NPL Victoria Round Three Wrap

Kieran Yap provides his weekly round-up of all the action from the Victoria NPL Women’s competition. As usual, there is a detailed report of one game and a wrap of all the other games along with photos (19/4/22).

Above: Celebrations for Box Hill United after Candela Ferreyra Bas‘ late leveller against Bayside United. Photo: Joaotam.

MAIN REPORT OF THE WEEK:

FC Bulleen Lions 1-1 Calder United

This week we were all waiting for Easter Monday. Two recent powerhouses of Victoria’s NPLW faced off with first placed Bulleen hosting the resurgent and undefeated Calder United.

FC Bulleen Lions were without A-League pair Tiffany Eliadis and Lia Privitelli but went into the game after two encouraging wins. Calder United arrived at the Veneto Club confident after a 4-0 defeat of FV Emerging in round two.

The match was frenetic from the kick-off, and the home side had the first opportunity with Alyssa Dall`Oste being forced into a good early save in the Calder goals.

Bulleen were more patient in the build-up and in possession early. Rebekah Stott had been dominant in the Melbourne City midfield this season but returned to her traditional centre-back role for Bulleen. She was composed and helped them build from the back.

Calder gradually grew into the match as the half developed. Emma Rober’s chased down a long ball and her first-time cross almost landed inside the far post. Emily Shields looked unbothered in the Bulleen goal and watched it sail wide for a goal kick.

Robers had the next good chance for Calder United. Ava Groba was dangerous and energetic upfront for the visitors and played in the midfielder with only Shields to beat. Her shot was well hit but fizzed wide of the post in another warning for Bulleen’s defence.

Both teams looked to attack, although Calder were quicker to move the ball forward than the hosts. A dangerous Stacey Papadopoulos flicked on Rober’s shot but it again missed the target.

The final chance of the half fell to Bulleen. Claudia Fruscalzo’s header looked destined for the net but bounced off the woodwork and the teams went in to the break on level terms.

The second half was as frenetic as the first. Emma Shields has been officially credited as conceding an own goal in the 59th minute. However, Natasha’s Dakic’s header looked on target and she might feel aggrieved not to be listed as the scorer.

In any case, Adriana Taranto’s free-kick was perfectly hit and caused chaos in the Bulleen defence. There was no room for error when dealing with it and Calder United had a somewhat surprising but not undeserved lead.

It would not last long. Paige Zois pulled one back for the Lions just four minutes later. There was little that Dall`Oste could do to stop her from point-blank range, but the tricky midfielder stayed composed to tap the ball home.

Neither team was satisfied with a draw. But clear-cut chances were hard to come by. The ever-creative Adriana Taranto came closest in the late stages. Her long-range effort was on target but Shields saved well as she did for most of the night.

The 1-1 draw was not the worst result for either team. Bulleen maintain their spot in first place, one point clear of Heidelberg United. Calder jumped up to third on the ladder although Alamein might have a game in hand at the time of writing.

Squads: FC BULLEEN LIONS: Shields, Natoli (Govic 65′), Friuscalzo, Zois (Lettieri 87′), Burn, Little, Stott, Johnson, Vlajnic (Sernio 87′), Rodger (Dolzan 65′), Zarkos.

Scorer: Zois 63′.

CALDER UNITED: Dall`Oste, Cain (Cerne 56′), Groba, Robers, Eike, Dakic, A.Taranto, Papadopoulos (Stella 86′), Sardo, Talevski, M.Taranto

Scorer: Sheilds (OG) 59′.

Referee: Caitlin Williams

NPLW Vic Wrap:

Elsewhere in the league, there were only two other games played. Heidelberg United continued their strong start to the season with a 1-0 win over the improving FV Emerging. Emily Roach scored in the 15th minute to secure Heidelberg’s second win of the season.

Above: Bayside United on the attack at Box Hill United. Photo: Bayside United.

