Long term injury absences, the attritional nature of this season and their third game in seven days meant that Pride Park lined up with just eleven players for yesterday’s game at Ilkeston Town Development at Cotmanhay Playing Fields.
Park found themselves playing into a fairly stiff breeze in the first half but started well. With barely a minute played, Hannah Kwiatek broke clear on the right and her shot was not far wide of the near post. We gradually imposed ourselves on the game, Beth Thompson and Tash Allderidge taking a degree of control in central midfield early on and together with Jess Page and Hannah Kwiatek on either flank created a string of opportunities.
Annie Laight and Izzy Ely were combining well and their runs were causing the hosts’ defence considerable problems. Izzy had a couple of early chances – one just wide and another just over, and both players were also only just beaten to the ball by the ‘keeper on a couple of occasions. Considering Park’s approach play, and the opportunities created, it took quite a while to make the breakthrough but the visitors remained patient. They were finally rewarded just after the half-hour when Laight broke through and, as the ‘keeper came out to narrow the angle, slipped the ball to the side for Ely to side foot home.
Ilkeston’s keeper made a vital interception, coming out to dive and just do enough to divert a low cross that was waiting to be turned in by Laight at the far post.
Goal-kicks were slightly challenging as the ball held up in the wind, and it didn’t take Ilkeston long to be aware of Pride Park’s attempts to play out from goal-kicks and close them down. On a couple of occasions they were nearly exposed as attempts to play out broke down, but the visitors recovered well. Nevertheless, they did try to vary it from goal-kicks and driven kicks from the hand, however, were reaching well beyond half-way despite the wind, on what must be the most compact pitch Park have played on at open age, and a couple of them proved problematic for Ilkeston’s back line as they were forced to turn and face towards their own goal.
Ilkeston looked threatening from a corner, but the visiting keeper did well to come into the crowd and punch clear confidently. Park weren’t able to convert any further opportunities and at half-time it was 1-0.
With the breeze behind the visitors in the second half many through balls goal kicks were running through to the Ilkeston keeper early on, but once Park had adjusted for the wind they started to create opportunities again. Ely had an early shot that was just off target within a few minutes of the restart, but Pride Park extended our lead on 50 minutes, as Ely set up Laight for a finish, lifting the ball up and helping it over the ‘keeper with a first time effort from side-on.
Ilkeston started to come into the game more and posed more questions in the second half, as the midfield battle was more even. It meant that Pride Park’s keeper was starting to be a little more involved and approaching the hour was brought into action, collecting a shot, and racing out to clear well from outside her area. Just after the hour, Ilkeston pulled a goal back. They worked the ball down the right, and as the ball arrived on the right, Park looked well set at the back, but the wide player beat the challenge and her low cross evaded everyone and was turned in at the far post. It was a well worked goal but one that the visitors would have felt that they could have defended better.
Conversely, they were finding it harder to play with the wind at their backs, or this could have been because Ilkeston had improved since the break. It may also have been a factor that the assorted knocks, strains, and fatigue, were starting to take their toll as Beth Jones, Sophie Ayton and Amy Snape required running repairs and it was apparent as the game entered the latter stages that a number of players were running on fumes.
Fortunately, Annie Laight had restored our two goal advantage by then, sweeping Allderidge’s square ball up and over the ‘keeper from the edge of the area. Beth Jones had a shot from distance saved by the ‘keeper, who was unable to hold on to it, and with a little more anticipation we might have had an opportunity – but the ‘keeper recovered well to gather the ball just ahead of Laight and Allderidge saw an opportunistic effort go over the bar. Ilkeston had a sight of goal as the clock ran down but the shot was hit wide.
In the end, it was a win that Pride Park had to work for. Several players were clearly digging into reserves at the end as fatigue from the recent schedule and accumulated knocks and strains started to have an effect. It’s probably fair to say Jess Page won’t have anticipated playing as many minutes in her first three games after four years out, but kept going even when the gauge read ‘empty’!
Amy Snape took a painful (accidental) kick to the ankle with fifteen minutes still to play but soldiered on, and is growing into her role – this was probably her best game for Pride Park to date.
The number of injured and otherwise unavailable players has meant scant opportunity for resting players during games, and there is no let up – this Wednesday is the last of our midweek fixtures when Park play Mercia at Moorways.
Impetusand Since ’71 are proud to jointly sponsor Sutton United Women’s Olivia Watson. Ben Gilby caught up with Olivia recently to find out how things are going for her now she is back on the pitch.
Above: Olivia Watson fires in a shot for Sutton United in their recent friendly against Hastings United Photo: Paul Loughlin.
We last spoke to Olivia in February, so she was eager to update us with what has been going on. “Since we last caught up, off the pitch, I have been working and with the restrictions having now lifted slightly I have been able to see my family and my dog outside, which was amazing. Football has returned, so we are back in training and have played three friendlies so far.”
With lockdown, hopefully now done and dusted for good, I wondered if this last twelve months have made permanent changes for Olivia both as a person and as a footballer.
“These periods of lockdown have changed my outlook, I definitely have learnt to appreciate life and the little things a lot more and to cherish time with my family and friends. In terms of football, it has taught me not to take the fact that I can play football for granted as you never know when it can be taken away and I now ensure that I enjoy every moment of socialising and being together as a team.”
Sutton United returned to training on 30th March and Olivia gave us an insight into what that first session was like: “It was fun and relaxed with the aim of getting everyone back together and enjoying themselves. We did an eight a side mini-tournament mixed with the U21s. It was great to be back and have the opportunity to catch up, have a laugh with my teammates and enjoy playing again.”
Above: Olivia in action for Sutton United against Charlton Athletic U21s at the end of March. Photo: Paul Loughlin.
Sutton United had their first game back at home to Charlton Athletic U21s. Olivia described what that experience was like: “It was a good run out for the team after the three and half months off and the whole team just enjoyed playing competitively again. We were all a bit rusty at first but as the match went on we grew into the game. I personally found the game tough as no matter how hard I try to maintain my fitness by running or cycling, playing football is so different – I definitely struggled to get up and down the wing!”
