Ladies 1st Team Vs Belper

So the second league game of the season saw the first signs of winter with a chilly dreary start away at Belper. We said hello to some familiar faces as we were up against our former coach and captain, Tom Sherrat and Fran Slane. The two teams had met a couple of weeks previously in a preseason friendly in which Boots had run out winners, Belper were keen to seek revenge.

The game had a somewhat bouncy start with Boots struggling to get to grips with the surface early on. Most of the attacking play came from Belper but they struggled to create any outright goal scoring opportunities. The score stayed 0-0 until Belper won another short corner, the shot hitting the backboard and with the Belper team jogging back to the half way line to celebrate, the goal was somewhat harshly disallowed. A let off for Boots who were shortly undone with some neat play in the ‘D’, culminating in a ‘half volley’ short range goal for Belper. 1:0 leading up to half time. The ball was in the back of the net again shortly afterwards but the goal was disallowed having not touched a Belper player on its arrival in the D- long corner given.

Boots went into the break feeling like they could play A LOT better. A change in formation and consolidating team talk saw a more cohesive Boots start the second half. Passes were connecting more and the team started to produce some better attacking play and circle penetrations. The game was on much more of an even keel with both teams pushing to score. Boots applied all the pressure in the closing minutes, pressing for the equalising goal, winning numerous short corners but failing to capitalise. One such moment of urgency saw ‘dick of the day’ Duffers proceed to throw the most amazing ariel with height that would mean the ball could start at one end of the pitch and end up at the other. Shame it didn’t at any point enter the pitch- instead ending up over the adjacent fence.

Boots’s performace and result was much like Duffers ariel, ‘could do better’. Roll on next week’s home game versus Sutton where Boots will be looking to emulate their performance in the first league game with another win. One to forget was the resounding consensus.

MOM - Becky Wright

DOD - Laura Duffin 'Duffers' 

Match report written by Duffers.