Liverpool Sefton 1 2-2 Fylde 1
It was a chilly lunchtime kick off for the ladies’ first team versus an invigorated Liverpool Sefton side who were on a decent run of results. The Fylde team included a few new faces and were up for the challenge.
The game started well for the away team with a spell of early pressure in the Sefton D. A skilful run by Pru Lindsey from left midfield found the stick of Flor Zappulla. Flor worked her magic into the D and crossed perfectly for Dawn Child to place the ball into the goal as Fylde took a well-deserved lead.
Sefton responded aggressively and, during a spell where Fylde were reduced to 10 players, they made the most of a free hit outside the area finding a forward who made it 1-1. Fylde continued to create chances with a goal line scramble towards the end of the first half, where Sefton managed to scramble the ball away.
The second half started with good pressure from Fylde down the right hand side and some patient play around the back, with the defensive unit transferring the ball well. Unfortunately Fylde were unable to capitalise from the early possession and it was Sefton who took the lead from a penalty corner.
Fylde heads did not drop and the whole team fought back immediately. This determination created a fine chance that resulted in a penalty corner. Fylde’s first corner hit a Sefton foot and a second corner was awarded. With a decisive moment, Lucy Woods changed up the next corner to execute a rehearsed routine. Fylde were able to equalise from a well-timed Dawn Child deflection on the end of a superb sweep from Woods.
The rest of the game carried a huge sense of intensity as the home team piled on the pressure, desperately searching for the 3 points. Fortunately, Fylde withstood the attack. This included several outstanding saves from Captain, Anya Jackson, and the game ended 2-2.
Wilmslow 1 1-0 Fylde 2
Fylde started strong making quick passes and linking up well, with the forward line lead by Chelsea Atkinson working hard to give options to the midfield and defence. As the match went on Wilmslow were very quick to close down our play and were attacking very strong down the left side, but Fylde’s defence were delaying them well with great communication from EJ Dunkerley. Some great saves by Katie Barker kept Fylde’s defence strong.
Fylde managed to keep a clean sheet, and with a team talk from Lisa Brown at half time Fylde were ready for the second half. Wilmslow came out strong and attacked very fast down the line and unfortunately were awarded a short corner. Fylde came out strong but conceded on the rebound. Fylde kept their heads held high and made some great attacks, with Beth Ridsdale making great runs down the line. Fylde were awarded two short corners but were unsuccessful.
Fylde continued to battle hard towards the end of the game and kept the final score 0-1. A great effort from everyone.
Fylde 3 1-1 Lancaster & Morecambe 1
Today we welcomed a new player onto our team, Charlotte Lavin, who made a strong and skilful debut.
The game started off slowly, as we adjusted to the pace and techniques used by the opposition, while it was clear they had some talent amongst them, our speed and coordination as a team could easily outdo them. As the game went on, we only got stronger. In the 11th minute Kirtika Saravanan scored an excellent goal, after a very successful play between many Fylde players. This brought the score up to 1:0 We were confident on the ball and weren’t afraid to pass it backwards, looking for the switch. From here, though the opportunities kept arising, we just couldn’t score again. Nonetheless, we continued to fight and remain calm whilst in and out of possession. Some great balls from the back allowed us to have pace in the forward line, Lauren Appleyard’s ariels beat many of the opposition successfully, as well as some great tactical play by Poppy Chester.
In the 29th minute we were awarded a penalty short, although this came to nothing it put pressure on Lancaster and Morecambe as we got into their heads, especially due to keeping the ball predominantly in their half of the pitch.
As half time approached, it was clear we were tiring, we played a straight 11 with an injury substitution, Nikki Richmond, your kindness to step up and offer your time for us is greatly appreciated. The second half began and we continued to work the ball up and down the pitch, never giving up. Some great teamwork arose between Natalie Smith and Amy Carter, demonstrating their skill and ability to dominate. We played far better in the second half, as both individuals and as a team. However we gave away a couple of unlucky shorts, thankfully these came to nothing. Daniella Howarth and Poppy Chester worked hard on the back line preventing several goals from being scored. Unfortunately, there was one attack by the opposition which our defence were unable to stop, they equalised. Though there was only 10 minutes remaining, both teams were determined to win. The intensity ramped up, and Fylde became more fluid than ever in their play. Despite counterattack after counterattack, no goals were scored or conceded. Therefore the final score remained 1:1
Player of the match goes to Poppy Chester
Fylde 4 5-1 Clitheroe Blackburn Northern 2
Fylde 4s faced Clitheroe and Blackburn 2s on Saturday, with the opposition being just above them in the table it was a crucial game for the 4s.
