Saturday 08/03/2014

Aylesbury hosted promotion hopefuls Amersham & Chalfont Ladies 1s on Saturday, who before the game were 3^rd place in the league and a point off the top. As expected, A&C started the game with a high intensity and Aylesbury found themselves battling hard defensively. The Aylesbury defence were well organised with centre-backs Emma Cooling and Hannah Pigott working together to rid their team of the early danger. Aylesbury were able to regain their composure as the game progressed and had a few early chances themselves but were unable to take advantage.

Fifteen minutes into the game the deadlock was broken when an A&C attacker was gifted a shooting opportunity in the Aylesbury D, giving her side the lead as she pushed the ball underneath the diving Aylesbury goalkeeper Jade Hedger. It looked as though A&C would go on to score the next goal as their confidence grew, but Aylesbury remained focused and a good link-up of play between midfielders Gemma Hunter-Barnes and Maz Hassall saw another Aylesbury chance fly inches wide of the post! Despite their misfortune, it wasn’t long before Aylesbury’s determination paid off when player of the match Elisa Woodford punished the A&C defence with an equaliser following an accurate pass from Becs O’Neill.

The Aylesbury goal was a wakeup call for A&C who started to dominate the possession as the home team tired with ten minutes of the first half to play. They had several chances to score as the half-time break drew closer, but again the Aylesbury defence denied them the lead. To the disappointment of the Aylesbury players, another A&C attack led to a short-corner being awarded in the favour of the away side. The Aylesbury defence were quick off the line but were unable to intercept the well-rehearsed routine which gave A&C a 2-1 lead going into halftime.

Following the halftime break, A&C dominated possession and Aylesbury found themselves on their back foot, defending the numerous attempts on goal from their charged-up opposition. A fast paced A&C attack down the right wing was brought to a halt by defender Hannah Isherwood, but unfortunately the ball was cleared only as far as an A&C attacker, who played in her team mate to extend their lead to 3 with an easy slot in. Minutes later, Aylesbury felt the blow of the A&C attack again as they won and converted another tidy short corner routine making the score 4-1. To make matters worse for the home side, Aylesbury midfielder Voirrey Holmes was given a yellow card and ten minutes in the sin bin following a hard tackle, leaving the struggling Aylesbury side with only ten players.

Completely against the run of play given the circumstances, Aylesbury found themselves dominating possession with fifteen minutes to play and grabbed a goal back when Chloe Banks played in Woodford, who finished confidently for her second. A&C still had the two goal advantage – and the extra player – but the home side didn’t give up and were determined to get something from the game as A&C’s nerves began to show. The away side set off again on an attack down the right wing, but this time Aylesbury read the move and defender Jess Boult stepped up to make a tackle, passing the ball to captain Natasha James who lingered on the halfway line. James drove at full pace past a defender to the oppositions D where she was met by the goalkeeper – fortunately she kept her cool and slotted the ball into the bottom corner to make the score 4-3.

With minutes left to play and Aylesbury back to eleven players, every A&C player had dropped back to defend. Aylesbury came close to equalising on a couple of occasions but failed to convert their back to back short corners. Key junior player Alice Rolfe also came close on one occasion but the A&C goalkeeper did her job and protected her side’s lead as the full time whistle blew, to the disappoint of the fighting home side. A&C took the points and Aylesbury remain at 6^th in the league, travelling to Oxford next Saturday to play the University’s 2^nd team.

Team: Banks, Boult, Cooling, Hassall, Hedger, Holmes, Hunter-Barnes, Isherwood, James, O’Neill, Pigott, Rolfe and Woodford.

