Deerness Valley FC U9 Lightning

⚡️Lightning headed to Coxhoe for a preseason friendly instead of training tonight.

We played 3 x 15 minute ‘halves’ and finished with a penalty shootout ⚽️
It was an excellent workout for the boys, scoring plenty of goals and only conceding two.
It was a change playing on grass, rather than astroturf, but the boys adapted well and still played some lovely passing moves.
With only 6 players, the lads really had to dig deep towards the end, but they worked hard for each other and came away very happy with the result.

Thank you to Coxhoe for hosting us 🤝

Whitburn Panthers
Draw

A later kick-off at New Ferens Park saw the clouds roll in just in time for the start, creating perfect conditions for an entertaining encounter this morning.
Nate was missing for Lightning this morning, doing a Race for Life for a very important cause 🏃

Lightning made a bright start, with Gabe, taking his turn in goal, testing the Whitburn goalkeeper with a powerful long kick. Aiden also tried his luck from distance as Lightning looked to push forward.
Defensively, Lightning were looking solid. Noah produced an excellent interception before following it up with two crucial blocks, while George worked tirelessly to track back and clear the danger on several occasions. Gabe was called into action to make an excellent save from a free-kick, keeping the game level.
As the half progressed, Lightning began to move the ball nicely. A flowing passing move involving Noah, Aiden and Archer ended with Arlo forcing two excellent saves, while Archer and George also came close as the pressure mounted. Arlo was a constant threat down the wing, combining well with Noah and George to create several promising attacks.
Whitburn took the lead with a calm finish to make it 1-0, which was a lead they took into half time.

Lightning came out for the second half determined to respond. Arlo almost produced the equaliser with a great long-range effort that crashed against the crossbar, while George continued to provide quality at both ends of the pitch. Max won possession well in midfield, Aiden was constantly looking for a pass, and another dangerous cross from George was only inches away from finding Aiden.
Whitburn extended their lead during the second half, but Lightning never let their heads drop. George was denied one-on-one by the goalkeeper before eventually pulling a late goal back, calmly finishing after another great long kick from Gabe.
With time running out, Lightning continued to press. Their persistence was rewarded in dramatic fashion as, with virtually the last kick of the game, Gabe's long delivery once again picked out George, who finished brilliantly to score an almost identical goal and secure a deserved 2-2 draw.

It was a performance full of character, teamwork and determination from Lightning. Despite falling two goals behind, the players continued to believe, creating chances before earning a dramatic last-minute equaliser that their performance fully deserved.

The boys have scored last minute equalisers two weeks in a row, a great way to end the season. It shows how far they have come in terms of resilience and never giving up!

Goals:
George ⚽️⚽️

MOTM:
⭐️ George ⭐️

George produced a superb all-round performance, working hard on the Wing with some crucial tracking back and clearances before making the difference at the other end. He scored both of Lightning's goals, including a dramatic last-minute equaliser, and never stopped battling for the team. A well-deserved Man of the Match performance.

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⚡️ Sponsored by TSG Foundation ⚡️

END OF SEASON:

Some special mentions at the end of the season 🧡🖤

Archer - today was Archer’s last game with Lightning as he leaves to pursue other sports. He has been a pleasure to have in the team this season, and has fit in with the boys, both on and off the pitch. We wish him all of the luck in the world in his next ventures, and will miss him and his parents.
Go well Archer!

Coaches Dan and David - the coaches put a lot of work into the team, a lot of which takes place behind the scenes. We’re grateful for the effort they put in with the boys, which is really starting to show on the pitch ⚽️
Thank you!

Parents - thank you for the support you show to the team!

And most importantly - the Lightning boys! ⚡️Through good and bad times, these lads stick together, and can be so proud of their progress. From starting out as U7s to now, it’s clear to see they have improved, and we can’t wait to see where next season takes us….
See you soon!

Gateshead Rutherford Youth
Draw

Lightning were back at New Ferens Park for the first time this season on a warm morning, with Dan taking charge as the sole coach.
Archer was missing this week, raising money for a worthwhile cause ⛰️

The boys prepared with shooting drills and plenty of corner practice before an entertaining contest that would end in dramatic fashion.

