Fulston Fillies 0 – 4 Long Lane (10-02-08) (Cup)

IMPROVED LONG LANE TEACH THE FILLIES A LESSON

On the back of another strong performance last week, the Fillies had every right to be confident going into the cup match against Long Lane. The match started off very even; there wasn’t much attack on either goal with the ball seemingly rooted in the midfield. The Fillies had the game plan for solid passing and attack, allowing the ball to get wide to Alex Corbel on the right and Grace Haynes on the left. Long Lane’s game plan was to play a physical game, route one, straight through the midfield to their commanding ‘No.10’.  Not just huge in stature, but huge in presence also, when she was on the ball the Fillies had to pay attention. Jasmine Newbury and Maisy Blackbourn had the defensive duties today backed up by Charly Barnett in goal.  As previously mentioned, although there wasn’t much action in the Fillies goal, every time ‘the Lanes’ No.10 got the ball there was of a danger of it going in. Nicole Kingsley was the Fillies stalwart midfielder who was never too far away from the action and upfront was Molly Charlesworth, both of whom started very brightly.  Every time the Fillies went forward they looked dangerous. Unfortunately the Fillies went behind half way through the first period to a relatively soft goal.  The whole game could gone very differently as the Fillies immediately went down the other end but the absolutely cracking shot by Molly went just wide into the side netting. So at half time and not for the first time the Fillies found themselves behind and having to battle uphill and into wind for the chance of winning. At the restart it would be the Fillies who would have the first shot on goal, another blaster from Molly, how the keeper managed to get it and keep it out, I will never know.  It wasn’t going to be the Fillies day. As the Fillies tried to get on top of the game, the physicality of the match also increased; a number of loose kicks and high feet went unpunished by the referee. After the second goal from Long Lane, Molly had yet another terrific shot saved. That was to be the last chance the Fillies had to make a difference, not even Ashleigh Bravery coming on and tearing up the left wing could do enough to stop ‘the Lane’. A 4-0 defeat doesn’t really show how hard the Fillies worked and how well they played. Bearing in mind Long Lane couldn’t field a full team at the start of the season; this victory is a credit to them. Parents Player of the Match: Alex Corbel. Opposing Team Player of the Match: Alex Corbel.

Fulston Fillies 0 – 3 Vinters Park (03-02-08)

Lack of attack on goal proves fatal for the Fillies

There was an icy chill in the air for the early afternoon kick and it would prove to be an omen for the Fillies as the game was to unfold. This is the third and decisive match between the two teams this season, with each having won before; the winner would take bragging rights into next season. The game started well for the Fillies, building on the excellent play from last week, the whole team was playing their part.  For the first 15 minutes, the Fillies were dominant but without being able to put ‘Vinters’ keeper under pressure. Grace Haynes had the unenviable task of ‘girl marking’ their talented No.10 and throughout this first period, Grace did so well she had no chance to shine. In defence today we had Jasmine Newbury & Nicole Kingsley supported greatly by Alex Corbel running back from the midfield.  In the Striker role was Molly Charlesworth supported by Maisy Blackbourn running forward from midfield. During this first dominant period, there was very little attack on the Fillies goal other than a couple of hopeful shots, but none of them good enough to get past Charly Barnett. To give Grace a rest, Jasmine Head came to do the ‘girl marking’ role on the No.10 – called into action straight away after a Vinters ball was punted forward, Jasmine was able to get to the ball and shepherd it out. The lack of attack on Vinters goal during this period would prove to be disastrous for the Fillies, as just before half-time, after a rare attack on the Fillies goal, the ball had been cleared out of the area but straight to a Vinters player, using the momentum of the ball she smashed the ball in the air straight towards the goal – it was a difficult ball to deal with and it unfortunately went in, 1-0 to Vinters. At the break, the Fillies were obviously disappointed to be a goal down after so much dominance, but as they have come back from a goal down before, they would just have to do the same thing again. Grace came back on at the beginning of the half to replace Maisy. With the goal lead, Vinters had more of a spring in their step at the restart, and as a result the teams were more evenly matched.  This early in the half the result really could go either way. The Fillies were really strong in the midfield, able to get the ball, and pass to each other and move forwards up the field but still so far without a shot on goal. Vinters didn’t have the same trouble and were able to attack the goal almost every time they got the ball.  Jasmine, Nicole & Charly had their work cut out keeping the ball out of the net and they were doing a great job up until the second goal went in.  With a loose ball in the area, Charly was quick of the line in an attempt to clear the ball, but for the second time, the ball cleared to a Vinters player this time on the edge of the area, and she was able to slot the ball home into an empty goal. We needed to score to have a chance to win, so Nicole was pushed forward to help Molly upfront.  This made a difference straight away, almost immediately we had our first attack and Molly was almost through on goal with only one defender and the keeper to beat, she cracked of the shot but it just went wide. It would be Vinters that scored next however, and sadly it was a soft goal.  There just wasn’t enough time after that for the Fillies to have a chance to score and a 3-0 defeat doesn’t really reflect how well they played and somewhat flatters Vinters Park although they did deserve the win. Parents Player of the Match: Jasmine Newbury. Opposing Team Player of the Match: Molly Charlesworth

