On Saturday evening, following the men’s 2-2 draw, the women were attempting to outdo the men and claim a valuable victory for Lancaster down on the Richard Larkin Astroturf.
As SCAN arrived, it appeared that the rain had arrived as well, starting off mildly spitting but then gradually becoming heavier and heavier before kick-off. This could have either affected the game in two ways: the pitch would become wet allowing the ball the skid, increasing the passing game, or, alternatively, the ball would skid too much.
Unfortunately for the games sake, it was the latter and too often the ball was found skidding out of play. It was a game that was massively affected by the conditions, causing both sides to appear nervous and edgy in possession, with neither side taking that risk which would have allowed them to break through the backline.
Having said that, York piled on early pressure and it if wasn’t for a goal saving clearance, York would have taken the early lead. In the next phase of play, neither side could find a break through nor there no real chances to speak of, until two fine saves in quick succession at the end of the half by the Lancaster goalie kept them in it.
The rain continued to hammer down during the interval but, the crowd stayed despite the soaking, cheering on the Lancaster girls. The game had to get more eventful in the second half.
The second half did improve as the rain allowed the players to push on and try seize upon any defensive mishaps. Regularly, passes were going stray which allowed both sides to hit on the counter, and York’s attacking play enabled them to break through and force the Lancaster goalkeeper into making some more fine saves; if it wasn’t for her who knows what the score may have been.
Lancaster had their fair share of possession and counter attacks too, but too often found lacking in the final third, often guilty of making the wrong decision in possession. With time ticking away, a promising Lancaster attack was halted by a professional foul, resulting in a green card for the York offender. The game was not the best quality in truth, mainly because of the conditions.
As time was ticking away, the crowd’s interest was diminishing, and their alcohol consumption was increasing, causing them to attempt to steal the show by throwing various objects, including a football and various I am Lancaster bags on to the pitch. I have to be honest, the highlight of the game was when one fan stole the show by streaking across the side of the pitch; hats off to him in these conditions.
The game finished 0-0 and in truth it was a very poor affair, with chances in a premium, and a draw was the fair result as neither side did enough to win, nor did they deserve to lose.
