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The Reserve Section SEASON 06-07
Sawbridgeworth Town Res v Chelmsford City Res 0-4 (Match abandoned at half time)
Following 3 weeks without a game all the Sawbridgeworth Town reserve players were looking forward to pulling on the red & black shirt & playing a game of football. After the usual flurry of texts & calls from the management team to confirm player’s availability for the match, it looked like the team would again go into a game players short, with only 9. That soon went down to 8 as Emma Yarrien was called up into the 1st team & on the morning of the game it was further reduced to 7 as Rebecca Maybury had to return to university earlier than expected.
As per usual the 7 players that were left were eager to play football as we drove the short hop to Chelmsford, even if it was to be the hottest day of the year so far. The team lined up in a 3-3 formation knowing very well as the game went on it would probably evolve into just a backline of 6.
For the first 15 minutes the game was remarkably even as Chelmsford found it hard to adapt to playing against a team with only 7 players. Donna Keating marshalled the backline fantastically as time after time she pushed the defence up catching on average at least 3 Chelmsford players offside each time. However as the game progressed Chelmsford began to make the extra players tell as they sprung the offside trap to go 1 nil up. From the restart Sawbo went on the attack as Anna Williams decided to single handily take the game to Chelmsford. She appeared to dribble around the whole defence only for her final shot to go agonisingly over the bar. This was no fluke as time after time Williams seemed to have the beating of the Chelmsford defence only to run out of steam at the final moment or for her shot to be well saved. It makes you wonder what the scoreline could have been if Sawbo had had a few more players on the pitch to back up the attacks. Although Sawbo gave Chelmsford a few scares, their extra players & the heat were telling as they managed to keep the scoreline ticking over scoring a total of 4 goals. It could of & possibly should have been more if not for some superb defending from the whole team. As the team were looking forward to half time & some much needed drinks, Keating crumpled to the floor having turned her ankle over on the uneven ground. As the ref blew for half time it became apparent that Donna would be unable to continue & therefore the game had to be abandoned due to lack of players.
Again as in previous match reports the management team wishes to praise all the players. Regardless of the scoreline or the lack of players, those that play always give their all & play the game in the spirit it should be played, with a smile on their faces.
As a side note, after a 2 hour trip to the local hospital Donna was allowed home, the diagnosis a badly bruised & sprained ankle so she should make her trip to New York!!
Squad: Catherine Shaw, Victoria Silvester, Fiona McKay, Donna Keating (capt), Stacey Hedley, Kerri Millbanks & Anna Williams.
18-03-07
Sawbridgeworth Town Reserves v Ipswich Town Reserves 1 - 4
Today’s opponents were Ipswich Town, who went into the game 2nd in the table, a full 33 points ahead of Sawbo. However due to last years fixtures between the two team, the Sawbo management team were expecting a highly competitive game. Like much of the season another game for the Sawbo reserves brought with it another line up and formation for the team to get used to. Today’s game saw changes to the team that performed outstandingly against Brentwood Town last Sunday. Out went Caroline Seale & Stacey Hedley (unavailable due to family commitments) & in their place came 2 players who were making their long awaited debut for Sawbo, Fiona McKay & Rebecca Maybury. Both have been registered players for several weeks but due to a mixture of cancelled games & university commitments this was to be their first game in the red & black shirt. Sawbo also welcomed back Anna Williams to the team which took the numbers up to 9.
The game started with the Sawbo players trying to adapt to not only having to play against a team with extra players but also to the sometimes gale force winds that were blowing across the pitch. It was the wind that was to play the staring role in the game as time after time in the first half it prevented the Sawbo defence from clearing their lines properly. From an early Ipswich attack the Sawbo defence were unable to clear & the ball fell kindly to an unmarked Ipswich player who duly stuck the ball in the back of the net. This theme was to continue throughout the first half, but Ipswich were unable to capitalise & extend their score due to some last ditch defending & another fine performance in goal from Catherine Shaw.
