Ben Edkins

Match Report

Elites Envy Last Ditch Goal

A sunny day in Northallerton proved to be a good one in a six-goal thriller between visitors, Spraire Lads Elite, and Northellerton Juniors.

Spraire went into the game on the back of a three game win-streak having picked up maximum points in the TJFA league, and progression to the next round of the League Cup.

Northallerton Juniors were sitting in a miserable second last as the in form Elites rocked up on Sunday ready for the 11:30 kick off.

Spraire Lads lined up an unchanged squad from the win over Redcar Athletic one week back with captain Owen Littlefair the rock of the defence. Newcastle fan, Theo Vassilounis lined up in goal, whilst Finley Carrigan and Jamie Peacock finished up the three-man defence. Sitting in midfield, manager Ben Edkins chose Joel Towers, and Daniel Raine who sat comfortably in central midfield whilst flamboyant wingers Joshua Edkins, and Jack Cole lined up in the channels. Up front as the lone striker was silky forward Nathan Ward who was the league’s second top goal-scorer with six goals to his name.

The game got off to a good start for the Elite as they began to play some beautiful give and go football, moving the ball around the pitch very well. Liverpool fan, Towers was the pivot point of the side during this time as he played some very accurate balls through to Ward. However, Spraire were unable to convert after a good save from the Juniors’ goalkeeper.

Further pressure was added from Spraire after centre-back, Owen Littlefair headed the goalkeeper’s long punt to right back, Carrigan. Josh Edkins then linked up with Carrigan to play a few one two’s down the right wing. Edkins then played a sneaky ball to the edge of the area where he found midfield general Daniel Raine. Unfortunately for the Elites, the attack was quickly quelled as Northallerton began to crowd the ball in numbers of no less than three at a time.

The Elite dominance wasn’t to stop, and with the same build up as the previous attack, Raine played a great through ball to winger Edkins who unleashed a fierce long-range strike. However, the keeper made yet another crucial save to deny the Elites before Nathan Ward slotted the rebound in with ease.

Northallerton kicked off for a second time within the first half and were quickly dispossessed by Towers in the midfield who played a great ball over to Edkins. The right wing partnership was yet again crucial as the West Ham fan knocked the ball backwards to Carrigan before running onto a chipped through ball. Ward was then on hand to play a one-two with Josh, playing him clean through for the second Spraire goal as Edkins smashed the ball into the bottom corner.

Half time soon followed the lead-doubling goal where manager Ben Edkins told his side to keep playing the beautiful passing football and to not get too complacent.

During the second half the referee decisions were going against the Elites with a penalty appeal being turned down before Towers was called offside after nut-megging a Northallerton defender and latching on to his own ball.

Goalkeeper Theo Vassilounis was troubled for the first time all day after he caught an ambitious effort from the Junior’s target man. With quick reactions, the young keeper distributed a fine throw to play forward, Ward on goal who skipped past a bulky defender before slotting his second goal of the day into the back of the net.

The Spraire domination continued however, with the team playing some great football despite their incapability to capitalize on many chances in a game that could have finished 20-0! It was however, Northallerton who grabbed the next goal of which was completely against the run of play as number 11 ran past Littlefair before toe-poking a powerful shot into the corner of Vassilounis’s goal.

The second goal for the Juniors also quickly followed on what should have been called for offside as the keeper punted the ball to a straying winger. Unfortunately for Spraire their comfortable lead was decreased as Northallerton scored! Had Spraire been as clinical, they could have won by a cricket score!

A second penalty appeal was waved away after Ward was felled inside the box. However, a freekick was given and it looked certain that Edkins would score having converted two in the last two games. Northallerton lined up as a red wall placing all eight outfielders in a wall. Edkins’ shot was then saved from the keeper after an emphatic dive.

The last minute of the game saw Northallerton take a short corner as substitute Isaac Pattison was unable to close down the pass. The winger launched a wayward cross into the box with the ball taking not one but two deflections. One from Ward, and the second from the post. The last thing the ball touched was the net as the Northallerton spectators jumped in jubilation at such a supreme comeback.

