25 Jul - Sky Blues show Iron how to finish
25 Jul 2011

Braintree Town Ladies created enough chances to have got something out of the game, but ultimately sharpness in front of goal cost them against a Coventry City XI on Sunday, according to Coach Dave Clarke.

The Sky Blues took the lead inside the first ninety seconds when a right wing freekick was headed home at the far post, and they extended their lead just before half time wth a close range finish, but between times Beth Irwin, Abi Head and Ella Tooley all had good chances for Town.

Coventry added a third in the first minute of the second period after they pressurised the Braintree defence into a mistake, but again Iron came storming back, triallist Becky McMullan saw her stunning volley tipped around the post before Toni-Anne Wayne's freekick smashed off the underside of the crossbar in the last ten minutes.

Speaking after the defeat Clarke was pleased with the performance, saying "We gave away a couple of soft goals at the start of each half and you can't afford to do that against decent sides like Coventry, but credit to the players because everyone got at least 45 minutes under their belt and I thought we were more organised and more of an attacking threat than we had been against Enfield last week".

The Iron used 17 players in the game and Clarke was particularly impressed with the defenders, adding "We chopped and changed it a little bit during the game to see how people got on in different roles and whatever combination we threw together looked organised and did their job well. There are a number of players getting used to how we do things but throughout the team you can start to see glimses of things starting to gel into place."

Next up for the Iron in preseason is a trip to face newly promoted South East Combination side Brentwood Town on Sunday in a game expected to offer more challenges for the Iron. "I really think Brentwood have got a great chance of stepping up to that level and staying up, it does not look quite as strong a division as it did last year and they'll be full of confidence that they can go and not just get enough points to stay up, but maybe push on and finish in that midtable pack", Clarke added.

Kickoff at Tilbury FC on Sunday is 2pm, more information will follow later this week.