Tight Victory see Phoenix Retain Top Spot

Seven days ago, Mudeford travelled back across the Solent with 7 goals and a clean sheet

safely in the Ferry luggage hold, along with three precious points obtained by victory over

Wight Eagles. It was a result that sent Phoenix top of the table, still tied on maximum points

with AFC Portchester, but now with a goal difference better by +4. Arriving back on the

mainland, the plans for the week would have been clear, with another away trip up next

against City Ladies Reserves the following Sunday. However, changes to the schedule saw

the week become a lot busier, with the SDFA Cup tie away to AFC Bournemouth

Development being moved to Thursday night. This was not the only change, as todays

league clash with City switched to a home tie, as the ECSSC would play host to its 4th league game out of 5 played this season.

Going into this game, it was a top versus bottom clash, with City yet to pick up a point this

season. On top of that, Mudeford had notched 13 goals on home soil in three games,

conceding twice, so it would have been easy to anticipate another high scoring affair.

Mudeford: 1- Maisie Roff(GK), 20 – Scarlett Roff, 4 – Micala Angel, 10 – Megan Smith, 21 –

Sophie Matthews, 5 – Chiara Andreotti, 6 – Daisy Bradford, 7 – Becky Atkinson, 8 – Demi

Curtin, 18 – Millie O’Connor, 9 – Rosie Abraham

Subs: 15 – Ella Gregory, 26 – Gracie Batsford, 33 – Tonia Gomez

As has become custom, Phoenix immediately started on the front foot as the ball is worked

out to Curtin down the left-hand side. Her cross whipped through the box and was latched

onto by Atkinson who put it back into the box, only for City to clear. City though were able to

gather themselves after that early warning and make the game scrappy in the middle of the

park for the next six minutes as they looked to gain a foothold and prevent Phoenix from

early domination. However, they would soon be tested, firstly by a through ball from

Abraham looking to put Curtin clear, only for it to be a little too heavy and run into the hands of Walker in the City goal. Moments later however, Atkinson seized onto a loose ball in the City half and played it into O’Connor, who then laid it off for Curtin only for the defence to scramble it behind for a corner. The corner was cleared only as far as Smith, who recycled the ball back into the box looking for Abraham, but once more the defence scrambled it behind. The second corner was much more lethal, as the ball in found the head of Curtin. With Walker beaten and the watching crowd waiting for the net to bulge, a City defender managed to block it on the line, before a scrambled clearance was just to the edge of the box where a looping shot back in, landed safely in Walker’s gloves. Phoenix were now very much in the ascendency.

It wouldn’t be long for the next opportunity, as a throw in from Atkinson found Curtin on the

edge of the box, only for her curling shot to drift over the bar. Curtin was to then hand the

chances baton to Abraham, as firstly a driving run from Smith put Atkinson free down the

wing and her cross was met by Abraham, but the shot was saved by Walker. Not long after,

Abraham linked up well with O’Connor before getting into the box, only for the City defender to do just enough and knock Abraham off balance as she shot, causing it to go harmlessly wide. City were already having to defend hard, as they likely would have expected, with Phoenix making it feel like scoring was a matter of when, not if.

On 15 minutes Phoenix should have been ahead, as a familiar driving run from Smith found

O’Connor in the box. It looked for all the world like the shot would be buried in the bottom

corner, but instead it pulled just wide of the post, in what was to become a familiar theme for the afternoon. City, having weathered the storm thus far, started looking to try and push

forward, as a good ball looking to split the defence is dealt with strongly by Angel, while a

through ball is just over hit and is claimed comfortably by Roff in goal. Any thoughts that it

could be the turning of the tide for the visitors were quickly quashed as Smith and Atkinson

linked up down the right again, with the latter’s cross met by Curtin at the back post, only for

her effort to once again find the hands of Walker. The Phoenix chances continued to come,

as some neat footwork from Andreotti gave Bradford space to hit a long-range effort that just sails over bar, before moments later a driving effort from Smith would rattle the bar and then go over, as the score remarkably remained 0-0.

It would not stay that way. Bradford, who was starting to become dominant in the middle of

the pitch, played a delightful ball over the top on 24 minutes, as Abraham broke through the

defence to run onto it, thrusting into the box and slotting the ball past Walker into the net.

Deadlock broken at last, the Phoenix rightfully celebrated as Abraham registered her sixth

league goal of the campaign.

