Wandsworth Borough Women 0-10 Hammersmith Women

PoM: M.McAllister

Report by Andy Proudfoot

Sunday mornings do not come more hectic than this. Donning several layers of waterproofing and packing assorted lightning rods, I was preparing to leave for the trek to Richardson Evans when a cursory glance at my phone revealed a ‘sick note’ posted by the appointed referee. I’d barely had time to contemplate the implications of this when my phone rang and it was the opposition coach conducting his own version of 20 questions: Could I get a referee? (Not at this late stage) Could we change our strip as they had a problem with theirs? (Not at this late stage) Was the game definitely on? (as far as I know, I’ll check with the ground). What did I think of Liz Truss? (ok I made that one up, but you can guess what the answer would have been). A quick call to RE established that the pitch was currently playable, but that the forecasted deluge could quickly change that. ‘It’s up to the referee really’. Hmm, one problem there…

Return call to the oppo coach. Given all this, should we postpone? Negative. Ok, fine, so off I trotted, pocketing a whistle on the way out, prepared for all the absurdities that grassroots football can throw at you. As I drove up the A3 in torrential rain, ploughing through puddles deeper than the Grand Canyon, the thought that I could soon be coming back the other way in similar conditions was foremost in my mind. Still, at least the traffic was light as a result and even the customary 5-mile queue behind the roadworks in Roehampton Vale was 5 miles shorter.

Arriving at the ground, it soon became apparent that the Gods who overlook our wonderful game had risen from their beds and got stuck in. Need a referee? A new one had been appointed and was on her way. Weather? Rain easing and the odd sunny interval emerging. Decent pitch? A bit wet, but definitely playable. Well whaddya know, we may have a proper game of footy after all.

That said, we faced one of the two front-runners in the Division, Hammersmith, with a 100% record and fresh off a 14-0 win the previous week against our fellow-promotees from last season. So a pragmatic defensive formation was prepared, and we donned our tin helmets and took to the pitch with the intention of frustrating them and hopefully causing some internal conflict which would upset their rhythm. This was working quite well for the first 15 minutes, when the dam broke. It soon became apparent why they had such a good record, as they moved the ball about smoothly between mobile players who had clearly been playing together for some time as they moved through the age groups. They really were very good, and eased into a 5-0 lead at half-time.

The talk during the break was of keeping the score down, and using the second half as a ‘learning experience’, practising how we might defend a narrow lead in future games. Alas, despite the ladies’ best efforts, we couldn’t prevent this fine side racking up more goals and they achieved the dreaded double figures just before full-time. But for a fine performance from stand-in keeper Mozza McAllister, it could have been more in all honesty.

There’s no disgrace in losing heavily to a clearly superior team, and the team spirt in the side is excellent despite the lack of success this season. Whilst some have thrown in the towel and departed for apparently greener fields, these ladies are made of sterner stuff. If we continue to learn and improve, results will come I’ve no doubt.

#UTB