Foxes Recover From Early Fry Up to Earn Their Chocolate

Rusty champions overcome brave home challenge after shaky start

       

 

                    

Fry Club FC U15 Girls 2 

Westbury Park Foxes U15 Girls 4

The long summer holidays are over. The schools are back. And football has returned - even if it was only really away for about 6 weeks....

Foxes training had already resumed at the Downs, with the welcome recruitment of former Wotton opponent Ellie. International sprinting superstar medallist Sim may be turning out less often this season, and Betty the Cat's injured paw is still recovering, so last season's Bristol Girls League champions travelled to the "Chocolate Quarter" in Keynsham (formerly known as the Cadbury Playing Fields) with a squad of 13, with Georgia also still to return to match action.

Fry Club FC were tough opponents for many teams last season, and had clearly improved and expanded their squad. The Foxes would have to be on their toes from the kick-off. The coaches were looking for an energised and bright start, and no early lapses of concentration.

Oops. 

It took Fry less than a minute to open the scoring, in the match and almost certainly the whole league. When the Foxes uncharacteristically coughed up possession in their own half, on Fry's first visit there, the home striker seized her opportunity, drove forward and lofted a high shot over stand-in keeper Millie.

Still, no reason to panic. The Foxes gradually settled into the game and began to launch raids down both flanks, with Mara in particular causing difficulty on the left and Zoe firing just wide with one effort. But a second Fry goal might really have put a fly in the ointment, the cat among the pigeons and quite possibly a spanner in the works. It nearly came when a neat through ball sent the Fry forward in on goal on the edge of box. Millie hesitated only for a fraction of a second before coming off her line, to arrive in the nick of time and block the shot with her shin.

That served as a wake-up call, complete with double espresso and cold water in the face, for an often sluggish Foxes side. It was time for the Golden Boot to strike. After a few near misses, Zoe powered in from close range and finished from an angle to level the scores with only a few minutes until half time. 1-1 at the break would be OK. 2-1 was even better. When Mara once again skipped down the left, beat her defender and cut back inside, Amelia W was on the end of it and blasted home. The half time whistle sounded shortly afterwards, and the champions looked to have steadied the ship, if not quite yet comfortable enough to sunbathe on its deck.

Turning to face the increasingly strong wind in the second half, the Foxes faced a renewed challenge from the home side. Fry were frequently first to the ball, and were using the wind and the flanks to their advantage. The pressure told early in the half, when the Foxes defence failed to clear their lines in the box and the home side pounced to drive in a deflected equaliser. For the following minutes, the game hung in the balance. The Foxes were finding little joy in long clearance balls down the flanks, and were having difficulty retaining possession. Second half stand-in keeper Amelia made a vital block when Fry threatened to take the lead.

It was a return to football on the deck which swung the game. Rhiannon spun and dribbled out of defence to feed Ella on the right wing. Ella's brave and swift run was supported by Lulu, who received a short pass then whipped the ball into the middle. Debutante Ellie was on hand to crash home and finish a superb team goal.

Moments later, a strong challenge from Olivia in front of the defence sent the ball richocheting forward, sending Ella through. Without panicking or breaking her stride, she coolly slotted it beyond the keeper to give the Foxes a very welcome two-goal cushion. From there, the rest of the match was played out without too many further alarms or incidents. The full-time whistle signalled a hard fought 4-2 victory, against tough and skilful opponents who will trouble most teams in this year's league. For the records (and for Statto) this was a 30th consecutive league win, an astonishing run stretching back to March 2016.

While overall the Foxes perhaps displayed their lack of recent match practice, there were several strong contributions. Ellie capped a strong debut with her super goal, while Mara and Ella were lively raiders down either side. Special praise was also due to stand-in goalies Millie and Amelia, who both made vital contributions and saves to prevent what could have been game-changing home goals.

Next week sees the opening home fixture at BAWA against another greatly improved and transfer-window-boosted side, the formidable Keynsham Town, who also started with an opening day win. The Foxes will have to be at their very best in what could be an early season classico.

Welcome back!

Girl of the Game: Ellie

Captain of the Week: Abby

Foxes U13s win their first match in the Avon Youth League

The Foxes played brilliantly in their first match in the Avon Youth League and their passing and movement was a joy to watch.

Good pressure in the first ten minutes led to two close misses as the ball skidded across the face of the goal and wide of the post. But early success came as Alex was released by a through ball from midfield - probably from Sam Dayan who was immense all game and seem to act like a magnet for the ball - he out ran the defender to plant a shot high over the goalie into the far top left corner. Lovely job!

The boys continued to press hard, stopping Warmley from settling on the ball and getting into the game. Xabi, Ben, Tom Mont and Jamie were solid at the back and gave nothing away and we rejoiced to see Jamie's first sliding tackle of the match early on. Xabi tackled tenaciously, Tom blocked and passed brilliantly and Ben linked well with Memphis on the left.

Memphis bossed the left wing and worked very hard - up and down, up and down - to support Ben in defence. Artie was a dynamo in midfield, stopping opposition attacks and launching our own. Eventually, Warmley could do nothing but foul him in frustration. George matched Memphis' work rate on the right - his speed and energy gave the team a lift and made sure the opposition were constantly under pressure.

The second goal came close to half time and helped to calm nerves a bit. Alex again but well supported by Tom up front, who was a constant danger.

In the second half we were going down hill and felt confident about holding on to our lead. Will Campbell came on for George and had a couple of chances, including a close header, and Will Domaille stepped in for Tom Hall in the front line. His touches and passes opened their defence on more than a couple of occasions.

It was late on that Alex scored his third goal to secure his hat-trick - a tap in on the left side. His reward - immediate substitution. That'll teach him!

All in all, a fine antidote to the wet September weather - and the fragile heads that some of the crowd were suffering after watching Elbow the evening before.