Match Report
Match Report - 31 Aug 2008, Bracknell Town Ladies FC Bracknell Town Ladies beat MK Wanderers
The Robins kicked off the new season with a comfortable victory against newly promoted MK Wanderers. The game started well with the front two of Whittaker and Turner combining well, Turner attacking Whittakers' ball into the danger area to fire home her opening goal of the campaign after only 5 minutes. The game was a frustrating affair for both sides as they grappled with the poor condition of the playing surface. The Robins passed the ball better than their opponents and had several opportunities to extend their lead particularly from some accurate crosses from both Dawn Campbell and Libby Suchley. MK Wanderers were confined to several half chances hitting on the break when Bracknell conceded possession. However, these attacks failed to test Jen Patterson, who wore the keeper's jersey after Sam Holloway had been caught up in traffic and arrived late. The back 4 were rarely troubled and broke up most attacks before they got close the Bracknell goal.
The Robins lead was eventually increased when an Emma Constable shot rebounded back to the alert Turner who gleefully struck her second goal on 42 minutes. The lead was further increased in the 44th minute when Whittaker latched onto the loose ball when the keeper spilled a cross into the box.
The second half saw the Robins begin more positively with their passing game imposing a quicker tempo on the game. However, despite the promising start to the half, Cox was caught in possession and MK Wanderers played 2 quick passes which resulted in an excellent strike from the edge of the box flying into the top corner of the net. This setback saw the Robins press forward with more purpose. Ali Pankhurst stamped her authority on the game by making herself available as an outlet for her defensive colleagues and then finding her passing range to set off a series of attacking moves. The 4th goal arrived courtesy of Sarah Cox's left foot as she attempted to deliver a cross into the penalty area only to see it bounce over the onrushing keeper.
With the game effectively won at this point, a tactical change saw the introduction of Emily Campbell and Kim Lockyer releasing Suchley into the central midfield area alongside Emma Constable. The change brought an immediate impact when Suchley was played through by Constable. She was forced wide by a defender but still managed to deliver a delightful cross which Whittaker got on the end of for her second goal of the game and Town's 5th.
Emma Constable saw a shot strike the foot of a post before Pankhurst rounded off the scoring with a spectacular curling shot from outside the penalty area after being found by a clever reverse pass from Dawn Campbell. Sam Holloway came on for the last 15 minutes and took over the gloves from Patterson who moved into the striker's berth replacing Michelle Turner. As the game entered its final minutes, another excellent cross was narrowly missed by Patterson who slid in at the back post.
A sound start with everyone involved making a positive contribution to the cause but there's more to come from this set of players as the season unfolds.
MK Wanderers 1 - 6 Bracknell Town Ladies FC Bracknell Town Ladies