GU12 10-Mar-07: Oswald Rd 4-2 Unicorn Rubies (HT 3-2)

The Os cruised to a comfortable win against a spirited Unicorn team whose play suggested a higher position in the league than they have achieved. We started the day with eight players, joy of joys and each player was rotated. The Os looked good on the ball for the first 20 mins passing and moving like they should do and Nai’s presence in the midfield made it look a bit livelier. SophieA looked full of confidence and soon we were three nil up. Sophie scored, Nai took a poachers goal (she has watched Van Nistelrooy too much) and Sophie crashed in a third. Ruq was turning in a great performance in the middle winning lots of her tackles and laying passes off accurately. Tara was proving as useful as ever as a utility player and Zoe looks better week by week as a competent defender in the mould of Rio Ferdinand. Jazz looked big and strong in defence and stopped several one-on-one chances they had in their tracks. We probably slacked off a little and Rubies took two good chances and were back in the running.

The second half was an even affair with chances going at each end. Beck pulled of a couple of excellent saves that kept us in the game and generally she looked more confident. When Sophie took her hat trick following a short corner you sensed it was over for the Rubies. The Os seemed to be putting together some of the things we practiced in training, the corner trick worked a couple of times with Katie firing in a thunderbolt to produce the save of the day from the Rubies. But overall a good team display and a good result. A job well done.

Mike

A very good performance from Oswald Rd, marred only by a short period of inattention in the first half. We started fast and hard with a series of rapid attacks and soon Tara had made a good pass to SophieA who placed the ball neatly to the side of the keeper, one-nil after just five minutes! The Rubies have some very good players and they were soon trying to cut through our defence – but the defence held firm with midfield coming back to provide backup and defenders never giving up and sticking to the slippery attackers like glue. Whenever we got the ball, Nai’s presence meant that there were at least four players running rapidly into attack – and that extra player can make all the difference. Instead of our attackers being heavily outnumbered by their defenders, they could now run into space without being surrounded by defenders. Soon we were causing havoc in the Rubies defence – a cross into the box from Tara with Ruq, SophieA and Naomi all potential targets saw Naomi leap to the ball first and whack it straight into goal in the 13^th minute. Unlucky for the Rubies. They launched some more attacks but again our defence held firm and very few balls got through to Becks. Their goalie then mis-kicked a ball and SophieA got to it before the defender and smacked it back past the goalie into the net – 18 minutes into the game and we were 3-0 up!

This is when we got a bit complacent and stopped playing as a team. The Rubies attacked even more fiercely and now our midfield and attack stopped getting back quickly to help defence (maybe they were tired – in which case, they need to get fitter!). The Rubies soon scored an excellent goal and that made them more confident. They were soon putting our goal under a lot of pressure and bringing some excellent saves from Becky – even if she did forget to use her hands a couple of times! We did have some chances but either put the ball just wide or their goalie saved. One shot from SophieA towards the top corner seemed to be a certain goal but their goalie managed to push it onto the corner of the goalpost and crossbar and it bounced out. Eventually the pressure on our goal produced the inevitable result and they scored a scrambled goal on 28 minutes. We survived a couple more chances and ended the half glad to be ahead 3-2.

The second half was a lot less exciting – both defences tightened up and there were fewer chances. Oswald Rd still had the majority of the possession and slowly we tightened the screw. We survived a couple of scares when our midfield were caught walking back in slow motion to help defence when we lost possession but fortunately we survived! Eventually our pressure told and, after a series of fast attacks and corners which they just managed to keep out of goal, their goalie seemed mesmerised by SophieA and hit the ball straight at her in the 23^rd minute. We don’t need to tell you what happened next. A very good game overall. Shame it was a cup game which made no difference to who appeared in the final. Our next game against them will be a league game and will determine if we finish ahead of Wythenshawe. Go go go Ozzie Girls!

Kamal

Team: SophieA, Jazz, Tara, Naomi, Ruqayyah, Zoë, Katie, Rebecca
Goals (& Assists): 1^st half – SofiA (Tara), Nai (Tara), SofiA (g/k)
2^nd half – SofiA (g/k)
Opposition’s Player of the Match: Naomi
Managers’ Player of the Match: Naomi