X11 season 45 - de rigueur Mortis

[jdsx]

Great work, Janik. Yeah I can't see Mauchline Belles (Scottish, btw;-)) progressing either. Inter Petrila look far too good for Div 5!

[Etienne]

Well, I've done my best to ease the Csiki Girls progress, Ygritte are missing their 26/15 defender injured and their 32/16 midfielder suspended for the first leg.

[Sits]

I’ve got my first ever 18 skill player!

At the ripe old age of 35, goalie Joost van Rijswijck nudged his way up in Berkshire Swine’s CR earlier.

[Etienne]

Speaking of 18 skill players, Cardiff Dragons join Viking North Utsire in the big show, after our opponents CL Istanbul (squad value now 244m) decided to rely on their 18 skill keeper and play for penalties rather than beat us. They might have got away with it but a late red card allowing us a 93rd minute winner. We'll be hopelessly outgunned in the top division but at least we made it.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Congratulations Etienne, that's a great achievement.

[Sits]

Seconded. Two OTFers in a top Pro Division, heady days.

[Sean of the Shed]

Speaking of 18 skill players, Cardiff Dragons join Viking North Utsire in the big show, after our opponents CL Istanbul (squad value now 244m) decided to rely on their 18 skill keeper and play for penalties rather than beat us. They might have got away with it but a late red card allowing us a 93rd minute winner. We'll be hopelessly outgunned in the top division but at least we made it.

I see your opponent was gracious in defeat. What a mardy cunt. I'm not sure I'd have been able to bite my tongue as well as you did.

And nice to see you winning wearing the Percies' home shirts.

[Sits]

What a git. I’ve just blown a load of smoke up Etienne’s arse to annoy the graceless dick a bit more.

[Various Artist]

Haha, I only just discovered the furore myself and was busy trying to formulate a response to pour oil on troubled waters. Posted it to find that Sean's contribution to the conversation there may not have had quite such a mollifying effect. Be gentle though chaps, he's doubtless feeling gutted about losing like that, even though there was clearly no need to jump to such an insulting immediate conclusion about Etienne's initial post-match comment.

Anyway, more importantly that's a heck of a win Etienne, many congratulations and it'll be amazing – and a first for OTF – to have us both in the UL top flight next season!

[Etienne]

Yeah, I mean I think he did overreact, but I can understand him feeling that me criticising his tactics (rather than expressing mild surprise which was my intention) was rubbing salt into the wound of denying him promotion.

[Sits]

For an exemplary reaction to an unexpected loss, see the esteemed Rmy100 of Gotham City in the MLX, where Kakanui KuneKune jagged an absolutely spawny penalty shootout win. He congratulates me even if you can tell it’s through gritted teeth. His 19yo and my 18yo goalies providing the most entertaining of shootouts.

[Various Artist]

Oh crikey, I hadn't realised you both had teenage goalies for that game! It was certainly a great leveller, then. Heck of a game, and shootout.

[Sits]

Various Artist I lied - getting my teams mixed up. KK’s goalie is in his 20s.

The run will end here against the Randoms; this is the point where my folly in running a super-skinny squad is exposed. An injury and a red card, and I can’t string eleven players together without using one of my dummy goalies. Better put him up front.

[Various Artist]

It's the season-ending
OTF League roundup for 6th April: Season 58 round 18

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Division 3

With the title already in the bag, the second coming of Andrew7610's die Ambosse made it a fantastic first full season back in OTF football wholly unbeaten by cruising to a concluding 2-0 win at Richmond Pride & Purpose. 8th-placed P&P will have been relieved to escape a crushing at the hands of the champions, who finish on 14-2-0 and with 59 goals from their 16 games at a rate of 3.69 per match.

The Anvils claim the crown by 5 points (and 28 goals!) from longtime rivals Hampshire Deers, who compiled a none-too-shabby 12-3-1 debut season and finished in style with a spectacular late comeback to win 4-3 at Eintracht Midwest. A goal up very early on, the Deers unexpectedly collapsed to 3-1 down inside a 17-minute window after the break, but then equally dramatically turned it around with goals in the 86th, 88th and 92nd minutes to triumph in a thriller. All six shots seen in the second half found the back of the net!

