Headington Athletic 2008-09 - League Cup Final!
Match report : Headington Athletic WFC faced an uphill battle when faced with Woodley Saints in the TVCWFL League Cup Final at
A cursory glance at the stats show that Woodley, in their two years in our league, have Played 29, Won 29, Drawn 0, Lost 0, Goals for 182, Goals against 12, Points 87, they are also the present holders of the cup.
Given these figures you would have thought that Headington were merely going just to make up the numbers but, after a recent good performance against Woodley in the league and a decent league run, Headington's squad fully believed that they could cause an upset and bring the cup home.
Woodley started the brighter of the two teams passing the ball around in midfield and retaining possession well. On twenty minutes a pinpoint ball over the top found their striker Serena Hickman who duly dispatched it to give them a 1-0 lead.
Headington immediately switched formation from a 4-5-1 to 4-4-2 with their centre midfielders instructed to push on more. This had an instant affect leaving Woodley's midfielders with less time and space to pick out their customary diagonal balls forward and allowing Headington's midfield to play in a more attacking role.
Looking more settled Headington started to play some neat football of their own using tight triangles to retain possession and increasingly pushing forward to threaten the opposition’s goal. The game started to become more end to end and after a period of pressure Headington won a free kick about ten yards outside the corner of Woodley's penalty area. Opposition's and Manager's player of the match, Cecile, hit a sweet strike that crashed against the crossbar and was scrambled away to safety. Half time came just as Headington increasingly looked like they could even things up.
Five minutes into the second half and Headington were caught flat footed as Jess Grimmett scored from close range to put Woodley two up. The palpable relief from the Woodley camp was fair testament to their opponent’s battle and endeavour and, against a less united team, may have been the catalyst for a collapse. Woodley followed the goal with a sustained period of pressure but Headington held resolute and gradually began to get back into the game.
The flow of the match became more open again with both teams managing to get forward and threaten but the killer blow was struck on 77 minutes when substitute Amie Benton put Woodley into a seemingly unassailable lead.
Headington however had other ideas and continued to push forward opting for a more direct approach and a 3-5-3 formation as the minutes ticked by but, despite ending the game on top, they failed to snatch the goal that would have given them a glimmer of hope.
In the end it was Woodley who deservedly won the cup but Headington held their heads up high knowing that they had made a game of it and had given their all. It was widely agreed that both teams did the final proud and provided entertainment producing a great advert for women's football.
Congratulations to Woodley and we wish them all the best in Division One of the Southern Region next season.
Headington would also like to thank all three officials, Andrew Priest, Sian Williams, and Jim Hey for being barely noticeable through their efficiency in officiating.
An enjoyable day all round.
Players : Lou (Barnfield, 60), Jess (Nicola, 55), Anna, Ferris (Maria, 80), Seema, Ellie, Rachel (Rhiannon, 60), Sarah (Clare, 80), Cecile (C), Katie, Lisa
Season 2008-09
Headington Athletic WFC plays in Division One of the Thames Valley Counties Women's Football League.
If you are interested in playing for our friendly club managed by two qualified FA Coaches then please don't hesitate in getting in touch for a chat.
Drop an e-mail to Jamie Spooner womensfootball@hotmail.co.uk and leave us your number, we'll give you a ring. You can also ring Jamie direct on 077 27 27 7080.
SPONSORS
Combibos Coffee & Tea House located in Gloucester Green, Oxford has very generously agreed to sponsor our new team kit.
Combibos is an excellent place to meet, relax and enjoy great beverages and food. It's modern and comfortable surroundings are conducive to a friendly relaxing experience. Run by family members Rob, Sue, Martin and Sam you are assured an attentive and friendly service at all times.
Other (more or less) useful links
REFEREEING WITH A TWIST If only we had a ref as entertaining as this!
FOOTBALLING EUROPE: A BEAUTIFUL WEBSITE AND A TRIBUTE TO THE SPIRIT OF THE SPORT
