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X11 season 45 - de rigueur Mortis

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    A rare (for the official leagues) OTF derby is under way in the Golden League Cup between Lincolnshire Curly Coats and Auntie Beryl’s Turd Derision. Last night’s first leg at Baston Fen left the tie delicately poised with the Turds grabbing a valuable away goal in a 2-1 win for the Curlies.

    Comment


      Still in the tie, I guess. There's two divisions between the teams, so the odds are stacked against the Turds.

      Comment


        Meanwhile RichardSP has just pipped Etienne’s mighty Suffragette City to his first Human League title, and we head into the close season with four vacancies, including Kev’s, Foxy’s and Andrew7610’s teams.

        Talking of mighty teams, I don’t think I congratulated Sean on the Dandies taking out the OTF.

        Comment


          X11 Ladies Season 55 Matchday 13 report. Lots going on in this one.


          Code:
          Division 2b
          
          Viking South Utsira     2 - 0   Man City Ladies
          B.Kvalvik 53'
          E.Klovning 89'                  Aston (sent off) 73'
          
          
          Division 3d
          
          Chelsea Ladies FC       0 - 2   Drakaina
                                          Sietaridis 13', 29'
          
          
          Division 4j
          
          Coxy Ladies Wulpen      1 - 0   Hibs Ladies
          Vandenbergh 8'
                                          Newton (sent off) 61'
          
          
          Division 4k
          
          Propaganda              1 - 1   Kanjeng Ratu Kidul WFC
          Fjellberg 60'                   Borot 82'
          
          
          Division 5:17
          
          Cicada WFC              3 - 1   Erbil
          Panagoulis 23', 28', 52'        Besen 25'
          
          Kungsholmens FC         0 - 2   LNWR Locomotive
                                          Reisinho 53', 81'
          
          
          Division 5:28
          
          Moe Szyslak Experience  2 - 2   Menywod Maeshafn
          Karakas 62'                     Boye 72'
          Valtonen 74'                    Barker 83'
          
          
          Division 5:31
          
          F.C Dinamo Ladies       1 - 3   Csiki Girls
          Kritboonmalai 92'               Munoz (pen) 19'
                                          Gränsmark 45'
                                          Woozley 68'
          
          
          Division 6:41
          
          Alissa                  0 - 3   Ullapool Northern Star
                                          Fågelberg 16', 29'
                                          Menashi 36'
          
          
          Division 6:45
          
          Solent Sirens           0 - 0   Bombastic Girls
          
          
          Division 6:54
          
          Zeugma Dostluk Spor     0 - 0   BW Günthersdorf
          
          
          Division 6:58
          
          Dublin City WFC         0 - 0   Brisbane Heat
          Viking South Utsira’s position ahead of their game with Man City Ladies was parlous; six points and -10 goal difference from Division 2b safety with two matches to play. The one bit of good news for The Blood Eagles was their controlled their fate in this one – Man City were the side they were chasing.
          The first half was a tense affair. Which is another way of saying basically nothing happened! That changed after the break when Bergljot Kvalvik fired Velvet Android’s side ahead on 53 minutes. The Ragnar Rock crowd dared to hope, particularly after City’s Evelyn Aston was shown a straight red card on 73 minutes.
          That moreorless secured the win, but it also opened up a different pressure on the The Blood Eagles; could they eat into the goal difference margin? Every goal was effectively worth double, as not only did it improve their stats by one, it also reduce the target by the same. One was all Utsira got despite the crowd urging them on, Emilie Klovning firing in from distance on 89 minutes.
          2-0 was good, no doubt, but three or four would have been so much better... As it is VSU are three points and -6 GD adrift on the final day. Plausible, but unlikely, particular the as the side one place above them in sixth are also three points clear and have a very winnable looking game.

          If Viking do go down, they may pass Drakaina on the way, as The Dragons are heavily involved in the battle for the Division 3d play-off spot. Indeed they held that before their penultimate match of the season. This was at unbeaten league leaders Chelsea Ladies FC, though.
          The hosts had already been crowned champions and had let in just four goals all season, which gave an indication of the scale of the task facing Etienne’s side. Motivation is a wonderful thing though, and it was the Greeks who looked the side most likely throughout the game. Indeed Chelsea didn’t even manage a single shot in the 90 minutes...
          Drakaina let off three, and importantly registered with the first two of these. Both were finished by Laria Sietaridis, heading in a Florica Vulturescu cross on 13 minutes and then converting after free-kick specialist Anastasia Shkolnikova (Drakaina’s, um, goalkeeper!) picked her out on 29 minutes. Those goals were comfortably enough to become the first team to topple Chelsea in the league this campaign.
          It was not just the win, but the margin of it that kept Drakaina second in the table ahead of the final week. Their pre-game advantage over third-placed Green Street had only been +3 GD. Green Street won their game 4-0. It’s now +1, though Drakaina have the next breaker having scored more, making it effectively +2. The fourth-placed team, Gazzas Gals started week 13 one point back but were held to a surprise draw by struggling PVFC Ladies.
          That effectively knocked Gazzas out of the play-off running, as they now trail by three points and -8 GD, with a match against Chelsea to finish with. Drakaina could do with another favour from PVFC next week, as they travel to Green Street. The Dragons themselves face fifth-placed MadKuts Cologne, who, fortunately, won their match last week and are now safe from the drop. Two home wins look likely, so it could easily come down to the margin of them...

          What had looked an easy match on paper for Coxy Ladies Wulpen against bottom-of-the-pile Hibs Ladies became less so when the Easter Road side picked up a new manager a week prior to the game (who promptly announced an impending relocation to Croatia).
          Boss Janik was therefore pretty relieved when Laetitia Vandenbergh opened the scoring early on, firing in after 8 minutes play. That put The Waders where they wanted to be, but gave no breathing space. Chances came in a trickle thereafter, but the second goal just wasn’t forthcoming. However Hibs were making no openings themselves, and their chances of doing so significantly reduced on 61 minutes when defender Sara Newton committed a professional foul and was sent off.
          1-0 it finished, which was enough to both keep Coxy Ladies out of the Division 4j relegation zone and also moved them up to fourth in the table, such is the congestion in this part of the table. Wulpen are two points clear of the drop ahead of their final game, but have to expect the team in sixth, Fair Maidens of FISO, to benefit from the similar in-built drag that teams that are bottom of the table but gain a new manager late season experience (i.e. FISO play Hibs!). If FISO win, The Waders will ahve to win their own game with a relegated side, Johnstone Cougars, to stay ahead of them as Wulpen’s goal difference is the worst of those involved. The other two teams involved in the fight to stay up, San Francisco Wet Cats and Kongo BK, face the top two teams. Which sounds tough, but the positions of these two are either absolutely or effectively fixed. Technically both the Wet Cats and Coxy Ladies could catch second-placed Busby Babes, but in reality the goal difference gap is too high (we are looking at double digit turn arounds).

          Another incredibly tight run-in is taking place in Division 4k, with both the automatic promotion and play-off places on the line in this one. Kanjeng Ratu Kidul WFC went into the penultimate week in pole position, but only by a single point from second, two from third and three from fourth. Even the side in fifth, Propaganda were only four points back, even though they were as concerned with pulling away from the drop zone (which they were only three points clear of) as leaping up into promotion contention by winning this one.
          So that was the set up? Could SeanoftheShed’s charges deliver a tricky win to maintain their position? It looked possible but unlikely in a first half when the Sea Spirits didn’t manage a shot but did restrict Propaganda to just one despite the hosts having 57% possession.
          The stats for the second period were more even in terms of amount of ball, but the chances started coming. And these were tipped in the hosts favour as they went ahead on the hour mark. The Sea Goddesses had to dig in and get something from the game and they did just that, Tyan Borot racing clear to level on 82 minutes. That was the limit of the return, though.
          The scramble to check the other results showed that both Rotnäset and Stirling Stalions had won (Rotnäset’s victory meant Propaganda’s point ensured their survival), and that saw Kanjeng slip from top to third; the Indonesians are a point behind new leaders Rotnäset and -1 GD adrift of Stirling. Fourth-placed Flick of the Wrist also won to join Stirling and Kanjeng on 25 points, though their GD at +8 is the worst of the three (Stirling = +12, Kanjeng = +11).
          The final round of games strongly implies Rotnäset will win the league; they hold a one point advantage meaning victory and the title is theirs, and they play the side who sit seventh in the table with just six points all season. The play-off spot is likely to come down to who out of Stirling, Kanjeng and Flick can win their game, and by how much. The Sea Spirits have the best fixture, at bottom of the pile Ambush Ladies. A four or five goal win would put significant pressure on Stirling to run in the goals against relegated Red Dead Heads. That may not be so easy; Red Dead may be down, but they have conceded only 13 goals in the same number of games to date. That margin would also effectively make Flick of the Wrist’s game with Propaganda redundant.

          Comment


            A run of four matches without a win had seen Erbil’s promotion push stutter. That meant Jdsx’s side went into the game at Cicada WFC, who had taken over in the play-off spot, really needing to win.
            Erbil employed intriguing tactics of packing their defence and trying to counter-attack. It sort of worked and sort of didn’t. They were creating chances on the break, but were also giving up openings at their own end. Which all made for a lively game, particularly the burst of three goals in five minutes between the 23rd and 28th minutes.
            In the end it all came down to chance conversion; two of those three quick strikes were by Cicada, Tülin Besen levelling in between. When the hosts added a third on 52 minutes (their forward completing her hattrick), it was toast for Erbil. In the end the visitors got one goal from five chances whilst their hosts netted three from six. And therein was the difference.
            At the other end of the same Division LNWR Locomotive had a must-win game at bottom-of-the-table Kungsholmens FC.
            This was just as open an affair, with chances coming regularly at both ends. The match somehow got to half-time scoreless but didn’t stay that way for long afterwards, Flávia Reisinho turning in a corner on 53 minutes to put The Steamers ahead. The match continued in the same pattern after the goal with Maral Parseghian a busy girl in the Locomotive net. Her efforts were rewarded though when Reisinho headed in another corner on 81 minutes to establish an unassailable lead for Viktor Boskovic’s side.
            Where does that all leave the Division 5:17 table? Well, Erbil are now six points adrift of the play-off place, so can no longer go up. Indeed they are now only three points and +2 GD clear of LNWR, who have climbed to fifth. And as Locomotive are only goal difference ahead of Braguinha in sixth, that puts Erbil just three points above the drop. It’s highly unlikely that Erbil will go down; they play Braguinha on the final day and would have to lose 4-0 to drop behind their opponents. They could do LNWR a favour by winning though, as that would likely keep The Steamers up almost regardless of their result against Cicada. Which is important as Cicada are only two points adrift of leaders 11 de abril, though 11 de abril have a straightforward match they are highly likely to win.

            A lot of complicated scenarios up there. Would we be having similar for Menywod Maeshafn? A win in their match at bottom-placed the Moe Szyslak Experience was essential to setting that up.
            Szyslak may have been last, but they still had a shot at safety making them a dangerous opponent. They have also been hard to beat, with half their matches ending as draws. It’s just wins that the pub outfit were lacking. Not that a win for mine host seemed likely in the opening half as Maeshafn dominated possession and made all the chances.
            That pattern continued after the interval, but the breakthrough, when it came, was a shock as Moe Szyslak went in front against the run of play. Lisha Boye levelled ten minutes later, only for the home side to nick another just two minutes after that. Once again the Welsh side rallied, Katherine Barker getting a second equaliser 11 minutes on.
            The clock read 83 when she managed that, just about long enough to get the winner Maeshafn thoroughly deserved. But didn’t find. An incredibly frustrating day for boss IsThactherDeadYet, made more so when the news that Fossa Delle Leonesse had won their game and therefore increased the gap to the play-off spot to an unbridgeable four points. His side remain third, and will finish either there or fourth.

            Division 5:31 was another with a lot of opening question ahead of the penultimate week of the season. Five points separated leaders MiG31 from fourth placed Gaia Superior, with Csiki Girls right in the mix in second, only trailing MiG31 by -3 GD but also only three points clear of hosts F.C Dinamo Ladies, who sat third.
            A decisive day was in prospect then, with the match at Stefan Cel Mare arguably the biggest one. The Csiki’s got off to a positive start, and went ahead on 19 minutes from the penalty spot. Eleena Munoz took the responsibility and showed she had ice in her veins. There was a scare for ad hoc’s side around ten minutes later when Dinamo had the ball in the net, but this was disallowed which meant Emelie Gränsmark strike on the stroke of half-time doubled the advantage.
            Trudy Woozley added a third midway through the second-half with a direct free-kick and though Dinamo did find the target, this goal came in stoppage time by when it was clearly only a (limited) consolation.
            How important was the win? Big on it’s on, massive when paired with MiG31 unexpectedly being held 0-0 at strugglers The Troachetes. And Gaia Superior likewise playing out a stalemate at another struggler, Atalanta Calcio. It all reduced the promotion picture to a very clear situation. Csiki Girls are top two points clear of MiG31. Everyone else is four points back, and eliminated. And to simplify things further, the two teams met in a winner-takes-all encounter next Tuesday. The Csiki’s win in this one means they only need a draw for the title in that.

            Giving it a bash and hoping for the best was the position that Ullapool Northern Star found themselves in prior to their game at Alissa. Not in terms of the direct opposition, Alissa are zombies struggling at the foot of the table, but regarding the promotion race where Galácticas were only two points distant but highly unlikely to slip up in their remaining games.
            That is exactly what delicatemoth’s charges did. They netted three times across the first half through Sonja Fågelberg twice (16 and 29 minutes) and Sonia Menashi (36). However, given the essentially empty hope, when first choice ‘keeper Helen Hess took a nasty 14-day knock that will keep her out of the likely promotion play-off, this knocked all enthusiasm out of Northern Star for the task at hand.
            The Scots didn’t create a single goalscoring opportunity after the break, but did pick up three yellow cards in two minutes. One wonders if Sergio Ramos had been running a masterclass somewhere, as all three players were one yellow away from a suspension which will now be served in the final regular season match!
            Technically Ullapool still have a chance of automatic promotion in that. They play a zombie, FC Sbrodj. If they win that and Galácticas lose to Llanos, the title is Northern Star’s. However whilst Llanos might be the best of the zombies, due to finish fifth and having taken a point of a human controlled opponent this season (a draw away at Ansioliticas), they are deeply unlikely to beat a Galácticas side yet to concede a goal this campaign and whose only dropped points were against delicatemoth and co.
            Indeed, given the suspension problems, Ullapool are arguably more likely to not win on Tuesday. DM has nine 10+ players at her disposal; four of them are either injured or banned, and another two are a yellow away from missing the play-off and may not be risked!

