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Justine Burch was pitchside at Kingsmeadow yesterday for Impetus yesterday to capture all the action from Australia’s game with South Africa. Here’s a selection of her outstanding work (9/10/22).
Above: Caitlin Foord hits Australia’s impressive fourth goal against South Africa yesterday. Photo: Justine Burch for Impetus.
To read Ben Gilby’s analysis of the match and Johnathan Stack’s report, click on this link: https://impetusfootball.org/2022/10/08/vine-time-for-cortnee-but-concerns-remain/
Australia 4-1 South Africa (8/10/22)
Above: The Matildas line up before kick-off at Kingsmeadow. Photo: Justine Burch for Impetus.
by Ben Gilby at Kingsmeadow for Impetus
Whilst the four goals may take the headlines, there were still a number of familiar issues which reared their head throughout the game. Whilst Australia dominated the match and scored four times, there was still a lack of a relentless sharp threat in front of goal.
With Sam Kerr missing due to illness apart from a seven-minute cameo at the end, once more there are question marks about what happens when she is not around – or when she is smothered by the opposition. Remy Siemsen remained on the bench, and against stronger opposition, the Matildas would have been made to pay.
Too often the passing was not as crisp, accurate, or pacey as it should have been on a consistent basis, and this is a bugbear that returns with alarming regularity. Yes, Australia were missing players once more, but to compete at the highest table next July and August, Gustavsson’s side will need to change these habits and tighten up.
In terms of positives, Charli Grant’s tracking ability in defence was excellent during the first half in particular. She offers a quick read of the play and goes to put out defensive fires almost as soon as they begin to blaze.
Alex Chidiac was, for me, hugely impressive when coming on in the second half. ‘Chids’ was lively, offered herself, and looked to link play excellently. The Racing Louisville midfielder is worthy of more game time. There was also the welcome return, late in the second half for Chloe Logarzo ahead of her A-League Women switch to Western United.
Just as everyone in green and gold was breathing a sigh of relief at an absence of defensive errors, there was an uneasy moment at the end which gave South Africa a goal. Clare Polkinghorne got caught, there was no one home, and Hildah Magaia was able to run in and lob Teagan Micah.
The win and four goals are welcome, but there is still so much to do, and a step up is needed on Tuesday against Denmark.
by Johnathan Stack at Kingsmeadow for Impetus
The Matildas got their international mini tour in Europe underway with a 4-1 victory over South Africa at Kingsmeadow Stadium in South-West London.
It took five minutes for the deadlock to break, as the Matildas captain Steph Catley’s corner was turned in by Cortnee Vine who pounced on a mistake from South African keeper Regirl Ngobeni whose lapse in judgment at gathering the ball from Mary Fowler’s initial header.
Vine doubled her tally on the day in the 25th minute. as quick thinking from Catley saw her capitalise on a loose South African pass on the edge of the box, she then flicked it through to Caitlin Foord who squared it across for Vine to slot home as Australia took a two-nil lead.
Catley was causing South Africa all kinds of problems down the left wing as five minutes later she crossed for Vine who was free in the 18-yard box but failed to hit the target when the Sydney FC player looked destined to score a first-half hat-trick.
The Matildas did make it three on the stroke of half-time as Catley was once again involved as her corner was headed home by Claire Polkinghorne as Australia asserted their dominance in a one-sided first half and led 3-0 at the break.
It was more of the same in the second half as Foord got onto the scoresheet nine minutes after the restart as the Arsenal forward received the ball from her Gunners’ team-mate Catley who claimed her third assist of the day, great skill from Shellharbour native to beat Bambanani Mbane to fire the ball home for the Matildas fourth goal.
The Matildas kept pushing for more as the second half wore on as Katrina Gorry’s superb strike from outside the box forced Ngobeni into a great save with 15 minutes left.
South Africa got a late consolation goal as they broke through and caught Australia off guard, especially Teagan Micah who was positioned outside of the penalty area and couldn’t backpedal quick enough as Hildah Magaia lobbed her from about 30 yards out.
After the game, Matildas head coach Tony Gustavsson spoke about the importance of playing this game in London: “We love playing on home soil, especially in a World Cup year, get that connection with the fans and the football community back home. In that sense it is important we play in Australia, from a football preparation standpoint in massive that we get these camps in Europe.
“We had five training days here compared to the last camp in Australia, where we had two and a half days. Also, we had four players coming in not playing games this weekend so they were fresh from Monday so we can play five training sessions straight just football which was massive.”
Cortnee Vine also faced the media after bagging her first goals as a Matilda, “The first was the easiest goal you can get but I’ll take it as my first one, it was you want I just want to score as a striker coming into the Matildas, hopefully, I can score a few more. A brace is always nice as well, a bit disappointed how I didn’t get a hat-trick.”
The Matildas now head to Scandinavia to take on Denmark on Tuesday in Viborg.
Teams: AUSTRALIA: Micah, Luik, Polkinghorne, Vine, Catley, Grant, Foord, Fowler, Raso, Gorry, Cooney-Cross. Substitutes: Arnold, Nevin, Logarzo, Gielnik, Kerr, Checker, Crummer, Siemsen, Chidiac, McNamara.
Scorers: Vine 5′, 24′. Polkinghorne 41′, Foord 52′.
SOUTH AFRICA: Ngobeni, Gamede, Magama, Smidt, Magaia, Salgado, Motlhalo, Seoposenwe, Mbane, Makhubela, Holweni. Substitutes: Magagula, Letsoso, Sauls, Shamase, Kgadiete, Mhlongo, Moodaly, Motau, Majiya.
Scorer: Magaia 86′.
Attendance: 1,417.
Referee: Lorraine Watson (SCO)
Hannah Parnell was pitchside at Wembley Stadium for Impetus last night. Here’s some of the pick of her superb EXCLUSIVE photos (8/10/22).
Above: Georgia Stanway celebrates her goal with Chloe Kelly. Photo: Hannah Parnell for Impetus.
More of Hannah’s action photos from the Lionesses’ historic win will appear on the site tomorrow!
