Bristol Ladies Union 1st v Fry Club JFC Women, 25th October 2026.
We were all channelling Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz as we approached the pitch on Sunday, expecting the wind to blow everything away and us with it. Conditions were dry, which was a small consolation, but the wind was strong and inconsistent, which makes for a lottery of a game.
BLU started well though. The match looked pretty even for the first 10-15 minutes, and as the first half progressed we had a lot of the ball and plenty of action at the right end of the pitch. Ball retention was a bit of a struggle though, partly due to the weather conditions, but also Fry were giving no space, which is what we were expecting. Our best chances were coming from the wings. Once the ball got wide enough, Georgie and Winnie were able to get level with the penalty area and put in effective crosses. Both keepers had saves to make, and we had some great moments in and around the box. Holly came closest right in front of goal with 2 defenders crowding her and the keeper in front, but the ball was getting slightly too far ahead as she tried to connect and she only managed to get a toe on it, so it drifted wide. Izzy too had a good attempt from a tight angle, but again it just slid past the far post. Both keepers were kept busy, and both had to make saves, but there was no score by half time.
The second half was scrappier. Both the conditions and fatigue were conspiring to keep BLU from retaining the ball. We got pinned back in our own half for a good 15 minutes or so, but the back 4 stayed strong and broke down attack after attack. Around the 70 minute mark Georgie was forced to come off, nursing some back pain, and since we had no substitutes we were down to 10 players. We were still holding on well, but eventually Fry broke through and scored. Georgie managed to get back on the pitch after a bit of recouperation, but not long later it was Matilda’s turn to go down. So we were back down to 10 players again, but still we were holding them off, and even managing to get back on the attack. The final 15 minutes were more even again. We were back up to 11 players, and BLU had a bit of energy left in the tank, but despite a number of well worked plays from the wings and a couple of corners, we didn’t manage to equalise.
So it ended BLU: 0, Fry: 1. Disappointing to many of the team, but really it could have gone either way in the conditions, and the fatigue by the end of the game was clear on everybody’s faces. Our Player of the Match was Connie for a monumental defence effort, with honourable mentions to the rest of the defence, and Imy, who made some excellent saves. The Magic Moment came from Amelie, our newest and least experienced player, who showed her worth in a lovely bit of skill in the first half, outwitting a determined attacker who tried (and failed) to tackle her at least 3 times in a row.