            Andrew7610 has left Solent Sirens and the game in general by the look of it. His former side managed to hold Division 6:45 promotion chasers Bombastic Girls to a 0-0 draw in his absence, as if to show what might have been...

            Zeugma Dostluk Spor haven’t really scored enough goals this season. Was that a slight concern for their fans ahead of the visit of zombies BW Günthersdorf?
            Probably not, but as it turns out it should have been as the team Antepli Ejderha sent out was extremely fresh-faced. The only players 21 or over in the matchday 16 were starters ‘keeper Aisa Rijssel (27) and defender Nuray Karakan (23) and their back-ups on the bench GK Candan Yener (21) and D Felicia Redman (22). Well, the result absolutely didn’t matter, DV was the 100% priority, and given Günthersdorf’s record (played 12, lost 12, scored 0, conceded 45) the hope was presumably that the kids would be good enough.
            They did run the game, creating six chances across the 90 minutes. The problem was they just didn’t take any of them, newly signed strikers Filomena Biasi and Melia Lyberopoulos (both 17/4) looking tense and tight with the responsibility and turning in grade 3 and 2 performances respectively as the match finished goalless. Erm, oops. Zeugma stay fifth in Division 6:54 and will finish in that spot.

            The penultimate week of the season pitted Dublin City WFC against a Brisbane Heat side that had shown resilience in recent games.
            If manager Mortal Joe had been at Phoenix Park then made Dublin would have had the spark to put a fire under the Heat. But he wasn’t there, and though his side had lots of the ball they lacked a clear plan of how to make the breakthrough. And didn’t do it. At least they kept a clean sheet though.
            Even so, the point effectively ended Dublin’s chances of promotion from Division 6:58 this season. They go into the final day in fourth, only three points adrift of the top two sides but -15 and -16 GD behind. Given Dublin are arguably the best side in this Division they are more like a wild card in the promotion battle, as their final match is against one of the sides separated by just +1 GD...

            Comment


              Two Change Reports so far this week, and not a DJ amongst them.... :-(
              Another one to come for Erbil in the Ladies League on Friday. Hoping for at least one DJ....

              Comment


                One DJ but a lot of flatline from Berkshire Swine.

                Comment


                  X11 Ladies Season 55 Matchday 14 and play-offs report. As another season comes to a close.


                  Code:
                  Division 2b
                  
                  FC Sprezzatura          5 - 1   Viking South Utsira
                  Karlsdottir 1'                  T.Klovning 81'
                  Axén 54'
                  Gilchrist 84'
                  A.Austrheim (O.G.) 87'
                  de Faria 91'
                  
                  
                  Division 3d
                  
                  Drakaina                1 - 2   FC MadKuts Cologne
                  Heggarty 11'                    Bryntze 30'
                                                  Papadopoulos 61'
                  
                  
                  Division 4j
                  
                  Johnstone Cougars       0 - 2   Coxy Ladies Wulpen
                                                  van Sttenberghe 34'
                                                  Wostijn 76'
                  
                  
                  Division 4k
                  
                  Ambush Ladies FC        3 - 1   Kanjeng Ratu Kidul WFC
                  Sykes 4'                        Adèle Pailloux 42'
                  Iñaki 60'
                  Malmborg 74'
                  
                  
                  Division 5:17
                  
                  Braguinha               1 - 2   Erbil
                  Milivojevic 56'                 Sharpe 7'
                                                  Granå (pen) 58'
                  
                  LNWR Locomotive         1 - 1   Cicada WFC
                  Teigland 44'                    Colakovic (pen) 26'
                  
                  
                  Division 5:28
                  
                  Menywod Maeshafn        2 - 2   Tellusdam
                  Beck 11', 51'                   Värelä 7'
                                                  Ahlgren 38'
                  
                  
                  Division 5:31
                  
                  MiG31                   3 - 1   Csiki Girls
                  Klinpraneet 15'                 Igreja 13'
                  Olausson 45'
                  Kearney (pen) 76'
                  
                  
                  Division 6:41
                  
                  Ullapool Northern Star  4 - 0   FC Sbrodj
                  Mair 24', 77, 84'
                  Barkho 34'
                  
                  
                  Division 6:54
                  
                  Dead Poets Society      3 - 0   Zeugma Dostluk Spor
                  Murray 1', 46'
                  Wolf 16'
                  
                  
                  Division 6:58
                  
                  Pretty ladies           2 - 0   Dublin City WFC
                  Râpeanu (pen) 29'
                  Carbrera 92’
                  Could Viking South Utsira end a tough season on a high note at FC Sprezzatura?
                  Conceding in the opening minute wasn’t a good start. The Blood Eagles stabilised somewhat from that, but did fall two behind in the 54th minute. The game wasn’t up though, and when Tyra Klovning steered in in the 81st minute the Viking fans could nurture some hope of a good sign off.
                  That lasted all of three minutes before Sprezzatura extended their advantage again. The next scorer was an Utsira player, but sadly Asta Austrheim put through her own net. And there was still time for one more for the hosts as a forgettable campaign ended, never to be mentioned again.
                  Velvet Android’s side were seventh in the final Division 2b table.

                  The final day of the regular season brought hope for Drakaina, but also a challenge. They not only needed to match play-off rivals Green Street Hooligans result, but also the margin of it as they started their final game against FC MadKuts Cologne clinging on to the Division 3d play-off spot by just +1 GD.
                  Gael Heggarty got The Dragons off to a good start, firing her side ahead on 11 minutes. However rather than free the shackles, this appeared to scare the hosts who began to pass the ball around to no effect, resulting in high possession stats but chances tipped in Cologne’s favour. With the inevitable consequence that the visitors levelled on the half-hour.
                  The half-time news from Green Street (they were winning 2-0) just heaped further pressure on. Drakaina had to win, and might need to win well. Laria Sietaridis thought she had them on the way with a 55 minute strike but when that was disallowed, Cologne scored to go 2-1 up and news broke that Green Street were 3-0 ahead the hosts started to panic.
                  That wasn’t conducive to forcing a way back into the game, which finished 2-1 to see Drakaina miss out at the last. They ended the campaign third in the 3d table.

                  Coxy Ladies Wulpen went into their final match of the campaign two points ahead of the drop, but with a weak goal difference. That meant only a win at Johnstone Cougars could guarantee safety for Janik’s side.
                  The first half was pretty even, with just one goal scored in the 34th minute. The good news for the travelling fans was it was Eva van Sttenberghe who got it. The news from elsewhere emphasised how important the goal was; the two sides directly below The Waders in the mornings table, Kongo BK and Fair Maidens of FISO, were both winning. Indeed at this point the side occupying the last relegation spot were San Francisco Wet Cats, and they had gone into their final game third in the table with an outside shot of the play-offs!
                  Given the action elsewhere, Coxy Ladies knew that anything other than a win would probably be curtains. They set about securing this, and achieved it in the 76th minute when Aurelie Wostijn headed in a corner.
                  As it turned out, all four sides in the drop zone battle all won meaning the team to lose their Division 4j status were FISO. Wulpen ended fourth in the table, level on points with second but only two clear of the drop. It was a tight league, this one.

                  Kanjeng Ratu Kidul WFC were third in the Division 4k standings ahead of their final game at Ambush Ladies FC, but SeanoftheShed’s charges were hopeful despite that.
                  This was because they only trailed second spot by -1 GD, and had a theoretically easier match at a side who were bottom, relegated and without a win all season in the league. Second-placed Stirlign Stallions were also playing a relegated side, but their opponents, Red Dead Heads had 18 points to Ambush’s 3. They even had a technical chance to nab the automatic promotion place, though that was really in leaders Rotnäset BK’s hands.
                  The Sea Spirits were chasing goals therefore. Or thought they were. Up until Ambush, well, Ambushed them, going 1-0 up after just 4 minutes. Adèle Pailloux levelled just before the interval, a score that, at the time, had everything still up in the air. Rotnäset were winning, but only 1-0. And the other two play-off chasing sides were being held.
                  Up to the hour mark things were still on for The Sea Goddesses at least for the play-offs (Rotnäset had added a second by then), but then multiple disasters struck in quick succession. The biggest one was falling 2-1 behind in their own game, but when that was compounded by the news that Stirling were winning as were Flick of the Wrist, that really heaped the pressure on. All that did was make Kanjeng crack, conceding a third on 74 minutes. And that rather summed up their day, as the scorer had only just come on as a sub due to injury!
                  With that, The Sea Spirits chances of promotion had gone. With vague interest they noted Flick went nuts in the remaining time and won 4-0, which was enough to leapfrog them from fourth to second when Stirling conceded a late equaliser. Rotnäset won 4-1 to seal the title. And Kanjeng? They finished fourth.

                  The last relegation place in Division 5:17 was essentially a two way fight. One of the sides involved was LNWR Locomotive, who face a tough last day fixture against a Cicada WFC side that still had outside hopes of automatic promotion, whilst the other was Erbil’s hosts Braguinha. Two other sides were mathematically involved, Erbil themselves in terms of being sucked down and seventh-placed Husmorskolen, but the goal difference swings needed were prohibitive. Really, it came down to Locomotive and Braguinha, who began the day level on 17 points with The Steamers having a +5 GD advantage.
                  The first significant news of the day came from the Braguinha Arena after seven minutes, and it was good for the OTF contingent as Rosaline Sharpe fired Erbil ahead. That meant that when Cicada were awarded a 26th minute penalty that they converted to put themselves ahead and LNWR behind, The Steamers were still outside the drop zone on goal difference.
                  The next major incident was a 7-day injury for young Erbil defender Rose MacFarlane that forced her from the field. That was a long term issue, Maja Teigland’s 44th minute leveller for Viktor Boskovic’s side was of more immediate relevance. That meant, at the interval, Locomotive were one point clear of the drop (opponents Cicada were level on points with leaders 11 de abril, but behind on goal difference).
                  The opening fifteen minutes of the second half were explosive at both ends of the table. Braguinha drew level with Erbil on 56 minutes, which also brought them back on to Locomotive’s shoulder, only for Wanda Rinn to award Erbil a penalty just two minutes later that Sabina Granå tucked away. Meanwhile at the top of the tree, 11 de abril had unexpectedly fallen behind to bottom of the pile Kungsholmens. They swiftly levelled, but the message to Cicada was clear – the automatic spot may still be on.
                  For that, they had to break The Steamers down. Easier said than done. In fact it was the hosts who were pushing for the winner that would make their position completely safe. It could also be secured by a third for Erbil, and Sandra Brundin though she had that on 78 minutes only for Rinn to disagree. No matter, Jdsx’s side were comfortable, and cruised to the win that sealed their own safety and pretty well did so for LNWR.
                  Only a wild late collapse could do for The Steamers now and that wasn’t happening, not even with the loss through injury of the influential Gayane Zakarian on 86 minutes (10 days). No, the game petered out to a draw, much to the joy of the Mollington Street players and faithful. Cicada initially looked glum, but then it turned to head-clutching despair as the news filtered through that Kungsholmens had scored an injury-time winner! If Cicada had won this match, they would have gone up automatically.
                  The final table shows Erbil fourth on 23 points and LNWR fifth on 18.

                  Menywod Maeshafn promotion push, which had looked extremely promising for much of the season, died in the penultimate round of games. That meant IsThatcherDeadYet and co were playing for pride against Tellusdam.
                  The match opened with a quick exchange of goals, the visitors going ahead on 7 minutes before Morgan Beck levelled on 11. Tellusdam edged in front again in the later stages of the first half, but Beck once again drew her side level early in the second. And that is how it finished, with the Maeshafn crowd happy to have had an entertaining afternoon.
                  Their side finished third in Division 5:28.
                  Last edited by Janik; 13-08-2019, 23:01.

                  Comment


                    Good results in the penultimate round of matches meant Csiki Girls had the tie-breaker in the Division 5:31 title decider at MiG31; the hosts needed the win to take the crown, whilst ad hoc’s side would be celebrating with victory or a draw.
                    Carlota Igreja nodded the Csiki’s ahead in the 13th minute, but it wasn’t a lead they held for long, MiG levelling just two minutes later. Would events have been different if the score had remained 0-1 or even 0-0 for rather longer? Who knows. The only run-through we have is the one that happened, and MiG took complete command from here on out. A disallowed goal looked like their dominance of the opening half would go unrewarded, until they stroke legitimately on the stroke of half-time.
                    The Csiki’s managed to get more of a foothold after the break, and did show a bit of threat of stealing the point that would have sent them up. It needed a penalty in the 76th minute to finally end their hopes.
                    Defeat left the Csiki’s play-off bound.

                    Sometimes we just have to do things we know to be futile. That is where delicatemoth and her Ullapool Northern Star found themselves ahead of their final game of the season against FC Sbrodj. The futility being they were only two points behind leaders Galácticas, meaning a win for Ullapool and a Galácticas loss and Star would be champions of Division 6:41. Except Galácticas were never going to lose against the zombie side they were playing.
                    The inevitable had been confirmed for the Minchview crowd as early as the 15 minutes in as news filtered through that their rivals were already 3-0 up. That left the Scots looking for a win to keep their form up ahead of the play-offs. It took a little while to break the deadlock, but following Mary-Leslie Mair’s 24th minute strike goals came at regular intervals. And mostly for Mair, as she finished with a hattrick after further strikes on 77 and 84 minutes. Zebela Barkho got the other one of the day after 34 minutes.
                    Most importantly form was maintained, back-up ‘keeper Sara Verho got 90 minutes under her belt, no injuries were suffered and the two yellow cards Northern Star picked up were for players who could afford them. The preparation for the play-offs was complete, with Ullapool having a very high seeding thanks to their exemplary record of 11-3-0 41-2.

                    Zeugma Dostluk Spor rounded off their season with a tricky match at third-placed side Dead Poets Society.
                    The hosts took the lead in the first minute, and never looked back. They doubled their advantage in the 16th minute, Emily Dickinson teeing up Virginia Woolf and added a third just after the start of the second half. It wasn’t a good day for Antepli Ejderha’s side, who saw newly signed young forward and ex-Drakaina player Melia Lyberopoulos denied DV by being forced off with injury after only 21 minutes and Veronika Kulakova have a consolation goal ruled out late on.
                    Zeugma’s fifth place finish in Division 6:54 was already certain before this match kicked off.

