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March/April 2004 results

Wednesday 07 April 2004
	GMP 2	-	0 Manchester Stingers
			Player of the Match - Rachael Scouse Brown

The Team
Rachael Taylor (sub-Nic Abs), Lisa Harvey-Smith (sub-Shell Reid)
Scooby, Rachael Scouse Brown, Maxine, Jinny Ursell
Emma Flint, Mickey, Maggie, Katie Fingers
Jane Laycock (gk)

Match report
Promised by Jane, yet to be received...

Sunday 4 April 2004
	Bacon Youth 3	-	0 Manchester Stingers
			Player of the Match - Kate Whiteside

The Team
Lisa Harvey-Smith, Kate Gardener (sub - Michelle 80),
Scooby, Maxine Bell, Rachael Taylor, Jinny Ursell
Emma Flint, Rachael Brown, Mickey Mac, Katie Fingers
Jane Laycock (gk)

Match report
The smell of Blacon made the stingers hungry for a win against this young home side in the penultimate game of the season. The pitch was in excellent condition (apart from some unsavoury additions from our canine friends) which allowed the Yellows to play the passing game. Starting confidently and having all the possesion, the Yellows created so
many chances that it seemed certain this was a victory in the making. Within 10 minutes, Lisa had struck a shot low which ricocheted against the post. Scooby and Maxine threaded some excellent balls through the middle for Kate but the pitch was fast so these often ended up in the arms of the keeper. The Yellows also defended stoutly, Mickey stamping her authority in the middle with strong defensive headers and Scouse was working her heart out. The Yellows dominated the half and the best chance came when Jinny received the ball in an acre of space and with only the keeper to beat. The referee blew for offside - a decision which he later admitted was wrong- and the moment was gone. Five minutes later
the Yellows were awarded an indirect free-kick in the penalty area for a trip on Kate, but Blacon put virtually their entire team on the goal line and Maxine's shot was deflected over the bar. The score remained 0-0 to the break.

Blacon began to play in the second half after their star striker came out of goal and gave some impetus to their attack. With 30 minutes to go the Yellows were caught short at the back and conceded to a super individual goal. Stingers gave as good as they got however, taking more shots at the new keeper and almost hitting the target twice in two minutes. First Scooby's long-range effort was caught by the fingertips of the Blacon keeper, then Katie Fingers had a pop and nearly lobbed the goalie. Another almost-goal occurred when a loose ball was taken up by Lisa, then Kate ran into space and received, taking it past the last defender and threading it back to Lisa in the box who tapped it in. Unbeknownst to the pair however, the ref had blown for a foul in another area of the pitch and the goal did not stand. Towards the end, A switch was made to the Stingers front-line, with Shell making her debut appearance and having a shot saved in the dying minutes. Blacon scored twice as the life sapped out of the Stingers, who deserved so much more.
Lisa Harvey-Smith

Other results
BUXTON 1 - 1 BOLTON WANDERERS RESERVES
GREYHOUND GUNNERS 3 - 4 GREATER MANCHESTER POLICE

Sunday 28 March 2004
	Greyhound Gunners 1	-	5 Manchester Stingers
			Maxine Bell - 24, 65 Rachael Taylor - 70 Jackie Ryan - 80 Jinny Ursell - 88 Player of the Match - Jackie Ryan

The Team
Maxine Bell (sub - Kate Gardener 68), Rachel Taylor,
Nichola Absalom (sub - Scooby 45), Rachael Brown, Jackie Ryan, Jinny Ursell
Tess Ptonka, Mickey, Gwen Davies, Maggie,
Jane Laycock (gk)

Match report
It was a cold and grey start to British Summer Time when Stingers travelled to Bolton to face Greyhound Gunners. Not grey in spirit though, the Yellows took to the field knowing that it was going to be tough - the match referee had failed to turn up which meant the manager of the Gunners was to referee the game. It was a scrappy first half with Stingers unable to play their game of quick pass and move football that had been so effective in recent games. The ref and Gunners defence had got the offside trap off to a sneakily one-sided fine art which caught out Max and Rachael who were hungry for goals. They kept up the pressure however and a great ball by Mickey Mac put Max through one-on-one with the keeper. She kept her cool and struck a beautiful goal, 1-0 to Stingers.

