Hall Road Stingray's U13’s

20/09/2026

Hall Road Stingrays U13s 1–13 Swanland FC U13s

Today was a tough one for our lads, and one that I know will hurt. But sometimes football gives you days that test you just as much as the good ones do.

We welcomed Swanland FC U13s to Oak Road, and they arrived as a side who have come down from Division 3 into Division 4 and are clearly determined to make their way back up. That showed in their football today. They were more physical, more experienced and came at us from the very start.

If I'm completely honest, I think we underestimated Swanland as a group. We went into the game with the mindset that this could be an easy game, and that caught us off guard very early. An early penalty awarded to Swanland didn't help, and from there we found ourselves chasing the game.

As I have explained to the lads, the difference between divisions can be huge. The higher you climb, the higher the standard becomes, and the experience required to compete at that level grows with it.

Today gave our lads a taste of that Division 3 magic.

And although it was a difficult experience, it's an experience that will hopefully help us grow. 💙

The first half was difficult. We lacked our usual energy, determination and that little bit of oomph. We didn't come out fighting, and Swanland punished us for it.

But the second half was a different story.

We came out with much more determination and desire. We created chances, we created opportunities and we kept trying to get ourselves back into the game.

Unfortunately, we didn't always have enough support further up the pitch when those opportunities came, but the important thing was that the lads kept trying.

And that's what I'm most proud of today.

At times, I'm sure every single one of them wanted to be anywhere but on that pitch. And honestly, I can't blame them.

But they stayed together.
They carried on, they battled and they saw the game through.

For me, that speaks volumes about these boys.

A score line can tell you a bit of what happened on the pitch, but it doesn't always tell you about the character of the team.

Today showed me that we have character. 💙

Parents' Player – Aidan

Thoroughly deserved today. Aidan ran that midfield and wing, battled for every ball, tracked back, pushed forward and worked hard to create opportunities.

An absolutely brilliant effort from him today.

Coaches' Player – Avar

Another thoroughly deserved award.

Avar was an absolute asset in defence today. He worked hard, battled throughout and never stopped trying.

Well done, Avar! 👏💙

A couple of special mentions today too.

Oliver worked incredibly hard out on the wing, putting in the effort and continuing to battle even when things weren't going our way. 👏⚽

And Jayden, who once again showed his versatility by working hard in every position he was asked to play.

Today was our first proper hammering, and yes, it's a hard one to take.

But football isn't about never losing.

It's about how you respond when you do.

We learn.
We regroup.
We work harder.
And we go again. 💪

🔵⚪️🔵

20/09/2026

12:45 Kick Off ⚽️

🔵⚪️🔵

19/09/2026

14/09/2026

Hessle Sporting Stingrays V Hall Road Stingrays

14/09/2026

14/09/2026

Dave's Corner Kick. Second Goal ⚽️🔵⚪️🔵

14/09/2026

Oliver's Goal ⚽️🔵⚪️🔵

14/09/2026

Hessle Sporting Stingrays 6–2 Hall Road Stingrays

We went into today’s game under no illusion that Group 4 is going to be a challenge for us, especially with our team only being together for around three months. Some of our players have never even played for a team before.

You certainly wouldn't have known that today! 👏

The lads started the first half strongly. We applied pressure, created chances and produced some fantastic runs with the ball. There was some brilliant footwork too, with players showing great composure to get themselves out of danger.

Our attacking midfield were strong today and worked incredibly hard. Oliver, Zack K, Oscar, Jayden, Jacob and Dave all played their part, creating space, making runs, applying pressure and trying to get us forward.

Credit where it's due though — Hessle's defence were absolutely on top today. They dealt with a lot of what we threw at them and made it difficult for our attacking players to get through.

Hessle opened the scoring, but it wasn't long before we responded.

⚽ OLIVER with a fantastic low finish into the bottom corner to make it 1–1!

After Oliver's goal, Hessle clearly recognised the threat he posed and started keeping as close to him as possible, shutting down his runs. And that tells you something — they knew he was going to cause them problems! 👊

Our second goal came from a fantastic corner delivered by Dave. We put just the right amount of pressure on in the box, and that pressure paid off as we managed to bag ourselves another goal.

It may have gone down as an own goal, but let's be honest — without the pressure from our players in that box, it wouldn't have happened! ⚽👏

🧤 Macauley once again made some absolutely fantastic saves to keep us in the game and gave us a chance to keep pushing.

We went into half-time 3–2, still very much in the game.

The second half was always going to be difficult with only minimal substitutes available. As the lads began to tire, gaps started to appear and our defence was opened up more than we'd have liked. Hessle managed to capitalise, with a couple of fortunate goals going their way.

The final score was:

🔵 Hessle Sporting Stingrays 6–2 Hall Road Stingrays 🔵

The lads were understandably disappointed with the result, but they absolutely should not be disappointed with their performance.

They gave 100% from start to finish, and the scoreline doesn't reflect just how well they played, particularly in that first half.

We created the space.
We made the runs.
We created chances.
We got shots on goal.
We defended under pressure.
And most importantly, we kept fighting. 💙

The more game days we experience together, the more we'll gel as a team. We'll learn each other's strengths and weaknesses, understand each other's movements and continue developing together.

For a team that has only been together for such a short amount of time, we held our own today.

And something that made us particularly proud was hearing from the Hessle manager after the game. He spoke really highly of the team, praised all of the lads for how they played and couldn't believe how long we'd actually been together.

When the opposition manager is saying that about a team that has only been together for around three months, it shows we're doing something right. 💙

We're building something here. We're learning every game, we're improving every game, and most importantly, we're doing it together.

🏆 PARENTS' PLAYER OF THE MATCH — MACAULEY 🧤

Another fantastic performance between the sticks. Macauley made some crucial saves and once again showed how solid he can be in goal.

Massively deserved, buddy! 👏

🏆 MANAGER'S PLAYER OF THE MATCH — JAYDEN ⭐

Jayden absolutely smashed every position he was asked to play today. He ran that midfield, tracked the ball down and never gave up.

A brilliant shift from Jayden. Well done! 👏

⭐ SPECIAL MENTIONS ⭐

A big shoutout to Jacob, our recent signing, who played out of his skin today! He applied pressure up front and in midfield, with his pace and speed causing problems. His crosses were fantastic too. Brilliant performance, Jacob! 👏

Zack W deserves a mention for giving absolutely everything in defence. It felt like the ball was constantly coming down his side, but he kept going and battled throughout. Well done Zack.

Charlie L was once again solid in defence. He showed great ability to take the ball, drive through numerous players and release it down the wing. Another strong performance.

And finally, a big massive shoutout to our whole entire defence. 💙

They had a lot to deal with today and were pushed to their limits, particularly in the second half. Despite the pressure and fatigue, they kept going and continued to battle for the team.

That's what being a Stingray is all about.💙

The result might not have gone our way, but there are plenty of positives to take forward.

Keep working.
Keep learning.
Keep believing.
Keep playing together.

TOGETHER WE PLAY, TOGETHER WE WIN.

🔵⚪️🔵

13/09/2026

Today marks the start of our first league together as a squad.

Hessle Sporting Stingrays V Hall Road Stingrays
King George V Playing Fields

10:30 Kick Off

UpTheRays 🔵⚪️🔵