QPR Ladies 2:1 Forest Green Rovers
I really liked the way we started the match and thought we looked cool and composed. There was a control about our play and a technical superiority early on that Forest Green struggled to deal with and I sensed right from the start that we had enough in the locker to win the game.
I loved the way we scored our opening goal too. We took the lead by capitalising on a mistake by the Forest Green defence and we broke with such a pace and purpose that you sensed there was a real desire by our players to punish them for it, and we did. Susannah Abbott sent in a lovely ball to the back post and Seun Odeniyi was on hand to head home.
After that we still controlled much of the play and created many good opportunities in the final third, but we were a little bit careless with our final ball and that meant we wasted some decent chances to really test their keeper. Most of them were half-chances at best, but we’ve scored from plenty of those this season and have the personnel to turn them into golden opportunities.
We probably should have extended our lead but Forest Green showed why they are up at the top end of the table by countering very quickly whenever they had the chance. I really enjoyed the way they systematically shot up the field and at times they played some nice one touch stuff. Emily Bourne also had to pull off an absolutely outstanding save to keep the scores level from a header that looked like it had ‘goal’ written all over it.
At half-time we stressed to the players that it was Forest Green’s cup-final and a big 45 minutes in their season. If they had any ambition to win the league they would need to turn the game around and beat us, so we expected them to throw everything at us including the kitchen sink in the second-half.
And the inevitable happened. In QPR like fashion we didn’t really look in too much danger and we had plenty of the ball as we probed and looked to find an opening to kill the game off. But Forest Green to their credit made good use of the ball whenever they did get it in our final third.
A clearance fell kindly to the feet of their striker who still had plenty to do as she picked the ball up a good 30-35 yards out wide on the left. As she skipped inside, she took a great first-touch to open her body out and then unleashed a beautiful strike into the roof of the net from about 25-yards out.
At 1:1, there was always going to be a danger that we’d get caught out again and for a brief period you couldn’t really tell what was going to happen. We started trying to force our way through as we searched for a winner, but that led us to carelessly losing possession at the top end and giving them a chance to counter.
But we kept knocking at the door and with about 10 minutes to go we missed an absolute sitter to take the lead having created a three-on-one situation that we somehow didn’t put away despite having two bites at the cherry. We went close again from a corner moments later that was cleared off the line and Carla Williams had a decent shout for a penalty appeal turned down when it looked like she was clipped from behind just as she was going to pull the trigger after she twisted and turned her way through a sea of players.
Forest Green also had a bit of misfortune too though. As we continued to press them they had an injury to one of their defenders and had already used all their subs, so they went down to 10 players but to their credit, the way they played after you would have been none the wiser they were one down.
I still had a belief in the team that they were going to win though. There was a little bit of an air of frustration about us in the sense that we hadn’t scored by now but I felt we’d always get that one clear cut opportunity we were looking for and it came with about two minutes to go.
Cherrelle Albert broke through one-on-one and shot straight at the keeper who made a good save, but the ball ricocheted back off her knee and rolled agonisingly into the bottom corner of the net and in, despite the keeper’s best attempts to keep it out! There was a little bit of luck that it went in, but I felt it was deserved.
After that, Forest Green were reduced to nine after having a player sent off for dissent and we saw out the remaining time to seal the win, which we were delighted about.
It wasn’t our best performance of the season, but generally I thought we played quite well. We didn’t pass the ball through the midfield as much as we probably would have liked, but Forest Green had a strong spine and we adapted well enough and altered our play as and when necessary. Perhaps you could argue our creative players didn’t quite have that slickness they normally have, but they still dug in and found what they needed to, to get the result.
Forest Green also played with five at the back, so they got on the ball a lot in those areas, especially second balls when attacks broke down and we could have put them under more pressure at times when it could have led to danger in terms of fast counter attacks. But whenever we did press them we forced them into making mistakes or conceeding possession.
So make no mistake about it, we showed a great deal of character here. The players didn’t stop believing they’d find a way to win and they’re showing a desire that is unmatched by any team I’ve come across so far. And we’re sitting at the top of the table because we’re adapting to our opponents, adapting to pitches and adapting to whatever the weather wants to throw at us too.
It was a great win and a great way to win too. It can only help develop our resolve as we enter the business end of the season and I can tell these players are ready for it and that they want to claim what they believe they deserve.
Team: Emily Bourne, Ceryl Guard, Nikki Crump (Carla Williams), Simone Dwyer, Mel Bidewell, Amy Murphy, Leigh Holes, Tammy Scrivens, Cherrelle Albert, Seun Odeniyi
Subs: Jess Devoti, Caroline Barker, Hannah Curnow, Jade Holes and Carla Williams
Goals: Odeniyi & Albert