Box Hill United FC and Bayside United Seniors played out a 2-2 draw across town. Amanda Stevenson took only three minutes to open the scoring for Bayside before Sofia Sakalis pulled one back for Box Hill on 34 minutes. It was the Perth Glory and former South Melbourne attacker’s first goal for her new club after returning from Young Matildas duty.

Sienna Fogarty put Bayside ahead again in the 51st minute, but with only minutes remaining, Candela Ferreyra Bas rescued a point for Box Hill.

The draw left both sides without a win so far this season, but the return of Sakalis to the squad and the scoresheet signal for better days ahead for Box Hill.

Table From: NPL Victoria Gameday.

Mulbarton Clinch Title At Hardworking Thetford

Thetford Town 0-4 Mulbarton Belles

By Darrell Allen (19/4/22)

Above: Atlanta Griffith celebrates after putting Mulbarton Belles 2-0 up. Photo: Richard Brown.

The game of the day on Easter Sunday in Norfolk Women and Girls League Division One saw Thetford Town host runaway league leaders Mulbarton Belles at Mundford Road. Mulbarton knew a point from this game or better would see them crowned step seven champions in Norfolk.

Mulbarton got a good early footing in the game, knocking the ball around well and trying to get their prolific front three of Ellie Hunter, Atlanta Griffith, and Rebekah Lake involved early on. It was Hunter who had the first opportunity when a great ball came through from midfield but Lydia Ward came out well in the Thetford goal to prevent any trouble for Town.

Mulbarton continued their early confidence and momentum but found Becky Russell in the way. The dual signed midfielder from step five Wroxham but played at centre back for Thetford last Sunday in the 4-0 victory over Beccles and impressed so much that Thetford manager David Skipp gave her the role again against the league leaders and she was a commanding prescence. 

Russell’s centre back partner and Thetford stalwart Rachel Lynch was also on form in making an incredible last ditch tackle to deny Lake as Thetford bravely defended to keep the score level.

Above: Becky Russell (red boots) another impressive performance for Thetford Town. Photo: Richard Brown.

Having survived the initial early phases, Thetford then began to believe in themselves and went on the ascendancy, Abbie Corbyn and Rebecca White linked up well all afternoon and Corbyn played a delightful ball through but White could not provide an end product.

Kirsty Andrews playing in goal for Mulbarton yesterday in place of the unwell regular number one Cara Anderson was then called into action as Thetford upped the pressure. Andrews had to stop a shot from White but it then rebounded to the same player who crashed a shot against the crossbar. 

Mulbarton then opened the scoring with a strike from distance from Laura Hedtke that seemed to take an age to go in and trickled past the Thetford defence and ended up in the back of Ward’s net. It was a disappointing way to go behind from a Thetford point of view.

The visitors then added a second from Hedtke’s free-kick which was superbly headed in by Griffith. 

Above: Thetford Town player of the match Rachel Lynch heads away. Photo: Richard Brown.

Despite Mulbarton’s continued pressure, Thetford could be proud of their efforts. Corbyn and White linked up well as a duo. They communicated well in a shift that was always going to be difficult against the league leaders.

The second half started with Olivia Smith having a shot from distance but this was tipped over by Ward in the Town goal. Thetford responded as Russell played a wonderful ball to captain Boulton who then fired across the pitch to Corbyn who fed White but again nothing materialised. 

Lake had two further chances for Mulbarton but Ward was in the way of everything that tried to find the net. However, nothing was to stop a wonderful third from distance by Sophie Jermy to put Mulbarton firmly in control. 

A Mulbarton game is not complete without a Lake goal and the NWGFL legend rounded the keeper and finished well to get Mulbarton’s fourth and final goal of the match. 

Above: Rebekah Lake (centre) celebrates after scoring Mulbarton Belles’ fourth goal. Photo: Richard Brown.

Thetford kept their heads and had chances to score, Russell fired over the bar before the best Thetford chance of the game saw a wonderful Boulton cross headed wide by Lynch which should have been a goal for Town but the final score ended in a 4-0 win for Mulbarton. 

