Doncaster Rovers Belles 0-4 Chelsea Ladies
On April 20th 2013 I travelled the short distance to the Keepmoat Stadium to see Doncaster Rovers Belles take on Chelsea Ladies in their first FA Women’s Super League game of the season.
The reasons for going to this game were threefold. Firstly, Carlisle were away at Bournemouth and triple digit train fares weren’t doing anything to entice me to the South Coast. Doncaster though, were at home to Notts County with a chance of gaining promotion. As a Carlisle fan, the word ‘promotion’ is not one I’m too familiar with, so I decided not to jinx Rovers and stayed away. So when Mother Donnelly came home with free tickets from her teaching union for the Bells game, I decided I would be daft not to go!
My match day began at 2:30pm, with a trip to one of my favourite places in Doncaster: The Icebreakers Sports Bar. The bar has a large projector screen that displays Jeff Stelling and his gang in high quality, so I am found here on many a Saturday afternoon! After watching the day’s scores roll in, me and Father Donnelly embarked on the short walk to the Keepmoat Stadium. As we approached the ground, the final few supporters from the Doncaster Rovers match were still filtering out the ground, with some staying to watch the Belles after the disappointed from the male arm of Doncaster (they were beaten 1-0 by Notts County).
My last trip to Keepmoat was only a month ago, when Carlisle took the three points courtesy of a Liam Noble brace. You can read all about this here. I had been to one previous FAWSL game here before, when the Belles took on Everton Ladies in the inaugural Super League campaign. The Blues returned to Merseyside victorious, with a fine Toni Duggan effort enough to give them a 1-0 win. Since then, the FAWSL has gone from strength to strength, with the league now expanding to allow more teams to enter. This was Doncaster’s first game of the new campaign, whilst Chelsea had drawn 1-1 with Birmingham in their opener.
A statue outside the Keepmoat
The Belles had enlisted the help of an events management company to draw in the crowds for this, and a crowd of 476 were treated to an enjoyable evening. Prior to the game and during the half-time interval, there was live music from ‘The Establishment’, a performance by the Bradford Bulls cheerleaders, and one of the strangest acts I have ever seen at a football match: a gospel choir! The club always handed out free bells and shirts to try and give the crowd a lift, and it certainly did the job!
The crowd were behind the Belles from very early on, but it was Chelsea who created the first real opening of the game. A through ball from Dunia Susi found Eniola Aluko, who held the ball up well before firing a low shot towards towards goal. It was no problem for Nicola Hobbs in the Doncaster goal, who held the shot well.
It was end-to-end stuff in the opening minutes, with both sides trying to take an early lead. The hosts had the next real chance of the game, when an Ashleigh Mills pass found Millie Bright. The youngster had two Chelsea defenders in close attention, and her shot was weak and well wide.
Chelsea had one key advantage over the Belles’ backline – pace. The wing duo of Sophia Jakobson and Claire Rafferty were both causing havoc in the hosts’ defence, and a floated Rafferty cross was met by the head of Danni Buet, who unselfishly set up Helen Ward. Ward’s effort lacked conviction however, and drifted past the post.
Sophia Jakobson represented Sweden during the Olympics, and arrived at Chelsea in the summer. She had the best chance of the game when she was played through one-on-one with Hobbs. It was the ‘keeper who triumphed, as Jakobson saw her low effort blocked by Hobbs’ foot.
The next time a chance fell to the Swede, she didn’t disappoint. Eniola Aluko raced clear down the right and worked her way to the byline. She cut the ball back for Jakobson who had the simple task of slotting home from close range. The Belles were caught napping, just as they were managing to create some chances of their own.
Following the opener, the game died down a little, with the midfield players seeing an awful lot of the ball. The hosts were trying to find a way back into the game, and were cheered on by a gang of young men who had stayed on from the men’s game earlier in the afternoon. The free bells handed out were improving the atmosphere too, and could be heard every time the home side tried to start an attack.
Despite seeing more of the ball after the opener, the Belles were unable to create any real chances. Their only effort worth noting was a rasping Kasia Lipka drive from 25 yards, which flew over the crossbar.
Whilst the deficit was only one, Doncaster sensed they could find a way back into the game. A Bethany England free-kick was nodded on by Victoria Williams, and Millie Bright narrowly missed out on making contact. Her frustration was clear for all to see, and she perhaps should have done better with the chance.
Chelsea Celebrate
Just as Doncaster were starting to get back into the game, Chelsea and Jakobson doubled their tally for the afternoon. The pace on the Chelsea flanks was still causing problems for the Belles, and the host’s defence was caught short on this attack. Again, Aluko was the creator as she wriggled away from two defenders before managing to get a shot away. Hobbs saved the original effort, but was powerless to prevent Jakobson from tapping in the rebound.
