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Lots to Celebrate For Chorley

Chorley Women FC Reserves 9-1 AFC Mossley

By Janet Mitchell

**Above:** Chorley Reserves celebrate their Cup Final win in the GMWFL Premier Division Cup Final. **Photo:** John Shirras.

The two teams competing in yesterday’s Greater Manchester Women’s Football League Premier Division Cup Final have played each other twice over the last few weeks, both teams winning their home fixtures so the game was nicely poised.

The match began evenly with both teams having half chances in the first few minutes. Grace Mills looking very dangerous down Chorley’s right and Mossley’s number eight looking dangerous down their left. The deadlock was broken around the 10 minute mark, excellent footwork from Jade Foster and a deft touch from Ellie Cartwright allowed Valentine to shoot calmly past the Mossley keeper 1-0.

Mills then went close minutes later but couldn’t convert. It was Mossley’s turn to go close with a great drive from the left but Amelia Knowles in the Chorley goal made a fabulous diving save to the left. Mossley’s number eight was looking lively again minutes later but this time her attempt just flew over the bar. A cracking cup tie was emerging and it was end to end stuff. However just before the drinks break Ellie Fitton scored a bullet header from a Mills corner for 2-0.

Mossley came out firing on all cylinders and had the first chance after the drinks break, a low cross from the right this time and somehow Knowles in the Chorley goal pulled off a point blank save when it seemed the striker must score. In the next 10 minutes, both teams had half chances, substitutions were made for both teams as the heat played a factor but it was Chorley sub Chloe Drury who made the biggest impact, a low cross from her to Mills saw her get the goal her performance deserved and Chorley went in 3-0 at the break. A truly entertaining first half and some really good football on display from both teams.

**Above:** Ellie Fitton celebrates scoring one of her three goals for Chorley in the Cup Final. **Photo:** John Shirras.

Shortly into the second half a free kick from Mills was converted by Fitton, her second headed goal of the game and Chorley began to dominate. Haase who had come on at half time unfortunately sustained a knee injury early in the half and was forced off the pitch. Mills again went close after she stole the ball on the half way line and let fly from 20 yards with a terrific strike that thundered against the cross bar. Shortly after another Chorley corner was headed in by Drury from close range for 5-0.

Darby, Williams & Valentine were working hard in the Chorley midfield not allowing Mossley to have as much of the ball, Abbey Smith and Hannah Derbyshire were outstanding in defence allowing Mossley very few chances. Mills scored her second of the game to make it 6-0, calmly converting after good build up play through the midfield.

Chorley made it 7-0 minutes later when Captain Fitton popped up in the penalty area to tap in her hat trick after good work from Cartwright and Shirras on the right. Mossley to their absolute credit never gave up but Knowles was in outstanding form and stood tall in a one on one to protect Chorley’s clean sheet.

Just after the drinks break Cartwright made it 8-0 with a cool side footed finish into the corner. Mossley kept going but Chorley remained resolute at the back with Worthington and Brooke sweeping up any danger. Williams then scored an absolute cracker from all of 25 yards to make it 9-0 before in the last moments of the game Mossley got the goal their performance and hard work deserved, a lovely finish from the right as the game finished 9-1.

A fantastic first half from both teams, the first goal of the second half was always going to be crucial and Chorley went on to dominate in the second. A thoroughly entertaining cup final with both teams playing some excellent football at times but on the day Chorley were more clinical with their chances and very much deserved their win.

It’s been a really difficult season for the Reserves in particular as the rules around Covid affected them more than the first and U18s. Since the re-start it’s fair to say they’ve had mixed results and performances but you cannot fault the effort and performance on show today. A special mention for manager Andy Thornhill who stepped in part way through the season and that’s never easy, the girls did him and the club proud today.

**Above:** Chorley U18s celebrate after sealing the Greater Manchester Women’s Football League U18s championship. **Photo:** @ChorleyWomenFC

The Cup win was the icing on the cake for the Club this weekend as on Saturday, Chorley U18s finished their season with their tenth win in ten games and celebrated being GMWFL U18s Champions.

The future looks bright for the Club, who from next season will have three open age women’s teams;

Chorley’s Development Team will compete in the North West Regional Division One North

Chorley Reserves will compete in the FAWNL Reserve Northern Division.

Chorley’s first team will continue to compete in the FAWNL Division 1 North

First Team Manager Ben Gooden said ‘’We feel it’s a great time to join the club, we’ve restructured in order to develop the players the best we can by providing competitive football in the right environment. We are excited already for next season.’’

Trials for all three teams are confirmed for Sunday 20^th June 2021 and Sunday 27^th June 2021 at Coppull United FC, for more information please check out @ChorleyWomenFC on Twitter or get in touch with the club.

Artwork: Graphics by PW.

Four More Added As Perth Aim For Glory

Perth Glory have continued their squad construction for the 2021/22 W-League season by re-signing a further three players and announcing the arrival of Young Matilda Aideen Keane.

The club first revealed just over a week ago that long-serving defender Sarah Carroll had re-signed. The versatile 26-year-old debuted for Glory back in 2011 and has become one of the club’s greatest ever servants in the intervening ten seasons, racking up more than 80 appearances and featuring in three Grand Finals.

With the Glory squad taking shape rapidly ahead of the 2021/22 campaign, Carroll is excited at the prospect of representing her hometown club once again.

“The environment and culture that head coach Alex Epakis built last year with the group is very positive,” she said.

“He has big aspirations for the group, the club and the direction in which he wants to go and I believe in what he’s trying to instil into the group.

**Above:** Sarah Carroll – back for another season in Perth purple. **Photo:** Perth Glory FC

“It’s definitely something that I want to be a part of. In terms of looking forward to next year, Alex has had more time to put his spin on things this year and he’s working really hard to put together a quality team that can compete and is capable of success.

“I’m really happy to be involved again and hopefully we can see Perth back up there and competing strongly with the rest of the league.”

Epakis, meanwhile, feels that Carroll’s experience and versatility will again make her an invaluable member of the Glory squad.

