Astonishing Fightback Sees Academy Beaten

A last gaps two minute double salvo from Super League leaders Birmingham downed a brave Bristol Academy in a pulsating match at the Stoke Gifford Stadium.

Marie Ballard hit the Blues into an early lead before the game really got into gear with twenty minutes to go, Jess Fishlock equalising before Ann-Marie Heatherson nodded the home side into the lead. That wasn't to be enough, though, Chelsea Weston thumped a stunning strike to level the game once again with two minutes left and from the very next Birmingham attack Rachel Williams, the leagues top scorer, added to her growing tally with a fine finish.

Academy made two changes from the starting line up that lost by the same 3-2 scoreline to Lincoln on Friday, Helen Bleazard and Lillie Billson the players to miss out, being replaced by Kaite Daley and Jaz Matthews. When the team sheets were handed in there were another two replacements for the visitors, Izzy Christiansen and Jade Moore dropped due to injury, but that wasn't to be the end of the switches, goalkeeper Marie Hourihan forced to pull out in the warm up, thus promoting Leanne Hall to the starting line up for the first time this season.

The game, played in front of the live ESPN cameras, got off to an exciting start, Bristol being awarded a free kick for a foul on forward Jess Fishlock. The resulting set-piece saw Corinne Yorston and Jemma Rose stood over the ball, the latter eventually taking a dig at goal that thudded off the top of the crossbar, it didn't, however take long for Birmingham to charge to the other end and take the lead.

England international Karen Carney controlled a pass that came over her shoulder and pushed into the box, completely unchallenged by the Academy defenders who committed the cardinal sin of not playing to the whistle, her first effort was stopped by home goalkeeper Siobhan Chamberlain only for the rebound to fall at the feet of Marie Ballard, the 31 year old side footing into the unguarded net.

From then on the game became scrappy, bad challenges flying in across the pitch, before the Vixens began to force the issue in search of a leveller, captain Yorston, Ann-Marie Heatherson and Anouk Hoogendijk all failing to warm the hands of Hall while Rachel Williams was just as profligate at the other end, heading a Carney cross over the bar.

When Yorston did manage to hit the target she found Hall in inspired form, the late call-up dropping quickly to her left to sustain the Birmingham lead. Hall was soon beaten just after, only for the upright to come to her rescue as Jess Fishlock was unable to wrap her foot around the ball from the tightest of angles.

It was Fishlock who was causing the most trouble to the Birmingham back four despite the fact that she found herself isolated in the lone striker role. As the second half arrived it appeared that Heatherson and Matthews, the West Country side's wingers, were pushing further up the pitch and providing support, changing the formation from 4-5-1 to 4-3-3.

The half time withdrawal of the impressive Blues forward Karen Carney didn't have a noticeable effect on her side as Williams squandered the opportunity to double the lead. The former Doncaster midfielder held off the challenges of two Bristol players and burst into the penalty area, Chamberlain rushing off her line to quickly smother her shot.

Just two minutes later there was more action for Chamberlain, this time a spectacular diving save was required to keep out a banana bending Dunia Susi drive.

Academy, whose passes were growing ever longer, were finding no joy against an aerially solid defence, solid that was until the 70th minute. A half cleared ball fell the way of substitute Molly Clark who took controlled on her chest before volleying in a cross that evaded all the heads in the box, Fishlock eventually prodding the ball over the line from three yards after deflections off numerous bodies.

It was the Vixens who had taken the game by the scruff of the neck and nine minutes later a cross from the left found the head of Ann-Marie Heatherson whose connection was to solid for Hall to react quick enough, the effort beating the 'keeper at her near post and sending the majority of the 963 person crowd into raptures.

Birmingham looked shell-shocked but perhaps the turning point came when Helen Bleazard required treatment in the 82nd minute, the away team finding the time for a huddle in the centre circle and with that they fell back into their stride starting with a fabulous equaliser.

Jo Potter's corner wasn't met with strongest of clearances and when the ball dropped the way of full back Chelsea Weston there was to be no doubt about the result, the England youth international thundering a barnstorming volley straight into the top corner.

The Blues were back and little over sixty seconds later the league leaders restored their advantage as Williams was played in with a high through ball. Chamberlain dashed out to reduce the angle but her on-rushing opponent delicately lift the ball over her head to complete a stunning comeback that was infused with passion and self-belief.

