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.
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
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