“In terms of our matches between now and the end of the season, we are taking part in the London & South-East Regional Women’s Football League (LSERWFL) spring round-robin friendly tournament, which will be a good experience as we get to play teams that we would not have played in the season. This means we have matches most weekends up until the end of May. We are also still in the Capital Women’s Cup and are aiming for the final, so should have more cup matches scheduled in too.”
In terms of Olivia’s goals between now and the summer for her football, she said: “I think my main goal is to just enjoy playing the friendly matches and training between now and summer, as this pandemic has shown that you never know when it can be taken away and I will also to start preparing both physically and mentally for the 21/22 season. Specifically, another goal of mine is to improve my movement and confidence with the ball as I feel this is an area I definitely need to develop for next season.”
@DandalBs brings us his weekly wrap of all the news from the latest round of matches in the Damallsvenskan and Elitettan plus a round-up of stories connected to the Swedish national team this week.
NATIONAL TEAM:
Sweden have been drawn with Finland, Ireland, Slovakia and Georgia in the qualifying group for the 2023 Women’s World Cup. These group matches will be played between September 2021 and September 2022. With the top placed team automatically qualifying for Australia and New Zealand and the second placed side going into play-offs, Sweden’s biggest threat will probably come from Finland, although the Finns have won only one of the 37 games between the two sides and that came in 1976.
Sweden’s qualifying fixtures: 17th Sept: Slovakia (a), 21st Sept: Georgia (h), 21st Oct Ireland (a), 25th Nov: Finland (h), 30th Nov: Slovakia (h), 7th Apr 2022: Georgia (a), 12th Apr: Ireland (h), 6th Sept: Finland (a).
Above: Victoria Sandell – a Swedish football legend appointed to the national team’s coaching staff this week. Photo: Svensk Fotboll.
In other national team news, the legendary Victoria Sandell, better known under her maiden name Victoria Svensson, has been hired as assistant coach for the Swedish women’s national team, with a focus on individual coaching. Sandell won 166 caps for the Swedish national team between 1996 and 2009 and scored 68 goals .
DAMALLSVENSKAN:
Above: A mixed week for Kristianstad’s Sveindís Jane Jónsdóttir – named as Damallsvenskan Player of the Month for April but stretchered off with an injury. Photo: Bildbyrån
Växjö are still looking for their first win of the season after a 1-0 reversal at home to unbeaten Kristianstad. The only goal came from Anna Welin after twelve minutes. To make matters worse for Kristianstad, their young star Sveindís Jane Jónsdóttir was stretchered off in the 40th minute with what originally looked a like a knee injury, but has been subsequently diagnosed as a minor injury to the patella with a much shorter rehab period than feared. Jónsdóttir also just been voted Damallsvenskan Player of the Month for April.
Above: Hammarby had plenty to celebrate in their 5-0 win over KIF Örebro. Photo: Fotbollskanalen.se
Hammarby gained their first win of the season in some style with a 5-0 demolition of KIF Örebro. The match was decided with three goals in six minutes mid-way through the second half. As Madelen Janogly set-up goals for Hanna Folkesson and Emilia Larsson with Emma Jansson rapidly making it 3-0. In the final thirteen minutes, Janogly got the goal that her efforts deserved and Elsa Karlsson completed the scoring with four minutes left.
Above: Charli Grant made her first appearance for Rosengård in their win over Eskilstuna United. Photo: @_charli_grant
Rosengård extended their 100% start to the season with a 2-0 win at Eskilstuna United. The two goals came within sixty seconds of each other. Minnie Larsson put the Champions League Quarter-Finalists ahead with Olivia Schough rapidly doubling the lead. Australian readers will be interested to hear that Charli Grant made her first appearance for Rosengård when she came on in the closing stages. Her team are now two points clear at the top of the table.
Above: AIK celebrate with Honoka Hayashi who scored both goals in their 2-1 win over Stockholm rivals Djurgården. Photo: Fotbollskanalen.se
The big Stockholm derby saw Djurgården go down to a 2-1 loss at home to newly promoted AIK. Hayley Dowd gave the hosts the lead just before the break, but it was the visitors who pushed on in the second half. Honoka Hayashi levelled after 57 minutes and then sealed the victory from the penalty spot with 11 minutes left. The win puts AIK, one of the favourites for relegation pre-season, into fourth place.
Above: Stina Blackstenius – on the mark again for BK Häcken but her side were held 1-1 by Vittsjö. Photo: Fotbollskanalen.se
Vittsjö gained an impressive 1-1 draw with BK Häcken. Stina Blackstenius continued her rich vein of goal scoring form when she gave Häcken the lead after four minutes. Twenty minutes later Mie Leth Jans grabbed the equaliser.
Linköping’s home game with Piteå was postponed due to a coronavirus outbreak at the visiting club. As Piteå have not had any additional cases diagnosed, the game has been rearranged for 13th May.
Table from: Svensk Fotboll.
Round Four Fixtures:
Kristianstads v Vittsjö GIK
AIK v Hammarby
BK Häcken v Linköping
Piteå IF v Växjö
KIF Örebro v Eskilstuna United
Rosengård v Djurgårdens
ELITETTAN:
Umeå IK and IK Uppsala remain unbeaten and at the top of the table. Umeå IK demolished Jitex Mölndal 5-0. IK Uppsala also gained a huge boost to their goal difference after seeing off Bollstanäs SK 6-1. Älvsjö AIK FF continued their impressive unbeaten start with a 1-1 at Morön BK. At the bottom, Lidköpings FK and Bollstanäs SK are still looking for their first wins of the campaign. As well as leading the league table, Umeå IK also have two players at the top of the goal scoring charts with Lisa Björk (4) and Henna-Riikke Honkanen (3) riding high.
