On Sunday the 23rd of January we all had to drag ourselves out of bed half an hour earlier than usual for a 10am kick off compared to 10:30am, and it was all the way over in weston! But we all managed it and were soon warming up ready for the game ahead.
The girls were ready to go and despite the pitch being massive compared to what we are used to, we were on our toes and raring to use all our energy. The whistle blew and we were off. Our defence was looking strong, Rosie and Eleanor were clearing the ball, stopping any danger getting close to Abbie in goal. It took a little bit of time for our midfield to adapt to the size of the pitch, it required a lot more running! But we soon got there, and Bonnie, Zoe and Isla were passing it around in midfield, with bursts of sprints up the wing every so often by Bonnie and Zoe, putting pressure on the other team. Alice was our starting striker, getting into good positions if the ball were to come to her. The size of the pitch did seem to be putting us through our paces, with a rocky start looking like we were going to enter half time goalless. But Sophie and Isla came to the rescue! Our newly substituted striker Sophie dribbled the ball into the box and then passed it onto Isla, who booted it straight past the keeper and into the back of the net. Followed by the whistle blowing for half time.
The goal had been perfectly timed, giving the whole team motivation for the second half. When the whistle went we got stuck straight in, using the size of the pitch to our advantage by dribbling up the wing and around their players in our attacks. Leah and Susie (later followed by Niamh) in defence, were getting more confident with their tackles as the game went on. But if the ball were to ever go through then Abbie had it covered, both making saves on the goalline but also running out to the edge of the box to tackle their attackers. Weston Mendip again started strong, but we didn’t let this get us down. 11 minutes into the second half we welcomed our next goal! Starting with Evie and Poppy creating pressure in the box on a corner, standing strong against their defenders. Isla took the corner beautifully, passing it straight to Zoe on the edge of the box, who fired it into the top right corner of the goal. A few substitutions saw Eleanor come on in defence and Bonnie come on in midfield. Not long after that came another goal! A lovely pass from Eleanor and a few tap arounds by our midfield saw Zoe gain possession in the middle of the pitch. Zoe then single-handedly took on the whole of the opposition and dribbled into the box and placed it in the back of the net. The team were looking strong and ready for a come back. Eleanor was clearing the ball with confidence and strength in defence, supporting her fellow defender Leah who was going up the pitch and tackling and stopping their attackers turning. Our good form lead to the next goal, Bonnie dribbled the ball all the way down the wing and passed it into Sophie in the box, who tapped it in the bottom left corner of the goal. We had a few more chances before the final whistle, with a close shot by Poppy, who was perfectly positioned in the box to receive a cross, but just tapping it wide of the post. Followed by a free kick won by Bonnie who got absolutely wiped out on the edge of the box, but unfortunately we couldn’t quite get the ball in the back of the net. We soon heard the final whistle.
Our Star Players this week went to Zoe for her amazing strength throughout the game and for bagging herself 2 goals (the race is getting close for golden boot!). As well as Eleanor for her incredible performance in defence, with powerful clearances and supporting other players around her. Well done to all the girls for staying motivated despite it being freezing cold and a huge pitch!
Written by Ellie Haines (U10s coach).