The final whistle saw Mulbarton officially confirmed as champions of Norfolk Women and Girls League Division One. The honour was respected by the hosts as Thetford Town gave all the Mulbarton players a guard of honour as they left the pitch and headed down the Mundford Road tunnel. 

From a Thetford perspective, this was a performance to continue confidence from the previous back-to-back wins and another exciting game awaits when Dussindale and Hellesdon Rovers visit Mundford Road this Sunday.

Thetford Player of the Match: Rachel Lynch

THETFORD TOWN: Ward, Hardie, Klimcke, Howard, Lynch, Russell, Corbyn, Eccles, White, Boulton, Musgrove. Substitutes: Escreet, Lloyd, Smith, Knight. 

MULBARTON BELLES: Andrews, McNorton, Belsey, Smith, Belsey, Hedtke, Jermy, Hunter, Griffith, Smith, Lake. Substitutes: Smith, Anderson, Ryan, Ladbrooke, Jenkins. 

Scorers: Hedtke, Griffith, Jermy, Lake.

Referee: Jaden Lister

Attendance: 50 

The View From France

Jean-Pierre Thiesset summarizes the 19th round of D1 Arkema (19/4/22).

Above: Katriina Talaslahti makes a save for Fleury against Olympique Lyonnais. Photo: Jean-Pierre Thiesset for Impetus.

Reims won 2-1 away from home against Soyaux. In a very even game, Reims was a little bit more efficient. With this win, Reims are now sure to finish no lower than seventh the standing. Goals for Reims from Kethna Louis (32), Tanya Romanenko (83). Goal for Soyaux from Camille Collin (50).

Bordeaux won 2-0 away from home against Dijon. In a game edged by Bordeaux (58% possession), they were only a little bit more efficient, and it was enough to score twice. Goals for Bordeaux from Katja Snoeijs (15), Melissa Gomes (32).

Guingamp away from home, won 3-1 against Saint-Etienne. In a game slightly dominated by Guingamp, only the shots on target made the difference between these two teams. Goals for Guingamp from Maïwen Renard (26), Sarah Cambot (36), Laurie Teinturier (65). Goal for Saint-Etienne from Kelly Gago (65).

Above: Rosemonde Kouassi (13 far left) scored at the 36th minute for Fleury. Photo: Jean-Pierre Thiesset for Impetus.

Paris Saint-Germain won 6-1 at home against Issy. With 73% possession and 23 shots with 11 on target, Paris SG largely dominated this game and won easily even if the score was only 1-1 at half time. Goals for Paris SG from Marie-Antoinette Katoto (31, 83), Grace Geyoro (49), Sara Däbritz (65), Kadidiatou Diani (68), Ramona Bachmann (90+1). Goal for Issy from Julie Perruzzetto (35).

Olympique Lyonnais won away from home 2-1 against Fleury. Even if they dominated the game (61% possession), it was far from an easy game for Lyon. Fleury showed that they have made a lot of progress since the beginning of this season and scored first. They could have scored more goals with a little bit more efficiency in front of the goal; they hit the bar twice. We must note that most of the Lyon players were back only three days before this game from their international duty and that it had not helped them to deliver their usual game.

Katriina Talaslahti, Fleury goalkeeper, injured her right eye by one of her teammates during a corner just before Catarina Macario flag kick flew straight in. Speaking to me after the game, Talaslahti said: “I did not see clearly the ball on the corner from Catarina.” The injury was unfortunate as prior to this, the Fleury keeper made several good saves. She was replaced just after the goal after 62 minutes. I just had a talk with Talaslahti while I am finishing this report, on April 18 in the evening, and she told me: “It’s better now, I will see the doctor tomorrow morning.” Goals for Lyon from Katariina Talslahti (37 Own Goal), Catarina Macario (60). Goal for Fleury from Rosemonde Kouassi (36).

