On a bitterly cold Friday night, the Women's Metro Division 1 team headed down to Slacks Creek for an 8:30pm kick-off with only 11 players. Having not played or trained for almost three weeks, and with players still recovering from illness and injury, the pre-game team talk focussed on staying composed, stepping-up, and having to work extra hard to make up for the lack of subs. Even though the team were playing with their usual 1-4-3-3 formation, a number of players were called upon to play in unfamiliar positions.
TGFC started brightly and dominated possession, using the width of the pitch to create a number of opportunities, particularly through some great crosses from both the left and right flanks. Despite going very close, we couldn't quite get the all important final touch needed to find the back of the net. Meanwhile, the midfield trio were working hard to provide support to both defence and attack and were winning all the physical battles to deny Slacks Creek any time or space. Unfortunately, midway through the first half, Slacks Creek were able to breach the back line, race clear and, despite our keeper's best efforts, take the lead. Our ladies pushed hard for the equaliser but went in at half-time 1-0 down.
The second half started with TGFC pushing for the equaliser, and the ladies were rewarded early thanks to a fantastic 25-yarder from Mia which flew into the roof of the net. Not content just to draw level, our ladies kept up the pressure and just three minutes later Maddy finished from close range to put TGFC 2-1 up. This drew a reaction from Slacks Creek who started to dominate as TGFC began to tire. However, our defence was determined not to let Slacks Creek get back into the game, and our keeper was called upon several times to make some important saves and interceptions. The effects of the massive effort started to show in the final 15 minutes of the game as we were frequently reduced to ten players due to cramp and injuries, and, despite the referee adding five minutes of injury time, the ladies hung on valiantly to win 2-1 and take all three points.
Well done Alice, Liv, Laura, Tabitha, Holly, Amelia, Mia, Ellie, Maddy, Hannah, and Anais. We're all so proud of how you stepped-up, supported each other, and worked together as a team. Proud to be… The Gap FC!