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So relieved that colleagues were spot-on in cup |
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Thursday, 10 January 2008 |
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We played Bristol in the FA Cup on Sunday. We all felt quite hard done to prior to the game, as we were the only teams to have an all-Premiership tie. All the other clubs in the Premier League had lower league teams to play.
 We played Bristol in the FA Cup on Sunday. We all felt quite hard done to prior to the game, as we were the only teams to have an all-Premiership tie. All the other clubs in the Premier League had lower league teams to play. Bristol are a tough team and currently stand top in the Women’s Premier League so we knew it would be difficult. With not the best referee in the world (hopefully he wont read this) giving Bristol every decision and us nothing, he even sent one of our players off (Sophie Walton), which was an absolute disgrace and not warranted at all. We managed to take the lead through Amanda Barr with a cool clinical finish. There was 1-minute of added- time and after the ref played an extra 4 Bristol equalised. So extra time loomed. I think for the neutral it must have been a very entertaining game, but I don’t know how Rick and Leanne coped (our management). It was just end-to-end, both teams hitting the woodwork. No goals were scored so the dreaded penalties were to come. I wont go into it too much but we won, even after me putting my penalty into row Z. My team-mates tried to cheer me up saying even the best players miss but there is no excuse missing from 12 yards, especially as when we were in China we all had to take a penalty after every session for 6 weeks!! I’m glad we did it though.
The next round was drawn on Monday and we were hoping we would be given a nice game. We got Chelsea away which is going to be very difficult but we are more than capable of getting the right result. We want to get to the final this year its such a great day and would be great exposure for the club being live on BBC1 and last year pulling in a massive crowd in the stadium of over 20.000. I have got fitness testing today so I best go and get ready. I’ll let you know next week how I got on. I am going to finish this week’s column on a sad note. Our striker Lucy Ward’s Dad passed away this week. Steve was a lovely man with a great sense of humour who battled a horrendous disease with courage and dignity for the past year. I will always remember him cheering us on no matter what the weather with his wife Pat at all our home games. He even rescued Jack my dog when he got stuck underneath the fencing trying to chase the football on the pitch. We decided as a team to do a minute’s silence in the dressing room before the Bristol game and we all wore black armbands as a mark of respect to Steve. We all wanted to win the game for Lucy and her Dad and if that doesn’t motivate you as a player then nothing will. I know from speaking to Lucy, Pat and Daniel, who were so touched by the gesture, that he would have been so proud to know we did this. That ones for you Steve! Myself, and everyone at LULFC, thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family. |