The 2nd half started much more brightly for Sawbo, as it was now Ipswich’s turn to deal with the wind. A through ball found Williams clear on goal, her initial effort was to rebound off the keeper but the follow up shot hit the post & rolled agonisingly clear to safety. The Sawbo midfield began to win the battle in the middle of the park but good defending from Ipswich meant Sawbo were unable to capitalise. Then against the run of play Ipswich went 2 nil up as Shaw made a good save but was unable to hold onto the ball which allowed the Ipswich forward to tuck the ball in the back of the net. This was the spark that was needed as aided by the wind Sawbo went on the attack & won a succession of corners. From one of these the ball fell kindly to Emma Yarrien who volleyed the ball into the back of the net, game on. The resurgent Sawbo team went looking for an equaliser but their lack of numbers meant they were always susceptible to Ipswich counter attacks & as the team began to tire Ipswich took advantage with 2 quick counter attacks that took the score at full time to 4-1 to Ipswich.
Throughout the game it was hard to remember that Sawbo were only playing with 9 players, as they played with the passion & togetherness of a full strength team. Again like last week the Management team could not fault the teams work rate & commitment & as a collective unit they all deserve praise. It is our only hope as we go into the final games of the season that we are able to field a full strength team in order to give the regular 8 or 9 who play week in week out the support & results they deserve.
Squad: Catherine Shaw, Victoria Silvester, Fiona McKay, Donna Keating (capt), Lindsey Kendall, Emma Yarrien, Rebecca Maybury, Kerri Millbanks, Anna Williams.
14-03-07
( A tribute to the Reserve team well done (Dave))
Comments from Brentwood Town management,
Donna
Good luck for the rest of
the season and for the next also.
11-03-07
Sawbridgeworth Town Reserves v Brentwood Town Reserves 1 - 4
After the club meeting held a week & a half ago the management team were hopeful of being able to field a full strength team for the rest of the season. Unfortunately this was not to be the case as the reserves again went into this match with only 8 players.
This weeks opponents were Brentwood Town Reserves, who like ourselves had had several selection problems over the course of the season but who had turned a corner & were now able to field a full strength team.
The game started with the Sawbo players trying to adjust to not only having 8 players (with some of them playing out of position) but also to the pace of the game having not played a fixture since the end of January. Within the first 5 minutes they were a goal down as Brentwood started the game brightly & their extra players began to swarm the penalty area. As the first half continued the extra players for Brentwood were very telling as time after time the Sawbo defence was outnumbered. Fortunately for Sawbo without the aide of a linesman the ref had to call offside decisions himself & therefore there were several generous decisions when a Brentwood player was clear through on goal. Through no lack of trying Sawbo soon found themselves 3-nil down which could have been even more if it was not for the exceptional performance of Catherine Shaw in goal. A quick reshuffle of the pack saw Victoria Silvester move to centre back with Kerri Millbanks moving into midfield. This seemed to give the team renewed confidence as they began to contain the Brentwood attack going into half time.
The second half saw a far more resilient Sawbridgeworth team & Caroline Seale began to give the Brentwood defence something to think about. An unfortunate own goal took the score line to 4 nil but this was to be the last time Brentwood would get on the score sheet. The entire Sawbo defence & keeper shone as they managed to snub out every Brentwood attack. Midway through the half the tireless Seale got the reward she deserved, when through on goal surrounded by defenders she managed to get her shot off. The keeper parried & as Seale was falling to the ground she managed to loop the rebound over the keeper & just under the bar. A further effort stung the keeper’s hands as she had to push a rasping shot around the post. From the corner Lindsey Kendall was inches away from scoring Sawbo’s second & a free kick from Seale went agonisingly wide. All in all Sawbo were to finish the game the stronger of the two teams.
All 8 players that wore the Sawbo shirt should be very proud of their performance today as they gave their all & made the management team very proud.
Special mentions should go to Catherine Shaw for her exceptional performance in goal, to Victoria Silvester for playing out of position but emerging as a talented centre back & to Caroline Seale, who in her first game for the reserves showed she has not lost her touch.
Squad: Catherine Shaw, Stacey Hedley, Donna Keating (capt), Lindsey Kendall, Emma Yarrien, Kerri Millbanks, Caroline Seale & Victoria Silvester.
