Another win for AC Oxgangs which was long overdue. AC started this game missing 2 players but we have a big and decent enough squad to cover ourselves.
We started the match with our captain and Connor D. on the bench which gave other players their chance to shine. Ii wouldn't say we were playing amazing football at the beginning but we certainly bossed the game and to be honest I could not see us losing this match. Lorcan and Roman were outstanding at the back - they really gave nothing away too cheaply and were first to the ball most of the time. Josh was playing out on the left and did well, Greg was out on the right and stayed there most of the game because of how well he played, constantly twisting and turning players and hitting the byeline to send in cross after cross. Jake was playing through the middle and was playing excellent as he always seems to do recently.
In fact, it was Jake who put AC Oxgangs 1-0 up with a lovely long range effort which seems to be his trademark just now. Still City did not cause too many problems and if Lorcan and Roman let anything through Calum was there as always to mop it up. Rory had started up top and as instructed was holding the ball up well which is what he does best, but not many chances came his way and half way through the half Evan went up front.
Evan worked very well, but same as Rory, not many chances came his way. Connor D was introduced onto left midfield then at the back with Evan and he played out of his skin - he never gives up for any ball and works tirelessly for the team, a great attribute to have.
The second half started and with a more familiar line up with players in their normal positions we looked more attack minded. Jake and Greg both added to AC Oxgangs' lead with outstanding efforts from distance but before that we gave away a penalty as Cameron came out to narrow the angle on City's advancing forward and ended up bringing him down for a penalty. This gave City a chance to equalise but Cammy saved well and we kept our lead for Jake and Greg to put us further ahead.
I have to say Roman was again excellent at the back and just as good in left midfield late in the 2nd half and he had a great effort come back off the bar. Lorcan was also moved to right midfield and also played his part in the victory as he never gives up challenging for the ball too. Anyway, it was as straightforward a victory as we have had for a while and at times I would say the boys were just doing enough to stay in front rather than going for glory, but a win is a win and we will take that as we have not been very fortunate recently, so this result suits us fine. VERY WELL DONE LADS

Chris Kenny - Head Coach

Unfortunately, another game that didn't go the way of AC Oxgangs.
The game started a little late on Sunday at Kingsknowe but sometimes this season the lads have started late in the match as well, but on this occasion I can honestly say we started not too badly for a change - before the match we made the lads aware of what they can achieve with commitment, effort and talking to each other on the pitch and for a change they actually did listen to us. The way they went about the game was very pleasing to watch but rare and individual errors are the only thing that's holding us back a little.
Currie went 1-0 up with slack marking at a throw-in which resulted in a free shot at goal 4 yards out. But AC fought back and had a few efforts on and off target before Jake's lovely strike tied things at 1-1.
Currie then went 2-1 up with a tap-in and a long ball over the top made it 3-1, but Jake hit back with another long range effort which did hit a defender on the way in, but they all count - and it gave the boys the belief that they could get back in the match.
Greg finished off an excellent AC move to tie the game at 3-3 at half time.
Rory had a great shot against the post and Roman was outstanding at the back AGAIN. We stressed at half time that we scored 3 goals but we also handed Currie their 3 goals and that's a bit worrying when opposition teams don't need to work hard to score against us.
The 2nd half was very even in possession and efforts on goal but things never went our way and they sneaked in another 3 goals without reply, but a draw would have been more than a fair result in this match, but it wasn't to be this time and if we continue with the effort then luck may shine down on us again. WELL DONE BOYS!

Chris Kenny - Head Coach

Unfortunately, another defeat for AC and possibly one we could not really argue with as Beechwood took their chances and we never really made their goalkeeper make a save (although the was quite good in his handling from set pieces) - but we never really had a really good chance to score.
What we did say to the lads is that Beechwood, in my opinion, are a really good side and play very good football and for us to match them for most of the game - well it says a lot for the way we are progressing as a team.
Beechwood were limited to basically the 2 chances they took so it was never one-way traffic, and it was one of them old matches when the ball never fell for anyone in and around the box.
But we are extremely happy at the performance and it was agreed between the coaches of AC and Beechwood that this was a very entertaining game between two really closely matched footballing sides - so let's keep the heads up and keep progressing because although we lost today performances like that will win us lots of matches in future.