Impetus’ Ben Gilby hears from Perth Glory’s latest arrival, striker Rylee Baisden, along with head coach Alex Epakis (7/10/22).
Perth Glory today announced the arrival of American striker Rylee Baisden, who joins an already strong-looking group of attacking players in Western Australia.
The 28-year-old arrives following a successful season in the NWSL with North Carolina Courage and is no stranger to the Liberty A-League having scored three times in 11 appearances for Brisbane Roar during the 2019/20 campaign.
Originally from California, Baisden enjoyed a stellar collegiate career at Pepperdine University and following her spell with Roar, debuted for North Carolina in September 2020.
She is excited to be returning to Australia and confident that Glory can make a major impression in the ALW this year.
“I am beyond thrilled to be joining Perth Glory this season,” she said. “In speaking with [Head Coach] Alex [Epakis], it sounds like I share the same mindset and attitude towards football and winning as him and the rest of the club.
“I’m looking forward to hopefully being a worthy addition to the team and I’m excited to share the field with some amazing players in a country I have so much love for. After finishing my first season in the league back in 2020, I was excited to get back, but COVID derailed that plan.
“I feel like I have a bit of unfinished business and I’m grateful for this opportunity to come back.”
Epakis, meanwhile, believes Baisden’s signing represents a major coup for the club. “To secure Rylee for the upcoming ALW season is really special and exciting,” he said.
“She is exactly the type of player we are looking to have in our attacking play; quick, dynamic and with the capacity for repeat efforts with and without the ball.
“Rylee is very direct and exciting when she is on the ball and moreover, she brings a strong level of experience from some of the top competitions around the world, as well as previous experience in the ALW.
“I am really looking forward to welcoming her to the club and I am sure she will have a strong impact for us in the competition.
“Finally, her professional mentality and demeanour is something that certainly stood out to me during our conversations and I believe the team will benefit a lot from having Rylee here this season.”
Epakis’ team already boast the attacking talents of Susan Phonsongkham, Sofia Sakalis, Cyera Hintzen, Alana Jancevski and Abbey Green amongst others. They will certainly pose a real threat to defences across the A-League Women this season.
The club are expected to be making further squad announcements shortly.
Perth Glory’s Current ALW 2022/23 Squad:
Morgan AQUINO, Kim CARROLL, Tash RIGBY, Tijan McKENNA, Liz ANTON, Hana LOWRY, Demi KOULIZAKIS, Susan PHONSONGKHAM, Rylee BAISDEN, Sofia SAKALIS, Sarah CAIN, Cyera HINTZEN, Bella WALLHEAD, Abbey GREEN, Sadie LAWRENCE, Sarah LANGMAN, Ella MASTRANTONIO, Claudia MIHOCIC, Alana JANCEVSKI, Milan HAMMOND, Gabriella COLEMAN.
Impetus‘ Darrell Allen provides his weekly round-up of all the women’s football action in Norfolk (7/10/22).
Above: Samara Nche (9), scorer of a hat-trick for King’s Lynn Town in their FA Cup Second Qualifying Round win at Thetford Town. Photo: Richard Brown.
Thetford Town 1-4 Kings Lynn Town
King’s Lynn Town progressed to the third qualifying round of the FA Cup with an eventually comfortable win at Mundford Road.
A Hat-trick from Samara Nche and a goal from new signing Chelsea Clarke was enough to send King’s Lynn through although they were made to work for it.
Thetford had their best-attacking chances early in the first half as Laura Martins forced an early save from Lynn goalkeeper Alice Collins after being brought down by Lily Porter to win the free kick.
There was a further chance for the hosts when Melissa Boulton found herself with the ball after the referee played a good advantage following Laura Martins being fouled but Boulton could only fire her shot over the crossbar.
Martins looked lively all afternoon for Thetford as she has done all season since her arrival in the summer and she fired over the bar from a corner.
Thetford paid for not taking an early chance when on the half-hour mark Nche fired past Amber Browne after a fine individual run to open the scoring and give King’s Lynn the lead at the break.
Kings Lynn started the second half slowly and Thetford sensed their opportunity when Zoe Klimcke fired a shot which came off both posts and this then found its way into the net to spark wild scenes at Mundford Road.
Thetford Town of the Tier Seven Norfolk Women and Girls League Division One, making their first-ever appearance in the FA Cup were roared on by a three-figure crowd in the sunshine as the players did the club proud against their opponents King’s Lynn from two tiers higher in the Eastern Region Premier Division.
The Thetford goal seemed to spark the visitors into life as super sub Chelsea Clarke on her debut after signing from Wymondham Town, hit a rocket past Browne a minute later from the edge of the box to restore the visitors’ lead.
With 20 minutes left on the clock, Nche then was found a delightful through ball and slotted calmly past Browne to put the game beyond Thetford.
Nche completed her hat trick with three minutes remaining after linking well with Amy Magnus and then firing past Browne into the net to round off the scoring.
King’s Lynn Town with an eventual safe passage into the third qualifying round, will now host Hitchin Belles to The Walks on Sunday 23rd October.
For Thetford Town, this was the defeat they expected, but they can be proud they made a club from two divisions higher work so hard for their win and this will only provide encouragement for the future league matches.
Teams: THETFORD TOWN: Browne, Levy-Twomey, Omeleviciute, Klimcke, Hardie, Martins, Howard, Rogers, Boulton, Bambury, Webb. Substitutes: Lloyd, Page, Richardson, Howard, Mae-Davies, Knight.
Scorer: Klimcke.
KING’S LYNN TOWN: Collins, Cropley, Burch, Rawlings, Peeling, Powell, Hopkins, Porter, Nche, Ford, Magnus. Substitutes: Clarke, Dack, Freeman, Davis, Skinner, Sands, Clarke.
Scorers: Nche (3), Clarke.
Referee: Craig Ellis.
Attendance: 107.
FA Women’s National League Division One South East
Norwich City maintained their unbeaten start to the season in Tier Four with an emphatic 7-0 victory over Hounslow. Braces from Kathryn Stanley and Ellie Smith as well as strikes from Megan Todd, Olivia Cook, and Ella Gambell saw the Canaries take a comfortable three points.