Above: Own goal from Katriina Talaslahti following a shot from Lyon’s Delphine Cascarino just under the crossbar. Photo: Jean-Pierre Thiesset for Impetus

Paris FC won 3-1 at home against Montpellier. The pressure from Montpellier’s players during the first quarter prevented Paris from getting going. Then the game was pretty even with Paris FC having more opportunities, but their strikers did not always make the best decision. At the 24th minute, after a clearance by Lisa Schmitz, the Montpellier goalkeeper, following a shot from Rachel Corboz and a block on the line by Maellys Mpomé, Clara Matéo opened the score.

One minute later, Ouleymata Sarr scored on a counterattack after a pass from Gaétane Thiney. Then, at the end of the first half, Lisa Schmitz was not lucky because Gaétane Thiney put her penalty against the cross bar, but the ball bounced onto her back to finish in the net.

At the beginning of second half, Mathilde Bourdieu had a huge opportunity to score for Montpellier, but she lost her one to one by shooting directly on the goalkeeper. Montpellier had a very good first quarter, and Mathilde Bourdieu had two other opportunities without scoring: at the 50th minute when she put the ball over the cross bar from 6 meters, and at the 62nd minute when she put again the ball at the goalkeeper who cleared with her hands. With this win, and the loss of Fleury, Paris FC are now sure to finish third in the standing and qualify for the UEFA Women Champions League next season. Goals for Paris FC from Clara Matéo (24), Ouleymata Sarr (25), Lisa Schmitz (41 Own Goal). Goal for Montpellier from Nérilia Mondésir (50).

Norwich End Dons Seven Month Unbeaten Run To Stay Up

Norwich City 1-0 AFC Wimbledon

By George Jones – AFC Wimbledon Ladies (18/4/22).

Above: Action from The Nest. Photo: Glyn Roberts.

AFC Wimbledon suffered their first league defeat since August on Sunday as they slipped to a disappointing 1-0 defeat away to Norwich City. A result that saves the hosts from relegation out of the FA Women’s National Leagues.

Wimbledon went into the game without Kelly Highman, Steph Mann, and Captain Hannah Billingham who were all unavailable. However, it presented the opportunity to Dons U23s players Remmi Gardner and Olivia Clement to potentially make their league debut from the subs bench. 

The game itself got off to a scrappy start with both Faye Baker and the Norwich keeper Bryony Williams was called into action in the first 10 minutes. However, then it looked like the Dons were starting to control the game even if they did lack the composure that’s normally a key part of their game.

Despite that, with 30 minutes gone Norwich took the lead with the ball being bundled past Faye Baker in the Dons goal by Ellie Smith. With the visitors lacking the clinical edge up front and snatching at several half chances we went into the break a goal down.

The second half followed much of the same fashion with Wimbledon taking shots from long range forcing the Norwich keeper Williams into action, however, the Dons never really looked like scoring, and the game ended in the Canaries’ favour.

Speaking afterwards, Dons’ Emily Donovan said “Credit to Norwich they did not give up, they pushed us hard and had a lot to play for today, and ultimately they have gone and got it so credit to them.”

First-team coach Andy May wasn’t overly impressed by his team’s performance: “Firstly credit to Norwich, they came here with a game plan and a result that they needed and they have gone and got that result and made things difficult for us.

“At the same time that is not a performance that we are proud of, we didn’t do the basics that we look for, didn’t set the standards, the tempo or the intensity that we look for.”

Next up for AFC Wimbledon is the FA Women’s National League Plate Final against Nottingham Forest taking place on Sunday 24th with an 11 am kickoff. This game is being played at Solihull Moors.

Teams: NORWICH CITY: Williams, Johnston, Larkins, Drake, Daviss, Smith, Snelling, Todd, Stanley, Bishop, Harper. Substitutes: Gambell, Symonds, Gooding, Ward, Fuller.

Scorer: Smith 33′.

AFC WIMBLEDON: Baker, Russell (Clement) Fowler (Childerhouse), Sargent, Oliver, Stow, Donovan, Taylor, Hincks, Sampson (Stanley), Carter (Gardner). Unused Sub: Allen (GK).

