Tuesday 15 December 2009

A successful end to 2009!

Dawlish vs. Sidmouth II

The rearranged fixture against Sidmouth, due to the pitch being flooded on the originally scheduled date, was the last match of 2009 for Dawlish so they were looking to finish on a high.

Dawlish started strongly and quickly took control of the game as the forward line used speed and skill to break past the Sidmouth defence. Twice Helen Nicholson was denied by the Sidmouth keeper but the Dawlish forwards kept on the pressure and Mel Barnes’ confident strike rewarded them with a 1-0 lead.

With the two Dawlish wings running at the Sidmouth defence and backed up by a strong Dawlish midfield it was not long before the home team furthered their lead with a strike from Nicholson. Sidmouth were unable to take any control over the match and appeared to be trapped in their own half. Following a succession of long corners from the right Nicholson added her second to make the score 3-0 at half time.

Having failed to take any control of the game in the first half Sidmouth came out for the second with a change of formation and tactics; man marking the Dawlish centre forward and putting pressure on the forward runs of Liz Reed and Lottie Young in the middle.

Although the change in Sidmouth tactics did not see them take control of the match it did slow down the Dawlish attack. Following a break in play Sidmouth secured a short corner and scored from the rebound. Dawlish continued to pile on the pressure, despite the visitors consolation goal, with some strong work on the right from Jess Green and Anne Darby. The home side were unlucky not to get more out of the second half with some questionable decisions and some very near misses but the score remained at 3-1 for the final whistle.

After a slow start to the season and two straight defeats Dawlish have come back well and finish 2009 third in the league behind local rivals Teignmouth who are ahead on goal difference.

Monday 7 December 2009

Back to winning ways!

Dawlish vs. Honiton
5th December 2009

Dawlish travelled to face Honiton with a full side but no subs and started confidently with a formation that has worked well for them this season. They put early pressure on the Honiton defence using the speed and skill of their two young wings Jess Green and Amy Reed. But despite Dawlish’s pressure up front they seemed to have a gap in their midfield and when Honiton made a counter attack they found their way through the Dawlish defence and scored from a strong driving pass from the right.

As the first half continued Dawlish continued to put on the pressure; Anne Darby and Green linked well on the right to force short corners and Reed came close to levelling the score on a number of occasions. Dawlish were finally given a clear chance to level the scores before the half time whistle after a Honiton defender cleared their line with a foot and the visitors were rewarded a penalty flick. Helen Nicholson took the flick and beat the keeper to make it 1-1 as the whistle went.

A change of formation at the start of the second half saw Tasha Bailey move out onto the left half to support Amy Reed, and Gemma Wilkes take over the sweeper position. This change filled the first half gap in midfield and Dawlish took almost complete control of the second half with Sue Trout and Mandy Lovell picking up any stray forward runs from Honiton with ease. The Dawlish central midfield pushed forward with Lottie Young and Liz Reed giving the Honiton defence a difficult time, a strong run for Young straight through the Honiton defence finished with a pass to Nicholson which she converted into a 2-1 lead.

Dawlish were briefly down to ten men when Green had to leave the field but they continued to hold control of the match. Amy Reed was unlucky not to score as she used her strength and skill to find herself one on one with the keeper. As the end of the match approached Honiton became more determined in their defence and Dawlish felt unlucky not to have been awarded with more short corners or for cards to be shown. But it was Dawlish who got the last goal of the game with Nicholson scoring her hat trick to give her side a 3-1 well deserved, but hard fought, victory.

Thursday 3 December 2009

A Tough Draw!

Dawlish v Teignmouth 28th November 2009

Always an exciting fixture the local derby match between Dawlish and Teignmouth 2nds did not disappoint for entertainment value. A polished and large Teignmouth Squad could have given the impression that the match would be one sided and the opening 10 minutes did not do anything to make spectators think otherwise. Teignmouth started strongly finding gaps in the Dawlish defence and putting Dawlish keeper Sarah Webster under pressure. Before Dawlish could regroup at the back Teignmouth were pushing forward again and it was not long before they took an early lead.

With the game looking like it could be a whitewash Dawlish seemed to wake up, regroup and challenge Teignmouth for the ball. Liz Reed and Lottie Young took back control of the game in midfield and Dawlish started building their own attacking plays. As the second half continued it was Dawlish who took control Jess Green using her speed on the right wing to fly past the Teignmouth defence. An aerial shot from Helen Nicholson forced a great save from the Teignmouth Keeper and after continued pressure Amy Reed levelled the score line with a confident strike on goal.

Dawlish were unable to start the second half with the same possession as they had at the end of the first but did not let Teignmouth take control of the game again. Gemma Wilkes was strong at the first line of defence for Dawlish making some powerful tackles and covering the width of the field. Teignmouth continued to pile on the pressure forcing Dawlish backs Mandy Lovell and Sue Trout to make a succession of vital tackles. Only when the pressure seemed to be off the Dawlish defence did Teignmouth manage to add to the score line; as Dawlish mounted an attack Teignmouth won a free hit and mounted a counter attack, with Dawlish short in midfield Teignmouth took advantage and went ahead.

In the final period of the game Dawlish once again took control and were rewarded with short corners but the Teignmouth defence held strong. Dawlish continued to pressure the Teignmouth goal mouth forcing saves from the keeper and eventually Jess Green managed to take advantage and level the scores. As one might expect from a local derby not the prettiest of matches, with plenty of fight and not without umpires decisions questioned.