17-12-06 Cornard v Sawbridgeworth Town Reserves 0 - 11 For the third week running Sawbo Reserves had a full team to choose from but again it was the third week in a row that a different line up would be put out which when you are trying to build confidence and consistency it is not a sound platform to start with, but that aside the group of players available for today's game was a strong group. A slight alteration to the line up saw Kerri Millbanks take the gloves again as stand in keeper as Catherine Shaw is recovering from strained wrist ligaments. For the first 25 minutes the Sawbo team were contesting every ball and making life very difficult for their high placed hosts who are currently sitting second in the division. Time and again the Cornard flow was brushed aside by an emerging Reserve team. Anna Williams and Victoria Silvester led the Sawbo line and they were being constantly fed by a very solid midfield four of Lindsey Kendall, Emma Yarrien, Charlotte Turner and Claire Poulton. Sawbo's back four of Donna Keating, Kerry Crump, Kelly Aubrey and Stacey Hedley defended stoutly and were protecting Millbanks as Cornard tried everything to break through. Then on 27 minutes the deadlock was broken when Cornard were gifted a free kick by a clumsy challenge rather than a deliberate challenge to take the player. The home side were remonstrating to the referee and this goading of the referee saw a yellow card for Aubrey which after all the good work that had been done prior allowed Cornard the opportunity to place the ball over the defensive wall and into the path of an attacker who slotted the ball home. The poor sportsmanship being shown by the home side support and a very weak referee saw decisions being made that were definitely poor and all this led to the Sawbo side dropping their heads and allowing a further 5 goals to be scored before the break. After a half time talk that lifted the spirits once again Sawbo started the second half in a better frame of mind and again started to work as a unit and this again stated to frustrate the home side which started the home team supporters off again. Sawbo held firm for 22 minutes until Cornard netted their 7th goal and this again saw the Sawbo team drop in performance once again. The final scoreline flattered the home side and Sawbo came away defeated but with high spirits as they had held the second in the league for some 40 plus minutes and the learning curve is again working. This performance by the whole squad was a big step forward. With the reserves now being able to field a full team of reserve players will help in their final run up after Christmas. Karen Lau replaced Silvester after 70 minutes. As a team today they have learnt that no one is really better than anyone else it is just confidence. Sawbo matched their opposition in every department and but for some loss of concentration could have had a much closer score line. Throughout the game Sawbo earned several corners and had several shots on target which Cornard were not expecting and if this performance can be improved upon by keeping the concentration levels at their highest then this team will improve so much that their lowly position in the league will be left behind. Squad: K.Millbanks, D.Keating, K.Crump, K.Aubrey, S.Hedley, L.Kendall, E.Yarrien, C.Turner, C.Poulton, A.Williams, V.Silvester. Sub used: K.Lau
06.12.06 The draw for the first round of the Essex County Women's League Cup was drawn today and Sawbridgeworth Town reserves have been drawn at home to Southend United the full draw is as follows: All games to be played on Sunday 28th January 2007 with a 1.30pm kick off. Torquespeed v Saffron Walden Town A Perry Street v Old Island Cornard v White Notley Ipswich Town A v Saffron Walden Town B Runwell Hospital v Brentwood Town Reserves Hawkwell Athletic v Beacon Hill Harlow Athletic v Assandun Vikings Benfleet v Billericay Town Little Oakley v Redbridge Sawbridgeworth Town Res v Southend United Basildon United v Basildon Town Braintree Town v Clacton Town Chelmsford City Res v Concord Rangers Maldon Town v Witham Town Colchester Town v Maldon Saints AFC Sudbury - Bye
Brentwood Town Reserves v Sawbridgeworth Town Reserves 1 - 6 Sawbridgeworth Town Reserves were able to field a full team for the first time this season for today's game against Brentwood Town Reserves. Although the game was not confirmed due to the weather conditions until 1.00pm on the day it meant that the squad was waiting for a call before setting off for the game. This meant that the kick off would be delayed from 2.00pm till 2.30pm. The game saw xox in her first game since dislocating her shoulder some 7 weeks ago and Shelley Anglin going between the sticks as Catherine Shaw had injured her wrist prior to the game. With Sawbo's first team not in action because of a water logged pitch at Crofters Ann Anstey and Jo Gregory were placed on the bench for this game. The game started with 9 men Brentwood contesting everything and for the first ten minutes had Sawbo back on their heels in their own defensive third.Three corners and constant pressure made Sawbo sit up and after this initial burst from the home team it was the turn of Sawbo to start making inroads into the Brentwood half. New signing Victoria Silvester had slotted in well up front alongside Anna Williams and even at this early stage of the game were being a nuisance to the Brentwood back line. Then on 22 minutes the deadlock was broken when a 4 man move saw Kelly Aubrey find xox on the left wing who beat her player and in one movement crossed to Williams who laid the ball back into the path of Lindsey Kendall who drove the ball from 20 yards into the top corner. This goal was the catalyst that started the beginning of self belief in the Sawbo team and they started to play the ball around and when Williams was found through the middle of the park form a ball from midfield she drove the ball towards goal only to see the keeper make a diving save but was unable to hold the shot. Williams was first to react and slotted the ball home for the visitors second on 39 minutes. 