X11 season 45 - de rigueur Mortis

[Kevin S]

Fourthed. All the best pebble.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Fifthed. We'll still be here whenever you're able to come back. Look after yourself.

[nmrfox]

Sixthed. Take care pebble and look after yourself mate.

[Janik]

Round one saw some significant attrition in OTF’s X11 Ladies Cup contingent. But there were still 10 sides left to sally forth into Round two.

Catalonia Nuns		0 - 3	Drakaina
				Kavazis 13'
				Beattie 55'
				Vulturescu 80'

Drakaina		1 - 1	Catalonia Nuns
Atum 76'				Che Geuvara 48'

Drakaina win 4-1 on aggregate


Dublin City WFC		0 - 3	The Black Widows
				Harrington 18'
				Swire 53'
				Myeong 71'
				Swire (sent off) 81'

The Black Widows	3 - 0	Dublin City WFC
Bakkerud 16'
Swire 78'
Ryding 92'

Black Widows win 6-0 on aggregate


Erbil			1 - 1	Cicada WFC
Brundin 58'			Travassos 47'

Cicada WFC		1 - 2	Erbil
Panagoulis 24'		A.E.T.	Brundin 62'
				Caroline Hinton 91'

Erbil win 3-2 on aggregate


Gregorys Girls		0 - 2	Coxy Ladies Wulpen
				Leclercq 50'
				Kerckhoeven 53'

Coxy Ladies Wulpen	2 - 0	Gregorys Girls
Kabasele 18'
Leroy 79'

Wulpen win 4-0 on aggregate


Harmonic Convergence	0 - 2	Kanjeng Ratu Kidul WFC
				Azeite 69'
				Pailloux 76'

Kanjeng Ratu Kidul WFC	4 - 0	Harmonic Convergence
Dalmiya 24', 41'
Thao-Ap Luangpruksachat 72'
Azeite (pen) 76' 

Kanjeng win 6-0 on aggregate


LNWR Locomotive		2 - 1	Championettes
Teigland 51'			Herculano (pen) 30'
Nixon 85'

Championettes		3 - 1	LNWR Locomotive
Evers 52'		A.E.T.	Teigland 47'
Neville 55'
Bjuvstrand 115'

Championettes win 4-3 on aggregate


The Saints		2 - 1	Solent Sirens
Dalton 5', 18'			Hyeong 81'

Solent Sirens		0 - 1	The Saints
				Pylvänäinen 80'

Saints win 3-1 on aggregate


Sockford Emollient	2 - 2	Blonds FC
Duggan 59'			Schwarz 51'
Samways 92'			Stenklyft 75'

Blonds FC		1 - 1	Sockford Emollient
Stenklyft 80'			Maci Conrad 43'

3-3 on aggregate. Blonds win on away goals


Viking South Utsira	1 - 1	Gajas Peladas
Forslind (O.G.) 1'		Mota 6'

Gajas Peladas		2 - 1	Viking South Utsira
Mota 33'		A.E.T.	B.Austrheim 9'
Strid 118'

Peladas win 3-2 on aggregate


Watergate Bay Surfers	1 - 4	Csiki Girls
Stephenson 67'			Bröker 30'
				McInns 39', 57'
				Israca (pen) 72'

Csiki Girls		2 - 1	Watergate Bay Surfers
Igreja 26'			Rojo (pen) 26'
Emelie Gränsmark 66'

Csiki Girls win 6-2 on aggregate

Round 2 sent Drakaina basically the length of the Mediterranean as they travelled to Division 6 side Catalonia Nuns for their opening leg.
This match showed the difference between a fourth and seventh tier side in two ways. The Dragons easily controlled possession, but also they were pretty clinical in taking their chances. The one opportunity of the first half came on 13 minutes and was converted by Ariadne Kavazis, the young midfielder rising to head a teasing cross home.
The second half wasn’t quite as perfect, but Etienne’s side did add two more from their four chances in this period, Roseanne Beattie netting on 55 and Florica Vulturescu after 80 respectively. By contrast, the Nuns had a 0% conversion ratio from their two shots of the match.
The return leg at Delphi was basically a formality, and that showed somewhat in a more subdued Dragons performance. Goalless at the interval, they fell behind early in the second half to raise a very distant possibility of a massive turnaround, the goal scorer being (Amata) Che Geuvara. Really. That roused the Greeks, who restricted their visitors to just one more opportunity, and levelled on the night when Silvia Atum swept home a free-kick routine. The loose and experimental nature of The Dragons game is emphasised by the assist for this going to ‘keeper Anastasia Shkolnikova!
Next up for Drakaina will be Division 4b side Ansvarsfulla Divor. The Dragons are the higher seeds, so the second leg is the one at Delphi.

The roles were flipped with the OTF side the lower when Dublin City WFC took on Division 3 opponents The Black Widows.
Not just in terms of league status, but also game outcome as the Widows won the opening leg 3-0 at Phoenix Park. A slight divergence was that Dublin managed no shots in the game, not even after the visitors Justine Swire saw her second yellow card of the day on 81 minutes, which was a hero to zero moment for Swire who had scored earlier in the game. The suspicion is that boss Mortal Joe didn’t have his hand on the tiller for this one, though, so maybe the lack of motivation for his team isn’t much of a shock.
As above, this one was done by the end of the first leg, with just dotting and crossing of letters for the return. That was another 3-0 to the Widows as once again Dublin played with no subs named.

