The Phoenix travelled to Garston for an away fixture on Saturday 18th February 2023. The girls started strong and played some positive football very early on. AW and JM put in their usual energetic performance out on the wings – they pushed forward when the Phoenix were in possession and they always tracked back when Garston had the ball. Between them they kept Garston limited to playing the ball through the middle. FLS battled away in the middle. Whenever she won the ball she tried to make runs at the Garston defence. On a couple of occasions she broke free to create chances, however the Garston goalkeeper was quick off her line and saw off the attacks. At the opposite end CD and LS were confidently dealing with any Garston possession in the Phoenix half. They worked together to ensure that one of them came to meet the attacking player and the other held back to close off any passing options. Garston were unable to create goalscoring opportunities for much of the 1st half. Any opportunity that Garston had was swiftly dealt with by MK. Although a quiet half, she was always encouraging her teammates and urging the Phoenix forward. LV and YC came on midway through. Both made an instant impact – LV made a couple of promising runs into the Garston area, having won the ball in the Phoenix half. The opposition could not get the ball from her. This created space for YC to run into. With 13 minutes played YC ran onto a pass from FLS, she found herself in space and unchallenged. Without hesitating she picked her spot and unleashed a shot at goal. Phoenix had the lead. It didn’t take long for that lead to double. SDB, who had been troubling Garston all game, made a brilliant run from deep in the Phoenix half. She sprinted out wide, before cutting inside – a move which left the defence stranded. She then fired a powerful shot at goal which the goalkeeper had no chance of saving. Garston were able to claw a goal back in the last moments of the half. A Garston player managed to get into space just outside the Phoenix half. MK came out to meet the player and made a challenge for the ball. Then followed some confusion, whether there was a foul, or whether the ball went out. The Phoenix hesitated, but Garston carried on playing and scored a goal. An unlucky goal to concede just before half time.
Early in the second half LS, who had tried to carry on following a knock in the first half was forced to rest. AW and CD took on the majority of the defensive duties. They communicated well and ensured that players were being marked and that no space was left uncovered. CD also spent some time in attack and was really unlucky not to get a goal – she had possession just inside the box and hit a shot that was wide by a small margin. AW put in a great defensive performance in the last 10 minutes she prevented two clear goalscoring opportunities. The first when she made last ditch tackle to protect an open goal, and the other when she chased back and stopped a 1:1 situation arising. MK was again relatively quiet. Garston did rally together near the end and had the Phoenix on the back foot with a few corners and throw ins. She ensured the defence was organised and that each Phoenix was marking and watching for runners. A well-deserved clean sheet in the second half. JM quite literally put her body on the line for the Phoenix in this half. She played the entire half out on the wing. Defensively she showed great pace to stay with the Garston attackers and in attack she constantly ran into great spaces. She took a lot of knocks in this half, but each time she got up and carried on. LV played some of the half in defence, and some in midfield. She was comfortable in either position. She was composed when in possession and held onto the ball to give her time to decide her next move – either a pass or a dribble. When she chose to dribble, she drove the ball into the Garston half and was unstoppable. YC played in the middle and really dictated the game in the second half. She dropped deep to prevent Garston advancing on the Phoenix goal and she always attempted to make attacking passes when in possession. She was on the receiving end of a strong tackle, but she did not let it deter her. The pass of the game saw her win the ball on the half way line, run forward and then play a perfect through ball into the path of SDB, who had made a great run into space. It was a quick simple pass which cut through the opposition defence. SDB collected the ball, with a great first touch. She outran the Garston defence, took the ball into the box and slotted the ball beyond the goalkeeper. It was a well taken goal. Her celebration was just as good – she lay on the floor, arms stretched out. Every outfield player came to congratulate her. FLS continued to trouble Garston with her dribbling. She pushed forward with every opportunity which kept the momentum with the Phoenix. Her tackling today was just as important. She won every challenge and made it difficult for Garston to get the ball between defence and attack. LS made it back onto the field in the last 10 minutes – much to the joy of her teammates. Despite her injury, she battled on for the team – winning tackles and chasing down loose balls. Her energy in the last few minutes ensured that the Phoenix stayed on top. A brilliant team performance today and a well-deserved return to winning ways. POTM was AW – she covered so much of the pitch, always running between attack and defence. She was always alert to potential Garston counter attacks. She won most challenges and her well time interventions late prevented any further goals. TOW is YC – a confident and assured performance. Her passing ability was the difference between the teams today. She was calm in possession and always seemed to find the perfect pass to play. She also scored a goal, and played on despite receiving a knock.
Report by C.Williams
