner of the match was headed wide. Immediately following that Ben H was almost through but got tackled cleanly in the Sutton penalty box.

Sheen kept the pedal to the metal and on 67 minutes, with Sutton under pressure deep in their own half, a clearance by Sutton resulted in the ball landing at the feet of of Harry on the edge of the 18-yard box (in pretty much the same fashion as the Sheen clearance leading to Sutton’s second goal on 7 minutes). Without hesitation Harry unleashed a dipping shot escaping the Sutton keeper who at full stretch couldn’t prevent the ball bulging the Sutton net just inside the right hand post. Jubilation. Four three, Sutton.

At this point you could probably have heard the Sheen crowd on the M25. Our dear Club Sec was now jumping up and down whilst cheering loudly. In the stand no one was sitting down. The rain had completely ceased and Sheen were all buzzing like a swarm of navy hooped wasps.

A few moments later, on 69 minutes, with Sutton still under siege Sheen stung again. Luke H picked up the ball in the outside left channel and jetted down the wing leaving the Sutton fullback in his wake. Simultaneously Charlie (Sheen’s uncompromising number 4 holding midfielder, think Makelele) made a rare dash into the Sutton box. Instead of sending the ball over the top Luke H exocet’ed the ball low toward the near post where Charlie popped up with perfect timing to jam in the ball, leaving the Sutton keeper no chance. Textbook stuff elevated to poetry. Goooooaaaaaaal! Four four, Sutton AND Sheen.

The Sheen crowd was in a frenzy and could now be heard all the way to Dover. Are we watching Istanbul in 2005 all over again, but just better?

During the following minutes Sheen continued to probe but Sutton were defending deep with everyone except a lone forward hanging up front. Gradually Sutton started to shake off the shock of what had been a Sheen onslaught. On 72 minutes Claas came on for Luke H who had scored Sheen’s important first goal and created the all-important equaliser. A huge performance.

On 77 minutes Sutton were awarded a corner but the ball was kicked behind the byline. Immediately after, on 78 minutes, Claas fired off a 30-yarder but unfortunately straight at the Sutton keeper.

At the end of regulation, on 80 minutes, Sutton managed to build an attack down their right (though we hadn’t seen many of those in the second half) resulting in a Sutton player wriggling his way through traffic into the box and firing off a hard shot straight at the top right corner. George was equal to the task and at full stretch managed to palm the ball to a corner. A close shave. Sheen cleared the corner. Harry went down injured/with cramp and was substituted for Ben M. Having delivered a splendid performance Harry was clapped off the pitch by everyone in the stand.

Not knowing how many minutes of added time the referee had decided upon, both teams were competing ceaselessly for every ball. Sutton were throwing everyone forward in an attempt to clinch the Cup in normal time whereas Sheen, who had to soak up the pressure, were holding on for the match to go to extra time.

On 80+4 minutes with Sutton attacking Alex attempted to tackle the ball carrier in the Sutton left channel but was a touch late and a free kick was awarded to Sutton. Unfortunately Alex was cautioned for the foul.

While the referee was booking Alex the Sutton players were flooding the Sheen box for what could be the last chance to score in regulation. On 80+5 minutes the ball was duly floated into the box and with a dozen players competing for the ball it was somehow scrambled over the line. This reporter couldn’t see how the ball crossed the line but a good goal was given to Sutton. After the final whistle it was claimed by some who were watching from a position on the sideline closer to the goal line that (dare we whisper it) a Sutton handball went undetected by the referee. Heartbreak. Five four, Sutton. Game over.

A few seconds after the restart the referee blew for the final whistle. Sheen heads dropped and their dejection was palpable. Clear proof, if any was needed, that they are great competitors.

Final score: Sutton 5 - 4 Sheen.

Let’s leave the ifs and buts and could’ve and should’ve discussions for another occasion and just round off by concluding that no matter which team you supported in this Cup final, this encounter was epic, extremely entertaining and sensational value at £3 entry. Again, congratulations to both Sutton United and Sheen Lions.

Looking to the future one would hope that these U15 Lions can stick together and continue on their upward trajectory. Geoff has always said that winning the Premier Elite division title is a very big ask, so the dream is to win one of the big cups. Having watched Geoff build this team into the Club’s most consistent contenders during the last eight seasons I’d say there’s every chance that we are going to see these boys lift a major cup one day soon. And with Geoff present. I for one will be looking forward to it.