That wasn't to be the end of the extraordinary passage of football, though, as a flurry of chances went the way of the home side, Hoogendijk heading wide and Grace McCatty seeing a shot nodded off the line. Not even the partisan crowd could will the referee into handing their side a penalty after a defensive body was struck from close range as the match finished in defeat for Bristol Academy, the second 3-2 reverse at the Stoke Gifford Stadium in six days while Birmingham regained their seven point lead over Arsenal.

Lincoln See Off Academy In Super League Restart

Bristol Academy lost their unbeaten home record after falling to defeat at the hands of Lincoln Ladies at the Stoke Gifford Stadium.

Goals from Grace McCatty and Corrine Yorston were not enough to prevent a 3-2 loss, McCatty also putting the ball over her own line alongside two goals from Imps left back Rachel Daly.

Academy captain Yorston started in the unfamiliar position of central midfield while Jade Radburn came in for only her second start in the Super League. Lincoln were only able to start with one of their three summer recruits, Jodie Taylor, on loan from league leaders Birmingham, leading the line, and she made an immediate impact.

With little over a minute on the clock Lincoln had already enjoyed a sustained period of pressure and when debutant Taylor hit the ball goalwards the unfortunate McCatty prodded past Siobhan Chamberlain and into her own net to give the visitors the advantage.

It was not the start the Vixens wanted and for the best part of the opening ten minutes they found themselves unable to break through the Lincoln midfield, Yorston having to make do with a weak effort that Nicola Hobbs held with ease.

The failure to make an impact tolled after thirteen minutes as a corner from the left bounced off numerous bodies before defender Rachel Daly jabbed home to double the Imps lead.

The rain that had started to drizzle at kick off quickly turned into a downpour. This, however, did not deter Academy from starting their fightback, Dutch international midfielder Anouk Hoogendijk attempting an audacious thirty yard lob that was tipped over by the backpedalling Hobbs.

It was Hoogendijk again who threatened three minutes later, seeing an effort cleared off of the goal line after the ball dropped kindly for her from a Yorston free kick.

Moments later a poor Hobbs goal kick almost ended in disaster, Jess Fishlock able to burst forwards and feed Ann-Marie Heatherson in the box, the former Chelsea striker falling under a heavy challenge, only to see her penalty shouts waved away by referee Price. Before the break there was to be another stoppage for treatment to Heatherson who also took the full force of a Hobbs clearance from point blank range.

Despite being two goals behind at half time it was the home side who were playing the better football, finding the damp conditions conducive to their brand of slick, passing football and within four minutes of the restart they found themselves back in the game.

Right winger Helen Bleazard, who had a relatively quiet game, was able to break down the right before stalling to release the overlapping McCatty. The Centre of Excellence graduate went to cross, slicing horribly across the ball, only to see the luck on her side as the attempted centre swung goalwards and flew past Hobbs at the near post, allowing the full back to break even on the night.

But no sooner had Academy given themselves a route back into the game then they went and threw it away, as another corner saw a near carbon copy of the second goal. On this occasion it was Chamberlain who flapped as the corner dropped and, after an initial shot was blocked on route to goal, Daly once again popped up to restore the visitors two goal lead.

Yorston continued to be the key for all the good that the Bristol side were doing, having a cross of her own palmed behind before one of her corners was flicked into the Lincoln 'keepers arms by the head of Lillie Billson.

The beauty of the rainbow that had appeared overhead was most definitely not a reflection of the game taking place beneath as the second half wore on, neither side able to create a clear cut opportunity, Academy substitute Molly Clark fizzing a low free kick wide of the mark the closest either side came during the middle stages of the period.

The talismanic Yorston was again involved when, with six minutes to go, Hobbs quite literally handed another road back into it for the Vixens, fumbling a driven cross that skidded along the soaking turf straight into the path of the England international whose eventual effort agonisingly rolled the wrong side of the post.

Safe goalkeeping was found wanting at the other end too as this time Chamberlain slipped up on the sodden surface, allowing Lincoln winger Jess Clarke to clip a ball over towards Sophie Barker only to see the Lincoln University student fail to connect with the goal her mercy.