“I am really happy to have Sarah return for next season,” he said, “She brings a fantastic demeanour and conducts herself as a benchmark professional on and off the field.

“Sarah will be important in using her leadership to help to maintain our culture and ensure that the younger players continue to transition well into the team. “She has the capacity to play in a number of positions and I know I will be able to rely on her to do whatever job is needed for the team week in, week out.”

Earlier this week, the club made ensured that they kept more of their exciting young talent in WA when they confirmed that highly-rated teenagers Isabella Wallhead and Abbey Green have re-signed with the club.

**Above:** Isabella Wallhead in action for Perth Glory last season against Melbourne City’s Rhali Dobson. **Photo:** Tom McCarthy.

The duo, both aged 18, continued their development last season with defender Wallhead starting four games and making a further three appearances as a substitute and attacker Green producing two lively cameos off the bench before injury unfortunately brought her campaign to a premature end.

The Perth locals, who went head-to-head with their respective NPLW WA sides Hyundai NTC Women and Murdoch University Melville FC last week, are excited at the prospect of donning the famous purple once again in 2021/22.

“I’m thrilled to be signing again for Glory and can’t wait to see what this season brings us,” said Wallhead. “Although we faced many hurdles last season, the camaraderie between the players and staff was amazing to be a part of.

“It allowed me to be more confident in my abilities knowing that the team would have my back. “I was beyond happy last year to get the game-time I did and can’t wait to continue improving in the coming season.”

Green was equally delighted: “I’m also really excited to get the opportunity to play again this season. Everyone’s determined to have a more successful season this year and prove ourselves as a team which I’m grateful to be a part of.”

**Above:** Abbey Green – looking to put a tough 2021 behind her with another year at Perth Glory. **Photo:** Perth Glory FC

Epakis, meanwhile, is confident that both players are capable of making a major contribution to the Glory cause in the upcoming campaign.

“Bella showed last season that despite her age, she can go toe-to-toe with strong opposition players. “She developed throughout the course of the season and we are happy to have given her another opportunity to be able to continue to represent her home State.

“Bella will have the ability to further grow and develop within the environment and have the opportunity to learn from senior players. She is a player with a great skill-set and I can’t wait to work with to her find another level in her game next season.”

“The same applies to Abbey who unfortunately sustained an injury early in the season which kept her off the field for the majority of the year. It was disappointing, as she certainly would have played a part in helping the squad. Nonetheless, she is now fully recovered, fit and extremely determined to represent Glory again.

“As a WA local, Abbey certainly brings the effort and desire to ensure her home club is ready to compete strongly in the competition next season and I am excited to see how she performs. I’ll be ensuring that she gets the right support and coaching to really showcase her ability.”

Then at the end of the week came the announcement that another young star was moving to the club, this time from New South Wales in the shape of Aideen Keane.

**Above:** Perth Glory announce the arrival of Aideen Keane. **Photo:** Perth Glory FC

The 19-year-old Young Matildas representative gained her first taste of W-League football with Western Sydney Wanderers last term and is currently starring for Northern Tigers in the NPL NSW.

Keane, who has scored four goals in ten appearances for the Tigers this season, is relishing the prospect of playing her part in what she believes is a very exciting project currently underway at Glory.

“I’m really excited to be there because I think it’s the best place for me to get a chance to show what I’m made of,” she said.

“I think I’m going to get the opportunities at Glory and be able to develop into the best player I can be and show that off. I really want to try and solidify my spot in the team and just do as much as I can for the team to be in the best position we can be to win games and make the Finals.”

Glory Head Coach Alex Epakis, meanwhile, feels that Keane’s all-action playing style makes her a perfect fit for the group which he is assembling.

“Aideen is a fantastic addition to our squad and I am really happy that she has decided to call Glory home for next season. Her youth international experience to date shows that she is a player of immense promise and is highly regarded.

“She is such a blockbuster player who has very intense actions and movement with and without the ball and she will certainly add attacking qualities to our team in the front third. Our attacking style of play is going to be a key aspect for us as a team next season and having Aideen ensures that we have great attacking options to really bring that dynamic type of play to life. I know she works extremely hard and she will certainly be a strong and competitive presence within the team.”

“Furthermore, Aideen has made the move to Perth because she believes in the vision that we are heading in and feels that she can play a part in helping us achieve our goals as a club. I know that she is extremely hungry to keep improving her game and has a really strong mindset in terms of helping the team as well as individually refining her own skill-set. I am really excited to have her as part of the Glory family.”

Those sentiments were echoed by Perth Glory CEO Tony Pignata.

“Alex is building a dynamic, hungry and talented squad for next season,” he said, I’m confident there will be a very competitive Glory side in 2021/22.”

Mixture of Pain and Promise For The Matildas

Above: Ellie Carpenter competes with Rikke Marie Madsen. Photo: Football Australia.

Denmark 3-2 Australia

By Ben Gilby

The Matildas remain very much a work in progress as they produced a performance which mixed promise with pain in Horsens on Thursday evening.

Australia began the game with high energy and seized control of the midfield from the off playing a rapid fire passing game with confidence. There was creativity on both flanks, but it was always going to be tough with a starting formation that saw Sam Kerr play as a lone striker.

The Chelsea superstar did have some opportunities in the first forty-five. Early on, she turned Simone Boye Sørensen and forced a good save from Lene Christensen.

However as time went on, Kerr became increasingly isolated. Kyah Simon was often located very wide, occasionally even outside the attacking rampages of Ellie Carpenter from right-back with Hayley Raso occasionally popping up in the same channel. Therefore, Denmark were able to swamp Kerr with defenders to nullify her threat.

Just after the twelfth minute mark came the first sign that all was not right with the defensive set up. As the Danes attacked, it became increasingly apparent that there were often three Matildas defenders at the back with acres of space between them which the home side took advantage of.

**Above:** Emily Van Egmond – won her hundredth cap for the Matildas in Denmark on Thursday. **Photo From:** Football Australia.

