MATCH REPORT
Our first competitive match since the festivities break and a very eventful one, too!
Leanne Wilson was unable to make her debut, due to a muscular complaint, but Shannon Richardson was finally able to play in a competitive match.
From the start we took the initiative, passing the ball around and keeping it on the floor.
Kelly Wheelan started very brightly upfront, busying herself, helped in this by Shannon Richardson, who showed some very skilful touches and intelligent movement. At the back, Charley Douglas imposed herself on the opposition and, after winning possession, she played out of defence intelligently, without fuss. She kept this up for the whole match, showing that she is maturing into a fine defender.
The initial period of pressure produced a goal after ten minutes, with Audrey Nagudi breaking through inside the penalty area and crossing low from the right, for Shannon Richardson to tap the ball in from two yards.
Tooting kept up the pressure, keeping the ball well and using possession to good effect, only to be found wanting with the end product .
In the 22nd minute Kelly Wheelan finally scored, only for the goal to be disallowed for offside.
Predictably, two minutes after that the opposition found the back of our net, against the run of play.
Melanie Anderson tried to dribble her way out of our penalty area in the left back position, lost possession and the ball was quickly switched to the other side where Bushra, although in the right place, completely missed the ball which ended to an apponent on the edge of our penalty area. Her hopeful lob found Ashleigh McGuigan slightly off her line and the ball went in, just under the crossbar.
From the re-start, we kept on playing the ball around, with our wide midfielders, Bushra Taou Taou and Shelley Osborne always available for the ball and stretching open the Enfield defence.
Gaps started again to appear in the Enfield back four and Kelly Wheelan was able to capitalize in the 30’ minute when, put through by Melanie Anderson, she passed the ball into the net from close range, with the ball rolling into the centre of goal, before going out of the netting.
The Enfield players, without prompting by anyone, picked up the ball and started going towards the centre circle for the re-start, only for the referee to pull the ball back and order a goal-kick to be taken, as in his opinion the ball never entered the goal. And I thought that the pantomime season was over!
More pressure followed for the remainder of the first half, without it producing a goal.
Shannon Richardson came off at the start of the 2nd half, replaced by Eleasia Ho-Shing, who started at centre midfield, with Melanie Anderson moving forward, her favourite position.
Unfortunately, she carried on up front in the same manner as she had in midfield, being totally ineffective and she came off in the 55th minute, replaced by Alexandra Brown, with Eleasia Ho-Shing moving up front.
Immediately, Alexandra Brown took hold of the initiative in central midfield, winning possession and using it intelligently, spreading the ball around and starting creating problems for the Enfield defence.
Kelly Wheelan started to be the beneficiary of this upturn, picking up plenty of possession but trying too hard to dribble her way in, when at times a simple lay off would have been far more effective, or even taking a shot from the edge of the penalty area.
After a few more close misses, finally the breakthrough in the 73rd minute when Eleasia, fed by Kelly, finished from close range.
We still persisted with our game, leaving Enfield with very little possession to use.
All the same, some tense moments were experienced in our penalty area, especially from some needlessly-conceded corners.
In those moments, Ashleigh McGuigan shone through, proving how good a goal-keeper she is.
Our win was well deserved, but we have to start taking our chances, when they come along.
This game should have been dead and buried by half-time!
Bart
