Above: Buchan – one of the teams who will be making up the new-look Biffa SWFL regional leagues when the competition kicks off next month. Photo: Buchan Girls/Ladies.
January will see the launch of an intense and thrilling short season for new-look Biffa SWFL regional leagues, to bring them into the Scottish Women’s Football pyramid.
Three regional leagues have become four, with several new teams entering a structure for the short season which will allow the most ambitious clubs a route to the top of the game in Scotland.
The half-season will run to the summer, allowing the SWFL to align itself with the performance game and introduce promotion and relegation from the Women’s League One at the end of the current season.
The four top-placed teams in the four leagues outwith development sides will enter play-offs to take their place in League One, with the side finishing bottom of League One relegated to their local regional league.
Commenting ahead of the new season, SWF CEO Aileen Campbell said: “This is such an exciting time for women’s football. Our game continues to grow and develop, offering up new opportunities for women and girls across Scotland to be involved.
“The current SWFL began as a way to offer regional football in a more relaxed yet structured format, but in a short period of time has developed into exciting regional competitions in their own right, lit up by stand-out players. From providing a robust testing ground for big clubs to develop their talent to an arena where new clubs and talent emerge, the regional leagues have been rich with stories of communities, sporting glory, and overcoming the odds.
“Now, with a league sponsor for the first time, the regional Scottish Women’s Football Leagues will take their place in a robust pyramid, providing a route for all clubs to reach the top of the game based on their sporting prowess and their commitment to youth development and the wellbeing of our players.”
Above: The new competition’s logo. Supplied to Impetus by: Scottish Women’s Football League.
With the introduction of new teams, the new leagues have been aligned to be roughly equal in number of teams. This means the Biffa SWFL North, West, and South each have ten teams and the Biffa SWFL East has 12 teams.
The development teams of SWPL club East Fife, Championship club Dryburgh Athletic and League One club Westdyke will be joined in the Biffa SWFL North by Buchan, Dyce, former top tier side Forfar Farmington, plus Glenrothes Strollers, Huntly, Inverurie Locos, and Stonehaven.
The Biffa SWFL East will see Livingston and Motherwell development joined by Aberdour, Bonnyrigg Rose, Central Girls, Dunfermline Athletic, Edinburgh South, Edinburgh University Thistle, Linlithgow Rose, McDermid Ladies, Murieston United, and Musselburgh Windsor.
The Biffa SWFL West has Alloa, Athena Glasgow, Bishopton, Clydebank Ladies, Cumbernauld Colts, Drumchapel United, Dunipace, Harmony Row and West Park United join SWPL club Motherwell’s development team.
Championship side Ayr United will have a development side in the Biffa SWFL South, alongside Annan Athletic, Clark Drive, Cumnock Juniors, Dalbeattie Star, FC Flip The Mindset in the south of Glasgow, Kilwinning, Nithsdale Wanderers, Queen of the South and Stewarton United.
The league commences on January 15th and teams will play each other home and away. The top-placed team in each SWFL league (not including development sides) will then play each other in play-off finals, with the top three joining SWF League One next season. One will be relegated from League One into their local SWFL League.
In League One, the top-placed two sides who meet Championship criteria will be promoted to the Championship, growing that league to ten teams. There will be no relegation from the Championship at the end of this season to accommodate the changes.
Above: Alloa Athletic, who will be participating in the Biffa SWFL West. Photo: Alloa Athletic.
Impetus’ Martin Townley rounds up all the weekend’s action across the FAW Women’s Cup, and the three Adran Leagues(22/12/22).
Above: Action from Cardiff City’s (white shirt) game with Barry Town Unitedat the weekend. Photo: Perry Dobbins.
Aberystwyth Town booked their place in the Welsh Women’s Cup semi-final with a 3-1 win away at Wrexham. Cardiff City maintained their good form with a win over Barry and Cascade YC moved to the top of the Adran South with a big win over Briton Ferry.
FAW Welsh Women’s Cup
Wrexham 1-3 Aberystwyth Town
The re-arranged cup fixture between Wrexham and Aberystwyth saw the Green and Blacks go through to the semi-finals.
