Not again!

Team Sheet : Cole; Ethan; Fearne; Freya; Isaac; Lewis; Maddison; Oliver; Sierra; Thomas; Zach

Away to Dunmow United Dragons, looking for that elusive first win. The weather not as bad as the muddy bog car park suggested.

The teams showed they were pretty evenly matched straight from kick off with early play being very 50:50. An early corner from the Dragons had Oliver in good voice marshalling his defence. The corner came to nothing and was followed by a good attack started by Zach from the back, to Fearne in midfield and on to Cole.

Both teams showed strong breaks through midfield. For the Iguanas, Cole was looking dangerous with an early shot wide and one saved by the Dragons’ keeper.

Sierra came on for Maddison after 15 minutes, and got stuck firmly into the game showing some lovely footwork and nimbleness going through midfield.

Good pressure from the Iguanas was then countered with a decent break from the Dragons prompting a good save from Oliver in the Iguanas goal.

The end to end nature of the game continued with another shot from Cole going just wide followed up with a Dragons’ attack that was snuffed out by Ethan with a strong clearance.

Freya and Thomas came on for Lewis and Fearne, with Thomas making a quick break towards the Dragons’ goal, but they too were ready in defence to release their team to put more pressure on the Iguanas.

Isaac came on to give Ethan a rest.

There was then a spell of sustained pressure from the Dragons. A nice corner was put just wide and then a lovely shot hit the Iguanas’ crossbar. Pressure was released briefly when Freya got the ball through to Cole, but the shot from Cole was saved, and again the Dragons came forward prompting another good save from the Iguanas’ keeper.

Sierra then showed more strength and bravery in midfield, putting in good tackles and powering through Dragons players.

Then a strong push by most of the Dragons led to a bit of a scramble in the Iguanas’ penalty box. The Iguanas failed to clear the ball and an impromptu shot from close to the edge of the area saw Oliver unsighted until too late and the ball crept under the helpless Iguanas’ keeper to give Dragons the lead.

This got the Dragons’ spirits up and they ended the half on top, applying constant pressure on the Iguanas. Sierra, Isaac and Zach were up to the challenge, as was Oliver and the score at half time was maintained.

The second half kicked off and followed the same pattern. The Iguanas regained their composure and matched the Dragons across all areas of the pitch once more. The Iguanas’ shooting was less a little accurate, with both Lewis and Cole putting shots just wide, and the Dragons would then counter but the Iguanas’ defence and keeper were resolute.

Sierra came on for Zach.

Then we had probably the best footballing move of the game when Freya showed great composure in midfield to feed Lewis on the right-hand side. Lewis put in a beautiful cross but Cole couldn’t quite connect with it. It was lovely football that really deserved a goal.

The Iguanas were strong in this period with little response from the Dragons. Cole, Freya and Lewis were all linking up well, but the goal the Iguanas needed was frustratingly out of reach.

Again the Dragons rose to this pressure and started to push back and put pressure on the Iguanas’ goal themselves (dealt with nicely by Oliver).

Maddison came on for Sierra and joined in with the battling midfield performance, showing her usual spirit and lack of fear to get stuck in.

A free kick for the Dragons was readily saved. Pressure was relieved briefly when Fearne released Thomas for a decent break into the Dragons’ half…following the theme of the match we just couldn’t find that last touch to trouble the Dragons’ keeper.

Zach and Lewis came on for Isaac and Cole, in time for more Dragons’ pressure which prompted another great save from Oliver.

Sierra and Cole came on for Maddison and Thomas to try and find the combination that would see the Iguanas through on goal, but it wasn’t to be. The Dragons finished well, applying yet more pressure on the Iguanas’ goal, but at the whistle the score remained the same.

It was another strong defensive performance by the Iguanas, and a battling performance in midfield. There were some great passing moves and a three player break with neat skills and passing really deserved a goal. But we remain in search of goals and that first win.

Iguana of the Match : Oliver – saw more action than has been usual this season and put in some magnificent saves to prevent a bigger defeat today.