6 wins and 1 draw from the Senior teams in their leagues on Saturday
Timperley 1 0-1 Fylde 1
A game under lights again was the challenge for the Ladies against Timperley. Fylde started well moving the ball between the lines and connecting well between defence, midfield and forward line. The confident start led to opportunities and we played in the first two quarters on the front foot. Some good defending kept Timperley's attacks to a couple of PCs which were defended well.
The game got a bit frantic after half time as some decisions and a lack of discipline at times getting five, and knocking the ball away let to us play with 10 players on 5 occasions! It didn’t phase the group who kept a good shape and with the girls keeping their composure especially around our own D.
The decisions whether right or wrong in the last quarter, if anything, made us signing more and a counter attack in which Jess Wharton took on their full back, cut inside before being floored, and a PC awarded. The first corner didn’t pay off back to the injector but what followed was a superb low flick into the bottom left corner by Flor Zappulla!
This result was a team effort in which the squad all stepped up and performing at a good level!
Player of the match was Flor Zappulla.
Lytham St Annes 1 0-7 Fylde 2
Team talk - Corners, Fast Play, Power shots and set the Press tight. Everyone took up Lisa's mantra from the off.
Lytham came on the attack quickly, but Fylde kept their composure and took it straight back to them holding the ball and using our pace, leading to a few chances and an early goal from Amelia Hatton.
Lytham came again, but couldn't get through the strong block tackles from Kelly Windows and EJ Dunkerley who moved the ball out to the left. Beth Ridsdale and Laura Knowles rolling play up the wing brilliantly linking and gaining more chances. Ruby Cosgrove subbed onto the left. Opportunities created in the Lytham D by Emma Savidge and Olivia John-Haslam winning Fylde a PC. With our PC's being organised, Ruby did a smashing deflection for our 2nd goal.
Lytham answered gaining a PC, straight strike dealt with easily EJ and Kelly moving the ball out wide. With Ruby moving into the middle, Lytham could not dispossess Fylde, everyone reacting quickly to free hits and switching the ball enabled Sally Livesey to break through to Emma, Chelsea, Frankie and Olivia who maintained the pressure.
2nd half Lisa instructed we make the ball do the work keeping the movement up the wings with short, fast, angled passes and keep the tight press, creating interception chances through Olivia, Laura and Amelia. This showed with a succession of quick gains, Emma Savidge who worked with Chelsea Atkinson in the D to play round the keeper, scoring twice 1 hard shot and 1 PC.
Lytham continued to try and break creating a few chances. Our defence was well set, organised and disciplined, Lucy Wane, Ruby Cosgrove and Laura Knowles marking, winning the ball and breaking on the counter at pace.
Chelsea Atkinson scoring a 5th goal from a quick break with skill and precision. Followed soon after by a screaming shot from Lucy Wane in the D for the 6th.
Fylde stayed composed and on task, connecting the passes with accuracy and relentless pressure on the Lytham defence by keeping possession. Emma Savidge’s quick thinking led to the 7th goal giving her a hat-trick.
Great structure and teamwork throughout.
Player of the match today awarded to Ruby Cosgrove.
Fylde 3 3-0 Lancaster & Morecambe 1
Charlotte Lavin opened the scoring midway through the first half, followed up by Emily Greenwood scoring from a short corner towards the end of the half. Emily then scored in open play midway through the second half to seal an important win and three points in a competitive Division 2 North.
Fylde 4 1-0 Preston 3
Earlier start than normal didn't seem to affect Fylde's fiesty 4s. Preston's keeper was on her toes saving an abundance of shots on goal but it wasn't enough! Lotti Mackay showed no mercy in smashing the ball into the backboard deflecting a well struck penalty corner from Beth Baines. First half 1-0.
Second half Fylde were denied their second goal but they kept their chins up, battled on and maintained their 1-0 win until the end. Super efforts from everyone - a pleasure to watch.
Pendle Forest 3 0-0 Fylde 5
Fylde arrived in Colne to an icy rain storm and so stayed warm in their cars, ate their picnics and emerged only when the rain stopped and the pitch was free for a warm up. Some players had a play around to get there blood pumping whilst other opted for a quick jog to the toilets. Fylde welcomed back Katie Sloane from her break from hockey and another budding youngster Sophia Melling. Captain Debbie McClelland kept it simple and decided to “do what we did last week but better”.
With an abundance of defensive players, Alys Williams tried her hand at some left midfield and was amazing. Connecting well with Sara Tomlinson and Sophia Melling to make multiple opportunities for Fylde to try to work into Pendle’s D. Katie worked well on the right with her brilliant drives down the line and some powerful crosses. Despite Debbie’s cries to get someone on post and Fylde trying to flood the D, we were denied the back board by Pendle’s experienced keeper.
Sophia Gough and Dawn Peruzza made a formidable duo intercepting Pendle time and time again. Fylde dominated the game, with much of the possession and were able to establish a high formation with Olivia and Megan Hartley Smith playing high and doing an exceptional job of it, even if Megan managed to gain not one but 2 injuries, she came back on to continue her attack.
Hollie Twose, Sophia Melling had several opportunities on top D but couldn’t get a clear hit on goal before Pendle moved onto them. Pendle were not without opportunities but relied mainly on futile balls through to their one experienced striker. Phillipa Hancock was determined to keep a clean sheet this week. One save being a heart stopping scrabble on the line. Phillipa was yet again protected by Grace Lord who provided Fylde with some amazing skills and well placed tackles sometimes when it seemed impossible. Debbie was sure this week was the week for a win for Fylde, even she had a pretty good game, but she had to be satisfied to come away with just their first point.
Final score 0-0.
Maybe next week will be a winning week.
Win as a team lose as a team.
Longridge Development 1-5 Fylde 6 Development
The Fylde Ladies 6th Team set the early marker for club successes with an 11am start on a remote hill in Longridge. Excellent views on fine days but not on this Match Day as the rain clouds gathered and rain soaked the skins in the second half.
Undeterred by lack of player numbers, Fylde agreed a pact with Longridge to support the young players to learn the 11-a-side game. This is allowed at the Development level and it allowed Fylde to build a mixed team of enthusiastic adults and youngsters of mixed age groups. Michelle Finney joined her daughter, Emily, for the first time, and Victoria Latham made a welcome return from a long period of recovery from an operation. Three 12yr olds joined the team and made confident starts against a Longridge team of 16yr olds (plus an odd adult).
Camilla Wyles scored a brace on her debut and Captain Bella Coupe-Carroll also scored twice in a second-half period of sustained attack. Jasmine Stirrup rounded-off the goal scoring spree and everyone happily departed soaked to the skin!
Julie Knowles needs a special mention for the dirtiest shirt of the day, following a fine spreadeagled fall, changing her white shirt to a faded green from pitch detritus!
Player of the Match: Camilla Wyles
Fylde Men 3-2 Garstang Development
Fylde Men hosted Garstang’s Development Team for their second encounter of four this season, the first time having come out easy 8-0 winners. However, Chris Blackburn has since moved away, and captain Richard Clarke and striker Nigel Sadler were both missing, however Fylde were boosted by Martin Stringfellow fresh from umpiring two games in a row, and Jay Mayne tentatively returning from injury for a 14 man squad. Garstang were also very different, with only a couple of juniors from the previous team, and a much older set of players, in an intimidating 15 man squad.
Fylde started the better, although it soon became obvious that it would be a hard match. Glenn Ridsdale found himself having to sprint to challenge an attack down the middle of the pitch, and in so doing pulled a muscle and had to limp off, to be replaced by Martin Stringfellow, not yet recovered from his umpire exertions. Disaster struck a few minutes later when midfield dynamo, and Dutch heartthrob, Tim van Rijn pulled up in agony with what looked like a pulled hamstring and was out for the rest of the game. Down to a single sub, the most injury-prone player Fylde has had in recent years, so fingers were being crossed for no more injuries.
Fylde were surprised to go behind to a Garstang goal, but rallied when young Oliver van Rijn drove to the bye-line on the left wing, and crossed the ball with accuracy for Phil Hope to dink the ball into the net in front of the goalkeeper. Fylde then took the lead at a short corner when Phil Hope at the top of the D drove the ball to the far post for his son Luke Hitchen to slam into the goal for a perfectly executed routine.
The second half opened out with attacks from both sides, and Garstang playing two strikers high up the pitch. Fylde looked the more likely to score with attacks from the 3 Ollies, van Rijn, Adewale and Holmes as well as Luke Hitchen, Phil Hope and Jay Mayne now on the pitch. Instead after a Fylde attack involving Pete Latimer high up the pitch, Garstang counter-attacked with a long ball, a striker was able to elude Ollie Holmes last ditch tackle and then beat Craig Nutter in goal one-on-one.
The game was looking like it could end in a disappointing 2-2 draw, until a late short corner was won. Phil Hope received the ball at the top of the D, and instead of taking a strike, slipped it to his left to Oliver van Rijn. He rifled a shot at such pace, neither the goalkeeper or defenders on the line had any hope in stopping it, and it was a goal that a grown man could be proud of, never mind a youthful 13-year old. There’s even video evidence from his father Tim, who was watching from the sidelines following his injury.
Fylde defended the last few minutes for a well fought 3-2 victory in a very competitive game. Player of the Match was unanimous for Oliver van Rijn.
Clitheroe Blackburn Northern Mixed 6-0 Fylde Mixed (Sunday)
Fylde entered the national cup competition for mixed teams for the first time and travelled to Blackburn on the wettest day of the year, needing to switch pitches across town at late notice after Clitheroe Blackburn Northern’s normal Westholme School pitch was unplayable due to flooding. The squad of 12 were thoroughly soaked even before the whistle, and were under a lot of pressure early on, conceded a first goal early and then a second through a defensive error to be 2-0 down after 15 minutes. However the young ladies in midfield started to pass around and keep possession, and then put pressure to the CBN defence and won a series of short corners, but were unfortunate not to score before halftime.
The second half, CBN exerted their stronger male line-up (their first team playing in Division 1, compared to Fylde’s over 50’s playing in Division 4). They scored four more goals, including a couple from short corners, one being their trademark drag flick as witnessed by Fylde 2’s a few seasons ago in an infamous 15-0 defeat. Fylde had several attacks and runs into the D and were unlucky to not be able to find a finishing touch to score at least one goal. The performance from the whole Fylde team was very encouraging, and the team now enters the Tier 2 Cup competition against other Round 1 losers.
[more details and photos in a future article]
Fylde Girls U16 2-6 Bowdon Girls U16 A (Sunday)
The U16 girls lost 6-2 away to Bowdon in their top tier 1 league.
Lancashire North Junior Tournament (Sunday)
Fylde Under 8’s won both of their games with Will and Jude scoring 7 between them, both games vs Brookfields.
Fylde Under 12’s, without a goalkeeper, managed to keep two clean sheets and would have won all 4 with a keeper.
Brilliant performances from Penny Atkinson, Evie Bromley and Sophia Appleyard.
Horrendous weather from start to finish.
Won 2, Drew 1, Lost 1