Downend Flyers Women A vs Bristol Ladies Union 1st, 15th February 2026
Downend managed to get a 3G pitch for the Quarter Final tie of the Women’s Challenge Cup, albeit with a later kick of time. The wind was blowing hard diagonally across the pitch, which meant a lot of play would be across the far side from the coaches, and a wind advantage from the left hand side. BLU won the toss and opted to play with the wind at our backs for the first half so we had that bit of help from the elements, but with no substitutes available we knew this would be a long game.
It was a scrappy game from the start, with both teams struggling to retain possession for any reasonable length of time. Although there were 22 players on the pitch, there appeared to be an extra one on the halfway line in the form of a cable strung across at about the perfect height to catch any chip or lofted pass. It was comical at first, but it soon got pretty tedious as play kept stopping for a drop ball. At the back the defense were having to work hard to shut down attacks, and we had some nervy moments defending corners. Some big moments came from a couple of free kicks, and Lila rocketed in a great shot from about 35 yards, but we were struggling to get a goal until the 40th minute when Sarah managed to head one past the keeper.
Going into half time a goal up was a good feeling, but the ice packs were already out for Connie, and with the prospect of playing into the wind during the second half we knew it would be an uphill struggle, so we changed the shape a little to beef up the midfield.
As the second half started the sky got darker and we were all starting to wonder when the floodlights would come on. The game was still scrappy, but BLU had a bit more control of the ball, and it felt like we were getting more comfortable. Unfortunately though it was Downend who scored next, and that’s about when the rain started to fall. I say fall… it was more horizontal with the strength of the wind. More end to end play, more corners to defend, and more nervy moments in our 18 yard box, eventually turning into a second goal for Downend courtesy of an unlucky own goal. The floodlights eventually came on, then at 25 minutes in the heavy rain turned to heavy hail and the referee called everyone off the pitch. Whether that was a good call or not is up for debate, since everyone was already soaked through, so standing around in a dry changing room but with wet kit on doesn’t really help much, but it did give us a chance to have a quick team talk.
Back out on the pitch with 20 minutes to play and the game continued in much the same way. The clock ticked down and although we had a few chances it just wasn’t happening for us, that is until the final minute of normal time, when Sarah burst through the defense and found herself one-on-one with the keeper, then buried the ball in the back of the net! A few seconds later the ref blew for full time, and we were back in our familiar territory of penalties.
Lila stepped up first and scored, then Downend followed suit. Rosa stepped up next and gave us our second, and that’s when Tia got into her stride and saved Downend’s second. Lilia was third to score and Tia kept out the next attempt, then Tia stepped up herself and sealed the deal! Fairytale stuff. We progress to the Semi-final.
Player of the Match: Sarah, both for scoring 2 goals and for making it a real nail biter by leaving it to the 90th minute. Magic Moment was awarded to Tia for saving 2 penalties and scoring one herself.