Two sides closer in league level clashed when Erbil took on Cicada WFC of Division 5, one tier lower than Jdsx’s side.
The match was as tight as they would imply, with just one scoring opportunity for Erbil in the opening half. The first chance of the second period was a direct free-kick for the visitors, and in what may prove a major moment for the tie overall, they scored it. Sandra Brundin responded with a long range shot after 58 minutes but that was as much as Erbil could gather in this match. It leaves them with work to do in the return.
And a goal to score, as otherwise away goals were going against Erbil. As such, going 1-0 down on the night as they did in the 24th minute didn’t change the situation all that much (the scorer, for the record, was former Drakaina youth Adonia Panagoulis); register or go out. The crucial action happened in the 62nd minute, Sandra Brundin firing in a direct free-kick.
And with that, the dynamic of the match changed completely. Now Erbil would be in complete charge with another goal, as away goals would tip in their favour. Pressure and chances began to flow, but nothing was managed before the end of normal time. But it was seconds into the extra half hour, Caroline Hinton firing home.
There was nearly another a minute from full-time, but Rosaline Sharpe’s effort was disallowed. Not that it would have made any material difference if it had stood, Erbil were already nailed on to progress to Round 3. Their opponents in that will be As Ninfas of Division 4n, i.e. the same tier as Erbil now operate in. The first leg is at the Erbil Arena.

Another fifth against sixth tier clash with the lower ranking side in the leagues as the higher seed in the Cup was Coxy Ladies Wulpen’s encounters with Gregorys Girls of Division 4.
The first leg was in Cumbernauld, but it was the Flemish visitors who took the game but the scruff of the neck. The Waders were the better side in the opening half without reward, so stepped it up even further after the break. That was enough for a breakthrough, two of them in fact as Alicia Leclercq and Noémie Kerckhoeven struck within three minutes of each other early in the second period.
That put Janik’s side well in command for the return leg at the Curlew’s Nest.
A solid performance was all that was required to turn the advantage into progress, and that is exactly what The Waders delivered. They didn’t allow Gregorys a single shot in the match, and even managed to carry their own attacking threat, young starlet Jessica Kabasele opening the scoring on 18 minutes and Zoe Leroy wrapping things up with a 79th minute direct free-kick.
That sent Coxy Ladies through to a Round 3 meeting with Division 3a side Dalens IF. The first encounter will be on Flanders fields.

Religion against superstition was the dynamic when Kanjeng Ratu Kidul WFC took on woo merchants Harmonic Convergence.
The hosts usually perform their rituals in Division 6, and for 45 minutes The Sea Goddesses were unable to unpick the ‘mysterie’s they were presented with. It was only during the second half that SeanoftheShed’s side concluded that their opponents were fronting on nothing and from that point on things were much less serene in the Convergence defence.
Pressure and chances turned into goals for The Sea Spirits in the final quarter of the match, first Leila Azeite firing home a direct free-kick on 69 minutes and then setting up Adèle Pailloux to add to that on 76. Injury forced Kanjeng to finish the game with only 10 players, Tyan Borot picking up a 10-day knock, but by then it was already stoppage time so no scoreline damage was done.
Harmonic Convergence would need something more effective than special crystals to get anything from the match at Merapi-Kraton-South Sea. Sadly for them that (and the hope for self-limiting conditions) were all they had to offer. The outcome was inevitable...
The details were two first half strikes by Diksha Dalmiya, on 24 and 41 minutes respectively, a header from a corner by Thao-Ap Luangpruksachat on 72 and a penalty four minutes after that converted by Azeite.
The reward for the Indonesians is two matches against fellow fifth-tier outfit Amazonas FC, who ply their trade in Division 4m.

[Janik]

The worst draw of the round went LNWR Locomotive’s way as they were paired up with top-flight side Championettes, who reached the Semi-Final of the Cup last season.
A curious crowd turned up Mollington Street for the opening leg, eager to see just how good a leading side is and how their own heroines would cope with them. And for 30 minutes, those supporters were perplexed by what Championettes had to offer as The Steamers took charge of the match, creating chances and not exposing Maral Parseghian’s net at all. But on the half-hour what it takes to be top-flight became clear; dive, penalty, away goal.
By now the home players and fans were, well, steaming. They channelled that rage well into an even more attacking second-half performance. But a breakthrough was required, and that needed a special piece of play. Cometh the 51st minute, cometh the Woman, Maja Teigland letting fly from 30 yards and arrowing the ball into the bottom corner of the net for her first goal for Locomotive following her big money closed-season signing (one of three significant investments boss Viktor Boskovic made to strength his side).
Now LNWR were flying along, raining shots on the Championettes goal. And on 85 minutes, glory arrived as Charlotte Nixon’s effort from range flew beyond the visitors impressive ‘keeper to spark wild celebrations in the stands.
Great though that was, it still left the tie very finely balanced ahead of the return at The North Sea. And this time around the Championettes came out firing, raining five first-half attempts at Parseghian’s goal. None of those found the target however, and a major shock was very much on the cards when The Steamers first shot of the day, by Maja Teigland on 47 minutes, did ripple the netting. Sadly, rather than inhibiting Championettes, that seemed to rouse the best as they were level on aggregate less than 10 minutes later following a brace of strikes.
By now all Locomotive were trying to do was hang on for extra-time, and then penalties. They achieved the first stage of that, but the second evaporated when Championettes scored a winner in the 115th minute. Not that Parseghian should blame herself; it’s a rare game when a ‘keeper deals successfully with 12 shots, as she managed here. She and her teammates can be proud of their performance over the two games.

The third Division 3 versus Division 6 encounter of the round saw Solent Sirens attempt to bridge the gap to The Saints.
Despite the respective status, The Sirens were the higher seeds, meaning the opening leg was at the Holy Dome. 20 minutes in and a glance at the away pew would have seen a worried man, Solent boss Andrew7610 finding his side already two down by this stage. However The Sirens stabilised after that, shrugged off the loss of young defender Paulina Lotoft to a 10-day injury on 57 minutes and got themselves right back into the tie with an away goal in the 81st, Simone de Beauvoir crossing (appropriate) for Jin-Ae Hyeong to head home.
That gave The Sirens a legitimate shot when the sides ran out at Mayfield Park. If they could just keep it close and nick a goal... The first part was achieved with a scoreless and mostly chanceless first half. First hour. First 75 minutes. And then, on 80, the second came to fruition as the opening goal was registered. Only problem, it was The Saints who scored it! And that pretty well sealed the result.

