Match Report

St Nicholas Youth U10s vs Bristol Ladies Union U10s

My first every match report, it will be better than Ellie’s. Bright and early, 10:30 kick-off in Chipping Sodbury. Another away day at St Nicks. It was baltic outside, but the girls were up for it. First half started; we were pinning St Nicks in their own half. This was due to Poppy playing in centre of the park but in a more defensive role to usual, trying be mine and Tom’s Roy Keane. With Isla, Zoe and Evie striking shots at the St Nicks goal. 15 minutes into the first half, Abbie made a triple save and found her inner David De Gea. Abbie also had amazing distribution of the ball out from the back and made amazing saves. Sophie showed some amazing strength as she started in defence. Very vocal from both our captain (Isla) and our vice-captain (Sophie). Halfway through the first half Isla strikes again, this girl cannot stop scoring. A true stat-padder like Bruno Fernandes. Great pass from Zoe to slot in Isla for a one-on-one, Isla with ice in her veins slots it into the St Nicks goal. Up the other end Eleanor was showing some class defending and winning all her tackles and more importantly passing it out with composure to find the attackers. Furthermore, after Susie got blasted by the cold Mitre football (which left a significant red patch on her leg) she was still getting stuck in and winning her tackles and trying hard for the team. Niamh and Alice were put on with specific tasks to man-mark a couple of the St Nicks attackers and they did a fabulous job of it, stopping all the attacks they could. 

Half-time and the girls were freezing, it was not good conditions. But the girls were still up for it and wanted to get back on the pitch so they could stay warm. We were still getting shots on the St Nicks goal with Isla, Evie and Zoe breaking on the counter like prime Salah, Mane and Firmino. But the ball wouldn’t go into the net, Evie hit the post and the St Nicks goalkeeper made amazing saves after watching Abbie’s display. Later in the game we had Sophie playing upfront. The St Nicks goalkeeper failed to clear the ball, Sophie pounced and was sharper than all the other players and slotted it into the back of the net! Golden boot at the end of the season will be a close one with Sophie trying to catch Isla. The game ended, with the girls giving all they could give and their first game in the blistering cold. Great support from all the parents. Amazing home and away crowd, at least we never have empty seats like Man City. 

Our first star player went too Eleanor for an amazing defensive display. Our second star player went to Zoe for never stopping and for getting her assist for the first goal. 

Written by Jamil Khan (U10s coach and Manchester United supporter (if you can’t tell from the references)).

By elliehaines, ago

Bristol Ladies Union U10s vs Bath City Youth U10s

After a 4 week gap in our fixture list, we were back and raring to go for our home match against Bath City. We started the game strong, closing down their players and applying pressure from the front. Our starting midfielders (Zoe, Isla and Evie) were quickly moving the ball around with lovely clearances from our defenders (Rosie and Susie) when it got into areas of danger. Alice started the match upfront, playing well by getting into good positions and ready to tap the ball in if the opportunity came. Not forgetting about our wonderful new goalkeeper (Abbie) who’s confidence in running out and picking the ball up grew throughout the game. Despite Bath City getting a few goals in the bag, we kept our heads up and continued to play good football. Substitutions saw Poppy and Sophie come on in attack, with Eleanor and Leah coming on in defence. Our patience soon payed off when a wonderful volley from Zoe saw the ball land right at Isla’s feet in the box. Isla then took the opportunity and fired it into the back of the net, securing our first goal! We continued to play good football for the rest of the first half, with many close chances from Poppy nearly adding her to the scoresheet, but none quite managed to sneak into the back of the net.