The defensive set up also became hindered with a calamitous six minute period of indecision. With a quarter of an hour played, the Danes earned a free kick on the right which was whipped high into the box. Raso and Emily Van Egmond both went to head it clear, both missed it and in the resulting panic, Tameka Yallop reached out a leg in an attempted clearance but could only direct it past Mackenzie Arnold and Denmark were ahead.

Four minutes later and again, the Australian defensive formation was split too far apart as the Danes could pick a hole to attack. They earned a corner which led to more chaos at the back as three opportunities to clear the danger were missed and Rikke Sevecke, who looked to be offside, finally forced the ball into the net but the goal was given. There was anger that the goal was allowed, but the Matildas had too many chances to clear the danger before the ball finally found the net.

It became 3-0 after an unfortunate error of judgement from Arnold when a fiendishly curling cross came back off the woodwork at the near post and the West Ham goalkeeper could only end up helping the ball over her own line.

This was the nadir, but the positives all flowed from here on in. Australia re-took the midfield and began to re-assert themselves offensively, albeit despite Kerr still being shackled by the Danish defence and Caitlin Foord surprisingly not involved much on the ball.

Going into this match, the Matildas head coach Tony Gustavsson did admit that “We only have three days together before the first game against Denmark…is it going to look perfect? Probably not.”

**Above:** Mary Fowler, seen here battling with Denmark’s Rikke Sevecke, had a positive second half. **Photo:** Henning Bagger/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP.

Some positive changes were made by the coaching staff and the impact they made were clear. Mary Fowler, the 18 year-old striker from Cairns who plays her football in D1 Arkema with Montpellier made a real impact. She was busy, industrious and linked up well with Kerr, allowing the Western Australian to have more of an influence on the game. Later on in events, Emily Gielnik came on for Raso and offered another outlet which added to the threat of Fowler and Kerr.

A combination of the Matildas having claim to the midfield, a more cohesive attacking formation and the #NeverSayDie spirit, saw a promising second half which means that the squad can go into Tuesday’s game in Kalmar with Olympic group rivals Sweden in good heart.

Not everything was perfect in the second half, if we were being ultra picky, Kerr was caught offside too many times and Ellie Carpenter coughed up possession occasionally, but one was left with the impression that the coaching staff and players had learned from the inefficiencies of the first half and were striving to put it right.

Fowler’s contribution was rewarded with her first goal for her country – and it was a real rocket of a shot. Clare Polkinghorne’s stoppage header ensured that the score line took on a more realistic hue.

**Above:** The Matildas team that took on Denmark in Horsens: *Back row:* Kyah Simon, Aivi Luik, Mackenzie Arnold, Emily Van Egmond, Clare Polkinghorne, Steph Catley. *Front row:* Ellie Carpenter, Caitlin Foord, Hayley Raso, Sam Kerr, Tameka Yallop. **Photo:** Football Australia

Teams: DENMARK: 1) Lene Christensen, 5) Simone Boye Sørensen, 3) Stine Pedersen, 11) Katrine Veje, 4) Rikke Sevecke, 13) Sofie Pedersen, 10) Penille Harder, 24 Kathrine Møller Kühl, 12) Stine Larsen, 17) Rikke Marie Madsen, 14) Nicoline Sørensen.

Substitutes used: 7) Sanne Nielsen (for Boye Sørensen), 15) Frederikke Thøgersen (for Sevecke), 21) Caroline Møller (for Harder), 27) Luna Gevitz (for S. Larsen), 19) Janni Thomsen (for Madsen).

Scorers: Yallop OG 15, Sevecke 21, Arnold OG 21.

AUSTRALIA: 18) Mackenzie Arnold, 3) Aivi Luik, 4) Clare Polkinghorne, 7) Steph Catley, 21) Ellie Carpenter, 10) Emily Van Egmond, 13) Tameka Yallop, 17) Kyah Simon, 20) Sam Kerr, 9) Caitlin Foord, 16) Hayley Raso.

Substitutes used: 11) Beattie Goad (for Luik), 8) Courtney Nevin (for Catley), 14) Alanna Kennedy (for Yallop), 23) Mary Fowler (for Simon), 19) Kyra Cooney-Cross (for Foord), 15) Emily Gielnik (for Raso).

Scorers: Fowler 87, Polkinghorne 90+2.

The Swedish Scene

@DandalBs returns with all the latest news from within the Swedish game – we have stories from the International camp as well as our regular Damallsvenskan and Elitettan round-ups plus more transfer and injury news.

NATIONAL TEAM NEWS:

**Above:** Stina Blackstenius celebrates after scoring Sweden’s winner against Norway on Thursday. **Photo:** SVT.se

Sweden coach Peter Gerhardsson called up 25 players for Sweden’s friendlies against Norway (last Thursday) and Australia (next Tuesday). There were no surprises in the selection. Very few, if any, who are not named will be on the 18+4 Olympic roster. Nathalie Björn and Emma Berglund were recalled to the national team for the first time since 2017. Among the other players selected were Hedvig Lindahl, Magda Eriksson, Kosovare Aslani, Fridolina Rolfö and BK Häcken’s in form striker Stina Blackstenius.

One player who missed the Norway game on 10^th June was forward Lina Hurtig due to “family reasons”. It is still unclear if she will be available for selection for the game against Australia match on 15th June too. Mimmi Larsson was been called up as a replacement.

The Norway match resulted in a 1-0 win for Sweden in front of 500 fans in Kalmar. The match saw Caroline Seger’s record-equalling 214th appearance for her country. In form striker, Stina Blackstenius finished off a good Swedish attack.

DAMALLSVENSKAN:

This was the first set of matches this season where fans were allowed into stadiums as coronavirus restrictions were lifted slightly across the country.

The first game to be played in front of fans was Linköping’s clash with Hammarby. It had been reported that 200 of the 500 tickets available had been snapped up by travelling Hammarby fans. The match itself ended in a 3-3 draw. Emilia Larsson put the visitors ahead after just four minutes before Sofie Bredgaard levelled just under a quarter of an hour later. A spell of two goals in five minutes either side of the half hour mark saw each side score once more as Emma Jansson re-stored Hammarby’s lead momentarily but Sofie Bredgaard levelled once more. Six minutes into the second half, Nilla Fischer put Linköping ahead for the first time, but just after the hour mark, Matilda Vinberg wrapped it up at 3-3.

