2nd team

Match Reports

End of Season Report

Ok girls, it’s that time again!! Our stats are as follows:

Won     9
Drawn  6
Lost     3

Scored             44
Conceded        22

As it stands, we have conceded 22 goals; the only team to beat this is Howards (second place) who have conceded 14 goals with 3 games left to play. This is great to take away from the season to know we scored twice as many as we let in, a bit different to last season!! And finishing third in the league, we had 33 points, 9 points ahead of the team in fourth place.

After player of the match every week, the player overall with the most is Kat Lenan with 3, closely followed by Gez Charles, Cat Thomas & Sarah Hughes on 2. However saying this, majority of the team gained a player of the match at some point through the season which is fantastic.

Top goal scorer for the 2s is Jane Rowley with 6 goals, closely followed by Cat Thomas (from centre defence!) on 5 goals, with a few other players (Lou, Carin) grabbing 4 each. A big mention as well to Rhian Davies who got on the score sheet in the final match, and Emma Clayton FINALLY getting her debut 2s goal in the final match.

Everyone has really pulled together this season and to finish in a clear third place is great. A Big thank you from me to George who has helped both me and Suzie throughout the season, even though she was injured, to sort the team out. Also huge thanks to Cat for helping me in the second half of the season week in week out! And I know I’ll be backed up by thanking Suze for doing such a great job in the first half of the season! Thanks to those who have played every week and those who have stepped up last minute to help us, thoroughly successful season for the 2s... Here’s to the next one!!

Gez x
(2s Captain)

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Whitchurch Saints 2nd XI v Whitchurch - Saturday 17th April 2010

Man of the Match: Rhian Davies & Alys Smith

As the last match of the 2’s season finally arrived, the sun was shining and we were all up for a good match and hopefully, a good win! Knowing our third place in the league was secure regardless of the outcome, gave saints the laid back feeling, and although there were some cracking balls from defence up the pitch, we just couldn’t seem to get on the end of them. Whitchurch were keen to press Saints but we kept our composure until half time where the result remained at 0-0.

A motivating half time talk to enjoy the game seemed to work, and Saints came out fighting. It didn’t take long for some great skill from Alys Smith running through defenders to pass the ball to Lou who calmly slotted it home. Finally with the lead, Saints seemed to relax and some great work and a great strike from Emma Clayton made the score to 2-0 (The first goal for Emma in the 2s this season, told you it was coming Clayton!!!). After this, it seemed to be smooth sailing for Saints, with Lou returning to the score sheet and Sarah Hughes being added to it. At 4-0, Miriam decided to give Whitchurch a chance, coolly passing them the ball at the top of our D catching Gez (who has not touched the ball) off guard, making two saves before they managed to slot the ball past a laughing Cat Thomas and Ruth Hodge. To make up for the goal conceded, Rhian Davies advanced up field making a strike from the edge of the D which bobbled past the Whitchurch keeper (whose view was blocked by a defender!) to finish the game at a 5-1 win for Saints.

Player of the Match between Rhian Davies for solid defending, and Alys Smith for some great skill and advances up the pitch. Great way to end the season!!

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Whitchurch Saints 2nd XI v Cardiff Uni - Saturday 6th March 2010

Man of the Match: Cat Thomas/Louise Jones/Alys Smith

Playing against the top of the league, Saints started well. The daunting feeling of playing the higher team didn't seem to unsettle the 2s, with some great tackles and linking play. About 10 minutes in, Saints hard work paid off with Louise Jones slotting a goal in past the Cardiff Uni keeper. Some great advances up the pitch by Alys Smith, and solid defending by the back four gave Gez only a few saves to make in goal before the half time break.

The second half started with a what seemed to be panic feeling for Saints. Some miss-passes and lack of communication gave Cardiff the chance to capitalise, scoring a text book short corner past the Saints defence. However, eager to keep the result as it was, Saints kept up the intelligent hockey and maintained the higher level of hockey, pushing right to the end to leave the result at 1-1. A great result for the girls with only a few games remaining of the season.

Man of the match split between Cat, Lou & Alys for their great linking work between defence and up front.

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Whitchurch Saints 2nd XI v Rhondda - Saturday 27th February 2010

Man of the Match: Alys Smith

After a postponed match last weekend, Saints were eager to get another win under their belt against Rhondda, closely matched on the current league standings.