Above: Umeå – aiming to head back to the Damallsvenskan
Round Three Results: Borgeby FK v IF Brommapojkarna: POSTPONED, Morön BK 1-1 Älvsjö AIK FF, Mallbackens IF Sunne 0-0 Alingsås FC United, IFK Norrköping 1-0 Sundsvalls DFF, Umeå IK 5-0 Jitex Mölndal, IFK Kalmar 3-0 Lidköpings FK, IK Uppsala 6-1 Bollstanäs SK.
Table from: Svensk Fotboll.
Round Four Fixtures: Borgeby FK v Umeå IK POSTPONED, IF Brommapojkarna v Bollstanäs SK, Sundsvalls DFF v Mallbackens IF Sunne, Alingsås FC United v IFK Kalmar, Lidköpings FK v Morön BK, Jitex Mölndal v IFK Norrköping, Älvsjö AIK FF v IK Uppsala.
Above: Eleanor Doyle – a great month for the Peamount United player. Photo: @peamountutd
Peamount United top the league with four wins from four and have a game in hand over second placed Wexford Youths.
In Round Four they beat Bohemians with three second half goals, scored by Ruddy, Ryan-Doyle, and Watkins. Last weekend, again they had to wait until the second half to open the scoring. Goals from last season top scorers Ryan-Doyle (2) and Ireland centurion Aine O’Gorman sealed the win. Peas are firm favourites to win a third consecutive league title, having only lost four competitive games in the last 3 seasons, only 2 of which were in the league.
Round 4: W 0-3 Bohemians (A)
Round 5: W 0-3 Treaty United (A)
Wexford Youths
Above: Wexford Youths celebrating a goal in their game with Galway. Photo: @YouthsWomen
Wexford Youths sit second in the table, two points behind Peamount United having played a game more. Their last two games featured red cards, with their round four opponents Athlone going down to 9 women. Wexford needed an 80th minute penalty from Kylie Murphy to get a 1-0 win, their second win of the season. Wexford would get another win the following week against Galway. They were comprehensive 5-0 winners against the 10-woman Westeners, with an own-goal, and strikes from Marie Grant, Taylor, Molloy, and Frawley. Wexford are top scorers in the league this season having scored 14 goals.
Round 4: W 1-0 Athlone Town (H)
Round 5: W 5-0 Galway (H)
Shelbourne
Above: Shelbourne were celebrating again after a 2-1 win over DLR Waves last weekend. Photo: @FAI_WNL
Shelbourne were idle during round four but got back to winning ways at home to DLR Waves last weekend. Shels took the lead through Whelan in the first half. Murray scored a penalty just before the hour-mark. Shels survived a late fight back to win the game 2-1.
Round 4: idle
Round 5: W 2-1 DLR Waves (H)
DLR Waves
Above: Jess Gleeson, DLR Waves player of the month for April. Photo: @DLRWaves
DLR remain in the top four despite suffering their first defeat of the season. In Round Four, they beat Cork City to get their first away win of the season. Jess Gleeson scored a fantastic goal in the first half to seal the win. Waves lost narrowly to Shelbourne last time out despite a magnificent consolation goal from Carla McManus.
Round 4: W 0-1 Cork City (A)
Round 5: L 2-1 Shelbourne (A)
Galway
Above: The facial expression (right) says it all for Galway in a tough result against Wexford Youths last week. Photo: @FAI_WNL
Galway had two rounds of varying fortune with a comprehensive win as well as a heavy defeat. In Round Four, they got back to winning ways with a 4-1 win over Treaty United. Their goals came in the first half with goals from McKey, McCarthy, Brennan, and Kearns. Their luck was out last weekend when they lost 5-0 to Wexford and had Kinnevey sent off. Galway sit 5th in the table.
Round 4: W 4-1 Treaty United (H)
Round 5: L 5-0 Wexford Youths (A)
Bohemians
Above: Mixed emotions in Bohemians last game against Peamount United. Photo: @FAI_WNL
Bohs put up a good fight against Peamount in Round Four but were ultimately beaten 0-3 with all goals coming in the second half. They had the bye last time out.
Round 4: L 0-3 Peamount United (H)
Round 5:idle
Cork City
Above: Becky Cassin wheels away after scoring for Cork City against Athlone Town. Photo: @CorkCityFCWomen
Cork’s stuttering start to the league continued. They were beaten 0-1 by DLR Waves in Round Four. The following weekend, they controversially were drew 2-2 with Athlone. Cork twice took the lead with goals from Cassin in the second minute and Dring just after the hour mark. However they conceded a goal from a contentious freekick and were denied what looked like a penalty.
Round 4: L 0-1 DLR Waves (H)
Round 5: D 2-2 Athlone Town (A)
AthloneTown
Athlone were narrowly beaten by Wexford Youths. They held up well despite going down to nine women, however they were undone by a late penalty. Last weekend, they drew 2-2 against Cork, twice coming from behind.
Round 4: L 1-0 Wexford Youths (A)
Round 5: D 2-2 Cork City (H)
Treaty United
Above: Action from Treaty United’s game against Peamount United last weekend. Photo: @FAI_WNL
Treaty United remain bottom of the table. They were beaten 4-1 by Galway in Round Four, with a late consolation goal from Walsh in the second half. They held up well at home to Peamount United in the first half but ultimately were beaten 0-3.
Round 4: 4-1 Galway (A)
Round 5: 0-3 Peamount United (H)
Pos
Team
Pld
W
GF
GD
Pts
1
Peamount United
4
4
9
+8
12
2
Wexford Youths
5
3
14
+11
10
3
Shelbourne
4
3
8
+5
9
4
DLR Waves
4
2
5
+1
7
5
Galway
5
2
11
-1
7
6
Bohemians
4
1
10
-1
4
7
Cork City
5
0
8
-4
3
8
Athlone Town
4
0
5
-3
2
9
Treaty United
5
0
7
-16
1
Round 6 Fixtures
Saturday 8th
Cork City – Wexford Youths (14:00)
DLR Waves – Bohemians (18:00)
Peamount United – Athlone (18:00)
Sunday 9th
Treaty United – Shels (14:00)
This week Post to Post Sport had three episodes of Peil and Back, including one focused on the Women’s National League. You can listen on most platforms including Spotify by searching Post to Post Sport, or click here.