Wymondham Town‘s trip to AFC Wimbledon was postponed due to lack of player availability for Wymondham Town.
Tier Five Wroxham from the Eastern Region Premier Division negotiated a tricky-looking trip to Tier Six Lawford winning 4-1 thanks to goals from Jess Horn and a hat trick from Hannah Waters. Annalise Ryan with the goal for Lawford.
Tier Six Fakenham Town were made to sweat by Tier Seven Beccles Town with Fakenham running out eventual 3-2 winners. A brace from Chloe Gravett and a goal from Nicole Costin saw Fakenham Town progress.
Tier Seven Mulbarton Belles were 5-1 winners at Stanway Rovers from the Essex County League thanks to a brace from Rebekah Lake and goals from Ellie Hunter, Molly Ryan and Analise Smith.
Tier Seven Bungay Town were comprehensively beaten 10-0 at home by Tier Five AFC Sudbury, Four goals for Holly Kennard, a hat trick for Alex Penny, a brace for Sophie Jeffers and Caitlyn Charles with the other completed an emphatic away win.
In the day’s final FA Cup game, Sprowston and Brett Vale played out a thrilling 2-2 draw. Rosie Milligan and Anais Winney scoring for Sprowston with Tarnya McKew and Kirby King scoring for Brett Vale. The game went to penalties with Sprowston winning 6-5 with, 16-year-old Lois King the hero sending Sprowston into the third qualifying round.
Long Stratton were the day’s headline makers in Tier Seven with a stunning 4-2 win at Dussindale and Hellesdon Rovers. Luci Middleton netting all four goals for Long Stratton with a Shanice Sutton brace for the hosts.
Due to the FA Cup action, there was only one other Tier Seven game which saw the University of East Anglia beat Caister 7-1. Braces from Ella Burnley and Freya Fuller and further goals from Rachel Lawrence, Cassandra Piejko, and Lucy Wright saw UEA claim a big win. Bethany Turner was on target for Caister.
Blofield United won a thrilling game 4-3 over FC Viking Valkyries. A Lola Eadie Hat-Trick and further strikes from Lucy Schug secured the points with Molly Howes, Cerys Nicholas, and Chloe Ward replying for Valkyries.
King’s Lynn Soccer Club claimed an impressive 3-0 away win at Mulbarton Wanderers Reserves thanks to a Jordan Turner hat-trick.
North Walsham Town beat Horsford 7-0 thanks to a brace from Rio Dobbie and other goals from Ella Cattermole, Charlotte Hardingham, Rhiannon Holt, Paige Samwell, and Lucy Taylor. In the day’s final game, Thorpe St Andrew beat Bulldogs 7-1 at home thanks to a hat-trick from Abi Simmons with Jennifer Brown, Jennifer Brown, Tabitha Mileham, Sarah Rooke, and Rebecca Sutton scoring for Thorpe St Andrew with Niamh Underhill getting the goal for Bulldogs.
Impetus’ Ben Gilby spoke to Australia head coach Tony Gustavsson at Kingsmeadow this afternoon ahead of tomorrow’s friendly with South Africa (7/10/22).
Above: Matildas head coach Tony Gustavsson. Image: Football Australia.
Whilst Australia are shorn of a number of first-choice players for their game with South Africa tomorrow, head coach Tony Gustavsson feels that his squad are capable of finding the answers required to get back to winning ways.
Gustavsson started by outlining the threats posed by South Africa and the approach his team are going to take to tomorrow’s match saying: “We’ve identified our opponents as we always do, and South Africa are a team with a lot of power and pace. They have a lot of individual skills. I’m impressed. They can hurt any team in transition.
“Their wide forwards do a lot of running, and they use that skill in defending as well. They make it a game of one v ones. They have pace in the backline too, so it’s hard to get behind them. They do lack height, they have conceded goals from set-plays and crosses. We’ve spent a lot of time on that today. That will be a massive part of the game.
“We need to control the game and make it about what we want it to be. If it becomes a stretched game and a lot of one v ones, then it is to their advantage. We need to be compact and then it’s to our advantage.
“South Africa are a good team. They played Spain in 2019 and were winning 1-0 until the 70th minute when they conceded a penalty. They played Brazil recently and kept it 0-0 until the 42nd minute. We are expecting a tough challenge.”
A lot of focus has been put on the number six role in the Matildas’ midfield in recent games. Yet, with the World Cup less than a year away, I asked the Australian head coach how he sees the rest of the midfield knitting together and becoming cohesive in both offering a defensive shield and formulating attacks.
“We have spent a lot of time this camp finding the best midfield combination. Sometimes it’s not the best players, it’s about the best combination, so you look at the best centre-back pairing, the best left-side combination, the best link between a nine and 10.
“We’ve had five training days this week looking at that cohesion. We have some players in there playing some of the best football in their life right now – Katrina Gorry is dominating the Swedish league. Kyra Cooney-Cross has been amazing, having been in the team of the week in Sweden, and obviously, we have Mary Fowler, who has also been phenomenal in the 10 position.
“We’re looking for that link between the players in that area, getting a bit closer together so they can play off each other more, and looking at the balance when we get dispossessed as that’s an area in which we’ve struggled in defending transitions. There we need to have not just a six protecting the backline, but more midfielders helping out defensively in the central area of the park.”
At the present time, Gustavsson has never fielded the same goalkeeper consistently during his tenure. Whilst Teagan Micah excelled at the Olympic Games and is in fine form for Rosengård in the Damallsvenskan, both Lydia Williams of Paris St. Germain and West Ham United’s Mackenzie Arnold have had regular opportunities. Gustavsson outlined how he is very close to settling on a first-choice keeper who will start all matches going into the World Cup.
“We’ve spent 18 months giving everyone game time. Now we are narrowing down. You will see less rotation on the goalkeepers. We will have a clear number one. It is influenced by clubland; how they are playing, how much game time they get.”
With Australia having won only five of their ten matches this year – New Zealand (twice), Indonesia, Philippines, and Thailand – there has previously been a mantra from Gustavsson of “losing a match but winning a player”. The Australia head coach outlined that whilst those days will soon pass, tomorrow’s inexperienced squad are still out to impress and claim a World Cup spot.
