Under 11s | Coton FC

3 weeks ago

Coton U15 Girls at home on the Rec, for their 6th league game of the season and against Rushden and Diamonds; a battle of two evenly matched teams and a precursor to the upcoming vs league cup semifinal.

With AJ injured and Alice and Amy late absentees, Coton had squad of 13. We knew that on a muddy pitch against a team that plays with intensity and physicality the girls that were playing were going to have to dig deep and show a lot of fight.

The first half was tight affair with neither team giving the other any time and space and scoring chances few and far between. Rushden had a clear strategy of looking to transition quickly and once into the Coton half to release their speedy wingers with passes down the line or their rapid striker with balls over the top but generally they couldn’t quite get the weight of pass right and Cha gratefully claimed numerous through balls in or around the edge of the box. When the Rushden passing was on point or their midfield beat Coton’s press, the Coton backline of Lia, Emilia, Tes, Bam and Annie were up to the task. Lia played on the front foot and with purpose and put in some hefty tackles and vital interceptions, Tes hounded and harassed and ran and ran, Bam was resolute, and Emilia was simply outstanding playing only her second game at centre back and not putting a foot wrong all day.

Coton had a bit more possession and moved the ball well in patches and did pose Rushden some problems. The main danger was Lexie’s pace on the right wing as she repeatedly burned past her marker and zoned in the penalty area, released by some excellent first time passing by Shannon and Mads. Only some excellent defending by the tall diamonds centre who read the danger and cut the crosses out prevented potential scoring opportunities. The other threat came from India’s consistently pinpoint corners which lead to Ilazki poking agonisingly wide of the far post from close range and a scuffed shot being deflected up and onto the bar and over. At this point coach Sam said what the other coaches were all thinking and the football gods dictated, that Coton would rue the missed chances and that Rushden would score with their first. The clock was ticking down to halftime when the inevitable happened and Rushen scored though it was a half chance at best, a fantastic finish with no one at fault. The ball was played at pace into the Rushden striker who was standing with her back to goal just inside the area and she turned her marker and in the same movement hit an unstoppable strike into the roof of the net.

It had been such a tight contest, Rushden were buzzing and it felt like it might now be a tough contest for Coton to get back into. Never doubt these girls though, years of playing together have built up a serious level of trust and resilience. Rather than it causing their heads to drop, the goal just spurred them into devastating action. Pretty much from the kick off and after some neat passing in the middle, Shannon swept a lovely pass to Mads on the edge of the box who created space for herself by quickly shifting the ball from right to left with a classic “Hain Shuffle” and made no mistake, smashing the ball into the corner of the net with her left foot from 10 yards out. The coaches and parents were still celebrating what felt like a vital goal when Coton raided the ball from Rushden’s kick off, worked the ball calmly through Tes, Ilazki, Pauline and Kate before Kate’s hit a perfectly weighted ball set Lexie through, on goal and as we have come to expect, she calmy rolled the ball under the stunned keeper for 2:1 which was immediately followed by the half-time whistle. Rushden went into the break shellshocked wondering what had just happened to them while Coton were jubilant though not getting carried away.

The quality of the football in the second half was better from both teams with both looking to pass through the thirds and work their way up the pitch but it felt like Coton were getting on top with most of the possession now in the Rushden half and the pressure on the Rushden goal building. Pauline, Ilazki, Kate Mads were starting to win the midfield battle with determined and aggressive pressing and tackling out of possession and calmness, composure and skill in possession. Ilazki had her best game since returning from injury – growing in confidence and starting to display her lovely range of passing as well as some brave headers and big tackles. Mads was Mads, racking up another 9 out 10 performance with her excellent all-round game, such an intelligent player. Kate was equally strong in and out of possession, an iron fist in a velvet glove. Pauline put in another huge shift, lots of tireless running and tackling for the team. Bam was having another excellent game down the left-hand side – her decision making and execution having come on leaps and bound in the last few weeks. India had a couple of chances to get through a get shots away but the ball didn’t quite break for her. Shannon worked her socks off in a difficult role where she was often quite isolated and showed some lovely moments of quality. Annie, defended brilliantly again and added an attacking element to her game, driving into space past the Rusden midfield on numerous occasions. Another mention for Emilia who really was the thorn in the Rushden attack’s side – she outpaced, out battled and outplayed them all game and led an excellent Coton rearguard which meant that for the second week in a row, Cha didn’t have a save to make. Cha still had a strong contribution to the game with her excellent sweeping and top-notch goal kicking from both hand and floor.

With Coton in the ascendancy and several half-chances passed up, it felt like Coton would have to hold onto their lead but then Coton had a slice of luck as Lexie hit a cross aimed at Shannon bursting into the middle of the area but sliced it slightly and it curled perfectly into the far corner of the net. Rushden nearly pulled a goal back with a wicked strike from distance which clipped the top of the bar but other than that Coton managed the game out well for a hard fought and well-deserved victory.

A brilliant game of football. Well done both teams. Some real quality out there today 👍⚽️ ... See MoreSee Less

Upcoming Fixtures

Upcoming Fixtures

Upcoming Fixtures