Match Reports

Sponsors of the Under 13s

Under 14s v. WORTHING MINORS (Result 0-3) League - 19/02/05

 

This report will not be a long one. I was looking forward to a continuation of our improved form over the last two matches but, alas, was disappointed.

The game was a patchy one, with neither side showing great flair or consistency, but Worthing Minors played the better team game and came away with the win. The action started with neither side showing much commitment, apart from when Minors got an early break, testing Amy after just 3 minutes. A quick reactive dive to her right enabled Amy to pull off a fingertip save, deflecting the ball past the post for a corner. Minors failed to get near our goal again for a while until, on 10 minutes,  our defence was turned and they could well have scored, but their shot was not on target. We were not creating chances at the other end, and were definitely missing Amy P up front. The few moves on goal that we did have tended to involve chasing long balls. Although Susan who was deputising up front didn't do a bad job, she received little support and was unable to hold the ball up whilst we got players up into attack. On 15 minutes, our Worthing rivals got their break. Our ex-team mate Katie, cut in from the right and fired a nicely taken ball across our keeper and into the left hand corner. Having gone a goal up, Minors failed to put much more pressure on us for quite a while. Despite us standing off and not stringing our passes together, they too could not really get much flow in what turned out to be a pretty scrappy game. We were perhaps a little unlucky to concede again 2 minutes before the half time break as, although Amy seemed to have the angles covered, their slightly speculative shot hit the left post and rebounded into the goal just as Amy dived to meet it.

 

A few adjustments at half time saw a slightly improved display for us until Minors added a third goal later in the game which killed off most of our fight. Rachel kept battling away in the middle of the field, and cut out many a ball by sitting just in front of our back four. Although this proved a valuable act, it meant that she was rarely able to push up and support on the few occasions we managed to get the ball up to our forwards. One such instance occurred 27 minutes into the second half, when I felt confident we might secure a consolation goal. A lob from Rachel put Poppy and Susan through and a close one-two enabled Poppy to run through the Minors defence, straight towards goal. Just as she was about to shoot the ball bobbled slightly and came off her shin, giving neither the power nor direction she required. Needless to say, the scuffed shot was fairly comfortably saved  by the Minors' keeper. Not long after that the whistle blew and put us all out of our misery. There were very few consistent performances by individuals in this match but the one that did stand out was Rachel's. Yet again, she gave everything she could and refused to give up. For this reason, she deservedly receives the 'Player of the Match'

award for brightening up an otherwise lacklustre performance.

 

Under 13s v. WORTHING TOWN (Result 3-2) League - 27/02/05

 

I think everybody was a little worried about this one. We have not had many games recently and when we have we have not been at our best. On the other hand, Worthing Town have improved since we last played them and we weren’t sure what to expect.

 

To add to the spectacle, snow was falling quite heavily at times although it never really settled.

 

We got off to a very slow start with every one trying to chase after the ball at the same time. It took me back to when we started up about three years ago. Things got even worse when Jenny’s attempted clearance sailed into the top corner of Jess’s goal to make it 1-0 to Town. This seemed to be the signal we needed to start playing football. We started spreading the play more and began to control the game.

 

After a period of sustained pressure the ball was put out by a Town defender for a corner to us. This was about our fourth corner and it was probably Chloe’s worst one. She played the ball too short and it went straight to a Town defender. Fortunately she kicked it back to Chloe who ran in and slotted the ball past the keeper from a tight angle, 1-1.

 

We continued to control the play with Jane and Cassie making some particularly impressive runs. In the 29th minute the ball was taken down our right wing. We cut in but the ball was cleared. It fell to Chloe though and she whacked it straight back into the goal from about 20 yards out. Natasha remarked that she saw Chloe shoot and it ‘Sailed over my head and into the net as I cheered it in’. 2-1.