Dan Lodge, head of PR and media at FAWNL Division One SW side Cheltenham Town Ladies spoke to Ben Gilby aboutthe challenging times of the past 14 months and how they are planning to broaden their supporter base further to aim for Tier Three.
Above: Charlotte Criddle in action for Cheltenham Town. Photo: Mike J. Halford.
Dan began out conversation by outlining the journey that women’s football has taken at the Gloucestershire side. “The club has seen the highs and lows over its 32-year history. It started out originally, as a five a-side team and eventually joined the South-West Combination League finishing runner-up in the league a few times. I don’t know a huge amount about those times, as we’re talking 2000 or 2001, maybe 2002 and there’s not a lot of information available. In 2012/13 the club won promotion to the newly created FA Women’s National League Division One South West and despite a few relegation scares always managed to avoid the drop. Things changed in 2018, Alex Cheal came in as the new manager and made some changes and the club started competing, finishing fourth in 2018/19. We were also fourth in 19/20 before the season was voided, so the club has seen a lot of ups and downs.”
The club have now seen two successive seasons in National League Division One South-West rendered null and void due to the coronavirus pandemic. I asked Dan how the club has coped with such a tough period.
“It’s been frustrating. The players certainly aren’t used to it, although I’m fairly sure that’s the case for everyone. For the players, I’m sure it has a huge impact because they’re so used to being out in all types of weather being active and playing games and there’s the social side of it too and I think the social side of it, being out and able to see friends probably has a really underappreciated value.
“Behind the scenes, it’s made things a little bit more difficult. We don’t have quite as many sponsors coming on board as last season, as a lot of places are having to pull back on spending. That said, we are an amateur club anyway, so nobody gets paid for what we do, so we don’t have that wages aspect to worry about. The problem is training facilities coming out of the various lockdowns. We train in the evenings, so we need floodlights, but the places we normally train like Tewkesbury School, All Saints Academy and Hartpury College aren’t opening back up to the public just yet. So, we’re having to pay for training facilities as we would normally do, except there are fewer facilities open and the same number of teams all searching for a timeslot.
“It’s the same for matches too. I know we aren’t playing games at the moment, but chances are, if we do, they’ll be behind closed doors. So, we won’t have the income from supporters or from food and drink sales to help with covering the cost of booking facilities. I’d say we’re doing OK, but everything just feels that little bit tighter financially.”
Apart from coronavirus, one of the biggest issues facing the club is growing the number of supporters at their games – something which has only been made worse by the pandemic. “Our attendances were on the rise season after season, we were bringing in new sponsors, on the pitch performances and scores were going great and the pandemic has slammed the breaks on all of that a little bit. The 2019 Women’s World Cup was a big driver in promoting overall interest in the club and fans began to get behind their local side. Women’s football in general I think, was riding the wave of the World Cup and attracting new fans. We actually had one supporter tweet us and say he’d never been to a Cheltenham Town Ladies game before the start of that season, and up to that point, and I think maybe until the season was voided, he didn’t miss a home game. So that was fantastic to hear. We just need to make sure we continue the hard work and encouragement of women’s football after the lockdown and after the pandemic too.”
Above: Jade Grove gets a shot away for Cheltenham Town in their FA Cup Third round qualifying match at home to Portishead Town. Photo: Will Cheshire Photography.
So, we’re now having to try and reach further and almost start over again from scratch. That said, our attendances this season were still higher than they were in 2017/18, so we’ve had more people interested during a pandemic than there were out of one in 2018, which is great to see. I can only imagine what our figures would be like had Covid-19 not hit! I’m taking that as a great sign of a bright future.”
The club’s links with the men’s side who play in the fourth tier of the men’s professional league are, as Dan explains, “basically an affiliation. We’re a fully independent club, we have our own matchday venue, training venues, our own board of directors, our own website, and social media. We do work with them and we are building bridges to work together even more year on year, it’s just hard at the moment with us not being able to play games.
“They are very hospitable towards us, they’ve let us play some big games at Whaddon Road, they’ve let us have the same kit as the men’s, in 2018/19 and 19/20 they provided kit for both our senior teams. And in 2020/21 they’ve arranged for us to have a version of the brand-new kit, but with our own sponsors. We could always do more together, and I get on really well with Joycie (Richard Joyce of Cheltenham Town FC), and their media team and interns do a great job covering us, so it’s a good relationship. We work with them when we can, but we can also do our own thing, so it’s flexible but it works.”
Prior to the campaign being rendered null and void, Cheltenham Town were having a decent season in the fourth tier FA Women’s National League Division One South-West.
“It had been positive. We were sat in mid-table. One win and you could be up to third, one loss and potentially down to eighth or ninth. But the performances had been good, our opening day game against Chesham United had us all on edge and I think we all let out a good sigh of relief at the final whistle because it was unbelievably tight. A couple of other results didn’t go our way, but with FA Cup games included, we managed to go on a little bit of a run with positive results. And things, hopefully, will only continue to improve us. We had lots of new players and a new style from last season, so that naturally takes time to gel. I think we need to make the most of our time off the back of lockdown to tighten things up if they need it, maybe shake some of the rust off and get back into the swing of things, but once we have, I feel things will turn a corner over the next couple of seasons and we can make promotion to – and our survival in – FAWNL Southern Premier a real aim.”
“Promotion to tier three I think is a goal for this group of players and we’ve been able to take steps to improve the club with that as a goal. We recently held interviews for a General Manager, and we’ve actually ended up with two extra roles because the candidates were so good. We’ve now got a General Manager, a Commercial Manager and a Matchday Operations Manager, all of which have different things they bring to the table and can hopefully contribute very well to the future of the club and make us a more rounded organisation. Getting those improvements to infrastructure in place will really help us grow in the long term.”
