On Saturday, Bootham Ladies welcomed old rivals Manchester Women Futsal to St John’s for Round 3 of their National Tier 2 North series. Following two defeats on the bounce, the ladies were determined to get their season up and running and were also looking to secure their first-ever home victory against Manchester.

Bootham were still without several squad members, but there was positive news with Erin Derry making her first appearance for the club and going straight into the starting line-up. Eva Browning also returned to the squad after missing the trip to Derby.

Bootham were represented by:

Jess Baker (Captain), Heather Smith, Erin Elliott, Elisabeth Craven, Eva Browning, Daisy Smith, Eleanor Comrie, Scarlett Davies (GK), Erin Derry and Steph Hughes (GK).

First Half:

Searching for their first win of the season, Bootham started on the front foot, with chances coming early for H Smith, who struck the foot of the post, and Elliott, whose effort was well saved by the Manchester goalkeeper down low. Davies was also kept busy at the other end, dealing with Manchester’s dangerous counter-attacks.

Bootham eventually broke the deadlock when Baker’s shot was deflected into the path of H Smith, who made no mistake from close range. However, Manchester responded almost immediately to draw level. D Smith then scored the goal of the game, turning brilliantly on the edge of the D before smashing the ball high into the roof of the net to restore Bootham’s lead. Manchester once again found an equaliser and, just on the stroke of half-time, edged in front to take a 3-2 lead into the break.

Half time: Bootham 2 – 3 Manchester

Second Half:

The second half began at a fast pace, with both teams looking to get on the front foot. Bootham came close when D Smith once again turned the last defender, but this time her effort flew narrowly wide. Bootham then went agonisingly close to equalising when H Smith broke clear, drew the goalkeeper and squared the ball for Elliott. Unfortunately, the pass was just behind Elliott, who had only the keeper to beat. H Smith went close again moments later, firing just wide from close range.

Just when Bootham were beginning to think it wasn’t going to be their day, a superb team move involving the whole side saw H Smith find Comrie, who finished smartly from in front of goal to bring Bootham back into the game. Elliott looked certain to put Bootham ahead, but was denied by an excellent save from the Manchester goalkeeper. Hughes, in the Bootham goal, also produced some important saves to keep the scores level before Manchester struck twice in quick succession to regain control.

Manchester added two more goals late on, but Bootham continued to battle until the final whistle. A flowing, one-touch move involving the whole team created one final opportunity, with Browning firing narrowly wide. Despite the scoreline, Bootham showed plenty of attacking quality, teamwork and determination, and can take real encouragement from a performance that deserved far more than the final result suggests.

Full time: Bootham 3 – 7 Manchester

Link to the latest NFS Tier 2 league table

Coaches Comments

A frustrated Coach Chris said after the game:

“Once again, Manchester have had the edge over us, but I am far from happy with our performance today.

The first half was everything we have been looking for. We were aggressive, pressed them high up the court and forced turnovers in dangerous areas, but we couldn’t find the finish when we needed it. This is exactly what we have been working on in training, so it was pleasing to see those elements coming together. When we did score, we allowed Manchester straight back into the game.

Unfortunately, the second half wasn’t quite so good. We backed off, stopped pressing and allowed Manchester to control the tempo of the game. We still created chances and, at 3-3, I thought we looked well placed to go on and win the game. However, the moment we went behind, our heads dropped and we seemed to forget the game plan. We continued to create opportunities, but our finishing simply isn’t clinical enough at the moment. Manchester took their chances today and we didn’t.

The frustration is that we know this group is very young and relatively new to this level. We have to give them time to adapt and learn what this level of futsal demands. Their confidence is fragile at the moment, and they are finding it difficult to deal with conceding goals. In futsal, you aren’t going to keep clean sheets. Players need to learn to accept that, reset their footballing minds and go again.

A huge well done to Erin Derry on making her debut. She looked very assured and will undoubtedly add to the squad. It was also great to see Daisy and Eleanor score their first goals for Bootham, and both took their chances very well.

In what has been a disrupted season, we now don’t have another league game until January, which is hugely disappointing. However, we are actively looking for friendlies and will also be taking the squad to the Czech Republic in early December.

I am hurting after that performance. We need to be better, but I am sure the players recognise that too. They will go away, dust themselves down and come back stronger.

That first win is not a million miles away.”

Players of the Match

This weeks player of the match was picked by Bootham Legend and Ex Ladies Captain Ellie Whittaker – she went dormant Scarlett Davies and said her first half saves and overall constant improvement went a long way to helping Bootham dominance in the first half. Well played Scarlett!

A few images from todays game: