first signs on the pitch didn't look good. giggling girls, short on shinpads, substitutes and savvy.
the warm up had seen better days and frankly it looked a hopeless case for me, making my debut as coach for the saitama "ladies" footy team.
numerous requests for a run through the rules of the game had me wishing i'd stayed at home in urawa with my tea and newspaper!
kick off! the gloves are off and the girls are getting stuck in and having a go. suddenly, amy, the leggy texan brunette, pounces on a loose ball and hammers it into the corner. minutes later, what's this? the cowgirl is sprinting away to score another beauty..2-0. the team are running away with it, maybe my choccy biscuits and cuppa can wait.
2nd half, the opposition is demoralised and the girls start to play the exhibition stuff. wingers orla macleavy, the wild haired celtic terror and emma the frisky kiwi make numerous surging runs. the trio of asian tigers, dara, jennie and seng bamboozle their opponents with their silky west coast skills and valley girl lingo.
game 2, the mood in the camp is one of surprise, if not shock...we'd won, now can we do it again? again susan dominates like a colossus at the heart of defence, supported by a wondrous debut from julie.
legs are dying. roared on by their supporter, there's a break and susan scampers into their half, legs a blur of activity. she skips past one challenge, then another, a shot is blocked but again she whacks it back into the goal for the goal of the season. 1-0, a gritty performance.
game 3, the super subs come into action, goalie, kelly [1 arm out of order] and clare. if susan is the brain of the team, then clare is surely the mouth, voice and tonsils. limbs are creaking, but there is fight left in the saitamaladies. amanda, the mystical seattle coffee drinker, limps off to consult her tarot cards and maggie sprints on. a groan echoes around the pitch......jennie has just performed her infamous high tackle wrapping a leg around an opponents' chest.
kelly, making her debut, fumbles a shot and it trickles in, delighting the opponents and infuriating kelly who has to be restrained by several team mates, narrowly avoiding a sending off. but it's ok, we're through to the knockout round!
sheer exhaustion is eating away at the dasai girls. self substituting is going on at a dizzying pace...a mere canter results in the plea "can i come off?' .....alas, the game doesn't go our way, we lost. painful word but, we'll be back next year to win it.
later, there were disturbing reports of misbehaviour back at the hotel, carousing, disco dancing into the early hours and even talk of senior players not making it back to their own beds. reports of non attendance at training have also been heard.
only if this promising team can curb it's self destructive tendencies can it go on to win things.
dave long
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