Foxes grind out win in tough Bristol..actually, South Gloucestershire...derby

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

A match! What's that? Foxes shake off the rust with winning start to year

Westbury Park Foxes U15 Girls 4

Whitchurch Sports 0

The Foxes model the new home shirts

Every season without fail, when the pampered millionaires of the Premier League moan about having to crawl out of their luxury beds and play 3 matches in 8 days over Christmas, there are "calls for a winter break".

The Foxes are, of course, ahead of the game in this respect. With their last match having been as long ago as 26th November 2017, they had practically forgotten what a full-sized pitch looked like. Two postponements, a 'bye week' and the intervening Christmas period gave the girls ample time to reflect on their stellar 2017, fuel up on food and drink and even frolic around in the brief dusting of snow over the holiday. They also fitted in a riotous Christmas activity fun day at Mojo Active, at which Millie showed a rare talent for 'football golf', and no-one showed much talent for 5-a-side while suspended upside down in plastic 'Zorbs'....

Zorb football at Mojo Active, December 2017

After a 2 week warm weather break in Lanzarote, to participate in a prestigious four-way tournament with Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Bristol Rovers...or maybe just a bit of training on the Downs...they were finally back into action on their home turf of BAWA, with a new year fixture against a much-improved Whitchurch side.

"Turf" might have been putting it a bit too highly. With a 'full house' of boys' teams on the front pitches, and some middle-aged men kicking lumps out of each other next to us, we were ushered onto the far away sloping bog, with scenic views of industrial buildings and a quantity of cigarette ends dumped in the goalmouth. No matter - with a full squad, resplendent in the shiny new kit [pictured] courtesy of our lovely new sponsor BPC (Bristol Property Centre) - for all your estate agency needs in Redland and the wider Bristol area-  the first match of 2018 was eagerly awaited.

Kicking off uphill and into a slight breeze in the first half, the Foxes' build up play was at times intricate and pleasing on the eye. Rhiannon, Lulu and Ella combined nicely on the right, while Emily and Ellie were frequently putting Georgia in down the left. There was just one problem. What were those big white wooden things with the fishing nets hanging on them? Might the object of the game be to hit the ball towards them in some way? Perhaps, but let's pass it around in the box a bit more, then politely let the Whitchurch keeper have some more touches and holds of the ball. As the half wore on, and the game remained goalless, the old saying in these parts - "the Foxes are always a lot better when they score an early goal" - began to enter the spectators' minds. Whitchurch had not created much, and either Abby or the offside flag were dealing with their occasional long balls forward, but the Foxes were not taking enough shots or gambling on rebounds. One counter-attack or rare error and they could be facing a very uncomfortable morning.

Then Georgia, showing no nerves despite her every move being filmed by Mum Karen for GCSE assessment purposes, took matters into her own hands. Breaking through once again on the left side, then cutting in onto her right foot, her first shot was bravely parried by the keeper, but she followed in to lash home the rebound - for a 1-0 lead and surely an A* (or an 8 or 9 in modern currency) for "taking the game by the scruff of the neck, while also displaying the advanced skills required by the syllabus".

The teams turned at half time with the Foxes just one goal to the good, but one sensed that the brave visitors had put in a lot of effort to keep it at that, and might tire in the mud in the second half. So it proved, as the Foxes gradually took control and began to break through with increasing menace and speed. Zoe, after a frustrating first half being heavily marked and shadowed, was finding more freedom, and was joined by the lively raids of Amelia and Molly. With attacks on both flanks, increasing midfield dominance provided by Lulu, Ellie and Olivia, and the speedy 'Mill-Ab-Rhi-Em' defence effortlessly mopping up any through balls then launching immediate counters, it was only a matter of time. The second goal came immediately after the visitors' most dangerous attack, when a rare beating of the defensive line forced Betty into a comfortable but important stop. From the roll out, a lightning succession of passes down the right between Abby, Rhiannon and Lulu sent Ella speeding in, to finish in style. Whitchurch heads never dropped, but as they became increasingly camped in their own half, facing a succession of corners, number three followed when Zoe deservedly slammed home from close range in the aftermath of an uncleared corner.

That seemed to kill the game as a contest, and the Foxes could relax into their game a little more, enjoying the increased time and space to make some very fine multi-pass moves and test the excellent Whitchurch keeper several times. The icing on the cake was provided when Abby, powering forward from the back, received a short pass in space just outside the box then leathered an unstoppable shot into the corner of the net.

The remainder of the game was played out without too much drama. More chances came and went, but a heavy beating would have been harsh on the visitors, who contributed greatly to an entertaining and sporting game, and were very much in contention for most of it.

So a winning and eventually comfortable start to 2018, but with quite a bit of fixture catching up to do before the season's end. There were many good performances throughout the team (immortalised on video by Karen, presumably with commemorative DVDs on sale later in the year), but for her usual ice-cool, strong and authoritative defensive mastery, capped with an outstanding goal, the first 2018 girl of the game was Abby.

Next match: AEK Boco (away)

Girl of the Game: Abby

Captain of the week: Lulu (despite her black shorts)