Dani Scott 2022/2023 season - A Leah Williamson story

Hard loss

We are playing Australia very soon. Alex Greenwood is out with concussion after the last game.

Which means a change a centre back for us where Esme Morgan is starting in her place.

I’m playing my usual left back position.

I think this is going to be a hard game for us, missing some key players but then so are Australia.

We are playing at Brentford’s home stadium the Gtech community stadium.

The game kicked off

In the 4th minute we have the first chance I slip hemp in who puts a great ball in for Russo she flicks it but it is straight at Arnold

In the 11th minute Walsh plays a poor ball and it falls to Raso who drives into the box she shoots but it’s a brilliant block from Leah

In the 24th minute Hemp has a problem looks like it’s to do with her face as she is masked up. I don’t think she will continue.

4 minutes later James replaces Hemp who never came back onto the pitch.

In the 30th minute Kelly crosses in for Russo she hits it first time but it goes slightly wide.

2 minutes later Leah heads the ball back to Earps but it’s short and who else but Sam Kerr pounces and fires into the back of the net. 0-1 Australia

I can see Leah’s head go down she knows that it was the wrong ball. I walk over to her and say “come on Le, get your head back in the game. Everybody makes mistakes, your only human” I touch her shoulder. She looks at me and says “I know, thanks”

We get back into position and the game restarts.

In the 39th minute they have a player go down injured and she ends up being replaced.

In the 44th minute sloppy play again from Walsh and Morgan, Earps clears the danger just in time.

A minute later James fires a shot over the bar from distance.

It’s half time.

While in the changing room Sarina tells us what we need to do. But I know everyone is thinking the same as me. They have our number and we don’t know how to get past their defence we just have no answers tonight for some reason.

We go back out and the second half begins.

We start the second half well; we force a corner in the first minute but the corner is poor.

In the 50th minute Kerr puts a shot wide after a through ball from first half sub-Vine.

5 minutes later Australia almost put the ball in the back of their own net. Hunt slices a clearance but she’s thankful it’s the other side of the post.

In the 60th minute Arnold pulls off a great save. James shoots after Tooney pulls the ball back for her.

That’s the last action for Tooney as Daly comes on to replace her. Daly will play just behind Russo in the number 10 role.

In the 67th minute Kerr crosses the ball in for Grant, she heads it on the way towards goal it comes off Leah and goes in. Sends Earps the wrong way. Nothing Leah could do for this one it was just unfortunate. 0-2 Australia

In the 73rd minute Daly heads the ball wide off a Lucy Bronze cross.

In the 81st minute Australia break again but Leah comes in with a great tackle on Kerr and clears the ball.

In the 84th minute I am taken off and Jess Park replaces me. Sarina changes the formation.

2 minutes later Vine goes down injured and has to be replaced.

In the 90th minute Raso is booked for a late challenge on Kelly.

Then almost immediately Arnold is booked for time wasting.

Kelly has a shot in the 92nd minute but it goes well over.

Then in the 95th minute Stanway’s free kick is straight at Arnold who catches.

That’s the last action of the game.

Our first defeat in 31 games. It’s a tough one to take as I think we lost because of ourselves; we were poor as a team. Next time out we will strive to be better.  

All the way home Leah was quiet, it was hard but she is always so hard on herself.

We drop Lotte off first so when she gets out, I say to Leah “you need to stop beating yourself up, days like this happen, it’s football. You will come back stronger, we all will”

She said “I know, that was the worst game I have played in a long time”

“I think a lot of us had a bad game, the whole defence and Kiera we were awful. But we will change that when we are out there next” I said

She said “I know. Thanks, not just for this but the whole week. I don’t know what I would have done without you this week”

“’You don’t need to thank me Le, I will always be there for you” I said.