The Adran Premier side took the lead after 56 minutes thanks to Emily Thomas. Rosie Hughes equalised for Wrexham but two more goals from Thomas saw victory for Aberystwyth. Aberystwyth will now face Adran South side Briton Ferry Llansawel in the semi-final. Click on the following link to read Carrie Dunn’s feature on the game that appeared on the site on Tuesday: https://impetusfootball.org/2022/12/20/thomas-hat-trick-fires-aberystwyth-into-semis/
Adran Premier
Cardiff City 1-0 Barry TownUnited
Cardiff City picked up the win after a tough game in very hard conditions at Cardiff International Sports Stadium against a very game Barry Town United side who held out until the 89th minute.
Cardiff started quickly and Phoebie Poole fired wide of the goal before Rhianne Oakley forced a save from Erin Brennan. Danielle Broadhurst lifted an effort over the keeper only for the ball to go just wide of the target.
With the game goalless going into the second half, City continued to pressure Barry. Oakley found Poole with a cross, but Poole pulled her effort wide again. With time running out both Hannah Power and Megan Bowen fired wide from distance.
Barry however could not hold out for a point as sub-Megan Saunders found some space in the box and fired in the winning goal. Cardiff now lead the Adran Premier by eight points.
Table From: Adran Leagues.
Adran South
Briton Ferry Llansawel 0-2 Cascade YC
With the pitch at Old Road being unplayable for this game between the top two was moved to Llandarcy Academy of Sport. The heavy rain made the game tricky for both sides as they struggled to gain a rhythm.
Briton Ferry pushed and saw several early chances, but Cascade keeper Kristy Lewis was on form to stop them.
Cascade opened the scoring with a cross to the edge of the box finding Annalise Lewis. Lewis managed to get some space and fired a low shot past Courtney Young.
A goal down Briton Ferry pushed further forward but this played into Cascade’s tactic to hit their opponents of the counterattack. Their second goal came from pressing the Ferry defence with Abbie Davies firing in from close range. Cascade move above Briton Ferry into first place in the table with 12 points.
Impetus’ Darrell Allen provides his weekly round-up of all the women’s football action in Norfolk (22/12/22).
Above: Lyla Studd was instrumental with two goals as Sprowston beat Stalham Town 4-0. Photo: Hardy Scott Photos.
Due to the wintry conditions and the World Cup Final, there were only two games taking place on Sunday afternoon with Sprowston hosting Stalham Town in the tier seven Norfolk Women and Girls League Division One, and Blofield entertaining Thorpe St. Andrew in Norfolk Women and Girls League Division Two.
Sprowston welcomed Stalham to their home ground at Open Academy and eventually won the game comfortably 4-0. Lyla Studd was the star of the show with two goals, Anais Winney also got on the scoresheet and Sprowston’s other goal was courtesy of an own goal.
This wasn’t the comfortable win it looked on paper, as Stalham continuously caused Sprowston problems through the contest and if they continue to play to the same high standard they will pick up points before long.
Above: Action from Blofield United (red) against Thorpe St. Andrew on Sunday. Photo: Thorpe St. Andrew.
The day’s other contest was a local derby between Blofield United and Thorpe St. Andrew with the two teams’ home pitches just under half a mile apart.
Thorpe St. Andrew asserted their authority on this contest and led 2-0 at the break thanks to goals in the 33rd and 38th minutes from Poppy Le-Beau and Sarah Rooke respectively. Emily Warnes put the visitors in a commanding position when she made it 3-0 five minutes after the re-start.
Blofield got two goals back through Elsie Downer and Freya Stewart-Miles but Thorpe St Andrew did enough to hold on for the win and make it six games unbeaten in the league.
Above: Thorpe St. Andrew in possession against Blofield United. Photo: Thorpe St. Andrew.
In the latest of our weekly Midweek Dub series of interviews with A-League Women players, Perth Glory’s Ella Mastrantonio(EM) speaks to Ben Gilby (BG) about being back in Western Australia, the priorities to further grow the league and the state of the game in WA(21/12/22).
Above: Ella Mastrantonio pointing the way forward for Perth Glory. Photo: Tom McCarthy.
