We were all looking forward to putting last week’s game behind us and making a fresh start with a new look team.  With a few injuries in the squad, we welcomed Dani Petticrew , Gigi and Jen Romano into the team who played brilliantly, proving the strength and depth of the ladies’ section.    Chiswick were fired up from the warm up and keen to make a positive start from the first whistle.

Having played Oxford in the past, Chiswick knew that the press had to be tight to ensure that there were no opportunities for Oxford to send a long ball to their high forward.  With Dawn Whitmore and Cookie Bowie organising the team from the back, this worked well and Chiswick won plenty of turnover balls from staying disciplined and keeping their structure.  Laura Jaques showed great skill and composure in centre midfield, distributing the ball left and right to increase our attacking options, however these efforts were often denied by a strong, Oxford defence.

With only 10 minutes played, Oxford created a goal scoring opportunity through some quick passing which saw their forward fire the ball past Chiswick Keeper Jenny Capp from a tight angle.  Learning their lessons from last week, Chiswick remained positive and did not let their heads drop.  Tisunge Barrack and Ceilidh Walker began to put more pressure on their defence and they started to force Oxford to make errors towards the end of the first half.

Trailing by a goal at half time was frustrating as it was clear that Chiswick deserved to take some points home. Half time advice and encouragement from Prashila Puna and Becky Altree on the sideline, inspired the team to remain positive and bring more width to their game.

The second half was an improvement on the first.  Chiswick were more composed on the ball and were patient when looking for the final pass into the D.  Man of the match, Gigi channelled well down the right hand side, timing her tackles to perfection and sending some dangerous balls into the D for the Chiswick forwards to fight for.

When Tisunge Barrack was fouled in the D, Chiswick were awarded their second short corner of the game which was converted by Alex Earnshaw who struck the ball from the left hand side, giving the Oxford keeper no chance in saving it.

 With the score now 1-1 both teams were desperate to take all 3 points.  However, the draw stood thanks to some key saves from Jenny Capp and a last ditch tackle from Cookie Bowie in the final seconds of the game.

Chiswick are now 4th on goal difference with only a couple of points separating the top 5 teams.  All to play for in South Div 3a!

MoM – Gigi –tracking back to make some excellent tackles and attacking down the right putting some dangerous balls into the D.
DoD – Cath – running into a goalpost and forgetting to put her skirt on until the last minute

Chiswick were facing the league leaders this week, and after a string of losses, were not expecting a win. The ladies played strongly though, and there didn't appear to be too much difference in the teams’ ability. Chiswick dominated possession in the first half, and had some excellent plays on the wing, but after quick breaks down the field from Teddington, they went into the first half 2-0 down.  Teddington came out hard in the second half and scored quickly, but Chiswick weren't going down without a fight, and after several shots on goal, they finally managed to score. Unfortunately Teddington responded with two more goals, and put Chiswick firmly out of the game. 

Chiswick Ladies' 2s suffered a 2-1 loss at home to Hendon and Mill Hill Ladies' 1s this weekend. Although there were some last minute changes to Chiswick's squad the team still went onto the pitch with a determined attitude. There were a few good plays at the start of the match, however, Chiswick struggled to settle into the game and were caught off guard by a Hendon and Mill Hill attack to put them 1-0 down. Chiswick fought back and after putting a lot of pressure on Hendon and Mill Hill Chiswick's Carol Egan scored to bring it back to 1-1. A second goal from Hendon and Mill Hill brought the score to 2-1 at half time. The second half saw several slide tackles from Alice Hendon who was back in goal for Chiswick. Chiswick worked hard to create opportunities but couldn't capitalise on them to get their much needed second goal. After this weekend's results Chiswick Ladies' 2s remain 2nd in the Middlesex Premier League.

The autumn sun was shining down on the pitch early on Saturday morning, ready for PHC Chiswick Ladies 2’s (currently 2nd in the league), to take on Southgate Ladies 3s, one place behind them. The first half proved to be difficult for Chiswick to get the ball through to the forwards and it was unlucky that mid-way through the first half, Southgate scored the first goal of the game. At half time, Chiswick felt like they needed to ‘wake up’ and get in front of the opposition in order to take control of the game. And that is what they did. During the first quarter of the second half, Chiswick were slick and worked together as a team to drive the ball towards the goal. It first reached the back of the goal thanks to calm and collected Harriet Stevenson. What was going to happen next, now that the score was 1-1? Chiswick continued to show their true skill and very soon another goal by Harriet made it 2-1 to Chiswick. The game became a triumph, when after several missed opportunities during short corners, Zoe Jupp scored a fantastic goal by a one touch angled ball on the P-spot into the goal during the final short corner of the game. Chiswick truly played in style and with a win of 3-1 deserved to hold onto the 2nd place spot in the league table. 

