Another goal fest in the WSL

Another weekend of WSL action saw another absolute goal fest with a total of 21 goals scored across the weekend, with 8 of those 21 just coming from the Chelsea game. It really has been a great weekend of WSL action and we were lucky enough to be at the Manchester United game at Old Trafford which was an absolutely fantastic day out with a very impressive score line going in United's favour. Chelsea are sitting at the top of the table with a 3 point advantage but Arsenal and Manchester United still have a game in hand which could see some big games coming up in the new year with the contest for that top spot really able to go all the way. It has definitely been a more competitive season already and as we are heading to the festive break we are seeing teams showing us just how much they have improved since the start of the season (Man City I am looking at you). So here is a look at how the weekends games went...


Manchester United vs Aston Villa
The Man Utd vs Aston Villa kicked off the weekend of WSL action in a great way with United taking all 3 points away from the Theatre of Dreams. A record breaking crowd for the club saw 5 different goal scorers make an impact on the game which I love to see as it shows just how versatile the team is, there is no relying on just one player to make the difference. Galton, Toone and Batlle all had a fantastic game for United linking up well throughout the game but I can't help but feel disappointed in Villa's performance, I really expected more from them but it was like they hadn't turned up on the day and came undone very easily by a strong United team.

Arsenal vs Everton
Arsenal came away from their game against Everton with all 3 points leaving them in third place in the league level on points with Man Utd. Unfortunately I didn't get to see any of this game but it sounds like a good one with Everton once again showing they have improved on last seasons efforts and denied Arsenal from absolutely running away with the game, they just need to start winning a few more games now. It was so nice to see Arsenal's Leah Williamson return to the field after injury to gain her 200th appearance for Arsenal, not bad for a 25 year old.

Leicester vs Chelsea
Leicester hosted league leaders Chelsea at the Kingpower Stadium at the weekend in a game they likely want to forget with Chelsea putting 8 past them with 6 different players contributing to the goals. It is great to see Reiten & Fleming getting on the goal sheet however, I am glad that Beth England managed to grab herself a goal after coming off the bench, I really do wish she could get some more game time as she has so much potential. As for Leicester they have now lost all 8 games this season and you can't help but wonder if they are actually going to pick up any points, things just don't seem to be working for the club right now. 

Reading vs Tottenham
I managed to watch a little bit of this game before I headed to my own match and by the point I tuned in Reading were already 1-0 up however, Tottenham were really pressing them and had lot of times where they could have got a goal and got themselves back into the game but it just didn't go to plan and Reading pulled off a bit of a shock victory, Tottenham have done so well so far this season I don't think anyone expected Reading to beat them  however, the win gets Reading those important points on the table and gets them a bit further away from the danger zone.

Liverpool vs West Ham
Since their opening day victory against Chelsea, Liverpool had only draw a few games and lost the rest so to see them come away 2-0 winners against West Ham was a bit of a shock but again it is nice to see the newly promoted side get a few more points on the board and to be honest they are doing quite well sitting 9th in the table as we approach the festive period, I honestly thought we would see them really struggle on their return. As for Whest Ham I honestly thought they would have taken all 3 points from Liverpool in this game but I guess it just goes to show how unpredictable the league is this season.

Manchester City vs Brighton
Well Manchester City seem to have gotten over their rough start to the season and have now won 5 out of 5 of their last games taking them up to 4th in the league table. City really seem to be coming together as a team now and we are seeing the performances we would expect from them. I will be honest though I am just shocked we didn't see Shaw on the score sheet once again as she has been having a fantastic season so far. It is great to see Blackstad getting game time and a goal though.

It was definitely a great weekend for women's football once again and as we approach the festive break it is only looking like it is going to get better. We are heading to the Manchester Derby on Sunday and I will be honest it is one of the games I am most looking forward to as it will show us if Man City have got what it takes to compete with those top 3 teams at the moment or if more work needs to be done. I can't wait to see how the table looks after next weekends games it could be an interesting one.