BG: How are you settling back into life at Perth Glory? How do you assess both yourself and the club’s start to the season?
EM: It is both great and strange being back home. We haven’t had the best start to the season but we have also been there or thereabouts in nearly all of our games. The next few weeks are crucial in defining which way we want our season to go. We are ready for the challenge.
BG: You’ve played under many different head coaches during your career, how does Alex Epakis compare? What are his strengths?
EM: Alex is a breath of fresh air compared to my most recent coaching experiences. He’s young, ambitious and you can see he is really invested in both the project at Perth Glory and the players as individuals. He has great qualities.
Above: Ella Mastrantonio looks to escape from close attention against Melbourne Victory. Photo: Tom McCarthy.
BG: Perth have a mix of experienced players and some exciting young talent – what do you make of the team the club has put together this season?
EM: As you said the mix of young and experience is quite a new experience for me. This is the first time I’ve really been one of the senior players in a team before, so I am hopeful that I can pass on my knowledge and experience to the younger players. We have real potential this season.
BG: After being away from the competition for a few years, what major differences have you noticed already? How has the W/A-League Women improved in that time? What specific areas do you think still need to get better?
Obviously, the addition of extra games and as of next year being a full home and away season has been the main much-welcomed and overdue change to the league.
“I think we still need to get better in marketing the league in a much better and mainstream way, as I’m not entirely sure people outside the football world really know what’s going on with our game and league. If we can add that and make our games much more accessible and attend-able – ie most of our home games this season are 4pm on Sunday afternoons, quite a tough ask for people who have young families and work the next day.”
Ella Mastrantonio on improvements that she believes the A-League Women need to prioritise.
BG: Prior to coming back to Perth Glory, you had a few months at Subiaco in the NPLW. How was that?
EM: It was a good experience getting down and helping out Subiaco back on the NPLWA map. They’re a great club with a huge ambition for women’s football so they deserve to be in the limelight.
Above: Ella Mastrantonio (right) in action for Subiaco against her Perth Glory team-mate Tash Rigby for Fremantle City in the NPLWA. Photo: Denyse McCulloch.
BG: There’s been a lot of talk about WA’s young talent going to the East coast to play their NPL football. What do you think the NPL in WA needs to do to keep the best players in the state to ensure the quality of the local comp keeps growing?
EM: Unfortunately I don’t think the NPLWA stands a chance against the eastern states. There is just far more money, a higher standard of players, and professionalism that will attract the best talent there. How do we improve that over here? More investment.
BG: Having been back in the Matildas camp under Tony Gustavsson, how do you think the team has developed in the build-up to the World Cup?
EM: The team has picked up some really important wins over the last few months so I think that’s important with the World Cup only seven or eight months away.
BG: What would a good season for both yourself and Perth Glory look like this season?
EM: Making finals with Glory is definitely my main goal being back here and then anything is possible. For myself just having a positive impact with the squad to help us achieve our goals and then again anything is possible.
Above: Ella Mastrantonio takes on Adelaide United’s Dylan Holmes at Macedonia Park this season. Photo: Tom McCarthy.
Ahead of tonight’s UEFA Champions League tie at FC Zürich, Impetus’ Nathan Edwards was in Arsenal head coach Jonas Eidevall‘s media conference and reports on the Swede’s views on the need for player welfare with the women’s calendar looking set to grow further (21/12/22).
Above: Arsenal players come together. Head coach Jonas Eidevall believes that player welfare is more important than ever. Photo: UEFA.
Jonas Eidevall said it is a “human need” to give players time off in the season, as Arsenal travel to Zurich for their Champions League clash, without Vivienne Miedema and Beth Mead, due to ACL injuries.
FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, announced that the women’s game will be given a new Club World Cup tournament, which is set to debut in 2025.
This announcement comes following multiple high-level footballers within the women’s game have picked up serious injuries, including Arsenal’s striking duo.
Eidevall said about the fixture schedule, “when you look at a 12-month period you need to give the players a certain amount of time off. It is a human need,
“They need holidays in order to recharge and refresh and I think the scheduling needs to look at that so you can guarantee the players get some time off, and then I think we will be fine.”