Saturday 01/03/2014  Aylesbury ladies travelled to Bracknell Hockey Club for a late-afternoon pushback against their ladies first team, who before the match were a place above them in the league. Bracknell started the game with a high intensity and moved the ball around the pitch sharply to maintain the possession. However, Aylesbury ladies worked hard and defender Ria Leadbetter was able to relieve the pressure from their half after dispossessing a Bracknell attacker. A great display of work from midfielders Maz Hassall and Gemma Hunter-Barnes subsequently set Aylesbury off on an attack down the left wing and Chloe Taylor found Chloe Banks, who passed two players and missed the target by inches! Bracknell were quick to respond to the Aylesbury attack, and a loose ball in the Aylesbury D found its way to a Bracknell attacker, who placed her shot past the outstretched Aylesbury goalkeeper to make the score 1-0 against the run of play. Following the goal, Bracknell’s confidence continued to grow and Aylesbury found themselves on their back foot, defending another strong attack that led to a powerful shot which required quick reactions from goalkeeper Jade Hedger to pull off a sharp save. It wasn’t long before Bracknell were back on the attack, winning a short corner that was bravely intercepted by Jess Boult and cleared away by Hannah Pigott, giving Aylesbury the chance to re-set and regain their composure. With minutes to play until half-time, Aylesbury struggled to clear the ball from their half as the Bracknell ladies pushed up high to put pressure on the defence. Aylesbury’s possession was overturned and Bracknell won another short corner which they made no mistake in converting this time to double their goal tally. After a positive half-time team talk, the ladies started the second half strongly, aiming to score an early goal. But their efforts and work rate were equally matched by the Bracknell ladies who forced an error in the Aylesbury D to win a short corner, that was skilfully converted to give them a 3-0 advantage. Despite the scoreline, Aylesbury continued to battle hard and a good link-up of play between player of the match Becs O’Neill and Hannah Isherwood led to a chance which Aylesbury were unable to convert. However their persistence paid off when captain Natasha James took the ball off of a Bracknell defender and played in striker Alice Rolfe who slipped the ball into the bottom corner to make the score 3-1. There wasn’t time for Aylesbury to get back into the game and Bracknell took the points, ending Aylesbury’s unbeaten run of four league games. They play Amersham and Chalfont at home next week where they’ll be hoping to get back into their winning ways. Team: Banks, Boult, Hassall, Hedger, Hunter-Barnes, Isherwood, James, Leadbetter, O’Neill, Pigott, Rolfe and Taylor.

Saturday 15/02/2014

Despite the heavy rain and floods throughout the week, Aylesbury’s opposition – Henley Ladies 2s – arrived safely at the Aylesbury Vale Academy for the mid-afternoon push back. Aylesbury started the game well and bagged an early goal courtesy of Chloe Banks, putting early pressure on the away side who couldn’t handle the pace of the home team. It didn’t take long for Aylesbury to double their lead when captain Natasha James fired her shot past the Henley goalkeeper minutes later, following a clever pass from midfielder Gemma Hunter-Barnes.

The Aylesbury defence were called into action a few times in the first half but remained strong with Jess Boult and Ria Leadbetter working well together to rid the danger. A build-up of play from the back led to an Aylesbury counter-attack which saw débutante and joint Man of the Match Alice Rolfe slot the ball past the goalkeeper for her first goal for the side and Aylesbury’s 3^rd just before the half time whistle blew.

Aylesbury started the 2^nd half with as much determination and intensity as the 1^st, fully aware that a 3-0 lead is never as comfortable as it could be. Their persistence paid off as Becs O’Neill used her silky skills to take on two Henley defenders, playing the ball into Elisa Woodford who smashed her shot into the bottom corner to extend Aylesbury’s lead to 4 goals. All the while Aylesbury goalkeeper Jade Hedger and Centre Back Emma Cooling sat back and enjoyed the show.

Aylesbury didn’t stop at 4 as Hunter-Barnes played another great ball into James, who took the ball round the goalkeeper and scored, shortly after hitting the post – making the score 5-0 with ten minutes to play. Minutes later Woodford also grabbed a 2^nd as the game became a goal fest with defender and joint Man of the Match Hannah Pigott even sprinting the length of the pitch for a taste of the action.

Henley didn’t lose their spirit and attacked the left wing, but forward Liz Brooks tracked back and made a well-timed challenge, destroying the opposition’s hopes for a consolation goal. With Henley on their back foot Aylesbury were able to break and Chloe Taylor helped increase the scoreline to 7-0 as she play a perfect ball into James, who made no mistake in finishing for her hat-trick!

It was a fantastic result for Aylesbury and a well-deserved 3 points in the league, closing the gap on Bracknell Ladies 1s who they play on the 1^st of March.

Team: Banks, Boult, Brooks, Cooling, Hedger, Hunter-Barnes, James, Leadbetter, O’Neill, Pigott, Rolfe, Taylor and Woodford.

