Date: 15/10/2006
Game: BAWFC Reserves v Enfield Reserves
Author: Julia Dann
Player of the match: TBA

An unusual word was floating round the reserve's dressing room prior to the game against Enfield..... substitute. Yes that's right not only were we going to have 11 players we were even going to have a sub, although admittedly this was a player who had promised her physio she wouldn't be doing any running for a week - always good to see dedication to the cause! Worryingly the dressing room also resembled a casualty room with strapped up ankles, dodgy backs and stiff necks - and this was all before the game started.

But with the thought of 11 players on the pitch we started the warm up in high spirits. It was at about this point that the curse of Friday 13th decided to strike 2 days late. 3 of our players got caught in traffic (note for future weeks Hounslow may be close by, but apparently everyone on the roads on Sundays decides to congregate there so it is recommended to gives yourself plenty of time - about 3 hours, to get to the game) and with another player unable to get there until half time (shift work has a lot to answer for) we were going to have to start with 8. Mind you that's not exactly new for the reserves so we decided we'd just get on with it. At about the same time Ali was warming up Julia when a powerful shot led to problem 2 of the afternoon - a goalie with a swollen hand. Thanks to Jo for taking over responsibilities between the posts, and looking on the positive side we do now have a lethal weapon available to use to try and injure the opposition keeper.

So now that i have all the excuses out the way on to the match..... oops no i forgot one we were playing Enfield reserves - their 3rd team beat us 7-0 two weeks ago, ok now i've listed all the excuses!

From the kick off it was clear that Enfield were a strong, well drilled team (never trust a team who use cones as part of their warm up).
Once again we had players who were either new to the team or playing in a new position so Enfield took advantage of our adjustment time on the pitch to score some goals (very inconsiderate of them, surely they know you're not meant to start trying until the opposition are ready).

The team was boosted by the arrival half way through the first half of our intrepid Hounslow explorers and for the first time this season we found ourselves in the position of having 11 players on the pitch. I think this shocked the team so much that they weren't sure what to do and once again Enfield used this to their advantage to score some more goals (not very sporting of them at all).

Half time brought with it the relief of Jane arriving from her shift work and some advice from Bob. The second half saw a marked improvement from the team and even though Enfield scored for fun at some points every player can hold their head high. Enfield did finally get in to the sporting attitude when one of their players injured herself taking a shot so they had to play with only 10 for the rest of the match. Having said that as she went off on crutches (which she borrowed from one of their supporters) it was obviously a nasty injury and hopefully nothing too long term for her.

Back to the important part - the team. Jo had a great game coming in as an emergency goalie - i believe Chelsea are looking for someone to play on Wednesday if you're interested. The defence of Annita, Jenny, Cindy and Bin broke up a large number of Enfield attacks and Cindy's goal kicks helped to alleviate the pressure. Special mention to Jenny who took a ball in the face and managed to time it so that as Bob was checking that she wasn't concussed the rest of us could see Char score for the firsts..... The midfield of Geese, Amol, Ali and Jane battled away to try and get the ball back from the multitude of Enfield players running through (did anyone check as i could have sworn they had at least 15 players on the pitch) and by the end of the game Jenny and Ali had a great understanding down the left wing. Jane's half time appearance helped to introduce more power and skill into the middle of the pitch. Up front Lee ran for everything and man aged to cause problems for the Enfield defence - when we got the ball to her anyway! In the second half Kiran moved up from midfield and helped us to ask a few questions of their defence. Thanks also to our 5 supporters (plus dog), next time we must try and get them organised into an official cheerleading group with pom poms.

So overall another defeat, but once again a game where much has been learnt, and as we get a more settled team playing together so our results will improve. Here's to next week's easy game against Kent Magpies........