Chris Kenny - Head Coach

This was not the greatest game to watch but at the same time it wasn't the worst either. In the first-half both teams cancelled each other out and although both sides had chances there was nothing major to report.
The 2nd half was slightly better than the first and both teams were attacking one after another and AC took the lead through Greg after nice build up play. As previously stated, it was end-to-end and Edina had a few chances of their own and converted one not long after AC scored.
The game was in the balance for long spells with both teams missing chances, but in the end Edina took another 2 of their chances. To be fair, all in all they probably just shaded it, but no one could have complained if we had taken one or two of our chances and won 3-1.
But that's football!! Take the chances when they come along. We were well delighted with the performance - we just needed to lift it another gear when required.

Chris Kenny - Head Coach

Great to get back to winning ways after a couple of not so great performances. AC set the tone early on as they passed the ball about very well and very early on Rory put us 1-0 with a finish we have come to expect from him. The game was then totally in ACs hands as we probed their defence constantly with Jake playing very well and causing Peebles lots of problems - he also had several chances that were very close to making it 2-0 for us. As it happens another typical finish by Rory put us 2-0 and then he made way for Greg who finished off an outstanding move by Oxgangs with everyone on the pitch touching the ball.
Niall had also replaced Jake with 10mins till half time and done very well at the back as he always looked to win the possession for us, and he was helped through the game by an ever present Roman at the back who rarely has a bad game these days. 3-0 at half time was no more than AC deserved after the effort they had put in.
The 2nd half we hoped would be kind of similar as in the style of football we wanted the team to adopt and more importantly we had needed the team to close them down at every opportunity and not let them have time on the ball. The first 5-10 minutes in the 2nd half were not that great to be honest as it looked like we were happy enough that the game would go our way without the effort, but as we encouraged the lads some more they then moved up a gear and stamped their authority on the match again as Connor G made it 4-0 with a tidy finish.
Roman had a great free-kick hit the bar and bounce on the line which was very unlucky and then Rory completed his hat-trick with another one-on-one situation. Jake then got a well deserved goal with what was definitely not his best strike of the day, but it was enough to hit the back of the net and if anyone deserved a goal it was Jake. Roman got the 7th goal for AC and it was nice to see him get one for his efforts as he rarely gets the chance to go forward.
Calum as usual made great saves when he was required but it must be said it was not his busiest day. Evan played in the middle of the park the first half and it was good to see the lads adapting to the positions we played them in, Roman played right wing for a spell, Niall played centre back and centre midfield, Greg played really well on the right of midfield and Lorcan played very well up top and was unlucky not to get a goal or two, but he did play his usual right wing role brilliantly as usual for most of the match.
WELL DONE AGAIN LADS, some of the tactics in training are beginning to hit home and let's keep implementing them on a Sunday and we will get better and better.

Chris Kenny - Head Coach

This was another incredible performance from the boys today, we really cant explain how proud we are of the way they have been playing when they do the jobs we ask them to do on the park. Some games have not gone our way but this is because the lads have not really taken in what we wanted them to do. This is the reason we get really frustrated when we lose because we are MORE than capable of beating ANYONE.
This match was always going to be tough so we set out to not give them a second on the ball, we closed them down at every opportunity and they never had time to control the ball, have a look up or pass the ball. There was not a lot of chances in the 1st half but that was mainly down to Evan and Roman being very aware at the back - when they had the ball they were always looking to pick out a pass which is very encouraging. Calum had to be on his toes on a couple of occasions but as usual he tends to make the saves look easy. Connor D was out left and he was man-marking one of their players for us and to be honest he listened to everything we told him to do and he was exceptional. Greg played up front on his own and worked tirelessly for the team, constantly chasing the defenders down, was making them make mistakes and more often than not Jake and Connor G were there to get the ball, both of whom were also very disciplined.
Halfway through the first-half Greg's closing down ended up with AC taking the ball down the left wing and a cross into the box was put brilliantly in the corner with the outside of his boot from Lorcan.
The 2nd half started very even as well, but Lochend did get an equaliser quite early on. Not to be denied, AC kept on at the task in hand and created quite a few more chances with Ryan K having a few pops at goal from long range.
Some really nice football down both flanks were creating half chances with Rory involved in most of it with great hold up play. A mention must go to Niall who worked brilliantly for the team cutting out most of their play through the middle of the park.
Our second goal and winner was a strike from outside the box from Ryan which ended up in the net after a mix up between the defender and goalkeeper.
Cameron in goals did really well in the last 10-15 mins, especially as they were pushing to get back into the match, but the AC players were in no mood to let this happen. WELL DONE AGAIN LADS.

