Hampstead Women Roar To The Top
FA Greater London League, Division III
Hampstead Women’s FC 4 Celtic FC 0
Sunday, 15 October, 2006
Winning their third consecutive game in a row, HWFC started a little shaky and after conceding a couple of very cheap corners in the first five minutes, were able to find their feet and start passing the ball around.
A couple of half chances went begging on 7 and 11 minutes when the HWFC strikers couldn’t take advantage of the space they were played into but the first goal came after 14 minutes after HWFC had kept possession for around five minutes.
Benjamin picked the ball up in the middle and spread the ball wide to Gadgil who ran past her defender with ease. Getting the ball to the by line Gadgil then crossed the ball into the penalty area and Forbes, and Stewart both chased the ball down putting pressure on the Celtic defence and it was Forbes whose outstretched leg got the final touch as the ball went into the back of the net.
Celtic tried to respond immediately from kick off and attacked HWFC through the middle of the park but the HWFC defence were strong enough to withhold the pressure.
Berks and Marcus along with Bard, playing in an unfamiliar role for her, held their lines and blocked the Celtic forward line from breaking through. On 22 minutes HWFC went 2–0 up after some excellent passing football. Freeman collected the ball in her own half before bringing Grayston into the game with a delightful pass. Grayston in turn found Rebuck, one of the HWFC teenagers, just outside the area who had the presence of mind to beat two players and then play a beautiful pass behind the two oncoming Celtic defenders for her strike partner Stewart to run onto. One-on-one with the goalkeeper Stewart took a controlling touch and then finished clinically, hitting the back of the net with force.
More chances fell to HWFC, with Rebuck taking a snap shot from 30 yards which rattled the Celtic bar – as the ball bounced back into the penalty area three HWFC players tried to convert the ball over the line, but the Celtic defence made sure they cleared the danger.
Hampstead had the initiative though and kept piling on the pressure. Stewart hit the post, and Gadgil and Forbes both had chances that went wide but the points seemed safe on 33 minutes when Rebuck won a penalty for the home side. Picking the ball up from Forbes out on the right hand side, Rebuck drove forward into the penalty area and was deemed to have been pulled down by the Celtic captain. Freeman stepped up to take the penalty having scored the last two she had taken, but unfortunately her strike rebounded off the bar and out of the penalty area and the chance was gone.
Marcus swung the ball back in from the left hand side and Hampstead won a corner. Freeman swung the corner in and as the Celtic defence moved up Rebuck moved with them and from a lucky deflection off the Celtic central defender Rebuck found herself on side and in acres of space. She coolly turned on the penalty spot and half volleyed the ball above the goalkeepers reach and it was 3–0.
There was still time for one more goal and it was the best of the lot. A passing move that started at the back on the left hand side and spread across the field through defence to attack had Celtic chasing the game. After nine consecutive passes the Celtic left back got a touch on the ball taking it back to her goalkeeper but Forbes and Stewart kept chasing it down. Stewart won the ball and played in Forbes who turned one way then another and then pulled the ball back for Grayston who was bursting through from midfield. As the ball approached her, Grayston shaped her body and curled the ball into the top corner from around 25 yards out on the right hand side. There was just enough time for Celtic to kick off again before the referee blew the whistle for halftime.
Celtic FC came out in the second half wanting to restore some pride as they had started the day top of the League, but despite having most of the possession in the second half they could not penetrate the Hampstead defence. Berks, Bard and Roberts were all very strong and would not let the Celtic players pass making sure that the HWFC goalkeeper had no saves to make throughout the half.
Hampstead made a couple of substitutions in the second half with Lewis making her return at left back on 75 minutes, after injury and six weeks out of the team & Mifsud also made a brief appearance in the second half replacing Stewart upfront.
When the ref blew for full time Hampstead celebrated their victory and the fact that for the first time in their seven-year history they were top of their FA League.
Next week they play Fulham FC away from home in a 2pm kick-off before a weekend off at the end of October.
HWFC Team:
Roberts, Marcus, Bard, Berks ©, Benjamin, Forbes, Grayston, Freeman, Gadgil, Stewart, Rebuck
Subs: Lewis, Mifsud
Goalscorers:
Forbes - 14 minutes
Stewart – 22 minutes
Rebuck – 35 minutes
Grayston - 45 minutes
