Match Report
Match Report - 13 Feb 2011, Bracknell Town Ladies FC Bracknell Town Ladies beat Wycombe Wanderers LFC
On a day where the wind and rain were relentless,the welcome at Wycombe Wanderers ground was less than warm. Always difficult opponents the Robins knew they would not have an easy ride.
The Robins settled down the quicker of the 2 sides in the opening 10 minutes but after having squandered a couple of half chances their hosts began to find some joy in the conditions. On almost every occasion that a Wycombe defender had the ball in her possession it was returned with interest, carrying in the wind and being aggressively chased down by the energetic Su Oakley ably supported by the 2 wide players. The Robins back 4 were fortunate to see some good opportunities missed by their hosts one of which was a tremendous last ditch block from skipper Tasha Boyle who threw herself in front of an Oakley strike.
As the game settled into an end to end affair, the Robins who were at least trying to pass the ball finally worked a neat move from back to front with top scorer Tracy Corkett profiting from an Emma Turner pass. Corkett drew the keeper and picked her spot to give the Robins the lead.
Defensively, the Robins were still having to work hard to repel the pressure exerted by the long through ball which was to prove an effective weapon for the hosts as half time approached. A pass straight down the middle saw both centre backs caught square allowing the experienced Oakly to bring the ball under her spell before rifling her shot past Robertson.
With the conditions not letting up one could reasonably have expected the Robins to try the same tactics as their hosts, but they were intent on trying to keep the ball well and to create scoring opportunities in their usual style. For a number of reasons including the hard work and doggedness of the Wycombe players, possession was conceded too cheaply. Frustration bit and a free kick was conceded about 30 yards out from the Robins goal. The Wycombe central defender stepped up and struck the ball with venom only to see the ball strike the bar and then cleared to eventual safety. Another clear opportunity was created when a cross from the right was met by an onrushing Wycombe player with the goal at her mercy only to see her effort go wide of the mark. At this stage in the game something needed to change as the Robins were in danger of losing. A triple substitution on the hour saw Sarah Lipscombe, Libby Shuttle and Caz Gardner all enter the fray just after the hour mark.
The changes soon began to take effect as the quality of ball to the front 2 improved and on 70 minutes, Lipscombe found herself through on goal to finish well.
5 minutes later, a good cross from the right from Shuttle found the hard working Caz Paterson around the penalty spot. As the onrushing keeper came out to deny her space and time, Paterson calmly lifted the ball over the keeper and into the net to secure the points. The same player could have further extended the lead when she missed arguably an easier chance.
Wycombe may feel hard done by as their hard work could have resulted in goals had they taken their chances when on top in the opening exchanges of the second half but once the Robins took the lead again, the result was never in doubt.
Next week sees the Robins make the short trip to Reading Town ladies for another league fixture.
Wycombe Wanderers LFC 1 - 3 Bracknell Town Ladies FC Bracknell Town Ladies