Above: Vivianne Miedema lies on the pitch after rupturing her ACL last week. An even more congested calendar could well lead to a further increase in similar injuries. Photo: David Price.
This season has also been sandwiched between two major international competitions, with the European Championship ending in July 2022 and the Women’s World Cup commencing once the season ends.
The Arsenal boss gave a recommendation on how they can tweak the calendar in order to help the players.
He said, “The problem is when you have so many tournaments in a row, the players don’t have anytime off, and why don’t they have any time off?
“Because we finish the season in May and then the competition (World Cup) will start in July or August.
“The national teams say they need to prepare for the tournament and bring the players in after their two-week vacation and have camps that last six weeks leading up to the tournament.
“Once the competition is done, club football needs to come back and play straight away, just look at Manchester City having to play Real Madrid so quickly after the Euros in the Champions League qualifiers.
“The players get no time off. So, either the players get time off before the tournament or schedule the tournament earlier in the summer, allowing players to have a gap after the competition in the summer. I can’t see that being that hard but that is the solution.”
Just over a year ago, a Tweet by a proud mother about her seven-year-old goalkeeping daughter went viral and led to Impetus joining up with SELK Grassroots to supply the then seven-year-old Lexi Haffner with the goalkeeping gloves she dearly wanted. Ben Gilby checks in with Lexi’s father Martin to find out how the youngster’s goalkeeping is progressing(20/12/22).
Above: Lexi Haffner with a trophy after another successful match in goal. Photo: Martin Haffner
It started off as just a normal day on 27th September 2021 when Julie Haffner put out a tweet on social media about her seven-year-old daughter Lexi who was two months into her goalkeeping career in a boy’s team loving every minute and proving with her ability that those boys who commented “Ahh! We’re playing against a girl!” would find out just what a girl can do in goal.
Almost 11,500 “likes”, over 420 re-tweets, and 289 comments later, the Twitter world was celebrating the joy that young Lexi gets from playing in goal every week. Dad Martin told us the story behind the tweet.
“At our match that day, we had one of the children’s parents requesting to take some action photos of the game. My wife decided to put a post-up with a picture of Lexi as she does get some stick playing for a boys’ team especially as she is a goalkeeper.
“I don’t think the boys mean anything by it, I just think they find it strange that they are playing against a girl. Therefore, Lexi’s mum just wanted to put a post on Twitter so men’s Championship side West Bromwich Albion (WBA)’s goalkeeper Sam Johnstone could see it as well as the WBA fans as she has loads on Twitter. We did not expect it to go viral, to be honest, she was just hoping she got a ‘like’ from Sam!
Above: A proud Lexi under the badge of her beloved West Bromwich Albion. Photo: Martin Haffner.
“It was very overwhelming with the kind responses Lexi was getting. Of course, you will always get jealousy and hate, but that is the whole influence of social media platforms.
Lexi, along with her father, is a huge fan of West Bromwich Albion, and the youngster is increasingly inspired by the Midlands’ tier three women’s team and is a regular at their games. “Lexi was mascot at a few WBA Woman’s games including the very first one played at The Hawthorns (the men’s team’s 26,500 capacity stadium) where they created history.”
Unsurprisingly, the young goalkeeper drew further inspiration from this summer’s European Championships, and it should be no surprise who Lexi’s favorite Lioness was: “She is a massive Mary Earps fan!” Martin revealed.
With all those inspirational players for Lexi at both club and country level, it was fantastic to hear that Lexi’s goalkeeping career is going from strength to strength.
“She has joined a girls’ football team and plays both girls’ and boys’ football currently. The first session she went to for Kewford Eagles Under nine girls, the coach wanted to sign her straight away which was amazing, they normally take their time to decide or give the child a few weeks to get used to playing with the team. Since she has started at the girls team, she has played eight games, kept three clean sheets, made two assists and scored two goals.
“She just wants to keep progressing and hopefully get signed, she would love to play for the Albion (WBA). However, the main thing is she is enjoying it and is having some great performances, making some great saves, and getting complimented by the opposition regularly. She surprises a lot of people because of her size.”
Above: Lexi Haffner wearing the goalkeeping gloves that Impetus and SELK Grassroots joined forces to buy her last year. Photo: Martin Haffner.