The next extract from my notes read as follows: 37 Minutes: THE SUN FINALLY DISAPPEARS BEHIND THE WEST STAND. Fantastic news, as I could now see the action and take half decent pictures! It did mean a drop in temperature though!
The Belles were still able to fashion only half chances, and weren’t looking like scoring. Victoria Williams was presented with a good opportunity to reduce Chelsea’s lead when she was ran through the visitor’s defence. Her effort, from a tight angle, was always going wide.
One minute of injury time was played at the end of the first period, and Chelsea had two fantastic opportunities to score during that time. A Jakobson free-kick caused confusion in the Doncaster box, and following some penalty area pinball a Katie Holtham shot was held well by Nicola Hobbs. Another Jakobson delivery found Ward moments later, and only a heroic block from Naomi Chadwick stopped the effort from hitting the target. Chadwick required treatment afterwards, as the ball hit her with some real force.
Chelsea went in 2-0 up at the interval, and they were good value for their lead. The Belles had shown bags of energy and desire, but couldn’t match Chelsea on a technical level. The pace of Jakobson and Rafferty was proving to be a thorn in the backside of the home defence, and the two would need to be marshalled closely in the second half.
Both sides made a change during the break. Naomi Chadwick couldn’t continue after her injury picked up at the end of the first period, and she was replaced by youngster Jemma Purfield. Chelsea withdrew Drew Spence and brought on Brazilian Ester. The midfielder, a new arrival from WFC Rossiyanka of Russia during the summer, was the first Brazilian to appear in the FAWSL. The two teams also played a couple of minutes with ten men, as Edda Gardarsdottir and Victoria Williams both required treatment.
It took until 53 minutes for a real opening to present itself in the second half, wher Doncaster won a free-kick 30 yards out. A training ground routine involving Jessica Sigsworth and Millie Bright resulted in the latter firing low and hard, but her effort went agonisingly past the post.
Had that effort gone in, The Belles may have been able to find a way back into the game. But following their let off, Chelsea were keen to add a third. A Helen Ward run from her own half culminated in the striker’s effort being tipped wide by Hobbs. The next Chelsea attack however, was more successful. Full-back Dunia Susi went on a skilful run, before cutting back for Aluko who fired through a crowd of bodies from 10 yards out and beat Hobbs. Wild celebrations followed, as Aluko scored her first goal since returning to Chelsea.
This setback failed to dampen the spirits of the Doncaster fans, who were intent on enjoying their evening! The chants of “We’re gonna win 4-3!” had begun, and everyone seemed to be having a good time!
Doncaster attack a set piece
Four goals wouldn’t be enough for the Belles though, as Chelsea extended their lead on 67 minutes. A Buet cross was perfect for Helen Ward, who powered her header home from 10 yards out. The striker was unmarked and had enough time to adjust before nodding the ball past Hobbs.
With twenty minutes left Chelsea knew they had the three points sown up, so allowed Doncaster to apply some pressure. It took until 80 minutes for the Belles to create any chances of note, when Jessica Sigsworth did well to hold the ball up before turning and firing in a shot from 30 yards. The ball was moving, and Lynn had to be at her best to tip the ball over the bar.
From the resulting corner, Doncaster had the ball in the net as Leandra Little bundled the ball home. However, the referee noticed a handball in the area, so the goal was disallowed and Little shown a yellow card.
Three minutes were indicated as injury time as the end of the game, and Doncaster almost grabbed themselves a consolation goal. Williams spotted Lynn off her line, and tried an ambitious effort from 40 yards. Only a combination of post and goalkeeper prevented her drive from finding the back of the net. Moments later Sigsworth had a go from 20 yards, but her effort flew over the crossbar.
The referee blew his whistle shortly after, and hugs and high-fives followed at Chelsea celebrated their first win of this FAWSL campaign. The Blues were deserved victors, and a combination of pace and excellent finishing was key. Doncaster meanwhile, had huffed and puffed all evening. Their effort could not be faulted, but the hosts could not compete with the London outfit. It was an enjoyable evening however, as the Belles created a family friendly atmosphere at The Keepmoat. Doncaster and Chelsea fans mingled together, chatted over free programmes and had a good laugh. If every game has an atmosphere like this, a Belles season ticket at under £30 is certainly appealing.
A final note: The Keepmoat Stadium is this year hosting the Women’s FA Cup Final! The game takes place on 26th May and costs only £6 for an adult and £3 for concessions. Get yourself down there!