This Team Deserves A Break!
Only 11 players and their dedicated families made the long trip to Kent. Lauren the latest casualty with an ankle injury at Thursdays training session.
The team started well, on the front foot and were asking questions of the home team. The early pressure forced a mistake and quick thinking from Emilie who played in Megan for the opener (1-0). The girls looked to have a spark that had been lacking recently and Abbie was next to try her luck but pulled her shot narrowly wide of the target. Defensively, the team looked comfortable although still gifted a lot of corners to their opposition. These were coped with, as were most of Kent’s other attacks until a hopeful lob into the area found its way over Millie and into juniors’ goal (1-1). The girls dusted themselves down and went again. Carly was having a positive effect at the top of a diamond formation, holding the ball up when needed and driving forwards when space allowed. The referee seemed reluctant to blow his whistle at times but had no choice with Carly again looking dangerous. Megan stepped up to strike a dipping free kick that clattered the cross bar, Carly the brightest to react in the box for the rebound but unable to keep the ball down. Soon after the team got their reward, Emilie again pressurising the hosts defence and winning a penalty from a rash challenge. A confident Megan finding the bottom corner with a well taken spot kick (2-1). With Summer and Mya giving the midfield defensive cover, Abbie, Megan and Emilie were unshackled in more forward roles. Emilie was thriving in this system, constantly on the front foot and was unlucky to see her shot well saved on the stroke of half time. HT 2-1 The girls started the second period in the same manner and the attacks were quick and purposeful. A third goal looked a certainty but the goalkeeper somehow saved with Megan through on goal, the ball fell to Carly, her shot blocked on the line. A deserved third goal did come, Mya’s precise pass dispatched for Megan to bag her hat-trick and what seemed most likely, to give the team a long awaited deserved win!………but hold on, this is football, this is Corfe Mullen juniors’s playing football! A great defensive effort was tainted slightly with 15 mins left, the ball failed to be knocked out of play for a throw in and the Kent attacker was allowed to cut inside and guide a shot past Millie (3-2). The girls seemed rattled but would have to dig in again…….But misfortune was to strike, Lila left in a heap from an accidental challenge but damage done to her ankle. The team would have to play the remainder of the match with 10 players. This had a poor effect on a team that had given everything and a scrappy goal gave parity to the scoreline (3-3). A fantastic save from Millie only delayed the inevitable, the killer goal did come (3-4), cruelly taking the game away from a group that had given their all but been rewarded with nothing!
FT 3-4.
Summary: An extraordinary match that had everything from good play, desire and ultimately bad luck for the travelling team. Lila looks likely to miss the remainder of the season, her heart and enthusiasm for the game is second to nobody and will be sadly missed. The girls will be, and are bitterly disappointed but are literally limping from one game to another, Mya still in recovery but playing a full 80 minutes because the team needs her. The girls played with passion and pushed themselves to the max but again the odds were stacked against! Always proud to see our team giving everything….!
