|
Team Sponsors
Pink Kit Sponsors
 Coventry City Girls FC First Team 2008/2009 Match Reports Racing Club Warwick 0 - 6 Coventry City Girls The First Team secured their own little piece of history this evening. Needing a solitary point from their last match of the season, they defeated Racing Club Warwick LFC 6 – 0 to secure The Birmingham FA Women’s Premiership title and clinch promotion to The West Midlands Regional League – South Division. The Girls took a little while to build up a head of steam, but as they settled into a rhythm, it was obvious that if they scored one goal, they could go on to run out comfortable winners. The first goal came on the quarter hour mark as Lauren Mochrie made a fine solo run down the right hand side and her ball across the goal finished up in the back of the net. The Girls were impatient for the second and time and time again, they were a yard too quick for the through ball and were caught offside. The second goal eventually came on the half hour mark when, following some slick play on the left hand side between Sarah Giles and Stevie-Rae Roberts, Roberts found herself free and hit a sweet shot leaving the keeper with no chance. From that moment, the result was never in doubt, but The Girls were keen to put on a display for the impressive crowd gathered for the game. Three minutes later, Sam Pattinson made it 3 – 0 following a slick passage of play between Adele Kenny and skipper Maz Cartwright. Kerry Williamson in the City goal was, by this point, almost a spectator as City looked to assert their advantage. Lianna Mudd proved again how much she has blossomed at right back this season and Charlotte Gassor and Abbie Strong rarely looked troubled at the heart of the City defence. Half time Score: Racing Club Warwick 0 - 6 Coventry City Girls The Girls were warned at half time not to become complacent and carry on pushing to improve their lead. This they did on 48 minutes after some good work by the hard working Sarah Giles who found Sam Pattinson leaving her a straight forward tap in in front of goal. Jessie Flint then replaced Charlotte Gassor with Gemma Clarke, who had started alongside Maz Cartwright in the middle, dropping back to centre half leaving Flintie to play in the middle of the park. The move paid almost immediate dividends as she latched on to a loose ball 30 yards out and her shot left the keeper stranded off her line to make the score 5 – 0. Shortly after, Roxy Kinsella replaced Sam Pattinson who left the field with 33 goals under her belt for the season. Kinsella then tormented the Warwick right back and was unlucky not to reap the rewards with a goal. Sarah Giles had been unlucky on countless occasions. However, on 81 minutes she was rewarded for her hard work with a goal following some good work on the right by Jessie Flint who crossed for Giles to head in at the far post and make it 6 – 0 and score her 53rd of the season. enna Badland then replaced Lianna Mudd who received rapturous applause as she left the pitch. Due to work commitments, Jenna’s appearances have been limited this season but she proved that she has what it takes to perform at right back as she got involved from the minute she set foot on the pitch. As the clock ran down, the girls were happy to play the ball around and as the referee blew his whistle, the celebrations began. Racing Warwick were the first to congratulate City on their achievement and were magnanimous in defeat. The Girls are one of the most sporting teams in the league and were unfortunate to suffer so many knocks on the night. Team: Williamson, Mudd (Badland, 82), Gassor (Flint, 50), Strong, Kenny, Mochrie, Clarke, Cartwright (Capt.),Roberts, Pattinson (Kinsella, 55), Giles, Sub (Unused): O’Loughlin Goal scorers: Pattinson (2), Mochrie, Flint, Roberts, Giles The support again was, as it has been all season, absolutely unbelievable. The Girls were first to acknowledge this at the end as they applauded the crowd. The achievement this season of league, shield and cup treble has been down to the hard work and wonderful team spirit of the girls. In times of adversity, they have been there for each other and picked each other up when they were down. Next season sees new challenges and new opposition. Compliments have already been made by people who have no connection to the club. The future’s bright- the future’s SKY BLUE. Coventry City Girls 2 - 2 Coundon Court Ladies If the First Team are to secure the League Title by their own efforts, they must wait until Thursday evening and secure at least a point in the away fixture against Racing Club Warwick following a 2 – 2 draw against Coundon Court at Wolston. Despite starting the brighter of the two teams, City failed to capitalise on their enterprise partly due to their own failings and partly down to what can at best be described as some dubious offside decisions on the part of the opposition linesman. That aside, there was no excuse for City's poor play when Coundon took the lead on the half hour mark thanks to a fine run and finish by Stacey Tovey somewhat against the run of play. City then appeared to be somewhat of a spent force as Coundon seized the advantage and began to press time and time again. Playing into the wind though, The City management felt that if we could go into the break only one down, then there would be ample opportunity in the second half to turn the match around with the wind behind them. It looked as though that would be the case until, 30 seconds before the interval, the entire City defence switched off and allowed the Coundon right winger to advance un-challenged and then crossed for Mankirath Sidhu to rise on her own at the far post to head into the corner of the net. With The Girls 2 – 0 down at half time, they knew that it would take a mammoth effort to secure the title and even to take a point from the game. Sinead Byrne had replaced Roxy Kinsella on the left half way through the first half and, shortly after the break, Gemma Clarke replaced Jessie Flint in the middle to try and add fresh legs to the equation. City huffed and puffed their way back into the game but, despite starting to win a few more first challenges, the second ball always seemed to fall to a Coundon player and, in typical end of season fashion, players seemed unwilling to challenge for the 50/50 ball. The Girls struggled to achieve any impetus but on the hour mark, Sinead Byrne latched on to a loose ball and found Sarah Giles just inside the Coundon box. With her back to goal, she gained half a yard, turned and hit a sweet strike high into the back of The Coundon net to make the score 2 – 1. Leah O'Loughlin then replaced Lauren Mochrie as they went 3 – 4 – 3 to try and throw a bit more at a resolute Coundon defence. Throughout the half, Coundon had endeavoured to eat up as much time as possible taking throw ins etc and despite the watch ticking over the 90 minute mark, referee Daniel Bryant added on a further 6 minutes in added time. With City pressing hard and Coundon appealing to the ref to blow for time, The Girls won a corner. The corner was crossed in and the keeper could only parry the ball down. With Sinead Byrne and Sam Pattinson advancing fast, it was Pattinson who was first to the loose ball, and she made no mistake in hitting the back of the net in the sixth minute of added time. With almost the next touch, referee Bryant blew for full time and City had secured one of the most hard fought for points of the season to preserve their 20 match unbeaten run stretching back to the middle of November last year. Team; Williamson, Mudd, Gassor, Strong, Kenny, Mochrie, Flint (Clarke, 60), Cartwright, Kinsella (Byrne, 35), Giles, Pattinson Goals; Sam Pattinson, Sarah Giles The point means that Kingshurst can now only draw level with City should they win each of their 5 remaining games which include tough fixtures against Coundon Court, Solihull and Atherstone. This could all prove irrelevant however if The Girls manage to secure at least a point against Racing Club Warwick away at Hampton Lane, Warwick on Thursday evening. Kick off is at 7.30pm. Birmingham Medics 1 -7 Coventry City Girls Despite a hectic dash into Birmingham City Centre in a heavy storm and in heavy traffic, the first team moved to within touching distance of their season long aim of league title success with a crucial 7 – 1 victory over Birmingham Medics this evening. Despite a spirited performance by The Medics, The Girls never looked threatened as they started the game at a remarkably quick tempo which took the wind from Birmingham’s sails. After several near misses, Sam Pattinson opened the scoring on seven minutes following a fine flowing move down the left hand side involving four City players. The speed of the game continued at a furious tempo with City playing some entertaining football and The Girls continued to pepper the Medics goal. After 12 minutes, Jessie Flint, with her long dark locks flowing for the last time, doubled City’s lead with a speculative cross come shot from 25 yards out which left the keeper in no-man’s land and the ball drifted over her head and into the goal. The game was, by now, effectively over, however, if The Girls do slip up over the final two games, goal difference could prove to be a key factor in deciding the title. They knew that they needed to maintain the pressure and continue the quest for goals. On 31 minutes, Roxy Kinsella linked up well down the left with Sarah Giles receiving the ball back from Giles 10 yards out before rounding the keeper to score City’s third. Four minutes later, Sam Pattinson netted her 30th goal of the season and City’s fourth on the night. By this stage The Girls were cruising and went into half time 4 up. The hard work in the first half meant that City could rest several players in the second half including keeper Kerry Williamson who was still suffering the after effects from a knock picked up on Sunday with Sam Pattinson going between the sticks and Leah O’Loughlin replacing her up front. Sinead Byrne replaced Adele Kenny at left back as the half kicked off. O’Loughlin’s introduction paid immediate dividends as she twisted and turned and tormented The Medics defence before a pinpoint cross onto Sarah Giles’ head and she, in turn, found the top corner of the goal – all in the space of 30 seconds of the referee blowing his whistle to start the half. Two minutes later, following some good work this time by Gemma Clarke on the right hand side, Giles found herself on the receiving end again, this time lashing a shot on target to make the score 6 – 0 and secure her 50th goal of the season. Lauren Mochrie then replaced Jessie Flint in midfield as City switched into cruise mode to preserve their fitness ahead of Sunday’s game against Coundon Court. City continued to play good football and, following a slick move down the right hand side involving Lianna Mudd and Lauren Mochrie, Mochrie crossed for Sarah Giles to turn and score her third on the night. On the quarter hour mark, City conceded a free kick on the edge of their own box and The Medics number 8 made no mistake with her placement to beat Sam Pattinson in The City goal to make the score 7 -1. City then took their foot off the gas somewhat although they did enough to show that they were totally in command of the game and with the light fading fast, the referee blew his whistle for full time. Team: Williamson (O’Loughlin, 35), Mudd, Strong, Gassor, Kenny (Byrne, 35), Clarke, Cartwright (capt.), Flint ( Mochrie, 45), Kinsella, Pattinson, Giles Subs (unused) Roberts Goals: Pattinson (2), Giles (3), Kinsella, Flint Sunday sees The Girls return to Wolston for their final home fixture of the season. With City needing 2 points to secure the title, victory would see them champions although Coundon Court will, as they have already on three occasions this season, prove to be stiff opposition and the team will pay them every respect. The final game of the season is next Thursday night away at Racing Club Warwick with the match at Hampton Lane kicking off at 7.30pm. Coventry City Girls 3 - 1 Atherstone Ladies The 1st Team exacted swift revenge on Atherstone this afternoon following their 2 – 2 draw a fortnight ago. They showed their resilience under pressure to run out 3 – 1 visitors and move one step closer to the league title following Kingshurst’s 2 – 2 draw at Solihull. Once again, City were quick out of the traps and never allowed Atherstone to