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CHELMSFORD BATTLE OUT IMPORTANT WINChelmsford showed a new found determination this weekend when they travelled to face Kent rivals, Tunbridge Wells, battling hard for the full 70 minutes to secure a second successive win, which moved them up to mid-table in the league standings and kept them in touch with some of the leading teams. Following a much-improved performance last week against Bury St Edmunds, the greens were looking to keep on the right track going into the Christmas break. Welcoming back Captain Lisa Crane following injury, they made a positive start to the game, creating chances from the offset in what turned out to be a high-paced game. With the majority of play taking place in the Tunbridge Wells defensive 25, Vanessa Smith was little more than a spectator in the Chelmsford goal. It was in fact a rare attack by full back, Anna Smith, which created one of the best chances to open the scoring. Smith’s explosive run found Karen Cooper in the Tunbridge D, who steered the ball towards goal with a reverse stick volley. The shot was helped on by a second volley from Ally Farrar who was only denied by an impressive diving save from the keeper. But Farrar didn’t have to wait long before making her mark on the score sheet, when she was played in on a short corner routine which saw her drift right and find the bottom left corner with a strong shot. While Chelmsford continued to enjoy much of the possession, the home side still looked like a threat in attack, with the green’s defence putting in some strong tackles to thwart Wells’ attempts. Despite leading at the half time break, a cautious team talk from Kathryn Macdonald called for some much needed mental strength from the team during the second half, an area of weakness in previous weeks. It was perhaps Tunbridge Wells who came out stronger for the second period, with a number of quick moving attacks testing the Chelmsford defence. But Chelmsford’s lives were to be made even more difficult when a string of green cards closely followed the re-start and a barrage of short corners ensued. If the visitors had felt hard done by at this stage, it was only to get worse when Anna Smith received a yellow card for what appeared to be a carefully timed tackle. Down to 10 men for the final period of the game, the greens dug deep, with Sarah Williams, Sophie Stock and player of the match Claudia Sidoli all displaying some solid defending and Vanessa Smith pulling out some fine saves in goal. Despite the continued pressure from Wells, who were looking for an equaliser, Chelmsford also continued to create opportunities and on a number of occasions could have doubled their lead. They instead managed to hold on to a well-deserved 1-0 victory, which takes them into next week’s fixture against Sudbury with confidence. Report by Lisa Crane. Squad: V Smith, Anna Smith, C Sidoli, S Stock, S Williams, K Macdonald, L Crane, L Smith, J Duffin, K Cooper, H Maxey, A Farrar |
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