A tough morning for the Roses
An early KO at Rugby Borough in the morning drizzle, against a team unbeaten in the league last season. We knew we were in for a tough game, but after a good performance last week, the Roses went into the game with confidence.
The opening exchanges were fairly even, but Rugby were playing three behind the striker and began to cause us problems on the break. They took the lead midway through the first half, which seemed to kick the Roses back into life. Chloe G chased down a through ball and we started to create some opportunities, but Rugby were resilient in defence.
At half-time we changed formation and began to create a few more chances. Mimi was causing problems down the right wing, while Ellie got through on goal twice, only to be denied by an alert Rugby goalkeeper.
Rugby then scored twice in quick succession, including an overhead kick that looped into the goal. That second spell of goals really knocked the stuffing out of us.
We also lost Ellie to injury after she turned her ankle in the second half, having already picked up an issue with her other ankle in the first half. Horrible luck, and we wish her a quick recovery. ❤️🩹
Two further late goals made it 5-0 as the final whistle sounded. It was one of those difficult mornings where players were picking up injuries and niggles, leaving us with limited options to freshen things up. As we pushed more players forward looking for a way back into the game, we also lost some positional discipline, and the final score probably reflected the overall preparation and collective effort we were able to put into the game.
There were still some positives to take.
👏 Kiri and Izzy both had strong games at full-back, particularly when they were left dealing with 2v1 situations, which they handled really well.
👏 Mimi caused plenty of problems down the right in the second half.
🏆 Player of the Match – Tilly
Tilly wasn’t completely convinced by the decision 😂, but I felt she consistently tried to play the ball forward and was always looking for a player in blue. It didn’t always come off, but that’s an area of her game that has improved a lot, and it was good to see her continuing to try it.
A tough morning against a very good Rugby Borough side, but plenty for us to learn from and take into the next game.
🔵⚫️ Keep going, Roses.
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