2 minutes later Williams was found again and as she advanced on goal she chipped the advancing keeper for her second of the game and Sawbo's third. The second period started with a change as Shaw was unable to continue and Gregory replaced her. A slight reshuffle of the team took place but the momentum continued. Brentwood obviously changed their game plan during the interval and tried to drive at the Sawbo defence and on one such run the Brentwood player was being driven out wide by Kerry Crump but as the Brentwood player turned towards goal Crump lost her footing and fell behind the home player who fell into the box and Brentwood were awarded a penalty. This was after the Brentwood keeper had been taken from the pitch with a twisted knee which had reduced them to just 8 players. The penalty was taken but it was driven over the bar. Then it was back up the other end and a free kick awarded to Sawbo some 25 yards out from goal on 65 minutes saw Aubrey drive the direct kick into the top corner with the keeper well beaten to make the score line 4-0. Williams was being a real live wire and her tenacity brought about the fifth Sawbo goal when her battling for the ball on the edge of the box saw the ball laid out to Kendall who drove the ball this time just inside the bottom corner on 69 minutes. For the next couple of minutes Sawbo fell asleep and Brentwood took advantage and scored a good effort to put themselves on the score sheet after a break down the middle of the park which was not defended. The wake up call was made and Sawbo now shut up shop but the other end was a different matter. Just before the end of this game Williams secured her hat trick when from a poor goal clearance she picked the ball up just outside the box dribbled into the box and slotted the ball home. On the day a well deserved first victory of the season. More new signing are expected shortly which will enable the Reserves to again field a full squad plus subs which makes all the difference on match days. Squad: S.Anglin, D.Keating, K.Crump, K.Millbanks, S.Hedley, C.Shaw, L.Kendall, K.Aubrey, N.xox, A.Williams, V.Silvester. Subs used: J.Gregory, A.Anstey.
Sawbridgeworth Town Reserves v Harlow Athletic 0 - 6 Sawbo welcomed a very experienced Harlow Athletic to Crofters on Sunday for their first friendly match of the season. Harlow have been around local ladies football for several years and have enjoyed reasonable success in the Essex County League. Sawbo Reserves are only in their second season and with the first team playing their first league game of the season it was left to the reserves to muster just enough players for this their first game. The weather was going to play a big part in this match as in the first half with the swirling wind and Harlow attacking down the slope the visitors had everything in their favour. Sawbo found themselves defending for the majority of the first half with only a few breaks into Harlow's half. Harlow first goal was scored early on with the ball being played into the box and the initial shot was tipped onto the bar by the Sawbo keeper Jackie Frost, however with several Harlow players following in they got to the rebound first and scored the first of four goals that were scored in the first half. The second and third goals were neatly slotted away by the Harlow strikers and the fourth was scored by a good shot from just outside the box. Sawbo regrouped at half time and came out in the second half with a more positive approach and with the wind dying down it made for a better game. Sawbo turned in a very positive performance in this half with many more attacks into the opposition box. Harlow managed to escape the pressure mid way through the second half and extended their lead to 5 - 0, they then scored their final and sixth goal in the last minute of the game. Sawbo take from the game the positive points from the second half and look forward to their next friendly on Sunday 10th September at home with a 2.00pm kick off. This was the first competitive match of the season for the reserve team and for several of the new players coming into the Sawbo team for the first time it was going to be their first competitive game ever. The new signings settled well into the team and their positions well with special mention going to Catherine Shaw, Emma Yarrien and Kate Austin, who not only performed well on the day but also enjoyed their first competitive experience of ladies football. Squad: J.Frost, D.Keating, J.Pyne, K.Crump, S.Hedley, K.Millbanks, L.Sear, C.Shaw, L.Kendall, E.Yarrien, K.Austin
29-06-06 Well it seems as if the Essex County league is growing and as a result the Reserves 4th place finish last season has seen them promoted to division 2. Obviously not the preferred choice but one in which will give the squad the chance to show how far you have come this last season. We have several new players that may be up for selection come September which will give a boost to the current squad as it will mean a chance to always starting a game with 11 players. As and when the confirmation of division and teams is announced I will post it on this page for you to see. |
