12/11/25 Blues 2-3 Loughborough

Blues vs Loughborough 3s (AWAY)

3-2 lose

It was a dark and stormy afternoon as we arrived in Loughborough yet again, people were locking in left right and centre on the bus in - and we were ready to fight for the CUP win against Loughborough 3s after the last 2 weeks of 4-0 loses

The tunes they were blasting in the warm up took us back to 2013 and musicaly days, football edits and top 10 respect moments 🔥 real life actual linos showed up, leaving our subs lost for a job, yet setting the stage for what was going to be an epic game.

We have beaten the curse of losing 4-0, alas still yet to beat the curse of conceding in the first 10 mins (but at least not it wasn’t the first 2 mins this time). We started strong with a 4-1-4-1 formation - Ahmad says he’s running out of formations while others may say we are just a ✨dynamic adaptable team✨. Fluid football with holding play much better than last week. Alex and Elin up top were ON ONE like wasps jarring the Loughborough defence, Lara S and our midfield were here, there and everywhere - everyone was putting in 100 in their individual battles. A well-earnt banger from Martina in the back of the net (super sub sakina came in CLUTCH with a first touch assist) left us a 2-1 down at the break after they scored yet another cheeky left winger cross goal.

After a generational half time talk where everyone was chipping in their thoughts on what was a very winnable game, the substitution of Isla in the backline was all we needed to push on into the second half with the confidence and aggression Loughborough fears. Cue a new found composure on the ball with beautiful ticky tacker displays, and switchings of play Ahmad was so dreaming of. Exploiting the left wing, Martina and Isla left the Loughborough defenders frantic as a chance top of the box was created yet booted over the bar with disappointment and a slightly concerning roll of the ankle. But we move, shook it off and pushed on - heads were up as we won our battles, our backline trapping the opposition into their half and #take2 came through with martina playing yet another gorgeous through-ball which Isla wacked into goal and a Loughborough defender generously guided in the back of the net after it hit the inner post. Wild celebrations as our performance in the second half was rewarded and it was all to play for moving into the last 20 mins of this cup match.

LB in the centre and Alex up top put in an ABSOLUTE SHIFT always on their players, fuelled on veggie bologenese and M&S gut health salad respectively😝. Subs of Rose and Julie went on to consolidate our dominant play and, while Isla had to go off as yet another victim to the blues ankle injury pandemic, everyone was looking FIERCE in the last 15 mins under the pitch floodlights. The shadow of extra time was looming above us, both teams pushing for a goal- we had an excellent run from Vicki and some insane defending from sakina, Lou, Eva and cic in the last moments. The ref’s announcement of 5 mins extra time was maybe a step too far for our valiant 11 on pitch, and Loughborough got lucky with a rapid winger counter attack when our tracking-back energy was low - and managed to steal another goal in the last moments of the match.

This is a tough pill to take, yet our blues pushed through to the end with a last corner having us clutching at straws - yet it wasn’t our day and Loughborough took the 3-2 win knocking us out of the trophy cup 🥲 As my fav commentators like to say when they run out of things to say on TV - ‘at the end of the day, football is a game of two halves, and it’s all about who can get the ball in the back of the net more times and it doesn’t always go your way 💯’ couldn’t put it more eloquently myself

Needless to say, this was the best we have played this season and absolutely no one was slacking on that pitch today - as evident in the countless knackered sleeping queens around me on the bus home as I write this. 🩵👑

Loughborough, we will see you again soon in the league 🫡

POTM - Isla

DOTD - ANKLES 🥲