I’m writing this column after a 3-1 defeat to Victoria Park Vixens in a closely contested encounter at Hackney Marshes.
Despite an excellent opening goal by Renee, the Vixens were always a threat in this game, breaking our mid press on numerous occasions with some very efficient precise passing we found difficult to deal with.

Although both teams were pretty evenly matched I felt Vixens were more familiar with each other’s game and this gave them an advantage they ruthlessly exploited.
There was however plenty of positives from our performance not least the last 20 minutes which we totally dominated without quite finding the end product.
I must give a lot of credit to the opposition who defended very well and played to their strengths throughout, they run out deserved winners leaving us with a learning curve we can only benefit from.
Aside from the actual game it was great to have the backing of the Open Access team who trained on the next pitch and were very vocal in their encouragement to us whenever there was a break in their proceedings.

The support from Open Access and W1T was also a feature of our recent game at the Old Spotted Dog and there have been comments about the ‘positive vibes’ between all 3 sides in recent weeks.
This is no accident and the improved harmonious relationship between all our teams management, assistants and coaches has been noticeable in recent weeks. Players might be surprised just how many meaningful conversations we have had lately, not only on the Dev/1T pathway but on OA direct to 1T pathway in regard to at least 2 players.

On Thursday WD/NB played OA in in an-house friendly game on the hallowed turf of at The Spotted Dog. Most importantly everyone seemed to enjoy the game but it also reinforced possible upwards selection claims for some and an indicator of ‘levels’ which need to be reached for others. There was also tangiable evidence of the improved communication here as Moz was played in an unfamiliar full back role with one eye on shortage of players in this position for W1T currently. A combination of good performance and positive feedback saw Moz included in the first team squad on Sunday so who knows what that might kickstart.

We have already made plans for all 3 teams to train together in the near future with a mini four-team tournament to round off the night and it’s been noticeable how enthusiastic all parties concerned in putting this together have been to drive these ‘seeds of ideas’ forward. There is a real buzz about this section at the moment and I can assure everyone myself, Ellie and Jay are loving the direction things are going and this is very encouraging for the future.
On a more light hearted note, I managed to referee, video and commentate on Thursday’s game, you might enjoy the exclusive web cam footage emerging from the evening-please take a look.
Yours in Football. Neil