Worcester City Women Development Team Suffers 1-4 Defeat to Bewdley

WCWFC Devs 1 - 4 Bewdley Town

City started the game in their usual fashion, moving the ball confidently straight from kick-off. After a succession of passes down the left, City won themselves an early corner, but the ball was cleared by Bewdley. They broke quickly but couldn’t get past the halfway point this time.

After another spell of possession for the development side, Pearson flicked the ball around the corner, playing Bridgwater through. Despite this, there was just too much on the pass, and the keeper claimed it.

Minutes later, Bewdley created their first chance of the game. A ball played down the left-hand side was picked up and slotted through on goal. This time though, Carter was there to clear the ball. It fell straight to an opposition player, but Bewdley couldn’t finish the chance.

Another half chance dropped to Bewdley a minute later as the ball bounced nicely from a throw-in. Their striker hit the ball on the half-volley, but it went just wide.

Bewdley made their way into the game after the first 10 minutes, starting to get on the ball and make some passes. After some good pressure by City though, a chance fell to Pearson, fleeing just wide of the post. Moments later, City were caught in possession and were lucky not to be punished at the back post.

As Bewdley continued to play out from the back, Smith anticipated the ball was there to be won and found herself with space to shoot, unfortunately sending the ball just wide. The biggest chance of the game came from Bewdley playing out from the back from a goal kick. Caught again by Pearson, she broke into the box and squared the ball for a tap in one yard out, but it was blazed over the bar, leaving the game 0-0 after 20 minutes. 

50 seconds later, City couldn’t get over the massive chance missed at one end and ended up conceding the first goal of the game. A ball played through the middle by the opposition was pounced on and struck early coming off the post. The shot rebounded straight back to the striker with two players on the line, but an easy finish made the game 0-1.

City responded well, getting back to the basics by moving the ball and the opposition. Finley played a ball out wide with the outside of her boot and was flicked around the corner by Pearson, putting Bridgwater through on goal. She decided to take it around the keeper but was tackled which led to a goal kick.

After winning the first ball from a Bewdley goal kick, the ball dropped to Finley on the edge of the box. She shifted it onto her right foot and blasted it into the top right corner, levelling the game at 1-1 after 37 minutes.

City looked to take the lead after their leveller, countering with Bridgwater and Pearson. The pair linked up through the middle of the pitch with a one-two, which put Bridgwater through on goal before she was tackled by the goalkeeper.

The second half began more evenly with both teams looking to play good football out from the back, however after 10 minutes, no real chances were created for either team.

After another 15 minutes of dominant possession from City, Bewdley created the first massive chance of the half. 25 minutes in, when their striker was played through one one-on-one, she was denied by Carter. Carter made the massive save and the rebound was put wide.

After City began to become comfortable in possession, a poor back pass from City caused confusion between the centre-back and goalkeeper. They left an open net behind them for the Bewdley striker to tap it in, making the game 1-2 in the 75th minute.

Straight from kick-off, the development side created a massive chance after a ball from Pygott is played through on goal to Bridgwater, who is tackled by the goalkeeper. The ball drops to Smith with an open goal, but faced with a defender, passes just wide of Bridgwater, ending the attack.

City continued to keep possession, pushing for a way into the game. After a ball upfield and a mix-up at the back, the ball looped over the keeper from the edge of the box to make the game 1-3 with 10 minutes to go.

Throwing everything at the game, the development side conceded a penalty and the game ended 1-4 to Bewdley.

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Worcester City Women U18s Fight Hard but Fall Short Against Knowle Raptors

In a closely contested match between Worcester City Women U18s and Knowle Raptors, Knowle got off to a strong start, scoring early and maintaining possession effectively. Despite some impressive hold-up play by Mia Guinian, City struggled to advance into the final third, allowing Knowle to net a second goal midway through the first half.

Amy Faulkner made a notable debut for City, injecting strength into the team. However, Knowle extended their lead, going 2-0 up. Against the run of play, City managed to pull one back with a splendid left-footed curled effort from Ella Archetti-Lutz outside the 18-yard box. Knowle then responded quickly, restoring their two-goal advantage, making it 3-1. The second half witnessed a resurgence from Worcester City, with increased dominance in possession. Kiera Shipley, Bella Keates, and Amy Faulkner created some promising chances, leading to Bella converting a cross from Amy to bring the score to 3-2.

Despite City's efforts to find an equalizer, Knowle sealed the victory with another goal, making it 4-2 with 10 minutes remaining. While the result may be disappointing for Worcester City Women U18s, their determination and effort throughout the match are commendable, and they should take pride in their performance.