Chris Kenny - Head Coach

A decent performance from AC Oxgangs 11s gave us an impressive victory today. As often happens at the start of our games recently everyone is very quiet and a bit timid to say the least - we have tried to stress this to the players because if we are not sharp at the beginning of a match we will get punished from a few teams - hopefully, we can change this in the weeks to come.
The game started off 50/50 with AC taking the lead through a goal from Greg, but we went to sleep 10 mins later and gave them an equaliser. We then got ourselves a penalty after a deliberate handball in the area and Connor G made no mistake from the spot. AC then went on to go 3-1 up with a shot from Josh being cleared from a Salvesen defender against his keeper and into the net. Lorcan had numerous good runs up the wing taking on players but more often than not the ball just ran away from him, nevertheless at least he was prepared to put the effort in to make so many tireless runs. As I said before, AC went back to sleep and gifted Salvesen another goal before half-time to make it 3-2.
The second half was miles better with a lot more of us prepared to close them down and talking a lot more to each other which is encouraging. We went 4-2 up then 5-2 courtesy of Connor G again, but slipped back to 5-3, then Josh put us 6-3 up with a fine finish before Calumn pulled off an outstanding save which brought lots of applause from everyone watching. Lorcan made it 7-3 with the ball just sliding in at the post and Rory made it 8-3 before setting up Connor G for his 4th goal with a fine pass.
We then let them back to 8-4 - then the move of the match as Jake chipped a superb ball over 2 players right into Rory's path, but the keeper saved well. Connor D played outstanding at the back making tackle after tackle and we gave him the last 5 mins up front which he played really well by closing defenders down and creating a couple of chances for others and himself, but I am sure if he had more time up top he would have eventually found the net. Rory finally found the back of the net for 9-4, but again we gave Salvesen another goal back only for Jake to make it 10-5 and captain Evan finishing the game with a nicely taken long range effort into the bottom corner.
Summing the game up - it was a great second half performance, but if we could just start games in this manner then not a lot of teams will get anything from us. Too many players don't say a word, but if this can change asap then it will only benefit the players as individuals and as a team. WELL DONE AC!

Chris Kenny - Head Coach

Brilliant game today - a very, very proud coach. Game was nip and tuck first half and maybe we took a while to get going, but we had shot after shot which just did not hit the target. Nonetheless we persevered and got battling for each other.
Amazingly we found ourselves 3-0 down with 10 minutes to go in the first half but, most importantly, the heads never went down and we kept pushing and hassling them and got our reward with a nice strike from the captain Evan which was most deserved just before half-time.
3-1 down at the break and faced with playing slightly uphill and into the wind we had to keep the tempo up and that's exactly what AC did - never gave them a minute on the ball and eventually Connor G got another goal back for us. Again strike after strike just missing the target - on another day we would have scored double-figures, but AC kept fighting 'till the end and got a well deserved equaliser from Connor G again with a great strike. And had there been another 5 mins there is no doubt AC would have went on to win. But hats off to the lads for coming back from 3-0 down and a huge shout should go to Lorcan for his second half performance - up the right wing creating the goals and lots of other chances.
The coaches are very happy guys today without a doubt.

Chris Kenny - Head Coach

Not a great day for AC Oxgangs and I'm sure the lads know that more than anyone. We competed well for the first 15 minutes or so then just fell apart.
Spartans took the lead maybe 10 minutes in and it was pretty even until we gifted them another 3 goals before half-time before pulling one back ourselves.
The second half was more of a battling performance ending in 1-1 with Greg grabbing the goal. Normally we have a lot to say on these matches but on this occasion not much can be said positively except the better performance in the second-half. We constantly gave the ball away from kick-outs, throw-ins or general play and if this keeps happening we won't win many more matches.
The annoying and frustrating thing is that if the under 11s were even close to their best they would have won this match. Anyway we will work on this in training and hopefully the lads listen and learn the way we would like them to play. Hopefully next Sunday gets us back to winning ways.

Chris Kenny - Head Coach

A good start to the season for the under 11s, most important was to get back to winning ways after lots of changes in the friendlies which never really worked out.
AC Oxgangs started the game well and had most of the ball although it was scrappy from time to time. We got ourselves in front when Rory struck a shot from a long way out and it ended up squeezing by the goalkeeper - and it never really took Rory long to add a second and put AC in the driving seat. To be honest, if we pressed a bit more we really would have scored a few more but instead we sat back off them.
Some slack marking and missed goal opportunities let Edinburgh United back into the game with a decent strike. Edin United took heart from this and took advantage of slack marking to equalise with a header. from then on there was only ever going to be one winner and Jake popped up with a great effort from distance to seal a win.
Maybe next time we should keep our concentration and go on and finish teams off when we are 1 or 2 goals to the good - in this case we got away with it but other times it wont happen - but all in all a win was what we wanted. WELL DONE LADS!

