Bishops OutFoxed by Queens of the Downs

WP Foxes Y4 Girls : 9 - 2 Bishop Road Girls

"So Tia, where do you want to play today?"
"Everywhere."

Not the most advanced understanding of team positions and territory football, maybe, but - as it turned out - a perfect description of a frenetic morning's action!

15 Foxettes turned out on the first decent Saturday of 2010 to face two 6-a-side teams from our friends at Bishop Road. And they played their little green socks off.

No passengers, great enthusiasm as ever, resolute tackling and even some deliberate passing was spotted. That scoreline came from 4 mini-matches, of which the Foxes won 3 and lost one (3-0, 4-0, 1-0 and 0-1), and one mad mega match which we drew 1-1, despite being, by this stage, outnumbered 11-8. Yes, hilarious numbers!

Let's start with the impressive bit of that total score.
The 2 goals conceded. In five matches. Superb defending.

Emily Cowell played the morning of her life, keeping a totally clean sheet for the 2 matches proper. "Calm, confident, solid" as Coach Jo described it. And in the mayhem maxi-match, some fantastic saves against waves of Bishops, including one spectacular series of on-the-line clearances.
In front of her Emily had some lovely defending by Phoebe and Ella T, who Coach Jo described as "unrecognisable from a few months ago". Bishops so much as looked at our goal and Phoebe would come slicing out, removing the ball with surgical precision. And Ella - you're so much stronger now you believe in yourself.

The other team had Isobel and Marielle in goal, and once again some lovely keeping. Isobel's "cannonball clearances" are now famed in North Bristol girls footie. They usually land in the other team's half, where Anna D picks them up and pops them helpfully in the net. She was helped by superb defending by Anna R, who has now mastered clever passing so our defences turn into attacks, Marielle and Megan. I counted two serious Bishop attacks that were thwarted by a brave interception from Megan. Go for it girl, you can do this!

In midfield, Tia harried and ran her legs off and really should have gone amongst the scorers, but her passes made at least one goal, if not two. Molly R, Sophie and Sasha have really got the hang of this "stop the ball, look around, kick it to someone in the same shirt as you" thing. Extraordinary.

Ok, you can keep em out at back. But someone has to put it in the other net. Step forward Emily T and Sophie M. I'll give the best on this from the Bishop coach, Dan. "You have some serious finishers there, Dave, those two really don't mess around."
What's more, they have now been passing - and on the move, and fast. Emily took one goal all the way from our own lines, and Sophie scored a scorcher in the massive 11-8 battle. How she got through all those bodies I will never know.

In the other team, some new scorers. Anna R, who usually provides the bungee at the back - bouncing all hostile attacks back up the other end - tried her hand in attack. A great goal, nicely taken, was her reward. Anna D took a second - you almost felt sorry for the Bishops under her relentless pounding. And as the final whistle blew, Sophie HR scorched her name on the Foxy honour roll with an unstoppable high kick into the goalie's top left hand corner. "Well I thought she'd probably be right-footed, so I went the other way."

If only England had such cool calculators.

Girls of the Game? Really hard to pick, but despite Emily T and Sophie M's mega scoring, it has to be Emily Cowell on her team for brilliant goalkeeping. And on the other side, despite epic keeping from Isobel and Marielle, her first foxy goal has to mean Girl of the Game goes to Sophie HR.

Well played girls - all 15 of you. Especially the defenders.