The second half saw a Gunners revival and the pressure was on the defence and Jane in goal. Some solid keeping and good work by the back 4 kept the Gunners at bay. Tess, who was making her first appearance as a defender at left-back, rose to the challenge with some helpful advice along the way from the older and more experienced defender, Mickey. It was Stingers who scored next though when Max took a shot at goal from what must have been 35 yards out. The ball drifted in the air for what seemed an eternity and took a sharp drop over helpless keeper's outstretched arms and into the net. Another goal by Rachael Taylor followed after an accurate cross by Scooby from the left which she controlled calmly and struck solidly into the back of the Gunners' net. The opposition came back however with a goal of their own to make it 3-1. This inspired the Stingers for more goals. Jackie Ryan found herself on the end of a well-timed pass by Jinny on the right and was able to put the ball without fuss into the back of the net. With 2 minutes to go she was on the attack again, her shot just palmed away by the keeper into the grateful path of Jinny who tapped the ball into the open net. 5-1 to Stingers - another resounding victory for the Yellows who have worked so hard this season to try and get results like these.
Jinny Ursell

Other results
ACCRINGTON LADIES ' 91 3 - 2 LEIGH RMI
BLACON YOUTH 2 - 5 BURNLEY FC GIRLS
BUXTON 4 - 3 FRODSHAM RANGERS
EVERTON ST DOMINGOS 2 - 1 BOLTON WANDERERS RESERVES
GLOSSOP NORTH END 0 -1 GREATER MANCHESTER POLICE

Sunday 21 March 2004
	Glossop North End 1	-	0 Manchester Stingers
			Player of the Match - Maggie

The Team
Maxine Bell (sub - Lisa Harvey-Smith 70), Tess Ptonka (sub - Rachel Taylor 65)
Emma Flint (sub - Anne Tibbetts 80), Rachael Brown, Jackie Ryan, Jinny Ursell
Maggie, Mickey, Shelley Hollihead, Katie Fingers
Jane Laycock (gk)

Match report
Placed only third-from-bottom in the league, Glossop seemed like ideal opponents to face a buoyant Stingers side. The confidence gained by two wins in recent weeks has transformed morale within the squad, who not only feel that they can win, but also that they deserve to win. The pitch was a mud-bath and the rain kept falling so the team were instructed to wait for a pitch inspection. This was completed at 1.55pm and the referee then hurriedly called the Glossop team to the centre circle. The Stingers were not informed that the match was going ahead however, so it was a scramble to get all the players out of the changing room before the ref started the game with only eight Stingers on the pitch.

In torrential rain and strong winds the game began in earnest, but the mud and driving rain prevented the yellows from putting together the slick passes that have been seen in recent weeks. The ball remained firmly in the control of the yellows however, but attacking play frequently ended in messy goal-mouth scrambles when shots from afar may have been more appropriate in the conditions.

The atmosphere turned ugly when a Glossop player grabbed Jackie by the throat, sparking angry scenes on the touchline when the referee failed to act on what was clearly a case of violent conduct. Incredibly, Karen was then booked by the bumbling referee for 'dissent' when arguing her case for action against the guilty player. This incident made the Stingers even more resolute, but despite many chances and corners, there was no goal forthcoming. It was a momentary lapse in defence that allowed an un-marked Glossop player to fire the ball past Jane from close range, leading to the only goal of the game. In the dying moments of the game, Shelley was brought down on the edge of the box and Stingers were awarded one last chance, but the ball was cleared well by the hard-working Glossop defence. The game finished a very disappointing 1-0.
Lisa Harvey-Smith

Other results
FRODSHAM RANGERS 2 - 1 BLACON YOUTH
GREYHOUND GUNNERS 0 - 13 BURNLEY FC GIRLS
LEIGH RMI 0 - 3 BOLTON WANDERERS RESERVES

Sunday 14 March 2004
	Frodsham Rangers 3	-	2 Manchester Stingers
			Maxine Bell - 21 Anne Tibbetts - 84 Player of the Match - Rachael Brown

The Team
Maxine Bell, Tess Ptonka (sub - Anne 80)
Nichola Absalom (sub - Kate Whitehead 70), Rachael Brown, Eve (sub - Jackie Ryan 5), Jinny Ursell
Emma Flint, Gwen Davies, Shelley Hollihead, Katie Fingers
Jane Laycock (gk)

Match report
Following two consecutive and convincing victories confidence is riding at an all time high in the Stingers camp. Success appears to be spreading enthusiasm and commitment right throughout the squad and this was evident on Sunday when a full complement of 15 players was available for the match even though three regular team players were out through injury. Tess and Nic were both rewarded for their continuous hard work and improving abilities (at training and as subs) with a place in the starting 11, and although changes were made to defence, midfield and attack the dressing room exuded an air of belief that Stingers could not only carry on performing well but could also take points off a side in a considerably higher position in the table.

Stingers strength in depth was severely tested however when Eve suffered a freak injury during the warm up and was only able to last 5 mins. This enforced change bought Jackie Ryan in a little earlier than she had expected – but (several layers later!) Jackie took the pitch and together with Scouse, also took the game by the scruff of the neck, wining most of the opening battles in midfield. The conditions however severely affected the team’s ability to play the free flowing, one touch football on display in previous weeks; indeed the wind was to have a massive impact on the game and eventually the final result.

