By Weronika Lecka, First Year French and Spanish

On 11th January 2025, before the start of TB2, the UBWFC 5s played a friendly against University of Oxford Development Team at Coombe Dingle. It was the first 11-a-side match I have played in years and the first I have played since coming to Bristol. Here's an overview of my experience having 2 matches in 1 day and my preparation for them.

Morning routine

I woke up at 7am and needed to get ready for my U13 Saturday youth league match that I was to referee at 10:30am. I started by getting dressed into my referee kit, wearing layers of under armour and tracksuit to stay warm after the morning frost. I prepared my referee bag by putting a portable charger and chocolate snack, whilst also checking that I have all the essentials such as flags, whistle, cards, a coin and my football boots to change into. After getting changed and checking my kit, I made an apple and sandwich breakfast and prepared a thermos with hot tea to stay warm whilst outside.

Saturday youth league match

Just before 9am I left my accommodation towards the city centre bus stop to get a bus to UWE as the match was at Hillside Gardens. I got to the pitch an hour before kick off at 9:30 so I could use the time to warm up and wait for the players to arrive. Before the match, we need to talk to the managers of both teams to check-in and sort out the assistants, and we also need to check players' shin pads and jewellery to ensure that they can play according to league guidelines. The match started at 10:30 and finished at 12pm after playing 35-minute halves.

Pre match preparation

I got the bus back from Hillside Gardens at around 12:30pm and returned back to my accommodation to get ready for the friendly match against Oxford. The meeting time at Coombe was 3pm, so I had time to prepare some lunch and get ready for the game. For lunch I heated up some leftover pasta and also had a chocolate pudding - it's not the healthiest pre-match meal but I only returned to Bristol the previous night and didn't have a lot of options - I also refilled my thermos with hot tea. I didn't get changed much since I was wearing under armour, black shorts and black socks - all of which were needed for the match and the shirts would be provided by the club. I also checked my bag to make sure that I have my boots, shin pads, portable charger, thermos and snacks before leaving catching the bus to Coombe.

Before the match

I got the bus from city centre to Coombe Dingle and met up with the 5s at the reception. We waited for the UBWFC committee to arrive with the kit and get the changing room key, then we all made our way to the changing room. There was a limited supply of UBWFC black shorts and socks, so it was more convenient that I had worn my own as there were a lot of players that needed them. Afterwards, we went to the 3G pitch and warmed up whilst we waited for Oxford to arrive, then discussed the starting positions and substitutes with the UBWFC committee and 5s captain Maya Elmaghur. Just after 4pm, UBWFC 1s captain and match official Eve Rhind told us that we are ready to start.

Match

I started the match as a central striker and played for most of the first half. I created a few chances in front of the Oxford goal, once by intercepting a goal kick, then passing the ball through the defender's legs and also by passing a through ball past the Oxford defender - both onto the left wing. Unfortunately, we weren't able to score from these chances and instead, Oxford went 1-0 after a good lob above the goalkeeper. I was then taken off near the end of the 1st half and had to wait until the start of the 2nd half to come back on.

In the 2nd half I was moved into midfield to play as a CAM, which required me to run more and contribute more defensively than I am used to. I mainly stuck behind the right winger Lola Kearney, who helped me by telling me where I should be positioned and who I should mark. This was very helpful as I am not used to tracking back to help defensively. I still managed to contribute by passing a few through balls to Kearney and driving the ball into the centre of the pitch to pass it further up. The highlight of the 2nd half was when centre back Lauren Shepardson scored from a direct free kick from outside the box to even the score to 1-1. Near the end of the 2nd half, I was subbed off again and I didn't contribute anymore in the match, which I was a bit disappointed about since I wanted to play until the end.

Since the match finished 1-1, we moved onto penalties to decide the final winner. I wasn't able to take a penalty kick as I wasn't on the pitch at the final whistle. Ultimately, UBWFC won 2-1 on penalties after great penalties from Imogen Hubbard and Tom Dorrity. Additionally, goalkeeper Mila Baines had a great match saving lots of chances and 3 penalties during the shoot-out.

After the match

After the match, we all went home to shower and get changed before heading to the W.G. Grace and then meeting Oxford at Den & Terrace before going to La Rocca. I used this time to shower and eat something before going to WG, where I met up with some UBWFC players and had a drink. It was a great opportunity to catch up after a long Christmas break and celebrate the win over Oxford. We stayed there for over an hour before going to Dan & Terrace, however I decided to go home after finishing the 2 matches and still being tired from travelling to Bristol the day before.

Featured images: University of Bristol Women's Football Club