Sunday 19th September 2021
Sponsor: FORD Bros building & Electrical.
Squad: Alice, Amelia, Beth, El, Elisa, Emmi, Jess, Kate, Lola, Maddie, Matilda.
Rugby Town U12 Lionesses travelled to Epworth Forest on Sunday in what could be described as near monsoon conditions. The two sides had faced each other preseason, when RT had their first taste of 9 aside football. That had been a tough match with the result well in Epworth’s favour, so the conditions only added to the pressure for the girls.
However the Lionesses came out all guns blazing, and scored with just 2 minutes on the clock as Jess broke free for a confident finish. The Lionesses continued playing well, but Epworth upped their game having realised this game would be different.
There were a number of chances for both teams to score, but the Epworth defence probably had the tougher half.
Half time 0-1
The second half again was a well fought affair, but the clear chances were falling to Rugby. However midway through the half Epworth were awarded a free kick, and with Rugby struggling to form a wall, the opposition took their chance to get the equaliser, which did require a deflection.
The final result was probably fair, but the lionesses had showed how far they had come in so few games.
Emmi, Alice, Beth and Maddie again showed great resilience and worked well together to deal with any attack.
Katie did a great job securing the midfield, both defensively and starting many counter attacks. And again covered a lot of ground. Likewise El had another great game, and ended the match having played in 3 different positions and played well in all.
Matilda, Lola and Elisa again showed great presence on the pitch with great work rate and passing.
The new diamond formation trialled last week was kept. This formation allowed Amelia to play just behind the striker and suits her well. She was able to use her pace to get forward and support the striker. This allowed Jess to hold her position and keep the pressure on the Epworth back line. She had a couple great chances on the back of great midfield work which deserved to be rewarded.
The girls also showed their flexibility when we made temporary changes to a more defensive formations in the final stages of both halves, which we had not had chance to work on in training.
Final score 1-1
Parents player: El
Manager player: Jess
Thank you to the parents for cheering the girls on, and Pete for running the line.