 

In the second half Town moved their No.9 up front for a while and it was paying off as her speed and control was causing us a lot of problems. On 42 minutes they got a corner and after about 1000 attempts for our defenders to clear the ball, it eventually fell to their number 8 and she knocked the ball past Jess and into the net. 2-2. Jess was finding herself busy and pulled off 2 or 3 very good saves. Even when the ball was not necessarily heading towards the goal her handling was very good and she was able to send the ball up field to our attackers. On a couple of occasions we managed to get Chloe through on the Town keeper but she was unable to get any more goals as their keeper was also having a fine game.

 

However, we were starting to get more and more of the ball and on 52 minutes Kerry collected the ball, beat a couple of Town defenders and then slipped the ball through to Jane who had no problems in finding the net. 3-2. From this point on we rarely looked in danger and seemed to be able to control the ball enough to hang on for the win.

 

This certainly wasn’t our best performance of the season but we can be very satisfied that we are, once again, looking more organised.

 

 

Under 14s v. LITTLEHAMPTON (Result 0-7) League - 06/02/05

 

As Littlehampton were unable to raise a team for what should have been our home fixture earlier this season, we had no real idea what to expect for our visit westwards along the coast. We knew that when they were at full strength, with several Centre of Excellence players, they produced some punishing scorelines, such as the 8-0 defeat of Lindfield, and 17-1 against Worthing Minors. We also knew that they had, on occasion, struggled to have all their players available. Today, they greeted us with almost a full strength squad, and we in turn had all of our 12 registered players.

Sticking to the same formation that saw us playing some greatly improved football last week, we settled quite quickly and were first to produce a serious attack. Amy P broke through towards the left hand corner of the 18 yard box, but her long shot went just wide of the right upright. One minute later, Littlehampton managed to shrug off one of our defenders with a nice turn, and a run to the left of centre, drawing Amy C in the process. The shot across Amy's body was well taken and flew into the right hand side of the goal, giving them an early home advantage. We were playing some good football and certainly contained most of their subsequent attacks for the rest of the first half. Not only were we looking good in defence, but we also passed the ball well and moved well into space. At times, we were moving the ball effortlessly past the opposition with good, accurate wall passes. I was also pleased at the increased effort, and the way we tried to hold the ball up until we had enough players to go forward in numbers.

Exactly what I had asked for! Our defenders held their line well and pushed up, using the offside trap to great advantage. When Littlehampton did break through, Gemma, and particularly Hannah, were great in preventing many of the more serious threats. One that did escape us, however, was almost a reverse of Littlehampton's first effort. This time, a quick break saw them away down the right of centre, drawing our 'keeper, and then slotting home a nice shot across her body and into the far left corner. We really should have gone in just 2-0 down at half time, but a corner 26 minutes into the first 35 saw a lack of communication between our goalie and defenders, with neither going for the ball as it fell into the six yard box. Needless to say, an advancing Littlehampton forward was only too pleased to punish our mistake by tapping in their 3rd.

 

Our half-time chat was quite upbeat, and there was really not much that I could suggest to improve things. Everybody was doing well and trying very hard indeed. I was very encouraged at the way we were preventing our opponents from crossing the ball into dangerous areas. Most of their girls are quite tall and fast, and renowned for heading in goals from accurately placed crosses. We seemed to be cutting this out completely. As the second half kicked off, we kept trying hard but our inferior numbers, and Littlehampton's superior fitness, gradually started to show. We conceded a sloppy goal 3 minutes after the break when a weak shot caught Amy slightly off her line and trickled into the corner of the net, almost in slow motion. Our hopes were raised on 14 minutes when Amy P broke through to chase a good incisive ball. She kept her composure but, before she could shoot, she was brought to the ground with an over-enthusiastic body charge. The referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot and it looked as though we might be able to pull one back. Rachel, who often takes our set pieces, stepped back to give Amy P her chance of avenging the foul. Although her kick was hard, it sailed agonisingly over the crossbar and Littlehampton's 'keeper was left untested. We made them wait almost 20 more minutes, however, until they added a 5th. Regrettably, this was almost a carbon copy of the goal before it, a weak stab with no power, which our defenders really should have chased and cleared. Prior to this, Amy C had pulled off 2 saves for us in quick succession from the same build up. We really started to look tired now as Littlehampton broke fast down the left wing just 3 minutes later. With no defenders to contend with, their striker was one-on-one with our goalie and slotted it past her at just the right moment to net their 6th of the game. I am not sure how or why, but suddenly we seemed to find a reserve of energy, and the final 10 minutes saw us looking threatening once more. Susan started to come alive again on the left wing and was combining well with both Rachel and Amy P.