“Every time we step out on the field we are looking to win. That’s what we are going to do tomorrow. If we lose, we are going to see what did we learn. We will see a lot of young players out there tomorrow with less experience and that is a good thing in terms of getting a chance to play an African team. That doesn’t mean it’s an excuse not to try to win, we will do everything we can to win the game.”
In the day’s wider press conference, Gustavsson outlined the huge positives of staging this match in Europe from the point of view of maximising preparation time.
“It has been a privilege to have five full days of training. The players came in fresh. We’ve had some double sessions and meetings. If you compare that to the last camp when half of the team arrived at midnight on Tuesday then we had a training session on Wednesday and a complete one on the Thursday, this is a completely different camp.
“That doesn’t mean we don’t want to be in Australia, of course we do. It’s just from a training point of view, this week has been one of the best weeks we’ve had since I came in, in terms of the amount we’ve been able to do together.”
“Results matter, we want everyone to feel part of it. The players and federation know what we have done and why, so internally the need hasn’t been as strong – amount of injuries, number of debutants, the teams we’ve played.”
Gustavsson pointed out that when he has his strongest team together consistently, they can achieve great things – so despite a poor run of results against the top nations in the world, he believes that there can be great times ahead.
“We were successful at the Olympics as it was one of the times the country has had the biggest number of its main players together at the same time for a major tournament.
“It’s not fun to have the amount of players unavailable that we have now. We had tons of injuries in the last camp and we have tons of injuries this time too. Having said that we will have four or five young players starting tomorrow who I am really excited to see, they’ve been looking great in training this week.”
Impetus’ Ben Gilby was at Kingsmeadow today to see Australia hold their final training session ahead of tomorrow’s game with South Africa (7/10/22).
Above: Courtney Nevin shares a laugh with Cortnee Vine earlier today. Photo: Ben Gilby for Impetus.
Australia took to the turf at a newly branded Kingsmeadow Stadium ahead of tomorrow’s fixture with South Africa.
Matildas’ branding and sponsorship logos were all in place on the advertising hoardings as Tony Gustavsson and his coaching staff put their squad through their paces in the early Autumn South-West London sun.
Here are some of the best images from the session:
Wales 1-0 Bosnia-Herzegovina
by Martin Townley at the Cardiff City Stadium for Impetus.
Above: Jess Fishlock celebrates after scoring a stunning winner to put Wales into a play-off in Switzerland next week in the World Cup qualifiers. Photo: FAW.
As always before Wales games, ‘Zombie Nation’ blasts around Cardiff City Stadium and the feeling is that something special is about to happen. As the Wales players take to the field the roar around Cardiff grows. The Red Wall in full voice could the team deliver?
Oh yes they did. Wales outclassed Bosnia from start to finish seeing four goals ruled out. Bosnia keeper Almina Hodzic pulled off save after save throughout the game. It was going to take some magic for Wales to make the breakthrough and in extra time Wales’ star player produced it.
Jess Fishlock got the vital goal in extra time, two minutes into added time in the first period. Fitting for Wales’ most capped player to get the most important goal in the nation’s history.
Wales will head to a play-off final away at Switzerland in the next step to qualify for next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The first half saw Wales create chance after chance but some early runs and some fine saves from Almina Hodzic kept the scores level. Bosnia had a good chance to take the lead, but Laura O’Sullivan was sharp and made the save. Wales will have felt that should have gone into the break ahead.
Wales again had the better of the play second half, but another two offside goals and a resolute Bosnian defence held firm.
Wales started the game quickly. Kayleigh Green rolled the ball across the box for Jess Fishlock who hit it first time, but her effort was blocked. It wouldn’t have counted as the flag went up but an early sign of Gemma Grainger’s intent.
Jess Fishlock went close when a well-worked free-kick routine caught Bosnia off guard. Fishlock’s first-time hit went straight at Almina Hodzic who looked relieved to get the ball.
Bosnia won a corner that Wales put out for another, but it was from the second they had their first chance. The ball fell to Marija Aleksic whose low-range shot was just stopped by the outstretched leg of O’Sullivan.
Wales did have the ball in the net after Fishlock ran into the box and was only stopped by Hodzic. The ball fell to Kayleigh Green who had a tap in but once again the flag came to haunt Wales.
Wales were cranking up the pressure as Rachel Rowe forced Hodzic to save low to her right. Then Ceri Holland hit the upright from the rebound. Still, Wales attacked with shots blocked, as Bosnia scrambled to get the ball away Roberts put in a cross, but Hodzic cut it out.
Ceri Holland forced Hodzic into another save from her low shot across the goal. Holland got the ball from a Kayleigh Green flick-on cut into the box, but the Bosnian keeper saved her side again.
Rowe went close from another well-worked Wales set piece. Receiving the ball outside the box from a corner, she hit a low shot that Hodzic struggled to hold.
Wales should have had the lead when Angharad James’ effort grazed the crossbar as it went over. James dived onto a fine cross into the box after a crisp Welsh passing move. It was goalless at the break.
Wales escaped a scare as Hayley Ladd headed the ball back to her own goal. With O’Sullivan on the other side, Ladd had to race back to clear the ball from the line.
Wales made a quick counter when Carrie Jones won the ball and sent Kayleigh Green on a run. Green cut across the box and sent the ball wide to Holland who put a cross in, but Bosnia were able to clear.
Kayleigh Green put the ball in the net once again, but it was ruled out for offside. A crisp passing move involving Ingle and Fishlock sent Green through and the Wales forward put the ball under the keeper. The goal was ruled out to huge boos from the Welsh fans.
Hodzic pulled off the save of the game from a cross into the six-yard box by Holland. Crawling a fingertip to the ball before the advancing Fishlock could reach it.
Ffion Morgan fired a powerful effort past Hodzic from a cross into the box sending the crowd wild. Again, a flag went up and after a VAR check another Welsh goal was ruled out.