Rosengård‘s 100% start to the season stopped at seven wins after they were held 0-0 away to Kristianstad long suite. A tough, physical match took place with few scoring chances. There was also a good display of goalkeeping by both teams’ custodians. There were over 300 people in the stadium.

A somewhat contentious penalty kick just five minutes from time ensured that Vittsjö defeated Växjö 1-0. Fernanda Da Silva scored from the spot. Växjö are usually a strong side defensively, but they are suffering up front, scoring only two goals in eight games. It was to the delight of the 282 fans at Vittsjö.

**Above:** Djurgården’s match winner, Daniela Zamora. **Photo:** Fotbollskanalen.se

Djurgården gained a vital 1-0 win over Eskilstuna United thanks to a goal from Daniela Zamora after 35 minutes. This win for Djurgården ended a run of six straight defeats, in front of a crowd of 500 fans.

AIK earned a great 2-0 win over KIF Örebro. Thanks to goals from Honaka Hayashi after nine minutes and Rusul Kafaji’s strike a quarter of an hour later settled the game. Örebro were slightly hard done by, but the Solna based side scored two good goals in front of 382 supporters.

BK Häcken failed to take advantage of Rosengård’s first dropped points of the season when they could only draw 0-0 with Piteå and consequently stay five points behind the league leaders.

Round Nine Fixtures:

Växjö v Djurgården

Piteå v Hammarby

BK Häcken v AIK

KIF Örebro v Kristianstads

Eskilstuna United v Linköping

Rosengård v Vittsjö

ELITETTAN

Round Eight Results: Umeå IK 1-0 Sundsvalls DFF, Borgeby FK 0-0 Mallbackens IF Sunne, Jitex Mölndal 1-0 IFK Kalmar, Älvsjö AIK FF 1-0 Lidköpings FK, Bollstanäs SK 0-1 Morön BK, Alingsås FC United 3-1 IFK Norrköping, IF Brommapojkarna 0-2 IK Uppsala.

The table remains unchanged as the top four all won and are separated by just three points. Leaders IK Uppsala remained two points clear at the top after a 2-0 win over IF Brommapojkarna thanks to two goals from Moa Öhman. Umeå IK saw off Sundsvalls DFF only due to a single goal from Elvira Fjällström. Villemo Dahlqvist’s sixth-minute strike was enough to ensure that Morön BK saw off strugglers Bollstanäs SK. Fourth placed Älvsjö AIK FF remained in the promotion hunt thanks to Marie Segerholm’s goal that ensured victory over Lidköpings FK.

Round Nine Fixtures: Älvsjö AIK FF v IF Brommapojkarna, Lidköpings FK v Mallbackens IF Sunne, Morön BK v Umeå IK, IFK Kalmar v Borgeby FK, IFK Norrköping v Bollstanäs SK, Jitex Mölndal v Alingsås FC United, Sundsvalls DFF v IK Uppsala.

NEWS ROUND-UP:

German website http://sportsbuzzer.de says that Barcelona is likely to be the destination for Fridolina Rolfö when she leaves VfL Wolfsburg. Rolfö herself denies to that any transfer is completed, but it is expected to go through before the Olympics.

Kristianstad‘s young star Sveindis Jane Jonsdottir, who missed her sides’ last three matches due to a knee injury, played thirty minutes in their 3-1 loss to Hammarby last weekend.

Less positive news surrounds Eskilstuna United‘s Halimatu Ayinde, who was hurt in the match against BK Häcken a fortnight ago. It has been revealed that she suffered a severe ACL and meniscus injury and faces a long spell on the sidelines.

The Swedish transfer window doesn’t open until 15 July, but Vittsjö have already announced the signing of 17 year-old Sweden U17 captain Klara Nyberg from third tier side Själevad.

**Above:** Hanna Bennison in action for Sweden against Norway on Thursday has had a big week – an international cap, graduating high school and announcing she’s open to moving abroad. **Photo:** Sydsvenskan.se

Eighteen year-old midfield talent Hanna Bennison, who finished high school this week and is only coming off the bench for Rosengård, has started to think about moving clubs. She confirms Everton’s interest, but there are other English and German clubs too. She played an impressive role in Sweden’s 1-0 win over Norway on Thursday. National head coach Peter Gerhardsson was very pleased with her performance against Norway and let her leave the camp to go home for a champagne breakfast and everything that goes with a Swedish high school graduation. “I hope she’ll have as much fun as I had”, Gerhardsson said.

Hammarby‘s Madelene Janogy has been named Damallsvenskan Player of the Month for May.

Rosengård midfield wizard Jelena Čanković, has signed an extension of her contract until 2025. Boss Therese Sjögran is “incredibly happy and proud” over Čanković’s extension.

Harriet Meers: Loving Life at Wroxham

In our final catch up this season with Wroxham Women’s Harriet Meers, who Impetus are proud to sponsor, Ben Gilby finds out how the defender got on in her first matches for the club over the past month or so.

**Above:** Harriet (centre) shields the ball in the Norfolk Cup tie against Mulbarton Wanderers. **Photo:** Cyan Fullbrook.

It’s been a rollacoaster ride of a season for 21 year-old Wroxham defender Harriet Meers. She signed for the club in December just before the country went into lockdown again (see Wroxham Prepare to Return To Action and Harriet Meers: Lots To Look Forward To in 2021) which meant it would be three months before she would have an opportunity to train and then play for her new team.

Finally, the club were in a position to play their first game post lockdown in the Eastern Regional League Challenge Cup group stage tie against Cambridge City Development on 11^th April – a game that would see Harriet make her debut.

