Fylde Women (F) 3 - 0 Alderley Edge (F)
Vitality Women's Conference North
The Ladies 1st team were at home to Alderley Edge, and once again without a full squad. However the return of captain Vicky Rukin boosted confidence, and Fylde started the game strong. The first quarter saw no goals and was fairly even, but into the 2nd quarter Fylde dominated and their possession was soon rewarded with a penalty corner goal from Lucy Woods.
Not long after half time, despite Fylde controlling play, a misplaced pass saw Alderley Edge break through the middle and resulted in a penalty stroke being awarded. Fylde's junior England keeper Anya Jackson rose to the challenge and made an excellent save to keep it 1-0.
Alderley Edge couldn't cope with the pace of the Fylde front line, and it wasn't long till Taegan O'Hara found Pru Lindsey at the back post for a tap in, 2-0 Fylde. Fylde completely controlled the game and added another penalty corner goal, once again through Lucy Woods.
A convincing performance from the Fylde girls, and player of the game went to captain Vicky Rukin.
Clitheroe Blackburn Northern 1 (F) 1 - 2 Fylde 2 (F)
North West Women's Division 1
With lots of passes from Fylde and a fiery start to the game,
It was obvious C&B were trying to do the same,
However, Fylde had lots of balls down the right side driven,
Resulting in a few penalty corners given.
The intensity of play rose,
As the match clock froze,
A shock was here for a back of the stick,
Surprisingly, resulting in an against Fylde flick.
The flick changed the score but not for long,
As Fylde didn't give up and held their strong,
A physical game for Emma and Lucy with strength and power,
Allowed Natasha to score just over half the hour.
A goal was scored but did not stand,
For some who watched, was difficult to understand,
Fylde remained calm and disciplined in the mind,
It was time for C&B to go behind.
A powerful goal was played from Sally,
With great support from all like a rally,
Beth, Olivia, Natasha, Dawn and Liv,
Worked together and gave it their all, they had to give.
Solid, brave and determined defenders,
Allowed the exciting show for the attenders,
Lots of Press and organised play,
Secured the win, playing our Fylde way.
Fylde Ladies 3's had a bye week in North West Women's Division 2 North
Fylde 4 (F) 0 - 1 Windermere 1 (F)
North West Women's Division 3 North (Central) The Ladies 4th team fielded a straight 11 against Windermere at Mill Farm. From the start the experienced away side dominated play. A return from injury saw Abigail Johnson lead the defensive back line.
A breakaway chance through the middle saw Windermere take the lead. The Fylde attacking line up of Laura Knowles, Lisa Perry and Carly Wilde continued to battle for the equalising goal but on this occasion it just didn’t happen.
A young attacking lineup against a more experienced defence prevented the 4th team taking away any points. The final score line 0-1.
Lancaster 3 (F) 0 - 2 Fylde 5 (F)
North West Women's Division 4 North (Central) The Ladies 5Xl headed to Lancaster University this Saturday to play Lancaster 3XI. Fylde dominated the attacking game most of the first half with multiple shots on goal being saved by Lancaster's experienced goalkeeper. Fylde persisted and continued to show excellent teamwork and passing between the forwards until finally Lali Atherton broke through the defence and scored Fylde's first goal. The second half brought Lancaster back with renewed determination, but the solid Fylde defence denied them entrance to the D on the few attempts that were made to attack. Fylde continued to hold excellent formation and the second half saw many short corners conceded by Lancaster but Fylde couldn't find the net.
It was a perfect pass from top D to Georgia Hampson that created an opportunity and Georgia scored Fylde's second goal.
Great team win Lancaster 3Xl 0 - Fylde 5Xl 2.
Garstang 4 (F) 0 - 4 Fylde 6 (F)
North West Women's Division 5 North (Central) Fylde Ladies 6th Team met away at Garstang to play their 4th team. A kit issue left Garstang without a goal keeper for the start of the match but they were fielding a strong defense as Fylde quickly set off, winning the ball from a Garstang push. The young team worked hard to take the ball into their attacking D and made the defence work relentlessly, winning a short corner. Garstang set their defence and a quick out saw them clear the Fylde attack, but Fylde worked tirelessly and saw success as Jessie Allen managed to score the first goal.
As the Garstang keeper took her position, Fylde continued to work hard at keeping possession of the ball and were able to deal with their attacks, the defence clearing the ball and turning the play around, although Garstang were able to put the pressure on, winning a couple of short corners. Keeper Dani Howarth worked with the defence to ensure the ball was kept out and Garstang were unable to score. On the attack, Abbie Warburton worked hard disrupting the defence and was able to work the ball around the D with her hard work paying off giving Fylde a 2-0 lead going into half time. Following a quick team chat, Fylde went back out prepared for a quick attack from the opposition, they did not disappoint as Garstang came out with renewed energy, but undeterred by this Fylde drew back and were able to bring the ball back into their possession and began their attack.
Priyanka Rajan gave great speed and energy on the right half position, with Sophie Rawlinson mirroring this down the left. A Fylde short corner, injected by Nikki Richmond reached Katie Leil, who put the ball in the back of the net to give Fylde their third goal. Garstang continued to work hard attacking down their right but the Fylde defence stayed strong and another attack from Fylde saw Jessie Allen score her second goal of the match. Final score Garstand 4 0 - 4 Fylde 6. Special mention goes to Priyanka Rajan and Kate Ralston who both made their debut appearance for Fylde.
