Falcons Black v Linden

After a week off, the Falcons Black squad travelled to Birmingham at the weekend for their first away game in this season’s Premier League Division 2 (30/09/12). Both Coach Kaylea McQuade and Captain Katie Flaherty were unavailable for the trip so it was the Manager’s turn to take charge of the team with Dominique McKee (Wing Defence) stepping in as captain.

The game started disappointingly for Falcons Black as they struggled to get their attack going, especially with their final passes into the circle. Contrasting that, Linden’s attack had settled much quicker and the opposition had soon scored six unanswered goals. However, as the quarter wore on, the Falcons Black ladies found their feet and with it some flow to their game. They began to match Linden almost goal-for-goal but still needed to chase down Linden’s early advantage.

At quarter time the attack was shuffled about in an attempt to increase the tempo of the game to suit Falcons Black’s style of play. Simpson replaced Hancock at Goal Attack (GA), who herself moved into the Goal Shooter (GS) position. However, the ladies struggled to continue the fine form they had ended the first quarter with. Falcons Black’s defence worked hard to turn over balls but the chances they created to close the score line were not always successfully taken at the other end of the court. Too often, there were misplaced passes or the ball travelled off the back line. It all meant that Linden had increased their lead by half time.

The half time break gave the ladies an opportunity to regroup and refocus on what had become a 14-goal game to them. Muldrigg replaced Djokic at Wing Attack (WA), which appeared to give the team the impetus they needed. Falcons Black made some fast-paced breaks from their line, which culminated in more opportunities in the circle. It meant the third quarter was much more tightly contested with Falcons Black scoring their most goals during this period.

As the team went into the last quarter, more changes were made with Falcons Black’s Smith coming into centre (C). The fresh legs helped her team to continue to attack at pace but it was clear that Linden still remained the stronger side. They continued to put Falcons Black’s defence of McKee, Steadman and Beighton under pressure, although the three tirelessly challenged for the ball throughout.

When the whistle blew for full time, Linden’s winning margin had increased to 19 goals, with the final score being 47-28. The Falcons Black players came off the court obviously disappointed, knowing that they had a number of things to work on in training.

Starting Lineup: Goal Shooter Charlotte Roye, Goal Attack Helen Hancock, Wing Attack Sofija Djokic, Centre Eleanor Durcan, Wing Defence Dominique McKee (c), Goal Defence Lauren Steadman, Goal Keeper Issy Beighton