| League match | ||||||
| SUN 4 NOV, 2pm | Manchester Stingers | 2 | v | 3 | Macclesfield Town | |
Scorers
Victoria Smith (pen 15)
Vicky (80)
Player of the Match
Katie Fingers
Match Report
Is it winter yet? There seems to be lots of sunny mornings these days, not least
on Sunday when the ladies turned up at Whalley Range for a battle against Macc
Town. The added bonus of playing at home shored up some confidence amongst the
players but there was a distinct lack of home supporters, obviously the last
minute fixture change left some unaware that we would be playing at home.
Coach Karen was in fine form this afternoon, starting it off with a bit of drama as Macc Town turned up in a kit suspiciously similar to the Yellows’ in a sort of Ying & Yang fashion. Coach was not impressed and ever so kindly offered Macc Town some bright orange bibs, which for some unfathomable reason, was quite staunchly refused by Ref Paul. Don’t think Macc Town were too keen on looking like that Dickinson chap either…
Anyway, Stingers started off very strongly with some good passing and positive forward play. The tall athletic figure of the lone striker had the centre half panicking and so another defender was dispatched to cover. As is customary, I was flattered by the attention. After 15 minutes of solid play from both sides, a breakthrough came from a run into the box by Jinny, who was tackled and I picked up the loose ball. As I began my mind-boggling step-overs, the panicking defender stuck a foot in and clumsily brought me down to my knees, the whistle went a penalty was given. Panicking defender had a right barny and was promptly shown a yellow card for her reaction to the decision. Penalty kick connoisseur Vicky ‘Scholes’ Smith stepped up to place in the bottom left corner. 1-0 to the Yellows early on was just reward for our hard work.
Macc Town were not a team to be held down, and piled on the pressure with long balls that proved a real threat on goal. It finally paid off when the forward managed to beat the offside trap and finished coolly to even the scores.
An epic battle ensued, and as the game wore on Macc Town grew more confident and made several attempts on goal, which Jane did well to neutralize. Stingers started to lose a bit of confidence and shape and were left looking very intimidated. Respite came with the half time whistle, and we congregated in the changing room for some inspirational criticism from the Gaffer. Nothing like a good rollocking to get juices pumping.
Back on the pitch for the second half and the Yellows started with some purpose, looking like they wanted all three points, and put some pressure on Macc Town with some decent passing and a few attempts on goal. However, Macc Town stayed strong and slotted one in about 10 minutes into the second half. This marked a downturn in the Yellows’ game, and heads went down. More pressure and strong play from the visitors sent the Yellows’ down the road to Intimidation Central, and the game fell apart, the score staying the same thanks to some fine goal keeping and strong defending. And downright luck.
Whilst I have the toned and fit physique of a finely tuned athlete, I also have the knees of a 78-year old pensioner. All that running around and kicking things finally took its toll and I crumpled in a heap as my troublesome left knee buckled in protest to my wearing some very unforgiving 3 inch Jimmy Choos the night before. I was replaced by new girl Vicky Blue Eyes, who put in a good fight. Macc Town scored their third whilst the sub settled in, but with ten minutes to go, Vicky Blue Eyes proved there was “method to Coach’s madness” by pulling a goal back. I heard she took the ball off Jane, meandered through 17 opposition players (including their subs), displayed a record 69 step-overs (beating my personal best of 0.5 and Rachel’s of 23), and tore the back of the net with her effort. Sublime. Or maybe it was a bit messy in the box, and someone hit the ball, and Blue Eyes stuck her foot out in perfect time and the ball trickled in for 3-2. Take your pick.
There was a collective sigh of relief as the final whistle
went. A well fought battle, although for much of the game
the Stingers looked intimidated and lacked that fighting
spirit that could have brought us back into the game. This
game is a reminder to the team that we need to keep our
heads up until the rotund lady sings. Let’s have a bit more belief for next week, ladies!!
Aisha Hayatuddini