Spraire kicked off eager to get another last-ditch goal in the game, but the ref blew the whistle as soon as the ball was rolled leaving the score at a thrilling 3-3!

Spraire moved up to third in the league, just two points behind Thirsk Falcons, and Billingham Town whilst Northallerton remained just one point away from the bottom.

Spraire’s Nathan Ward was delighted to find out the he is the joint top goal-scorer in Division 3 with a tally of eight goals in three league games!

Interview Article

Thirty-three year old, Darren Mitchell is no ordinary man, with a serious addiction to coaching, and living the tough, yet much loved life as a full-time single father. Even handling two children on his own is hugely appreciated, because “The gift of having children is a gift that keeps you going!”
Coach Mitchell, as players refer him to at both his American Football team, Darlington Steam, and his normal football team – if you will – the Spraire Lads Panthers, coaches two different sports for two hours each PER week, and on top of that, has now been appointed as an American Football coach for Darlington Borough Council, where he is aiming to develop the game in the North East.

Being a single father, things are never easy, especially with two active children who just love to release mass amount of energy whether it’s through playing football, American Football, or chasing each other for hours on end. However, just watching this small family shows how happy everyone is with Darren holding a huge relationship with both of his children, Harper, and Cole.
Both children are sports fanatics with Harper playing for his father’s under 8’s football team, the Spraire Lads Panthers. As well as this, the two youngsters are eagerly awaiting the day they turn 11 when they will fit into the age bracket set for the Darlington Steam – a British, American Football team in Darlington, ran by their father, and ‘uncle Lee’.
Darren is a huge believer of keeping his children active, and also feels this expands his own hobbies, “Too many people want their children to be babysat next to a TV. I’m not like that, I like to be involved, let’s get to the park, let’s have a run about with a football, let’s go for a walk, let’s get out and do things, and sometimes the weather can’t help, but it doesn’t have to be outside, what about doing things inside? I mean, we play snakes and ladders, just the three of us, and we have fun.” The huge family-man holds nothing above his children, nor family, even coaching, despite his addiction!

Unfortunately for the Mitchell’s, the current situation occurred through a breakdown in relationships between the kids, their mother, and their father. Forced to go their separate ways, Darren urged to care for his children. Despite all of this, the kids are happy, Darren is happy, and so is their mother who tends to come over and watch the children whilst Darren coaches.
Fortunately, for all involved, nothing too important broke down, and the children always continued to see their mother – as Darren stated “I don’t think that should ever have changed, and it didn’t!”

“Parenting comes first, then coaching”

Darren started coaching in 2003 with Kader Athletic, before returning for a further spell in 2009, however, his passions now lie with the Spraire Panthers, and Darlington Steam – two teams where he puts maximum effort in.
There is a lot to Darren when it comes to coaching, as the former Middlesbrough youth player tends to say things how it is. Even when his sides are winning.

Recently, the FA made rules in regards to developmental football, eventually stating that children below the age of 10 cannot in fact lose. Darren, however, disagrees with this rule to an extent, arguing that at every level, children should be learning that losing isn’t good, eventually stating “If children are getting into the habit that losing is acceptable, when will they learnt that they need to work to win?”
Darren enjoyed stating his opinion in regards to this rule, with a firm belief that grassroots football is rapidly changing from when he played, to now, when his eldest son is, stating that players are being wrapped in cotton wool. “kids are wrapped in cotton wool”
“Winning is an all important factor of football yes, but sometimes it can have its negatives too, back when my dad coached me, we could win five nil and he would still find negatives in our game, but it was good because he made sure we weren’t riding the waves of victory, thinking we are the best.”

