The healing has begun

Birkenhead Ladies 5 - AFC Waverton 6

Two weeks ago we went up the Delph and performed badly. We knew it, the girls knew it. So this was a chance for the team to redeem themselves and this is just what they did. A brilliant, spirited performance on a hard Delph surface saw us take all three points and more importantly gain praise for the way in which we conducted ourselves and for our style of play.

Olivia and Laura dropped out of the team from the last visit and in came Kiera, although clearly suffering from a virus. The team lined up: Hatted Cara in the nets, a back two of Emma and Sophie, coughing Kiera anchoring centre midfield with Ellie and Lily either side and leading goalscorer Caitlin up front.

The attitude though was very different this time and as we kicked off it became clear that this was going to be a much better performance. It didn't take long for the yellow shirts to find the net, with captain Kiera tucking the ball home. Birkenhead equalised through a brilliant shot high beyond Cara before our girls took the lead again and went onto score 3 succession. Caitlin, Lily and Ellie found the net. Lily's was a sweet shot into the left corner and Caitlin's goal came as a result of total football from a series of passes between Anzy and Lily before setting up Caitlin.

Birkenhead though got back into it and got back on equal terms and sensed the game could once gain be theirs.

In the second half another Caitlin goal was cancelled out by a Birkenhead equaliser before a stunning Ellie goal right into the corner of the net brought victory despite a late onslaught by the home side. Ellie was put on up front deliberately to use her speed and it worked a treat capping a great game for a player who has been outstanding in 5 a side recently.

This was a fantastic game and all the girls played well. Sophie was given player of the match and well deserved it was as she was awesome in defence. Emma was excellent despite hurting her ankle and spending most of the second half hobbling, Lily was tricky in the midfield, Caitlin dangerous up front and Anzy did very well in the middle of the park linking between defence and attack and showed how she is improving. Cara made some great saves and her kicking was back to its best. Bill the ref praised our girls for the quality of the football.

All in all a very good game and a worthwhile trip up to Wallasey. Have a good Easter break and we're back in training on Tuesday 17 April at Waverton, 7:30-8:30.

MOM for Waverton - Sophie, for Birkenhead Jade Short.

Back to the Delph

Back up to the Delph this Saturday to once again play Birkenhead. Meet there at 12:10 for a 12:30 ko. Lets show them what we can really do this time.

Team - Cara, Lily, Ellie R, Sophie, Caitlin, Kiera, Emma and Annaliese.

Ellie M is ill and had to pull out.

The Delph is on Rake Lane Wallasey, close to Liscard centre. Directions on here on Sat am for those who can't remember. Lifts offered so just let us know as it makes sense to take fewer cars up there.

No games now until after Easter. Training starts again on Tuesday 17 April at Waverton 7:30-8:30. More details to follow on the arrangements for training.

Directions to the Delph:

Take M53 to end following signs for 'All Docks' not Liverpool (DO NOT GO DOWN THE TUNNEL ENTRANCE). Follow link road down to roundabout making sure you get in the right hand lane signedposted 'Docks', as the left one takes you back down to the Tunnel entrance. Turn left at the roundabout following signs to Wallasey (just in front of the big Tate and Lyle tank). This is Mill Lane. Go straight through lights at the Pool Inn pub (on the right) and follow road over the M53/tunnel link road below to Liscard Village centre. Follow the one way road system left then get in the right hand lane to head right at the junction following a sign for New Brighton.

Keep straight on through the shopping area and onto Rake Lane following the New Brighton B5143 signs. Go past the Liscard Chippy and the Vauxhall Garage. The Delph is behind the houses on the right soon after the Vauxhall Garage. Park on the main road just before New Brighton Bowling/Cricket Club and take the path on the right hand side of the road through to the Delph. If you get to the Cemetery, you've gone too far.

Last Northgate training tonight

Last Northgate training of the season tonight, so let's all make it and have a good session. Cost is £25 and will be split between us.

Two important meeting this week. On Weds there is an emergency meeting of the clubs managers and coaches. The call to parents to help out with the running of the club has had a very poor response, so poor that I believe it is nil. That means that the club could fold without this help. An option is for us to close down some teams to allow the managers to do the admin of the club, another option is to pay for people to do these jobs for us and put the subs up to cover this cost.

The second meeting on Thursday is with Irby to explore potential for a joint U18 girls team for next season to play in the Cheshire u18 league.

Doggie do doos at the Delph

Birkenhead Youth 8 - AFC Waverton 3

Beaten before you started. One of those days. Lets forget it, apart from the three excellent goals, two by Caitlin and one from Emma. We know you can do much better and you know it too.

MoM Cara

Training Tuesday as usual. The last within the £10 payment. All girls to cover cost of training on Tues 27 March.

The League Secretary Hughie Gilmour turned up at the Delph on Saturday to check our girls passports. We have never ever had a league officer check them in four seasons but he went through them all one by one. It was like the scene from Dads Army when the Germans capture the troop who refuse to give their names. The German officer goes to Corporal Pike and says "whats your name boy?' at which point Captain Mainwaring shouts "Don't tell him Pike"

The pre-match atmosphere was then lowered by our diligent League Secretary calling AFC Waverton ' a waste of space'.