Dartford Ladies 0 – 1 Fulston Fillies (27-01-08)

A SUPERB TEAM EFFORT SECURES VICTORY FOR THE FILLIES

It was a chilly start to the day, a real winter’s morning!  It had been an early start to get up to Dartford for a 10.30 kick off and the parents deserve a big pat on the back for making the effort.  Although there hadn’t been any rain for a few days, the pitch was boggy in places and would be energy zapping as the game went on. The Fillies were very fast out of the blocks today with everybody starting off positively.  Charly Barnett was the ever present goalkeeper; the two Jasmines, Newbury and Head, in defence; Alex Corbel, Maisy Blackbourn & Grace Haynes in midfield and Molly Charlesworth up front. With the Fillies in early charge, they were the first to bear down on goal with Molly putting Maisy through one on one with the Dartford Ladies Keeper, I really thought she would score her first goal but the keeper did just enough to shepherd the ball wide. ‘The Ladies’ tried to get a hold on the game and make their own attacks but with a combination of the Two Jasmines’ to get through, together with the support of Alex, they didn’t stand a chance.  If that wasn’t enough, every time the ball went loose, Charly was on hand to smother it whilst announcing to all “Keepers Ball!”. The goal came from a charge down by Molly who was helping out in the midfield, and with the ball going loose, she was the first to react.  I am pretty sure ‘the Ladies’ keeper didn’t know what happened, one moment her team was on the attack, and then the next second the ball was smashed into the back of her net...1-0 Fillies! There were other chances in the first half to extend the lead but their keeper did a good job to prevent the Fillies from scoring again. The second half was harder, because with the muddy pitch and the uphill slope, the Fillies would have their work cut out. The tempo started off as bright as the first, again with the Fillies on top, and again with chances to extend the lead. The passing and running off the ball was better than the team had ever done before, and with the ball being spread across the whole pitch, the Fillies were opening up spaces everywhere. Clearly, ‘the Ladies’ were beginning to get a frustrated, and as a result a bit more physical, but the Fillies matched them shove for shove in every area of the field. Ashleigh Bravery came on to replace Grace and was immediately into the furore, even though she was the smallest player on the pitch, she quickly proved that she would be no pushover!  Ashleigh ensured ‘the Ladies’ would get no rest and pulled them from pillar to post trying to set up Molly and Maisy to score. In the final few minutes, ‘the Ladies’ had their most productive period of sustained attack, but Jasmines’ Newbury & Head and Alex (who never failed to trackback to help out) were on hand to spoil the party. Charly had few saves to make, but each one ensured that the Fillies were able to banish the memories of the last two painful defeats and look forward to the match next week against Vinters. The Dartford Ladies call themselves the “Dynamo’s” but today it was the Fillies who were more ‘dynamo like’ because they just never stopped running and working for each other throughout the entire game.  It was a great team victory for the Fillies, every player made a difference. Goals: Molly Charlesworth (1). Parents Player of the Match: Molly Charlesworth. Opposing Team Player of the Match: Jasmine Newbury

Fulston Fillies 0 – 5 Crystal Palace (20-01-08)