settle. For the first 10 minutes, Atherstone were trapped inside their own half but proved why they are currently second in the league as The Girls struggled to break them down. On 7 minutes, Sam Pattinson masterminded the break through with a fine individual effort slotting the ball past Jade Meer in the Atherstone goal after beating 3 defenders. City could, and should, have gone on to score three or four more in the next 20 minutes but, end of season pressure and nerves combined to ensure that the game would be a nail biting affair for all. Indeed, City were made to pay on the 35 minute mark when they failed to deal with an Atherstone corner and, although Atherstone’s forward line (who all came in at 6 feet tall minimum) were all marked, defender Rachel Crump, who was possibly the smallest player on the pitch, crept in unmarked to slot the ball past Kerry Williamson in the City goal. Signs of déjà-vu flashed before Jamie Walker and Dave Cartwrights’ eyes but, with a sense of endeavour, The Girls proved them wrong and, following a fine sweeping move down the right hand side which started with a fine pass from Lianna Mudd and involved four other City players, Sam Pattinson doubled her tally when slotting home from a Lauren Mochrie cross. Half time score:: Coventry City Girls 2 Atherstone Ladies 1 The girls were given a stark warning at half time. Two weeks ago, they capitulated against the same forward line and could have blown their title hopes. This time however, both teams contrived to allow the other every chance of killing the game off. City knew how much of a threat Atherstone could be from corners and did what they could to give them another chance as they conceded corner after corner. Today however, the defence remained firm and defended admirably. City enjoyed their own share of possession but tried too hard and failed to play simple football. When simple passes were there to be played, they chose instead to try and hit through a sea of red shirts and attacks broke down time and time again. To their credit though, they never gave up and, following some fine play in the middle of the park by Maz Cartwright and Gemma Clarke, Maz slotted a fine ball through for Sarah Giles to run on to and, as the game moved into injury time, Giles made sure of the three points. Mention must be made of Sinead Byrne and Adele Kenny who both played out of position and looked completely at home in their new roles. Jessie Flint again worked tirelessly in the middle of the park and was unlucky not to see more possession. It seems unfair to single out players at this stage of the season as the reason the team are where they are is because of the way they all play for each other and help each other. Team: Williamson, Mudd, Millbourn (Strong, 80), Gassor, Byrne (Roberts, 70), Mochrie (Clarke, 65), Cartwright (capt.), Flint, Kenny, Pattinson, Giles Subs (unused) O’Loughlin, Kinsella Goals: Pattinson (2), Giles Today’s results mean that The Girls need to secure two victories from the remaining 3 games to seal the league title. They play Birmingham Medics away on Thursday evening before returning to Wolston next Sunday to play Coundon Court for the fourth time this season. The final game which is still to be arranged will be a mid-week fixture away at Racing Club Warwick. Thanks again to the spectators for the wonderful support. The volume of support seems to be growing each week and will be a big help if the team are to cross the finishing line and secure the title. Coventry City Girls 4 - 0 Solihull Ladies The 1st Team made history this afternoon as they completed The Open Cup and League Shield double with an emphatic 4 – 0 demolition of local rivals Solihull Ladies. With The Girls eager to prove a point following their recent under par performances, they were quickly out of the traps as Sarah Giles latched on to a fine move down the middle of the park to put City 1 – 0 up with barely 1 minute and 30 seconds on the clock. From this moment on, City never looked back and completely dominated the first half although the second goal took a while in coming. It eventually arrived just past the half hour mark when Solihull failed to deal with a wicked in-swinging corner and “Birthday Girl”, Lauren Mochrie was on hand to blast the ball into the back of the net. By this stage, City were in almost virtual control of the game although it was obvious that a third goal was necessary to kill the game off completely which did not arrive in the first half as City went in at half time 2 up. The Girls were given a harsh warning at the break. They had appeared to be in a similar position last week during the league game against Atherstone and could not capitalise on the lead. As the second half started, City could not quite get the control they had established during the first half but never really looked threatened with keeper, Kerry Williamson, only really having to collect long wasted balls through the middle which the Solihull forwards had no chance of catching. The team gave their all and, in an effort to freshen them up, Gemma Clarke replaced Jessie Flint who had given her all alongside Maz Cartwright in the middle of the park. Leah O’Loughlin replaced the ever-consistent Roxy Kinsella and Sinead Byrne came on at left back in place of Adele Kenny who again, had worked her socks off. The changes paid almost immediate dividends as Leah O’Loughlin wriggle her way past 3 players before lashing the ball into the back of the net to make it 3 – 0 and kill the game off. It was equally important that the defence didn’t ship goals and, to their credit, Lianna Mudd, Lynn Millbourn and Charlotte Gassor played probably the best they had played all season and were water-tight. On another day, Sam Pattinson could have scored three and would have done but for the heroics of the Solihull keeper who made countless fine saves. City never looked under threat and it was fitting that it was left to the other “Birthday Girl” – skipper Maz Cartwright to score the fourth and final goal when, following a tussle at the edge of the box, the ball broke to her 20 yards out and she placed the ball effortlessly into the top left hand corner. Moments later, Referee Barrett blew his whistle for full time and The Girls could celebrate properly following their subdued celebration three weeks earlier. Team; Williamson, Mudd, Gassor, Millbourn, Kenny (Byrne, 70), Mochrie, Flint (Clarke, 50), Cartwright, Kinsella (O’Loughlin, 60), Giles Goals; Sarah Giles, Lauren Mochrie, Leah O’Loughlin, Maria Cartwright It would be unfair to single out any one individual for praise following today’s performance as the whole squad were magnificent. The twelfth man – the wonderful support – was applauded by the whole squad at the end of the game – Dee, just remember what to do with the bell! At the end of the game, Solihull manager, Scott Payne paid his own compliment by saying that his team were beaten by the best team in the league. That remains to be seen for another three games! Photographs of today’s final will be posted on the website in due course. Atherstone Ladies 2 - 2 Coventry City Girls The first team twice surrendered the lead this afternoon as they drew 2 – 2 at second placed Atherstone. Having done all the hard work in the first half and going in with a 1 – 0 lead thanks to Sam Pattinson’s 26th goal of the season, they came out for the second half and completely lost their way. Atherstone equalised 5 minutes into the half direct from a corner which Kerry Williamson could do nothing about. To their credit, City then battled to get themselves back into the lead as Sarah Giles scored number 46 for the season. However, they then turned off and, following another corner, The Girls failed to clear their lines and could only watch as the ball found the back of the net. City could not find any momentum to score a winner and had to settle for a point as the referee blew for time. The team were then informed in no uncertain terms that if they want to secure the league title, they would need to improve 100% in effort, application and commitment and it was a subdued journey back to Coventry. Team: Williamson, Mudd, Millbourn, Strong, Kenny, Mochrie (Byrne, 80), Clarke (Gassor, 60), Cartwright (Capt.), Kinsella (O’Loughlin, 70), Pattinson, Giles Goal scorers: Pattinson, Giles On a brighter note, chasers, Kingshurst lost 2 – 0 at home to Walsall Development which means, despite their poor performance, The Girls moved a further point clear of them. Walsall, Solihull and Atherstone are also close on the tails of the top two with the league still being open to any one of 6 teams. Next week sees the team in League Shield Final action against Solihull. A coach has been provided with space for 30 supporters. Please email jamie@covcitygirlsfc.co.uk to secure a seat – a bargain at £2.50 per seat. Kinghurst Sporting 2 - 2 Coventry City Girls The First Team travelled to Kingshurst this afternoon and, after a tough battle, came away with a point following a 2 – 2 draw. The point now puts City in the box seat in the League and their fate rests firmly in their own hands during the final five games. The game started and, for the first 15 minutes, City were never in the game and it appeared as if it was going to be a case of damage limitation as Kingshurst found themselves 2 up in no time at all through defensive errors. The first goal came following a total defensive misunderstanding as everyone stood and watched a deep cross fall to a Kingshurst player who coolly slotted home. Within 5 minutes, the situation got worse following a Kingshurst corner on the City left. Four players were allowed to advance totally unmarked and the tall centre midfielder kneed the ball into the back of the net. City looked totally demoralised at this stage and lost for ideas. It was clear though that if they switched on and played their normal slick passing game, they could transform the game and get something out of it. Gemma Clarke and Lynn Millbourn started to play with more assurance at the back and managed to seize more control of the game. City started to win more second balls as the half went on with Maz Cartwright and Jessie Flint looking more assured with every minute. Sarah Giles and Stevie – Rae Roberts started to find space up front losing their markers more and more and, with 3 minutes remaining of the first half, Sarah Giles hit a shot which the Kingshurst keeper had no chance with to make the score at half time; Half tome score: Kinghurst Sporting 2 - 1 Coventry City Girls The second half started with City pushing for an equaliser but, thanks to some dubious refereeing to say the least, saw no reward for their efforts. Kerry Williamson sustained a broken nose following a late tackle which the referee saw fit to wave play on. The resultant delay of 15 minutes meant that as the game moved on, City utilised their substitutes extremely well to ensure fresh legs across the park. Leah O’Loughlin replaced Stevie- Rae Roberts and exploited the Kingshurst defence with her extra yard of pace. Jessie Flint, who had ran her socks off, was replaced by Abbie Strong who dropped in at centre half allowing Gemma Clarke to push into midfield and, with the game moving into the 17 or so minutes of added time, Sinead Byrne moved up front as City went 4 - 3 – 3 in pursuit of the equaliser with Lauren Mochrie making way. Adele Kenny at left back now found space to push on also and Kingshurst started to look tired. By changing formation, it did mean that City were more exposed defensively and as Kingshurst broke City did look vulnerable. Following a Kingshurst break which Williamson collected in the City goal, she launched a ball forward to Sam Pattinson who laid the ball off to O’Loughlin who, in turn, laid a ball over the top to Sarah Giles. With the keeper advancing, Giles kept her composure and lobbed the keeper. It seemed as though every single City player and supporter willed the ball over the line and with the final defender stranded the ball reached the back of the net and City had equalised. It was nothing more than they deserved following their improved second half performance. City then looked the most dangerous as the game drew to an end and could have gone on to win but, as the referee blew the whistle for full time, it was City who celebrated as it was definitely Kingshurst who had dropped the two points and City who had won a point. The Girls today surrendered a winning