Scorchers won their 3rd League match in a row at Pannel
to reach the top of the table for the first time this season.
On a beautifully sunny afternoon Scorchers watched by a considerable
number of parents stated slowly but eventually got our game going after
a very sluggish first 10 minutes with very little between the sides
In midfield Amy, Emily and Bella as normal worked hard but struggled
to get our normal passing game going through midfield. Amy typically was putting the tackles in to
win possession with Emily and Bella supporting her either side. Despite not being as fluent as normal the hard
work and commitment was there for all to see.
On the few occasions Pannel broke from midfield Danielle and Anya at the
back looked comfortable and snuffed out any threats.
Grace had a couple of saves to make in the first half but
generally she was well protected by her teammates in front of her.
Nil - Nil at half time.
In the 2nd half Anya came off to give Katie a run
and we continued to look comfortable at the back. Danielle as skipper continued
to lead by example by both anticipating any danger and putting tackles in when required. We continued to shade the game and whilst not
creating many chances ourselves never really looked like conceding due to our solid
defensive work.
Up front Ellie Mc was working hard to create space but we
could just not find her with our final ball.
However due to her movement the Pannel defence had to keep a close eye
on her. Her hard work and movement deservedly
paid off when she gained a bit of space in the box and finished cleanly into
the bottom right hand side of the goal with the keeper well beaten.
We continued to work hard as the second half progressed and won
a corner on the right which was delivered into the box by Emily. The Pannel defence managed to clear straight
back to Emily who controlled it well and passed to Bella who took one touch and
smashed it in from the edge of the box. A great strike! 0-2 scorchers
Emily then came off for Hannah who slotted into the right
hand of midfield and again looked comfortable.
Amy then made way for Jade to move into centre midfield. Jade who is still making her way back from long
term injury and is gradually returning to the great form and improvement she
showed last year. She got involveled immediately and on occasions showed some
great footwork to make space in midfield.
We saw the rest of the game out reasonably well and made
sure that Grace had one of her quieter afternoons between the posts. This
was not our best performance of the season but it was disciplined and to be fair
we never really looked like losing it.
Player of the match was Ellie Mc for her hard work and
making the most of the very few opportunities she was presented with.
In the second game we played 8 a side and started with Grace
in goal, a back 3 of Amber, Emma and Anya. In midfield Danielle, Jade and Katie
with Hannah playing up front on her own.
We started brightly and created a couple of good chances
early on. Danielle was clearly enjoying
moving from defence in the first game to midfield in the second where she had a
bit more opportunity to express herself.
On one such occasion early
in the game she managed to get on the ball and hit a fierce shot into the back
of the net before the keeper had a chance to move. 0-1 scorchers. Katie and Jade worked hard and put tackles in
where required. On one such occasion Katie and an opposing Pannel player put in
a pretty strong challenge and Katie went down looking to be in trouble. As we
know it takes a lot for Katie to go down and true to form after a couple of
minutes she got back to her feet dusted herself down and got straight back into
the game in typical “Katie fashion”
The first half remained relatively tight but we continued to
shade the possession and chances. 0-1 at half time. In the 2nd half the game
continued in much the same way as the first.
Up front Hannah was constantly working hard off the ball to shut down the
Pannel defence and never gave them an opportunity to settle. At the back we continued to look solid with
Amber and Emma improving with every game and Anya playing her normal consistently
solid game (and a couple of excellent tackles!!)
The game came to an
end with Scotton recording a second win of the afternoon this time 0-1.
Another couple of wins in the bag and again the entire squad
contributed fully to the deserved victories.
All the girls should be proud of their performances. What is also pleasing
to see is how both the team and individual players are improving as the season
goes on.
Finally it was great to see so many parents, grandparent’s and
friends down supporting and encouraging the girls. In particular the noise made
when the goals went it was fantastic and really lifted the girls.
Congratulations to all the squad ( and supporters!)