Matildas v Football Ferns Gallery

Impetus’ Kris Goman was pitchside for us in Canberra last week. In her third photo gallery from the game, she brings you the best of the match action (18/4/22).

Above: Sam Kerr prepares to shoot. Photo: Kris Goman.

Kris’ two other galleries from the match can be seen here:

Post-Match photos: https://impetusfootball.org/2022/04/14/post-match-gallery-matildas-v-football-ferns/

Aivi Luik head shave for Brain Cancer: https://impetusfootball.org/2022/04/14/aivi-luik-shaves-hair-for-brain-cancer-research/

It’s A Blue Day At Meadow Park

Arsenal 0-2 Chelsea

Words and Photos by Ben Gilby at Meadow Park (17/4/22)

Above: Winners are grinners – Jess Carter and Beth England are all smiles at the final whistle as Chelsea made it to Wembley. Photo: Ben Gilby.

Above: Meadow Park was packed for today’s FA Cup Semi-Final. Photo: Ben Gilby.

Chelsea’s ruthless second-half performance was more than enough to overcome Arsenal at a packed Meadow Park this afternoon as the holders made it through to a Wembley showdown with Manchester City next month.

Above: Beth Mead leaps for the ball for Arsenal between Chelsea’s Guro Reiten (11) and Sophie Ingle. Photo: Ben Gilby.

Whilst this game was far from the classic league encounter at Kingsmeadow or Chelsea’s sumptuous Wembley dismissal of the Gunners in December, the Blues proved once more that when it really matters, they can take their chances.

Above: Arsenal and Australia’s Steph Catley – just one of a number of players who only returned to club training at the end of this week. Photo: Ben Gilby.

The timing of this showdown was not helped by coming just days after the international window which saw both teams only being able to train with full numbers at the very last minute. Chelsea boss Emma Hayes identified this fact in her Friday media conference saying that teams “take a while to gel again after the international break.” This was certainly the case in the first half.

Above: Katie McCabe looks for options in the box in the first half. Photo: Ben Gilby.

It was Arsenal who settled first and had slightly more of the offensive play, but Jess Carter was outstanding at the back, shutting down any potential danger before the threat honed in on goal.

Above: Millie Bright (left) looks to close down. Photo: Ben Gilby.

Carter has grown hugely throughout the season. Earlier on, there were occasions when she appeared vulnerable against the very top players, but those days are long gone now. She has the strength, pace, and belief to mix it with and beat the very best. How she deserves the plaudits and international recognition that has come her way.

In truth, the first half was largely played out in the middle third and there was only one real opportunity that fell the way of Vivianne Miedema, but the shot went over the bar.

Above: Millie Bright looks to get up as a ball comes into the box. Photo: Ben Gilby.

Chelsea came out for the second period looking both energised and determined. There was a pep in their passing and crispness of vision that wasn’t quite there in the opening 45 minutes.

The outcome of this match effectively came within five minutes of the re-start. Beth Mead broke through for Arsenal but hit an effort wide. Chelsea’s characteristic ruthlessness then broke through to show the Gunners the importance of taking chances as Norwegian star Guro Reiten fired home a rocket shot from the edge of the box.

Above: Guro Reiten, Chelsea’s first goal scorer tackles Beth Mead. Photo: Ben Gilby.

The Blues kept pushing with Beth England a ball of energy and Ji becoming more involved across the midfield.

After Gunners keeper Manuela Zinsberger was forced to deny both Sophie Ingle and Reiten, it was the Korean magician who pulled out her magic wand to double Chelsea’s advantage by smashing a shot in off the crossbar before being buried by an avalanche of team-mates.

Above: Chelsea celebrate Ji’s goal which put them 2-0 up and earned their place at Wembley. Photo: Ben Gilby.

Arsenal brought on Frida Maanum, Nikita Parris, and Tobin Heath, but Chelsea were comfortable in the closing stages. Emma Hayes’ side are back at Wembley and for the second domestic Cup Final this season face Manchester City. It’s going to be quite a game.

