Stratton Youth U/16s had another tough game away to a strong Cirencester Town squad. Finding themselves 7 – 0 down by half time, the team rallied in the second half to concede only two further goals while creating some scoring opportunities of their own. Final score Cirencester Youth U/16s 9, Stratton Youth U/16s 0. Stratton's Man of the Match was Isaac Mould for a good performance in defence under heavy pressure.

Stratton Youth U/13s fell to their second league defeat of the season. In a very tight game which neither team deserved to lose, it was second placed Cricklade who eventually ran out winners. The first half saw minimal chances created for both teams and the second half was much the same. In the end it took an unfortunate own goal for Cricklade to get the win and secure all 3 points and move above Stratton to top of the table Emmanuel Meeke & George Quli shared the MoM award.

Stratton Youth U/11s travelled to Highworth Town Junior FC for their latest cup fixture. Within one minute a perfect cross whipped in from Jaden Mullis landed for Caleb Kavanagh to knock home. Brilliant pieces of play from both ends with Toby Telling, Tyler Drew and Oscar Jacques all having an amazing game. Player of the match Tom Foley chipped the keeper hitting the crossbar. Tom was crucial going forward as well as being incredible in defence. Jack Miller and Ben Szczerkowski both played a half in goal with crucial saves right up until the last minute, helping to keep a clean sheet for the U/11s.

Stratton Youth U/10s Blue travelled to Lydiard to play in a cup match. Recent performances had shown a real improvement and that continued into today’s game. The U/10s dominated the first quarter but only had one real chance when Jack Cummins had a right footed shot blocked by the opposition goalkeeper. Toby Stallard made several of his trademark strong runs from the middle of the pitch to the goal but was often crowded out by the defenders. Mike Bettington-Walker has made a big difference in midfield and continued with his constant tackling and breaking up of the play. Vivan Nembang and Cory Stewart looked strong in defence but both sides were unable to break the deadlock. In the second quarter, Ben Seakins played some sublime passes to open up space on the wings for Leighton Emson, Oscar Omerod and Harry Maloney to run into. Then, against the run of play, the opposition scored after a defensive mix up.

The team did not deserve to be behind at half time but their heads did not drop and they came out for the third quarter keen to make amends. Almost immediately, Jack Cummins skipped past an opposing player and fed a clever ball through to Toby Stallard who ran through on goal and smashed it into the back of the net. Bertie Jarvis covered every inch of the pitch while Julian Gurung tried his luck from 30 yards but saw his shot fizz just wide of the post. In the fourth quarter the team looked like they would go in front and that proved to be the case when Leighton Emson seized on a loose ball and cracked the ball home. Despite looking comfortable the team owed their eventual victory to a last minute save from Toby Robinson who palmed a strong shot onto the post and out. The team were delighted to record their first win of the season. This year has been a bit of a baptism of fire against some strong sides with many of the team playing matches for the first season but they have never been despondent after any of their losses and deserved to celebrate a victory. Given the strength of the team performance there was no individual player of the match with all the team sharing the accolade.

Stratton Youth U/9s played a cup tie against Chippenham U/9s. The match was played in great spirit by two evenly matched sides. Chippenham started quicker and scored the first goal of the match. They continued to build pressure and doubled their lead just before half time, after a great passing move down the left. The second half saw Stratton rediscover their best form. Archie Miller’s driving run from the half way saw him beat a couple of defenders before an excellent strike into the bottom corner. The score was then levelled after a long throw from Josh Price was finished neatly by Liam Smith. With the scores level, Stratton applied more pressure and their build up work earned them a third goal, nicely finished by Xavier Elderby-Harris. Then a great fingertip save by Josh Price in the last minute maintained the lead for Stratton. Xavier Elderby-Harris was man of the match for his all-round display.

Stratton Youth U/7s had another impressive performance away to a very good, strong Wootton Bassett team. The teamwork, positioning and passing was outstanding along with the defence, constantly putting in great tackles and the forwards putting the ball in the back of the net numerous times. Each goalie (one for each 10 min period) produced good saves although the defence ensured the opposition didn’t create many chances. Dan Price grabbed a hat-trick, with Ollie Saunders, Ethan Parry and Sion Jones also getting on the score sheet. Player of the week went to Henry Strange for his efforts in training and his excellent tackling and positioning during the match.