                    For the last time this season Dublin City WFC’s players took the field without boss Mortal Joe at their backs. And this was a tough one – opponents Pretty ladies were desperate not just to win but to win well, as they had started the day top of the Division 6:58 standings, but only by +1 GD!
                    They set about giving Dublin’s bare XI the run around, taking the lead from the spot in the 29th minute. If the hosts thought that would open the floodgates they were to be sorely disappointed as The Dubs held out at 0-1 until deep into stoppage time. That goal had a dramatic effect on the final table, as prior to it Pretty ladies were missing out on the title on goals scored; with it they were champions by +1 GD. It was that tight.
                    One wonders where Dublin might have finished if their boss had had more time to devote to the team. To have finished fourth with him absent much of the time suggests they would have gone extremely close to the title...


                    Code:
                    Play-off for Division 4
                    
                    ZFK Nase Taksi          2 - 1   Csiki Girls
                    Kamo 82'                        Birch 68'
                    Aarnikallio 90'
                    
                    
                    Play-off for Division 5
                    
                    Ullapool Northern Star  4 - 0   Svenska Kyrkans Elva
                    Fågelberg 11'
                    Kha 14'                         Davison (sent off) 84'
                    Menashi 30'
                    Mair 77'
                    The play-off paired Csiki Girls with Division 5:28 side ZFK Nase Taksi.
                    The first half was worrying for ad hoc, as his charges only had 40% of the ball. They survived it goallessly though as Nase Taksi were limited to a single shot. The Macedonians were getting more sighters after the break, but very much against the run of play it was The Csiki’s who took the lead midway through the half, Georgia Birch suddenly bursting first and slotting home her first of the season. Some time to get it.
                    The tide continued to flow relentlessly against the Csiki’s though. Could they stop their castle from being swamped? The first breach came in the 82nd minute when Nase Taksi levelled. And then, as the match entered stoppage time, the inundation was complete with a killer second.
                    The Csiki’s will just have to go one better next time.

                    As the side with the second best record in the play-offs for a Division 5 spot, Ullapool Northern Star were handed a relatively plum draw against Division 6:18 outfit Svenska Kyrkans Elva.
                    Would delicatemoth’s side make the most of it? Two goals in the opening fifteen minutes from Sonja Fågelberg and Ninorta Kha was a damn fine start! Sonia Menashi then added a third on the half hour to put Ullapool into an extremely strong position.
                    Three goals from four first half chances was excellent going. But also key was zero opportunities given up, what with back-up goalie Sara Verho playing. And looking solid enough, but she is not of the same class as first-choice Helen Hess. Northern Star continued to keep Kyrkans Elva at arm’s length in the second period, and even added a fourth through Mary-Leslie Mair after 77 minutes. The final confirmation of promotion came when Svenska's Tasha Davison was shown a second yellow card after 84 minutes.
                    Division 5 it is for Ullapool, who look well ready for it after two good seasons at this level.

                    Comment


                      Shearers-hairline Team: 2nd class citizens 2019-08-12 23:20
                      Anyone remember that manager a few seasons back who pretty much reported every team name that even remotely mentioned women!

                      I still got prozzies through
                      ​​​​​​
                      Proud of being sexist etc. Those delights return to the Xpert Ladies in the scribble with one manager again stirring up shite.

                      Comment


                        Pond life.

                        Comment


                          Originally posted by Sits View Post
                          Pond life.
                          I wish they were as educated and intelligent as that Sits. It's the pride in being an absolute shitbag that really gets me. If Roberto makes a comment I'll call him out, if not I'll leave it.

                          Comment


                            A slightly depleted OTF crew for Season 56 of the official Xpert 11 Ladies Leagues, Mortal Joe being the latest departure from Dublin City. That leaves just ten of us facing the campaign to come. Starting with the Cup, as per.


                            Round 1 draw - first listed teams home in opening leg
                            Code:
                            Alissa (6:47)                vs   Viking South Utsira
                            Braguinha (6:33)             vs   Drakaina
                            FC.Bayern Mädchen (6:62)     vs   Coxy Ladies Wulpen
                            Calibras Superkickers (6:27) vs   Csiki Girls
                            Port Lam (6:37)              vs   Kanjeng Ratu Kidul WFC
                            Royal Ladies FC (6:48)       vs   Erbil
                            AC Sparta (5:15)             vs   Zeugma Dostluk Spor
                            Starlight Ladies (6:48)      vs   LNWR Locomotive
                            Tartan Tawties FC (6:55)     vs   Menywod Maeshafn
                            Ullapool Northern Star       vs   Liverpool FCL (6:37)

                            Most of our sides are the higher seeds, and most will play Division 6 opponents. Just a couple of exceptions to this, in fact.
                            But let’s start with one of the likely mismatches, Viking South Utsira taking on Alissa of Division 6:37. A chance for The Blood Eagles to reset, there.
                            Drakaina also have a very straightforward opener against one of Erbil/LNWR Locomotive’s foes from last season in Braguinha, who are now in Division 6:33.
                            From the coast of Flanders to the capital of Bavaria for Coxy Ladies Wulpen as they head off to FC.Bayern Mädchen of Division 6:62 for their opening leg.
                            Csiki Girls also face bottom tier opponents away first when they take on Calibras Superkickers of Division 6:27.
                            Kanjeng Ratu Kidul WFC take on opponents from two tiers below themselves when they head to Division 6:37 side Port Lam this Saturday.
                            Only one tier separates Erbil from their hosts this weekend, Royal Ladies FC of Division 6:48. I still make Erbil huge favourites, though.
                            The only non-Division 6 opponent of the round goes to the only OTF side in the bottom tier themselves, Zeugma Dostluk Spor having landed AC Sparta of Division 5:15. And that despite Zeugma being the higher seed, which means they play away in the first leg.
                            Back to the familiar with LNWR Locomotive off to Starlight Ladies of Division 6:48 for their first competitive match of the season.
                            Likewise for Menywod Maeshafn who face Tartan Tawties FC, though this side are now in Division 6:55 and under new management; their glory days were a while ago now.
                            And finally, the only OTF side to open the season at home will be Ullapool Northern Star. Despite the lower seeding, Ullapool will be favourites and looking to pull Divisional rank when they take on Liverpool FCL of Division 6:37.

                            Comment


                              Thanks Janik. I've seen my draw, it's tough as they are a stronger team but let's see if a million econs helps.

                              I'm in development mode as I was unable to stay up last time. Should be interesting as I'm only ranked 7th.

                              Comment


                                X11 Ladies Season 56 Matchday 1. Here we go again...


                                Code:
                                Division 3d
                                
                                Careerwoman Blues       2 - 4   Drakaina
                                Myhren 45'                      Gitsis 33'
                                Fleetwood 86'                   Atum 54'
                                                                Barry 71', 80'
                                
                                Viking South Utsira     0 - 0   Gazzas Gals
                                
                                
                                Division 4j
                                
                                Merched Efo Peli        3 - 1   Coxy Ladies Wulpen
                                Giggs 19'                       Beyen 82'
                                Roberts 44'
                                Blythe 70'
                                
                                
                                Division 4k
                                
                                Kanjeng Ratu Kidul WFC  1 - 1   Bethanys Binos
                                Pitoyo 75'                      Elliston 71'
                                
                                
                                Division 5:17
                                
                                Erbil                   2 - 0   The White Winners
                                Brundin 67'
                                Sharpe 80'
                                
                                Slytherin LFC           2 - 3   LNWR Locomotive
                                Fung Zhuang 22', 76'            Teigland 63', 63'
                                                                Nixon 89'
                                
                                
                                Division 5:19
                                
                                Ullapool Northern Star  0 - 2   Annie Power
                                                                Eavis 33'
                                                                Direito 47'
                                
                                
                                Division 5:27
                                
                                Menywod Maeshafn        1 - 1   Empire Of The Sun
                                Barker 84'                      Michaelis 2'
                                
                                
                                Division 5:31
                                
                                The Girls Dream Team    0 - 7   Csiki Girls
                                                                McInns 4', 29', 34'
                                                                Woozley (pen) 19'
                                                                Granheim 25'
                                                                Neaves 70', 78'
                                
                                
                                Division 6:54
                                
                                Haruhiists              2 - 3   Zeugma Dostluk Spor
                                Tacconi 30'                     Lyberopoulos 43'
                                Lillo 50'                       Forsyth (pen) 76'
                                                                Kurt 84'
                                Drakaina opened their campaign away at Careerwoman Blues, which may not be exactly what the Dipstick in charge (who does at least score points for self-awareness) calls them.
                                The Dragons had the better of the first half and looked like holding an interval lead following Elena Gitsis’ 33rd minute effort, only to be pegged back on the stroke of half-time. No matter as Silvia Atum restored Etienne’s side’s advantage in the 54th minute and Susanna Barry extended it with further strikes on 71 and 80 minutes.
                                The home side reduced their arrears with 86 on the clock, but by that stage Drakaina were far too far clear to be caught.
                                The Dragons have been joined in Division 3d this season by Viking South Utsira, who opened up at home to Gazzas Gals.
                                This was a very even affair with little to chose between the sides. It wasn’t dull, there were chances but neither The Blood Eagles nor their visitors could fashion a breakthrough. There was one scare for Velvet Android’s side when the Gals had the ball in the net on 56 minutes, but referee George Buske was not satisfied so it remained goalless. Which is how it stayed until the end.

                                Having narrowly stayed up last season, Coxy Ladies Wulpen were hoping for a quick start to the campaign in their opening match at Merched Efo Peli.
                                Safe to say that didn’t happen! The hosts went ahead on 19 minutes, with Janik’s side having a ray of hope with a 35th minute leveller extinguished by referee Ian Hartman. Efo Peli built on this let off, doubling their advantage just before the interval and adding a third on 70 minutes. The Waders got a consolation through Charlotte Beyen eight minutes from time, but will have to perform better if they want to do anything other than battle to survive in Division 4j.

                                Kanjeng Ratu Kidul WFC were also looking for a good start against Bethanys Binos as phase one of a promotion push from Division 4k.
                                The Sea Spirits struggled to get going however as it was the Binos creating the majority of the chances. When the visitors took the lead in the 71st minute it had been coming. However Kanjeng were not willing to go down so easily, and levelled four minutes later through Andrin Pitoyo. That was the defenders first career goal, in what was her 91st appearance for SeanoftheShed’s side. It also secured a point to start the season off, which in the circumstances was acceptable.

                                For the second season in a row Division 5:17 has two OTF sides in it. One of these was Erbil who started against The White... er how is that name allowed? Not sexist that I can see, just foul mouthed.
                                Anyway, against a side with some sort of association to Game of Thrones, I believe [I’ve never seen a minute of that show, so forgive me for completely ignoring any further references to it]. Jdsx’s side were not particularly bothered by these links either, controlling the game as if they were playing a standard Football team that weren’t quite as good as them.
                                Pressure and patience was rewarded with two goals in the final quarter, Sandra Brundin putting Erbil in front with a direct free-kick on 67 minutes and Rosaline Sharpe heading a second from a corner thirteen minutes later.
                                The other team in this league is LNWR Locomotive of course. They were on the road (rails?) for their opening match as they travelled to Slytherin LFC. Based on this clubs ground name, that is a Harry Potter reference. Again, nope.
                                The hosts had the better of the first half taking the lead midway through it. That advantage survived to half-time after Maja Teigland had a goal disallowed but didn’t survive much past the hour before Teigland made up for that decision by hammering home a corner.
                                By now The Steamers were well on top and looked much the more likely to get a winner. However they were hit by a sucker punch as Slytherin scored again on 76 minutes. Viktor Boskovic’s side were not behind for long though, Teigland levelling again just two minutes later. And this time they managed to hold it all square up until Charlotte Nixon put them ahead on the day for the first time in the 89th minute. Late, but decisive.

                                Ullapool Northern Star kicked off their Division 5:19 campaign at home to fellow promoted outfit Annie Power.
                                This proved to be a tough introduction to the higher level for Delicatemoth’s side as Annie Power look like a squad that has had the handbrake taken off and will rocket up the leagues. Northern Star gave a good account of themselves but were ultimately beaten 2-0. There will be more tractable matches in future weeks for the Scots.

                                Late season struggles cost Menywod Maeshafn a good promotion chance last season. They were looking to banish memories of that when they kicked this campaign off versus Empire Of The Sun.
                                Falling behind inside two minutes would not have been the course manager IsThatcherDeadYet recommended but that is what his players did. Recovery from this was gradual, the Welsh side having more and more ball as the match progressed. Chances were coming at both ends despite the shift to home possessional dominance, but only one more goal was to be had even with all these opening. That went to Maeshafn on 84 minutes, Katherine Barker finishing off a free-kick routine.
                                A decent enough point to start their push for the Division 5:27 title.

                                Csiki Girls were even closer to going up last term, making the play-offs. A defeat in the final however meant ad hoc’s side were kicking off in Division 5:31 again when they made their way to The Girls Dream Team.
                                ‘Girls’ in this case is operative as this is a side in extreme rebuilding mode, with only one player out of her teenaged years (and she is only 20). The result in this game was painful, as Csiki Girls waltzed through at will. Women against Girls, if you like. Saoirse McInns struck home a free-kick for the first on 4 minutes and Trudy Woozley knocked in from the spot to make it two on 19. Elly Granheim added a third before two more from McInns gave her a first half hattrick.
                                Robin Neaves was the only player to register after the break. She got two on 70 and 78 minutes to make the final score 7-0 to the away side. I’ll save tougher challenges lay ahead, but one of the other games in this section also finished 6-0 against an active manager!

                                Our only representative in the seventh tier this season is Zeugma Dostluk Spor, who once again take on all comers in Division 6:54. The first of these was tackling Haruhiists on their own turf.
                                Zeugma shaded the opening half in possession and chances, but found themselves trailing to a goal on the half-hour. That was how things stayed until two minutes from half-time when ex-Drakaina youngster Melia Lyberopoulos rose highest to head home a corner that drew her side level and also registered her first ever goal in senior football.
                                Could Antepli Ejderha’s side kick on from there? Er, no, instead they fell behind again in the 50th minute! Once again, however, it was Zeugma making more of the play and this was rewarded when Al Beback pointed to the spot on 76 minutes, Rachel Forsyth doing the honours. This time the Anatolians didn’t ship another, instead Latife Kurt putting them ahead for the first time in the match with six minutes to play. It finished 3-2.