“It was nerve-wracking!” Harriet reveals, “I definitely didn’t expect to start the game. I thought I might get a few minutes, but didn’t think I’d get the full ninety! It was a tough game, none of us had played for such a long time. I’d never played for the team before, I’d also never played at that level before. So, going into the game we thought it would be a tough one and I do think that on another day the score line would have been very different and gone in our favour.

With their second group tie away to AFC Dunstable the following weekend, Harriet took us through how the team went about putting things right ahead of that match.

“We were disappointed after the Cambridge loss and Bex (Burton, head coach) put on an analysis session in the build-up. We looked through the key plays from the game, what we did and what we could have done differently. That was really helpful for me as I hadn’t played alongside the other defenders before, so it was good to be shown who does what, where and when. So, for example I was going to play more as a sweeper and the centre back I played alongside was going to attack the ball. That analysis session then got put into practice on the Wednesday and Friday at training and when it came to the game itself, we smashed it.”

That game saw Harriet retain her starting position at the heart of the Wroxham defence.

“We were really powerful from the whistle. We were relentless and chased down every ball. Everyone put a stint in and it was a game that left everyone feeling really good afterwards. Everyone was buzzing and it was nice to have drinks after the game as a group as it almost made you think that the last few months of lockdowns hadn’t really happened!”

With Wroxham’s Eastern Regional League Challenge Cup games behind them, attention then moved to the Norfolk Cup with the Yachtswomen drawn against Mulbarton Wanderers, two leagues below them in the Quarter-Finals.

“That was a tough game on the day and a frustrating one for us all. What we tried to do wasn’t working. We didn’t play at our best, we didn’t play to the standard that we’d been trained to do. We win and lose together as a team. We all left feeling pretty miserable, but we know what that feels like now and don’t want to feel like that again, and that’s important.”

Whilst the results may not have gone the way Wroxham would have wanted across the three games, these were the highest level matches that Harriet had ever played in during her short footballing career.

**Above:** Harriet (far right) in the Wroxham dressing room before the game against Mulbarton Wanderers. **Photo:** Cyan Fullbrook.

“The first game was really difficult. I didn’t expect to start it. I was driving to the game in the morning and saw the team sheet released and thought ‘Oh God!’ I was very nervous and played very nervously for pretty much the whole game. It was hard not really know what to do in certain situations. It was tricky. But the analysis session we had afterwards – I can’t say enough how much that helped and I focused on what Bex wanted from me.

“The second game against Dunstable, I definitely improved. The things I had to work on was to create angles, looking at playing out from the back and not shying away from the ball and getting confidence on the ball. Getting the win also boosted the confidence.

“I definitely think that as a player I am improving already. I’ve only had three games, but when the confidence comes I think I can only get better. The opposition is a lot tougher, but it’s also more exciting. It’s nice to go into a game and not know what’s going to happen.”

Harriet’s season didn’t end with the Norfolk Cup tie against Mulbarton Wanderers as she’s been back in the University of East Anglia (UEA) team for their recent games against Wymondham Town (who are in Wroxham’s tier five division) and Norwich City CSF.

“The games with UEA have actually been harder because I had got used to the players around me at Wroxham and what they want and then I was back at UEA where we hadn’t played together for ages. The team has lost a lot of players who were doing this semester from home due to Covid.

“We had two games, against Norwich City CSF which we won and Wymondham who beat us. I actually enjoyed the Wymondham game more because it was a challenge. You have to gel as a team though. UEA have so many individually brilliant players but they’ve got to work together. Next season if things return to normal, we can gel again and improve.”

Playing at tier five for Wroxham and at BUCS level for UEA means that Harriet has a very busy training and playing schedule on top of her Biomedicine studies. She gave an insight into what the physical demands are like.

“It is tough. There’s two training sessions a week for Wroxham and up to three with UEA plus games. Physically, as a defender, my legs are always bruised. It’s great though. I wouldn’t change it. I miss it so much already now the season is over.

“Wroxham ended after the Mulbarton game and there’s nothing I want to do more than go back and start training there again. I can’t wait to get back.

“I’ve got a few exams at the moment that I need to get out of the way. I need to maintain my fitness and improve it if I can. I want to work on ball skill and that will improve me so much when we come back.

“I just want to carry on with Wroxham and get a good season with no cancellations!”

That is a sentiment that we all echo. It’s been great following Harriet’s first steps as a tier five footballer and we look forward to following Wroxham’s progress again next season.

A Deal With The Devil That Sold Out The Fans

by Terri Westgate

Newly promoted FA Premier League club Norwich City have caused huge controversy this week by announcing a major sponsorship deal with a gambling company which uses images of women that were common place in the 1970s. Terri emphasises just how offensive and what a retrograde step the club’s announcement was.

**Above:** Norwich City FC – who have just announced a major sponsorship deal with a company who represent women in a demeaning manner.

I started attending football matches back in 1990, with my first visit to Carrow Road to watch my local team Norwich City in the old First Division. I was a fresh faced 16-year-old and stood on a terrace amongst a mostly male crowd. Back in those days anytime a young woman walked in front of the stand she was serenaded with a chant of “Get your t*ts out for the lads”. I was often mocked for only being interested in looking at players legs (something to this day I have never understood, why would you stand in the cold for two hours on a January afternoon to look at legs?). A few years later I was accosted by supporters of my own team on a train, who declared I knew nothing about football and demanded I explain the offside rule. Although I was angry, to this day I am proud that I managed to contain myself enough to give an accurate description before leaving for another carriage.

This not uncommon behaviour put some people off going to football, and fed into the negative stereotype of fans that prevailed. I persevered partly because I was defiant that I wouldn’t be kept from something that brought me so much joy, and partly because I was surrounded by casual sexism in my everyday life. I grew up in the 1980’s when page three models were national stars and the advertising industry was awash with misogynistic imagery and straplines. I had been told many times that I couldn’t do something “because I was a girl”, and as I reached puberty I became acutely aware of how I would be sexualised by the world, and how I had to change my behaviour and even my clothes to safely navigate the world.

