02/06/13match report by Ed Women’s Conference Div 1 Glenfield Rovers (1) 3 Bay Olympic (0) 0 Another match day trip saw the BO fb Ed do another trip over the Harbour Bridge. Thankfully, the day was sunny and not windy, but once again my navigation skills let me down and I got to the venue by a round about route. Still, I made it in time to see the warm up and that the game had shifted off the number 1 pitch to the number 3 pitch due to the state of the goal mouths. Odd, you would think that an elevated pitch would be the best drained one on the ground. It would have been nice to play on the number 1 pitch with it sundeck stand on a day as warm as this..... To the game, the home team kicked off facing the East. Despite looking dangerous on the breakaway, we had the first real chance of the half. A short corner move from the Northern side of the pitch found the head of Heather Skinner, but their keeper pulled off an outstanding save to paw away the ball to her right. Then the home team showed why they are amongst the leaders in this division by producing a number of chances. First, their number 10 broke away, but Vicki Knowles in goal was able to save her shot at the Southern post. The next chance again fell to their number 10 after good work by their number 11 on the Northern flank. The ground cross found the number 10 in the middle of the area, but Vicki was able to pull off a comfortable save. Finally, their number 8 blasted wide of the Southern post in front of a virtual open goal after our defence was put under pressure. 1-0: the pressure pays off as the home team take the lead. Their number 10 broke away on the Northern flank and got into a one on one situation with Vicki in the area. The resulting low shot was placed past our keeper into the Southern corner of the net. The Rovers continue to pile on the pressure to increase their lead. Again, their number 10 breaks down the Northern flank and hits a ground cross in the penalty area, but their number 9 puts the ball high over the goal...at this stage, I again wonder why the authorities who put football grounds near houses could not have spent a bit more on fences – more specifically, the height of fences. I can imagine a surprised motorist in Archer Rd meeting a shot that went wide on the number 1 pitch. Here’s hoping we do not run out of match balls. The next chance is closer as the number 10 looks to walk the ball into the net with a run through the middle of the penalty area. However, the build up involved a hand ball...so no goal. Finally, Vicki Knowles produces a save with her feet to stop their number 12 from scoring with a low shot on the Southern post. The ball goes out for a corner on the Northern side of the goal. We then produced our second chance of the half when Charlotte Abbott had a shot from the Northern side of the pitch. Unfortunately for us, the shot went wide of the goal. Vicki was then called into action a few minutes later at the other end of the pitch. Again using her outfield skills, she stopped another shot with her feet as their number 11 broke away on the Northern flank and tried to hit a low shot at the near post. For a part time keeper, Vicki was showing good positional play. The final chance of the half fell to the home team as their number 12 got free in the penalty area on the Southern side of the area. Thankfully, her shot across the goal just went wide of the Northern post. So, we went into the half time break doing a good defensive job. Could we add to their frustration and nick a goal for ourselves in the second half? It was not to be as the home team continued to carve out chances. The first chance came from a corner on the Southern flank where their number 8 had a free header. However, again Vicki was in the right position and was able to collect the header in a comfortable fashion. The next chance fell to their number 10, but Leah Mettam made sure her run down the middle of the pitch was not going to be an easy one. Leah’s last shoulder charge told as the number 10 put her shot wide of the Southern post. Charlotte then had another chance for us as her shot was saved on the Southern side of the goal. 2-0: the home team are able to add to their lead. Their number 10 again has a break down the middle of the pitch, and despite the best efforts by Leah to hustle and bustle the player, the Rovers attacker had enough composure to put her ground shot past a standing keeper into the Southern corner of the net. In response, Leah sets up Charlotte for another chance. However, the home keeper is again up for the challenge as Charlotte’s chip shot is saved on the Northern edge of the penalty area. Building upon this good passage of play by us, we create another chance as Dakota Boyes wins the ball on the Northern side of the pitch and sets up Heather Skinner on the Southern side of the goal in the penalty area. But once again, the home keeper pulls off a save to keep us scoreless. The home team then came close when their number 15 wasted a good chance when she shot wide of the Southern post after being found by a cut back cross from the Northern flank. Charlotte then came the closest for us all game when her long range shot from the Southern side of the goal clipped the top of the cross bar. 3-0: after a number of offside calls when the ball was played to the flanks, the home team took the more intelligent route by playing through the middle of the pitch from just inside their half. A break by two of their players saw them isolate our keeper, and despite Vicki trying a last ditch save, the ball ran free to their number 10 who was able to thump the ball into an empty net. Still, we were not giving up as Dakota Boyes and Sonil Mehta both had chances to have shots, but the home team defence were able to scramble the ball away from the Southern part of the penalty area. The final chance of the game fell to the home team. Their number 16 had a shot, but the ground shot was comfortably saved by Vicki. So, what to make of this game? Overall, it was a good performance despite the score line. Especially, when compared to other teams of similar standard that we played this year where we let in 6 to 7 goals. I do believe now that we have settled on a line up we are starting to prove that we do belong to this Division. Mind you, I do think that Reserve teams form the Women’s Northern Premier League should be playing in their own Reserves competition. Be that as it may, I do applaud the efforts of our team. For this game, I would highlight the solid deputising goal keeping duties of Vicki. I would also mention the organisation by Caitlin Byrne of our defensive line to keep shape when catching the opponents in off side positions. Mind you, it did help this week that we had a full set of officials. Our offside trap would probably not work as well in other weeks, hence the need to play a little deeper in those occasions, and to possibly include a sweeper at the back. Till next week…. Post = 9th
Posted on: Thu, 06 Jun 2013 16:06:24 +0000
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