Henrik, Webmaster
(photographs courtesy of Gordon)


Lots More Photos

Match Stats:

Sheen Lions team sheet: Starters: 1-George 14-Alex 15-Bertie 5-Luke S 3-Sean (40: Jay) 4-Charlie 2-Max 16-Harry (80: Ben M) 7-Ethan (40: Aodan) 19-Luke H (72: Claas) 9-Ben H Bench: 8-Aodan (40: Ethan) 11-Jay (40: Sean) 12-Claas (72: Luke H) 18-Ben M (80: Harry) 10-Luke P (not used) Sheen MOMs: George, Max.

Sutton goals, mins.: 5, 7, 30, 34, 80+5 Sheen goals, mins. (scorer/assist): 35 (Luke H/Ben H) 64 (Ben H/-), 67 (Harry/-) 69 (Charlie/Luke H) Sutton attempts, on target: 10 Sheen attempts, on target: 6 Sutton attempts, off target: 7 Sheen attempts, off target: 2 Sutton fouls committed: 17 Sheen fouls committed: 10 Sutton corners gained: 4 Sheen corners gained: 1 Sutton offside against: 1 Sheen offside against: Nil Sutton bookings: Nil Sheen bookings: 1 yellow

Last Minute Drama In The Rain

The rain effected all the football in Surrey today with over half the scheduled games being called off including our U12 Lions, only one of our two teams scheduled managed to play today.

The other game was of course the Surrey U15 County Cup Final and it is great credit to the Chipstead ground staff that there were able to host the U14 and U15 finals today though unfortunately the U16 final to be played last was cancelled.

U15 County Cup
at Chipstead FC

For the record in the U14 Final Guilford Saints beat Carshalton Athletic 1-0 in extra time in heavy rain. Everyone though the winner was a wild shot going way over but the intense head wind almost stopped the ball and it dropped into the goal.

The U15 final was remarkable and must have been the best football entertainment in England today. There is now a detailed report but briefly:

Sutton were very sharp up front in the first half, scored two in the first 10 mins. Sheen at last settled down and had a good twenty minutes but Sutton exploded again, scored another two for a 0-4 lead. Ben H gave Sheen an outside chance when he chased down a hopeful long ball and nicked it from the Sutton keeper who was trying to see it out, some quick footwork and a cross allowed Luke H to make it 1-4  before half time.

Sheen competed well in a far more even second half and with around 20 minutes left it became remarkable. Ben H scored from a free kick out on the left touchline, then Harry scored from outside the 18 yard box. Could this happen! Five minutes left and Charlie P levelled it at 4-4 from close in. As the game went in to time added on Sutton were denied three or four chances by the excellent George in goal; but in the 6th minute a free kick cross came in and they scrambled the winner from close in to take the Cup 4-5.

Afterwards our U15 Manger Michael Morgan said:



Wow what a day.

Firstly I would like to thank the team for a spirited performance and an almost unforgettable come back.
YOU DID GEOFF, THE CLUB AND MOST IMPORTANTLY YOURSELVES PROUD.
As a manager/coach it was so nice to hear that lots of people thought we were the better team and played the better football. Even though the result went against us "THAT'S FOOTBALL".

MAN OF THE MATCH GEORGE AND MAX.

Secondly to all the parents' and supporters for braving the weather, my god you are a rowdy lot aren't especially when we scored the third and fourth goal, if anything lifted the boys to produce what they did it was certainly the noise you made so THANK YOU for your support.

Sheen Make it 4-4

U15 County Cup - Check Before Travelling

Update 07:59 Sunday ..... The Game Is On

At present the U15 County Cup game is on at Chipstead FC tomorrow with a 12:30 kick off.

With heavy rain all day today expected to last until just before kick off there is a risk that the pitch may not be playable. County will be inspecting the pitch at 8am on Sunday morning and will make a final decision then.

If the game is called off this will be indicated on the U15 Lions Team Page and on Twitter. If no message has appeared by 9 am the game is still on.

Cup Build Up

A very light League program for Sheen Lions today with only two league games to be played.

U10 Lions completed their league program,  finishing in a very creditable third place despite an away loss today.

U12 Lions needed a win today against Ascot United to maintain a good chance of a promotion place. Unfortunately a narrow 2-1 away defeat makes Ascot Champions and leaves Sheen a certain third. They have one game left to to put themselves with 2 points of the promotion spot and 12 points clear of forth place; a very strong performance.

