Your Rugby Town U13’s Team for this match:
GK – Immie,DF – Esme, DF – Olivia,DF – Elsie, CM – Ruby, CM – Emily, LM – Erin, RM – Sophia, ST – Japjeevan, Subs – Ava, Chloe, Annabelle
What a week for the football community it has been, with shocking news of not only Klopp resigning but also the Rugby Town Director of Football receiving compliments on his refereeing and whilst the two are not thought to be linked, one got significantly more press coverage than the other. With lots of talking points for a cold and sunny Sunday morning, we welcomed the teams from both Oadby and Wigston for their first visit to Butlin Road; currently sitting as the league leaders this represented an opportunity for Rugby to bounce back from the disappointment of the defeat last time out but without the gale force wind and sloping pitch to contend with.
A characteristic of recent performances has been a slow start to the 1st half, and this was shown by the girls not being as sharp as we know they can be with their passing. The early exchanges were crowded in midfield, with Ruby bossing the play and Emily providing the energy. A through ball for Sophia to run on to was seen by the O&W keeper who was very quick off her line to clear, and this was a consistent approach throughout the match. With such a crowded midfield, the tackling was tasty but fair and Sophia was unlucky to land awkwardly on the cold, hard pitch and was in some discomfort as she left the pitch. With Erin and Ava both getting stuck in with the tackles and then providing some width, Rugby started to create some chances and shots for both of them and Japjeevan were starting to happen.
A particular aspect of the Rugby town style of play is the playing out from the back, something which all of the parents find particularly delightful and pleasing to observe from the sidelines. O&W started to press higher up the pitch and a lucky intervention was then followed by an excellent long range shot that Immie was powerless to stop going into the net for 0:1. A great response from the girls to going behind was to start getting their passing together, with Ruby and Erin linking up well on the left and Emily and Ava linking up well on the right. By getting out wide, more space was being created in the centre for Japjeevan and a fantastic run through onto the ball and superb finish was sadly ruled out for the tightest of (admittedly correct) offside decisions.
With Rugby pushing forwards for the equaliser, O&W started to play on the counter-attack and showed some great technique and physical ability that showed why they are top of the league. A succession of superb clearances from Esme in the centre of defence was helping to protect Immie, Elsie was strong against the fast forwards and Olivia provided her typical covering to keep her opponent out wide and limit the chances being created. From the next round of substitutions, Annabelle started to show her calm control and passing in helping the defence remain solid and making the passing triangles that can be so effective when the ball is played to feet and players have moved into space. Ruby showed some excellent touches and close control, and had a couple of long shots that had the keeper worried. Chloe was showing her renewed confidence in her new wide position and was making some excellent runs on the wing up to the half time whistle.
The 2nd half started with a clear strategy of wanting to push forwards, and Erin and Emily were pressing their opponents out wide and forcing the game to become stretched. This created more space in the centre of the pitch for Ava and Sophia to take on their markers and go on the attack. From an O&W throw-in, Annabelle made an excellent interception and a great pass through to Japjeevan, who looked up and saw Sophia in space on the edge of the area. In what appeared to be in slow-motion, Sophia calmly took the ball onto her right foot before hitting a beautiful placed shot into ‘top-wins’ for a terrific equaliser.
With the pace livening up, O&W were using their strong physical presence to try and force their way through the centre of the pitch, and were met with an incredible series of interceptions and clearances from Esme. As her confidence grew, she started to find her teammates more with passing rather than clearances and the teamwork with Esme and Olivia was great to see. There were a couple of occasions where shots were taken but Immie was able to handle them comfortably, showing great hands and awareness of the danger.
There then followed a 10 minute spell of concerted pressure from Rugby that showed why the team has really started to improve this campaign. Good quality passing from Annabelle, Ava and Ruby in midfield meant they were finding players in space with Erin and Chloe making terrific runs from wide positions that were creating opportunities for Japjeevan and Sophia up front. Direct runs on goal from Chloe and Ava brought some great defending from O&W and the goalkeeper made a number of excellent saves and Sophia was unlucky to hit the post from a shot near the edge of the area. The pressure was mounting and a foul on Erin gave Ruby and opportunity for a great effort from the free kick that she was unlucky to see go just wide. Continued pressure led to Annabelle taking a quick throw-in to Erin, who’s tireless running was causing real problems for the O&W defence and she played a delightful cross into the area that was pounced upon by Emily to smash the ball home and make the score 2:1.
With so much effort being spent in getting back into the match, the Rugby girls really began to tire in the final 10 minutes and this is where the physical strength of the O&W team started to show as they made a concerted effort to force an equaliser that was met with some excellent tackles in midfield and defence. With just moments to play, an unlucky touch allowed the O&W forward to make a direct run on goal and she hit a tremendous shot that Immie dived for, but it was just out of her reach and the final score was 2:2.
Overall, an excellent performance against the league leaders and whilst the girls were disappointed at the final whistle a draw was probably a fair result.
Coaches Player of the Match – Esme
Parents Player of the Match – Ava
Thank you as always to the referee and officials and the parents from both teams who braved the cold weather and early start.