This week we have match reports from the M3, L3 and L4.
LTHC Men’s 3rd XI 1 vs Nottingham 1st XI 4
Midlands Men’s Division 5 East
Loughborough Town Men’s 3rd XI three game winning streak came to an end as they were beaten by third place Nottingham Men’s 1st XI. Both sides started well with plenty of possession for each side though nothing leading to any scoring opportunities. About twenty into the game the away side took the lead. A misplaced pass out from Town on a fifteen-metre hit gave the ball to Nottingham who quickly counter-attacked. Outnumbering Town’s defence, they passed the ball quickly around for a well taken goal.
This first goal seemed to change the momentum of the game as Nottingham started to have the majority of the possession though Town defended well to keep the score line at one. Though the away side’s continued pressure led to several penalty corners, on which one of them Nottingham doubled their lead.
Down 2-0 at half-time Town knew they weren’t out of it and hoped a strong start to the second half would get them back in the game. This wasn’t to happen as within three minutes of the half starting Nottingham went 3-0 up, as their forward was left unmarked at the far post for an easy goal. Three minutes later Town went 4-0 down as the away side took a commanding lead.
Whilst Town did their best to get back into the game it wasn’t until the last five minutes of the game that the home side scored a consolation goal. A cross in from the right-hand side hit the post and bounced out as Tom Haworth-Edwards bundled the ball across the line for his fourth of the season.
Whilst a disappointing loss Town will take the positives into next week’s game against Melton, hoping to start another winning streak.
LTHC Ladies’ 3rd XI 2 vs Nuneaton 2nd XI 1
Midlands Women’s Division 4 Nene / Charnwood
On a windy Saturday morning Loughborough Town Ladies 3rd XI played away against Nuneaton 2nd XI. After losing the coin toss, the first half consisted of both teams playing well. It was a great start from Town, working well in pairs, and with good leads creating space for players to move into and as players created height up the pitch.
Town also set the press early and communicated well with each other. Both teams created chances to score. Nuneaton managed to win three penalty corners, but Town’s solid defence meant that no goals were conceded.
As the second half started with a Town push back, Nuneaton put pressure on Town and upped their man to man marking. Kate Horrigan did some great saves, but unfortunately Nuneaton managed to score a goal in the first five minutes. After this, Town worked hard to come back and from a twenty-three-metre hit, a quick one-two pass found Hana Rasheed who scored for Town. This equaliser put Town in a good position to come back strong. The away side gained confidence and they attacked well using triangles to pass the ball around. As Town kept hold of the ball well one of these attacks lead to a solid hit from Hana Rasheed from the top of the D, which was deflected into the goal by Zoe Stead. This second goal was to be the game winner, as Town won 2-1.
Overall, it was a well-deserved and great win! Next week Town have a home game against Earls Barton.
LTHC Ladies’ 4th XI 0 vs Charnwood Sileby 1st XI 5
Midlands Women’s Division 5a Nene / Charnwood
On a sunny Sunday morning Loughborough town Ladies’ 4th XI played Charnwood Sileby 1st XI at home. After winning the toss up, Charnwood chose ends cleverly playing against the sun. Town took the centre pass and was put immediately under pressure from the visiting side. And only a few minutes into the game Iris Broekhuijzen made a fantastic save however Charnwood reacted quickly scoring from the rebound, to take a 1-0 lead.
Town battled for the ball in the middle of the pitch throughout with Minh Han Dam providing many solid tackles. Unfortunately for Town, Charnwood played some strong balls through Town’s defence, with two of those resulting in two more goals. 3-0. The away side continued the pressure and Town had to defend many penalty corners and open play attacks. The defence worked hard to keep these out of the goal plus Broekhuijzen made some more good saves.
Town played a number of well-coordinated passes in the midfield before Emily Hopkins played it to Charlotte Worth on the wing. This fantastic play resulted in Town’s first penalty corner of the match. However, Town were unable to convert and after Charnwood gained possession, they eventually worked the ball down to score their fourth of the game. The away side managed to score another as the first half ended 5-0 to the visitors.
Town gathered together to have a half-time team talk focusing on areas of improvement they could take into the second half. Determined, Town set out with a positive mentality and pressured Charnwood from the outset. Town’s communication increased enabling short passes, quick triangles and opportunities to break down Charnwood’s defence.
Zoe Stead lead a massive break receiving the ball and taking in past a number of players and into Charnwood’s D, though was unable to score. Town were attacking more frequently, leading to a more balanced game between the two sides. Hannah Smith and Clare Pittaway did a fantastic job of clearing balls from the back line, preventing more goals. Overall, in the second half Town came back stronger and played a fantastic game showing a lot of improvement. Due to Town’s strong defensive performance in the second half, it was scoreless, with the game ending 5-0 to Charnwood Sileby.
Emily Hopkins received Town’s player of the match for her amazing performance throughout.