Chris Kenny - Head Coach

Yet another fantastic TEAM performance from the AC Oxgangs lads, following on from last week's win was what we were looking for and they didn't let us down.
AC started the half much the better side, our passing and one/two touch football was outstanding to watch and the lads were definitely enjoying themselves. It did take around 10mins for the first goal to come but it was never going to be in doubt which team it would be. Great wing play from Lorcan resulting in a one-two and he simply tapped it home. It then took another 10mins for the 2nd to come, yet again Lorcan was involved and played a simple cutback for Rory to tap in when Lorcan could easily have taken a shot himself.
The passing is a joy to watch as the lads seem to be taking it in that it is the easier option sometimes than holding onto the ball too long. The 3rd was a lovely chip from the front post from Rory yet again, and Connor G put in the 4th just before halftime. Greg had several chances in the first half as well but maybe a little more composure and he could have had a few but we are more than happy he got himself into these positions in the first place. Edinburgh City pulled a goal back just before half time to make it 4-1 at the break.
We stared the 2nd half as we finished the 1st half playing against 8 men and it never took Edin City long to bring the score to 4-2 which evened up the teams to 7 a side. It was then that we took complete control of the game with Greg getting a hat-trick, Connor G getting his 2nd of the game and Connor D getting a tap in after Lorcan had the keeper beaten and hit the bar. Greg also hit the bar with a shot from far out on the left and Roman also hit the post. Cameron never had a lot to do but handled well when he did. Evan had another really great game as did Jake who is getting better with each game.
The man of the match for me was just shaded by Lorcan whose wing play, passing and workrate was outstanding - not to forget hitting the bar, setting up 3 goals and scoring 2 goals.
A huge well done to the lads again and another step forward for the under 11s.

Chris Kenny - Head Coach

A great win for AC oxgangs against Edin Utd, a typical close encounter as recent weeks have proved and a very entertaining match as usual, but on this occasion AC coming out on top which is well overdue.
A lovely strike from Greg opened the scoring but Edin Utd came back with 2 goals in the 2nd half and it looked like AC were gonna get edged out again until a beautiful strike from Jake levelled the score and a lovely ball into the box from Connor G was perfectly executed by the captain Evan.
To sum it up, AC Oxgangs have been beaten by a goal 4 times this season and we have not had the rub of the green - it has just not bounced for us but as we have said to the lads, just keep plugging away and the results will start to flow in.
This is by far our best half season and it can only get better - keep up the good work lads.

Chris Kenny - Head Coach

This game was against Tynecastle as North Berwick could not fulfill the fixture. Not the best game AC Oxgangs have played lately - in the first half we looked like we never wanted to be playing, we let Tynecastle have the ball without any challenges, we let them turn with the ball and we let them play passes through us, this was definitely not the AC Oxgangs team that's been playing excellent the last 4 or 5 games.
At half time we had a word with the players and asked them to go and win the second half, the scoreline was 0-0 in the 2nd half before we called a halt to the game 5mins before the end because of the atrocious weather.  We had two or three chances to win the 2nd half but in fairness 0-0 was a much better reflection on how we have been playing recently.
Hopefully the lads will realise that the improvements we are making are really good and although we can't be brilliant every game we don't want to take 1 step forward and 2 steps back.
I am confident we can put this game behind us and hopefully the weather is much better for the next game.

Chris Kenny - Head Coach

Another thoroughly entertaining game to watch from AC Oxgangs 11s - though the score was not in our favour again we are really thrilled the way the lads are playing just now. first of all we are defending extremely well and making ourselves very hard to break down and beat, secondly we seem to be passing the ball around very well and playing some very attractive football.
For a change AC Oxgangs actually took the lead in this game with a nice strike from Jake. Cameron had 1 or 2 saves to make in the first half but I would say AC maybe just edged the first.
The 2nd half was slightly more in Hillfield's favour but we did create a few chances with only the final ball letting us down. Hillfield equalised quite early in the 2nd half and then went on to get a 2nd, but AC responded well and the heads never went down as we tried our best to stay in the game - because I think if we went 3-1 down the game would have been over. Anyway, a lot of chasing players down worked in AC's favour as Rory chased down the keeper who kicked the ball off Rory and into the net for the equaliser.
Then for a 5 or 10 minute spell it looked as though AC may go on to get a winner but as quickly as we thought that then we went to sleep up the line from a throw-in and let them in for their 3rd.
To be fair, AC pressed till the end for another equaliser but it wasn't to be.
A VERY WELL DONE to all the guys today, as the weeks go on we get better and better, and as a coach said 'this time last year we would have conceded double figures to Hillfield so major progress is being made - so keep it going lads and teams will find it very hard to beat us in future.

