The Bolton Wanderers International Soccer School Football Studies Programme 2009/10 is into its 4th week of 2010, James Ward (A Team Coach and Course Leader) takes time out of his schedule to answer a couple of questions.
Q. Now that the snow and ice have finally gone, how are the two teams getting on?
A. It’s been great to finally get out onto the training pitches, we have had two solid weeks without any interruptions due to the weather and it’s fantastic to see the lads get out there and show us what they can do. The two teams are training hard and last week saw the start of our fixtures.
Q. How have the 2 Teams got on in their first competitive fixtures of 2010?
A. The B Team played last Thursday against St Monica’s and came out on the end of a 4-1 defeat. Like any new squad it’s going to take time for the lads to settle in and get used to the English game. There were lots of positives to take from the Match though, the lads played some great football and showed a fantastic attitude and kept battling on till the final whistle.
The A Team had their first fixture away at Salford Fire Service FC last Friday, I couldn’t have asked for a better start or performance from the lads. They cruised to a 7-1 victory and as the score line suggests they dominated throughout, there were some pleasing individual performances. Meni (Captain) lead by example was tireless and didn’t give a single ball away all game, Nazar (MOM) was clever on the ball and gave the oppositions defense the run around for most of the match. The team has set them selves high standards and expectations for this year and is well on track to achieving them.
Q. So now that the squads have settled in, are there any potential stars for the future?
A. it would be unfair of me to start mentioning names but yes both squads have a lot of promising talent. One boy has already had an opportunity to train and play with Bolton Wanderers Reserve Team, and with a number of other clubs monitoring our player’s progress it will only be time before they get a chance.
Thanks for your time and we will catch up with yourself and the boys soon.