5/11/25 Merlins 13-0 Leicester 2s
The Merlins arrived to Grange Road eager to kick off the first ever football game on it with a bang. And did they deliver. While the first 5 minutes of the game the Merlins suffered some nerves and made some rash decisions and clearances, we reminded each other to stay clam, and cruised on for the rest. Sofia Brown, being only able to play the first 15 minutes because of a supervision promised to run her heart out and score a goal. So she did. Barely 5 minutes into the first half, the Leicester goal rattled with the aftershock of Sofia’s score. Not much later, Nina Valenbreder made an absolute screamer from over 20 yards out, and Holly Hynes found the top bin of the leicester goal - her comfort zone. The Merlins were only getting warmed up though. I never thought my team would take my “don’t let them live” saying seriously, but they did. Whenever there was even an ounce of life in the leicester attack, Katie’s and Nina’s blocks down the middle quickly extinguished them. Holly Robertson’s and Grace Dickens’s linkup play down the right was just plain beauty. Mar’s pressing of the leicester back line quickly put any attack from the opposition under pressure, and resulted in them finding the goal. Not once, but twice. Ella Rennie was also shining on the left wing, always on the back end of crosses from Holly, bagging her own two goals. But wait, that was only the first half.
Returning from half time, we were riding the 9-0 high. The Merlins continued to comfortably dominate possession. Whenever leicester tried to go long, the ball only found a Merlin’s head or chest, and was safely recycled with Emmie or Grace Martin at the back. However, we were only waiting for the moment to strike again. Ella Rennie not only went for the hatrick, but thought why not go the extra mile, banking 4 goals to her name, now sitting second in the goal scoring table for our league. Jaya Fox arrived as substitute on the RW and performed what could only be described as wizardry on the leicester back row. But perhaps the most beautiful moment of the game came when Nina took the corner, and captain Emmie Bailey volleyed it straight into the leicester net.
The Merlins never tired. Everyone knew their role, when fresh legs hit the pitch the pressure never died down. 13 scored, 0 conceded. What a beautiful day to be a Merlin
Player of the Match: Nina Valenbreder
Goals:
Ella Rennie x4
Nina Valenbreder x2
Mar Poyser x2
Holly Hynes
Sofia Brown
Emmie Bailey
Katie Sims x2
Assists: we lost count
written by Eszter Szentiványi
