Date: 07/01/2007
Game: London United v BAWFC (Russell Cup - Preliminary Round)
Author: Preeti Johal
Player of the match: TBA

We should consider ourselves lucky to be playing this game as the opposition phoned on Friday to cancel due to a waterlogged pitch. Seems like no pitches are able to stand a bit of rain these days, well that was until Nav thought of the bright idea of playing at BA. And guess what? The pitch was playable! So I guess the heading should be switched round.

With heavy rainfall the day and night before match day there were last minute calls to see if the game was still on, but good old BA pitches were fine. Knew there was a reason why we seem to pay a lot to be a member!

As per usual there were changes to the starting line up:
Svitlana in Goal,
Line and myself playing as Centre Back (me playing the slightly lazier role of Sweeper)
Cindy in her preferred Right Back role
Sin as Left Back
Danni and Lou were our rocks in the middle of the pitch
Char in Right Midfield
Petra started in Left Midfield in Nadine's absence

Duracell Bunnies (sorry Pet and to borrow your name for this game) Nav and Allisse up front. For some reason we automatically started as a 4-4-2, instead of the 4-4-1-1, and within the first few minutes we knew why. No subs due to Marie’s illness (dodgy kebabs and a lot of beer the night before? Joking!)

Having not played in about six weeks everyone seemed to enter the changing room quite nervous, but with Danni’s warm-up we started to settle.

We kicked off and started the game just as I had asked everyone to, strong and giving everything we had. Our pressure paid off as within five minutes with great determination from Nav there seemed to be a mix-up between the opposition's defence and keeper. Instead of catching the ball the keeper seemed to let it go through her legs and Nav was ready to capitalise on the error and calmly slotted into goal. One - nil BA! With our midfield picking up any loose balls and winning most of the balls in the air it kept our defence with not a lot to do. And to be honest when the ball did come towards our defence we cleared the threat in most situations.

Next came goal number two and Lou steps up to take a free-kick a fair distance from London’s goal determined to test the keeper. It was a great strike which seemed to be sailing in for only the keeper to punch it out into the goal mouth, where Danni is perfectly placed to head the ball in the back of the net. Danni’s first goal of the season! Two - nil BA! Lou Lou that was a great free-kick you must show me how to do that. With BA dominating the game and defending everything London was throwing at them, it meant that Sin could play a great supporting role to Petra and it was only a matter of time for goal number three. Hmmm for some reason I can’t remember this one. Think I did a great goal line clearance which somehow left Nav one on one with the keeper? Wait I don’t actually think the ball even got that far in our area. Ok so I think the build up play involved Sin passing to Petra who passed it on to Allisse who did a few skills and crossed it in for Nav to shoot past the keeper. Well if it didn’t, it still sounds good. Three - nil BA! To be honest we could and maybe should have had a couple more before half time and at one point it seemed like Nav and Allisse were playing the, "no you shoot, no you shoot" game, I was at the back I thinking "will somebody, anybody just shoot!" End of the first half and Line was keeping her promise to Svit; don’t think she had a real save to make in the half.

Second half the message to the team was much of the same please! Clean sheet and three more goals. London started the half the stronger team with one or two half decent chances to get a goal back. Their best being there left wing nearly getting through on goal but with Cindy breathing down her neck and Svit speeding off her line, it was enough for her shot to go well wide. We composed ourselves after this effort and started showing some of the skill from the first half (think I noticed some ball tricks flying around, not sure if they worked though!). Ok memory goes a bit hazy again, cant quite remember how Char scored goal number four, but I think Char made a run down the right wing and had a shot on goal from just inside the 18 yard box, maybe Lou passed it to her, yeah I’ll go with that, great pass Lou Lou. Four - nil BA! Goal number five, yes five! I think Allisse or Petra crossed it in and there was quite a scramble inside the opposition box, with our shots seeming to fail to test the keeper, the ball then falls to Danni who calmly controls it and fires the ball into the net. Five - nil BA! (Note to Danni: Maybe you should not drink a night before a game more often!) The final goal came from great hard work by Allisse, she pressured the defence to win the ball and put a great cross in the box for Nav to get her hatrick. Six - nil BA! London was determined to get a goal but their strikers were finding it near impossible to get past man-markers Line and Cindy. Again we could have scored a few more and Danni was denied a hatrick from a free-kick by a great save by the London keeper.

Final score: British Airways 6 London United 0

This was a great team effort, from the first to the final whistle and will hopefully kick start our new year. Not only did we score six goals but we kept a clean sheet, something that we have not done all season. And nothing got on my little tits.

Thanks to all the supporters especially on such a cold day, Allisse’s family, Ravi, Raj, David, Chester, and Simone.