Another game in the bag and it was a tough one


Now I am back playing the plan has always been to do some little write ups post match about how I thought the game went and how well I thought my performance was, but since starting I haven't really had a chance to get the posts up and running as I would like until now. It seems like I have picked an interesting game to start on too with us ending up gaining a 2-2 draw from a very tough game.

Going into the game we knew it would be a tough one but with the team that just seems to fire us up even more, yes it might be tough but we know what we are capable of even in our first few games together we were getting results against tough opposition so why should we feel any different in this game? The weather is definitely changing now so we are having to adapt to a much slipperier surface but we are still putting some great balls through to each other and not letting it catch us out with the bounce etc...

On Sunday's game we came out strong, we started well and set the precedence of how we wanted the half to go. We found our rhythm much quicker than in previous games where we have often looked shaky in the first 5 minutes or so letting our opposition settle nicely. This time though we settled nicely and it just set us off on the right foot, a few of the opposition looked shaky and like they knew they were going to have a tough game on their hands, something which I don't think they fully anticipated until we got going. As the first half progressed we did well, it was possibly our best 1st half to date and were getting into some good positions however, we just couldn't find the opening goa, one of those chances was for myself too, I know I should have gone with my right foot but for some reason I just didn't trust it and opted to switch it to my left and by then the chance was gone. To say I was annoyed with myself is an understatement. We were doing well though and the game was flowing well for us. 

In the second half we came out strong once more and were really pushing for the opener however, it was the opposition that ended up taking the lead with a shot taking a lucky bounce off the post and into the back of the net, with how it went off the post there really was no stopping it and we found ourselves behind. Coming back from behind is something have had to do a few times now so we knew not to write ourselves off just yet we kept pushing but again it was the opposition who ended up getting the next goal to double their lead with a tap in inside the box. Now with around 10 minutes of the game left most teams would have their heads held low giving up hope but that is never the case for our team, we all know what we are capable of and we keep going until that final whistle to try get something out of the game and that is just what we did. Victoria made a great break through the opposition defence to get her first goal of the season with a great finish, the whole team put 100% in knowing that they could still take something away from the game. There was a bit of a stoppage in play due to an opposition injury that helped us regroup and get a plan in place to push for the equaliser which happened in the last few minutes of the game. A couple of last minute corners lead to a low hard ball into the box which Cassie eventually put into the back of the net not long before the final whistle blew. It really was a tough game and a hard fought draw but at the end of the day 1 point is better than none and we have once again shown the opposition we haven't to be taken lightly no matter how many goals they might be ahead we can always dig deep find what we need and bring the game back. 

As for my personal game I am so annoyed at myself but at the same time I am trying to take away the things I can work on and I will be having a few training sessions on my own working on these areas. I know I need to use my right foot a lot more as that is where all the chances are landing I guess it is just a lack of confidence why I don't take those chances and would prefer to shift it to my left. I will definitely be working on the strength etc. of my right foot and work on getting those shots away as I know it is something me and Liam will be able to work on in the garden or at a local field which is going to massively improve my game overall. I have also noticed so far this season my fitness is an area that needs a big improvement, granted it is improving as I train more and play more but at the same time there is still a long way for me to go. Again though I am doing everything I can to improve this and have a few solo training drills in mind that might also help.

When you look at the table though after the latest draw we are currently sitting 4th in the table with only 1 loss in the league which is fantastic to say we have only actually played 7 league games together and have players out injured or who can't make all the games due to other commitments. With the season running until April I know that I definitely can't wait to see how it progresses as we get more gametime together and gel together even more than we currently have. We are going into the festive period strong and I am definitely excited to see what the rest of the season holds for us. The best part though is this is an absolutely fantastic team to be a part of they are all brilliant and I would go as far as saying it is the best team I have been on, there is also so much determination from every player they help pick each other up, lift each others spirits and they are just a great group to be around. 

It is another tough game on the 18th December when we face the team currently sat 2nd in the table but we have shown what we are capable and I am sure we are all thinking that we can take points away from the game and finish 2022 in the best position ready for the return after the festive period. 

Let's go Belles...