Match report
Chichester Ladies vs BSLFC (League Cup)

It was our first ever game in the Southern Region League cup since we had been promoted, with a bye and an abandonment in 19/20 and no cup in 20/21.

It was down the M3 for a repeat of our 3rd league game of the season where we threw away a 2-1 lead to draw 2-2. We knew this would be close as Chichester had only tasted defeat in the league once.

It was cagey affair for the opening 5 and the first chance came our way after a miss kick by the Chichester GK fell to Eden 25 yds out but her first time effort fell a long way wide in her panic.

They quickly broke and fired across a very dangerous looking cross which Tilly managed to flick away from their striker waiting behind her.

Asira was finding some space down the right and put in a decent cross on 16 but Eden couldn’t make it at the back post. A chance then fell to Lewis after some good pressure by Brewer and Asira in the box but it was high and wide.

Asira then found Eden with a cross on 18 but Eden only managed to put it wide.

That little flurry of chances wasted was almost immediately punished. They put in a superb long ball to their striker who through 1 on 1 with Owen in no man’s land only managed to put her effort harmlessly over.

Owen then had to get down low to deny them on 21 as Yeo kicked the ground when trying to clear and they had a chance on the edge.

We were completely let off again on 23. 4attackers vs 2 defenders, the Chichester player found herself through with all the time in the world just inside the box but put it wide.

How we weren’t suddenly 2-0 down was a miracle to say the least. The game settled after this with most of the play between the two teams boxes with the midfields cancelling each other out.

Our next half chance came after some good work by Eden down the left on 32, she cut back for Brewer who laid it off for Hughes to hit it. She struck it well it enough but it was narrowly over.

Eden then had a free kick deflect narrowly wide before Owen was called on again, the ball sitting up nicely to be volleyed, she hit the target but luckily it was limited contact and Owen was able to catch it easily.

Brewer would have been through had it not been for some very close attention and a bit of holding by the CB trying to chase her back, a point that would be very relevant come in the end of the game.

Asira had a chance of a 1 on 1 foiled by the quick thinking GK who was off her line quickly and able to collect up the rebound easily.

HT 0-0 and we were lucky Chichester hadn’t brought their shooting boots.

The message was to keep concentration at the back and when we attack we need to be quicker and more direct. It was almost as though the team had listened as we started the second half very brightly.

36 seconds on the clock, Folkenstern played a ball between the CB and right back and Eden was through. The GK was quick off her line again but unable to go to ground due to being just outside the box Eden was able to divert it around her and it had enough pace to out run the defenders chasing back. 0-1

The second half was far cagier than than the first and chances were much harder to come by with neither team getting clear cut chances. A few corners for us were easily collected by the tall, confident Chichester GK.

The next real chance fell to our youngster Wetton. Making her first team debut after a successful run in the youth sides and some good performances for the reserves in recent weeks Eden pressed the defence on the 67th minute won the ball and found Wetton in space about 12 yds back, unfortunately she could only fire over.

We switched to be a bit more defensive for the final 1/4 of an hour to try to hold out while Wetton was left with the unenviable task of leading the attack on her own.

We were doing well enough to protect Owen but they did manage to wriggle through on 84 but fortunately shot straight at her.

90 minutes on the clock. They played through us, and with Yeo applying similar close attention as they did to Brewer in the first the player went down as she got a shot away. Owen made a superb save to deny them, before Norman had to make a very strong challenge to deny a goal from the rebound with Owen on the floor and then Tilly threw herself in front of the well struck rebound to block that. The sports benched admired the last ditch defending, while the Chichester bench demanded a penalty. It was tough for the ref as he was the other side and having not giving the holding in the first half in which they would have likely had to see red he was being consistent but we’ve been on the end of more obvious mistakes than this so hard not to understand the frustration.

There were 5 more minutes to survive but these passed with limited incident although they had a lot of the ball and we had won our first game in the league cup and a first victory against Chichester.

Players player Liane Folkenstern, she was superb on the ball all game and battled incredible hard in the centre.

Managers player went to Jasmine Hughes, working hard in DM to break up play with her partner in DM crime Tilly but just shaded it with her calmness on the ball to be able to involve the cms

Rory – Ayuma Asira for forgetting her shin pads, luckily the team expect this now and someone had a spare and at least it was better than shorts that she had previously forgotten ??‍♂️