Above: Tobin Heath’s introduction was not enough for Arsenal. Photo: Ben Gilby.

Teams: ARSENAL (4-3-3): Zinsburger, McCabe, Williamson, Wubben-Moy, Catley, Little, Miedema, Wälti, Mead, Blackstenius, Foord. Substitutes used: Maanum (for Wälti), Parris (for Blackstenius), Heath (for Foord).

CHELSEA (3-5-2): Bright, Nouwen, Carter, Charles, Ingle, Ji, Cuthbert, Reiten, England, Kerr. Substitutes used: Fleming (for Ji), Harder (for Kerr).

Scorers: Reiten 50′, Ji 61′.

Referee: Rebecca Welch.

Attendance: 3,458.

Emma Hayes: Squad Selection, Fran Kirby & Focus on Wembley

Impetus’ Ben Gilby heard from Chelsea boss Emma Hayes at her media conference today ahead of their FA Cup Semi-Final against Arsenal on Easter Sunday (15/4/22).

Above: Emma Hayes talking to the media this afternoon. Photo: Chelsea FC Women.

Chelsea head coach Emma Hayes goes into Sunday’s semi-final at Boreham Wood against Arsenal unsure of who is available for selection.

With members of her squad returning to club training from international duty at different times at the end of this week, final decisions will not be made until tomorrow (Saturday). However, The Blues boss was able to confirm that Pernille Harder is likely to be available, but there is contrasting news about Fran Kirby.

Hayes revealed that it is still likely to be some time before the Lionesses star will be able to return due to long-term struggles with exhaustion that the club’s medical team are still investigating.

“Not everyone is in full training today (Friday) due to arriving back from international duty at different times. Pernille (Harder) will be back. I can’t name the team until tomorrow as, due to the nature of the international break, some of them are still recovering from their games.”

In terms of Kirby, the Chelsea head coach went into a bit more detail about the difficulties that the player is experiencing.

Above: Fran Kirby who, according to Emma Hayes is unlikely to return for Chelsea or England “for the foreseeable future.” Photo: Chloe Knott – Danehouse/Getty Images.

“There is no chance of Fran playing. She has been taking some time in the background, suffering with a lot of fatigue. I don’t have a definitive reason why. We are trying to get to the bottom of it and find the right solutions. It’s been ongoing and until we do get to the bottom of it, she won’t be available for selection.

“Forget the athlete. There is a human being involved and she is struggling. We need to get to the bottom of that. Until we understand some of the underlying reasons for the fatigue, I would be just speculating. It’s a process of elimination to try and determine why she is struggling the way she is.

“This is not the first time, it’s been going on for a lot of years if I’m honest. We need to give the time to find the right support so we can come up with a diagnosis. Then we can come up with strategies. Right now, I don’t have any answers other than to say she won’t be available for club or country for the foreseeable future.”

Hayes was though able to provide some reassurance about Beth England and Niamh Charles who missed England’s international in North Macedonia due to testing positive with COVID by saying: “We have a medical briefing later today. I don’t believe that there is any fall-out from those who got COVID during the international window.”

Focusing specifically on the occasion of Sunday’s FA Cup Semi-Final, the Chelsea head coach is revelling at the challenge, which she feels is additionally complex this time round due to coming immediately after the international break.

Above: Emma Hayes at today’s media conference. Photo: Chelsea FC Women.

“This is what you go to work for, to compete for these special occasions. There is no greater privilege than to play for a place in an FA Cup Final. Playing against Arsenal, we’ve had a lot of battles against them over the years. I certainly enjoy those games.

“I always think that the first game after an international window always makes things difficult. Normally you get a week’s build-up. We only have one training session when we all come back together.

“Performances can take a while to gel again, so the qualities for us to build on are the clear sheets that we’ve worked on this side of January. Most importantly we need to be clinical. It’s a big area for us. The conversion rate is a big difference – the number of goals we’ve put away in recent games compared to previous performances.”

