Wandsworth Borough Women 0 – 11 Tooting Bex Women

PoM/ToW: Wiki Garbowska (LB/LWB)

Report by Andy Proudfoot

Preparing for the game on Sunday…Tactics Board?...Check. Notepad?...Check. Abacus?...Check. Yes it’s fair to say that we approached this Capital Cup game with just a little apprehension. We’d played Tooting twice already this season, once in a pre-season friendly, once in the league, and conceded 5 or 6 goals in both. They’re riding high in our Division, neck and neck with Hammersmith who knocked 10 past us the other week. These two are well ahead of everyone else in our division and are racing certainties for promotion. To make matters worse, we only had 12 players with two of those having to leave early for work and family reasons. Though we were able to welcome back Borough Legend Nic Taylor, still nursing a shoulder injury but making her first appearance of the summer.

Still, upsets do happen and we set out in a defensive 5-4-1 formation designed to frustrate them as long as possible, maybe nick a goal or at least keep the score down to a respectable number. While not going quite according to plan, the first half saw a creditable performance and we were unlucky to be 3-0 down at half-time. After half-an-hour we were only one-down and largely holding them at bay, the back line in particular of Rach, Kourtney, Steph, Freya and Wiki holding firm and catching them offside several times. Then the ref failed to halt play for a head-injury to a prone Wiki and their winger steamed into the resultant gap down the wing to bear down on Mozza in goal and slot home. Then on the stroke of half-time a free-kick from just outside the box fizzed into the top corner. Not much we could do about that.

At half-time we said goodbye to Woody as she headed off to tend the pitch at Craven Cottage for Fulham’s afternoon women’s game against AFC Wimbledon. Still trying to arrange her secondment to RE. With Nic already on the pitch, Kourtney returned to the field, and we set ourselves a target of continuing our resilient performance and getting something from the second half.

Alas, Tooting were soon into their stride and had extended their lead to 6-0 by the 65th minute. Then, as we lost Steph to family commitments, Leah began to struggle in midfield with a tight hamstring and all began to tire, the floodgates opened and Tooting mercilessly racked up the goals, a last-minute penalty completing the rout.

As usual there was no questioning the team’s spirit or commitment; it was just circumstance that lead to this heavy defeat. Just 12 players available, a whole midfield out with injury or unavailability, and facing a team full of ability and confidence. Nothing to reproach ourselves for. Least of all Wiki Garbowska, who had a superb game at left/left wing-back, despite setting a world-record of 23 foul-throws, all sympathetically ignored by a merciful referee and a compliant linesman (me).

Ah well, onto next week, when we’re playing…Tooting Bec. Sigh.