Just seconds later Fishlock thought she had scored after a clear ball to put her though, but replays showed she had gone a fraction offside. Despite all Wales’ chances, it was 0-0 at the end of the 90 minutes.
Wales began extra time attacking from the off and won a corner from Ffion Morgan’s cross. Fishlock sent it in the box but neither Evans nor Holland could direct a header goalwards.
Good work from Rowe down the right won Wales another corner. Fishlock sent the ball to the back of the penalty area where Ceri Holland was free, but her header went over the bar.
In added time at the end of the first period, Wales finally took the lead. A free kick from out on the right by Rowe found the run of Fishlock and with a deft touch, the Welsh star sent the ball past Hodzic to send the home crowd wild.
After going behind Bosnia had to try and push forward and test the Welsh defence. Gemma Grainger’s team had other ideas as they kept going about the way they had been.
Ceri Holland tried to bend the ball in from outside the box, but her effort didn’t have the pace to beat Hodzic.
As the minutes ticked away Wales did a great job of pinning Bosnia in their own half and killing the clock.
Teams: WALES (4-1-4-1): O’Sullivan, Evans, Roberts, Ladd, Rowe, Ingle, Holland, James, Jess Fishlock (Ward 115′), Jones (Morgan 80′), Green (Wynne 120).
Scorer: Fishlock 105+2′
BOSNIA-HERZEGOVIA (4-2-3-1): Hodzic, Sliskovic (Taslidza 81′), Hasanbegovic, Milinkovic, Kapetanovic (Medic 70′), Aleksic, Piskic (A. Mujanovic 113′), Ena Sabangic, Spasojevic (Grebenar 105+2′), Gavric (Markovic 113′), Minela Gacanica (Jelcic 70′).
Referee: Marta Huerta de Aza.
Attendance: 15,200.
Whilst the Matildas stars playing in England are well known to the local audience, Saturday’s clash at Kingsmeadow gives fans a chance to see a group of hugely exciting Australian football stars that may not be quite so well known. Impetus’ Kieran Yap, Ben Gilby, Jonathan Tay, and Kris Goman profile five players, plus our African Women’s Football correspondent Emmanuel Faith brings us the low down on the South Africa squad.
Above: Coming to a football stadium near you – The Matildas. Photo: Kris Goman for Impetus.
The Matildas. Sam Kerr, Caitlin Foord, Steph Catley, Mary Fowler, Kyah Simon, Hayley Raso, Alanna Kennedy, Emily Gielnik – all top players plying their trade in the Women’s Super League. Yet the Australian team who step out on South West London soil on Saturday to face South Africa contain a whole host of hugely exciting players that local fans need to keep an eye on.
by Ben Gilby
Whilst the loss of Ellie Carpenter with an ACL injury is a huge one for Australia, they can point to having one of the game’s most sparkling youngsters to come in and establish herself as the outstanding international defender that she has promised to be for quite some time.
The 21-year-old had a break-out year in 2021 with a sensational series of performances for Adelaide United in what was then the W-League earning a move to top Swedish side Rosengård. Add in her first call-ups for the national side and a trip to the Olympic Games with The Matildas and it was the stuff of dreams.
This year, Grant has established herself in the Matildas team with several impressive performances. One, in particular, came in exceptionally tough circumstances in Spain earlier this year when a heavily weakened Australian team went down 7-0 to a Spanish side just heading to the Euros.
It was a game in which Grant admitted she “learned a lot. I had to stay so focused. I had to focus on one thing at a time – each individual thing as it happened. One tackle at a time, one pass at a time. It will definitely help me going into future games.” It was a performance that won Grant the Matildas player of the match award.
After that match Australia head coach Tony Gustavsson spoke of “losing a game, but maybe winning a player.” For me, he did win a player that night in Charli Grant. She fulfilled everything that people who have watched her develop for several years knew was there.
The South Australian has everything you want from a modern-day defender. The pace to burn in launching attacks on top of an ability to watch the game develop in front of her as well as a supreme ability in being alert to and snuffing out danger from multiple players around her due to a naturally ingrained sense of positioning.
Charli Grant is the real deal and would make waves in the WSL should she ever have an opportunity to move here.
by Kris Goman
Cortnee Vine is a 24-year-old who has played the entirety of her professional career in the W-League and A-League Women (ALW), establishing herself as one of the leading players in the competition.
The Sydney FC star plays on the right, usually on the wing but with experience at right back too. Known for her gang busting runs down the flank and impeccable crosses, Vine is an explosive player who exciting to watch. She’s fast and tenacious, like a terrier, and doesn’t give up in a tackle either.
Capable of scoring some spectacular goals, her real strength is in the assists. She can put the ball to the feet or the head of the striker from distance and can read the play well enough to know the perfect spot to deliver the ball to. Vine is an impact player so expect an explosion when she takes the field.
Vine’s first taste of senior football came at the age of 16 when she became a train-on for Brisbane Roar and soon after received her first W-League contract. She was with the Queensland side until she was 18, and in that time was selected for the Young Matildas and remained in that squad until she turned 20.
After playing for Heidelberg United in the Victoria NPLW, Vine then signed a contract with the Newcastle Jets in the W-League where she stayed from 19 to 21 years old, playing for Sydney University as her NPL club. In 2019, she signed for Western Sydney Wanderers for a year and also changed NPL clubs to Sydney Olympic. The following year, at 22 years old, she signed with Sydney FC.
Vine has not looked back since, starting every match of the 20/21 season with Sydney, scoring four goals, until she injured her MCL in the second last game of the regular season, meaning she missed her team’s Finals campaign. Many thought that she was playing so well that she deserved a Matildas call up but the injury put paid to that. Thankfully she recovered over the off-season and was able to start again with Sydney for the 21/22 ALW season. She picked up where she left off and the long-awaited call-up came soon enough.
At the beginning of 2022, she got invited to the Matildas camp in UAE and was selected for the final Asian Cup squad. Vine got her first cap against the Philippines on 24th January and has been part of the squad since, earning seven caps.
