Saturday 30th January 2010

CAMBRIDGE Ladies Premier League

Sawtry Ladies 1st XI (0) vs Market Deeping Ladies 1st XI (0)

Deeping will probably see this as two points lost, as they failed to take the few chances that came their way on a frozen Bushfield astro.
The pitch was safe for play, the players able to keep their feet in the bright sunshine, but Deeping couldn’t come to terms with the speed of the ball on the hard surface. A team in which most players strike the ball well couldn’t seem to adjust to the conditions and as a result too many passes were over-hit and went astray. Deeping’s Allam sisters, Becky and Ellie were notable exceptions, quickly picking up the pace of ball.
Deeping probably had less of the first half possession but certainly made more of the chances against a useful and well-drilled Sawtry.
A couple of short corner strikes went astray, Mandy Pearson lashing high over the bar, while at the other end, Deeping’s defence comfortably soaked up everything Sawtry threw at them.
The second half opened with ten minutes of unexpected Sawtry pressure with Deeping’s defence hanging on and intercepting, stopping and clearing well in the D, Kirsten Hackett, Tash Newitt and the omnipresent Gemma Caitlin coping easily.
Suddenly the game reversed and Deeping had their best spell, besieging the Sawtry goal. Only a brilliant save by the Sawtry keeper kept out player of the match Amy Gwilliam’s shot after she sliced through the Sawtry defence, and several more short corners came to nothing.
The rest of the game was largely played out in midfield, but in the last few minutes the almost untroubled Deeping keeper Angela Cox made a fine reaction save to ensure a share of the points.

CAMBRIDGE Ladies League Division 1

Market Deeping Ladies 2nd XI

DIVISION 2N

Market Deeping 1st XI (2) vs Dereham 2nd XI (3)

Second place Dereham nearly fell to a shock defeat by an understrength mid –table Deeping side who rattled them throughout the match.
It was a day of some weird and wonderful goals. Deeping seemed to have weathered the early and impressive Dereham storm when a long aerial ball over the entire defence found a Dereham forward in the box. His clumsy touch wrong-footed Deeping’s keeper and the ball trickled past him into the net.
Deeping rallied well, but equalised through a most extraordinary piece of carelessness as a Dereham defender gently passed a 16 hit straight to the lurking but apparently invisible Henry Winfield-Chislett who was practically on the penalty spot. He typically kept his head and intelligently drew the keeper before scoring.
Unsurprisingly Deeping now had their tails up and they drove back at Dereham again, winning a short corner that Russ Seton smashed into the net.
Deeping held the lead until well into the second half, when two relatively tame Dereham short corners found their way into the net. With several players scheduled to return soon and the two top sides out of the way, Deeping face the rest of the season with a great deal of confidence.

DIVISION 3NW

Market Deeping 2nd XI (0) vs Wisbech Town 2nd XI (2)

If Deeping had played the whole of the season in the same vein they have played their last three games, they could expect to be sitting happily in mid-table rather than languishing at the bottom.
The Christmas break seems to have done wonders for Deeping, and though they have still only taken three points from their three games, the overall standard of their performance has left them wondering what might have been, had they been able to produce such form earlier.
Once again a little understrength, Deeping started this game against the league's second top side Wisbech with a certain trepidation. With only two recognised defenders in a make-shift back four, and three third team regulars in the side, Deeping could have been forgiven for simply flooding the midfield and looking to stifle the game. But sticking to their 4-4-2 formation paid dividends as Mark Hotchkin and Tom Burnell occupied the Wisbech defenders, causing a nuisance and not allowing them to settle on the ball.
Wisbech were looking threatening on the attack, but after a bright start it seemed it might not be their day after all, as that final pass kept going astray. In central defence Graham Brewer and Phil Tokens were looking organised, while full backs Paul Byrne and Matt Brown put in some solid tackles to ensure Deeping made it to half time at 0-0.
Buoyed by such a resilient first half, Deeping continued the second half in much the same vein. Sharp short passing saw the midfield creating openings on both flanks with the ball, yet organised and quick to track back without it. It is to Deeping's credit that Wisbech began to opt for the aerial ball to bypass the midfield, such was their lack of success trying to pass their way through.
Yet despite Deeping's defensive heroics, Wisbech were undeniably the better attacking side. It would be harsh to begrudge them the opening goal, but it was the perceived foul in the build up which so incensed skipper Brewer that he was lucky to stay on the pitch following his protests.
However the goal was allowed to stand and Brewer allowed to continue. It would have been easy to see out the last 10 minutes and revert to a familiar hard luck story, but Deeping rallied and pushed forward in numbers in search of an equaliser, aided briefly by Wisbech losing a player to the sin bin for foul and abusive language, but Deeping could not make their extra player count.
Wisbech on another day would have been awarded a stroke when a defender cleared the ball from the D with the back of his stick, but the resultant short corner saw Wisbech make it 2-0. In all the pressure, keeper Joe Wray made a couple of decent one-on-one saves to deny Wisbech more success.
Deeping will feel they were unlucky not to get a point, while Wisbech will know that they have been in a game.
Deeping MoM: Phil Tokens / Matt Brown

DIVISION 5NW

St Neots 3rd XI (4) vs Market Deeping 3rd XI (2)

Skipper Kevin Baker must be desperate to get out a full strength squad to compete in the big games, but yet again this was denied him in this injury and absentee packed season. This was a must-win fixture but Deeping lack the necessary fire power up front and they never got of the blocks in the first half, to threaten the Neot’s goal.
They hung on at the back against some surprisingly useful Neot’s forwards, but eventually and deservedly Neot’s scored twice.
A third St Neot’s goal in the second half seemed to have killed the game, but Deeping then got back in it through the hard-working Ben Walden, and within minutes after a change of formation which sent Muddy Waters back from sweeper to his more normal position at centre forward, he had pounced to add a second.
Deeping couldn’t keep the pressure on however, and Neot’s struck a fourth from a correctly awarded penalty flick. Full marks to keeper Will Winfield-Chislett who made a brilliant full length diving stick save to stop Neot’s adding a fifth right on the whistle.