Midwest couldn't hope to catch already-finished Cods of War in 3rd, but missed the chance to grab 4th from New Dresden and instead finish in 5th behind them on GD. This was despite Dresden also losing at home unexpectedly to Llandudno Jet Set in a surprisingly ill-tempered closing game (7 yellow cards, and a late red for Llandudno defender Kim Pritchard) that ended 3-2 to the visitors.

The Jet Set's fourth win of the campaign could not lift them out of 7th, though, as The Blomstrands in 6th held them at arm's length by concluding with a 4-1 home thrashing of Poplar Massive Crew, led by two goals from Ove Klein Johansen. It condemned the Crew to a bottom-placed finish and ensured the doomed club would end their short OTF League existence with a 0-1-15, 10-71 record. 22-year-old Poplar forward Luciano Espírito Santo struck a wonderful 25-yarder just after the break to reduce the deficit to 2-1, and in doing so became PMC's fifth and last ever scorer -- strike partner Rogério Alfarna finishing their top all-time scorer with 4 from 15 appearances. It was defender Sérgio Junho however whose piledriver at home to the Jet Set two weeks earlier gained them their sole point in a 1-1 draw.

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Division 2

Having waited 20 seasons to gain a second divisional title after winning D1 back in Season 31, Cota's Athletico Deva have now wrapped up three (1 x D3 + 2 x D2, for the algebraically-inclined) in the last seven attempts. They finish 4pts clear after a gentle final 2-0 jog against young Wharfedale Generals, who only have little legs and couldn't keep up even with the champs not really trying. Generals finish bottom, winless and goalless, although with three points to their name at least.

Wednesday de la Zouch, clearly having given up on a miracle Generals win that could've helped them nick an implausible title, subsided to a 2-1 defeat at OWC Albion that dropped them to 3rd in the final standings, two places (though 11 points) ahead of Albion.

Heffron Hendecagon thus regained 2nd by destroying Veni Vidi Vigata 6-0 to finish up 2pts ahead of Weds. VVV go down in 9th and will be hoping manager Livinastro returns from an extended absence soon.

Early-season leaders Brian Munchingflapjack's promotion hopes never recovered from a terrible run in midseason, but they had turned things around in the past fortnight to secure 4th and were hoping to finish with five straight wins when they hosted Great Northern Railway. Despite dominating, the Munchies only had Gert Hoogendijk's 77th-min effort to show for it and were sucker-punched by a late GNR penalty from Andy Boyle that left the pair sharing the points. Having gone 11 games winless prior to two victories last week, the Railwaymen themselves finish on something of a high too, four points clear of relegation in 7th.

Steaua Bridge instead go down to D3 in 8th, an outcome unaffected by their closing 1-1 draw at Pinewood Passers -- who started with five defeats in six but wind up 6th after a much improved second half of the season, finishing with a 6-2-2 run from their last 10 games.

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Division 1

Pat Pending's Rejects Redux completed a hugely impressive undefeated D1 campaign with a dead rubber against relegated Locomotiv Noj, with the trophy presentation at Criminal Court in truth overshadowing a 1-1 draw in which Angelos Zavadias' leveller for the 9th-placed visitors was only the fourth goal the Rejects had conceded all season. The point saw the champs finish 11-7-0, 24-4, and five points clear at the summit.

Below them, Kernow Kensa completed the most stunning turnaround in the entire league to emerge from the melee for the minor places and claim 2nd -- having started their season back in February with two draws then four straight defeats. Incredibly, they won 11 of their 12 remaining fixtures (the exception being a 2-1 reverse at the eventual champions), and finished with a 3-1 home win over Saltney Drawers to end as runners-up a point ahead of Hideous Towns.

Towns halted their own recent slump with four consecutive concluding wins to drag themselves back into the promotion picture just in time. Arnold v. Aerle struck v. early indeed at Wensleydale Blues to hand the men from the Waveney Bowl a vital 1st-minute lead on closing day, but they just could not force a killer second and had to sweat right to the final whistle because a Blues equaliser at any point in the last half-hour would have cost them 3rd place.

