Wednesday night 28/3/07 against Wotton A

For the National team this evenings match was a must win affair!

To a certain extent so was this game, the Fry Club "B" Girls against Wotton Rovers "A". The Fry Girls needed a result for several reasons, to secure a mid table position by the end of the season, as was always the goal for this new side, to prove to themselves and others that they can play some great football! and to start enjoying their football, as with results come smiles, and wining becomes a habit!

So on this bright fresh late march evening the girls knew what they had to do but Wotton Rovers "A" are a good side with other ideas of how the end result should read!

Wotton Rovers went for it straight from the kick off and the Fry's defence took a battering for the first few minutes, but thanks to some great goal keeping from Alice, strong purposeful defending from Emily Dean and Emma, Fry's weathered the storm and started to move the ball around well in the midfield. With around five minutes gone Chelsea got Amy away with a lovely long ball and Amy duly put the Fry Club Girls in front at 1-0. This settled the Fry Girls down and they played some of their best football of the season so far. That's not to say that Wotton Rovers "A" were out of it, quite the opposite! it took some fantastic and organised defending from Emma and Emily Dean to keep Wotton at bay. Unlike Wotton Rovers who relied on the long ball game, the Fry Club Girls played intelligent passing football. As a result of Emily Tite defending forward runs in midfield from Wotton, Chelsea pushing forward down the middle and Danni running up and back on the right, Amy found the back of the net again with a great shot at around the mid point of the first half making the score 2-0 to Fry's.

Wotton then made some changes and to be honest always looked like they could find their way back into the game. With about five minutes left on the clock of the first half the Wotton centre forward got free and went one on one with Alice in the box only for Alice to pull off a wonder save and deny Wotton what looked like a certain goal! With Wotton applying more and more pressure and pushing further up the pitch, Amy got free again and this time sank a long range shot to end the first half at 3-0 to the Fry Club B Girls, and give Amy a hat trick!

The second half started as the first ended with end to end football, the Wotton Rovers Keeper playing out of her skin and keeping Amy at bay. Emily Tite was heading every high ball, Chelsea and Danni up and back like lunatics!, Emily Dean and Emma getting stuck into every Wotton Striker and Alice stopping every shot! Something had to give and it did! Wotton Rovers scored at around fifteen minutes into the second half making the score 3-1 to Fry's. Within a couple of minutes Wotton scored yet again to put themselves right back in the game with the score now 3-2 to Fry's.

The playing staff for Fry's reacted quickly and Chelsea was substituted for Steph. This was a bold move as there was always the worry that the change would unsettle the Fry Girls as they were working so well as a unit, but fresh legs were needed to take the game back from Wotton!

Steph struggled to settle for a few minutes and Emma had taken a knock, Danni looked done and Wotton were full of belief and were pilling on the pressure! Step up Emily Dean and Alice. They just stopped everything for the next four or five minutes! Danni then just took a deep breath and changed back into top gear and dropped behind Steph to feed her on the right. Steph settled and back went the fight into the Wotton penalty area!

The last kick of the game was a spectacular clearance by Alice from the Wotton centre forwards feet, who was clean in on goal!

So the final score was 3-2 to The Fry Club "B" Girls and three very well earned points from a game played in the true sporting spirit that football should be played from both sides, seeing the Fry Club Girls clapping their opponents off the pitch upon their departure.

Mentions in dispatches for this game go to Emily Tite, Chelsea, Danni, Emma and Steph, you were all outstanding and didn't stop. Well done girls! A slight twist to proceedings now as there were three other performances that also stood out in this game so MBEs (Mighty Big Efforts) go to Emily Dean what a game! You never stopped! And Alice, that's probably the best goal keeping display anyone could have asked for!

And lastly the player of the Match for this game was Sharp Shooter Amy great effort! Great hat trick!