Fast finish for golden Furies
While Blues football has struggled to reach its scintillating best of late, one team has quietly emerged as the season's unlikely success story.
Nicknamed 'The Furies', the University Women's Seconds continued their unbeaten season with a 3-0 victory over their strongest rivals to boost their bid for promotion.
The match against Northampton was emblematic of what has singled the Furies out this season. While Northampton played the tedious long ball game employed by so many teams at this level, the Furies play a brand of ambitious attacking football that is a joy to watch.
Oxford drew the first blood, with Jessie Turner slotting in the first goal of the afternoon and her eighth of the campaign. Shortly afterwards Susan Bartlett extended the lead to 2-0 going into the break.
In the corresponding away match, Oxford had let a three-goal lead go to waste, and Northampton looked good for a repeat as they harassed the Furies from the restart, peppering the home defence with some probing balls over the top.
However an excellent performance by keeper Chaz Blythe kept Northampton out, and with just minutes left on the clock captain Mouche Pearce wrapped up the result with a strong contender for goal of the season.
Picking the ball up just inside the opponent's half, she left two defenders in her wake as she glided effortlessly into the box and finished past the keeper.
The overall performance was one to savour, along with the two consecutive 11-0 wins in early November. Pearce accredits this success to the team's wonderful spirit and formidable attitude.
At the beginning of the year the Furies renounced their traditional red kit in favour of a golden strip. Having scored 32 goals and conceding just five, it looks as if the change of colour is an appropriate one.
Promotion would be a just reward for the team's fine football, and a welcome acknowledgment of all they have achieved this season.
27th Jan 2005