AFC Pogmoor Reds u8s

Our U14 Red Girls are looking for players to add to their squad. Please contact Tar on 07935 844049 or Emily on 07510 497541.

⚽️❤️Season Over ❤️⚽

Now the dust has settled on what’s been a whirlwind week, it’s time to reflect on an incredible season.

We’ve won, lost and drawn. We’ve smiled, cheered, laughed and cried together. Through every high and low, it’s been one hell of a ride.

Your Reds reached their second consecutive final this past Sunday after beating our neighbours, Poggy Blacks, in another unforgettable encounter. A thrilling 4–3 victory and the first time we’ve beaten our namesake counterparts too — making it even more special for the boys and thoroughly deserved.

Then came Sunday’s final.

A slow start saw us fall 1–0 behind, but true to form, the boys responded brilliantly. Four goals fired in, three of them absolute worldies — two from Reuben, one from Will and another from Fraser. At 4–2 up, it looked like Poggy Reds were in control, but football can be cruel sometimes. Pinfold found momentum, mounted a comeback and eventually edged ahead. Despite the boys pushing until the very end, we just ran out of time to find the equaliser that would’ve taken the game to extra time.

It wasn’t our day. Maybe it just wasn’t meant to be. Besides… we’d already won one cup this season, so we thought we’d share 😜

But honestly, we can’t look back on this season with anything but pride. If someone had offered us two finals, a cup win, victory over our noisy neighbours and memories like these back at the start of the season, we’d have snapped their hand off.

What makes this group special isn’t just the football though — it’s the character. In defeat, our boys showed real class, shaking hands and congratulating the Pinfold players after the final whistle. Humble in victory and gracious in defeat. Exactly what grassroots football is all about.

And in true Poggy Reds fashion, the disappointment didn’t last long. The boys spent the rest of the day together at Cannon Hall playing even more football and even squeezing in a game of cricket. We’ll quietly skip over our favourite videographer’s catching attempts 😜

One more training session remains before some of the lads move on to the newly formed Pogmoor team, but for now it’s time for some well-earned rest and recovery — for the boys and our mini Peps alike.

What a season. What a team. 🔴🩶⚽️

The first time was so nice, we had to do it twice.

Cup final number 2 here we come.

Up the Poggy reds.

⚽️Semi-Final, First Leg: Poggy Reds 4–4 Poggy Blacks⚽️

At the start of the year, if you’d said we’d be one game away from potentially reaching back-to-back finals, no one would have believed it. But full credit goes to the boys—the turnaround since the new year has been incredible. This is a completely different group, and it’s shown in every performance.

Sunday marked our final home game of the season—and possibly one of the last times this team takes the pitch together. It was always going to be emotional, and it didn’t disappoint.

Despite heavy overnight rain, the pitch held up, and both teams deserve credit for adapting brilliantly to the tough conditions.

We made a nervy start and found ourselves 1–0 down after an unfortunate ricochet trickled over the line. But this team doesn’t dwell. Heads stayed up, and confidence quickly grew. Isaac produced a moment of magic with a brilliant solo run and finish to bring us level. Soon after, great work down the right from William helped us take a 2–1 lead into halftime.

The second half was relentless—end-to-end, with both sides creating chances. Poggy Blacks struck to make it 2–2, but the response was immediate. A superb short corner routine between Reuben, Will, and Isaac—clearly straight from the training ground—ended with Isaac tapping home his second of the game.

The drama didn’t stop there. Poggy Blacks leveled again, but the Reds kept their composure. The introduction of Barney and Fraser added fresh energy and attacking threat. Fraser, showing real grit after suffering a bloody nose just minutes earlier, refused to come off—and made it count. Picking up the ball outside the box, he calmly found the corner to make it 4–3 late on.

But in a game that refused to settle, Poggy Blacks struck once more to equalize.

Full-time: 4–4.
Everything to play for in the second leg.

⚽️Development Game: Poggy Reds 5–5 Poggy Blacks⚽️

Unlike the first match, it was the Reds who flew out of the blocks. Inside five minutes, they found themselves 2–0 up—starting with none other than “Super Seth.” Only his second goal of the season, but what a strike it was—a sweet left-footed effort drilled into the bottom corner.

The second soon followed, with Barney finding space in the box, taking a lovely first touch before producing an even better finish to double the lead.