run stretching back to 16th November. However, they remain unbeaten since that date and Sarah Giles’ first goal today was the team’s 100th competitive goal of the season. The whole team showed great strength of character to come back from 2 goals down for the first time this season. Kerry Williamson epitomised the team’s character by continuing despite a broken nose and carrying the knock to the thumb she picked up last week. With 5 league games remaining, City know that their destiny is in their own hands and can draw great strength on the way they hauled themselves back into today’s game. The support is still magnificent with the City fans easily outnumbering the home support. Team: Williamson, Mudd, Millbourn, Clarke, Kenny, Mochrie (Strong, 60), Flint (Byrne, 65), Cartwright (Capt.), Pattinson, Giles, Roberts (O’Loughlin 50) Goal scorer: Giles (2) Next week sees The City on their travels again as they visit Atherstone – another team who could be in the mix at the end of the season. Coventry City Girls 3 - 2 Coundon Court Ladies Coventry City Girls FC Open Age successfully retained The Open Cup this afternoon after a tough bruising encounter against local rivals Coundon Court . The game showed all the characteristics of a typical cup final and, with both sides trying to play different styles of football, proved to be a scrappy affair. Indeed, it was Coundon who looked the most dangerous at the start and it was no surprise when, on 20 minutes, they took the lead through a mix up in the City defence. To their credit, City, has they have done previously this season, bounced straight back into the equation when Sam Pattinson netted only 3 minutes later. From this point, City began to stamp their authority on the game and this was strengthened somewhat when, following an accidental clash in the Coundon box, their keeper stumbled and went down with damaged ankle ligaments. Fortunately, Coundon did have a reserve keeper who stepped into the breech. City continued to press for the lead and on 30 minutes after several unsuccessful attempts, Sarah Giles latched on to an effort from 20 yards which, to the naked eye, appeared to be going wide. Giles had however managed to bend the ball and it swerved in to beat the keeper on her near post and give City the lead. Half time score: Coventry City Girls 2 - 1 Coundon Court Ladies Coming out for the second half, City could and should have pressed for a third and then fourth goal. What they did do was something completely different as they went into their shells and, with Coundon pressing, struggled to get the ball out of their own half. On the hour mark, a Coundon striker hit a sweet shot from the edge of the box and to all intents and purposes, it was destined for the back of the net. Kerry Williamson however had differing views on this as she dived to her left and parried the ball around her far post for a corner. Not long afterwards, Coundon did equalise as they broke down the left hand side and, with a high lob which left Williamson stranded, latched on to the rebound which nestled in the back of the net. To make matters worse, when the melee had cleared, Williamson remained on the floor clearly in pain having badly sprained her thumb. It looked touch and go whether she would be able to continue but Kerry was having none of it. During the stoppage, captain Maz Cartwright gathered the troops and called for one last push and, true to form, City broke almost immediately with a sweet move down the right hand side. Lauren Mochrie, who had been kept quiet for most of the game, managed to free the shackles her marker had imposed on her for much of the game and put a deep cross in to the far post which Sam Pattinson met with her head and the ball went back across the face of the goal and nestled into the back of the net. For the last 15 minutes, City defended resolutely. Charlotte Gassor and Lynn Millbourn who had both had fine games at the heart of the City defence, marshalled the defence admirably and, it was with some relief that referee Barrett blew his whistle for full time leaving City to celebrate. Team; Williamson, Mudd, Gassor, Millbourn, Kenny (Murphy, 50), Mochrie, Flint (Clarke, 85), Cartwright, Kinsella (Roberts, 60), Giles Goals; Sam Pattinson (2), Sarah Giles While the game may not have been the best in terms of football that City have played this season, it is the first rung on the trophy ladder as they aim for the league and cup treble. The travelling army of support this morning was amazing and President Brian Ellis , paid tribute to them all back at the Jag Club afterwards. Next week sees The Girls back in league action in an important top of the table fixture against Kingshurst Sporting. Victory would give The Sky Blues a distinct advantage in the race for the title but they are under no illusions that this will be an extremely tough game. Photographs of today's final will be posted on the website in due course. . Racing Club Warwick 1 - 5 Coventry City Girls The First Team made it a cup final double this afternoon with a spirited 5 – 1 victory away at Racing Club Warwick. But they were made to work hard for their victory after falling behind to a 4 th minute goal and falling victim to some dubious officiating by both referee and opposition linesman. That said, the team also made it hard for themselves by not applying themselves initially and allowing the poor decisions to affect their own game. Time and time again, they struggled to convert good opportunities and failed to use the space they generated on the right hand side, choosing instead to channel all of their energies down the left flank which was tightly packed with Warwick opting to play with an extra player on their right hand side. The Girls worked hard to control their temper following some poor decisions. Sam Pattinson was floored by a Warwick centre half after she went straight through her back. After allowing play to briefly continue, the referee then warned the wrong player, not once, but twice. As tempers became more and more frayed, skipper Maz Cartwright was spoken to and then, two minutes from half time, Leah O'Loughlin found herself going into the ref's book for dissent. City did however, start to play some decent football before the break and there was a feeling that the game was certainly not lost as the Warwick team started to fade. Half time score: Racing Club Warwick 1 - 0 Coventry City Girls After some stern words at half time and a couple of substitutions, City came out with more resolve and it wasn't long before they were level after Sarah Giles latched on to a through ball from Jessie Flint. As she turned to face the Warwick keeper, there was never really any doubt that the ball would end up in the back of the net. Within 2 minutes of the equaliser, Giles broke through again following some good work by Lauren Mochrie down the right hand side. Again, Giles picked her spot and the ball nestled in the back of the net. Tem minutes into the second half and with Warwick tiring fast, the game was effectively over as Giles scored hers and City's third. Roxy Kinsella, a half time substitute replacing Leah O'Loughlin broke free down the left, hit a ball through to Jessie Flint who fed Giles to net her hat trick. The lead gave manager, Jamie Walker, the chance to rest Charlotte Gassor before next week's Open Cup Final, replacing her with Gemma Clarke. The match also saw a return to football action for Terri Murphy who had been out since 26 th October. Murphy looked at home, although a little rusty, in the City defence and fed some telling balls through to Lauren Mochrie. Lynn Millbourn had a fine game at the heart of the City defence but it was quite fitting that Sam Pattinson would have the final say in the game after a tenacious performance, firstly in midfield and then after moving up front at half time. With 7 minutes left on the clock, she fired home from close range after some fine work down the City right and then, 2 minutes from time, she hit her second to complete a fine second half comeback. Team: Williamson, Gassor (Clarke, 65), Byrne (Murphy, 45), Millbourn, Kenny, Mochrie, Flint , Cartwright (Capt.), Pattinson, Giles, O'Loughlin (Kinsella, 45) Goal scorers: Giles (3), Pattinson (2) Today's performance was an excellent test of character for The Girls prior to next week's Open Cup Final. It was a fine all round performance by the whole squad. This is only the third time all season that they have been behind in a game and it showed the wonderful spirit that is present in the camp at the moment. Many teams would have dropped their heads with so many things going against them but instead, they responded with a fine display of football that many other teams can only envy. There are still 6 seats available on next Sunday's coach to the Open Cup Final. The coach departs from the Jag Club off Capmartin Road at 8:30am. If you require seats or food afterwards, please contact Jamie at jamie@covcitygirlsfc.co.uk Coventry City Girls 5 - 0 Birmingham Medics After last week’s Open Cup victory, it was vital that City forgot the forthcoming final and concentrated on securing the 3 points necessary to maintain their push for the league title. Medics were an unknown quantity this season as this was the first time the two sides had met following this fixture being cancelled on the opening day of the season due to a waterlogged pitch. City couldn’t have started any brighter as they took the lead after 48 seconds through a fine strike by Sarah Giles. The Girls then doubled the lead on 9 minutes when Charlotte Gassor scored her first goal in a Coventry City Girls shirt and what a goal it was. She picked the ball up on the 30 yard mark and struck a sweet shot leaving the keeper stranded and only able to watch the ball hit the back of the net. The Girls could and should have gone on to get a complete grip on the game but they failed to settle and could not string a run of passes together. Rather than play their usual smooth football, balls were continuously pumped long and straight down the pitch. The tall Medics defence and midfield easily swallowed up these long wasted balls. The half continued in this manner and it was something of a relief when referee Dave Cartwright blew the half time whistle. Half time score: Coventry City Girls 2 - 0 Birmingham Medics After a few harsh words at half time, which is an unusual occurrence in itself, City came out with more resolve for the second half. Charlotte Gassor had picked up a knock shortly before the end of the half. Lynn Millbourn came on at centre half and Gemma Clarke pushed into the middle alongside skipper Maz Cartwright. When City used the flanks, they had continually looked threatening. Adele Kenny and Sam Pattinson on the left, and Lianna Mudd and Lauren Mochrie on the right had looked to pass the ball around the Medics midfield and on the hour mark; one such move set Giles free again who scored her second and City’s third. Lauren Mochrie suffered a recurrence of a hip problem and was forced off shortly afterwards to be replaced by Roxy Kinsella who looked sharp on the City left. City now played with more craft and guile and both Giles and Leah O’Loughlin could have scored on several occasions. Even in defence, City looked a lot more composed and were not afraid to use keeper Kerry Williamson to re-start attacks. Abbie Strong took a knock to the ankle she broke last year but she picked herself up to continue her partnership at the heart of the defence with Millbourn. With 20 minutes remaining, Sinead Byrne replaced Leah O’Loughlin who had suffered a slight groin strain. Byrne could and possibly should have secured a quick fire hat-trick as she continually found space up front. But it was Giles who scored City’s fourth and completed her hat-trick with a quarter of an hour remaining after a probing run finished with a coolly placed finish low to the keeper’s left. With 10 minutes remaining, Captain Maz completed the scoring to score her fifth of the season and see a final score of; Team: Williamson, Mudd, Clarke, Strong, Kenny, Mochrie (Kinsella, 60), Gassor (Millbourn, 45), Cartwright (Capt.), Pattinson (Kinsella, 55), Giles, O’Loughlin (Byrne, 75) Goal scorers: Giles (3), Gassor, Cartwright The victory now sees a winning run of 12 matches stretching over four months. The last defeat was on the 16th November in The County Cup against Leamington Lions. In that winning run, City have netted 