K's into top half of the table
Match report by Mark Robson
After last week’s postponement and further rain in the week, it was with some surprise that it was game on today at home against Peckham Town. We had two changes from the starting line-up for our last outing at Bromley two weeks ago, but, unlike last week, we had no subs at all this week. Thankfully, Patti Panok had returned from a spell away so we were just able to field 11 players. We were also delighted today to welcome along our club chairman, John Fenwick, and we kicked-off hoping to put on a good show.
We started very brightly and immediately put Peckham under pressure. A couple of good chances had come and gone before, with only five minutes on the clock, Mairead Halliday fed in Olivia Watson down the right flank. Olivia ran at the full-back and crossed for Sophia Demetriou to slot home. 1-0. Chances continued to come and go after that, and we were beginning to think we might rue our wastefulness in front of goal as we could have put the game beyond Peckham in the first 20 minutes. Mid-way through the half however we seemed to lose focus, passing started to go astray and we let Peckham right back in to the game. Eventually, with only 2 or 3 minutes to go until the break, we succumbed when, after a period of sustained Peckham pressure, a shot was parried by Lily Dusting but the ball dropped to a Peckham striker who tucked it home. HT 1-1.
The second half started badly for us when, after only 2 minutes, a free-kick was conceded just outside our penalty area, and the free-kick taker curled the ball beautifully over everyone and into the far corner of our goal. 1-2. Fortunately, before Peckham could consolidate their lead, we were back on level terms almost immediately when Sophia Demetriou fed in Olivia Watson who smashed the ball home. 2-2.
We were in the ascendancy in the period after that, but were struggling to break through Peckham’s dogged rearguard. When we did manage it, their goalkeeper was invariably out like lightning to clear any danger. Finally, however, our mounting pressure told. With 65 minutes on the clock, a cross looked as though it was about to be cleared to safety by the Peckham defence, but Christelle Meier instead charged in and blocked the clearance. The ball dropped at her feet and, looking up, she had the composure to steer it around the goalkeeper and into the far corner of the goal. 3-2.
Tails were up after this, and five minutes later Olivia Watson sprang the off-side trap and ran through to increase our lead. 4-2. We lost Chelsea Woods to a whack on the knee on 75 minutes and so were down to 10 for the remainder of the match, but confidence was by now high and, on 80 minutes, Sophia Demetriou burst through the Peckham defence once again and added a fifth. On 90 minutes, Olivia Watson drilled the ball home to complete an excellent hat-trick and, shortly afterwards, the referee blew for full-time with the score 6-2.
We started and finished the game well today, but survived a serious wobble in the middle period of the game. All’s well that ends well however and this result represents our biggest win of the season and takes us back into the top half of the table for the first time in 2019.
Team: Lily Dusting, Chelsea Woods, Stephanie Bushby, Lucy Potter (c), Lace Edgcombe, Mairead Halliday, Sarah Sinkins, Patti Panok, Olivia Watson, Christelle Meier, Sophia Demetriou
Goal scorers: Olivia Watson 3, Sophia Demetriou 2, Christelle Meier
Player of the match: Lucy Potter (pictured)