But Poggy Blacks responded in style, hitting back with four unanswered goals to turn the game on its head.

That was until Man of the Match Jesse stepped up, smashing home from another well-worked corner to pull one back. Fraser then brought things level in spectacular fashion, picking the ball up inside his own half, driving forward, and firing past the keeper to make it 4–4.

True to the theme of the day, the drama wasn’t over. Poggy Blacks grabbed a fifth that looked like it might be the winner. But with less than a minute left, Barney had other ideas—beating two defenders before smashing a shot off the crossbar and into the net.

Full-time: 5–5. Another absolute classic.

There were standout performances all over the pitch, making the Man of the Match decision a tough one. In the end, the coaches went with William and Jesse.

William’s relentless work rate, big tackles, composure, and his goal made him a standout throughout. Jesse was superb between the sticks once again and worked tirelessly when called upon in the second game.

With everything still to play for on Thursday, one thing is certain—this is a special group. Players, coaches, and parents alike should be incredibly proud of what’s been achieved this season.

There will be a Poggy team in the final… we just hope it’s the boys in grey 😜

🔴Saturdays trip to Oakwell🔴

Before Sunday’s derby, the boys made their “home debut” down at Oakwell—taking part in a football session and walking out onto the pitch to take penalties in front of the crowd. Every single one was converted with confidence.

There were a few questionable celebrations along the way—but the standout had to be Barney’s cartwheel, which he proudly brought back out again in Sunday’s game.

Oh—and of course, we couldn’t resist bringing the cup along to show it off to the Reds crowd 😉

⚽️⚽️⚽️ SPONSOR APPRECIATION ⚽️⚽️⚽️

Grassroots football is the backbone of the game in this country. To keep it alive, you need dedicated volunteers—coaches, referees, linesmen, treasurers—the list is endless. But even the most committed volunteers can’t do it all alone.

That’s where the generosity of sponsors comes in. Without the support of local businesses, many grassroots teams would struggle to survive as the costs of running a team continue to rise each year.

This season, Poggy Reds have been incredibly fortunate to be supported by two fantastic companies, JPS Planning Services and Alligator Signs.

And now we’re delighted to share that Rob, Dawn, and Josh of Alligator Signs Limited, have kindly agreed to continue that support by becoming our home shirt sponsors for next season.

As a thank you, our coaches paid them a visit earlier this week, bearing a special gift— their very own framed away shirt. It now sits pride of place in their reception area over in Carlton, a small token of our appreciation for their incredible support.

It also gave them the perfect excuse to show off the boys’ cup-winning trophy again! 🏆

We are so greateful for all our sponsors backing—it truly makes a difference!

P.s keep a look out for the boys at Oakwell Stadium tomorrow as we make our “home debut”. Entering the pitch at half time to take penalties and yes the trophy is coming with us.

Up the Poggy reds

Supplementary Cup Final – Match Report
Champions 🏆

If you haven’t heard already… your Super Reds did it! A fully deserved 5–2 victory on the day.

We couldn’t have asked for a better start. Inside the opening two minutes, Reuben fired us ahead with a brilliant strike on his left foot, setting the tone early.

The Reds kept pushing, creating chance after chance, only to be denied time and again by the Staincross Blues goalkeeper, who was in outstanding form. Despite our dominance, it was Staincross who struck next—capitalising on a quick counter-attack to level the game. A real sucker punch given how well we’d started.

To their credit, the boys responded immediately. Straight from kick-off, some excellent work down the right from Fraser saw his cross-cum-shot take a wicked deflection and find the back of the net to restore our lead.

Fraser wasn’t done there. Just before half-time, he picked up the ball in space, beat his man, and calmly slotted home to make it 3–1 going into the break.

The second half began with Barney entering the game, and he made an instant impact. Linking up brilliantly with Fraser straight from kick-off, they were unlucky not to extend the lead further. Barney continued to trouble the opposition with his sharp footwork, pace, and direct running.

The team kept playing football well beyond their years, showing composure and quality throughout. The reintroduction of William added fresh energy, and he cleverly created space before finishing neatly for our fourth goal.

The Reds still weren’t finished. A superb passing move saw Barney nip in ahead of his defender and smash home our fifth.

Credit must go to Staincross, who never gave up and managed to pull one back late on. They’ve done brilliantly to reach the final and are a real credit to their coaches.

Both teams should be incredibly proud—an excellent final and a fantastic achievement all around.