RAIN ALMOST STOP PLAY

Due to the rain all week this game was actually cancelled but unfortunately the message did not get through – and as a result our visitors, Crystal Palace, had already made the long trek down before we found out.  What made this doubly difficult to accept was the pitch looked fantastic on this clear ‘spring like’ morning. Anyway after some perseverance and canny negotiation the ground staff agreed to let us play...so ‘game on’. With Maisy Blackbourn not playing through injury this week, our defence line consisted of Jasmine Newbury & Jasmine Head – as a trio with Charly Barnett in goal, they made a very solid start with the two Jasmine’s getting stuck in to every tackle and Charly making some fantastic saves, the whole team had a positive swagger about it. Even though the Fillies had the edge at the start of the game, it was ‘Palace’ that were the first to score with a stray goal from the edge of the area. Although the second goal came quickly after the first, the midfield of Alex Corbel, Molly Charlesworth and Nicole Kingsley worked very hard to ensure that the ‘Palace’ knew they were in a game.  Every opportunity was taken to get the ball up front to Grace Haynes, but even with all her endeavour, the ‘Palace’ defence held strong. This was a battle, Crystal Palace is challenging for the top of the league for a reason and nothing was going to be given to the Fillies for free. The pressure stayed on the Fillies goal throughout the first half, the two Jasmine’s supported by both Molly and Alex did everything they could to keep the challenges at bay.  Charly continued to make brave saves, often diving at the feet of the ‘Palace’ strikers to keep the Fillies within touching distance, her distribution of the ball, kicking & throwing’ was at the top of her game. With one more goal before half time, the Fillies went into the break a little bit down, but determined to attack the second half with even more gusto than before and for this they would have the additional support from Ashleigh Bravery & Ruby Hayes who came on for the re-start. The Fillies once again took the initial control from the kick off and some crunching tackles from Ruby and Nicole reminded the ‘Palace’ there was still a match to play. With the wind in their faces and going uphill in the second half to come back from 3-0 down was always going to be a big and once again the Fillies found their goal under constant attack but Jasmine Newbury and Nicole upped their game to make things difficult for ‘Palace’. The Fillies took more chances more upfront this half and Ashleigh Bravery especially was kept busy chasing every ball and came closest to scoring for the Fillies. The desire for the team to let each other down was never clearer when Molly ran halfway across the pitch to break down another ‘Palace’ attack which unfortunately resulted in her having to go off after aggravating an ankle injury. During the remainder of the half ‘Palace’ were to score twice more to finish 5-0, I don’t believe the Fillies deserved to lose such a margin, but ‘Palace’ were an organised team and deserved the win and to be so high in the league. Parents Player of the Match: Nicole Kingsley. Opposing Team Player of the Match: Charly Barnett.

Bearsted Girls 7 – 0 Fulston Fillies (13-01-08)

