With the top spot and promotion in sight, Bridgewood gave everything they had in an explosive conclusion to the season.

The atmosphere was electric as the fired-up players of Bridgewood High and Stanford Park ran onto the pitch. With both teams at full strength, the match was guaranteed to be exciting and the tension was felt by both teams.

The first fifteen minutes was peppered with elementary mistakes due to nervousness, none of which led to either side conceding a goal. Captain Charlie Oakley was called upon by Mr Mansell to steady his side, which seemed to work, as Bridgewood became the first team to enjoy a spell of possession. Stanford could not get the ball back and several desperate tackles led to free kicks being awarded against them. An infringement on the edge of the eighteen-yard box meant that Salam Chalabi tried one of his curling free kicks, bending the ball around the wall. The keeper didn’t see it coming and Bridgewood took the lead, much to the delight of the cheering crowd.

Minutes later, George Lucas powered a twenty-five yard drive that crashed its way through the keeper’s hands. Just as Bridgewood were daring to dream about winning the league, the quality of Stanford Park shone through. A five-player move ended up with their striker, Jovan Maliqi, bringing the ball down on his chest and volleying into the top right hand corner.

Immediately after the goal, Maliqi left Houghton-Smith on his backside with a swift turn and gave Dominic Jasinski no chance with a clever tap-in. Bridgewood had squandered a two goal lead again.

During the second half, George Lucas was on fire. With ten minutes played, he was given a clear goal scoring opportunity when Duc Duong delivered an accurate pass to him just outside the eighteen-yard box. Lucas coolly connected with the ball on the half volley causing it to rocket past the rooted Stanford goalkeeper.

Bridgewood’s celebrations were short-lived. After the restart Stanford were awarded a free kick. A powerful header from a set piece move levelled the scores again.

With time running out, Angelo Del Paggio went on a solo run to the edge of the eighteen-yard box, where he put his foot on the ball and stopped. His marker slid to the ground and Del Paggio dug under the ball, causing it to rotate up and over the keeper’s outstretched arms and into the goal. The final whistle blew sharply, securing a 4–3 win and the title championship for an ecstatic Bridgewood High FC.

Mr Mansell reporting from Stanford Park Academy

Bridgewood High nearly squandered their chance of a league title win in a nail-biting game against St John’s College.

‘Win this one, lads, and we are in with a big shout for the title. Give it your best shot,’ teacher Mr Cauldwell enthused as Bridgewood ran out onto their home pitch. The words of encouragement resounding in their ears, the team, in particular Dougie Butt and Angelo Del Paggio (who had been dropped in the last league game) played with their usual sense of urgency and confidence. Del Paggio ran rings around his opponents and Butt was on the scoresheet after ten minutes when he controlled a pass from Hamit Erbakan in midfield, flicked the ball up and volleyed it past the St John’s keeper.

Bridgewood’s next goal was gifted to them by the St John’s keeper, who rose above Johnny Cunningham to punch a corner over his bar, but instead parried the ball straight into his own net. Safe in the knowledge that they were two goals up, Bridgewood relaxed into the game. The midfielders took their foot off the pedal and twice allowed St John’s attacks to cascade through them and score, squandering the two goal advantage.

A half-time lecture from the teachers succeeded in giving the dishevelled Bridgewood players the boost they needed and they dominated the second half. Eager to atone for his first-half mistake, the St John’s goalkeeper made save after save as Duc Duong, Jack Mayhew and Timothy Houghton-Smith unleashed a volley of rasping shots, but to no avail.

With time running out, Del Paggio ran at the heart of St John’s defence, beating two players and nutmegging the St John’s keeper. The title is in sight for Bridgewood High.

Mr Mansell reporting from Goresbrook

Straight from kick-off, Bridgewood’s determination to reach the final of their first ever London Schools Cup Competition was apparent for all to see. Fifteen minutes into the game, a clever triangle of passes between Cork, Cunningham and Woodward created acres of space for a clear shot on goal. Maintaining his composure, Woodward skilfully slotted the ball into the back of the net, putting Bridgewood a goal up.

After the restart there was a tense period of St Paul’s possession. Thankfully, the pressure was alleviated when Jack Wilkins intercepted a sloppy pass and went on a hurtling run up the centre of the pitch, before chipping the ball into the opposition’s goal-mouth. A diving header by Johnny Cunningham screeched between the keeper’s legs, giving Bridgewood a two goal lead at half-time.