In the interim, her season with Sydney FC saw them win the premiership and be runners-up in the Grand Final once more, and Vine scored another nine goals along the way. She’s back with the Harbour City side once more for the forthcoming ALW season.
by Jonathan Tay
For some time now, The Matildas have been desperately searching for defensive help.
Whether due to a lack of talent or the requisite development pathways, arguably outside of the current starting back-four, there have been question marks surrounding all other candidates, particularly within the Tony Gustavsson era.
With a home World Cup on the horizon, the urgency levels have risen. The absences of Arsenal’s Steph Catley for recent friendlies and Lyon’s Ellie Carpenter, out long term (ACL), have magnified the public focus on the need to build depth on the backline.
That’s where left-back Courtney Nevin comes into the picture. One of a host of young players who Gustavsson has blooded and attempted to integrate into the Australian squad, Nevin made her debut in a pre-Olympics friendly against Denmark last year. With the versatility to play either as a wingback or left-sided central defender, she has now become a fixture for international call-ups, racking up 14 caps for the Matildas.
Offering solidity and stability in an otherwise in-flux Melbourne Victory backline last season, Nevin played in 15 of 17 matches, including their victorious Grand Final match. Throughout their title-winning campaign, the 20-year-old showed an ability to buzz up and down the left flank, and bend parabolic balls into the box, both from open play and from set pieces.
Nevin, along with Victory teammate Kyra Cooney-Cross, earned a first international move abroad for the 2022 season, signing on with Hammarby IF of Sweden. She has been an almost ever-present on the left side in the Damallsvenskan, chipping in with two goals and four assists for the club. Recently, that flexibility has been on display, with the Australian moving into more of a centre-back role, to make space for ex-Chelsea defender Jonna Andersson out on the wing.
There is a combative side to Nevin’s game as well; she relishes defensive duels, unafraid of leaving her mark on opponents. At times, this can lead to youthful overzealousness – she has been lucky to have escaped a red card in each of her past two starts for the Matildas against Portugal and Canada.
The consistency which comes with maturity is something still to be honed in her game, with glaring defensive lapses of concentration and misplaced passes still an occasional issue. Ideally, with greater experience and exposure in Europe, she adjusts to a faster pace of play and level of competition.
For Australia though, there is a lot of hope being placed on Nevin’s shoulders. With her teenage years still large in the rearview mirror, there is yet a long runway for her to fulfil her potential – Matildas fans will just be crossing their fingers that it’s realised sooner rather than later.
by Kieran Yap
Katrina Gorry is currently Australia’s best midfielder and a favourite of Australian fans, and has been for a very long time. At the age of 30, the Vittsjö GIK and Brisbane Roar playmaker (she divides her year between the A-League Women and the Damallsvenskan) has been a star for club and country.
Gorry qualified Australia for the 2016 Olympics with a brilliant individual qualifying tournament. She scored the winning goal against North Korea with just eight minutes to play to cap off a gruelling and intense tournament in style. A year earlier, she was crown the AFC Player of the Year for 2014. Seven years on, Gorry’s powers have not diminished.
‘Mini’ as she is affectionately known is diminutive in stature but powerful and skilful with the fitness to dominate a match from midfield. She has quick feet, and the bravery and confidence to receive the ball under pressure and usually move it forward. Her most spectacular asset is her shooting. Brisbane Roar have one of the leagues most unstoppable weapons in her right foot than can either be a wand to bypass defenders or a sledge hammer to render goalkeepers helpless.
Gorry’s role for the national team is slightly different from at club level. Week to week, she is used in a more attacking position. At Brisbane, she is given almost free reign to wander about the pitch knitting the team together and scheming to release Roar’s pacey attack.
For The Matildas, coach Tony Gustavsson has used her in a deeper role. The manager has been without an experienced player in the “six” position for his entire tenure. Gorry’s ability to control possession and the tempo of s game has helped Australia regain composure in the middle of the park.
Under the previous national team managers, Gorry was either used off the bench or not at all since 2016. Gustavsson has made her central to his recent plans. Gorry gives The Matildas style and grit in an essential position. Regular visitors to Kingsmeadow who loved watching Ji So Yun play will enjoy seeing Katrina Gorry in full flight.
by Kieran Yap
Kyra Cooney-Cross is a full decade younger than Gorry, but already has five seasons of professional football under her belt. The 20-year-old made waves as a speedy winger or striker for Melbourne Victory before moving up to Western Sydney Wanderers in 2019 after two seasons.
In an impressive Wanderers side, Cooney-Cross flourished. She was supported on field by US internationals Lynn Williams and Kirsten Hamilton and future Bristol City and Lazio midfielder Ella Mastrantonio.
She was given more game time at Western Sydney and quickly developed into a star of the A-League Women’s as the club reached the top four for the first time in their history.
Upon her return to Melbourne Victory the following season, she reached another level. At just 18, Cooney-Cross was given almost total freedom by manager Jeff Hopkins as Victory charged to a Grand Final win.
Although she spent most of her time in the central areas of the pitch. She used her pace, tenacity, and ball control to dribble through the middle of the ground and break open play.
Her passing range has developed impressively and while she is still developing at international level, she is still able to use that vision and technique to spread play and set up attacks for Australia.
Cooney-Cross has been around the senior Matildas squad for some time. She trained with the team prior to the 2019 World Cup, and made her senior debut at the Tokyo Olympics. In friendly matches against Brazil she looked completely at home against strong opposition and although shifted to a wing against Canada, she was able to get a few shots on target despite Australia’s lacklustre performance in Brisbane.
She is a unique talent. Still raw in many ways but extremely exciting to watch. She is capable of winning the ball on her own and running the length of the pitch with well-timed burst of acceleration.
The youngster is more than just a tremendous individual player. In Victory’s 2021/22 injury-hit season, she adjusted her game and curbed her natural freewheeling instincts to sit deep and play disciplined football to protect Melbourne’s makeshift defence.
Cooney-Cross came under criticism for her performances, which her less eye-catching than earlier seasons. But her contributions were crucial to Victory retaining the championship.
After winning the decider off her own boot with a spectacular goal direct from a corner kick in the last second of extra time, Cooney-Cross was a hero to Victory supporters for sacrificing her own game to get the team back to the top.
