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After the long break due to bad weather and Christmas this was always going to be a difficult game for both side on a heavy, bumpy pitch which also had plenty of grass on. Redditch started quite brightly having a good deal of possession in the first 10 minutes but never got to grips with the more robust style of Rubery. It was this that created the first goal that the home attack took very well, breaking through a tackle and despatching the ball with a strong shot past the advancing Reds keeper. Rubery then had a number of shots on goal, most as a result of breakaways, where Redditch failed to make any real impact on the hosts goal, the closest coming from Jess Stanley, who would normally have poached the goal from 4 yards out but showed a bit of rustiness from no games and saw the chance disappear as the Rubery keeper managed to smother the ball.
Some thing needed to be changed and the introduction of Perkins and Christopher gave the boost that Redditch needed, straight away the attack looked a little more direct and following the instruction to shoot to a tee, Perkins let fly with a 30 yards strike which fly in to the top of the net. Other opportunities arose and Perkins was unlucky not to get a second from a similar shot, seeing it just clear the bar. Christopher got more involved in the game and was rewarded with a well taken goal which saw the Reds reach half time 1-2.
The second half started cumulatively but a good piece of play down Redditch's right flank saw a cross level with the 6 yard line and Leroux bravely got there before the keeper to tap the ball home, taking a knock for her troubles but giving the team some breathing space. The game then settled down to a mainly midfield affair with possession being shared. Rubery were restricted to just a couple of attempts on goal as the Redditch defence began to get back in to their pre-Christmas stride. Rotating the team to try and keep a tempo in the tiring conditions appeared to be good tactics and with Stanley and Jess Lingham being re-introduced against a tiring Rubery defence a fourth goal was scored when Stanley received a ball just inside the box, rounded the advancing Rubery keeper and calmly passed the ball in to the net.
Overall a good performance from the team and showed the benefit again of having a squad of players. |
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