71 times and conceded only 4. With 6 league games to go, the fate of the league title is in their own hands. Next week sees The Girls back in cup semi – final action, this time in The League Shield away at Racing Club Warwick. Kick off is at 2pm at Hampton Lane, Warwick. Coventry City Girls 1 - 0 Kinghurst Sporting The Sky Blues 1st team reached the final of the Open Cup this afternoon when they beat Kingshurst Sporting 1 – 0 in a game which always promised to be a tight encounter and indeed lived up to its expectations. In a game where each side tried hard to achieve superiority, it took a well crafted goal to break the deadlock after 70 minutes and a fine backs-to-the-wall last 20 minutes defensive effort to decide the fate of the game. City started brightly and had several half chances but the two Kingshurst centre halves marshalled the defence well and snuffed out any attempts on goal. At the other end, the City defence looked calm and composed and, after a quarter of an hour, the game had developed into a midfield encounter with breaks for either side proving to be few and far between. Lianna Mudd looked extremely composed and shows great maturity considering she is one of the youngest players in the team. She is not frightened to get stuck in where she needs to but also reads the game well linking up with Lauren Mochrie on the right hand side. Jessie Flint and Maz Cartwright battled hard to get a grasp of the game in the middle of the park and, towards the end of the first half, Kingshurst began to look a little ragged and City sensed that the door had opened slightly. Half time score: Coventry City Girls 0 - 0 Kinghurst Sporting The half time talk was easy at the break with the girls coming in full of confidence. It was however vital that City kept their nerve and played the ball along the ground as the atrocious weather meant the wind picked up any high ball. This was probably the difference between the two teams as City knocked the ball around well and sent Sarah Giles and Leah O’Loughlin through on numerous occasions as they pushed for goal. On the 70 minute mark, the deadlock was broken following a fine move down the City right. Lauren Mochrie picked the ball up, found Sarah Giles down the inside channel who got to the bye line and crossed the ball to find Sam Pattinson running in on the near post who slotted the ball home to put City in front. It was apparent then that Kingshurst would throw the proverbial “kitchen sink” at The Girls but again City held firm. Charlotte Gassor and Lynn Millbourn looked confident at the heart of the City defence and Dele Kenny coped well with any attacks down the Kingshurst right. With 15 minutes remaining, Gemma Clarke replaced the industrious O’Loughlin to add a third central midfielder to soak up the pressure. With 8 minutes on the clock, City had a scare when Kerry Williamson was victim of a crunching tackle and was left on the deck nursing a nasty blow to the jaw. Fortunately, she recovered and was on hand two minutes later to save from a Kingshurst header. With time running out, Kingshurst were awarded a corner which eventually fell to Charlotte Gassor who cleared and referee Dave Cartwright blew for full time to the delight of the City players and supporters. City’s support was again magnificent and acted as a twelfth man and saw the Girls over the finishing line. Team: Williamson, Mudd, Millbourn, Gassor, Kenny, Mochrie, Flint, Cartwright (Capt.), Pattinson, Giles, O’Loughlin (Clarke, 75) Goal scorer: Pattinson Please check back to the website later in the week for information on the final. A coach will be arranged for the day and details will follow shortly. Coventry City Girls 6 - 1 Racing Club Warwick Coventry City Girls continued their league exploits this afternoon with an emphatic 6 – 1 victory at home to Racing Club Warwick. However, Warwick belie their lowly league position and for the opening 30 minutes, made the Coventry Girls work hard to achieve any sort of gap between them. City settled much quicker than in previous weeks but much of the first 30 minutes was condensed into the middle third of the pitch. It was only when the City defence gave themselves an extra 10 yards depth that they started to use both flanks with much greater efficiency and effectiveness. On the 18 minute mark, City took the lead through a fine flowing move down the left hand side. Kerry Williamson threw out to Adele Kenny at left back, who played a smooth pass in-field to skipper Maz Cartwright who, in turn, found Sam Pattinson pushing forward on the left wing. Anticipating Sarah Giles front post run well, she threaded a delightful cross through to Giles who dispatched her glancing header into the top corner leaving the Warwick keeper with no chance. After her efforts when coming off the bench in recent weeks, Leah O’Loughlin was handed her first league start of the season and this paid dividends almost immediately as she tormented the Warwick defence on numerous occasions. On the half hour mark, she netted a deserved goal after a fine solo run and a great finish. Almost immediately, City conceded a sloppy goal as they switched off and allowed Warwick to push forward on the right hand side. City were guilty of not chasing back and also of dropping off the advancing midfielder who, at 25 yards, hit a fine strike which keeper Kerry Williamson had no chance of saving. Despite several good chances including a well worked opportunity down the right hand side which Cartwright was unlucky not to score with, the score stayed the same until half time and City went in Half time score: Coventry City Girls 2 - 1 Racing Club Warwick City came out for the second half with greater resolve and this paid immediate dividends as Leah O’Loughlin beat two players before being upended in the box leaving referee Dave Cartwright with no alternative other than to point to the spot. Sarah Giles stepped up to the spot and despite the Warwick keeper guessing the right way, Giles’ accuracy was unerring and the ball nestled in the corner of the net. Within 5 minutes, City who had introduced Roxy Kinsella to replace Sam Pattinson on the left flank, went 4 – 1 up when they won a corner on the left. Adele Kenny took the corner which swung in wickedly over the keeper’s head and the ball went directly into the net despite the best efforts of the Warwick defence to keep it out. From this point on, the result was never in doubt. City made further changes with Sinead Byrne replacing the returning Jessie Flint who had looked at home in the middle of the park alongside Maz Cartwright and Lynn Millbourn replacing Abbie Strong who had made her second start since her comeback. Lauren Mochrie’s long legs now began to come to the fore as she started to tease the Warwick defence on numerous occasions and it was a Mochrie cross which found Sarah Giles in the box who turned well. Before she had time to shoot, her legs were taken from under her and City were awarded their second penalty. Giles dusted herself down and this time sent the Warwick keeper the wrong way to notch her sixth hat trick of the season. Indeed, with the game reaching its conclusion, Giles broke free again to score her fourth and City’s sixth. It was pleasing to see a good understanding between Giles and O’Loughlin as they linked up well on many occasions and threaded balls through to each other time and time again. The second half saw City getting back to their best and this bodes well for next week as The Girls play the first of their two cup semi finals. Kingshurst are the opposition at Wolston in The Open Cup. The match is a repeat of last season’s final where Coventry ran out 3 – 0 winners. Team: Williamson, Mudd, Gassor, Strong (Millbourn, 65), Kenny, Mochrie, Flint (Byrne, 50), Cartwright (Capt.), Pattinson (Kinsella, 55), Giles, O’Loughlin Goal scorers: Giles (4, 2 pens), O’Loughlin, Kenny (Her dad owes her £10) Coventry City Girls 10 - 0 Rubery Ladies Coventry City Girls FC made it 9 wins out of 9 in all competitions this afternoon in a frustrating game against Rubery who played with only 8 players. They did however employ a flat back 6 and played the off-side trap extremely well causing much frustration amongst the City forwards and midfield. Time and time again, City were thwarted in their attempts to get a grasp on the game but never looked threatened in their quest for 3 points. This was always going to be a game that City would feel they could have done better, but, at the end of the day, they can take great heart out of the fact that they won by 10 clear goals and Kerry Williamson kept another clean sheet. Indeed, Williamson and the City defence have conceded only 5 goals in 10 games with the attack scoring 60; an impressive achievement for any team. A first half hat-trick for Sarah Giles, two from Sam Pattinson and one from Stevie – Rae Roberts saw City go in 6 – 0 up at the turn but, on another less frustrating day, the score could well have been into double figures. Half Time substitutions saw Leah O’Loughlin and Lauren Mochrie replace Sam Pattinson and Roxy Kinsella who had worked hard in the first half and it was the two sets of fresh legs which tormented the 6 woman Rubery defence on numerous occasions in the second half. Gemma Clarke replaced Charlotte Gassor who had been extremely industrious in the first 50 minutes. The second half saw goals from Stevie Rae Roberts, Leah O’Loughlin (2) and skipper Maz Cartwright who could have secured a second half hat –trick but for her unselfishness in front of goal. Lauren Mochrie and Lianna Mudd could both have scored deserved goals if their finishing touch had been more confident. With the City back four of Mudd, Byrne, Kenny and Strong, in her first game back, in front of Williamson remaining strong, The Girls ran out 10 – 0 victors to retain their place at the top of the league. Team: Williamson, Mudd, Strong, Byrne, Kenny, Roberts, Gassor (Clarke, 50), Cartwright (Capt.), Kinsella (O’Loughlin, 45), Pattinson (Mochrie, 45), Giles Goal scorers: Giles (3), Pattinson (2), Roberts (2), O’Loughlin (2), Cartwright Coventry City Girls 4 - 0 Racing Club Warwick Coventry City Girls reached the semi – final of the Open Age Open Cup this afternoon, but it was a hard fought affair with their opponents, Racing Warwick matching them blow for blow for much of the game. Indeed, things may have turned out differently but for the brilliance of Kerry Williamson in the City goal who pulled off some of the saves of the season so far to deny Warwick what would possibly have been a deserved lead. City had several opportunities in the first have but they were squandered due to the forwards over eagerness to out-pace a disciplined Warwick defence who stepped up well. City were guilty on several occasions of being caught offside when they were looking straight along the line. The pace of Giles and Pattison would have been ample to outrun the Warwick back four but they over-anticipated the through ball only to see a raised linesman’s flag. It wasn’t until the half hour mark that City started to up the tempo and knock the ball around causing the Warwick Girls some concern. However, any chances went agonisingly wide time and again and City went in at half time having never really giving the Warwick keeper any real cause for concern. Half tiem Score: Coventry City Girls 0 - 0 Racing Club Warwick For the first five minutes of the second half, it looked as if City would again struggle to get a grip on the game. However, they gradually began to play with an increased pace and starting passing the ball around with a lot more flare. The Girls began to break free of their markers on more and more occasions only to see their shots on goal go agonisingly wide of the Warwick post. On the 55 minute mark, City finally made their increasing possession count when Sarah Giles showed great strength, latching onto a through ball from skipper, Maz Cartwright. She shrugged off her marker and slotted the ball away to give City a 1 – 0 lead. From this moment on, the result was never really in doubt. However, on one occasion, Warwick almost capitalised on a poor City clearance. The Warwick forward picked up the loose ball and found herself one on one with Kerry Williamson. Again, Williamson’s experience came to the fore as she incredibly managed to deflect the ball over the bar as she was lying on the ground. Five minutes later, Giles scored hers and City’s second following some