The team went out strong and confident, everyone wanted to have a fun game and play good hockey. Fylde dominated possession throughout the first half and had lots of opportunities in the D but couldn’t convert. The half time whistle was close and a brilliant cross from Beth Wolstenholme to Abbie Warburton resulted into a brilliant reverse stick goal for Abbie! Fylde needed this and spirits were high going into the second half.
Plenty of short corners eventually lead to Beth Wolstenholme scoring the second goal for Fylde on her debut as an attacking player. A run down the middle from Fiona Quarmby who passed to Katie Leil on the right post who calmly and collectively placed it in the net for Fylde's 3rd goal! The most we have scored since November 2022.
Clitheroe and Blackburn got a break and their youngest player made a fantastic run down the middle of the pitch towards the keeper, despite Jess Egan running for her life and catching up with her the goal just managed to go into the back of the net making it 3-1. This didn’t stop Fylde's determination.
Excellent work from Lindsey Tait in the middle of the pitch led to lots of opportunities for Fylde in the D. A great attacking play from Fylde, with Rachel Lees and Katie Leil making great runs up the right of the pitch led to a great cross from Beth across the D to Fiona who put it into the back of the net for Fylde's 4th goal. Sophia Murray got the ball into the D with excellent skill and crossed it to Fiona who lifted it into the net for Fylde's 5th goal right before the final whistle blew. Spirits were soaring after a much needed and well deserved win. Every single player played amazing hockey!
Player of the Match Fiona Quarmby for her two goals and a special mention to Katie Leil too for her fantastic performance !!
Longridge 2 3-0 Fylde 5
Ladies 5s travelled to Longridge this week expecting freezing weather and gale force winds but were pleasantly surprise to find it was just freezing. Debbie McClelland Captain reluctantly left her heated car seat behind and allowed her legs to go “actually purple”. Fylde were in good spirits despite their goal keeper being injured and yet again Wonder Woman Fran Loffler Thompson put on her fancy keeper kit and went in goal.
The match started and from the first touch of the ball Fylde showed that they were going to put up a good fight again Longridge despite the fact that they were close to the top of the table. Intercepting and passing well in midfield Louise Eastham held strong and determined time and time again feeding the ball through to Eve Clarkson and Melisa Johnson Parker on the right. They made some excellent plays on the edge of the D only to be shut down by Longridge. Summer Holroyd and Sophie Rawlinson had excellent work rate shutting down play in midfield effectively and Summer did occasionally use 2 hands.
The experience and consistency of the Longridge side started to show through and multiple attempts to get in the D were made but Lauren Perkins, Tiana Mosley and Debbie McClelland worked well together and created a defensive line that was difficult for them to penetrate. The fact that Longridge were not scoring from open play was evident as 2 of their goals came from skilful and well rehearsed short corners.
Half time came and whilst Fran submitted the Ladies 1s match sheet on GMS, we all had a bit longer to rest and regroup. The team hatched a plan to push higher, stop tackling their own players and score some goals. This plan started to pay off. The effective defence started to feed to the wings, Jessica Jennings and Poppy Milligan started to link well and support each other and Fylde were putting more and more pressure on the opposition D. Debbie McClelland put this weeks training in practice and kept sprinting to intercept long balls, Phil and Jay would have been so proud.
The higher press meant that Soraya Rigby was getting more balls through for her to chase. Longridge obviously had not realising how old Soraya was until we stated shouting “go on granny” to which Longridge said if she is this fast now how fast was she when she was younger. Fran and Debbie were still keen to score a goal and Debbie deflected the ball into Frans kickers and it went in the back of the net…..sadly bringing the final score to Longridge 3-0 Fylde.
A brilliant game showing lots of fire in bellies of all Fylde players from the start.
Win as a team lose as a team and what a great team we had today.
Fylde 6 4-2 Clitheroe Blackburn Northern Development
The 6s final three games of the season are against development squads which means no points up for grab, just a chance to have fun and play our best. We went with the tactic of two sets of mothers and daughters!
Clitheroe & Blackburn Northern had brought experienced players with a sprinkle of youth and pulled no punches with the first push back. Once again, Fylde took their time settling in and spent the first 15 minutes battling against a determined CBN. Whilst we were lucky to have an abundance of forwards this week, it meant a few of the team were playing more defensively than they were used to. This left us quite exposed down the centre until we found our structure again. Good manoeuvres down the left hand side from Evie Finnegan and Rosie Leil, offered up chances in the circle. Kayt Raynor did a great job of keeping the attacking line in position and was unfortunate not to score after dribbling around 4 or so defenders in the circle.
