A few weeks ago I volunteered to ‘run the line’ for the Ladies’ (away) match against Balham Panthers, in Graham’s absence. Turning up in my black Adidas tracksuit (I always like to look the part) and expecting some expression of gratitude, I was met instead by derisory hoots and queries about the sartorial standards in Camberley.

Fast forward to last Sunday, and again I braved the seriously inclement weather to help out, this time taking precautions against potential pneumonia by donning appropriate waterproof clothing (ok forget the bit about looking the part). Once again the team were unimpressed, commenting that I looked as if I was going fishing. Hmph! Whatever happened to respect for your elders??!!

Despite the obvious threat to my long-term wellbeing, at least the rain offered us some hope that it might prove a ‘leveller’ in the coming battle against a team with an impressive record to date. Crystal Palace (yes THAT Crystal Palace) Development arrived at RE with a 100% record from their previous 5 league games, a goal difference of 25 and not a single goal conceded. Scary stuff. From the kick-off, it was obvious that here was a well-coached, disciplined side playing attractive football with a clear tactical plan. And yet…some sterling defending from our five-strong back-line, and a tendency for their nippy forwards to drift offside (diligently spotted by an eagle-eyed linesman), limited any damage by half-time to a single goal, and that an unfortunate own-goal conceded at the near post. It wasn’t all one-way traffic either, with Roxy and Daryll a threatening presence up front when we were able to move the ball forward quickly into their half; one great run by Roxy ended with Daryll clipping narrowly over the bar from her accurate cross. The first-half really was a resilient performance, with the whole team working hard to stifle talented opposition.

Much stayed the same for the first 10 minutes or so of the second-half, though the football traffic was becoming more Wandsworth High Street than Kingston By-pass. Then a hopeful long-shot slipped through stand-in keeper Kirsty’s frayed gloves (to be fair, she had shown me these before the game) and our hopes of causing a major upset started to look rather fanciful. Palace now clicked into gear, and began to run through our tiring midfield and terrorise our defence. The goals arrived in rapid-fire, and only heroics from Kirsty kept the score down to 7 (seven) by the finish.

Such a heavy defeat was obviously disappointing for the team, but we can take heart from an excellent first-half and the knowledge that the opposition were outstanding in the second, some very talented players clearly benefiting from some excellent coaching and training. They were also a credit to their club, with impeccable behaviour throughout. While our League record is poor, there is a definite upward trend in performances and all our defeats have come against the top 6 in the league. With continued commitment to each other and the team, and an improvement in fitness, I’m sure we’ll start to climb the table in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, I’m off to refresh my wardrobe…