We entered the second half ready, knowing that Bath City were a strong side, we were determined to win each of our individual battles and show our strength on the ball. We started off the second half with Leah upfront (for the first time ever!) after she showed us some powerful shots in training. Despite it being a new position, Leah threw herself into the role and got into some amazing positions for passes from midfield. When Evie got the ball on the left wing we were fast to counter attack, dribbling around all of their players with some beautiful stepovers and other skills to deceive the opposition. A quick switch around saw Eleanor, Leah and Alice come on in defence. Alice took notes from our halftime talk and came on to demonstrate some amazing strength in her tackles, putting everything in to stop them getting past. With Eleanor powerfully clearing the ball, we were well composed and playing our best. This lead to a well deserved second goal, again being scored by our star scorer Isla! Poppy played a lovely ball through the middle of their defenders, which Isla then ran onto and placed in the top left corner of the net. Even though we continued to give their goalkeeper lots to do and had some amazing shots, we weren’t able to get anymore in the back of the net, leading us to the final whistle. Throughout the whole match Abbie consistently made incredible saves, stopping shots from all distances and diving into every corner.

Although the game did not go our way, the girls didn’t let the score get them down and kept going until the final whistle. They were a credit to themselves and should be really proud of their performance. Our Star Players today were Abbie (for her insanely good club debut and performance in goal) and Evie (for her cheeky skills to get past the other team).

Written by Ellie Haines (U10 coach).

By elliehaines, ago

Development Team win away to maintain top of the table position

The Dev Team travelled over an hour to Mitcheldean FC, on the edge of the Forest of Dean. The opposition were solid with strong defence; we had several decent chances in the first half, with decent passes being put into space behind their defence, but we lacked the end product and went into half time 0-0. The girls were told at the break that we were no way going to be leaving without a win, having travelled all the way up here. With 20 minutes to go, we shuffled the players around a bit, and that gave us a bit more traction up front. Eventually, Esme got put through and managed to outpace their strong centre back, slotting the winner. A hard-fought win, leaving us at the top of the table.

By Justin Ogilvie, ago

Whitchurch U10s vs Bristol Ladies Union U10s

On Sunday the 10th of October BLUs U10s rocked up to South Bristol Sports Centre ready to take on Whitchurch U10s. First to take on the role of goalkeeper today was Zoe, supported by Eleanor and Isla in defence. After a bit of a rocky start to the game, we slowly began to get into the flow of it. Eleanor and Isla were confidently clearing the ball to our midfielders (Bonnie, Poppy and Evie) who were then travelling with the ball up the pitch and passing it on to our striker Sophie. Substitutions saw Alice come on upfront, as well as Leah and Niamh come on defence, immediately getting involved in the game and clearing the ball away from areas of danger. Despite our best efforts, the first half of the match did not go our way, but we will not dwell on that as the highlight of the first half was when Eleanor took on the role of goalkeeper. Nobody told us that the Peter Schmeichel of U10s girls was in our team! No matter what direction the shot came from, or the power that was behind the shot, everytime Eleanor stopped it from going in the back of the net. (Don’t worry Eleanor, we won’t stick you in goal every match!).

The second half of the match is when we finally started showing Whitchurch U10s what we were made of. With it taking Isla just 3 minutes to score our first goal of the match! A wonderful goal from outside the box that curled just inside the post in the bottom right corner, which nobody (not even their goalkeeper!) expected to go in. With a goal in our back pocket, the girls finally started to show their strength and skills through the game. Leah was our current goalkeeper with Niamh and Evie in defence, not letting a single Whitchurch player close to the goal, clearing the ball away everytime it came near the box. Our midfield of Zoe, Isla and Poppy were showing their confidence in keeping possession and passing the ball around. Leading to our second goal of the game, again by Isla. A lovely pass from Evie found Zoe in the box, who then passed it to Isla who then beautifully slotted it top right corner of the goal. A quick change saw Bonnie come on in attack and Eleanor and Sophie come on in defence. Not long after that came our next goal of the match, with Evie securing her first goal for BLUs! A beautiful pass from Zoe saw Evie receive the ball and precisely place it in the bottom corner of the goal. Our last goalkeeper change of the match put Poppy in goal till fulltime. With other substitutions bringing Alice, Leah and Niamh back onto the pitch. An amazing tackle by Bonnie lead to our final goal of the game. Isla came into possession of the ball and dribbled it past their players and into the box, powerfully hitting it into the top left corner. An absolutely beautiful goal, definitely a contender for goal of the season!