This was thanks to Banik Roystonov belated grabbing a lead at home to Nieuwegein Kneebiters Neophytes through two Ondrich Jarosik strikes just before the hour mark, putting them only two points behind Hideous with a better GD. Even the loss of senior striker Bratislav Mikulik to a horrible career-worst injury with three minutes of the season to go could not end Banik's hopes, with his replacement Povel Kafka promptly slotting a third past tiny Jan Stolt – but with news filtering through from the Sheep Dip that Hideous had held on to win 1-0 it was confirmed that the Royston outfit had fallen short. Despite a 9-match unbeaten run in midseason, just one point from a vicious run-in against Kensa, Rejects and Hideous in their three outings prior to this Monday ultimately cost them.

Wensleydale still finish 5th, thanks to slip-ups from both the two teams that could have overhauled them at the last. Eriskay Expression exchanged early goals with hosts Whoft Fluffopolis before being stunned by a late Burt St Tropez winner for a Whoft side who had been winless since mid-February. Having started the term 3-2-0, the Fluffers flopped into a 0-4-9 spiral subsequently that culminated in their handing the itty-bitty 'Biters only their second point and solitary goal of the whole campaign in a 1-1 at the Ray Illingworth ground last Thursday -- which confirmed Whoft's immediate return to D2. St Tropez however brought the sunshine back at the very last, ending that 13-match slide with a little ski-jump via his fine 84th-minute header.
Eriskay meanwhile land in 6th, two points behind the Blues but ahead of Saltney on GD -- after the Drawers conceded a penalty, lost lone striker Cliff Promise to a straight red on the half-hour, equalised with 10 men but then let in two late goals at Kensa to keep them 7th.

[Various Artist]

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OTF

With Etienne's Croesoswallt Dragons edging out Csiki Monkeys last Thursday to clinch their record-equalling 13th OTF League title with a game to spare, it also spared Vita Mortis manager Various Artist's nerves rather. Had that clash ended all square, then incredibly the final day would have seen exactly the same situation as a season earlier: a two-point gap between the top two, and a concluding trip for Mortis to Rock City Ferrets with a big win needed and a hope the Dragons drew their last game -- or else any win at all and a shock Dragons defeat.
Last time around Mortis went for broke to try to overhaul the goal-difference deficit and got sucker-punched by the Ferrets to actually lose… only to find the Dragons had surprisingly lost too, meaning a 1-0 win would've nicked the Reaper Men the championship. With two games to go this time there was the looming spectre of a chance to 'replay' history and find out how things might've gone. As it turned out, though, the Reaper Men's last outing against the already-relegated Ferrets was just a dead rubber, with only the challenge of securing a third straight runners-up finish left for Android and his team.

The Mortis coach may have been left shaking his head when news made its way through from Hurlingham Park that the Dragons were losing 2-0 to a Billy Hayes brace for Four Candles inside the opening quarter of an hour; Mortis meanwhile were ahead at Rock City through Nara Shikamaru's early own-goal, a scenario that a season earlier would've been enough to hand them the trophy. His mood will not have been improved by defender Birkir Rúnolfsson receiving his second major injury of the campaign after just 10 minutes -- though his side eventually did what they couldn't last season by seeing off the Ferrets 2-0, Collin Tyack cracking home a late freekick.
The Dragons meanwhile had fallen three behind to the Candles after an hour before recovering somewhat with goals from Vitomir Cvarkovic and Helmuth Baumann in the closing stages, though they still went down to only their second loss all term – after a magnificent 15-match unbeaten streak going back to a 2-1 reverse at home to the Monkeys in mid-February. At that stage the defending champions had just one point from their opening week, but they did not look back thereafter and ultimately they take the crown by a point to once again tie Dandy Town for the most OTF trophies in history.

Unusually, we end up with the exact same medal rostrum as last season, with Zeugmaspor again remaining in the hunt for glory almost the end and finishing narrowly 3rd once again. They finished up by brushing aside relegated bottom side Turd Division 3-1 at the Snoop, to clinch the bronze place by 2 points -- again, the same as last season.

This time it is Four Candles who ran Zeugma closest for a spot on the podium, indeed ending just 6 points behind the champions in 4th after their closing win over the Dragons made it three wins on the trot and five unbeaten to finish with.