                                Comment


                                  The official Ladies League Cup creaks into action again for the 56th time (or so I assume, Season 56 certainly).


                                  Code:
                                  Alissa                  0 - 6   Viking South Utsira
                                                                  B.Kvalvik 3', 63'
                                                                  L.Hovland 15
                                                                  T.Klovning 22'
                                                                  Y.Klovning 26'
                                                                  B.Austrheim (pen) 59'
                                  
                                  Viking South Utsira     7 - 0   Alissa
                                  B.Austrheim 4'
                                  U.Klovning 8'                   Dubovská (sent off) 86'
                                  K.Hovland 13', 54'
                                  Y.Hovland 26'
                                  T.Kvalvik 37'
                                  Y.Austrheim 66'
                                  
                                  Utsira win 13-0 on aggregate
                                  
                                  
                                  Braguinha               0 - 2   Drakaina
                                                                  Heggarty 57', 79'
                                  
                                  Drakaina                4 - 0   Braguinha
                                  Petit 19', 32', 51'
                                  Beattie 46'
                                  
                                  Drakaina win 6-0 on aggregate
                                  
                                  
                                  
                                  FC.Bayern Mädchen       0 - 3   Coxy Ladies Wulpen
                                                                  Vandenbergh 35'
                                                                  van Sttenberghe 42'
                                                                  Wostijn 61'
                                  
                                  Coxy Ladies Wulpen      3 - 0   FC.Bayern Mädchen
                                  van Sttenberghe 23'
                                  Leclercq 29'
                                  Leroy 43'
                                  
                                  Wulpen win 6-0 on aggregate
                                  
                                  
                                  Calibras Superkickers   0 - 1   Csiki Girls
                                                                  McInns 57'
                                  
                                  Csiki Girls             2 - 0   Calibras Superkickers
                                  Neaves 41', 80'
                                  
                                  Csiki Girls win 3-0 on aggregate
                                  
                                  
                                  Port Lam                0 - 3   Kanjeng Ratu Kidul WFC
                                                                  Pailloux 4'
                                                                  Kastanya 15'
                                                                  Ikmal 65'
                                  
                                  Kanjeng Ratu Kidul WFC  5 - 0   Port Lam
                                  Adèle Pailloux 8', 52'
                                  Ratna Saptahadi 29', 60'
                                  Luangpruksachat 82'
                                  
                                  Kanjeng win 8-0 on aggregate
                                  
                                  
                                  
                                  Royal Ladies FC         0 - 3   Erbil
                                                                  Granå (pen) 15'
                                  Hellström (missed pen) 74'      Brundin 81'
                                                                  MacClune 83'
                                  
                                  Erbil                   3 - 0   Royal Ladies FC
                                  Isaac 15'
                                  Brundin 41'
                                  Bullock 87'
                                  
                                  Erbil win 6-0 on aggregate
                                  
                                  
                                  
                                  AC Sparta               1 - 0   Zeugma Dostluk Spor
                                  Cassian 78'
                                  
                                  Zeugma Dostluk Spor     4 - 3   AC Sparta
                                  Kurt 19', 40'                   Benham 21'
                                  Üzülmez 53'                     Coy 66'
                                  Özköylü 72'                     Routhledge 81'
                                  
                                  4-4 on aggregate. Sparta win on the away goals rule
                                  
                                  
                                  
                                  Starlight Ladies        0 - 0   LNWR Locomotive
                                  
                                  LNWR Locomotive         3 - 1   Starlight Ladies
                                  Severinsson 27', 33'            Munter 1'
                                  Charlotte Nixon 46'
                                  
                                   win - on aggregate
                                  
                                  
                                  
                                  Tartan Tawties FC       0 - 4   Menywod Maeshafn
                                                                  Beck 18'
                                                                  Westerberg 36', 47', 66'
                                  
                                  Menywod Maeshafn        1 - 1   Tartan Tawties FC
                                  Boye 45'                        Brolin 90'
                                  Barker (sent off) 93'
                                  
                                  Maeshafn win 5-1 on aggregate
                                  
                                  
                                  
                                  Ullapool Northern Star  2 - 0   Liverpool FCL
                                  Kha 81'
                                  Mouatt 87'
                                  
                                  Liverpool FCL           4 - 4   Ullapool Northern Star
                                  Hicks 16', 60'                  Lovell 9'
                                  Hamshaw 65'                     Menashi 28', 40'
                                  Denslow 77'                     Mair 57'
                                                                  Elliott (sent off) 71'
                                  
                                  Ullapool win 6-4 on aggregate
                                  Viking South Utsira season opened with a turkey shoot against Division 6 zombies Alissa.
                                  The only really memorable moment of a 6-0 away opening leg win was a first senior goal for midfielder Yasmine Klovning. That came in the 26th minute and made the score 4-0 after earlier strikes from Bergljot Kvalvik, Lina Hovland and Tyra Klovning. Birgit Austrheim ensured that family name was also on the scoresheet by dinking home a 59th minute penalty, Kvalvik getting her second of the day soon after as The Blood Eagles declared.
                                  The second leg was obviously an absolute formality. There were stil players determined though, such as Birgit Austrheim who shrugged off a first minute minor knock to open the scoring three minutes later. By the interval it was five, the most notable of which was the fourth netted by Ylva Hovland, for her first ever strike. The other scorers were Ulrikke Klovning, Kristin Hovland and Tove Kvalvik.
                                  Kristin Hovland got her second of the day after the break, Yulia Austrheim made it seven on the night and Alissa’s Želmíra Dubovská got herself pointless sent off late on for a second booking.
                                  Velvet Android’s side will face a tougher test in R2 when they take on Edelweiß Salzburg of Division 5:14. The first leg is in Austria.

                                  A slightly tougher match awaited Viking’s divisional rivals this term, Drakaina, who took an actively managed but still Division 6 side in Braguinha.
                                  The Dragons dominated the match in possessional terms, but found chances hard to come by as their hosts proved defensively resilient. The breakthrough finally came for Etienne’s side in the 57th minute when Gael Heggarty crashed home from range. The same player added a second from closer in on 79 minutes to ensure a very significant but not utterly decisive lead was taken back to Greece.
                                  No slip-ups would have been the called ahead of the return in Delphi. There was absolutely no sign of one either, as The Dragons cruised through. Four more goals were added to the scoreline, three of them by Sandrine Petit (19, 32 and 51 minutes). Roseanne Beattie also got her name on the scoresheet just after half-time as the Greek side eased through to the next stage.
                                  There they will play another bottom tier opponent, Götheborg Valkyries of Division 6:13. The first leg is in Sweden.

                                  Another side with an active manager to take on were Coxy Ladies Wulpen, who went to FC.Bayern Mädchen of Division 6.
                                  A strong opening half saw The Waders open up a 2-0 lead thanks to strikes from Laetitia Vandenbergh on 35 minutes and Eva van Sttenberghe after 42. The Bavarians stepped it up somewhat after the break to the point where Wulpen actually had fewer shots in this period than their hosts. However it was Janik’s side who got the game’s only other goal, Aurelie Wostijn steering home just after the hour.
                                  The same ‘concentration’ message was passed on to Coxy Ladies players ahead of their return game, and was taken on board equally well. van Sttenberghe got her second of the tie on 23 minutes, Alicia Leclercq headed second on the night on 29 minutes and Zoe Leroy scored directly from a free-kick before half-time to complete the job.
                                  Next up for Wulpen are Skills and Beauty FC of Division 5:28. The Waders are away first up.

                                  Csiki Girls also found themselves taking on a Division 6 outfit with a proper manager when they headed to Calibras Superkickers.
                                  And again this match was all The Csiki’s, but without totally sinking their opponents chances. Ad hoc’s side got a glimpse of the net five times, but only found the target once Saoirse McInns heading home on 57 minutes. A narrow lead, but if the Superkickers don’t commit more to the attack in the return game (they didn’t have a shot in this one!), it’s going to prove a decisive advantage.
                                  They didn’t. Zero shots in the tie for Calibras meant McInns goal would have done it, but just to make sure Robin Neaves scored one towards the end each half. That added a good margin to the final total.
                                  Next up for the Csiki’s are FC Sanda by the Ocean. Despite the Transylvanians being the higher seeds (so away from home first), Sanda are actually further up the pyramid in Division 4b.

                                  Kanjeng Ratu Kidul WFC opened up at Port Lam of Division 6.
                                  The Sea Spirits were soon two to the good, Adèle Pailloux and Yuli Kastanya striking within the opening quarter hour. Kastanya goal was the first of the young defender’s career. After this SeanoftheShed’s side dropped into cruise mode, only adding one further goal to their total, Rahma Ikmal finishing off a free-kick routine on 65 minutes.
                                  The chances of the return being anything other than a wrapping up exercise vanished when Pailloux made it 1-0 after just 8 minutes. She added another on 52, but overall this would be a day to forget for the rather injury-prone forward as she picked up the worst knock of her career (26 days!) just after the hour mark.
                                  The score was 4-0 by this stage, young forward Ratna Saptahadi marking her second ever game with a brace of strikes. The blow of losing a player to such a bad knock meant The Sea Goddessess could only raise their spirits once thereafter, Thao-Ap Luangpruksachat finding the net inside the final ten minutes.
                                  The Indonesians will be at home for the first leg of their R2 encounter with Spicks Killiettes of Division 4j.

                                  Erbil’s Division 6 foes, Royal Ladies FC at least have active management. With that behind them the hosts gave Jdsx’s side a proper game of Football, with possession and chances close to parity. The scoreboard, however, proved another matter.
                                  Sabina Granå got Erbil’s opener from the penalty spot on 15 minutes. That was a lead Erbil held on to despite the loss of defender Sónia Curval to an 8-day injury a few minutes later as ‘keeper Jun Kinniyaka put a poor performance in a wild 5-4 friendly win against Zeugma Dostluk Spor behind her to turn in a superb, career-best grade 15, display.
                                  Kinniyaka saw of everything she faced but finally looked likely to be beaten when Royal Ladies were awarded a spot kick of their own on 74 minutes. But Kinniyaka was not about to let her clean sheet going, seeing that off as well. This boosted her teammates who swiftly added two more goals through Sandra Brundin (81) and Tessa MacClune (83) to inflict a harsh scoreline on the hosts. MacClune’s strike was the first of her senior career.
                                  Those late goals bent the Royal Ladies spirit, and it snapped when Cattie Isaac headed in a corner after a quarter-of-a-hour of the return match. From here on it was a half-paced affair, but even so Erbil managed to add two more via a Brundin direct free-kick and a header by Sharyn Bullock.
                                  R2 pits Erbil against Division 5:3 club Korsnäs IF. The first leg of this will be in Sweden.

                                  Comment


                                    Which brings us on to Zeugma Dostluk Spor; our only Division 6 side were taking on opponents from the tier above themselves, Division 5 outfit AC Sparta but were doing so as the higher seeds.
                                    That meant the opening leg was away on the road for Antepli Ejderha’s side. It would prove to be a hard fought match with a proper feel to it. Hosts Sparta would argue they shaded it statistically, having 54% possession and four chances to two. They also did so on the scoreboard, netting the games’ only goal on 78 minutes. That score leaves Zeugma with a delicate challenge in the return leg.
                                    Would Zeugma gamble and go for it in the return, or would they try and grind their way to a one goal win and extra-time/penalties? Would Sparta heed the wake-up call from the opening leg? The answers to both were clear from how the match would progress...
                                    The first half was a wild, end-to-end affair with 11 chances created. And these were split as equally as possible, 6-5 to the home side. With such a wide open game came inevitable goals. Latife Kurt got the first on 19 minutes, and though Sparta equalised, a further strike from Kurt had Zeugma 2-1 up at the interval.
                                    That was level on aggregate but behind on away goals. Another was needed. And found when Ceyda Üzülmez broke away in the 53rd minute. Now the pressure was really on the visitors. They responded by dragging the tie back to all-square on aggregate and themselves ahead on away goals with a strike in the 66th minute.
                                    Zeugma were not done though, Suzan Özköylü becoming the latest player to race clear as she made it 4-2 on the night in the 72nd minute; once again, Zeugma were the side going through. There was one more twist however as Sparta turned things on their head once again with a goal on 81.
                                    This time there was to be no more advance of the score. 4-4 on aggregate it finished, but Sparta had three away goals to Zeugma’s zero so they progress. Very encouraging signs mind, and an exit with heads held very high.

                                    Back to the standard fare for out next tie as LNWR Locomotive took on Division 6’s Starlight Ladies.
                                    What to say about the first leg at the Starlight Ladies Stadium? Er, not much as basically nothing happened! The Steamers did have a couple of second-half shots, but the major incidents report only had two entries on it, a yellow card for the hosts and a minor injury sub for Locomotive. The player who came on for LNWR at that point was Narcisa Mocãnitã, and she was later voted man-of-the-match, possibly on the grounds that she was the least responsible for the stalemate!
                                    A goalless draw away from home in the opening leg carries a certain risk with it. And that is the home side in the return concede, which will be an away goal that cannot match. If that happens the aggregate draw is always against the higher seeded side. As was the case at Mollington Street within 60 seconds!
                                    The Locomotive fans showed their stoicism by observing that at least their side would know they had to make the game now, as they needed two goals to avoid elimination. And they were right, Tekla Severinsson heading home twice in a few minutes either side of the half-hour mark. Despite the away goal, The Steamers took their half-time cuppa heading through.
                                    It was a bit of a knife-edge situation though. One more was needed for comfort. And this time it was Viktor Boskovic’s side who netted seconds after the start, Charlotte Nixon firing in a direct free-kick. With that Locomotive could close the tie back down again and prepare for Round 2.
                                    The next challenge will be Division 4m side Kappa, the first leg to be held in Wales.

