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Immie – GK
Olivia – DF
Esme – DF
Annabelle – DF
Ruby – CM
Erin – LM
Sophia – RM
Leila – ST
Chloe – ST
Subs: Ava, Elsie, Emily
An early kick-off on Sunday took the Rugby Town Under 12’s to some new opponents over in Ansley Common. Whilst actually only 25 miles away, some parents managed to make it around 35 miles as they took in the scenery of the surrounding area, amid some accusations that the ground didn’t actually exist or was hidden with some kind of Sci-Fi cloaking device. With guidance from other parents (thank you Sarah x) eventually all the girls arrived in time for kick-off. The Under 12’s Director of Football was required to referee over in Cambridge, so Darren had responsibility for managing the girls and was therefore under no pressure whatsoever to deliver a result.
The match kicked off at a frantic pace and a clear Ansley tactic was to use their physical strength to disrupt the passing and movement of the Rugby girls resulting in an injury to Erin. Emily came on for the start of what was to be an impressive performance from her. From the resulting free kick, she played a great pass through to Birthday Girl Ruby and a defence splitting through ball created a chance for Leila to show her pace and run on to. A great shot from Leila brought out a fine save and the first of many corners.
With Ansley playing on the counter-attack, they broke at pace and an excellent strong tackle from Annabelle brought the move to a halt. The defensive strength of the Town team has been a hallmark of performances this season, with Olivia and Esme dealing with their more physical opponents through having cool heads, strong tackling and simple clearances to protect the goalkeeper.
The match was starting to take a feisty turn, with Sophia and Ava being on the receiving end of some tough action as a way of dealing with their more skillful play. This allowed Birthday Girl Ruby to create chances for some great runs from Emily and Leila and excellent passing between them. Emily showed some great skill in taking on her defenders and creating chances for Chloe and Leila that were unlucky not to be converted.
From another Rugby corner, a long ball clearance landed to the opponents striker whose shot took a lucky bounce that Immie did well to save but she was unable to prevent from rolling into the net following the tackle on her from the Ansley forward and the score was 0:1 at half time and somewhat against the run of play. This prompted a round of substitutions being made, including the linesmen, with Darren making some key tactical decisions in response to going behind.
The second half continued in a similar vein with few chances being created but lots of midfield action. A succession of tactical fouls was breaking up the Rugby passing, and the reaction was to try and play out wide and around the more physical opponents. Great long range efforts from Sophia and Ava brought out some good saves, and when Ansley tried to break away through their strong centre forward the defensive unit remained strong with Annabelle again showing great strength against her opponent.
With Erin now recovered and back on the pitch, she was able to start showing her close control and strong running to create pressure on the opposition. From her quick throw in, Emily played a superb pass through to Chloe on the edge of the area who showed her excellent finishing abilities from that range with an excellent left foot finish that brought the match level and was thoroughly deserved. From the resulting kick-off, Ansley pushed forward and Olivia and Annabelle cleared the danger before Birthday Girl Ruby was again fouled as she brought the ball out from defence, winning a free kick.
The confidence in the Rugby girls was growing, with Ava and Erin chasing down their opponents and Sophia again being fouled in order to prevent her passing through to an unmarked Chloe. Emily was clearly enjoying being in the thick of the action and Esme and Elsie continued to show their level headed approach in dealing with the forwards they were marking. In the last minute, Ansley won a free kick and an excellent save from Immie meant the match went to a penalty shootout.
The tension on the touchline was palpable as the Best of 5 shootout began. The benefits of practising penalties the previous week was evident with Birthday Girl Ruby, Annabelle and Sophia all being successful with the first three kicks. A fine save from Immie gave the advantage to Rugby, but the next two penalties weren’t successful meaning sudden death. With the Ansley player missing, the pressure was all on the next penalty taker from Rugby and who would that be? Erin stepped forward with the advice of Darren in her ears (hit it hard and low…) and blasted the ball into top bins to seal the well-deserved victory.
Both teams demonstrated great spirit after the final whistle in congratulating each other on a tough game. The win was capped off with doughnuts supplied by the parents of Birthday Girl Ruby being shared amongst the very happy Rugby Town girls.
Parents Player of the Match – Annabelle
Coaches Player of the Match – Emily
Thank you to the young referee on managing the match, and the slightly more senior linesmen for their officiating.