Captain’s Report Brecon v Gowerton

Couldn’t have asked for a better start to the 2016/17 season. The ladies all put in an outstanding effort throughout the whole game.

After a well-structured and focused warm up the ladies were ready to take on Brecon for the win. The ladies started off on the back foot as Brecon won the toss for first push back. Despite this the ladies put pressure on Brecon forcing them to take a defensive role. After demonstrations of exceptional team work and individual skill the ladies secured their first goal which came from the cracking strike of Katie Saunderson. This lifted the spirits of the ladies, however they kept their composure and continued to press. Accurate feeding from the midfields up to the forwards allowed the ladies to get into Brecon’s defending circle which resulted in a second goal from Cath Fuge.

Again spirits were lifted but the ladies still knew they had to work for the win. After the restart there were a series of short corners against Gowerton but defence held strong and worked hard displaying exceptional defensive skills resulting in a turn over and a break down the line for Gowerton.

After several shots on Brecon’s goal Gowerton secured a short corner. The strike was taken but Brecon had a foot on the line resulting in a penalty flick for the girls. Cath Fuge stepped up to the challenge and secured Gowerton’s third goal by putting the ball top left corner. As the game continued, Gowerton continued to press and before the half time whistle, Ria Cannon was able to secure a fourth goal for the ladies.

After a positive half time talk with constructive feedback. The girls were eager to get back out on the pitch and continue their journey to victory. It was our start, putting us on the front foot and in an attacking role. Play continued at the same pace and standard as the first half with the girls working effectively as a team and with constructive use of communication to drive us forward.

It was visible that the girls started to tire but with regular substitutions being made the girls were able to keep the pace of the game consistent. As play continued a foul was called against Gowerton in the middle of the pitch, which resulted in a green card (2 minute sin bin) for Cath Fuge for knocking the ball away. This resulted in the girls losing a forward to cover the gaps in midfield taking on a more defensive role.

The girls continued to work constructively but despite several attempts on goal were unable to secure a fifth goal. Brecon however were able to secure their only goal by creating a 3 on 1 attack on Hannah Preuss. As play continued fatigue started to kick in the girls continued to work exceptionally hard and did not give up the fight until the final whistle. After the game there was an amazing buzz amongst the girls and everyone was pleased and proud of the way in which they had played.

This week’s captain’s player could have gone to any of the girls as they all gave it 100% and worked exceptionally well. Defence had an outstanding game defending the goal till the end, like a solid wall. Tracey Simons, after returning from injury, had an outstanding first game back. However this week’s Captain’s player goes to a player whose style of play is phenomenal. Her grace and ball skill is second to none and the fact that she was able to keep her cool while being besieged by Brecon defence, which she successfully navigated her way of every time, was exceptional. Not only did she demonstrate excellent play but her encouragement toward her team members was uplifting and motivational. For these reason I would like to give Captain’s player to Katie Saunderson.

A goal and Captain’s player on your debut, not bad eh! But definitely well deserved.