Crostyx Ladies 4 Waltham Forest 1

Following another postponed fixture, this time due to lack of umpires, Crostyx travelled away to Waltham Forest. Their last game had seen victory over 2nd placed Sudbury so it was important that they did not let the break affect them.

Crostyx started well, scoring 3 goals inside the first 15 minutes. They attacked from the start allowing Waltham Forest little time to set themselves. Playing with 3 forwards, and with the support of the midfield, Crostyx were able to build a number of attacks.

They quickly won their first short corner and when the initial shot was saved by the keeper Crostyx newcomer Thea Hitchcock was first to react, calmly slotting the ball into the goal.

This was exactly the start that Crostyx were hoping for and it allowed them to settle into an attacking rhythm. The second goal came as captain Keeley Pratt attacked the goal from the left and managed to find the perfect angle to beat the advancing keeper at the far post.

The visitor’s lead was further extended when another attacking move resulted in an inch perfect cross to the penalty spot where Jo Ward was waiting to sweep the ball home.

At 3-0 Crostyx were cruising and hopeful of more goals. However, Waltham Forest bounced back well and began to play with more conviction, keeping possession and attacking straight down the middle of the pitch.

The Crostyx defense held strong and despite a few breaks from the home side they were not troubled, with player of the match Kirsty Breeze and defenders Kate Henley and Vicki Berrill holding their ground.

Towards the end of the first half Crostyx were on the attack once more, winning a couple of short corners but unable to convert. They went in at the break very much in control of the game.

The second half saw more attacking play from Crostyx with midfield and attack linking well. Anne Bills made good progress down the right hand side, playing some dangerous balls in to the forwards and earning a string of short corners.

Another rebounded shot fell to Thea Hitchcock who swept the ball into the goal on the reverse to score her second of the game.

As Crostyx pressed for more goals the risk of counter attack increased. Waltham Forest never gave up and during one counter attack they played a dangerous ball through to their centre forward just outside the 25. She attacked at pace and just managed to push the ball past the advancing keeper, Rebecca Clark, to slot the ball into the empty goal.

The goal was a minor glitch in an otherwise solid performance by Crostyx and a well earned 3 points. With 4 games left to play they are still battling for promotion. This coming weekend is all important as they play back to back games at home against Broxbourne on Saturday and then away at Letchworth on Sunday.