U14 Lions have already finished and were hoping for some very good fortune today but Hanworth played to form and beat Hook 5-2 to move past Sheen into the promotion spot. They need one point from their last game to be Champions. Like U12 Lions U14 have finished a creditable third only two points out of the promotion spots.

Next Sunday 29th our U15 Lions play Sutton United Juniors in the Surrey County Cup final with a 12:30 kick off at Chipstead FC, High Road, Chipstead, Surrey CR5 3SF.

The following Tuesday 1st May our U16 Pride play Kingston Juniors in the League Cup final with 19:30 kick off at Molesey FC, 380 Walton Road, West Molesey, KT8 2JG

The teams played a practice game against each other today on a fantastic pitch at the Bank of England sports club as part of their preparations. Neither team will be disappointed with the 2-2 draw.

Cup Finals are special occasions, come and support your club if you can!

I will give Team of The Week to U12 Lions. They almost had a great result in a difficult game today and they have had a very good season coming very close to promotion and well clear of the rest of their division.

U12 Lions
Team of The Week

Weekly Round Up 15th April

Geoff is away this week so we only have a quick round up for Sheen Lions but it is a critical time of the season for many teams and there are a few significant results.

A good 3-1 home win for Sheen Lions U10 makes them certain of a good third place in the Premier division. Well done to them. Sheen Lions U11 were home to the Premier Leaders Fleet Town. A 0-2 loss means that Fleet are almost certain winners of the Division but Sheen showed that they are closing the gap on a very good team.

Sheen Lions U12 suffered a surprise away defeat 2-1 to Sandgate however a promotion place is still within reach and in their own hands with next week's huge game against Ascot a Must Win.

Sheen Lions U14 have finished their season and must watch the remaining results to see if they retain a promotion slot. The results did not go for them today with Junior Bees beating Hanworth 0-3. Hanworth now need to collect 2 points to take the last spot from Sheen and next week they play the bottom club, Hook.

Sheen Lions U15 had a good away win after a long journey to Aldershot. They lead 0-1 after a poor first half but they returned to their pre Easter form to run out 0-3. Their next competitive game is the County Cup final in two weeks!

Sheen Lions U15 Pride will be looking forward to a large case of whatever 15 year old boys drink on its way from Byfleet. They played long term Division 1 leaders AC Fulham away with Fulham needing just a point from  the game for almost certain promotion. The Sheen keeper won two important one on ones, and with three minutes to go Sheen won the game with a great header from a free kick. Byfleet, who have already finished their games are now promoted and Pride have secured 5th place.

U16 Lions were the last result of the day, unfortunately loosing 0-3 to Eagles United but they finish their season in third spot.

Please remember that Friday 27th April is the latest date for you to return your Presentation Evening forms.

I will give Team of the Week to Sheen Lions U10 for their good win to secure third spot.

Team of The Week
Sheen Lions U10

U7 Will be 5v5 For Season 2012-13

The Surrey Youth League will be playing a 5 v 5 format for the U7 age group in season 2012-13.


The new proposals are as follows:

• 5 v 5 players on the pitch at any one time
• Maximum of 2 roll on roll off substitutes may be used for the match
• Maximum Squad of 10 registered players
• Size 3 Ball
• Flexible playing time not to exceed 40 minutes i.e. a match will be 2 x 20 mins half’s or 4 x 10 minute quarters agreeable by the competing managers and finally decided by the home team. 
• Standard Mini Soccer Goals.
• All current Mini Soccer Rules Apply except where stated.
• Flexible pitch size: Recommended 20 wide x 30 yards long. 

You can read the Surrey Youth League's full details here. 

Under 18's secure Runners Up Slot

A late result on Sunday:  the Under 18s beat SCR arrows 3-2 to secure Sheen Lions second set of medals for the season.

John's U18's will finish up runners up in the Surrey Youth League  Div 1 Under 18 .

WELL DONE to John and the squad

U18 Lions
Runners Up Div 1 2011-12

Undefeated On A Sunny Day

A quiet weekend but a beautiful sunny day. Only 5 games played and we won 4 and drew one. In addition Jason and Julian's Under 8's played their last non competitive game and can look forward to next season's competitions with great confidence.

In the big game, unfortunately the Easter holiday kicked in and Trevor's U 14 Lions could only raise ten boys and that proved decisive in a 2-2 draw with Kew Association Colts. Whilst they finish their season in top place, the game after the Easter break between Junior Bees and Hanworth will decide whether SL U14 Lions finish 2nd or 3rd in the league. It is that close.

