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MATCH FOCUS | Blues Women hunt first away win
Bedford Blues Women will be looking to carry last weekend’s momentum with them on the road as they cross the counties to face Royston on Sunday (KO 2:30pm).
The good times are back for Darryl Veenendaal and Peter Frost’s side who will be hoping victory last time out is the result which re-ignites their 2022/23 NC2 Midlands (Central) Division.
Big Game Preview
A resounding 57-0 victory over Biggleswade has put Blues Women back on track this season – the challenge now is to make it back-to-back victories at a tough place to go and get a result, facing Royston for the very first time.
The side performed exceptionally well last season to secure away victories at Letchworth and Shelford – and in this pre-season against Stockwood Park – but a first success on the road at NC2 level would be a real statement performance for the team.
Both sides are deadlocked on four points after three games, with Royston occupying 5th position to Blues’ 6th by virtue of a slightly higher points difference.
Ahead of the trip, full Team News will be announced on Friday.
View from the camp
Joint Head Coach, Peter Frost said: “We want to keep our momentum going. It’s all about not trying anything new. We’re in a position where we have our structures in place, defensive and attacking – everything is in place.
“Now it’s about being a bit slicker with our execution of those processes and that’s all we’ll be focusing on now for the next couple of weeks. This team is improving week on week, and that’s all I’ll look for at Royston is improvement.
Last weekend’s Player of the Match, Emily Wallbank said: “We’ve gone into training this week really hard; we’ve focused on our defence, we’ve kept pushing on those little things that we need to improve upon to make sure we’re ready for Sunday.”
What follows this league encounter?
There are still five fixtures to be played after Sunday’s encounter and before 2022 draws to its conclusion; two of which at Goldington Road vs Milton Keynes (Sunday 20th November) and St Neots (Saturday 17th December).
In terms of the immediate future, Blues Women are back at Bedford Athletic next weekend to contest their Women’s Junior Plate cup clash against Welwyn Ladies on Sunday 30th October.
The remaining fixtures are Buckingham Swans II at home on Sunday 13th November (played at Bedford Ath) while the final away journey of the calendar year is to Rugby Lionesses on Sunday 4th December.
Opposition Analysis
An established side at this level pre and post COVID, Royston finished 3rd last season and will be looking to continually progress, while securing a first victory since the opening day of the campaign.
A thumping victory over Biggleswade was a dream start but they have tailed off since then, first being heavily defeated by Milton Keynes then conceding last weekend’s fixture at Buckingham Swans II.
Follow the team to Royston
The match will take place at The Heath Sports Centre, postcode SG8 5BG with free entry for all spectators.
If you’re not heading to Hertfordshire, we’ve got you covered! Continue to show your pride for the team by joining in the conversation on matchday using #BluesFamily to share your messages of support.
Head to all our social media channels for the matchday build-up, including post-match interviews and the Player of the Match presentation. Our live feed during the match will come exclusively on Twitter!
