Battle Against the Nailz

No, your eyes do not deceive you! This is indeed a match report by the Ladies 2s.

Formidable social calendars, school audits (amber alert out for Gael Fraser) and a plethora of road trips have rendered encounters with the L2s pack a happenstance so rare, that you may have thought only a BBC Urban Planet documentary would provide an expose as to this season's adventures. But no, hear we are- a casual 8 Months in and providing our first match report. Good things come to those who wait n awe that.

In the first half of the season, L2s have experienced their fair share of triumph and heartbreak- not to mention a little of "it was all going so well and then that ten minutes happened" ... Matches have been hard fought against some impressive opponents, however one thing for sure, is that the L2s have been building momentum- resulting in 3 consecutive victories to finish off a jam packed November (7 matches none the less).

The start of the second half of the season has seen two narrow draws and an unfortunate last minute defeat for the L2s, with ever improving performances, which brings us to:

Heriots 1st XI v Watsonians 2nd XI
The day started as every other away match to Heriots does, with a debate as to what pitch we would be playing at. Indeed, Edinburgh North, with its cluster of alluring shiny green pitches, presents an unprecedented threat to the Ladies 2s. Similar to the Bermuda Triangle, once a car turns into East Fettes Avenue, there is no guarantee of it arriving at its supposed destination....

With team members all accounted for, and wind chill at a solid -2, the old Derby commenced. Always a heated affair (metaphorically, since literally it was blustery and freezing), both sides started strong, clearly hungry for the all- important 3 points.

The first half saw waves of attack from Watsonians, who found it hard to convert through some heavy Heriots defending (is 1/4 court a thing?) and several solid saves by the Keeper. Heriots, however, were quick on the counter attack- forcing Amber and the Watsonians' defence to defrost with haste and spring into action to fend off a well choreographed set play, and at one unfortunate point, a succession of short corners. After a nail biting 35 minutes, the teams jogged off at 0-0.

The second half saw Watsonians "find their groove" (for genuine want of a better expression), and dominate the remaining 35 minutes. Which brings us to...

The Goals
Goal 1 saw Ness glide past several Heriots players with the grace of a Russian Ballerina, picking out Tash on a well- timed run to the edge of the D. Ensuring the Keeper was well and truly lured out of the goal, Tash slipped the ball across the D to an on-coming Mary, who saw to it that the ball was firmly buried in the bottom right hand corner.
1-0 Watsonians.

Goal 2 saw a lovely carry up the right hand side by Lucy, to find Lorna in the right hand pocket. Keeping a cool head whilst well and truly surrounded, Lorna performed some bedazzling magic and managed to find a pass to Mary, who completed the play with a superb finish into the top corner of the goal.
2-0 Watsonians.

Goal 3 was courtesy of Lucy "Speedy Gonzales" Watt, who, after picking up the ball in her own half, quite simply outran all who opposed to her. Whilst her strike at goal met the Keeper's pads, her sneaky reverse rebounded off a local defender and straight on in to make it 3-0 Watsonians.

Overall, it was an exemplary team performance, with players on all areas of the pitch working hard on and off the ball. Special mention to Amber, who on a diving interception, manage to clear the ball quite literally to the half way line- effective counter attack option!

After this weekends victory, the team sit in a respectable 6th place- preparing to take on the top table contenders. This week the L2s will take on Uddingston at home at 14:30, so dust off those pom poms and come cheer us on!