LADIES PROVE THEIR CLASS IN THE CUP

Knowle Ladies produced their best performance of the season so far to beat Coundon Court away from home and go through to the next round of the FA Cup.

The first five minutes of the game saw Knowle pinned back in their own half by their opponents from the league above, and it looked like it could be a tough test for The Robins. However, they defended well and didn’t allow Coundon an attempt on goal. Knowle then took complete  charge of the game and were the better side throughout the rest of the half. Maz Byrne won the ball well and clipped a pass into Natalie Gibson as she ghosted into the area but her snap shot flew inches wide of the post. Soon after, Demi Rolph had appeals for a penalty waved away after being knocked flying by a defender. Knowle were keeping possession well, playing the ball in neat triangles and finding space in behind their opponents. Once such move saw Jess Barlow and Rachel Keen link up nicely down the left side; the full back burst into the box and was only denied by a smart stop by the Coundon keeper. 

Rolph was causing problems as always, and when she rolled a ball into Gibson twenty yards out, the number 10 showed her class under pressure to flick it up and hit a volley that dipped just over the bar. The goal was coming and it was Alice Belcher who put her name on the scoresheet. Kate Fleming played forward to Rolph, who held off the defender with her back to goal and laid it back to Belcher. The midfield maestro hit a first time shot that lobbed the keeper to put Knowle 1-0 up…and then celebrated the fine goal in style! The away side didn’t take their foot off the gas after taking the lead, with Barlow and Jess Holland winning plenty of possession for the team and using it intelligently, linking up well with their corresponding full backs and finding the feet of the Knowle forwards. Those passing moves resulted in a couple of attempts by Rolph being saved by the keeper before Keen once again drove into the box from the left side, but the goalie was able to get down well to her left and push the attempt away for a corner. Coundon’s only attempts were long range efforts that Katy Smirthwaite had to watch carefully in the swirling wind, but she caught them well under her crossbar. Five minutes before half time, Knowle did eventually double their lead. A Coundon midfielder attempted to head a goal kick back to her keeper, but Rolph was switched on to that; she nipped in to intercept then drilled it across the keeper and into the net at the far post. Knowle’s confidence was sky high and before the whistle blew they had time to knit together an excellent move that saw them shift the ball from left to right and finished with Gibson’s shot being smothered by the keeper.

Coundon came into the game more after half time but Knowle played it smart and kept a solid defensive shape. The whole team worked hard out of possession, with Belcher, Barlow and Holland all putting in challenges across the missed and not allowing Coundon players to find space with the ball at their feet. The home side hit a free kick well over the bar and Sam Smith had to react quickly to clear at the far post when a cross dropped kindly for the forward. Knowle then had another great spell; it looked as though Belcher would get another when the defence opened up to let her through, but the keeper was quick off her line to block. Nobody could quite work out how on earth one of Gibson’s long range efforts hadn’t flew in yet, and she came so close again with a volley after Holland and Morgan Betteridge combined well to create a dangerous attack down the right. Knowle were able to bring quality off the bench in the shape of debutant Poppy Wheatstone and midfielder Camile Abbotts, and both picked up exactly where their departing team mates left off, with high tempo pressing that kept turning over possession. Knowle thought they’d got their third from a Betteridge corner that Belcher met on the volley, but the Coundon defender blocked it on the line and the home side hacked clear. Belcher was also popping up in her own penalty area to help the defensive effort, but stretching to head away a corner she diverted the ball towards the Knowle goal, thankfully straight into Smirthwaite’s arms. That was the closest Coundon came in the second period, despite having more possession than they enjoyed in the first half. Knowle saw the game out with the same intensity they had played the 90 minutes and were able to keep the ball in the Coundon half to avoid any serious threats.

A thoroughly deserved two nil win for Knowle then and a fantastic performance they can rightly be proud of. They will look to keep up that level in their league games over the next few weeks, starting with a home match against Droitwich next Sunday, 10th October, 2pm kick off. 

Knowle Starting line up: Smirthwaite, Keen, Smith, Byrne (C), Betteridge, Barlow, Belcher (26'), Fleming, Holland, Gibson, Rolph (38').

Subs: Wheatstone, Abbotts, Harris.  Unused: Shaw.