By Ethan Harris
USW Women’s 1st coach Craig Reddy claimed his side were ‘superb’ after their 2-0 victory against Cardiff Met preserved top spot in the BUCS Women’s Premier South.
A fabulous strike from captain Chloe Chivers – who is now the league’s top-scorer with six goals for the season – capped off a composed display which began with Ciera Lundy’s cool finish.
“The girls have been superb today, every single one of them has worked as hard as the possibly can, and they fully deserved the win I think.”, said Reddy, who was standing in for regular head coach Kathy Morgan.
“I think the general performance was excellent. We made a game plan today to stop them having space in behind.
“It was important that we worked hard today, because we know they are a fit, well-organised side.
“It was 2-0, and probably deserved to be. They might have had more possession than us, which we were happy for them to have, and just keep our shape.
“They were quick out wide, so we changed our shape and some of the personnel to try and nullify that, and I think it worked.”
The game will mostly be remembered for Chivers’ thunderous strike early in the second-half, as she caught the Cardiff Met shot-stopper off her line and unleashed a sensational chip over her.
On the goal, Reddy responded: “She strikes the ball so well. I actually don’t know if she’s right-footed or left-footed, she’s so good with both feet!
“It’s not a fluke – whether people watch that and think ‘she didn’t mean to do that’, she did.
“Coming in at half-time, we said we needed to get a few more shots in. We felt that we had a chance if we could lift our shots to be able to score – getting them on target and just trying to pick our spot.”
Speaking on the captain’s influence on the team, Reddy was full of praise for the confidence she brought to the display.
“Chloe is very important to this team. She missed a lot last season through injury, but when she’s there, you’ve always got a chance of winning the game,” he said.
“The other girls feed off that, and really work hard around her.”