This is a cup semi-final, it’s two really good sides who have battled it out all year. We’ve been in this position enough times to know what to expect. We have a top group of players here.

“I have a game plan in mind, but we need everyone to recover. Tomorrow at training I will be able to pick a team. As long as everyone knows their roles and how to make the impact we need, we’ll be fine.”

Above: Chelsea lift the 2021 FA Cup after comprehensively beating Arsenal 3-0 at Wembley. Photo: James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images.

Whilst the two teams know each other very well, most notably from December’s 2021 FA Cup Final which Chelsea comprehensively won 3-0, Hayes doesn’t see any way that the previous encounters will influence what happens on Sunday.

“There have been good battles between us and Arsenal over the years. I think they have had a tremendous season. We’re neck-and-neck with them in every competition. They are at home, it’s sold out. We’ll have to suffer at times in the game. We will cause them problems. Previous results are not indicative of what happens.”

With the match at Boreham Wood FC a 4,500 sell-out, the Blues boss believes it is time to reconsider the venues for FA Cup semi-finals to allow more fans in.

“I supported the move in the past to play semi-finals at the home ground stadiums because the neutral venues that were available were so poor as better ones couldn’t be booked in time. You played in places where the pitches weren’t brilliant and the fans couldn’t get down to.

“Maybe we need to have conversations now about whether we need neutral venues just because of the way that our game is going. Perhaps those semi-finals could be more well attended if we open them up. Not necessarily Wembley, but elsewhere for fan reasons.”

AFC St. Austell: Big Progress In Cornwall

Ben Cooper, assistant coach at tier five AFC St. Austell spoke to Impetus’ Ben Gilby about the team’s rapid development over the past three years and how they are building towards a place in the FA Women’s National League (14/4/22).

Above: AFC St. Austell 2021/22. Photo: Ben Cooper.

Whilst women’s football in the Cornish town has a longer history, the present AFC St. Austell side has only been going for three years as the club’s assistant coach Ben Cooper takes up the story.

“St. Austell had a women’s team in the early 2000s, but after over a decade without a team, the current management team and squad were set up in 2019 when manager Simon Parnell contacted chairman Jason Powell about starting a team. We were placed in The Earthbound Electrical Women’s Football League for the 2019-20 season.”

That first season of course coincided with the onset of the pandemic. There were mixed feelings during the time. “Covid stopped us in our tracks as we were seven wins from seven in our first season and flying high at the top of the league.

“The long break from March to August 2020 really damaged our momentum and quite a few players’ motivation to play football. Nevertheless, we were granted upwards movement into South West Regional Women’s Football League Western Division and started brightly. However, in January 2021 we were, again, stopped in our tracks with five wins and a draw in six league games. Again, we were granted upwards movement into the tier five South-West Regional Women’s Football League Premier Division for this season.  

“The league for us was a bit of an unknown entity. We had some knowledge of the more local teams such as: Torquay, Marine Academy Plymouth, and Bideford. However, the teams further east were relatively unknown to us, so we’ve gone into lots of games not knowing what to expect.

“We have just tried to approach each game in the same way and to play our game each time because we believe in our system and our game model. It’s been a demanding season in the sense that there have been maybe three or four teams that have been almost flawless in their results, and a little bit like the Premier League is now, to finish top of this league you have to be almost perfect. We have a handful of games to go and we are in a good position, but we are still just taking it one game at a time.

Above: AFC St. Austell’s togetherness is a big part of their great progress in such a short period of time. Photo: Cornwall Sports Media, supplied by AFC St. Austell.

“With such disruption in our formative years, the main challenge for us was to keep the team together and motivated. We didn’t have the luxury of a large squad or multiple teams with a few years of playing behind us. We were brand new and there were times when we would struggle to get more than six players to training, let alone games.

“In a way, that could perhaps be one of the reasons why our current squad is such a tight-knit bunch. As a team, they have experienced quite a lot together over the past three years and I definitely think that that has formed some mental toughness and grit in the girls, so perhaps there is a silver lining to it all.