Above: Ruby Scahill on the ball for Cheltenham Town in their FAWNL Division One South West match at home to Maidenhead United. Photo: Will Cheshire Photography
Like any club, the pathway for youngsters coming through to the first team is hugely important. Dan outlined what it is like at Cheltenham Town: “The pathway is pretty good, I think. There’s been a few players that have made it to the senior level. For instance, Holly Rogers, who recently returned from a spell at Boldmere St. Michael in Birmingham, came up through the ranks, as well as Annabel Davies who had a couple of years in the first team. At the moment our Development Team is packed with youth system products, the likes of Hannah Dix, Leah Rhodes, Amie Boyce and Elle-Mae Simpson all instantly spring to mind. So, the pathway definitely does offer a way up to senior football, all the way from Under 8’s I think the youngest year group is.”
Like any club, Cheltenham Town can only function and prosper due to a group of core volunteers. “Obviously, the players go out there and work hard and bring back the results,” said Dan. The coaching staff and managers who go through the details with a fine-toothed combe and make sure no rock is unturned, there’s Darren Johnson and Evie who work in the shop serving tea and coffee, and if you ever saw them at half-time you’d know exactly why they deserve a mention! The media team do a fantastic job of covering us, both for our own coverage and for Cheltenham Town FC. And then there’s the chairman, and the secretary who sort mountains of paperwork and make sure everything is ticking over and nothing is rocking the boat. Everybody, from the chairman to the girls who work on the gate collecting money, it’s a real team effort and there’s a lot of people behind the scenes making sure everything goes to plan without a hitch who don’t get a mention.”
With, hopefully the first signs of the end of the pandemic on the horizon, we ended our chat by focusing on what Dan’s aims are for the sport and Cheltenham Town more specifically over the next five years or so.
“I’d love to see women’s football grow further, especially at our level. I’ve been involved in women’s football for about four years and it’s great. It would be fantastic to see women’s football in this country grow and I think it will continue to do and the further generations will carry it on as they grow up with more and more exposure being given to the women’s game. Eventually it’ll just become the norm, hopefully. I’d also like to see the FA Women’s National League get more exposure, as the Super League and Championship get a lot of coverage.
“For the club, it’s a tricky one…. Obviously, I’d like to see us get promoted if possible. But it’s always a case of ‘be careful what you wish for’. We’ve all seen clubs in the past, like Blackpool or Yeovil Town in men’s football, who skyrocket up the leagues but can’t sustain it and the decline is almost as rapid as the rise. So, we have to make sure we avoid that.”
“Naturally, we want to build the club and we want to compete at a good level and see how far this club can really go. That said, from my standpoint as Head of Media, if we can’t go forwards, then we definitely don’t want to go backwards. So as long as we’ve got a real stability in the club and we’re able to steadily grow and maintain what we have, and if we can build our fan base and give Cheltenham Town Ladies fans a good time on a Sunday afternoon, then happy days, that’s fantastic. I’d be more than happy with that.”
Above: Cheltenham Town celebrate a goal against Portishead Town in the FA Cup 3rd Qualifying Round this season. Photo: Will Cheshire Photography.
Chelsea produced a performance to be proud of as they became only the second English team in history to make a European club final.
Chelsea welcomed back talismanic captain Magda Eriksson after being out for almost a month. Additionally, the club’s regular left back Jonna Eriksson was moved to the bench and replaced by the 21 year-old Niamh Charles.
Bayern went into the game having won all of their previous Champions League away legs this season at Ajax (Netherlands), BIIK Kuazygyrt (Kazakhstan) and Rosengard (Sweden), but Chelsea were a significant step above any of the German’s previous opposition.
Within the opening two minutes, Fran Kirby was found down the right and played in Ji So-yun. The South Korean magician’s ball in was headed behind for a corner by Amanda Ilestedt. Bayern cleared, but Chelsea maintained the possession.
The visitors were content to sit back and let the South Londoners have possession and this partly aided the home side in levelling the aggregate score in the tie with the first involvement of Sam Kerr on 11 minutes.
Kirby drove through the centre and laid off a pass to Kerr who was outside her on the left. The Australian cut across and threaded an inch perfect return ball into the box for Kirby who was never going to miss. The goal ensured that Chelsea now held the advantage having scored an away goal in Germany.
Ji was hugely influential in these early stages and she played a delightful dinked pass to Kirby who popped up on the right. The Lionesses’ star tried to curl a shot into the far corner from an outrageously acute angle and didn’t miss by much.
Bayern responded on 15 minutes when a ball was cut back to Dutch international Lineth Beerensteyn, who got a shot away which Jess Carter got in well to block for a corner.
Back came Chelsea on 19 minutes when the visitors repeatedly failed to clear a free kick which allowed Melanie Leupolz to hit a drive over the bar. Leupolz was involved shortly afterwards when her cross in towards Kerr was hit behind by Marina Hegering for a Chelsea corner.
Despite Chelsea having so much more of the game, just before the half hour mark a moment of individual brilliance from Sarah Zadrazil put Bayern back ahead on aggregate and wiped out any away goal advantage that the hosts could have after a sensational strike. Carolin Simon’s corner was cleared straight to the Austrian who was around 25 yards from goal. She took one touch to control the ball before firing an unstoppable shot which flew into the net.
With ten minutes of the half to go, Chelsea had a half-hearted penalty claim waved away by referee Esther Staubli when Ji tumbled in the area under pressure by Ilestedt.
The visitors narrowly missed taking the lead on 38 minutes when Beerensteyn picked Leupolz’s pocket and found Lea Schuller who unleashed a vicious strike which flew just wide of the left hand post.
Chelsea recovered from the initial flurry after the Bayern goal and were given a free-kick with two minutes of the half left. Lina Magull fouled Kirby to the right of centre just outside the box and received a yellow card. Ji’s free kick hit the wall and rebounded straight back to the South Korean star who then guided a shot into the far left corner which trundled into the net.
Perhaps not surprisingly, Bayern came out firing at the start of the second half. Klara Buhl’s tempting cross had to be headed behind by Carter who had Schuller waiting behind her to score.
