New season, new hopes

Following last season’s relegation Bury Ladies 4 returned to league action in 4NE South against our own new development 6s. Inter club games are a mental challenge as this game proved. The onus is on the higher side to show why they are the higher side and that brings a strange pressure.

The 4s weren’t initially on it. The 6s swarmed around the ball, making the game messy, and they had the first clear chance of the game. In truth the 4s were fortunate to lead at quarter-time from their only short corner when allowed far too much time to shoot.

The 4s wrote that quarter off to experience. Changes were made to try and wrest control of the game. The 4s started to move the ball away from the crowd scenes, dangerous juniors were marked rather than allowed to run free and short corners were won if we couldn’t create a clear shot. We had a plan for corners if we weren’t going to be closed down and four of five were ruthlessly converted to make the half-time score 5-0.

Having gained control instructions were simple at half time: no show boating and show your opponents the respect of playing as well as you can. With an evolving line-up the second half saw a further four goals added as the 4s found their quicker players in space and looked to shoot early with players around the goal. With players near the goal and pressure on the defence the tap ins arrived.

Full credit to the 6s for never stopping and creating several chances of their own in the early part of the game. That was about the toughest opening fixture to get given as the 4s were playing a league higher last year and are more street wise as a result. The 6s will improve from the experience and not everyone else will be that efficient in attack. The 4s need to get going from the start of games. We should have a good season but we have to do the simple things first to gain control of games.

The 4s are off to Felixstowe next week.