Foxes end Tournament season with spirited showing at
the "Champions League" in Nottingham
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"So come roll with the ACES." |
Football-loving "grime" artist Rezz Ra,
author of the official Pitchero Aces Tournament 2017 anthem "Aces"
(available for download on iTunes), speaks for us all when he sings/raps:
"So come roll with the ACES
Any challenge I step up an' FACE it
Then I ACE it
Born a winner, that's what an ACE is
I'm out of this world like a SPACEship
I score when I tie up my LACES
The Westbury Park Foxes play with a smile on their
FACES
They know how to pass, they know what SPACE is
They pack up their kit and toothbrushes in their
suitCASES
Then travel and play tournaments in interesting
PLACES
Like Nottingham, with an overnight stay and pizza in
Loughborough first..."
It was with great excitement that a
touring party of 36 Foxes and parents assembled at the internationally renowned
Link Hotel near Loughborough (just off the M1, free wi-fi and a nice breakfast
buffet) for this prestigious invitation-only "Champion of Champions"
event. After the league title glory in May, the tournament season has been
great fun and generally successful. Kicking off with the stunning success at
the Bristol City FC Tournament, the Foxes couldn't then quite make it 4 in a
row at our old friends in Carterton, with both teams exiting on penalties at
the QF stage. Then it was 'seven go to Wells' on the hottest day of the year,
surviving the baking sunshine, some tough competition, and the drama of "drunk
shouty man loses it when some lads hit him with a football", only to be
edged out in the final on sudden death penalties.
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Gang of hoodies in Loughborough town centre |
After dinner, it was back to the hotel, where Graham
and Mark in particular developed a keen interest in the local ale, or more
particularly the very attractive beer glasses which the brewer appeared to have
crafted in our honour......
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Our controversial new sponsor |
The next morning, while Martin and Betty, staying at
the Platt residence in Nottingham, went ahead as an advance party to
register our team and scope out the venue, the squad prepared as champion
athletes do - with massive helpings at the breakfast buffet. They then rolled
in to the impressive University riverside sports complex in
time for the opening ceremony and tournament draw. Mr. Rezz Ra himself was in
attendance, and expertly mimed (gr-mimed?) his "Aces" anthem as Betty
marched out with the row of captains on stage. Whom would we be up against?
The very best. The big names from all four corners
of England. The cream of Tyne (Blyth Town Barca) and Wear (Washington
Lionesses). The Lancashire Hot Pot Shots of Blackburn. Nottingham's
champions from nearby Southwell. And the Lads Club of Hereford (except they're
girls).
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Gazebo action in sunny Notts |
With a strong breeze blowing, and on a true but
swift playing surface, the Foxes were first into action against Hereford's
finest. After dominating the opening exchanges, they fell behind to a sucker
punch counter attack volleyed goal which injured The Cat's paw in the process.
Try as they might, they could not equalise, and it was a slightly disappointing
opening return from a decent performance. It left a nagging feeling that this
was the one which might come back to bite us. Nevertheless, fortunes were soon
restored in the next game against Southwell, when a fine Zoe chase on to a
through ball secured the only goal of the game and a valuable 3 points. A
battling goalless draw against Blyth came next, but the Foxes chances of progressing
took a dip when they lost out to a late Blackburn goal.
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Final team talk before playing Washington |
The final game looked ominous. Washington had been
imperious throughout, knocking in 5 against poor Southwell, not conceding a
goal and generally looking like the class of the tournament. And when they cut
through the Foxes defence after 10 seconds to open the scoring, the watching
faithful feared the worst. But what do they know? Our brave girls, perhaps
recalling the wise words of Rezz Ra, stepped up and faced it. Some passes were
strung together. Pressure was applied to the Washington backline, for the first
time in the tournament. And then....as Zoe powered through in the box, the ball
was slipped to Ella, who from about 6 yards out, unleashed a shot of such 'deceptive'
pace that it "Fox-ed" the keeper and rolled in at the far post. Cue
wild celebrations and cheers from the Bristol crowd, and an exciting final 7
minutes. The coaches rang the changes and engaged in a novel "mass
substitution" of virtually the entire team, just to keep Washington on
their toes. Tackles flew in, clearances were made, Betty continued to make
saves and catches with an injured finger, and the game finished in a highly
creditable 1-1 draw.
One point, and one goal. That's how close we were to
progressing to the quarter-finals. The top 8 teams from three groups of 6 went through, and we were 3rd
in our group and 9th overall. But the Foxes can take enormous heart from the
weekend's showing. Never outclassed, always competitive and (of course) always
cheerful and sporting, they made a great impression on their opponents and the
spectators. Washington went on to win the whole thing, and Ella's goal was the
only one they conceded all day. There were too many great individual efforts to
list in full. The coaches noted in particular the magnificent performance of
Georgia in closing down opponents and winning the ball back, gradually
encouraging the rest of the team to do the same in these high speed, confined
space games. Olivia was similarly combative, Amelia came close with some great
efforts on goal, and all of the defence were busier than usual - one particular
highlight was Millie's 'steal' off the toes of the deadly Washington striker.
Cheers, Foxes!