From Carrie Dunn – Aberystwyth Town FC (20/12/22).
Above: Aberystwyth Town hat-trick hero Emily Thomas. Photo supplied to Impetus by: Aberystwyth Town.
An Emily Thomas hat-trick fired Aberystwyth Town through to the semi-final of the FAW Women’s Cup, beating Wrexham AFC 3-1 behind closed doors at Colliers Park.
All three of her goals came in the second half, beginning with a fine finish in the 56th minute, running on to an audacious chipped through-ball from Rebecca Mathias.
Rosie Hughes got one back for Wrexham with 15 minutes to go – but just two minutes later Thomas restored the advantage, capitalising on patient build-up play from Libby Isaac.
And she sealed the Seasiders’ place in the final four – where they will play Briton Ferry Llansawel on Sunday 19th February – as she slotted home seven minutes from time.
The Seasiders’ next home match is another cup encounter – also against Wrexham, this time in the quarter-finals of the Genero Adran Trophy, kicking off at Park Avenue at 2pm on Sunday 15th January.
Before then, they travel on Sunday 8th January to Cardiff Met in the Genero Adran Premier.
Each week during the home and away season, Impetus’ writing and photography team covering the A-League Women will nominate a player, coach, and event of the week. We’ll keep a tally of the player and coach votes as the weeks go by, and just before the Finals, will announce our winners for 2022/23 (19/12/22)
Player of the Week:
Above: Kayla Morrison’s superb hat trick for Melbourne Victory on Sunday took the votes from two of our contributors this week. Photo: Melbourne Victory.
BEN GILBY: I found this really hard. How can I have overlooked Kayla Morrison, a centre back scoring a hat trick?! Yet I have. How can I ignore Cyera Hintzen, a player who played a major role in ensuring her team came from 2-0 down to win 3-2? Yet I have. Why? On Saturday, Cote Rojas unleashed her magic wand and absolutely bossed it for Melbourne City in defeat to Western United. When she is in form like that, there is no more enjoyable player on the planet to watch. Rojas epitomises the expression “plays with a smile on her face.” She’s an outrageous talent and the A-League Women is so much better for having her back again.
KIERAN YAP: A hattrick for the Victory skipper and star centre-back Kayla Morrison was terrific to see. She also made a goal-saving tackle and helped set up her team’s second goal with an amazing 40-yard pass.
RYAN MILLER-WOODS: Annalee Grove of Adelaide United. She was absolutely incredible to watch in between the sticks against Wellington Phoenix with her heroics when needed. Her form really proved to be the difference towards ensuring the result went Adelaide’s way.
BEN CAREY: This is so tough this week! So many great individual performances. Chloe Logarzo was a halftime injury substitute and came on and flipped the game on its head with an amazing goal from range and stepping up to convert a penalty as well. Rylee Baisden scored two goals and contributed an assist to essentially carry Perth Glory to their comeback against Canberra United. But, Kayla Morrison, a centreback, scoring a hat-trick probably tops them both. That’s just insane. After much careful thought, she has my vote this week.
Coach of the Week:
Above: Perth Glory head coach Alex Epakis, the choice of three of our four contributors as coach of the week. Photo supplied to Impetus by: Perth Glory.
BEN GILBY: Alex Epakis. His team has huge potential but has been unable to click into gear. Whilst he is renowned as a supportive coach who will always back his players, this week we saw a different side to the Perth head coach. He spoke in midweek to the Western Australian media about the extreme focus and non-negotiables that he laid down to his players in training. Speak to any Perth player and they will tell you how much they respect their head coach. When he speaks, they listen. Regardless of the scoreline on Sunday, they showed immense character. Yes, the team produced and did it for themselves, but this is an exceptionally tight group – they did it for Epakis too. His influence and standing among his team make him a deserving winner of this accolade.
KIERAN YAP: Alex Epakis. It was a tight decision between the Perth Glory coach and Mark Torcaso of Western United. In the end, Epakis has won out because the pressure was higher and the comeback was incredible. Glory changed their setup and line-up. They had more control of the midfield and were able to wrestle back control from a very tough opponent. It’s early, but Perth’s season was on the line. They delivered when it mattered most.