“We have five or six players in our current starting 11 who have been with us since we formed. I would say that between them, they have missed maybe five games. Without them, and everyone else in the squad, we would not be where we are today.”

All Cornish clubs from whatever sport they play face the challenges of long and expensive challenges. Ben highlights how this impacts AFC St. Austell.

“At the present time, one of the biggest challenges is the financial burden of being the most South-Westerly club in our division. Our closest away game is Marine Academy Plymouth, and that is around 50 miles. We’ve had some very early mornings and late nights on away days to the likes of Royal Wootton Bassett in Wiltshire and our final league game of the season will be at Forest Green Rovers in Gloucestershire. The financial implications of these away days are quite substantial. The coach costs alone have doubled our expenditure this season. I’m sure this is only going to get worse with the current fuel prices!

“Another big challenge for us is player recruitment. It is fantastic to see so many new women’s teams popping up everywhere, but in a place like Cornwall, where there is a limited number of players (although this is changing!), it means that the pool of players to choose from is getting smaller and smaller. It’s not been uncommon for us to have a bare 11 or 12 to 13 players on matchday over the past few years and if you look at some of the other teams in Cornwall and Devon, you can see the same thing happening. Combine that with the distance we have to travel, injuries, and covid and you quickly begin to see why matchday squads can be pretty thin on the ground.”

Above: AFC St. Austell’s Izzy Berks and Char Whitmore pictured against Marine Academy Plymouth. Photo: Cornwall Sports Media, supplied by AFC St. Austell.

One of the positives for the club is the strong link between the men’s and women’s teams at AFC St. Austell as Ben outlined.

“We have a fantastic relationship with the men’s team. Our chairman, Jason Powell, has been fantastic from the get-go in ensuring that we are an inclusive club. When Simon Parnell approached Jason about setting up a team in 2019, he had two non-negotiables: the women play on the first team pitch and don’t have to pay a penny to play football, including tracksuits and training, and the chairman stayed true to his word on this.

“The men’s team come and support the women at games and vice versa. We’ve even had a few training sessions together. Our management team across the club are very close and keep in regular contact with one another. One good thing that came from the pandemic was that we created Zoom coaching group where we would share ideas with one another.

“One of the most disappointing things in professional football is seeing the dissociation between the men’s team and the women’s team and there are plenty of examples of that up and down the country- we are proud of how inclusive we are.”

As the team has made such rapid progress in its three-year history with two promotions seeing them move up to Tier Five in this period, Ben highlights the fact that he believes that his squad can push ever higher.

“When we started in 2019, we had a five-year plan where our target was to be playing Step Four football, so we have always been extremely ambitious and that target still stands. We want to put Cornish football on the map in terms of the women’s game and be a hub for the women’s game in Cornwall.

Above: AFC St. Austell 2021/22. Photo: Ben Cooper.

“In order to achieve this, I think we need to just keep doing what we are doing and trusting the process. Our team is very young and will get stronger and stronger as the seasons’ pass, so we believe that the future is bright for us.”

One of the aspects of the future of the club is branching out further to attract local girls to play, and Ben believes that there are opportunities there.

“As it stands, we only have the capacity to run a first-team and therefore don’t have a development or reserve squad. Fortunately for us, there are a number of very well-run girls’ and women’s teams in the surrounding areas of St Austell. Biscovey, Bodmin, Charlestown, and Foxhole have all helped to produce some brilliant players that are currently in our first team.

“This definitely links into how we can progress as a club. If we want to move on and become a hub for the women’s game in Cornwall, we need to look at building reserve and development squads.

“Long term, we want to achieve our aim of getting into Step Four. Ideally, we would like to establish ourselves as a permanent member of the FAWNL Division One South West.

“The women’s game is only going to get stronger and stronger. The FA Cup prize fund has increased for next season –finally – which is fantastic. We had a brilliant cup run this year, making the Second Round proper and it would be amazing to see some of those massive crowds from the professional game trickle down into grassroots women’s football.”