Her accurate left footed crosses, and lovely through balls, really deserved to produce something for us but it was not to be. Nevertheless, we continued to build our attacks patiently, and entertained with some good flowing football. As we pushed forward, a slight error in midfield meant that we lost possession and gave Littlehampton one last chance to break.

This time our defenders could not get back in time, and a cross from the right was controlled well on the turn and fired high into the roof of the net. A lucky 7th? Not this one. It was great goal and showed just how dangerous Littlehampton can be if you give them the space to cross and shoot. We too had one last try from Rachel in added time. We refused to give up and got forward with numbers, determined to at least get our consolation goal. Rachel's well placed chip almost squeezed itself between the crossbar and the 'keeper's outstretched arms, but she found just enough strength to parry the ball down, with no-one quite near enough to tap it in.

 

We received hearty congratulations from the opposing management, and the parents of both sides, on our encouraging display. Despite the scoreline, it was generally agreed that this was our best display of the season so far, and I am encouraged by our attitude and progress. With no fixture next weekend, let's hope we can maintain our good form, which we will certainly be needing for our next clash - the local derby match against Worthing Minors. Today everybody played well, with no exceptions, but the two that particularly stood out for me were Hannah (especially in the first half), and Susan (especially in the second half). Hannah continues to build on her stunning debut performance at right back last week where she took joint 'Player of the Match'. Susan, however, takes this week's award for a very skilful display in which she created attacking moves, yet was never far away when required to come back and defend.

 

Under 14s v. BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION (Result 1-11) League - 12/03/05

 

A daunting prospect indeed for our final league game. Just 10 players available against league leaders Brighton who had won 17, drawn 0, and lost just 1 match this season. As it happened, Brighton turned up with a squad of 10 as well but, as we see from the result, it didn't help us too much.

For the first part of the match we seemed to do quite well in containing our opponents and, very occasionally, getting into their 18 yard box. Gemma was unlucky to concede a penalty after 10 minutes when a hefty challenge in the box upended an Albion defender. From where I was, it looked like a fair shoulder charge but, a couple of our girls later confirmed that her elbow was out a little and the ref had called it fairly. Needless to say, Albion netted from the spot but it was 21 minutes into the game before they got their 2nd. The thought crossed my mind that we might be able to better the scoreline from our last 6-1 defeat but then the goals started coming thick and fast. The second goal was a nice chip over our goalie who had come well off her line to clear an earlier attempt. A third was added when Brighton broke and fired through a crowded box, although the initial pass should have been flagged for offside. On 29 minutes Albion netted a fourth and then, a poor goal kick was pounced upon by Brighton who were able to run at our keeper and push it past her as she advanced. So we went into the break 5-0 down after what seemed a promising start. Towards the end of the half we had fallen into bad habits and were not challenging enough in midfield for loose balls, and not attempting to win the ball from goal kicks.

 

The second half started reasonably well as we kept them out for almost 10 minutes and Amy P, our lone striker, continued to get through now and then.

A break down Brighton's left wing led to their 6th goal and another came shortly after. Before the game I had asked for strength in midfield and wanted to see us defending from way up the field. Our players on the left of midfield seemed to do this well but we were leaking badly through our right, and Albion's left winger was having a field day. There was some consolation for us 14 minutes into the 2nd half when a poor kick from the Brighton goalie was spotted by Ellie, who ran on to it and slid it to the 'keeper's left as she came out. This was to be our only goal of the game.