None of this will surprise any woman; recent research has shown that nearly all women (97%) have experienced sexual harassment. However, things have got better at football since the 1990s as clubs have worked with fans to eliminate sexist and homophobic chants, to make grounds more inclusive. My club Norwich have worked with many fan groups making sure everyone who wants to cheer on the Canaries feels welcome. As a result, the newly promoted team has an above average percentage of season ticket holders who identify as female. Famously we are also part owned by a woman, which is a rare thing still in the beautiful game.

On Monday 7^th June 2021 the club announced their new sponsorship deal, yet another online gambling firm – which in itself has many issues. However, within minutes of watching the glitzy intro video fans started to visit the website and social media accounts of the new partner – BK8, and what they saw shocked. It was a sea of photos of young women in sexualised imagery, to the point that you had to work hard to even know that BK8 had anything to do with gambling. Impetus has decided specifically not to reproduce any of these photos as they are a completely unacceptable depiction of women.

That a company in 2021 was using promotional tactics that would be at home in The Sun from the last millennium was appalling. But that a self-proclaimed “family club” had chosen to be associated with the brand was confounding. Supporters of all genders and ages began to express their disgust and disappointment with a growing ferocity on Twitter. Local and national media picked up the story, and fans’ disapproving voices were across the news. Emails to the club were publicly posted, and an almost united opposition to the deal was expressed.

But how did it come to this? If the supporters had found this content within minutes, then the club must have been aware of it. It is a multi-million-pound deal that would have been weeks, if not months, in the making. All kinds of checks and legal proceedings will have happened before anything was signed. And yet still it went ahead, without the club even asking for any content to be removed.

This means that they were aware and decided the money involved was worth the risk. Norwich City are a self-funding club. They have no billionaire backer with cash to burn, unlike most of their Premier League rivals. They have to generate money to be able to invest in players, and the gap between the Championship and the top flight means that survival is no longer achieved with a canny boss and a young and upcoming squad. You have to spend big. If you don’t have the reserves to compete in the transfer market you either have to risk a large debt (which can go disastrously wrong, ask Bolton Wanderers’ fans) or you have sell yourself to the highest bidder.

Norwich City has made the decision that money is king, and either underestimated the backlash or figured they can ride it out. The thing about football fans is we are incredibly loyal, and the majority of Canaries supporters have already paid for their season ticket for the upcoming campaign. The only likely financial hit is a drop in shirt sales, and that might only be a dent in comparison with the size of this contract.

However, the damage done to the relationship with the supporters is not so easily repaired. Norwich is a community club; in recent years it has had open communication with the fans who have turned out in numbers and worn their colours with pride. So much good work was undone on Monday, all the progress made since the 1990’s has been undermined.

So, I ask myself, is promotion worth it? All that joy and elation at winning the league is deflated with the realisation that our club had sold its soul, and the values it had previously professed now seem superficial. Our majority shareholders have said they are guardians of club, rather than owners. Right now, they have failed in those duties, they have taken their eye off the ball and brought our beloved club into disrepute.

Terri Westgate is a Norwich City fan who writes a regular column for the Eastern Daily Press and regularly appears on BBC Radio Norfolk talking about the team.

Laight Goal Decides Close Encounter

Pride Park 1-0 Chesterfield Development

By Boot Room

**Above:** Izzy Ely on the charge for Pride Park against Chesterfield. **Photo:** Shaun Hardwick.

The Ladies welcomed Chesterfield Development to Moorways on Sunday. Pre-match heavy drizzle left the pitch wet on top, but as the rainclouds disappeared the temperature rose and the sun put in an appearance, drying out the surface and making it a warm and muggy afternoon.

After being stretched by injuries and other commitments last week, we had the relative luxury of four substitutes yesterday – which considering the warm and humid conditions was just as well – although two were combining the warm up with a late fitness test!

The game attracted a large crowd, easily our biggest of the season, perhaps tempted by the prospect of some good football and a close game, after the previous meeting between the sides ended in an equaliser for Chesterfield and a winner for Pride Park both coming in time added on.

If that was the case, they won’t have been disappointed, as both sides played some good football that was easy on the eye.

The visitors got the game underway and made a bright start to the game. The Pride were a little slower into their rhythm, but it was the home side who had the first sight of goal; Annie Laight’s shot going wide. Summer Evans burst through a little after the quarter hour and just beat the keeper to the ball, but was brought down by the netminder’s momentum. The referee took a moment of thinking time before pointing to the spot.

Tash Allderidge took responsibility and placed her penalty kick to the keeper’s right, but too close to the keeper, who was able to get down and gather the spot kick in.

The majority of the play was taking place in the middle third, as both teams tried to assert themselves, but with neither able to truly do so. Chesterfield had a sight of goal just before the half-hour, but couldn’t find the target.

Pride Park finished the half strongly, starting with the opening goal after 31 minutes; Maja Znamirowska playing a diagonal ball for Annie Laight, who allowed it to run across her, and calmly waited for the right moment (which, from the touchline seemed to take an age!) before striking an excellent shot across the keeper and into the far side of the goal. It was a fine finish by a player in form – that’s three in three, and five in the last six games.

**Above:** Annie Laight, Price Park’s match winner, gets a ball in against Chesterfield. **Photo:** Shaun Hardwick.

The goal brought added impetus to Pride Park, with Annie testing the keeper twice within a couple of minutes of the goal. As half-time was approaching we won a corner on our left. The ball was delivered into the box, and first Hannah Kwiatek and then Annie Laight had close range efforts blocked.

The second half started with Maja Znamirowska going close within a minute of the restart, and a minute later Jade Howell collected a Chesterfield shot. There were a number of good opportunities to extend our lead, with Eliot (twice), Beth Jones (twice), Otty Baker and Maja Znamirowska all bringing saves out of the Chesterfield keeper. Two of those, and particularly a save from Beth Jones, were exceptional.

Chances also fell to Beth Jones, Izzy Ely, Maja Znamirowska and Tash Allderidge, but their shots were off target.

