P W D L F A Pts
12 12 0 0 60 5 24 2005

12 11 0 1 61 4 22 2006


This site will not be deleted. However, below is my final match report. I hope you have enjoyed reading them as much as I have enjoyed composing them! Hopefully a budding journalist will take over the mantle....

League Cup Final Winners 2-0


RAWCLIFFE U14 WINNERS 2-1

WIGGIGINTON SEMI-FINALISTS

The stage was set. A lush green pitch, an expectant and exited crowd. Facing each other, two teams who had, like two heavyweight boxers, fought toe to toe throughout the season. Pickering had won on home soil and had only to draw to win the league. Rawcliffe had to win to become champions for an incredible second year. Which team would blink first? The whisle blew and the drama was about to unfold.
Rawcliffe clicked imediately into gear. Flowing passing movements forced Pickering onto the back foot, with Amy and Tash testing the resilience of the oposition defence. Soon, Hannah and Megan increased the strain on the Pickering back three, firing in a proccesion of shots. With Becky and Holly protecting Fay in goal, little was seen of the Pickering attack and Rawcliffe were having all the play. However, this was the same scenario the last time the two teams met and Pickering won that game. We didn't finish off our chances. Was history going to repeat itself? The answer came just before half time. Hannah drove forward and hit a low shot, that finally broke in Rawcliffes favour, flying off a defenders foot and into the net.
Paul reorganised the team at half time to deal with Pickerings long ball game, which was indeed thier only tactic. Meg and Han dropped into the back line and prevented any long balls from troubling the defence. Pickering , as expected, became more urgent and just one goal would give them the title. IT WAS now that Rawcliffe showed their championship credentials. The ball was being passed with speed and accuracy around the pitch. Megan and Hannah drained the energy from the Pickering midfield and Amy chose this moment to torment the defenders with mazy runs, twists and turns. Justice prevailed when a move started by Becky and Holly went through the midfield duo and arrived at Amy's feet. One outcome. A match winning goal! On came Jess for the hard working Tash, and for the final fifteen minutes harrassed and chased every ball that came her way. Only a disaster could stop the victory and as the minutes ticked away the title looked secure. But football being a crazy game, JUST as the final whistle was about to blown, Pickering broke through and looked certain to score. But one player was determined that we would not concede. Fay, did what she has done all season and managed to clear the danger. Rawcliffe were once again the best team in York! They had chosen today, when the pressure was on, to perform to the highest possible standard. The stuff of legends. CHAMPIONS INDEED!

CHECK OUT SHERIFF HUTTON WEB SITE!! copy and paste link
http://www.web-teams.co.uk/Home.asp?team=shlfc


Another season comes to an end and once again Rawcliffe are in with a great chance to win the championship. Scoring more goals than the two nearest challengers reveals an attack minded club who have given great entertainment throughout the season. Pickering have had to battle hard to keep up with Rawcliffe and after beating Rawcliffe once this season must fancy their chances of winning the league. However, a team that wins championships, like Rawcliffe have, don't give their title away without a fight. On Saturday ALL the effort over a season will be on the line, with winner takes all. Rawcliffe hold an ace, and its the fact that the title is in our own hands. If we win, the prize is ours, Pickering lose on goal difference NO MATTER HOW WELL THEY PLAY THE FOLLOWING WEEK. So there we are, the girls destiny is in their own hands and regardless of the result, Rawcliffe have played the finest football and have had an unmatched set of results. All your supporters can say is, enjoy the game and thanks for the marvelous memories, on and off the picth that you have given us over the last couple of seasons. BELOW IS THIS SEASONS ROLE OF HONOUR

