Derby Futsal Club 2019/20 Midseason Recap

The 2019/20 season so far has seen Derby Futsal Club go from strength to strength. Both its men’s and ladies’ teams are playing in the inaugural season of the FA National Futsal Series, and improving constantly.

Off the court, the club has been working tirelessly to build upon its foundations and now has a much bigger volunteer team working hard to build and grow the club to further progress. We look forward to seeing what the second half has in store for both teams and the development of club for next season.

Men’s team

Following on from a strong year in 2018/19, our men’s side are competing at the top end of Tier 2 North with five wins from six matches. They are currently in second, with only one defeat – a close 6-4 result to Cheshire, who sit just two points above Derby in the standings. They have also made it through to the semi-finals of the NFS Super Cup with a dominant quarter-final performance over Sunderland University.

University of Derby Scholar Liam Hunt has become a key part of the team, whilst goalkeeper Rich Hankey has received plenty of plaudits for his excellent performances so far.

Matt Richardson leads the way in scoring with 10 goals in six appearances, and he believes that the team will continue to improve as we move into 2020: “It’s been a good first half to the season, we’re unfortunate not to be unbeaten in my opinion but some things can’t be helped. Things are looking really positive around the club as it builds throughout the year. We’re gaining more player interest and we have university links that can now officially sign on during January that we had hoped to have signed at the start of the season.”

New team captain Dylan Harris-Newton has also contributed seven goals, with Sam Huntingdon adding six. Player/coach Huntingdon is also hopeful that some new additions during the transfer window can boost the side: “During the break and the opening of the transfer window both the men’s and women’s teams have worked really hard to build their squad numbers and things are looking very positive for both teams in the future. We will update you on all signings once the transfer window has closed.”

Results:
Durham 3-4 Derby
Loughborough Development 1-4 Derby
Washington 3-9 Derby
Sunderland University 1-6 Derby
Derby 4-6 Cheshire
Derby 5-2 University of Nottingham
Derby 9-2 Sunderland University (NFS Super Cup)

Scorers:
Matt Richardson 10
Dylan Harris-Newton 7
Sam Huntingdon 6
Manny Freeman 4
Liam Hunt 3
John King 3
Connor Towes 2
Quentin Casey 1
Michael Thorpe 1
Oliver Whaley 1

Ladies’ team

The 2019/20 season is just the second year of DFC having a female side, and it has been a big step up so far – training together for the first time and making a four-hour round-trip for every game has presented challenges but also many opportunities. The community links with the University of Derby Women’s Futsal Club remain strong, with the university being the main source of signings, with the addition of some talented external players.

Although the team are without a win so far this season, this has not stopped the girls showing their talent on the court; already they have eight different scorers. Even in the game against Loughborough, when the squad travelled with no substitutes, they managed to score four goals and compete well. Performances (and results) have significantly improved through the season.

The 5-5 draw against Bedford in December was the team’s best showing of the season, with the 4-2 halftime lead well-deserved, and the point well earned in the second half with significantly fewer substitutes on the bench than the home team.

Last year’s top scorer Heather Keith has continued her form, scoring three in three so far this year. Fran Critchley-Watson has also contributed three goals. BK Meinke leads the way as top scorer, with five in four appearances. Meinke has also taken on a player-coach role during her time with the team, and the squad will miss her greatly as she is relocating to pursue opportunities in football.

The search for a new coach and additions to the squad has commenced, and things are looking bright for the second half of the season. 2020 will also bring the team’s first FA Cup appearance.

Results:
Kent 11-3 Derby
Derby 1-7 Birmingham
Derby 4-12 Loughborough
Bedford 5-5 Derby
Derby 5-9 Kent

Scorers:
BK Meinke 5
Fran Critchley-Watson 3
Heather Keith 3
Lauren Asquith 2
Hannah Roberts 2
Meg Gabarda 1
Kayla Kret 1
Rachel Weaver 1