There were approximately five minutes left to play when Jess Page went down with an ankle injury at one end of the pitch, play continuing and Beth Jones also injuring her ankle in a challenge at the other end of the pitch. Neither were able to continue, so there was a reshuffle required for the five minutes, with Tash Allderidge dropping into the back four. There was one opportunity for Chesterfield in time added on but the striker pulled her shot wide.

It could and should have been a more comfortable winning margin, and but for the Chesterfield ‚keeper it probably would have been. It’s encouraging to have kept another clean sheet – the defensive unit stuck to their task well again, and but for one occasion in the second half, defended very well – and there is something particularly satisfying about a 1-0 win.

Goals have been noticeably harder to come by since lockdown, a combination of players missing through injury, or returning to match fitness, and the results of games have – with one notable exception – been relatively close, with teamwork and tactical discipline being important attributes in those results. Annie Laight took her goal well yesterday, and with the number of chances created, there’s a sense that at some point the goals will start to flow again.

The season comes to its end with next week’s final fixtures – a double header against Belper Town. The first game will kick off at 10.30am, with the second game to follow at approximately midday – to fit in with the TV schedules for the Euros!

AFC Portchester Win Clinches Unbeaten Season & League Title

AFC Varsity 1-2 AFC Portchester

By Lewis Millington

**Above:** AFC Portchester celebrate being crowned as the unbeaten champions of the Hampshire Women’s League Division Three. **Photo:** Lewis Millington.

There were scenes of jubilation from the Portchester team and bench at full time on Sunday at Hatches Farm Sports Ground near Romsey – a hard fought win against a strong AFC Varsity side meant that the Royals Ladies had gone the entire league season undefeated – a remarkable feat considering the team only reformed at the beginning of this season.

However it wasn’t plain sailing. Varsity have themselves had an excellent year, only starting life as a side in 2020, securing second place in the league. In addition to the fact that Portchy had come away victorious in the reverse fixture a few months prior, there was certainly a determination for them to crash the party atmosphere that was due to come at full time.

The venue itself is in a small settlement called West Wellow, which is a few miles west of Romsey. Facilities were decent with a spectator railing and dugouts in place, as well as a new pavilion for changing as well as an outdoor gym for those facing a few chin ups during the half time interval. A pleasant space to spend 90 minutes in the scorching Hampshire sun. Although I’m sure many would agree that it appeared the groundsman had gone to Portugal for a week – the grass could do with a trim!

The game started brightly, with both teams exchanging attacks and trying to work the ball into the box. It could be argued that Portchy started the brighter of the two sides, trying to play some expansive football through passing the ball out to wings to exploit their full backs with the pace of Shannen Woods and Ella Wilson. However the Varsity keeper, who was excellent all game, was wise to this and confidently collected or parried several balls that made their way across the opposition box.

Portchy’s best chance in the first half came from a curling effort from just outside the box by 17 year old Ella Wilson, only to be tipped around the post for a corner from the diving keeper.

Varsity then proceeded to come back into the game, growing in confidence after lofting a few direct balls forward trying to take advantage of Portchy’s high line. They had two or three opportunities that came into fruition through this tactic – one cross behind the defence which fizzed across goal – longing for a Varsity head to connect with it, as well as a couple of foot races between Portchester’s sweeper keeper Roxy Roberts and the oncoming attacker which the experienced Portchy keeper managed to deal with in the nick of time.

With the first half finishing 0-0 and the temperature rising – Portchy’s manager, Mark Dugan, had some crucial words for the girls at half time to ensure they don’t get caught up in the occasion and just need to play ‘their football’ which they did well for the first 20 minutes.

**Above:** AFC Porthchester on the attack at AFC Varsity. **Photo:** Lewis Millington.

Although these words were taken on board and Portchy started the second half brightly, Varsity almost gave them a shock. Another lofted ball over the top was met by Kayleigh Rogers. The hot-shot forward, leading the division’s golden boot race with 10 goals in 9 appearances, struck a looping half volley that took an age to come down, Roberts in goal was clearly beaten but fortunately for Portchy the effort slapped the top of the crossbar.

Clearly awoken by that close call, Portchy sparked back on the offensive and this was rewarded with taking the lead.

This time it was the Tango’s turn to try the direct approach, with a counter attacking ball thrust forward over the defensive line, where a pacy Shannen Woods took the ball sweetly on the half volley. She rifled the ball across goal giving the keeper little chance to save it, which led to rapturous applause erupting from the Portchy bench and supporters.

Clearly buoyed by the goal, Portchester began to crack up the tempo and began a series of swift confident attacks. The best of these efforts came when a ball into the box was fumbled by the Varsity keeper, only for Woods to knock the stray ball just over the crossbar.

Nevertheless, Portchy’s driving attacks continued which eventually led to them getting their second of the afternoon. The confident Shannen Woods received the ball on the right wing, burning past the full back to create an opportunity whereby she crossed the ball into the six yard box where teenage forward Bella Longyear was perfectly positioned to side foot the ball past the Varsity shot stopper.

With nothing to lose, Varsity threw everyone forward for the last 10-15 minutes, which meant that Portchy began to sit deeper. Portchy had substituted one of their pace merchants in Ella Wilson, so the counter attacking threat was lessened for the final portion of the game.

After a few attacks that Roberts in goal had to thwart, Varsity got their golden chance from a corner. A good ball resulted in a chaotic scramble for the ball in the box. Limbs flying everywhere, the ball bobbled to Varsity’s Jade Collins, where she hit the ball low into the bottom right corner of the net which set up a nervy few final minutes for the Tangerines.

Despite this, Portchy managed to use their experience to weather the onslaught and the final whistle arrived. Portchy’s ‘Invincible’ Ladies – they had made it through the league season unbeaten.

Varsity were formidable adversaries and gave Portchy a real game and had it not been for some excellent goalkeeping from both sides the score could have been different. They were true professionals and formed a guard of honour for the league champions, as well as applauding them as Lynsey Crewe lifted the league trophy up in celebration. It has been a fantastic season for both sides, with both likely receiving promotion for next season. Both sides no doubt deserve a well earned rest before coming back next season ready to make a real impact at the next level.