Ricks U14 Pride went one better and won their last game 3-1 against Manorcroft to finish a credible 4th in their league, a great improvement from the previous season.

Michael and Mark's U15 repeated their County Cup Semi final win over Farnborough Town, this time with a narrow but excellent 1-0 win.

Both Under 16's won. Matt's U16 Pride did well to get a side out and completed a 3-1 victory over Hook and Brian's U16's had a good win over Barnes Eagles Colts  2-0.  As they both won, I will make the two U16's TEAMS OF THE WEEK.

Enjoy your break for Easter. The posts may come down after 15th April but there are still big games and two massive Cup Finals to come.

U16 Lions
Joint Team of The Week

U16 Pride
Joint Team Of The Week

U11 Recruitment For Season 2012-13

Our U10 boys football teams have had a successful season with our Lions team finishing third in the Surrey Youth League Premier and our Pride mid table in Division 3.

Next season at U11 the teams move from 7-a-side to 9-a-side and we would like to recruit a few players capable of playing at these levels.

We will have training sessions throughout the Summer but we would encourage boys who are interested to contact us sooner rather than later. Squads for next season are largely decided by the end of June.

To play at U11 next season you must be born between September 1 2001 & Aug 31 2002.

Contact:
Martin Conway, conway@sheenlions.org
Michael Brian, tel 07765220895, michael.brian@sheenlions.org


Sheen Lions are an FA Charter Standard youth football club in the Sheen, Richmond, Kew, Roehampton area of South-West London. We are affiliated to the Surrey County FA and we provide coaching and organised match programmes for around 300 children from the age of 6 to 18 years. 


For the 2011-12 season we have twenty boys football teams representing the Club at all levels in the Surrey Youth League. The demand for organised youth football continues to grow in our local area and Sheen Lions will continue to develop to meet this demand. 


As part of our long term plan we became a Registered Charity in May 2008. In December 2009 we were awarded Charter Standard Club status by The FA. By taking these steps we will have more resources available to offer the best possible youth football experience in our local community whilst making sure we are fully in tune with The FA's youth football requirements. 


Most recently we have entered into a partnership agreement with Queens Park Rangers providing further benefits to Sheen Lions players, coaches and parents. This initiative is one of several marking the Club's 25-year anniversary in 2011.

Under 12's set up exciting finale

Only 2 wins and 2 draws amongst 9 games today, although still awaiting thev U18 result. Yet there was still a large number of very tight games. Terry's Under 13s finished their season with a credible 4-2 defeat at Div 2 Champions Carshalton Athletic. Brian's U16 Lions also faced top of the league, this time Molesey Juniors and lost 4-1 with the unusual art of two SL own goals. Michael and Marks U15 Lions also faced pending U15 Premier Elite Champions in the shape of Leatherhead and despite U15 Lions being 3-0 down at half time, Leatherhead left Palewell Park sweating on a narrow 3-2 victory. Dean and Sam's U15 Pride also suffered a narrow defeat losing 1-0 at Wandgas Colts, whilst Jon and Alastairs U11 Lion kept up this unfortunate trend losing 3-2 at Corinthians.

However, it wasn't all doom and gloom. Rick's U14 Pride faced an Esher side that had beaten them 12-1 a few weeks ago and a brave performance left both teams with one point after an exciting 3-3 draw, with Esher equalising very late in the game. Michael and Martin's U10 Lions also drew, 1-1 with Esher.

Trevor's U14 Lions went into their penultimate game knowing only a victory would be good enough to keep them in contention for honours. A 2-0 away win at Mitcham Park was an important win which leaves them top of the league with one game to play. However, with 3 teams dominating the U14 Div 2 league it is still possible for Trevor's U14's to finish first, second or third in the league.

The most exciting finale is the U12 Championship. Mel's U12s had to win to stay in the running and a last minute goal secured a critical 1-0 victory over Barnes Eagles Colts. As results went today Mel knows three victories in the last 3 games will be enough to make them U12's Champions and join the U9 Lions on the podium. However, there is a long way still to go. TEAM OF THE WEEK is therefore Mel's U12 Lions. They had a bare 11 players today but kept fighting to the very end and can now look forward to an exciting climax to the season.

U12 Lions
Team of the Week

Only a few more weeks to go and this week will be the last 'official' training sessions at BOE or Palewell Park.

The football highlight of the weekend was maybe Peter Crouch's goal v Man City. I don't know about goal of the season, it cannot be far off goal of the century!