                                    A familiar name in a sad state greeted Menywod Maeshafn when they travelled to Glasgow to take on the shell masquerading as Tartan Tawties FC.
                                    The shambling hosts were no match for Maeshafn, though they did get a break when Ada Westerberg’s ‘opener’ on 13 minutes was disallowed. That meant the honour of the first (and likely decisive for the tie) goal fell to Westerberg’s strike partner Morgan Beck on 18 minutes.
                                    Not that Westerberg was going to be denied her own glory. Not a bit of it. No first goal, well then she’ll have to score a hattrick, won’t she? Strikes on 36, 47 and 66 minutes were good for that as IsThatcherDeadYet’s charges established a winning lead.
                                    The second leg was a formality, and this seemed to affect the hosts play as they ambled through a very average performance. Maeshafn held less than 50% of the ball, though they did create four the games five chances. They also went ahead through Lisha Boye on the stroke of half-time but failing to add to that and then conceding an equaliser in the last minute of normal time appeared to wind up skipper Katherine Barker who picked up one yellow card in the 81st minute and then a second in the 93rd! D’Oh...
                                    Baker’s suspension will be done by the time Maeshafn head to West London to play the opening leg of their R2 match against Division 4i side Q.P.R Ladies.

                                    Our final tie was the only one where the OTF side was the lower seed and therefore at home in the first leg. And that despite Ullapool Northern Star now playing a Division higher than seventh-tier opponents Liverpool FCL.
                                    The tie at Minchview was reasonable hard-fought, but it was always clear who the side higher up the pyramid were. Northern Star had the better of the first half without going ahead, and were still at 0-0 when defender Hellen MacKintosh went down in the 57th minute with a 10-day knock. There was confusion in the Scots defence immediately following this as they tried to re-arrange, something Liverpool took advantage of to put the ball in the net on 59 minutes but fortunately for Delicatemoth and her charges, they didn’t do so legally.
                                    That meant it was still scoreless going into the last ten minutes, when Ullapool got things right. They struck twice in the 81st and 87th minutes, Ninorta Kha firing in a free-kick and Mary-Leslie Mouatt turning home from close range. It finished 2-0, which is a good lead for Star to take with them on the journey down the west coast.
                                    With no away goal conceded in the opening leg, any opening strike for Star at Anfield was worth effectively double. It didn’t take long for this to materialise, Lindsey Lovell firing in after a corner in the 9th minute. Liverpool levelled a few minutes later, only for Sonia Menashi to put her side back in front on the night on 28 minutes and extend it further on 40.
                                    3-1 at the interval was no less than Ullapool deserved from a strong first half display, and when Mary-Leslie Mair raced through to make it 4-1 on 57 minutes a comprehensive win in the match seemed assured, let alone the tie. However, it appeared that Northern Star eased off the gas too far, or maybe Liverpool didn’t understand theirs was a lost cause as the two quick goals pulled things back to 3-4.
                                    Then, on 71 minutes, Ullapool defender Jill Elliott somehow earned herself a straight red card. That was the first card of any colour that Elliott had seen in her 40 game career, and she was so bemused and outraged by it she has protested her way into an extra game’s ban! Oops. Would it be costly for her side’s cup run? Well, no, because to go through Liverpool needed four goals in 20-odd minutes. They only got one, which cost Northern Star victory on the night, but no more than that.
                                    If Round 2 is anything like as lively or close in the overall result then Ullapool will have done extremely well. That is because the draw has pitted them against Odenplan Rovers of *gulp* the top flight. The first leg is at Minchview, naturally enough.


                                    Round 2 draw - first listed teams home in opening leg
                                    Code:
                                    Edelweiß Salzburg (5:14)     vs   Viking South Utsira
                                    Götheborg Valkyries (6:13)   vs   Drakaina
                                    Skills and Beauty FC (5:28)  vs   Coxy Ladies Wulpen
                                    FC Sanda by the Ocean (4b)   vs   Csiki Girls
                                    Kanjeng Ratu Kidul WFC       vs   Spicks Killiettes (4j)
                                    Korsnäs IF (5:3)             vs   Erbil
                                    LNWR Locomotive              vs   Kappa (4m)
                                    Q.P.R Ladies (4i)            vs   Menywod Maeshafn
                                    Ullapool Northern Star       vs   Odenplan Rovers (Xpert Ladies)

                                    Comment


                                      X11 Ladies Season 56 Matchday 2 report.


                                      Code:
                                      Division 3d
                                      
                                      Drakaina                2 - 1   Deportivo Cruz Azul
                                      Heggarty 5'                     Nosworthy 63'
                                      Gitsis 22'
                                      
                                      FC MadKuts Cologne      0 - 2   Viking South Utsira
                                                                      E.Klovning 37'
                                                                      N.Austrheim 78'
                                      
                                      
                                      Division 4j
                                      
                                      Coxy Ladies Wulpen      2 - 0   Busby Babes
                                      Wostijn 25'
                                      van Sttenberghe 80'
                                      
                                      
                                      Division 4k
                                      
                                      Kanjeng Ratu Kidul WFC  0 - 0   Flick of the Wrist
                                      
                                      
                                      Division 5:17
                                      
                                      LNWR Locomotive         1 - 1   SLB Femenino
                                      Reisinho 90'                    Stender 30'
                                      
                                      Stoke City Ladies XI    0 - 3   Erbil
                                                                      Besen 35', 52'
                                                                      Bullock 93'
                                      
                                      
                                      Division 5:19
                                      
                                      Blancos Mágicos         2 - 2   Ullapool Northern Star
                                      Bodin 24'                       Qvarnström 47'
                                      Jack 83'                        Wendel 67'
                                      
                                      
                                      Division 5:27
                                      
                                      Menywod Maeshafn        0 - 2   Black Sabbath
                                                                      Rice 1', 76'
                                      
                                      
                                      Division 5:31
                                      
                                      Gaia Superior           1 - 0   Csiki Girls
                                      Gefvert 46'
                                      
                                      
                                      Division 6:54
                                      
                                      Zeugma Dostluk Spor     8 - 0   BW Günthersdorf
                                      Ballester 1'
                                      Özköylü 4', 87'
                                      Kulakova 13', 45'
                                      Bell 54', 58'
                                      Lúcia Lucas 58'
                                      Two teams that had made winning starts to the season clashed at Delphi as Drakaina took on Deportivo Cruz Azul.
                                      The Dragons got off to the perfect start, Gael Heggarty thumping in after a 5th minute corner caused chaos in the Cruz Azul book. Etienne’s side continued to have the upper hand in the opening half, and extended their advantage midway through when a free-kick from goalkeeper Anastasia Shkolnikova made it all the way through to Elena Gitsis to finish. Route one.
                                      If a second Heggarty early in a half had counted, it would have been a cruise from there on for the Greeks but her 48th minute effort was ruled out and the visitors came back into it, cutting the deficit midway through the second period and having other chances to level. They couldn’t find an equaliser though as The Dragons held on for three points.
                                      Also in this section are Viking South Utsira, who were looking to build on an opening day draw as they made their way south and east to take on FC MadKuts Cologne.
                                      The Blood Eagles had the majority of possession in a tight first half, which featured just a single chance. That one opening became a goal however, Emilie Klovning slotting coolly home in the 37th minute. The pattern of play was unchanged after the break, Viking having three-fifths of the ball or thereabouts, creating few chances but taking one of them, Nina Austrheim firing home from a corner with just over ten left on the clock.
                                      That was enough to ensure Velvet Android’s side are up and running for wins in Division 3d. Their four points are enough to have them second in the early standings, as only one team has a perfect six points after winning two from two. And that, of course, is Drakaina. The league table looks good at the moment guys (and virtual girls). Let’s keep it like that.

                                      A comprehensive opening day defeat was not the start Coxy Ladies Wulpen were looking for as they sought to build on last season’s final day survival in the fifth tier. That put extra pressure on their second game against Busby Babes.
                                      Following a cagey opening, the first shot of the day arrived in the 25th minute and it produced the opening goal as Aurelie Wostijn 30 yard blast flashed into the bottom corner. That proved to be somewhat against the run of first half play as it was The Waders only shot compared to three from the Manchester United wannabes. Wulpen did have the edge in possession though, and after the break they began to add chances to that. That created enough pressure for a clinching second on 80 minutes, Eva van Sttenberghe breaking clearly and clipping home.
                                      Wostjin might have had another later on, if ref Constance Paine hadn’t ruled it out. van Sttenberghe took the Man-of-the-Match award, though boss Janik felt the really key performer was ‘keeper Sarah Asselman as the two sides were even on chances but she saw off all five Busby’s efforts.
                                      Coxy Ladies sit third in the nascent Division 4j table.

                                      Two teams with opening day draws to their names met at Merapi-Kraton-South Sea as Kanjeng Ratu Kidul WFC welcomed Flick of the Wrist to Indonesia.
                                      The Sea Spirits had much the better of the first half in terms of both possession and chances. However, they failed to score and in fact were grateful to ref Warren Peace for disallowing a visitors effort on the quarter-hour. Kanjeng were less on top after the break as chances were shared two a-piece, none of which were converted. That meant SeanoftheShed’s side had to settle for a draw that was a frustration after their first half performance.
                                      The point left The Sea Goddesses fifth in the Division 4k standings.

                                      Our second two-team Division this season is 5:17, which is where LNWR Locomotive operate this term. A first day win was a good base ahead of their opening home game against SLB Femenino.
                                      This proved a more difficult afternoon for Viktor Boskovic’s side as the visitors started the brighter, having an early strike ruled out by still reaching half-time ahead after a registering on the half-hour. The Steamers picked their level up after the break, but were still staring at a defeat until the final minute of normal time when Flávia Reisinho caught one sweetly from 25 yards out and nearly broke the net.
                                      The other OTF team in 5:17 are Erbil, who faced a trip to Stoke City Ladies XI.
                                      The male residents of the Britannia Stadium are not scaring anyone at the moment, and the same was true for their virtual female counterparts as Erbil bossed this game from the first whistle to the last. Jdsx’s side’s pressure was rewarded when Tülin Besen headed them ahead in the 35th minute. The same player added another following a 52nd minute corner to effectively make the game safe as The Potters didn’t fashion a chance all match.
                                      Besen’s second wasn’t the end of the scoring though, Sharyn Bullock getting that honour as she made it three with virtually the last kick of the game. That made it two wins from two for Erbil, both with clean sheets. They are the only team in this section to have won their opening two, so obviously are top. Only one side has a win and a draw, which is The Steamers of course, making this another league which currently shows an OTF one-two.

                                      Ullapool Northern Star’s introduction to life in Division 5:19 was a harsh one as they fell to a comprehensive defeat against a very strong side. Delicatemoth and team were hoping for a more even match in week 2 as they headed to Blancos Mágicos.
                                      The Northern Star dressing room was a fairly sorry place as the team trooped in at the end of a first half where they found themselves behind after 45 minutes spent mostly on the back foot. However the Ullapool boss rallied her troops and an attacking start to the second period was instantly rewarded as Blancos skipper Sanna Qvarnström was forced to put into her own net.
                                      Twenty minutes later it was 2-1 to the visitors, Vanja Wendel firing in from distance, and the struggles of the opening period felt a lifetime ago. At that point (67 minutes) it felt like the Scots deserved the lead for their flipping of the game pattern. However Blancos responded in kind and levelled themselves on 83 minutes.
                                      That was how it finished, which means Northern Star are off the mark. They still sit seventh in the table, but its early days yet.

                                      Comment


                                        A cross border encounter for week 2 as Menywod Maeshafn welcomed visitors from Birmingham in the guise of, erm, Black Sabbath. Not sure I’ve ever through of them as a Women’s Football team, but there you go. Maybe Ozzy and chums are funding the operation and asking for name recognition in return or something. Or the manager is a metal fan. One of the two [it’s the latter, given his handle is METALAC]
                                        Whatever the background of the visitors, they spelt doom for IsThatcherDeadYet’s side as they controlled the match from the moment they went ahead in the opening minute. Maeshafn didn’t engineer a single chance in the game and fell decisively two behind on 76 minutes.
                                        That left the Welsh side sixth in the early Division 5:27 going.

                                        Following a 7-0 opening win over of Footballing babies, Csiki Girls had what they might consider to be their first ‘proper’ league game of the season at Gaia Superior.
                                        This was a much more even match, with nothing to separate the teams at the interval. That changed seconds after the break, and sadly for Ad Hoc’s charges it was Gaia Superior who netted the goal. The Csiki’s did have one chance to level in the remaining time but this went begging as they skipped to a narrow defeat. They’ll get Gaia in the return match, I’m sure.
                                        One win and one loss has The Csiki’s fourth in the Division 5:31 ladder. On a side note, I may be unfairly underplaying that week one loss – The Girls Dream Team’s game in week 2 was only 0-1, and their opposition were actively managed. 7-0 may be a rarity against them after all.

                                        Zeugma Dostluk Spor were expecting to back up an opening day win when they welcomed perennial strugglers BW Günthersdorf to the Insan Haklari Stadyumu.
                                        Günthersdorf have had the same manager on-and-off for the past for the past four seasons. On and off as he has been sacked for absenteeism eight times and has resumed the role each time – the longest spell out of office was 11 days. He is nominally back around at the moment, but with no subs named for this game his negligent style was again in evidence.
                                        That said, Günthersdorf managed to only lose 2-0 in their opening game, which they also played with a bare XI. Would Antepli Ejderha’s side better that? All bets were off by the 4th minute as they had already matched 2-0 by then thanks to strikes from youngsters Dina Ballester (a first career strike in the first minute of the match) and Suzan Özköylü. Veronika Kulakova ensured a greater haul in the 13th minute, and for a while this appeared to satisfy Zeugma who made a bunch of chances but didn’t register again until the stroke of half-time when Kulakova completed a brace.
                                        The hosts eased off the gas after the break, only creating occasional chances. Each of these, however, was converted Stacey Bell netting on 54 and 81 minutes and Ana Lúcia Lucas scoring directly from a free-kick as the score reached 7-0.
                                        Seven is normally as high as X11 ever goes, but five minutes from time Günthersdorf’s were reduce 10 players by a combination of a red cross injury and the aforementioned lack of subs, and this was too good a chance for Zeugma to pass up as Özköylü got her second of the game to make the final score 8-0.
                                        That isn’t the highest total I’ve ever seen on X11, I recall a nine once (and only once), but it’s still rare as hen’s teeth and has to help the goal difference. And indeed it lifts Zeugma to the top of the Division 6:54 on that basis.

                                        Comment


                                          The mojo is definitely on the wane for me.

                                          Comment


                                            X11 Ladies Season 56 Matchday 3 report.


