B&DYFL match of the week: YMCA Blacks v Fylde Coast Soccer Iniestas
Two teams enjoying their second season in the Blackpool and District Youth Football League turned on the style for our Gazette match of the week.
U8 teams YMCA Blacks and Fylde Coast Soccer Iniestas have earned places in the top division and displayed their skills in an exhilarating game.
YMCA manager Tom Barnes said: “It was a great match to be part of. Both teams played with good energy and in the right spirit.
“Moving up to the top division has been a good challenge for us. The way the players all encourage each other is brilliant and they work very hard.
“The focus is on fun and helping each other to improve. They share the ball and never give up.”
Iniestas boss Chris Whalley was also full of praise for both sides and said: “It was a brilliant game. The opposition were fantastic and it was end-to-end.
“I’d expected the pitch to be boggier given the recent weather but they’d done a great job at YMCA.”
YMCA boss Tom has been in charge since the team formed ahead of the 2024/25 season and has benefited from a settled squad.
He added: “The players are a really close group of friends. The team has been the same since we started last year.
“They have stuck together and are enjoying a good run. We want to help the boys to build a love of football for life.”
It hasn’t been quite so stable for the Iniestas but they have regrouped well under Chris, who took charge at the back end of last season.
He explained: “We’ve had a bit of turbulence. We had some academy players last season, who have moved on. We’ve had to rebuild and we have some fantastic players now.
“I took over just before the Hogan Cup final and the lads were disappointed to lose that, but we’ve got some new faces now, it’s a competitive squad and I enjoy coaching them.
“The aim is to enjoy the rest of the season, have another cup run and do well in the other tournaments we enter.”
The FCS player of the match was Jaxon, a striker who has been playing in defence and enjoying a fantastic season.
The parents’ choice was Marcus, a new player who has really found his feet in multiple positions.
“He would run through brick walls for the team,” says Chris, who also gave special mention to goalkeeper Leo, the squad’s trainer of the week.
The YMCA player of the match trophy went to Hughie for his high levels of energy and commitment.
He also heeded instructions to the letter, though all the players showed exemplary effort and played a key part.
“They have all come on brilliantly and that’s thanks to the efforts of all the coaches,” added Tom.