“You don’t get degrees handed to you, or you’re A levels, GCSEs, or even your SATS, you’ve got to work for them”

Spraire Lads became the third football team that Darren had coached, and sitting comfortably, he explained the process of him becoming manager, “I was wanting to get Harper into playing football because he was a good player, he was playing at school and he was playing out in the garden and any field he possibly could really, and I thought the time was right with him being seven at the time, to get him into a team, to progress him, because playing football in the back with your old man can only do so much really, and he needs to be around people the same age, learning off team-mates, which I think people should do because players have different traits, different heights of talent, and different ways of playing, so the best thing to do is get them in there so they can take that next step, but when he went in, they didn’t have a manager, and with me having past experience I put myself forward for it to which they snapped up. But it was one of them things, as it didn’t last, me being the manger there, but I learnt a lot from it, [my time there] even though it was brief.”
Darren had only been coaching the ‘original Spraire Lads Under 8s’ for around seven months when he decided to leave due to conflicts with the parents, however, from that, stemmed a second club for the Under 8’s age group, further expanding Spraire’s broad range of teams to well over the twenty mark, as the Spraire Lads Panthers soon became official. The former side seen the departure of not only the head coach, but also Harper, who followed his father to his new side, as did two other players that felt they weren’t in place with the other players. Now, after a few months, the Panthers are booming with the arrival of a further four more players, a surge in numbers which has seen the likelihood of the side existing, much more likely.
The Panthers are hopeful to join the TJFA leagues this September, with their head Coach Darren Mitchell hoping for a successful pre-season in summer with plenty of mini-tournaments to look forward to.
When asked where he hopes to see the Panthers in five years time, Darren responded with realistic ambition, as the players would then be in the Under 11’s age groups, therefore meaning that they would be old enough to lose, and play competitive football. However, Darren’s main ambition lies with having a solid, stable side that not only has huge amounts of fun playing, but is successful in terms of their game!

Despite these achievements in football, Darren also holds huge passion for American Football, coaching his very own side called Darlington Steam which is a satellite team for a professional, British American Football club named the DC Presidents, of which are based in Durham City.
“Myself and the other founder, Lee Howitt, a close friend of mine, have always spoken about running academies and that stemmed from working with a senior team, The Presidents, where Lee was once playing as a rookie Wide Receiver. But when he was there he got taught nothing, and was getting hit left, right, and centre, and he never even knew how to take a hit, what his body mechanics were meant to be. Basically, there had been no teaching of the fundamentals of the game, and we thought it would be a good idea for us to run a side that could teach young players these fundamentals, so that when they go into the game, they aren’t going in blind, as Lee did.”
It was New Years Eve of 2012 when Darren and Lee received some welcome news, when the DC Presidents put it forward that they wanted the pair to run a youth organisation, and from this, has now stemmed a club that consists of over eighteen players ranging from the ages of nine to nineteen!

Back in Darren’s playing days, he was also being coached under his own father, Colin Mitchell, “My dad was an awesome manager back in the day when I was a kid, so I kind of look up to him,” States Daren who also went on to say “I’ve always wanted to be like my dad in that respect and it’s always been there.” When asked why he wanted to be a football coach, and had it always been an option.
Darren played for numerous grassroots football teams such as Kader – who he went on to coach – Marton, Boro Rangers, Hemlington United, and a few more. As well as this, the peak of his playing days came when he made the youth squads of many professional sides including Coventry, Sheffield United, Middleborough, and even Leeds United! However, even with this glorious playing past, Darren would much rather coach, even at grassroots level!
With this huge array of playing experience, the disciplined coach ensures that he uses all of his experiences to help his players at both the Panthers and the Steam!

