SWFL 1st Division.
Falkirk Ladies V Paisley City Ladies.
Sunday 30th March 2008 @ 14:00pm.
“Like Night and Day for the Bairns”
The Falkirk Ladies travelled to Alloa today for their home match V Paisley Ladies as the pitch at Dunipace was deemed unplayable due some rain fall the previous 24 hours. The ladies were looking to bounce back to winning ways after the shame of last weeks performance in Dundee. Coaches Wilson and Thomson promised changes in the line-up and to their word, there were a few.
A more solid 4-4-2 formation was the order of the day and the players were reminded that nothing less than a full-hearted performance would be accepted, considering the subs bench had a mixture of experienced and regular starters amongst the 7 players at the side-lines. On a decent synthetic surface the match kicked-off.....
Falkirk were kicking into a strong wind in the first half and the players were keen to get the ball down on the deck and to start playing the passes about. The first real chance of any note came on 4min as a free-kick on the Falkirk left was played into the box from Emma 'Kirky' Lyons which saw the ball crash off the bar and away to safety. The visitors from Paisley were next to threaten the Falkirk goal on 15min but the striker shot weakly wide of keeper Melville's post. In a changed attacking formation, Laura Yuill was given a rare start up-front and it was she who tested the Paisley keeper on 19min, but her effort was well saved.
The coaching team had decided to give 'trialist' Julia Rizzo a run out in the right-back slot and she slotted in very well and in 23min an excellent surging run from Julia towards the Paisley goal ended in her unleashing a shot which just sneaked past the left hand post. What a debut that would have been. Falkirk looked a shadow of the side that played the previous week and it was no surprise when they took the lead. Alana Marshall, 28min, turned the full-back inside out and delivered an excellent cross to the back post where Laura Yuill was waiting and she tapped home the opening goal (1-0). This was the response that Coach Wilson had been looking for and that lead was extended 4 minutes later. Raudh Houston, returning from injury, played a delightful ball into the path of the on-running Ashley McDonald, 32min, and there was only going to be one outcome, goal for the Bairns (2-0). The confidence that a goal brings to any player was more apparent 3 minutes later as Laura Yuill found space on the edge of the Paisley penalty box and unleashed an unstoppable shot high into the roof of the net for her 2nd and Falkirk's 3rd after 37min (3-0).
Paisley had no answer to the constant one-way traffic that the Bairns were enjoying. The players were all looking for the ball, taking time to read each situation and looking for the simple pass, something that had been missing in the previous match. A rather bizarre moment on 42 min even brought a smile to Coach Wilson's face as stand-in skipper for the day, Arlene Livingston, launched a free-kick from some 45-yards out towards the Paisley goal and somehow the keeper managed to let the ball go through her hands and into the back of the net for Arlene's first goal of the season (4-0). The delight on Arlene's face was clear for all to see and capped off a great first 45 minutes as the team's stand-in captain.
Half-Time:- Falkirk Ladies (4) V (0) Paisley Ladies.
A delighted Coaching team stressed the point at half-time that where they were happy at the performance and energy levels of the players, the same was expected in the 2nd half and that the opportunity to create and take scoring chances would present themselves to the players.
It was going to be a test for the Falkirk ladies to see if they could start the 2nd half the same way they had ended the 1st and it took 60 seconds to test this theory. Ashley McDonald powered her way down the Paisley left, 46min, and her powerful left foot shot went just over the bar. The Bairns were in total control and it was encouraging to see Jennifer Dick and Katie 'JJ' Sheppard getting down either flank to support the attack too. On 55min the Bairns made it number 5 after another excellent run from Ashley McDonald saw her break through the Paisley defence, draw the keeper and finish with a neat shot (5-0).
A double substitution on 62mins saw Alana Marshall and Katie 'JJ' Sheppard withdrawn and Kerry Graham and Sarah MacLennan introduced to the action. Leading scorer Graham had a point to prove as she was far from happy at being dropped for today's clash, however no player is guaranteed a place if the performance doesn’t warrant it. Alana Marshall had been on the end of some special treatment from the Paisley back-line and she was replaced for her own good.
After making her appearance from the bench, Kerry Graham almost got on the score sheet on 64min but her weak shot was saved by the Paisley keeper. She did make up for it 4 minutes later as a corner from the right was played into the penalty area and Kerry Graham got her head on the ball and steered it home for number 6 (6-0). The back-line had been playing fantastically well for the first 70 minutes of the match, dealing with anything, and it wasn’t much that the visitors could offer. With a clean sheet looking on the cards, a moment of slackness gave Paisley their opening goal. The ball was lost in midfield, 73min, after some slack play and the Paisley striker raced into the penalty area, rounded keeper Melville and finished well (6-1).
The response from the Bairns was instant as on 74min Arlene Livingston went route one over the top of the defence and Kerry Graham raced clear and slotted the ball past the out-rushing keeper to get her 2nd in as many minutes and the Bairns 7th (7-1). Due to her lack of match action Laura Yuill was starting to waver and she was withdrawn on 80min and Natalie Stewart was introduced for the last 10 minutes. The frustration from the visiting players came to a head on 82min when one of the Paisley midfielders decided to lash out at Ashley McDonald with a kick then threw her to the floor. With the red card waiting to be seen the ref decided to issue a yellow, much to the dismay of all watching. For her input towards the ref, Raudh Houston was also shown her 3rd yellow card of the season.
Full-Time:- Falkirk Ladies (7) V (1) Paisley Ladies.
Coach Wilson Commented:- What a difference a week makes. Despite the many changes that were made, the players who started the game looked hungry and up-for the challenge ahead today. I thought that we looked relaxed on the ball, passed better and took a higher percentage of the chances in front of goal when they arrived. Julia Rizzo played very well in her first game for the club, Arlene Livingston provided a solid look in the back line, the combination of Kirky and Raudh in the engine room gave us some energy and drive and the goal threat from Alana Marshall, Ashley McDonald and Laura Yuill were a constant pain for the visitors.
It should make for an interesting and competitive few training sessions this week ahead of the home clash with Hutchie Vale next Sunday. The players have certainly given the coaching team a selection headache and food for thought. It will be interesting to see how players react to the challenge of winning their place in the side.
Next Week:- SWFL 1st Division.
Falkirk Ladies V Hutchie Vale
Sunday 6th April - Kick-off 2pm