THE FILLIES WENT DOWN FIGHTING

The only disappointment is that the score didn’t really reflect how well the team played and how hard they worked.  Knowing they were up against the league leaders only made the team more determined - Waine had the game plan and the girls had the incentive (more chocolate fingers if they scored!). Facing up the hill and into wind to begin with, the Fillies had to face Bearsted in attack mode right from the kick off.  Charly Barnett literally had to grab the ball from the feet of their main player (No9) to prevent an immediate first goal, and shortly after that, after another two fantastic saves, the score was still at nil. Then disaster struck! Bearsted Girls No9 drove down the line with the ball with Jasmine Head hot on her tails, with the ball seemingly destined to go out over the touch line the defence was caught off guard when the ball was miraculously crossed into the box ‘Dafoe Style’ and sadly ‘the Girls’ were first to react with the ball going in off a stretched out leg. The second goal against the Fillies was a soft goal scored when ‘the Girls’ were allowed to go through the middle of the defence without a challenge being made. From this restart the Fillies tried to impose themselves on the game with Molly Charlesworth moving the ball forward for Sophie Mantle to chase, but ‘the Girls’ defence held strong during this attack. The Fillies came alive after the second and Alex Corbel was working hard up and down the field.  Maisy Blackbourn & Jasmine Newbury had their work cut out trying to keep ‘the Girls’ attacks away from the goal, and for the most when they failed, Charly was on hand to sweep up the ball. Just as the Fillies were beginning to hold their ground, there was a double blow from ‘the Girls’ No9!  The first was a magical solo run from the halfway line with a great shot into the goal, this is the girl who has the ‘Christiano Ronaldo’ step over down to an art. The second goal was a smash from well outside the box, had Charly managed to get her body behind the ball, she would have ended up in to the back of the net too! To give Jasmine Head a rest, Nicole Kingsley came on to provide support for at the back.  Nicole made an instant impact and ‘the Girls’ certainly knew when they were being tackled. At half time, the Fillies got together to review where they were and the fact was, other than a soft second goal, they hadn’t done a lot wrong.  With the wind and slope in their favour – they would have a better chance in the second half. The Fillies started the second half as the finished the first with grit and determination – Molly, Alex and Maisy in the middle, feeding the ball to Sophie who was having to take ‘the Girls’ defence almost alone. Nicole and Jasmine Newbury continued to do a fantastic job, some really big tackles giving ‘the Girls’ something to think about as they came towards Charly’s goal. Everything was going to plan and Charly was grabbing everything that came near her.  After one great save the ball unfortunately bounced away from her and ‘the Girls’ that were the first to react, first blood in the second half to Bearsted. Whilst the Fillies were trying to recover their composure ‘the Girls’ scored again.  Although this goal was disappointing the Fillies got straight back in an never gave up.  Everyone was determined to keep playing their best; they chased and tackled as a team. After one crunching tackle Molly turned her ankle and was replaced by Jasmine Head. All the endeavour was to prove not enough, and after one more gaol the game finished 7-0. Although the Fillies will feel disappointed with the size of the scoreline, they shouldn’t, with a number of Academy Players in the team, ‘the Girls’ are very worthy league leaders.  Time and time again the Fillies proved they could play football, and they will continue to do so. Parents Player of the Match: Nicole Kingsley. Opposing Team Player of the Match: Charly Barnett

Fulston Fillies 5 – 4 Bearsted Belles (06-01-08)

HAYLEY’S LAST GAME SEALED WITH A WIN...AND A GOAL!

Wow this was a real nail biter.  This was the Fillies first games for 6 weeks and although it showed, the whole team battled all the way to the end to secure victory. As is the usual it seems, the Fillies found themselves 2-0 down early on in the game, not through any brilliance of Bearsted Belles, more from rustiness around the lack of games. The Fillies got themselves back in the game with some tidy play, Molly Charlesworth and Hayley Thayre started to stamp their mark on the game and with Grace Haynes’ help, started getting the ball up front to Sophie Mantle. There was still work to be done and the back and Maisy Blackbourn, Jasmine Newbury and Charly Barnett held firm whilst the Fillies searched for the elusive first goal. They didn’t have to wait long as the Belles lost out to the weight of sustained attacks and the Fillies were soon to equalise through goals from Molly and Hayley – Game on! And what a game, it was end to end stuff with both teams making mistakes from rusty play and both teams going forward when they could. However, it was to be the Belles that made the breakthrough though scoring a dubious goal that seemed to go in from the throw-in without touching a player. 3-2 down at half-time, and now with the slope in the Fillies favour, it was down to them to take advantage and score the first victory of the New Year. No changes at the restart the Fillies had to take an early onslaught from the Belles – sadly, due to a mix up in communication; the Belles pounced on a loose ball and put it in the back of the net. 4-2 down now and it would have been easy to see this game slide away from the Fillies but very quickly the tide of the play turned very much in the favour of the Fillies when Sophie ran onto a forward ball and literally took it into the Belles net. Ruby Hayes and Ashleigh Bravery came on and straight into battle, Ruby especially letting the Belles know that she was now part of the game. In a few moments of madness, the game was finally to turn round for good, with two spectacular goals from Molly, both of them brilliant, both of them ensuring that the Fillies would take home three valuable points and Hayley’s last match before emigrating was a victory. Parents Player of the Match: Molly Charlesworth. Opposing Team Player of the Match: Charly Barnett.