The 'Andles also held off Dandy Town, who remained 5th after a final-day 0-0 at home to Great Ouse Town. The Dandies had threatened to mark their return to the top flight with an immediate charge back towards silverware, but after being right in contention at halfway they rather improbably went 1-7-1 across the return half of the fixture list to wind up midtable. Ouse for their part bounced back from seven defeats in their first nine matches to put together a much more solid recent run, and finish 7th after slipping back below Berkshire Swine on GD on Monday.

That was thanks to the Swine recovering from a goal down at the break at home to Csiki Monkeys, a scenario that had the latter threatening to mount a last-ditch escape from the drop at their hosts' expense. A career-worst injury to experienced midfielder László Oláh minutes after the goal however knocked the stuffing out of the Monkeys, and the Swine levelled early in the second half before a penalty and own-goal took them to a somewhat fortunate 3-1 win that saved their bacon.
It completed an extraordinary slump to relegation for the Csik outfit, who had a truly surreal season: not so much one of two halves but of four quarters. Unbeaten in their first four fixtures, the Romanians then lost their next four to plunge from 2nd to 8th, before mounting a surprise bid for the summit by going another five without loss. 4th with five games to play, however, they then inexplicably crashed to defeat in all of them -- including against all of the teams they had avoided losing to back at the start of term. The Monkeys thus go down in 8th, with their nine total defeats bizarrely coming against eight different teams and all in two completely separate losing streaks.

[Various Artist]

Luckily I opened all the final tables and match reports in separate tabs earlier today, in case the new season got set up before I could get around to writing that report. Discovered this evening while doing so that Etienne had indeed pressed go, so that worked out well!

Since I still had the tables tabs open, just took screengrabs of each to add into the above – so apologies for some of the now-unnecessary verbiage as a lot of it will be apparent visually at this point. At least if the pictures should ever vanish from Imgur in the future the text will remain self-contained.

Poplar Massive Crew have disappeared as a result of the season update being run, but their squad and stats are still available as 'ghost' pages for now, accessible by inserting their team ID into the URL for the squad page or similar of another club then hopping around as normal thereafter – with the exception of their deleted 'front page'. The link above goes to their Player Stats; will be interesting to see how long it persists.

Anyway, it's hello there to their replacements... HelloThere. A warm welcome to OTF League competition and good luck!

The other change from the status quo, already visible in my screenshot above, is that Rock City Ferrets (formerly Clerkenwell Excelsior, and originally Red Star Belle Vue) now have a third new name under delicatemoth as they have rebranded as St Pancras Starmers, presumably in honour – that may not be the right word – of the new Labour leader...

[Sits]

Excellent work VA - and you definitely shouldn’t apologise for including those tables for posterity. Very welcome.

[Various Artist]

Thanks Sits, and the apology wasn't for including the tables as such, rather for the fact that a lot of the stuff I've written will seem superfluous as you can now see where people finished and how many points they had etc. without me describing it. It didn't occur to me to do the screengrabs until after I'd written and posted the reports, unfortunately!

[Sits]

All good with me VA, although I prefer the current OTF table.

[Janik]

X11 Ladies Season 58 Matchday 4.

Division 1a

Spearwives of Ygritte   0 - 0   Drakaina


Division 2b

Fjollträsk BK           2 - 0   Mauchline Belles
Khramova 48', 56'


Division 4h

Warriors FC             0 - 0   Viking South Utsira


Division 4i

Busby Babes             1 - 1   Coxy Ladies Wulpen
Kristoffersson 1'               Wostijn 79'


Division 4j

Kanjeng Ratu Kidul WFC  1 - 2   Spandex FC
Sangaji 58'                     Daniloaie 48'
                                Pawinska 62'


Division 5:2

FC Gute Ladies          0 - 4   Bombay Green Rockets
                                Pöhlmann 4'
                                Ferrante 36'
                                Azanha 45'
                                Nürnberger 63'


Division 5:20

Ullapool Northern Star  3 - 0   CORIA C . F .
Klovning 18'
Bastock 28', 56'


Division 5:27

Zeugma Dostluk Spor     2 - 0   Just wait
Neil 46'
Hassan (O.G.) 58'