MOM: Zoe for a great goal and work upfront (plus it was her birthday on Friday!)
DOD: Vicky for slipping over for most of the game (AKA Slippy Vicky)

A fall from grace..
After the great triumphs of last weekend with the top of the table clash and reigning supreme and taking top spot.
This weekend we were soon brought back down and humbled by Banbury 6-2, who were just the better team on the day. It was not a great performance by Chiswick 1's Ladies by any means. We trailed behind the whole game. Banbury made the most of their opportunities and were very clinical in both defence and attack. They came out firing and we were slow to react, putting in two goals. We pegged one back through Bex Twelvetrees with a flick from a penalty corner.

Banbury fired back with two more goals before half time. In the second half we got it together and through collective and well-constructed passage of play Tee Barrack finished off with let’s call it a scoop goal over the goalie. This was our glimpse of a hopeful comeback, but that was soon dashed when Banbury put another two goals in. A much better performance in the second half from us but it was not enough. So now we find ourselves placed 2nd equal on the table. But on a happier note the All Blacks beat the England and now everything is right in the world. 
 
Player of the Day Tee Barrack- Energiser bunny never gave up and played with a lot of heart and determination!
DoD (Duck) - Bex Twelvetrees- for forgetting pretty much everything! 

Man of the Match: Emma for a strong debut with the 2's and solid defending.

With the rain falling heavily in Paddington the Ladies 2’s focused on holding 2nd place in the Middlesex Premier Division League table by beating Hampstead and Westminster Ladies 5’s. The conditions were more challenging in the first half however Chiswick were on top at half time with a strong return to the team from our talismanic captain Vicki Lorimer who scored a great goal following a visionary pass from midfielder Sophie Kirk. 

In the second half Chiswick’s upped the tempo following a change of strategy from team captain Kerry Bloxham. Coach for the day “Lee Harrison” provided inspirational support and encouragement from the sidelines which translated into a second goal from Vicki to seal a 2 – 0 victory for Chiswick. All through the game the Chiswick back four provided the foundation for the victory, and fully deserved their clean sheet.

Mom – Katherine Duncan (KD…..or Katie if you like!) – awesome game, solid in defence and great attacking play down the right hand side

Dod – Jodi Reddell – yes, we do have geese in England and you are indeed a ‘duck’!!

An early start on the coldest, wettest day of the season made us even more determined to beat league leaders Oxford Hawks in a top of the table clash at their pitch.  After a heated debate about what the difference was between a goose and a duck and having explained to Jodi Riddell that the bird must be dead before you chase it around with a beer can ready to shove up it’s backside ready for the barbie…..we took the pitch!

With Captain Lisa Crane away, Bex Smith fired us up and set us the aim of winning a short corner or a goal within the first minute.  Sure enough, this happened and Chiswick went close to taking the lead very early on. Chiswick enjoyed the majority of the possession in the first ten minutes with excellent linking up  from the forwards and supporting midfield.  This soon resulted in a 1-0 lead when Bex Smith fired in a ball to Tee Barrack who sent the ball into the roof of the net like a bullet!

Taking the early lead gave Chiswick the confidence they needed to continue to attack from the back with Cath and KD taking charge of the wings and putting in some great passes to the Chiswick forwards.  We welcomed new girl Laura into the team who had a great debut in midfield showing excellent skill when moving forward and determination tracking back to defend.  Having set up a solid press and won plenty of turnover balls, Chiswick’s second goal came when Ceilidh Walker received the ball in the D and calmly put the ball into the goal after her initial shot was saved by the keeper and bounced nicely back into her path.

With the score now 2-0 to Chiswick, Oxford Hawks began to pile on the pressure and prove why they had held the lead in South Division 3a since week one.  They managed to pull a goal back when an unmarked Hawks player found one of their forwards on the penalty spot who made no mistake in placing the ball in the bottom corner of the goal.

The second half saw Oxford Hawks have the upper hand, camping in Chiswick’s half and creating plenty of attacking options.  However, the Chiswick defence were well organised and solid, making strong tackles and sending the ball out wide.  Chiswick went down to 10 men when Ceilidh Walker was shown a yellow card for a mistimed tackle but managed to stay composed and not concede during this time.  Chiswick also had to face a number of short corners and dealt with everything Oxford Hawks had to throw at them to maintain the lead and take a well earned three points.  We are now top of South Division 3a and look forward to a tough game against Banbury next week at home.