Derby County LFC v. Sunderland AFC Ladies
Sunday 30th September 2018 | Kick-off 2pm
Don Amott LG Arena
Mickleover Sports FC
Station Road
Mickleover
Derby
DE3 9FE
£3 Adult (FREE to DCFC season ticket holder on production on card)
£2 U16
FREE to DCLFC Academy Player
Derby County Results
Sunderland Results
Unbeaten Derby County will go within a point of the summit if they can overturn the early pacesetters Sunderland this Sunday. The Black Cats who lost their opening game of the season 0-1 at home to Fylde, probably partly due to the match being stopped for an hour to give urgent treatment to Centre Back Courtney Stewart for suspected diabetes, have since gone on to win all six league and cup encounters, scoring 21 goals and conceding only 5 in the process.
This will be not only be a blockbuster encounter due to both teams looking really strong in their play, placings and current form. It will be a historic match too as this will be the first time the two clubs have ever met in a competitive league match. The only other encounter was an FA Cup match 7 or 8 years ago when Derby lost on penalties following a 0-0 draw at full-time. Derby's current manager Samantha Griffiths indeed played in that match. Both teams avoided playing each other in 2009-2010 because the same season as Derby were promoted to the National League Northern Division (then the Premier League Northern Division), in season 2008-2009 from the Midland Combination League in which the Ewes were League Champions, Sunderland were League Champions of our current league, and were promoted to the next league up (the highest league at the time): Super League 1 as it's now known. There was no Championship sitting between the two divisions back then either.
It's going to be a fascinating match for sure, and one where the first to blink will probably concede I forecast. It's one of those matches where the biggest shock of the day would be a 0-0 draw. Both teams will have to be absolutely on top of their game on Sunday. Derby with their tight triangular short play love to play the ball on the ground and keep it moving as do Sunderland, yet both Managers are known to change it up to suit the opposition at times too. Derby's Sam Griffiths in her debut season as manager is clearly making big strides, and has hit the ground running. It's not easy to take a team virtually on their knees by the end of last season, scrapping to finish 7th, to a completely transformed squad of hungry spirited go-getters. That's exactly what Sam Griffiths has managed to do though. You only have to look through the key-hole to discover the abundance of banter, excitement and zest for the next match that this bunch of happy souls have about them.
Sunderland have had slightly the more consistent team selections of the two clubs this season with 18 players used to Derby's 19, and 4 players staring all games to Derby's 3. Derby though have great strength in depth. You lose one, and another is there equally as good to take her place and try to stake a good claim for that shirt. That's something that has been missing for some time due to injuries and other reasons, and something that has been addressed to manager Sam Griffiths' credit. Despite taking an almighty knock-out blow of demotion through two divisions after finishing 7th in Super League 1 last season (14 points above Yeovil Town who still remain in the division), Black Cats manager Mel Reay has managed to forge a dangerous squad of players for their campaign this season. Several players from last season have remained at the club including the deadly Galloway, and Ramshaw, who took over from England World Cup stand-bye Lucy Staniforth (now Birmingham City WFC) as Captain. Stewart and McCatty have joined from Durham, and Beer has re-joined after taking time out of football temporarily.
I predict that we can expect to see a Sunderland team that will look to whip you on the break once a corner has been taken. They sit and wait for those little gems. They are extremely fit and fast with energy to burn, and often take many of their shots from just outside the box. They like to play the ball quick from the back flanks and have the ability to blast high trajectory powerful shots into top corners. Several key players to really watch are Emily Hutchinson, Bridget Galloway and Keira Ramshaw. Hutchinson and Galloway have 3 goals apiece while Ramshaw already has 8 to her credit. All three names appear with concerning regularity on the Club's match tweets, and between them have notched up an average of 2 goals between the three of them per match. To beat the Black Cats we will have to nullify Captain Ramshaw by hitting her hard but fair in the tackle, and get in her face at every opportunity. Do that and we have a good chance of taking all three points with our style of play.
Manager Mel Reay has stated that she wants to see them keep that pill moving all the time, and that's exactly what they do with aplomb. They can play long balls without merely hoofing it and seem to know where each other is all the time. One of Derby's faults this season you may argue is that while our play is exceptionally fast and accurate with tricky ball control, the final pass has often gone astray because the receiver never read the pass accurately. I do though see big game players at Derby now and those are the very players who will ensure our victory this Sunday. I'll just leave it at that as I don't wish to give away too many clues. Walls have ears, and fans are super grasses when it comes to dobbing in the opposition. I know I am!
SUNDERLAND
Possible starting line-up
Stonehouse (GK), Brown (D), Griffiths (CB), McCatty (CB), Young (D), Atkinson (M), Gibson (M), Lambert (M), Hutchinson (M), Ramshaw (Capt.) (F), Galloway (F).
DERBY COUNTY
From
Morgan (GK), Kellogg (GK), Sims (D), Camilla Newton (D), Ball (D), John (D), Tait (D), Ward (Capt.) (D), Joyce (M), Cara Newton (M), Smith (M), Barber (M), Watson (M), Ledgister (M), Redgrave (M), Allen (F), McIntosh (F), Mitcham (F), Bell (F).
