It was the first match of the new season, in unseasonably wet and cold weather. In fact wet doesn’t even begin to describe the downpour that kept all subs, parents and friends practically disappearing inside Dry Robes or cowering under their large brollies. But none of that mattered because the important thing was the scoreline. Things started off well with a decent spell of possession for BLU, and soon we were up one goal thanks to a determined effort by Sarah, with the second goal coming later in the first half, scored by Molly. I think we had a reasonable control of the game in the first half, but Tia and the defenders had some work to do back in our goal. Andoversford were awarded a direct free kick, which somehow made it through the wall, but not through the fingers of Tia. By the end of the first half the rain was starting to make a nuisance of itself.
The second half began with a lot more pressure from Andoversford, and for 15 minutes we were struggling to get out of our half. Both teams had chances and we were forced to defend a string of corners. Rosa was unlucky to hit the woodwork in a goal attempt that probably would have triggered a VAR check if there were cameras about, and Sydney showed some serious bravery in a 50-50 challenge with the keeper. The game ended Adoversford: 0, BLU: 2.
Some excellent performances from everyone on pitch, and quite the introduction to open age football for our younger squad members. Also we’ve got a few things to work on, most notably our throw-ins. Player of the Match went to Tia for keeping a clean sheet, and our Magic Moment trophy went to Lila for her comedy shin pads!
First game of the season, first win of the season, two very damp but happy coaches. (I did take a photograph of the team but it turned out my camera lens was so wet it was just a big blur… sorry.)