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SURREY UNDER 16 REP TEAM V QPR UNDER 16 by Warren Powick

After a month without any club football due to the rain and the snow, the surrey u16 rep team finally managed to play their first match of this season. We travelled to QPR's training facility at Harlington and played the match on their 3g all weather pitch, which despite the snow being stacked up around the pitch, the playing surface was fine.

On a wet and windy morning, the game started off very evenly, with the Surrey girls getting used to playing with each other, as 7 of the squad were making their debut's in rep team football. QPR naturally were on top early on and the fact they have played together for a few years was obvious, But Surrey were soon on a par and competing well. QPR created the clearer opportunity's but thanks to some excellent one on one saves and clearing tackles outside of her penalty area Natasha Salgado (Kingstonian's), Kept Surrey level at half time.

The second half started very evenly, But gradually Surrey began to dominate and create the chances that were missing in the first half, But as always in football, QPR took the lead. A hotly disputed free kick was awarded and from 30 yards, The QPR player struck a great free kick into the roof of the net. Despite this, The Surrey girls responded well and began winning corners and from one of these, Megan Hicks (Colne Valley) scored after a goalmouth scramble and carried on her record of scoring in every game she has played for the rep team.

QPR were now on the back foot and almost immediately from the re-start Evie Douglas (Colne valley) won the ball and played in Rachel Marlow (Colne valley), who held off the defender's challenge and on seeing the advancing keeper off of her line, Coolly lobbed the ball into the net from a full 30 yards, It was a great goal and worthy of winning any game.

The girls hung on for the victory but unfortunately a free kick was conceded on the edge of our box and the QPR player scored again to make the score 2-2, As the girls went back to kick-off, The referee blew his whistle and the game was over. So maybe they came off feeling a little robbed but they can be really proud of the result and their performance and can look forward with confidence to their games in the Southern Inter League matches that begin this month.