Every single player today showed resilience and strength through the game, making all of us coaches very proud. Unfortunately, we are not able to give everybody Star Player (even though they all definitely deserve it!). Our Star Players this week went to Isla (for scoring a wonderful hat trick and playing brilliantly in all positions) and Eleanor (for her amazing performance in both goal and defence, not letting a single ball get past her).

Written by Ellie Haines (U10s coach).

By elliehaines, ago

Bristol Ladies Union U10s vs Fry Club Junior Youth U10s

After a week of continuous rain, we were all very grateful to have the sun come out for our second home match of the season. The girls were eager to play and we got off with a really good start by pressing high up the pitch and getting lots of tackles in. The team was looking strong, with Eleanor and Susie in defence, not letting the ball get through to Rosie in goal. But if it ever did manage to get through, we were in safe hands with Rosie confidently handling the ball. We soon secured the first goal of the game. Evie played a lovely ball into the box, which Poppy ran onto and slotted into the top corner. We carried on at the same tempo, with Zoe creating many chances by running the ball up the wing. Shortly after our first goal came our second, with Sophie tackling one of their defenders and taking the ball all by herself into the box and placing it in the back of the net. A couple of quick substitutions brought Niamh on as a defender and Alice on as our new striker. And what a super-sub Alice was, coming on and scoring her first goal for BLUs. A precise cross from Sophie and a wonderful tap in by Alice added another one to our total. The next to take on the role of goalkeeper was Evie, with Rosie coming out of goal and going straight into defence. Other substitutions consisted of Bonnie coming on in attack and Isla coming on in midfield. The girls were confidently passing the ball round and keeping possession, leading to the final goal of the first half. Bonnie played a exceptional through-ball to Sophie, who then dribbled it forwards and passed it into the back of the net.

The start of the second half saw Niamh step up as the next goalkeeper for the team. We started the second half fast and strong, with our midfielders (Evie, Isla and Zoe) taking control of the game by tackling high up the pitch and keeping possession. After only a minute Isla secured our first goal of the second half, taking the ball by herself and dribbling it past the other team, then safely planting it in the back of the goal. Having lost one of our defenders to a birthday party at half time, we had a couple of new faces in defence. With Poppy taking on the role (backed up by our experienced defender Eleanor) many of their attempts were promptly being cleared from the box. Despite Poppy being in defence, this did not hold her back from getting into their box when we had a corner. Isla played a lovely corner into the box which Poppy happily received and placed in the bottom corner of the goal. Demonstrating that defenders are still able to score! Our final goalkeeper substitution placed Alice in goal for the remainder of the game. Our new defenders, Niamh and Zoe, were like a brick wall on the pitch, not a single ball got past them, with some powerful clearances from both defenders. Giving our midfield (Sophie, Susie and Evie) and attack (Bonnie) the best chances possible to secure some more goals. A lovely pass from Susie saw Sophie be the next to stick the ball in the back of the net, securing herself a hat trick this match. The final substitution of the match saw Poppy come on upfront. It didn’t take long for Poppy to secure herself a hat trick this match too, taking the ball all the way up by herself and slotting it into the back of the net. Our confidence in passing and dribbling the ball is what secured us the final goal of the game. The ball was beautifully tapped around, from Bonnie to Poppy and then to Isla who placed it for the final time in the back of the net.

An amazing performance by all of the girls today, it was really difficult for us coaches to pick just two Star Players. But for their amazing hat tricks, our Star Player trophies went to Sophie and Poppy.

Written by Ellie Haines (U10s coach).

