Result : WIN 1-0 vs Winchmore Hill & Enfield 2
Match Report : Jo Price
After a 5-1 drubbing at home in November we approached the return fixture with determination but some wariness knowing that we needed to continue our winning streak to maintain hopes for promotion.
I think it is fair to say that much of the play throughout the match hinged around the slowness of the pitch.
We started strongly and were pressurising their defence within the first few minutes but, from the start, found it hard to get an accurate shot on goal. WHE, despite having the bare eleven, were fielding an experienced side and with their greater knowledge of pitch conditions were initially able to absorb and set up some counter attacks. They were boosted by the late arrival of one of their strongest players who helped to carry the attack and set up some good passages of play. This finally resulted in a PC which was commandingly dealt with by our defensive back line. From this point onwards wards we were in control.
Tackling and passing well the difficulty was finding the elusive goal. The deadlock was finally broken when Sally drew on her successes of the past few weeks by driving in close to the goalmouth and again surprising the keeper with a well-placed shot from an acute angle. Thus the half finished with a slender 1-0 lead.
There was an acknowledgement at half time that we needed to close the gap between mids and forwards and did so exceptionally well in the second half,with goalkeeper Hells untested over the 35 minutes. However, despite impressive effort from all our players and around 90% possession we could not find a way to score again. With Kim holding the fort at CB Jo, Emma O and Julie pushed high, Bhu,Sally Emma L and Clare controlled the middle and Lynn Jos Niamh and Caroline were relentless in their attacks in the D.This resulted in around 12 PCs in the last quarter but we were still unable to find a way through. Credit must be given to the opposition who showed their experience in defence despite being under constant pressure. They packed the D giving no space for a close range shot and taking advantage of the slow surface to smother any attempt at a hard shot from the top of the D.
Both sides fought hard to the whistle and although a little disappointed with only one goal to show for our dominance, we were extremely happy to come away with all 3 points.
This was another good all-round team performance with plenty of candidates for WOW with votes for Sally, Caroline, Julie, Emma L & Emma O but ultimately this week’s award went to Jo for some strong work on the right and winning one for the oldies!
Our penultimate game is 26th at home v W Hampstead.
