This week saw the visit of high-flying Brunsmeer Athletic to our second home at Netherwood Academy.
The game kicked off after the visitors won the toss and elected to switch ends. Having previously been slow to start in some games this season, the reds were on top form this time out from the first whistle, working the ball out to the wings on several occasions and pushing forward in the opening minutes. 10 minutes in and Barnsley created the first real opening, when a fantastic cross from Faye on the left wing found Macie in acres of space in the box, but without realising she had more time, hit a snap-shot on the volley which sailed just wide.
Barnsley continued to edge a cagey opening 15 minutes, before opening the scoring on 15 minutes through Faye. Her first shot was brilliantly saved by the away side’s keeper, but she made no mistake on the rebound, coolly slotting in the far corner.
Following the opening goal, Barnsley grew in confidence against a team that won 9-1 in the reverse fixture, and it was clear the spectators would not see that again today. The central midfield machine that is Issie and Macy were immense in winning the ball back before danger could develop, and when 4th placed Brunsmeer did threaten the Barnsley half, full backs Grace and Ella did a sterling job of clearing their lines.
That’s not to say that the visitors didn’t have their chances, and despite several point blank saves from Matilda in goal Brunsmeer got the equaliser 5 mins before half time. In previous games, this would have really impacted the team’s confidence but in the last few games there has been a resilience about them which was lacking earlier on in the campaign.
Dave’s half time team talk was full of praise for the girls, with a reminder to just keep doing what they’re doing.
The second half got underway in much the same way as the first half ended, with Barnsley slightly on top of a finely balanced game. Recent training sessions have focussed on through balls to our strikers and wingers for the to run on to, and the second goal for Barnsley was straight from the training pitch. Captain Georgie went of one of her trademark runs down the right wing before crossing to Macie at the far post to slot past the keeper, with players, fans and officials alike realising the importance of a goal which could go a long way in keeping the reds in this division.
The spectators' hearts were in their mouths for the rest of the game, as Barnsley battled to hang on to their well deserved lead and almost increased it when, following a corner, Ella hit a shot destined for the bottom corner only for a defender to scoop the ball away at the last minute. The drama didn’t conclude there, and there was still time for another goal-line stop from Matilda in a POTM performance to preserve the slender lead. As the game headed into stoppage time, a goal-mouth scramble almost lead to another Barnsley goal, but as the girls wheeled away in celebration the referee waved play on having determined that the ball hadn’t crossed the line. With both coaching teams screaming at their players to play on, with Brunsmeer also having stopped play, a mad rush to get back into shape was enough to win the ball back, with the full time whistle coming seconds later.

View from the Bench

When assessing the remaining games in mid-February, the coaching team earmarked 3 games where we felt we could get the results needed to avoid relegation. This was not one of them! The turnaround from the reverse fixture (9-1) was unbelievable, and the win gives us real hope of staying in this division next season. On top of the actual result itself, it was great to see what is being coached at training being put into games at the weekend, with the winning goal coming directly from what has been worked on recently.
Next up, we welcome Charnock Ridgeway as the girls look for some payback on the narrow defeat inflicted on them 3 weeks ago, and with this group of girls we are more than capable of getting another vital 3 points.