With seconds left on the clock there was to be a second consolation for the battling home team, Yorston sending Hobbs the wrong way from the spot, but it was not enough as Lincoln's ninety minutes of resilience proved the difference between the teams on the night.

It's Quite Simple For Rovers

Bright, breezy football, the changes that have occurred at Bristol Rovers over the summer months have been incredible. It may be hard to put your finger on what exactly has changed, there has been so many, but let's have a look at some of them.

There are obviously some of the major differences in tactics, some complicated, but what is really notable is that Paul Buckle has got the simple things right, as seen in the 2-0 pre-season victory over Championship side Burnley.

Defensively the side are much improved with the line the back four are holding far higher than seen in previous years while the whole team press further up the pitch. Whereas last season a ball cleared out of the Rovers defence would not draw the side out of their defensive formation, often resulting in the opposition coming straight back on the attack, Buckle has instilled an attacking mindset, instructing his players to follow the ball out of the back and put immediate pressure on the adversary potentially resulting in errors and winning possession back.

The high pressure tactics aren't just restricted to defending in Rovers own half, early on in the game against Burnley we saw right back Michael Smith overlapping winger Jo Anyinsah and challenging in the opposition defensive third. Such forthright defending would have been unthinkable under Paul Trollope or Dave Penney and is a breath of fresh air for fans who had become well acquainted with their team backing off to the edge of their own area as soon as the ball was lost.

Aside from that fans also saw the full backs closing down their opposition wingers, aiming to prevent crosses into the box with great success. Never for a second were Burnley given the time to settle themselves into a passing rhythm, aside from the first minute the threat to the Gas was non-existent up until the last twenty minutes when the passing intensity was turned up a notch and Ross Wallace struck the crossbar with a spectacular long range effort. Rovers were comfortable right the way through the match and dominated in their own right, as poor as Burnley were the Pirates were excellent.

There were also insights into other attacking ploys that Buckle may use. The second half, for instance, saw Mustapha Carayol, the cheeky, jinking winger, and youth team graduate Ben Swallow take to the pitch in the wide positions. What was most notable about this was that Carayol, a right footer, and Swallow, a left footer, played on the flanks that opposed their stronger feet, often leading to the pair cutting inside or running along the byline when coming forward, showing a direct running approach that puts defenders on the back foot as they look to stop the dashing wide men.

That's not to say that you don't want to see high crosses put into the penalty area, when you've got players with the height and power of Matt Harrold and Chris Zebroski it is an excellent outlet, but there is the variation there whichever way Rovers want to play.

Even when defending corners Buckle's charges also showed an attacking approach by often leaving two or three players up by the halfway line, even when two goals to the good, resulting in Burnley having to leave more of their own players back to keep tabs on them.

One other notable point about Burnley was how dirty a side they were, numerous bad challenges resulted in Rovers players being thrown to the floor, perhaps though, this isn't a bad thing. The way Rovers have been playing thus far under Buckle, keeping the ball on the floor and free-flowing in their movement, is all very well in pre-season but when it comes to the real thing there are teams, especially in League 2, who will do their best to stop this game plan in anyway possible.

Carayol, Swallow and Joe Anyinsah amongst others will no doubt be a target for such treatment, the first was taken out at various points by the Clarets, but, having spent the best part of three seasons in lower league football, he will be used to this. It's not what any fan likes to see but it happens, some managers set their teams up for outright physicality, and this is one style that Rovers will have to deal with at some point during the long, arduous season and the way they hold themselves, both physically and mentally, will determine their success.

The goals on the night came from beanpole forward Harrold in the first half and substitute Eliot Richards in the second, both putting in excellent displays. Harrold gave what was expected of him, showing great strength and aerial ability to hold up and push the ball on, what was also good to see was a will to chase down the odd overhit pass as well as a couple of his own flick-ons. The goal was taken well, it came from a driven Matt Gill corner, and shows that Rovers have the capabilities to score from any situation.

Richards ran his socks off too and scored his goal very coolly, it was his second of the pre-season. Add that to his first league goal, scored against Colchester in the final game of last season, and it seems that the young Welshman is beginning to develop the talent and promise that he showed during his youth career. The experience of Scott McGleish will of course be a great help to the nineteen year old who will be battling for a place in not just the squad but the starting eleven as the season progresses.