Division 5:28

Jocvijeve Zecice        3 - 2   Menywod Maeshafn
Petko (pen) 10'                 Beck 13', 66'
Miljanovic 28'                  Westerberg (sent off) 37'
Cakar 87'


Division 5:32

FC P-------             0 - 3   Csiki Girls
                                Rain 80'
                                Neaves 83'
                                Birch 85'


Division 6:2

Solent Sirens           0 - 1   SC Redondense
                                Riento 77'
                                Jutterström (sent off) 46'


Division 6:33

Rising Stars            4 - 0   Westcoast United Ladies
Madureira 17'
Wa 26', 66'
Elgeuse 50'


Division 6:34

LNWR Locomotive         6 - 0   Quality ladies
Nixon 4', 15', 35'
Reisinho 42', 81'
Teigland 58'


Division 6:41

Hazeldean Inchmistress  5 - 0   Red Eagles
Mejía 13', 28', 33'
Saraiva 48'
Barnes 63'


Division 6:43

Invisible Ladies        0 - 0   Beta Andromedae


Division 6:56

Trance Girls            0 - 5   Dublin City Womens FC
                                Maaranen 3', 20', 87'
                                Olander 15'
                                Åhrén 43'
                                Åhrén (sent off) 78'

We are now far enough into the season that we should move on from saying “How will Drakaina cope with life at this level” and accept The Dragons are a side of this standard. So in that spirit, let’s take a gander at how their game at Spearwives of Ygritte went.
Not all that excitingly is the answer. Drakaina fans would demur from the suggestion that the two teams cancelled each other out, their heroes had noticeably more of the ball (60-40) and also twice the chances of the Spearwives. However that ‘twice’ was only two compared to one which wasn’t really enough for Etienne and co to feel totally hard done by by the final outcome of a stalemate.
The draw left the two team’s positions in the Division 1a unchanged, Drakaina staying sixth, a point and a place behind Ygritte.

It is getting increasingly overdue for Mauchline Belles to begin picking up wins in Division 2b. Their latest attempt to break their duck came at a Fjollträsk BK outfit that were also winless after their first three games, but had two points to the Belles one.
The signs from the first half for the Irish Scottish [oops, sorry] side were not terribly encouraging, Fjollträsk having over 60% possession, but Mauchline did reach the interval all square as despite all the pressure they prevented the hosts having a single sight of Lisa McRenton’s net. Which was a pretty good thing, because McRenton is of course a(n extremely promising, 18/7) young forward who was handed the gloves pre-game after the drawing of lots.
An outfield having to go in goal was needed as the only ‘keeper in The Belles squad, Roza Belova, was not being quite ready to come back from injury for this one. Things didn’t go so well in the early stages of the second half as Fjollträsk scored twice. That effectively killed the game as Mauchline were not creating chances, the match ending with no further addition to the score.
So decent excuses for Mauchline for the loss, but it’s getting towards the point where it doesn’t matter the reasons, wins have to be had. After all Jdsx’s side are currently propping up the 2b table, and are already four points adrift of safety.

Are Viking South Utsira turning the corner? There have been encouraging signs in recent weeks, but hopefully this is not clutching at straws like a government Chief Scientific advisor. The theory was put to the test as The Blood Eagles visited a side with a similar 2-0-1 record, Warriors FC.
The first serious action of the game came in the 8th minute as Nina Austrheim fired home. However she didn’t do so to the satisfaction of Dick Tator, so the score remained 0-0. And there is where it stubbornly stayed, despite Velvet Android’s side having the better of possession and a preponderance of the handful of chances in the match.
The data is inconclusive, then. But in a spirit of positivity and political expediency, I’m saying that there are green shoots and The Blood Eagles are going to rise up the Division 4h table from their current third spot, a point behind the leaders, to the glorious sunny uplands beyond.