As we have seen before, Mudeford don’t ease off as they instantly looked for a second, with

Abraham having a chance to double her tally only for her shot to be saved by Walker, before

a cross from Atkinson is fired over the bar by O’Connor, and then another great through ball

from Bradford is just too heavy and is gobbled up by the keeper. City managed a rare foray

forward and put in a dangerous cross that was comfortably gathered by Roff, before Phoenix

pushed back down the other end, with a lay off by Andreotti teeing up Bradford whose long-

range drive is deflected into the side netting for a corner. This was the start of a flurry of

corners, one from which a shot by Megan is fumbled by Walker and rolled agonisingly wide

of the post, and another is headed just wide by Angel. At this point City are struggling to get

out of their half, with Bradford now imperious in the middle of the park. A clearance is taken

down superbly by her and put through to Smith, whose ball into the box is sent over the bar

by Andreotti. Phoenix by this point have made a change, with Atkinson departing and

Batsford taking her place.

Still Phoenix pushed to double their lead before half time, as first a great touch and strike

from Bradford is saved by Walker, and then delightful play by Abraham down the right sees

her turn and leave her marker for dead before putting the ball into the box for Batsford, but

the connection isn’t clearcut and the defence scramble it out for anther corner. A minute or

so later, Batsford gets a great chance in the box but her one-on-one shot is saved by the foot

of Walker, only to be tapped in at the back post. A 2-0 lead was the very least Mudeford

deserved, but to the disappointment of everyone, the offside flag ensured that the scoreline

remained 1-0 at half time.

Wind and rain had started to batter all at the ECSSC during that first half, just as Phoenix

had done to the City defence, and the hosts would look to continue that in the second half.

The return to the pitch came with two changes, as Scarlett Roff and O’Connor made way for

Gomez and Gregory. Like with the first half, the second started a little scrappy, with a half

chance falling to Gregory after a driving run by Bradford, but the effort is blocked. The first

real sight of goal came on 54 minutes, when a cross in from the right is parried by Walker

and falls to Gregory, but her effort goes comfortably over the bar. It is then City who have the next chance, and their first real threat of the game, as Horrell picks up the ball just inside the Mudeford half and runs to the box, holding off challenges before firing off a good effort that is parried by Roff, before she quickly gets to her feet and grabs it at the second attempt. It is a timely reminder by City that for all the hosts dominance, 1-0 is a very vulnerable scoreline.

Alerted by that risk, Mudeford go back in search of that vital second goal, as first of all a

cross from Gomez is poked at by Abraham into the side netting, before an effort grom Gregory is turned behind for a corner. The corner causes chaos, as first Batsford’s shot hits

Abraham in front of the post, before it is recycled back to Bradford who took the corner and

sent back into the box, as Walker parries it away, far enough to prevent a tap in. Some

strong play down the left by Matthews then feeds Abraham in the box, but having beaten the defenders, it leaves the striker with no space to beat the keeper, who saves the twice from close range to give Mudeford another corner. The resulting corner causes further mayhem as Walker misses the ball and falls down begging to be put away, but just doesn’t fall in reach of anyone from Phoenix.

With City somehow still in this game, they once again remind the hosts of the vulnerability of

their lead, as a scramble just inside the Mudeford half sees a dangerous through ball force

Roff to leave her box to clear, slipping in the process. City regain the ball and send it back in,

but thankfully it falls comfortably into Roff’s hands.

The first half had seen strong link up play between Smith and Atkinson down the right, and

now the second half started to see the same link up between Smith and Matthews down the

left which leads to firstly a cross falling to Batsford who fires over, then a great double tackle

from Bradford sees Atkinson free and she whips in a fantastic ball in to Abraham, but it just

doesn’t fall for her facing the goal, before another effort is sent over the bar. Meanwhile,

Andreotti puts in a great covering tackle to cut off a possible dangerous City break, as still

that lead, which by now could easily by 5 or 6, remains as just 1-0.

City now are starting to have their moments, as twice more they probe forward, but Roff isn’t

really tested, while down the other end Smith and Matthews link up to put the ball into

Abraham but the defence keep her out, before great footwork by Bradford sees her fire in a

cross that is just out of reach of the striker. It is clear that legs are starting to tire, with City

having had to spend so much time chasing the ball, and Phoenix playing their second game

in four days, all in conditions that have deteriorated as the game has gone on. This sees

proceedings become a little scrappy as the final minutes tick away, but with the score still so

close, City look to try and nick an unlikely point when an excellent cross field ball finds them

in space down the left, but an ambitious long-range effort is safely gathered by Roff. There is

time for one final chance, falling to Gregory in the box, but once again the Phoenix radar is

just a little off as she fires over the bar. It matters not though, as the final whistle immediately

sounds to bring the game to an end.

It was a game that as with previous matches at the ECSSC, was completely dominated by

Mudeford, but unlike the previous occasions, this one did not have the goal return to match

the domination. On another day, Phoenix would have put 6 or 7 away, but it just wasn’t to be

today. However, the key factor is that it was a win, making it five from five, as Maisie Roff

kept her third league clean sheet of the season. With AFC Porchester winning 4-1 today, it

means that Phoenix stay top on goal difference, as we keep the momentum going.

My Player Of The Match: Daisy Bradford