adverts

6th Game: Away versus Liverpool Hope

Date: 17th January 2007

Kick Off: 2.00pm

After two intensive days of training to work off those minces pies and chocolate puddings, Lancaster Women’s Football team seemed ready and prepared for their first match of the season. The team, who were missing two first team regulars, Laura Cook and Emily Hyslop, were determined to make a mark and improve their form from their Christmas run. The women at the minute are currently second in the league and are trying to play catch up with the phenomenal Liverpool University team who have pretty much flattened any opposition they have played.

The match however was edged with a very heavy and sticky pitch and extremely strong winds. In the first half Lancaster were running with the wind, but the positive attitude adopted prior to the game became invisible soon after the game commenced, the game for the first half was very sporadic and there were only brief spells of quality football being played. Lancaster managed to take advantage of one of these spells, a good one two by two of the players from the Lancaster defense and then a brilliant ball from Kathryn Montgomery resulted in Sue Wynes controlling the ball beautifully and slotting it in the net for Lancaster to take the lead. This nicely played piece of football obviously inspired the Lancastrians in someway because another goal was scored in less then five minutes, Wynes again took her opportunities and put Lancaster up by two nil.

The half time whistle blew and for Lancaster the score line was brilliant but their football had not been and the Liverpool Hope team may have wondered how on earth they were two nil down. In defense for Lancaster, there had been slight difficulty in the first half with formation as positions had to be swapped because a substitution had been made. Lianne Upton had to be taken off because of an asthma attack. Up until that point Upton, on her debut performance for the university had been playing the position of left back brilliantly.

After a harsh few words at half time, Lancaster returned to the pitch to finish the job, approximately 15 minutes in Liverpool gained a goal back and their heads were up from then on. After a further five minutes, Liverpool equalized, another good move and brilliant goal meant the home team renewed their confidence. Although the move and goal were good, they were easily stoppable if Lancaster had of pulled together as a team, but for the most of the second half the teams fragmentary status nearly resulted in their demise. Once Liverpool equalized the push of their team was commendable, each player working harder and harder for them to close their game in style, if it was not for the unskilled finishing Lancaster may have lost by 20 goals. Luckily for the Lancastrians, Katie Perry was in goal to help out a lot of the shots and in the last fifteen minutes of the second half, from some where inside them, the Lancaster players suddenly had a surge of desperation and a wanting, which resulted in a brilliant piece of football finishing with Wynes selflessly passing the ball to Catherine McCartan, in order for the Lancaster Captain to score the winning goal. The game drew to a close with Lancaster feeling extremely lucky for winning against a team whose high work ethic should be admired. Hopefully, Lancaster may be inspired by this and maybe for their next few games the football that the ladies usually play will reappear. I personally blame the mince pies.

Special mention goes to Katie Perry, the resident keeper for Lancaster was voted Player of the Match by the rest of the team.