Match Report: Newark Town Titans v Bullwell Forest Navy (U9)

Squad:

• Jack Lebeter

• Ridley Hall

• Arty Collier

• Freddie Pick

• Davey Birtle

• Kailum Cree

• Levi McCann

• Freddie Gee

• Josef Pell

Captain:

Kailum Cree

Back on home turf at last.

Despite the wet morning, the boys arrived in great spirits—eager for the later kick-off and full of energy during the warm-up and team talk. It didn’t take long for them to settle into the new pitch; from the first whistle they played confident, high-tempo football.

The press from the front was fast and relentless, with every player tracking back hard. Bullwell struggled to break through thanks to Arty and Ridley, who were rock-solid at the back and snuffed out danger before it could develop.

After 14 minutes, the breakthrough came. A clever assist from Freddie Pick set up Freddie Gee, who buried a fantastic opener.

Midway through the first half, changes were made: Josef Pell replaced Gee up front, and Levi McCann came on for Freddie Pick on the right. The tempo stayed high.

Josef wasted no time making an impact. At 18 minutes he smashed in a brilliantly taken goal after a well-worked assist from Kailum Cree. Jack, with little to do in goal, stayed focused and vocal—keeping the back line sharp.

In midfield, Davey was immense. With Kailum and Levi operating either side, the trio were simply unplayable. Davey’s drive forward paid off at 22 minutes when he followed up a blocked Josef shot and slotted home the Titans’ third.

The Titans weren’t done.

Arty surged forward with blistering pace before delivering a perfect ball for Kailum to finish at the 24-minute mark. The whistle blew at 25 minutes with the Titans holding a commanding 4–0 lead.

The Titans returned confident, but an early slip allowed Bullwell to pull one back at 39 minutes. Heads stayed high, and the response was immediate.

Arty pushed up the flank at speed, while Freddie Pick smartly tucked into a defensive position to cover. A perfectly timed pass from Arty found Kailum, whose brilliant footwork opened space for Josef to strike again—adding the Titans’ fifth at 46 minutes.

Ridley continued his outstanding performance, shielding the box with strength and composure. Levi, meanwhile, was ruthless on the wing—powerful, fast, and constantly driving forward. Another tidy cross from Kailum found Levi, who smashed home at 47 minutes to make it 6–1.

A superb team performance—strong, focused, and full of quality. The boys couldn’t have delivered a better homecoming.

Manager's Player of the Match:

Arty Collier

Parent's Player of the Match:

Kailum Cree

A Word from the Coaches

Hands down, the best game to date! We cannot fault any single player on that pitch today. The strength, determination, communication...it was perfect! You played beautifully as a team; the passing was excellent from every single one of you!

Freddie Gee and Josef pressed high and did not let that pressure drop for a minute; a huge improvement and an absolute pleasure to watch.

The middle 4, Freddie Pick, Davey, Kailum and Levi...skilful, tactful, strong and made brilliant decisions. Holding the ball up well and showing sheer strength and determination.

Arty and Ridley, absolutely phenomenal and complimented each others style of play beautifully; you covered each other, dropped back and pushed forward at exactly right times.

Jack...absolutely not forgotten. You didn't have too much to do, but what you did do was brilliant, A couple of excellent saves, calm and composed (massively improved) kicks and the encouragement you gave was fantastic!

More like that please boys! You were absolutely awesome!

Up the Titans!

CHAMPI-OOO-NEY