Birkdale United AFC

Birkdale United Ladies’ second game of the season saw them attempting to bounce back from the narrow defeat to Mossley Hill against a team who they had played in pre-season. However, the opposition were arriving at Bedford Park with a full complement of players and a resolute determined attitude.

From the previous week, Waring was unavailable due to work commitments, but Gillingham and McEvoy were ready to make their first appearances in a year and six months respectively, while Griner was also ready to make her debut for the team. In the end it was Gillingham who got the nod to start upfront alongside Cooper.

The home side started brightly and attacked from the off, but a combination of poor finishing, good defending and goalkeeping foiled Cooper, Gillingham and Tuakli. Griffiths, Jackson, Dixon and White were attempting to create something while the defensive triumvirate of Davdison, Lloyd and Coulter ensured that Hesketh had a quiet early period between the sticks. White in particular has fitted in very quickly to the pattern of the team and has made an excellent impression over her first two games. The deadlock was finally broken when Tuakli and Jackson intercepted a ball out of defence, and fed it to Cooper. She in turn put an excellent pass into the path of Gillingham who stayed calm, drew the keeper and finished adroitely with her left foot for her first goal for three years.

The first of numerous changes took place with Griner and Granby replacing Griffiths and Tuakli – both of whom would play the entire second half and prove outstanding. Both newcomers were key in the second goal, as Gillingham and Griner combined to free Cooper who fed Granby to finish neatly in the corner after a matter of minutes on the pitch.

With a lead established, the ladies played some excellent football going forward, although they had to be on their guard against some excellent attacking moves from the visitors. Griner opened her account for the team with a slightly mis-hit shot on the half-volley after more excellent interplay between Granby and Cooper. McEvoy and Birnie joined the action, replacing White and Gillingham, and both instantly got into the swing of things, with the former unlucky not to score with her first touch. Cooper got the goal her first half performance had deserved as she latched onto a great pass from Jackson and finished neatly in the corner. At half-time, the score was a pleasing 4-0 to the home side.

Tuakli and Griffiths came on for Dixon and Jackson at half-time, and the second half saw the home side put the visitors under a great deal of pressure which they coped with very well indeed. They looked to break at every opportunity, but the Birkdale defence were in no mood to give up a clean sheet if they could help it. Griner doubled her tally after an excellent passing move involving half the team left her with the simple task to pass the ball into an unguarded net, while Tuakli made it six when she showed the value of chasing up a lost cause by forcing a mistake from a defender and finishing from a very acute angle for a deserved goal.

The substitutions continued throughout the second half and at this point, Coulter, Davidson and Lloyd were also given a rest with Birnie, White and McEvoy performing very well in defence, with Birnie in particular playing some excellent passes from the back. Indeed, every player apart from Hesketh was substituted at some point during the match, yet the quality of football never dropped, which is a testament to the strength throughout the entire squad.

The women tried a number of different formations, with their pace, passing and movement causing lots of problems for the opposition. Birkdale scored an excellent seventh after another good move found Cooper on the edge of the area, who turned her marker and hit an unstoppable shot into the top corner. Finally, Griner completed a debut hat-trick for the team when she was fed by Dixon, and then played a great one-two with Granby before drawing the keeper and finishing with aplomb.

In truth, the home side could have scored a few more if not for some poor finishing and good defending, but this would have been harsh on a determined, committed and industrious Liverpool Sport Club side who kept battling to the end and proved a more difficult opponent than they had in pre-season. They were simply unfortunate to come up against a Birkdale side playing somewhere close to their potential.

Before the game, Noel and Dave had told the team that all of them were playing for their places. The squad is very strong this year and not everyone will be able to play every week. The advantage that all the players there was that they were in possession of a squad place. The challenge laid down to them was to prove that they deserved it, and in truth they did so emphatically. If they can play with so much discipline, effort and imagination every week they will be capable of giving the best teams in this division a real battle.

Both coaches – and new player/coach Helen – were delighted with the performance, and rightly so. The players now need to ensure they maintain these standards in every training session and every match as if they do not, they will find that there will be another player putting them under pressure for their place. Everyone will get a chance over the season, that much is certain – and it’s up to them whether they take it or not. Healthy competition can be a great motivator!

Well done ladies, and thank you!

The Player of the Match Award, selected by L.S.C., went to T. Griner.
The Manager’s Player of the Match Award went to L. Granby.