RYAN MILLER-WOODS: Alex Epakis of Perth Glory. The way that he got Perth going to another level against Canberra United during the second half despite having gone two goals down to not only win the match, but getting a crucial victory for Glory’s season in the process but when it was all said and done, being deserving winners against Canberra. So, whatever was said by Epakis at halftime to his side, really must have worked.
BEN CAREY: Mark Torcaso. Leading Western United to victory over yet another strong team in Melbourne City. His team is still undefeated in the A-League Women. Four wins from four. The only powerhouse team they haven’t beaten yet is Sydney FC.
Event of the Week:
Above: Action from Perth Glory against Canberra United – a game that two of our four contributors flagged as their Event of the Week. Photo: Tom McCarthy.
BEN GILBY: Chloe Logarzo’s first goal for Western United at Melbourne City. There was no better way for the Matildas star to announce “I’m back!”
KIERAN YAP: Chloe Logarzo’s brace. She has looked good since returning to the Dub. But this was the first time she dominated while on the field in familiar style. She was everywhere, but her goal was something special.
RYAN MILLER-WOODS: Canberra United’s first goal against Perth Glory. The sequence of the build-up to the goal was fantastic from Grace Maher’s through ball to Michelle Heyman who was able to successfully dispossess Kim Carroll before beating Sadie Lawrence, then finishing her part by going into the box where her pass met the feet of Nikki Flannery who slotted the ball beautifully into the back of the net to complete both a great sequence of play and a great goal in every sense.
BEN CAREY: Perth Glory v Canberra United. Such an exciting and entertaining match with so many twists and turns. Canberra’s strong start and Perth Glory’s dramatic comeback. What a match!
Above: Melbourne Victory celebrate another strike from Kayla Morrison. Photo: Melbourne Victory.
Melbourne Victory won their third game in a row in an entertaining and incident-filled match at AAMI Park.
Victory named an unchanged lineup from their win over Perth Glory. While Newcastle brought Claire Coelho into goal to replace Georgina Worth.
The home side’s form has steadily improved over the last few weeks. After struggling to get a shot on target in the first two rounds, their attack has started to click. It took only minutes to hit the scoreboard against The Jets.
Alana Murphy was clipped at the edge of the penalty box by Leia Puxty. It was not a deliberate foul, but a mistimed clearance. Nevertheless, Murphy got to the ball first and the referee pointed to the spot in the fifth minute.
Melina Ayres made no mistake with the finish. It was the third consecutive match where the number 14 opened the scoring.
Ayres had her second almost instantly. Victory launched a brilliant end-to-end move starting with Jessika Nash and Murphy. The ball was played backward to Kayla Morrison, who’s pass split the press and found Alex Chidiac near the halfway line.
From there, it was Chidiac, to Lia Privitelli, and then back to the Matildas playmaker. The final ball to Ayres was only outdone by the touch that rounded Coelho before she prodded it into the net.
It was the best piece of play Victory had displayed all season. A training ground move that trusted the individual abilities of each play to excel.
Kayla Morrison soon added a third. Murphy’s corner kick was dropped onto the head of the Victory skipper, and the captain powered the ball into the next with a textbook header from close range.
Above: Alana Murphy delivers a corner. Photo: Melbourne Victory.
In a team featuring Chidiac, Beattie Goad, and Elise Kellond-Knight it is indicative of Murphy’s standing in the team that she was on set piece duty. The 17-year-old is a quality prospect and Victory’s increase in form has coincided with her inclusion in the starting lineup.
Morrison was once again unmarked for her second and Victory’s fourth. Goad’s free-kick drifted beyond the pack of players and Morrison slid in at the far post to complete the scoring for the half.
Newcastle struck back in the second half. With Victory goalkeeper Casey Dumont removed with concussion, Miranda Templeman was given her first minutes as an A-League Women player.
The Jets looked to test the highly rated youngster and Sarah Griffith’s long-range rocket was merciless in its power and timing.
With Griffith getting on the ball more regularly, Newcastle looked more dangerous. Her run helped set up The Jets second. Another shot from outside of the box bounced off two defenders. It fell to Ash Brodigan who slammed home the goal on the half-volley.
