Somerset County Women’s League Cup: Portishead Ladies A 5, Wellington Wildcats Ladies 5 (Portishead win 3-0 on penalties)
Wellington AFC’s Wildcats Ladies played their hearts out before suffering a dramatic penalty shootout defeat against Portishead A on another hot afternoon.
Going into the game with injured player-manager Georgia as their solitary substitute, it was always going to be a tough ask, but the Wildcats produced their best performance of the season against a full Portishead squad.
After turning 16 during the week and fresh from a match-winning performance in her youth game the previous day, Emilia S made her debut for the senior side, completing her grassroots journey through youth football to the open-age game.
The Wildcats flew out of the blocks, with both Charlotte and Nieve testing the keeper in the opening couple of minutes. Portishead countered at pace with a great effort of their own in a pulsating start before, on six minutes, Emilia broke free, beat a player and opened the scoring.
The Wildcats continued to apply pressure and won a corner three minutes later. The initial clearance fell to Emilia just inside the box and she beat the keeper and a mass of players with a shot under the crossbar to double the advantage.
With their tails up and Milly and Nieve dictating play in midfield, the Wildcats enjoyed plenty of possession and territory with some slick passing. Nieve then won a header from a throw-in before using great skill and pace to burst through and score a fine goal.
At the other end, Jas pushed a shot on to the post before putting her body on the line to clear the follow-up, ensuring it remained 3-0 at the drinks break.
Portishead remained persistent and, on 24 minutes, their No 9 showed some excellent movement before producing a calm finish to reduce the deficit.
The hosts grew into the game, but makeshift defender Leah M, together with Clare, Emily and Rob, held firm and used their skill and awareness to keep Portishead at bay. They were also indebted to Jas, who made a couple of fine saves.
Playing in front of the defence and faced with several key decisions, Lola read the game well and showed composure in distributing the ball to the flanks, where Charlotte was a constant threat on the right while Morrell enjoyed success on the left.
Nieve and Milly continued to dictate play and, in the 43rd minute, another superb through-ball found Emilia, who kept her composure under pressure to slot home. It completed a first-half hat-trick on her senior debut and gave the Wildcats a 4-1 interval lead.
Knowing the game was there for the taking, the Wildcats pressed on after the restart and Emilia almost put the contest out of sight. However, Portishead’s ability to rotate and introduce fresh legs gradually started to cause problems.
With Leah M forced out of the action with a nosebleed and then Emilia needing to come off, the Wildcats had to call on Georgia to play more minutes than anticipated and were pushed to their physical limits.
Jas made several fine saves, but Portishead, to their credit, produced some terrific free-flowing football to reduce the deficit to 4-3 by the final drinks break.
The home crowd and banging drums from the stands set the scene for a magnificent final quarter in a terrific atmosphere. Some slow Wildcats play was punished as they were caught in possession and Portishead grabbed an equaliser.
Unlike the previous week, however, the Wildcats found another gear to temporarily halt the home side’s charge. Emilia was reintroduced for the closing stages and broke clear in the 82nd minute to score her fourth goal of an exceptional debut, seemingly giving Wellington the winner.
The Wildcats then won a corner and kept the ball in the Portishead half as it appeared they would hold on for victory. But, in the 88th minute, a final attack from the hosts and an excellent switch of play created an opportunity which was dispatched with a superb finish worthy of taking such an entertaining contest to penalties.
Unfortunately, the shootout proved a one-sided affair. Portishead converted three excellent penalties which gave Jas no chance, while the Wildcats were unable to find the net with theirs.
The defeat, although disappointing, did nothing to detract from the progress this young group continues to make. Portishead’s fresh legs, combined with the technical ability of the Wildcats’ small available squad, produced a classic game of football which will live long in the memory.
Player of the match, sponsored by Mundy Veneer, was a two-horse race. Lola produced her finest 90 minutes in a Wildcats shirt, playing with composure and maturity beyond her years, but Emilia could not be denied after scoring four goals on her senior debut in an exceptional clinical performance, supported and encouraged throughout by every one of her teammates.
Finally, a massive thank you goes to Anchor Services for sponsoring the new VX3 kit which the ladies were sporting for the game.
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