Two sides who would want to go back a few months are Coxy Ladies Wulpen and [b]Busby Babes[b]. That is because neither side is living up to the standards they set themselves in Season 57.
Both were looking to win to really kickstart their campaigns, and it was hosts Busby who got off to the perfect start, going ahead with less than a minute on the clock. The Waders attempted to fight back, but just when they thought they had done so in the 28th minute Charlotte Beyen noticed a lack of teammates coming to mob her and spot the assistant referee with her flag raised. “Never” said Beyen; “Clearly off” said the official. We will have to agree to disagree.
Janik’s side kept plugging away following that, particularly after the break when they created chances at a fraction more than a trickle, but hardly a full on spate. That stream was enough though as 11 minutes from time Aurelie Wostijn let loose from range, the swerve on her shot taking it away from the Babes ‘keeper.
It finished as a draw, which wasn’t a great deal of help to either team in establishing themselves as the force in Division 4i they believe they ought to be. Instead Wulpen find themselves fourth in the table, five points behind the leading pair. And Busby Babes are a spot lower.

The number of sexist morons in the Ladies League seems to have shrunk as far as I can tell, but some remain. Such as Kanjeng Ratu Kidul WFC’s week four opponent Spandex FC.
The name has long been a probably flag, but the away boss has now shown his true colours in no uncertain terms with an objectifying kit. It would have been lovely if SeanoftheShed’s Sea Spirits could have put one over the prick, then. Sadly that didn’t happen, the hosts one truly hopeful moment coming when Utami Sangaji fired in a free-kick on 58 minutes. That made it 1-1, but unfortunately Spandex soon re-established their lead and held it until the final whistle.
Kanjeng currently sit fifth in the Division 4j table, out of the drop zone only on goal difference but also just two points adrift of second place. Indeed if they had won this game, they would have been top! Typical early season instability.

After a fortuitous draw last week kept them top of Division 5:2, Bombay Green Rockets were looking to fire again at FC Gute Ladies.
Bombay leaped away from the launch pad, Eileen Pöhlmann heading them in front after only 4 minutes. The Rockets then spent a while cruising on momentum before another brief burn just prior to the interval brought goals for Amalea Ferrante (36 minutes) and Musa Azanha (45).
HKS5’s side were orbiting high above Gute now, but they still needed another little kick of speed to get them into their final position, Tina Nürnberger adding a fourth on 63 minutes when she headed home a corner.
That was enough to deliver the payload and collect the three points for it, both the result and the strong goal difference preserving Bombay’s lead at the head of the table. Extending it a little in fact as second-placed FC Dench only won their game by the odd goal.

Being three games into the Division 5:20 campaign without a win was a worrying start for Ullapool Northern Star delicatemoth. Her side attempted to start putting that right when they hosted CORIA C . F . at Minchview.
The day would be a very successful one for the Northern Star boss as her charges played their best game of the season to date. Ullapool’s pressure on CORIA was sustained, if not quite relentless. But their early finishing was, Renate Klovning heading home the first chance on 18 minutes and Suzy Bastock doing likewise from a 28th minute corner.
Bastock added a third, and her second, of the day just over ten minutes into the second half when she slotted home on a breakaway. CORIA showed little signs of coming back from that, if any, the match finishing 3-0 to the Scots. It was enough to lift them above their beaten visitors and up to sixth in the 5:20 table. Northern Star are only in the drop zone by one goal goal difference.

[Janik]

Three wins from three and no goals conceded during them must have made Zeugma Dostluk Spor look like formidable foes to visitors Just wait, for whom the opposite was true (no wins and no goals so far).
The hosts dominated first half possession, but headed back to the dressing room for a discussion with boss Antepli Ejderha at the interval still all square and having only created one chance. I’m not sure what AE told them, but whatever it was it worked as just seconds into the second period a chance was created for Rosaleen Neil, which she headed confidently home.
The home bosses teamtalk clearly had magically properties as the opposition then decided to also score for Zeugma, Mohammed Hassan putting through her own net in the 56th minute. Two was more than 1-0 specialists Zeugma probably needed, but they took it though as the 100% record and zero goals against marks stoof for another week. It also kept Zeugma top of Division 5:27, as one might expect. AE’s side are now five points clear of the chasing pack and looking like they can contend for back-to-back promotions.