From the off, both teams were pushing for an early goal. Some great passing between Saints 2s gave some advances up the pitch. Eager to push forward, we made some nice passing round the back, yet just couldn’t penetrate and exploit the gaps Rhondda were leaving. Pushing hard, Saints were making some great tackles, only to lose the ball a few seconds later. A few minutes passed, and Saints realised they needed to up their game. Leading the way, Alys Smith made some fantastic advances of individual skill, challenged by opposition twice her size, linking well with Hayley Hillman to create some great chances.

Through some nice periods of linking play, and some great runs up the pitch by Emma Clayton, the goal was so close for the girls. Finally coming through, Saints slotted a goal past the Rhondda keeper.

An injury to Rhian Davies in defence saw Fi Tibbitt make her debut as a left back.

Saints kept on top of the game until 5 minutes before half time when they gave the fast Rhondda forwards a glimpse at goal.  Saints conceded a goal a minute before half time.

A regroup from Saints was required at half time.

Although Saints played well in the 1st half the 2nd half was a different story – they came out with intent and this then transferred into goals, Saints were always in charge.

Jude passed the ball through the middle to Alys who calmly took the ball and slotted it past the keeper.  This is only the 3rd senior game for 14yr old Alys and she has already been voted mom twice.

The defence of Cat, Ruth, Lynn and Fi kept Rhondda at bay throughout the half. 

An injury to Jude (a ball in the face – you could tell it was a ball as she had the dimple marks on her cheek!) saw Jo Westwood make her debut in midfield for the 2nds.

Saints continued to play excellent hockey and after gaining a long corner, Becky Woods made a great run across the back line through the Rhondda defence, coolly passing the ball to Jo Westwood, eager to hammer it home into the net.

Goal scorers – Hayley, Carin, Westwood, Alys Smith (U15’s)

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Whitchurch Saints 2nd XI v Llan & Llan- Saturday 13th February 2010

Man of the Match: Kat Lenan

To follow on from last weeks win, Saints 2’s were eager to gain another 3 points against Llan & Llan. Starting the match confidently with some linking passing, it wasn’t long before we managed to score a tip in goal from Cat Thomas from a short corner (deja vu of last week!). Managing to grasp the lead, Saints settled into a rhythm of great passes and cracking balls through the middle. Some solid defending by the back four, as well as some fantastic tackles by Kat Lenan, gave Gez nothing to do in goal. It wasn’t long till half time, but Zoe Grant seemed eager to get on the score sheet. When the opposition defence made the schoolgirl error of giving her acres of space, they were punished as she coolly under-cut the ball into the back of the net, causing a Llan & Llan player to dive out of the way-a classy finish!

Half time came and went, and Saints came out wanting to get some more goals. With a few of the girls on the side (Baxter, Goldie, Fi & Jen) and Vicki Sutton coaching, Saints were enjoying the game with some fancy footwork and stick skills; unlucky not to get a goal sooner. The Price twins & Shannon Dimmick worked well together on the wings and Saints kept pushing until the goal finally came for Miz Turner, who was waiting to convert on the post (though there didn’t seem to be much celebration on the sideline, think they were too busy practicing their Panto lines!!). A carbon copy of the previous goal soon followed when Miz calmly added her second to the score sheet, leaving the final result a 4-0 win for Saints.

Man of the match awarded to Kat Lenan for her persistence in defence, as well as advances up field into the oppositions D. Good work girls, here’s to next week !

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Whitchurch Saints 2nd XI v Barry - Saturday 6th February 2010

Right from the whistle Saints showed skill and finesse with short passes and great linking in midfield that gave us the opportunity to score, with Sarah Hughes slotting in the first goal. Keeping up the pace and pressure on Barry a second goal soon followed coming from a fantastic pass down field from Cat Thomas on a hit out, followed by a brilliant cross and JR finishing it off to take the score to 2-0. More dominating play from the Saints led Sarah Hughes scoring another goal to lead 3-0 at the break.

