The Lionesses returned to Northampton League action on Saturday with a nail-biting top of the table clash against Kettering, knowing that only a win would keep their title challenge on track. It was a bright morning, great to see the girls back on the pitch and it proved to be a highly competitive game with lots of attractive football on display from both teams.
Layla looked assured in the Rugby goal, distributing the ball well and showing confident handling; despite the opposition having spells of possession she never looked like conceding. Kiki showed great energy in central midfield throughout, injecting pace into the game and showing great determination to battle for every ball.
Captain Isobel was strong in the Rugby defence, always playing it safe and clearing Rugby’s lines with some powerful clearances; her corners are always a threat at the other end as Rugby piled the pressure on in the first half. Lexie showed great creativity in the centre of midfield; always confident on the ball and looking to pass players, she has improved the physical side of her game in recent weeks and it’s starting to pay dividends on the pitch.
Izzy put in another solid performance in defence, making some important interceptions and brave tackles to thwart the Kettering attack. Poppy was lively on the Rugby wing; always looking to play the ball forward and showing some inventive footwork to keep possession and link up intelligently with the attacking Rugby players.
Sofia led the Rugby attack convincingly, showing her dogged determination to hound the Kettering defenders into making mistakes. She bravely chased down and battled for every ball and showed some intelligent touches to link up with the Rugby midfield.
It was fantastic to see that the girls might actually listen to me sometimes as they put into action many of the themes we have been working on in training; moving into space when they haven’t got the ball and looking to find a teammate in space when they have. Rugby played some incredible two and three touch football, retained possession brilliantly and had the better of the chances as the game progressed.
Ruby was resilient and committed in the heart of the Rugby defence against a physical opposition; she controlled the play and was never afraid to step in with a brave challenge. Aurora showed her customary energy on the Rugby wing, covering every inch of the pitch and using her pace and determination on the ball to trouble the Kettering defence. Coming in even at half time Rugby could count themselves unfortunate not to be in front.
The second half followed a similar theme with both teams having spells of possession and looking at assert their influence on the match. Rugby continued to be more decisive though and created a number of opportunities; as the game progressed it appeared only a matter of time and Kiki was rewarded for her determination with a cool finish to give the home side the lead.
With only ten minutes to go the girls showed great resilience and mental strength to hold on to their lead; defending with great conviction to see out the match. It was a fantastic performance against strong opposition, with Rugby showing their class to come out on top in the end; despite being largely even Rugby had the better chances and never looked like conceding as they played some inventive, intelligent football which was fantastic to watch.
Huge thanks to Tony D for refereeing, to Will for running the line, to all the parents for your fantastic support and to our sponsor Lit Cars – it wouldn’t be possible without you. If the girls win their game in hand they will go top of the table and be in with a fantastic chance of some silverware at the end of the season!