Post by Dave on Dec 12, 2010 20:03:27 GMT
Stoke Gabriel V Activate Ladies 12th Dec 2010
If there was ever a game of ladies football that could be used as a good advert for ladies football, then this would have been an ideal game. It had everything from some wonderful skilful play, to great flowing moves, five goals, crunching challenges and a break in play for over half an hour as an ambulance was called for an injured player.
This was a premier league game between Stoke Gabriel and Activate who are a Plymouth based team. The Activate ladies were on the pitch first doing their warming up exercises and when the Stoke girls took to the pitch; my first thought were the Stoke ladies would be winning all the physical battles. The were just less say a bit more stocky and so it was a surprise the two players who did get injured and could play no further part in the match, were both Stoke players.
The big surprise was the Stoke manager did not start the girl who is considered by so many as the best player at the club ree Bailey; she had to be content with starting on the bench. When she did come on she turned the game completely in Stokes favour.
From the whistle Stoke went straight on the attack and forced the Activate keeper into making a smart save at her near post. I feared it was going to be all one way traffic, but the Activate ladies soon settled and were playing the ball around so much better than the Stoke ladies.
There were not many clear cut chances in the first half for both teams and the closest we came to seeing a goal scored was when Activates number ten hit a good shot that just went wide of the post. Activate approach play was excellent, but they failed once near the Stoke box, to find a killer pass that would have put one of their forwards in on goal.
Stokes right winger who was just back from injury, had to go off after a crunching challenge that left her in a heap on the floor, she was replaced by my player of the match, Stokes number ten, Ree Bailey.
The first half ended goalless and what a cracking second half we were treated to, goals more goals and some really great football that any men’s team would have been proud to have played.
How often do you see a goal nearly scored at one end, only for the ball to go straight up the other end and end up in the net. Activates number ten had hit a few good powerful shots that had gone wide, then she hit a thunderous shot from the right hand side of the goal, that hit the left post so hard I’m surprised the goal post was still standing afterwards.
The ball came back into play of the post and was soon at the feet of Lee Bailey on the edge of Activates box and she coolly made her way into the box and fired a great shot past the Activate keeper. Stoke nearly went two up when their number nineteen, lobbed the ball high into the air and it dropped onto the top of the crossbar.
Stoke then did get their second goal and it was a well taken shot by their number three, who enjoyed scoring judging be her celebrations. The Activate ladies were sure not giving up but found it difficult to get the ball up to their strikers.
They did get a goal back after they won a corner that the Stoke defenders failed to clear when the ball came into the box, it came out to Activates number three, how hit the ball so hard it almost broke through the back on the net.
Shortly after this one of the Stoke ladies suffered a nasty injury that stopped the game while an ambulance was called to the ground. She had burst into the Activates box with pace and was clearly fouled by an Activate player from behind, only the ref who to be fair to him, may have been on the blindside, missed the foul and gave a goal kick. It was a stonewall penalty and the young lady did not get up from the challenge.
The ref stopped the game and both sets of players left the pitch and went into the dressing rooms, a good decision as it was getting very cold as the sun had long since decided to hide its self away. The ambulance arrived and they took a stretcher onto the pitch and once they did all they needed to do, got the young lady on the stretcher and took her off to the hospital.
The game restated and soon Stoke added a third goal, a good shot from inside the box by Stokes number five. The last fifteen minutes it was all Stoke as Ree Bailey had dropped into a deeper midfield position and was running the show.
She was breaking up any Activates attacks, dancing around any Activate players near her and constantly played good balls out to Stokes right winger. She in turn showed great bursts of pace and nearly always delivered good balls into Activates box.
So it was a fitting end to the game for Ree Bailey who after starting yet another good move from midfield, got on the end of a good cross from the right and drilled in her second and Stokes forth goal.
I did not go with Ant to the game, but he was there after being chauffeur driven to the game by a few of his Plainmoor ladies. I suppose he was there doing what all managers do, checking out the opposition and casting his eye over a few of the girls. With a view to signing any before you lot start getting the wrong idea.
A great game and I’m really starting to enjoy ladies football. One or two things that were said by a few of the ladies during he game, really cracked me up I can tell you.