Saturday 08/02/2014

   Following on from their victory last week and determined to continue their unbeaten streak, Aylesbury travelled to Maidenhead in the next chapter of their league campaign. With Aylesbury at 6^th place in the league and Maidenhead 3s at the bottom, it was a game that Aylesbury expected to take the 3 points from.

   However, when the game commenced it was clear that the teams were more equally matched than expected, with Maidenhead desperate for points in order to avoid relegation as the end of the season closes in.

   Possession was evenly split with each side communicating well and moving the ball nicely around the pitch. Aylesbury were able to break, and a skilful run into the Maidenhead D by Voirrey Holmes led to a bad tackle which saw the umpire award Aylesbury the first short corner of the game. The routine paid off with Becs O’Neill placing her shot past the goalkeeper to give Aylesbury the 1-0 lead, following a perfect stick-stop from Elisa Woodford.

   Maidenhead were keen to equalise from the restart, but the well organised Aylesbury defence -consisting of Emma Cooling, Hannah Pigott, Jess Boult and Ria Leadbetter- stopped the attack and relieved Aylesbury of the pressure. Maidenhead continued to attack and caught Aylesbury off guard minutes later when they found the net to bring the scores level just before half time.

   As the second half got under way, Aylesbury looked the more likely to score and eventually found an opportunity to counter-attack. Captain Natasha James used her pace to drive down the right wing and feed in Gemma Hunter-Barnes – she squared the ball to Lucy Potts who made no mistake in putting her team back in front.

   With fifteen minutes to play, Maidenhead showed their determination to get back in the game and began to gain possession, forcing Chloe Banks and Maz Hassall to battle hard and make some well-timed interceptions in the midfield to bring the attack to a halt. To the disappointment of the away team, Maidenhead continued to pressurise the Aylesbury defence which eventually paid off when they equalised to make the score 2-2, after goalkeeper Jade Hedger made a classic save which unfortunately fell into the path of a lurking Maidenhead attacker.

   Both teams had to settle for the point as the full time whistle blew minutes later. It wasn’t Aylesbury’s best performance but another point means that they remain 6^th place in the league. They host Henley Ladies 2s on Saturday where they’ll be hoping to extend their unbeaten run to four games!

Team: Banks, Boult, Cooling, Hassall, Hedger, Holmes, Hunter-Barnes, James, Leadbetter, O’Neill, Pigott, Potts and Woodford.

Saturday 01/02/2014

Aylesbury faced tough opponents South Bucks Ladies 1s on Saturday, who before the match were sitting four places above Aylesbury in the League. The game started well for the home side who had a few early chances denied by the South Bucks goalkeeper. Bucks also had their fair share of chances as the game progressed, but solid defensive work by Emma Cooling and Ria Leadbetter at the back kept them at bay. Eventually the deadlock was broken when Bucks made the score 1-0 midway through the first half, despite the best efforts of the Aylesbury goalkeeper Jade Hedger.

Despite conceding a goal, Aylesbury kept their composure and were awarded a Short Corner following a clever display of hockey by midfielders Gemma Hunter and Liz Sheppard (AKA ‘The Fish’ to be). A tidy routine by the home side saw Voirrey Holmes deflect the lose ball into the net for her first goal for the team, making the score 1-1 just before half time.

From the restart, Aylesbury looked to score an early goal to take the advantage, and a shot on target by striker Lucy Potts was saved off of the line by a well positioned Bucks defender. Aylesbury continued to apply the pressure and came close again when Jess Boult played in Natasha James who dribbled into the D but fired her shot inches wide.

It was looking as though both teams were going to have to settle for the point when Aylesbury were awarded a Short Corner with three minutes left to play. A fast and accurate push out by Becs O’Neill gave Chloe Banks the time she needed to power up her strike past the goalkeeper and into the bottom corner to make the score 2-1, to the delight of the players and the frozen home fans.

After a few scares with seconds left to play, the full time whistle blew to the relief of the players who deservingly took the three points. Player of the Match was awarded to Hannah Pigott and Maz Hassall who battled hard to help their side to the 2-1 victory.

This was Aylesbury’s second win on the trot after they defeated rivals Wycombe Ladies 2s the previous week with a goal from Kim Yeo. They face Maidenhead Ladies 3s next weekend and will be looking to continue their winning streak!

Team: Banks, Boult, Cooling, Hassall, Hedger, Holmes, Hunter-Barnes, James, Leadbetter, O’Neill, Pigott, Potts and Sheppard.