WELL DONE ALL

Mum's The Word - Respect

It was a great honour today for Sheen Lions to welcome members of the Surrey FA and WSYL officials to Palewell Park to host their Respect Awareness Day. It demonstrates that all the hard work Sheen Lions puts in to apply the right principles in staging matches is increasingly being recognised. Asking boys to shake hands, making sure that spectators are on the correct side of the pitch and behind the spectators lines and above all that the upmost respect is given BY ALL to match officials and opponents IS ALL PART of running a successful football club. Sheen Lions has been positioned as a benchmark in Surrey for best practice. Sarah has driven these principles for many years and deserves great credit and WE just need to keep ensuring we continue to deliver the highest standards possible.

It was also a day where respect had a different meaning - MOTHERS DAY. A day where we can all appreciate the tolerance and support we all get at home whether it be muddy boots and kit, lifts to matches, passionate love and support for our every move. A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL THE MUMS and WIVES. Happy Mothers Day from Sheen Lions.

On the pitch the football continued. 5 wins, 6 losses and 2 draws excluding our younger groups. Simon's Under 7's played their second consecutive game and delivered an outstanding performance against Barnes Eagles. Both Julian and Eric's U8's also had impressive and successful days.

In the leagues three teams - Mel's U12's Lions, Trevors U14 Lions and John's U18 Lions have very good chances to win medals in their leagues. Martin and Michael's U10 Lions in addition have a mathmatical chance, although it looks to be a very long shot. As such, todays results were crucial.

Mel's U12's had a very exciting game winning 4-3 at Carshalton with the prolific Nils R scoring another hat-trick. This keeps the pressure up on Ascot their rivals for 2nd place. Trevor's U14 Lions faced the unbeaten Junior Bees and came away with a very important 2-2 draw. Three teams in the U14 Div 2 are neck and neck well ahead of the pack and a draw was a good result to keep the U14's in line for 2nd place. John's U18 had an excellent 4-2 win at Corinthians helped by a Matthew H hat-trick which means 4 points in their last two games will be enough for medals as Runners Up.

Bernie's U12 Pride faced a tough Ballers side in their last game. Unfortunately a 5-0 defeat was not the result they were looking for BUT must take great credit for finishing 3rd in the league. A massive improvement from last season. David L's U10 Pride also finished the season in style moving into the top half of the league with a 3-0 win over Ashford. Another example of a team that has really stepped up this year. WELL DONE to Bernie and David and their respective coaches TREVOR and FREDDY.

After the success of last weeks County Cup semi final victory, Michael and Mark's U15 Lions had another outstanding win against a top 3 PE team winning 3-1 v Kingswood Falcons. Dean and Sam's U15 Pride shared the spoils with Chertsey in a double header winning the first game 1-0 and then losing the 2nd game 3-0. Three points a piece was a good reward for the day and better than two draws!

Rick's U14 Pride had one of the best results of the day holding the run away leaders in their U14 Div 3 league Whitton, who had beaten them twice before, to a 3-3 draw. Other teams faced table toppers today had slightly less success. Jon and Alastairs U11 Lions lost 4-1 at home to Staines and Brian's U16 Lions went down 3-1 to Eagles. Nick and Gavin's Under 9 Pride finished their season with a 3-1 defeat to table toppers Surrey Predators. In their first competitive season, Nick and Gavin also deserve great credit as the team have played with great spirit and the boys have improved considerably. A number of narrow defeats have not gone in their favour. Remember this is season 1 of perhaps 10 seasons so I'm sure they will gain from the experience and develop significantly next season.

Terry's U13 Lions lost a very tight game 3-2 to AFC Walcountians but still can get a top half finish albeit the last game is against this years U13 Div 2 Champions Carshalton Athletic. Terry's team play football with great spirit and quality so it is a chance to go out, enjoy themselves and finish the season in style.

TEAM OF THE DAY - Tough this week. I will give it to the two U14 sides Rick and Trevor - Lions and Pride for two draws that were either impressive or important for different reasons. WELL DONE TO THEM.

U14 Pride
Joint Team of The Week

U14 Lions
Joint Team of The Week

Finally, football was put in perspective with the tragic case of Fabrice Muamba. A young man with incredible talent, passion and commitment. Everyone at Sheen Lions prays for your recovery.

Open Sessions For Years 1 and 2

To start the next generation  of Sheen Lions we have an open session for YR 1 (under 6) and YR 2 (under 7) EVERY SATURDAY IN MARCH from 10.15 - 11.45 at Palewell.


ALL WELCOME.