Being first to every ball and maintaining possession of the second ball the Yellows pushed on and eventually converted the pressure into something tangible. Tess won the ball well in the middle, feeding Jinny who in turn put through Max, whose good form in front of goal continued with a well struck left foot shot, 1 – 0 Stingers.
Frodsham came back applying more pressure to the Stingers defence, which was faring well until an innocuous challenge in the area was deemed by the ref sufficient to result in the award of a penalty. Proclamations and protestations of innocence amounted to nothing and despite a valiant effort by Jane in nets, Frodsham equalised.
The football on display in the remainder of the half fell victim to the swirling wind, with both teams finding it increasing difficult to play in a coherent fashion.

The second half witnessed much of the same; wind, frustration and dubious refereeing decisions. Stingers started as they had the first, in control and had what appeared to be a perfectly good goal disallowed for offside – FIFA’s confusion of the rule has obviously permeated through to the WNW regional league! This seemed to break Stingers resolve, while at the same times as it inspired Frodsham. The home side capitalised on a loose ball and their nippy forwards put them one up. To further compound Stingers misery another wind assisted attempt by Frodsham enabled them to extend their lead.

Months earlier this sort of situation would have lead to a Stingers collapse but full credit has to be given to the team, who battled admirably. Anne came on with 15mins to go, and duly scored to give the yellows a glimmer of hope. But despite their valiant efforts, the wind had been blown out of their collective sails (slick eh!). On reflection there are many positives to be taken from this match, none more so than the compliments that came from the Frodsham manager who stated that he couldn’t understand our league position considering the quality in the side.
Continue to display that level of commitment, tenacity, application and desire Stingers and we’ll be in Iguana celebrating a few more victories before the season draws to an end.
Karen Harris

Other results
ACCRINGTON LADIES ' 91 0 - 2 EVERTON ST DOMINGOS
BLACON YOUTH 2 - 1 GLOSSOP NORTH END
BOLTON WANDERERS RESERVES 0 - 1 BURNLEY FC GIRLS
BUXTON 4 - 0 GREYHOUND GUNNERS

Sunday 07 March 2004
	Manchester Stingers 6	-	0 Buxton
	Eve - 35 (pen), 58, 72 Max - 23, 42, 67 Player of the Match - Eve

The Team
Max (sub - Tess Ptonka 72), Karen Harris (sub - Jackie Ryan 65)
Emma Flint (sub - Nichola Absalom 72), Rachael Brown, Eve, Jinny Ursell
Gwen Davies, Maggie, Shelley, Katie Fingers
Jane Laycock (gk)

Match report
The exhilaration of last Sunday's victory had given way to a more quiet and considered air about the Stingers dressing room as the team prepared for their home match against Buxton. It appeared that everyone was determined to prove that the result against Accrington was no flash in the pan, but came as a result of hard work, commitment and a considerable amount of talent and ability that previously had not been fully rewarded.

As the conditions veered from sunshine to rain, then hail and wind, both teams took to the field and within seconds of the whistle it became clear Stingers supporters were in for another treat. With the first foray forward Stingers pressure won them their first corner, which although didn’t trouble the keeper, it certainly signalled the Yellows attacking intentions. It was only 20 minutes later that the Buxton defence was breached for the first time, a blocked shot from Karen was latched on to by Max whose dependable left foot gave the keeper no chance.

Once ahead Stingers settled into the same pass and move style of football displayed last week (are we Arsenal in disguise?) and it was only a further 10mins until they increased the lead. A cross in from the left was latched on to by Jinny who was only denied her second in two games by a tug behind from a Buxton defender. A penalty was duly awarded which Eve blasted passed the keepers outstretched left arm. Controversy followed with Buxton having a player sent off for foul and abusive language directed towards the referee and to make matters worse for Buxton, Max again showed why she is so dangerous from just outside the box as she buried a right footed free kick from about 25 yards out.
More cards were shown as the first half drew to a close, Buxton got another yellow for dissent and Shelley was also booked for hand ball (an explanation of ‘ I was just reaching for my contact lenses’ didn’t seem to wash with the ref!).

The second half saw Stingers take advantage of their 11 players and it was a race between Max and Eve as to who was going to achieve Stingers first hatrick of the season. The accolade went to Max whose impressive performance deserved nothing less. Not to be upstaged Eve piled in with another two goals and a player of the match award. The yellow wall of defence was outstanding leaving Jane with only a few saves to make and the midfield worked tirelessly. Fresh legs from subs Nic, Tess and (the new girl) Jackie (only joking mate) must have depressed a tired Buxton team - from 1 – 15 Stingers were magnificent,… onwards and upwards yellows!
Karen Harris

Other results
BOLTON WANDERERS RESERVES 3 - 0 BLACON YOUTH
GLOSSOP NORTH END 0 - 1 ACCRINGTON LADIES ' 91
GREATER MANCHESTER POLICE 2 - 1 FRODSHAM RANGERS