CBN used their experience to press Fylde’s mids and gave opportunities to their young front line. They were rewarded for their efforts with a goal despite the usual strong performance from Eva Earnshaw.
Fylde grew in confidence with the right hand side looking stronger thanks to the mother daughter duo of Heather Appleyard and Lauren Appleyard, getting the ball out of defence and Lauren carrying the ball out of danger. A pass into Sophie Wareing in the circle led to a shot which was deflected into the net from the right post by Leah Richmond on her debut. Now Fylde had found their structure, the ball possession became more evenly split. Rosie Leil impressed on the right, bringing plenty of opportunities to the circle. One of which, resulted in another deflect, this time from Hollie Whiteside from the left post.
We broke for half time with a very happy Nikki Richmond pleased that shouts of “get on the post” had finally paid off.
Determined to keep the effort levels up, Fylde restarted the second half and continued to press CBN. The opposition however were also determined and this meant plenty of battles in the midfield. CBN broke through to score from the right, but Fylde were able to learn lessons from the mistakes made defensively to come back stronger. Back to an even scoreline, Fylde were not finished yet. A number of short corners didn’t result in any goals but this wasn’t an issue when Rosie Leil scored two in quick succession shortly after. CBN fought hard to the end and it was a well matched game.
A deserved 4-2 win for Fylde, showing how far our youngsters have come this season.
Fylde 1 2-2 Lancaster & Morecambe 1
After overturning the 2nd placed team Wigton in their previous match 2 weeks ago, this week was the visit of the 3rd placed team Lancaster & Morecambe.
Lancaster scored first but Fylde equalised when Steve Whitley scored from a short corner.
A similar story in the second half, with Lancaster going 2-1 ahead before being pegged back, again at a short corner, with Paul Atherton the scorer.
Goalkeeper Danny Taylor kept Fylde in the game with several one-on-one saves, and ultimately a draw and a point is a decent result against one of the better sides in the division.
MoM - Bertie Jones
Busy Fool - Jay Currey - for being extremely hungover and sick at half time
Preston 5 3-2 Fylde 2
Fylde 2’s expected a tough but closely contested game against Preston 5’s and that’s exactly what transpired, in the late afternoon gloom at Westcliff, Preston’s home ground.
After a couple of late withdrawals due to illness, Fylde were down to a bare 11, but this include the class of Rob Jepson, in his first game for almost 6 months after recurring injuries.
Both sides had early attacks, but it was the home side who took the lead from a short corner. However it wasn’t long before Fylde equalised, with an attacking run down the middle by Rob Jepson, unleashing Oli Adewale who entered the D and crossed the ball square to the P-spot. Phil Weir was unmarked but had to escape the rushing goalkeeper, and dived headlong to his left with his arms outstretched and swept the ball with his reverse stick out of reach of the goalkeeper. Pure desire to score, and he now joins fellow defender Andy Lund on 2 goals in the race to be the team’s top scorer.
Preston managed to take a 2-1 lead into half-time with a crossed ball which eluded the Fylde defenders in the D but found an onrushing striker.
Fylde continued to push for an equaliser in the second half, as the game opened up. They squandered their first short corner, but for the next one a few minutes later, Rob Jepson took the strike with pin-point accuracy down the inside post.
It felt like Fylde were on the ascendancy and were the most likely to go on to win, however a few minutes later Preston were awarded a short corner, and their specialist striker took aim and fired the ball at head height inside the near post. Defender Pete Latimer didn’t fancy another ball to his face, even with a protective face-mask, so ducked behind goalkeeper Craig Nutter, and the ball flew into the back of the net.
The game finished 3-2 to Preston but both sides enjoyed the competitive game, and Fylde’s senior players started their evening of beers (perhaps a little too quickly for Pete).
Man of the match went to young Oli Adewale for both his attacking, setting up the first goal, but also his tackling and determination to win the ball.
Fylde Girls U14
EH Tier 2 Regional Semi-final
The U14’s are through to the EH Championships tier 2 final after a 2-1 win against Chester, goals from Anna Vavoso & Ruby Cosgrove, and a 3-0 win against Alderley Edge, goals from Anna Vavoso, Charlotte Lavin & Amelia Hatton.
There were strong performances from Amelia Hatton, Ruby Cosgrove and Emily Greenwood.
Special mention to Philippa Hancock in goal who kept us in the game on numerous occasions.
