Match Report: U18 29/03/25

Leafield ATHELTICS U18s 0-1 | 0-2 LEAMINGTON Lions U18s

First game: Leafield 0-1 Lions

Second game: Leafield 0-2 Lions

Two games, two wins and 6 points to take away! A scrappy 1-0 win in the first game and a 2-0 more controlled win in the second.

First game was a tough one, and didn’t feel like Lions got going until midway through, felt like things were being rushed rather than playing our normal game of being composed and calm. Lions had a number of chances but couldn’t break down the Leafield defence. Then Lion’s newest signing Izzy broke the deadlock and got us 1-0 up in the first game with 7 minutes to go. It was a tough first game going up hill but thought we grinded it out really well.

Second game was a much more controlled game for the Lions. Lions started off really well and got their passing game going. Again, Izzy got her second goal of the day early in the second game to give Lions the lead again and full control again. Lions pushed and pushed for a second goal and our captain Holy came up with a captains goal and gave us a second with some breathing space. After that Lions had more chances but couldn’t get the third. Second game was much more controlled, lots more 1-2’s and getting the ball out wide. Our high press was better in the second game. A well fought second game which was much more commanding. Conditions were not ideal, pitch wasn’t great but the girls were fantastic at dealing with it. A big well done to our goalkeeper and back 4, rock solid at the back, and help grind it out for us. Not only was it important for us to score goals and be an attacking team, but also to make sure that we are hard to break down and keep as many clean sheets as possible- 3 clean sheets in 4 games is a massive achievement, one that the whole team should be really proud of. The girls again turned up today with an unbelievable attitude so a big well done to them. I must also say well done to the subs today, everyone who came off made a conscious effort to cheer the girls on today to get them over the line.

A couple of special mentions- firstly a big well done to our new signing Izzy. She slotted in straight away and bagged 2 goals on her debut, so a massive well done 👏🏻 Secondly, I would like to give a mention to Ellie- Ellie started out wide and then was moved to centre mid which is not her natural position, but thought she was fantastic and did a job today, so massive well done 👏🏻

Not only did we get the points to which we targeted today, we grounded out the first game and played really well in the second, we are playing well, and getting results no matter who’s on the pitch which is important. We had key players missing today, and we had key players missing last week, so the most pleasing thing is we are getting results despite missing players each week which is a massive credit to the whole squad. Finally after 5 attempts, the 18’s great Leafield who have historically always been very tough, so huge credit to the 18’s for a fantastic couple of results today.

Thanks so much Chris for linoing, and thanks so much parents for the great support!

So 18’s are now 5 games unbeaten, winning 4 and drawing 1. Overall in our last 7 games we have won 5, drew 1 and lost 1 taking 16 points out of 21 points, scoring 19 goals and only conceding 4 goals. A fantastic effort by the girls 👏🏻

Up next, Bromsgrove at home!