We've been here before but it still doesn't get any easier to take. With the seventh Waverton player pulling out last night for pressing and unavoidable reasons, Irby were on Friday night asked if they would consider playing 6v6. No came the answer. Would you like to lend us one of your 8 and we can play 7v7? No came the answer.
Another well known league side were similarly obsessed with on field domination in days gone by ('We've asked the girls and they would like to play with 7') and in the u12s days we came across this mission drive from an unnamed manager who had the cheek to say how at the end of an unequal 6v7 game that a spectator wouldn't have noticed we had one player less. Well mate thats not how it felt to our six who'd been flogging their legs and lungs out for an hour and consistently picking the ball out of the net. Strange though that other clubs, including our own u12s this very morning, take a contrary view in the interests of fair play. This game is about playing fairly and in the spirit of sportsmanship, not about demoralising 13 year old girls because of the win at all costs mentality of middle aged men.
Anyway. Rant over. The six yellow shirts lined up with Lucie in the nets, a back one of Emma, Kiera in the middle of the middle, Lily and Lauren in the wider middle and Elia up front. The team spirit at kick off was fantastic and the first 10 minutes arguably saw the 6 on top of the 7. Elia was unlucky not to give the home side the lead but generally Waverton's play and passing was top notch. Against the run of play though Irby scored with a low shot that beat Lucie. Soon after an incident happened that was pivotal. In diving to save from an on rushing attacker, Lucie clashed heads with her opponent and came off worse. She had a bad bump on her head and was shaken. Yet she did not want to come off. This is one tough girl. Shaken up, she did her best but some more goals went in.
At half time Lucie was not able to carry on. She felt shaken and sick and would later spend 4 hours in A&E. Kiera went in goal but in the corner of the field a solution to the impending 5v7 disparity appeared. Carlotta, Issy and Jodie were hanging around kicking a ball after their u12 game and once invited to make up the numbers they jumped at the chance. Except we had to choose two to start, so Jodie and Issy joined the 5 u14s for the restart. Touch of irony in the probability that they still had some energy left because our u12s had gone down to 6 as the opposition had only brought 6. See fair play will always win in the end.
We played so well throughout the match and were so unlucky not to score. Elia went close on numerous occasions and Lily was awesome in her trickery. Lauren took to the task really well and had a fine game. Emma was solid at the back and Kiera brilliant outfield and in goal. 'This is scary' she said of the 'keeping role. Lucie makes it look easy.
Elia fully deserved her player of the match award. She was excellent.
Lucie went to hospital as a precaution but apart from a cut, bump and a sore head, she was fine. A brave player she is. Well done to her and the other 5. Oh and the little helpers too, well done and thanks, Carlotta, Issy and Jodie. Huge thanks to Robin Parkinson for putting up the goals on his own at 9:30.
The u16s took to the stage as we left except the angry away team manager was on the verge of heading straight back up the M53 without a ball being kicked because he was arguing that the Waverton pitch wasn't big enough for 7 a side football. You couldn't make it up could you?
Training on Monday. 7-8 at the gym. Next week's fixtures out sometime soon. We hope. What a league this is eh?