Brilliant, absolutely brilliant.

Birkenhead kept us waiting whilst they drove around Wallasey looking for lost players. Surely they couldn't have been still in bed at 12:45? We didn't mind but it did go on a bit with the game kicking off half an hour late. Better than not getting a game at all.

Cara was concerned about what she described as 'doggie do doos in the goalmouth. And there was a fair bit of it which we had to clean up before we could play. Perhaps the League should be more concerned with checking the pitches for doggie do da's than checking for illegal u14 players hiding in disguise. Whats the greatest risk to child welfare a load of doggie do doos in a young girls face as she dives to palm away a certain goal, or a girl getting a second half run out for a team she will be playing for next year?

Not much to say about the game really. 3 great goals for us and for Birkenhead a stormer of a goal for their opener, a candidate for goal of the season. Lily was the best outfield player, Emma was solid and got a ball smack in her face for her sins. We could still see SADIDA written on her face afterwards where the ball hit her (Hint - read it backwards). Sophie gave her all and Laura struggled a little in her first game since being ill and injured.

The day was rounded off by the League Secretary calling AFC Waverton " a waste of space". Absolutely brilliant. You get treated like you've smuggled Lord Lucan into your squad, you're kept waiting for half an hour to kick off, you have to clear up doggie do doos on your goal line and then get beaten 8-3. And then the club is called 'a waste of space'. You couldn't make it up.

Birkenhead game confirmed

The Birkenhead game is now confirmed and will go ahead on Saturday at the Delph in Wallasey. Kick off is 12:30. Meet at 12:10 prompt please so we can have a decent warm up.

Team: Cara, Ellie R, Sophie, Emma, Lily, Laura, Caitlin, Annaliese and Olivia.

Directions to the Delph on here on Friday.

We are due to play against Birkenhead again on March 31 but given that two of our girls have seemingly decided not to play matches anymore, they won't let Lucie play, and its the start of the school holidays, we could be struggling to get a team out. Therefore this Saturday could be our last League game of this season.

We have sent everyone a text about training. We need responses please. Only Sophie, Lucie, Ellie M and Laura have replied.

Next Weds there is an important meeting about the future of the club at the Waverton Institute 7:30. We have had little response from parents to help next season and we are facing an uncertain future as the coaches cannot do everything. We need parents to come forward and help with some admin jobs, without it we may not be able to survive as a club.

On Thursday 29th March we are meeting Irby about a joint u18 team for next season. Again another important meeting.

Directions to the Delph:

Take M53 to end following signs for 'All Docks' not Liverpool (DO NOT GO DOWN THE TUNNEL ENTRANCE). Follow link road down to roundabout making sure you get in the right hand lane signedposted 'Docks', as the left one takes you back down to the Tunnel entrance. Turn left at the roundabout following signs to Wallasey (just in front of the big Tate and Lyle tank). This is Mill Lane. Go straight through lights at the Pool Inn pub (on the right) and follow road over the M53/tunnel link road below to Liscard Village centre. Follow the one way road system left then get in the right hand lane to head right at the junction following a sign for New Brighton.

Keep straight on through the shopping area and onto Rake Lane following the New Brighton B5143 signs. Go past the Liscard Chippy and the Vauxhall Garage. The Delph is behind the houses on the right soon after the Vauxhall Garage. Park on the main road just before New Brighton Bowling/Cricket Club and take the path on the right hand side of the road through to the Delph. If you get to the Cemetery, you've gone too far.

Game v Birkenhead on Saturday 17

Our next game is on Saturday 17 when we make the trip to the Delph to play Birkenhead Youth. Kick off is 9:30. Meet 9:10. Directions on here on Friday.

Team is : Cara, Ellie R, Sophie, Kiera, Caitlin, Emma and Laura. We are hoping to enable Annaliese and Lucie to play too. Olivia and Ellie M are hoping to be available which would give us 11 players. Lauren and Kate have not responded so we assume that they are not available. Lily is not available. With 4 subs the girls will have to be patient but this is a strong team.

In like a lamb, Out like a lion

Well done girls for today our first proper game this year at Irby. Typical March weather too, an absolute horrible downpour before kick off then brilliant sunshine at the end.

It took a little while to get going but in the second half we did really well and you played some excellent football. Great to see Caitlin back and scoring. Lucie was awesome in goal in the second half only letting two in whilst Cara did really well in defence alongside the brilliant Sophie. Annaliese's first game and we hope she enjoyed it. Ellie R and Lily were unlucky not to get on the score sheet, in training they'd have buried them. No subs so everyone did really well on a heavy pitch.

So well done, Lucie, Cara, Ellie Riste, Annaliese, Lily, Sophie and Caitlin.

Player of the match - Ellie Riste.

By the way Greenleas u16s have pulled out of the league and their results 'expunged'. I love that word. Trouble is it was our only win, so we are back to zero points and 5 goals off our score sheet. For our own records we'll keep them on though.

Training as normal on Tuesday. £10 still owed from Laura, Lauren and Olivia.