After the midweek highs from winning the Middlesex County FA Senior Cup against Barnet, we came crashing back down to Earth here as the Ladies lost in a drab affair against Charlton Ladies.
The game lacked any genuine quality and both sides didn’t have the finesse or the cutting edge to take control on the day.
Instead, it was a bitty affair and it was sort of like an all legs and arms type of performance from us, with so many players not ever really looking like they were in control of themselves, let alone the ball.
The overall quality of passing from both sides was quite poor and there were plenty of misplaced passes, passes with too much or too little weight applied, hit and hope balls and generally poor decision making that meant the match got stuck in first gear and never really got going.
For us, our shape was a bit rigid and we didn’t spread quickly enough when we had possession of the ball. When you play against a side that’s set up in a 4-5-1 defensive formation and only looking for the counter attack, you’ve got to try and stretch them out and pull them out of position, but we didn’t really do that.
Instead, we lacked patience and rather than play the ball side to side, and with tempo, we often hurried and looked to hit direct or into a congested area, only to lose so many 50-50 challenges and second balls. It was playing right into Charlton’s strength’s really.
The shape caused us problems too and we played with far too many narrow passing angles, which also made us choose the wrong ball when something wasn’t on and we lacked someone taking responsibility and the game by the scruff of the neck. We could have done with anybody just directing players a little more and working out and adapting to the problems that we were facing out there.
The pitch wasn’t great either and it didn’t help both teams, but we’ve played on some pretty dire surfaces before and still played our football the right way. It just didn’t go for us here though and from really early on you could tell the game would hinge on one chance, probably from a mistake and whoever took it would go on to win.
And it was Charlton who got the points. A through ball aimlessly went through to the opposition keeper who cleared with a direct punt upfield that we allowed to bounce more than once, before being caught out by the Addicks’ lone forward who duly tucked it away.
Despite it being a disappointing match and a disappointing performance, there was some good news and that was the return of Elly Maggs. She started the season in splendid form, but picked up a serious knee injury that required surgery and she’s been through a long rehabilitation period before returning to action as a substitute.
Her quality was immediately obvious and it’s a big boost for the side to have her back in the fold.
Sophie Fogarty also had an excellent first-half, where she showed she is developing the mettle and mental resolve to really compete at this level. She was a constant threat and thorn in the Charlton side and had the beating of her marker, despite a strong and physical approach against her but was never afraid to get stuck in and put herself about either. I’m really excited to see what she can do next season, now that she’s got some experience under her belt.
As for us, despite having so many players out for various reasons, mainly injuries, we’ve still got a lot to play for and can finish the season strongly. Charlton’s win confined Crystal Palace and Fulham to relegation and that means we’re safe with still a few games to go. The players deserve credit for achieving safety at the first attempt and having had a good look at the division, there’s no reason why we can’t improve and be challenging at the top end next season.
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