                                            Code:
                                            Division 3d
                                            
                                            Drakaina                4 - 0   Gazzas Gals
                                            Källgren 11'
                                            Barry 23'
                                            Vulturescu 43'
                                            Gitsis 46'
                                            
                                            Viking South Utsira     3 - 1   Gehenna Hot Pants
                                            B.Austrheim 19'                 Enquist 25'
                                            N.Austrheim 44'
                                            K.Hovland 49'
                                            
                                            
                                            Division 4j
                                            
                                            Angelic Upstarts        1 - 2   Coxy Ladies Wulpen
                                            Hallin 38'                      Leclercq 5', 84'
                                            
                                            
                                            Division 4k
                                            
                                            Albion                  2 - 2   Kanjeng Ratu Kidul WFC
                                            Zoe 53'                         Borot 64'
                                            Haki 90'                        Dalmiya 87'
                                            
                                            
                                            Division 5:17
                                            
                                            San Francisco           0 - 1   Erbil
                                                                            Genghini 45'
                                            Torres (sent off) 87'
                                            
                                            The Whites              1 - 1   LNWR Locomotive
                                            Dezhneva (pen) 31'              Noubarian 78'
                                            
                                            
                                            Division 5:19
                                            
                                            Ullapool Northern Star  1 - 1   Fair Maidens of FISO
                                            Menashi 71'                     Daníelsdottir 82'
                                            
                                            
                                            Division 5:27
                                            
                                            Racing 92 da Feira      2 - 1   Menywod Maeshafn
                                            Bizkarguenaga 41'               Westerberg 85'
                                            Morgan 93'
                                            
                                            
                                            Division 5:31
                                            
                                            Csiki Girls             5 - 0   BUNDAS da GESTÃO
                                            McInns 12'
                                            Ackland 23'
                                            Granheim 30', 40'
                                            Smet 56'
                                            
                                            
                                            Division 6:54
                                            
                                            Marianne in Chains      3 - 0   Zeugma Dostluk Spor
                                            Hobbs 11'
                                            Soret 55'
                                            Burlé 87'
                                            Division 3d leaders Drakaina faced off with a Gazzas Galsp side who were unbeaten without a goal conceded.
                                            Pre-match predictions would have been for a good even contest given the record of the two sides. The Dragons were having none of this though, and proceeded to dictate the opening 45 minutes. 59% possession and six chances to zip were fully rewarded by three goals, all headers from crosses. Elena Gitsis picked out Matilda Källgren in the 11th minute and Susanna Barry in the 23rd, Källgren turning supplier to swing one over for Florica Vulturescu two minutes before the break.
                                            Gitsis got her name on the scoresheet in the opening seconds of the second-half, at which point Etienne’s side declared as the match was entirely sewn up.
                                            The Greeks result meant the pressure was on second-placed Viking South Utsira to beat Gehenna Hot Pants if they wanted to keep pace at the top of the table.
                                            The first major incident of the game came in the 15th minute when some snide Lehmann-esque play from the Gehenna goalie led to Britta Klovning being stretchered off with a horror 25-day injury. The visitors stopper was very lucky to only see yellow and in the circumstances. Enraged, The Blood Eagles took the lead four minutes later when Birgit Austrheim fired home after a corner. She celebrated conspicuously close to the player she had just beaten...
                                            Still boiling blood make explain the out-of-the-blue equaliser Viking conceded six minutes on, but as the half progressed Velvet Android’s side calmed down from fury to steely determination. That paid dividends with goals either side of the interval from Nina Austrheim and Kristin Hovland.
                                            It finished 3-1 meaning Viking had joined Drakaina in registering a comfortable margin of victory. Given that they started the day as the top two in 3d, that is also where they finished after these results.

                                            Having one win and one defeat to their names put Coxy Ladies Wulpen under a bit of pressure when they visited newly promoted side Angelic Upstarts, who were without a point to their names.
                                            A win for The Waders and they would be off to a decent start in the campaign, but anything less and a season of struggle looked likely. So a 5th minute goal to go ahead was very welcome for manager Janik. Alicia Leclercq got it, heading home from a corner. If Aurelie Wostijn effort fifteen minutes later had also counted, then The Waders would have been cruising but it didn’t and instead it was the Upstarts who ended the first half stronger and got a deserved equaliser.
                                            Coxy Ladies forward Charlotte Beyen picked up a 10-day injury in the early stages of the second half, but that didn’t disrupt the momentum The Waders has already built in this period. This pressure resulted in a winning goal on 84 minutes that bore a strong similarity to the opener, Leclercq rising to head home.
                                            Wulpen stay third in the Division 4j table after the win, but with the only 100% team being held to a draw are now only a point off the summit.

                                            Kanjeng Ratu Kidul WFC, with two draws from their opening two games, travelled to an Albion side that had had decisive results in both their previous fixtures.
                                            The first half was goalless but not from want of trying by The Sea Spirits who had all three chances going. That made it all the more galling when they fell 1-0 behind soon after the break to the hosts first shot of the day. SeanoftheShed’s side dug in though and turned things around with strikes by Tyan Borot on 64 minutes and Diksha Dalmiya on 87.
                                            Dalmiya’s effort looked likely to be a later winner, only for Kanjeng to get unduly stressed closing out their opening win and concede a 90th minute leveller. Albion scored with the only two shots they took in the match, which is irritating.
                                            The point left The Sea Goddesses fifth in the Division 4k standings, one point above the drop zone.

                                            Matchday 3 was not one that showed some other Official Ladies League in a good light regarding team names. For example Erbil were up against a San Francisco side who throw in an extra highly sexualised term that doesn’t seem to get applied to Men’s side. Ergo, sexist.
                                            Good news – Erbil beat them! And not only did Jdsx’s side win, they did so in somewhat galling fashion for his opposite number.
                                            The only goal of the game came on the stroke of half-time when Natalie Genghini headed home. Frisco did think they had equalised on 82 minutes, but it was ruled out. And five minutes after that their chances died when Melosia Torres was sent off for collecting both the games’ yellow cards. My heart bleeds...
                                            LNWR Locomotive’s opposition labour under a name that isn’t sexist but is just generally offensive by dint of profanity. We will shorten it to The Whites on here.
                                            The home side were the first to strike in this game, slotting home a penalty awarded just past the half-hour. The match was end-to-end though with The Steamers even participants. Viktor Boskovic’s side deserved a draw from the day, which is exactly what they got once young forward substitute Siranoush Noubarian had headed home the first goal of her career on 78 minutes.
                                            Erbil’s maintenance of their perfect record and seasonal clean sheet kept them top of the Division 5:17 table. Locomotive’s draw saw them drop from second to third spot on goal difference. They are four points behind Erbil.

                                            The challenges of being in the higher tier for Ullapool Northern Star are matches against sides like Fair Maidens of FISO, who arrived at Minchview as the 100% Division 5:19 leaders.
                                            Northern Star embraced the challenge though, going toe-to-toe with the Fair Maidens. Well, OK, the visitors arguably shaded it on the irrelevant stats but it was delicatemoth’s side who took the lead, Sonia Menashi firing home on 71 minutes. That left a long time to hold out and sadly the Scots didn’t, FISO levelling on 82 minutes. There was to be no winner for the visitors however, not even with the late 12-day injury that Ullapool first choice ‘keeper Helen Hess picked up. Sara Verho came on, but barely had time to touch the ball before the final whistle blew. She may be busier in the games until Hess returns...
                                            The point was enough to lift UIllapool up a spot to sixth in the 5:19 table. They are still two points from safety, though.

                                            Having just missed out on promotion last season, Menywod Maeshafn have started this one slowly. They were looking to jump start their campaign at Racing 92 da Feira, whose manager is a sexist scumbag.
                                            I won’t dwell too long on this match, because what happened to IsThatcherDeadYet’s side would be galling enough against a decent human being. Maeshafn were clearly the better side all match, but conceded towards the end of first half and then, having got a late equaliser through Ada Westerberg (85 minutes) were hit with a winner with basically the last kick of the game. FFS.
                                            Maeshafn currently sit sixth in the Division 5:27 table. They are only a point from safety, though.

                                            Csiki Girls were in a similar boat of just having fallen shy last term, but were already up and running before struggling BUNDAS da GESTÃO visited A kertem.
                                            This one was not in doubt from midway through the first half as by that stage not only did Ad Hoc’s side lead 2-0 through strikes from Saoirse McInns and Norma Ackland, but they were arguably undersold by that scoreline. Elly Granheim did something about that by adding a brace before the interval (30 and 40 minutes) whilst after the break man-of-the-match Floriane Smet got a deservd goal to make it five.
                                            That was how it finished, the win catapulting Csiki Girls up to second in the Division 5:31 standings. They are also the sections runaway top scorers with 12 in three games.

                                            Two 100% sides clashed in Division 6:54 as Zeugma Dostluk Spor visited Marianne in Chains.
                                            The opening period of the match suggested it wasn’t likely to be a good day for Antepli Ejderha’s side as they lost young midfielder Candan Veziroglu to a 12-day injury and also fell 1-0 behind. That was how things remained as few chances were created but the hosts upped their intensity after the break and created enough openings for the two more scored to feel justified. Zeugma registered just one attempt all match (unsuccessful).
                                            The result saw the teams swap places, Marianne going top and Zeugma dropping from there to third in the table.

                                            Comment


                                              Yes, it’s the official Ladies League Cup Round 2! Whoop, whoop!!


                                              Code:
                                              Edelweiß Salzburg       2 - 4   Viking South Utsira
                                              Wagner 35'                      Y.Kvalvik 1'
                                              Wigström 72'                    K.Hovland 64'
                                                                              E.Klovning 75'
                                                                              A.Austrheim 81'
                                              
                                              Viking South Utsira     1 - 1   Edelweiß Salzburg
                                              Nina Austrheim 85'              Wagner 35'
                                              
                                              Viking win 5-3 on aggregate
                                              
                                              
                                              Götheborg Valkyries     1 - 1   Drakaina
                                              Bedford 7'                      Barry 90'
                                              
                                              Drakaina                2 - 0   Götheborg Valkyries
                                              Vulturescu 14', 28'
                                              Sandra Byzhyti
                                              Drakaina win 3-1 on aggregate
                                              
                                              
                                              Skills and Beauty FC    0 - 2   Coxy Ladies Wulpen
                                                                              Leclercq 2'
                                                                              Wostijn 91'
                                              
                                              Coxy Ladies Wulpen      0 - 1   Skills and Beauty FC
                                                                              Clayton 45'
                                              
                                              Wulpen win 2-1 on aggregate
                                              
                                              
                                              FC Sanda by the Ocean   2 - 4   Csiki Girls
                                              Adelbo 21', (pen) 67'           Woozley 34'
                                                                              Munoz 40', 83'
                                                                              Neaves 92'
                                              
                                              Csiki Girls             1 - 1   FC Sanda by the Ocean
                                              Igreja 92'                      Kennerfalk 87'
                                              
                                              Csiki Girls win 5-3 on aggregate
                                              
                                              
                                              Kanjeng Ratu Kidul WFC  1 - 0   Spicks Killiettes
                                              Dalmiya 57'
                                              
                                              Spicks Killiettes       1 - 0   Kanjeng Ratu Kidul WFC
                                              Tonser 70'              A.E.T.
                                              
                                              1-1 on aggregate. Kanjeng win 3-0 on penalties
                                              
                                              
                                              Korsnäs IF              2 - 0   Erbil
                                              Darbyshire 74', 77'
                                              
                                              Erbil                   5 - 3   Korsnäs IF
                                              Granå 7', 86'                   Jalland 13', 31'
                                              Paton 34', 67'                  Cederblad (pen) 63'
                                              Besen 91'
                                              
                                              5-5 on aggregate. Korsnäs win on the away goals rule.
                                              
                                              
                                              LNWR Locomotive         1 - 1   Kappa
                                              Teigland 54'                    Tatarian 45'
                                              
                                              Kappa                   0 - 2   LNWR Locomotive
                                                                              Teigland 59'
                                                                              Nixon 67'
                                              
                                              Locomotive win 3-1 on aggregate
                                              
                                              
                                              Q.P.R Ladies            2 - 2   Menywod Maeshafn
                                              Gung 30', 79'                   Pander (O.G.) 47'
                                                                              Kjellberg 76'
                                              
                                              Menywod Maeshafn        0 - 1   Q.P.R Ladies
                                                                              Gung 37'
                                              
                                              QPR win 3-2 on aggregate
                                              
                                              
                                              Ullapool Northern Star  0 - 2   Odenplan Rovers
                                                                              Simoska 5'
                                                                              Palmgren (pen) 9'
                                              
                                              Odenplan Rovers         2 - 1   Ullapool Northern Star
                                              Rinman 6'                       Mair 72'
                                              Palmgren 45'
                                              Sheerin (sent off) 74'
                                              
                                              Odenplan win 2-1 on aggregate
                                              A trip from the North Sea to the Alps for Viking South Utsira as the draw pitted them with Edelweiß Salzburg, who are managed by a Human League Alumnus, Wannes Verhoeven. The first leg was in Austria.
                                              That first meeting took place in rather glamorous surroundings at the Schloss Mirabell [I suspect X11 allows eszett to appear in team names but not ground ones!]. The palatial surroundings seemed to inspire Yvonne Kvalvik as she opened the scoring just seconds after the start. Salzburg fought back however, levelling through a goal from a player with a very appropriate name for a city with massive classical music and opera links – Isolde Wagner!
                                              That leveller was somewhat against the run of play and The Blood Eagles continued to dominate after the break, taking the lead again on 64 minutes when Kristin Hovland struck. Once again Edelweiß (who surely should have an all-white kit rather than their Austrian flag version...) fought back to all square with 72 on the watch.
                                              Viking were not about to see a win be snatched from them though, going ahead for a third time just three minutes later, Emilie Klovning getting this one and this time building on it with a fourth on 81 minutes through Asta Austrheim’s header. That finally appeared to break Salzburg’s spirit, and 2-4 was how it finished.
                                              The opening leg score meant The Blood Eagles were in a very strong position ahead of the return at Ragnar Rock, as away goals meant Salzburg needed at least three. They got one, Wagner scoring in exactly the same minute of the return as she had in the opening leg, but that was to prove their only shot of the day. Velvet Android’s charges had rather more than that, but they had to wait until the 85th minute for Nina Austrheim to get her head to a ball to level on the night.
                                              That put a final seal on progress to Round 3, where Viking will meet FC Nee-Nee of Division 5:18. Despite being the higher Division side, the opening leg will be in Norway.