The game started brightly with some excellent play down the right. A neat pass inside found George, whose effort struck the post before he reacted quickest to smash home the rebound and give us a deserved 1-0 lead. Patient passing from the back was a feature of the early stages, while Noah showed his toughness after taking a close-range shot to the face. After dusting himself off, he got straight back into the action.
Aiden was outstanding on the right flank, contributing at both ends and linking well with George and Gabe. Nate looked assured in goal, making good catches and distributing the ball brilliantly. The lead doubled when Gabe cut in from the left wing and fired a superb finish across the keeper into the bottom corner for 2-0.
Gateshead pulled one back with a long range effort. Arlo then came close to restoring the two-goal cushion, racing onto a long ball from Nate and seeing his effort crash against the top corner where post and bar met.
Gateshead then levelled at 2-2. Noah nearly restored the lead from a corner when his first-time strike from distance was heading for the bottom corner, only for the keeper to produce a fine save. Gabe then robbed a defender and unleashed a rocket that was also brilliantly stopped, before Max was denied after good work from Aiden.
Half-time came with the scores level at 2-2 after a hard-fought opening period.

The second half began with Gabe once again stealing possession and forcing another excellent save. However, Gateshead’s first attack after the restart ended with their striker finishing well to put them ahead for the first time at 3-2.
Aiden’s relentless pressing soon paid off. He pinched possession from a kick-in and slipped a lovely pass through to Gabe, who hammered an unstoppable shot into the top corner to level matters. Minutes later, Aiden repeated the trick, winning the ball again before setting up Gabe for a composed finish into the bottom corner to complete his hat-trick and restore our lead at 4-3.
Aiden’s tireless work up front continued to create problems, but Gateshead battled back. A stunning long-range strike made it 4-4, before they completed another comeback. Nate nearly prevented the fifth goal with an incredible full-stretch save onto the post, colliding heavily with it in the process, but the ball just crossed the line. Despite the knock, he bravely got back up and made several important saves to keep us in the game.
Max had a golden chance to equalise but couldn’t quite finish. As time ran out, the team kept pressing. Good work down the right led to Noah taking a quick kick and firing in a shot from a tight angle that the Gateshead keeper did well to save. The rebound fell perfectly to Aiden, who buried it with the last kick of the game to make it 5-5.

The lads can be very proud of their performance today, especially in the heat ☀️
It was lovely to see them celebrating together at the end, with the late equaliser feeling like a winner!

Coaches comments 🎤
Dan: The lads did brilliant today, fantastic to see the fight in them and all goals made and scored as a team

Goals:
Gabe ⚽️⚽️⚽️
George ⚽️
Aiden ⚽️

MOTM
⭐️ Aiden ⭐️
Aiden was immense throughout, working tirelessly, creating chances, winning possession and eventually grabbing the dramatic equaliser. A fully deserved Man of the Match.
Well done Aiden!

One final game to go in the Spring Cup next week where we face Whitburn Panthers

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⚡️ Sponsored by TSG Foundation ⚡️

🏆Deerness Valley Football Club Presentation Day 2026🏆

The Lightning boys attended the Presentation Day today to celebrate their efforts this season

It was a fantastic morning, with the lads all enjoying the games and inflatables afterwards ⚽️

Unfortunately George, and coaches Dan and David couldn’t be there due to holidays to celebrate with us. Thank you to Dan A for stepping in to present the boys with their trophies and saying a few words about them all

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Lightning have their Presentation Day tomorrow where the boys will celebrate their efforts this season 🏆
Two more games to go in the Spring Cup, with the next game being next Saturday 🟠⚫️

Washington United White Inter
Lost

After a cancelled game last week, Lightning were back in action at a slightly wet Hub this morning ☔️

The boys started brightly, with a lovely passing move between Nate, Aiden, Archer and Arlo, before Nate had a shot which went into the side netting.
Gabe was called into action in goal, making a good save.
Aiden had a shot, before getting back to do some excellent work defensively.
Washington got two quick fire goals, but the lads heads didn’t drop.
Nate, who had a cracking first half, did really well to win the ball back on the Wing and picked out Aiden who couldn’t quite manage to shoot.
Aiden then had a great effort, after a lovely lay off by Archer as the boys grew into the game.
Arlo showed some good strength, before managing to play the ball off the striker for a goal kick.
Nate showed some excellent skills on the wing before passing to Aiden who scored a fantastic effort which flew over the keeper ⚽️
Washington attacked from the kick off, with Archer tracking back really well and Nate helped out to put the ball out of play.
Aiden was on fire on the wing, and put a great ball across the goal which Nate couldn’t quite get on target.
Another lovely passing move between Noah, Nate, Max and George set George away down the wing and the ball went out for a corner.
Washington went further ahead when a long ball up the pitch from the keeper was put away for their third goal.
The lads then had to be strong defensively, showing some great teamwork before Noah managed to get the ball away. Gabe then made a brave save at the feet of the forward.
Nate combined well with George before George hit the post.
We had a couple of corners which came to nothing, before the half time whistle blew just as George managed to keep the ball in play on the wing and was running towards goal.
Despite being behind at half time, the boys had really grown into the game and deserved their goal.