St Paul’s started the second half with five attacking players. It was an inspired move and within three minutes, St Paul’s had pulled a goal back. Their confidence restored, St Paul’s penetrated the Bridgewood defence time after time. For the next twenty minutes, the ball never travelled out of the Bridgewood end with Charlie Oakley, Sam Smith, Jack Mayhew and Timothy-Houghton Smith under constant siege. Their heroic resistance came to an end when a shot thundered in from one of St Paul’s best players, Wayne Mulroyd, skidding off Houghton-Smith’s knee and into the net.

With ten minutes to go, both teams were desperate to score, and the play became increasingly aggressive. An ill-timed tackle brought Woodward down in the St Paul’s penalty area, but was deemed fair by the referee. Urging themselves on for one last effort, both teams looked exhausted. With two minutes left on the clock, St Paul’s striker, Rushton Baynes, latched on to a pass that was a yard offside. Despite the foul, the linesman’s flag stayed down and Baynes went on to round Jasinski and tap the ball into the net.

There was not even time for the restart. Bridgewood had crashed out of the cup by the narrowest of margins.

Miss Cranson reporting from Goresbrook

Their arrogance was misplaced as Langford Park dominanted the whole of the first half, scoring an easy goal due to a Bridgewood lapse of concentration. When Bridgewood returned to the dressing room at half time, Mr Mansell vented his frustration at the team’s lack of effort on the pitch. With the team’s dream of winning the league title slipping away before their eyes, Mr Mansell emphasised his displeasure by making two substitutions – Albinus Gardiner for Dougie Butt and Dicky Woodward for Angelo Del Paggio.

Five minutes into the second half, Woodward went on a rampaging run down the wing and unleashed a pinpoint-accurate cross onto the head of Gardiner. Aided by the momentum of his run, Gardiner headed the ball into the top-right hand corner to level the score. For the next fifteen minutes, Woodward’s attacking play turned the Langford Park defence inside out. Woodward created and scored the winning goal to cap a fantastic performance. Having beaten two players, Woodward hit what looked like a cross into the centre of the box. The ball swerved in the air, deceiving the Langford Park goalkeeper, before sailing over his head into the net.

After taking the lead, Bridgewood reverted to the same showboating play they had demonstrated in the first half. After a few tense minutes, the final whistle blew, securing Bridgewood three points and a move into second place in the league.

Mr Cauldwell reporting from Langford Park High

‘They beat us when we played them in November and they have not lost in their last five games. This one is a toughie, make no mistake about that,’ Mr Cauldwell warned his team in his pre-match chat. And how right he was.

After twenty minutes of the first half it was clear to see that Cardinal Wolsey were one of the most organised and disciplined teams in the league. A slick passing movement around the edge of the penalty area created enough space for the Cardinal Wolsey striker, Jason Hill, to score a breathtaking goal – among the best Bridgewood had conceded all season.

Not wanting to be second best to anyone and with four games of the season to go, Bridgewood’s determination proved to be their lifeline. Following a solid period of possession, Jack Mayhew struck a magnificent volley that travelled straight and true into the net.

The stalemate continued into the second half, with counter attacks from both sides. Cardinal Wolsey were the first to create a chance and break the deadlock when Jason Hill headed home his second goal from a corner. With a few of the Bridgewood forwards feeling the strain, Ashley Brown was brought on for Dougie Butt. It was an inspired substitution that produced immediate results. Brown’s blistering pace and deft touch made the opposition defence look shaky for the first time in the match. With the last couple of minutes of injury time trickling away, Brown pulled off an equaliser with an acrobatic bicycle kick that thundered the ball into the corner of the net.

Mr Mansell reporting from Goresbrook

A composed Bridgewood settled into the game, despite Heathcote blasting the ball forward from kick-off. Defenders Sam Smith and Charlie Oakley soaked up the pressure comfortably and sent Bridgewood on attacking raids with accurate passes to the midfield players.

Bridgewood’s unshakeable composure and dominance in the first half didn’t stop Heathcote High from taking the lead with a lucky goal before the half time whistle. A powerful punch from Peter Schirtzer cannoned off the back of Timothy Houghton-Smith’s head and ricocheted into the back of the net.

A determined Bridgewood side jogged back onto the pitch for the second half – the equaliser was not long coming. George Lucas played a one-two with Salam Chalabi, took the return pass and placed a side-footed shot into the corner of the net. The Bridgewood back four remained calm despite Heathcote’s seemingly relentless aerial bombardment of their eighteen-yard box.

