Sponsored by: Revellation Graphic Design
Venue: Rushden
Weather: Cloudy and cold
Squad: Lois, Emma, Zoe, Grace, Sophie, Ava (c), Rosie, Charlotte, Hev, Hav, Evelyn
Rugby Town U13s travelled to Rushden for our first game since mid October – a gap of over 5 months without a game! We had previously beaten a new Rushden & Diamonds side comfortably the previous season, but we knew this team would be a stronger opponent and so it showed!
The game kicked off with an emphasis placed on having fun, being positive and getting back into the swing of things. We started brightly enough – Ava and Sophie both getting on the ball and driving forward, always looking for a pass – but R&D were fast and skillful on the break and put us under immediate pressure whenever possession was turned over. And before we fully knew what had happened Rushden had pulled into a two goal lead with strong finishes from wide areas leaving Lois with little chance.
Determined not to focus on easy long balls and instead to stick to our principles, we consistently tried to play out from the back from goal-kicks, with Ava & Sophie moving to create space to receive the ball in midfield. However, as we are learning this doesn’t always go to plan and some good R&D pressing led to them increasing their advantage with another crisp finish, before adding to their tally just after. With tired legs starting to show, we brought Rosie into centre mid for Sophie, with Grace, Hav & Hev all getting time on the pitch.
Despite the scoreline, the girls never let their heads drop, nor sacrificed their principles and tried to play short neat passes – constantly attacking with 3 or 4 passes leading to good attacking positions with Rosie showing great awareness to try and spring Evelyn or Charlotte clear. The goalkeeper pulled off a great stop with Evelyn played through, and she was unlucky soon afterwards poking a quick shot just wide of the post as Rugby finished the half the stronger team.
HT: R&D 4 – 0 Rugby Town
At half time we stressed that we didn’t care about the result, to keep playing the way we were and to keep believing in our passing and movement.
The second half started strongly with Rugby trying to build attacks, but a defensive mix-up lead to Rushden scoring a fifth early on but despite a further goal from Rushden in the half we largely showed the defensive solidity that we’d been lacking in the first half – particularly from Zoe who’s natural tendency to drop deeper and sweep meant that we could stop many of the breaks before they troubled Lois.
At the other end Evelyn had two strong claims for penalties when sent through – one of which led to puzzled looks from coaches, parents and players alike when not given! Although the game clearly wasn’t falling for her she showed great resilience to keep plugging away, scoring a superb goal towards the end of the game. A brilliant corner from Ava was fired in towards the penalty spot and Evelyn backed off her marker to volley home into the corner for a deserved consolation for the team.
FT: R&D Blues 6 – 1 Rugby Town
Overall Performance: In the first half we clearly looked like a team that hadn’t played together in 5 months (!) but after that spell we were much stronger and even marginally the better side. The most encouraging aspect was our desire to play passes and look for our team-mates – rarely resorting to playing it long, even from goal kicks.
Parent’s Player(s): Zoe – once again showing her power, pace & composure on the ball to stop attacks and then pass us to safety.
Coaches Player(s): Rosie – gave us more control in the middle of the pitch and was unafraid to put her foot on the ball, beat a player and pick a pass. A cultured performance!
Thanks to the parents for their positive support throughout, particularly during that tough first half!