Long Lane 2 – 2 Fulston Fillies (25-11-07)

It was a long way to go, and we weren’t even sure that the game was on!  We arrived for a 11 o’clock start and according to the pitch timetable we weren’t on until 2.00pm. Luckily, everything was sorted and we pretty much kicked off on time.  This was a game of two halves were Long Lane took control of the first period and took a 2 – 0 lead without the Fillies putting up much of the fight. Half time was not a good time to be around the Fillies bench!  But after some string words, the final word was if the Fillies score goals, they will get chocolate fingers. THAT WAS THAT! Suddenly the Fillies were playing together as a team and everything came together.  With two brilliant goals from Molly Charlesworth and Grace Haynes the Fillies could have gone on and won the game but there just wasn’t enough time. Parents Player of the Match: Jasmine Newbury and Ashleigh Bravery. Opposing Team Player of the Match: Charly Barnett.

Fulston Fillies 0 – 3 Gravesham (18-11-07)

Parents Player of the Match: Ruby Hayes

Opposing Team Player of the Match: Jasmine Newbury

Gravesham 2 – 0 Fulston Fillies (11-11-07)

Parents Player of the Match: Hayley Thayre, Maisy Blackbourn

Opposing Team Player of the Match: Molly Charlesworth

Vinters Park 1 – 2 Fulston Fillies (04-11-07)

WOW! Hard work, determination and a wonder goal by Molly Charlesworth pays off. We went to Vinters Park for the second time in 3 weeks knowing that this team had only been beaten once and drawn with the league leaders.  Not only that, last time in the cup, they thrashed us 4-0 with all the goals scored in the first 10 minutes. For the Fillies, in my opinion, this was the game of the season so far, and it was the game that had it all: Apprehension before kick off – Excitement during the first half – Anxiety at the start of the second half – Ultimate pride at the end. This game was won for two reasons, the whole team played to the best of their ability and Waine came up with the game plan that the whole team stuck to – mark their key player (No.10) out of the game and don’t let her pass. It was a slightly different line up to normal; we still had the dynamic defence consisting of Charly Barnett in goal with Maisy Blackbourn & Jasmine Newbury in defence, this trio growing in stature and confidence through their recent solid performances.  In midfield we had the regulars Hayley Thayre and Molly Charlesworth joined this week by Jasmine Head who had the unenviable role of marking the infamous No.10.  The slightly different line up to normal was Nicole Kingsley up front, and her task….was to make a nuisance of herself! The Fillies had the disadvantage of the slope in the first half, but the team was bright and alert right from the off.  No.10 played almost no part in the beginning; Jasmine Head gave her no space to pass, most of Vinters play broke down long before getting a chance to get a shot in. Did we attack?  Yes we did.  Did Nicole make a nuisance of herself? Yes she did. Did we score? No we didn’t. We attacked, we ran forward, we defended deep and kept getting the ball into the danger area, but the Fillies just couldn’t get the ball to go near their goal. The first half didn’t go without the odd moment and surprising to most the ball did go loose in our area, but Charly was on hand each time to smother the ball and take the danger away.  Vinters had one cracking shot on target just before half time but Charly was there standing tall – from where I was standing, the sound of the ball slapping against her gloves and body was incredibly loud. It was half time, it was 0 – 0 and the Fillies were playing really well. Grace Haynes came on at the start of the second half up front with the same task to run around and be a nuisance.  The half started initially exactly the same way as the first had finished, but that was to change. No.10 had got hold of the ball and running fast up the right side of the pitch, she was drawing the Fillies into her and there were Vinters players free in the middle.  The pass came in and even though the shot was miss-kicked, the softest of soft goals crawled over the line.  Immediately after the kick off Vinters attacked again, this time in more numbers, seemingly organised now – for a second we were in trouble, but this time Charly got the ball snuffing out the chance of a quick successive goal. The pace was fast now and it was the Fillies on the attack – CORNER!  The corner is smashed into the danger area and unfortunately for Vinters it crashes in for an own-goal. 1-1! The Fillies are back in it and now in total control. Nicole comes on for an injured Grace, and Ruby Hayes replaces Maisy at the back.  The Fillies have the bit between their teeth but wave after wave of attack proves fruitless. 