ProGame

With the current professionals being under huge scrutiny as to the role models that they are, with many being very crazy with their £million.00 pay cheques!
However, our sports-mad coach feels that the grassroots game is failing due to the rules, as well as the professionals. “Football was a working class sport but it still remained professional, the best of the best played, and I know off the field some of them weren’t top notch but now I think there’s a massive lack of professionalism, and it is all about the money for most of the pro players.” In terms of the players, and their strange ways (i.e. Mario Balotelli) Darren gave me an insight into the reason why American Football has the upper hand over football, as they ensure ‘bad eggs’ have no chance in the game, “in American football, yes they still have the odd player who can go astray, but it doesn’t last, because once they do something bad, no other team will want them, that’s them done, that’s their career over, no other team will want to touch them because, they are seen as a bad egg whilst in football they could do something bad at a club and get snapped up by another one in seconds, there is more room for them to get away with stuff because the consequences aren’t sever enough,” all of this lack of professionalism was further blasted by coach Mitchell as he went on to discuss how the professionals are destroying the grassroots game of football, “The lack of professionalism needs to change because it’s stemming down to the grassroots, I mean look at the cheating and the diving, even with the under eights I’ve seen games which I’ve managed and watched seven year olds diving, and arguing with referees, and these are the things frowned upon in American football.”

The quite clearly, passionate coach seems to juggle the life of a coach, and a single parent with ease, showing no signs of stress, but only joy with his hectic life of sports, family and friends whirl-winding around him. It is obvious that Darren Mitchell wouldn’t have life any other way, especially if it involved giving up one of his beloved contributors of life! The life of a full-time single parent with a serious addiction to coaching.

Coaching Weekly Article

If you are looking to drill a passing factor into your side then this drill is a must with its combination of quick temp passing, and playing your way out of trouble.

Fortunately for this very rewarding drill, it isn’t too complicated with just bibs, cones and a ball being needed as well as your team to conduct.
The drill, ‘See it, Do it’ is rewarding for any coach in that it enables their side to gain the experience of a tight, closed, compact, game whilst players are prompted to shift the ball around, somewhat aimlessly in attempt to suck in the opposition before launching a burst of pace, creativity and energy all goal-bound. This sort of drill can be seen working, which is what any good coach will want, with my own experiences showing that children tend to learn from exciting drills that do have clear relation to the game.

How to do it:
Firstly you want to get your squad together for a small pre-drill chat regarding the aims of the drill, and your attempts in develop them through a certain playing style.
Secondly, split your side up into UNEQUAL teams, so lets say I’m using my squad of 18. The first team of 11 are to wear one shade of bibs, whilst the other seven wear a different colour.
The area in which you will conduct this drill can vary, from the center circle, 18-yard box, or even a custom shape – Try to keep it tight, but big enough for players to have room to move.
The two teams should be urged to knock the ball around between them, keeping the ball on the floor, keeping their heads up, and constantly moving to enable more space, and offer constant options for their team-mate in possession.
Finally, get the game underway by throwing in a ball to the team of fewer players.
Throughout this drill you will want to encourage positive passing momentum which should see one of the two sides keeping the ball for a relatively good few minutes, however, make sure not to get the other team down, and encourage them to keep pressing the man in possession, urging them to give the opposition no longer than one/two seconds on the ball – this should give the players some knowledge of when to close down the opposing side.
As this drill continues, ensure that you change things up, and you can do this easily by changing the number of players on the two teams, gradually creating two EQUAL playing teams which should generate a much more tense, close, and exciting drill for the players.
Further progressions for this drill could include adding two goals at either side of the playing area to give the team an aim, as in a game, possession of the ball is brilliant, but if you can’t convert it into goals, it is pointless, and you are playing for a draw! With this progression though, you could see a change in playing mentality, as it becomes a game on a small pitch, therefore you are to critically ensure that the two teams are aware of some ground-rules!

1) All players must touch the ball in their own half of the playing area.
2) At least half of the side must touch the ball in the oppositions half.
3) Touches can only be counted as receiving a pass, and passing the ball on.
4) The ball must be walked into the goal.
5) If the ball is kicked aimlessly into the air, the opposing side gains possession.

This drill is very effective for developing players’ confidence in football, as they are encouraged to stay calm in possession of the football, and play the ball to a teammate. As well as this, it develops their reading of the game through constant pressure from the opposition forcing them to find the best pass in short spaces of time.

As well as gaining a good, attacking playing style from this drill, your players will also pick up some crucial defensive techniques such as closing down – an underrated, and under-coached aspect in football throughout grassroots level.

Why do I like this drill?