The second half started with Aiden continuing his hard work in tracking back and helping out defensively.
Noah and George helped each other out at the back, and managed to scramble the ball away.
We pushed up and won a corner, which came to nothing and we had to race back to cover from a Washington break.
Noah and George combined once more to win a corner for us, before George had a shot which was saved.
Gabe made an excellent close range save to tip the ball round the post 🧤
George was excellent on the wing, and won a free kick in a physical contest, which came to nothing.
Arlo then had an excellent effort which was really well saved.
Aiden was beating players at will on the wing, and looking to drive forward at every opportunity.
Washington then got a couple of goals, which took the game away from us.
Noah and Nate both made last ditch tackles, before Gabe made an outstanding save to tip the ball over before full time.

Despite the scoreline, there were definitely some positives to take from today. Some excellent performances on the wings from George, Nate and Aiden, and some lovely passing moves which included each boy. The lads didn’t let their heads drop and tried their hardest to get back in the game

Two games left in the Spring Cup 🏆
We have no game next week, and will be back the week after

Goal:
Aiden ⚽️

MOTM
⭐️ George ⭐️
An excellent performance today from George. He worked so hard on the wing, and did everything he could to push us forward while helping out defensively.
He took the game to the opposition and tried to bring others into play, getting his head up to look for the right pass
Well done George!

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⚡️Sponsored by TSG Foundation ⚡️

Seaburn Juniors Golds
Won

Lightning were back in action after a Spennymoor double header over the last couple of weeks, playing Seaburn Juniors Golds.
In the two games against this team last season, we’d suffered a heavy defeat and a draw, and we were looking to take the front foot in this game, without Archer and Max who were making the most of a long Bank Holiday weekend ☀️

Lightning were under pressure from the beginning, with Nate making a couple of good early saves after Seaburn broke with pace.
We started to grow into the game, with Aiden putting Gabe through on goal, but his shot was touched onto the post by the keeper.
Nate then made another excellent save, with the ball rolling along the line.
Gabe had another effort which went wide of the post, and George also had an effort as we pushed forward.
The game was end to end at this point, with both teams trying to attack.
We went 1-0 down, and the onus was on us to find an equaliser….and what an equaliser it was! Just before half time, a long ball forward was blocked by Seaburn’s defender, and it sat up nicely for Gabe to score with a lovely half volley which lobbed over the keeper from distance ⚽️
1-1 half time

The second half started with George trying everything to put us in front. He hit the post, and then, not long after, slotted home from a long ball to give us the lead ⚽️
Aidan then played a lovely ball through for George, which he put away to further extend our lead ⚽️
At the other end, Nate made another great save, and was working well with Noah in defence to keep the opposition out 🧤
George almost got his hat trick, but he just couldn’t get on the end of a long range effort.
Nate made another save, smothering the ball at the feet of the attacker.
George set up Gabe, who went close.
There was some excellent tracking back and defending on show - Aiden and Arlo were up and down the pitch, putting so much effort in to help Nate and Noah out at the back.
Nate made some fantastic saves to keep the lads in the lead, before Seaburn managed to pull one back.
The boys could have let their heads drop, but this week it seemed like there was no way they would do that. Arlo went straight up the other end of the pitch from kick off, and scored a goal to put the game out of reach ⚽️

The boys really gave their all in the heat this morning, and it paid off with a great win. Having only six players meant they really had to work hard for each other, and they were absolutely shattered at the end.
Every single boy was fantastic this week, and they should all celebrate this result 🏆
Yet again, we had to manage injuries during this game, with Arlo taking a particularly heavy knock while making a strong tackle.
We’re back in action against Velocity Raptors next week ⚡️

Goals:
Gabe ⚽️
George ⚽️⚽️
Arlo ⚽️

MOTM:
⭐️ Arlo ⭐️
Arlo took the award this week for his never say die attitude and leading by example with his tracking back and never giving up.
He covered every blade of grass, and can be very proud of his performance!
Well done Arlo!

Coaches comments 🎤

Dan: The lads were fantastic today - great play by everyone

David: Excellent today. Every one of them were shattered at the end. So glad they saw it through
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

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⚡️ Sponsored by TSG Foundation ⚡️