Then, the most wonderful thing happened.  Think Ryan Giggs in FA Cup Semi Final Replay of 98/99 against Arsenal with arguably the best goal the competition has ever seen - Molly Charlesworth receives the ball just outside our area, runs away from our goal shrugging off one challenge, going passed another like a hot knife through butter, passed one more and then absolutely smashing the ball into the back of their net, 2-1 to the Fillies! The crowd went berserk (perhaps that was just me) and then 2 minutes later that was the end of the game, the Fillies had won, the Fillies had scored but most importantly the Fillies had played football and come away with a fantastic victory.

Fulston Fillies 0 – 0 Dartford Ladies (28-10-07)

Organised, determined and strong in every area, but no goal. From top of the league opposition last week to the bottom this week, expectations were high based upon the fantastic performance last week and I for one was looking forward to a goal fest. Playing up hill and into wind to start with, the fillies took the game to the Dartford Ladies with the rewards of recent weeks passing training evident in their play.  Molly Charlesworth, Hayley Thayre and Sophie Mantle took control of the game; Sophie showing some really impressive ball control in the centre, Molly making piercing runs up and down the right hand side of the pitch and Hayley...well she was just about everywhere. Playing up front to start with, in the lone striker role, was Alex Corbel.  As a willing runner and she chased every ball but the Ladies’ defence was organised denying her a really decent shot on goal. There were limited chances for the Ladies’ attackers in the first half, but all hopes of a goal were easily squashed by the formidable force of Maisy Blackbourn and Jasmine Newbury in defence.  On the one occasion when the Ladies’ broke through clean on goal, Charly Barnett charged off her line putting the player off with the shot going wide. Distribution from the back was superb with Jasmine’s goal kicks putting the Fillies into some fantastic attacking positions. Charly continued to show how much she had improved with her kicks out, but she also provided a slight scare when after one of her kicks went straight to the Ladies’ and with a clean shot on goal, Charly was ‘distracted’, luckily under pressure from Maisy, the shot went wide. In the hope of breaking the dead lock, Grace Haynes took on the challenge up front (you couldn’t miss her – she was the one with bright yellow boots!).  Grace created chance after chance, but sadly, the Ladies’ solid defence remained intact. Towards the end of the half our obvious dominance of the game was clearly having an effect on the Ladies’ causing them to strike out unfairly at the Fillies, unfortunately this went unnoticed by the referee. At half time the 0-0 score line flattered the Dartford Ladies.  The Fillies were playing really well and now we had the advantage of the slope and the wind. The second half started the same as the first, our midfield controlling the game and also the battles ;-).  The ball spent much more of the time in their half than ours and most of time with 6 people behind the ball, but none of the Fillies could get a clean shot on goal. To shake things up a bit, on came Ruby Hayes and Ashlea Bravery – the Ladies’ stood firm. Our dominance showed in the number of corners we were awarded, each time Jasmine put herself just outside the penalty area waiting for just one chance. Eventually that one chance came and her cracking shot just went wide. With the Fillies playing way up the field trying to create chances, inevitably the Ladies’ were going to have at least one break, nothing to worry about though, Charly was out from her line like a bullet from a gun ensuring the attacker was put off and the ball well wide of goal. Disappointed that we didn’t score? Don’t Be.  If you look at the way the Fillies played together, their passing and their determination to do well, you can’t be disappointed for long.  A fantastic game to watch Go Fillies! Parents Player of the Match: Molly Charlesworth & Maisy Blackbourn Opposing Team Player of the Match: Jasmine NewburyVinters Park 4 - 0 Fulston Fillies (14-10-07) (Cup)

Fillies pay the price for being slow out of the blocks!

