Sunday 22 January 2017

Super Em's Keynsham Clincher Keeps Courageous Foxes On Course

Keynsham Town U14 1
Westbury Park Foxes U14 2
 
The U14 girl Foxes kept their heads, in the face of an occasionally severe physical challenge, to secure a priceless but ultimately well-deserved one goal victory.
 
No frozen pitch postponements here on the luxurious Keynsham "4G", but the Foxes faced an early obstacle before kick-off. While waiting for the highly entertaining men's warm up match on before them to finish (in a flurry of goals, yellow and red cards, and bad language), the Foxes had to change into alternative shirts to avoid a colour clash. The chilly away spectators' usual shouts of "come on the greens!" had to be amended to "come on you slightly baggy whites!". Oh well, our lovely luminous orange away kit will be arriving soon.
 
The Foxes were soon into their stride, moving the ball quickly and frequently attacking on the flanks and in the Keynsham box. The home side, unbeaten on this pitch all season, defended stoutly in front of a strong goalkeeper, but found themselves pinned back in their own half. The young ref appeared keen to let the play flow, and several Foxes' attacks were broken up by some strong tackles and frequent use of 'upper body strength'. But when push came to shove, after a goalless opening 20 minutes the Foxes broke the deadlock in spectacular fashion.
Zoe, back on her feet after a string of fouls, beat her defender and let rip from the edge of the box. The ball cannoned off the inside of the post, but just as the "ooh!s" of the crowd were dying down, Sim gathered the rebound and hammered it in the bottom corner from long range on the left. Further chances and pressure followed before the break, but a 1-0 lead was a reasonable reward for a dominant first half performance.

Clearly fired up by coaching exhortations to 'get stuck into them', Keynsham enjoyed their best spell at the start of the second half, winning more possession and seeking to get their front players 'in behind'. They then took their first and only chance.
A perfectly floated diagonal ball released their dangerous striker down the right. She cut in and beat Betty, who had not yet had a save to make, with a finish from a tight angle. The game was level and now in the balance. How would Bristol's finest respond?
How do you think? No panic, no shouting, no aimless long balls. Just a gradual ratcheting up of pressure, precise passing combinations and an increased combativeness in midfield. The defence snuffed out any further through ball threats, and the outstanding Lulu, Olivia Lauren and Amelia W won more and more of the 50:50s. Zoe's luck was not in today, as several promising moves ended with sweet shots which just crept past the post. But the momentum shifted back, and Keynsham's brave defence began to clear with a hint of desperation, increasingly conceding possession, throw-ins and a series of corners.
Lulu's set piece delivery was particularly excellent throughout the match, although most had been well dealt with by the hosts. But then, she struck a real peach of an inswinger into the danger area, and...
..was it a bird, was it a plane? No, leaping like a salmon (fresh, not tinned), it was Emily, delivering a glancing close range header powerfully to the keeper's left. It was a fitting reward for an outstanding display by Em on the left side of defence, where she had combined typically brave and strong defensive work with frequent attacking raids.



There was still plenty of time to go, but the Foxes saw the game out in the usual professional manner. Zoe endured a couple of further near misses, and the Keynsham keeper did brilliantly to recover a goalmouth scramble that seemed certain to end in a clinching third goal. The home team threatened briefly with a couple of corners and through balls cleared by Betty, but could not muster further shots on goal. The final whistle came as a relief, but signalled a tough but deserved victory. On another day (like last Sunday), three or four of those shots might have rolled in, but credit must go to Keynsham for sticking to their tactics and making it so tough.
In such a stirring victory, there were inevitably several other great performances, as well as those mentioned above.


Abby handled the aerial threat with calmness and authority. Millie and Rhiannon tracked back and broke forward with speed and skill. It was a tough day for Mara and Ella on the wings, but they showed great courage in the face of adversity. Girl of the game, however, went to 'the Mollster' for her tenacious running and harrying up the right side, a great duel with the combative Keynsham left back, and some lovely passing exchanges with Zoe.




So it's twenty (20) league wins in a row, 12 of them this season, and a three point lead as Boco v Wotton fell victim to the cold weather. No room for complacency, though, in a tough series of fixtures leading up to 'the return' against Wotton in March...

Monday 16 January 2017

New Year Cheer As Foxes Go Clear!

Westbury Park Foxes U14 Girls 11
Fry's Club FC 0
 
Club Record 19th Consecutive League Win Puts U14 Girls Top
 
Would the Christmas break have slowed down the Bristol Girls League U14 pacesetters? Would they stroll out complacently, still bloated on turkey (or its vegetarian equivalent) and chocolate selection boxes, and slip up against Fry's Club FC in an awkward looking 2017 opening fixture?
 
Would they heck. On a mild and pleasant morning at BAWA, Bristol's finest came tearing out of the blocks, stunning their visitors with seven unanswered first half goals. Spraying passes around, breaking with devastating speed down the flanks and combining beautifully, it was perhaps the best half they have played all season. There was a bit of everything - a slaloming Rhiannon dribble to play in Ella to finish, an incisive strike from Mara after a strong run in from the left, then a truly stunning solo effort from "mini-Messi" Ella, who danced in from the right, beat three players then buried it in the far corner. Zoe was fouled and felled twice in the box, for what even experienced bricklayers would term a 'stone wall penalty', and she duly converted from the spot. In a tasteful tribute to the late and much respected Watford and England boss Graham Taylor, there was even a 'route one' goal from Zoe, courtesy of Betty's powerful goal kick (but Sim's neat flick-on header denied our keeper the 'assist' - sorry Betty). The Foxes used the full squad of 14 before the break, and sub Amelia was rewarded with a close range goal as the Foxes eased into half time fully in control.

Fry's Club kept battling and never let their heads drop, playing the game in a good spirit throughout. They created some breaks in the second half, but as many teams have found this season, there is almost no way past the 'line of steel' at the back. Whenever danger threatens, or even briefly clears its throat, a Foxy foot is usually on the ball, calmly regaining possession and spreading the play to the flanks. If it wasn't Abby (and it usually was), it was Lauren or Emily and a swift counter-attack was usually the result. If an opposing player ever beat a defender, Rhiannon or Millie would hare  back to snuff the threat out.
As the second half wore on more goals were added. Georgia and Olivia had extended run outs and both made impressive and assured contributions. As well as Zoe's five goals, a special mention must also go to Own Goal, who bagged a couple, one courtesy of a particularly vicious inswinging corner from Lulu. 

It was a tough day for Fry's, who are a good team and showed some nice touches at times. They just ran into an unstoppable green and white force. This was the Foxes' 19th consecutive league win, ending last season with eight in a row and now beginning this one with eleven - a team and club record. Not that we study the table with great care or anything, and we know that goal difference is ultimately irrelevant, but.... this victory put the Foxes officially top of the table for the first time this season, with a game in hand over Wotton.

Next up is 'Super Sunday'  - the Foxes travel to the dangerous and skilful 3rd place Keynsham at their lovely state-of-the-art stadium and 4G pitch. Don't forget your carpet slippers. Meanwhile, across the county line, Boco and Wotton contest the 'South Gloucestershire Classico' . The outcome of these games could go a long way to deciding the 'buffet bragging rights' in July....

Captain of the Week: Millie T
Girl of the Game : Lulu Watts