2022-2023 Season

The Jimmy Mizen Cup

Thursday 9th February 2023

On Thursday, Downderry Primary School took a team of year 6 pupils to The Lions Centre at Millwall’s Stadium to represent the school in the Jimmy Mizen Cup. Our team were brilliant and won the competition without losing a game, beating Goose Green Primary School 3-0 in the final. Our players received their medals and the trophy from the parents of Jimmy Mizen.

Jimmy Mizen, was a 16-year-old school boy from south east London who tragically lost his life in an unprovoked attack. The day Jimmy died, his mum promised him two things: one, she would keep his name alive and two, she would dedicate her life to working for peace. The Jimmy Mizen Cup has been an opportunity to bring our community together. ​After winning the tournament, our team attended Millwall's Championship match against Sheffield United and were presented with the trophy at half time.

As proud as we are to have won the competition, the priority for the day was always to bring our community together and value the opportunity to connect with others. It was wonderful to be part of the event and recognise the value of being able to interact and connect with others.

Lewisham District Success 

This year, 2 of our pupils have been selected to represent the Lewisham District Team. After being successful in the trials during the summer, Dexter and Jonny have been training and competing with the Lewisham representative team. 

On Saturday 3rd December Dexter and Jonny were an integral part of the Lewisham team that won the Inner London 7 a side cup. After reaching the final, the Lewisham team beat Camden on penalties and will now proceed to the South East of England Cup. The boys are commended for their excellent performance and team work. Well done Dexter and Jonny, and we look forward to hearing about more of your successes this year.

Year 5 and 6 Perform Well

Saturday 26th November 2022

Year 6

Downderry 1 v 0 Dalmain

Downderry 2 v 0 Rathfern

Our Year 6's game against Dalmain was a very tight match with defences proving to be very solid. In fact, as the game progressed it looked more and more likely that it was going to take something special to win match ... and that's exactly what happened: With just a couple of minutes left and the game goalless, Jonny received the ball a long way out from goal and sent a thunderbolt of a shot into the top corner to win the match.

Our Year 6's second match was equally as tight and it was only two amazing saves from Elijah that prevented Rathfern from taking the lead. However, the second half brought an improvement in attack from Downderry and we were able to score two goals to take victory.

Year 5

Downderry 0 v 2 Rathfern

Downderry 1 v 1 All Saints

Against Rathfern, our year 5 team were somewhat unlucky to lose 2-0. We had lots of chances and hit the post twice. We went behind to a freak goal involving a clearance that went in our goal off one of our defenders, and as we pushed forward for an equaliser, conceded a second. 

Our second game against All Saints was again very close, and saw more cohesion in the team. Although Henry scored an equaliser with a powerful low strike, after All Saints had taken the lead, neither team could muster a winner and so the points were shared.

Last Gasp Winner Seals Victory

Saturday 12^th November 2022

Downderry 5 v 2 Coopers Lane

Downderry 4 v 3 Torridon

Our year 6 team began their season with 2 stunning victories. In our first match, we went 3 goals up in the first half and looked to be cruising. However, the teams in this league rarely give-up, and Coopers Lane soon replied with 2 goals before half time. Soon after the break, Coopers Lane had several chances to level the game, but some brilliant defending and goalkeeping allowed the team from Downderry to maintain the lead. As Coopers Lane pushed on for an equalizer, Downderry were able to score 2 further goals to secure a superb victory.

The second match followed a similar pattern to the first: Downderry took an early lead only to be pegged back by the opposition before half time. In an end-to-end and extremely even game, the scores were level at 3-3 with one minute to go. However, just as the supporters had assumed the game would end in a draw, Eli passed the ball to Jonny (who was a long way outside the opposition’s penalty area), and Harley called to him, “Jonny be good.” Hearing this, Jonny knew what he had to do: He looked at the goal, then at the ball and fired a rocket into the bottom corner. The Downderry players and supporters went wild and celebrated for at least three and a half minutes. For the remaining seconds of the match, Downderry were able to maintain possession and hold on for another superb win.

After our second match, the Torridon coach commented that the match would have been shown first on Match of the Day due to how exciting it was. In truth, both of our matches would have been shown first and second respectively on Match of the Day and would have included several contenders for goal of the month. Hopefully, every week will bring the same level of excitement and quality.

A great start with a wonderful effort and team spirit. Well done to Evan, Qunicy, Orin, Francis, Jonny, Jack, Eli, Elijah, Dexter, Harley and Bhukazh. We are very proud of you.