🏆🏆🏆 SPECIAL MENTIONS 🏆🏆🏆

Every member of the Poggy Reds has played a huge part in getting us to the final and ultimately winning it. Their hard work in training, those winter park runs when football was off, and the extra sessions when the coaches felt they were needed have all led to this moment.

A massive well done to your Poggy Reds:

Isaac, Lochan, Alfie, Oscar, Reuben, Jesse, Fraser, Barney, William — and last but by no means least, our captain on the day… Super Seth 👏

We’d also like to give a big shoutout to our noisy neighbours, AFC Pogmoor U8 Black, who also got over the line in their cup final. A fantastic achievement for them and a great day all around for AFC Pogmoor 👏. Good to see lads from both teams joining each others celebrations.

Up the Poggy

⚽️ Poggy Reds Matchday Round-Up ⚽️

Today the Poggy Reds were back in action against Kendray in some truly horrible conditions 🌫️🌧️ — thick fog and rain from start to finish.

Despite that, the boys started brightly, moving the ball well and creating several early chances. Unfortunately, we just couldn’t find the finishing touch, and full credit to Kendray who were clinical when their opportunities came and made them count.

Even though the result didn’t go our way, the lads played some fantastic football at times, especially considering they haven’t played for a few weeks. The effort, attitude, and passing on display were excellent, and the coaches and parents couldn’t be prouder of how the boys dug deep in such tough conditions 👏🔴⚪️

After Kendray, we had a friendly pencilled in against Cawthorne, but the rain continued to pour and turned it into a bit of a washout. With Cawthorne only having five players, we mixed the teams up and ended up with a proper grassroots kick-about.

In true grassroots style, it was all about the love of the game ❤️⚽️ — teammates or not, the boys just wanted to play. There were some real quality moments, plenty of smiles, and great sportsmanship throughout.

Credit to both the Poggy lads and Cawthorne for embracing the spirit of football and simply enjoying the game. That’s what it’s all about 💪⚽️

Well done to both Reuben and Fraser who received the man of the match awards today. Brilliant decision making, quality in possession and working hard in winning the ball back.

Well done all.

Back to work for the boys this week, as we take on staincross rangers blue in a midweek friendly.

🎄Merry Christmas from your Poggy Reds!🎄

A massive THANK YOU to everyone for the amazing support this season — our players love it just as much as the football! 🙌

Big shout-out to our awesome sponsors Alligator Signs 🐊 and JPS Jassal Planning Services 👏 for backing the team.

Have a brilliant Christmas, enjoy the treats, and we’ll see you in the New Year ready for more goals, smiles, and fun! 🎅🎁🥅⚽

⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️ Match day roundup ⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️

Dads vs Lads match

Before today’s game the boys had a little business to attend too, with the little task in taking on there dads.

And what a game! An epic 8–7 win for the lads in a proper end-to-end thriller. The dads started fast, racing into an early lead, but as the game went on the boys’ stamina really paid dividends. They grew stronger, kept pushing, and grabbed the winning goal with the very last kick of the game. Absolute scenes after that – pile on ensued!

Keep an eye out for the highlights, and pay particular attention Alfie’s dad big tackle on Poggy Olly. 👊💥

Reds vs kendray

The boys clearly carried that form straight into today’s match. Second game against Kendray in as many weeks, and what a response after last week’s heavy defeat. Every single one of them should be proud. Unlucky to come away with just a draw, conceding in the final two minutes.

The lads dominated large spells of the game, going ahead twice and even having a third goal controversially ruled out. VAR was definitely needed for that one… although even then, VAR isn’t always the most reliable 😂

Man of the Match:

⭐ Fraser – back to his brilliant best. Fantastic work rate, creating shooting opportunities for himself with great pace and fancy footwork. He also showed his quality between the posts with a brilliant saves.

⭐ William – playing in a deeper role today and controlling the game throughout. Big tackles, tireless work rate, and leading his teammates both in attack and defence.

Shoutout as well to Jesse and Reuben, who both had a stint in goal and were again absolutely brilliant.

A brilliant end to 2025. Well done, lads 👏

Rumours are already circulating that the mums fancy a crack at the boys… could we see a Mums vs Lads match in 2026? And could the mums be the ones to end the boys’ unbeaten run against the parents? Let’s hope not… for the dads’ sake 😅