After soaking up the pressure, Bridgewood’s Hamit Erbakan scored the winning goal by breaking up a Heathcote surge on the halfway line, ploughing forward on a solo run, before hitting a scorching shot into the roof of the net. Bridgewood High were through to the semi-finals of the London Schools Cup Competition

Timothy Houghton-Smith reporting from Heathcote High

Bridgewood High FC players, Sam Smith and Charlie Oakley represented the South of England in a highly anticipated match against the North of England team earlier today.

The intense rivalry between the two teams was apparent from kick-off. Nerves and tension were high as scouts from all of the top professional clubs were present, carefully observing every move of the players.

The South of England side took the upper hand immediately, with a long-range pass from midfielder Don Fisher setting up striker, Alex Clarke, who smashed the ball into the back of the net. The South continued to dominate throughout the whole of the first half. During this period of domination, the rare North of England attacks were admirably rebuffed by the combined efforts of Charlie Oakley and Sam Smith.

Despite maintaining possession it was not until the last five minutes of the second half that the South of England team scored again. After many attempts at goal, substitute midfielder, Bertie Hines, performed a beautiful mazy run along the touchline, passing to Clarke, who cannoned it off the bar. The ball bounced onto the waiting head of Matt Williams and into the back of the net, securing a 2–0 victory to the southern boys.

Charlie Oakley and Sam Smith both had an excellent game and withstood a barrage of attacks and defended the goal admirably.

Miss Cranson reporting from Prenton Park, Tranmere, on 14th January 2009

The Bridgewood High FC Squad is now injury-ridden in the aftermath of a highly charged fixture against arch-rivals Mile End Academy.

Prior to the match, Mile End had received an official warning from the London Schools Football Association in relation to their poor disciplinary record. However, within a few minutes of the whistle it was apparent that the warning had fallen on deaf ears.

The first half was a scrappy affair with the run of play being continually halted due to fouls being committed. Conceding a poor goal just before half-time, away-side Bridgewood looked relieved when the referee blew his whistle, signalling the end of a ferocious first half.

Bridgewood changed their tactics in the second half, opting to play Total Football. The new style of play worked well for the first fifteen minutes, with Mile End failing to put in a single bone-crunching tackle. Emboldened by their domination in possession, Bridgewood created several chances in the space of just a few minutes. This renewed vigour was soon rewarded when a sensational move between Angelo Del Paggio, Salam Chalabi and George Lucas produced a breathtaking equaliser.

Ten minutes later, Timothy Houghton-Smith charged up the wing and skilfully slotted the ball to Dougie Butt. Butt smashed the ball into the back of the net to give Bridgewood the lead, much to the disgust of the Mile End players.

After the restart, a scything tackle on Christopher Coggins just outside the penalty area saw him collapse and writhe in agony. Coggins was stretchered off the pitch and taken to hospital, where it was confirmed that he had a broken tibia. Shaken by their teammate’s injury, Bridgewood never fully recovered and with twenty minutes of the game to go, their appetite for competing was lost. Five minutes after the injury, Mile End drew level and only a heroic display at the back by Charlie Oakley and Sam Smith saved Bridgewood from suffering a runaway defeat.

Inspired by their brilliant win in the first round of the cup, three Bridgewood High FC players have combined their passion for football with music and have recorded a cup anthem. Timothy-Houghton Smith, Angelo Del Paggio and Aaron Jacobs have worked to produce the song which they hope will be adopted and sung by supporters at future games. The song will also be entered, for assessment, as part of each student’s GCSE coursework.

Using the state-of-the-art music facilities at Bridgewood High School, the three students are pleased with the end result which is available as a free download on this site.

I am sure that I speak on behalf of the entire school by wishing the Bridgewood team the very best of luck in their second round match against Wapping Bow. It would be good to hear the catchy song echoing from the touchline in future games!

‘We’re black, we’re white, our team is dynamite … Bridgewood High!!!!’

Bridgewood High 1–0 Langford Park High

Bridgewood were back on form with a comfortable 1–0 victory over Langford Park High, proving they have what it takes to get to the top of the league.

A nervous Bridgewood High stepped onto their home pitch, Goresbrook, with anticipation. Having lost the last two matches, every player was determined that this game would not end in defeat.

After a few unsure minutes, Bridgewood High settled into the game and continued to do so for the remainder of the match. The goal for the home-side came right at the last minute, when the players, supporters and teachers all thought the match would end in a draw. The movement in midfield enabled Dermott Riley to take advantage as everyone was checking their watches in the 79th minute. A beautiful pass from Aaron Jacobs to Dermott saw the attacker collect it with ease and slip it into the back of the net, with the Langford Park goalkeeper barely realising it had flown past him. The shrill of the final whistle concluded a well-deserved victory for Bridgewood High.