good play down the City right and Warwick started to look like a beaten team. After the second goal, several substitutions were made to protect some of the girls who had picked up knocks earlier on in the game. Leah O’Loughlin came on to replace Lauren Mochrie (knee) and Stevie-Rae Roberts replaced Charlotte Gassor who picked up a knock on her foot. Gassor had replaced the missing Jessie Flint in midfield and had looked at ease playing alongside Maz Cartwright. O’Loughlin’s introduction marked the beginning of the end for Warwick as she continually tormented their defence with her quick feet and skill. On the 65 minute mark, she picked the pocket of the Warwick left back and ran 30 yards to the bye line before crossing to the feet of Giles who finished a wonderful move. O’Loughlin has the skill to turn a game on its head and she certainly did so today. Jess Wilson replaced the industrious Lianna Mudd who put in some crunching tackles. As one of the youngest members of the squad, Mudd shows no signs of nervousness or fear and is revelling at right back. Roxy Kinsella worked hard on the City left and linked up well with Adele Kenny on numerous occasions. With 5 minutes remaining, Sarah Giles found herself one on one with the Warwick keeper and she was just about to shoot when she was unceremoniously upended by an advancing Warwick defender leaving referee Dave Cartwright with no alternative other than to point to the spot. Skipper Maz Cartwright stepped up to slot the resulting spot-kick into the bottom right hand corner but it was not without cost as she dropped to the floor clutching her right calf. Fortunately, it was only a severe case of cramp but she played no further part in the game as City ran out winners and progressed to the semi-final. Mention must be made to Racing Warwick as they played their part in this Cup game. For over half of the game, they matched City stride for stride and, on another day, they could have found themselves a goal up before City had started to play. Team: Williamson, Mudd (Wilson, 70), Millbourn, Byrne, Kenny, Mochrie (O’Loughlin, 60), Gassor (Roberts, 60), Cartwright (Capt.), Kinsella, Pattinson, Giles Goal scorers: Giles (3), Cartwright (pen) Thanks again to the spectators who turned out this afternoon. Again, your support acts as a 12th man at times and also to the injured and non-playing squad members who turned out to watch. Keep checking back to the website for details of future 1st Team games. Coventry City Girls 2 - 1 Coundon Courts Ladies Coventry City Girls First Team reached the semi – final of the League Shield this afternoon after a hard fought encounter against Coundon Court which saw them run out 2 – 1 victors and rounded off a successful cup weekend for the club which saw all four of the teams who were in cup action coming out winners. The game proved to be a tough competition and Coundon proved worthy opposition having made several new signings since the two sides met at the start of the season. City, fielding an unchanged team for the third consecutive match started brightly but failed to show any conviction in front of goal for much of the half despite Maz Cartwright and Jessie Flint’s hard work in the middle of the park. Coundon however, started much the same and for the first 25 minutes, the two sides cancelled each other out in a dour start to the game. As against Solihull two weeks ago, it wasn’t until City had confidence in themselves after half an hour that they began to test the visitors defence and started to look threatening. After a spell of corners on the City right, the ball broke to Sarah Giles who turned and with a half chance, struck the ball through a melee of legs and beat Kelly Denny in the Coundon goal on her near post to give Coventry the lead. At this moment, City burst into life and began to play in the manner which spectators have been accustomed to watching. Some crisp passing movements from front to back saw the City looking like a top of the table team and on the 35 minute mark a lovely flowing move which started with Kerry Williamson in the City goal and involved four other City plays, culminated in Sarah Giles playing a clinical through ball for Sam Pattinson to run on to who finished with great aplomb to give The Girls a two goal half time lead. Half Time Score: Coventry City Girls 2 - 0 Coundon Courts Ladies With City coming out for the second half in buoyant mood, on another day, they could have gone on to score four or five more goals and could have done so had it not been for the woodwork and some good work by Denny in the Coundon goal. But this would have been harsh on Coundon who refused to lie down and, in a typical cup tie, they continued to push for a goal which obviously, would open the tie up completely. City had made one change at half time with Stevie – Rae Roberts replacing the hard working Roxy Kinsella and a further change was made on the hour mark with Sinead Byrne, making her comeback after injury, replacing Gemma Clarke at the heart of defence. City appeared to be handling the pressure comfortably until referee Dave Cartwright adjudged Adele Kenny to have handled the ball in the City box. Emma Harris stepped up and slotted the ball to Kerry Williamson’s right to make the score 2 – 1 to City. Whilst the decision was technically correct, sympathy must be given to Dele as she didn’t know a great deal about the foul she had committed. Leah O’Loughlin replaced Sam Pattinson on the 70 minute mark to give more pace on the City left. O’Loughlin worked her socks off for the 20 minutes she was on the field and made some telling defensive headers before pushing forward to ease the pressure as City broke on the counter attack. Whilst City never appeared to be under further significant threat, they were relieved to hear the final whistle as the snow closed in and started to settle on the Wolston pitch. The whole team worked hard today against a tricky opposition. Their opposition in both cup competitions on the build up to the ¼ finals has come from the lower league and Coundon showed their mettle and were an excellent test for The Girls who now await the draw for the semi – finals. Team: Williamson, Mudd, Clarke (Byrne, 60), Gassor, Kenny, Mochrie, Flint, Cartwright (capt), Kinsella (Roberts, 45), Pattinson (O’Loughlin, 70), Giles, Sub (unused): Millbourn Goal scorers: Giles, Pattinson Next week sees The Girls return to their defence of The Open Cup with the re-arranged ¼ final fixture away at Racing Club Warwick. Kick off at Hampton Road is 2pm. Coventry City Girls 2 - 0 Solihull Ladies Coventry City Girls First Team continued their promotion push this afternoon with a hard fought but well deserved 2 – 0 victory over Solihull Ladies. This top versus second encounter was always going to be a tough encounter and for the first 20 minutes, City huffed and puffed away without showing any sign of penetration. Indeed, it was the visitors that looked the more lively and threatening. City eventually managed to get a foothold on the game with skipper, Maz Cartwright and Jessie Flint working hard in the middle of the park and eventually beginning to dominate proceedings. The Girls were, similar to last week, guilty of squandering a few half chances with Sarah Giles and Sam Pattinson both feeling they could have done better with opportunities if they had taken an extra touch. Experience eventually came to the fore on the half hour mark when Sarah Giles latched on to a sweet 25 yard drive which was goal bound from the moment it left her right boot giving City a deserved 1 – 0 lead. Both Lauren Mochrie and Roxy Kinsella on the City flanks exposed weaknesses in the Solihull defence and skipped effortlessly past their markers on several occasions. Unfortunately, Coventry were unable to develop the play and went into the break aware that a 1 – 0 lead would possibly not be sufficient if they wished to come away from the game with 3 points. HALF TIME: Coventry City Girls 1, Solihull Ladies 0 With the home side having played with the wind behind them in the first half, City knew that Solihull would pressurise the goal more than they did in the first 45 minutes. This they did, but to their credit the Coventry back four of Mudd, Gassor, Clarke and Kenny held firm and Solihull failed time and time again to make any telling effort on goal with Kerry Williamson holding on to any half chances with ease. On the 55 minute mark, Williamson kicked long into wind and Sarah Giles was first to the ball to play a delightful ball through to Sam Pattinson who took two touches before finishing coolly in the corner of the Solihull goal. Trailing 2 – 0, Solihull had to throw caution to the wind and went 3 – 4 – 3. Jessie Flint had given her all to the cause and, in an effort to freshen the City midfield, Flint was replaced by Lynn Millbourn who dropped into the back four with Gemma Clarke pushing into midfield. At the same time, Sam Pattinson dropped back to give City a fifth player in the middle leaving Sarah Giles as a lone striker. The changes were sufficient, and although The Girls lost their shape on several occasions as Solihull became more desperate, they managed to keep their clean sheet as the referee blew his whistle for full time. The game was played in an excellent spirit with the Solihull management being the first to offer their praise to Coventry. Mention must also be made of the four unused subs who form part of this excellent squad who show tremendous spirit. A good crowd watched the game this afternoon and The Girls really appreciate the support. The next two weeks give the team a break from league action with two cup matches, the first away at RC Warwick and the second, at home to near neighbours Coundon Court Team: Williamson, Mudd, Clarke, Gassor, Kenny, Mochrie, Flint (Millbourn, 70), Cartwright (capt), Kinsella, Pattinson, Giles, Sub (unused): Badland, Wilson, Byrne, O’Loughlin Goal scorers: Giles, Pattinson Walsall Development 1 - 3 Coventry City Girls With City not having trained or played since 21st December, the pairing of The Girls away at Walsall meant that they would face their toughest test in the league since the clubs last met way back at the end of October. Fortunately, Walsall were in pretty much the same boat, however, with their signing of several new players just before the transfer deadline, the pitch being on the side of a mountain and a hurricane blowing across the pitch, this was certainly going to be one of the more testing games of the season. City won the toss and opted to play uphill in the first half. The game kicked off bearing all the hallmarks of a first match of the season friendly with both sides doing their best to allow the other to get the upper hand. City had forgotten how good they are at the short passing game and thought it would be easier to play long straight balls direct to the opposition. It wasn’t until the quarter hour mark that the game started to settle down and City started to take any form of hold on the game. Several opportunities were wasted with shots sadly off target. It was in fact Walsall who took the lead on the 25 minute mark slightly against the run of play, when one of their new signings latched onto a speculative upfield ball following some confusion between Kerry Williamson and the City defence. It was however, a very well taken goal. The half continued at a faltering pace but the longer the half went on, the more the City management felt that if they could go in at half time 1 – 0 or even 2 – 0 down, they would be able to turn the deficit around in the second half with conditions more in their favour. As it was, the half finished with the score Half Time: Walsall Development 1 - 0 Coventry City Girls At half time, the City Girls were told to take hold of the game and that is exactly what they did. Gemma Clarke, Charlotte Gassor and Adele Kenny at the heart of the defence were impregnable and with Lianna Mudd (able to play almost as a second midfielder on the right hand side) and Lauren Mochrie linking up to play some of their most exciting football of the season so far, it was only a matter of time before City notched the equaliser. Sure enough, on the 55 minute mark after some sterling work by Maz Cartwright and Jessie Flint, Maz found Mochrie on the right wing who threaded a ball through for Sarah Giles to run on to score her first of the game. On another day, Giles may already have had a couple but her striking was