Sockford Emollient were also attempting to punch upwards when they took on Blonds FC of Division 2a.
The opening half of the first leg at John Spencer Street was something of a non-event as neither team managed a shot. That wasn’t the case after the break as the game exploded to life. The visitors were the first to register on 51 minutes, Toni Duggan responding for The Gatorsharks eight minutes later. Both sides continued to attack, with the visitors notching again on 75 minutes.
As time ebbed away that looked to be that, but in stoppage time there was one last chance for Sockford when Maci Conrad’s trough ball pierced the Blonds defence. That set pacy midfielder Mellisa Samways clear, and the youngster held her nerve to slide the ball home under the ‘keeper. That gave her side both a more genuine chance in the second leg and also opened Samways career goalscoring tally.
With away goals counting, The Gatorsharks needed to score in the return leg which is a straightforward situation to determine one’s approach. Blonds, meanwhile, were in a stick or twist situation. They handed Sockford the initiative, The Gatorsharks creating a string of first-half chances that culminated in Conrad putting them ahead on aggregate for the first time in the tie when she poked home a 43rd minute corner.
Now the rolls were flipped; Emollient were progressing with no more score, and Blonds had to registered. The hosts were set up to hang on, however. They were not even creating chances. Until the 80th minute, when, with a complete sucker punch, they fired in with their only shot of the game!
Extremely unlucky for the Sockford girls, who gave a seriously good account of themselves in the tie.
Normally the Cup expands teams horizons by pitting them against opponents they wouldn’t ordinarily play competitively. Not so for Viking South Utsira and Gajas Peladas, who share a second tier Division with each other.
The Blood Eagles were the lower seed by one place, so the opening leg took place at Ragnar Rock. It got off to an explosive start, as two Gajas Peladas players scored in the opening six minutes. Fortunately for Viking fans, the first of these (just seconds into the match) saw Miriam Forslind skew the ball into her own net!
Things settled down after this into a pattern when Utsira had less of the ball but more scoring opportunities. But not that many, and not enough for Velvet Android’s side to convert another, which leaves them with work to do in the return leg. Work they got on with rapidly, Birgit Austrheim firing home after a corner kick with just 9 minutes on referee George Buske’s watch. That goal both gave The Blood Eagles the aggregate lead, and cancelled out the away goal they had conceded.
Another and Viking would have been in a very strong position in the tie, but it was the hosts who struck next on 33 minutes to level things up again. Following that Gajas Peladas were the better side, with possession and chances clearly tipped in their favour. It didn’t look like making a difference as time drifted by, the match reaching the last couple of minutes of extra-time still all-square. But then, with penalties looming, the breakthrough came the hosts way to send Viking tumbling out.

Another match between two sides from the same tier, though not the same section of that in this case, pitted Csiki Girls against fellow Division 5 outfit Watergate Bay Surfers.
The Csiki’s were the higher seeds for this one, meaning the opening leg was at Watergate Bay. And they went out to show that they deserved the greater prestige, with a stunning, dominant performance. The Csiki’s were two ahead by the interval (and not flattered by that) thanks to strikes from Julia Bröker on the half-hour and a direct free-kick from Saoirse McInns after 39 minutes.
McInns raced clear to add a third in the 57th, Watergate Bay pulled one back on 67 but the three goal advantage for ad hoc’s side was swiftly restored when Liraz Israca stroked home a penalty five minutes later. It all puts the Csiki’s in an incredibly strong position ahead of the return, as Watergate will need at least four goals to stand any chance of staying in the competition!
It was swiftly clear there was no chance of that happening, as Csiki Girls didn’t even allow Watergate Bay a first half shot at A kertem. Not that the crowd were without entertainment, Carlota Igreja firing the hosts ahead on 26 minutes. The Surfers did register after the break, and probably the only way they were ever going to, from the penalty spot. Even a minor triumph like getting something from the day was to be denied them though, Emelie Gränsmark restoring the hosts advantage on the night on 66 minutes.
That was the end of the scoring as Csiki Girls progress to a Round 3 meeting with ANA S of Division 5:23. The Romanians are once again the higher seeds.


Round 2 draw - first listed teams home in opening leg

Ansvarsfulla Divor (4b)		vs	Drakaina
Erbil				vs	As Ninfas (4n)
Coxy Ladies Wulpen		vs	Dalens IF (3a)
Amazonas FC (4m)		vs	Kanjeng Ratu Kidul WFC	
ANA S (5:23)	vs	Csiki Girls

[Wouter D]

Today in my franchise: played three, chances 8-6, every game lost 0-1 thanks to a free kick in the last ten minutes. Lokomotiv Leiden relegated, Nieuwegein Kneebiters seven points from the promotion spots instead of three, Preston North End's chances of promotion almost definitely down the shitter. Some days this game just actively wants to hurt its players.

[Janik]

Matchday 4 and Season 53 in the X11 Ladies is beginning to take shape.