Now at Hammarby in Sweden, the midfielder is back to her galloping best. since recovering from a knee injury, she has been a regular starter at club level and has a growing highlights reel that looks very familiar to long-time fans.
Cooney-Cross has not yet reached these heights for The Matildas, but has been a favourite of Gustavsson since he took over. She seems destined to be a big name in the future of women’s football, and well worth watching if you can get along to the ground.
In years to come, you might be telling people you saw her back when…
by Emmanuel Faith
South Africa are a quality team in their own right; currently 54th in the recent FIFA rankings, and recently crowned African champions beating the reigning champions and the host on their way to the triumph, the Banyana Banyana are not a team to brush aside.
Style of Play:
Like most African teams, the South Africans are quite physical in nature. Most of the players play in the South African leagues and have either played together or against one another, thus they have a seamless synchrony when they are representing the national team.
They boast of explosive midfielders like Refilo Jane, Karabo Dhlamini, and Linda Motlhalo who are bold ball-holders and quick ball-movers. They have the ability to pick incisive passes and split the midfield and defense of the opposition with a single pass, or a one-touch quick exchange.
This was how the first goal in their opening match against Morocco during the WAFCON finals was scored. A field-splitting pass from Refilo Jane to Jermaine Seoposenwe who held on two defenders before laying a pass for Hildah Magaia who had a simple task of slotting the ball into the back of the net with the keeper almost beaten.
Another goal of such similitude was the second goal they scored against the former WAFCON reigning champions, the Super Falcons of Nigeria. A quick interception and a simple pass found Refilo Jane, who waited before playing a weighted pass that beat both Michelle Alozie and Osinachi Ohale, and landed on the perfect side of Hildah Magaia to deliver another classic finish. The Matildas would have to be wary of those three as they can wreak havoc at the slightest chance.
Where the game would be won:
The Banyana Banyana play possession-based football and have the ability to move in quick transitions. To conquer them, Australia need to do is to stifle their access to the ball, and restrict the time they spend on it through quick and diagonal pressing. That was how Brazil beat them recently. Another weakness is their height which is often a spot to explore when defending set pieces. Their centre-backs Noko Matlou and Bambanani Mbane are 1.64m and 1.62 m respectively and that is a space Mary Fowler and Sam Kerr might be looking to exploit, especially from corners, free-kicks, and crosses.
The South Africans are quick on the counter-attack thus the Matildas defenders like Courtney Nevin and Steph Catley have to be at alert to these threats.
Players to watch out for:
Jermaine Seoposenwe:
Her coach calls her hardworking and versatile; those words are mild to describe Jermaine. Her ability to play as a top striker, a second striker, a supporting striker, or on either wing makes her one of the most dangerous players you can play against. The absence of the Banyana Banyana rockstar, Thembi Kgatlana has been a big blow to the squad, but it is safe to say that Jermaine has stepped up to the responsibilities, playing the multiple roles of creating, assisting, and sometimes scoring goals when necessary. The Aussies must be wary of her tricks and movements on and off the ball.
Linda Motlhalo:
Since making her debut in 2016 against Cameroon where she scored her first goal, Motlhalo has stamped her name in the heart of her coach and is always available to make magic, either from the bench as a substitute or as a starter alongside Refilo Jane. She is one of the few South African players who has spent the last four years playing outside the South African league. This often reflects in her style of play as she combines the experience of NWSL (Houston Dash), the quick-witted style of Chinese League, and the tenacity of playing the Swedish league. There are probably only a few midfielders better than her in the continent right now and she would be hoping to deliver a world-class performance on Saturday.
Hildah Magaia:
After a superb performance at the recently concluded WAFCON, the absence of Thembi Kgatlana and the option of using Jermaine Seoponsewe as a right winger or supporting striker means Magaia is now wearing the number-nine jersey and shouldering the responsibilities that come with it. Magaia is quite adept in nature, fast-paced, and knows how to open up her body and get the right positions in the box. She has a goal-poacher trait and is a massive threat anytime she is in the box.
In the first in a series of interviews with Impetus’ sponsored players for 2022/23, Harriet Meers, who we have supported for three seasons now, spoke to Ben Gilby about last campaign’s rollercoaster, and how she fell back in love with the game (6/10/22).
Above: Harriet Meers is back at East Bergholt United this season, and looking to push her side on. Photo: Paul Wilding via East Bergholt United.
Back in December 2020, Harriet Meers, then a teenage defender, signed her first senior women’s football contract with tier five side Wroxham and became Impetus‘ first sponsored player. Fast forward another two seasons and we’re still sponsoring Harriet, who experienced a really challenging 2021/22 campaign.
“Things changed very quickly last season, and it has been an emotional ride. The last time I spoke to Impetus, I was playing with Wroxham. Being at Wroxham was such an amazing opportunity, playing step five football is something I never believed I would have been capable of. The group of girls at Wroxham were brilliant and I absolutely loved my time there. Also, it is safe to say without the opportunity of playing for Wroxham Women I never would have been lucky enough to have Impetus as a sponsor.
“Unfortunately, a few things didn’t work out in the end with Wroxham, I knew I needed to try and regain some confidence and therefore I made the move to King’s Lynn Town, also in the ERWFL Premier Division, for the second half of the season. I spent the last couple of months of last season playing more locally for the Sunday league University of East Anglia (UEA) team.”
The move across Norfolk to King’s Lynn Town started well, but an unfortunate injury and changes behind the scenes saw things take another twist.
“Whilst I was at Lynn, the games were played at The Walks (men’s team’s 8,200 capacity ground) which is a pretty impressive stadium to play in at that level. My first start for King’s Lynn was Haringey Borough away. Haringey away is always a tough game, so to return home with a 3-2 win after a gritty team performance was brilliant.
“Unfortunately, I was carrying a slight knee injury from a BUCS game with UEA which I worsened during the game. I was out for a couple months and a combination of a change in management and a regression of confidence due to the injury made me question whether I should just stop playing.
