MATCH REPORT - Rain to hide our tear.......

Another wonderful team performance, another sour ending.  The fighting spirit of this team is just unique no matter the challenges, we rise!

We play together, We win together, we loose together

The Magnificent Eight - by Keith Maple (who's now becoming a regular !! I suspect he s liking this reporting thing...)

(And the not so magnificent two)

Early Sunday morning in the car park of Knaphill FC’s Redding Way Ground. Famous for being the first team to ever play Guernsey away, level 9 of the Football League and a proper stand (50 seats) behind one goal. These facts don’t seem to impress Christelle as her worries are fixed on today’s encounter and the seeming lack of anyone to play in the Barcelona stripes of the ‘the Athletic’.  Bella is here and Issy, then Ed (‘supposed to be in Cardiff but ‘luckily’ his wife is ill’) with Elin.

Carlos with a car-load and then …the awful realization that I thought he was picking up Jenifer and he thought I was…OOPS

Off to the pitch and a quick count up which doesn’t get beyond seven…

Ah Charlotje arrives (also supposed to be missing today) WE HAVE EIGHT. Woking Cougars (really!), who last time struggled to make a team seem to have an endless supply of stripy-socked girls as kick off time approaches.

Teddington playing an unfamiliar 1-4-1-2 start the game and for the first ten minutes it’s boring but effective, Kathryn dominating her area, the defence letting nothing through.

Then we go up  a gear and off we go………..

Sarah beats two up the wing, great run Charlotje, great ball Charlotje, another tackle Charlotje, and a shot Charlotje…..Elin, a mazy dribble up the wing and then a corner that flies across the goal waiting for our ninth player to be there to score….Elin a free kick from near the half way line that bounces like a magic ball  drifting just wide of the bendy plastic posts.  Bella a superb tackle and shepherding the ball off , Issy a backward header, Lola causing trouble on the left and Sophia as usual the rock at the back. The half time whistle, Woking have only had one shot on target 1-0 to the defence.

The second half starts and almost immediately we score.  Probably the best goal I have never seen as we score while Carlos is handing me a coffee.  As I will never know, I imagine it was a flowing move with all players in the team having a touch, three bicycle kicks, two nutmegs and finally Charlotje scoring a 40 yard scorcher.  WE ARE WINNING.  Our supporters go wild …all six of them (including the linesman).

Another chance, but then disaster as ‘the Cougars’ stealthily beat our offside trap and score with their first real shot of the game.  Our heads stay high and once again we attack attack attack with an absolutely brilliant save from the Woking goalie after the move of the match  (so far) involving the Charlotje, Elin, Lola triumvirate .

The shots keep coming - Elin to Sarah to Bella with the head, Sarah a shot, Charlotje a shot and Elin ANOTHER mazy run and then what could be the move of the season….Bella gets the ball and passes through the defence with the outside of her foot to Elin who passes back to Charlotje,  a simple ball to the overlapping Lola and she burys it into the back of the net….GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL BRAZIL 1970 eat your heart out.

’How long to go ref? ’  “Ten minutes “

10 -The team have run and run and they are understandably weary

9 - Woking are on the attack the ball comes out and a well-placed lob over Kathryn

8 ,7,6 - a draw will do , and still we attack

5,4,3 - Woking attack but we keep them out, Elin clears upfield, Sophia and Sarah hold strong

2 - a goal kick goes to their striker and a magical chip sees the ball sail into the net.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ed head in hands, Christelle exhaling in French,

1 - the whistle goes …..so near and yet so near.

Undeserved 3-2 loss. This was a remarkable performance from a TEAM that never gave up. We take solace in being proportionally better than the opposition given our lack of numbers.  They had the luxury of an extra player (for the whole game), numerous substitutions when their players were tired and several of our team having to play in new positions.

Kathryn, Bella, Sophia, Lola, Sarah, Charlotje, Elin, Issy and Sophia you should all be proud of how you performed today and you fully deserved your ‘celebratory’ Kinder eggs.

Girl of the match, after much debate, was given to Issy who played every minute of a match for the first time up against the tricky Woking winger.

This is the last game before Christmas so Happy Christmas everyone and see you in the New Year.  We are third in the league, but unlike Manchester City, United, Arsenal and Chelsea we have already booked our place in Europe for 2014.