Impetus Announces Partnership with Ashford Town Women

by Ben Gilby

**Artwork:** Ashford Town (Middlesex) FC

Impetus is delighted to announce a partnership with Ashford Town (Middlesex) FC Women of the tier five London & South-East Regional Premier Division for the upcoming season.

This partnership will involve us sponsoring one of ‘The Tangerine’s’ players and publishing regular content on the Ashford Town (Middlesex) FC Women’s Section More details will be announced within the coming weeks.

Ashford Town (Middlesex) FC Women Chairman and First Team Head Coach Will Boye said: “I’m extremely pleased that our senior section and Impetus could come to an arrangement ahead of this season. Their content on women’s football is fantastic and has played a big role in the continual growth of the women’s game, within the UK and beyond. We look forward to working with them this season on a regular basis.”

Impetus’ founder Ben Gilby said: “Impetus is very excited to be entering into this partnership with Ashford Town. We’ve already carried several articles on the club on the site over the past two seasons and know from seeing the first team in action before the pandemic just how talented they are and how bright the future is at the Robert Parker Stadium. The arrangement means that as well as sponsoring a player, we will be working with the club to publish features about them from the first team down to youth level to our worldwide readership. We look forward to putting together the first article as a result of the new partnership in the near future.”

This announcement is the first of several which Impetus will be making over the coming weeks to make our coverage even better ahead of the 2021/22 season as we find new ways to support grassroots women’s football.

Making Waves In Ireland

Ben Gilby spoke to DLR Waves head coach Graham Kelly about the FAI Women’s National League side who have come a long way and are highly ambitious to grow further.

**Above:** DLR Waves head coach Graham Kelly. **Photo:** Oisin Keniry/INPHO.

Graham Kelly has been at DLR Waves for three years and, from the outset, was very clear about what he wanted to achieve.

Upon arrival at the club who are named after the Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown county they are based in which is part of the Dublin region, Kelly discussed a five year plan with the club chairman.

“We have big ambitious and in the last three years the club has grown massively from just one senior team to now having a senior team, an U19 Team and an U17 team all playing in the Women’s National League (WNL). We also wanted to ensure we had football for any girl who came to the club who might not be ready just yet to go and play in the WNL so with this in mind we created two new teams in the Metropolitan Girls League at U16 & U18 level so in the space of two full season’s the club has grown from one team to five which is fantastic for all female footballers in the Dún Laoghaire Rathdown region and surrounding areas

“Alongside this we are now this year running summer camps and afterschool coaching programmes in local schools to help promote DLR Waves in the community.”

This growth has been all the more impressive with it taking place amidst a global pandemic. “As a club we kept connected with all our player’s and coaching staff through Zoom meetings and home workouts for the players, It was a really tough time for people but in DLR we always say it’s so important that it’s the person comes first before the player.”

With light now at the end of the coronavirus tunnel, Kelly is focused on trying to meet some of the other challenges that DLR Waves face.

**Above:** DLR Waves’ Carla McManus (right) in action against Wexford Youths this season. **Photo:** @LOIWomen

“Our five teams are now up and running and all back training and our continued partnership with University College, Dublin (UCD) is growing from strength to strength. As with nearly every club in the country, the biggest challenge is always securing training facilities which again UCD and DLR have been tremendous in helping us with, We are very grateful for their continued support.”

The FAI Women’s National League season is now well underway for 2021 and Graham is keen to ensure the club’s standing in the competition continues to improve.

“The league this season is definitely shaping up to be one of the most competitive in recent years. It’s brilliant to see all the clubs continue to develop and every game is really competitive. From our point of view our aim as a team is to try break into the top four. The last two seasons that I have been here we finished sixth so if we can break into that top four this season that would be a big step forward in our development.

“In terms of the FAI WNL itself, it is made up of nine clubs, Peamount United, Shelbourne, Wexford Youths, Galway WFC, Bohemians, Cork City, Athlone Town, Treaty United and ourselves,” explained Graham.”

“All the players that play for the clubs are amateurs and many are still in school, college or full time employment. In the time I have been involved in the league I have seen massive improvements and in fairness to all the clubs they have all worked really hard for this, Also playing in the league are be a number of Republic of Ireland international players which is great for publicity of the league.

“This season the FAI agreed to stream every game live on www.loitv.ie free of charge which again is fantastic promotion of the league and everyone gets to see the real quality playing here in Ireland.

**Above:** DLR Waves’ Jess Gleeson competes for the ball against Galway’s Rachel Kearns. **Photo:** John Crothers.

Despite DLR Waves having five teams of their own, they have put in place an exciting relationship with local clubs to develop a player pathway scheme.

“We have nine partner clubs and when each of these clubs have players that finish at U14/15 level they then have an opportunity to come into our pathway through our U16 MGL team. At present we have around 100 players in the club throughout our five teams.”

As with every club, DLR Waves can only function successfully through a magnificent team of volunteers as Graham highlights:

“We have so many people here from the management committee, U16, U17, U18 coaches right up to all the first team staff that do so much work it’s fantastic and I am forever grateful for all their help. But I have to say without doubt our unsung hero is John Hartigan who is our kit man with the first team but is so much more than a kit man, We are very lucky to have John and we really do appreciate everything he does for us.”

We ended our chat by looking at the growth of women’s football more generally in the Republic of Ireland.

“I think the women’s game in Ireland is growing from strength to strength, The introduction of the new U19 league this season is massive progress as we were losing a lot of players from the game when they finished playing U17 as some may just not have been ready to make the step up to 1st team level, This new U19 league and the continued progression of the U17 league is key to player development, As a league overall we can continue to improve and hopefully as the standard keeps improving we can all help to develop more players for Vera Pauw’s senior international squad and we see Republic of Ireland qualify for the next World Cup.”

Don’t miss Impetus’ regular round-up of all the action from the FAI Women’s National League brought to us by Ciarán Duffy of Post to Post Sport. Check out our specific Irish Women’s Football section at https://impetus885775742.wordpress.com/irish-football/ for all the details!