Loss 1-6 vs Wapping W5’s
Match Report by Kim Bishop Liggett
At last, a home game and we had 13 players – what a luxury. Our opposition, Wapping W6, were sitting comfortably at the top of our table with a + 34 goal difference, we knew this was going to be a toughie. With Kathy Hammond running the bench and Coach Chris making a welcome appearance on the sideline we set about the game with our usual spirit and enthusiasm. However, it didn’t take long for Wapping to unleash their firepower and we very quickly found ourselves 1:0 down. Wapping were well drilled and came at us in waves, Kim, Lily, Jo, and Clare found themselves defending on the back foot time and time again, just not quite able to get through their press. Sarah was solid in midfield and some smart subbing by Kathy, utilising our ability to play multiple positions, saw us rotate our lines so we had fresh legs on the pitch as much as possible. Bella, Caitlin, and Kate battled relentlessly, JB played at least 4 different positions in quick succession and Helen was on fine form, but we were always on the back foot. And at half-time alas, we knew why Wapping were at the top of the table – we were 6:0 down.
Half-time gave us a welcome chance to regroup and eat some sweets. Fortified and with a revolutionary (for us) change of formation plus encouraging words and tips from Coach Chris we set about the second half. The 1:5:5 formation was certainly something we had never tried before but will no doubt use again. We defended and worked together as a unit, Dervla, Gabz and Lynn ran their socks off and we were rewarded with a much more competitive second half; it became very difficult for Wapping to get outcomes. We began to win corners and a quick PC instruction from Coach Chris saw Dervla play the short injection to Gabz, who played a lovely pass across the D for Sarah to fire in and Dervla to reposition herself to be in the perfect place to slot the ball home. Hooray, 1:0 up in the second half. We found our stride and a hugely competitive second half ensued in which, thanks to some excellent saves by Helen, we conceded very little. At one point I’m sure we had 12 on the pitch but who cares, final score 6:1. A great team effort and a massive boost and achievement to come back from 6:0 down and win the second half 1:0.
A lesson in resilience, teamwork, and the difference some smart tactics can make. Special mention to Alistair for making his umpiring debut supported by Justin, he came away unscathed apart from a few stares from our ‘more experienced’ players. A special mention to Jo P for running out selflessly number one on the short corners, our own international defender. Lots of votes for MVP but joint winners were Clare Roughton and Julie Bragg – well done. Onwards to next week and a lovely trek away to Tulse Hill 😊.
A lesson in resilience, teamwork, and the difference some smart tactics can make.
Kim Bishop Laggett