FAY, HOLLY, BECKY, JESS, APRIL,
MEG, AMY, TASH, AND HANNAH


BACK TO WINNING WAYS
Brayton have always proved to be a stern test for Rawcliffe. This match was no different. After a bright start from Rawcliffe, Braytons powerful players began to force their way into the game. In fact, apart from the Rawcliffe team, Brayton have been the best team in the girls league. So its a measure of Rawcliff's players quality that they have the energy to withstand the more physical teams with a mixture of competetiveness and footballing skills. As Brayton turned up the heat, Fay, who has had little to do in most games, pulled off two sensational saves with her legs. These saves were crucial and could prove very important as the season comes to its conclusion. The only goal of the game came shortly after this, when Hannah latched onto a pass by the in-form Amy, cut in from the right and fired a left foot shot passed the Brayton keeper. The fans hoped this was the first of many, especially when on our last visit we had scored five. Brayton are a much improved team and right to the final whistle Rawcliffe had to compete for everthing as Meg , Hannah and Amy battled to protect the lead and Holly and Becky smothered most of Braytons attacks. With Jess having a solid game and Tash and April slotting into the Rawcliffe 'system' it would have taken something special to turn this game around. Rawcliffe have not hit the incredible heights of the early season, but these kind of grinding results show the grit and determination that define true champions. A special word for the referee who had one of the best performances we have witnessed. Fairness and accuracy in his decisions helped Rawcliffe in their quest to produce good football regardless of result. Depending on other results the final game of the season may be a championship decider. Regardless of the outcome, Rawcliffe have been the finest example of the beautiful game, with good temper, great skill, fairness and above all putting football above results. True Champions.


A number of players have made the step up to eleven -a-side football and they have been performing with great displays. The players in open age are strong, quick and skillful. The 'Rawcliffe' girls have not been over-awed by the transition and have brought success to their newly adopted team. Its been terrific to see the 'Rawcliffe' way and spirit of playing can survive in the tougher womens league. A new web-site will be up and running soon for 'Sherrif Hutton' which will have match reports, players profiles, team selections ect. Hopefully the team of editors will make it a more glossier and informative site than we have been able to produce so far. So watch this space...!

SHOCK CUP EXIT!
RAWCLIFFE 0 2 GARFORTH
Well... this proves that the girls are human! The display wasn't bad but all the players seemed a little subdued and Garforth fought tooth and nail to hang on and battled right to the end.
Sometimes these things happen and the players will hit top form for the next league encounter.

APOLOGIES FROM THE EDITOR
Our top match reporter has been in hospital but has made a great recovery and will be covering future games!

Rawcliffe 5 0 YORK RI

Two seasons of great football, but very few performances can match the display that we saw on Saturday. R.I would have come with a game plan to stop Rawcliffe from playing. Yet within five minutes R.I were a goal down, when Amy scored a poachers goal after good work by April. Six good chances were created in the opening ten minutes and the situation looked dire for R.I.
Chances went begging untill April smashed home the second midway through the first half. Rawcliffe upped the tempo even more. Hannah thundered in a number of powerful shots, but it was a more gentle effort crept past the R.I goalkeeper.
The second half began as the first had ended. However this time Meg, Becky and Holly drove forward incessantly , driving R.I further and further back. With Amy dancing through the defence, Hannah blasting in shots and Meg running R.I ragged more goals were bound to come. And the next goal did come from a close range header from Meg.
That is only half the story. Jess and Tash joined the fray , and the forward momentum continued. Tash has improved her game with clever lay offs and has a goalscorers instinct. Unlucky with a couple of efforts and a powerful header from Holly's cross would have been goal of the season.With Jess looking after the defence, Becky, calm and composed, brought the ball forward with great style and instigated a number of attacks.
I have watched many, many football matches over many years and very few could compare with today. Its not that this team wins, but rather the manner in which they do it. No rough tactics, no anger and no grumbling at each other. To beat a good team like R.I without them having a shot at goal is as close to a perfect performance as this supporter has seen. We should pay to watch this! P.S Did you see Fay sunbathing in our goal!



Tocwith 0 7 Rawcliffe

Half an hour of constant attack...reward, one goal. Another half hour of the same...reward, six goals! On paper, Tockwith looked like easy points but they put in a lot of effort and blocked a number of shots.With Fay missing from goal, Hannah, April , Tash and Becky all took turns in goal. Tash, Meg and Amy struggled to break through so it was left to Holly to break the deadlock with a speculative shot from the right touchline. Jess, April and Tash continue to improve, with Tash looking especially dangerous around the penalty area. One goal did'nt seem enough reward for such dominance.Although Amy and Meg came close, Tockwith were proving hard to break down.
Hannah came into midfield and the team looked more balanced. Amy and Tash began to pull wide, giving Meg and Hannah room to attack. Amy began to destroy the full back with twisting runs, while Hannah and Meg fired in a volley of powerfull shots. On one occason Amy seemed trapped in the corner but somehow ,tricked her way out,and left the defenders wondering how to stop her! The fire power of this team is incredible. Most teams rely on one goalscorer, but Rawcliffe have many players who are deadly in front of goal. Amy, Meg , Hannah, Holly and April all scored good quality goals and on another day with bigger goals could have scored many more. The new players were showing some neat touches and with Holly and Becky driving forward at every opportunity, Rawcliffe were just too hot to handle. Tocwith have some very athletic players yet because of the 'team' play from Rawcliffe, they created few chances. Seven nil was well deserved.


