On Saturday 13th April Leyton Orient Women arrived in a sunny but breezy Chelmsford for the second round of fixtures in the Essex Women’s Walking Football League.

First up for Orient were top of the table Paringdon Pirates Reds. Leyton Orient fell back into a bad habit and were not ready when the match started and found themselves behind after a few seconds. Keeper Williams had saved an early shot but a Paringdon striker got hold of the rebound and scored. The pressure from the Reds was fairly relentless and Orient were pinned in their own half for much of the match. When the Os did manage a good attack the Paringdon keeper was lively and effective.
The referee used his whistle a lot, punishing both sides for not walking offences. The teams changed ends halfway through the match but Paringdon continued to dominate. The Orient defence continued to stand firm and Williams, in goal, was not beaten again. Final score: Paringdon Pirates Reds 1 v 0 Leyton Orient.

The second match of the day was against Southend Women Whites. The Whites appeared to have some different personnel from the last time Orient played them and the Os, again, took a little while to settle. Once settled, the Os dominated play. When Southend did break away the ball was intercepted by Baker who steered it safely back to Williams in goal. Leyton Orient had several shots from Handley and Ahlstrom but, sadly, none were on target. Final score: Leyton Orient 0 v 0 Southend Women Whites.

Next up were Paringdon Pirates Blues. This was another game where Orient dominated the possession. An early shot from Baker went wide. There followed an unlucky passage of play when the Os were through on attack but the wind caught the ball and carried it away. Orient continued to attack with shots from Grint and Baker. After the turn around Orient continued to send in plenty of shots but, as in the previous match, none found the back of the net. Final score: Paringdon Pirates Blues 0 v 0 Leyton Orient.

The fourth match was against Colchester Eagles. This match followed the pattern of the previous two with Orient having lots of possession and scoring chances. Throughout the game there were shots from Matthews, Baker, Handley and Selner which all went high or wide. Unfortunately, the Os were unable to find a breakthrough. Final Score: Leyton Orient 0 v 0 Colchester Eagles.

Next Leyton Orient played Southend Women Greens. The game began well with the Os moving up the pitch towards the Greens’ goal. Selner tried a speculative shot but it missed the target. In this game Campbell really proved her worth with some fantastic defensive work blocking multiple shots from the Greens. The Greens continued to press but the Orient defence held firm. Orient had a corner in the last minute but they were unable to break the deadlock. Final score: Southend Women Greens 0 v 0 Leyton Orient.

The penultimate match for Orient was against Billericay Town Blues. The Blues are a strong team and they began well with an early shot that was well saved by Williams. Campbell continued her good work in defence with blocks and interceptions. Orient continued to soak up the pressure from the Blues and Ahlstrom got herself free but her shot was well saved by the Blue’s keeper. There was a worrying moment when Drane (ex Os Player) broke through on her own but her shot was saved by Williams. Ahlstrom then broke through and was on goal when the referee called play back and awarded the Os a free kick which did not lead to a goal. In the last minute Billericay Blues scored from a deflected shot and Orient did not have any time to reply. Final score: Leyton Orient 0 v 1 Billericay Town Blues.

Orient’s final game was against Billericay Town Whites. In this match there was an early chance for Handley but the Whites’ keeper was equal to it. The Os had several shots but they were all wide. The defence of Jones, Grint and Campbell worked well and Williams did not have a lot to do in goal. She did, however, send out a long throw which Baker directed to Ahstrom who aimed well and scored. Orient continued to dominate play but were relieved when the final whistle blew. Final score: Billericay Town Whites 0 v 1 Leyton Orient (Ahlstrom).

After the match captain Selner said, “Well done to everyone today. We held our own as always and just couldn’t put the chances away. Thank you to our amazing team members for their support, organization and advice – very much welcomed.”

Leyton Orient Women remain in third place in the league but with a reduced points advantage.

Leyton Orient squad: Andree Selner (Cpt), Chris Williams (Gk), Johanna Ahlstrom, Sam Baker, Frances Handley, Sarah Grint, Sally Jones, Blu Campbell, Ann Matthews.

Goal scorers: Ahlstrom.

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Image used © 2024 Alison Kay

Location

56 Salerno Way, Chelmsford CM1 2EH, UK