                                              We have had many mythological battles down the years in the official women’s league and a new one was added to the list when the Dragons of Drakaina took on the Warrior Goddesses of Götheborg Valkyries.
                                              The Swedes play in Division 6 and they were at home for the opening leg. They are, however, a very strong team for this level as Etienne’s side would find out. It was something of a rearguard action from the Valkyries, who launch an initial successful raid, taking the lead in the 7th minute and then rode back to strong defensive fortifications to attempt to hold on to this advantage.
                                              The Greeks attempts to break through the line of shields elicited a few brief openings but no decisive thrust was achieved until the very last minute of normal time. That was when Susanna Barry struck a major blow for The Dragons by heading home a corner to level on the night, but put Drakaina effectively ahead on away goals.
                                              Approaching a situation like this is a delicate balance. Go for it and getting security goals but at the risk of conceding at the other end which could lead to a difficult away goals scenario. Or try and close things down for a 0-0, relying on that first leg strike. The Dragons went for the former course, and it was a good call as they thoroughly dominated. Those insurance strikes arrived promptly enough, Florica Vulturescu getting a brace on 14 and 28 minutes.
                                              In between Vulturescu’s goals defender Sandra Byzhyti had been forced from the field with a 7-day knock, but this proved to have no effect on the outcome of the tie. Next up for The Dragons will be Eternal Wars, who are in Division 4b these days. Drakaina are away first up.

                                              The second round paired Coxy Ladies Wulpen up with Division 5 side Skills and Beauty FC, which just about passes the censor test but is still annoying as the looks of the team are just plain irrelevant.
                                              So let’s call them Skills and Style FC instead. There, that is more ambiguous at least. Anyway, whatever they are called they were a goal down within two minutes as Alicia Leclercq headed in a corner. The Waders were on top from that point onwards, pressing for further goals. Leclercq was denied a second on 57 minutes by a late whistle, but, just as it looked like Janik’s side would have to settle for just one, the game ended as it had begun with a Coxy Lady rising to head home a corner. Aurelie Wostijn was the scorer this time.
                                              That goal gave insurance for the return, but it appeared to also take the intensity out of The Waders side as they struggled to break down a very defensive set-up from their visitors. Those tactics actually threatened to work as Skills and Style scored once on the stroke of half-time and then had the net in the Coxy Ladies goal again on 54 minutes. The second effort was ruled out however, and they didn’t make another all game. They did win on the night though as the Belgians never got going at any stage.
                                              The first leg margin was just enough overall however, which sent Wulpen through to a pair of Round 3 clashes with a side from the same level as themselves, Algonquin Park Rangers of Division 4g. The opening leg is in Flanders.

                                              Csiki Girls had to contain their nausea at the cutesy factor of FC Sanda by the Ocean’s Hello Kitty kit.
                                              Keeping focused was important as the Csiki’s were attempting to punch up a level here as Sanda operate in Division 4, and that despite Ad Hoc’s side being away in the opening leg. The Csiki’s were hit by a breakaway goal in the 21st minute, but that was very much against the run of first half play. The good news was the visitors pressure told, with strikes from Trudy Woozley (34 minutes) and Eleena Munoz (40) putting the Transylvanians in front by the break.
                                              Csiki Girls continued to press in the second half but were again hit by a sucker punch as the hosts levelled from the spot midway through the period. 2-2 was a very unfair score given the Csiki’s overall domination of proceedings, and it turned out it wouldn’t finish that way. In fact it ended 4-2 to the visitors thanks to two late goals, the first a second of the day for Munoz on 83 minutes and the last a strike from distance by Robin Neaves deep into stoppage time that put the Romanians well on top in the tie.
                                              Just like VSU, Csiki Girls simply had to avoid conceding three times to be sure of going through. They managed that comfortably despite losing midfielder Floriane Smet to a 10-day injury just five minutes in. Sanda created no first half chances and by the time a better second period was rewarded with an opening goal there was 87 minutes on referee Michael Steen’s watch and the upset was basically certain. All that remained was to avoid defeat on the night, and the Csiki’s did that as well through Carlota Igreja’s injury time strike.
                                              Round 3 pits the Transylvanians against Division 2c side Futebol Clube do Porto. The first leg is at A kertem.

                                              Comment


                                                Two Division 4 sides clashed as Kanjeng Ratu Kidul WFC took on Spicks Killiettes.
                                                The opening leg was at Merapi-Kraton-South Sea, and it proved to be a pretty evenly contested affair in terms of openings if not possession, which the hosts had the better of. On chances though, the Sea Goddesses had a first half strike from Rahma Ikmal disallowed but also survived two Killiettes shots to no apparently legitimate ones of their own. The balance tipped towards the Indonesians after the break, SeanoftheShed’s side fashioning four clear cut openings and taking one of them in the 57th minute, Diksha Dalmiya racing clear to finish cheekily.
                                                That put the Sea Spirits in a handy position ahead of the away leg, with a lead and no away goal against. It meant that Spicks couldn’t go gung-ho as a goal against would immediately leave them needing three. Indeed it was The Sea Spirits who had more of the possession as the hosts sought the balance. They never really found it, but got lucky with a strikes against the run of play on 70 minutes to level the tie up on aggregate.
                                                At this point everything got very cagey. The match drifted to full-time and then through extra-time with few openings. So it came down to the lottery of a penalty shoot out. Kanjeng were first up, Dalmiya scoring, which swiftly became a significant lead as the first Killiettes penalty was missed. Next up for the visitors was Utami Sangajil; she scored, and once again the hosts replied with a miss. When Jolanda Dennen made it 3-0 with the next kick, Kanjeng were right on the brink. One more goal or save and they were through. It came on the very next kick as Spicks missed again to mean the shoot-out ended at the earliest possible opportunity.
                                                The Sea Spirits have landed a tempting looking draw in R3 as they face Division 6:29 outfit Real Rolz. This side needs to be taken seriously however; they are occupying the spot of a high seed after knocking out a Div.2 outfit in R2, which means the first leg is at Merapi-Kraton-South Sea.

                                                Erbil travelled to fellow Division 5 outfit Korsnäs IF for the opening leg of their R2 tie.
                                                The visitors were into their stride decently, and were the better side in the opening 45 minutes holding 58% possession and making three chances to two. The visitors didn’t take full advantage of their good spell though, and rather paid for that as Korsnäs went up two or three gears after the interval, creating a good amount of openings and netting twice in a three minute spell with around a quarter-of-an-hour left.
                                                Erbil couldn’t find a response, and are now in a difficult spot ahead of the side’s reconvening at the Erbil Arena. Go for it completely or try and whittle the lead away? Jdsx opted to twist and was rewarded with an opening goal after 7 minutes from skipper Sabina Granå. However the risk was an away goal would be scored, and on 13 minutes that was precisely what happened. 1-3 on aggregate, and now any overall draw sent Korsnäs through; Erbil would have to get ahead.
                                                That task got even harder in the 31st minute as the score became 2-1 on the night. Leah Paton swiftly responded, but the teams sat down to their half-time cuppa with Erbil having lots to do. Three more goals were needed...
                                                The approach became all-out attack. It’s a cup tie after all, there is no advantage to a narrow loss. Shots began to rain on the Korsnäs goal but then, on 63 minutes, disaster – a breakout for the visitors, a desperation tackle in the box, penalty. This was converted and now it was four required!
                                                Still, Erbil did not give up. Paton ticked one of these off on 67 minutes and on the hosts came. Time was very much against them, but just when the crowd were giving up Granå clawed it back to 4-5 in the 86th minute. Tülin Besen got one of the two more needed in the 91st minute and then... time ran out! Cue complete deflation for the Arena crowd. But it was a heroic attempt and after a few seconds they recovered themselves to give their team the standing ovation they merited.

                                                LNWR Locomotive took on a side from a step higher up the pyramid than themselves when they faced Kappa.
                                                The opening leg was at Mollington Street, and despite the status gap there was little to differentiate the sides. The Steamers gave as good as they got, and even took the setback of conceding an out-of-the-blue 40 yarder on the stroke of half-time to level less than ten minutes after the restart through Maja Teigland’s header.
                                                Viktor Boskovic’s charges had some opportunities after that, but this was the end of the opening leg scoring, leaving the tie finely poised ahead of the return meeting. It was one where the job for The Steamers was clear. They had to score or they were out.
                                                The opening half was cautiously optimistic as the visitors looked the better team, but only one chance came during it. That changed in the 57th minute when Teigland got her second of the tie. That made it advantage LNWR, 2-1 up on aggregate and having cancelled out the away goal. 8 minutes later it was Game, Set and Match as Charlotte Nixon headed home to put the visitors 3-1 up overall and with the first breaker in their favour.
                                                That wasn’t the end of the action as Teigland had a third on the night (and of the tie) disallowed on 74 minutes and two minutes later veteran midfielder Gayane Zakarian was nastily fouled and picked up a 15-day injury. But the tie was essentially settled as soon as Nixon’s header bulged the net.
                                                The Steamers reward is two matches against Skogsbyn IF of Division 5:4. The Swedes took out a high seed (but not a high Division side) in R2 so are coming to Mollington Street first.

                                                Another OTF side who were the higher seeds despite being in Division 5 to their opponents Division 4 were Menywod Maeshafn, who faced Q.P.R Ladies.
                                                The opening leg at Loftus Road proved to be an entertaining and incident packed affair. QPR opened the scoring on the half-hour, the only one of the six first half chances (spilt 4-2 to the hosts) to be converted. The most notable other incident in the opening period was a horror 18-day injury suffered by Maeshafn youngster Edith Narberth. Narberth was replaced by Simone Kjellberg, more on whom later.
                                                1-0 down at the break but very much in the game, Maeshafn boss IsThatcherDeadYet encouraged his side to keep going for it. Which they did, but their leveller within two minutes owed a debt to their opponents as Erica Pander sliced into her own goal. Following that, chances kept coming, tipped slightly but not decisively in the hosts favour. There were enough openings for the visitors going ahead to not be too eyebrow-raising, which is exactly what happened when Kjellberg got her head to a 76th minute cross.
                                                The Hoops brought things level again almost instantly, but 2-2 was how it finished despite QPR playing the last handful of minutes with 10 players through injury, which is clearly better for the away side. It does make it difficult to judge the performance for the return though. And sadly Maeshafn’s players appeared uncertain whether to commit forward or hold. That left QPR in control of the return, and they made the most of it by going ahead in the 37th minute.
                                                Having started cautiously, the Welsh side never found a higher gear and slipped to a disappointing exit as they somewhat threw a promising situation away.

                                                The dangers of being near the bottom of the seeding list as Ullapool Northern Star currently are, is that you risk running into top flight sides such as Odenplan Rovers. Which really doesn’t help the ranking improve.
                                                Having put up a good showing against second tier Cutty Sark Crew last season, the Ullapool fans rolled up to Minchview with cautious optimism about what lay ahead. By the 10th minute this had turned to trepidation as Odenplan were already two up. Would it be a rout? No, as it turns out as delicatemoth’s side dug in impressively and allowed Odenplan just one more shot all match.
                                                Ullapool only had one attempt of their own in the 90 minutes which didn’t register, that is if one excludes Vanja Wendel’s late disallowed strike from the stats, as officially happens. 0-2 it finished, which was a good fight and kept dignity intact, but surely leaves too much to do in the return to stay in the competition.
                                                Any real chance of that disappeared when Odenplan went 1-0 up in the 6th minute of the second leg. From then on it was about respectability for Ullapool. They were chasing shadows somewhat for much of the rest of the opening, but lung-busting effort kept chances reasonably limited and the hosts could only add one more just before the interval.
                                                Rather than be deflated by that, delicatemoth was able to convince her troops they were doing really well to hold out for as long as they had. If they kept the effort up, then made Odenplan’s intensity would drop and a consolation goal was there to be had. And that is exactly what transpired, Mary-Leslie Mair netting in the 72nd minute from a Vanja Wendel cross. This appeared to blow a gasket in the mind of ex-Csiki Girl Afton Sheerin as she committed a horror tackle two minutes later and was rightly sent off. However there wasn’t a second for the visitors in the remaining time, but 1-4 overall against a side five tiers higher isn’t bad at all.


                                                Round 3 draw - first listed teams home in opening leg

                                                Code:
                                                Algonquin Park Rangers (4g)  vs   Coxy Ladies Wulpen
                                                Csiki Girls                  vs   Futebol Clube do Porto (2c)
                                                Eternal Wars (4b)            vs   Drakaina
                                                Kanjeng Ratu Kidul WFC       vs   Real Rolz (6:29)
                                                LNWR Locomotive              vs   Skogsbyn IF (5:4)
                                                Viking South Utsira          vs   FC Nee-Nee (5:18)

                                                Comment


                                                  X11 Ladies Season 56 Matchday 4 report.


