Women’s 4s 1 - 3 Old Cranleighans 1s (A)

The 4s headed to OCs determined to put the heavy defeat from the first half of the season firmly behind us. Even Lisa and Stacey arrived early, which showed how seriously we were taking the game (although apparently Evie didn’t get the memo).

Coach’s message before pushback was clear: press the ball into their back left quarter, make smart decisions when stepping off players and use the space when we had possession. Fired up and ready to go, we started with great intensity and quickly secured an early short corner, giving OCs a bit of a wake up call.

And wake up they did. OCs soon began playing like a team hungry for promotion. After earning a few short corners of their own, initially kept at bay by Eve, they eventually converted their first goal and showed they meant business. Their forwards were causing chaos, constantly leading and switching positions, making it difficult to keep track of them. Sunny and Maddie worked tirelessly to keep the defence organised, doing an excellent job sweeping up loose balls.

We continued to threaten, with coach pinging a ball into the D to her gal Tegan for a trademark deflection, which unfortunately flew just wide of the post. OCs soon struck again, with a deflection on the penalty spot that left Eve with no chance.

At half time we were reminded that when we had the ball we needed to play out of contact and use the space. Our challenge was simple: string together four clean passes. Unfortunately, that wasn’t immediately evident in the first five minutes of the second half. Luckily, OCs seemed to have had the same half-time juice and were also busy passing the ball off the sideline.

We eventually regained our composure, with Stacey, Evie and Scar doing a great job at half back - choosing the right moments to transfer the ball, start attacks and drive play down the wings. Freya was spinning down the left, leaving defenders in her wake and looking to feed Carole and Bing, who were timing their runs to perfection. Seemingly the only way to keep Carole out of the game was a rather robust shoulder to the ribs. Time briefly stopped while coach explained the intricacies of fouls in football - studs up and the like - to the umpire. Apparently this was meant to help… I’m not sure it did. Meanwhile, Aash was looking hungry for a goal and testing the keeper’s reflexes.

OCs weren’t about to let things go our way though. Coach even got a taste of her own medicine with a ball through the legs - cue a few smirks from our bench. At one point a ball off a Surbiton stick rolled all the way down to the corner. Keen to keep the game flowing and aid our comeback, I shouted for Sunny to go and retrieve it. Confusion followed, as the team wondered why on earth I was helping OCs. Opinion remains split on whether it was the right call - but apparently not split enough to avoid the DoD vote. #justiceforsunny.

Momentum eventually swung back our way with a flurry of strong attacks. There was also a brief pause while the umpire warned that if #17 continued commentating on the entire match, cards might start appearing. I thought it best to keep that information to myself… Anyone know who #17 is?

Another short corner came after excellent work from Lisa, who left no doubt a foot had been found. Although the initial shot was denied by the keeper, Lara wasn’t letting the chance slip away. With trademark poise, she collected the rebound, took a moment to set herself and calmly pushed the ball past the keeper and into the net. A well-deserved goal for both Lar and the 4s.

We continued to pile on the pressure, forcing several excellent saves from their keeper. OCs, however, used every trick in the book to slow things down and run the clock and the final whistle blew with the score at 3–1.

A frustrating result, with OCs simply more clinical in converting their chances. With three games left in the season, the 4s will be looking to bag as many points as possible.

POM: Charlotte Stacey – excellent defending and some great transfers.

DOD: Emily Hughes (sorry Sunny).