BELLES STRETCHED AGAINST HINCKLEY

An afternoon kick off last Sunday for the Belles, which saw the Belles squad stretched. Eliza, Scarlet and Monica were all unavailable due to injury and then Lola C was unwell. This meant a shuffle around in formation to four in defence as Ava H went to left back.

The game started off at a good pace, Ava S made a crucial interception then Lols bravely won a header whilst under pressure. Up the other end Darcy drove forward from her own half but her cross evaded everyone.

With the opening of the game being an even contest Hinckley took the lead as their forward unleashed an unstoppable shot into the corner. The Belles reaction was great, a throw in from Iris, was deflected off Darcy right into the path of Oliwia who prodded home for the equalizer.

Zoe was enjoying her battle at right back and she was strong as she won numerous balls by being on the front foot. The Belles took the lead through a well worked goal. Caitlin showed fantastic determination to play the ball to Darcy, who simply used her pace to finish high into the net. It was a lovely finish as the Belles were playing with confidence.

As Caitlin and Oliwia were supporting the attack, Evie was doing a brilliant job sitting in midfield. She was closing everything down and was excellent in possession. Some nice interplay between Caitlin and Oliwia saw Elcie played in but her shot hit the post. Despite the Belles looking the most likely to score, the opposition got an equalizer as a hopeful attempt squirmed into the corner beyond Esme.

The Belles kept pushing with half time on the horizon, Amie's cross was nearly met by Elcie and on the other side Iris had a shot blocked. The Belles did get in front via a corner. It was whipped in by Oliwia and there was Ava S to bundle home from close range.

At halftime we regrouped and emphasised that we were good value for the lead but the next goal was crucial.

The second half began, the combative Evie was there again winning the first ball and another brave tackle from Lols followed. Elcie broke through but just couldn't get her shot away. A run by Ava H saw her cross run across the face of goal but couldn't be met by a Belles player.

However, the opposition got an opportunity to draw level via the penalty spot. The ball bobbled up on Ava S which hit her arm. Harsh on Ava but the opposition dispatched the penalty.

After that moment the intensity from the Belles dropped and we were struggling to get any rythm going, as the momentum shifted to Hinckley.

They got infront with a close range finish after not dealing with a ball into the box. Then the lead was extended after the ball slipped from Esme's grasp to the forward who scored. The game settled a bit for the Belles, as we changed formation in the hope it would get us going and attack more. Despite the efforts of the midfield three of Caitlin, Oliwia and Evie, who kept trying to push the Belles on we still couldn't get any flow to our play.

Esme made a save from their forward and somehow Lols flew across the penalty box and did just enough to ensure the striker shot wide.

The Belles conceded two more goals with one being a cross that looped over Esme and by the time the full time whistle went it was clear by the faces of the players that it was a difficult result to take.

Players of the Match - Evie & Lols

It was certainly a game of two halves. The Belles were playing with confidence in the first half and deservedly had the lead at half time. But we dropped off in the second half and allowed the opposition to control the game. It was uncharacteristic of the Belles, but sometimes games like this enable you to understand what we need to work on. We switch our attention to the league cup on Sunday and will work on some things in training.

Players of the match went to Lols and Evie. Lols never stopped trying all game and made numerous blocks in defence. Evie was very much the same, she worked hard in midfield and was strong in the tackles.