Despite being two goals ahead, and having introduced new signing Rikke Madsen onto the wing, Victory looked to be tiring against the high-intensity Jets.
Above: Casey Dumont in action yesterday before suffering a concussion injury. Photo: Melbourne Victory
The comeback was extinguished in the closing minutes with Morrison’s hattrick. It was another close-range finish from a corner, this time from Chidiac’s delivery.
The ball was spilled by Coelho, and Morrison scrambled it home. Some confusion followed with both players lashing out at each other. Both players received yellow cards but the goal stood. It sealed the game as a contest, and Victory were the 5-2 winners at the final whistle.
It was another honourable loss for the entertaining Jets, and although neutrals love to watch them, that will be little consolation for a side capable of some exciting and high-quality football.
The Jets have a chance to get their second win of the season when they face Brisbane Roar on Friday night. The sides are similarly matched and each have speedy, tricky attackers.
Victory have a break over Christmas. Their next game is on New Year’s Eve at home to Canberra United.
Above: Kayla Morrison celebrates with the match ball after her hattrick. Photo: Melbourne Victory.
Report by Ben Gilby with photos from Tom McCarthy at Macedonia Park (18/12/22).
Above: Joy for Perth Glory as they come from 2-0 down against Canberra United. Photo: Tom McCarthy.
Perth Glory claimed their first win of the A-League Women season after showing their attacking potential in coming from 2-0 down to defeat Canberra United at Macedonia Park today.
This was a hugely entertaining game that eventually saw the Western Australians record only their third victory over the capital city side in 27 encounters over the 15 seasons of the competition. Yet they did it the hard way after a well organised and quick-thinking Canberra side reaped the reward of their fast start with two goals in a 22-minute period.
Above: Susan Phonsongkham, who came into the starting line up today. Photo: Tom McCarthy.
Perth Glory head coach Alex Epakis shuffled his pack, bringing Sarah Langman back in goal, Kim Carroll returned after missing last weekend’s game with Melbourne Victory, and Susan Phonsongkham was brought into the starting line-up.
This was Canberra’s first visit to Perth in just over three years, and the visitors looked to get on the front foot from the start with Vesna Milivojević looking to make progress along the left as they employed a high press to make it exceptionally challenging for the Glory to play out from the back.
From an offensive perspective, Perth were also forced into playing quick passing in order to find space as Canberra aimed to shut down any purple shirt on the ball as rapidly as they could in the 32c heat.
Above: Canberra United celebrate their opening goal. Photo: Tom McCarthy.
Canberra took the lead their hard work deserved with 12 minutes on the clock in some style. Michelle Heyman eased past the attempted tackles of Carroll and Sadie Lawrence along the left and turned on the after-burners to sprint towards the by-line in order to square a ball for an unmarked Nikki Flannery who had all the time in the world to score.
With 20 minutes of the half gone, the home side built their first serious attack of the game. Liz Anton’s throw on the right found Cyera Hintzen, who returned the favour to the Football Fern. The ball was then fed through to Hana Lowry who used outrageous skill to flick the ball past Kennedy Faulknor and get a shot away that fellow Young Matilda Chloe Lincoln saved with her legs.
Despite this glimmer of what they are capable of, the home side were suffering from slow and ponderous decision-making leading to passes that were more hopeful than crisp and creative. Rylee Baisden and Phonsongkham were on the periphery as a consequence; rarely able to pose a threat as the home side were unable to spend time in the Canberra half.
Above: Vesna Milivojević’s shot flies into the net despite Sarah Langman’s dive as Canberra United go 2-0 up. Photo: Tom McCarthy.
Consequently, it was no surprise when Canberra doubled their lead. Grace Jale skipped away from Carroll and Anton, before squaring to Milivojević who was positioned centrally on the edge of the box to fire home.
Perth reacted well and switched on their multiple attacking threats. Lowry was found by a low ball threaded across from Hintzen on the left. The locally produced star turned and got a shot away that Lincoln had to push away at the far post. Hintzen got herself involved again shortly afterwards on the opposite flank when she laid a pass back to Alana Jancevski to fire in a trademark rocket shot that Lincoln covered.
