Ladies Go Down Fighting

Knowle Ladies faced up to Wolves Women in the quarter finals of the Birmingham FA County Cup on Sunday, knowing they were in for a tough game against opponents who are unbeaten in Tier 3 this season, a full three leagues higher than the Robins. And so it proved, with Wolves dominating the game…but Knowle can be proud of the fact they stayed in the tie for so long and made their high flying opponents work hard for the eventual win.

The home side set up with a clear game plan; packing out all the space in and around the final third and trying to keep plenty of players behind the ball to restrict chances for Wolves. They found success with the strategy in the first half as, although the away team had the majority of possession, they rarely troubled Katy Smirthwaite in between the sticks. When the goalkeeper was tested, she proved herself up to the challenge – no more so than the first shot of the game which was an absolute pile driver from the Wolves forward, but Smirthwaite got her body behind it and gathered the rebound well. Waves of old gold shirts came forward, but Knowle stuck to their task by forcing them wide and then blocking or clearing crosses well. They rode their luck from a couple of corners, Wolves attackers sending a header over the bar and then one straight at Smirthwaite before adjusting their zonal marking accordingly to start competing in the air. When Wolves did play through the middle, they were perhaps guilty of overdoing things, with a number of attempted through balls skipping safely out of play or straight to the Knowle keeper. Knowle also kept a tight line, catching their opponents offside several times. The home side may have been strong defensively, but they were unable to get forward enough to make an impact in an attacking sense, though Poppy Wheatstone held the ball up well whenever her teammates did find her feet. Knowle’s best spell involved a combination between Demi Rolph and Alice Belcher, with the latter pushing forward into the Wolves half and trying to send Lucy Horsburgh through, but she was picked off by the Wolves defender before she could enter the penalty area and shoot. A dangerous Wolves attack was then thwarted by a last ditch block from Sam Smith on the six yard line and Maz Byrne was able to mop up the pieces. Morgan Betteridge was also doing good work on the left side along with Emma Shaw, cutting out any attempted crossfield passes well. Wolves’ best chance of the half came from wide on their left side, the winger beating two Knowle players before sliding a square ball to the centre forward, but Smirthwaite made a top save again from point blank range and diverted it wide with her outstretched leg. The half ended with Smirthwaite claiming a couple of crosses, and then a nice passing move by Wolves that the forward fired wide of the far post.

Wolves made a couple of changes for the second half and changed their approach somewhat, running more with the ball and committing Knowle players in order to get through the lines more often. This made the second period even harder for the home side, but they stuck to their task. Smirthwaite was in the headlines again early on, tipping over another fierce drive despite the fact she was now facing into the bright sunshine. At nil nil, Knowle were at least in the game, hoping to pinch something going forward. Smirthwaite was definitely much busier now though, making several saves including beating away a long range effort and palming over a header from a corner. Knowle’s resistance lasted an hour before Wolves finally broke the deadlock; the left winger swinging in a cross which the captain met with a firm close range header to give her side the 0-1 lead. The Robins didn’t let their heads drop and continued to work incredibly hard all across the pitch, chasing down Wolves’ heavy share of the possession. Jess Barlow was getting through a lot of work in the middle of the park, ably assisted by Jess Holland and Kate Fleming. The second Wolves goal came on the 74 minute mark as Knowle began to tire. In fact, it stemmed from a Knowle free kick; possession was lost and Wolves swept through the middle and played a great through ball to the left sided forward who smashed her shot low into the net at the near post. Wolves went three up a few minutes later when Knowle failed to spot an attacker lurking on the edge of the box at a corner and she drilled home the inch perfect ball played to her. The Robins regrouped and continued to defend tenaciously, but they were unable to keep possession even when they won the ball. As the game wore on, Smith had to make up ground to get a good sliding tackle in to stop the forward advancing on goal and Rach Keen cut out two attempts at the back post. However, in stoppage time Wolves did get their fourth; Knowle tackling well to stop the first attempt but then the clearance pinballed and broke to the attacker who produced a good finish across goal.

Despite the 0-4 score line, Knowle were proud of their efforts against a side who were by far and away a class above any other opponent they have faced in the past few years. They defended bravely and left nothing on the pitch, fighting hard to keep the Wolves attacks at bay and working for each other. The girls in red stuck to their shape and their game plan well, with the only disappointment being they were not able to fashion a couple of chances of their own. Still, a performance to be proud of and no disgrace to lose to side of that quality. Knowle Ladies are in action again next Sunday, back to the league where they play Westfields away.

Knowle: Smirthwaite, Keen, Smith, Byrne, Holland, Betteridge, Belcher, Barlow, Fleming, Rolph, Wheatstone.

Subs: Horsburgh (for Wheatstone, 29), Shaw (for Holland, 29), Abbotts (for Horsburgh, 52), Harris (for Betteridge, 64), Jones (for Shaw, 74).

Photo credit for header and below: Dave Lockie Photography - https://www.facebook.com/DaveLockiePhotography/