Garforth 1 3 Rawcliffe


Facing a strong Garforth team on their own ground was never going to be an easy task. As Rawcliffe prepared to kick off, the Garforth players were ready to charge the ball and stop Rawcliffe in their tracks. However, two precise passes later and the ball was going inches wide of Garforths goalpost. Garforth looked shocked. Wave after wave of Rawcliffe attacks had the home defence looking very nervous. A superb headed goal by Tash from Hannahs corner was well taken and well deserved. Richochets and last ditch clearances thwarted the Rawcliffe attack. Shots from Amy , Meg, Tash and Hannah were charged down and blocked by a determined Garforth rearguard. One or two moves by Garforth showed that a one goal lead was not going to be enough. Cometh the hour , cometh the Brazilian! Amy recieved the ball in front of goal and instead of shooting, she dribbled past a defender and then the goalkeeper before rolling the ball into an empty net. Hannah and Meg dominated mid-field and with Becky and Holly giving Garforth no sight of goal only one team were going to win. April and Jess came off the subs bench and performed well. These two players , along with Tash, are beggining to play in the Rawcliffe way. It was no suprise when Amy hit a speculative shot that crept under the goalkeeper. It was game over or was it! A corner from Garforth somehow ended up in the net. This was followed by sustained pressure from Garforth and Fay was called upon to make three terrific saves. A breakaway by Garforth was stopped by incredible back tracking from Meg who ran twenty metres in the final minute. Its that determination and skill level that seperates Rawcliffe from the rest and gave the supporters a Hapy New Year!



Brayton B O 6 Rawcliffe

It seemed like ground-hog day. Back at Brayton, almost same scoreline. A corner straight from kick off was quickly followed by a goal. Brayton must be sick at the sight of the football hitting the back of their net. An outstanding first half performance gave Rawcliffe the points. Tash, who has improved throughout the season, hit top form, netting a very clever goal and scored two more by being in the right place at the perfect moment. Her partner up front, Amy, strolled around the pitch , linking play and decided to score a couple of goals with her left foot. Only a good save from a well struck penalty stopped her from grabbing another hat-trick.
Holly had a powerfull performance in defence and bombarded the opposition goal with a series of well struck shots. A full-size goal would have resulted in a couple of well deserved goals for our impressive defender. April dominated the left side of the game and it was only fair that her constant runs into the penalty area brought her a goal. Jess has advanced so much that when Becky or Holly are away, the defence seems tight. Her distribution to fellow players is now a big part of her game. Two players who are central to Rawcliffes domination of games are Megan and Hannah. When they are playing well together the opposition are penned back and are subjected to a constant flow of attacking football. Between them, they have a perfect blend of tackling, shooting and passing. Fay performed fabulously and was cheered by hundreds of spectators.( FOR HER MARVELOUS PERFORMANCE IN GREASE) All in all this team is like a christmas tree, well decorated, bright and full of stars.

HAVE A VERY HAPPY AND SAFE CHRISTMAS...and as little Tiny Tim said...GOD BLESS US..EVERYONE!