Alderley Edge 2 (M) 2 - 4 Fylde (M)
North West Men's Division 1
Fylde Men's 1XI travelled away to Alderley Edge with a determination to put another 3 points on the board off the back of a difficult game the week before.
The game plan was to provide a stern resistance for the opening exchanges and then as the team grew into the game provide more of a threat on the front foot. The team executed this plan perfectly, frustrating the opposition for the opening 15 minutes, and then managed to get the goal they deserved, through new captain Gareth Sym from a short corner. However, with only three minutes on the clock to half time the opposition were awarded a short corner which they converted to bring the game all square at the break.
The half-time team talk was positive and Fylde came out the much stronger side and took the lead again within five minutes of the restart, through a flowing counter attack move which resulted in Jordan Payne grabbing his first of the game. It was clear to see the confidence was riding high with great work by Ben Douglas turning the ball over in midfield, and playing a beautiful aerial through to Jordan Payne who passed it around the keeper for Jamie Oakes to tap home.
As the second half progressed it became evident that Alderley Edge were pushing more men forward to try and get back into it, and with around 10 minutes to go grabbed a goal back through a deflection that left Danny Taylor in goal stranded.
However, once again the Fylde men stood firm and with two minutes to go through a well worked team goal, with Jordan Payne grabbing his second of the game.
A special mention to Adam Ball who made his debut appearance for the Men's 1XI and to Jacob Currey who received man of the match.
Fylde 2 (M) 1 - 4 Kendal 1 (M)
North West Men's Division 3 North A depleted 2nd team hosted Kendal 1st XI at Mill Farm, bolstered by Phil Weir, Connor McClelland, Richard Clarke and Caine Draper. Expecting a strong opposition, Fylde set out to do the basics well (and stay warm on a bracing 10am pitch), demonstrating a stalwart start and setting the pace of the game. Work rate and desire for possession was high, something the team was targeting for improvement after the previous fixture. An attack down the right led to an opening goal by Kendal, with a bobbling ball sneaking through. Fylde kept their heads up and Kendal out, with a strong defensive performance comprised of both the back 4 and midfield. Going into the second half it wasn't long before the focus on rapid counterattacks in training paid off, with Phil Hope forcing the Kendal keeper into a dive before placing a precise flick into the far corner of the backboard. Play continued to be tightly contested, with Fylde excelling at reading and intercepting the longer balls Kendal repeatedly sought to play. A foray into the Fylde D resulted in a shoulder-height rising ball which was opportunistically deflected by Kendal to take the score to 2-1 in their favour - a tally that would have been significantly higher if not for the excellent keeping and defending of Rory Mower, Ben Mortimer and Si Allen. The remainder of the second half was largely contested between the two 23's, until a fast break by Kendal resulted in a goal line scramble and a rebound flick over the keeper. Fylde continued to push to full time, conceding a penalty corner drag flick in the final minutes. Full time: 4-1 to Kendal 1st XI. An overwhelming Man of the Match vote was awarded to Ben Mortimer, with a number of team infractions resulting in a multi-way tie for DotD (read into that what you will!). A loss, but a strong team performance, and many positives to take into the next games.
Lancaster & Morecambe 2 (M) 4 - 3 Fylde 3 (M)
North West Men's Division 4 North Fylde Men’s 3’s lost several experienced players to the 2’s but were boosted by an influx of rapidly developing youngsters, together with a rare appearance from Chris Banks, producing a balanced side. Fylde had the rare luxury of an early goal, when Nigel Sadler took control of the ball in the D, spun and shot home at pace. The first half saw action at both ends, and a shot from a Lancaster short corner hit Oli Holmes’s body on the inside post, so a penalty stroke was awarded and converted for the equaliser. Nigel Sadler continued to give Lancaster trouble and had several shots on goal, but on one occasion he was able to keep possession of the ball within the D with some close range tippy-tippy skills, and find Harry Marsh in space for a square ball, which the youngster put away to give Fylde the half-time lead. Despite some Fylde pressure, it was Lancaster who scored early in the second half next to tie the game, with another short corner that was launched at Oli Holmes at height, and although he partially stopped it, the ball bounced back into the goal before any goalmouth clearance was possible. Fylde then had their best spell of the match, with some storming runs down the right wing from Tom (Cosgrove) and Lewis Simpson, linking with James Dobson and Luke Cosgrove. Several short corners were won, and Oli Homes converted one with a well struck straight shot finding the corner of the goal. More opportunities came, with shots from Sadler and Luke Whitelow saved at close range. Lancaster put extra men to counter attack, and with 5 minutes remaining, one player beat two Fylde defenders in the D and scored for the equaliser. Much to Fylde’s dismay, another counter attack minutes later resulted in a square ball into the D which the Lancaster striker reached first and snuck under Cameron McIntyre in Fylde’s goal. Fylde had no time to respond and were gutted to lose a match they were winning, but the performance was very promising especially if the same players can be available every week. Fylde 4 (M) v Preston 7 (M) North West Men's Division 5 North Fylde again didn't have enough players to field a Men's 4th team, so conceded their game against Preston 7's.