U13 Girl's v Cheadle

Timperley U13 Girls: 8
Cheadle U13 Girls: 9

Some you win, some you learn
I hope Robin won't mind me pinching his phrase, but that sums up today for me.

Today was very close. Losing only by 1, there were parts of the game where we were in total control. However, there were also parts of the game where we let Cheadle dominate play.

In Q2, we did a fantastic job of pinning Cheadle in their own half. Our defensive work was going on all over the pitch. It was fantastic see us putting the opposition under pressure like that.
When Cheadle broke out though, we found ourselves short of cover at the back.

It was an exciting game to watch, and certainly end to end stuff.
Defensively Timperley were strong. Some great determination from all players kept us always in contention, as well as some key saves throughout the game. This Timperley team are a young U13 side, and it's very encouraging to see them do well against girls, some of whom are a school year older.

We showed good energy and speed, but we were unable to make the passes to turn more attacks into goals.
On a positive note, we were looking to pass, but the catching of those passes is something we need to work on.

Mentally, we also need to learn from this encounter. There were a lot of unpleasant comments being made by the opposition that unsettled our team. We have to be strong in the face of this, learn how to deal with it and not allow it to influence how we play. We need to learn to rise above it!

Respect for the referee should be standard. We should accept their decision and get on with playing our game! - even when you think that they have made the wrong decision.

Decisions may not always go our way. Deal with it and get on and play OUR game!

It was a learning experience for me too. I know many of these U13 players well, but not all.
I will learn how this team can best work together, and how we can develop the potential we have into getting results.

To improve, it's not complicated:

- Work on simple passing and catching.
- Work on setting up an effective shape in attack
- Work on Advanced passing and catching!! ;-)

Seriously though, if we can work on passing and catching under pressure, we will see a huge improvement in overall play very quickly. It just needs practice!

Thanks to Cengiz for refereeing. Thanks to Robin for his help and thanks to the parents, as always, for your support.

Well done girls. It was a hard fought game, and you did your best to do what was asked of you.
We will continue to build from here.

Goals:
Esme 3
Franzi 3
Alyssa 1
Chloe 1