                                                  Code:
                                                  Division 3d
                                                  
                                                  FC MadKuts Cologne      0 - 0   Drakaina
                                                  
                                                  Viking South Utsira     2 - 1   Championettes
                                                  K.Hovland 21'                   Neville 14'
                                                  E.Klovning 34'
                                                  
                                                  
                                                  Division 4j
                                                  
                                                  Spicks Killiettes       0 - 1   Coxy Ladies Wulpen
                                                                                  Wostijn 64'
                                                  
                                                  
                                                  Division 4k
                                                  
                                                  Kanjeng Ratu Kidul WFC  2 - 0   McClymonts FC
                                                  Navisyah 13'
                                                  Luangpruksachat 38'
                                                  
                                                  
                                                  Division 5:17
                                                  
                                                  LNWR Locomotive         0 - 2   Erbil
                                                                                  Besen 13'
                                                                                  Brundin 26'
                                                  
                                                  
                                                  Division 5:19
                                                  
                                                  Ullapool Northern Star  3 - 0   Ludos Lovelies
                                                  Mair 4'
                                                  Wendel 40', 48'
                                                  
                                                  
                                                  Division 5:27
                                                  
                                                  Menywod Maeshafn        6 - 0   Jocvijeve Zecice
                                                  Bellamont 26', 63'
                                                  Kjellberg 48'
                                                  Westerberg 52', 54', (pen) 65'
                                                  
                                                  
                                                  Division 5:31
                                                  
                                                  Blood Brothers          1 - 0   Csiki Girls
                                                  Planojevic 66'
                                                  
                                                  
                                                  Division 6:54
                                                  
                                                  Magarac                 1 - 1   Zeugma Dostluk Spor
                                                  Zoetemelk 51'                   Forsyth (pen) 36'
                                                  Drakaina took their perfect record to the Rhine basin as they visited FC MadKuts Cologne.
                                                  The Dragons thought they had make the breakthrough midway through the first half, only for Silvia Atum’s effort to be disallowed. That would prove as close as Etienne’s side came to a goal in the game as they didn’t manage a legal attempt on goal in the rest of the match. Hosts Cologne did get three sights, but Dragons defenders Roseanne Beattie and Maria Gudlandur were in outstanding form (grades 20 and 19 respectively) as was ‘keeper Anastasia Shkolnikova (18). That meant there was a worry when Gudlandur had to be helped from the field just after the hour (11 day-er) but her replacement, Sandra Byzhyti, slotted in perfectly and MadKuts didn’t have another chance.
                                                  That opened the door for second-placed Viking South Utsira to close the gap on The Dragons. They just had to beat Championettes to do it.
                                                  The Blood Eagles were ramping up and appeared in early control when, out of the blue, Championettes took the lead on 14 minutes. Viking kept playing though and were level after 21, Kristin Hovland heading home and ahead on 33, Emilie Klovning smashing in. Klovning’s strike had been set up by her cousin, Tyra, and the other Klovning also had the ball in the net just after half-time, but it was disallowed.
                                                  That didn’t matter much as Velvet Android’s side throttled the life out of their opponents to confirm the 2-1 win. It drew them level on points with Drakaina at the top of Division 3d, the side from Delphi retaining the leadership on goal difference. Which sets up the first derby meeting of the two next Tuesday beautifully.

                                                  Coxy Ladies Wulpen boss Janik was not sure what to expect when his side travelled to Division 4j leaders Spicks Killiettes.
                                                  It turned out to be nothing much, as The Waders were on top from beginning to end. Spicks managed nary a shot in the match, to Coxy Ladies seven. About the quibble the Wulpen boss had with his team was not scoring enough from all these openings, but with the security of the backline one was enough and this was provided by Aurelie Wostijn heading home a 64th minute corner.
                                                  Not only did victory displace the Killiettes from the 4j summit, it propelled Wulpen there in their place thanks also to a result elsewhere.

                                                  After three straight draws it was time for Kanjeng Ratu Kidul WFC to get a win. The team they faced whilst searching was newly promoted McClymonts FC.
                                                  The Sea Spirits instantly looked the stronger side, and made the most of their early dominance by taking the lead when Catur Navisyah absolutely larruped one from 30 yards out on 13 minutes. That, surprisingly, was only the second time Navisyah had scored for Kanjeng, and her first in the league. Suprising because despite being a defender Navisyah has the great shooting power icon. She should be a master blaster.
                                                  SeanoftheShed’s side continue to be on top for the rest of the opening half, and they doubled their advantage with another long range strike on 38 minutes from Thao-Ap Luangpruksachat. That was more than enough to secure victory against a side that failed to create many chances and look likely to struggle at this level.
                                                  The win put some distance between The Sea Goddesses and the Division 4k drop zone. They are now four points clear, and looking up instead as the play-off spot is only one point distant.

                                                  Our first OTF derby of the season came in Division 5:17 where LNWR Locomotive hosted leaders Erbil.
                                                  The first chance of the day came in the 5th minute and went to the visitors, Sharyn Bullock throwing herself at the ball for a diving header that Maral Parseghian saved. The Steamers stopper could do nothing about Tülin Besen’s effort on 13 minutes though as she powered a header home from Sabina Granå’s cross.
                                                  On 26 minutes it was 2-0, Rosaline Sharpe’s corner finding Sandra Brundin, who lobbed her header cleverly over Parseghian and home. Two minutes later it was Sharpe herself who rose highest for a cross, but her flicked headers was easily saved by Parseghian.
                                                  Jdsx’s side were exerting a stranglehold on the game and that continued after the break. The next chance also came to the visitors, and also for Sharpe. Having seen a bullet header and a lob header work and a diving header and her flicked effort fail, Sharpe went for yet another type of finish, carefully placing the ball precisely at the goal and, er, straight into Parseghian’s arms. Precise it may have been, but it wasn’t well aimed! Having failed twice with her head, Sharpe switched to her boot in stoppage time but though her lobbed effort beat Parseghian it came back off the crossbar.
                                                  As for the hosts, Viktor Boskovic’s side had a tough day when they didn’t register a single attempt on goal. The defeat saw Locomotive slip from third to fifth in the Division 5:17 table. Erbil were top and clear at the start of play, won, and so remain in that situation.

                                                  Week 1 was a bit of a shock to Ullapool Northern Star’s system after promotion, but two draws had stabilised delicatemoth’s side ahead of the visit of bottom-of-the-table Ludos Lovelies.
                                                  The visitors turned up without their manager making Star the strong favourites to win the game. That adds its own pressure, but any nerves were swiftly settled as Mary-Leslie Mair headed the Scots in front after only 4 minutes play. The score remained tight approaching half-time, until Vanja Wendel added a brace either side of the interval to put her side well clear.
                                                  3-0 it stayed, a result that moves Northern Star up to fifth in the Division 5:19 standings.

                                                  Menywod Maeshafn’s hopes of a straightforward day against bottom side Jocvijeve Zecice boomed when the visitors coach pulled up at Maeshafn and only 11 players and no manager were on it.
                                                  IsThatcherDeadYet’s side got a further boost in the 19th minute when the visitors captain had to leave the field with injury, and was able to play no further part in the game. Now up against ten men, the Welsh side ran riot. Eventually. It was only one by the interval, Justine Bellamont firing home in the 26th minute, but it was the 20 minute period just after the break where it all happened.
                                                  It was Simone Kjellberg strike on 48 minutes that opened the floodgates. Ada Westerberg was the primary surfer of that wave, firing home twice in three minutes soon after and then adding a penalty on 65 that completed the scoring. Bellamont got her second of the day two minutes prior to the spot kick to leave the final total at 6-0. Zecice had only conceded five in their previous three matches.
                                                  Both the victory and the margin of it saw Maeshafn leapfrog up the Division 5:27 table, climbing from sixth to fourth.

                                                  It has been a curios start to the season for Csiki Girls. They were Division 5:31’s top scorers and had the section’s best goal difference ahead of their game at Blood Brothers, but were not top of the table as two landslide wins had been accompanied by a narrow defeat.
                                                  What side of the Csiki’s would we see in this game? Unfortunately it was the one that found it a bit of a struggle. Ad hoc’s side did remain competitive despite not seeing much of the ball, but being on the back foot for so long means they can’t really complain about the goal midway through the second half that gave the hosts victory.
                                                  That left the Csiki’s fifth in the standings in a Division in which there is effectively one automatic, one play-off place and one relegation spot this season.

                                                  Zeugma Dostluk Spor were looking to bounce back from a comprehensive defeat against the side that looks the class of the Division when they visited Magarac.
                                                  The hosts had two wins and a loss to their names, the same as Zeugma. Nothing to chose between the sides? Not much, but enough that Rachel Forsyth’s 36th minute penalty that gave the Anatolians the lead was justified.
                                                  Magarac struck back early in the second half, and that proved to be the end of the scoring. This was frustrating for the visitors as boss Antepli Ejderha could legitimately argue that his side, who had 60% possession and made four chances to two, merited a winner.
                                                  Overall, though, it was a good point for Zeugma at what looks to be a rival for the Division 6:54 play-off place.

                                                  Comment


                                                    X11 Ladies Season 56 Matchday 5 report.


                                                    Code:
                                                    Division 3d
                                                    
                                                    Drakaina                1 - 0   Viking South Utsira
                                                    Källgren 69'
                                                    
                                                    
                                                    Division 4j
                                                    
                                                    Coxy Ladies Wulpen      2 - 1   Misconduct United
                                                    Wostijn 15', 88'                Groza (pen) 3'
                                                    Kerckhoeven (sent off) 76'
                                                    
                                                    
                                                    Division 4k
                                                    
                                                    Spandex FC              1 - 0   Kanjeng Ratu Kidul WFC
                                                    Gunnarson 93'
                                                                                    Dalmiya (missed pen) 1'
                                                    
                                                    
                                                    Division 5:17
                                                    
                                                    Erbil                   1 - 1   Stavre DFF
                                                    Besen 11'                       Henricsson 44'
                                                    
                                                    San Francisco 9ers      0 - 2   LNWR Locomotive
                                                                                    Nixon 16'
                                                                                    Reisinho 84'
                                                    
                                                    
                                                    Division 5:19
                                                    
                                                    Ullapool Northern Star  3 - 1   Fulwood Rovers WFC
                                                    Menashi (pen) 67'               Sheringham 16'
                                                    Barkho 77'
                                                    Kha 93'
                                                    
                                                    
                                                    Division 5:27
                                                    
                                                    Femme Fatale FC         2 - 1   Menywod Maeshafn
                                                    Bruksås 5', 79'                 Barker 55'
                                                    
                                                    
                                                    Division 5:31
                                                    
                                                    Barca Ladies FC         0 - 1   Csiki Girls
                                                                                    Neaves 14'
                                                    
                                                    
                                                    Division 6:54
                                                    
                                                    Zeugma Dostluk Spor     3 - 0   Real Madrid CFF
                                                    Lúcia Lucas 27'
                                                    Veziroglu 61'                   Poschner (sent off) 77'
                                                    Üzülmez 78'
                                                    OTF's best two teams, Drakaina and Viking South Utsira clashed at Delphi in what I guess we should consider our Superclásico. Well, not only were they the two strongest sides, they also sat first and second respectively in the Division 3d table prior to kick-off. If the cap fits...
                                                    The opening 45 minutes was cagey, with just a single chance coming during it. That came for The Blood Eagles with a dangerous free-kick which was teed up for Ulrikke Klovning to half-volley, but was off-target. The visitors also had the first chance of the second half, Emilie Klovning's powerful header in the 53rd minute drawing an excellent save from Anastasia Shkolnikova.
                                                    Drakaina's first sight of goal came just two minutes after this from a direct free-kick. This was tapped to Gael Heggarty and though her shot beat Julie Alme it came back off the angle of the post and bar. Four minutes later Kristin Hovland burst clear and beat Shkolnikova with a lob but also saw it bounce off the angle!
                                                    The turning point of the game came in the 65th minute with the substitution of Kristin Hovland. Up to this point Viking had been on top, making three chances to one but this move backfired spectacularly on Velvet Android as The Dragons took immediate control. And got immediate rewards, Matilda Källgren sidefooting home a 69th minute corner to put her side in front.
                                                    From here on out it was all Etienne's charges, Elena Gitsis firing in a volley in the 77th minute that drew a showboat save from Alme, Maria Gudlandur half-volleying a dinked free-kick that went straight into the VSU stoppers midriff two minutes later, Källgren being this close to her second on 84 minutes when she slipped it past Alme's right hand on a breakaway but saw the ball hit the post and then one final chance in stoppage time when Gitsis 93rd minute header was excellently tipped away by the visiting 'keeper.
                                                    However try as Alme might, the one she had already conceded decided the outcoming. It was a result that kept Drakaina top of the standings but saw Utsira drop a place to third.

                                                    Injury and suspension meant Coxy Ladies Wulpen's opponents Misconduct United had severely limited options ahead of their trip to the Curlew's Nest.
                                                    That made it easier to Waders boss Janik to guess his opponents formation. That doesn't help much though when your side gives away a penalty in the third minute... Wulpen were not possessing much threat of recovering the situation until, out of the blue, Aurelie Wostijn equalised in the 15th minute.
                                                    The hosts appeared satisfied with this, or at least that is the assumption as they again settled back into going through the motions. Misconduct were the side looking the most likely, having a goal disallowed and then going a player up when Noémie Kerckhoeven was shown her second yellow card of the day on 76 minutes.
                                                    Normally on X11 being reduced to ten players means a collapse (which is exactly what had happened to Misconduct in the Cup a few days prior, though injury took them down to nine in that case), but on this occasion the winning goal came for Coxy Ladies, Wostijn racing away on an individual effort to slot home on 88 minutes. Smash. And Grab.
                                                    The victory not only kept Wulpen top of Division 4j, their lead actually extended to four points.

                                                    After breaking their winning duck last week, Kanjeng Ratu Kidul WFC took their unbeaten start (i.e. 1-3-0) to, ugh, Spandex FC.
                                                    It was a day that would start and end badly for the Sea Spirits, Diksha Dalmiya missing a penalty in the opening 60 seconds and Spandex netting a winner with 93 minutes on the clock. Actually, they probably deserved it on the balance of play, if one sets aside their sexist name and objectifying image they have in place of a badge which means their manager only deserves scorn as a knuckle-dragger.
                                                    Defeat left SeanoftheShed's charges fourth in the Division 4k standings, but rather closer in points to sixth than second.

                                                    One should never assume. In life, in football or in X11. Or rather one should look into the details carefully. Because at first sight Erbil, Division 5:17 leaders with four wins from four, eight goals scored and none conceded, had a virtual walkover against Stavre DFF, who were bottom, without a point and 0-9 on goals.
                                                    How could that be wrong. Well, maybe is Stavre had appointed an active manager a few days ahead of the game? It was swiftly clear that normal service was not going to happen, even with Erbil taking the lead in the 11th minute through Tülin Besen's header. Their visitors hung with them though, and levelled just before half-time.
                                                    Jdsx's side upped their level after the break, but found Stavre stubborn if rather defensive. The hosts could only fashion a couple more chances, neither of which they took leaving the Erbil Arena crowd filtering out sure that Stavre would not finish where they currently are if they can keep the current incumbent.
                                                    Whilst that frustration was playing out LNWR Locomotive were in southern California to take on San Francisco 9ers.
                                                    I'll not talk about the hosts, remembering the Lynda Smith line about the oxygen of oxygen, and instead say The Steamers did a good service here as they played the better Football and embellished it with a direct free-kick strike from Charlotte Nixon on 16 minutes and a goal from a corner by Flávia Reisinho on 84.
                                                    Viktor Boskovic's side's win lifted them two places up the 5:17 table to third spot. They are two points adrift of the side in second, who are a further two points behind Erbil, who remain top despite their unlucky timing.

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