Chris Kenny - Head Coach

'Despite the scoreline it was yet another great display and a giant step in the right direction for the 11s.
The game started pretty much even with both sides playing some really good football - Dalkeith took the lead after a scramble in the box fell to a Dalkeith player, but AC came back with some great play - from the goalkeeper through 3 or 4 players down the line and a tap-in to level the score at half time.
AC started the 2nd half slightly better than the opposition but as usual in the last few weeeks, for some strange reason, the ball will not drop kindly for us in front of goal. Anyway, we are creating the chances so that's the main thing.
Dalkeith took the lead again as AC switched off for a moment for the first time in the game, but responded well again to get another well worked equaliser. The game could really have went either way but Dalkeith sneaked another goal with 5 or 6 mins to go. AC did try and try for another goal but it wasnt to be.
On reflection it was a thoroughly enjoyable game for the coaches and parents to watch so well done guys, lets keep up the hard work and the results will come in no problem.

Chris Kenny - Head Coach

'Excellent game by AC despite the scoreline. An amazing football match to watch - from the outset the game was evenly matched but Bonnyrigg had a lot more clear cut chances than AC Oxgangs, but despite their chances they found Calumn in outstanding form as he made save after save - also the team as a whole defended brilliantly. The first half ended 0-0.
Second half to be fair started all Bonnyrigg as they pushed to finally convert their chances. They got 1 then a second ten mins later, but AC replied with a penalty (put away excellently by Jake) and then forced Bonnyrigg back as they pushed forward for the equaliser.
AC had 3 players missing but you would hardly have noticed as the players were outstanding, especially as the players all played in different positions throughout the match. A special mention must go to young Greg, whos tackling, persistence and workrate was phenomenal.

Chris Kenny - Head Coach

An entertaining win for AC Oxgangs against Alnwickhill - the game started of very evenly with both teams trying to get a foothold in the match but once Ac got the first goal the result was never really in doubt - although Calumn in goals did have 2 or 3 saves to make which were outstanding.
AC Oxgangs not only put the ball in the net 9 times but played very attractive football, in particular the passing was pleasing to watch. The lads have finally taken on board that playing one-two's and passing the ball back and forward gets us further than trying to beat 3 or 4 men on their own.
The coaches are extremely happy with the performance the lads are producing at the moment and our goals came from Greg, Lorcan (2), Rory (2), Connor G chipped in with a hat-trick and 1 from the captain Evan, Well Done lads.

Chris Kenny - Head Coach

The game ended in a defeat for AC Oxgangs today but in no way did it reflect the game. AC started off a little sluggish quickly going 1-0 down but upped the tempo and quickly found ourselves on level terms through a nice finish by Rory. It was then our passing game came into play, all players were determined to win the ball and then get it passed off. We were much the better team in this first half but got caught out down the left with a long ball on the counter attack twice which resulted in us being down 3-1. Many players had chance after chance in the first half also hitting the bar and lots of good saves from the Currie keeper, in fact had our chances went in we could have been up 6-3 at half time.
Again a slow start to the 2nd half with Currie extending their lead to   4-1 then 5-1 to which AC Oxgangs then started to play football again with numerous corners and balls into the box but it was one of those days when it just never bounced for us. We pulled one back from a fine finish from Connor D. after his determination to win the ball in the middle of the park paid off, then a nice finish from Connor G. gave AC some hope of a comeback but the bounce of the ball kept evading us as we pushed and pushed, eventually conceding a 6th goal but we continued right to the end.
Personally, the coaches are absolutely delighted with the determination and attitude of the players the last few weeks and everyone is improving week after week. If we play like this most weeks we will win a lot more games than we lose.
Good effort lads, keep up the good work!

Chris Kenny - Head Coach

Excellent display today from the 11s, many players played in different positions from what they are used to and we played most of the game with 6 men as the other team only had 7 players. The determination of the players to win the ball and get it passed off was a treat to watch. Goals coming from Connor D, Connor G (2), Lorcan (2), Rory (2), Roman (2), Evan and a hat-rick from Ryan. Well done lads keep up the good work.

Chris Kenny - Head Coach