The idiosyncratic talent of Jancevski shone through again as the half came to a close. Baisden broke through and faced Lincoln who blocked. The American laid off to the 19-year-old who lifted a delicious high chip that bounced twice off of the crossbar before being cleared.
Above: Rylee Baisden, scorer of Perth Glory’s crucial goal in first-half stoppage time. Photo: Tom McCarhy.
Right before the break, the home side emphasised their dominance from set-pieces against Canberra this season having grabbed both of their goals against Njegosh Popovich’s side on the opening day. Lowry’s corner curled in from the right. The visitors could only succeed in heading it against each other and amidst the chaos, Baisden forced the ball home.
The second half opened with a bang as over a period of two minutes, Canberra forced a corner, Jancevski tried her luck from the halfway line after noticing Lincoln off her line, and Lowry curled a corner onto the roof of the net.
The home side remained on the front foot as Hintzen was found by a looped pass over the top from Ella Mastrantonio. Despite being under the close attention of Faulknor, the American striker took a touch to get free and fired a rocket across Lincoln and into the far corner.
Above: Cyera Hintzen’s rocket shot flies into the net to level the scores. Photo: Tom McCarthy.
Hintzen was now at the peak of her powers, with pace and strength allowing her to get free along the right and fire a low ball across for Lowry to smash a shot in from just outside the box in a central position that Lincoln needed to repel.
Despite a flurry of chances for the visitors, it was the increasing influence of Hintzen that caused further damage. Sakalis headed into her path and the striker flicked the ball through beautifully into the path of her compatriot Baisden into the box who smashed a shot into the corner of the net.
Both sides had further chances to change the outcome of the game once more, with Faulknor seeing a great chance go well wide and Hintzen trying to create up the other end.
Above: Rylee Baisden sgteers home Perth Glory’s winner. Photo: Tom McCarthy.
Whilst Perth’s comeback was a superb team effort, the influence of Cyera Hintzen cannot be overlooked. The pace, strength, flicks, and goals from last season were back and then some. It was a superb shift from the striker.
For Canberra United head coach Njegosh Popovich, it was a frustrating afternoon with the outcome hinging on Perth’s goal in stoppage time at the end of the opening 45 as he told the media post match: “The goal conceded before half-time from a corner. We spoke in the week about it and making sure set pieces were strong (defensively). It’s a tough trip to get to Perth. We ran out of legs a little bit.”
Whilst Popovich felt his team worked hard in their response, the momentum shift allied with weather conditions was ultimately too much:”We came out strong (in the second half), but there were some lapses of concentration and there was the heat. The wind was a factor (too).”
Above: Cyera Hintzen’s delightful flick-through for Rylee Baisden’s winning goal. Photo: Tom McCarthy.
His counterpart Alex Epakis’ overwhelming reaction after the match was one of pride: “It was a performance built on resilience and character. It wasn’t the start we wanted, but the players knew that this was really important today to get something. We knew we are capable of results like that, and performances like that, and today the players did us really proud.”
The performance and comeback was the consequence of a lot of hard work put in at the club’s Fremantle Oval base after their loss to Melbourne Victory last Sunday. “It was a very intense week. We build in a lot of conversations on the training pitch and the laptop was in overdrive with the film in terms of reviewing individual, team, and collective stuff. We have a foundation now, but we’re still not where we want to be.”
Epakis emphasised the vital importance of Rylee Baisden’s strike in first-half stoppage time to get Perth back into the game: “That was like the life support starting (us) back up again. It was critical. Rylee has scored some important goals for us already in her career. It definitely made the conversations in the changing room, and the momentum that bit different.”
Above: Alana Jancevski produced another hugely skilled performance. Photo: Tom McCarthy.
The focus now for Perth Glory is to use this performance as a springboard. This was the longest period of any match this season in which they showed their true potential. But a 45-minute or a 60-minute performance doesn’t cut it at this level. Nor does it cover up the issues defensively. Perth can be better. To finish where they are capable of being in the league this season, they must be better.
More of Tom McCarthy’s photos from Macedonia Park today:
impetusfootball.org 