Going up again would be the longer term aim for Menywod Maeshafn as well, but their start is more suggesting that this season is going to be about consolidation. Their latest match in search of the points for that took the Welsh side to Croatia and a visit to Jocvijeve Zecice.
What IsThatcherDeadYet and co hadn’t counted on was referee Warren Peace getting out of the wrong side of bed that morning. His first controversial decision was to award Zecice a 10th minute penalty from which they took the lead. Maeshafn struck right back though, Morgan Beck heading home the leveller just three minutes later.
Jocvijeve retook the lead in the 28th minute before Peace’s second intervention of the day on 37 minutes changed the game permanently; Maeshafn skipper Ada Westerberg has had a long career during which she has shown a level head, averaging less than one yellow card per ten games. And only one red in her previous 292 appearances for the club. So everyone of a Maeshafn persuasion was gobsmacked when a challenge that was, yes, a foul was somehow deemed worthy of a straight red card!
2-1 behind, away from home and down to 10 surely meant curtains for Maeshafn, except they had a burning sense of injustice to motivate them. And that drive was rewarded midway through the second-half when Beck smashed home after a corner broke free to her to make it all square again.
Unfortunately there was a sting in the tail. Zecice hadn’t created much since Maeshafn were reduced by a player, but three minutes from time they were given a corner and from that they header what proved to be a winner.
The very deflated Maeshafn players therefore remained sixth in the Division 5:28 table. They are now one point from safety. What they have to take from it is the level of performance. With a different referee this game could have had the opposite outcome.

Csiki Girls, with three wins out of three and no goals conceded where massive favourites when they took on FC P------- with zero points and goals to their name, and an name that references objectification of women to boot.
We could be both very hopeful of victory for Ad hoc’s side and very determined to see them get it and put his opposite number back in the box he deserves to be in. The Csiki’s players ramped slowly up to their task, creating just one first half chance but making more and more after the break.
However, worryingly, midway through the second period it was still 0-0. Yes, the hosts hadn’t created a single opportunity and therefore didn’t look likely to score, particularly when the respective ducks in the goals against and goals for columns were considered, but where was the winner to keep the 100% records going? The 80th minute provided the answer, Georgia Birch swinging over a cross and Taylor Rain heading home.
1-0 is usually enough for Csiki Girls, but on this occasion a combination of what the opposition celebrate with their name and frustration over how long the opener took boiled over and the Transylvanians get going for more. And swiftly getting them, Robin Neaves firing home a second on 83 minutes before rain returned the favour for Birch for the opener, swinging over a corner in the 85th minute for the latter to head home.
That three goal in five minute burst decisively won the game for the Csiki’s and kept their perfect records intact. However they still sit second in Division 5:32 as another sexist idiot is top of this section.

The season has gradually been getting better for Solent Sirens after a very tough opening. But they were yet to take a point of score a goal when SC Redondense rocked up at Mayfield Park.
The match had many moments of promise for Captain Flack’s side. None more than the incident when the sides were walking out from the tunnel to start the second half that saw Redondense’s Siri Jutterström say something untoward to referee Robert Nixon and get a straight red card before play had restarted! The match had been relatively even at 11 vs 11 before the break (a chance a piece, 53% possession for Redondense), so this, surely was The Sirens chance?
Probably, yes, except they didn’t take it. Just one second half chance was created by the hosts against their opponents a man short. But worse than the lack of a goal and a win, even the hopes of a first point of the season were dashed when Redondense scored from a set piece 13 minutes from time. On top of that, The Sirens lost midfielder Malena Norling to an 11-day injury just after the hour make.
Despite the loss, Solent actually climbed a spot in the Division 6:2 table to seventh as another pointless side dropped below them on goal difference. A further struggling outfit provide the opposition next week, with The Sirens knowing a win would move them up another spot.

Rising Stars looked certain winners against Westcoast United Ladies given the relative situations of the two sides, The Stars being top with a 100% record and no goals conceded whilst Westcoast were pointless and also notably managerless.
The match went to form from the point when Penélope Madureira headed home a 17th minute corner. That was Madureira second strike of the season, to contrast to 1 in over 100 games prior to this campaign. A more regular scorer made it two 9 minutes later, free-kick taker Hua Wa doing her thing.
Young forward Bette Elgeuse (18/3) netted her first career goal five minutes after the restart with a close range shot before Wa put a seal on things by turning home a corner after 66 minutes to take the total up to four. And to move the Rising Stars up to four wins from four, still with no goals conceded. Blamb’s side started the day as the only 100% outfit in Division 6:33 and so remain top. The Stars are three points clear of any chances.