By elliehaines, ago

Downend Flyers Eagles vs Bristol Ladies Union U10s

The sun was shining and the mood was high as we entered out first away game of the season. Despite everybody getting lost and struggling to find the playing fields, we all managed to get there in time for kick off. We started off strong with midfield (consisting of Zoe, Evie and Isla) confidently passing the ball around in Downend’s half, keeping possession as we settled into the match. This lead to the first of many attempts by our striker Sophie, but none were quite getting past their strong goalkeeper and into the back of the net. Although we were keeping possession well, Downend were still able to break through on counter attacks, but we had nothing to worry about with Susie and Rosie in defence, kicking the ball away any time it came near them. Poppy started in goal with not much to do and only touching the ball a couple of times in that position as the game developed. As we were reaching halfway through the first half Isla played a beautiful through-ball to Sophie who placed it in the back of the net. Next we carried out a few substitutions, bringing fresh legs onto the pitch and giving our starting players a well deserved rest, also switching around our goalkeepers with Isla next to take on the role. Our midfield now consisted of Niamh, Bonnie and Alice, who worked hard and put all their effort into getting the ball from defence to our new striker Zoe. Our new defenders Leah and Eleanor understood the job they had to do and were confidently tackling Downend’s players and clearing the ball out of our box. Despite our best efforts, Downend took control of the game at the end of the first half.

Not letting this get us down, we started the second half with our head’s held high. Sophie started the second half in goal, backed up by Rosie and Susie in defence. Again, we started off strong, passing the ball around. If the ball was ever lost Bonnie was on her toes in midfield running after the players, tackling to get it back in our possession and then passing it on to Poppy who was now our striker. Poppy had a fantastic run out in attack, with strikes going towards the top corners, however their goalkeeper this half was strong as well, so all attempts were being saved. New ways to score were being thought up by our attacking players, this lead to Poppy placing a lovely ball across the box, landing directly at Isla’s feet, Isla then placed the ball precisely in the back of the net, securing us another wonderful goal. Our final goalkeeper swap of the game resulted in Bonnie finishing the game in goal. With changes seeing Alice and Leah make their way onto the pitch. Leah understood her new role in midfield, confidently tackling players and feeding the ball through to Evie and Poppy. A slight knock to the knee then saw Eleanor heroically come on last minute as an injury substition for Alice. This saw us to the final whistle (a bit earlier than anticipated as other substitions were lined up!) and therefore bringing our first away game to a close.

Our star player trophies went to Rosie (for her amazing defensive performance, not letting a single ball past her) and Isla (for her fantastic passing, shooting and keeping of possession in midfield).

Written by Ellie Haines (U10s coach).

By elliehaines, ago

Bristol Ladies Union U10s vs Ashton FC Girls U10s

Sunday the 5th of September marked the day of U10s first ever football match. After what seemed like a bumpy start with Ashton FC Girls securing 2 goals within the first 5 minutes, the girls didn’t let it get them down and carried on with the same excited and confident attitude. Our temporary goalkeepers of the first half (Zoe then Eleanor) stayed calm and collected, not letting anymore goals into the back of the net. Backed up by our strong defence, Susie and Leah, not letting the ball stay in our box for very long and clearing it perfectly for our counter attacks. With Isla, Zoe and Poppy in midfield and Sophie upfront, our attacking play came in full force. This very quickly lead to Zoe scoring our first ever goal as the first half was drawing to a close, followed closely by Sophie scoring our second goal right before the half time whistle. Leaving the score as 2-2 at half time.

Half time consisted of a change in goalkeeper, with Leah next to face the role. Rosie dropped from midfield to defence, but she took it fully in her stride, with not a single ball getting past either her or Eleanor in defence. Susie, Bonnie and Zoe were in midfield, passing the ball confidently around the other team, this lead to our 3rd goal of the match being scored by Zoe. And what a wonderful goal it was, with Zoe taking the ball at the halfway line and dribbling round all of their players to then finish it with the ball in the back of the net. A quick change of goalkeeper saw Susie in goal for the last 10 minutes of the game and a substitution bringing Evie onto the pitch upfront. Unfortunately, Evie scored a wonder goal whilst our keepers were swapping over due to the other team taking an early throw-in. The beautiful volley from the halfway line was, however, disallowed (but don’t worry, we will still put it in the running for goal of the season). Not to worry though, this disallowed goal was then shortly followed by a powerful shot from the edge of the box by Poppy, resulting in the ball hitting the back of the net in the bottom corner. Despite strong defending being shown by Sophie and Rosie, and Susie making some incredible saves in goal, Ashton FC Girls were able to secure another goal and then a penalty due to an accidental handball in our box. When the ref blew the full time whistle the score stood at 4-4.