Chelsea weathered the storm despite the pressure continuing to ratchet up on them. On the whole, it was a second half where clear cut chances were few and far between as the game entered its final stages.
There was a self-inflicted heart in the mouth moment for the home side with twelve minutes to go when Leupolz’s long back pass only just went the right side of the post from their perspective.
Chelsea created a rare chance afterwards when Sophie Ingle’s long ball to Kerr was beautifully controlled by the Australian before she combined with Harder to find Kirby. Her cross from the right was towards the Matildas star but Bayern sub Carina Wenninger got in first. The resulting corner saw Kerr’s header comfortably saved by Laura Benkarth.
The home side pressed again and Beerensteyn conceded a free-kick just outside the box on the right with seven minutes left. Carter curled a glorious ball in and Harder was completely unmarked to head home to put Chelsea in front on aggregate for the first time.
With two minutes to go Kerr had the chance to settle matters once and for all when she used her searing pace to break through and tried to curl a shot into the far right corner, but it was wide.
Bayern immediately hit back to force a corner which resulted in a shot by Buhl which Eriksson had to clear off the line. It rebounded straight to Simone Laudehr whose effort was blocked by Kerr. Ann-Katrin Berger also made an outstanding save with her foot during this period.
The closing stages saw the Germans lay siege to the Chelsea goal. In doing so, Bayern threw goalkeeper Benkarth up front. This desperate gamble had catastrophic consequences for them when Erin Cuthbert won possession just outside her own box and found Kirby. With no-one in goal the England star could not miss and Chelsea were home and hosed.
The Blues will now go on to face FC Barcelona in the Champions League Final in Gothenburg on 16th May.
Speaking after the game, an emotional Chelsea boss Emma Hayes said: “I’ve worked my whole life for today and I’m so proud of my players. In these situations it is so tense. This is the consequence of thousands of hours of travelling and set-backs for me. I’ve done it through hard work and determination. I work with a set of players who were always in control. They did everything possible today.
“We were terrible defending set pieces today, but the team put bodies on the line. I played them a video from a UFC star before the game with the girl saying ‘I’m the best’. We’re in this position because we deserve to be.
“I’ve been here for nine years. It’s been a long time coming. I’m going to have a lovely sing song and cry on the way home!”
The only previous time that England has had a representative in a European club final was Arsenal in 2007. The Gunners lifted the trophy that with a 1-0 aggregate win over Swedish side Umea. Their assistant coach for that game was none other than the present Chelsea head coach Emma Hayes.
Darrell Allen, media officer at one of our partner clubs, Wroxham Women, updates us on their progress since the return to football.
Above: Wroxham’s sense of togetherness has been clear from the restart. Photo: Edward Payne.
We are a month on from the re-start of Norfolk Football and it was like the girls had never been away.
After so long away it was hard to know what to expect on our return, the league has been curtailed, the Eastern Region Women’s Football League created a new Challenge Cup format for us to take part in and we also have the prestigious Norfolk County FA, Harrod Sport sponsored Women’s Cup to look forward to.
We had no game over the Easter weekend then our focus and determination really stepped up a level the following week with the boss Rebecca Burton re-introducing the double training sessions, the first on a Wednesday and the other on a Friday to ensure we would be best prepared for the weekend games ahead.
Our first fixture back saw us welcome Cambridge City Development to Trafford Park, a game we lost 3-1 but after 119 days without a game it was just so nice to experience that matchday feeling again. Before this game we were also delighted to announce the signing of Amber Long and also give a debut in the game to Impetus sponsored Harriet Meers who signed just before Christmas. Harriet has been one of the shining lights at the club since we returned to football, playing every minute so far and is someone who really resembles what Wroxham Women and the values of our club are all about.
Above: Wroxham have prepared well for their forthcoming Norfolk County Cup campaign. Photo: Edward Payne.
It was disappointing to return to action with a defeat but the week that followed was hugely positive as the team put in over three hours hard work across two sessions to be ready for our trip to AFC Dunstable on 18th April. We were thrilled to come away with a 4-1 victory, Pip Pleavin opening the scoring with a delightful free kick before Grace Birchall and brace for Lauren Bullard made it a comfortable afternoon on the road for the Yachtswomen, a brilliant way to respond after a tough opening game.
What was so pleasing about the AFC Dunstable game was it was showed our great team spirit, not one player was left to fight their own battles, we gelled together, played together and delivered a win to be proud of, a win that was so important for lots of reasons and installed a fresh injection of confidence and belief across the board at the club.
Our focus for the rest of the season now switches to the Norfolk Women’s Cup as we are all set to host Mulbarton at Trafford Park on Sunday in the Quarter Finals. It has been so great to be back with Football and despite only being back a month it is a season that could end with a trophy in less than three weeks time. We have only just begun our journey, and whether or not captain Jess Horn lifts a trophy in May, what is possible in the seasons to come is a delightful prospect as we continue to grow our club.
@DandalBsbrings us our weekly round-up of all the goings on in the Swedish women’s game. This time we round-up all the latest action in the Damallsvensan and Elitettan in addition to the news around the game.
NEWS ROUND-UP:
Above: Piteå, who have been hit by a coronavirus outbreak. Photo: NewsBeezer
At least five Piteå players have tested positive for coronavirus after their defeat to Eskilstuna United last weekend. The club has closed down all group training amidst the first major covid outbreak in the Damallsvenskan. The club’s planned game at Linköping this coming Sunday has been postponed as a consequence as a result. No new date for the match has been set as yet.
UEFA’s announcement that the Women’s Champions League will, from next season consist of a 16 team group stage before reverting to a knock-out over two legs, coming with a major increase in prize money is a massive boost to clubs in Sweden. The teams qualifying for the group stage are guaranteed a minimum of 400,000 Euros each – a figure which is almost half of some Damallsvenskan team’s annual budgets.
Above: Jessica Wik of Rosengård in a creative photo shoot after announcing her pregnancy. Photo: FCRosengård
Rosengård right back Jessica Wik is pregnant with the baby due in October and will not play any more matches this season.
