Finishing
Counter Near Post Glide
Attack the near post with conviction
Finishing
Attacking
Crossing
Counter Near Post Glide is a 16-minute finishing drill for 4-16 players, suitable for Under 9 to Adults at beginner, intermediate, advanced level. You need balls, cones, full goals. Below you will find the objective, the set-up, how to run it, coaching points, common mistakes, progressions, regressions and variations.
Back to drill libraryFinishing
Attacking
Crossing
Skill Practice
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Full Squad
Youth Friendly
Adult Suitable
Goals Needed
Counter Attack
Duration
16 min
Players
4-16
Pitch size
36 x 30 yards
Ability levels
Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced
Pitch diagram
Counter Near Post Glide — Crossing and finishing — wide delivery into the box · 36 x 30 yards
Step 1 of 5Server drives the ball low across the six-yard box.
- 1. Server drives the ball low across the six-yard box.
- 2. Striker times a bent run to meet it at the near post.
- 3. Second striker holds the back post for anything missed.
- 4. The team in possession starts each rep in their own half and must build forwards.
- 5. Turnovers earn a direct counter at the mini goals worth two points.
- Cones mark the area
- Full goal
- GK = goalkeeper
- Dashed lines = wide crossing channels
- Ball
- C = coach / server
- Solid arrow = pass, thick = shot, dashed = run / dribble
Objectives
- -Attack the near post with conviction
- -Redirect fast service into the goal
- -Coach the movement that loses a marker
Setup
- 1A near-post run channel marked with two cones in a 36 x 30 yards area.
- 2Place two mini goals on the halfway line for the counter-attacking side to aim at.
- 3Balls with the wide server, keeper in goal.
Coaching instructions
- 1Server drives the ball low across the six-yard box.
- 2Striker times a bent run to meet it at the near post.
- 3Second striker holds the back post for anything missed.
- 4The team in possession starts each rep in their own half and must build forwards.
- 5Turnovers earn a direct counter at the mini goals worth two points.
Coaching points
- -Attack the ball, don't wait for it
- -Redirect rather than strike
- -Back post runner stays alive
- -Counter in a straight line — the first pass forward beats the recovery run
Common mistakes
- -Standing on the goal line
- -Trying to power a fast ball
- -Dribbling into traffic when the counter is on
Where this drill fits
- More football finishing drills
- More football attacking drills
- More football crossing drills
- football drills for U10s
- football drills for U12s
- football drills for U14s
- football drills for U16s
- Football session plans built around this theme