The Devs second game of the season against Scottingham Forest got off to a bit of a slow start due to flat ball issues, however the spirits of the Devs team were nowhere near as flat as the poor ball.
The game then proceeded to liven up, with the first shot coming from the side of Scottingham Forest, and an ensuing corner. However, the defence was not phased, and the ball was swifty cleared by Nim.
The ball then sailed easily to the other side of the pitch leading to the first handball of the game, which allowed for Nim to put in a powerful free kick, resulting in a corner. Passing between forwards gave rise to a great chance on goal, with Katie providing a fierce driving force, and Rosie O a shot. Scottingham Forest were unable to keep the ball long, and soon after, there were shots on target from both Nim and Katie. Meanwhile Rosie S and Dee provided a consistent wall of defence at the other end of the pitch.
Another free kick from our star midfielder Nim led to a near own goal by Scottingham Forest- a phenomenon that seems to occur often in the Devs matches. The two Rosies then began their pursuit on goal, with a header from Rosie S leading to a vigorous attack and shot from Rosie O. Another header, this time from Emma, opened up a great opportunity for Katy, but the luck was not on the Devs side as it travelled just wide of the goal. Our sterling goalkeeper Wendy was then called into action when Scottingham received a free kick from a handball, but remained cool and collected- sweeping the ball up easily.
The Devs pressed heavily against Scottingham’s defence, a sudden break occurred when Nim crossed the ball in the direction of Katy, and it made its way into the back of the net- 1-0 for the Devs! The first half came to an end with a flying shot from Scottingham Forest which sailed, not only over the goal, but the back fence as well.
The second half got off to a quick start, with multiple pinball shots on goal from Katy, Nim, Emma and Hannah. Scottingham Forest attempted a swift attack on goal, which was easily collected by Wendy. Back in Scottingham’s half, Katy and Emma put in some great teamwork, resulting in a near miss from Emma. The Devs maintained their strong attacking stance, with a sneaky back heel from Rosie S leading to a powerful shot from Hannah, and, consequently, shots from both Katy and Emma.
It was at this point that the game became tense, as Wendy came out of goal for a 1 on 1 against an attacking Scottingham forward. Unsuspecting, the forward ploughed towards Wendy, and was met with a strong tackle, which, unfortunately, lead to the forward being wiped out. There were many outraged calls for a red card from the opposing supporters, which were quickly quashed by a quick VAR check from the ref, who awarded Scottingham a free quick. Unphased, Wendy rapidly swept up the ball, and play was quickly shifted back to Scottingham’s end, resulting in a forceful shot on target by Lauryn.
There was not only one Scottingham player taken out this game though, as soon after, Nim placed a huge and perfectly timed slide tackle on an attacker just as they had broken through the defensive wall, sweeping them almost to the other side of the pitch- much to the outrage of Scottingham Forest, who consequently barraged the ref with complaints of a foul.
The final few minutes of the game became scrappy as both sides succumbed to fatigue, but the Devs remained strong and held on to their second clean sheet- the final whistle blowing to a second UBWFC Devs win of 1-0!
POTM went to the well deserving Nim for her brilliant shooting, and of course her beautiful slide tackle, with a special mention for battling through her bleeding knee- thankfully the air ambulance was not required!
Written by: Rosie Sweeten
Comentários