Birkdale United v Mossley Hill
September 13th, 2009 by admin| Date:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â | Sunday 13th September 2009Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â |
| Location:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â | Bedford Park, Birkdale |
| Result: | Birkdale United (1) Mossley Hill (2) |
The team kicked off their first season in the LCFA Women’s League with a home game against one of the fancied teams in the division, Mossley Hill. This was a game with extra significance for a number of players. Cooper and Jackson had also played for a while for Mossley Hill, while Lundberg, Bowden and Brodie on the Mossley team had seen success with this team a couple of seasons ago.
The game was played in lovely sunshine and the warm temperatures meant that both teams would have to pace themselves well. Birkdale gave debuts to Lloyd, White and Griffiths – all of whom had played for the club in the past but never with this team.
The visitors started the stronger and put the Birkdale defence under considerable pressure, but found the home rearguard in resolute mood. As the half went on, the home side grew more into the game and Cooper had a good chance to put the home side in the lead, but the ball would not come down quickly enough and her volley went just over the bar. However, shortly after a mix-up in communication – the first which the home team had made – saw a Mossley forward clear through on goal, and she made no mistake with a precise finish.
The home side responded well, and either side of half-time put pressure onto the visitors. Cooper, Waring, Tuakli and White all had decent efforts on goal but could not break through the impressive Mossley defence and ‘keeper. At the other end, increasingly the visitors were finding opportunities to break, and although Coulter, Lloyd and Davidson defended superbly, they were indebted to an amazing double-save from Hesketh which saw her receive a blow to the head, which she was happily able to recover from. It was a day for injuries, with Dixon getting the ball blasted in her face and Jackson suffering from a clash of heads. Griffiths was really in the wars, getting winded when blocking a shot at point-blank range, before suffering with cramp later in the game. This was a true indication of the sheer hard work she was putting in during an impressive and mature debut. All the players got up and played through the pain barrier, showing their determination and commitment to the team.
Buoyed by this, the home side levelled matters with twenty minutes to go. Dixon made a powerful run in midfield, beat two players and hit a wonderful pass with her left foot. Cooper latched onto it and hit a shot which was well saved. Tuakli was following up and squared the ball to Cooper who dispatched the ball at the second attempt despite great defending on the line.
Unfortunately, parity was short lived as Mossley Hill took advantage of the old adage that a team is most vulnerable when they have just scored. They attacked positively from the kick off and were able to get behind the home defence. A deep cross took out the ‘keeper and left Davidson with a two-on-one, and it was the former Birkdale player, Lundberg, who was left with the simplest of tasks after a well-worked move.
This was a bitter blow to the home side who had worked so hard to get level, but they rolled their sleeves up and tried to attack. However, the Mossley defence were in an unforgiving mood, and on the few occasions when the home side managed to get through, found the visiting keeper in fine form. Cooper thought she had earned her team a point but a flying save saw her thunderbolt pushed just wide. As it was, an entertaining game finished in the favour of the visitors.
Both management teams agreed that this had been a good, competitive game between two evenly matched teams, played in the right spirit. Noel and Dave were very happy with the team’s performance, and felt that they had been a little unlucky not to get something out of the game. Certainly, if they build on this display and address some of the minor issues which need to be improved on, then we have a very promising season to look forward to.
The Player of the Match, awarded by Mossley Hill, went to A. Cooper.
The Manager’s Player of the Match was shared between E. Griffiths and S. Hesketh.
The Team was Hesketh, Davidson, Coulter, Lloyd, Birnie, Waring, Cooper (c), Dixon, Griffiths, Jackson, White and Tuakli.
