Report

Sittingbourne Lionesses U13 v  New Ash Green 26.02.12

Sittingbourne Lionesses were looking forward to their first game with a full team for a month, only for the late withdrawal of Lily Powell with a hand injury. Two points to note here – 1 – parents ignoring advice to wrap their girls in cotton wool.  2 – Remind Lily to run through brick walls for the team and not in her own time!

The visitors were a tough team in every sense. Not only are they joint top of the league, but also had a more physical edge to their game than most other teams the Lionesses have encountered.  However with the effort the girls put in – it was hard to tell in the first half that they were a player down. In fact the ref only noticed at the start of the second half!

         The home side looked solid and organised from the start. Terri Armfield, Meryl Waring-Moore and Ellie Prudence held the back line superbly, with Morgan Steigmann in goal quick to pounce on any through balls. In midfield Emily Phillips was a dynamic presence, hassling and harrying New Ash Green at every turn.

     Emily and Lorna Robins were able to work some good breaks in opposing territory, while Rebecca Schreur began to grow in confidence after her return from injury. Beth Stevens was also able to get in some important tackles and deny space to her opponents on the right.

         New Ash Green had more of the possession, and won a succession of corners, but the Lionesses organisation held firm for most of the match.  The Sittingbourne side were able to create some dangerous moments of their own. They won two free kicks on the edge of the New Ash Green box. Emily stepped up both times – the first shot was blocked but the second was heading into the corner of the net only for the keeper to produce an excellent save.

          The visiting coaches were starting to get frustrated when their side struck after 25 minutes.  A quick break down the Lionesses left, a good cross and a first time finish put them ahead.  However it was a quality goal rather than any lapse by the home side who maintained their standard until the interval.

            Terri went in goal for the second half with Morgan taking her roles as a defender with a licence to break forward when possible. On a very warm day, the heat and the extra player began to show as the game wore on. Then they were undone by a big kick down the middle which bounced through/over/past three defenders for a visiting striker to run on and score.

        The second goal boosted New Ash Green , and with fresh legs they began to take advantage of a tiring side.  The Lionesses defended numerous corners very well, but on one occasion when they didn’t get out quick enough to close down a half-clearance – it was fired back into the net.

         The Lionesses never gave up though, and twice came close to breaking through with Lorna and Rebecca just unable to get to the ball ahead of the visiting keeper on the edge of her box. There was also a lovely bit of skill from Morgan, and another great turn from Emily under pressure, to cheer the coach, as they have spent 3 training sessions working on turns!

               New Ash Green added a couple goals more without reply, but the Lionesses never gave up and certainly gained the respect of their opponents. The visiting manager said  he could see a massive improvement since they last played – and it’s hard to disagree.