Brighton continued to dominate adding 3 more from open play, and 1 from a penalty after we handled in the box. With 10 minutes to go I had brought Amy out of goal and her place was taken by Katie B who pulled off some good reaction saves during her brief but hectic spell between the posts.

 

At times during this match we showed flashes of brilliance but, regrettably, also let Brighton have too much time on the ball. Our positioning was good on the whole, but we were unfortunate to have a key defender injured early in the game. She struggled on bravely but was understandably unable to perform to her best level. Good performances were put in by Hannah and Steph, with Amy P also doing well considering that she was marked extremely tightly for the whole game. But the outstanding performance of the game, out of all 20 players on the field, was given once again by Rachel who is clear winner of my 'Player of the Match' award.

 

Under 13s v. Adur Athletic (Result 0 - 3) League - 12/03/05

(match abandoned after 51 minutes—injury)

 

I’ve lost count of the number of times we have only had 9 players this season but, once again, this did not deter us.

 

This was almost the youngest squad we could have played as Megan, Chloe, Celia, Cassie and Kerry are all technically Under 12s. Only Kirsty, Jane, Kayleigh and Jess are true Under 13s so this result was even more remarkable for that.

 

With a strong wind behind us in the first half we started very strongly and after just a few minutes had managed a couple of half chances for both Kirsty and Chloe. It was an end to end type of game and nobody really had a good shot on goal until Chloe forced a good save out of the Adur keeper after about 15 minutes.  Jane had settled easily into her new position in the centre of defence and was playing the Hannah/Jenny role (if they get past you, turn round and get that ball back fast!) with great effect. Her fellow defenders, Kayleigh  and Megan were giving her fantastic support and helping to keep he back line very steady. Jess was getting plenty of the ball but never had a save to make. Her long drop kicks were causing Adur all sorts of problems but we failed to get onto them to create good shooting chances.

 

The opening goal didn’t exactly come against the run of play but did still come unexpectedly. We had just defended a corner and were having trouble getting the ball clear. Adur had closed us down well and one of their attackers got a tackle in and shot past Jess who had no chance of saving it. We barely had time to kick off again before Jez blew his whistle for half time.

 

The second half was much like the first and both keepers were seeing plenty of the ball although not having any difficult chances to save.

 

The turning point came on about 48 minutes when Jane went in for a challenge and fell to the ground, hurting her shoulder. After treatment, Jane continued but the knock was affecting her running and she was unable to get back when Adur broke through on 49 minutes for their second goal.

 

The third goal came in the 51st minute, again from a break away and again, Jane was unable to get back as fast as she had been doing all game and Jess had no chance with the shot. She came out and attempted a tackle but when she was beaten the Adur striker had an easy job to score.

 

I asked the ref (ok then , Jez) if he could delay the kick off as Jane was obviously struggling. It soon became clear, though, that she would be unable to continue and so we had to abandon the game as we were down to 8 players and this is below the minimum number allowed by the league.

 

What followed next, though, was a credit to both sets of players.

 

Both teams were enjoying the game so much that they didn’t want to stop and so we agreed to play an 8-a-side friendly of 7 minutes each way. This gave Jess the opportunity to play out on the pitch and both her and Kirsty scored late goals in a 2 – 2 draw.

 

If anybody from Adur is reading this, I would like to thank your Players, Coaching staff and Supporters  for their friendly attitude throughout the game and for their understanding when we had to abandon it.

 

I have spoken to Jane’s mum  and she says that Jane has recovered now after feeling a bit sore on Saturday afternoon.  If I had to name a player of the match it would just be Jane for slotting into a strange position so well. However,  nobody played better than anybody else so I think that everybody deserves this award as you all played to  your positions exceptionally well  - sorry Jane!

 

I said to Dave and Darryl that, in my opinion,  only the home game against Crawley this season was on a par with this performance.  So, well played everybody!