After expecting this to be a free weekend, we were given this late fixture change just before the school break. We are often a bit sloppy after breaks and generally need a few successive weekends of playing to get into a rhythm. There was also the added pressure of playing City Belles, who are always difficult and well organised opponents. Just prior to kick off, the girls all observed the minutes silence impeccably. The game then got underway. Although I felt we had slightly the upper hand in the first half, it was quite a keenly fought and even game. I warned the girls prior to the game that they would be pressured quickly when in possession of the ball and this seemed to have registered. We moved the ball off accurately and at a high tempo. Some of our passing and movement in combinations was very impressive. We created a few openings this way, with early shots from Lauren, Amy and Grace troubling the CB keeper. But strangely, our opening goal didn’t come this way at all!! From Niamh’s long goal kick, the ball bounced over the defence into space approximately 30 yards from goal. The CB goalie was quick off her line, and with 2 defenders in attendance, they looked to have safety in numbers. However, Grace still chased in between them and after outmuscling the defenders she lobbed the advancing keeper into the empty net. 1-0. Just to prove this was no fluke, Grace did the same thing again just before the break. Elia drifted the ball in behind the full back which Grace again battled 2 or 3 defenders to get on the end of. After cutting inside, she fired in a shot at the near post. 2-0. The 2nd half was a bit more difficult. We were playing into the wind and CB were playing very direct football and committing lots of players forward. I was extremely proud of our girls though as they soaked up the pressure in a very impressive manner. The girls at the back, Megan, Annabel and Elia defended superbly. They were able assisted by another stellar performance from Caitlin and a tireless Hayley in midfield. On the odd occasion that CBs broke through, Niamh’s positional play and handling were excellent. As the half wore on, we gained more of an attacking foothold again, especially on the break. Hannah almost finished the game off but her shot was blocked and Daisy showed glimpses of her old self as she eases herself back in after injury. I felt we could’ve looked after the ball a bit better and it was only really late on that some of Lauren’s crosses created chances, with Amy being unfortunate not to score on 3 quickfire occasions. It wasn’t really the sort of game for our flair players though, with it being more of a battle. I chose Grace as our GOM as her goals made the difference and were created out of nothing. There could have been any number of other players though as they all fought and worked very hard. There were many exhausted girls at the end, always a good sign!! GOM: Grace (ours) Lauren (CB)
