TWHC u13 vs Blackheath - EH Tier3 Match Report

Squandered. Pure and simple. This was a comfortable 3-0 victory but it should have been by a much bigger margin.

First up, the positives – Grace and her defensive cohort kept another clean sheet. TWells had plenty of practice at defending short corners and held firm under pressure, with Grace making some excellent double saves and clearing the area using both left and right feet. The “A-team”; Antonia, Amy & Alice had their best games in TWells’s shirts. Strong in the tackle they dispossessed the Blackheath attackers time and again and then distributed cleanly to teammates who were in space. Composed and assured, they used the ball wisely, especially up the tram lines to the wingers, quickly turning defence into attack. The team also created chances – a lot of them. They hit the post twice, the crossbar and goals went begging when it seemed harder to miss. The good news is that they’re making opportunities.

Maisie had another fantastic game on the left wing and had the beating of her defender on both the inside and out. She kept her width well and with Hattie (who also had a strong match) delivering a regular supply of fizzing crosses from the right, she has a sixth sense of ghosting into unmarked territory on the back post that provided her plenty of shots on goal.

The three goals came in a ten-minute burst before half time when the girls used the width and the midfield players made crisp, accurate passes to the players in space. Sophia, Hattie and Gigi hit the back of the net, but it was the second goal that was most pleasing. Having created an attack down the left, Hattie floated in from the right wing on the diagonal and drifted between the defender and GK to deflect the ball into the corner. She took it incredibly well & I’m still trying to work out how she came away unscathed from sneaking in between two strapping Blackheath players.

The second half could have been something from “Opportunity Knocks”. The girls tried too much as individuals. Rather than making easy passes to teammates in better positions, they tried dribbling past one player too many. The simple options were ignored and too often this resulted in turnovers when we had committed numbers going forward which left the defence to clear-up again. Nina, Blackheath’s best player, started to control the midfield and was their best outlet setting up numerous counter-attacking opportunities. She had a potent mix of knowing when to dribble and when to pass and was the outstanding player on either side.

The individualistic nature of their play in the second-half shouldn’t detract from a huge effort and the right result. However, the team can do better if we play to our strengths and we will continue to improve, but a lot of goals were left in SE9 on Sunday.

** special mention must go to Scott who made a six hour round trip from Norfolk. I hope the traffic wasn’t too bad on the return leg and that he enjoyed his bottle(s) of red! As Roy Castle would say, “that’s dedication”!

#playinpink