The Fillies faced an organised, fast and talented team in the shape of Vinters Park today.  From the kick off, Vinters pressed forward with sustained attacks led by their tall No10, taking advantage of all the loose balls and smashing the first goal into the back of the net after just two minutes. With the Fillies on the back foot, Vinters Park created space at will, finding each other with almost every pass and managing to score three more times in ten minutes. Enough was enough, led by the determination of Molly Charlesworth in midfield and Hayley Thayre up front, and with massive support and cheer from the sidelines by all the parents, the Fillies dug in and started to put their own passes into play. Maisy Blackbourn and Jasmine Newbury reset their stall in defence challenging any loose balls that came their way.  Nicole Kingsley, Alex Corbel and later by Jasmine Head (who came on a sub) supported that cause by picking up the forward runners from Vinters as they came forward (Alex/Jasmine having the unenviable task of marking their No10). The defence did the job, now we were in control at the back, feeding the up front through the midfield, any ball that did get through was easily picked up by keeper Charly Barnett. Hayley had the best chance on goal in the first half which was miraculously saved by their keeper.  Ashlea Bravery came on to bolster the attack, running around, trying to create space, but ultimately we were unable to break down the defence and went to into half time 4-0 down. The half-time chat was always going to be a difficult one, but the resolve was in everyone’s face, we knew we could come away with something.  With a big task in front and the disadvantage of going up hill it was time for a change – bring on Ruby Hayes up front! The start of the second half went exactly to plan, Jasmine Newbury let Vinters know exactly what she was about, and nothing was going to get passed her.  Even when kicked in the back of the leg, there was no way she was coming off that pitch.  Each goal kick put the Fillies in a strong position to attack but each chance by Ruby and Molly produced save after save by their keeper. We controlled the midfield throughout the second half; Nicole gave everything with deep runs upfront and charging back when it looked like the Fillies might be in danger. It wasn’t to be one of our days, even when Alex and Hayley came on in the second half, our shots on goal kept coming but nothing broke for us.  The most that Charly had to do in the second half was fetch the ball from behind the goal line when each of their ‘few’ attacks in the second half were squelched by Maisy, Alex and the two Jasmine’s. What we know from this performance is this – ok, we started a little slow but we can match a team that is fast, physical and very organised, not only that we know we have the best supporters…”come on the Fillies”. Parents Player of the Match: Jasmine Newbury. Opposing Team Player of the Match: Hayley Thayre

Fulston Fillies 1 – 4 Bearsted Girls (07-10-07)

Our toughest challenge so far led to our first defeat. The Fillies battled bravely throughout the first half resisting attack after attack by Bearsted Girls and kept in the game by the battling determination of Jasmine Newbury and Maisy Blackbourn.  On the few occasions they broke through, keeper Charly Barnett literally stole the ball from the feet of their strikers. After each attack our organised midfield consisting of Molly Charlesworth, Alex Corbel and Hayley Thayre were able to clear the lines and get the ball up to our lone striker, Grace Haynes and later Sophie Mantle. We had two really great chances to go ahead before the break with two great shots saved by their keeper. At half time and 0-0, the fillies knew they had a game on, and now with the disadvantage of going uphill in the second half; things were only going to get harder. Bearsted Girls star player ‘No5’ was everywhere, throw ins, corners, dribbling at our midfield and at one point doing step overs that even Christiano Ronaldo would be proud of. The Fillies fought bravely at the back with Nicole Kingsley replacing Maisy at the back, Bearsted Girls were relentless but just couldn’t get passed Charly in the goal. Inevitably, Bearsted’s No’5 pushed her way down the right side and with a precision pass set up their striker one on one with Charly, and although she got her fingers to the ball, it ended up in the back of the net. Bearsted Girls scored again very quickly but the Fillies battled on in midfield, with Jasmine Head having replaced Alex, Hayley and Molly continued to run their socks off, challenging every ball trying to feed as much as possible to Grace & Sophie up front. The ‘Girls continued to attack, Charly produced save after save, Jasmine and Nicole defended to the hilt but a lucky third goal caught the Fillies out just as they were trying to get on top.  From this restart the Fillies produced their own attack which led to a spectacular goal by Hayley. In the final few minutes of the game, with the slope proving a distinct advantage over tiring legs, Bearsted Girls scored their last goal.  Ironically, Charly’s best performance so far, leading to the ‘Player of the Match’ award from both the Parents, and the opposing team, was the first game the Fillies had lost.  The final score line of 1-4 won’t portray how the game was played out, but all the girls deserve a big 10 out of 10 for effort. Goals: Hayley Thayre (1). Parents Player of the Match: Charly Barnett. Opposing Team Player of the Match: Charly Barnett.