A fantastic performance by all of the girls, putting in all there effort, but a special shout out to Zoe (for her amazing dribbling and shooting in midfield) and Susie (for her incredible saves in goal, as well as brilliant defending and attacking when not in goal) who were given Star Players of the match.

Written by Ellie Haines (U10s coach).

By elliehaines, ago

Evie-Jean hits five

Evie-Jean found the breakthrough 10 minutes after her effort from outside the box went high and wide. She controlled Anna’s looping cross and fired into the net to make it 1-0 to BLU.

BLU then withstood a period of Portishead pressure, with Ella forced into a save with her feet.

Evie-Jean doubled the blues’ advantage minutes later with a clever run and low finish under the goalkeeper to make it 2-0 to BLU.

She then completed her hattrick immediately afterwards with another intelligent run that was not picked up by the Portishead defence. Evie-Jean’s chipped effort was blocked on the line and she smashed the rebound into the net for 3-0 on the stroke of half time.

BLU increased the pressure in the second half and Evie-Jean netted quickly after the restart. This time Anna’s perfectly weighted pass matched Evie-Jean’s run and she poked the ball home for 4-0.

As BLU looked for more goals, they were susceptible to Portishead’s agile counter-attacks, but Appoline and Amy were able to recover possession for BLU on several occasions.

Evie-Jean scored her fifth of the game late on. Neat footwork and clever movement from Jess opened up space for her to lay a pass off to Evie-Jean on the edge of the box – who curled an effort into the bottom right corner for 5-0.

BLU managed the rest of the game well and it ended 5-0 to Bristol Ladies Union.

Thanks to:

Portishead Players & Management

Ella

Anna

Appoline

Amy

Jas

Jess

Katie

Grace

Maren

Evie-Jean

Mia

Tia

By Darren Crew, ago

Swiss Valley 0-5 BLU U13s

By Frankie Crew

Swiss Valley 0-5 BLU U13s

BLU returned to action with an emphatic victory away at Swiss Valley.

Swiss Valley began the game well and managed to create a couple of chances, neither of which troubled Ella in goal.

Once BLU had eased into the game, they quickly forced saves from the Swiss Valley goalkeeper – Evie-Jean and Jas both saw shots stopped.

Jas opened the storing shortly before half time; tapping in a ricocheted shot that fell to her from Jess’ looping corner. 1-0.

BLU continued to push and doubled their advantage before the break. This time Tia found the bottom corner with her right-footed curler. 2-0.

The away side were much brighter in the second half and quickly rattled the woodwork from Jas’ arrowed hit.

Evie-Jean increased their lead with a perfect shot from the edge of the box. 3-0.

Anna and Freya continued to defend stoically against the Swiss Valley centre-forward, enabling more players to attack.

Tia and Mace stretched the lead to 5-0 at the end of the game. Tia controlled and finished a cross from Anna on the right for 4, and Mace completed a team move with a tap-in on the goal line for 5-0.

The game ended 5-0 to BLU U13s

Thanks to:
Swiss Valley Players and Management
Ella
Anna
Freya
Mia
Jess
Jas
Maren
Evie-Jean
Tia
Emily
Mace

By Darren Crew, ago
U11 Tournament Winners

BLU U11 Wins Emersons Green Tournament

It was a shaky start for the U11 team, losing the first game 1-0 but once the team settled into their rhythm there was no looking back. 
Scoring 15 goals and conceding only 2, BLU U11 stormed their way to a convincing 3-0 win in the tournament final against Longwell Green.

Outstanding performances throughout the team but special mentions for a hatrick of hatricks from Suki, a hatrick from Isobelle and some heroic goal keeping from Tia.

By Steve Cripps, ago