Don't Look Now.... West Ham Ladies Hit Swindon for 5

What a difference a week makes. Only seven days previous West Ham Ladies had been consigned to their sixth defeat in a row by the unrelenting Lewes Ladies in the unrelenting south coast drizzle, in the process only managing two shots on target, yet on Sunday in the autumn sunshine at their new temporary home Rush Green, managed to produce an entertaining display of free flowing, high scoring football against bottom club Swindon Ladies.
  And they earned it. Swindon made them work hard for the victory. There were no glaring defensive errors made by the visitors to hand goals on a silver platter.
Each goal was unique in it's own way.

The first a result of Molly Peters' bravery. The second a first time long ball (yes a long ball. I couldn't believe it either) to Molly Peters who finished from a very acute angle. The third an instinctive first time shot under pressure from Paige Anderson-James.

 The fourth a twenty five yard thunderbolt/exocet/rocket (or all three) from Paige again, which on further viewings gets better and better and more unbelievable. The fifth and final goal a composed finish from sixteen year old Kelly Wealthall, taking the ball around the keeper before cooly placing it in the net. Kelly is such an exciting prospect, great positional awareness, a tough tackler and knows where the goal is. She is definitely one to watch.
  What made the victory even sweeter, was that there was a crowd to witness it. To applaud it. To appreciate it. About 100 spectators (101 if you include West Ham keeper Cherie Rowlands)  cheered every good play, oohed and ahhed every near miss and  punched the air with a hooray at every goal. There's no sound quite like the sound of cheers. Especially if they are aimed in your direction. You could see the joy spreading through the team after a year of disappointment after disappointment.
David Sullivan also attended to cast an eye over his investment and to support the Ladies. Bafflingly he'd come dressed head to foot in Swindon's colours. Someone whispered to me, 'Don't look now.'
I didn't know whether he was telling me not to stare, or that he was referring to the villain in the movie. I wish (or is it wished?) Mr Sullivan would come to every match as he is the Ladies talisman with a 100% witness win rate.
It was a pleasure to watch the players being able to express themselves as an attacking force, freed from the chains of the tedious sideways passing possession nonsense previously chosen as the main tactic. It would great if the Ladies could impose their attacking flair onto Charlton Ladies on Wednesday night, throwing caution to the wind (maybe hanging onto a bit of caution i.e. chaperone ex-West Ham, goal machine Charlotte Gurr ) and giving it a right go, rendering Mr Watts bell utterly redundant.
 It's getting like the Stepford Wives. West Ham Ladies have WSL1 in their sights. It is coming around quicker than this year's Christmas. Is the team gradually being replaced? Is it the Ship of Theseus? or Trigger's broom even?

This week's new signing/wife was Rosie Kmita. I thought it was Molly. They look the same. They are twins ...but they even play the same fast tenacious game with a smile and  a swagger. It would be interesting to see them play together, their pace would frighten the life out of the opposition, and at the same time give the crowd an opportunity to play a life size game of 'Spot the Difference.'

Next stop... Into the Valley

COYLI