BRAYTON A 0 5 RAWCLIFFE 03/12/06

After a week of ill health, with Meg, Hannah and Becky all being under the weather, the last team we wanted to meet was Brayton. Over the last couple of seasons these games have been the 'big' occasions and they have been close run matches . How would Rawcliffe cope carrying three players? The first half was poor by recent standards. Brayton had lost a player through injury in the first five minutes, but Rawcliffe didn't produce any threat and it seemed six man Brayton might grab the lead. Pauls half time team talk wasn't helped by poor Becky being unable to carry on. The situation grew darker when Brayton produced a seventh player!
Come the hour cometh the team. Paul rejigged the team, putting Meg back in defence and Hannah in midfield. Suddenly the team clicked. Hannah produced a series of incisive passes that ripped Brayton apart. Amy scored a hat trick and in between goals tortured the Brayton defence. Hannah drove in a goal from long distance , followed by a goal from the ever improving Tash. Holly was a colossus (giant) in defence and withstood the physical battles that came her way. With Meg proving her all round talents and Jess making life difficult for the opposition attackers, Brayton had barely a shot on target. April and Fay did exactly what was required, being calm and confident and helped the team to a great win. Not many sides beat Brayton by such a margin and with the sick list covering almost half the RAWCLIFFE team this was a terrific win.


ITS A KIND OF MAGIC...

RAWCLIFFE 3 1 GARFORTH

Sometimes teams are evenly matched and cancel each other out. The only thing that can make the difference between winning and losing is someone who can create a little bit of Magic. Rawcliffe had that player. After a first half of battling against tough defenders Amy, now known as Gandolf, performed her own magic, dancing at will past defenders, creating goals for others and finishing in great style. Magical. However, magicians need their apprentices and Amy had plenty of help. It was obvious that Meg was under the weather and yet she still managed to dominate the centre of the pitch and scoring the final goal was fitting reward for a gutsy, brave performance. Holly and Becky are back together and quickly got to grips with a very good Garforth attack. As the game wore on they both pushed forward and added to the pressure building on the away teams defence. April and Tash are still coming to terms with this level of play and both showed good, creative moments of football. Playing on a regular basis will help them to reach their full potential. Jess has shown what can be achieved by effort and dedication. Today she kept Garforths forward under constant pressure, battling and fighting over every ball and on most occasions won her dual with the opposition player. Who would be a goalkeeper!? Fay makes one mistake and its in the back of her net. Although we all say 'forget it', goalkeepers dont forget. She showed her mettle by producing four exellent saves that kept us in the game and gave Rawcliffe time to strike back. Garforth were a very good and well drilled outfit...all they lacked was a KIND of magic....








PICKERING 2 0 RAWCLIFFE
SMASH AND GRAB...BUT PRIDE INTACT
A two goal defeat looks bad on paper. However, on this occasion the scoreline does not reflect the game. Rawcliffe knew that Pickering would be a tough game, especially with them defeating Brayton. From the kick off Pickering stormed forward and our girls looked shocked and overwhelmed. Within two minutes a dubious challenge left Fay in a daze , suffering a blow to the face. Things looked bleak, but the champions recovered thier composure and started matching Pickering tackle for tackle and stride for stride. After ten minutes Rawcliffe were in control and were starting to create chances. The referee waived away good claims for a penalty and was letting some heavy challenges go unpunished. The Rawcliffe team were moving the ball around the rather small pitch with great accuracy which was incredible considering the muddy surface. The out out the blue a long punt dropped in front of the Pickering forward who lashed a shot past Fay who had bravely returned. So Rawcliffe reached half time a goal behind. Their second half display was without doubt one of the best of the season. For thirty minutes they laid seige to Pickerings goal, hitting the cross- bar, post, defenders legs and the goalkeepers frantic arms and legs. It was becoming clear that this was not going to be our day. In THE LAST COUPLE OF MINUTES A CARBON COPY OF THE FIRST GOAL killed Rawcliffes hopes. A mixture of small pich, small goals and muddy pitch conspired to nullify Rawcliffes superior play. Yet such is the skill and tenacity of this squad that it was Pickering who were glad to hear the final whistle. The return match will be something to look forward to and it is better to play in competative games than to win by a large margin every week. No one player has been singled out because this display was down to team effort.