“I took the difficult decision to take a step back and the rest of the season I played solely for the university BUCS team. The girls at Lynn were great and really kept me going whilst I was out. Under the previous manager, Joe Simpson, King’s Lynn had just been promoted from step six to step five. The energy in the team to not only survive the season but to compete was so evident. It was a great experience, one that I am very grateful for.”
Harriet’s spell concentrating on representing the UEA team in the BUCS leagues ensured that she had a hugely successful end to the 2021/22 campaign, as the University of East Anglia enjoyed a historic campaign.
“The 2021/22 season in the BUCS league was a new and exciting one,” Harriet exclaimed. “With the addition of two new coaches for the first team, Harry Diggens and Rebecca Burton, the university introduced scholarships to those who were successful in trials for the first team. The strength of the setup was only getting stronger, especially with the additional knowledge and passion from the new management.
“After surprising myself and receiving one of the scholarships I played in the Midlands tier two BUCS league. We had a great conference cup run, landing ourselves a place in the final against Loughborough at their stadium. Despite an early first goal from us, we came away as runners-up, but the day itself was an amazing experience.
“In terms of the league, the BUCS first team got promoted the year prior to COVID. The goal was to push ourselves in the new league. Safe to say we succeeded and only went and got a back-to-back promotion! For the first time in the clubs’ history, the first team will be competing in Tier 1 for the 22/23 season! I would say the setup with scholarships for the team played a big part in our success. For me personally, when I was injured in December the scholarship meant access to a physio and the gym for rehab purposes.
“I return to UEA in January to start a Physician Associate MSc. From what I can gather, the course is going to be intense and significantly more contact hours than before with lots of placement time too. I am also planning on living in Ipswich so a fair amount of my time will be spent commuting. I guess once I know what the workload is like I will be able to decide whether or not I will be able to represent the UEA again. Regardless, I am sure I will return to the club in some form.”
Over the summer, Harriet made the move back to her original club, East Bergholt United in Suffolk, who are in the tier six Eastern Region League Division One. It very quickly turned into a happy homecoming.
“East Bergholt Ladies is the first club I played for after youth football when I was 17. Back then, we were competing in the Suffolk Women’s Football League. That same season we won the league and cup double, which was incredible, especially against a progressing Needham Market side.
“Due to player commitments and the change in travel it was decided we would remain in the same league the following season with the aim of gaining promotion to the ERWFL Division One the following season. This was the year I went to university; however, I returned home every Sunday to continue playing for them. Once again, we won the league and cup double so it was definitely time for promotion! Unfortunately, this is when I could no longer commit as I would be living in Norwich.
“As mentioned, I had considered giving up football this season. However, one of the girls at East Bergholt messaged me and asked if I fancied joining again. I thought I had nothing to lose and would head down for a session. The management had just had a change from when I was last there, so it was relatively new other than some old faces. I can already tell just a few games in that this is where I need to be. It’s so good to be playing with the girls again, and I am definitely a different player from when I was last there.
“From a personal perspective, I’ve fallen back in love with the game. I came back unsure of whether I’d be playing and with low confidence. I hate that I am such a confidence player, but I guess it’s who I am! I now feel like I’m playing with passion, I feel like I have something to offer to the side with some experience playing in step five. When I was previously at the club, I played right-back. Since being at Wroxham, I have played centre-back and I definitely prefer it there, so I am delighted to be able to play in that position for East Bergholt this season. A player of the match award in our first FA Cup game this season definitely showed the progression I am making.
“We are currently sat fourth out of the league’s nine teams with so much to play for this season. Every team are played three times and recently we drew 2-2 after conceding a late goal to the league leaders. There was a fairly big recruitment for the team this season, so things are going well seeing as we are just getting started.”
As well as returning to her first club, Harriet has also returned to coaching girls’ football. It is something she clearly has a passion for.
“Since moving back, I have returned to the team I used to coach, Kesgrave Kestrels. The girls are playing U16s and they have so much to offer and pre-season went very well. The squad has so much talent with several of the girls playing in the Ipswich Town Junior Premier League setup. So, alongside my own training sessions twice a week for East Bergholt, I coach on Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings. This might prove a bit tricky on some of my own away games in London, but I’ll be there as much as I physically can be.”
Whilst the impact of the Euros has had a knock-on impact on the women’s game at the top levels, in the grassroots of tier six, Harriet is yet to see much of a trickle-down impact of legacy.
“Here at East Bergholt, we don’t have a fancy stadium, it’s a proper Sunday league team playing on a field with a clubhouse, but I love it. I wouldn’t say we have had a significant change in the number of people attending but it’s great to have the occasional photographer and reporter of women’s football over to the game to get a match report out there. At the end of the day, every bit of coverage is only going to help the women’s game grow.
“However, to be honest, I am a little shocked that the legacy of the Euros hasn’t had a bigger impact on grassroots football. We can see that the attendance of WSL games has increased massively which is great to see, so, I ask the question: why are so many grassroots women’s teams having to pull out of the leagues?
“Several teams in step seven have had to pull out, even a couple of teams in tiers four and five are noticeably struggling with numbers to field a first team. It is a shame and I hope no one else folds.”
As we moved towards the conclusion of our first chat of the season, Harriet outlined her personal aims and those of her club for this season.
“My personal aims this season are to get stronger and stronger. I want to continue to develop my confidence on the ball, which has already improved in the small time I’ve spent back at the club. As a defender, clean sheets are always going to be the aim, so, plenty of those wouldn’t go amiss. There are already so many things that have changed this season. From taking free kicks in the back line to pushing on the counter, I am determined to finish this season so much stronger than I started.
“For the club, there is so much to play for this season with each team playing each other three times. Results are already coming in as a surprise. With the talent in this squad, I believe we should be pushing for the league win and a good run in the county cup. East Bergholt has always been the small club from the Ipswich/Colchester area and it’s time to get the name out and show others what we are about.
“We also have more of a joke goal for this season between the manager and the players. 25 goals and five clean sheets mean we get to cut off the current manager, Jordan’s top knot off at the end-of-season celebration. Currently, we are eight goals and a clean sheet down with over 20 games to go so I have no doubt we will succeed on this one.”
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