OUT BUT PROUD!

Charlton Athletic LFC 3-1 Bradford City WFC
Omboyi 73




It was third time lucky for City as they travelled down to Charlton after this fixture was given the green light. The weather had played havoc with all our fixtures of late and it was good for the girls to finally make the trip to South London.

After spending the night in a hotel (with some leisure time at Bluewater!), the squad arrived at Thamesmead FC fresh and ready to go. The sun was out but the pitch was heavy as the players warmed up, showing their support for Sport Relief in customized warm-up shirts.
City had some fantastic support as a dozen or so fans had travelled down to see the game - some with the squad and some separately. They cheered the girls onto the pitch as they made their way out and the Fair Play handshakes took place.

The game kicked off and there were a few nerves in the team, especially when an early Charlton shot was cleared off the line but City settled soon after. It became clear that City were not going to be bullied by a higher League side and restricted Charlton to long range shots for large periods of the first half. Charlton saw a lot of the ball but City were more than happy to let them have possession in their own third.

Half Time arrived and the sides went in at 0-0. City had worked very hard in the first half but still had a long way to go. They came out in the second half fighting and on 51 minutes were unlucky to go a goal down. Charlton's winger received the ball out on the wide and after taking it down the line to put in a cross, sliced her delivery to beat Mel Garside-Wight.

Lesser teams would have let their heads drop but not City. They re-grouped and stepped it up a gear. Caroline Omboyi - who had worked her socks off on her own up front - was joined by Clare Fawcett as City changed formation, with Kirsty Russell replacing Kerrie Zserdicky. It was Fawcett who nearly got the equaliser as she lifted a shot over the keeper in the 60th minute, only to see it go agonisingly wide.

City got the breakthrough they deserved however in the 73rd minute. The Charlton keeper could only parry Bridie Hannon's long range effort and Omboyi was on hand to poke home the rebound. Cue ecstatic celebrations from the players and supporters; the goal scorer found herself at the bottom of a pile of players whilst Manager Steve Winterburn was nearly knocked off his feet by a jubilant Faye Boshell!

City had the bit between their teeth and were determined to get in front but credit must go to Charlton who upped the pace and started to move the ball a lot more. City struggled to cope with growing Charlton pressure and it was the home side that went back ahead in the 78th minute with a good 20 yard volley.

City kept their heads and tried to find the energy to get back into the game but then came a mad 5 minutes. First, Omboyi rolled off the pitch with bad cramp just inside the Charlton half and was unable to continue. Luckily for City they were just in the process of making a substitution and Dominique Hoad came on without losing much time. However as she joined the field of play and Omboyi was being treated, the Charlton centre forward picked up a through ball and ran at City’s centre back Faye Boshell. The City defender got her foot caught in the ground, twisted and fell awkwardly resulting in a one on one with City’s keeper at the edge of the 18 yard area. With all the confusion and activity going on, the forward poked the ball past Garside-Wight and it bobbled goal bound, teasing both the open goal and the City players as it just slipped inside the post. This was heart breaking for City as there were only a couple of minutes remaining and unfortunately it was the final nail in coffin and the end of their FA Cup run. Becky Griggs replaced the badly injured Boshell and City played out the final minutes with their heads held high.

The 90 minutes showed how far the Club has come to hold and threaten a Premier League side for large periods of the match. The whole squad played a big part during this fixture but Emma Dobson and Charlotte Stuart both excelled themselves and both shared the match points. All players did the Club proud, they did their Manager proud and above all, did themselves proud.

Bradford: Garside Wight, Parkin, Boshell (Griggs), Crosby, Dobson, Hannon (Capt), Fawcett, Stuart, Armitage, Zserdicky (Russell), Omboyi (Hoad). Subs not used: Binns, Playle.


We can't sign off this report without thanking the people who made this trip possible.

A massive thank you must go to all those who have contributed financially to this trip - sponsors, businesses, individuals. Thanks to Fourways Coaches and Nev our driver. Thanks to Hilton Hotels and Amit. Thanks to Charlton, Paul & Sue. Thanks to Cromwell Cottage, Rod & Dean. Thanks to our fantastic, loud supporters!

We are proud, PROUD to have got this far and make no mistake, we'll be back next year.