York R I 0 RAWCLIFFE 8 15 Oct 05

After a couple of easy matches, Rawcliffe came up against a team who wanted to make things difficult. Lumping the ball forward and picking up half-chances seemed to be R I 's only tactic. Added to this was some aggresive tackling and comments from the touchline. It was interesting to see how the footballers of Rawcliffe would handle it. They came through with flying colours. They remained focused on the game and by the time the score reached 8-0, the comments from the touchline had dried up. Cream rose above the dross.
Incredibly this Rawcliffe team have improved from last season and even with Becky absent the new players have helped give the squad extra cover in a number of positions.
The players have reached a level of consistency that will make it hard for other teams to match. Scoring from crosses are now a regular feature with Megan latching onto a series of terrific crosses from Hannah. Amy continues to dazzle the opposition and the crowd with magical displays. Holly is now helping Jess in the arts of defending and is bringing the ball out of defence in a cool and relaxed manner. Its high praise for April,Tash and Jess that the teams form has not dipped since they became involved. Self-belief with practice is all they have to develop. Great goals and loads of near misses plus a good keeper kept the score down to eight . It could easily have been twenty. Thats how good Rawcliffe performed. Finally a special mention for Fay who made a save at 0-1 . Had R.I scored then, the second half may have been much tougher! The team won the battle, but more importantly they won the football match and played it in the correct manner.



OLD COACH MAKES GOOD.......
If you want to find out whatever happened to old Coach Bush, click on the following link.....

http://www.thisisyork.co.uk/york/sport/YORK_SPORT_LOCAL4.html

Miracles happened with a little help from Rawcliffe Angels!



RAWCLIFFE 10 TOCKWITH 0 8th Oct 05

A debut double strike by new player Tash and Aprils first goal for Rawcliffe has given Paul new options for the team. It was obvious that Tash has a goal scoring instinct and she quickly formed an attacking partnership with seven goal AMY who has hit fantastic form. Amy is bound to benefit from having a forward playing up front alongside her. Top scorer seems to be already hers! April playing wide left scored a clever goal and will improve greatly once she develops her first touch.
Todays game was interrupted by injury to Becky who hobbled off with a pulled hamstring. With three new players on the pitch it was a challenge for the senior players to take command and keep control. This was exactly what they did. MEG coverered miles in her usual fashion, always aware of the danger from the fast Tockwith forwards.
Hannah had a solid all round performance, with long and short passes, good crosses, tackling and finding space. That's the standard she has set herself and Paul will expect that standard every week.
Jess is finding her feet in the 'A' team and is rising to the challenge. She is tackling and moving the ball quickly to her players. Keeping it simple is exactly the way for her to play and grow in confidence. FAY stood for an hour with hardly anything to do, but when Tockwith finally created a chance, Fays alertness kept the the teams goals against total at zero.
However more than players performance is the standard of play that they are achieving. Some of the inter-play between Amy, Meg and Hannah is breathtaking. Its clear that an almost telepathic bond is building between them, similar to that between Fay , Becky and Holly. If the new recruits develop the same footballing bonds the future looks magical for Rawcliffe 'A'

Well done Ref! Exept when he said it was a corner when it wasn't and getting hit with the ball and getting in the way of our players and getting in........rubbish.... and getting in the.... pathetic.... getting in the...


RAWCLIFFE 11 BRAYTON B 0 1st Oct 05

If this continues, the league might be over already! A comfortable victory with the new format of a bigger pitch, extra player and longer playing time appeared to help Rawcliffe. The players have time to organise and put well worked moves into operation. From the kick -off two or three chances were created and it wsa obvious that it was going to be a long day for Brayton.
Hannah opened the flood-gates with two goals and the deluge continued. Becky and Holly are still improving and its now a contest to see who scores the most spectacular goal. Holly hit a shot from the half- way line, giving the keeper almost no chance to save it. Becky then smashed in a goal from an accute angle giving the goaly no chance! Meg and Hannah patrolled the mid-field with their usual dominance and Meg was rewarded for all her industry with a well taken goal. However the performance of the day belonged to Amy. Although she scored five goals, it was the quickness of brain and feet that caught the eye. Brayton had no answer to her. A continuous stream of good corners almost gave debut girl April a great headed goal, but it flew inches wide. Aprils all round performance bodes well for the future. Jess has taken a step up in class and as the weeks go by she will be tested. If she shows the same determination and concentration as she did today she will become an integral part of the squad.
One player who concentated just as hard was Fay. Although she had little to do for a lot of the game, on three occasions Fay thwarted Braytons attackers from getting a consolation goal. An own goal from Brayton summed up their day! The players had good, happy support from manager and parents who are looking forward to the next game. Surely it can't always be this easy?