Division 1a

Viking South Utsira	1 - 4	Global Domination
Deparvada (pen) 81'		Belisha 8'
				Wythe 50'
				Luísa 62'
				Wangberg 67'


Division 3d

Drakaina		1 - 1	FC Sprezzatura
Barry 57'			Steele 66'


Division 4i

Chelsea Ladies FC 	3 - 1	Erbil
Tone 34'			Granå 43'
Minto 55'
Dunderdale 81'

Homemaker Blues 	2 - 2	LNWR Locomotive
Allwood 6'			Zakarian 49'
Lyons 21'			Heart 57'


Division 4k

Beta Andromedae		0 - 2	Kanjeng Ratu Kidul WFC
				Pailloux 43', 79'
Deery (sent off) 34'


Division 5:17

Vila Verde FC 		4 - 3	Coxy Ladies Wulpen
Duvmo 40', 57'			Vandenbergh 19', 85'
Hägerström 81'			Beyen 64'
Arnott (pen) 83'


Division 5:19

Sockford Emollient	1 - 0	Invictus Ladies FC
Reigel 55'
Reigel (missed pen) 77'


Division 5:28

Menywod Maeshafn	4 - 1	Jackie Brown
Narberth 3'			Mandalika 5'
Westerberg 41', 72'
Barker 53'


Division 5:31

Universitatea Cluj 	3 - 0	Csiki Girls
Pianese 21'
Biovica (pen) 41'
Hulin 67'


Division 6:40

ŽFK Partizan Beograd	2 - 1	Ullapool Northern Star
Wickmayer 20'			Kha 90'
Milivojevic 52'


Division 6:43

Solent Sirens		0 - 2	Aveley Ladies F.C
				Strängby 7'
				Purdie 81'


Division 6:44

B and B			5 - 0	Riverbankers WFC
Söderkvist 20', 60'
Nicholson 27'
Pittman 27'
Starkie 52'

A Chain Restuarant	0 - 1	Witches of Chiswick
				Black 88'


Division 6:53

Zeugma Dostluk Spor	1 - 0	Ameixas Pechas
Fetele 65'


Division 6:57

Dublin City WFC		0 - 0	Red Rose Bloody Thorns

Viking South Utsira were not quite living up to their ambitions in a mid-table spot, but at least they didn’t have such a clear discrepancy between their aims and reality as opponents Global Domination.
That said, the visitors were on top in this match from the moment they went ahead in the 8th minute. The Blood Eagles would have still felt in the contest at half-time, but not midway through the second half as three further Global chances led to three more goals against. Velvet Android’s side did register late on, Loba Deparvada converting a penalty, but it was clearly only ever going to be a consolation strike.
Viking slipped into the Division 1a relegation zone following this result. They are one point from safety currently.

Drakaina are flying along following their promotion last term, and faced another side in good form when they took on FC Sprezzatura.
The shirt combination was a bit hard for the spectators as both used the same halved template (a VA special?), with altogether similar colours, The Drgaons being chocolate on the left paired with beige, Sprezzatura opting for blood and white in the same order. It was also hard to tell the teams apart from play, as they both put down solidly strong performances.
Sprezzatura may have argued they were unlucky not to lead at the interval. It was Drakaina who went in front instead on 57 minutes though, Susanna Barry reacting the sharpest to a loose ball after a corner to fire home. The visitors to Delphi were to go away with something however, as they headed in to level less than ten minutes later.
That was the end of the scoring, with Etienne’s side retaining their second place spot in Division 3d due to the spoils being shared. They sit two points behind leaders Pitas FC, and ahead of Sprezzatura on goals scored.

The opposition names the OTF sides in Division 4i faced this week were rather dispiriting, such as Erbil’s opponents Chelsea Ladies FC.
If it had just been the name, well, one might been disappointed at the lack of inspiration but with a pink home kit featuring a playboy bunny image? They are a team it’s really easy to dislike. So I won’t focus much on the match, as Jdsx’s side were on the back foot for most of it. Sabina Granå did get a goal against the run of play just before the interval to see the sides level at the break, but in the end this proved to be just an eddy in the overall flow. It finished 3-1.
Elsewhere LNWR Locomotive were playing Manchester City wannabes and known issue Homemaker Blues. Their manager Dipstick (who probably means his name to be ironic, which it is because it isn’t) has actually cleaned up his act somewhat as his team actually wear activity appropriate clothing these days. The club and ground names still persist, though.
It looked like this was going to be another match to gloss quickly over when the hosts scored twice in the first 21 minutes. However The Steamers dug in to reach the interval at that scoreline, and then pulled one back on 49 minutes when Gayane Zakarian raced clear to finish. That perked up Viktor Boskovic on the sideline, and his antics only grew when Phrigit Heart levelled matters on 8 minutes later.
The rest of the match mostly consisted of Locomotive refusing to budge from what they now had. The Blues had a number of shots to re-take the lead, but couldn’t beat Ahu Gültag for a third time as they were forced to settle for a draw from a game they had had 64% possession and 7-3 chances in. What a terrible pity, my heart bleeds.
That point was enough to lift LNWR off the bottom of the table, but unfortunately not sufficient to take them out of the bottom three as they now sit sixth. Doubly unfortunately one of the sides they did climbed past was Erbil, who sink to seventh! Locomotive are three points from safety (which is represented by the side they stole a point from, which makes it an important draw) and Erbil four away.

Week 4 sent Kanjeng Ratu Kidul WFC to another galaxy, our nearest neighbour to be precise as they took on Beta Andromedae.
The opening half hour was a pretty even affair, but the game changed in the 34th minute when Andromedae’s Ethel Deery was shown a straight red card. That was a complete shock as Deery is not a player known for violence; she had previously seen just three yellows in 65 matches!
Within ten minutes of the dismissal, The Sea Spirits had taken advantage, Adèle Pailloux firing home in the aftermath of a corner.
Any chance the hosts had of recovering the situation disappeared in a three minute spell between the 75th and 80th minutes as they suffered first a serious injury and then another goal for Kanjeng, Pailloux’s second making the game safe for SeanoftheShed’s side.
It was a result that kept The Sea Goddesses second in the Division 4k standings, one point behind leaders Janes Addiction.