Michael's Brilliance Keeps Us Unbeaten

Saturday 12^th November 2022

Downderry 0 v 0 Edmund Waller

Downderry 5 v 0 Launcelot

Our year 5 boys’ team kicked-off their league campaign with a good draw against a strong Edmund Waller side. For much of the match, our team were under pressure and had to defend resolutely in order to get something from the game. The whole team defended brilliantly to hold on for a draw, and gave the team from Deptford very few clear-cut chances. Even when Edmund Waller did manage to get a shot on target our goalkeeper, Michael, made 2 brilliant saves.

In our second game, the boys from Downderry were on top from the very start of the match. In fact, within the first few minutes of the game we won a penalty! However, although Seth struck the ball well enough, the Launcelot goalkeeper made a brilliant save. This could have played on Seth’s mind and prevented him from performing at his best. Instead, it appeared to motivate him and he went on to score 4 goals in the game. Calum added another to make the win even more emphatic.

And so, our year 5 boys’ team start their year unbeaten. With hard work and a great team spirit we could not have asked for more. Well done to Malik, Jadion, Zadion, Michael, Abdulwahab, Calum, George and Seth.

Year 5 Boys' Team

2021-2022 Season

Cup Final Heartbreak for Year 5

Saturday 30th April 2022

Lewisham Schools' Year 5 Cup Final

Downderry 2 - 4 Stillness (After Extra Time)

On Saturday, our year 5 team played in a cup final which was regarded by many team managers and the competition organisers as the game of the season. 

Our team made it to the semi-final by beating Rathfern and Launcelot after narrowly losing to Dalmain. In the semi-final, Downderry came from behind to beat Edmund Waller 3-1.

In the final, our Downderry team played the league champions, Stillness, who were unbeaten all season. In a match full of incident and chances, Downderry twice came from behind to draw level, thanks to a long-range goal from Seth and a skilful finish from Jonny, and took the game into extra time. Although Downderry continued to battle hard during the period of extra time, Stillness were able to score and hold on for victory. Although we lost, our boys were brilliant. They could not have tried harder and there was a real togetherness that drove them to perform at their best. We defended as a team and attacked as a team, and ultimately pushed a very strong unbeaten team all the way.

Well done to our whole team - we could not be more proud of you.

Our Year 6 Team's Final Games

Saturday 12th March 2022

On Saturday, our year 6 boys' team played their final games for Downderry.

Having finished in the top four of their group, our team qualified for the Lewisham Schools' Champions' Cup, along with the other seven best teams in the borough. All the games were very close and the standard was extremely high. Unfortunately, one win, one draw and one loss was not enough to send us into the semi-finals, even though our performances arguably warranted it.

And so our year 6 team say farwell to representing Downderry. Many of the players have represented the school since year 2 and have always shown great commitment and have demonstrated a wonderful attitude. Elijah in goal, with Vipushan, Sebastian and Santiago in defence meant we were always organised, solid and difficult to score against, while our midfield of Ashay, Dexter, Anderson, Luiz, Isaiah and Jonny proved to be skilful and potent when attacking, and hard-working when defending, and our striker, Moshe, always looked a threat and made life difficult for the opposition's defenders. A special mention must go to Jordan who joined the team in year 6. He added some steel and skill to our team's defence, and never missed a match.

All of the players will be remembered fondly and with great pride. We wish them well in the future and hope they return at some point to let us know about their footballing exploits at secondary school and beyond. 

Five Goal Thriller Ends the Year

Saturday 11th December 2021

Downderry 1 - 0 Edmund Waller

Downderry 3 - 2 Rathfern

Our Year 6 boys' team won both matches on Saturday, but the victories were far from straight forward. In a game of few chances, our match against Edmund Waller was settled by a single goal - a superb strike from Luiz. For the rest of the match, the team managed to defend well and protect our goalkeeper, Elijah, to hold on for a good win over a strong side. Jordan was outstanding as our rock in defence alongside Sebastian. Similarly, the match against Rathfern was very close. Even though Downderry went two goals up in the first half, thanks to Luiz and Anderson, Rathfern continued to put pressure on the team from Downderry. That pressure finally turned into goals and the scores were level. Then, shortly before full time with the score at 2-2, the Rathfern striker broke through the Downderry defence and looked certain to give Rathfern the win. Vipushan, however, had other ideas and managed to make a sliding tackle which prevented a certain goal. This brought a cheer from the supporting crowd, and a renewed determination from the Downderry team. With just seconds remaining, the boys from Downderry had passed the ball up the field to Dexter who was able to score a vital, winning third goal that took the points. Our year 6 boys now sit joint top of the league with St Matthews, who we will play in the new year. Well done to all those involved and a big thank you to Mr Hitch for managing the team.

A Winning Start For Year 6

Saturday 13th November 2021

Downderry 3 - 0 Horniman

Downderry 4 - 0 Baring

Our Year 6 team started their league campaign with 2 victories.

Our first match against Horniman was closer than the scoreline suggests as solid defending from Sebastian, Vipushan and Jordan was necessary in order to keep a clean sheet and take the victory.

