Lionesses secure 2nd place league finish with comfortable victory
On Wednesday the Women’s football second team looked to close their fight to finish second place in the Midlands 2A league. After previously winning the conference cup this season a high league placing would add to their strong form this season. They met the University of Nottingham 2nd team at Metchley Playing Fields for an afternoon kick off with home ground advantage.
It was a slow start for both teams with neither putting a foot in the door with attacks however both defences remained strong making for a slightly scrappy first twenty minutes. At this point it appeared to be a very level playing field with both teams focusing on defence rather than attack.
Birmingham headed in the first goal of the game on 35 minutes, taking it to 1-0 and in turn mounting pressure on the Nottingham side to up their game play.
Following on from the goal it was a quiet close end to the first half with it appearing that Birmingham had asserted their dominance but weren’t necessarily pushing for more immediate goals.
Heading into the second half we saw an immediate confidence on the pitch from the Lions as they dominated the game, allowing for very few counter attacks from Nottingham. This is where Birmingham came into their own and looked to use set pieces on the attack, resulting in another goal within minutes of starting. The Lions weren’t ready to stop though!
Only ten minutes later it was goals galore at Metchley as a sprint down the right-hand side lead to a class finish and yet another goal for Birmingham. With a vibrant crowd as the back drop the girls appeared spurred on by their lead and once against started on the attack for yet another goal. This took their lead to 4-0 with 30 minutes left to play.
Nottingham had several successional throw ins within the Birmingham half however the Lions defence were quick to clear them away every time. Finally, Birmingham took control back and focused heavily on defence to cement their strong lead.
Their last game will be against Loughborough, however today’s win secures second place in the Midlands 2A with a current unassailable lead over Loughborough of six points, who they play in their final game of the season next week, once again at Metchley.