Coxy Ladies Wulpen boss Janik vowed “never again” after playing 3-4-3 and being held to a 3-3 draw by a side in the bottom of the table in the previous round of matches. ‘Never’ obviously has a different meaning here, because The Waders lined up in the same formation in their very next league match at Vila Verde FC.
The hosts were pointless and bottom of the Division 5:17 table. Their manager had also been absent for nearly a week, but then turned up a few minutes before the game. This may have been important to what followed. Laetitia Vandenbergh put Coxy Ladies in front after 19 minutes, but as with last week a slew of chances for a second were spurned and the same pattern was locked in after Vila Verde equalised on 40 minutes.
The hosts went 2-1 ahead early in the second-half, Charlotte Beyen levelling for Wulpen on 64 minutes. The decisive time of the match was between the 81st and 83rd minute however as Vila Verde struck twice more. Vandenbergh pulled one back two minutes later, but it was too little too late as The Waders slumped to a defeat that saw them plummet from top spot to fourth in the 5:17 standings.

More sensible management was to be found at John Spencer Street where Sockford Emollient took on Invictus Ladies FC.
The visitors shaded the first half, with The Gatorsharks coming back in to it after the break. So far so that they took the lead on 55 minutes, Leila Reigel firing home a direct free-kick. Reigel could and should have had another from an easier set-piece on 77 minutes, but saw her penalty saved. No matter, it proved enough for Foxy265’s girls, who laid down the performance despite a 6-day injury to defender Patti Pennock around the hour mark.
The win lifted the Framleyshire outfit up to second in the Division 5:19 table.

Menywod Maeshafn were protecting top spot in Division 5:28 when they took on Jackie Brown.
The game got off to an explosive start, young midfielder Edith Narberth putting IsThatcherDeadYet’s side ahead inside 3 minutes, only for Jackie Brown to level pretty well immediately. After this things settled down, and it wasn’t until the 41st minute that any addition was made to the score. That was when Ada Westerberg fired home.
Maeshafn dominated possession before the break and continued to do so afterwards, the pressure forcing a 53rd minute corner from which Katherine Barker headed a third. Westerberg made it four on 72 minutes to allow the Welsh side to cruise through the last knockings.
As the only 100% team in their section, Maeshafn stay top and clear. Their lead is just three points, however.

A clash of two unbeaten sides sent Csiki Girls to Universitatea Cluj.
Both had won one and drawn two of their opening three games, so another sharing of the points seemed probably. And statistically it would have been a decent reflection on a game in which possession and chances were pretty even. Unfortunately for Csiki Girls, that isn’t what panned out as Cluj converted half of their chances, whilst ad hoc’s side couldn’t put any of theirs away, not even late on when injury reduced the hosts to 10. That left the final score a lopsided and rather unfair 3-0.
It was a result that saw the teams switch places in the Division 5:28 table, Csiki Girls dropping down to fourth. They are three points off the play-off spot and two ahead of the relegation zone.

[Janik]

A big one in Division 6:40 saw leaders Ullapool Northern Star make the long trip to play at ŽFK Partizan Beograd.
It was the Serbs who took to the game the best, going 1-0 up midway through the first half and adding a second soon after the break. Ullapool struggled to get anything going prior to the last minute of normal time. However they did set up a brief grandstand finish when Ninorta Kha fired in a direct free-kick at this time, but time wasn’t exactly on their side and ultimately it proved little more than a symbolic act of defiance by delicatemoth’s side.
It wasn’t even enough to preserve the leadership of the Division as Partizan had had a better goal difference before kick-off. They are now +4 ahead, with both sides having a 3-0-1 record. The next best side, Aresnal LFC, are three points further back.

Five points from their opening three games was a decent start for Solent Sirens, as long as they could build on it by winning games like at home to Aveley Ladies F.C.
Sadly that isn’t what happened. Rather than Andrew7610’s side being on the front foot it was their visitors, the Essex side striking a first early and a second late to record a 2-0 win that it was hard to argue they didn’t deserve.
Defeat sent Solent down to fifth in the Division 6:43 table, and more importantly seven points adrift of the top two who both are still at 100%.

There isn’t a lot of joy to be had in Division 6:44 this week thanks to the residue of sexist idiots that still clog up the Xpert Ladies league. Think of them like excrement in a u-bend. One of these was Riverbankers WFC opponent, who I’ve named before but this time I’ve censoring to B and B.
The Bankies slim chances were rendered even more so when manager SouthdownRebel was unable to attend the game (in fact he hasn’t been in since either). This lead to a 5-0 thrashing, and no more needs to be said.
It’s worth spending a little longer on Witches of Chiswick trip to A Chain Restuarant, who are level worse than B and B in their offensiveness.
That is because the game was extremely frustrating for the knob in charge. The Bewitched didn’t create a chance until the 88th minute, but when they did recently signed veteran Eilís Black showed her high skill levels by firing from 35 yards into the bottom corner of the net. The outcome prompted an exasperated growl from the home manager, which he would be better directing at himself, of course.
As for Wiblflibl’s Chiswick side, the win was their second of the season and came despite playing without key defender Ruri Uchida for over a half after she suffered a 12-day injury. The three points lifted The Bewitched up to fourth in the Division 6:44 table, two points behind the side in the play-off place. Riverbankers remain bottom, without a point or a goal though.

Round 4 pitted Zeugma Dostluk Spor against Ameixas Pechas at the Insan Haklari Stadyumu.
It was an very evenly matched affair that always looked like to be decided by one piece of skill or a mistake. Or indeed a dead-ball goal, and it was the later mixed with the first that gave Antepli Ejderha’s charges the win, Asabe Fetele firing a direct free-kick into the top corner on 65 minutes.
That was the only goal as Zeugma moved up to second in the Division 6:53 table, three points behind leaders K2O3 and two ahead of third.

Our final match saw Dublin City WFC take on idiosyncratically named Nigerian side Red Rose Bloody Thorns.
Dublin manager MortalJoe was again absent for this game due to more pressing issues, and indeed like SdR hasn’t been seen at Phoenix Park since, either. In his absence his side had the better of a dull 0-0 draw, with only one chance created in the entire 90 minutes.
Dublin are currently bottom of Division 6:57, with three points from three draws and a defeat. And that without an active manager.

