SU Sport
FOOTBALL NEws
The SU Football Team – aka The Oranges – have had an eventful season, with a report from Football President Olly below showing just how much has gone into their aim of promotion within BUCS.
With the support of a new coach, Craig, the boys have seen highs and lows, but have always given their all both on the pitch and in the Students’ Union more generally – winning the Great SU Duck Hunt and running ITFC competitions at Uni Open Days.
If this inspires you to take up football, look out for them at September’s Freshers’ Fayre. And if you’re up for joining the women’s football team, why not sign up for their training session on Weds 9 April – no prior experience required!
ORANGE SEASON REPORT
Another season of the beautiful game has come to a close and here’s how it unfolded.
With a new youth intake of freshers, the squad was looking healthier than ever, gone were the days where we had to travel with a bare 11. The aim this season was simple, promotion.
First half of the season
We started the season travelling to East London, with a squad boasting nine debutants. A match that had highs, lows, and dodgy decisions - the story of our season. Bobby and Kieran both continued where they left last season. Bobby scored, and Kieran missed a penalty. A tough battle ended in a 1-1 draw and the Suffolk put their first point on the board.
Next up was our return to the swamp (which was the swamp no more!). A lovely new grass carpet had been laid, and we were ready to display ‘OrangeBall’ to a sell-out crowd. Eager to make Inspire our fortress, the Oranges were quick out of the blocks and raced into a 3-0 lead courtesy of a headed goal from Pim (surprise, surprise) as well as a strike from Kieran and an own goal from the opposition. Of course, we don’t do clean sheets, so our customary solitary goal conceded went in and the game ended in a 3-1 win over Greenwich.
The next two games saw attention switch from the league to the cup. Cup day of course meant the boys were suited and looking sharp upon arrival, and the football in the first round matched this, with a dominant 4-1 victory over UAL. Round 2 came round, and Dom had gone blonde. An incredible game for the neutral ended 3-3, with a late comeback from the Suffolk having been 3-1 down with 10 minutes to go. That meant one thing, penalties. Five perfect penalties a piece and it reached sudden death, SOAS’ taker slotted his away, 6-5. Up steps Blonde Dom, a lovely pass back to the keeper meant we exited the cup (to the eventual winners), with full focus now on the league.
Looking to move on from the cup exit, the boys moved away from football for the week and helped the netball team to warm up for their season ahead. Netball vs Football on the netball court. The change of sport did not faze the boys as they got back to winning ways with a 5-4 victory.
A couple of cup games and a netball match later and the league season was back. Wanting to right the wrongs from that penalty shoot-out defeat, poor UEL were on the wrong end of a battering. A huge 9-1 win and we were back on track! Goals ranging from a tap in from Josh, to a ‘worldie’ from Wekz. The Oranges certainly had their mojo back.
The final two games before Christmas supplied a mixed bag of results. A 3-0 defeat to Essex 4s in a top of the table clash left the lads deflated. However, this was followed up with a 4-1 win over LSE, meaning the Oranges headed into Christmas top of the tree. With just one point separating the top three there was one hell of a title race about to take place.
second half of the season
The first couple of games back were against second and third placed Essex 4s and 5s. Looking to exact revenge on the 3-0 defeat inflicted on us just a month prior we knew three points here would be huge. A massive display from everyone and a 2-1 win from behind put away the 4s. Next up was the 5s. A crisis in goal meant Bobby found himself between the sticks. But not to fear, a 3-2 victory this time round and the Essex teams had been dispatched, job done (or so we thought).
Three games to play, and here come the lows I spoke about earlier. Needing just four points from three games, the Oranges had one hand on the title. Travelling to a Greenwich side we had previously beaten 3-1 we knew they would be up for it. In what ended up being a scrappy affair and not our day we fell to a 2-1 defeat, annoying but not the end of the world. Still two games to play, and a chance to do what was needed.
Essex 5s next. Conditions? Horrendous. Performance? Subpar. Result? Gut-wrenching. The nightmare had happened, and a 7-3 loss took the title out of our hands and into theirs.
On to the final game of the season and we knew we had to win to push Essex all the way. We dispatched off LSE with relative ease with a 5-2 victory. LM5 topping the year off with moment of the season, and celebrations that’ll last a long time. Our high spirits were quickly deflated as news filtered in that Essex had received a walkover victory, practically handing them the league.
Currently we are awaiting official BUCS confirmation of our fate, as it depends on results in the league above, however at the time of writing it looks like the Oranges have achieved their aim of promotion!
FINAL WORDS
A huge thank you to Aimee, Lindsay, Katie and Lewis for their support from the sidelines and help behind the scenes. Our coach, Craig. And, of course, everyone who has trained or pulled on the famous orange and black this year, you’ve done us proud.
It’s been a pleasure, and for one last time from me, up the oranges 🍊🧡
Olly
Football President 24-25