Sussex County Women & Girls Football League Supplementary Trophy Final - 2nd Leg
Heath 2nds valiant attempt falls to penalty kicks against the League Champions
Langton Green 6 Haywards Heath 2nds 4 [Nat Trend 3, Caz Walters] - 27th April 2008
With an aggregate score over the two legs of 6 – 6 the game went to extra time, but both teams scored once more , so penalties were required to separate the teams, Langton Green scoring twice to Heaths once
This was a final and a half, and every player gave their all and more.
With the same team as the previous week, except the return of Jo d’Ambra and Julie Boyce, Heath were up for it. Unfortunately things didn’t go to plan, and by half time Heath were 3-1 down, Langtons two speedy forwards doing the damage after Heath had held then until midway through the half . Jo d’Ambra, back from injury was replaced by Carly Vaughan midway through the half and joint “player of the match” Nat Trend played the game of her life, linked well with striker Jo Ashworth to bring Heath level on aggregate and back into the game with a superb header from an Ashworth cross before halftime.
This gave Heath the belief that they could get something out of this match and determined to prove it was no fluke that they won last week Heath started the 2nd half all guns blazing. Trend continued to link well with Caz Walters, Keveena Mosen, Karen Bridgewater and Carly Vaughan, and after a ball was knocked out of Langtons box, Trend lobbed the keeper with a superb left footed curler to put Heath ahead. Langton could have pulled it off in normal time, but some amazing keeping from joint player of the match Alison Field kept their strikers at bay, but unfortunately they managed to sneak one past. Heath were getting tired, but kept up the pressure and Walters was rewarded for her hard work when she fired the ball past the keeper in a busy penalty area. Heath were 6-5 up on aggregate with 10 minutes to go. Langton piled on the pressure, and unfortunately Heath couldn’t contain their quick young strikers, and they equalized.
Going into extra time Heath knew they had nothing to lose, believe and keep talking. Unfortunately this didn’t happen straight away and after a miscommunication Julie Boyce placed the ball past an on-coming Field to put Langton ahead . A tired Vaughan and Boyce were replaced by Jo Stevenson and Sarah Bridge. Determined not to lose the game to an own goal, Trend pulled off an amazing hat-trick after a goal mouth tussle to pull Heath level. Both teams were determined not to concede another and held out for penalties.
Not the best way to decide the final result, but again Field, who has never faced a penalty in her life saved 3, but unfortunately Heath could only score 1 to Langton’s 2, with Gemma Paull scoring comfortably.
An amazing performance from the whole squad, and each player did the club and manager Sarah Miller extremely proud with their gutsy performance against the League Champions .
Team: Alison Field, Dawn Gaston (captain), Gemma Paull, Julie Boyce (Jo Stevenson, 100 mins), Jo Fairbairn, Keveena Mosen, Nat Trend, Karen Bridgewater, Caz Walters, Jo d’Ambra (Carly Vaughan, 20 mins), (Sarah Bridge 100 mins), Jo Ashworth
To return to the "Results" page