[Auntie Beryl]

Still close at the top of OTF Division 1 with three games to play.

The top two meet next up, with AFC Csiki Monkeys (30pts) away to Zeugmaspor (29).
Third placed Turd Division (27) travel to fifth ranked club Wednesday De La Zouch (25).
In fourth, Locomotive Noj (26) are also on the road, to Nieuweigen Kneebiters (16).
Sixth placed Rock City Ferrets (22) shouldn't rule out promotion either. They're at home to second bottom club Brentford Triangle (12).

[Etienne]

It looks like we'll be down to 36 teams for next season, which would likely lead to 4 divisions of 9, which would mean some messing around with the promotion slots. Obviously if we recruit that would change things.

Only the the top 2 of Division 1 would get promoted.
Only the champions of Division 2 would be promoted
No-one would be promoted from Division 3

All relegations would be honoured.

Unless there was a preference for 3 divisions of 12, or 6 of 6 or going to a pyramid system or something else?

[Wouter D]

6 of 6, two up, two down. Superfast seasons.

[Etienne]

We could do a pyramid 1-2-3.

[Janik]

I personally prefer bigger Divisions to smaller. Anything less than 8 and the season is over much too quickly for my tastes. It makes developing young players too onerous, and injuries too harsh, particularly if it was remain two matches per week. A 17 day injury would mean a player missing half the season!
My preference would be 12 x 3.

[jdsx]

My vote would be 9 x 4. 12 x 3 is too long, and 6 x 6 too short.... although I know it's a bit of a pain to have uneven numbers in the league, especially if you sit out the first/last round....
Btw, would a pyramid not have to be 1-2-4? How does promotion/relegation work with a 1-2-3....?

[Etienne]

Bottom 2 of top division relegated, champions of next tier up. Bottom 3 of each second tier down, top 2 in each bottom tier division promoted.

[Me Old Flower]

I'm OK with 12 x 3 or 9 x 4.


Is it automatically 2 up/2 down for a 9-team division, or can the admin decide?

[nmrfox]

Agree with Janik that 6x6 is too short a season. Don't mind 12x3 but 9x4 would be my preference.

[Etienne]

The admin can decide, Me Old Flower. I'm sure we'd stick with 3.

[Me Old Flower]

Ok thanks.

If I had to choose one then 9 x 4 would be my preference. 3 up/3 down would keep things interesting.

[Sits]

Agree with Janik that 6x6 is too short a season. Don't mind 12x3 but 9x4 would be my preference.

This.

[Hot Orange]

I like the longer seasons (Hideous won the title in a 24-game season!), so my preference would be 3 x 12, but I appreciate I'm in the minority. 4 x 9 would be OK with me. 6 x 6, not so much.

[Me Old Flower]

Looking back at season 41, we had 52 teams. I suppose its only indicative of the state of X11 in general that leagues seem to be contracting.

That was the Hideous Towns title-winning season

[Etienne]

That's certainly a factor but the contracting numbers on here is the main reason. We used to lose players regularly but there were new people coming along. Recruitment has basically stopped now.

[Janik]

X11 Ladies League Matchday 5.

Division 1a

Gastele 		4 - 1	Viking South Utsira
Wanhainen 19'			T.Klovning 45'
B.Klovning (O.G.) 21'
Rice 36'
Luengo 52'


Division 3d

FC MadKuts Cologne 	1 - 0	Drakaina
Bruni 85'


Division 4i

The Effing Blinders	2 - 0	LNWR Locomotive
Kristjánsdottir (pen) 39'
Palavecino 75'

Erbil			1 - 2	Reject Gender Roles Blues
Besen 36'			Allwood 69'
				Toufiq 80'


Division 4k

Kanjeng Ratu Kidul WFC	1 - 1	Dinner Ladies
Ikmal 32'			Berkeby 10'


Division 5:17

Coxy Ladies Wulpen	4 - 1	Liverpool FCL
Roosens 10'			Westerlund 44'
van Sttenberghe 39'
Vandenbergh 63'
Carey 91'


Division 5:19

Mean Girls 		2 - 1	Sockford Emollient
Jobling 18'			Batistuta 36'
Halliday 45'


Division 5:28

Ricipetti F.C 		0 - 6	Menywod Maeshafn
				Beck 1', 37', 77'
				Westerberg 4', 25'
				Lydell 10'


Division 5:31

Csiki Girls		1 - 1	Real Madrid CFF
Beck 38'			Fortes 20'
				Teale (sent off) 33'


Division 6:40

Soshi FC 		0 - 4	Ullapool Northern Star
				Kha 16'
				Moilanen 20'
				Mair 68'
				Fågelberg (pen) 91'


Division 6:43

Solent Sirens		2 - 1	MSV Duisburg Damen
Hyeong 46'			Milz 6'
Abbiati 88'


Division 6:44

Witches of Chiswick	5 - 0	Riverbankers WFC
Matzuoka 3', 49'
Kurisawa 21'
Black 45'
Suganuma 78'


Division 6:53

Zeugma Dostluk Spor	6 - 1	BW Günthersdorf
Forsyth (pen) 7'		Carlander 56'
Fetele 20', 75'
Bell 23'
Oxenstierna 67'
Kurt 72'


Division 6:57

Dublin City WFC		3 - 1	Killer Queens
Kåmark 12'			Cazeaux 23'
Dunganstown 26'
Isabel Carreto 28'

Coming into playing the league leaders off the back of a heavy defeat is not the situation any team would want to find themselves in, but that is what Viking South Utsira faced when they travelled to Gastele.
In such circumstances a good start is essential, and for 18 minutes that is what The Blood Eagles had. And then Gastele scored twice in three minutes, the second an own goal by Britta Klovning. The hosts added a third later in the half, which ended on a rare high point for the Norwegians when Tyra Klovning fired in her first career goal on the stroke of half-time to reduce arrears.
Any slight hopes that gave Velvet Android’s side of an unlikely turnaround went away again when Gastele restored their three-goal cushion early in the second half. After that it was the hosts who posed the only threat, with good defence needed by Viking to keep things respectable.
Crisis might be too strong a word, but there are definitely serious problems at Ragnar Rock at the moment as VSU now prop up Division 1a.