DAMALLSVENSKAN:
Round Two opened with a second straight win for BK Häcken who produced another dominant performance in beating Växjö 2-0. The goals came from Pauline Hammerlund and Stina Blackstenius. The Gothenburg based side created many chances to add to their tally but had to settle for just the two goals.
Above: BK Häcken celebrate Stina Blackstenius celebrates her goal for BK Häcken with her team-mates. Photo: SVT Nyheter.
Rosengård also recorded a second success after a 3-1 win over Hammarby. Olivia Schough grabbed a brace with Jelena Cancovic adding the other. Hanna Folkesson was on target for the Stockholm side who are one of only two sides to have lost their opening two games.
Kristianstad gained an important 2-1 win over Djurgården, earning their first three points of the season as a consequence. Mia Carlsson scored first before a cheeky goal from VfL Wolfsburg loanee Sveindis Jónsdóttir sealed the win. This was Jónsdóttir’s second goal in two games. Nellie Lilja scored for Djurgården.
KIF Örebro gained a fantastic 1-0 win at home to Vittsjö despite the visitors having more of the game. The deciding goal came when Jenna Hellstrom broke through with great pace to play in Karin Lundin. This is KIF Örebro’s first win of the campaign.
AIK were slightly unfortunate in going down 2-1 at home to Linköping. Both goals for the visitors came from long shots from distance deflecting off defenders on their way in. Jenny Danielsson was on target for AIK with Uchenna Kanu and Frida Maanum profiting for Linköping.
Above: Jenny Danielsson pictured after scoring for AIK in their game against Linköping in Solna. Photo: Jesper Zerman/Bildbyrån
Piteå fell to the bottom of the table and remain winless after a 2-0 defeat to Eskilstuna United. Fanny Andersson and Loreta Kullashi scored the goals.
Table: svenskfotboll.se
Round Three Fixtures:
Växjö v Kristianstads
Hammarby v KIF Örebro
Linköping v Piteå IF POSTPONED
Eskilstuna United v Rosengård
Djurgårdens v AIK
Vittsjö GIK v BK Häcken
ELITETTAN:
Above: Umeå’s Lisa Björk is in outstanding goalscoring form for the Elitettan table toppers.Photo: Pelle Börjesson/Bildbyrån
There are three teams remaining unbeaten after the first two rounds of games with Umeå IK top of the table on goal difference after scoring eight goals in their opening two matches with Lisa Björk scoring four of them to stand top of the goal scoring charts. Borgeby’s Nova Karlsson stands second in the list with three goals in two games despite her team still looking for their first win of the campaign. Just behind Umeå IK in the Elitettan table, also with two wins from two games are IK Uppsala with Älvsjö AIK FF, who narrowly avoided relegation last season third. Ellinor Johanson is in particularly fine form for Älvsjö in these early stages of the season.
Round Two Results: IF Brommpojkarna 0-1 Umeå IK, Älvsjö AIK FF 1-0 Jitex Mölndal, Alingsås FC United 0-1 IK Uppsala, Bollstanäs SK 1-3 Mallbackens IF Sunne, Sundsvalls DFF 1-1 Borgeby FK, IFK Kalmar 1-0 Morön BK, Lidköpings FK v IFK Norrköping POSTPONED.
Table: svenskfotboll.se
Round Three Fixtures:
Borgeby FK v IF Brommapojkarna, Morön BK v Älvsjö AIK FF, Mallbackens IF Sunne v Alingsås FC United, IFK Norrköping v Sundsvalls DFF, Umeå IK v Jitex Mölndal, IFK Kalmar v Lidköpings FK, IK Uppsala v Bollstanäs SK.
Above: Borgeby IK’s Nova Karlsson, second top goalscorer in the Elitettan pictured in her days with Eskilsminne IF. Photo: Eskilsminne IF
For one week only, due to Impetus supporting the social media boycott in solidarity with women’s and men’s sport across the UK, the Swedish column is published on a Thursday. From next week, it return to its regular Saturday morning slot.
Above: Huddersfield Town going for goal. Photo: Jess Hornby.
Huddersfield Town Women played out an entertaining 1-1 draw with AFC Fylde Women at Kellamergh Park, stretching their unbeaten run to thirteen matches.
Heading into the game on the back of a 12-match winning streak, the Terriers made a positive start against their FA Women’s National League Northern Premier 2020/21 title rivals, but couldn’t find the breakthrough until the second half.
It was clear to see why both teams were fighting it out at the top of the league before the campaign was curtailed as neither side gave the other any time or space on the ball, but a piece of brilliance from Beth Ibbotson opened Town’s opponents up.
The defender came out from the back, pushed forward and delivered a wonderful cross which picked out Brittany Sanderson inside the area and Town’s no.11 dispatched a clinical finish to give her side the lead.
Just like their previous game against Derby, however, Huddersfield conceded almost immediately after scoring when Fylde attacked from the restart and turned the ball passed Bethan Davies and into the back of the net for an instant equaliser.
And the home side almost took the lead just before the hour mark, but Davies leapt brilliantly to turn the ball away from the top corner to keep the scores level.
This spurred Town on and the women in blue and white continued to dominate large parts of the second half, with Lucy Sowerby and Sarah Danby causing Fylde’s backline numerous problems in the second forty-five.
Having scored from two corners in last weekend’s Women’s FA Cup win, the Terriers threatened from set pieces throughout against Fylde, too, but couldn’t take advantage of superior opportunities.
That being said, their hosts didn’t pose as much of an attacking threat as in the 3-3 curtain-raiser at the start of the season, showing just how much Town have improved defensively in Jordan Wimpenny’s first season in charge.
That bodes well for next month’s long journey to face Brighton and Hove Albion in the FA Cup on the south coast and Wimpenny was pleased to see his side defend well for almost the entire game against Fylde.
“I’m really pleased with the performance from the group. Today’s game was an opportunity for us to get ready for the FC Cup and thank you to Fylde for giving us that opportunity.
