Hear from W-League coach Clayton Zane, his assessment of last weekend’s loss and how they are preparing for this week against Canberra.
Sadly we couldn-t deliver a win for our record breaking crowd this weekend, with our first defeat going down 4-1 to a very talented Sydney FC at Adamstown Oval.
The team displayed some quality football in the first half and competed really well.
Ariane, our captain, in particular was a solid stopper in defence putting the pressure on Sydney-s attackers in the early stages of the game. She also assisted in the midfield as well which created good flow on the field.
Regrettably when Lisa De Vanna collided with Sydney-s keeper, the team was forced to reshuffle and they found it hard to build on the momentum of the game and Sydney ran away with the three points.
Lisa is an important part of the team but not one we can-t function without. The girls put in a great effort but were out played in the second half.
The first goal scored against us made us lose our footing. We weren-t ready for it and we lost our tempo. After coming back so well last week against Brisbane Roar the girls became unsettled.
We lacked discipline in the second half of the match and you can-t afford that when you are playing such a talented and experienced team as Sydney FC.
Unfortunately I think we reflected our youth on Saturday. As we are only a young side I felt it was apparent that we weren-t as strong as Sydney in the second half.
During the week we will be preparing ourselves for yet another tough match against Canberra.
Canberra is an extremely talented side and we will not be taking them lightly. I don-t believe they are as impressive on paper as Sydney FC but we will give them the respect they deserve as they have won four from four matches so far this season.
I hope for a much better game on Saturday against Canberra as I know we have great fire power in our front line.
Our training will focus on different player combinations aimed to create depth amongst the squad.
We have a few new players this season and the girls are still getting to know each others different playing styles. Finding a happy medium within the team will be our focus for the coming weeks.
We are a strong unit and have every intention of making the top four if not winning the competition but in these early stages of the season we will be adjusting our game to work to our advantage and each others- strengths.
As we get further into the 2011/12 season our fan base is increasing and it is great to see.
The support is improving the performance of the girls as it is like having a 12th player on the field. We hope to continue delivering entertaining football for our Members and supporters and gain as many points on the board as we can.
Just back to Lisa, she returned to training this week and will be fit to play this weekend’s game.
I hope to report to you next week following a victory over Canberra.
Clayton Zane