All in all it was another excellent performance from the Gas, putting an experienced second tier club to the sword, and shows further promise for the season to come and much of it is down to perfecting the simplicities of the game.

Pre-Season Progress For The Gas

Just six days after their last game at the venue Bristol Rovers returned to Twerton Park for a home-away-from-home game against Scottish Premier League side Inverness Caledonian Thistle, goals from Scott McGleish and debutant Kayne McLaggon twice putting the Gas ahead only for the game to finish level at 2-2 thanks to two Neil Ross goals for Caley.

After three games against non-league opposition full time Inverness proved to be a much stiffer test of the Pirates metal and at times the pressure of their Scottish rivals lead to sticky patches but the game will go down as an overall success for Paul Buckle, some impressive performances coming out of his team.

The best of those players was undoubtedly Mustapha Carayol whose delicious flicks and tricks gave Gasheads something to lick their lips at. The Gambian, signed from Lincoln City this summer, came out and looked supremely confident in his own ability to hustle and harry the Thistle full backs, starting off with an audacious backheel flick down the line that threw off his marker and allowed him to go on a jaunt towards the byline. Similar tricks followed before his impact on the game told, the winger being brought down in the box after a jinking run that saw him beat numerous defenders, giving Scott McGleish a chance to give Rovers the lead, an opportunity he took with aplomb.

It has been a long time since Rovers fans have been able to watch a player who can match blistering pace with enterprising skill and in their quest for League 2 promotion it will be a key attribute to the Pirates team.

Carayol went off at half time, replaced on the left by young forward Kayne McLaggon. Signed this week on a free the former Southampton striker put in a notable performance against hardened opposition, again showing good pace while the goal that he scored came from a fine finish, the tight angle not bewildering the twenty year old, and Buckle was clearly pleased when he spoke to the media after the game.

"I think you saw tonight why we brought him to the club. He's more than capable, though he lost his way at Southampton after an injury. However his goals return for Salisbury last season was good and he will add competition for places up front." Gleamed the Pirates boss.

Indeed, the ex-Salisbury boy proved that he will be challenging for a starting place this season, as he exhibited great strength, holding off his marker a couple of times and instinctively turning inside, seemingly on a sixpence.

McLaggon wasn't the only player to impress in the second period as right back Michael Boateng took to the pitch for the third time this pre-season, putting in what has become a typical display. Previously with Carshalton Athletic Boateng has given an indication of the type of full back Paul Buckle is after, throwing off the defensive shackles of his job and going on a number of marauding forward runs. He played a key part in the second goal scored against Bath City last Friday and once again blazed forward when the situation arose, nearly grabbing another assist when he shrugged off the Inverness left back on the byline before running along it and playing the ball into the middle.

Much of the freedom may have come from the lack of pressure on the youngster as prior to the game he was told by Paul Buckle that he would be offered a deal to stay with Rovers, as the gaffer revealed after the game, saying:"We are going to attack this season and take the game to teams, and he can certainly do that, so he will be joining us and I'm delighted to have him on board."

Boateng will have to battle with Michael Smith for the right back berth and, going on last nights performances, it will be a close contest, Smith starting slowly in the first half when put under pressure from the Inverness front line. Boateng's main job, of course, will be defending and he showed that he is capable in that area too, tackling well, getting himself into the right positions and showing notable aerial poise.

There were some minor faults that came out of the game, Adam Virgo struggled in the first half while his partner in the second, Cian Bolger, looked susceptible to long balls dropped over the back of his shoulder, the first Thistle equaliser came from a route one ball from the goalkeeper. Neither Virgo or Bolger looked comfortable dealing with pace and movement leaving doubts in minds as to whether they would work as a partnership during the competitive season. With the inexperienced Charlie Clough missing the game through injury it may be that Rovers are in the market for one more central defender in order to add depth and cover to their squad.

One of the top performers thus far in pre-season, Ben Swallow, didn't play up to the standards he has set himself, appearing unable to cope with the pace of the game, the Welshman giving away far too much possession with loose passes and dallying while on the ball, Inverness setting out to constantly shut down the Rovers players.