A side going in the other direction is Drakaina. The Dragons travelled to Germany to take on FC MadKuts Cologne as they looked to continue their push for a second successive promotion.
This would prove to be a very even encounter with next to nothing between the teams. The Greeks had more of the ball, to be expected with 5 in midfield to the hosts 4, but also fewer of the chances. A draw would arguably have been a fair result in the circumstances, but instead Etienne’s side were hit by a late goal to slip to a 1-0 defeat.
That saw The Dragons lose one place in the Division 3d standings. They are now third, three points behind the leaders.

A vital match in the Division 4i bottom three sent LNWR Locomotive to The Effing Blinders.
Neither side had won a match coming into this one, so confidence for both was understandably fragile. The first goal was always likely to be crucial, but what wasn’t needed was a penalty decision that made the one Manchester City received look staid and commonsensical; the ball wasn’t even in The Steamers box when referee Luke Bribe pointed to the spot in the 39th minute!
The Blinders took advantage of their gift, and to be fair to them did merit their interval lead. Would it prompt a second-half fight-back from Viktor Boskovic’s side? Well, not really, because that wouldn’t be inkeeping with the situation. Instead the match went extremely cagey up until the hosts made it 2-0 on 75 minutes.
Also vital for the success of the teams at the bottom was the outcome of Erbil’s game with Reject Gender Roles Blues (n.b. may not be their actual name).
That was because the visitors were the side in fifth, i.e. the team those in the drop zone needed to catch. Erbil desperately needed to close the gap on their visitors, though they suffered a blow as early as the second minute when young defender Roja Ahmedi was helped off with a 7-day injury. Not that her replacement reduced the skill level on show, but it did burn through one of Jdsx’s sub options very early on.
Despite this, Erbil struck first, Tülin Besen heading in in the 36th minute. That was good, but the second half started slipping away from the hosts. They were forced deeper and deeper and succumbed to an equaliser on 69 minutes and then, disastrously, a winner for the Blues with ten minutes to play.
It leaves the 4i table with a very forlorn look, the two OTF sides occupying the bottom two spots without a win between them. Locomotive have two points and are seventh, Erbil one fewer in eighth.

Another stereotype was the opponent for Kanjeng Ratu Kidul WFC as they took on Dinner Ladies.
It would prove to be an extremely tight match. In fact both sides would manage just one shot in the entire 90 minutes. Sadly for The Sea Spirits, their visitors effort after 10 minutes beat Kacey Rust whilst Kanjeng’s own sole opportunity, which fell to Rahma Ikmal just after the half-hour... also resulted in a goal!
SeanoftheShed’s side lost both ground and a place in the Division 4k table as a result of the stalemate to now sit third, three points behind the leaders.

Two weeks of managerial experimentation had left Coxy Ladies Wulpen desperate for a win when they took on Liverpool FCL.
Learning from his errors, Waders manager Janik went ultra-traditional in his formation and personnel choice and was rewarded when Laetitia Roosens headed Wulpen in front on 10 minutes. Eva van Sttenberghe doubly the advantage after 39 minutes, which felt representative of the game to that point. However Liverpool stole one back against the run of play just before half-time.
Given recent experiences the Curlew’s Nest crowd were nervous until Laetitia Vandenbergh re-established the two goal cushion on 63 minutes, Zara Carey adding a fourth in stoppage time that was mere frippery.
The win lifted Coxy Ladies back up to second in the Division 5:17 table, one point adrift of the leaders.

Second and third in Division 5:19 clashed as Sockford Emollient visited Mean Girls.
With just goals scored separating the teams at kick-off, a close battle was expected. And that is what we got, but not an anaemic one. No, this was an open, attacking game with three first half goals. Mean Girls were the first to strike on 18 minutes, but The Gatorsharks responded on 36 when Maci Conrad’s reverse pass sent Alexia Batistuta galloping free. Batistuta finished confidently. However Foxy265’s side wouldn’t be level for long, the hosts edging in front again on the stroke of half-time.
The second half continued the open pattern, with just one difference. A distinct one, though; none of the chances created after the break were converted! That meant Sockford fell to defeat and with it lost their place in the table to Mean Girls. The Gatorsharks now sit third, three points back of second and six behind the 5:19 leaders.

Division 5:28 leaders Menywod Maeshafn travelled to Malta to take on Ricipetti F.C and also maintain their 100% start to the season.
The hopes were already high for IsThatcherDeadYet’s side, but they climbed even more with the realisation that the hosts boss was absent. Maeshafn went for the jugular in commendable fashion, Morgan Beck rattling in the opener within seconds and being three up inside ten minutes via further strikes from Ada Westerberg and Ellinor Lydell.
The match essentially already won, it was just a question of how many. Westerberg made it four on 25 minutes before Beck got her second of the afternoon with 37 on the watch. Beck’s name may by a new one to followers of this column as this was just her second game and first goals in Maeshafn colours following her 750k acquisition and she it’s one she made sure she had a memento of by completing her hattrick in the 77th minute.
Not only do Maeshafn remain top of the 5:28 standings by three points, they also now boast a +8 GD advantage on the side one spot below them. Which is handy.

