Scarily good Foxes serve up Halloween tricks and treat

Limited edition Halloween-themed orange kit..

Sunday 29th October 2017

Westbury Park Foxes U15 Girls 8

AEK Boco 0

The Foxes' October form continued to match the fine Autumn weather, as they ended the month with another clean sheet and a heavy defeat of old rivals Boco.

What pleased the coaches and parents most was not the winning margin, which could have been even greater but for the excellent Boco keeper and at least three contenders for 'miss of the season' from point blank range. It was the style of play which caught the eye. Suddenly Raph's intricate passing drills game in Saturday training made perfect sense, and reaped a huge dividend. The ball was pinged around in all sectors of the pitch- out of defence, in the middle of the park, and via cutting diagonal and through balls to willing runners. By the end, some of the goals being scored had shades of "Pep's City" about them, with everyone contributing.

It hadn't looked that way at the start, with the Foxes kicking uphill and slightly against the wind on the northernmost BAWA pitch. Boco, as expected, contributed to a tough contest in the opening exchanges. The defence were coping with reasonable comfort with the occasional Boco forays forward, but there were some fierce but fair battles for the ball in midfield. As the first half developed, the Foxes began to find their rhythm, with some nice combinations sending Ella down the right and Georgia in from the left, only for the keeper to deal well with early efforts from Ella and Zoe. But a head of steam was being built up, and a superbly centred cross from Ellie was met first time by Ella at the end of a perfectly timed run to put the Foxes into the lead. Further chances came and went, and despite the Foxes' increasing dominance, at 1-0 Boco were still very much in the game. The tipping point came close to half time, when more delightful and quick passing combinations sent the increasingly dangerous Zoe in, to finish from close range for the second.

After the sides changed end for the second half, with the Foxes now having the 'slope', one sensed that Boco's resistance and stamina levels were gradually dropping. The Foxes were increasingly being allowed to pass and move unhindered, with some lovely midfield triangles between Lulu, Olivia and Ellie. On the rare occasions when Boco threatened the Foxes' half, the defence would mop up, often passing their way out of trouble. As time wore on, Abby, Emily and Rhiannon would increasingly drive forward to link with the midfield and create further chances. Ultimately the pressure and movement proved too much for the visitors, and the (imaginary) scoreboard began to tick over. Zoe would ultimately bag a total of five: some from her characteristic powering through at close quarters, but other from immaculate and lightning quick passing combinations, involving virtually all members of the team - even Betty, who claimed a 'semi-assist' for one, with a strong goal kick finished off three touches later. Pick of the bunch was perhaps the eighth and final goal, finished by Zoe going round the keeper but only after a dizzying sequence of five midfield and defence splitting passes. Ellie and Emily also got amongst the goals, the latter with an 'unconventional' finish from Lulu's corner - she definitely wasn't going to head the ball, but got something on it (possibly a hip-shin combination?)

Boco deserve great credit for battling on, and playing the game in such a good spirit, when having such a tough morning. They were perhaps not quite at the level we have come to expect from them over the years, but the Foxes had a particularly good day, when almost everything they tried seemed to come off. There were too many good moments and contributions across the team to list in full. Georgia was particularly impressive, seeing a lot of the ball on the unfamiliar left side and initiating many of the best attacks. Molly came oh-so-close on two occasions to the goal which will, when it comes, quite literally send the crowd wild. But girl of the game today was Abby, who combined her usual exemplary defensive duties with some barnstorming runs forward.

Next up is an intriguing away fixture against old friends and rivals Bradley Stoke, who have had some good early results and currently lie in joint second with the Foxes. They limbered up for that 'North Bristol Classico' by claiming a forfeit away win at Portishead. Don't worry, Stoke, we'll certainly show up next Sunday. Could this be an early 'buffet places' pointer? We shall see....

Girl of the game: Abby

Captain of the week: Ellie