Ladies 1st XI Vs Arnold 1

We were all on the pitch warming up by 9.00 am on a chilly Saturday, ready for a push back by 9.30. Then the Arnold XI arrived and we hoped were a bit daunted. But not a bit of it

Captain Eleanor (Rock of Gibraltar) Wallace was absent, we hoped somewhere warmer than the Forest Rec at Gregory Boulevard.

Vice-Captain Freya (Meteor) Beaumont stepped up as Captain and gave us a zinging pre-match briefing. It was also Elizabeth Turner’s last match for us after her retirement, and Freya wanted us to help ensure a 100% clean sheet in defence. Once again, “they shall not pass”.

 Because of substitutions, not all players in our team were on the pitch at the same time in the same position.

A very high-octane start. We started as we clearly intended to go on.  It was not long before Jo (Barrier of the Pyrenees) Shaw started off a multi-phase movement, out to Gemma (the Jet Propelled) Robinson at left midfield; across to the always-in-position (Lightning) Liv Biddulph in our forward line. Lightning Liv burst through with a lung-busting run to make a cunning side-slip to Becky (Comet) Humfris.

Becky collected Liv’s pass at speed, advanced, jinked inside onto her right foot, and shaped a low shot past the Arnold keeper. 1-0. The ball could not have been more sweetly struck and perfectly directed.

We were starting to develop the confident swagger of a Team that knows what it is doing and where its players are lurking, unmarked

Twinkle-toed Lucy (Strike Force) Lloyd at centre midfield was also aided and abetted by Tigress Sophie (Swift to Pounce) Atkinson at right midfield as well as by Gemma Robinson on the left. Lucy was everywhere, quick of thought and movement, displaying brilliant footwork in confined spaces, spreading wide passes into unmarked spaces and creating mayhem in the Arnold defence

Sophie A and Gemma were seamlessly doing just the same, shimmering and dazzling, with matching speed and skills. What a splendid combined top-quality powerhouse. Our midfield created a structured, possession-based approach that is more intricate but slower, but with our skills, midfield created adequate time to do that,

These showed not just skill, quality and character but also availability to create and receive passes, which is decisive. Our wonderful midfield displayed all these and more. At the Battle of Waterloo the Duke of Wellington: [referring to his own army] said “I don't know what they'll do to the enemy; but, by God, they frighten me.”

Our touchline supporters felt equivalent admiration for our highly creative midfield who were clearly beginning to unnerve our opposition.

Our Team performance reminded the spectators of a Rolls-Royce engine being given fine-tuning, and just starting to purr perfectly. Our top quality coaches on Thursday evenings have clearly been honing and polishing to the maximum  our talents as a Team.

At full backs, Captain Freya Beaumont and Jo Shaw were noticeably pushing forward, encouraging our midfield to push further up and thus giving more support to our attacking forwards. Freya and Jo blocked and intercepted with confidence.

But inevitably, this left our keeper Elizabeth Turner over-exposed to dangerous breakaway raids by Arnold. Freya and Jo often had to scurry back at top speed, very effectively, and anything that got past them was met by an in-top-form Elizabeth. Arnold nearly scored several times by deflections, but brilliant athletic saves by Elizabeth kept a clean sheet.

Elizabeth not only kept a safe goal-mouth with her inspirational defence, but was even managing to pass the ball really shrewdly to set up our new attacks.

 We seemed to have 11 attacking players. The All-Stars Team Engine was running at full pace

One particularly splendid pass went up from Elizabeth to Sophie A in midfield, who weaved and dummied, slalomed past two players then out and up to Ruby (Rocket) Ryan. Ruby accelerated like a Ferrari at max and took the ball down the touchline to the Arnold baseline. A swift cross with 100% accuracy to a lurking Becky who made no bones about driving it home to make it 2-0.

These early skirmishes proved to be a positive indication of what unravelling (by Arnold) was to follow.

Our loyal supporters on the touchline were able to cheer noisily. It helped because our supporters outnumbered those from Arnold.

A bit later, Lucy Lloyd cut off a piercing cross-field pass by Arnold and slipped the ball with precision up to Evie (Shooting Star) Bates. Evie accelerated and broke through, shooting from a tight angle. Parried skilfully by the Arnold keeper but Becky collected the rebound and slipped it over the line to make it 3-0.

At this moment, it seemed that Arnold was needing to double mark Becky, leaving Rachael (the Unseen Raider) Grupping inadequately marked. Gemma noticed this and moved the ball to Rachael. An ever-alert Arnold defence doubled down on Rachael, she passed the ball out to Emma (Speedy Gonzales) Roberts who buzzed like a searching bee, round the back of their defence.

Emma pulled it back fast to the head of their D and to find Liv who found Rachael as Raider in pole position, who banged it home. 4-0. More cheers from our touchline. Then as Rachael suffered double-marking, Emma smoothly collected the ball from Liv in a goalmouth melee and herself pushed it over the line. 5-0

As the first half was ending, Ruby Rocket flashed down the wing to make a superb cross. Tigress Sophie A collected it and struck, but it was parried. Arnold cleared it out only to find Ruby as recipient, who with nonchalant determination flicked it over their line to make it 6-0 at half time.

It can be as disappointing to be the winners as well as losers with such a one-sided game. Not that Arnold did not attack and defend doughtily but by now our Rolls- Royce quality Team engine was silently and smoothly running to perfection.

So Captain Freya decided at half time to use the second half as an experience-gaining time, by switching forwards to defenders and defenders to forwards. It provided a greater understanding of the difficulties each position faces and to some extent, sportingly, it was hoped to equalise the game a bit.

The sun came out from behind the clouds, especially and very brightly, to enable it to view our South Notts Sensations in full flow. What an experience.

Spectators noticed Rachael at sweeper, Liv and Ruby at full back and Jo (Barrier of the Pyrenees) Shaw, Tigress Sophie and Jet-Propelled Gemma up in the All-Stars forward line. All very effective, but natural styles of play and positioning surfaced. As the game, everyone happened to creep back into our more usual positions.

So Rachael scored 2 more to make it her hat trick, Becky one more with a cleverly played assist from Liv to make it a hat trick plus 1, Evie 1 with a neat assist from Lucy, and then sadly for Arnold, an own-goal to make the final score 11-0 to South.  And yet another clean sheet for Elizabeth Turner as keeper. Well done Elizabeth,

Boots 4 is chasing us hard and they have a game in hand. Newark is not far behind. The All-Stars Sensations have yet to play Newark and West Bridgford before the end of the season so we need to win both, to stand a chance of topping our League division at season-end

Tally; Becky 4, Rachael 3, Ruby 1,Emma 1, Evie 1, and an Arnold own-goal