Match Report
Match Report - 22 Mar 2009, Bracknell Town Ladies FC Bracknell Town Ladies beat BTC Riverside DOUBLE HEADER
The Robins welcomed Riverside Strikers to Larges Lane for this league double header fixture. Riverside had arrived on the back of some recent good results so it was perhaps a bit of a surprise to see them fall behind within 2 minutes of the start of the game. The Robins opener came from a Jen Patterson corner which skipper Angie Barton attacked and headed home. This seemed to spur the home side on as they pressed hard to extend their lead by keeping the ball well in and around the Riverside defensive third. Some excellent work by Jen Friar resulted in her cross being headed in by Michelle Turner on 4 minutes.
The Robins continued to press and Jo Whittaker saw a well struck shot charged down by a Riverside defender and Elly Maggs came desperately close when her header hit the bar.
The second half started with more of the same, the Robins attacking their opponents aggressively. This attribute was ably highlighted by Tracy Corkett who forced her way past a defender to slide the ball beyond the despairing clutched of the onrushing keeper.
The game was stopped for a few minutes following a clash of heads between Michelle Turner and a Riverside defender. Shortly after, Turner was rested and Tracy Beales took her place.
It wasn't too much longer before the 4th goal came courtesy of the lively, Beales. She met a good pass from Constable and finished well under pressure. The scoring was rounded off by the irrepressible Corkett who latched onto a pass from Jo Whittaker and shot home firmly from around 18 yards. Result: Bracknell Town Ladies FC 5 Riverside Strikers 0.
Riverside had clearly taken their foot off the pedal in the second half of the first game hoping to conserve energy for the second game which they started brightly. Their aggression and denial of space forced several corners that the Robins did not deal with effectively. Had Riverside been more accurate with the headers they won the result may have been very different. Their breakthrough came on 14 minutes when another spell of pressure had the Robins on the back foot. A cross was struck into the penalty area and after a spot of pinball was eventually forced past Calder in the Robins goal.
A positive reaction from the Robins was called for with both Pankhurst and Constable coming close.
The second half saw the Robins play with more composure and a higher tempo. They forced a corner which Patterson again struck powerfully into the danger zone. Constable rose above the Riverside defence to head home for the equaliser. The Robins continued to force the pace of the game with Calder largely redundant in the Robins goal. Another corner was conceded by Riverside and this time Patterson surprised the opposition as she struck the ball under the cross bar to score. Building on this, the Robins controlled the final 18 minutes of the game, retaining possession well and denying their hard working opponents much of the ball.
A well earned 6 points and a boost to their goal difference as the Robins move into second place. Next week they visit Southampton Saints who lie in third spot with 3 games in hand and three points adrift of the Robins. Another crunch game in the hunt for a top 3 finish.
Bracknell Town Ladies FC Bracknell Town Ladies 5 - 0 BTC Riverside DOUBLE HEADER