Andoversford Women v Bristol Ladies Union 1st, 9th November 2025 (Sue Henson-Green Cup)
Sometimes football can be messy and graceless, but if the end result is good then… well, a win is a win! Sunday was one of those days. Maybe it’s the slopy pitch at Andoversford, or maybe it’s the fact that the temperature up on the Cotswold hills is a few degrees lower than just about everywhere else, or perhaps it was just because BLU had played their socks off last week and were still recovering. Whatever the reason, we started the game on the back foot. The shape was a bit out of kilter, and within minutes we’d conceded a goal. Andoversford were playing the ball over the top with the wind at their backs, and it was working for them. As coaches Martha and I scrambled to get instructions out across the pitch, reluctant to make any substitutions so early on in the game before players had a chance to get settled in, but when we shipped another goal it was obvious that we had to make one or two changes, using a couple of substitutes to get instructions spread around the team. Things began to turn around and our gameplay became more organised. It took time, and we had a few opportunities that didn’t pay off, but finally we got our first goal, scored by Annabelle in the last 5 minutes of the half.
In the second half there was a lot of 4D chess going on from the technical area as we tried to figure out how to rotate subs, while on the pitch the team had settled into a better rhythm. The back four were still having to work hard to shut down the counter attacks, but other than a few nail-biting moments, the defense stayed strong and handled it well. Mid way through the second half Annabelle scored again and it was all level. Towards the end of the half it was evident that we were probably going to end up with another penalty shoot out, and that meant the usual scramble to get willing penalty takers onto the pitch before the 90 minutes was up.
So second cup match, second penalty shoot out. The first shot from both teams scored zero, but then BLU started hitting the back of the net. Andoversford didn’t score, and as the third BLU penalty went in there was a small celebration from the sidelines, followed a few long seconds later by a larger celebration when everyone finally caught up with the maths!
It wasn’t a pretty game, but as I said: A win is a win, and we’ll take it. Player of the Match was awarded to Evie for a solid and consistent performance, and the Magic Moment trophy went to Tia for keeping out every penalty.