strangely awry. Walsall had started the half with 8 players in defence, but as the half progressed, they started to chase shadows but, unfortunately, City could not find the killer touch to give them the lead. Roxy Kinsella, who had made some fine runs down the City left was sacrificed and Sam Pattinson dropped back into midfield to allow Leah O’Loughlin to enter the field as partner to Sarah Giles up front. O’Loughlin’s entry onto the pitch paid dividends immediately and after some fine work on the City right, Lauren Mochrie jinked past her marker and hit a sweet cross for Leah to latch onto to score with her first touch of the game. City then took almost complete control as they looked to press home their advantage but, with the Walsall goalmouth becoming increasingly treacherous, it looked like they would have to settle with a 2 -1 victory. Indeed, Walsall could have forced an equaliser a quarter of an hour from time but for a fine save from Williamson in the City goal. With 5 minutes remaining, Charlotte Gassor pumped a ball forward which Sam Pattinson deflected into the path of Sarah Giles and the experienced centre forward made no mistake and finally killed off Walsall and put the game out of their reach. The girls worked extremely hard for their 3 points today and they will have equally as tough if not tougher battles to fight if they are to remain at the top of the league. Their strength of character shone through today as this was the first time this season that they have had to come from behind to register 3 points. Thanks again to the loyal army of support who continue to follow the team’s progress and to Paul Kenny who, through running the line each week, takes away a headache. Team: Williamson, Mudd, Clarke, Gassor, Kenny, Mochrie, Flint, Cartwright (capt), Kinsella (O’Loughlin, 60), Pattinson, Giles, Sub (unused): Badland, Wilson Goal scorers: Giles (2), O’Loughlin Belgrave Bullets 1 - 11 Coventry City Girls The First Team got their league shield attempt under way this afternoon with a second round victory over Belgrave Bullets. After receiving a bye in the first round, they comfortably beat the Bullets 11 – 1. A minute’s silence was observed prior to the game kicking off in memory of Toni Scanlon who had played with several of the team in earlier years with the club. The game kicked off at a bright pace and on the four minute mark, City took the lead through Sam Pattinson who latched on to some good approach play from the City midfield. City, playing in their change strip of red and white stripes, looked to keep the pace up against the ten Bullets players and deservedly doubled their lead 10 minutes later when Sarah Giles scored her first of the game from the penalty spot after being up-ended in the opposition box. At this stage, City were well in control of the game and but for some good saves from the Belgrave keeper and some timely tackles from the Bullets number 4, could have had the game out of reach by the quarter hour mark. On 20 minutes, the game was effectively killed off when Sarah Giles scored her second to put City 3 – 0 up. On the half hour mark, City won a free kick 30 yards out from goal. Skipper Maz Cartwright stood over the ball and with all her guile, bent a Beckhamesque like shot into the top left hand corner to make the score 4 – 0. Shortly after Giles hit her third to make it 4 hat-tricks for the season and then scored another to make it 6 – 0. Just before half time following a delightful run from Lianna Mudd at right back, Sam Pattinson scored her second and send City in 7 – 0 up at half time. On the 50 minute mark, Sarah Giles was replaced by Stevie-Rae Roberts and within 5 minutes, she had made her mark following a quick turn of pace she coolly slotted home low to the keeper’s right to make it 8 – 0. Kerry Williamson in goal with Lynn Millbourn and Charlotte Gassor at centre half had rarely looked troubled at this stage, indeed, they had played some impressive football at the back stringing together some good passes and developing some good build up play. Sam Pattinson completed her third hat-trick of the season to make it 9 – 0 and was replaced by Leah O’Loughlin. City used the rest of the game to experiment moving players into positions they had not played in before and formations so far untried. It took the girls a while to settle and unfortunately, Kerry’s run of clean sheets was brought to an end on the 80 minute mark when Belgrave caught the City off guard and after winning the ball deep in the City half, the Bullets centre forward broke free and dispatched a fine shot high to Williamson’s right to make the score 9 – 1. Leah O’Loughlin then used some great skill to break free twice and finished well to make the final score 11 – 1 in favour of Coventry Girls. Team: Williamson, Mudd, Millbourn, Gassor, Kenny, Mochrie, Clarke, Cartwright (Capt.), Kinsella (Badland, 65), Pattinson (O’Loughlin, 55), Giles (Roberts, 50) Goal scorers: Pattinson (3), Giles (4), O’Loughlin (2), Cartwright, Roberts This brings The Girls Cup run so far to Played 4, Won 4, For 38, Against 1. I’d just like to say a very Happy Christmas to all of the squad and to all parents, boyfriends and all other supporters who turn out week after week to support the team. Your dedication is amazing and may the teams prosperous 2008 be continued into 2009. Have a great festive season. Jamie. Rugby Town 0 - 6 Coventry City Girls City returned to league action this afternoon after a 6 week break due to Cup competitions and postponed games and maintained their 100% record on their travels with a 6 – 0 defeat of lowly Rugby Town. After their recent success in the first two rounds of the Open Cup against lower league opposition, it was vital that City applied themselves and did not allow their cup exploits to distract them in this vital league fixture. On a bright, frosty afternoon with the pitch firm in places, City started the brighter but Rugby, who had benefitted from several new signings since the two sides last met mid-October, looked bright on the break with City needing to be on their mettle defensively to counter any threat. As ‘The Girls’ found to their cost last season, it is vital that we concede as few goals as possible through the season, and a clean sheet was imperative in this match. On the 10 minute mark, City broke on the left wing through some good play between Roxy Kinsella and Adele Kenny and Kinsella’s cross found Sam Pattinson on the near post who scrambled the ball home past the clutches of the Rugby keeper. From the restart, Rugby continued to look dangerous on the break and could have found themselves level but for some resolute defending by the City defence. With half an hour gone, Jessie Flint picked up a loose ball in the centre of the park and managed to find herself some space. Looking up, she found Roxy Kinsella with an excellent ball who ran at the Rugby right back and left her for dead. With the defence helpless, Roxy unleashed a delightful cross and Sarah Giles was there to crash a ball into the back of the net to put City 2 – 0 up. Half Time: Rugby Town 0 - 2 Coventry City Girls As the game restarted, it was imperative that City maintained their concentration and kept their grip on the game. The next goal would prove to be vital and so it was. Lauren Mochrie picked the ball up wide on the City right and ran at the fast tiring Rugby defence. She got round the back of the left back and threaded a delightful cross over to Sam Pattinson who slotted home for her second of the match. From this point of the game, the result proved never to be in doubt and City looked to capitalise on their advantage. With Sarah Giles and Sam Pattinson looking sharp up front, City could have been 5 or 6 up by this point had it not been for some dubious off-side decisions. Coventry did not allow this to distract them though and it was no surprise when Sam took advantage of some poor defending to round off a great hat-trick. Leah O’Loughlin replaced Pattinson to torment Rugby further as she did in the first meeting of the two sides. Indeed it was O’Loughlin who turned provider for Sarah Giles second of the game on the 70 minute mark when she beat two defenders and laid the ball off to Giles who thumped home City’s fifth. At this point, with City cruising, the free-flowing football started flowing and with 10 minutes remaining Giles completed her hat-trick and made the score 6 – 0. Coventry then switched off momentarily and following a mix-up in the City defence, Kerry Williamson saved brilliantly when the Rugby centre forward found herself one on one with the City keeper who kept her third clean sheet on the spin equalling a first team record set in April 2007. City could have scored three or four more towards the end of the game with several of the girls squandering good chances and Roxy Kinsella being deemed offside when Sarah Giles unselfishly played her in. All in all, ‘The Girls’ should be extremely pleased with this result. 3 points today were vital to City’s cause as they push for promotion. Games like this need to be handled efficiently and City rose to the occasion. Team: Williamson, Mudd, Gassor, Millbourn, Kenny (Badland, 45), Mochrie, Flint (Byrne, 55), Cartwright (capt), Kinsella, Pattinson (O’Loughlin, 60), Giles Goal scorers: Giles (3), Pattinson (3) Next week, City return to their Cup chasing exploits with a trip to Belgrave Bullets in the League Shield. Redditch United 0 - 8 Coventry City Girls Coventry City Girls First Team continued their defence of the Open Cup this afternoon with an 8 – 0 victory away at Redditch. On a damp pitch resembling a cow field in places, it took the girls a while to settle and they could have found themselves behind on three occasions had it not been for the brilliance of Kerry Williamson in the Coventry goal when she pulled off three remarkable point blank saves. When City did settle, they started to pass the ball around with confidence and it was nothing more than they deserved when Sam Pattinson went one on one with the Redditch keeper and finished wonderfully. Redditch did not buckle and continued to press forward, however, Charlotte Gassor - making her City debut following her recent transfer, and Lynn Millbourn dealt with almost everything thrown at them with Adele Kenny and Lianna Mudd clearing up. On the half hour mark, following several tame efforts by City, Leah O’Loughlin thundered a ball into the back of the Redditch net and Roxy Kinsella followed up almost immediately afterwards to leave City going in 3 – 0 up at half time. Half time score: Redditch United 0 - 3 Coventry City Girls With Redditch only having 11 players to start with, their situation was made even more difficult when, following a disagreement in the ranks, a Redditch player decided enough was enough and failed to start the second half. On a heavy pitch, with no fresh legs, it was inevitable that the opposition would start to feel the pace and the midfield battle was soon won by the tireless duo of Maz Cartwright and Jessie Flint who suppressed anything thrown at them. Lauren Mochrie worked unselfishly on the right hand side and, on another day might have bagged a hat trick. As it was, she turned provider more than once and on the 60 minute mark, she played a delightful ball through to stand-in centre forward Sinead Byrne who slotted home her first to make it 4 – 0. Almost from the restart, Sam Pattinson added another and with Redditch visibly tiring, City continued to press home their advantage. After introducing Gemma Clarke for Lynn Millbourn and with Jess Wilson replacing the hard working Roxy Kinsella, City pressed forward again and a delightful ball through from skipper Maz Cartwright saw Jess Wilson on the far post to knock home her first of the season to put City 6 – 0 up. With the game now won, City began to play some of the best football of the afternoon and after a slick passage of play, Sam Pattinson rounded the keeper to complete her hat trick. Mention must be made of the Redditch keeper who thwarted City on countless occasions and on another day, we could have seen another record being broken. With the game in its dying moments, Sinead Byrne had the final touch on a goalmouth scramble to round the scoring off. Team: Williamson, Mudd, Millbourn (Clarke, 60), Gassor, Kenny, Mochrie, Flint, Cartwright (Capt.), Kinsella (Wilson, 65), Pattinson, O’Loughlin (Byrne, 55) Goal scorers: Pattinson (3), Byrne (2), Kinsella, O’Loughlin, Wilson Eight games into the season, it is pleasing o see that every forward and midfield player has now scored. With Sam Pattinson scoring at a goal and a half per game and Sarah Giles scoring over 2 goals per game, it is good to see that they are being supported by all channels. The team spirit at the minute is extremely high and it is testament to the girls that three non-playing members of the squad turned out on a bitterly cold afternoon to watch the game along with countless parents. Your support is like having a twelfth player on the pitch. Thank you. Coventry City Girls 13 - 0 Studley Women City Girls First Team carried out a ruthless demolition of Studley this afternoon with a 13 – 0 victory to ease themselves comfortably into next Sunday’s 2nd Round as they attempt to keep their grip on the Open Cup. City were 1 – 0 up almost before any spectators had put on their gloves on a bitterly cold November afternoon following overnight rain and snow which persisted through most of the day. Almost from the re-start, City were 2 up and found themselves 4 – 0 up within 10 minutes. The Girls continued their onslaught and went in at the break leading 8 – 0 with the game already over and Studley having missed a penalty with their only chance of the half. Half Time: Coventry City Girls 8 - 0 Studley Women The second half started much the same as the first with City scoring 2 further goals in the first five minutes. With ‘The Girls’ scoring a further 3 goals in the second half and the weather deteriorating rapidly, the match finished with the score 13 – 0. Coventry have threatened on several occasions this season to rout a team and that is exactly what they did today. Team: Williamson, Mudd (Wilson), Millbourn, Byrne, Kenny, Mochrie, Flint, Cartwright (capt), Kinsella, Pattinson (O’Loughlin), Giles Goal scorers: Pattinson (2), Giles (3), Mochrie (2), Kinsella (3), Flint (2), Cartwright Please check back later in the week for details of next week’s second round fixture for the First Team. Coventry City Girls 1 - 2 Leamington Lions City Girls First Team slipped out of the County Cup this afternoon after a brave display against local rivals, Leamington Lions. Lions, who currently top The West Midland Regional League Division One South and this season reached the first round proper of the Women’s FA Cup were made to work hard for their victory as, for 95% of the match, City Girls stood shoulder to shoulder against a team with a great deal of pedigree and experience. The game started at a lively pace and it was City who had the better of the opening exchanges with Lauren Mochrie coming close to giving them the lead in the opening 5 minutes as she failed to capitalise on the far post following some enterprising work by Roxy Kinsella on the left. With several key Coventry players failing to recover from injuries, several girls were forced to play out of position, and it was credit to them (Flinty and Muddy), that City were never far off the pace. On the 40 minute mark, City were caught on the counter attack and as Leamington broke down the right, a high ball wasn’t cleared and Lianna Mudd was adjudged to have leant on the Lions forward with referee pointing to the spot for a penalty. Kerry Williamson, making her debut in the City goal, guessed the right way but the kick was agonisingly just out of her reach and the ball nestled in the back of the net to give the away side the lead. City, to their credit, did not allow their heads to drop and responded in excellent fashion as they restarted. After some good approach play by the City midfield, skipper Maz Cartwright fed a delightful ball through to Sarah Giles who dispatched her shot into the back of the net to send the two sides in level at Half Time. Half Time: Coventry City Girls 1 - 1 Leamington Lions The second half started in very much the same as the first with the two sides trading blows in midfield. Leamington then seized the initiative as they burst forward down the right wing and won a series of corners. The third corner saw the City defence fail to pick up the opposition on the near post and the Lions stole in to take the lead for the second time on the 55 minute mark. Shortly afterwards, Sinead Byrne took a blow and an enforced substitution saw Gemma Clarke replace her at the heart of the City defence. With City chasing the game, Leah O’Loughlin replaced Roxy Kinsella who had again continued her excellent form on the left side of midfield. City switched to a 4 -3 -3 formation with Jessica Flint reverting to her more familiar role in midfield and Lianna Mudd dropping to right back. To their credit Leamington defended admirably but City could have snatched a late equaliser as Sam Pattinson acrobatically latched on to a speculative cross which the keeper just managed to keep out. With time running out, Leamington kept bodies behind the ball and with the ref blowing for time, it was The Lions who progress to the 3rd Round. As City push for promotion, they must take heart from today’s performance. The Girls were rightly dejected at the end of the game, but they matched Leamington throughout the game and, with a completely fit squad, it would have been interesting to see the outcome on another day. New signing Kerry Williamson impressed on her debut and gives the defence another dimension as she encourages the defence to use her as an extra option. The girls should be proud of their performance today and must take positives from defeat. Teams like Leamington will highlight frailties and allow ‘The Girls’ and the coaching staff to learn and gain valuable experience. Team: Williamson, Flint, Millbourn, Byrne (Clarke 57), Kenny, Mochrie, Mudd, Cartwright (capt), Kinsella (O’Loughlin 57), Pattinson, Giles Subs (unused): Badland Goal scorers: Giles Next Sunday sees the First Team continue in cup action with the re-arranged Open Cup clash against Studley. Please note that this is now a home game and kick off, at Wolston, is at the earlier time of 1pm. Coventry City Girls 5 - 0 Walsall Development City underlined their title chasing credentials this afternoon with a 5 – 0 routing of Walsall Development. Things may have been different however, if Walsall had taken their early chances with City chasing shadows for the first quarter of an hour. It was only with twenty minutes gone that City started to settle into a rhythm and started to play the slick passing game that they are accustomed to. Stevie – Rae Roberts had looked a persistent threat when City pushed forward and indeed, it was an interchange of play between Roberts and Lauren Mochrie, who had returned to almost full match fitness, that led to Sam Pattinson knocking in the first goal on the far post. The game developed an end to end pattern for the rest of the half until, with five minutes of the first half remaining, Terri Murphy timed a crunching tackle perfectly. Unfortunately for the Walsall left winger, she fell awkwardly and was left unconscious on the floor. With Walsall only having the bear 11 players and City opting to play into the wind in the first half, it became apparent that City would be able to press home the advantage in the second half. Half Time: Coventry City Girls 1 - 0 Walsall Development City made a change at half time with the returning Lynn Millbourn replacing an unusually below par Sinead Byrne at the heart of the defence and started the second half extremely well without being able to net the second goal. Indeed, it wasn’t until the hour mark that City really stretched their legs, and with Walsall tiring, Sarah Giles continued her goal scoring run after some good approach play by Jessie Flint and skipper Maz Cartwright. Walsall, to their credit, continued to push down the right hand side but Adele Kenny snuffed out any chances they could muster. With 20 minutes remaining, City really pushed home the advantage and Sam Pattinson scored her second and City’s third to make things more comfortable. Roxy Kinsella replaced Lauren Mochrie and switched to the left hand side. Her fresh legs taunted the Walsall right back on numerous occasions and it was her through ball which led to Sarah Giles being brought down in the box leaving the referee with no alternative other than to point to the spot. Giles dusted herself down and netted the resulting spot kick with great aplomb. At 4 – 0, Gemma Voce signed off in the City goal as she left the team for the season after announcing her pregnancy before the start of the game. Sam Pattinson donned the gloves and Leah O’Loughlin was introduced to torment the Walsall defence even further. It was O’Loughlin’s searching run which managed to find its way through to Roxy Kinsella to net a deserved goal with 5 minutes to go. City continued to press and had several opportunities to add to their tally. Mention must be made of Gemma Clarke who continues to impress at the heart of the Coventry defence and also to Stevie – Rae Roberts who played unselfishly throughout and played probably the best 90 minutes of any player all season without managing to find the net. The partnership being formed between Stevie and Sarah is becoming formidable and likely to cause a threat to many defences for the rest of the season. Next week sees City take a break from league action as they visit Studley to start the defence of their Open Cup title. Kick off at Studley is 2pm and away support is, as always, extremely welcome. Congratulations to the team on a fine victory and a third successive league victory. Team: Voce (O’Loughlin , 75), Murphy, Clarke, Byrne (Millbourn, 45), Kenny, Mochrie (Kinsella, 70), Flint, Cartwright (capt), Pattinson, Giles, Roberts Sub (unused): Badland Goal scorers: Giles (2, 1pen), Pattinson (2), Kinsella. Solihull Ladies 2 - 3 Coventry City Girls City recorded a second consecutive win away at Solihull this afternoon. In difficult conditions they ground out a deserved 3 – 2 win which has put them in the reckoning towards the top of Division 1. The omens didn’t look good before the game with two players getting knocks. Gemma Clarke suffered a recurrence of a tight hamstring sustained in training on Wednesday night which relegated her to the bench and Terri Murphy suffered a freak blow when a ball hit her flush on the nose during a warm up match. Fortunately, although bloodied, Murphy was able to take up her position in the starting line up. In blustery conditions, City had the better of the opening exchanges and had some crisp interchanges on the right hand side but could not find the final ball through to Giles and Roberts to give them the lead they probably deserved. It took a controversial decision to break the deadlock. With Solihull unable to provide a referee, there was no alternative other than to accept their gesture of using a coach. Solihull played a long ball through and Coventry played the off-side trap well. The flag was raised for the stray Solihull player and City stopped for the off-side. The referee had other ideas and overruled a perfectly good offside decision, allowed play to continue which left the City players and Gemma Voce stranded. City responded well to the decision and pushed on for the equaliser. Lauren Mochrie, still suffering from last week’s injury and also with a chest infection, performed admirably, but after 20 minutes, it became apparent that she was unable to continue. Lianna Mudd replaced her, moving into the middle alongside Maz Cartwright with Jessie Flint pushing out to the right hand side. Mochrie’s deputy proved a more than capable replacement in the middle of the park and the two central midfielders snuffed out several Solihull attacks with ease. On the half hour mark, Sarah Giles broke free on the right hand side following some good City play and with a sharp turn of pace, found herself one on one with the Borough goalie. She netted with some aplomb and gave City an equaliser which saw them go into the break level. Half Time: Solihull Ladies 1 - 1 Coventry City Girls City came out for the second half with excellent resolve and again took the game to Solihull – Giles and Roberts linking up on several occasions but failing to add to their goal tally. Five minutes into the second half, Leah O’Loughlin replaced Roberts who had played admirably despite suffering a groin strain. On the hour mark, City again broke through on the right hand side, Giles again shooting from an acute angle. The keeper did well to parry the ball which fell at the feet of Sam Pattinson