The second half began, and Barry battled back putting Saints under some pressure, but thanks to some great saves made by the keeper Gez, and solid defending from the Back Four, the Saints kept a clean sheet. Turning defence swiftly into attack Cat Thomas put a fourth goal on the score sheet. With pressure back on the Barry defence, we had some near misses at goal but managed to secure ourselves a short corner. The ball was beautifully struck at the top of the D by Hailey Hillman as she scored our 5th Goal of the match.  With the game all but over, Helen Coles grabbed a great goal in the dying seconds to leave the final score 6-0 to Saints.

Everyone played extremely well, with a welcome return for Karlijn Asveld, and Sarah Hughes and Louise Jones comfortable in their new positions, and our man of the match went to Sarah Hughes.

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Whitchurch Saints 2nd XI v Newport 1's - Saturday 30th Jaunuary 2010

Saints arrived at the match with high spirits, eager to forget the loss of last week. However early in the match, Newport proved hard competition with an early goal unsettling the Saints.

Saints kept battling and the score remained 1-0 at half time, thanks to some solid defending. Soon after the half began, Saints equalised with a great tip in goal from JR. With the high spirits returning, Saints had a lapse of concentration, aiding Newport to capitalise with what they hoped to be the winning goal.

An injury to Saints keeper Gez Charles (who got hit by a Newport forward apparently thinking her foot was the ball) gave Saints a few minutes to gather their thoughts with coach Vicki Sutton on the sideline. Gez back up and moving, Saints continued to push for the equaliser and a few minutes from the end, some great work in the D by Jo Westwood gave us a short corner, cooly converted into the net by Cat Thomas, waiting eagerly for Hailey Hillman’s strike to reach her.

A minute or so left on the clock and Sarah Hughes made another one of her runs up the wing, ending with a 1 on 1 with the Newport keeper, unforunately being saved, and leaving the score at 2-2.

A lot can be taken from the match, but Saints know we have to work harder to clench a win we are so desperate for next week. Man of the match goes to Sarah Hughes who showed some great skill of play down the wings giving Saints alot of the scoring oppertunities.

Special thank you to Vicki Sutton for coming to coach, Jo Westwood, Kat Lenan & Suzie Fitzgerald for stepping up to play at 12pm on the day due to injuries.

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Whitchurch Saints 2nd XI v Whitchurch Ladies - Saturday 7th November 2009

Saints 2s continued a good run of form with a dominating display against Whitchurch Ladies, coming out 6-2 winners.

Saints put the visitors under immediate pressure with good work by forward Jane Rowley down the line who passed to a waiting Becky Woods to make it 1-0. Whitchurch came back almost immediately with a quick counterattack. Saints were awarded a number of penalty corners in quick succession, with one coolly converted by midfielder Catrin Thomas. However, Saints had to protect their 2-1 lead with 10 players going into half time following her suspension for playing a high ball.

Saints started brightly after the break with another goal from forward Woods. This was quickly followed by a good individual goal from midfielder Carin Skirrow, who coolly slotted a carbon copy goal five minutes later. Saint's defence were called on to deal with some pressure from the Whitchurch attack, and they were awarded for their efforts with a goal to make the score 5-2.

Man of the match Becky Woods finished off the game with her third goal to the delight of the supporters. Saints are now 4th in premier 2 with a game this weekend against newly promoted Rhondda.

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Whitchurch Saints 2nd XI v Llan & Llan- Saturday 24th October 2009

Saints set the pace of the game with some good teamwork utilising short effective passes and some runs from the forwards.
Saints put themselves into the lead in the first half by capitalising on a short corner with a great strike from Hayley Hillman deflected in by Helen Cole.

Llan & Llan counter attacked well and made some good play through the middle of the pitch, causing the defence and midfield to work hard until half time.

Shortly into the second half Jane Rowley knocked in a strike from Hayley Hillman to put Saints comfortably into the lead. With great support from our coach Pete the Saints pushed their game and attacked for the majority of the second half.

The game ended with a succession of short corners for Saints, who unfortunately weren’t able to add any more goals to the score sheet. A great game for all, man of the match going to Gez Charles.

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Whitchurch Saints 2nd XI v Barry - Saturday 17th October 2009

This was quite a frustrating game. We had a number of regular players missing and a couple who were doing the Cardiff Half-Marathon on Sunday, or who were ill, who did not want to play a whole game, which meant there was a lot of chopping and changing positions during the match.

