Kingshurst Ladies 1 - 8 Coventry City Girls
Cup 1/12/07
By Hayley Griffiths

Kingshurst being in the other league, we had never played them before so this was a bit of a journey into the unknown.

From the start we were closed down straight away, but after we managed to put some passes together we settled down and played some footie. Kingshurst were not going to be a push over.

We put the ball wide to Rach who managed to loose her player and put our first away. Our midfield kept battling which lead to our second from Dee.

Continuous pressure from Kingshurst saw them go off on a break and slot one past Abby.

We then stepped up and went on a mission Dee, Braids and Emmo put one each away. That shooting practices in training paying off!

Braids not satisfied with one she had to score her second.

Half time score: Kingshurst Ladies 1 - 6 Coventry City Girls.

Kingshurst started the second half as the same as the first. Battled hard.

Loz came off the bench to slot herself one into the back of the net. KP‘s patience also paid off and she got her name on the score sheet.

Good game, well done girls.

WBA 1 - 2 Coventry City Girls
Cup 13/10/07
By Hayley Griffiths

We knew that the visit to West Bromwich would not be easy. We started well with everyone working hard. Eventually are hard work paid off with a fantastic long range goal from Emmo.

Both teams then battled well with, unfortunately West Bromwich making a break against play and equalising. The girls heads never went down.

Half time score: WBA 1 -1 Coventry City Girls

The team talk at half time gave the girls encouragement.

The second half performance was much as the first with Cov looking for the winner. The winner soon came with KP slotting the ball into the back of the West Bromwich net. Both teams kept working hard but the full time whistle went. On the day we played well and had a good attitude. Well done girls!!!

Coventry City Girls 2 - 1 Leafield Athletic
League 13/10/07
By Hayley Griffiths

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With lots of players playing out of position and with key players missing, Woody and Paige came in to give us a squad to play against Leafield. We started the first half strong and the two teams were pretty even.

Half Time Score: Coventry City Girls 0 - 0 Leafield Athletic.

We came out fighting like we did in the first half and our hard work paid off with KP scoring a nice goal. The defence continued to stay strong and then Braids had a shot, the ball rolled on the line and Loz just made sure and put the ball in the back of the net. Leafield kept fighting hard and got a consolation goal.

Well done girls you kept battling and played with a lot of heart. A great team win.

Leamington Lions 2 - 1 Coventry City Girls
League 22/9/07

Following last weeks match postponement, this week we’re away again to last year’s strong adversaries, Leamington Lions. From previous confrontations, this game was always going to be a close scoring game and as anticipated, from the off, the challenges came in thick and fast with the ball travelling from end to end with crosses that make full use of the wide spacious pitch.

Within several minutes KP heads in a crucial first goal from a beautifully delivered Rachel corner, to put us into an early lead for us to build on. Leamington reply with a sustained period of play whereby long crosses over to their right flank sets their pacey winger off giving Dayle problems and other long over the top balls force Abby to race out of her area to make clearances. With 10 mins of the first half remaining, Coventry compose themselves and by stringing passes together, begin to swing the momentum back towards Leamington’s end with only strong defensive tackling depriving our forwards from making clean breaks through to goals.

Coventry started the second half with a slender lead, but the opposition began to push hard looking for the equalizer which seemed inevitable and sure enough was had when Leamington were allowed time and space on the edge of our 18yd box to drill a shot across an outstretched Abby and into the far corner of the net. With the wind in their sail Leamington do not waste time to go ahead with almost an identical goal. Coventry try to revive their game, but shots on goals are few and far between and not enough to worry their keeper.

The game ends with obvious disappointment for Coventry but unsurprising with a lack lustre team display. A mention for Nat who gave a strong performance in defence and Abby who pulled of a couple of great saves to keep the score close enough to keep us in touch. On the whole not one of our worst performances, but against a strong team, one which let ourselves down with passes that went astray and the inability and urgency to close players down which ultimately opened the door to Leamington.

Dudley United 0 - 12 Coventry City Girls
League 8/9/07

With the start of a new season we make a trek over to Dudley for our first eagerly anticipated league game against a new team to us, Dudley United, who have an impressive home ground and facilities with what looks like a well looked after full size pitch, giving plenty of scope to stretch the play wide.

Dudley get the first half under way against a new Coventry line up which sees several new faces and immediately Coventry intercept and begin what turns out to be a relentless onslaught from all angles on Dudley’s goal with two strikes going just wide in the first minute of play. Without having to wait long, Rachel opens this seasons account for us with a cleanly struck shot from the left, across the keeper and into the far side of the net, the first of her 4.

Play resumes and once again Coventry extend their lead with debutant KP scoring her first of three, closely followed by her second within a minute. The play continues with Dudley unable to tame Coventry’s appetite for possession and allowing our girls to disposes and reapply constant pressure on Dudley’s defence, leaving poor Abby to patrol a barren Coventry goal area.

Following Dudley’s goal mouth surviving a barrage of strikes, KP receives a ball to her face; Amy comes on for KP and soon sneaks a spilt ball between keeper and post to give Coventry a convincing 7 goal lead to go into the second half.

Coventry get the second half under way with Emmo having her shot narrowly miss the left hand post. Not to be put off Emmo returns with a rifled shot from the left which the keeper gets a hand to but only to deflect it into the top right hand corner of the net. Loz takes over sentry watch to give Abby a much needed rest while our defence continue to tidily turn away any hint of an attack. Our 9th evolves from a combination of passes between H and Beth on the right finally threading a ball through to Amy on the edge of the box to slot past the keeper. The second half continues with one way traffic, intermittently broken by several free kicks given by both teams for not putting a name to the ball when challenging. Rachel’s solo run from well within Coventry’s half culminates in her calmly side footing it past the keeper for Coventry’s 12th and final goal of the match.

Undoubtedly an excellent start to our season with a satisfying display of ambitious and good clean flowing football. Particularly pleasing to see our girls taking every opportunity at goals which saw many more opportunities go just shy of the goal. The only real criticism falls on our set pieces which lacked decisiveness and execution, maybe something to work on?

WELL DONE GIRLS.