[Janik]

Another mismatch pitted LNWR Locomotive, top of Division 6:34 with three wins from three and no goals conceded, against Quality ladies who weren’t. Quality that is. They do have an active manager, but their squad is pretty rubbish and with zero points to their names so have their performances been.
It was a slaughter. The Steamers had over 70% possession across the 90 minutes and regularly found the back of the Quality net. Charlotte Nixon got the first after 4 minutes, and the second and third as well on 15 and 35. The strikes were a close range effort, a long range blast and an opportunistic finish from a corner.
Flávia Reisinho thumped home a fourth from range four minutes prior to the interval and would later do the same for the sixth, slightly further before the end of the second half (81 minutes). Forward Maja Teigland got in on the act with a 58th minute strike that made it 5-0.
All that was enough to keep Viktor Boskovic and co top of Division 6:34. They are one of two sides on maximum points, but with a better goal difference thanks to performances like this one.

After finally getting their season going in week 3, Hazeldean Inchmistress were expecting a cruise against when managerless Red Eagles visited Ken Higgs Avenue on matchday 4.
And that is exactly what The Imperials delivered. Key to it was Elvia Mejía, who has taken over from veteran Kaila Golkás as Hazeldean’s main free kick taker. Mejía opened the scoring in this fashion on 13 minutes, doubled it on 28 and added a third direct strike on 33. At that point it appeared nothing could stop her barring injury. Oh. A few minutes after the hattrick goal Mejía, and had to depart the action. She will be out for 12 days.
That took something off the day for the Framleyshire faithful, though they did have a brace of second half goals to lift their spirits as Musa Saraiva (48) and Kelli Barnes (63) found the target. The closest the Red Eagles came was a disallowed strike when the score was already 5-0.
The win moves Hazeldean up to fourth in the Division 6:41 standings. They are still four points off the play-off place, though.

Invisible Ladies faced a tough challenge as they welcomed Division 6:43 leaders Beta Andromedae to The San Seethrough.
The Spacegirls arrived with a perfect record and no goals conceded, and they looked the more likely of the two teams to make the breakthrough. However The See-Throughs were doing a good job making it hard for their interstellar visitors, the score remaining 0-0 at the break.
Pebblethefish’s side suffered a blow midway through the second period when newly acquired young midfielder Rita Pilfalk’s debut was cut short by injury (she will be out for seven days), but despite that the Andromedae chances never progressed beyond a trickle with the match petering out as a 0-0 draw.
That kept Invisible Ladies fourth in the Division 6:43 standings, five points adrift of the leading pair of teams.

Manager Joe Mortal was present and correct for Dublin City Womens FC’s trip to Trance Girls, which wasn’t the case for the managerless home side.
The Dubs took swift advantage of the confusion and lack of direction of their opponents, scoring three times in the first 20 minutes. Jutta Maaranen got the first on 3 minutes with a close range finish and then added the third with 20 on the clock with a blast from range. Those goals came either side of a strike from Marianne Olander, who had set up both of Maaranen’s goals.
Olander in turn was assisted by Eila Åhrén, and once again set-up merchant turned scorer when Åhrén made it 4-0 just before the break. That was Åhrén’s best moment of the day; her worst was collecting two utterly unnecessary yellow cards during the second-half to be sent off after 78 minutes.
Even with only 10 Dublin were not done with the scoring, Maaranen completing her hattrick three minutes from time. That first win moved Dublin up a spot to sixth in Division 6:56. They are five points adrift of the play-offs and six behind the leaders. The fightback starts here!

[Etienne]

I've really taken my off the ball at the Suffragettes. I've only just realised on setting tactics for tomorrow's game that it's the second game of the season. I thought our previous game against Mon Mothma was a friendly.

[Sits]

I sort of did that at Les Sangliers. Not that you’d know the difference; I think we need a relegation.

[Antepli Ejderha]

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