Barry’s pitch is fast and very sandy and they play an uncomplicated sort of game – solid tackles and hit hard to their best player further up the pitch.

The game was very scrappy to begin with and it was only due to some stubborn defending by Gez and the back four that we managed to not concede any goals. However, our play did improve during the first half and we won a couple of penalty corners, which came to nothing, so the first half ended 0-0.

In the second half, we had more possession and territory, with some nice interplay between Becky Lemos and Becca Lee on the right-hand side of the pitch. We had a number of shots on goal that were saved or deflected, so it was all the more frustrating that, after periods of pressure in their half of the pitch, Barry scored two goals, both on the break. We kept trying to score, right up until full time, but didn’t manage to convert the chances we had.

A disappointing result overall, but with genuine signs of improvement, and well done to the whole squad for not giving up after the goals were scored and trying to play in a positive manner.

Thanks again to Kingy for all the shouting and encouragement.

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Whitchurch Saints 2nd XI v Newport I - Saturday 10th October 2009

Coming from a strong win against Swansea last week Saints 2’s mainly unchanged side were hoping for a repeat performance against Newport ladies.

A slightly sluggish start lead to some fairly heavy pressure in Saints’ 25 for the first 10mins after push back. However, Saints eventually got into their stride and turned the flow of play. This lead to five short corners in quick succession, which were unfortunately not capitalised upon. A brilliant deflected finish by Nikki Oliver on the far post was regrettably disallowed due to “dangerous play”.
Newport reacted to this pressure with two quick break-away goals which were not able to be cleared by the defence.
Just before the half time break a lovely Nikki Oliver tackle lead to a drive and cracking finish by Carin Skirrow to make it 1-2 going into half time.

After a rousing team talk from our stand-in coach Andy ‘Kingy’ King Saints re-started strongly. A couple of short, well strung together passes lead to a stunning break away goal by Emily Ashworth driving down the right wing making it 2-2.
Newport again reacted strongly with their own break making it 2-3. An unlucky finish went wide for Judith Livesey to put the pressure back on Newport and in the last 10mins a carbon copy goal from Emily Ashworth sealed the game at 3-3.
Saints played well and everyone was very grateful to Kingy for the coaching from the side which really helped us keep our formation under pressure.
Player of the match was deservedly Emily Ashworth who had good composure in the circle to slot away two cracking goals. Saints are looking forward to improving on this performance for next week against Barry Ladies.

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Whitchurch Saints 2nd XI v Swansea 2nd XI- Saturday 3rd October 2009

Saints 2’s entertained Swansea in their opening match in Prem 2 this Saturday and came off winners winning 1 – 0 against a determined Swansea side.
The opening exchanges were played at a frantic pace, with Swansea’s attack testing the Saints rear guard.
Saint’s change in formation aided the power through the middle and in the 20th minute Nikki Oliver’s cross from the right was missed by the Swansea’s defense and fell to Becky Lemos, whose right shot was allowed in by Swansea’s Goal keeper.
Swansea returned in the second half with tremendous pressure from their attacks; however Saints II showed great composure. Swansea were denied what looked like certain penalty thanks to Gez’s goal keeping skills and Saints central defense kept Swansea away from the scoring line, with some great clearances made by Cat Thomas who rightly deserved player of the match.

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Whitchurch Saints 2nd XI v Newport - Saturday 26th September 2009

The 2s played a friendly against Newport this Sat and lost 1 -2.
We were up against it from the off as we only had 11 players - but we had a cracking start and this really set our pace. Everyone put in a huge effort and a lot of energy. The first 10 minutes or so saw Saints with most of the play and Carin Skirrow creating some nice play through the middle. Newport made some strong attacks which we defended well, with Ruth Hodge especially having a cracking game in defence. Unfortunately they slipped a goal in just before half time.
The second half started with Newport finding renewed vigour and Saints having to work hard to turn the ball over and make some attacks of our own, which we did. Against the run of play Newport scored about 25 minutes into the second half. All up front made some good attacks, with Miz and Josie running hard and Becky Woods getting a well deserved goal with a minute to go.
The final score was Newport 2 Saints 1 with Becky Woods getting our player of the match.

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