Bristol Rovers 2-3 Keynsham Town
FA Women’s National League, Oaklands Park Stadium, Sunday 18th October
Bristol Rovers Women came out on the wrong side of a five-goal thriller against Keynsham Town, ending their three-game winning streak in the league.
Despite the result, Rovers started well and took the lead after 15 minutes as Freya Gordon converted Anais Trinci’s corner, before Gipsy Viveash doubled the advantage from outside the box.
Keynsham showed spirit though and were level by the break, with captain Mia Mugford converting the penalty she won, and Vicky Vipond making it two for the visitors just moments later.
The second half began in equally lively fashion as Vipond’s second put the K’s in front for the first time. Keeper Lily Lewis was then dismissed for a collision with Libby Davies in the moments following, but despite the player advantage, Rovers couldn’t get themselves back into the game and saw their good run come to an end.
Coming into the side from the start, Nia Rees had the first sighter for the Gas, shooting from outside the box and seeing her effort claimed by Lewis. Remaining well involved, Rees this time saw her cross-cum-shot land on the roof of the net.
Rovers continued their strong start and looked the most likely team to take the lead. Viveash almost rounded off a wonderful team move to do just that, but could only sting the keeper’s gloves as she looked to squeeze her shot in at the near post.
That earned her side a corner, and it was the same avenue that fashioned Rovers the opener. Like Rees, Gordon returned to the side and found the right angle to volley in Trinci’s delivery to put the Gas into a well-deserved lead.
Shots from distance continued to be a theme of Rovers’ play, with Trinci trying her own luck this time, her deflected effort bouncing behind. Going the other way, Mugford had a golden chance approaching the half-hour mark to draw level, but shanked her effort well wide of the target as George Hunt rushed out to narrow the angle.
And Keynsham may have come to rue that miss, with the Gas getting their second of the day. Back in the team and back in the goals, it was Viveash’s strike from range that provided the Gas some breathing room. Following Trinci’s deep set piece, the ball was cleared neatly into the path of Viveash to move onto it and let fly first time, with her driven effort nestling into the corner and leaving Lewis no chance.
But the goalscoring wasn’t finished yet, as Keynsham got one back from the spot with just over five minutes of the half remaining. It was Mugford who won the opportunity from 12 yards after being fouled by Hunt, and Mugford who coolly converted the penalty by sending the Gas stopper the wrong way.
The K’s didn’t stop there either and had their equaliser a matter of minutes later. A hopeful ball over the top caused problems, allowing Vipond to squeeze in and loop a finish into the net to bring the sides level going into the break.
Back underway, Davies had her first proper shot of the day, her effort curling away from the post. Goalscorer Viveash then again opened fire from distance with a venomous strike, though Lewis was a match for it as she brilliantly palmed it away from danger.
But only seven minutes into the second half, Keynsham put themselves ahead for the first time in the game. Vipond was the scorer again, finding adequate time inside the area to slot a finish into the net after a cross from the left.
Once more, the drama wasn’t done there, as Gordon’s long ball resulted in Lewis seeing red for crashing into Davies and denying her a shooting opportunity. Trinci took responsibility from the resulting free-kick on the edge of the box, with the post denying her a leveller.
In an attacking change, Lashai McNama replaced Trinci and quickly found herself in behind and getting a shot away. Ruby Scahill was next to test the stand-in keeper, earning a corner as her effort was shinned away.
However, in spite of being a player down, Keynsham defended valiantly for the remainder and limited the Gas to little in terms of clear-cut openings, ultimately holding out for the win on the road.
Bristol Rovers XI: Hunt, Gordon, Esmond, Turner, Viveash (Dempsey 81), Trinci (McNama 59), Exley, Douglas ©, Rees, Scahill Davies
Goalscorers: Gordon (15), Viveash (34)
Unused subs: Moises, Wilkinson, Tweddle, Temple, Costa
HALLETT-YOUNG: WE CREATED OPPORTUNITIES AND PUT OURSELVES IN GOOD POSITIONS, BUT WE WERE ULTIMATELY A LITTLE WASTEFUL.
Q: Nathan, a disappointing result against Keynsham. What did you make of the game?
Nathan:
"It's one of those games that gets away from you.
Whenever we play Keynsham, it's never straightforward, but for the first 30 minutes it looked like it was going to be a comfortable afternoon. I thought we were in complete control, playing some really good football, scoring two good goals and creating chances. If anything, I felt there was probably more we could have done in the final third.
I don't have too many complaints about our first-half performance apart from the final five or 10 minutes before the break. From around the 40-minute mark, the game seemed to become a little chaotic and, before we knew it, it was level.
Sometimes games can shift very quickly and I think it caught us by surprise. It was frustrating to go into half-time at 2-2 because we'd controlled so much of the game."
Q: What was the message to the players at half-time?
Nathan:
"The message was quite simple. We were controlling the game in the right areas and had really only been punished from a couple of transitions.
We felt we hadn't tracked runners well enough in those moments and that had put us in difficult situations. The focus was on regrouping, staying calm and continuing to play the way we had for most of the first half."
Q: How did you assess the second-half performance?
Nathan:
"We started the second half brightly again, but we were caught on the transition for their third goal.
There were probably a couple of miscommunications that contributed to it, which was disappointing. From there, though, I thought we responded well. We changed the system slightly and, for large parts of the final stages, I felt we were back in control.
The frustrating part was that we didn't make the most of the opportunities we had. We had an extra player for around 25 minutes and probably didn't use that advantage as well as we should have. At times we became a little desperate, forcing shots from distance rather than making better use of the spaces that were opening up."
Q: Despite the result, were there positives to take from the performance?
Nathan:
"Absolutely.
Our control of the game, particularly in possession and through the middle of the pitch, was there to see. We created opportunities and put ourselves in good positions, but we were ultimately a little wasteful.
Credit to Keynsham because they defended really well in the closing stages and showed how much they wanted the result.
For us, it's frustrating not to come away with anything because I felt we were good value for at least a point and arguably more when you look at the overall balance of the game. But sometimes football goes that way.
We'll review it, learn from it and make sure we're ready to go again next week."
REES: WE HAD OPPORTUNITIES TO GET MORE FROM IT, BUT UNFORTUNATELY IT WASN'T TO BE.
Q: Nia, defeat against Keynsham today. What's the feeling after that one?
Nia:
"Really frustrating, to be honest. I thought we played the better football, especially in the first half.
We created chances and scored two good goals, but credit to them because they defended well, particularly towards the end of the game. We had opportunities to get more from it, but unfortunately it wasn't to be.
That said, there are still plenty of positives for us to take into next week."
Q: You started strongly. Was there disappointment to go into the break level after the way the first half had gone?
Nia:
"Definitely. I thought we worked really hard and did a lot of things well.
After scoring two great goals, I didn't think we'd go on to lose the game, but they took their chances and made things difficult for us. It was frustrating to be level at half-time, but there were a lot of positives from that first-half performance that we can build on."
Q: Is it important not to let heads drop now, especially after the good run you've been on?
Nia:
"One hundred per cent.
We got a good result against Abingdon last week and I've got no doubt that we'll be ready to go again next weekend. It's important that we stick together, learn from this one and make sure we bounce back."