Overall, though, there were more positives than negatives to take out of the game, the Scots proving to be a step up in class after a string of non-league challenges. The proof of the pudding, however, will come on Tuesday when the Gas head back to the Memorial Stadium to play Championship Burnley, a game where you might expect a stronger and more stable starting line up, as Paul Buckle looks to show just how far Rovers have come.

The End Of The Lines

Barring one 45 minute stint there has been one notable absentee from Bristol Rovers pre-season campaign, Chris Lines. Speculation among fans and the press has been ongoing for weeks but now it seems that these rumours have come to fruition as Rovers homegrown midfielder looks set to leave for pastures new.

The club connected with Lines all summer has been Championship Crystal Palace who have ex-Rovers director of football Lennie Lawrence as assistant manager under Dougie Freedman. It now turns out that Lines has spent the week training with the Eagles on their pre-season camp in Exeter and their Scottish boss likes the look of what he has seen, telling This Is Croydon Today, "He hasn't done too badly at all, he's a runner from midfield, a bit like [former Palace midfielder] Neil Danns, and I'm pleased with him so far."

So it seems like the Bristolian may be heading off to London but the big question is 'will he be missed?', on the face of it selling a player who signed a three and a half year contract back in January 2010 to a second tier club would give the impression that, yes, he would be, but it's not quite as simple as that.

When Lines penned that deal a season and a half ago he was on top of the world having had a successful start to the season and he finished it off in much the same vein, last term, however, didn't go quite so well. Although that could be said for much of the squad in what ended up being a relegation season Lines' form tailed off fairly dramatically as he struggled with the role that numerous managers left him fulfilling.

Paul Trollope started playing Lines in a much more reserved guise in central midfield, something that doesn't appear to come naturally to a player who has far more attacking instincts than he has defensive, tackling is not his game and neither does he have any substantial aerial ability, that despite a hefty 6'2" frame. The introduction of Dave Penney did little to turn around fortunes as much of the play began to bypass the midfield who pushed little further up the pitch than they did under Trollope and subsequently Stuart Campbell at the end of the year.

While Paul Buckle has looked to instill an attacking mentality in his charges, possibly suiting Lines better, it begins to look like the 25 year old will not be missed, other options arising under the new manager's stewardship during the pre-season.

Buckle's tactics seem to be based around a 4-2-3-1 formation, the two holding midfield roles not being the places Lines would be at his best, as has already been mentioned, leaving his most productive position being the line of three sat just ahead but there is already a great deal of competition for those spots.

During the half that Lines has played so far this pre-season he looked every bit as anonymous as he did last term, failing to put his stamp on the game against a team who play at the eighth level of English football and since then Rovers have gone on to score ten goals, a number of players taking part in the three attacking midfield places.

Jo Anyinsah has a lot of experience playing in both the wide roles and as a striker, scoring two goals in the two games he has played in, looking threatening throughout, while Chris Zebroski is in much a similar position with the added bonus of being a favourite of Paul Buckle's at Torquay. The former Gulls boss has also shown a lot of faith in Ben Swallow to play across this line with Mustapha Carayol, Charlie Reece and Eliot Richards also having the ability to take up such a task, and that all goes without mentioning Wayne Brown who has by far shown the most promise of all the players to this point and began to overshadow Lines at the back end of the previous season.

It is one of the failings of modern day football, where clubs and their staff have to be looked at in a more business-like manner, but perhaps this is one situation where it makes sense to offload Lines. Palace are thought to be willing to offer a six-figure sum for the midfielder who is likely to be one of the better paid players currently at the club having signed a long term deal while Rovers were still settled in League 1. With chairman Nick Higgs having come out and said that the Gas are no longer big payers it may be that the funds from the sale of Lines would allow Buckle to bring in two or more players to add further depth to his squad.

This isn't all to say that Lines is a bad player, he is a powerful runner who is able to move at pace, has good vision and is one of the cleanest strikers of a football currently in the Rovers squad, making him a specialist from dead ball situations. When given the opportunity to push forward Lines is also a natural goalscorer having put sixteen in the onion bag over the previous two seasons.

He has shown before that he has the talent in League 1, attracting the interest of Southampton in the past, but last season certainly wasn't a vintage year and, perhaps having gone stale with the Pirates, it is time for a new beginning for the Filton College graduate if he is to make the most out of his career.