Yr 4 Foxy Girls v The BLUs.
WIN 3-2 and DRAW 1-1
Seen Chitty Chitty Bang Bang recently?
"Teamwork can make your Dream work" they sing.
Here are 16 magnificent girls who played as a team, and lived the dream. In fact, another two turned up after the official photo, giving us squads for two strong sides.
First off, the Foxy As, who've been playing a little longer, took on the BLUs U9s. For new readers, this is the top Bristol team. A "Centre of Excellence" in Football. A squad so professional, they have their own diet plan for breakfasts on match day....
In the past, they've beaten us 10-2.
Well, not any more. All the foxes played their hearts out, going for challenges and tackles with a new spirit: "I can win this ball!". And they did. At the back, Sophie HR, Phoebe and Anna R tackled all the BLU strikers, who are tricky customers. Isabel made some strong saves, and then booted the ball high over the midfield where only Emily Thomas could see it. Emily, Bryony and Sophie M ran the midfield as hard as ever, but with more passing and space than before. This cunning plan payed off, and soon the ball was in BLU territory more than ours. Pressure told, and Emily's boot found the net.
1-0 at half time.
Sweet.
The BLUs came back hard in the second half, and tested our defence. Sophie HR tackled Saffy so hard she fell to earth, but the ref called play on, so Sophie merely booted it upfield. Emily T had a second goal disallowed ( didn't quite inch across the line) and the girls picked themselves up and came back for more. A fine BLU strike made it 1-1, but then Anna D made a scorching run from the back to make it 2-1 to us. A strong BLU attack was then repelled by Phoebe and Anna R for a while, until Saffy finally got her reward for persistent attacks and levelled at 2-2.
A few months ago, these Foxes might have fallen at this stage. I'd be writing about noble efforts, and bad luck. Not today. You could see the hunger. You could taste the determination. And when Sophie M finally found the net, Brian and Ian were, well, like Prince Charming and Cinders at the Ball.Great teamwork throughout. Surely the next batch of Foxes couldn't equal that?
You know what, they did.
Marielle, Molly H and R, Tia and Rosie, Ellas T and W, Sophie C and Abi played a blinder. For some, their first serious game against quality opposition. Abi and Marielle were confident in goal, making some nice saves and kicking out confidently. Ella W, Tia and Rosie were so persistent up front that eventually the ball found the net.
1-0 to us. Combe Dingle was being painted Green and White.
Could the foxes win this too? It was too much to hope for, and we had to settle for a draw, though the Foxes definitely had more of the game. Molly H and Sophie earn our "terrier fox of the week" prize for just never giving up, Tia and Ella W showed great skills dribbling round the defences.
Out of 18 girls, is there a player of the week? Nope. Today's winner was definitely The Team.
As they sing on in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: "Though it seems your dreams impossible to do, great teams make impossibilities come true."
Too right.
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