who blasted into the roof of the net for her third of the season giving City a deserved 2 – 1 lead. Solihull, could have rolled over and died, but they are made of stronger material than that and came at Coventry once more. Sinead Byrne and Zoe Sykes, at the heart of the City defence, came under severe pressure from the Solihull forwards. Just when it appeared that City would hold Borough, they launched an attack which saw Gemma Voce in the City goal make a fine double save to add to a fine first half performance. Unfortunately, the second save fell at the feet of the Solihull centre forward and she toe-poked the ball into the net to give Solihull an equaliser. City then proved their mettle. With a quarter of an hour left, they could have sat back and tried to defend for a draw. But three points were there for the taking and take them they did. Terri Murphy moved up to right midfield with Jessie Flint dropping to right back. A ball from Maz Cartwright over the Solihull left back found Giles. It appeared that she was running out of room but with a twist and turn she made herself some room and blasted past the Solihull keeper on her near post to re-establish City’s lead. Gemma Clarke came on with 10 minutes left to replace Zoe Sykes at centre back. Sykes had given her all during the game and Clarke’s fresh legs at the heart of the defence was just the tonic as Solihull threw everything at the City defence. Adele Kenny made several telling tackles in the final minutes and City breathed a welcome sigh of relief as the referee blew the final whistle to give City a 3 – 2 victory and three valuable away points against a team who will be there or thereabouts at the end of the season. This was, without doubt, City’s best performance of the season so far. Skipper Maz Cartwright was a rock at the heart of midfield and Lianna Mudd stepped up to the plate to show she can mix it with the best. Next Sunday sees another tough game for City at home to Walsall Development. Kick off, at Wolston, is at 2pm and home support is always welcome. Thanks to all those spectators who braved the blustery conditions at Solihull this afternoon. Your support is really appreciated. Team: Voce, Murphy, Sykes (Clarke, 80), Byrne, Kenny, Mochrie (Mudd, 20), Flint, Cartwright (capt), Pattinson, Giles, Roberts (O’Loughlin, 50) Subs (unused): Kinsella, Wilson Goal scorers: Giles (2), Pattinson Coventry City Girls 5 - 1 Rugby Town City returned to winning ways this afternoon with an emphatic 5 – 1 victory at home to Rugby Ladies. After a frustrating first 25 minutes where City did everything other than score, the first goal gave them the confidence to push forward and play some excellent football. First goal scorer Sarah Giles looked lively up front and by the time she netted the first, she could, on another day, have been knocking the ball home for her hat –trick. Indeed, that was the story of City’s day with skipper Maz Cartwright latching on to a 30 yard thunder bolt only to see her effort come careering back off the crossbar. City to their credit, kept their heads and remained patient knowing that their continued dominance would pay dividends. On the 40 minute mark, excellent play down the City right by Lauren Mochrie linking up with Giles and Flint crossed for Sam Pattinson to latch on to put the girls 2 – 0 up. The half time whistle blew with City somewhat frustrated at being only two goals to the good. Half Time Score: Coventry City Girls 2 - 0 Rugby Town A half time change saw Leah O’Loughlin replacing Stevie-Rae Roberts up front in a like for like switch which almost instantly paid dividends. O’Loughlin is a player with dazzling skills but is occasionally prone to being unable to deliver the final ball. Today was her day. She constantly mesmerised the opposition and knew precisely when to lay the ball off. With Sam Pattinson and Lauren Mochrie switching sides at half time, Sam took the opportunity to maraud down the City right and delivered a telling cross which Leah met sweetly and the ball hit the back of the net. With City being in almost total dominance, it was important that we didn’t switch off at the back and that is exactly what we did from Rugby’s one and only corner. The Rugby centre half strode unmarked into the City box and blasted the ball passed Gemma Voce in the City goal. This temporary lapse of concentration galvanised City. Almost immediately from the re-start, O’Loughlin picked the ball up on the left on the half way line and ran confidently at a first then a second Rugby player who she strolled past with silky skills. She proceeded into the Rugby box only to be brought unceremoniously to the ground. Referee, Stuart Rolfe, had option other than to point to the spot for a City penalty which Sarah Giles stepped up to take and blasted into the rugby goal for City’s fourth. The fourth goal gave City the chance to make changes – Zoe Sykes coming on to replace Lauren Mochrie, who had played courageously at right midfield despite having stitches in a mouth injury sustained the previous night. Jess Wilson also came on to replace Adele Kenny seeing debutant Terri Murphy, who had a crashing shot ricochet back off the crossbar, switch from right back to left back. Gemma Clarke, who had started out of position alongside Sinead Byrne at centre back, was free to push into a more familiar midfield role and again City exploited the rugby defence to allow the ever enterprising Sam Pattinson to slip home an exquisite shot 5 minutes from time for City’s fifth. On another day, City’s score would have been in double figures. However, after the disappointment of losing to Kingshurst, the victory brings three welcome points and keeps them towards the top of the table. Next week sees City back on their travels for a testing away clash with local rivals Solihull. Kick off is at 2pm and any travelling support would be most welcome. Team: Voce, Murphy, Clarke, Byrne, Kenny (Wilson, 65), Mochrie (Sykes, 60), Flint, Cartwright (capt), Pattinson, Giles, Roberts (O’Loughlin, 45) Subs (unused): Kinsella, Mudd Goal scorers: Giles (2, 1pen), Pattinson (2), O’Loughlin. Coventry City Girls 2 - 3 Kinghurst Sporting A goal 2 minutes from time saw Coventry go down 3 – 2 despite twice taking the lead through 2 penalties from Sarah Giles. In what will probably be one of their toughest fixtures of the season, the team battled well but never really got on top of a game which saw two of their outfield players playing with illness and two other key players missing. This should not detract from the fact that they played against a team who won many key battles in midfield and seemed to have the edge in terms of fitness. The first quarter of an hour saw City under immense pressure and it wasn’t until skipper Maz Cartwright moved into midfield with Maireade Mcmenemy dropping back into the heart of defence that Coventry showed any signs of pressing forward. On the 20-minute mark, City’s Sarah Giles made a break through the middle of the park and was brought down inside the box by a two-footed lunge from the Kingshurst centre back. Giles stepped up herself to place the ball to the keeper’s left and give City a 1-0 lead somewhat against the run of play. It was a lead that only lasted five minutes and the ever-impressive Kingshurst midfield broke forward as a unit to leave the City defence open and force the equaliser. The game then levelled out with both sides exchanging good passages of play. It looked likely that the two sides would go in level at half time until Lauren Mochrie burst clear down the right hand side, cut into the box and was brought down by two Kingshurst players with the referee pointing immediately to the spot for City’s second penalty. Again Sarah Giles stepped up to the spot and thumped the ball high and straight into the back of the net. Half time score: Coventry City Girls 2 - 1 Kinghurst Sporting The second half started with Kingshurst throwing everything at City and half way through the half, they equalised with a well-taken goal leaving Gemma Voce stranded in the city goal. Both teams made their allotted three substitutions through the half and with 10 minutes remaining, two of the City subs, Kinsella and Mudd linked up well down the right hand side. With Mudd bearing down on the visiting keeper, she was well thwarted as Gaffrey, in the Kingshurst goal, stayed on her feet and saved the shot. With the game petering out into a draw, Kingshurst staged a final attack two minutes from time and City could only watch as Christa Poole, the Kingshurst sub strolled through the heart of the defence and coolly slotted home to give the visitors the lead. With only two minutes remaining, City could not muster enough pressure to equalise and they went down to the odd goal in 5. City; Voce, Wilson (Kinsella), Millbourn, Mcmenemy, Kenny, Mochrie (Mudd), Cartwright, Sykes (Clarke), Pattison, Giles, Roberts Subs not used; O’Loughlin. Coundon Court Ladies 0 - 4 Coventry City Girls In a game which would be a test of the team’s resolve for several reasons, the First team came through a potentially sticky opening game with flying colours at Coundon Court School this afternoon. With several key players missing, a new management team and also playing against the team who took 4 points out of 6 from them last season and probably cost them the chance of promotion, Coventry played some good football to run out 4 – 0 winners with a hat-trick from Sarah Giles, one for Stevie-Rae Roberts and, equally as important, a clean sheet for the defence and keeper, Gemma Voce. The first twenty minutes was a dour opening with both sides’ midfields cancelling each other out. On a pitch which could at best only be described as poor, Coventry did well to play the ball around with some good interchanges. This was cancelled out by Coundon’s insistence to play the long ball game which was soaked up well by Jessie Flint and Maireade Mcmenemy in midfield with the longer balls being dealt with by Sinead Byrne and Lynn Millbourn at the heart of the defence. The opening goal deservedly came on the half hour mark after some dogged determination by Stevie-Rae who somewhat speculatively launched a ball over her head and into the net. The goal seemed to rejuvenate City and almost immediately, after a crisp interchange between Jessie Flint and Roberts, Sarah Giles latched onto a through ball to score her first and the teams second. Coventry continued to press, and just before half time, Giles scored her second to make the score 3 – 0 and effectively kill the game off. Mention must be made of Mia Charnley’s efforts at right back. Playing her last game before leaving for university, she put in a tenacious display and snuffed out several Coundon attacks launching counter attacks at the same time. Half time score: Coundon Court 0 – 3 Coventry City Girls The second half opened pretty much the same as the first with the two sides contrasting patterns of play effectively cancelling each other out. Adele Kenny and Roxy Kinsella linked well on several occasions on the City left putting in telling crosses which tested the Coundon defence with Lauren Mochrie proving equally as challenging on the right. On the hour mark, City made their first substitution with Leah O’Loughlin replacing Roxy Kinsella and changing the formation to a 4 – 3 – 3.This proved to be extremely effective with O’Loughlin tormenting the Coundon right back on several occasions. Eventually, this proved to be their undoing when Leah put a telling ball across the face of the Coundon goal and Sarah Giles latched onto the cross to complete a well deserved hat-trick. Coventry made a double substitution with Jenna Badland replacing Charnley and Lianna Mudd coming on for the injured Byrne. Again the substitutions almost reaped instant rewards with Mudd hitting a sweet strike from 25 yards which the Coundon keeper did well to save. Kenny also latched on to a shot which just went wide and City finished 4 – 0 winners. Thanks also go to the City supporters who came along to see the victory which sets the team off on a long season which will hopefully see them go one step further in the league than they did last season. Team; Gemma Voce, Mia Charnley (Jenna Badland, 60), Sinead Byrne (Lianna Mudd, 65), Lynn Millbourn, Adele Kenny, Lauren Mochrie, Jessie Flint (Capt), Maireade Mcmenemy, Roxy Kinsella (Leah O’Loughlin, 55), Stevie-Rae Roberts, Sarah Giles Goals; Stevie-Rae Roberts, Sarah Giles (3) |