Women's football weekend showcases some great football



Women's football certainly didn't disappoint over the course of the 3 days it was played across. We had the Merseyside derby and the North London derby whilst we also saw Brighton and Reading face each other in the hopes of picking up some vital points to get them away from that relegation zone. I have to say I don't think a single game disappointed over the course of the weekend and was a great way to show off the women's league whilst the men were on international break. We were lucky enough to be at the Manchester United game where they put 4 past West Ham to go back to the top of the league however, I think our game of the weekend has to be Manchester City vs Chelsea, I don't think many of us expected the game we saw and to see City go second in the table after a rough start is definitely a sign of things really clicking for the side. So here is a look at the games from this weekend...


Everton vs Liverpool 
The Merseyside derby held at Goodison Park kicked women's football weekend off and it certainly didn't disappoint. Granted we didn't get to watch this game due to other commitments however, watching back the highlights this game seemed to be the perfect derby game. Gabby George opened up the scoring with a fantastic strike which looked like it could have been a cross however, it found the back of the net which is all that matters. Stengel then drew Liverpool level with her 7th of the season showing us just what an asset she is for the Liverpool team. Both sides had goals ruled out Liverpool's for a foul on the 'keeper & Everton's for a handball so at the end of the night points were shared between the Merseyside clubs. 

Tottenham vs Arsenal
The North London derby once again confirmed that North London is red, with Arsenal putting 5 past Tottenham this time around. England managed to get a goal back for Spurs from the penalty spot to make the game 2-1 however, Arsenal just kept pressing on and the game ended 5-1. Foord once again managed to bag 2 goals against Spurs, she just seems to love scoring against them and Kim Little converted from the penalty spot. Blackstenius was the one who opener the scoring and Maanum closed the scoring. Arsenal are currently sitting outside the Champions League spots but they are showing those above them that they will be fighting until the final day to get themselves back in Europe next season.

Manchester United vs West Ham
We were lucky enough to be at this game and watching United at Old Trafford just feels fantastic. They definitely performed for the occassion too however, maybe not so much in the first half which felt a bit flat and to be honest a bit boring. They certainly stepped it up in the second half though and put 4 past West Ham to go back to the top of the league table. That is all I will say about this game though as I will have a match report going up about this one very soon. 

Manchester City vs Chelsea
Even though we were at United I think the City vs Chelsea game might have been my favourite this weekend with the two big teams coming up against each other at a key part in the fight for European football this season. City hadn't beat Chelsea since 2017 but that changed at the weekend as two fantastic goals saw them beat the current league holders who just seemed off pace all game. Chelsea were definitely missing Bright during this game and City's fantastic performance saw Chelsea make early changes to try get back into the game but it just never looked like happening for them. The win saw City jump into second place and Chelsea drop to third however, with a game in hand they have the chance to get the top spot back but this season anything can happen and it is nice seeing teams hold their own against them. 

Aston Villa vs Leicester 
Aston Villa really didn't hold back as they faced league strugglers Leicester and ended up putting 5 past the team fighting to avoid relegation. Of course Daly was on the score sheet once again with a double whilst Lehmann also found the back of the net twice. The scoring was opened by Dali in just the 6th minute and Villa showed no signs of easing off during the game. Villa have really surprised me this season as they have put in some fantastic performances whilst really pushing to move up the table. Ward has really invested in a team with a lot of potential and no doubt we will see more strong results from them before the end of the season.

Reading vs Brighton
This was always going to be a big game with the two teams being close to being dragged into a relegation battle if Leicester start picking up points anytime soon, it is certainly close down at the bottom of the table and a win would really have helped either side however, it wasn't meant to be and the points were shared. Brighton took a two goal lead thanks to Sarri's double in the first half however, they couldn't hold on to the lead and a Harries double for Reading in the second half drew the score line level. These teams really need to start picking up points soon though as it will only take a few Leicester wins for them to be seriously fighting for survival. 

 So there you have it that is how women's football weekend finished and with some brilliant score lines and exciting games of football lets hope it has helped increase the women's game audience. The competition is really heating up at both ends of the table so it is going to be interesting to see some of the results next week as we head towards yet another international break. Now is it the first of April yet? I am ready for more WSL action.

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Things are starting to fall into place for the Halifax Friendly FC Belles

 

After a few weeks away from league action the Halifax Friendly FC Belles returned with a bang with a comfortable win against league strugglers Rothwell Juniors Women White, the lack of league action didn't seem to faze the Belles and their fine form in their first game continued with a big of a goal-fest on their behalf. Sunday saw their highest scoring league game this season with them putting 5 past Rothwell with a nice mix of goalscorers getting in on the action. 

The game was a chance for the coaches to experiment a little with their formation opting for a 3-1-3-1 formation, something new but something that the team adapted to with ease and those players in a change of role adapted really well and settled in nicely to their new responsibilities and in some cases had their best game of the season so far, I know I definitely felt like I had my best game in my new role and feel like I could settle into it nicely as I actually preferred it to being on the wing and it showed some strengths in my game that I never knew I had. The new formation gave the defence the help they needed and often lacked in previous games but everyone put a shift in, held their shape and all that hard work in training is really paying off and we are seeing just what we are capable of after a few technical session that have taught us how to move the ball around better and how to hold our shape to make it harder for the opposition to breakthrough on goal. Granted Rothwell had a few chances but nothing too threatening and nowhere near as many as they would have had in previous weeks.

We saw just what we could do in the new formation by the fact we were moving the ball round much better rather than previously as when we were on the ball we knew where the options were for us to pass to and we were using the space on the pitch really well, something we are trying to get used to and have worked on in training a few times, but it all just seemed to come together in Sunday's game as there were less of just hitting the ball and panicking and more sitting with the ball and calmly considering our next move which really helped us break down their midfield and defence and at times really frustrated them. 

Granted we did start the game a little slower than we would all have liked but again we were settling in to the new positions and getting a feel for the smaller pitch again after playing on bigger ones our past few games. Once we did settle down though it all just fell into place and every time we had the ball we looked a threat and took a chance on goal. We are definitely seeing our confidence in front of goal grow too which again was highlighted in Sunday's game, shots were taken from a variety of distances and were taken properly rather than hit and hope like they used to be, this ended with 5 brilliantly struck goals and it could very easily have been a higher scoreline if it wasn't for a few post hits and very close calls which unfortunately fell the wrong side of the goal.

It is safe to say that Sunday's game was one of the best I have seen from us this season so far with everything starting to come together that we have been working on over the past few weeks in training and you can't fault any players performance on the day with everyone having a solid game and showing the improvement they have made since the start of the season, to say this is our first season together with some of the results we have been getting it is going to be interesting to see what the remainder of this season and next season is going to hold for us... as all these things start to fall into place we are just getting stronger and stronger so we could see games getting better and better week in week out.

With the end of the season fast approaching it really is all to play for, the Belles are currently sat in 4th in the league just 4 points off 3rd place with 3 games in hand on them. With how games have gone recently though a strong run of results and we could very easily finish in 3rd place, if not higher which would be a huge achievement for our first season. I guess only time will tell for that though and all I can say is I am excited to see what the remainder of the season holds. 

Now is it game day again yet?

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