Westbury Park Foxes U15 Girls 3
Bradley Stoke YFC 1
[action pictures to follow once video stills processed....]
It only takes a sprinkling of rain, even in a mild January,
to waterlog most of the pitches in Bristol. This weekend was originally scheduled
to be the final round of fixtures in the U15 Bristol Girls League, but after a
series of soggy postponements the Foxes still had six games to go.
So it was that the eagerly awaited return leg of the 'North
Bristol Classico' was moved over the 'county line' to the Gloucestershire FA 3G
pitch, just off the M5 at Almondsbury. Bradley Stoke had come close to a famous
fightback in the previous meeting, and their good form had continued into 2018,
running league leaders Keynsham very close in a 0-1 defeat. Yet the blues of
'Stoke', now sponsored by "Muzzy's Kebabs" had never recorded a
league victory against the Foxes. With neighbours and schoolmates on both teams
and in the grandstand, this was set to be a friendly but competitive fixture.
In an exciting first for Foxes football, which may have had something
to do with GCSE PE, the whole match was being professionally video recorded.
The budget did not quite extend to "video assistant referees" and
instant replays, but the capable Archie would not need them as he took charge
of the whistle once again.
With a bracing wind blowing across the speedy big pitch,
conditions were difficult for both sides. Many through balls both ways were
overhit, either running through to the keepers or going out for goal kicks, and
the opening 20 minutes were tight. Both teams had a couple of sights of goal,
with Betty tipping one shot round the post for a corner, and more than once
having to be off her line smartly to clear or bravely gather at the striker's
feet. But overall, the play was a little edgy and broken. The Foxes struggled
to get much of a passing game going, due in no small part to the quick pressing
of Stoke, and frequently resorted to balls down the channels in an effort to
spring their opponents' highly effective offside trap.
The breakthrough came in slightly unexpected fashion, when a
Bradley Stoke defender handled a chipped through ball just inside the box. Zoe
blasted home the resulting penalty to calm the Foxes' nerves. Their play improved
significantly after that, with the terrier-like Amelia chasing everything up
front and posing a constant threat. Her efforts were justly rewarded close to
half time, when some excellent pressure from Molly on the right forced a hasty
pass back. The otherwise unflappable Stoke keeper made a rare error, slicing
her clearance straight to 'Meli', who finished powerfully in the bottom corner.
A 2-0 halftime lead was a decent return from a difficult first half, but the coaches warned that just as in the previous match, Stoke were certain to come out firing after the break. And they did. Almost from the whistle they put pressure on the Foxes and pinned them in their own half for 10 minutes. Only a series of timely defensive interventions, and strong clearances of dangerous corners, kept the blue team at bay. Eventually, the pressure told, and when the Stoke striker rode a couple of missed tackles to finish from an acute angle, it was 'game on' once again.
The goal spurred the Foxes into action, and they began to
move the ball nicely. With Lulu, Lauren and Ellie winning some of the 'second
balls' they had been missing previously, the Foxes were able to launch several
dangerous raids on both flanks. At various times it seemed that Ella, Zoe or
Amelia were in, only for the final ball or shot to be safely gathered. The game
could have been put to bed by any of these chances being taken, but at 2-1
Bradley Stoke were very much in it. As time went on, the slightly match-rusty
Foxes began to concede control and space in midfield once again, and the 'visitors'
began to exert pressure and create some half chances.
Then, in what was almost an eerie echo of the wonder goal in
the previous fixture, a Stoke midfielder tried her luck with a high ball from
outside the box, which always looked over but dipped at the last second. This
time, rather than dropping in, it rebounded squarely off the crossbar to safety.
Shortly afterwards, a potentially goal-making through ball to the quick Stoke
striker saw her flagged for being marginally offside (correctly - as the video evidence
will confirm).
With time running out, yet again Amelia chased an apparently
lost cause down the left to win back possession. A Stoke player was temporarily
winded by a ball to the chest, but play continued and the ball found Zoe on the
edge of the box. After what had been an occasionally frustrating afternoon for
her, Zoe powered into the box, beat her player and finished well to secure the
points for the 'Hoops'.
The Foxes may have been suffering from a lack of match
sharpness, on top of a number of niggling injuries and illnesses, but Bradley
Stoke deserve great credit for the way in which they took the game to the
champions. At times they cut through the midfield with pace and skill, and the
defence were made to work extremely hard. This was one of those games in which
the result was all-important, and perhaps exceeded the overall team performance. That
said, there were some superb individual efforts, recorded for posterity (and
GCSE assessment) by the camera. Emily was heroic in defence, and time and again
Betty's handling and gathering was rock solid, but girl of the game by some
distance was the tenacious and perpetually mobile Amelia.
This win probably (but
no guarantees, no complacency, take each game as it comes etc.) secures a
"buffet placing" (i.e. 1st or 2nd place) for a fifth consecutive year,
a hugely impressive achievement for a team which has evolved considerably since
those first competitive outings. There were only four players on the pitch today
who have been present for all of those years - can you name them..?
The remaining postponed fixtures are still all to be arranged,
but a potential Friday night league decider is scheduled under the floodlights
of Keynsham on 9th March. While the GCSE cameras may not be there, Sky Sports
may well be interested...
Girl of the Game: Amelia
Captain of the Week: Abby
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