CHAMPIONS!

"The Invincibles" make Foxes history by clinching league away at Wotton

 

Arsenal, 2003-04. Martin's beloved Nottingham Forest (still in the Championship - hurrah!) for 42 league games between 1977 and 1979. Glasgow Celtic, this season. The record is apparently held by Steaua Bucharest in Romania between 1986 and 1989. Yes, yes, they all went unbeaten...but how many of them can say that they won all their games, in a 'perfect season', to win the league?

None. But the 2016-17 Westbury Park Foxes Girls U14 team will always have that distinction. In a thrilling climax to the season, away to second place Wotton Rovers on the sun-kissed grass of Katharine Lady Berkeley School, the Foxes kept their heads to come from behind and prevail 2-1 over last year's worthy champions. That made it 18 wins out of 18, and a first league title in three years.

It had been a long and arduous road to get there. The seventeen prior wins might have suggested that this was an easy league, and that this team were a football equivalent of cricket's 'flat track bullies'. Nothing could be further from the truth. With the exception of  a few games where opposition legs tired and heads dropped over 70 minutes, those wins had to be played and fought for all the way. 3-2 away at Boco after trailing. 2-1 away at Keynsham after the hosts had levelled. Tough battles with Bradley Stoke, Portishead, Emerson's Green, and Fry Club. This Bristol Girls League - actually, it extends much further than Bristol, more like "the West" or "CUBA [the County that Used to Be Avon]" - has been ultra-competitive. It is also a shining example to others of the joys and benefits of large-scale participation in girls' grass roots sport.

And quite apart from the Foxes, Wotton are testament to that. Before and since their solitary 2-0 defeat by the Foxes in the 'Halloween Classic', they too had gone on a long winning run. Some of those wins, like those of our girls, had been narrow. They suffered from repeated winter postponements, and had to play 'catch up' with a string of tough away games in hand at Keynsham, Boco and Portishead. They won them all, to set up the season decider on the last day, which was as it should be. We didn't really want to clinch the league while sitting at home last Sunday as Tamsin and Graham whatsapp-ed from Portishead (but thanks for going, folks...)

The arithmetic was simple (sort of). A win or a draw for the Foxes would be enough. A Wotton win would result in a shared title, as there was no more time in the season for a play-off game, goal difference couldn't be used and the league couldn't just invent a new tie-breaking rule on the spot (head to head record, fair play, drawing lots, a 'dance off'?).

Knowing the danger posed by the Wotton number 7, the Foxes again opted for the extra midfielder, with Amelia tasked with the ‘man marking’ job. Flanked by Lulu and the increasingly impressive Georgia, the Foxes plan was to win the midfield and pin back the Wotton defence.

The plan seemed to be working as the Foxes dominated possession and territory in the opening stages. The home side held firm, and whilst the Foxes front 3 made some inroads, they found link up difficult as they were quickly closed down.

A proper midfield battle ensued, without the Foxes  defence being really troubled as Betty swept anything that made it past the back line. Unfortunate injuries to Ella and Zoe meant a Foxes reshuffle and Wotton seized the opportunity as the Foxes tried to readjust. A skewed defensive clearance went for a home corner, delivered expertly to the back post where it was bundled in to raptures from the home support.

With new found confidence Wotton enjoyed their best spell of the game, but the Foxes kept clear heads and went in to the break behind for only the second time this season.

Whilst there was no panic in the away dugout, (we had already agreed to a share of the spoils), there was a feeling that we had shown Wotton a little too much respect. The midfield marker was abandoned in favour of a second striker. So with a rollback of the clock, it was 4-4-2, as Sim went up front with Zoe and Ella and Mara provided pace on the flanks. The midfield was refreshed with Olivia joining Lulu in the engine room.

Straight from the off the Foxes piled into the opposition, immediately pushing them back.

 

The midfield battle of the first half gave way to free flowing end to end footy as the Foxes sought an equalizer. With the Wotton line stretched, the spaces on the left flank opened, and the Foxes fed Mara, who time and again made trademark runs into the box. The breakthrough had to come and from one such mazy run the winger held off the defender, opened her body and curled the ball past the stranded keeper into the far corner!

The away fans went wild! The away bench sensed that the Foxes were not finished, and with OT studded, sent the fresh legs of Lauren into the midfield.

At 1-1 the game, and the title, were still poised on a knife edge. Another pinpoint Wotton set piece might do it, as might a burst of magic from their playmaker no. 7 if she could wriggle free of the Foxes' iron midfield and defence. But rather than sitting back to defend for the draw, the Foxes demonstrated that attack can be the best form of defence. Actually, defence is the best form of defence, but most of the Foxes' attacks stemmed from the back line using their formidable pace, power and skill to snuff out any Wotton danger, then 'transitioning' effectively. The ball was never hoofed away. Rhiannon, Millie, Emily or Abby would break forward or feed the ball through the middle or down the wing. On the left side, Mara had the beating of the Wotton defence, and her combinations with Zoe were increasing in their danger. In the middle, Lulu, Lauren and Olivia frequently closed down, blocked and won the ball. Increasingly, Wotton were finding it difficult to find an attacking rhythm, and many moves ended with speculative balls forward which Betty would professionally gather.

Further breaks and chances came. Molly just failed to reach a piercing diagonal ball from Mara to the far post, but the pressure was building. And fittingly it was Zoe who broke the deadlock, powering through a couple of challenges in the box to finish low in the bottom corner. The large away crowd - including our esteemed club Chair and Secretary (Sally and Andy), and of course our "number one fan" and Academy star Daisy and parents -  went wild, but there was still lots of time to go.

There were many anxious enquiries about how much time was left. Play was stopped for a long time when an unfortunate Wotton player sustained a nosebleed injury after a hard fall (Dr. Karen would later help attend to her). In truth, however, there were no further scares. Rhiannon could have finished it when she continued a surging run into the box, only to be upended with no penalty awarded. But the rest of the match was largely played in the Wotton half. When the home team did threaten, they were invariably expertly jockeyed to the side or dispossessed. The Foxes attacking players were by now combining so well that they could even indulge in a little 'keep ball' around the opposition box.

The final whistle went, generating joyful scenes on the away sidelines. It had been a long time. Runners-up for the last two years, but some of our players remember the 2014 title clinched away at Boco. And that could only mean..... (apart from the trophy)...sparkling fizz all round! Corks were popped, disposable plastic goblets produced, and the girls and their proud parents and families could toast a famous victory.

So many great individual performances, so many heroines, but overall this was a team and squad triumph. Every single Fox who played as much as a few minutes this season was part of this. It was also achieved throughout with smiles on faces, genuine friendship and mutual respect between players, and a large element of fun. Despite the tactical and motivational brilliance of coaching team Martin, Graham and Mark, our girls never did quite shake off their "relaxed" pre-match air of a bunch of mates larking around in the park. Cones and 'agility ladders' would just have been kicked over. Maybe that is one of their many strengths...

We now enter the summer tournament season, including trips to St. Nicks, Oxfordshire, the Vale of Glamorgan and even the "Champions League" in Nottingham. But these are all mere aperitifs to the glittering occasion of the BGL Buffet and prizegiving on 8th July - which the Foxes will attend as:

BRISTOL GIRLS LEAGUE UNDER 14 CHAMPIONS 2016-17!!

Girl of the Game : Mara

Captain : Emily