The opening goal came just before half time and was initiated by an our goalkeeper, Elijah, who hit an amazing 60 yard pass to Anderson on the right wing, deep in the opposition’s half. Anderson controlled the ball on his chest and beat three players before rifling the ball into the far corner of the goal. The rest of the match continued to be very close until Dexter and Luiz, with the support of Ashay, Jonny and Santiago, settled the match with two superbly taken goals.

Our second match was much more one-sided than the first with Downderry having 27 efforts on target compared to Baring’s 1. The Baring goalkeeper, however, was in inspired form and made some outstanding saves to keep the scoreline respectable. In fact, it took a perfect long-range effort that nestled into the top corner from Dexter to beat the Baring goalkeeper and break the deadlock. After that, two more goals from Dexter and one from our striker, Moshe, secured the points for Downderry.

Well done to all those who represented Downderry. We are very proud of you.

Next matches: Saturday 27th November 2021

Downderry Bow Out in Style

Having represented Downderry since they were in Year 2, our year 6 boys’ team hung up their football shirts after playing for the last time in the Lewisham Cup. Having reached the semi-final in year 3, they were hoping to go one better this time round, but sadly, it was not to be.

After being beaten narrowly by Stillness and defeating Prendegast, we needed to win our last match against St Mathews to progress to the next round. Alas, although we had dozens of chances, we found the St Mathews goalkeeper in inspired (and somewhat lucky) form and were not able to score the goals needed to progress to the next round.

Although we were disappointed not to progress, our team played really well and tried really hard. Our supporters were brilliant and the games we played in were unbelievably eventful and exciting – even more exciting than the Champions’ League Final! As a consequence, it was a fine way for this particular team to say goodbye to football at Downderry. We are very proud of the efforts the players have made over the years, and have many fond memories of their time representing Downderry.

Saturday 1st February 2020

WE WIN OR WE LEARN

Downderry 1 v 2 Launcelot

Downderry 3 v 0 St Matthews

On Saturday, year 5 were up against Launcelot and St Matthews.

We started the game against Launcelot on the front foot, creating early chances which we managed to convert into a goal thanks to a clever strike from Elijah. Sadly, the lead was soon out of our hands after two quick fire goals saw Launcelot take a 2-1 lead, much to the disappointment of the boys. However, they rallied and finished the game the much better side, and despite several late chances, it wasn't to be our day as Launcelot managed to hold on to their slender lead.

The second game against St Matthews was a different story. With the boys eager to avenge their disappointment from the first game, we started well again. However, St Matthews played with everyone behind the ball and we found it difficult to break them down. As the game went on, it seemed as if luck wasn't going to be on our side. Then the ball struck a St Matthews player on the arm and without hesitation the referee awarded us a penalty. Our captain, Jack, stepped up with great confidence and arrowed his penalty into the top corner, which led to wild celebrations from the team. Two minutes later, Captain Jack was again in the right place at the right time to finish of a great move by the team and a great cross from Elijah. Elijah then topped off a great performance by adding a third and we finished the game with a comfortable 3-0 win. What a way to bounce back from the disappointment of the first match!

Tuesday 29th October 2019

FOOTBALL SUCCESS!

On Tuesday, our year 6 boys' team attended a football festival at Whitefoot Lane Playing Fields. All matches were very close but Downderry performed brilliantly and were able to win ALL their matches and, therefore, the overall competition. Wearing their medals home, it was a great way to start the season. Well done to all the players.

DISTRICT SUCCESS FOR DOWNDERRY PUPILS

Well done to Kane and Kai for helping the Lewisham district team win the Chelsea Cup. 

LEWISHAM CHAMPIONS' CUP FINAL

Saturday 14th May 2011

DOWNDERRY WIN THE CHAMPIONS' CUP

After coming in the top 4 of the Lewisham League, our Year 6 Boys' Team competed against the other best seven teams in the borough. After a very tight match in the semi-final, Downderry secured the cup with a brilliant performance in the final. Well done to all the boys who made this achievement possible. We are very proud of you.

INTER-DISTRICT FINAL

Saturday 19th March 2011

CUP FINAL PENALTY HEARTACHE

After beating all other schools from Lewisham to win the Millwall Cup, our Year 6 boys' team faced the best Southwark had to offer on the hallowed turf of The Den Stadium, Millwall's home ground. With thousands of supporters watching, the teams delivered a very tight game with few chances. And so the match went to penalties to decide who would go to Wembley for the London Final. Sadly, our team lost as the Southwark goalkeeper made the vital save. However, we could not be more proud of our team. Well done to all the boys: Aaron, Billy, Gabriel, Louis, Ayo, Tyrese, Glen, Sam, Quadri and Ayomide.