Two teams with near identical records clashed when Csiki Girls took on Real Madrid CFF.
Both sides came in with a 1-2-1 record as they occupied the spots either side of mid-table in Division 5:31. What would one predict for such a game? Well, how about a 1-1 draw? The visitors were not looking for that as they started well and took a 20th minute lead. However the game changed in the 33rd minute when Madrid’s Elsa Teale was shown a very harsh straight red card for a mundane foul.
Within five minutes Csiki Girls were level, young defender Deb Beck (who had come on as an early sub due to a minor injury) scoring her first career goal after a corner pinballed around the six yard box.
The question for the second half was could the Csiki’s take advantage of the extra player. For most of it the answer was ‘no’, up until stoppage time when Saoirse McInns looked to have won the game for ad hoc’s side. However referee Sten Koll, possibly aware of his earlier error, issued a make-up call by disallowing McInns’ strike.
So it was 1-1 after all, albeit by a circuitous route. It was a result that left Csiki Girls fifth in the Division 5:31 table, just goal difference above the drop zone but also only three points behind second spot.

[Janik]

Ullapool Northern Star were looking to bounce back from dropping their first points of the season when they visited bottom-of-the-table Soshi FC.
The hosts are at a very early stage of their project and have a very young side. This was nowhere near a match for Northern Star’s balanced XI, with the match being one-way traffic from Ninorta Kha’s 16th minute opener (a direct free-kick) onwards. Pia Moilanen made it two four minutes after that, the defender heading in a corner for her first goal for the Scots, Mary-Leslie Mair adding a third midway through the second period.
That appeared to be that as chances dried up for Ullapool (Soshi’s never even started flowing), until ref Wanda Rinn had other ideas as she awarded delcaitemoth’s side an injury-time penalty. Sonja Fågelberg took responsibility and took it easily.
The win and particularly the margin of it kept Star hot on the heels of Division 6:40 leaders Partizan Beograd.

Frustrating results against sides around them was not the ideal preparation for Solent Sirens match against Division 6:43 leaders MSV Duisburg Damen.
What was were the videos of last season’s 5-1 thumping of Duisburg at Mayfield Park that Sirens manager Andrew7610 dug out. Suitably inspired the Solent players went out... and fell 1-0 behind after just 6 minutes! That somewhat knocked them off their stride, as did the 12-day injury to Petra Ulander after 19 minutes.
The sides turned around with the score 1-0 to the visitors, but now Solent’s heads were back on and they were level seconds after the restart, Jin-Ae Hyeong heading home. Now confidence really began to flow and The Sirens made a whole host of chances. But without converting any, which lead to a heart-in-mouth moment when Duisburg had the ball in the home net on 84 minutes. Fortunately it was disallowed, and arguably this benefitted Solent as, suitably scared, they got their own winner four minutes later, Geovana Abbiati finding the top corner from long range.
A different sort of win this time around then, but nonetheless another impressive one. It lifted The Sirens back up to fourth in the table, and also dragged Duisburg to down to second and within four points.

Derby no.1 of the season saw Witches of Chiswick host Riverbankers WFC.
With Bankies boss SouthdownRebel again absent, The Bewitched were strong favourites for the game. And they were soon ahead in spectacular style, Tomiko Matzuoka diving to head in Johanna Herrlin’s 3rd minute corner. Skipper Sarah Altstrand was inches away from adding a second after 8 minutes, her direct free-kick going fractionally wide but Chiswick boss Wiblflibl wouldn’t have long to wait for the insurance goal, Mari Kurisawa driving the ball home from close range on 21 minutes.
Matzuoka put a powerful low shot form distance just wide on 33 minutes, before Eilís Black rounded off a commanding opening half by lobbing Anastasia Myznikova on the stroke of half-time. Another followed swiftly on from the restart, Matzuoka breaking clear and finishing with a well-placed shot.
With the game well and truly won there was a lull until the 74th minute when Pinko Suganuma was sprung clear. Her shot beat Myznikova but came back off the post. Not that Suganuma would have to wait long to get her name on the scoresheet as she volleyed home the fifth just five minutes later.
And that was that for the derby. The win moved The Bewitched up to second in the Division 6:44 table, three points behind the leaders. Riverbankers remain rooted to the bottom of the standings.

Zeugma Dostluk Spor were also strong favourites when a managerless BW Günthersdorf came to the Insan Haklari Stadyumu.
A 7th minute penalty from Rachel Forsyth set Antepli Ejderha’s side on their way, Asabe Fetele and Stacey Bell adding to that to put Zeugma in complete charge by the midpoint of the first half. The home crowd could even afford to laugh off Fetele having an effort weirdly disallowed on 41 minutes.
They were laughing a little less when Günthersdorf pulled one back against the run of play just before the hour mark, until, that is, a spell of three goals in seven minutes put the result beyond doubt and then some. These were netted by Liv Oxenstierna (67 minutes), Latife Kurt (72) and a second of the day for Fetele (75).
Zeugma remain second in the Division 6:53 standings, three points adrift of the leaders.

Last but not least, we come to Dublin City WFC.
The really good news for the Phoenix Park outfit ahead of their game against second-placed Killer Queens was the re-appearance of manager Mortal Joe. The side appeared suitable excited to have the boss back as they took the lead after only 12 minutes play through Veronica Kåmark’s header. Killer Queens levelled on 23 minutes, but this just prompted another level of effort from the hosts, who struck twice more on 26 and 28 minutes through Brady Dunganstown and Ana Isabel Carreto respectively.
In fact, Dublin had scored all three chances they made in the first half, whilst Killer Queens netted one from two. What was needed was some more securing defending if the ‘keepers were having a bad day, and that is exactly what The Dubs produced after the break, limiting Queens to just one more shot though doing so at the expense of any more of their own.
The three already netted were more than enough though as climbed off the bottom of Division 6:57 and up to fifth. Such is the everyone-beat-everyone else nature of this section, plus Dublin’s own refusal to lose even without a guiding hand, they currently stand just here points adrift of the play-off place.