“I asked the team to set up a certain way at the set piece [Fylde’s equaliser] and the set piece happened differently to what we expected, so I take responsibility for that.
“We’ve got a lot of training sessions and a few matches before Brighton and we’ll do our very best to prepare as well as possible to give a good account of ourselves.
Zoe Laughton made her first team debut in the 1-1 draw and did “very well an influenced the game when she came on”, said Wimpenny. Laughton was thrilled to get the nod.
“I was buzzing to get on and really enjoyed it. I was told to go on and make a difference and that’s what I tried to do. Hopefully I can learn more from the group going forward!”
Above: Pride Park celebrate a goal in their 3-0 win at Wirksworth Colts yesterday. Photo: Shaun Hardwick.
Pride Park travelled to Wirksworth the second placed side in the Derbyshire Ladies League Division One on Sunday. With the number of players unavailable through injury and changes in circumstances mounting to an alarming extent it was something of a relief to welcome three debutants to the line-up (one familiar and two new faces) providing much needed reinforcements and, as it turned out, just in the nick of time.
It was a sunny afternoon, but there was a deceptive chill to the breeze which Park were playing into in the first half. The opening exchanges, indeed most of the first half was quite patchy as both teams tried to get a grip of the game without really doing so. Although Wirksworth were a player short, there wasn’t really much to choose between the sides; although the breeze didn’t seem particularly strong it was acting as something of a leveller for Wirksworth.
That said, the visitors were tending to rush which combined with a dry, hard and bobbly surface and the hard work and pressing of Wirksworth, made for a lack of quality. There were momentary outbursts of good combination and individual play, however, and there were a few chances created, but we were unconvincing with our early shots on goal.
With only a quarter of an hour played, Izzy Wilsoncroft pulled up with a quad injury and had to be helped off and was unable play any further part in the game; we’re keeping everything crossed it’s not as bad as it looked. Fortunately, we were able to turn to the bench and resumed after a quick re-shuffle.
The best move, and scoring opportunity, of the first half came just as it was drawing to a close. After some good build up play down the left, involving Rachel Weaver, Izzy Ely and Jess Page, Maja Znamirowska hit her shot just wide, and a slightly disappointing first half ended goalless.
Pride Park started the second half much better; within a minute of the restart Znamirowska was clear beyond the last defender and cutting in from the left. She could possibly have taken a couple more steps before shooting, but she took her shot early and didn’t really get the connection she wanted, hitting her shot straight at the ‚keeper who was able to gather the shot in.
Above: Pride Park pushing forward yesterday. Photo: Shaun Hardwick.
As it turned out, that was a just a rehearsal, as a couple of minutes later Znamirowska again found herself clear on the left after being played in by Rachel and this time made no mistake with a crisp left foot shot that gave the keeper no chance.
As the second half progressed we were creating more and better openings than in the first half, but Wirksworth’s defensive line was working really hard to deny us time and space. When we did get sights of goal they were very quick to close us down and several chances for Tash Allderidge, Annie Laight, Izzy Ely and Znamirowska were denied through shots being blocked or charged down.
Whereas the first half had been fairly even, the visitors were having the better of play in the second half but while it remained a single goal margin there was always an element of risk that Park could be caught out on the break. Wirksworth got forward a few times and started to look threatening, but we generally recovered our ground well and either snuffed the attack out, or limited any opportunities to half chances or shots from distance.
We did, however, need the insurance of a second goal and it came from the most unexpected of quarters. Sophie Ayton had been struggling for a while with a back injury, and came off just after the hour, Amy Snape coming back on at right back with Beth Thompson moving to centre back.
Nearly ten minutes later, and coming up to a quarter of an hour left to play, one of the visitors’ attacks was half cleared by a Wirksworth defender towards Snape, who ran on to the ball and hit a sweet first time shot from fully thirty metres out (if not more) which rose up and then dipped beyond the ‘keeper and under the crossbar. It was by any measure a superb strike, and a memorable way to mark a debut. Perhaps even more memorable was the look of surprise on the goalscorers’ face and her reaction when she realised she had scored!
Three minutes later and Beth Jones added a third: another eye catching strike, receiving the ball side on to goal, and hitting a fierce shot over the keeper from just outside the area, that went in off the underside of the crossbar – definitely one for the cameras!
Above: The Derbyshire landscape forms a dramatic background to the game played at Anthony Gell School yesterday. Photo: Shaun Hardwick.
Today’s game posed a very different challenge to that which we had faced last week, and after a slightly frustrating first half, we rose to the challenge in the second half and three memorable strikes – and a welcome clean sheet – secured the points.
With three debutants providing much needed reinforcements it was a pleasant change to have substitutes to call upon, and it was just as well, with the injuries suffered by Wilsoncroft and Ayton. Pride Park don’t play again until a week on Wednesday, so they will be hopeful this provides sufficient recovery time. It is beginning to look very much like the remainder of the season is going to be increasingly attritional.
If that proves to be the case, the versatility of the Park squad will be tested. Beth Thompson once again proving her versatility by covering four very different positions in this game, starting at left back, moving to right midfield, before dropping back to right back and finally moving into central defence, after playing a good proportion of the season in centre midfield.
Two of Pride Park’s three debutants were at different stages of returning to football, whilst the third is at a different stage of the football journey altogether. It was good to see Jess Page playing again after a break of around four years prompted by injury, and she was involved in some of our best moves. It is early days in Jess’ return to playing, but she showed she can still play, and there is more to come as her match fitness and confidence grows. Amy has had a shorter break from playing but had a debut to remember. She insists she rarely scores – and she will probably have to play for a very long time to score a better goal! Gosia is at an entirely different stage, and for her the objective was to get some playing time to try to gain some experience of match play.
Pride Park now have ten days until their next game, the return fixture against leaders Draycott Victoria at Moorways on Wednesday 5th May (kick off 7.15pm), during which time they will hope that some of their walking wounded are able to recover.
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